The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules

When I first read Ruth, it seemed more like a love story than a serious book. Why was this book, of all possible books, placed in the Scriptural Canon? As I began investigating the Scriptures more deeply, I discovered that Ruth shows us the Kinsman/Redeemer concept in pictures, rather than words. With Naomi as Israel, Ruth as the Church, and Boaz as Christ, the picture is almost perfect. Israel brings the Gospel to the World, but doesn't really believe herself. Ruth, her daughter, believes, and brings Israel back to hope through Boaz, who sacrifices some part of his own wealth in order to redeem Naomi and Ruth. This is a book of faith, and certainly belongs in the Canon.The Gospel of Ruth takes this one step farther, bringing to light the personal relationships and radical commitment of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. Here we find the story of the Kinsman/Redeemer taken to a new depth, a new level of reality.The author starts with a discussion of women in the Biblical narrative, and how the modern view of Ruth, for instance, treats Ruth and Naomi almost as sidekicks, or minor players in the life of Boaz. She continues in the second chapter with an examination of the lot of the widow in the world of ancient Israel, using modern day examples to bring her point home.The third chapter discusses the problem of the barren woman, resolving the issue by noting the wisdom of barrenness within a community. The fourth chapter discusses many times Ruth apparently "breaks the rules," and Boaz supports her because of her complete and total dedication to the care of Naomi, which is predicated on her faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel.The concept and power of Hesed is the subject of the next chapter --probably one of the best chapters in the entire book. Here the author brings to bear the parallels between the sacrifices of Ruth and Boaz in the rescue of Namoi's family, and how this illustrates God's love in our own lives. The sixth chapter discusses the way in which God works in our lives, even though we might not always see it. God was working in Namoi's life throughout, bringing about his will in the line of the Messiah, even though Naomi had lost hope.The act of taking risks is the subject of the seventh chapter. The author places a great deal of emphasis on the idea that Ruth broke the rules to care for Namoi --though this isn't really absolutely true. In reality, Ruth consistently took the Mosaic Law and drew out the spirit of those laws, rather than focusing on the letter of the Laws, to make her case and drive the rescue of Naomi, and an Naomi's family, forward.A lack of weaving the obvious symbols into the narrative of Ruth is probably the second weakest point of the book. She fails to see the significance of the 6 measures of grain Boaz gives Ruth on the threshing floor --a miss of gigantic proportions in understanding Namoi's reaction to what has happened over night.Whether this lack of bringing out the symbolic nature of the characters in the narrative is intentional or not, it almost ruins the last two chapters (9 and 10) beyond repair, where the author takes a serious feminist bent. She claims that men and women can both be "great" on their own, but then she essentially closes the book saying that Boaz only went from good to great when he proposed to Ruth --a complete dismissal of the entire picture of Christ buried in the character of Boaz.If you can stomach reading moderately heavy feministic fare, these last two chapters are worth reading for the paragraph here and there where she makes strongly valid points about the relationships between men and women. If you can't, simply skip them --you won't lose any value or insight into the picture she paints of Ruth, Namoi, and Boaz.Carolyn James does an excellent job of explaining the real depth of the meaning of hesed, or lovingkindness in the life of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi. From Ruth's radical gamble on a God she'd only barely heard of, and for whom the only witness was the destruction of a family and a woman who chose to be called "bitter," to the risk she took in offering to mother a child in the face of ten long years of barrenness, Ruth consistently had faith in Yahweh, and his ability to bring good out of apparent evil, or rather redemption out of apparent failure. The corresponding love she brings to live in Naomi, who risked her happiness and future for Ruth's future, and Boaz, who risked the approbation of a community in which he was highly respected, and the reduction of his inheritance to redeem a family for which he held no real responsibility, all show the infectious power of hesed in the lives of those who love God.Overall, well worth reading. Feel free to skip the last two chapters, but don't skip the entire book.

