Ruth
Summary Ruth is a book that shows how, even in an age of chaos and disobedience, God carries on the history of salvation through the everyday lives and small choices of His people. It shows the hand of God working quietly in an everyday life that seems like coincidence.
- Date written
- Edited c. 11th–10th century BC (estimated)
- Historical period
- Late in the era of the judges
Background
Ruth is set “in the days when the judges ruled.” The era of Judges was full of repeated failure and chaos, but Ruth shows that even in the midst of that dark age, God’s grace and covenant were not completely cut off. The stage of this book extends beyond Israel to Moab. Through the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman, it hints that God’s salvation is not limited to a particular people or bloodline but works beyond the boundaries of the covenant. This becomes a background that foreshadows the salvation that would be opened to all nations in Jesus Christ.
Content
Ruth begins with the family of Naomi, who moved to Moab because of a famine. Naomi loses her husband and two sons and returns to her homeland in deep grief, and Ruth, a Moabite woman, comes back to Israel with Naomi even though she cannot know what lies ahead. This return is portrayed not as a chance choice but as a path God prepared in order to continue the history of salvation. After arriving in Israel, Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz, and this meeting, though it looks like coincidence on the surface, is revealed to be an event brought about within God’s providence. As the kinsman-redeemer according to the law, Boaz pays the price, protects Ruth and Naomi, and opens the way to restoration. This foreshadows Jesus Christ, the true Redeemer, who would pay the price in place of those in sin and loss and save them. At the end of the story Ruth marries Boaz and bears a son, and this family line leads to King David. This clearly shows that the story of Ruth does not stop at the restoration of individuals but lies within the flow of redemptive history connected to the Davidic covenant and, beyond it, to Jesus Christ, who would come as the Son of David. In the end, Ruth is a book that quietly testifies that God accomplishes His plan of salvation not only through great miracles but also through faithful love and everyday faithfulness, and that all of history is moving toward Jesus Christ.