Introduction to Ruth — Walking into the Fields of Redemption
- Pr Enos Mwakalindile
- 18 hours ago
- 11 min read
In the days when the judges ruled, a quiet story in Bethlehem began to hum with the future music of God’s kingdom.
1.0 Why Ruth, and Why Now?
The book of Ruth is small enough to read in a single sitting, yet wide enough to hold famine and fullness, grief and joy, death and new life, local drama and global hope.
It takes place "in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1)—an era of chaos, violence, and spiritual drift. In Judges, Israel stumbles again and again through patterns of idolatry and oppression, culminating in some of Scripture’s most disturbing scenes of abuse and civil conflict. In that same dark backdrop, Ruth zooms in on one broken family, one foreign widow, one field in Bethlehem.
No armies march. No fire falls from heaven. There are no prophets denouncing kings, no plagues, no parted seas. Instead, we watch:
A family flee famine and bury their dead in foreign soil.
A daughter‑in‑law cling to a bitter mother‑in‑law on a dusty road.
A Moabite widow glean at the edges of a field.
A landowner notice her, bless her, and protect her.
A midnight conversation reshape three lives.
A baby’s birth reshape the story of Israel.
Ruth invites us into the kind of world most of us recognize: no visible miracles, no thunderous oracles—just ordinary days, hard choices, quiet risks, and surprising kindnesses. And yet, as we will see, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is as present in barley dust as he is at Sinai.
In an age like ours—marked by uncertainty, displacement, fractured families, and questions about identity and belonging—Ruth speaks with gentle but steady power. It shows us:
Hesed: covenant love that clings when it would be easier to let go.
Providence: a God who works in the background through “coincidence,” courage, and kindness.
Redemption: costly acts of rescue that restore names, land, and future.
Inclusion: how a foreigner comes to stand at the center of God’s purposes.
This introduction is meant to prepare you for the reading journey ahead—whether you are a pastor, teacher, serious Bible student, or disciple hungry to see how God’s story meets your own.
2.0 Ruth in the Days of the Judges — Setting the Scene
The first line of Ruth is a time‑stamp: "In the days when the judges ruled" (1:1). It is brief, yet loaded.
2.1 A Story Planted in Chaos
The book of Judges ends with a haunting refrain: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judg 21:25). The final chapters narrate idolatry, sexual violence, and civil war. Israel looks less like God’s holy people and more like the nations God once judged (Block 1999; Webb 2015).
Ruth grows like a green shoot out of that scorched landscape. It does not deny the darkness of the time, but it shows what faithfulness can look like in the margins:
Where Judges shows us a Levite dismembering a concubine, Ruth shows us a Moabite widow clinging to her mother‑in‑law.
Where Judges shows tribal leaders tearing Israel apart, Ruth shows a landowner using his power to shelter and bless.
The contrast is deliberate. Ruth is not an escape from history but a witness to God’s quiet work within it.
2.2 Bethlehem, Moab, and Exile in Miniature
The story moves between two places:
Bethlehem in Judah — "house of bread," a small town sitting inside the land God promised to Abraham’s family. It represents life inside the covenant land—right in the story-stream of God’s promises that will later produce David and, ultimately, Jesus.
The fields of Moab — a neighboring region with a tense history with Israel. Moab is tied to stories of seduction, spiritual compromise, and exclusion (Num 22–25; Deut 23:3–6), which makes Ruth the Moabite’s welcome into Israel—and into the Messiah’s lineage—astonishing grace.
Famine drives Elimelech’s family out of Bethlehem into Moab, where death strips Naomi of husband and sons (Ruth 1:1–5). Their journey is a micro‑exile: leaving the land, losing life, and eventually returning empty (1:21). But in that return, God begins a micro‑restoration that anticipates the larger patterns of Israel’s story and, ultimately, the gospel.
2.3 From Judges to Samuel: Ruth as Bridge
Ruth is placed between Judges and Samuel in our Bibles for good reason. The last word of Ruth is "David" (4:22). The book functions as a literary and theological bridge between the chaos of the judges and the rise of the monarchy.
