St. Naomi & St. Ruth

Read the book of Ruth. It tells the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. Naomi's husband and her two sons died. She was left without a way to redeem her portion of the land. Naomi was too old to remarry and have children. Ruth and the other daughter-in-law were from Moab. They were women without standing and without land. Times were tough. Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to Moab to find other husbands and make their way. Ruth refused to go and instead said, "Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God." They lived by gleaning (harvesting the left-over grain after the reapers had passed). Boaz, who was a relative of Ruth's husband fell in love with Ruth. He instructed his servants to intentionally leave grain for her to pick. This is why she is shown with the sheaf of grain. He married her and became her "kinsman redeemer". According to the law of Moses, his firstborn son of Ruth would not be considered his heir, but Ruth's husband's heir. In doing this as an unmarried man, he was essentially giving up his place in his father's house to save these women from poverty, starvation and hopelessness. Thus he did for Ruth what Ruth had done for Naomi. This is a picture of Christ's self-emptying love. Boaz and Ruth are mentioned in the genealogy of Christ.

This icon is by the hand of Philip Zimmerman. It is from St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The full text of Ruth 1:16-17 is on the bottom of the icon: "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: and thy people shall be my people and thy God my God. Where thou diest, Iwill die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part me and thee."

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