“Naomi, though personally loved and cared for by God, has been a stand in for all of his people this entire time! Though we deserve his judgment as much as anyone else, God is faithful to his covenant promises.  Just as he relented in his judgment upon Elimelech’s family, turned and ensured their good and their future, so he also relented in his judgment upon all of Israel, preserving a remnant among them and establishing an eternal dynasty for his people despite their faithlessness. And, even now, God is transforming a people, making us faithful, by revealing his faithfulness in his word.”

“The 3rd act ends once again with the words of Naomi.  The narrator opens and closes all the other acts, but here, again, Naomi has the first and last words. Her first words are the the first expression of ḥeseḏ which come from Naomi.  We get to watch God restore her in more ways than one.  Naomi’s outlook changes radically from self-absorption to concern for her daughter-in-law’s well-being. The bitter old woman has started to care for the needs of others.  God is truly gracious in the restoration of his people. And he is using his people to bring about this change. This restoration comes as a result of the ḥeseḏ of God expressed to her in the ḥeseḏ of faithful Boaz and loyal Ruth. It was God who first provided her, out of all the unfaithful Israelite, and Moabite women, a daughter-in-law worth more than ten sons; a woman of valor who would devote herself to Naomi’s cause.”