Yet Ruth refuses to tell this future from the top down. David’s story begins not in the palace but in a barley field. Before Israel receives its king, Scripture wants us to meet his great‑grandparents.
3.0 The Story in Four Movements
Before you walk through each chapter in detail, it helps to see the whole sweep.
3.1 Ruth 1 — From Famine and Funeral to First Glimpse of Hope
Crisis: Famine strikes Bethlehem. A family migrates to Moab. Three men die. Naomi is left with two Moabite daughters‑in‑law.
Decision: Hearing that the LORD has visited his people with bread, Naomi sets out to return home. Orpah turns back; Ruth clings.
Key Moment: Ruth’s vow—"Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (1:16)—is a covenant‑like declaration of total solidarity.
Ending Note: Naomi returns "empty" (1:21), yet the narrator quietly notes that she comes back with "Ruth the Moabite" and that it is "the beginning of barley harvest" (1:22).
3.2 Ruth 2 — Fields of Favor: Gleaning Grace under the Wings of the Redeemer
Crisis: Two widows need daily bread. Ruth goes out to glean behind the reapers, hoping to find favor.
Providence: "Her chance chanced upon" the field of Boaz, a worthy man of Elimelech’s clan.
Key Moment: Boaz blesses Ruth in the name of YHWH and interprets her decision to join Israel as seeking refuge under God’s wings (2:12). Then he becomes the answer to his own prayer.
Ending Note: Ruth gleans through the whole harvest under Boaz’s protection. Naomi blesses God for his ongoing kindness to the living and the dead and identifies Boaz as "one of our redeemers" (2:20–23).
3.3 Ruth 3 — Midnight at the Threshing Floor: Risky Rest under the Cloak of the Redeemer
Crisis: Naomi seeks "rest" for Ruth—a secure future, not just daily bread (3:1).
Plan: She sends Ruth to the threshing floor at night to uncover Boaz’s feet and lie down. The risk is immense.
Key Moment: Ruth names herself and asks, "Spread your cloak over your servant, for you are a redeemer" (3:9). Boaz praises her hesed, calls her a "worthy woman," and promises to act, while acknowledging a nearer redeemer.
Ending Note: Ruth returns to Naomi with six measures of barley as a pledge. Naomi, now confident, says, "The man will not rest but will settle the matter today" (3:18).
3.4 Ruth 4 — Gate, Sandal, and a Son of Promise: When Redemption Becomes a Story for the Nations
Crisis: A nearer redeemer stands between Boaz and Ruth. The future of Elimelech’s line hangs in the balance.
Gate Scene: Boaz negotiates publicly, bearing the full cost of redemption that the nearer redeemer refuses.
Key Moment: Before witnesses, Boaz claims Ruth as his wife and the land as his charge "to perpetuate the name of the dead" (4:10). The LORD gives Ruth conception; a son is born.
Ending Note: Naomi holds Obed, "restorer of life" (4:15). The genealogy traces his line to David (4:17–22), and, from a New Testament vantage point, Matthew will trace it further to Jesus (Matt 1:5).
4.0 Mada Kuu za Kuzitazama
Unapopitia kila sura kwa utulivu na kufuatilia maelezo haya, zingatia mistari mikuu inayoshona hadithi hii pamoja.
4.1 Hesed — Upendo wa Agano Unaobaki
Hesed ni neno mojawapo kuu katika Agano la Kale kuelezea upendo wa Mungu ulio mwaminifu. Katika Ruthu, hesed inaonekana wazi katika mahusiano ya watu:
Uamuzi wa Ruthu kushikamana na Naomi badala ya kurudi kwa watu wake.
Ukarimu na ulinzi wa Boazi unaokwenda mbali zaidi ya masharti ya sheria.
Tamko la Naomi kwamba hesed ya Mungu “haijawaacha walio hai wala waliokufa” (2:20).
Hesed hapa si hisia tu, bali ni wema wenye gharama na wa kudumu. Unasogea kumwelekea mnyonge kwa gharama ya nafsi.
4.2 Uweza wa Siri wa Mungu — Mungu Aliye Nyuma ya Pazia
Mungu hatendi kwa miujiza mikubwa ya kuonekana katika Ruthu. Badala yake tunaona:
“Bahati” inayomfikisha Ruthu kwenye shamba la Boazi.
