The book of leviticus comes to life here, with its injunctions to leave part of the harvest for the needy, and with all of its concern and compassion for the underprivileged within the society. Of course in the old testament days this latter truth was still hidden. Our story opens on a nice jewish family with a problem. According to fischer the last proverb describes a good wife, which the book of ruth then shows in action. The characters in the book of ruth deal with loss, lack, and romance. Ruth is one of the wellknown biblical figures, the woman who came from a humble background to a status of great wealth. Among historical narratives in scripture it is unexcelled in its compactness, vividness, warmth, beauty and dramatic effectivenessan exquisitely wrought jewel of hebrew narrative art. Faithfulnessboth gods faithfulness to people and peoples faithfulness to godis enacted through work and its resulting fruitfulness. But, ruths hometown of moab also provides some super important background to our.
Famine has hit bethlehem, which forces elimelech and his wife, naomi, to move east to moab with their two sons to get some grub. On its face, the book of ruth is a short selfcontained story. The conclusion of the book of ruth spokane friends meeting. Gospel music group bringing you beautiful and unique harmonies and praises. The setting of the book is near the town of bethlehem. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of ruth in his audio message from the classic. This is the pastor bringing the early morning message entitled the spiritual meaning of the book of ruth. It celebrates the loyalty and reward of a young moabite widow ruth who chooses to follow her israelite motherinlaw naomi back to bethlehem after naomi was bereaved of her own husband and two sons. By buying back the land of naomi, as well as marrying ruth. What was the geographysetting in bible times for the book. The main stagebethlehemis where most of the action goes down. Intro to ruth biblica the international bible society.
Ruth 1 niv naomi loses her husband and sons in bible. There, they set up shop, eat some food, and live for about ten years. Ruth, and boaz demonstrate godliness and faith, showing that even in difficult times individuals can walk with god. A close reading of ruth the book of ruth presents boaz as a figure who is vital to the plot. Through their many trials they learn to lean on god and his sovereign will for their lives.
Ruth is one of the five festival scrolls, also known as the megilloth, in the writings section of the old testament. Though hazal debate whether certain books should be included in the biblical canon, there is no explicit discussion recorded regarding the book of ruth. The book of ruth offers no direct identification concerning its date. Because of a famine in israel, a hebrew family moved to moab. This would suggest that some time has elapsed between the actual story and the time in which it was put in. Conclusions about the book of ruth bible commentary. Ruth provides a cameo of the other side of the storythe godly remnant who.
Ruth 1 new international version niv naomi loses her husband and sons. Nevertheless, in the context of an ongoing debate regarding the canonicity of esther and the song of songs, r. The initial narrative setting of the book of ruth in bethlehem, judah ruth 1. The neighbors named him obed, the father of jesse, the father of david and you can follow the geneology right down to jesus. So a man from bethlehem in judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of moab. The setting of the book is the spring barley harvest, hence its long association with the festival of pentecost, which pictured this early harvest. Nov 01, 1988 the book of ruth, by jane hamilton, is the story of a girl growing up on the illinoiswisconsin border, born into a world that simply doesnt love her. The story centers on the life of ruth, a moabite woman who married an israelite living in a foreign countrymoab. It won the hemingway foundationpen award for a best first novel in 1988 and was the oprahs book club selection for november 1996. The book may have been written by samuel and was probably penned during the time of david a dreadful time in a strange country. What was the geographysetting in bible times for the book of.
For bookings send us a message on facebook or call 5736310480. The only other biblical book bearing the name of a woman is esther. Ruth chapter 1 kjv king james version we can learn a lot from ruth, because any minute of the hour the normsoflife can occur in my or your life as it did with ruth, there is the drought economic failure having to relocate deaths older plus single all these and more can come upon me and you unexpectedly. A canonicalhistorical approach to ruth institute for biblical.
The events in the book of ruth take place at the time of the festival of the barley harvest ruth 1. The book of ruth intro to ruth biblica the international bible. Look how important they were, for eglon the king of moab married off his daughter to mahlon, for the master said ibid. The book of ruth historical context from zondervan. Tragedy strikes the family of ruth and naomi ruth 1. Ruth bible story summary what christians want to know. Ruth, a moabite woman, proves to be a model of faithfulness in israel during the period of the judges. A narrative showing how the godfearing moabitess ruth was blessed by jehovah by becoming part of the unbroken messianic line leading to king david. The book of ruth presents a powerful story of god at work, directing events from all sides to take care of his people, and more importantly, to accomplish his purposes. The book of ruth historical context from zondervan study bible. The book of ruth is a hebrew short story, told with consummate skill.
Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. Even though its small, this remarkable book contains many principles with profound impact to our lives today. The book of ruth in the hebrew bible has the elements of a love story, but it also teaches us about important genealogy as well as utter. Ruth is a book for all times, whether written in post. The book of ruth is one of the greatest ancient narratives known today, and focuses much of the story on one jewish family during israels time of the judges.
Like 1sa 12, it gives a series of intimate glimpses into the. This was a country not far from israel on the east side of the dead sea. This is a time of apostasy, warfare, decline, violence, moral decay, and anarchy. The book may have been written by samuel and was probably penned during the time of david. The other festival scrolls are song of songs, lamentations, ecclesiastes and. The book of ruth is a poignant, heartbreaking story of one womans attempt to understand the tragedies of life and how her simple desire to be loved leads to the loneliest place a person can experience. The tale begins not in israel or judah but in moab, where the israelite naomi and her husband, elimelech, and her two sons, mahlon and chilion, went during a famine in judah. The book tells of ruth accepting the god of the israelites as her god and the israelite people as her own. Book of ruth overview insight for living ministries.
The book of ruth provides details about part of the genealogy of king david and of the christ who is called the son of david refer to matthew 1. The book of ruth, by jane hamilton, is the story of a girl growing up on the illinoiswisconsin border, born into a world that simply doesnt love her. The book of ruth, which appears in the third section of the hebrew bible, ktuvim, writings, is a beautiful folktale written in four short chapters. The basic purpose of the book of ruth is to show how the lord intervened to protect naomis family line from extinction, in order that her greatgreatgrandson davidthe future, divinely chosen king of israel and ancestor of the messiahmight be born ruth 4. Naomi loses her husband and sons in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. Moreover, the description of the family as ephratim ruth 1. This book is beautifully designed by god to show how his grace can sustain a faithful testimony of individuals at a time when the general condition of things is low and naturally discouraging. It is a study on the culture of the american boonies, on the failed education system, and of a flawed family, as ruth struggles for hope. Ruth against its canonicalhistorical context not only reconnects us with some of the books earliest interpreters, it also generates newer literary and. The book of ruth takes place in two different ancient locations.
To you who listen on the radio, you are sharing with us the services of the first baptist church in dallas. T he book of ruth contains an interesting story about a moabite woman who was redeemed into a hebrew family. Oct 16, 2019 the book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the other is esther. Ruth was a gentile not of the judeanisraeli descent but from another ethnic group, her background was a nation otherthan israel and she married a descendant. To start off, i would suggest that you sit down and read through this beautiful book. Dec 17, 20 the book of ruth is one of the greatest ancient narratives known today, and focuses much of the story on one jewish family during israels time of the judges. The book of judges, then, provides the setting for ruth. The book of ruth reflects a time of peace between israel and moab contrast jdg 3. Title the book is named after one of its main characters, a young woman of moab, the greatgrandmother of david and an ancestress of jesus 4. The biblical narrator makes it clear in a number of ways that boaz is primarily a tool used and manipulated by the women, with very little value of his own aside from his role as redeemer. Additionally, the book of ruth explains how a gentile woman, ruth, a moabite, came to be a part of the royal jewish line of judah through whom would come the messiah ruth 4. The setting for the book of ruth begins in the heathen country of moab, a region northeast of the dead sea, but then moves to bethlehem.
This true account takes place during the dismal days of. The sons marry two local girls, ruth and orpah, during this time. The mans name was elimelek, his wifes name was naomi, and the. David was israels greatest hero, a messiah godsent leader in his own right. It was the person of david, who gave reasons for the writing of ruth, but the promise of the coming of the messiah is. The experts differ about the date in which the book was written, but the epoch in which the plot took place is evident. It is set in the time of the judges not the best ones, if we assign it to the period of gideon and samson and it attempts to define the rights of widows and aliens within a society fallen upon hard times. The book of ruth is included in the third division, or the writings, of the hebrew bible. This is the pastor bringing the early morning message entitled the spirit.
