Ruth | Overview

Ruth Overview

 

Ruth: Jesus the Faithful Friend

  • 1:1-18 Choices
  • 1:19-2:23 Boy meets girl
  • 3:1-18 Decisions
  • 4:1-22 Happily ever after

Introduction

The book of Judges covered the events of Israel from 1380 B.C. to around the beginning of Saul’s reign in 1043 B.C. or around 335 years and based upon the content of these 21 chapters these were definitely the “dark ages” of the nation. It was written primarily thematically instead of chronologically and described the utter failure of the nation because they chose to live according to what was described in the final sentence of the book Judges (21:25, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” And although that was true for the nation, we are brought to this little four-chapter book of Ruth that took place during the 335 years of the book of Judges (Ruth 1:1). This story of love, friendship, redemption and romance serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of days of rebellion when the nation was forsaking God and turning to idolatry God was still at work redeeming those from idolatry to a relationship with Him. Jewish tradition attributes the author to Samuel because it took place during the time of Judges which was complied by Samuel but the problem with that is David is mentioned in 4:17,22 and we know based upon 1 Samuel 25:1 that Samuel died before David reign. So, it appears that Ruth was complied sometime during David’s reign but prior to Solomon as he is not mentioned in Ruth’s and Boaz’s genealogy, by an unknown person.

            The name of the Book Ruth comes from chief character whose name means “friendship”. She is a young Moabite who in spite of her pagan heritage proves faithful to God during a time in which the nation was faithless. In this book we are introduced to a new term “goel” mentioned 13 times the meaning of the word is “kinsman-redeemer”. There were four things that a “kinsman-redeemer” must have in order to redeem:

  1. Deut. 25:5, 7-10 Be related by blood to those he redeems
  2. Ruth 2:1 Be able to pay the price of redemption
  3. Ruth 3:11 Be willing to redeem
  4. Be free from bondage

The story unfolds into four distinct settings which serve well as the division of the book:

  1. Choices 1:1-18 The country of Moab: According to 1:4 they were there 10 years
  2. Boy meets girl 1:19-2:23 A field in Bethlehem: Here it is believed the story is three months in time as it went through two grain harvests.
  3. Decisions 3:1-18 A threshing floor in Bethlehem: Based upon chapter three verses 2, 8, 14 and 18 this lasts only one day.
  4. Happily ever after 4:1-22 The city of Bethlehem: Based upon chapter 4 verses 13-16 this takes place over about a year’s time.

Chp. 1:1-18 Choices

The story opens with the timing of the story, Ruth 1:1 “Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.” In this brief sentence we are told three things about those “days”:

    1. When the Judges ruled: It was a time of political corruption, moral decay, and spiritual apostasy.
    2. A famine in the land: According to Deut. 28 17, 24, 39-40 because of the nations spiritual idolatry God would no longer bless their crops and instead He would, “Change the rain of your land to powder and dust”.
    3. Went to dwell in the country of Moab: Moab was an area just northeast of the Dead Sea inhabited by the descendants of Lot. The Moabites worshiped idols and twice fought against the Israelites; first according to Judges 3:12-30 200 years earlier and according to 1 Sam 14:47 about 80 years before the 2nd war.

Then in verse 2 we are told that this family left their beloved nation and Bethlehem (house of bread) to Moab you know (Meal On A Bun), just joking. They would remain in Moab according to verse 4 10 years, but famine was only the beginning of their tragedy. As Elimelech (God is my king) dies and leaves Naomi (pleasant) with her two sons Mahlon (sick) and Chilion (wasting away) and apparently their names proved quite prophetic, as they both die soon after they had taken wives from among the Moabites named, Orpah (stubbornness) and Ruth (friendship) a practice that was forbidden. Oh, dear ones this story of love and redemption doesn’t happen to those that deserve it, no it happens to those who do everything wrong. Naomi we are told is so distraught over her situation she in 1:20 changes her name from pleasant to Mara or bitter.

            Ah but the story of redemption starts in the heart of Ruth who no longer is obligated to Naomi after her husband dies decides to stay with her mother-in-law instead of staying in her own home land. Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye while Ruth clung to her saying so long to her people and prosperity. Life is filled with seemingly inconsequential choices where the way seems right until the end leads to death. Ruth begs Naomi not to have her leave and says in verses 16-17 “For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” This commitment from a Moabite woman following after a Jewish mother-in-law who by living in the land of Moab wasn’t exactly the model of faith. Oh how little a spark of faith God can ignite into a flame if we will but let Him!