Habari zinazomfikia Naomi kwa wakati mwafaka kule Moabu.
Mkombozi wa karibu zaidi “anayepita tu” mlangoni kwa wakati ule ule.
Wachambuzi wengi wameona kwamba Ruthu inatupa theolojia ya uweza wa Mungu katika maisha ya kawaida (Block 1999; Sakenfeld 1999; BibleProject 2023). Mungu hayupo mbali; yuko, ila hasemi kwa kelele.
4.3 Utambulisho na Ujumuisho — Mmoabi Kati ya Watu wa Mungu
Ruthu mara nyingi huitwa “Mmoabi” (1:22; 2:2, 6, 21; 4:5, 10). Ugeni wake una maana kubwa. Torati iliweka mipaka kwa ushiriki wa Wamoabi katika “kusanyiko la Bwana” (Kum 23:3–6). Hapa, mwanamke Mmoabi si tu anaingia katika jamii ya Israeli, bali anajumuishwa katika ukoo wa Daudi – na wa Yesu (Lau 2010; Nielsen 1997).
Ruthu inatulazimisha tujiulize: Ni nani hasa anayehesabika kuwa wa watu wa Mungu? Kwa msingi gani? Hadithi yake inatangulia kutangaza kwa sauti ya chini maono ya manabii ya mataifa kuja Sayuni (Isa 2:2–4; Mik 4:1–2; Zek 8:20–23), na inatupa picha ya Agano Jipya ya watu wa Mataifa kupandikizwa katika mzeituni wa Israeli (Rum 11:17–24; Efe 2:11–22).
4.4 Ukombozi — Ukombozi wa Gharama Mbele ya Watu
Neno “mkombozi” (go’el) linatumika katika sura za 2–4. Ukombozi katika Ruthu si fundisho la kufikirika tu; unahusu:
Ardhi kurejeshwa kwa familia yenye uhitaji.
Mjane kupata mume na mtoto.
Jina kuhifadhiwa katika Israeli.
Boazi anauvisha ukombozi huu kwa mwili: anajitwika mzigo wa hasara ya kifedha na ya ukoo ili wengine warudishiwe nafasi na maisha yao. Matendo yake yanaelekeza mbele zaidi kwa Mkombozi mkuu atakayebeba uzito wote wa uvunjifu wetu.
4.5 Jina, Kumbukumbu na Kesho
Naomi anaogopa kutokuwepo kabisa: “Mbona mniite Naomi, na hali Bwana ameyafanya maisha yangu yawe machungu mno?” (1:20–21). Kupitia hesed ya Ruthu na ukombozi wa Boazi, Mungu anahifadhi na kupanua jina la familia hii. Ukoo wa mwisho ni tamko la kitheolojia: Mungu hasahau.
Hata tunapohofia kuhusu hatima yetu, matokeo ya mitihani ya maisha yetu, au wazo la kusahaulika kabisa, Mungu anatupokea hapa kwa neno la faraja tulivu. Kumbukumbu ya Mungu ni ya kina na ndefu kuliko yetu.
5.0 Jinsi ya Kutumia Uchambuzi Huu wa Ruthu
Uchambuzi huu wa Ruthu umeandikwa kwa ajili ya:
Wanafunzi makini wa Biblia wanaotamani undani wa kifasihi, wa kihistoria na wa kitheolojia.
Wachungaji na walimu wanaoandaa mahubiri na masomo yanayounganisha Ruthu na hadithi yote ya Biblia.
Vikundi vidogo na madarasa vinavyotaka kupitia kitabu cha Ruthu kwa utulivu na kwa maombi.
Kila sura ya Ruthu imesukwa kwa mpangilio ule ule ili kukusaidia uone safari kwa uwazi.
5.1 Muundo wa Kila Somo la Sura
Uchambuzi wa kila sura unafuata mpangilio huu:
Utangulizi – Unamtayarishia msomaji mazingira stahiki ya kihisia na kiroho kwa ajili ya usomaji, na kumshirikisha mvutano mkuu wa simulizi wa sura husika.
