“You Are an Excellent Woman”

These words of praise were addressed to a young Moabitess. She was a widow named Ruth, the daughter-in-law of an Israelite woman, Naomi. Living in Israel some 3000 years ago, when the judges ruled, Ruth had acquired a name for excellence. (Ruth 3:11) How did she come by this reputation? Who can benefit from her example?

Not one to eat “the bread of laziness,” Ruth worked long and hard as a gleaner in the fields, her diligence being such that it earned her commendation. Even when an offer was made to ease her work load, she continued to toil, doing so beyond the call of duty. Outstandingly, she fitted the Bible’s description of a praiseworthy, capable, industrious wife.​—Proverbs 31:10-31; Ruth 2:7, 15-17.

It was Ruth’s spiritual qualities​—her humble, self-sacrificing attitude and her loyal love—​that were the major factors in the public esteem she enjoyed. Leaving her parents and her native land, with little prospect of finding the security that marriage could bring, she stuck with Naomi. At the same time, Ruth expressed the desire to serve Jehovah, the God of her mother-in-law. In emphasizing her worth, the Scriptural account says that she was “better to [Naomi] than seven sons.”​—Ruth 1:16, 17; 2:11, 12; 4:15.

Meritorious though Ruth’s record of excellence was among her human associates, of greater significance was God’s positive appraisal of her qualities and his rewarding her with the privilege of becoming an ancestress of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:5; 1 Peter 3:4) What a fine example Ruth is not only for Christian women but for all who profess to worship Jehovah!