Banner
Nav Menu
Sidebar

Author: Ron Graham

History of IsraelTimes of Israel series

Ruth’s Adventures
—And her virtues and faith

Time ~ 4. Conquest of Canaan
Span ~ 170 years
Books ~ Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1Samuel
Figures ~ Joshua, Samuel
Begins with ~ Entry into promised Land across Jordan

Amid all the turmoil in the time of the conquest of Canaan, there were still those who managed to live quiet godly lives in villages and farms. The story of Ruth is a welcome respite from the book of Judges, and a fitting prelude to the book of Samuel.

This true story demonstrates the providence of God —how he helps people through hard times and grants them new seasons of refreshing and joy as he did in Bethlehem.
 

1 Not All Bad News

Approaching the time of Samuel, a general swing upward occurs in the morality, and morale, of Israel. The story of Ruth shows that the seeds of Godliness were being sown in Israel by good men and women like those who feature in this story.

While the rest of the world may abandon the right ways of the LORD and live in darkness, there are still pockets of people who remain close to God, and in whose lives the light of God's love shines.

While the rest of the world lives in selfishness, there are good men and women who are willing to commit themselves sacrificially to others and, of course, to God. They have the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:1-8). In this story, they also happened to be his ancestors.

2 The Main Point

Behind this story is the faith that Ruth showed in God and her beauty of holiness. The kindness and generosity of Boaz stands out too.

The community that welcomed the stranger also shows a lovely spirit. From this story we learn the attitudes that make a strong church.
 

3 Bible Summary (Ruth 1-4)

4 Ruth's Good Qualities and Commitment

5 God's Acceptance of Ruth

Footnotes

  • Moab is east of the Dead Sea at its southern end. The town of Bethlehem is west of the Dead Sea at its northern end. The journey from Moab to Bethlehem is around 80km.
  • The origin of the Moabites: Moab was the son of Lot (Abraham's nephew). Moab's mother was Lot's eldest daughter (Genesis 19:36-38)

DONATE

to simplybible.com
Webservant Ron Graham


Copyright on print
Footer