Book of Ruth
Overview
The little book of Ruth is a love story. Ruth is a foreigner to Israel. She comes from Moab. Ruth and her sister were both married to Israelite men, but they are widowed. Ruth shows great love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who is also a widow. Together they travel from Moab to Naomi’s home in Bethlehem. There Ruth meets Boaz, her husband’s next of kin. Boaz is a good man who deals kindly with them. In due course, Boaz marries Ruth. Their great-grandson will be King David.
Who wrote the story of Ruth?
We do not know who wrote this story. It is set in the days when the judges were leading Israel, but has a much more peaceful atmosphere than the tales of their exploits. It tells how God can guide and bless people even in the midst of personal tragedy. It shows how a righteous man, Boaz, protects and provides for two widows. It also has a special interest as background to the story of David. It seems to be told as a true story and is therefore one of the Bible’s history books.
Theme
Ruth is a story of faithfulness, both human and divine. Naomi demonstrated faithfulness by returning to the land of promise. Ruth demonstrated her faithfulness by accompanying Naomi to Bethlehem and working the fields to provide for her. Ruth further demonstrated faithfulness to her deceased husband by her desire to marry into his family. Boaz demonstrated his faithfulness by fulfilling his covenant role as near kinsman.
Above all, Ruth is a story of God’s faithfulness. God was faithful in preserving a family line, which—in God’s time—led to King David and ultimately to Jesus. Ruth’s story serves as a reminder that our faithfulness plays a part in the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Main Theme
Purpose and Theology
1. The story provides a transition from the patriarchs to the monarchy. The genealogy at the end of the book traces the lineage of Boaz from Perez, the son of Judah, down to King David. For many Israelites the most important word of the book was the last—David.
2. The story of Ruth shows how God sovereignly, though almost imperceptively, achieves His purposes through the faithfulness of His people. The book speaks about God indirectly through the prayers and blessings of the story’s characters. Although the book reflects a strong belief in God’s lordship over history, it equally convinces readers that human decisions and actions play a significant role.
3. The book teaches that God’s will is sometimes accomplished by common people with uncommon faith. The Book of Ruth does not have miracles or revelations. It does not mention the institutions of Israel’s religion, such as tabernacle and prophecy. It has simple people going about everyday affairs.
4. The theological emphasis of Ruth can be summed up by two key words—kindness (hesed) and kinsman-redeemer (goel). The word kindness indicates covenant faithfulness and occurs three times in the prayers and commendations spoken by the characters (1:8; 2:20; 3:10). There is an implied contrast between the story’s characters, who are righteous, and those of Judges, who “did as he [they] saw fit” (Judg 21:25).
The story teaches that God rewards the faithfulness of His people. God accomplished this by using Boaz as the family’s “kinsman-redeemer” (2:20; 3:12–13; 4:1–10). Kinsman-redeemer refers to a relative who helped a troubled family member so that the family was not dispossessed of land or left without an heir (Lev 25:25–34; Deut 25:5–10).
5. The story corrected the Jews when they made the worship of God exclusively the prerogative of Israel. Although Ruth was a Moabitess, she was blessed by God.
Main Theme
Main Characters (Naomi, Ruth, Boaz)
Key Themes
Setting
Who wrote the story of Ruth?
We do not know who wrote this story. It is set in the days when the judges were leading Israel, but has a much more peaceful atmosphere than the tales of their exploits. It tells how God can guide and bless people even in the midst of personal tragedy. It shows how a righteous man, Boaz, protects and provides for two widows. It also has a special interest as background to the story of David. It seems to be told as a true story and is therefore one of the Bible’s history books.