Resources series
A Study in Ruth
God of the Ordinary
Play the Full Series
The book of Ruth may be one of the loveliest short stories ever written, telling an unforgettable tale of purity, faithfulness, innocence, loyalty, duty, and love. Yet it is set in dark times: the final verse of the book of Judges, which precedes Ruth in the Bible, tells us that “in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” As one commentator writes, the time was marked by “violent invasions, apostate religion, unchecked lawlessness, and tribal civil war.”
Against this backdrop of strife and chaos, Ruth is a story of ordinary people in Bethlehem making the most of their bad situation—and finding God in the midst of it. Alistair Begg reminds us that no matter how dark or dramatic our days may seem, God still protects His people and accomplishes His purposes. Within life’s humdrum and routine events, we discover His loving hand at work.
