In the middle of the corruption in the time of Judges, there is a Bible story in the book of Ruth about love and redemption in the life of a Moabite woman.
A LOVE STORY AMONG THE EVIL OF JUDGES
The last book of Judges left a bad taste in my mouth, when I read of all the horrifying things the Israelites went back to after their gift of the Promised Land. But not all the stories were bad. There is a small book in the Bible called Ruth that tells of a Moabite woman, and her story of love and redemption.
Ruth is one of the people from Moab whom the Israelites intermarried with. Her husband (and his brother and father) are killed in a famine. Ruth (along with her sister-in-law, Orpah, and mother-in-law, Naomi), are left to fend for themselves.
Naomi tells the girls to leave and find men to marry so that they will be taken care of. However, when Orpah leaves, Ruth refuses. She knows that no one will help her mother-in-law and she will be left in danger. So instead of returning to the safety of her family, Ruth promises to stay with Naomi. She tells her she will follow wherever she goes.
Naomi, being an Israelite, wishes to return to Bethlehem and heads back with Ruth in time for the Barley Harvest.
A rule from Leviticus says that when the harvesters collect the wheat and barley, they must leave what falls to the ground for peasants. So Ruth collects what she can each day.
One day, a man named Boaz (who is actually a distant relative of Naomi’s husband), notices Ruth and how she cares for her mother-in-law. He makes sure that she gets enough to eat and treats her with love and respect.
Over time they marry, and Ruth and her mother-in-law are well taken care of.
Ruth and Boaz have a son named Obed, who is the grandfather of the future King David—the direct descendant of Jesus himself!
THE BIBLE BOOK OF RUTH PRINTABLE
To break down the basics for you in your study of the book of Ruth, I created this printable to simplify the overall story. Use it as a supplement to your study today!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
So a few years ago, I made this Old and New Testament Summary Printable, and now I’m working my way through each book of the Bible! To get the rest of the printables, check out my Timeline Bundles for the best deal:
Timeline Bundles
For more history before the story of Ruth, check out these other posts:
- Genesis Printable
- Judges Study
- 1 & 2 Samuel Printable
- 1 & 2 Kings Printable
- Understanding the Old Testament Timeline
WANT TO LIVE YOUR DAYS WITH MORE INTENTION? SIGN UP HERE TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO MY FREE PRINTABLES:
8 Comments on Study the Book of Ruth in the Bible with this Printable