Download - Ruth: Deeper Into The Text
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