The Book of Ruth is the eighth book of the Old Testament and the Tanak.
The Book of Ruth is one of the shortest books in both the Jewish and Christian holy books, consisting of only four chapters.
The Book of Ruth is one of only two books of the Bible to be named after women (the other is Esther).
The author of the Book of Ruth is uncertain. Some think that it was written by Samuel, but there is no evidence for that.
This Book was written in the 6th – 4th centuries BCE in Hebrew.
Even though it’s small, this remarkable book contains many principles with profound impact to our lives today.
The significance of this small Old Testament book is found in the facts that Ruth, a gentile, became an ancestor of king David and ultimately Jesus.
The Book of Ruth takes place during the time of Judges.
In this story Boaz redeemed Ruth out of his love for her which serves as a kind of foreshadowing of how Jesus would one day redeem us because of His great love for us.
The Hebrew meaning of Ruth is friendship or association.
Ruth is not an Israelite. She was born in the land of Moab.
The Moabite woman Ruth, accepted Yahweh, the God of Israelites, as her God and accepts the Israelite people as her own.
Kinsman-Redeemer (meaning – one who redeems) appears 13 times in the Book of Ruth.
Boaz told Ruth that he was kind to her because he saw her kindness, faithfulness, and care towards Naomi – This goes to show that little acts can go a long way.
Naomi, in her grief, changed her name to Mara, which means bitter, because of the travesties that she lived through.
Five essential lessons for life from the Book of Ruth
1. God is concerned about all people regardless of race, nationality or status.
2. Men and women are both equally important to God.
3. There is no such thing as an unimportant person in God’s eyes.
4. God uses little things to accomplish great plans.
5. God has a Redeemer in place who can rescue us from the devastation of our
own sin.