INTRODUCTION: RUTH, A LOVE STORY

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RUTH, A LOVE STORY
Lesson #01
INTRODUCTION

• The book of Ruth is unique in the Bible because it is a beautiful, personal love story that sets a foundation for some of the doctrines of the New Testament.
• Historical Background:
  • Our story begins during the time of the judges in Israel’s history (during the book of Judges before Israel had a king). The Israelites had come out of slavery in Egypt with Moses. They wandered in the wilderness for a generation and then entered the Promised Land and conquered it with Joshua.
  • As they settled down in their new land, judges ruled over different regions of the land. These judges made governmental decisions and settled disputes according to the Mosaic Law.
    • However, this was a time of lawlessness (in some ways similar to the American “old west”). Everyone did what he thought was right in his own eyes. (Jdg 21:25).
    • These are the darkest years in the history of Israel. Israel was not a unified nation but regions of separate tribes each controlled by a series of judges.
      • The Cycles in the book of Judges:
        • =1= sin
        • =2= servitude
        • =3= supplication
        • =4= salvation
        • =5= silence
      • Spiritually it was a time when people followed God for awhile, then gradually forgot about God and fell into apostasy, immorality, and idolatry.
      • Foreign enemies would come and attack them and put them in slavery. Then they would cry out to God for help. God would help them, but the people were fickle, and the cycle would begin again. In the book of Judges, that cycle of forgetting God, crying to God for help in trouble, and then again forgetting God is repeated seven times. Do you know people like that?
        • These are people who only want God in their lives when they are in trouble and need help.
        • Some Christians are only “fair weather” Christians while other Christians are only “foul weather” Christians.
        • These people in the book of Ruth were “foul weather” believers.
    • God wants us to be faithful to Him in both “fair” weather and “foul” weather.
• Who was Ruth?:
  • The book of Ruth is about a young foreign girl who probably lived at the same time as the Judge Gideon (Jdg 6:11-16)
  • However, Ruth lived in the country of Moab.
    • The Moabites were descendants of Lot and one of his daughters. (Gen 19:36-37)
    • The Moabites were constant enemies of the Israelites through the book of Judges and during the reign of King David.
    • Also the Moabites were idolaters. They worshipped the god Chemosh. This evil god required human child sacrifice.
• Where does the story take place:
  • Our love story begins in the country of Moab, situated on the east side of the Dead Sea next to Israel.
• Written by:
  • The author of this book is unknown.
  • The Jews believe the author was Samuel.
    • The major problem with believing that it was Samuel that wrote the book is because Samuel died before David became the King.
    • Therefore, it is possible but not likely that he would write of Ruth’s son, Obed, being David’s grandfather. (4:17,22)
  • Because of this problem, Ezra and King Hezekiah are sometimes suggested as possibilities of the identity of the author.
• Written to:
  • The book of Ruth was written to Jews. It was possibly written to substantiate the genealogy of David from the tribe of Judah and David’s right to the throne.
  • Orthodox Jews read from this book every year during the holiday of the Feast of Pentecost.
    • The Jewish Feast of Pentecost honored the giving of the Law of Moses on Mount Sinai to Moses.
    • It is celebrated during harvest time and during the offering of the first fruits of the harvest. (Exo 23:16) Ruth was betrothed to Boaz during this festival.
• Date:
  • The book was probably written during the time when David was anointed to be king by Samuel before the death of King Saul, before 1010 BC when David actually began to rule as king.
  • Others say it was written as late as 950 BC.
• The Purpose and Themes:
  • The Purpose:
    • While God is not mentioned in the book of Ruth as the one guiding Naomi and Ruth, you are constantly aware of His guiding presence.
    • Therefore, one purpose of the book is to see God working in the daily lives of insignificant people. God achieves His purpose through the faithfulness of people.
    • There are several ways to read and study this book:
      • You can read and study Israel’s customs by looking at the book as a page out of Israel’s history.
      • You can read it as a beautiful love story.
      • You can study it as an allegory. What is an allegory?
        • An allegory has a surface story with real characters and a dramatic plot.
        • But there is always an underlying meaning with an in-depth parallel behind the scenes.
        • For example, the surface story is the love relationships of Ruth while the underlying meaning behind the scenes is the love of Christ for his church, the bride of Christ.
      • You can study this book in light of gaining principles for establishing a love relationship:
        • Between a man and a woman.
        • Between family members.
        • Between Christ and His church.
        • Between Christ and the individual Christian.
      • You can study the book theologically from the standpoint of Boaz, a prefigure of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
      • You can study the prophetic aspects of this book.
    • We are going to study the Book of Ruth from all the above perspectives. Therefore, our main purpose is to fully understand the book in all of its varied aspects.
  • Themes:
    • There are two major themes in the book of Ruth:
      • =1= Establishing a love relationship
      • =2= The demonstration of what it means to have a kinsman-redeemer.
    • These two themes have the same underlying characteristic: faithfulness…human and divine faithfulness.
• Key Words:
  • Redeem
  • Redeemer
  • Redemption
  • Kinsman-redeemer
    • Some form of the word redeem is used 20 times in this book.
    • That repetition makes the concept of redemption in all of its forms very important and the basis of the main theme of our study.
  • Kindness (hesed) = loyalty
• Outline of the Book of Ruth:
  • I. In the land of Moab (chapter 1)
    • Tragedy and emptiness (1:1-5)
    • Seeking a home by faith (1:6-22)
  • II. In the fields of Boaz (chapter 2)
    • Seeking provisions (2:1-3)
    • God’s providence (2:4-17)
    • Thankful expression of joy (2:18-23)
  • III. On the threshing floor of Boaz (chapter 3)
    • Seeking a plan for redeeming love. (3:1-5)
    • A claim for redemption (3:6-9)
    • A pledge of redemption (3:10-15)
    • Anticipation of redemption (3:16-18)
  • IV. In the heart and home of Boaz (chapter 4)
    • Receiving the rewards of an accomplished redemption (4:1-13)
    • The genealogy of an ultimate redemption (4:14-21)
• Sources of Information for our study:
  • Ruth: Through the Bible Commentary Series by J. Vernon McGee.
  • The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Dallas Seminary Faculty: John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuch, editors.
  • The Romance of Redemption (tape) by Churck Missler.
  • Shepherd’s Notes: Ruth, Esther by David Shepherd
  • Courage and Submission by Stanley Collins.
  • Misc. Notes.

Homework
Ruth 1:1-10

• Preparation for Ruth 1:1-10
  • Read Ruth 1:1-10
    • Look at the names mentioned in these five verses and consider their meanings:
      • Elimelech, a Jew = “my God is king” or God is my king”
      • Naomi, a Jew = “pleasant” or “my joy”
      • Mahlon, a Jew = “unhealthy” or “sickly”
      • Chilion, a Jew = “puny”, “wasting”, or “pining”
      • Orpah, a Moabite= “a fawn, youthful freshness” or “back of the neck”
      • Ruth, a Moabite = “friendship” or “companion”
    • Because names in the Bible are very important to tell us about the character of a person, and using what you already know about Israel’s history in this time period, how would you describe the character of Elimelech and his family?
    • What do you think was Elimelech’s personal level of faith? How do you know?
    • What do you think was Naomi’s level of faith? How do you know?
    • What was the relationship like between Naomi and Elimelech?
    • What examples of faithfulness do you see in these verses?
• Memory Verse: Psalms 62:8