Muktadha wa Kihistoria na Kifasihi – Unaonyesha sura husika ilipo ndani ya Ruthu, ndani ya enzi ya waamuzi, ndani ya historia ya Israeli na hadithi kubwa ya Biblia.
Kutembea Ndani ya Maandiko – Tunapitia sehemu kwa sehemu, tukigusia maneno muhimu, sehemu za mgeuko wa simulizi (narrative turning points), na nia za wahusika (characters’ motivations).
Tafakari ya Kitheolojia – Tunazingatia mada kuu za kitheolojia (hesed, uweza wa Mungu, utambulisho, ukombozi), mara nyingi tukijadiliana na wanazuoni kama Block, Sakenfeld, Nielsen, Lau, na Webb, na ndani ya upeo wa theolojia ya Biblia kama ilivyo kwa N. T. Wright na BibleProject.
Matumizi Katika Maisha – Tunavuka kutoka maandiko kwenda kwenye uanafunzi wa leo, maisha ya jumuiya kanisani, na utume.
Maswali ya Kutafakari – Tunatoa maswali kwa ajili ya tafakari binafsi au mjadala wa kikundi.
Sala ya Muitikio – Tunakuongoza katika sala kukusaidia kuitikia hadithi ya sura katika ibada.
Dirisha Kuelekea Sura Inayofuata – Tunatoa mwanga mfupi wa jinsi simulizi itakavyoendelea, ili uendelee kufuatilia mtiririko wa hadithi.
5.2 Namna za Kutumia Muongozo Huu
Unaweza kutumia uchambuzi huu kwa njia kadha wa kanda; kama vile:
Somo Binafsi – Soma kwanza sura ya Biblia polepole. Kisha pitia uchambuzi sehemu kwa sehemu. Simama kwenye maswali ujiulize kwa makini na kwenye sala uitikie kwa unyenyekevu.
Somo la Kikundi – Wagawie washirikia wako sura ya kusoma kabla. Katika mkutano, toa muhtasari wa mwendo wa sura, jadilini maswali, kisha muombe mkitumia sala iliyoandikwa (mkibadilisha kwa muktadha wenu mkitaka).
Maandalio ya Kuhubiri au Kufundisha – Tumia muundo wa sura kama mifupa ya mahubiri au somo. Tafakari za kitheolojia zinaweza kukusaidia katika kukazia mafundisho; matumizi ya maisha yanaweza kuwa mbegu za maonyo na faraja ya kichungaji.
6.0 Safari Inayopendekezwa Kupitia Ruthu
Ili kupata mengi zaidi kutoka katika safari hii, unaweza:
Anza kwa Kusoma Ruthu Nzima – Kaa chini usome Ruthu 1–4 mara moja. Iache simulizi iingie moyoni kama hadithi nzima.
Kisha Tembea Sura kwa Sura – Kwa vikao vinne au zaidi, pita polepole katika maelezo ya kila sura.
Angalia Maneno Yanayojirudia – Sikiliza maneno na mada zinazojirudia: raha [pumziko], mbawa, hesed, mkombozi, kuachwa tupu na kujazwa kwa Naomi, Bethlehemu, Moabu, jina, na baraka.
Fuatilia Mstari Unaoongoza kwa Yesu – Kadiri unavyosoma, weka jicho moja kwenye ukoo unaoishia kwa Daudi na, kupitia Daudi, kwa Kristo. Tafakari jinsi hadithi ya Ruthu inavyoandaa udongo wa Injili.
Sikiliza Hadithi Yako Ndani ya Hadithi ya Ruthu – Unajiona zaidi ukiwa nani – Naomi (aliyerudi akiwa amejeruhiwa na maisha), Ruthu (aliyeko pembezoni na anayechagua uaminifu), Boazi (aliye na uwezo wa kuonyesha hesed au kujizuia), wafanyakazi wasiojulikana, au wanawake wa Bethlehemu? Ni kwa namna gani hadithi ya Ruthu inatafsiri na kukutia changamoto katika kuishi hadithi yako mwenyewe?
