Bible Studies

Book of Ruth Bible Study

by Volodya S
02/09/16
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Book and Summary:

The book of Ruth was likely written by Samuel during the time of David, circa 1100-930 BC. The book is a historical account that includes despair, hope, and love. The book begins with tragedy of the death of Naomi’s husband and sons. The pain of being deprived of male heirs caused Naomi emotional distress to the point of bitterness and hopelessness. Ruth was also affected in that one of the sons of Naomi who died was also her husband, however despite her loss, had committed herself to Naomi and to the God of Israel. By the Providence and plan of God, Ruth comes into contact with Boaz who loves her and with whom she falls in love and ends up marrying. Boaz and Ruth’s marriage produces a child who becomes the occasion for a renewed hope, who will also be the grandfather of David, the king of Israel, through whom the Messiah would come. One of the key verses of this book is found in 1:16, where we see Ruth personalizing God’s promise as stated in Lev.26:12. A major theme in the book is the concept of the kinsman-redeemer as stated in Leviticus 25 in that Boaz, not merely from duty or the letter, but from the heart and spirit, takes Ruth to be his wife from her dire predicament as a widow with no property. This account points to the great truth found in Ephesians 2:12-13, that, we as the Gentile Ruth “were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” but have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

I. The Land of Moab

Chapter 1

During the era of the judges, a famine occurred in the land, which also occurred in the days of Abraham (Gen. 12:10) and Isaac (Gen.26:1). Because of the famine, Elimelek, from the town of Bethlehem in the territory of Judah, travels with Naomi his wife and Mahlon and Kilion his two sons, into the pagan territory of Moab just as Abraham travelled to pagan Egypt with his family. After Elimelek died, he was survived by Naomi and his sons, who married Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. After 10 years, Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi a widow with no heirs. In hearing of God mercifully providing food for his people in the land of Israel, Naomi decides to return home. Naomi admonishes her two daughters-in-law to return to their homes and to remarry with the LORD’s blessing. The daughters-in-law, loving Naomi, expressed great emotion and wanted to go back with their mother-in-law. Naomi reasoned with her daughters-in-law that even if they would come back with her, and assuming she remarried, it would be a long time before they could marry her sons.  Orpah concedes to Naomi’s admonition and returns back to the Moabites and their gods, which Naomi instructs Ruth to do. Ruth, though a pagan woman form a pagan land, in the spirit of Joshua 24:15, by expressing God to be her God as well as wanting to be a part of covenant people of Israel, which would seem to indicate having saving in the God of Israel-she personalizes what God had previously told Israel in Lev. 26:12. Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem and Naomi instead of expressing gratitude for returning with a new member of the people of God, focused on what she perceived as the harsh Providence of God because of the death of her husband and sons. She had a strong view of Sovereignty, but spiritually, could see no purpose other than the cause of her bitterness, emptiness, and affliction, which is why she asked to be called by the name “Mara,” meaning bitter.

II. The Field of Boaz

Chapter 2

It just so happened that Naomi had a relative, named Boaz, a man of wealth on her deceased husband’s side. Naomi, having just arrived in the land, did not have much, so in keeping with Israel’s law for the poor concerning gleaning grain from the fields (Lev.19), especially since she was a widow (Deut.24:19). Providentially, she ends up gleaning in a field that belonged to Boaz. Boaz feared God and loved his neighbors in pronouncing a benediction on the harvesters, in which they also responded by pronouncing a blessing on him. Boaz takes special interest in Ruth and shows his faithfulness to God by keeping what the law required with the right heart- he provided Ruth daily food and drink as well as protection from any anticipated harm. He exhibited the spirit of Lev.19:24 in loving Ruth as himself, though she was a foreigner. Ruth, overwhelmed by Boaz’ genuine kindness, asks why Boaz is treating her so well, demonstrating her spirit of gratefulness (contra Naomi). Boaz responds by pointing out how Ruth took care of her grieving mother-in-law and her willingness to leave Moab to join the covenant community of God and in her taking refuge in God (Deut.33:27). Boaz goes so far as to allow Ruth to eat bread with him at his table with his servants, which is an earthly picture of the final fulfillment of God bringing Gentiles to himself through the gospel of Christ- “Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.8:11). Boaz was generous in allowing Ruth additional portions of his field to glean and Ruth in turn shared with Naomi her leftovers, demonstrating her faith by her works. Ruth notifies Naomi that she has been gleaning in Boaz’s field and Naomi, instead of focusing on her suffering, pronounces the Lord’s blessing on Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, as explained in Leviticus 25. Boaz, being the male relative of Naomi, had the right to take the wife of a deceased relative or brother. Boaz, being in the line of Christ (Matt.1) ultimately points to the fulfillment of our kinsman-redeemer Christ (Heb.2:11), who redeems his people from sin (Tit.2:14) and the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13, not with corruptible things, but with his blood (1 Pet.1:18-19). Ruth was exuberant over the kindness and recognizing this fact, Naomi admonishes her to continue gleaning in Boaz’s field. Ruth, being loyal to Naomi, stays with her.

