A Story of Hope

The book of Ruth is the story of one family that lived during the period of the Judges. This story serves several important purposes in the biblical narrative. First, it bridges the period of the Judges into the period of the Kings by introducing us to the lineage of King David, through Ruth and Boaz (4:18-22). This seems to be the major purpose of the book, given the way the narrative ends with David’s genealogy. Second, the events of Ruth show us that there were at least some faithful, God-loving, covenant-keeping Jews during the dark period of the Judges.