Historical Books Project Book of Ruth

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BIBL 310 Historical Books Project: The Book of Ruth Arrie Elizabeth Harlan BIBL 310: Old Testament Historical Books January 26, 2024

BIBL 310 Name: Arrie Elizabeth Harlan H ISTORICAL B OOKS P ROJECT : B OOK O VERVIEW T EMPLATE Instructions: Imagine you have been approached by a team to write an overview for an upcoming Old Testament book. They have asked you to choose a historical book of the Old Testament (the books from Joshua to Esther) and write an overview of it. You will choose a historical book and analyze it. You will be able to identify major components of your selected book and form a solid foundation for further study. This is the first stage of a three-stage project for BIBL 310. This paper must be 3 – 5 pages and must adhere to the Turabian rules of formatting and style. This paper must include at least three references from three unique scholarly sources. The project should have the following sections and adhere to the guidelines of this template. Book Introduction A. Summary statement: Write a 1 – 3 sentence summary statement of your selected book. This summary should include major events, figures, and themes of the historical book. Often referred to as the most beautiful love story ever written, Ruth also gives insight into the meaning of devotion and redemption. Ruth’s story is set in the bleak time of the judges. “It deals with the plot that naturally emerges through conversations between the major characters: Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.” 1 B. Theme: Write a concise, one-sentence summary of the theme of this book. This should be one of the last sections you write after you have done your reading and research of your book. The next phase of the Historical Books Project for this course focuses on the theme, so write a solid sentence. Participation in God’s family is the primary theme of Ruth, being particularly based on faithfulness, kindness, integrity, protection, and blessings, highlighting faith in and obedience to God. C. Setting: determine the historical and geographical setting of your figure. 1. Historical setting (the time in which this book occurred and also when it was written if the times differ): The events in Ruth probably occurred during the period of the judges between 1375 – 1050, B.C., but the book was likely written after 1000 B.C. 1 F. B. Huey, Jr., “Ruth” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Old Testament, Abridged Edition, Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger, III, Consulting Editors, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 368.

BIBL 310 2. Geographical setting (where this book takes place): The key settings for this book are Moab and Bethlehem-Judah. Book Outline A. Major Sections: outline the book and the major sections. Each section should have a 1– 3 sentence summary of the section. 1. Ruth remains loyal to Naomi (1:1-22). a. Elimelech Moves His Family to Moab. During the time that the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. Elimelech, a man from Bethlehem-Judah takes his wife, Naomi, and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion to Moab. Shortly after the move, Elimelech died. The two sons took wives named Orpah and Ruth and they continued to live there until Mahlon and Chilion both died. b. Naomi and Ruth Return. Naomi heard that God had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. With no husband or children, Naomi wanted to return to Bethlehem and even though she encouraged her two daughters-in-law to return to their Mothers’ homes, they argued with Naomi. Eventually, Orpha gave up and left for her home, but Ruth stayed with Naomi and traveled to Bethlehem. 2. Ruth gleans in Boaz’s field Having received permission from Naomi, Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters, Naomi found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz. Boaz told his foreman that he was to continue letting Ruth work in the field and said that they should deliberately leave some of the grain behind for Ruth to have more barley. He did the same for the season of wheat as well. 3. Ruth follows Naomi’s plan Naomi decided it was time to find a permanent home for Ruth and she instructed her to go to Boaz’s sleeping place and lie down at his feet. When he woke up and realized that Ruth was lying at his feet, Ruth told him that “he was her family redeemer.” Boaz told Ruth that he would find a young man to redeem her and if he couldn’t, he would redeem her himself. 4. Ruth and Boaz are married

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BIBL 310 a. Boaz went into town and approached a relative, stating that he should buy all of the land that belonged to Elimelech and with it, he would redeem Ruth as well. The relative said he could redeem Ruth so he would not buy the land. Boaz then decided that it was he who would redeem Ruth so the two of them were married. b. The Descendants of Boaz Boaz and Ruth were married and had a son who was named Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. The genealogical record of their ancestor Perez follows the family line from Perez, the father of Hezron to Obed, the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. B. Major Figures: choose 3 – 4 major figures from the book and write a short biography of each of them (at least 50 words each). The third phase of this project will later focus on one of these figures. 1. Major figures of the book: a. Ruth - According to the biblical Book of Ruth, Ruth was a Moabite woman who married into an Israelite family and eventually converted to Judaism. She is the great-grandmother of King David and hence an ancestor of the Messiah. 2 Ruth is the person that the Book of Ruth is named for. After the death of all the men in her family, she remains in the home of Naomi, her mother-in-law. The two of them travel to Judah where Ruth meets Boaz because of her kindness. The two are married and have children. 3 b. Naomi - Naomi didn’t live an easy life. Plagued by drought, death, and destitution, she turned bitter after many years of hardship. But her story, like many in the Bible, doesn’t end in misery. With her daughter-in-law Ruth, Naomi finds her way to sweetness again, proving that God can take the most desolate situation and make it beautiful. Not much is said about Naomi’s early life, but we know the meaning behind her name is pleasant or sweet. Perhaps Naomi’s life started pleasantly. We find her in Ruth 1, living in Bethlehem with her husband Elimelek, and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. The tide soon changes when a famine hits the land of Judah, causing Naomi’s family to flee to Moab. Once in the new land, Naomi’s husband dies. Her sons marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Around 10 years later, her sons also died, leaving her alone with her daughters-in-law and without a way to support themselves. 4 2 Peter Hon Wan Lau, Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth: A Social Identity Approach (Boston, MA: De Gruyter, Inc., 2010), 90. ProQuest Ebook Central. 3 James Custis and Carolyn Custis, Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth , (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018,) 18. 4 Jenna Brook Carlson, “What do We Know About Naomi?” Christianity.com, July 1, 2022.

