Ruth

Ruth

Finding the Context:

1.     What do you see in this book that tells about the Original Reader?

Again the original readers would have been the Israelite people. We can determine that it would have been written for a generation that would have lived at the earliest around David’s time because he is in the genealogy in 4:22. It very well may have been written to the Israelite people during the time of the kings to provide them with a piece of their history from the time of the judges and reveal to them that there were godly people during this time. 1:1 implies that the readers lived probably after the time of the judges.

2.     What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

The author is very aware of various aspects of Israelite culture. He is aware of the customs of leaving grain for widows to gather (2:3,23); the custom of a women laying at a man’s feet (3:1-8) as well as the way business transactions were carried out (4:7,8). The book also starts out by saying, “In the days of the judges ruled in Israel there was a severe famine in the land” (1:1) implying that the author wrote this book after the period of the judges.

3.     What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one-sentence summary of the “main idea”?

Ruth is an example in story form of the love and redemption that God brought to people in the midst of difficult and bad situations.

Faithfulness is a major theme from the book of Ruth. You see in the story that Ruth is faithful to her mother-in-law and to the Lord because she chooses to leave her gods and homeland to go with her mother in law to Israel (1:16,17). Boaz is also faithful to provide for Ruth throughout the harvest season (2:14-16,21,23) and he is also faithful to keep his word to her by quickly settling the matter of the kinsman redeemer and then marrying her (3:10-13; 4:1-13). You also see God’s faithfulness to Naomi by providing for her through Ruth and blessing her with a son (4:14-17).

You also see a theme of provision throughout the book. Ruth provides care and food for Naomi, Boaz provides food for Naomi and Ruth, God provides a son for Naomi, a husband for Ruth and a wife for Boaz. Throughout the book of Ruth you see various demonstrations of provision demonstrating the love God has for the characters and the love they have for each other.

4.     What is the primary reason this book was written?

This book would have revealed to the readers a more in depth look at the godly heritage of King David. It reveals that there were godly people who lived around the time of the judges. It also shows that there were godly people from other nations, seeing as the main character from the book is from Moab. You can see that God is not opposed to using people from other nations, but is willing to use people who are willing to follow Him.

Theme Tracing:

1.     What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

Even though God never speaks in this book, His faithfulness is clearly seen all throughout this story. God is faithful to provide everything that Naomi and Ruth need. God in His faithfulness even directs Ruth to Boaz’s field who just so happens to be one of her kinsmen redeemers.

You also see the sovereignty of God in Ruth. From the time that Ruth chooses to leave Moab, to the end of the story, you can see God’s faithfulness in weaving all the details together into the great plan that He is orchestrating for His greater purposes. Even the seemingly insignificant details are important to God and you can clearly see God working throughout the book.

You also see that God is a redeeming God. He decides to provide Ruth with a husband after she has willingly given up everything to serve her mother in law. God also puts her in the line of King David despite the fact that she is not an Israelite. He also provides Naomi with a son after she has lost both her husband and two sons. God is all about bringing restoration into painful situations in life.

2.     What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

God is able to put anyone He chooses into His great plans if they are willing to follow Him. In the book of Ruth we see that God chooses a Moabite women instead of one of the numerous Israelite women to be the great grandmother of King David and share in the lineage of the Messiah. This book reveals God’s redemption by his choosing of unexpected people for important tasks.

Application Questions:

1.     Personal Application

I love that fact that God chooses Ruth for such an important task despite the fact that she is not an Israelite. She is not someone who would normally be considered or chosen for such an important role due to her nationality. Yet God chooses to reward her faithfulness by being faithful to her. This is just a simple reminder to me that God is faithful to my heart and desires as well. He longs to use me for His purposes regardless of whether I feel significant or worthy of them or not. God delights in using people for tasks that you would never think should or would be used for those tasks. For the times and places where I feel unworthy of or too insignificant for the path that God has chosen for me, Ruth is a reminder that God loves to use unexpected people who simply choose to follow Him.

2.     Point of Passion-Christian Leaders

God loves to bring leaders out of nowhere. Both Ruth and Boaz were leaders and they both “came out of nowhere”. Ruth just happens to come from Moab and Boaz just “happens” to be the owner of the field she goes to work in. Ruth leads out as the caregiver for her mother in law and ends up being a part of the lineage of David and Christ. Boaz leads out in caring for Ruth and Naomi and ends up marrying Ruth and being in the lineage as well. Leaders that God calls often come from unexpected places and can often “come out of nowhere”. Never underestimate the most seemingly insignificant, unimportant person because they could very well be the person God has chosen to play a very significant role in His grand purpose.