The Book Of Ruth - Lesson 1

The Book of Ruth

Lesson 1 - Ruth 1:16-17a

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: they people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

I. Background.

A. The book of Ruth is listed among the group of books of the Bible referred to as History.

1. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel, I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.

2. In the Hebrew Bible, it actually appears toward the end.

a. In a section called the Kethuvim or “The Writings”.

b. Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, I&II Chronicles.

3. The date of the writing is unknown, but it was probably between 1011-971 B.C.

a. the best guess for the actual marriage of Ruth and Boaz was approximately 1120B.C.

b. It was a verbal Jewish story prior to it’s printing.

B. It was one of the five Festal Rolls which were read publicly at each festival.

1. Ruth was read at the Feast of Pentecost.

2. Amazing how God aligns everything in his order.

a. The book with the description of the “Kinsman Redeemer” and the perfect example of “Divine Providence” was read at the same day as the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

b. When Jesus became our redeemer and the Divine Plan of Salvation was reveled.

II. Ruth was the first book of the Bible to mention the kingly line of David.

A. From this point on the Old Testament centers around the family and lineage of the house of David.

1. Prior to this book there is not real distinction of the family tree of David.

2. The last five verses of the book outline the ancestry of the King that would be the direct lineage of the Messiah.

B. Ruth may be a small book, but it is loaded with history as well as examples of what Jesus would do for us.

1. I want to tell you right now I do not buy in to all the typology we are used to hearing.

2. Something’s are set up as types or examples of things to come, Paul makes that statement.

a. but some things were done by God specifically for the people of that time.

b. they resemble what God is doing today because they have the same author.

C. Max Lucado is my favorite author.

1. I can read a book, not knowing the writer and can tell if it is Max or not.

2. Does that mean everything in the previous books he has written are types of what is happening in this one, no.

a. it means that the same author has the same style of action and speech in all of his work.

b. the same is true of God.

1. some things are done for a type of things to come, others resemble something that follows because the same God is doing the work.

2. I do not need to dream up types to prove the Gospel or God.

a. there is enough facts and examples in the Word that are plain.

b. if nothing else, the fact that I can prove the same God doing the work though time based upon a Divine Signature or Divine DNA that is more powerful than a trumped up typology will ever be.

III. With that said, lets look at the Book of Ruth and see some of these examples for ourselves.

A. There are four main purposes in this book.

1. Genealogy- The book introduces a few of the ancestors of

David, the royal lineage of Christ.

2. Example- The kinsman-redeemer (Boaz) is the prominent figure or example of what Jesus would be like and accomplish.

3. Theology- Underlying the entire book is its revelation of the character and ways of God. It shows providence, sovereignty, grace, holiness, and His invitation of salvation to all people.

4. History- The book describes experiences of a godly family of Bethlehem during the period of the judges.

What we have is a play with four main characters.

Character number one is a prostitute.

Character number two is her son. By the time we meet him he is wealthy, powerful, and single. (We wonder if his bachelorhood has anything to do with being the son of a prostitute.)

Character number three is a foreign widow in a clannish culture. Everything about her is different. She speaks with an accent. Wears a different name. Eats different food. Has a different way. Her only fried is her mother-in-law who happens also to be a widow, and happens also to be:

Character number four. She is older than the first widow. Too old to have kids. When her two sons die and her husband dies, she is left alone. With only a foreigner as a friend.