Ruth looks back on her life and the one consistent thing there is her mother may. In the hebrew bible, ruth stands with the song of solomon, lamentations, ecclesiastes, and esther. The book of ruth is an important historical work in hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible, as it traces the lineage of king david and ultimately that of the messiah, jesus christ. Two passages from the torah give the background of the festival emphasis added. The book of ruth is set during the time when israel was ruled by judges. For example, the theme of marriage occupies much of the story, but when viewed as an idealized romance between faithful ruth and godly boaz, the rich theology of this book passes right under the noses of many of its admirers. It won the penernest hemingway foundation award for a best first novel, and it was a selection for oprahs book club. Connecting jesus to the house of david and ultimately to ruth gave the nazarene the imprimatur of a messiah among early converts to christianity. But, ruths hometown of moab also provides some super important background to our heroine and her struggles. The latter prophets includes four prophetic twopage spread from. Author jane hamilton leads us through the arid life of ruth grey, who extracts what small pleasures and graces she can from a tiny illinois town and the broken people who inhabit it. Reading outline read the entire book of ruth, chapters 14. This probably was not when ehud led israel out from under the moabite oppression judges 3 2.
That which the book of ruth relates occurred during the period of the judges, as part of the events that took place between joshuas death and the rise of samuels influence probably between 1150 and 1100 bc. But ruth replied, do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. The genealogy at the end of the book is an important link to christ. Book of ruth, old testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. The story is set in the time of the judges, a time characterized in the book of. In contrast to the international background of the book of judges, which traces the moral, religious, and political decline of israel on a broad scale, ruth throws light upon a domestic scene where. Ruth provides a cameo of the other side of the storythe godly remnant who remain true to the laws of god. Ruth begins her story with mays, telling how may was the. It was read at the feast of pentecost it was a book of grace. Ruth, a moabitess, stands out as a refreshing contrast to the declension of israel in the time of the judges. The book of ruth starts out right away with a famine in the land 1. The book reveals the extent of gods gracehe accepted ruth into his chosen people and honored her with. The book of ruth in the hebrew bible has the elements of a love story, but it also teaches us about important genealogy as well as utter belief and faithfulness to god. The former prophets contains four historical booksjoshua, judges, samuel, and kings.
The book is silent about the possible underlying hostility between the judahites and the moabites. The setting of the book of ruth, the loveliest complete work on a small scale goethe, is the period of the judges, i. Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled. A story of love and redemption is published by christian daily resources. With all the focus on doing things by the book its easy to overlook the huge matter of ruth being a moabite. On its face, the book of ruth is a short selfcontained story, unconnected to the narrative sequence from genesis through kings. The story is set in the time of the judges, a time characterized in the book of judges as a period of religious and moral degeneracy, national disunity and frequent foreign oppression. It is a daily bible reading study of the book of ruth. When the nation would begin to fall away from gods desire for them, he would send a judge to put them back on course. The book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the other is esther. Ruth does site its setting with the time of the judges when the judges judged myfpvh fpv ymyb 1.
Ruth decides to stay with naomi and her god, jehovah 1. Ruth, naomi and boaz all occupy the stage in turn, and gods. After the death of ruth s husband as well as his brother and father, her motherinlaw, naomi, decides to return to her hometown in bethlehem. For christians, the book of ruth is an early echo of the divinity of jesus. The book of ruth is set within the larger historical context of the days when the judges ruled and provides a vivid picture of the decline taking place during this period of israels history. The book of ruth is a virtuoso performance and thats precisely why it can be excruciating to read. Ruth does site its setting with the time of the judges when the judges. The book of ruth historical context from zondervan study bible author. The events of the book are set in the harvest time and as has been mentioned earlier, overcoming emptiness is central in the book. That which the book of ruth relates occurred during the.
This summary of the book of ruth provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ruth. The book of ruth came along at a time of irresponsible living in israels history and appropriately called the people back to a greater responsibility and faithfulness before godeven in difficult times. The book of ruth has undoubtedly received its fair share of undervaluation at this point. This is after the joshuas conquest of gods promised land, and before the nation demanded a king. Ruth was a moabite woman, whose sense of piety and devotion to her motherinlaw naomi led to her marriage to the prominent boaz of bethlehem in judah.
731 1278 872 410 1126 1443 212 1261 540 34 1114 759 928 590 326 290 792 552 922 1275 990 328 941 196 1461 968 531 94 1080 1251 1023 1396 378 877 440 548