If you ask people about romantic couples from the Bible, they would probably mention David and Bathsheba or Samson and Delilah, mostly because Hollywood have portrayed a version (not necessarily the real one) of their lives in several films.

To be honest, I don’t even consider David and Bathsheba or Samson and Delilah as romantic couples in the classical sense.

Delilah was paid to find the source of  Samson’s great strength, so the Philistines could find a way to defeat him. She did it, and there is no indication that she had any feelings toward him or that she felt sorry for what she did (see Judges 16:4-22).

About David and Bathsheba, they were both married to other people when they got involved. She got pregnant while her husband was away in battle. Ultimately David got her husband killed so he could marry her (2 Samuel 11:14-17). That’s definitely not a good way to start a relationship.

We can see in the Bible how they all faced severe consequences for their choices. Their lives are examples of how things can turn out really bad when we make choices out of impulses and desires instead of following God’s will.

If you ask me, my favorite romance from the Bible is Boaz and Ruth’s. If you are not familiar to their story, you can read it in the book of Ruth. It’s a quick read and it’s worthy it.

Ruth was a moabite (Moab was one of Israel’s enemies back then). When she lost her husband, she decided to stick with her israelite mother-in-law Naomi, who was also a widow, and go back to Israel. She said:

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

She was embracing a new culture and a new God with all she had. And there they went.

When they arrived, Ruth ended up picking up the leftover grains in Boaz’s field, that’s how they first met.

Boaz was a rich man and he was Naomi’s relative, which would allow him to redeem them from their difficult financial situation according to the law given by God (see Leviticus 25:25-55).

When he saw Ruth in his field, he asked his employees about her. Then he allowed her to pick as much grain as she wanted and drink water from his wells too. Boaz was very kind to her, and she asked him why:

She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:10-12)

Contrary to the other relationships I mentioned earlier, this one started because Boaz was touched by Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law and her decision to accept the God of Israel as her own. Her actions showed him that, although she was a foreigner, she was a good and faithful woman.

Then they start meeting for meals and their relationship evolved until she let him know that she wanted him to redeem her by marriage. He was thrilled and he accepted it, and they got married.

When you look at the consequences of their relationship, you get to confirm how it was something that pleased God. Ruth got pregnant and her pregnancy was a blessing recognized by everyone. Their story was a testimony of God’s goodness:

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” (Ruth 4:14,15)

Their son, Obed, was Kind David’s grandfather, and they also became ancestors of Jesus Christ. In fact, Ruth is one of the only five women who are mentioned in Jesus genealogy (see Matthew 1:5).

Their story shows that God will bless a relationship when the two people are willing to follow his commandments (love God and love their neighbor) and be a testimony to His goodness.

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After this post was published, my cousin shared a song with me that talks about the story of Ruth and Naomi. It’s such a beautiful song that I decided to share it here too:

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This post is part of the “One Word at a Time Blog Carnival” hosted by Peter Pollock. Check out his blog for links to other posts that were written based on the word “romance”.

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