During our own struggle with fertility I began searching the Bible for stories of women who longed for children and struggled to conceive. As I read through scripture with this question in mind, I was suddenly struck by the story of Ruth in a way I had never noticed before. I had never thought of Ruth as a woman who had struggled with fertility, but when I looked again I realised there was something in the opening chapter that I had simply never noticed because I wasn’t looking for it.

Despite its short length, the book of Ruth is hugely significant and filled with theological insight. As I searched scripture to find a biblical response to our own fertility difficulties, this small book became another key in helping me understand God’s purpose and timing in our lives.

We know that every word of scripture is intentional and profitable for our understanding. As I read the opening sentences again, I noticed that Ruth could have been married for up to ten years before her husband died and that she had not had any children at the point of his death.

“They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died…” (Ruth 1:4–5)

The opening of Ruth is filled with one tragedy after another: famine, Elimelech’s death, and the deaths of Naomi’s sons. Childlessness may have been yet another layer to the lament of this family – something I had never noticed before because I simply wasn’t looking for it. Interestingly, Orpah, the sister-in-law of Ruth, did not appear to have any children either, and it is notable that both of these women remained childless despite a significant length of time.

Mahlon and Chilion were evidently not meant to father children, and the end of the story makes clear why events unfolded in this way. The wombs of both Ruth and Orpah appear to have remained closed for a greater purpose, and it became a humbling reminder to me that our lives are meant to fit within God’s plans – He is not there to fulfil ours.

The Providence of God

The beginning of this book plunges us straight into disaster. Everything that could possibly go wrong seems to go wrong for this family. It is truly an awful situation for these women to find themselves in, and one that can be easy to overlook in a modern context. Yet woven throughout the account are moments that reveal God’s guiding hand that we are meant to notice.

“And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” (Ruth 1:22)

“And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz…” (Ruth 2:3)

“…if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you.” (Ruth 3:13)

These moments stand in stark contrast to Naomi’s lament, and we are meant to recognise the purpose of God in the midst of their trial.

Ruth could have returned to her father’s house, but instead she chose to stay with Naomi out of love and loyalty to her. Naomi and Ruth could have arrived in Bethlehem after the harvest had ended, yet they arrived just as it began. Ruth could have gleaned in another field, but instead she came to the field of Boaz. These are not merely coincidences; they show God providing and caring for them even when they themselves feel abandoned.

God uses the willing, and we are meant to see in both Ruth and Boaz a sacrificial love for God and others. Ruth willingly goes with Naomi into a hopeless and desperate situation. Boaz does not try to manipulate the right of redemption but follows the Law correctly, knowing that it may not benefit him. Both demonstrate a trust in God even when the prospects before them do not look good.

Biblical Conception

Although the story begins with tragedy and loss, it ultimately becomes an account of God’s restoration and blessing, not only for Naomi but for the whole of humanity. The marriage of Boaz and Ruth results in the birth of a son.

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.” (Ruth 4:13)

Here, as in other accounts in scripture, the act of sexual union in marriage is specifically mentioned. It is recorded intentionally by the biblical writer, and that alone should cause us to stop and take notice. Scripture reminds us that life itself ultimately comes from God and that marriage is the biblical context for conception.

Despite having had no children in her previous marriage, Ruth is now able to conceive. The text emphasises that it is the Lord who grants this blessing. There is a deep sense of God’s favour throughout this moment, as the lives of two women who had felt so empty and hopeless are now filled with joy. The birth of this child is not simply the blessing of a baby; it represents the continuation of a family line that will have enormous significance in God’s story of redemption for humanity.

Royal Bloodline

The book of Ruth concludes with a genealogy, which is always significant within scripture. It stands in stark contrast to the beginning of the story, which opened with death, famine and childlessness. The son born to Boaz and Ruth becomes the grandfather of King David and through this very bloodline, generations later, Jesus Christ himself will come. 

At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, Ruth is one of only four women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ. Her story echoes that of many other women in scripture whose struggles to conceive seemed like an impossibility for the continuation of the story. Yet time and again God intervenes and changes the course of events in ways that only He can.

Heart Lessons

Personally, I learned many lessons from reflecting on this story while wrestling with our own experience of infertility.

Ruth had a choice in the story. She could have returned to her father’s house with the possibility of greater security, another marriage and potentially children. Instead she chose a far more difficult path that came with great personal cost. Her love for Naomi compelled her to follow the path that God had set before them, even though there was no immediate hope of help.

Another lesson I took from this story is that God is constantly working in our lives even when it feels as though He is not. For years I prayed for God to give us children, which was a deep longing of my heart and something that has not yet happened. Yet looking back I can now see ways in which He was working in our marriage for purposes I had not anticipated. It was different from my plan, but through that season God was shaping both my husband and me. The disappointment and struggle formed in me a deeper desire to search His word and seek Him more than anything else, even children.

Boaz and Ruth also demonstrate remarkable qualities: love, faithfulness, sacrifice, humility and integrity. On every level they are unusual characters in scripture because they place godliness above their own preferences and desires. Both are willing to choose a path that involves trust rather than personal advantage. I found this particularly challenging when we considered the possibility of fertility treatments. It forced me to ask whether I truly believed that God was able to give us children in His own way and in His own time. Today there are technological possibilities, such as IUI, IVF and surrogacy that previous generations never had. These options can allow people to pursue children in ways that were once impossible. Yet they also raise difficult questions for Christians about God’s timing and purpose. When does God want us to have children? Does He have children planned for us at all? Or does He sometimes call us to a different path? 

It may be that the answer to our prayers is not always “no,” but sometimes “not yet.” In seasons of lament like Naomi’s, it can be difficult to see the ways in which God may be preparing us for something beyond what we might have imagined for our lives.

For me, the greatest lesson was learning that my life ultimately belongs to God. In a world that tells you that you can have anything you want, the biblical imperative is the total opposite – it is death to ourselves and the renouncing of everything. The longing for children has been real and painful, but through that struggle I was drawn to seek Him more deeply than ever before. Our story does not look like Ruth’s story with a child at the end but the work God was doing in me resulted in a deep belief that if He wanted to give us children, He could. More importantly, I knew that I had heard His voice in the midst of this deeply personal struggle, and He gave me a peace that I now know no child could provide.

To read our confession of faith, please see here https://firebrandnotes.com/2026/02/04/confession/