Ruth

The story takes place close to the end of the time of the Judges (around 1100 BC).

The purpose of this book is to demonstrate God’s love and faithfulness for his people. It shows the difference between what happens when people don’t follow God (Judges) and when they do follow him. (Ruth).

There are three levels of narrative in the scripture stories

Top level: God’s universal plan (i.e. creation, sin, the fall, our need for redemption, Christ’s incarnation).

Middle level: Centered on Israel (i.e. call of Abraham, enslavement in Egypt, God’s deliverance from Egypt, conquest of the promised land).

Bottom level: individual narratives (i.e. Joseph, Gideon, David and Bathsheba).

The Plot of Ruth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tLLpVV7XT0&list=PL6EC91D81C4911C99&index=8

The (Bottom Level) Plot

Chapter 1

Ruth remains loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi after the death of her husband and in-laws. Naomi decides to return to her home land of Bethlehem alone and Ruth insists on staying with her and adopting Naomi’s God as her own.

The (Bottom Level) Plot

Chapter 2

Ruth gleans in the fields of Naomi’s relative Boaz who, out of compassion and obedience to the law, allows her to glean and also purposely leaves her extra grain.

The (Bottom Level) Plot

Chapter 3 Naomi encourages Ruth to seek marriage with Boaz as a kinsman redeemer. Ruth obeys Naomi and asks for her rights. Boaz agrees but mentions that he must first be sure there are no others with first rights. In the OT a kinsman-redeemer was a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of (redeem) a relative who was in trouble, danger or need.

The (Bottom Level) Plot

Chapter 4

Boaz and Ruth are married and Ruth conceives a son named Obed, the grandfather of the great King David - (in the lineage of Christ our Messiah).

The Bottom Level story of Ruth is mainly the Story of Naomi

• The plot develops from Naomi moving from “emptiness” in a foreign land to “fullness” back home in Bethlehem in Judah.

• The plot develops from Naomi moving from a form of barrenness (widowhood with no male heir) to full inheritance through Boaz’s assuming the responsibilities of kinsman-redeemer.

The Scenes

Chapter 1 - Naomi’s emptiness - (foreign land and widowhood). Chapter 2 - Naomi’s awakened hope (Ruth and Boaz). Chapter 3 - Naomi’s progress towards fulfillment. Chapter 4 - Naomi’s fullness realized in the birth of an heir. A story of God’s faithfulness to Naomi.

Middle Level

This is the Story of Israel

The narrator probably intends the reader to also see Israel’s story in Naomi.

It is Israel’s story of wilderness, barrenness and hopelessness with God’s intervention and redemption.

From wilderness wandering, to the chaos of the Judges when everyone did as they saw fit because Israel had no king in those days (last verse of Judges), to a saviour in David and the establishment of the Davidic kingdom.

Top Level

This is God’s Good News Story for humanity

The story of God’s rescue plan for all humanity lost in sin and redeemed in Jesus Christ - (the ultimate kinsman redeemer).

Top Level

This is God’s Good News Story for humanity

Note the Gentile (“all nations”) overtones in this book: Ruth becomes an example of the blessing of Abraham where all people on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen. 12:3).

Ruth is an alien from a hated foreign nation. (Deut. 23:3) and yet she chooses to follow Israel’s God and become part of his people.

Top Level

This is God’s Good News Story for humanity

Through Ruth is a foreigner she shows more covenant love and loyalty than most Israelites did at this time in history. (Judges). Ruth is one of the four Gentile women included in Matthew’s genealogy; a gospel anticipating (genealogy,

magi) and ending (great commission) with the good news for all nations. Obed, Ruth’s son with Boaz, lineage extents to David and to Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1 (and the 5 scandalous women in Jesus genealogy)

(v. 3) Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar)…. (v. 5) Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. (v. 6) Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah)…. (v. 16) Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus.