Providence & Prejudice

Transcription

1 Providence & Prejudice Part 1 In a study of the books of Ruth and Jonah By Sherrie Pinello and Lois Bruizeman 1

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3 A Study of The Books of Ruth and Jonah Contents: Introduction to Ruth...Page 4 Ruth Chapter One...Page 10 Ruth Chapter Two...Page 19 Ruth Chapter Three...Page 28 Ruth Chapter Four...Page...Page 36 Introduction to Jonah...Page 45 Jonah Chapter One...Page 53 Jonah Chapter Two... Page 62 Jonah Chapter Three...Page 69 Jonah Chapter Four...Page 76 Conclusion of Ruth and Jonah...Page age 84 3

4 History: The book of Ruth starts out following a family from Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a town in the country of Israel, and the family was therefore Israelites. The people of Israel, also called Hebrews or the Jewish people, were descendants of Abraham. The Bible shows in the book of Genesis how God called Abraham to establish this nation of people and desired them to be set apart as His own people (Genesis 17:7-8), one from whom the Messiah would come. Because of famine, Abraham s descendants moved to Egypt. In Egypt, over a period of 400 years, they multiplied into over a million people. God eventually used Moses to lead them to establish the homeland that He had promised to them. On the way to the promised land (Canaan) God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and many other laws governing His people. Included in those laws were rules about intermarriage, kinsman-redeemer, gleaning, and the sandal ceremony. There were other moral, social, and judicial mores that we will see referenced in our study of the book of Ruth. The generations that were born after God s people were established in Canaan (also called Israel) did not honor God or what He had done for them as a nation. The book of Judges (which took place at the same time as the book of Ruth) describes this time as chaotic and as one in which everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 21:25). Author: Although there are other speculations as to authorship, the Jewish Talmud (a collection of Jewish law and tradition) attributes authorship of Ruth to the biblical prophet Samuel. It is an interesting connection to ponder. In I Samuel 16:1-13, God directed Samuel to actually anoint Ruth s great-grandson, David, as king of Israel. It would make sense that Samuel might have researched, appreciated, and written about the connections that God had woven in the genealogy of David, a seemingly obscure young shepherd at the time of his anointing. 4

5 Setting: Bethlehem in Judah was an agricultural community in the land of Israel. Prior to Ruth s day, the town of Bethlehem did not have a good reputation (Judges 17-21). Boaz gave Bethlehem not only a godly influence in an ungodly time, but through his progeny Bethlehem was given the privilege of becoming the birthplace of King David (I Samuel 16). In the New Testament it is also recorded in Luke 2 how, over a thousand years later, Joseph and Mary went to the town of Bethlehem to register for a census. While they were there, Jesus was born. The other geographical location mentioned in the book of Ruth is Moab. Moab was a country located about 50 miles southeast of Bethlehem and was across the Dead Sea. The Moabite people had a dishonorable history which can be found in Genesis 12, 13, and 19, showing that Israelites and Moabites were actually related to each other through Abraham and his nephew, Lot. Since they were distant relatives as well as neighbors, the history of the Moabites was intertwined with that of Israel. The story of Ruth illustrates peaceful relations between these two countries, but there are biblical references to conflict in the times of the judges, as well (Judges 3:12-30). The Moabites were a people that worshipped idols, mainly Chemosh, the worship of which included human sacrifice. 5

6 Divine Providence: The book of Ruth demonstrates that God provides, directs, and is active in the world and with people. The term providence is one that was actively used in recent history, but has been replaced in today s culture with terms that don t recognize God such as luck or fortune. The characters in the book of Ruth recognized God s hand in every aspect of life, no matter what the circumstance. Kinsman-Redeemer: The ultimate providence of God in the book of Ruth is the kinsman-redeemer, Boaz. Boaz, as kinsman-redeemer is a foreshadowing of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh and purchased salvation. Briefly, a kinsman-redeemer was a family member who was willing and able to purchase and rescue a poor brother from debt or slavery. There will be more indepth explanation of this in the study. Sometimes someone does something so well that there is no need or desire to redo it! We liked Paul P. Enns divisions for the book in his commentary on Ruth. These are Enns divisions. (Enns, 1982) The book may be divided into four sections, following the chapter divisions within the book. Chapter 1: The Return of Ruth Chapter 2: The Reaping of Ruth Chapter 3: The Request of Ruth Chapter 4: The Redemption of Ruth 6

7 Sources We used few direct quotations in the writing of this study, but mostly a compilation of different commentators, Bible study sources, and Biblical references. The 1984 New International Version was the Bible version that was used since it still seems to be the most widely used version that people have. Following is a list of the main commentators and sources that were considered: Atkinson, David (1991) The Message of Ruth, Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity. Bush, Frederic W. (1996) Ruth- Esther, Dallas: Word Books. Constable, Dr. Thomas L. (2013) Dr. Constable s Notes on Ruth, Retrieved in: July 2013, Draper, Brand, and England (2003) Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Nashville: Holman Reference. Elwell, Walter, A. (1996) Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Enns, Paul B. (1982) Ruth, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Corp. MacArthur, John (2000) Ruth and Esther: Women of Faith, Bravery, and Hope, Nashville: Thomas Nelson McGee, Vernon (1981) Ruth: The Romance of Redemption, Nashville: Thomas Nelson 7

8 Please answer the following questions in preparation for the first class day. 1. Do you think that the Old Testament is important to study? Why or why not? 2. The time of the judges was a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. How do you see this philosophy describe our culture, and what chaos (if any) do you see it causing? (Avoid political mudslinging here.) 3. What contrasts might a society have that follows its own ideas of right and wrong with one in which people follow God s standards for living? 4. What are some ways that people describe providence or reasons why things happen, bad or good? 5. What do you hope to get out of this study of the book of Ruth? Will you ask God for a better understanding of Himself and His providence 8

9 Prayers And Praises 9