Ruth

The book of Ruth is a fascinating book.  The story, just in a literary sense, is captivating and has been respected throughout time by believers and unbelievers alike.  But apart from that, we the life story of this woman who is in the lineage of Jesus Christ.  Within the story we can also see some typology that is worth noting.  And, we can see Ruth's life typifies a normal Christian experience: she decides, serves, rests and is rewarded.

Verse one tells us the book was during the time of the judges.  This places the book from 1375-1050 B.C.  It is difficult to place the story with greater accuracy since there are very few clues.  Some scholars put the life of Ruth in the 1126-1105 B.C.  As a point of reference, it was somewhere around this time that Troy was destroyed during the Trojan War.

The book of judges ends by saying that everyone did what was right in their own eyes.  And the last few chapters of Judges give us these episodes almost as a sampling of just how bad things were.  However, Ruth shows a different side of life in the time of Judges.

While the typology shouldn't be the main focus of studying Ruth, it is certainly a fascinating part of it.  Note the following pictures and consider them as the story develops:

• Naomi is a type of Israel.
• Ruth is a gentile who comes to faith by Naomi.
• Boaz is her kinsman, in verse 2:4 he arrives from Bethlehem.
• The availability of a kinsman for Ruth is only because of Naomi (Israel). 
  • Yet Naomi finds out about the kinsman from Ruth (the Gentile bride).
• No matter how much Boaz loved her she had to initiate the redemption.
• In 2:14 she takes communion with here kinsman redeemer.
• In verse 2:23 she stays close to her redeemer until the harvest is over.
• Boaz redeems the land and also takes Ruth, a Gentile, as his bride. 
  • Jesus refers to the Church is the bride.
• Naomi never meets Boaz face to face. 
• Where is Ruth when Boaz is at the threshing floor.  The threshing floor is judgment - and the bride is at the feet of here redeemer.
• The nearer kinsman is the law - the one unable to perform the redemption.