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. Naomi and ruth were downtrodden and emptyhanded when they came to judah, but the redeemer met all their needs and loved them as they were. David, the anointed one, pictures jesus and jesus is described as being the son of david. Among historical narratives in scripture it is unexcelled in its compactness, vividness, warmth, beauty and dramatic effectivenessan exquisitely wrought jewel of hebrew narrative art. As a descendent of boaz and ruth, jesus is the promised son of david who sits forever on the throne of israel. Unlike most of the stories in the book of judges, however, it is hopeful, full of faith, and has a happy ending. Jesus has a phenomenal agent in this great author, ruth burrows. In this article, i want to draw attention to yet another old testament parallel to christ. Of all the heroes in the bible, ruth stands out for her virtues of humility and kindness. Connecting jesus to the house of david and ultimately to ruth gave the nazarene the imprimatur of a messiah among early converts to christianity. God used ruth to perpetuate the line of the messiah, the lord jesus christ. Likewise naomi shows love towards ruth by encouraging her and giving her wise advice. 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.
Christ as the kinsmanredeemer in the book of ruth the. The book of ruth, types and shadows revealed the agapegeek blog. He came to set the captive free and proclaim the year of jubilee luke 4. Ruth chapter 3 points to the actual incarnation of our redeemer, jesus, who promises, i am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls matthew 11. Lim and ruth trace the origins and development of what we commonly call contemporary christian worship, exploring it thoroughly and methodically. The book of ruth, old testament seminary student study guide 2002, 8890 this short, significant story took place during the time of the book of judges. Devotionally, the book provides several analogies between the work of the kinsmanredeemer of ancient israel and that of jesus christ, who serves as the saving mediator for all men. Not only does boaz point to christ, but christ is actually descended from boaz and ruth.
When the cup is full and wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can sing the praises of a god who gives a plenteous harvest but no man can make a song in the night by himself. Naomi and ruth return to bethlehem when naomi heard in moab that the lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughtersinlaw prepared to return home from there. Ruth, on the other hand, was a gentile woman moabitess who married a hebrew man living in moab. But, as the author of hebrews tells us, there is a rest that god s people are still waiting for hebrews 4. Glorious gleaning jesus in the book of ruth devotional. In judges, the leaders were judges who delivered gods people, each of them typifying the lord jesus. The book of ruth is not so much a beautiful love story between ruth and boaz, as much as it is a story of a prodigal family coming to repentance and god bringing them back from destruction to the center of spiritual importance. The book of ruth is not the only old testament ot book with a genealogy, but it is the only one with a genealogy in its closing verses. Christ in the story of ruth cross examined christian apologetic. 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. In both cases, god intervenes to help and redeem his people. The timeline of this book is intertwined during the period of the judges. With these opening words, the book of ruth launches into its thrilling narrative. It shows an oasis of faithfulness in a time marked by idolatry and unfaithfulness.
Ruth is a great type of this picture and i believe this is why god put her in this book of the bible. Ruth was played by elana eden in henry kosters the story of ruth 1960. Boaz, the kinsman who redeemed ruth s inheritance, is a picture of christ. Christ in the story of ruth cross examined christian. Boaz was a type prophetic symbol of christ and his redemptive work in our lives. So look for trajectories in theme or the part of story that demands an intensified resolution. Jesus traces his ancestry directly to david, thus making ruth and boaz a part of the lineage of jesus himself. The book of ruth is a love story in more ways than one. When a man comes to jesus weary and heavyburdened, jesus takes those burdens upon himself so that the man might experience the peace and contentment that only jesus is able to provide. Prior to the revelation of the urantia book, little was known or understood about the purely human life of jesus of nazareth before his public life. Ruth is a book dealing with the providential working of god upon the hand of a woman. When did the events of ruth take place, when was the book written, and by whom. Understanding the book of ruth ruth is a dramatic love story that ultimately points to gods overwhelming love, which eventually shows itself in the coming of jesus christ.
He became the father to jesse, and he became the father to king david. David was israels greatest hero, a messiah godsent leader in his own right. It is a book that presents a typological picture of jesus, israel, and the church. God has a redeemer for our lives, too, and his name is jesus. Before the story is about this couple, it is about god. The book of ruth is one a book of great significance. The purpose of the book of ruth from the bible jack wellman. That is why he jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, i will tell of your name to my brothers. Judah was son of leah and jacobisrael hezron married a daughter of machir in 1 chronicles 2.
The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth. Book of ruth overview insight for living ministries. Lets do likewise and meet with the lord of the harvest. Naomi loses her husband, her sons, and her joy, but one of her daughtersinlaw sticks with her, gets married, and gives her a grandson. The only other biblical book bearing the name of a woman is esther.
Book of ruth bible study ruth chapter 1 jesus plus nothing. In the opening lines of the book of ruth, the family of elimelech leaves the promised land for the country of. The book reveals the extent of gods gracehe accepted ruth into his chosen people and honored her with a role in continuing the family line into which his appointed king, david, and later his son, jesus, would be born matthew 1. The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth bible. Ruth is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of jesus found in the gospel of matthew, alongside tamar, rahab, the wife of uriah bathsheba, and. Jesus was not the first redeemer from bethlehem and judah, but he was the greatest. Heavenly father, thank you for the beautiful reminder in the book of ruth, that noone is outside your offer of salvation, and that no matter how far we have strayed away from your loving arms, you are ready and willing to bring us back into fellowship with yourself.
