Introduction to the book of Ruth
The 8th Book of the Bible, a book about loyalty and faithfulness
The Book of Ruth is set during the time of the Judges in Israel, a period marked by hardship. According to Jewish tradition, it was written by the prophet Samuel.
In Christian circles, it is counted among the historical books; in the Hebrew Bible, it is classified as part of the third section of the Talmud, the Writings (Ketuvim), and specifically among the five scrolls (Megilloth), the festival scrolls.
The Book of Ruth is associated with the Jewish Festival of Weeks (Shavuot), the first harvest festival in Israel, seven weeks after Passover, which became our Christian Pentecost.
The main character, Ruth (= companion), is a foreigner; she comes from Moab, a neighboring country of Israel east of the Jordan River, in present-day Jordan.
Her mother-in-law Naomi had emigrated to Moab with her husband and sons because of a famine.
They were originally from Bethlehem, a small town in Judah, about 10 km south of Jerusalem.
One of the sons had taken Ruth as his wife, but in the meantime, both Naomi’s husband and her sons had died.
Since the provision for families at that time depended on the husbands, Naomi wanted to return from her sojourn in a foreign land to her homeland, Israel.
Ruth could have remarried in Moab, but her sense of responsibility toward Naomi and the connection she had developed with the God of Israel led her to move to Judah with Naomi.
In Bethlehem, she meets Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi.
He becomes the “redeemer” for Naomi (i.e., as a relative, he buys back her land so that it remains in the family) and at the same time Ruth’s husband.
Thus, Ruth, a former pagan, becomes the great-grandmother of King David and therefore an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
The Book of Ruth shows how God rewards faithfulness and turns adversity into blessing, and that even in Old Testament times, people from the pagan nations could be included in the covenant relationship if they sought the God of Israel.
In this sense, Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, is also a reflection of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the whole world.
Outline of the Book of Ruth:
Chapter 1 – Ruth’s decision of faith and her journey to Judah
Chapter 2 – Ruth is allowed to glean grain in Boaz’s field
Chapter 3 – Ruth goes to Boaz’s threshing floor on Naomi’s advice
Chapter 4 – Boaz redeems Naomi’s land and marries Ruth, the ancestor of King David
Content of the book Ruth:
Ruth chapter 1
Ruth chapter 2
Ruth chapter 3
Ruth chapter 4