Ruth Introduction

The Book of Ruth is a "love story". It is summed up in Chapter 1, verses 16 and 17, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you, for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge." "Your people shall be my people and your God, my God." "Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried." "Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

The book was written about the time of David (1,000 - 960 BC), but the events took place about the time of the Judges. (1,230 - 1,000 BC) The author is unknown. Some attribute it to Samuel, which is unlikely, since he died before David's coronation and it is obvious that the book was written during David's reign.

"Ruth" is the Hebrew title of the book. It may have been a Moabite modification of the Hebrew word "reuit" which means friendship or association. The Jewish bible calls this book "Routh", which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name.

It is the story of a Moabite woman, Ruth, who forsakes her pagan heritage in order to cling to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and the God of Israel. Because of her faithfulness in a time of national faith-less-ness, God rewards her by giving her a new husband, Boaz, a son, Obed and a privileged position in the lineage of Christ. She was the great grandmother of David.

There are only two books in the Old Testament named after women:

RuthEster
A Gentile womanA Jewish woman
Lived among JewsLived among Gentiles
Married a JewMarried a Gentile
A story of "faith" and "blessing"A story of "faith" and "blessing"

The book bridges the gap between the time of the Judges and the time of the Kings.

Three out of the four woman mentioned in the linage of Christ were Gentiles.

  1. Tamar was the wife of Er whose father was Judah. Er died and Tamar had twins by her father-in-law, Judah. One was named Pharez who is mentioned in the linage of Christ.
  2. Rahab, a harlot of Jericho, who became the mother of Boaz.
  3. Ruth married Boaz and had Obed, grandfather of David.

The fourth woman, Bathsheba, was a Jew and became the mother of Solomon.

The Hebrew word for "kinsman" is "goel". It appears 13 times in the book of Ruth. It basically means, "one who redeems". To qualify as a "kinsman", you had to meet 4 requirements:

  1. Be related by blood to those whom he redeems.
  2. Be able to pay the price of redemption.
  3. Be willing to redeem.
  4. Be "free" himself.

The "redeemer" in the book of Ruth paints a clear picture of the "redeeming work of Christ." The central message is the "Kinsman Redeemer".

A Study of the Book of Ruth

SubjectChapter
Elimelech and His Two Sons Die1
Ruth Meets Boaz2
Naomi's Instructions to Ruth3
The Kinsman Redeemer4


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