What is the book of Ruth all about? 

“May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12)

What is the book of Ruth all about? On one side we have the books of Joshua and Judges, dealing with God’s sweeping acts of justice and mercy to His people. On the other side we have the books of Samuel and Kings, describing God’s continued dealings with the nation and their anointed kings. But in the middle we have a short story of two people living their lives well outside the limelight. It could be described as a romantic comedy, complete with its own “meet-cute” (see the film, The Holiday!), the standard “other guy” complication, and a beautiful denouement in which the guy wins the girl through a costly act of sacrifice. But is there more to it?
Yes – of course there is!


What do we need to know to read Ruth?

The historical context of the story

It’s set in the time of the Judges, which was a troubled and even anarchic time. Remember the ending of the book of Judges? “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25.) Yet the book of Ruth provides an important counterpoint: not everyone abandons their worship of God; not everyone turns from upright living to the madness of rape and murder. Praise God!

The story also has long-reaching consequences, as we discover at the conclusion in chapter 4. As with many romantic comedies, it ends with the blessing of a baby. But this baby isn’t just anyone. He turns out to be the grandfather of none other than future-king David. In those days Israel had no king, but God was already at work providing for a future in which His anointed king would rule!

The canonical context of the story

In our Bibles we have it right between Judges and 1 Samuel, which points us to the historical context above. But in the Hebrew Bibles you would find this short book straight after Proverbs. Remember how Proverbs concludes with an ode to a wife (or woman) of noble character? And this is then perfectly encapsulated in the character of Ruth.
So what does this story teach us, beyond narrating an important moment in Israel’s history? Two key Hebrew words highlight the vital timeless truths that the book of Ruth brings out in the open:
 

It calls us to rejoice in ḥesed – loving-kindness

This is the kind of covenant love that just doesn’t know when to quit. It’s the kind of love that God shows for His people. It’s the kind of love that The Jesus Storybook Bible memorably describes as “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love”. A major theme of the book of Ruth is how God provides for those in need through the loving-kindness, the ḥesed, of others. It shows Israel’s gleaning laws at work (the idea that farmers shouldn’t be too thorough when harvesting their crops, so that the poor and destitute can glean a little food to keep them going). And it shows this loving-kindness at work in the hearts and actions of the two protagonists, Ruth and Boaz. In chapter 2 we see Boaz blessing Ruth with great kindness, particularly because he is so delighted that she has committed herself so fully not just to her mother-in-law Naomi but to her God (see 1:16-17). In one of the key verses of the book, Boaz says to Ruth, “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12.) As the story progresses we see Boaz actually being the answer to his own prayer of blessing.
 

It calls us to rejoice in the gō’ēl – the Kinsman-Redeemer

This is another Old Testament law, that comes into play when a destitute family has to sell up their land. In this instance, a member of the extended family can buy it back on behalf of their kinsfolk, in order to ensure that family has a continued share in God’s blessing for His people in the land. In the story, Boaz acts as a gō’ēl for Ruth’s family by buying back their land and by marrying Ruth in order to keep the family line going on. (And it helps that he has clearly fallen for her!) The story ought to remind us of our own need for a Kinsman-Redeemer. Not that we are financially destitute, but that we are spiritually destitute, sold into slavery under sin as the apostle Paul reminds us (see Romans 7:14). We need buying back; we need redeeming, so that we can have a share in God’s blessing. And we have the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer in Jesus, the greatest descendent of Boaz and Ruth!