Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ruth Summary

The book of Ruth is a very short book; just four chapters. It takes place during the same time frame as the book of Judges, but it must be towards the end, as it ends with the birth of Obed, David’s grandfather.

For me, reading the book of Ruth is like a moment of fresh air, after the horrors of the book of Judges. In Judges, you read about Israel at their worst—or, at least, very bad—and then you can take a pause, with the book of Ruth, and read a nice love story, before getting into I and II Samuel.

As mentioned in some of the posts below, there is some confusion in my mind as to how hard Boaz had to try to get Ruth as his wife, rather than letting her kinsman-redeemer marry her. But whether it’s difficult or just straightforward, there is no doubt in my mind that Boaz has fallen in love with Ruth, and the whole story feels very nice.

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