CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRITING

AUTHOR: The Talmud attributes the authorship of Ruth to Samuel, but the book itself offers no hint of the identity of its author. We can only speculate about who might have written the book of Ruth, and its provenance and date must be deduced from the internal evidence—language and style, historical allusions, and themes. The family records at the end and the explanation of archaic customs requires a date during or later than the reign of King David (1011-971 BC), though it could have been written as late as after the exile, when the issue of the inclusion of Gentiles once again became pressing.

BACKGROUND: The book of Ruth is set “during the time of the judges” (1:1), a period of social and religious disorder when “everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Jdg 17:6). Historically, this era bridged the time between the conquest of the land under Joshua and the rise of King David, whose family records form the conclusion of the book. It is not clear exactly when during the time of the judges the book belongs, but it opens with a famine in the land, which may have been the result of Israel’s idolatry.

MESSAGE AND PURPOSE

GRACE: Naomi thought that the Lord’s hand of judgment was upon her after she and her husband left the promised land in search of food and married their sons to Moabite women in search of offspring (1:21). She underestimated God’s grace. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth the Moabitess, turned out to be the means by which the Lord would meet her needs for food and offspring to carry on the family name. Ruth’s choice of a place to glean, which seemed to be a matter of chance, turned out to be a divine appointment with Boaz, the man who would fulfill the role of family redeemer for Naomi and Ruth.

The book of Ruth resembles the parable of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32) in two strands. The family of Elimelech wandered away from the land where the Lord had promised to bless his people in search of fullness. As a result, however, Naomi ended up empty and alone. Yet the Lord’s judgment on her was designed to bring her back home and to replace her emptiness with a new fullness. Similarly, the book of Ruth opens with the Lord’s people experiencing the trials of the days of the judges, when general disobedience led to famine. Yet the Lord graciously provided food for his hungry people and a king to meet their needs for leadership. These are lessons that speak to modern readers as well. We too have gone astray from the Lord and need to receive his grace and mercy.

GOD’S PROVIDENCE: The family records of David at the end of the book show that the Lord worked through this story to provide for his people’s need of a king. Even though the Lord’s actions are mainly concealed, there are two specific events attributed directly to him—providing food for his people (1:6) and conception for Ruth (4:13). In these ways, the Lord provided for all of his people’s needs.

FAITHFUL LOVE: The book of Ruth demonstrates how the Lord shows his covenant faithfulness to his undeserving people, often in surprising ways. In the course of the narrative, each of the main characters proved to be a person of extraordinary courage and covenant love (Hb chesed; “loving-kindness, faithfulness, loyalty,” is the key word in the book: 1:8; 2:20; 3:10). These are people whose spiritual commitment is demonstrated clearly in godly living.

THE FAMILY REDEEMER: The book of Ruth provides a great example of a family member who used his power under Jewish law to redeem. Boaz demonstrated one of the duties of the family member—that of marrying the widow of a deceased family member. A correlation is sometimes made between the redemption of Ruth by Boaz and the redemption of sinners by Christ. Because of God’s covenant faithfulness, he has provided the Redeemer that we all need in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true King toward whom the family records of David will ultimately extend (Mt 1:5-6), and he is the Redeemer in whom his wandering people find rest. In him, the Gentiles too are incorporated into the people of God by faith and are granted a place in the family of promise.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE

Ruth’s covenantal faithfulness to her mother-in-law Naomi and her God provided a model showing that those who were not ethnic Israelites could be incorporated into the people of God through faith. If Moabites who joined themselves to the Lord could be accepted, there was hope for other Gentiles as well (Is 56:3-7). The book also effectively answered questions that may have been raised over the legitimacy of the Davidic line, given his Moabite roots.

STRUCTURE

The book of Ruth is a delightful short story with a classical plot that moves from crisis to complication to resolution. The narrator draws the reader into the minds of the characters (successively Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz), inviting us to identify with their personal anxieties and joys and in the end to celebrate the movement from emptiness and frustration to fulfillment and joy.

OUTLINE

II.Scene 1: Moab (1:1-22)

A.Elimelech’s departure (1:1-5)

B.Naomi’s despair (1:6-13)

C.Ruth’s decision (1:14-22)

II.Scene 2: Fields of Bethlehem (2:1-23)

A.Ruth meets Boaz (2:1-14)

B.Boaz provides for Ruth and Naomi (2:15-23)

III.Scene 3: Boaz’s Threshing Floor (3:1-18)

A.Boaz’s desire to marry Ruth (3:1-11)

B.Marriage delayed (3:12-18)

IV.Scene 4: City of Bethlehem (4:1-22)

A.Boaz marries Ruth (4:1-12)

B.Ruth gives birth to Obed (4:13-15)

C.Naomi is blessed with a new family (4:16)

D.Ruth is an ancestor of David (4:17-22)

1400-1300 BC

Water clocks are invented in Egypt. 1400

Division of the land into twelve allotments 1385?

Joshua dies. 1380

Events in Judges 1380?-1060?

Pharaoh Horemheb creates a river security unit to board and search boats suspected of smuggling. 1320

Deborah and Barak defeat the Canaanites. 1320?

1300-1200 BC

Philistine Ascendancy 1300-1000

Decimal numbers are used in China. 1300

Signal fires are used to communicate across distances by the Greeks. 1300

Battle of Kadesh between Ramesses II of Egypt and Muwatalli, the Hittite king. This may be the first battle in history for which there is sufficient information to understand the tactics of the opposing forces. 1274

1200-1100 BC

Gideon defeats the Midianites and Amalekites. 1200?

Lightning rods are used by the Minoans of Crete. 1200

Birth of Eli 1157

Jephthah defeats the Ammonites and Philistines. 1170?

Events in Ruth 1140?

1100-1000 BC

Samson defeats the Philistines. 1080?

Death of Eli 1070

Samson destroys the Philistine temple. 1060?

Philistines capture the ark of the covenant. 1055?