Tag: Ruth

Why is the book of Ruth in the Bible? The Book of Ruth ends in a pedigree: Ruth and Boaz had their son Obed, who fathered Jesse, who fathered king David. There you go: The cutest story that leads to birth of the greatest king. What more could one be asking for? Does your family…

Traditionally marriage has not been an institution of love but protection. In ancient Israel, unmarried women and widows had a difficult time supporting themselves. Since property was owned by men who passed it on to their sons, it was important for a woman to have a husband or sons to protect her and take care…

Did you know the Bible has many commandments mandating inefficiency? The type of work performed by Ruth is known as gleaning. The Law of Moses makes provision for the poor, foreigners, orphans and widows by commanding that parts of the harvest be left behind for gleaners (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-21). A harvest must not be…

Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the…