Ruth - Introduction
Share
Introduction
Author
THOUGH ANCIENT JEWISH SOURCES attributed the authorship of Ruth to the prophet Samuel, there is no mention in the book of the writer’s identity. Given the genealogy at the end (4:18-22), the book was written during or after the reign of King David, who ruled from 1011–971 BC.
Historical Background
The book is set “during the time of the judges” (Ruth 1:1), which the author of Judges describes as a sad period in Israel’s history when “there was no king in Israel” and “everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judg 21:25). The period lasted about three hundred years, from Joshua’s death until the rise of Israel’s monarchy. Though we don’t know when the events of the book of Ruth took place within this frame, “there was a famine in the land” at the time (Ruth 1:1).
Ruth, the book’s namesake, was a Moabit-ess. The land of Moab was to the west of Judah, on the far side of the Dead Sea. The people of Moab were descended from Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and his firstborn daughter (see Gen 19:30-38). Though Ruth was a Gentile descended from these humble circumstances, she worshiped the God of Israel, married into God’s chosen people, and became the ancestress of King David and Jesus Christ.
Message and Purpose
This book is personal, prophetic, and full of theology. Written during the dark days of the period of Israel’s judges, Ruth centers on a Gentile woman by that name. Through her experiences, we see the demonstration of God’s providence, grace, love, and redemption.
Ruth was from Moab. Her mother-in-law, an Israelite named Naomi, was living in Moab when her husband and two sons (one of them being Ruth’s husband) died. Ruth made a faith-based decision to go back to Israel with Naomi because she had adopted the true God of Israel as her own. In Bethlehem, Ruth experienced God’s providential provision—his invisible hand at work through the glove of history. She made a connection with a man named Boaz, who became her “family redeemer” (2:20). That role was designed to ensure that a man’s lineage continued even if he had no heirs. The couple’s story provides an illustration of God’s love for Gentiles within the framework of his covenant with Israel.
Through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, she became the grandmother of King David, the ancestor of Jesus Christ. In her story, we see the lengths to which God went to ensure that Jesus legally qualified to be Israel’s Messiah and Savior of the world. This is why Ruth’s name appears in Jesus’s genealogy (see Matt 1:5). The book of Ruth shows how God can take messes and make miracles in order to advance his kingdom program, plan, and agenda.