AM Bible Study Group; December 1, 2010
Theme: The Old Testament book of Ruth has been loved by the saints throughout the centuries. And for a very simple reason. It’s a beautiful story, told briefly and simply. But it also contains deep spiritual truth that points our attention to Jesus Christ.
When was it written?
Though an exact date cannot be determined, clues within the book itself give us a broad time-frame. The first verse tells us that the story described in Ruth occurred “in the days when the judges ruled”. So, the actual writing of the book would have had to occur sometime after the time of Joshua. But the closing verses also highlight King David—suggesting that David was, at the time the book was written, held in high esteem by all Israel. That may indicate that the book was written during the time of the monarchy of Judah. It may have even been written during the time of Rehoboam in order to help justify Judah’s supremacy in the plan of God. If that’s the case, it would be safe to say that the book was probably composed sometime between 980 to 910 B.C.
Who wrote it?
There is a strong Jewish tradition that it was written by Samuel; but this far from certain. Some modern commentators have suggested that, because of its beauty, and its strong esteem of the women in the story, that it was written by an unknown woman. In the end, we don’t know who the human writer of this book was. But we know for sure that the Holy Spirit inspired it. It has always been esteemed as a legitimate portion of the canon of Scripture.
Why was it written?
The most obvious reason it was written is because it reports true history. Even the genealogy of our Lord in Matthew 1 attests to it (see Matthew 1:3-6). But its purpose can also—in part—be known from where it’s found in the Bible. It rests between the book of Judges and the beginning of the books that describe the history of God’s reign through David. It serves as a bridge between the dark story of the period of the judges and the hopeful story of the promises to King David. And so, we can say that it was written to tell a story of the times between these two great historic periods in God’s plan for His people. Because of the genealogy of David given at the end, it was also—no doubt—meant to help support the legitimacy of the supremacy of the rule of the tribe of Judah through the reign of David’s lineage.
But there are also theological reasons for the book. On the one hand, it shows the marvelous providential care of God for poor, needy people who trust in Him. And it also serves as a wonderful analogy of God’s plan of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ—the great Decedent of David (compare Ruth 4:18-22 with Matthew 1:1-17). If we see Boaz as representative of Jesus who our Kinsman-Redeemer (Ruth 2:20; see Hebrews 2:17), the ‘nearer relative’ (3:12) as representative of the law which cannot redeem (4:6), Naomi as the representative of the Jewish people (1:1-2) and Ruth as the representative of the Gentiles who believe and come to rest under the wing of the God of Israel (2:12), then we have—in this wonderful Old Testament book—a marvelous picture of the gospel of Redemption through our Savior. It shows us how God has so extended His mercy to have even embraced the Gentiles into the covenant blessings of Israel (Romans 11:1-36; Ephesians 2:11-13).
A key verse:
“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” (2:12).
RUTH—A LOVE STORY OF REDEMPTION
ACT 1—TIMES OF MOURNING IN MOAB (1:1-22).
Scene 1: Tragedy Comes to Naomi (vv. 1-5).
Scene 2: Seeking the Lord (vv. 6-13).
Scene 3: The Faithfulness of Ruth (vv. 14-17).
Scene 4: The Sad Return (vv. 18-22).
ACT 2—FINDING FAVOR WITH THE KINSMAN (2:1-23).
Scene 1: The Kinsman Discovered (vv. 1-3).
Scene 2: Boaz’s Grace (vv. 4-17).
Scene 3: The Awakening of Hope (vv. 18-23).
ACT 3—LOVED BY THE REDEEMER (3:1-18).
Scene 1: Naomi’s Wise Counsel (vv. 1-5).
Scene 2: Ruth’s Humble Submission (vv. 6-9).
Scene 3: Boaz’ Faithful Commitment (vv. 10-18).
ACT 4—FROM MOURNING UNTO JOY (4:1-22).
Scene 1: Boaz Redeems His Bride (vv. 1-12).
Scene 2: Naomi’s Joy (vv. 13-17).
An Afterword: The Blessing of the Nations (vv. 18-22).