This book is personal, prophetic, and full of theology. Written during the dark days of the period of Israel’s judges, Ruth centers on a Gentile woman by that name. Through her experiences, we see the demonstration of God’s providence, grace, love, and redemption.
Ruth was from Moab. Her mother-in-law, an Israelite named Naomi, was living in Moab when her husband and two sons (one of them being Ruth’s husband) died. Ruth made a faith-based decision to go back to Israel with Naomi because she had adopted the true God of Israel as her own. In Bethlehem, Ruth experienced God’s providential provision-his invisible hand at work through the glove of history. She made a connection with a man named Boaz, who became her “family redeemer” (2:20). That role was designed to ensure that a man’s lineage continued even if he had no heirs. The couple’s story provides an illustration of God’s love for Gentiles within the framework of his covenant with Israel.
Through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, she became the grandmother of King David, the ancestor of Jesus Christ. In her story, we see the lengths to which God went to ensure that Jesus legally qualified to be Israel’s Messiah and Savior of the world. This is why Ruth’s name appears in Jesus’s genealogy (see Matt 1:5). The book of Ruth shows how God can take messes and make miracles in order to advance his kingdom program, plan, and agenda.
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Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
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