Ancient versions and modern translations consistently entitle this book after ruth the moabitess heroine, who is mentioned by name 12 times 1. The book of ruth reflects a time of peace between israel and moab. The story begins with a famine in the days when the judges ruled ruth 1. First of all, that within the sacred bond of marriage there lies a symbol of the love of god for humanity. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs. Ruth was a descendant of lot, abrahams nephew, and therefore, a gentile. The most likely suggestion is that ruth was able to leave the refuge of her father and mother in moab because she had found a refuge under the wings of god which was far superior.
The book of ruth is a delightful drama that blossoms into the beautiful love story of boaz and ruth. The book of esther, though divinely inspired scripture, doesnt mention god by any name or title. The book of ruth is a beautiful story about gods faithfulness to his people. God is mentioned quite a few times throughout ruth, though he doesnt actually do much in the story. The book of ruth came along at a time of irresponsible living in israels history and appropriately called the people back to a greater responsibility and faithfulness before godeven in difficult times. This book is beautifully designed by god to show how his grace can sustain a faithful testimony of individuals at a time when the general condition of things is low and naturally discouraging. The book of ruth is such a touching love story and such a charming tale. And what the book of ruth does for us is give us a glimpse of the hidden work of god during the worst of times. Her two sons found wives, ruth and orpah, but 10 years later, both sons died as well. But we must ask how ruths love for naomi and her leaving her own family relate to her seeking refuge under the wings of god. Her nationality was particularly odious to the jews deut 23. Ruths devotion to naomi and boaz devotion to ruth provide two compelling portraits of love among the people of god. But the greatest love displayed in this book is gods love for naomi and all of israel. One distinguishing characteristic is that its the only biblical book that does not mention god by name.
The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth bible. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god. Anderson included in this weeks article, the book of ruth establishes a model for marriage in three ways. Ruths story begins when an israelite woman, named naomi, and her husband, elimelech, leave their hometown of bethlehem. In this lesson we will look at walking in hesed or. The tradition is that the book of ruth was written by the prophet samuel. Discover how the obedience of ruth and boaz still affects people today. Ruth heard about another godactually a fertility goddess who offered the moabites regeneration through the gratification of lust with harlot priestesses in the temple. All who accept gods way of life are included in the blessings of god. It is traditionally ascribed to the prophet samuel, but ruth s identity as a nonisraelite and the stress on the need for an inclusive attitude towards foreigners suggests an origin in the fifth century bc, when intermarriage had become controversial as seen in ezra 9. In previous blog posts, i have drawn attention to various old testament foreshadows and prototypes of christ. She was willing to disobey gods law by sleeping with the king. And those who do well will reap the result of their actions. It is only in the jewish edition of the hebrew scriptures from centuries after chris.
In this article, i want to draw attention to yet another old testament parallel to christ. The book of ruth tells a touching story of the love and devotion of an ancestor of david and jesus christ. This was a time when the people of israel had abandoned gods ways and fallen into idolatry, horrific social conditions, and a disastrous civil war, as told in the chapters of judges immediately preceding the book of. The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth. They repented of their sins and god had mercy on them. However, god is not mentioned in the book of esther in every version. At a time when we look for god to be active through a judge or king, god instead works out his will through the everyday faithfulness of his people.
Boaz and ruth had great respect for one another, as. It also contains some of the most memorable stories in all of scripture, not to mention numerous old. Knowhy otl20a how does the book of ruth provide a model. As the book reaches its conclusion, and the redemption of ruth and naomi is accomplished, we finally see how the musical themes in ruth parallel not just the lords redemption of israel from egypt, but christs redemption of his people from sin. Naomi was from bethlehem and moved to moab with her husband elimelek and two sons, mahlon and kilion.
At a surface level, few saw ruth as an important person. Ruth intro to ruth biblica the international bible society. So whether god is ever mentioned or not, this book contains a pivotal story in the march toward the coming of jesus. Christ in the story of ruth cross examined christian. Such love also reflects gods love, in a marvelous joining of human and divine. Its because that phrase is really coming from just one hebrew word salhebetyah.
The book of ruth abbreviated rth is included in the third division, or the writings ketuvim, of the hebrew bible. Then god saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. In our family we actually dont think too highly of esthers character. And although the book doesnt mention god by name, it mentions that esther prayed and fasted for three days before asking the king to save the jewish people and she also asked the jews to also do the same esther 4. Although we live more than 3,000 years after ruth, we can almost feel her emotions as we hear these words repeated in the modern marriage ceremony.
