The Book of Ruth
Part I Introduction:
The Book of Ruth [beauty, satisfied] compliments the Book of Judges.
The setting of the book is in the era of Judges.
The book doesn’t advance the history of Israel,
but it does give us a picture of life in Israel
during the times of the Judges.
It was in this setting that the account
in the book of Ruth was recorded.
Part I Introduction:
The Book of Ruth [beauty, satisfied] compliments the Book of Judges.
The setting of the book is in the era of Judges.
The book doesn’t advance the history of Israel,
but it does give us a picture of life in Israel
during the times of the Judges.
It was in this setting that the account
in the book of Ruth was recorded.
1Now it came about in the days when the judges governed,
that there was a famine in the land
And a certain man of Bethlehem [house of bread] in Judah [praise]
went to sojourn in the land of Moab [of his father]
with his wife and his two sons.
Ruth 1:1
This famine is recorded in other historical documents other than the Bible
Judges [Hebrew shaphat: = judge, sentence, vindicate, litigate, contend, defend, punish]
was written to record the experiences of Israel
during the era of theocracy.
The book sets forth the failures and rebellion of Israel
during this period that lasted 332 years.
Before Moses died, God selected Joshua
to take up His cause to lead Israel.
But God made no provision
for an additional leader after Joshua died.
God’s intent was that once Israel was formed as a nation,
having a people, a law and a land
(the necessary ingredients to form any nation),
that they would look to God Himself as their supreme ruler.
This form of theocracy, had they followed God’s instructions,
would have resulted in unparalleled blessing and satisfaction for them.
Indeed Israel in Hebrew means “He who prevails with God.”
Of course, that conversely means, that he who is without God… fails!
They would have been a nation
that there was a famine in the land
And a certain man of Bethlehem [house of bread] in Judah [praise]
went to sojourn in the land of Moab [of his father]
with his wife and his two sons.
Ruth 1:1
This famine is recorded in other historical documents other than the Bible
Judges [Hebrew shaphat: = judge, sentence, vindicate, litigate, contend, defend, punish]
was written to record the experiences of Israel
during the era of theocracy.
The book sets forth the failures and rebellion of Israel
during this period that lasted 332 years.
Before Moses died, God selected Joshua
to take up His cause to lead Israel.
But God made no provision
for an additional leader after Joshua died.
God’s intent was that once Israel was formed as a nation,
having a people, a law and a land
(the necessary ingredients to form any nation),
that they would look to God Himself as their supreme ruler.
This form of theocracy, had they followed God’s instructions,
would have resulted in unparalleled blessing and satisfaction for them.
Indeed Israel in Hebrew means “He who prevails with God.”
Of course, that conversely means, that he who is without God… fails!
They would have been a nation
set apart for the glory of God,
so that all other nations
so that all other nations
would have been drawn to Him.
Judges were raised up by God
to deal with the sin and rebellion of a people
who had made covenant with God
and had promised to follow Him and His statutes and commands.
This set up a spiritual cycle in this era
reflected in these versed from the book of Judges:
11Then the sons of Israel [who prevails with God]
did evil in the sight of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
and served the Baals [master; lord],
12and they forsook the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God),
the God 'ĕlôhı ym, (the Creator God) of their fathers,
who had brought them out of the land of Egypt,
and followed other gods
from among the gods of the peoples who were around them,
and bowed themselves down to them;
thus they provoked the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) to anger.
13So they forsook the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
and served Baal [master; lord] and the Ashtaroth [riches;flocks; sheep]
14The anger of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
burned against Israel [who prevails with God],
and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them;
and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them,
so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
Judges were raised up by God
to deal with the sin and rebellion of a people
who had made covenant with God
and had promised to follow Him and His statutes and commands.
This set up a spiritual cycle in this era
reflected in these versed from the book of Judges:
11Then the sons of Israel [who prevails with God]
did evil in the sight of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
and served the Baals [master; lord],
12and they forsook the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God),
the God 'ĕlôhı ym, (the Creator God) of their fathers,
who had brought them out of the land of Egypt,
and followed other gods
from among the gods of the peoples who were around them,
and bowed themselves down to them;
thus they provoked the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) to anger.
13So they forsook the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
and served Baal [master; lord] and the Ashtaroth [riches;flocks; sheep]
14The anger of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
burned against Israel [who prevails with God],
and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them;
and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them,
so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
was against them for evil,
as the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) had spoken
and as the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) had sworn to them,
so that they were severely distressed.
16Then the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
raised up judges who delivered them
from the hands of those who plundered them.
17Yet they did not listen to their judges,
for they played the harlot after other gods
and bowed themselves down to them.