III. The Threshing floor of Boaz

Chapter 3

Just as Ruth had taken care of Naomi, so too, Naomi seeks to take care of Ruth by wanting her to find a permanent home where her needs will be met. Naomi devises a plan in which Ruth was to “do it up,” in terms of her appearance and to go to the threshing floor and wait for Boaz to be done with his work and his meal so that he would be attentive to her and to lie at his feet. Ruth does as Naomi suggests. In the middle of the night, Boaz is startled and finds Ruth lying at his feet. Ruth reveals her identity to Boaz as being his servant and asks for his garment to spread over her, an appeal to marriage, since he was the kinsman-redeemer of the family. Ruth, as an older man refers to Ruth as “my daughter,” and pronounces the Lord’s blessing on her for being a noble woman and for not going after a younger man in marriage, but in seeking for the older Boaz to perform his right of marriage to her as the kinsman-redeemer. Boaz, as a righteous man, did not want to usurp the right of a kinsman-redeemer who might be in line to exercise the right of marriage. Though Boaz was referring to a literal kinsman closer than himself in the family, we can see the greater spiritual truth in Christ being a kinsman-redeemer who is nearer to us in that he is not ashamed to call us brothers, since being sanctified by Christ, we have the same Father (Heb.2:11). He defers for the time being, to find out if the nearer kin will take over the property and marry her, otherwise he promises to marry her. Ruth secretly leaves his house, not because she engaged in immorality with Boaz, but to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Boaz sends Ruth off with barley and on her return to Naomi, tells her what had transpired.

IV. Union with Boaz

Chapter 4

Boaz goes down to the town gate and has a meeting with the nearer kinsman-redeemer  and elders, to settle the matter of redeeming the property of Naomi, along with the wife of the deceased in order to perpetuate his name. Boaz, as a godly man, seeks to uphold the rights of the kinsman-redeemer and so, informs him of his right to redeem both the property (Lev.25) as well as Ruth (Deut.25). The nearer kinsman, though willing to redeem the property, but not Ruth, perhaps due to the fact that he wanted his inheritance to go to his children, deferred back to Boaz. The transaction of the nearer-kinsman allowing was solidified by the transference of the sandal from the nearer kinsman to Boaz. The elders pronounce a blessing on both Ruth and Boaz: that Boaz would retain prominence in Bethlehem and Ruth would be fruitful like Rachel and Leah, the wives of Jacob who propagated the Israelites and like Tamar, though a widow and not being allowed to have sons through the brother of her deceased husband, would nonetheless continue the line of Perez. On consummating their marriage, God enabled Ruth to conceive and bare a son, which as Psalm 127:3 says, is an inheritance and reward from him. The women, on seeing God’s blessing in giving Ruth and Boaz a son, blessed Naomi in that Obed would be a source of refreshment and renewal in her old age. The promise of the seed first mentioned in Genesis 3, would continue, Boaz, being the father of Obed, who is the father of Jesse, who is the father of David, through whom the Messiah would come (Matthew 1).