Ruth, naomi and boaz all occupy the stage in turn, and gods. Ruth is a book dealing with the providential working of god upon the hand of a woman. In chapter 1 naomi and her husband and two sons were forced to leave their homeland in judah on account of famine. Every year, seven weeks after passover, is the 1day festival of shavuot shavooith where receiving the torah is celebrated.
The timeline of this book is intertwined during the period of the judges. The hebrew word hesed is the word which has been translated most often as loyal love in the net bible. No one knows who wrote this book, or exactly when, except that it was in the days the judges ruled. Single moabite woman widow seeks attractive young man. Ruth and boaz have a son, and the book closes with a surprise. That will give you a good overview for this discussion. This is a classic, biblical story of sorrow turning into joy, famine turning into a blessing, and god taking what was meant for ill and. The little 4chapter book of ruth is squeezed into the historical books of the hebrew story joshua, judges, the samuels, kings, and chronicles. You know youre having a bad day when you put both contacts into the same eye. Our focus will be on ruth s loyal love which goes far beyond the superficial contexts in which we sometimes use the word love. These notes are not meant to be exhaustive, but are given to provide some background to the text, and to stimulate the readerstudent to think more on the contents of this exciting short bible book. The book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the. Even if it did not have anything to do with the genealogy of jesus, the theme of redemption, and a prototype of the messiah, the book of ruth would be a. To you who listen on the radio, you are sharing with us the services of the first baptist church in dallas.
All writing, art and photos on the sermon shorts blog are ed under charles w. There is a passage in one of his lectures which describes great preaching and gives us a vision of what the author of the book of ruth was doing. Because ruth is a short book and can be read in around 10 minutes, you may consider read ing the entire story each week so you can have a more complete picture of how god is work. The hebrew uses the same term for sons to show in inclusio naomis loss of sons to her regaining of a child. I hope you enjoyed this comical look at living in the comfort zone. And the name of the man was elimelech, and the name of his wife naomi, and the names of his two sons, machlon and kilyon, efratites from bethlehem in judah. Todays first reading is the opening of a short story from the bible known as the book of ruth.
Id like to focus on the opening verses of this narrative. And a certain man of bethlehem in judah went to sojourn in the country of moab, he and his wife, and his two sons. Summary page for preaching outline and commentary on the book of ruth including big idea statement and some notable quotes. In this evening sermon, pastor roger benson walks through the 4 chapter of the book of ruth. The book of ruth is the narrative of a love story, yet also has some important genealogy.
Id invite you now to turn to the book of ruth ruth comes immediately after judges joshua, judges, ruth, and turn with me to the third chapter of the book of ruth. All scripture quotations are from the new living translation of the bible. The book of ruth is a beautiful interlude of love, set in. The story of ruth takes place during the time of the judges. The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth. It is the story of how a pagan girl named ruth came to be part of the covenant people of israel. In this lesson we will look at walking in hesed or. In the midst of bitterness, people do not recognize the possibility of growth of character or gods loving kindness. Her sons marry moabite women and for ten years the women prove to be barren. Today we will be looking at how one amazing woman of god did just the opposite she stepped outside of her comfort zone to trust and obey god no matter where his path led. Though the book bears the name of the primary character in the story ruth, the opening verses are really about naomi and her family. Step into the story the book of ruth is a beautiful story about ruth and naomi and ruth and boaz. God develops people of character as he shows his loving kindness.
This sermon is a part of a series on the book of ruth todays message comes out of ruth 3. Lessons from the book of ruth lesson 1 general introduction overview the book of ruth is a short narrative account that has its setting. It is the story of a faithful gods mission to love. And ruth said, intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. This beautiful short story, tucked away in the midst of national turmoil, could just as well be our story, for we too are living in uncertain times. Its an account of anxiety, fear, love, and commitment that inflames the imagination and soothes the soul. The church the story in ruth is a tragedy and a triumph tied up in four short chapters. God used ruth to perpetuate the line of the messiah, the lord jesus christ. My aim is to preach through the book of ruth in the next four.
