Woven through out this beautiful love story is a greater story of gods amazing love for us. If any book in the bible demonstrates gods matchless grace and illustrates the divine plan of redemption, it is the book of ruth. As we study ruths story this week, gods intention isnt for us to. Although the book of ruth never mentions the word love, everything in its pages confirms the love between a woman and her god, a woman and her mother in law and a woman and a man. In this series, diana hagee delves into the complex.
Though this text tells the story of naomi, ruth and boazancestors of. Indeed, gods sovereignty is made abundantly evident by the narrator at the beginning of chapter 2. The book of ruth is only four chapters, and can easily be read in only 30 minutes. When the nation would begin to fall away from gods desire for them, he would send a judge to put them. Ruth is another book in the bible where we can see where god is bringing events together for her and make her in incredible part of our faith. No matter your age or season of life, there is wisdom to learn from the lessons that unfold as we walk along with naomi, ruth, and boaz. It is about a gentile girl who marries an israelite man. Or you can find the freedom and courage and strength to keep a commitment you already made.
These often come in hard circumstances and are expressed through the kindness of others. Ruth 1 new international version niv naomi loses her husband and sons. They were of the clan of ephrath from bethlehem in judah. Sep 23, 2015 when ruth 1 ends with the mention of barley harvest in bethlehem, we sense gods providential hand at work and look forward to seeing his provision on many levels. Ruth 1 niv naomi loses her husband and sons in bible. Ruth, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The narrator is a master at painting word pictures. The sovereignty of god is manifest in the story of ruth as how god in times of decline of his people preserved a seed in one of his servants that led to the birth of david and then to the birth of jesus the messiah. So she ruth set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to some to the part of the field belonging to boaz, who was of the clan of elimelech. Gods sovereignty in suffering in the book of ruth sermonaudio. In a matter of months, it seems, ruth is married to a man named boaz and the family is restored economically and socially. The book of ruth gives us a glimpse into the hidden work of god during the worst of times.
I want to paint one more picture of gods grace and sovereignty through the birth of this child. And the settling of the issue of sovereignty is well under way. The story of ruth and boaz is one of the most beautiful examples of gods love and sovereignty recorded in the bible. The events took place over three thousand years ago.
The book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the other is esther. Dec 17, 20 important themes and events of the book of ruth include gods sovereignty over israel and the messiahs ancestry, application of gods commands in the law and how they can positively impact lives and the nation, and that gods redemptive plan includes the gentiles as well as the jews harbin 209. And in christ, gods awesome, sovereign providence is the place we feel most reverent, most secure, most free. He is sovereign over the whole world, and everything that happens in it. Ruth bible study free ruth online bible study resources. The book of ruth is written during the time of the judges when the people of. When ruth 1 ends with the mention of barley harvest in bethlehem, we sense gods providential hand at work and look forward to seeing his provision on many levels. The book of ruth is written as a love story in a language of love and grace. The book of ruth reflects a time of peace between israel and moab contrast jdg 3. In this series, diana hagee delves into the complex world of ruth, as she. Like 1sa 12, it gives a series of intimate glimpses into the.
And yet, it clearly communicates a single message without contradiction. Yet, over and over in the biblical stories we see the unfaithfulness of man not. First, the book of ruth is part of the scriptures, which jesus loved. This is after the joshuas conquest of gods promised land, and before the nation demanded a king.
