A look at the biblical Book of Ruth

1. RUTH
Going Deeper Into the Text

2. Yes it is Very Beautiful, but Why Is Ruth in
Scripture?
 In all likelihood, Ruth was written during the Israelite Monarchy
 It could have existed first in oral tradition as a story told by a priest or
wise woman.
 Ruth has many themes that merit inclusion, but there is a peculiarity to
its inclusion (though fortunately it did make it in)
 Following the Monarchy Israel underwent the reforms of Ezra and
Nehemiah (5th century BC), which forbade marriage to foreigners.
 Ruth was a foreigner
 Ezra and Nehemiah’s reforms asked that foreign women and their
children be put away (Ezra 9-10)
 In spite of this Ruth remains in Scripture
 If the Jewish Canon had been decided early (400 BC) Ruth’s
inclusion would be a problem
 Most scholars today think a later settlement on the Canon (as late as
200 AD) is probable and this makes Ruth less of a problem. In fact
Ruth may have been included in Scripture to challenge the reforms of
Ezra and Nehemiah. (Though scholars today often discount this.)

3. Other Facts About Ruth
 Most of the story is told in conversation
 The story is often taken by many scholars to be
historical fiction, entertaining but also showing the
best traits of the people of a small town (Bethlehem.)
 Except for the concept of divine providence, theology
is downplayed.
 Ruth is read during the Jewish celebration of
Shavuot.
Ruth is honored on the Calendar of the LCMS as
Matriarch and as a heroine of the Order of the
Eastern Star.

4. Israel during the time of Ruth
During the time of the Judges
when the story occurs
During the Monarchy when Ruth is
written

5. Israel During the Time of the Judges
 Following Joshua’s conquest of Canaan (late Bronze
age 1400 BC) Israel had no king
 Israel was a loose confederation ruled by Judges
 Judges were non-elected but also non-hereditary.
They were often military leaders who had judicial
power.
 Ancestry passed through the father, but ethnicity
through the mother
 The land was given to the tribes but could be bought
and sold as long as it went back to the tribe in the
year of Jubilee

6. Israel During the Time of the Judges
 Marriages were contractual and if a male died leaving his
widow no heir, his brother was to marry her and provide
for her (Levirate marriage) If there was no brother, the
obligation passed to a more removed relative (go’el)
 Hospitality to the foreigner and to widows was to be
expected, though their lives would be hard
 Ruth is allowed to glean in Boaz’s field for this reason
Moab was Israel’s “enemy” to the east, though Israel did not
destroy its cities as happened in Canaan and travel between
Israelite land and Moab was possible. This is the scenario in
which Ruth is set

7. We have seen the story of Ruth and its
themes, now lets look more closely

8. Ruth Is Often Described as a Love Story…..if
by Love you mean Hesed
 Hesed is difficult to define. Most prefer the term
“loving-kindness” in English
 Hesed is usually seen as the word “kindness” in
English translations
 The word occurs three times in Ruth
 Ruth 1:8
 Ruth 2:20
 Ruth 3:10

9. Ruth 1:8
“Go back to your
mothers’ house.
May the LORD
show hesed to
you as you have
shown to your
dead and to me”
Naomi asks for God’s
hesed to be shown to
her daughters-in-law

10. Ruth 2:20
“He has not
stopped showing
his hesed to the
living or the
dead”
Naomi speaking of Boaz

11. Ruth 3:10
“This hesed is
greater than that
which you showed
earlier: you have not
run after the
younger man,
whether rich or
poor”
Boaz speaking of
Ruth….the earlier
hesed was Ruth’s
loyalty to Naomi

12. In light of the text, what is Hesed?
 Which of the verses show us hesed as
 Favor
 Loyalty
 Kindness
 Love (and what kind of love)
 Good Will
 Good Deed
Is hesed an obligation, a feeling, or an action?

13. More about Hesed
 It showed kindness without obligation
 It was not universal in the sense of agape
 It may be individual or shown to more than one
 God shows hesed through divine providence.
 God’s hesed is active in the kindness of people

14. What is the Role of Divine Providence in Ruth?
 Question: Does God decide the what, when, where,
and who of our lives?
 What …. famine, family tragedy, hospitality to the
stranger, “all’s well that ends well”
 When….the time of the Judges to the New Testament
(Ruth is in the genealogy of Jesus) up through today
through the History of Salvation
 Where….Judah and Everywhere
 Who….Were Ruth and Boaz destined and did their
meeting give us salvation?
 Has God acted this way in your life?

15. What Does Ruth Say to You About Providence?
 “God does not give you the people you want, God
gives you the people you need.”
 Before it is a story of affection, Ruth is a story of need
 “Greater good because of evil” (O certe necessárium
Adæ peccátum, quod Christi morte delétum est!
O felix culpa, quæ talem ac tantum méruit habére
Redemptórem!) from the Exultet
 If Ruth had to meet Boaz according to plan (the plan), did
there need to be a famine.

16. I Was a Stranger in a Strange Land
 What does Ruth say about the human
community?
 And what about Immigration?
 What does it mean Gentiles were included in the
Salvation history ?
 What about “a chosen people of God” or one
nation being above others (American
Exceptionalism?)
 Does Providence work in the history of particular
nations and peoples?

17. The Strength of Character
 Integrity or nobility is a theme in Ruth
 Naomi urges her daughters to leave her
 Ruth does not desert Naomi
 Boaz provides for Ruth
 Boaz puts his obligation ahead of affection
 Ruth’s kinsman does not wish to provide for her and
therefore does not even deserve a name

18. The Peculiar Little Scene
 What does the scene in the
threshing room say about Ruth
and Boaz?
 The book of Ruth uses
euphemisms to imply a
relationship between Boaz and
Ruth
 Scholars find it unlikely that the
nobility of Boaz would be built
up if seduction were successful
in this scene
 Boaz expresses a desire for Ruth,
but he is quick to tell her that
another man is more entitled to
her presence

19. What do Ruth and Boaz’s Character Say to Us?
 Are we willing to put what is right above desire?
 Are we willing to do hesed?
 Are we willing to trust in God’s providence?

20. All’s Well That End’s Well….God uses good
people to affect good things

21. Practice Random
Kindness and
Senseless Acts of
Beauty