How to Teach Ruth, Theologically

YPT is advocating for theological renewal in youth ministry. This means we should teach the Bible, theologically. In an effort to show you a few ways different youth workers are doing this, this month’s series features examples of how to teach different books or Scriptures theologically.

Everyone loves a good spin-off. The opportunity to see a side character from a different light and in a different setting enhances our understanding of beloved characters. Often, these solo adventures become wonderful stories in their own right. Sometimes, like a puzzle piece that gives a greater glimpse of what the final picture, these spin-offs shed a unique light on the larger universe of which they are a part. 

This is also true in smaller biblical books that might seem inconsequential. Although Scripture is one big story of God’s redemption, these biblical spin-offs help us see the beauty of the gospel more clearly. One example is the book of Ruth, a short Old Testament book that is chock-full of theological richness. 

If taught theologically, Ruth can show our students a fuller picture of not only the Old Testament’s promise, but of Christ. So, how do we teach the book of Ruth so that our students see its theological significance? 

Here are four major theological themes of Ruth, centered on God’s promise of hope. 

Hope in a Desolate Time - Chapter 1

The opening of Ruth is significant for several reasons. First, it occurs “in the days when the judges rule.” It is during the time of the conquests, when Israel was moving into the Promised Land. But “there was a famine in the land,” so severe that Elimelech chose to leave Judah and settle in the land of Moab to survive. 

Why is this significant? Because one of God’s promises was to bless Israel and their land with abundance. It was supposed to be a a land “flowing with milk and honey.” So what happened? 

The “time of the judges” was a time of spiritual darkness for God’s people, when “every man did what was right in his own eyes.” Their spiritual problems produced real-world consequences: a desolate Promised Land. Israel’s response to famine should have been repentance, and to plead with the Lord to renew His promises, not to flee elsewhere. Elimelech’s shortsightedness reveals his lack of faith.

To make matters worse, once they sojourned in a foreign land, their sons married foreign wives, which was repeatedly prohibited. Tragically, all three men (father and two sons) die, leaving the women in a difficult situation: with no one to provide for them, no shared lineage, and no earthly hope. Spiritually, physically, and relationally, Naomi and her family were a symbol of the nation of Israel as a whole: left with the consequences of their sin and seemingly forgotten by God.  

Yet hope begins to spring up: Naomi, a desperate widow, decides to return to her people after hearing that “the Lord had given his people food”. Finally, the famine was subsiding in Israel. She tells her daughters-in-law to stay in their land, hoping they might remarry and not struggle as she would. But Ruth “clung to her”, choosing to not only accompany her to her homeland, but to become, for all intents and purposes, her daughter beyond the legal marriage: “Your people will be my people, your God my God.” 

Naomi and Ruth’s story offers a glimmer of physical and spiritual hope in desolate times. God has not left Israel; He is still keeping His promises.

Hope from an Unexpected Place - Chapter 2

In chapter 2, we are introduced to the hero of the book of Ruth: Boaz. He is a member of Elimelech’s clan who remained in Bethlehem. God blessed him with wealth, as he owned many fields and servants. More importantly, He fears the Lord. This is seen through how he talks about God, his knowledge and adherence to the stipulations of the law, and his merciful treatment of Ruth. He hears of all she did for his relative (Naomi) and he offers to include her in the gleaning practices of the other young Israelite women, and also protects her from abuse. 

We find hope in an unexpected place: God is not only providing for Naomi, but He is also going to use Ruth in this provision. A foreign widow, who was willing to exercise faith in the God of Israel, experiences hope and blessing in a time when God’s own people were faithless. Ruth and Boaz stand out as prototypes of faithfulness to God: Ruth, a foreigner who has cast herself on the God of Israel, and Boaz, who faithfully redeems the vulnerable for the glory of God. Their relationship is a brief picture of what God told Abraham: “through your descendants, all the peoples of the earth will be blessed.”

Hope in a Willing Redeemer - Chapter 3

Probably the most famous section of Ruth is the scene at the threshing floor. Naomi, in her own short-sighted way, tells Ruth to wait until the opportune moment and proposition Boaz for marriage through questionable means. Boaz, she tells Ruth, is a “kinsman redeemer”. This makes him someone who, in the event of the death of a father and/or husband, would be responsible for retaining the family’s property and providing for the widows and their children by taking her as his wife. 

Ruth does this, sneaking down to the threshing floor and lying down with Boaz to make her request. Boaz demonstrates his integrity in this scene by not taking advantage of her gesture and by maintaining her dignity. He also tells her that another family member is ahead of him in line to claim this role. Despite his ability and willingness to step into the role of kinsman redeemer, he once again follows the letter of God’s Law. Boaz does not need to be tricked into marrying Ruth; he is willing to redeem her! 

Hope in a Future King - Chapter 4

After the “nearer redeemer” turns down the offer, and Boaz steps in to redeem the family by marrying Ruth, the true plot twist is revealed. Ruth’s story is beautiful in its own right, but it glimmers with hope when we realize it’s a prequel to one of the most important characters in Israel’s history: King David. His grandfather, Obed, would be born to Boaz through an unexpected relationship with a Moabite woman. 

In an incredibly dark time in Israel, God’s sovereign and steadfast love is placed on full display. He uses whatever and whoever He needs to bring about His good purposes. More than that, all of the chaos, questions, and burdens brought about because of the people’s sins are used specifically by God: if there is no famine, Elimelech wouldn’t flee to Moab, Ruth never marries his son, no one would travel to Judah, meet Boaz, get married, or be included in the royal lineage. God was sovereignly at work in Ruth’s life. 

The Gospel According to Ruth

Ruth can help our students to see the hope of the gospel in a new light. But this requires us to do more than simply read Ruth as a love story. It’s a message about the God who saves people like us, who, like Ruth, are outsiders in a hopeless situation. 

We need a Redeemer: someone who can not only provide for us, but also make us part of the people of God. And we are the ones who, like the people in the time of the Judges, need a true King who will lead us to know and honor God the way we can’t on our own.

Like Ruth, God delivered redeeming hope to His people in surprising ways through Jesus Christ. He was born of an unlikely woman, a virgin named Mary, in the town of Bethlehem. His human father, Joseph, was also of the tribe of Judah. He would enter into a dark world to be the “light to the nations”, and would redeem an entire people, except He would lay down His life for them, redeeming them to an eternal hope as His bride: the church. 

As we teach the “spin-offs” of Scripture, may we see, like Ruth, how God uses each and every piece of His Word to point us to our God who saves.