Ruth Day One: Overview of Chapter One

Chapter one of Ruth covers Naomi and her family leaving Judah for Moab during a famine, the death of the men, and the return of Naomi joined by Ruth.

Here is a more detailed outline of chapter one:

Famine in the land (vs. 1)
Moved to Moab (vs. 1-2)
Elimelech dies (vs. 3)
Two sons take Moabite wives (vs. 4)
Sons died (vs. 5)
Famine over (vs. 6)
Begin the return to Judah (vs. 6-7)
Naomi tells her daughter-in-laws to return to their families (vs. 8-9)
Daughter-in-laws refuse (vs. 10)
Naomi implores them (vs. 11-13)
Orpah leaves, Ruth stays (vs. 14)
Naomi implores Ruth (vs. 15)
Ruth’s response (vs. 16-17)
Naomi relents (vs. 18)
Travel to Bethlehem (vs. 19)
Naomi changes her name (vs. 20-21)
Summary of their travel (vs. 22)

A lot happens in the first chapter of the book. It covers a span of about ten years, according to verse four.

During the time of Ruth, men took care of the women. When Naomi’s husband and sons died, and she had no grandchildren, she then had no one to care for her. Ruth and Orpah were young enough to be remarried so Naomi saw that it was better for them and their future if they did so.

Ruth’s response to remain with Naomi shows a strong care for her. She was willing to give up her own personal security in order to care for Naomi. She also showed that she was willing to follow the God of Israel rather than the idols of Moab.

Read chapter one and see what you glean from it. Here are some questions to think about:

What do we learn about Naomi?
What do we learn about Ruth?
What do you think about Naomi’s words in verse 21?
Do you have any questions from chapter one?

Ruth Study Overview

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges (1:1). We are not told which judge, but it can be speculated based on the genealogy at the end of the book. Some Biblical scholars date it as late as 1370BC or as early as 971BC.

The author is unknown, although some speculate it to be the prophet Samuel due to the genealogy at the end beginning with the son of Judah, Perez, and leading to king David.

The Basic Outline of Ruth is this:

I. Intro: Death of Elimelech and sons (1:1-5)
II. Return to Bethlehem (1:6-22)
III. Ruth and Boaz meet (2:1-23)
IV. The Threshing Floor (3:1-18)
V. Boaz Redeems Ruth (4:1-17)
VI. Genealogy of David (4:18-22)

For simplicity’s sake, I’ve decided to follow the typical one week per chapter outline for this study. The chapters are broken up so well in this book that it works well.

The format for the study will be:

Sundays: Overview of chapter, things to look for, and things to think about.
Mondays – Fridays: Study of the chapter broken up over the five days.
Saturdays: Themes in the chapter, what we’ve learned about the characters, what we’ve learned about God, what we’ve learned about Christ, and how we can apply what we’ve learned.

I look forward to studying with you and pray that God can use this study in some way to encourage you!

Ruth

So I’ve decided to be a stereotypical woman and study the book of Ruth. Over this next week I will read the book and figure out how I’d like to divide it up. I encourage you to read through the book as well. If you have any questions regarding the book of Ruth, let me know!

Here are some basic facts about Ruth:

She is an ancestor of King David and therefore an ancestor of Jesus
She is one of two women with books in the Bible named after them (the other is Esther)
She was from Moab

We’ll learn more about her through this study and we’ll also discover more about God and His salvation plan.