The Book of Ruth

An Introduction and Study Guide

Everybody loves a good romance novel. Well, okay, I don’t actually read romance novels as a rule, certainly not the kind with bare chested Fabio’s on the front, but I am willing to admit to enjoying a number of Romantic Comedies. Regardless, no matter how soft or macho you may be, we all love love. Most of the greatest stories and songs throughout history revolve around the theme of love. This is especially true if we broaden our understanding of the term “love” to include more than just “eros” (ερως) or romantic love. Love of Friends, love of family, love of country, the love of God or God’s love for us. Truly, some form of the notion of love is present in nearly every story and song worthy of our attention.

God’s love for his people has many dimensions and, although it is most often characterized as “agape” (αγάπη) which is associated with “unconditional love”, God’s love for his church is often portrayed in romantic terminology. Indeed one of the most common metaphors in Scripture for God’s relationship with his people is that of husband and wife.¹ Hence throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites worship pagan gods they are called not only “idolaters” but also “harlots.” They are talked about in the same way one might refer to an unfaithful spouse who is “stepping out” on their marriage and fornicating with someone else.

“If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 3:1)

Positively, on the other hand, God speaks dotingly upon his people as his bride.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:25-28)

There are two books in the Old Testament which have the idea of romantic love as their pervasive theme. One of them comes, admittedly, much closer in content to what you might expect from one of the bare chested Fabio novels. I am referring, of course, to Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs as it is sometimes called). This particular book’s references to sexual love has left many parents torn over whether or not to commend their young teens to read all of Scripture or just most of it. Significant differences abound, however, between Scripture’s portrayal of romantic love and that of a trashy romance novel. Whereas any given harlequin romance novel almost always involves illicit, forbidden, and unwholesome relationships, the Song of Solomon celebrates sexual love and intimacy in the context of marriage. If Song of Solomon does nothing else for Christians, and offers nothing else in response to the unbelieving world outside the church, let it forever end naive prudishness. Sex is good, God made it, he wishes us to enjoy, he simply sets the boundaries within which it is to be enjoyed (and by which it is enjoyed most fully).

But, of course, some will say “No, you misunderstand! Song of Solomon is about Christ and his Church, not romantic love in marriage.” To which I respond, “Don’t be a fool. Romantic love in marriage is about Christ and his church!” Always there are ditches on both sides, let us fall into neither.

The Book of Ruth is the other Old Testament book where romantic love is a central theme. It’s an incredible book for so many reasons but here are just a few.

First, while Israel is playing the harlot and stepping out on God (for the book of Ruth takes place during the era of the Judges) we have a story about genuine faithfulness to Yahweh. Boaz stands out as a shining beacon of righteousness and fidelity to Yahweh and his commandments even while his fellow Hebrews are fornicating with false gods and otherwise losing all sense.

Secondly, Ruth abandons her false gods and weds herself to the true God of Israel, telling her mother in law, Naomi, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17) Ruth becomes a faithful Israelite, even though she is a Moabite by birth, even while the physical descendants of Israel are turning away from Yahweh and acting like Moabites.

Finally, we see the providential love in which God brings Boaz and Ruth together by means of their individual faithfulness. Because Ruth is faithful to Yahweh and to loving her Mother-in-law after her husband’s death she just so happens to come back to the land of Israel. She just so happens to end up scavenging for food in the fields of Boaz. Who just so happens to obey the law of Moses and provide for the poor by allowing them to glean in the fields. Boaz just happens to be the one who can redeem Ruth according to the law of Moses. Boaz just so happens to show Ruth steadfast love and kindness because he just so happens to hear of the kind of hard working, steadfast love Ruth has shown to Naomi. It all just so happens…and they lived happily ever after.

It’s a truly fantastic story. A love story. And yes, it’s about Jesus our redeemer! The church is Ruth and we need someone to lift up our heads and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus will save his bride, calling her out from a land of unfaithfulness and make us his own. But… this is also a true story, a story about a worthy man who loved a worthy woman and married her. That’s pretty great too!

You can click here to read the Book of Ruth. The following are questions for further study and reflection about this wonderful little book from God’s word. If you would like to see a list of other Great Books studies offered here on this site, as well as other helpful resources, click HERE.

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. Where were Naomi and Ruth when the story begins? (Ch. 1)

2. What tragedy struck Naomi’s family while they were sojourning? (Ch. 1)

3. What did Naomi counsel her daughters-in-law to do? (Ch. 1)

4. How did Ruth respond to Naomi? (Ch. 1)

5. What reason did Naomi give for why she should be called Mara? (Ch. 1)

6. Where did Ruth and Naomi go after leaving Moab and what time of year was it? (Ch. 1)

7. How does the text describe Boaz? (Ch. 2)

8. What reason did Boaz give for why he was showing kindness and concern for Ruth? (Ch. 2)

9. What did Naomi tell Ruth concerning Boaz’s relationship to their family? (Ch. 2)

10. What did Naomi instruct Ruth to do concerning Boaz? (Ch. 3)

11. How did Boaz respond to Ruth’s request? (Ch. 3)

12. What reason did the nearest kinsman redeemer give for not marrying Ruth? (Ch. 4)

13. Who was the great grandson of Boaz and Ruth? (Ch. 4)

Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)

1. What does it mean for Ruth and Orpah to “have dealt kindly with the dead”? (Ch. 1)

2. Why would Ruth stay with Naomi even though Orpah did not? (Ch. 1)

3. What does it mean for the text to call Boaz “a worthy man”? (Ch. 2)

4. What were some ways in which Boaz provided for Ruth’s wellbeing? (Ch. 2)

5. What might we infer from the fact that both Boaz (2:1) and Ruth (3:11) are described as “worthy”? 

6. Why would Naomi instruct Ruth not to approach Boaz “until he has finished eating and drinking”? (3:3)

7. Why did Boaz say to himself, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor”? (3:14)

8. How should we understand Naomi’s insistence that “the man will not rest but will settle the matter today”? (3:18)

9. What steps did Boaz take to make sure his marrying Ruth was seen as legitimate and uncontested? (4:1-12)

10. How is this story shown to be clearly grounded in history and not a mere fairy tale? (4:13-22)

11. What indications are there in the book of Ruth which suggest things in Israel were not well even though there were still faithful people like Boaz?

Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)

1. How should we understand Naomi’s instructions to Ruth about uncovering his feet and lying down? (3:4) Should we understand this as prudent or imprudent behavior? Is this wise counsel or poor counsel? Explain your answer.

2. What responsibilities, if any, do believers have in our own day when it comes to preserving the inheritance and lineage of the deceased? If we don’t have any responsibilities, why not? If we do have some responsibilities, what are they?

Theological Analysis: (Scripture Interprets Scripture)

1. Read Leviticus 19:9-10. How does this passage help us see Boaz’s faithfulness to God’s law?

2. Read Deuteronomy 25:5-10. How does this text inform your understanding of the things which take place in the book of Ruth?

3. Read Matthew 22:23-33. How do the Sadducees attempt to use the Mosaic law described in Deuteronomy 25 (known as levirate marriage) to stump Jesus? How does Jesus answer their challenge?

Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)

Faith, Love, Redemption

1. Perhaps the metaphor of God being our Father is more dominant than that of God portraying our relationship as a marriage but I couldn’t say from off the top of my head.