7.0 Maswali ya Kuangazia Njia Kabla ya Kuanza Safari
Unapokifungua kitabu cha Ruthu, unafikiria kukutana na nini zaidi – mapenzi, uweza wa Mungu, ukombozi, au kingine? Utangulizi huu unaweza kupanua matarajio yako kwa njia gani?
Kukiweka kitabu cha Ruthu “siku zile walipokuwa waamuzi wakitawala” kunakusaidiaje kukisoma? Inakuletea nini mawazoni kujua kwamba hadithi hii ya upole inamea katika enzi ya vurugu?
Kwa sasa katika maisha yako unajihisi zaidi kama nani – Naomi (aliyerudi akiwa mtupu na mwenye uchungu), Ruthu (aliyepo pembezoni lakini anayechagua uaminifu), au Boazi (aliye na rasilimali na ushawishi, lakini hajui jinsi ya kuzigeuza hesed)?
Unaleta maswali au matumaini gani katika somo hili la Ruthu? Unatamani Mungu akukumbushe nini, akutibu nini, au akutie moyo katika nini kupitia kitabu hiki?
Ni kwa namna gani unahitaji kufufua tena mtazamo wa uweza wa Mungu katika mambo ya kawaida – kazi, familia, ratiba za kila siku – unapoanza safari hii?
8.0 Sala ya Kufungua Safari
Ee Bwana Mungu wa Ibrahimu, Isaka na Yakobo,
Wewe uliyetembea na watu wako katika vurugu za enzi za waamuzi, na bado ukapanda mbegu za tumaini katika mashamba ya Bethlehemu, tunakuja kwako sasa kama wasomaji na kama mahujaji.
Baadhi yetu tunajihisi kama Naomi— tumerudi tukiwa na maswali mengi kuliko majibu, mioyo yetu imejaa maumivu na kuvunjika moyo. Wengine tunajihisi kama Ruthu— watu wa pembezoni kwa namna fulani, tukitamani kuhesabiwa kuwa wa nyumbani na kuelewa maana ya maisha yetu. Wengine tunajihisi kama Boazi— tunajua tuna rasilimali na ushawishi, lakini hatujui vizuri namna ya kuvitumia kwa ajili ya Ufalme wako.
Tunapokifungua kitabu cha Ruthu, fungua macho yetu tuone uweza wako wa kimya kimya, fungua masikio yetu tusikie wito wako wa hesed, fungua mioyo yetu tuamini upendo wako wa kutukomboa.
Utufundishe kupitia siku za njaa na siku za mavuno, kupitia safari na sakafu za kupuria, kupitia malango ya miji na orodha za koo, kwamba wewe ndiwe Mungu usiyesahau— si mjane, si mgeni, si aliyechoka, wala tendo dogo la uaminifu.
Hebu hadithi ya Ruthu iwe kioo kinachotuonyesha sisi ni akina nani, na iwe dirisha la kutuonyesha hadithi kubwa zaidi ya Mwana wa Daudi aliyezaliwa Bethlehemu, Mkombozi wa kweli chini ya mbawa zake tunapata kimbilio.
Tuongoze, sura baada ya sura, kutoka utupu hadi kujazwa nawe, kutoka uchungu hadi baraka zako, kutoka upweke hadi katika familia pana ya wote wanaokusanika ndani ya Kristo.
Tunaanza safari hii tukiwa mbele zako, tukiamini kwamba Mungu yule yule aliyewatembelea watu wake Bethlehemu kwa mkate atatutembelea na Mkate wa Uzima tunaposoma.
Kwa jina la Yesu, Mkate wa Uzima na Mwana wa Daudi,Amina.
9.0 Bibliography
(Vyanzo muhimu vinavyotumiwa katika uchambuzi huu wa Ruthu)
BibleProject. "Book of Ruth." In BibleProject Study Notes. BibleProject, 2023.
Block, Daniel I. Judges, Ruth. New American Commentary 6. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999.
Lau, Peter H. W. Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth: A Social Identity Approach. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 416. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2010.
Nielsen, Kirsten. Ruth: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob. Ruth. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox, 1999.
Webb, Barry G. Judges and Ruth: God in Chaos. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.
Wright, N. T. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. New York: HarperOne, 2012.
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