Ruth: An Introduction

Ruth – An Introduction

Ruth 1:1-2

Ruth 1:1–2 ESV

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

1. Introduction –For the next little while we are going to be studying the book of Ruth.

a. Ruth is a fascinating story. It is rich in history – not to mention the story itself is fantastic.

i. We’ll learn about life in the ANE, about ancient Israelite customs.

1. We’ll learn about God – how he moves and works in the lives of his people.

a. We’ll learn about redemption and restoration.

b. Yes, it’s also a love story between Ruth and Boaz, but it is so much more than that – and hopefully you’ll see that as we make our way through this study.,

i. Today, I simply want to take some time to introduce this book to you.

1. We are going to look at it from a zoomed-out perspective – we’ll try to understand it on a large scale…

a. So that in future weeks we can zoom in and look at the nitty gritty details.

c. By way of introduction, we are going to read Ruth 1:1-2, there is actually a lot of information packed into these 2 verses.

i. Hear God’s Word – Ruth 1:1-2.

1. Did you hear all the details in those verses? Aren’t they fascinating? If you don’t think so now, hopefully you will in a couple minutes.

a. There’s some really important information given in these verses…information that sets up the rest of the book.

d. This morning we are going to talk about the historical setting.

i. When did this story take place? What was life like back then?

1. We’ll look at the character who make up this narrative.

a. I’ll introduce you to the structure of this book…how it is written.

i. And I’ll introduce some of the major themes we’ll encounter along the way.

2. And believe it or not…a lot of that information can be found in the 2 verses we just read.

2. Historical Setting – The first topic I want us to explore is the historical setting of this story.

a. When did it take place? What was life like then?

i. And the very first words of the book of Ruth answers this question for us. Did you catch it?

1. “In the days when the judges ruled in Israel…”

a. This is a historical timestamp. It is giving us the period of Israel’s history when this story happened.

i. It took place sometime after the conquest that was led by Joshua – but before the establishment of the monarchy.

b. It’s a period that lasted about 400 years – not an exact number, but it’s close.

i. Ruth’s story took place when Israel was still finding it’s footing as a nation.

1. They spent 400 years in Egypt – slaves to Pharaoh. But God delivered them with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

a. They spent 40 years walking in circles in the wilderness because the people didn’t believe God was going to give them the Land of Promise.

c. They spent several years ridding the Promised Land of squatters – though they didn’t do a very good job of it.

i. The land was divided up amongst the tribes, then those larger sections were divided up among the clans that make up those tribes, and then divided up into smaller sections to each individual family that make up each clan.

1. So at the time that Ruth’s story, Israel was still in its infancy, perhaps there was a loose confederacy among the tribes, but not yet united under the monarchy.

a. It was the time when the judged ruled Israel.

d. And this phrase, not only gives us a historical timestamp, but it also tells us what life was like at that time.

i. It’s actually a theological description of the character of the times in which these events took place.

1. It’s like Dickens’ beginning to “A Tale of Two Cities,” It was the best of times – it was the worst of times…

a. A description of the character of the times…describing the setting…

i. Though in the days when the judges ruled Israel…there was little good happening.

e. We know this, because the last verse in Judges gives us an accurate picture of what life during this period of time was like.

i. Look at Judges 21:25 – it says…all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Judges 21:25 ESV

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

a. A phrase that fittingly describes our world today.

f. If you are familiar with the book of Judges, you know that there is a repeated cycle.

i. The people of God rebel against him.

1. They worship other gods, bring sacrifices to other gods, and generally do all kinds of wicked and detestable things.

a. So because of their rebellion, God punishes them – usually in the form of oppression from another nation.

2. During that oppression, the people realize their rebellion and cry out to God for help.

a. And because God is rich in mercy and abounding in steadfast live and faithfulness…

i. God raises up a leader, a judge, in order to overthrow the oppressors.

g. God raised up many Judges in this 400-year period…Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah…

i. And usually there was some measure of peace and rest for God’s people after their deliverance…however, the cycle repeated itself and the people rebelled once again.