Is anyone curious to see how God works through women and men in alliance to fulfill His Kingdom plans? Hint... It started in Eden, reguvenated in Ruth's time, and can continue today!This book is such a realistic walk through Ruth. Thank you, Carol Custis James, for the gritty but relevant work you did to bring this to us.

I do not mind being asked to look at old beliefs with a fresh eye, so I really enjoyed this book. The author is right that we have missed much of what the Book of Ruth has to teach us by seeing it as primarily a romance. When we remove the lens of our 21st century thinking and view Naomi, Ruth and Boaz in the context of the culture and time they lived in, we see a whole different story. The author is seeking to answer the question, Is God good for Women? Also, what happens when a strong man meets up with a strong woman. She points out that the real Hero in this story is God. The real point of the story is for us to learn something about God. Indeed woven through the book is how God's sacrifical love (Hesed) is lived out by each of the 3 main characters towards the others.The author calls this the book she was born to write and explains how she came to write it. She writes in an easy to read style. She does flesh out the characters, occasionaly telling us what they were thinking. This can be annoying to some, but I really did not find that it took away from the book for me.The author calls Naomi a female Job who is numb with grief and the pain of loss, questioning God's Hesed for her. She takes us into the world of Widowhood in a culture that only values a woman for the men she is attached to. Instead of the clingy, demure Ruth we have been accustomed to, we meet a strong determined woman who has given her heart completely to God and is willing to live sacrificially to take care of Naomi.Another theme the author explores is how Godly men and women should relate to each other. She takes a deeper look at what submission means. She points out that you can't talk about submission without talking about Christ. "Jesus form of submission is thoughtful, strong, purposeful, and sacrificial. It involves...the voluntary pouring out of his life to rescue a lost world." As an atribute of Jesus, submission should show up in the lives of all Christians.Some reviewers were disappointed that the author wasn't satisfied with a happily ever after ending, feeling that somehow she is demeaning being a wife and mother. I am glad the author wanted to dig deeper here as well, because here, buried in the middle of chapter 10, I found my light bulb moment! The author points out that Ruth was a surrogate mother for Naomi, and that Ruth gave Obed to Naomi to raise. Shocked, I reached for my Bible and reread the last chapter or Ruth. Boaz says that NAOMI is selling HER land. Under the law, NAOMI goes with the land. The kinsman readily agrees to buy the land and provide for Naomi until her death, knowing that Naomi will never be able to produce an heir so on her death, the land will go to his heirs. Then Boaz reveals the fine print. Naomi has a surrogate with whom the kinsman will be obligated to try to produce an heir FOR NAOMI. He backs out. Boaz steps in. God allows Ruth to bear a son.The next scene is Naomi taking the child as her own. No wonder there is so much praising of Ruth going on! This is no starry eyed romance between Boaz and Ruth! This is a well thought out plan to restore Naomi at a great personal cost to Ruth. (And it wasn't Boaz's idea!) We are not told if Ruth ever had any more children. We do know that she gave her first born son (maybe even her ONLY son)to rescue another. WOW! Maybe Boaz isn't the only archetype in this story!

A fabulous book which shows us a Biblical view of how God has made men and women and his purposes for women in all cultures without the usual washing of a 1950's western view of womanhood. So much about God' s faithfulness to Naomi and Ruth as they trust God with their broken lives. A must for anoyone who loves Jesus and wants to understand God better.

Absolutely would recommend this book. I was hooked as soon as I started reading it. It's amazing that no matter what circumstances you have, God will use us women to further His kingdom

Loving this book at the minute

I found the book really helpful

An amazing book that challenged my preconceptions about Ruth. I, like many others, have seen it as a romance that furthers the line of King David, and ultimately Jesus.But that diminishes Ruth's sacrifice in offering the rest of her life to Naomi. Naomi is brought back to her faith in Yahweh when she sees he has not forgotten her. And Boaz is willing to repurchase his relative's land as make it fertile again.A big discussion about "hesed", the Hebrew term for grace.Read this book and see God and Ruth et al more clearly