BIBL 310 c. Boaz - Boaz was a wealthy man from Bethlehem mentioned in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5). He is one of the main characters in the book of Ruth, a sometimes- overlooked masterpiece of Scripture full of life lessons and prophetic implications. The son of Boaz and Ruth was Obed, King David’s grandfather. Everything we see about Boaz in Scripture is good. He shows himself to be a kind, generous, and honorable man of his word. 5 d. God is also one of the main characters in Ruth and even though he has no voice, he is ever present, ever powerful, and ever seeing in Ruth’s story. Placement in Canon A. Your book’s contribution to the Old Testament: Write a 2 – 4 sentence summary of this book’s contribution to the Old Testament. What role does it play in the overall story of the Old Testament? What major themes or events does it cover to propel the metanarrative forward? Some of the most fundamental and powerful doctrines of the kingdom can be found in the book of Ruth. Within the four short chapters, the reader will see that God’s redeeming power is demonstrated symbolically. Ruth also teaches us how we can access that power and illustrates how we should imitate our Redeemer. B. Your book’s contribution to the overall canon of Scripture: Write a 2 – 4 sentence summary of this book’s contribution to the Bible overall. Answer how this book contributes to the grand narrative of Scripture, and include any other sections of the Bible that reference this book. In the book of Ruth, God’s faithfulness to Israel is revealed through the life and work of three ordinary people, Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. The hand of God is seen in their productive agricultural labor, and generous management of resources for the good of all the while exhibiting respectful treatment of co-workers. In addition, Ruth shows the importance of resourcefulness in the face of necessity, and the conception and raising of children. God as the Main Character A. God as main character: since God is the main character of the Bible, write a 3 – 5 sentence discussion of what your book teaches about who God is and what he has done. Ruth’s story shows the readers that redemption is a central theme that courses through the Bible, and hence an important theme in biblical theology. The Ruth narrative provides a concrete, particular example of redemption. The final contribution of the Ruth narrative to our understanding of redemption is the familial relationship between the redeemer and the redeemed. The contribution of 5 Michelle Treacy, “Who was Boaz in the Bible?” Christianity .com, June 14, 2023.

BIBL 310 the book of Ruth is a biblical-theological understanding of redemption. The aim of this theme is a greater appreciation of God’s redemption in Christ. 6 Application for Today A. Application today: write a 3 – 5 sentence discussion on how your book applies to believers today. Believers today can learn a great deal about relationships with persons from different cultures as well as the healing of ethnic strife. As seen in the book of Ruth, it makes God very happy when he accepts ethnic outsiders into his community if such people are willing to come through faith in Christ. The story of Ruth is a literary exploration of the interplay between God’s purposes and human decisions. God’s grand story of redemption for all creation can be found in seemingly mundane events such as tragedy, integrity in the face of opposition, and generosity. The book of Ruth invites us to consider how God might be at work in our lives. 7 B. Write 3 – 5 discussion questions you would include for a Sunday School class or small group to discuss when studying your selected historical book. 1. Who is Ruth in the Bible and why is she important? 2. How can having faith be life-changing? 3. How are women in the Bible considered heroes? 4. Based on the story of Ruth and Naomi, what can we believe about God and widows? Are there any Bible passages that give us insight into this question? 5. How does Ruth reflect the idea that the ordinary can do the extraordinary work of God? 6 Peter Lau and Gregory Goswell, “Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth” in New Studies in Biblical Theology 41, ed. D. A. Carson (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 117 – 137. 7 “The Global Message of Ruth” from the ESV Study Bible at esv.org.

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BIBL 310 Bibliography Carlson, Jenna Brook, “What do We Know About Naomi?” Christianity.com, July 1, 2022. Custis, James and Carolyn Custis, Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth , Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018. “Global Message of Ruth, The” from the ESV Study Bible at esv.org. Huey, F. B., Jr., “Ruth” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Old Testament, Abridged Edition, Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger, III, Consulting Editors, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.) Lau, Peter Hon Wan, Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth: A Social Identity Approach Boston, MA: De Gruyter, Inc., 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central. Lau, Peter, and Gregory Goswell, “Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth” in New Studies in Biblical Theology 41, ed. D. A. Carson, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016. Treacy, Michelle, “Who was Boaz in the Bible?” Christianity .com, June 14, 2023.

Historical Books Project Book of Ruth

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