The exact date the book of ruth was written is uncertain. How do we see gods character and the gospel in the book of ruth. Step into the story the book of ruth is a beautiful story about ruth and naomi and ruth and boaz. Ruth is praised by boaz for leaving kith and kin to adopt the god of israel. Actually, in the book of esther, god is explicitly mentioned in the catholic bible, and in the greek septuagint which was the bible that our blessed lord used. She is the greatgrandmother of king david and hence an ancestor of the messiah. The book tells of ruth accepting the god of the israelites as her god and the. It is worthy of mention that the mother of boaz was rahab a canaanite. The book of judges is about bloodshed, war, and strife. I find that very interesting because the two books are so different. According to the jewish historian josephus, judges and ruth were originally numbered together as one book. Ruth and the sovereignty of god long before ruth knew anything about god, god knew everything about her. We know that prayer and fasting is certainly a religious act associated with gods worship.
God led ruth to harvest in a field of her relative, boaz 2. However, the prevalent view is a date between 1011 and 931 b. There is not a version of the bible that doesnt mention god in the book of ruth. So far in the book of ruth there hasnt been much good news. While god does not perform miraculous acts, signs, or wonders in the book of ruth he does actively work by providing a faithful devotion of ruth to naomi 1. What naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. Intro to ruth biblica the international bible society. There are two books in the bible where god is not mentioned, the. Ruth, a moabitess, stands out as a refreshing contrast to the declension of israel in the time of the judges. Again and again the people rebelled, and from all outward appearances gods purposes for righteousness and glory in israel were failing.
With a account you will be able to save items to read and study later. Where is it said in the bible that boaz died the day after. Jewish tradition points to samuel, but it is unlikely that he is the author because the mention of david implies a later date. The hebrew word hesed is the word which has been translated most often as loyal love in the net bible. Indeed, there is no direct reference to god at all. The book of ruth demonstrates gods love for the gentiles, even in a period of history when the hebrew people were given prominence due to their role in gods redemptive plan for humanity. The book of ruth is a love story, but it is far more than a romance. Further, the literary style of hebrew used in ruth suggests that it was written during the period of the monarchy.
This short book, only four chapters, shows how god uses unexpected people in amazing ways. If any book in the bible demonstrates gods matchless grace and illustrates the divine plan of redemption, it is the book of ruth. How many times is gods name mentioned in the book of ruth. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. Additions to the book of esther regarded by the catholic church as inspired do mention prayer, but these are not.
According to the biblical book of ruth, ruth was a moabite woman who married into an israelite family and eventually converted to judaism. Most books of the old testament mention prophets, who speak on god s behalf. The book is named after one of its main characters, a young woman of moab, the. Waitwhy do some bibles mention the lord and some dont. When god does something completely out of the ordinary, the bible credits him for it. What version of the bible does not mention god in ruth. The book of ruth does not specifically name its author.
Boaz redeems ruth in order that he might marry her, just as god did. It is not only ruth and naomi who benefit from gods work in the book of ruth, for everyone who has been saved by the blood of the lord jesus christ has been saved by the offspring of. Is ruth the book that doesnt mention the word god answers. How does the book of ruth provide a model for marriage summary. Starting from the night ruth asked boaz to marry her 3. So what does the book of ruth tell us about the sacrament of marriage. The book of ruth a story of redemption gospel blog. After all, its a classic tale of boy meets girl, of unexpected love discovered in the most routine of settings. In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of bethlehem in judah went to sojourn in the country of moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The 2 books of the bible that dont mention god overviewbible. This has led some modern scholars to claim that the book was originally intended as a purely secular history. Even though many discriminated against her, god loved her just the same. Curiously, god is hardly mentioned in the book of ruth. According to an insightful presentation by catholic bible scholar gary a.
The book of ruth is one of the most moving accounts in the bible, a story of love and loyalty that is a stark contrast to todays cynical, throwaway society. Book of ruth overview insight for living ministries. God does not discriminate, and he loves all people just the same. The significance and application of the book of ruth.
The book of esther does not mention god or prayer in its standard version. This fact has caused some to question its place in the biblical canon, but, in reality, the absence of gods name fits. How does the book of ruth provide a model for marriage. Most books of the old testament mention prophets, who speak on gods behalf. Ruth was accepted into the commonwealth of israel, as was boazs mother, rahab, before her. So ruth grew up a pagan, in a land cursed by the foulness and ferocity of its gods. How do we see gods character and the gospel in the book. Our focus will be on ruths loyal love which goes far beyond the superficial contexts in which we sometimes use the word love. The inner chapters show how naomi and ruth make a plan, followed by an encounter between ruth and boaz, followed by naomi and ruth rejoicing. The story of ruth offers vital lessons to every generation and has enjoyed nearly universal acceptance by biblical scholars and critics throughout the centuries.