The book of ruth begins by highlighting the judges theme of israel needing a king and exploring the misery and emptiness a singular family might experience during these dark times ruth 1. Ruth is the greatgrandmother of king david, whom we meet later in the book of 1 samuel. It tells a heartwarming story of devotion and faithfulness. The story in the book of ruth includes two journeys, one from bethlehem to moab, and one from moab back to bethlehem. In many editions of the bible, this short story occupies no more than half a dozen pages. As we have seen, the book of judges is one of the most disturbing narratives in scripture, recording of some of most disturbing people who ever lived, who do some of the most disturbing things imaginable. Gleaning in gods field devotional deciding for god. Articles sermons topics books podcasts filter resources by ask pastor john. Your congregation will appreicate this series of eight model sermons from ruth on building lasting relationships. A glimpse of the old testament reveals that the period known as. The author was anonymous but some believe it was perhaps written by samuel the prophet. Free access to sermons on ruth, church sermons, illustrations on ruth, and powerpoints for preaching on.
How god rewards those who make wise spiritual choices and show steadfast familial loyalty b. Our sermon ideas on the book of ruth will help reveal deep truth of survival, despite hardship. The tension and tragedy lies in the empty and lonely naomi. Concerning a moabite widow ruth who leaves her homeland b. Bishop jakes preaches from the story of ruth and naomi. The little book of ruth has been called the greatest piece of literature ever written. Griffin iiis name in the year of publication, or are authorized for use under an appropriate license.
The book of leviticus comes to life here, with its injunctions to leave part of the harvest for the needy, and with all of its concern and compassion for the underprivileged within the society. Tonight we begin a new series looking at the message of the book of ruth, so let me invite you please to take your own copy of holy scripture, or if you dont have your bible with you to take a church bible, and turn with me in it to the book of ruth, chapter 1, page 222 in the old testament scriptures. Youll write powerful and fresh messages every week with our preparation tools on a number of sermon topics, including expository preaching. Prepare your message on the book of ruth with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series. Ruth was from moab and she was an intruder who had no business breaking into the greatest plan of history. The book of ruth must surely be one of the loveliest short stories ever written, telling an unforgettable tale of purity, faithfulness, innocence, loyalty, duty, and love. So many times it looks like things are going to work out, and then something happens to threaten it. Now, let me give you a quick synopsis of the book of ruth. Another writer called the story of ruth the cinderella of the bible. Sermon series from the book of ruth on godly relationships. The story of ruth is a beautiful interlude of love, set in.
The story of ruth begins with death, moves toward marriage, and finds its ultimate fulfillment in birth. In ruth, an israelite family faces tragic loss, and god uses the. Ruth ask naomi to permit to glean the harvest fields 2. Watch our overview video on the book of ruth, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of ruth offers readers great insight into the importance of women to israels history and the strength found in steadfast love. To start off, i would suggest that you sit down and read through this beautiful book. Ruth and naomi are categorized as great heroes of the faith because of their survival. Many people have said that the book of ruth is the most beautiful short story ever written. However, as a comedy, there is rebirth in the end, literally in. Naomi and her husband and sons move from bethlehem to moab because of a famine in the land. The book of ruth is such a touching love story and such a charming tale of emptiness to abundance that we can easily think there is nothing more to it. Ruth, on the other hand, was a gentile woman moabitess who married a hebrew man living in moab.
Feel free to share links to this site, but please do not copy or republish materials found here in any form without. In the 85 verses of the book of ruth we follow one family and a foreign woman named ruth as they eek out a living during the difficult days of the judges a time of moral chaos and national instability, described in the last verse of judges by the frightening words, everyone did what was right in his own eyes judges 21. Short introduction to a series on the book of ruth. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. For several decades nowcertainly, since the 1980sweve seen worship wars and other vocal, emotional disagreements regarding what motions and music we should share when. Free access to sermons on book of ruth, church sermons, illustrations on book of ruth, and powerpoints for preaching on book of ruth. This is the pastor bringing the early morning message entitled the spiritual meaning of the book of ruth. Our brief survey of the book of ruth has thus far revealed. Sermons on ruth first presbyterian church, jackson.