They turned aside quickly from the way
in which their fathers had walked
in obeying the commandments
of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God);
they did not do as their fathers.
18When the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
raised up judges for them,
the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) was with the judge
and delivered them from the hand of their enemies
all the days of the judge;
for the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
was moved to pity by their groaning
because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.
19But it came about when the judge died,
that they would turn back
and act more corruptly than their fathers,
in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them;
they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
Judges 2:11-19 NAS
Just a little rabbit trail here.
I can’t help but observe
that you could easily take the name Israel
out of this scripture and replace it with America.
We are in many ways, in the same state as Israel was:
as the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) had spoken
and as the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) had sworn to them,
so that they were severely distressed.
16Then the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
raised up judges who delivered them
from the hands of those who plundered them.
17Yet they did not listen to their judges,
for they played the harlot after other gods
and bowed themselves down to them.
They turned aside quickly from the way
in which their fathers had walked
in obeying the commandments
of the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God);
they did not do as their fathers.
18When the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
raised up judges for them,
the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God) was with the judge
and delivered them from the hand of their enemies
all the days of the judge;
for the LORD yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)
was moved to pity by their groaning
because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.
19But it came about when the judge died,
that they would turn back
and act more corruptly than their fathers,
in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them;
they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
Judges 2:11-19 NAS
Just a little rabbit trail here.
I can’t help but observe
that you could easily take the name Israel
out of this scripture and replace it with America.
We are in many ways, in the same state as Israel was:
We follow after our own laws rather than God’s
We worship the creation rather than the Creator
We follow after a host of Baals…
We follow after wealth and riches,
so we might as well erect some of our own Ashtaroth poles
Should we expect the outcome of our own idolatry and rebellion
to be any different than Israels?
Without a dramatic change of heart in our nation,
or a mighty move of God, our nation is in peril.
End little rabbit trail.
The resulting spiritual cycle went something like this:
1. The People served the LORD [yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)]
and followed after His ways ...
2. Sin and Idolatry
lead the people astray ...
3. The people fall into slavery
because of their rebellion ...
4. The people repent
and cry out to God for deliverance ...
5. God raises up a Judge ...
6. Israel is Delivered ...
7. Israel returns to serving the Lord ...
This cycle of spiritual behavior
was repeated again and again during this era of some 332 years.
The Jewish Talmud claims that Samuel wrote the book,
but there is no clear indication as to the book’s authorship.
The Talmud (talmūd = “instruction, learning”,
from a root that means “teach, study”)
is a central text of mainstream Judaism,
in the form of a record of rabbinic discussions
pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history.
It was not written before the time of David , [well-beloved, dear]
as he is mentioned in the text.
In the same vain, Solomon [peaceable; perfect; one who recompenses]
is not mentioned in the book
so many scholars place the writing of the book
to be near the year 1000 B.C.
One purpose of the book of Ruth [beauty, satisfied] is to reveal
that there were godly people during the era of the theocracy
(theocracy: a form of government in which a god or deity
is recognized as the state’s supreme civil ruler)
Even though the nation of Israel was the midst of deep apostasy,
there were still a remnant of people
who loved and obeyed the Lord God of Israel.
It is a juxtaposition of the book of Judges
where most of the people of Israel
rebel and forsake God, and turns to idolatry.
In Ruth [beauty, satisfied]
we find the refreshing breeze,
of a gentile woman who turns her idols aside
to love and serve the living and true God.
The fact that she was a Gentile
who made the choice to come under the providence and protection
of the One true God,
is an indication of God’s heart
toward the redemption of all mankind.
God’s selection of the Jewish culture as His own people
reflects His desire to have a people
who will be committed to Him
and reflect His nature to all the world,
so that they (all the world) might be drawn to Him.
This is still God’s desire.
The book also reveals
the significance of the family line
of Israel’s greatest king, David [well-beloved, dear]…
and thus the lineage of Christ Jesus.
Ray Stedman makes this interesting comment
in his commentary on the Book of Ruth:
When Benjamin Franklin
was United States Ambassador to France,
he occasionally attended the Infidels Club,
a group that spent most of its time
searching for and reading literary masterpieces.
On one occasion Franklin read the book of Ruth to the club
when it was gathered together,
but he changed the names of the characters and places in it
so it would not be recognized as a book of the Bible.
When he finished, they were unanimous in their praise.
They said it was one of the most beautiful short stories
that they had ever heard,
and demanded that he tell them
where he had run across such a remarkable literary masterpiece.
