The Book of Ruth

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A Commentary by John Currid

The book has a greater purpose than simply being a moral story of human uprightness. The author tells a story that took place in the time of the judges (see commentary on Judges for more on this period), which is one where “there was no king in Israel” (Judges 21:25). The Book of Ruth provides an account of the ancestry of David, perhaps the greatest king of ancient Israel. The story ends by disclosing the fact that Ruth and Boaz are David’s great grandparents. The story, therefore, is not merely a moral story of integrity, but it points ahead to the coming king.

But even David’s appearance is not the climax of the book. David himself ultimately points to the coming of a final king, who is Jesus Christ, the son of David. The genealogy of David at the close of the Book of Ruth (Ruth 4:18–22) is essentially the same found in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:3-6). The one difference between the two genealogies is that Matthew includes the names of two Gentile women, Rahab and Ruth, in the ancestry of Jesus. One reason for that incorporation is to point to the reality of the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s kingdom. The glorious conclusion of the Book of Ruth is the coming of the Messiah, and the reader needs to keep this in mind when studying the book.

Purpose: The Book of Ruth describes the redemption and inclusion of Gentiles into the lineage of David and of David’s son, the Messianic King.

Key Verse

But Ruth said, "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." (Ruth 1:16 ESV)

Outline for the Study

The Book of Ruth may be outlined simply according to four scenes, as follows:

February 3 Study | Scene 1: In Moab (Ruth 1:1-18)

  • A Setting of Adversity (Ruth 1:1-5)
  • The Lord’s Compassion (Ruth 1:6-9)
  • The Great Cling (Ruth 1:10-14)
  • Ruth’s Confession (Ruth 1:15-18)

February 10 Study | Scene 2: In Bethlehem (Ruth 1:19-2:23)

  • Homecoming (Ruth 1:19-22)
  • In the Fields (Ruth 2:1-7)
  • The Conversation (2:8-17)
  • Ruth Returns from the Field (Ruth 2:18-23)

February 17 Study | Scene 3: At the Threshing Floor (Ruth 3:1-18)

  • Hatching a Plan (Ruth 3:1-6)
  • At the Heap of Grain (Ruth 3:7-13)
  • Back to Bethlehem (Ruth 3:14-18)

February 24 Study | Scene 4: At the Gate (Ruth 4:1-22)

  • In the Courtroom (Ruth 4:1-12)
  • The Descendant (Ruth 4:13-22)

Bibliography

Permissions

The text of Ruth, excluding all Bible quotations, is © 2023 by The Gospel Coalition. All scripture quotations are taken from the ESV® Bible (the Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2016. All rights reserved. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

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