The book of ruth is dated almost to the period of the judges and is a story of romance, redemption, and loyalty. I think the book of ruth is about god and his grace and his sovereignty, allen said. So as you see gods faithful love in the middle of trouble or coincidences, you should respond with faithful love of your own. The book of ruth furnishes a panorama of gods sovereignty in everyday life, especially in the three most important needs of ancient near eastern people. The book of ruth is named for the moabite woman who commits herself to the israelite people by an oath to her mother in law naomi and becomes the greatgrandmother of david by marriage to boaz of bethlehem. It is not a false statement when naomi, ruth s mother in law, says, the almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. Pentecost and the book of ruth church of the great god. The importance of faithful love in human relationships among gods kingdom people is powerfully underscored. The story is set in the time of the judges, a time characterized in the book of judges as a period of religious and moral degeneracy, national disunity and frequent foreign oppression. God s sovereignty in suffering in the book of ruth. Though its events happened over 3,000 years ago, the story holds astounding relevance for christians in the twentyfirst century. Even though its small, this remarkable book contains many principles with profound impact to our lives today. Though it s sometimes billed as a biblical love story, ruth isnt really about finding that one special shmoopie you cant live without. The book of ruth, and in fact the whole of scriptures, teach us that god s sovereignty can be found to be in complete control of the natural order, world history, personal circumstances, and even personal freedom.
He is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss. Ruth soon enough births a son who will be the grandfather of king david. Again and again the people rebelled, and from all outward appearances gods purposes for righteousness and glory in israel were failing. So a man from bethlehem in judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of moab. Although many of the lessons allude to old covenant teachings, ruth prefigures new covenant principles also, including 1 gods mercy and mankinds loyalty to the covenant boaz serves as a type of christ and ruth serves as a type of the church, 2 gods unilateral work on our behalf typified by boazs proactive watchful care for ruth, 3 the vessels of water. The bible conveys gods message the bible consists of 66 books, written by approximately 40 different human authors, over a span of 1500 years and in varying places. An indepth bible study and free video series women. Thus she is an ancestor in the messianic line that leads to jesus. It is not a false statement when naomi, ruths motherinlaw, says, the almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. The book of ruth, critical to gods narrative of redemption. Intro to ruth biblica the international bible society. It was in gods sovereign plan that ruth returned to bethlehem with naomi and married boaz. It is best that god works in all things, for only in this way will all things ultimately glorify god.
Christian reader, this book is a study of the doctrines of grace. Throughout scripture, he longs for us to see him as the sovereign god who. Ruth shows how gods people can experience his sovereignty, wisdom, and covenant kindness. My aim is to preach through the book of ruth in the next four sundaysone chapter each.
The book of ruth is named for the moabite woman who commits herself to the israelite people by an oath to her motherinlaw naomi and becomes the greatgrandmother of david by marriage to boaz of bethlehem. The sovereignty of god ruth 1 nathan patrick roach. Their faithful love for others is a picture of gods faithful love for his people. The account tells how ruth came to know the living god of israel and how she entered the family of god through the redemptive act of a kinsmanredeemer. If any book in the bible demonstrates god s matchless grace and illustrates the divine plan of redemption, it is the book of ruth. Under the wings of gods sovereignty jonathan evans. Ruth, a moabitess, marries an israelite who has come to moab from his native isra. God in a divine mystery integrates our moral choices with his sovereign and divine plan. The book of ruth is one of the most beautiful love stories in the bible. The book of ruth is a love story, but it is far more than a romance. It reads more like a short story and the insight in it runs deep. Oct 10, 2016 indeed, gods sovereignty is made abundantly evident by the narrator at the beginning of chapter 2. List examples of obedience on the part of the characters. It is very close to the title of dean ulrichs book on ruth entitled, from famine to.
It invites and draws us up close to the sovereignty of god. However, through grace and redemption she becomes a part of the genealogy of christ. Sex, race, and the sovereignty of god by john piper crossway. The author of this book has defended them masterfully. God provided for ruth and naomi by giving them boaz to continue the family line. Fifth, the most prominent purpose of the book of ruth is to bring the calamities and sorrows of life under the sway of gods providence and show us that gods purposes are good. God is clearly at work throughout the narrative of the whole bible, and we see this in ruth 1. Famine drove elimelech s family from the land of judah. Famine drove elimelechs family from the land of judah.
The book of ruth has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. The sovereign god who goes before us love god greatly. Sex, race, and gods sovereignty at work christianity. Lesson objectives students will be able to explain the problems of naomi and ruth.
