The charming book of Ruth could almost be described as a romantic comedy. As Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth move back to Bethlehem, and Ruth encounter the godly landowner Boaz, the story moves from famine to fullness, from death to life, and from despair to joy. The book is thus the gospel in miniature, for Christ himself is our kinsman redeemer, bound to us by blood and covenant, who in his kindness rescues us from slavery, ruin, and hopelessness.