Chp. 1:19-2:23 Boy meets girl

From Ruth’s commitment to follow Naomi and her God they set out for Bethlehem after ten years in exile. Naomi is empty and bitter, yet with that said there was still enough of that which was pleasant to cause Ruth to cling to her and leave all that was familiar. In verse 1:21 listen to the words of Naomi to her friends, “I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” There is a lesson here my friends and it is when we leave the “house of bread” to seek to be filled with the delicacies of the world we may very well go out full, but it is certain we will always come back empty handed.Ah but the Lord has ways of feeding us that the world know not as they came home at the beginning of barley harvest. It seems that Elimelech has a relative who is quite well to do named Boaz (In Him is strength). Do you see that in these names there is a great truth for all when “God is my king” I will always find that “In Him is strength”!  And with out direction or knowledge Ruth ends up at Boaz’s fields picking up what was left behind from the harvesters. It is here that she catches the eye of Boaz who asks in 2:5, “Whose young woman is this?” “Ah she is just a Moabite woman who came back with Naomi, she has been working all morning except when she took a bit of a rest”, came back the reply. Boaz approaches her and tells her that she can stay with them and drink from the harvesters’ vessels and all will be well. Listen to Ruth’s reply in verse 10 as she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” This is Ruth’s only “why me” reply recorded, and it is in response to Boaz’s grace. And Boaz replies to her inquiry in verses 11-12 “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Dear ones how important now was that little step of faith to leave the world and follow the Lord? Soon she is eating at her masters table dipping her bread in the bowl of his goodness and being satisfied and as days passed, she was no longer gleaning the leftovers she was harvesting in the sheaves with out reproach. Again, I remind you saints this is what our Lord has done for us as we would so often settle for the tailings of life after the best has been taken and He would have us at His table and harvesting amongst the firstfruits!

            And when she returned with an enormous amount of grain to Naomi who had become bitter thinking of what the Lord had taken away, she replied in verse 20 “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” Then in verse 22 Naomi says to Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” Oh yes, it is good to stay near the One who is so gracious towards us and to stay with those that stay with Him, don’t you agree?

Chp. 3:1-18 Decisions

The third chapter opens with advice from Naomi to Ruth seeking a commitment from Boaz. She was to come to feet of the sleeping Boaz at night and lie down until he awakens. By doing this she was symbolically asking him to fulfill his role as kinsman redeemer to marry her and raise heirs for the deceased son. Now I’m certain that this may not seem to be all that romantic but based upon verses 3:10-11 this worked as Boaz as awakens finds out it is Ruth and says, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”

            Ah but there is a catch to this as there was another who was a closer relative than Boaz and, in the morning, she returns to Naomi with more grain and to let her know his intentions. She advises Ruth in verse 18 “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.” Dear ones it is hard to wait for our beloved groom, but we know His intentions towards us we know that He will not rest “until He has concluded the matter”!

Chp. 4:1-22 Happily ever after

All matters were to be settled at the gate of the city and in this case the matters of the heart for Boaz was also a matter of property. So, Boaz took his seat at the gate and waited until the closer relative arrived and asked for an informal court where he presented the case. Boaz told him that Naomi wanted to sell a piece of land that had belonged to her deceased husband but that if she did so the next of kin would be responsible to care for the family since they had no property. So, the nearer kin should interest seeing that he could obtain a choice piece of land at a good price and the care of and elderly widow. That is when Boaz as sprung Ruth the Moabite on him saying that the land had a marriage encumbrance on it. What this mean is that he would have to marry Ruth raise up children who would receive that land as an inheritance. He decided not to take the land and did so by removing his right shoe and handing it over to Boaz the next in line. Why a shoe? Well, the shoe represented that only the rightful owner had a right to set “foot” upon the land. And with this Boaz gained far more than the land he gained his beloved Ruth as his bride.

            The final 11 verses tell us the rest of the story: All the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”  “So, Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

            There is yet one mystery that remains in this story, and it remains today with a yearly occurrence. Once a year during the week of Pentecost this story would be read to the nation. But why this story, it contains no prophecies, no special words concerning the Holy Spirit? The Rabbis said that it was because of the setting of the story, gleaning grain at the time of the barley and wheat harvests. Ah but is there yet another reason why this book would be read as it relates to baptism of the Holy Spirit? It is the work of the Holy Spirit being poured out that has brought about our redemption and our fruitfulness in times of famine and faithlessness. Don’t miss this, as the Holy Spirit desires to bring you fruitfulness and refreshment as He is the restorer of life and the nourisher in our old age.