ACT I
The story of Ruth begins with a reminder of the dark and difficult days of Israel. The father of a family dies while in Moab and his two sons marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Their husbands die, and when Naomi announces she is returning to Israel, Ruth chooses to go with her. Orpah chooses to stay in Moab but Ruth shows great loyalty to Naomi by saying, Where you go, I am going. Your people will become my people and your God will be my God."
 
ACT II
Upon arriving in Israel, the two women find a farmer who allows them to pick grain in his field. Boaz is a man of noble character and makes special provisions for Ruth. Realizing they are related to Boaz, Ruth calls him their family redeemer."
 
ACT III
Ruth decides to quit wearing the clothes of a widow, lets Boaz know that she is available to be married, and asks him if he is willing to redeem Naomi's family by marrying her. Boaz is amazed at Ruth's character and is glad to take her as his wife.
 
ACT IV
Just as Ruth was loyal to Naomi in chapter one, Boaz is loyal to Naomi's family in chapter four. The story concludes with reversal of the tragedies it began with. Ruth marries Boaz and gives birth to a son. This story is marked by the little mention of God by name while showing God at work in the interconnected lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Chapter one opens with tragedy and death, but chapter four ends with joy and birth.
 
PROLOGUE
Boaz and Ruth's son is named Obed. He becomes the grandfather of King David. Since Christ's lineage was of David, we see God's ultimate plan being made possible through the loyalty and faithfulness of an Israelite farmer and a Moabite widow.

►Ruth / Chapters 1-4

OT/NT (a): Old Testament (1)
 
SECTION (a): Historical Books (2)
 
PLACEMENT (a): Ruth is the eighth book of the Holy Bible (3), the eighth book of the Old Testament, and the third of the twelve Historical Books.
 
TRADITIONAL AUTHOR (a): The Book of Ruth does not specifically name its author. The tradition is that it was written by the Prophet (4) Samuel (5); others attribute the writing to King Solomon (6).
 
TIMELINE: The book of Ruth covers an approximate period of less than 100 years, ranging from circa 1302 BC (7) to circa 1213 BC (8). For much more info, explore our Bible Timeline (9) and Judges of Israel (10) webpages.

KEY FIGURES: Boaz (11), Naomi (12), Orpah (13) and Ruth (14).
 
SUMMARY (b): The setting for the Book of Ruth begins in the heathen country of Moab (15), a region northeast of the Dead Sea (16), but then moves to Bethlehem (17).
 
This true account takes place during the dismal days of failure and rebellion of the Israelites (18), called the period of the Judges. A famine forces Elimelek (19) and his wife, Naomi, from their Israelite home to the country of Moab. Elimelek dies and Naomi is left with her two sons, who soon marry two Moabite girls, Orpah and Ruth. Later, both of the sons die, and Naomi is left alone with Orpah and Ruth in a strange land. Orpah returns to her parents, but Ruth is determined to stay with Naomi as they journey to Bethlehem. This story of love and devotion tells of Ruth’s eventual marriage to a wealthy man named Boaz, by whom she bears a son, Obed (20), who becomes the grandfather of King David (21) and the ancestor of Jesus (22). Obedience (23) brings Ruth into the privileged lineage of Christ (24).
 
A major theme of the Book of Ruth is that of the kinsman-redeemer. Boaz, a relative of Naomi on her husband’s side, acted upon his duty as outlined in the Mosaic Law (25) to redeem an impoverished relative from his or her circumstances (Leviticus 25:47-49). This scenario is repeated by Christ, who redeems us, the spiritually impoverished, from the slavery of sin (26). Our Heavenly Father (27) sent His own Son to His Cross (28) so that we might become children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ. By being our Redeemer, He makes us His kinsmen.
 
APPLYING RUTH TO MY LIFE (b): The sovereignty of our great God is clearly seen in the story of Ruth. He guided her every step of the way to become His child and fulfill His plan for her to become an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). In the same way, we have assurance that God has a plan for each of us. Just as Naomi and Ruth trusted Him to provide for them, so should we.
 
We see in Ruth an example of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. In addition to being devoted to her family (Ruth 1:15-18; Proverbs 31:10-12) and faithfully dependent upon God (Ruth 2:12; Proverbs 31:30), we see in Ruth a woman of godly speech. Her words are loving, kind and respectful, both to Naomi and to Boaz. The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 “speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). We could search far and wide to find a woman today as worthy of being our role model as Ruth.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES: Explore (29) chapter by chapter summaries!

COMING UP:  Next up is the Book of 1 Samuel (30)!

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All Bible verse references linked herein are courtesy of Bible Gateway (a). The narrative (b) offered herein has been published with permission (c) and no monetary gain is being sought. Any footnotes within the narrative have been inserted by The Marion County Manna Project and re-direct to our webpages (unless otherwise noted) for additional spiritual insight and discernment.
 

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The Invitation: If you're seeking additional info about Christianity on a more personal level, consider visiting a Christian Church here in Marion County (31). Introduce yourself to members and ask to speak with someone to learn more about Jesus. Surrendering your life to Christ (32) (f) is the most rewarding, everlasting decision you'll ever make, and it's comforting to have someone guide you as you begin your new life as a child of the Most High! May God shower you with great favor in this endeavor!
 

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Footnotes, Page Credits and External Resources appear below. Consider printing and sharing the offered PDF narrative and other listed resources with family, friends and strangers alike for use in Bible Studies (33), Home/Church Faith Sharing Groups (34), Discipleship Encounters (35) and/or Personal Faith Enrichment!
 
Modifications are welcome at [email protected].
 

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FOOTNOTES:
  (1) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/old-testament
  (2) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/historical-books
  (3) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-good-news
  (4) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/prophets-of-the-bible
  (5) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/samuel
  (6) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/solomon
  (7) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/1400-bc
  (8) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/1300-bc
  (9) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-timeline
(10) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/judges-of-israel
(11) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/boaz
(12) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/naomi
(13) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/orpah
(14) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/ruth-1
(15) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/moab
(16) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/dead-sea
(17) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bethlehem
(18) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/israelites
(19) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Elimelek
(20) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/obed
(21) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/a-man-after-gods-own-heart
(22) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/jesus-christ
(23) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/obedience
(24) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-genealogy-matthew
(25) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-law
(26) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/sin
(27) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/god-of-the-bible
(28) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/crucifixion-of-christ
(29) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/ruth-1-4-chapter-summaries
(30) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/1-samuel
(31) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/listing-by-city
(32) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-gracious-visitor
(33) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-studies
(34) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/christian-education
(35) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/discipleship

PAGE CREDITS:
(a) Bible Gateway, New International Version (NIV) Bible, accessed September 18, 2020, https://www.biblegateway.com/

(b) Summary of the Book of Ruth, Got Questions Ministries, accessed October 14, 2020, https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Ruth.html
 
(c) Copyright Policy, Got Questions Ministries, accessed January 11, 2020,
https://www.gotquestions.org/about.html
 
(d) Chronology of Ruth, Steve Rudd, accessed February 3, 2021,
https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-timeline-date-chronology-of-ruth-1300bc.htm
 
(e) Videos, Milestones, Blogs & Poster, BibleProject, accessed September 29, 2020, https://www.bibleproject.com/terms/#use
 
EXTERNAL RESOURCES:
(f)  How Do I Convert to Christianity?, Got Questions Ministries, accessed January 12, 2020, https://www.gotquestions.org/convert-to-Christianity.html

Information offered herein has been generated for non-profit use.
 
Feel free to re-produce and distribute without monetary gain.
 
SPREAD JESUS.
 
 
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The most recent modification of this webpage and PDF
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