The Book of Ruth

Ruth 2:12 - The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Summary of The Book of Ruth

The calm scenes depicted in this beautiful little book come as a welcome contrast to the turbulent accounts of slaughter and oppression recorded in Joshua and Judges. While the previous two books, especially Judges, deals with the rivalries and the battles which were of major historical interest, Ruth records for us an episode which was probably much more typical of the actual life of the people.

The events narrated took place in the period of the Judges (1:1), but the book gives us no clue as to the identity of its author or the date of its composition.

The value of the book is twofold. It traces the ancestry of David to Ruth, who was a Moabitess, and it presents us with a beautiful picture of filial piety and its rewards.

The events in Ruth's life may be summarized as follows :

1) Due to a severe famine in the land of Judah, Elimelech, a native of Bethlehem, emigrated to Moab with his wife and two sons, who married two Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah.

2) At the end of ten years, all three of the women were left widows and Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. Despite Naomi's protests, Ruth determined to return to Bethlehem with her. Ruth's dedication to Naomi and to the religion of the God of Israel is stated in 1: 16-17 : "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."

3) They arrived in Bethlehem at the time of the barley harvest. Ruth went out to glean in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy man whose relationship with his servants eloquently attests to his character ( 2:4). According to Hebrew law, Ruth had a right to demand that a near kinsman of her late husband take her for his wife. Boaz had been related to Ruth's husband and was willing to marry her, but since there was another man of closer kinship, it was necessary to go through certain customary and legal measures before he could rightfully claim her.

4) This being done, the two were married with the blessings of their neighbors and eventually became the parents of Obed, the grandfather of David.

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The Story of the Bible - Part One - The Old Testament