1. And except for those times when God periodically sent a deliverer to rescue his people and their hearts were turned back to God…

a. The days when the judges ruled in Israel were bleak and dark times of disobedience on the part of God’s people.

h. So what was life like during Ruth’s time?

i. Spiritually bleak and dark – a time of rebellion and waywardness.

1. It was a time when the nation lacked courageous leadership.

ii. And to top it all off, there was a famine – severe enough to cause someone to give up his family land and move to a new country.

1. Something that was unheard of in this day.

a. And what might be even crazier and even more unheard of is the fact that this Israelite took his family and moved to Moab.

1. Why is this a crazy and significant development?

iii. Where’s Moab? What’s Moab? Who is Moab?

i. Well, the Land of Moab is southwest of Judah – immediately east of the Dead Sea.

i. It was only 60 miles north to south and 20 miles east to west…so a small nation.

1. However, even though it was small – the land of Moab plays a key role in the early part of Israel’s history.

a. The land of Moab provides a geographical backdrop to the book of Numbers, Deuteronomy and the first part of Joshua.

ii. The Israelites wandered the desert for 38 years before arriving on the plains of Moab. And for 2 years the camped on the precipice of the Promised Land

1. Many kings and nations rose up against Israel at that time, and they were all defeated on the plains of Moab.

a. Balak, the king of Moab, ordered Balaam the prophet to curse the Israelites, but Balaam ended up confirming God’s blessing on them.

j. On the Plains of Moab, Moses reviewed the law and recounted the journey though the wilderness – that’s recorded for us in the book of Deuteronomy.

i. On the plains of Moab, Moses transferred power to Joshua – and Moses died and was buried in Moab.

1. King Eglon of Moab oppressed Israel for 18 years before God raised up Ehud the judge to defeat him.

a. Other books of the Bible refer to Moab as Israel’s enemy.

i. There are many other references to Moab scattered throughout the OT.

1. But who is this country named after?

ii. Well – Moab the man was born out of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter.

1. When Lot and his family escaped Sodom – his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt – but Lot and his daughters were rescued.

a. And after their rescue from Sodom – Lot’s daughters got him drunk, then got pregnant by their faither – one daughter having a son name Moab, the other having a son named Ben-ammi – who would become the father of the Ammonite nation.

k. So that’s the backdrop to this story.

i. In the time of the judges – a bleak and dark period of Israel’s history.

1. A famine wreaked havoc on the land…So bad that a man would give up his ancestorial land and move to Moab.

a. A nation that oppressed Israel, tried to curse Israel, a nation that came about because of inappropriate relations between a daughter and father.

3. The Characters – And we are told in v.2 that this man’s name is Elimelech.

a. He was from Bethlehem, and he was an Ephrathite - which is a small clan with the tribe of Judah that lived in Bethlehem.

i. We just came through Christmas, we read about the little town of Bethlehem – we remember Micah’s prophecy about Bethlehem Ephratha…Bethlehem is an important town – even before Jesus’ birth.

1. Well, this is where our characters hail from – the little town of Bethlehem, but they are on their way to Moab.

a. We are introduced to Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their 2 sons – Mahlon and Kilion.

i. In all honesty, we don’t know anything about Elimelech, Mahlon and Kilion because very early in the narrative they all died.

b. That leaves us with Naomi – who, believe it or not, is actually the main character of the book.

i. Yes, the book is named after Ruth, appropriately so, I might add.

1. We are introduced to 2 Moabite women in 1:4 – Ruth and Orpah.

ii. And what is so incredible is that this book is named after a Moabite woman.

1. Crazy that she’s not even of Jewish descent…and she’s a woman.

iii. But the book is rightfully named after Ruth because of her devotion towards Naomi and all that she does for her.

1. All that Ruth accomplishes in this book, not only benefits her, but they also benefit Naomi.

a. And that’s because one of the major themes of this book is redemption and restoration.

