Ruth (Video) Teachings by Tom Bradford

Ruth (Video) Teachings by Tom Bradford

Let’s talk about the book of Ruth, first for a short little 4-chapter book it has an incredibly complex structure, theme, and theology that defy simplistic solutions. There is no monochromatic expression of its purpose neatly bundled within its passages; in fact, after centuries of studying this book much academia is so confounded by it that most have avoided making commentary on it. It will take some time to explain what makes it so complex, but on the other hand, I can tell you in a nutshell why Christian scholars practically avoid this little book: there is no way to make heads or tails of it if one knows little or nothing of ancient Hebrew culture or traditions, or if one knows nothing of the Torah, or if one seeks to understand the Ruth story in modern gentile terms utilizing western thinking.

Ruth was not a Hebrew; she was a Moabite, a gentile. Mo’av was Lot’s son (or more correctly by our modern thinking, grandson) born of Lot’s daughter and he founded the territory called by his name. Ruth’s genealogy goes back through Lot to Abraham’s brother Haran (Haran was Lot’s father). So it is quite interesting that Ruth is one of but two gentiles who have a book of the Bible named after them, the other one being Job. That she was a gentile and a woman is all the more fascinating. The only other woman who had a book in the Bible named after her was Esther, but Ruth and Esther have some very interesting contrasts that are worth noting. In fact, one of the many complexities that form the book of Ruth (in addition to her being a gentile) is that it is a book of contrasts

Use for independent study or group study.

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