RUTH

Going Deeper Into the Text

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.)

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.

Israel during the time of Ruth

During the time of the Judges

when the story occursDuring the Monarchy when Ruth is

written

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

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

We have seen the story of Ruth and its

themes, now lets look more closely

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

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

Ruth 2:20

“He has not stopped showing his hesed to the living or the dead”

Naomi speaking of Boaz

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

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?

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

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?

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.

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?

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

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

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?

All’s Well That End’s Well….God uses good

people to affect good things

Practice Random

Kindness and

Senseless Acts of

Beauty