THE BOOK OF RUTH
The Book of Ruth is one of the most beautiful short stories of all times. The plot is simple—a love story between two women. However, for the Book of Ruth to be included in the Old Testament, there had to be a deeper purpose than just a beautiful love story. That purpose was to express belief in the universal love of God instead of a nationalistic God of Israel. God’s love was extended to all mankind, not just to the Hebrews. The book of Ruth stresses that Ruth was a foreigner who believed in the Lord of Israel. Therefore, the Book of Ruth is a plea for the inclusion of foreigners in “the Assembly of Israel.” It emphasizes that God’s love is universal.
A second theme is the story of trust and love between two women—Ruth
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The focus is upon interpersonal feelings among the major characters in this book. Boaz appears to be the leading character after chapter one. In fact, chapter two begins by saying, “Naomi had a relative named Boaz, a rich and influential man who belonged to the family of her husband and Elimalech.” Boaz was a wealthy landowner who lived in the town of Bethlehem and who had wheat and barley fields outside of town. He was also a close relative of Naomi’s late husband Elimalech which would be important as the love story …show more content…
After Boaz learned of her identity, he urged Ruth to remain in his field and glean with his women servants (2:8). He also assured her that the men would not harm her (2:9). He even encouraged her to drink water with his servants (2:9).
Overcome by gratitude, Ruth asked Boaz why he was being so kind to her. Boaz replied that he had received a detailed account f her plight. But most of all, he was impressed with her kindness and loyalty to Naomi (2:11-12).
Boaz increasingly showed favour to Ruth. He fed her at mealtime and ordered his men servants to give her special assistance in gathering an ample supply of grain to eat (2:14-16). Such kindness was not normally given to a foreigner. There appears to be many motives as to why Boaz treated Ruth so kindly. He sincerely was concerned for the poor. He also wanted to help a selfless devoted widow who was trying to help her mother-in-law survive. Also Boaz seems already to have had romantic emotions towards Ruth. Throughout the book Boaz is pictured as a man of noble character with a devout faith in