When you believe in the sovereignty of god and that he loves to work mightily for those who trust him, it gives a freedom and joy that cant be shaken by hard times. Fifth, the most prominent purpose of the book of ruth is to bring the calamities and sorrows of life under the sway of god s providence and show us that god s purposes are good. Click here to learn more you are most welcome to join along at any time. The reason these scripturesincluding ruth cannot be broken is that they are gods word. The modern believer, although not knowing gods specific plan for his life, can be challenged by the book of ruth to trust gods sovereignty while faithfully following his commands. Ruth shows kindness to her motherinlaw, naomi, by leaving her homeland to care for her 1. Its about god and how he brings his grace through his sovereignty to preserve his people and to prepare for the coming of the messiah. Although the book of ruth never mentions the word love, everything in its pages confirms the love between a woman and her god, a woman and her motherinlaw and a woman and a man. The book of ruth is one of the greatest ancient narratives known today, and focuses much of the story on one jewish family during israels time of the judges.
Youll find all this and more in the book of ruth well, sort of. But the greatest love displayed in this book is gods love for naomi and all of israel. In gods loving purpose, all things have been designed to lead to the praise of the glory of his grace v. He presents striking examples of lives that embody in their daily affairs the selfgiving love that fulfills gods. So a man from bethlehem in judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of moab, along with his wife and two sons. Allen led the opening session of the daylong workshop, oct. The book of ruth was written to provide a lovely example of the sovereignty and plan of god. It was also in gods sovereignty that boaz was the kinsman willing to redeem. And what the book of ruth does for us is give us a glimpse of the hidden work of god during the worst of times. I want to paint one more picture of god s grace and sovereignty through the birth of this child. It beckons us to come rest and trust under the wings of gods sovereignty. The tragic experiences of naomi and her family are shown to be part of gods overall redemptive plan for the world. Again and again the people rebelled, and from all outward appearances god s purposes for righteousness and glory in israel were failing.
Gods sovereignty is selfdetermined, and this fact is emphasized three times v. Gods sovereignty in the book of ruth ruth lesson goal students will trust gods sovereignty and faithfully obey his commands. The bible uses the word sojourn which indicates he planned on only going there till. Study of ruth highlights grace, sovereignty of god southwestern. Share the bible lesson gods sovereignty in the book of. The author focuses on ruths unswerving and selfless devotion to desolate naomi 1. Share the bible lesson gods sovereignty in the book of ruth. Bible truths ruth and naomi trusted god for his provision. The first verse of the book of the ruth tells us that the story of ruth takes place in the time of the judges.
Ruth 1 trusting gods sovereignty in the midst of tragedy. Only by recognizing the sovereignty of god and the fact that all things work together for good romans 8. To start off, i would suggest that you sit down and read through this beautiful book. So readers shouldnt be fooled by its age, says pastor john piper. Ruths devotion to naomi and boaz devotion to ruth provide two compelling portraits of love among the people of god. The marriage of elimelech and naomi shows that grace is a sovereign act of god, as we see in in the example of jacob and esau. The book of ruth furnishes a panorama of god s sovereignty in everyday life, especially in the three most important needs of ancient near eastern people. Ruth bible study journal for kids love god greatly is dedicated to making gods word available to our beautiful community of women and now, women have the incredible opportunity to share gods word with children through this study uniquely crafted for young hearts. Study of ruth highlights grace, sovereignty of god.
Ruth was part of the family through which david and jesus one day would come. Naomi sought a husband for ruth, ruth sought a family redeemer for naomi, and boaz sought the security of both naomi and ruth. In this beautiful account, he demonstrates how he will use a person ruth who for all practical purposes, is a foreigner and enemy of the israelites. Now is the time to uphold gods sovereignty by our integrity, our service, and our earnest endeavors to imitate him in all we do. Kathleen nielson not only do we see the providence of god shown in this chapter, we also see the sovereignty of god. The reader will be thrilled to watch gods sovereign reversalthe faithfulness of. The sovereignty of god, the sexual nature of man, and the gospel never change.
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