These influential women of the Bible impacted not only the nation of Israel but also eternal history. Some were saints; some were scoundrels. A few were queens, but most were commoners. All played a key role in the spectacular Bible story. Each woman brought her unique character to bear on her situation, and for this, we still remember her centuries later.
Ruth: Virtuous Ancestor of Jesus
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Ruth was a virtuous young widow, so upright in character that her love story is one of the favourite accounts in the entire Bible. When her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi returned to Israel from Moab after a famine, Ruth pledged to follow Naomi and worship her God.
Boaz exercised his right as kinsman-redeemer, married Ruth, and rescued both women from poverty. According to Matthew, Ruth was an ancestor of King David, whose descendant was Jesus Christ.