In contrast to the moral decay and constant war recorded in judges, the book of ruth is a beautiful story of love and faith. Although bethlehem is a small and insignificant town, it produced boaz and ruth, david and eventually, jesus christ. She is featured in the book of ruth, even though many bible scholars claim boaz or even naomi, ruth s mother in law, are the lead characters of that story. The book of ruth is a hebrew short story, told with consummate skill. Jesus is likewise our family, our kin, like the redeemer in the book of ruth. Ruth is an example of how god can change a life and take it in a direction he has foreordained. Ruth is one of the five heroines of the order of the eastern star. There are 12 times in the book of ruth and once in the book of matthew. This beautiful narrative, involving a family, is a graphic picture of the gospel story the redemption provided in christ jesus. She is featured in the book of ruth, even though many bible scholars claim boaz or even naomi, ruths motherinlaw, are the lead characters of. Yet both books focus on the same main theme of god preserving his own people. In the book of ruth we see boaz as an example of the kinsman redeemer, which is what jesus became for all mankind through his death and resurrection.
It reads more like a short story and the insight in it runs deep. Seeing christ in the book of ruth core christianity. The book of ruth is first and foremost about the covenant faithfulness of the lord to ensure the arrival of our redeemer, the lord jesus christ. Jun 15, 2010 ruth is a great type of this picture and i believe this is why god put her in this book of the bible. Intro to ruth biblica the international bible society. White the former university of notre dame professor of theology liturgical studies. Ruth then provides an important link in the unfolding messianic genealogy. The book of ruth tells the story of ordinary, though godly, people during the turbulent period of the judges.
Many fall prey to the fallacy of pointing to jesus in the old testament. Jesus picked up on this in the book of john and revealed to us something when speaking to his disciples. The strongest pointers, however, are quotations or allusions of the ot in the nt, which we dont have many of in the book of ruth. Our jewish brethren celebrate shavuot, the giving of the torah, and their feast of firstfruits, every spring. The story of ruth offers vital lessons to every generation and has enjoyed nearly universal acceptance by biblical scholars and critics throughout the centuries. The book of ruth tells a touching story of the love and devotion of an ancestor of david and jesus christ. Whats more, at the end of the story ruth and boaz give birth to a son named obed. Ruth holds degress from notre dame, candler school of theology of emory university, and asbury theological seminary. She was childless and her husbands name would never carry on without a son. Ruth burrows pulls no punches, and though it is a hard book to take on board in many ways yet it is extremely helpful in the way it strips away the false and points to the true. Thus she is an ancestor in the messianic line that leads to jesus. The book of ruth, an in depth study of the church and.
The author was anonymous but some believe it was perhaps written by samuel the prophet. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. We see him working out his perfect plan in ruths life, just as he does with all his children romans 8. They see something that reminds them of the gospel or the life of christ, and.
The book of ruth is such a touching love story and such a charming tale of emptiness to abundance that we can easily think there is nothing more to it. Oct 09, 2014 the book of ruth is one a book of great significance. 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. Aug 08, 2017 the book of ruth tells the story of ordinary, though godly, people during the turbulent period of the judges. Ruth was a moabite woman, whose sense of piety and devotion to her mother in law naomi led to her marriage to the prominent boaz of. Ruth gets her happily ever after by marrying boaz, but there is also the love that ruth shows to naomi by refusing to abandon her. Lets dive into this fascinating book, understand its story and see how it points to jesus christ. The book of ruth has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. General in this story of ruth, let us note that boaz represents jesus christ. For christians, the book of ruth is an early echo of the divinity of jesus.
Dec 08, 2019 the book of ruth is a love story in more ways than one. The book of ruth is named for the moabite woman who commits herself to the israelite people by an oath to her mother in law naomi and becomes the greatgrandmother of david by marriage to boaz of bethlehem. A concise history of contemporary worship is the first scholarly work of its kind on this topic. How each chapter of the book of ruth points to jesus. So other than the book of ruth itself, there is no direct references to ruth, except in the genealogy of jesus in matthew. The book of ruth is a romance novella which plays an important part in redemptive history. I truly believe, after reading this treasured little book that faith in jesus, the son of man, is very very rare, as she proclaims. The book of ruth a story of redemption gospel blog.
Still, ruth emerges as a chaste woman, a welcome contrast to the ugly behavior in the book of judges, which precedes her account. Ruth is about to come to boaz and experience redemption. The book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the other is esther. In the entire bible the name of ruth only occurs times in total verses. She is featured in the book of ruth, even though many bible scholars claim boaz or even naomi, ruths motherinlaw, are the lead characters of that story. How each chapter of the book of ruth points to jesus pastoralized.
The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth,andrew wilson, alastair robert study from the bible and be encouraged to grow your faith. Rewards through refining by i gordon anyone can sing in the day. The book of ruth is such a touching love story and such a charming tale. The book gets its name from the main character of the book, ruth from moab. Swee hong lim and lester ruth have filled an important gap in the study of worship. Ruth ultimately became an ancestor of the messiah see genealogy of jesus, mt 1. Book of ruth bible study chapter 3 rewards through refining. God could have just thrown a couple together in an arranged marriage and the family line of christ would have continued on. Naomi and ruth return to bethlehem when naomi heard in moab that the lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters in law prepared to return home from there.