1. And it is through Ruth’s actions that Naomi is restored.

c. At the end of the book – after a child is born for Ruth and Boaz…

i. The women of the town praise Naomi – the Lord has provided a redeemer for your family.

1. May this child be famous – may he restore your youth and care for you in your old age.

a. Naomi, not Ruth, is praised. Naomi is restored because this is where the plot of the story has been headed the whole time.

ii. And along the way we are also introduced to a man named Boaz, who plays an integral role in the movement of the plot.

1. As we make our way through this study we’ll dive more into these characters and the character development that takes place.

4. Structure – For now I want to shift your focus to the structure of this book.

a. This is why we look at the structure – if we understand how the book is written, it will help us understand what is written.

i. The book of Ruth can be divided into 4 major sections, with an epilogue or conclusion at the end.

1. Each major section can then be broken down into subsections.

b. In Act 1 – the family is met with a crisis. 1:1:21

i. And within this bigger section there are several smaller scenes.

c. In act 2, we see a ray of hope for this family. Section 2 goes from 1:22-2:23.

i. And again, this larger section can be broken down into several subsections.

d. In Act 3, there is tension and complications introduced.

i. This section goes from 3:1-18.

1. Again, there are a couple smaller scenes within this larger section.

e. And in Act 4, we see the rescue and restoration. 4:1-17

i. The tension is resolved and the characters experience fulfillment and peace.

1. Again, there are smaller scenes within this larger section that moves the plot to its conclusion.

f. And the book of Ruth ends with an epilogue – and this epilogue contains a genealogy of the royal line.

i. So that’s the structure – I will be passing out a detailed copy of this structure for you to take home, tuck it in your own Bible and use it in your own study of this book.

5. Themes – And as we close this morning, let’s talk about some of the major themes found in this book.

a. We touched on one already – redemption and restoration. We’ll see how that plays out throughout the book.

i. But in order to introduce the themes of this book I’m going to do so by asking 2 questions.

b. First, what does Ruth teach us about God?

i. First, the book of Ruth teaches us about God’s providence.

1. What is providence? Well, it is God’s caring provision for his people as he guides them in their journey of faith through this life.

a. And if you know the story told in the book of Ruth – you see God’s caring provision everywhere. He provided Ruth for Naomi.

i. God provided a field for Ruth to collect food in.

1. He provided Naomi’s family with a kinsman redeemer.

ii. He provided a child for Naomi – and Ruth and Boaz too.

b. Providence – it shows up in almost every scene in this incredible story.

c. Secondly, along with providence – the story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz teaches us about God’s love.

i. His unfailing and unconditional love.

1. And the Hebrew word for love is one of my favourite Hebrew words, hesed.

a. This word refers to God’s unchanging, unfailing and never-ending love for his people.

i. Hesed is often translated in our English Bibles as ‘unfailing love’ or ‘steadfast love.’ Hesed – a theme we’ll come back to time and again.

ii. And the story of Ruth shows us God’s love for his people – not letting the line that would produce King David and eventually Jesus, die off – but lovingly providing a way to keep the line going.

d. And the second I’ll ask is this – what do we learn about God’s people?

1. Well, quickly, we learn that God not only moves in spectacular and miraculous ways – but he also shows up in the seemingly mundane decisions of life.

a. A decision to move to Moab – eventually provided Naomi with a male heir.

i. A routine decision but God shows up in it.

2. A decision to glean in a seemingly random field, but it turned out to be Boaz’s field…which eventually led to Naomi’s restoration.

e. And that leads into the last them – there’s no such thing as chance or randomness.

i. God is behind every action taken.

1. In this story…in your story. On the surface, it may not look like it, but we have to dig and find God in all our situations.

a. We must ask the most profound theological question we can ever ask, “Where’s God in this?”

i. We’ll ask it about the Ruth narrative – we’ll ask it about each of our lives as we study this text.

2. And we’ll see God’s providence, his hesed towards Naomi and Ruth…and his love that he shows to each and every one of us.