About the Book of Ruth
Today's Reading: Ruth 1:1-2
Ruth 1:1 (ESV) "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."
Today, here are a few fast facts about the book of Ruth to set up the context for our next five weeks of study:
Author: Scholars debate the authorship of Ruth, but many attribute it to the prophet Samuel, who served the Lord during King Saul's reign. The author's inclusion of genealogies referencing David's kingship, which began after Samuel's death, seem to contradict this idea, however. Another opinion is that Ruth was written by a woman because the main characters are women, which was unusual during a patriarchal time period when men largely controlled society.
Date Written: Due to the genealogies in the book, biblical scholars don't agree on the date of authorship of Ruth. Most estimate around 1000 B. C. (between 1011 B. C. and 931 B. C.), but some scholars date it as late as the fourth or fifth century B. C. Whoever the author and whatever the exact date, Ruth, like all biblical books, is part of Scripture because it has been confirmed by acts of God and trusted by His Church, exhibits the transforming power of God, and is consistent with the revelation of Scripture as a whole.
Setting and Location: Ruth takes place primarily in Moab and Bethlehem. Moab was a pagan nation around 50 miles from the Israelite city of Bethlehem across the Jordan River and on the other side of the Dead Sea, an estimated seven-to-10-day journey on foot. Moab was not a place friendly to God's people.
Cultural Context: "In the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) is not just a time stamp but a description of the character of the times when Ruth lived. Judges 21:25 says at this time "everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
People continually rejected God's laws and God's way. Lawlessness abounded. In fact, throughout the book of Judges, we see a pattern: God's people rebelled, and God sent a judge to warn them, but the people failed to listen, so God disciplined them, and they eventually cried out; then God restored them. Because of their hardened hearts, the cycle started again.
The book of Ruth falls into one of those cycles. It starts with a famine (God's judgment) in Chapter 1 and ends with a harvest (God restoring His people).
Genre: Ruth is a historical narrative. Historical narratives recount historical events as stories. In the Bible, these stories are meant to be part of the larger story of Scripture and point to the coming of Christ. Narratives like Ruth show us how God works in the ordinary moments and struggles of human life.
Jews traditionally read Ruth at Pentecost, seven weeks after Passover. This makes sense because key moments in the book of Ruth align with this same Pentecost season, during the barley and wheat harvest and when the Jewish harvest ended.
Purpose: While God doesn't act and speak as a character in the story of Ruth, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." We see Paul's words in 2 Timothy played out through the pages of Ruth: It contains important doctrine, reproof, correction and equipping we need as believers.
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Prayer: God, thank You for being a God who works in the details. You care about every part of my life and story. Thank You for revealing Your character and nature in the book of Ruth. Open my eyes to see You working in the details of my life today. In Jesus' name, amen.
This was originally published in the First 5 app study of the book of Ruth. I co-wrote the study guide with Wendy Blight, click here to order your copy today!