It was his great delight to tell them
that it was from the Bible,
which they professed to regard with scorn and derision,
and in which they felt there was nothing good.
The book of Ruth is certainly a literary masterpiece.
It is a beautiful story of a romance.
I wonder how it would be featured in some of our romance magazines today.
I can almost see the headline; it would be something like
“How One Woman Found Happiness in the Arms of Second Husband.”
It is a book that ignites the imagination,
because all through it is entwined
the captivating theme of love and romance.
Although it is a beautiful story in itself,
We worship the creation rather than the Creator
We follow after a host of Baals…
We follow after wealth and riches,
so we might as well erect some of our own Ashtaroth poles
Should we expect the outcome of our own idolatry and rebellion
to be any different than Israels?
Without a dramatic change of heart in our nation,
or a mighty move of God, our nation is in peril.
End little rabbit trail.
The resulting spiritual cycle went something like this:
1. The People served the LORD [yehôvâh (personal and intimate God)]
and followed after His ways ...
2. Sin and Idolatry
lead the people astray ...
3. The people fall into slavery
because of their rebellion ...
4. The people repent
and cry out to God for deliverance ...
5. God raises up a Judge ...
6. Israel is Delivered ...
7. Israel returns to serving the Lord ...
This cycle of spiritual behavior
was repeated again and again during this era of some 332 years.
The Jewish Talmud claims that Samuel wrote the book,
but there is no clear indication as to the book’s authorship.
The Talmud (talmūd = “instruction, learning”,
from a root that means “teach, study”)
is a central text of mainstream Judaism,
in the form of a record of rabbinic discussions
pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history.
It was not written before the time of David , [well-beloved, dear]
as he is mentioned in the text.
In the same vain, Solomon [peaceable; perfect; one who recompenses]
is not mentioned in the book
so many scholars place the writing of the book
to be near the year 1000 B.C.
One purpose of the book of Ruth [beauty, satisfied] is to reveal
that there were godly people during the era of the theocracy
(theocracy: a form of government in which a god or deity
is recognized as the state’s supreme civil ruler)
Even though the nation of Israel was the midst of deep apostasy,
there were still a remnant of people
who loved and obeyed the Lord God of Israel.
It is a juxtaposition of the book of Judges
where most of the people of Israel
rebel and forsake God, and turns to idolatry.
In Ruth [beauty, satisfied]
we find the refreshing breeze,
of a gentile woman who turns her idols aside
to love and serve the living and true God.
The fact that she was a Gentile
who made the choice to come under the providence and protection
of the One true God,
is an indication of God’s heart
toward the redemption of all mankind.
God’s selection of the Jewish culture as His own people
reflects His desire to have a people
who will be committed to Him
and reflect His nature to all the world,
so that they (all the world) might be drawn to Him.
This is still God’s desire.
The book also reveals
the significance of the family line
of Israel’s greatest king, David [well-beloved, dear]…
and thus the lineage of Christ Jesus.
Ray Stedman makes this interesting comment
in his commentary on the Book of Ruth:
When Benjamin Franklin
was United States Ambassador to France,
he occasionally attended the Infidels Club,
a group that spent most of its time
searching for and reading literary masterpieces.
On one occasion Franklin read the book of Ruth to the club
when it was gathered together,
but he changed the names of the characters and places in it
so it would not be recognized as a book of the Bible.
When he finished, they were unanimous in their praise.
They said it was one of the most beautiful short stories
that they had ever heard,
and demanded that he tell them
where he had run across such a remarkable literary masterpiece.
It was his great delight to tell them
that it was from the Bible,
which they professed to regard with scorn and derision,
and in which they felt there was nothing good.
The book of Ruth is certainly a literary masterpiece.
It is a beautiful story of a romance.
I wonder how it would be featured in some of our romance magazines today.
I can almost see the headline; it would be something like
“How One Woman Found Happiness in the Arms of Second Husband.”
It is a book that ignites the imagination,
because all through it is entwined
the captivating theme of love and romance.
Although it is a beautiful story in itself,
it is the story behind the story---
its meaning and significance---
its meaning and significance---
that is simply fascinating.
The book of Ruth is one of those beautiful Old Testament pictures
that is designed by God himself
to illustrate the dramatic truths of the Christian faith
that are expounded in the New Testament.
It is a word picture in the Old Testament illustrative of the truth
we find in the New Testament, as I Corinthians tells us:
"Now these things happened to them as a warning [literally, as a type]
but they were written down for our instruction,
upon whom the end of the ages has come."
1 Corinthians 10:11
It is the story of the romance of redemption.
The four divisions of this book trace for us
the four major steps of the work of redemption.
