Ruth

The book of Ruth moves the biblical narrative along in a way that it makes a connection between the times of the judges and the soon arrival of the Kings of Israel. 

1. 1. 1. Chapter one introduces some of the main characters of our story, and sets up the problem that needs to be resolved. 
         1. Let’s begin by looking at the characters. 
         2. Naomi
            1. Moves with her husband to the land of Moab because of a famine, there her husband dies and her two sons take Moabite wives. 
         3. Ruth
            1. 10 years after the death of Naomi‘s husband, her two sons also die leaving her a widow along with her two daughters in law one of which is named Ruth, a Moabite. 
      2. Plot line: Naomi decides to go back to the land of Israel because Yahweh had shown favor to his people and there was food there. She realizes that life is going to be very difficult for her as a widow in this ancient world and so instructs her daughters in law to go back to their family for protection. One of her daughters in law agrees, but the other, Ruth, decides to remain loyal to this Israelite woman and the God of Israel.

1. 1. The Field
      1. Ruth goes to the field to glean. This turns out to be the field of boaz.  Boaz shows Ruth great kindness and provides for and protects her.

1. 1. Boaz Takes A Bride
      1. Naomi seeks security for Ruth and devises a plan to have Boaz redeem the land of her husband and Ruth. 
      2. Boaz the faithful Israel redeems the land, saves the Israel woman, and takes a bride from the nations that had turned to the God of Israel.

Deuteronomy 25:5–6 (NAS): ⁵ When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ “It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.