Most commentators put Ruth and Judges together because they are set in the same period. But that’s about where the similarities end. The book of Ruth is a gentle and romantic story about two inseparable women and two prominent men. The obvious messages of loyalty, kindness and generosity are easy to find. But the book has more than just that, however.

There’s a subtle thread of the providence of God in the narrative. We can’t believe that Ruth by ‘chance’ happened to be in the field of Boaz, can we? (Ruth 2:3). God was there, directing events in the background.

And not just for Ruth but for everyone and all of human history. The book presents Boaz has a kinsman-redeemer, a picture of Jesus Christ, which we see more clearly when we think of the New Testament. Ruth is also one of the first Gentiles to come to the Hebrew God in the Old Testament.

Christ is our kinsman-redeemer. We are his bride and he is the bridegroom. The bride of Christ incorporates both Gentiles and Jews. These are the main pictures we can see being presented in the book of Ruth.

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