1. Ruth’s decision to Follow Naomi – Chapter 1
2. Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi
3. Ruth’s claim upon Boaz the Kinsman Redeemer
4. Ruth’s acceptance by Boaz and subsequent marriage to him.
The book begins with an introduction of the characters:
There are three main characters in this account,
and the meanings of their names are quite significant:
1. Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] a Jewish wife and mother
widowed from her husband Elimelech [my God is king]
and grieving the death of her two sons.
whose name means "comfort, agreeable, or pleasure."
The book of Ruth is one of those beautiful Old Testament pictures
that is designed by God himself
to illustrate the dramatic truths of the Christian faith
that are expounded in the New Testament.
It is a word picture in the Old Testament illustrative of the truth
we find in the New Testament, as I Corinthians tells us:
"Now these things happened to them as a warning [literally, as a type]
but they were written down for our instruction,
upon whom the end of the ages has come."
1 Corinthians 10:11
It is the story of the romance of redemption.
The four divisions of this book trace for us
the four major steps of the work of redemption.
1. Ruth’s decision to Follow Naomi – Chapter 1
2. Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi
3. Ruth’s claim upon Boaz the Kinsman Redeemer
4. Ruth’s acceptance by Boaz and subsequent marriage to him.
The book begins with an introduction of the characters:
There are three main characters in this account,
and the meanings of their names are quite significant:
1. Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] a Jewish wife and mother
widowed from her husband Elimelech [my God is king]
and grieving the death of her two sons.
whose name means "comfort, agreeable, or pleasure."
2. Ruth [beauty, satisfied] the Moabitess [of his father],
the daughter-in-law of Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure]
widow of who’s name means "beauty or satisfied."
The name of the man was Elimelech, [my God is king]
and the name of his wife, Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] ;
and the names of his two sons were
Mahlon [infirmity; a harp; pardon]
and Chilion, [finished; complete; perfect]
Ephrathites [abundance; bearing fruit]
of Bethlehem[house of bread]
in Judah. [praise]
Now they entered the land of Moab [of his father] and remained there.
3Then Elimelech, [my God is king] Naomi's [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] husband, died;
and she was left with her two sons.
4They took for themselves Moabite [of his father] women as wives;
the name of the one was Orpah [fawn, the neck or skull]
and the name of the other Ruth. [beauty, satisfied]
And they lived there about ten years.
5Then both Mahlon [infirmity; a harp; pardon]
and Chilion [finished; complete; perfect] also died,
and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.
Ruth 1:2-5
3. Boaz [in strength, authority, power] –
a close realative of Elimelech, [my God is king] (most likely his brother)
who is a wealthy landowner
and is a kinsman redeemer (this term will be expounded on later)
whose name means in strength, authority, power.
Note: Boaz is the grandfather of king David
Boaz – Jesse – David
In my mind,
a close realative of Elimelech, [my God is king] (most likely his brother)
who is a wealthy landowner
and is a kinsman redeemer (this term will be expounded on later)
whose name means in strength, authority, power.
Note: Boaz is the grandfather of king David
Boaz – Jesse – David
In my mind,
Ruth [beauty, satisfied] in this account,
clearly can represent the Bride of Christ or the Church.
Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] is the one
who comforts and guides Ruth [beauty, satisfied]
so she can represents the Holy Spirit.
Boaz [in strength, authority, power]
is Ruth’s [beauty, satisfied] kinsman redeemer
and so can represent our Redeemer, Christ Jesus.
As we reflect on the account of
Ruth, [beauty, satisfied]
Naomi, [comfort; agreeable; pleasure]
and Boaz, [in strength, authority, power]
we see that .
the relationships that they have
are akin to the churches’ relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit
clearly can represent the Bride of Christ or the Church.
Naomi [comfort; agreeable; pleasure] is the one
who comforts and guides Ruth [beauty, satisfied]
so she can represents the Holy Spirit.
Boaz [in strength, authority, power]
is Ruth’s [beauty, satisfied] kinsman redeemer
and so can represent our Redeemer, Christ Jesus.
As we reflect on the account of
Ruth, [beauty, satisfied]
Naomi, [comfort; agreeable; pleasure]
and Boaz, [in strength, authority, power]
we see that .
the relationships that they have
are akin to the churches’ relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit
The book of Ruth is additionally connected with
Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles:
Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles:
Passover representing Peace with God
Pentecost representing the Power of God
Tabernacles representing the Presence of God
The book additionally carries the theme of Identity
The theme of identity,
is explored three times in the four short chapters.
In the same vain, the book begs the question
of our identity in Christ Jesus.
End Part I
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