Introduction to the Books of the Bible
From the NIV Study Bible.
Copyright 2002
© Zondervan.
All rights reserved.
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· From the NIV Study Bible
· About the Book Introductions & Main Listing
The Book of Ruth 
Title
 The book is named after one of its main characters, a young
woman of Moab, the great-grandmother of David and an ancestress
of Jesus (4:21–22; Mt 1:1,5). The only other Biblical book
bearing the name of a woman is Esther.
Background
The story is set in the time of the judges, a time characterized
in the book of Judges as a period of religious and moral degeneracy,
national disunity and frequent foreign oppression. The book
of Ruth reflects a time of peace between Israel and Moab (contrast
Jdg 3:12–30). Like 1Sa 1–2, it gives a series of intimate glimpses
into the private lives of the members of an Israelite family.
It also presents a delightful account of the remnant of true
faith and piety in the period of the judges, relieving an otherwise
wholly dark picture of that era.
Author and Date of Writing
The author is unknown. Jewish tradition points to Samuel,
but it is unlikely that he is the author because the mention
of David (4:17,22) implies a later date. Further, the literary
style of Hebrew used in Ruth suggests that it was written during
the period of the monarchy.
Theme and Theology
The importance of faithful love in human relationships
among God’s kingdom people is powerfully underscored. The author
focuses on Ruth’s unswerving and selfless devotion to desolate
Naomi (1:16–17; 2:11–12; 3:10; 4:15) and on Boaz’s kindness
to these two widows (chs. 2–4). He presents striking examples
of lives that embody in their daily affairs the self-giving
love that fulfills God’s law (Lev 19:18; cf. Ro 13:10). Such
love also reflects God’s love, in a marvelous joining of human
and divine actions (compare 2:12 with 3:9). In God’s benevolence
such lives are blessed and are made a blessing.
It may seem surprising that one who reflects God’s love so
clearly is a Moabitess (see map, p. 486). Yet her complete
loyalty to the Israelite family into which she has been received
by marriage and her total devotion to her desolate mother-in-law
mark her as a true daughter of Israel and a worthy ancestress
of David. She strikingly exemplifies the truth that participation
in the coming kingdom of God is decided, not by blood and birth,
but by the conformity of one’s life to the will of God through
the “obedience that comes from faith” (Ro 1:5). Her place in
the ancestry of David signifies that all nations will be represented
in the kingdom of David’s greater Son.
As an episode in the ancestry of David, the book of Ruth
sheds light on his role in the history of redemption. Redemption
is a key concept throughout the account; the Hebrew word in
its various forms occurs 23 times. The book is primarily a
story of Naomi’s transformation from despair to happiness through
the selfless, God-blessed acts of Ruth and Boaz. She moves
from emptiness to fullness (1:21; 3:17; see notes on 1:1,3,5–6,12,21–22;
3:17; 4:15), from destitution (1:1–5) to security and hope
(4:13–17). Similarly, Israel was transformed from national
desperation at the death of Eli (1Sa 4:18) to peace and prosperity
in the early days of Solomon (1Ki 4:20–34; 5:4) through the
selfless devotion of David, a true descendant of Ruth and Boaz.
The author thus reminded Israel that the reign of the house
of David, as the means of God’s benevolent rule in Israel,
held the prospect of God’s promised peace and rest. But this
rest would continue only so long as those who participated
in the kingdom—prince and people alike—reflected in their daily
lives the selfless love exemplified by Ruth and Boaz. In Jesus,
the great “son of David” (Mt 1:1), and his redemptive work,
the promised blessings of the kingdom of God find their fulfillment.
Literary Features
The book of Ruth is a Hebrew short story, told with consummate
skill. Among historical narratives in Scripture it is unexcelled
in its compactness, vividness, warmth, beauty and dramatic
effectiveness—an exquisitely wrought jewel of Hebrew narrative
art.
Marvelously symmetrical throughout (see Outline), the action
moves from a briefly sketched account of distress (1:1–5; 71
words in Hebrew) through four episodes to a concluding account
of relief and hope that is drawn with equal brevity (4:13–17;
71 words in Hebrew). The crucial turning point occurs exactly
midway (see note on 2:20). The opening line of each of the
four episodes signals its main development (1:6, the return;
2:1, the meeting with Boaz; 3:1, finding a home for Ruth; 4:1,
the decisive event at the gate), while the closing line of
each episode facilitates transition to what follows (see notes
on 1:22; 2:23; 3:18; 4:12). Contrast is also used to good effect:
pleasant (the meaning of “Naomi”) and bitter (1:20), full and
empty (1:21), and the living and the dead (2:20). Most striking
is the contrast between two of the main characters, Ruth and
Boaz: The one is a young, alien, destitute widow, while the
other is a middle-aged, well-to-do Israelite securely established
in his home community. For each there is a corresponding character
whose actions highlight, by contrast, his or her selfless acts:
Ruth—Orpah, Boaz—the unnamed kinsman.
When movements in space, time and circumstance all correspond
in some way, a harmony results that both satisfies the reader’s
artistic sense and helps open doors to understanding. The author
of Ruth keeps his readers from being distracted from the central
story—Naomi’s passage from emptiness to fullness through the
selfless acts of Ruth and Boaz (see Theme and Theology). That
passage, or restoration, first takes place in connection with
her return from Moab to the promised land and to Bethlehem
(“house of food”; see note on 1:1). It then progresses with
the harvest season, when the fullness of the land is gathered
in. All aspects of the story keep the reader’s attention focused
on the central issue. Consideration of these and other literary
devices (mentioned throughout the notes) will aid understanding
of the book of Ruth.
Outline
- Introduction: Naomi Emptied
(1:1–5)
- Naomi Returns
from Moab (1:6–22)
- Ruth Clings to Naomi (1:6–18)
- Ruth and Naomi Return to
Bethlehem (1:19–22)
- Ruth and Boaz
Meet in the Harvest Fields (ch. 2)
- Ruth Begins Work (2:1–7)
- Boaz Shows Kindness to Ruth
(2:8–16)
- Ruth Returns to Naomi (2:17–23)
- Naomi Sends
Ruth to Boaz’s Threshing Floor (ch. 3)
- Naomi Instructs Ruth (3:1–5)
- Boaz Pledges to Secure Redemption
(3:6–15)
- Ruth Returns to Naomi (3:16–18)
- Boaz Arranges
to Fulfill His Pledge (4:1–12)
- Boaz Confronts the Unnamed
Kinsman (4:1–8)
- Boaz Buys Naomi’s Property
and Announces His Marriage to Ruth (4:9–12)
- Conclusion: Naomi Filled
(4:13–17)
- Epilogue: Genealogy of
David (4:18–22)
Treasures in Heaven
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
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