The Book Of Ruth

Lessons

The book of Ruth offers a unique love story with deep lessons of faith, cultural customs, and redemption, standing out as one of the few biblical books named after a woman and featuring a non-Jewish protagonist. As we study Ruth, we will shift our focus from a modern "me-centered" perspective to an ancient Hebrew approach, asking what this beautiful story reveals about God rather than ourselves. This shift allows us to uncover God's character and faithfulness through Ruth’s journey.

Lesson 1

RUTH’S LOVE STORY

When flipping through your Bible’s table of contents, you’ll find a love story on the list. It’s called Ruth. This book is interesting for a few reasons. First, Ruth is one of only two books named after women, making it particularly special in my eyes. Second, Ruth is not the name of a Jewish woman, which is a fascinating twist since the Old Testament records Jewish history. Today, we’ll dive into a brief study of this lovely little book filled with lessons of faith, cultural customs, love, and redemption.

Lesson 2

GOD’S LOVE STORY

It’s tragically easy to approach Scripture with a focus on ourselves. A “me, myself, and I” perspective is universal in modern times. We tend to say, “What can I learn about myself from these stories?” The ancient Hebrews of antiquity adopted a different approach. They asked: “What do the scriptures teach me about God?” Today, we will adopt this ancient Jewish perspective, looking upward rather than inward as we study the book of Ruth. We will see what this book, viewed through an ancient Hebrew lens, teaches us about God.