To kick off the series we will start by setting up the overall plot and themes of the book of Ruth as well as the genre and expectations it presents for ancient readers. We will meet the fascinating characters of Naomi, a widowed Israelite living in a land far from home, and her daughter-in-law Ruth, a widowed foreigner with a tremendous level of family loyalty to her mother-in-law and her people.
We will then discover the tension raised at the very beginning of the book when we see Naomi’s belief that the hardship she has experienced proves that God has abandoned her. But has he? The timing of their arrival in Bethlehem gives us a teaser that God may be working more than Naomi realizes.
