As an author crafts a story, deliberate choices are made. It’s almost like standing behind a video camera—deciding exactly what the audience will see in each frame. When needed, the camera pulls back for a wide, “establishing shot” to provide setting and context and summarized background. That is what we found in the opening verses of the book of Ruth.

But to help readers experience the characters and feel their emotions, the author “zooms in” for a close-up. Characters are described in more detail. We see their actions and body language and idiosyncrasies. We listen to dialogue that moves the action and exposes motivation.

Today’s passage is the first of many “close-up scenes” in the book of Ruth. Naomi and her two daughters- in-law had left Moab and began the journey back to Bethlehem. The author doesn’t reveal whether the women had discussed this arrangement prior to their departure. Suddenly Naomi stopped them in their tracks and expressed second thoughts. Perhaps the journey had given her time to see the situation from Ruth and Orpah’s perspective. The two young widows were leaving their home just as Naomi had done during the famine. She knew what struggles and loneliness they would face, and she intended to spare them additional pain. She told them to return to their “mother’s home” (v. 8). It is interesting that she used “mother’s” rather than “father’s”—since their fathers would have been their primary source of provision and protection.

Then, Naomi pronounced a blessing on the young widows (v. 9). She asked Yahweh to shower hesed on the women, just as they had already shown hesed to her and their husbands. It couldn’t have been easy for Naomi to send them home. Their departure would seal her lonesome fate. But releasing them was Naomi’s own act of hesed—even in her grief.

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Hesed is a beautiful and complex Hebrew concept that no single English word can fully convey. It is a multi-faceted relational term, encompassing the ideas of loyalty, faithfulness, goodness, mercy, and love. While hesed presumes emotion, it is primarily an action. Hesed acts to address an urgent need for the recipient. A more powerful person will often act on behalf of a situationally helpless beneficiary.

Of course, God is the source and primary demonstrator of hesed, but the word is also used in Scripture to describe uncommon human love. We pause here because hesed will become a major theme throughout the narrative. Verses 1–5 have already established the setting of the book of Ruth. We have met the initial cast of characters and learned the central dramatic question: Will Naomi be redeemed? These verses left Naomi in the most desperate state—alone and destitute in an alien land.

Then, verse 6 brings a hint of hope. A hint of hesed. Today we are focusing on this key verse—the first place in the book where we see God’s care and lovingkindness at work. It is precisely in Naomi’s moment of deepest despair that important news reached her. The Lord had provided for His people back in Bethlehem. This is the first time Yahweh is mentioned in the story, and His hesed character is on full display. He had not forgotten His people. Since no repentance on the part of Israel is mentioned, this act of covenantal love is best understood as a gracious gift.

Naomi’s response to this good news was decisive. She immediately prepared to return to her home. The Hebrew word for “return” can carry the connotation of restoration and recovery, hinting at the further blessing that God had in store. Naomi’s daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, joined her travel preparation without any documented discussion.

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Many of us have experienced a season of “cumulative grief.” When one loss—of a loved one, a job, our health, our security—follows closely on the heels of another loss, the emotional burden is compounded, making it harder to heal.

In Ruth 1:3–5, we read about Naomi’s painful season of loss upon loss. Some commentators have called her the “female Job.” She lost the security of basic provisions and then her home in Bethlehem. She was living in a foreign, unfriendly land. Then she lost her husband—her partner and provider (v. 3).

This tragedy was only eased by the care of her two sons (v. 3) who married Moabite women, providing hope for a new generation (v. 4). Sadly, however, Mahlon and Kilion’s ten-year marriages to Orpah and Ruth were both marked by infertility before both sons also died (v. 5).

At the end of verse 5, the author returns to Naomi who “was left without her two sons and her husband.” We feel her isolation and loneliness. While the author delivers these details in a direct, staccato fashion, the original audience would have understood the devastating implications of Naomi’s situation.

She faced the harsh reality of living her aged years alone. She had lost the provision and protection of her husband and then her sons— perhaps the worst fate for an Israelite woman. There were not even any grandchildren to bring her joy. On top of that, the family of Elimelech faced annihilation. Ancient Israelite culture placed a high value on family lineage, so the loss of a family from existence was a great tragedy. Every good story hinges on a central dramatic question. So, we ask ourselves: Will Naomi be redeemed?

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