Adult Sunday School
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“Ruth”
The book of Ruth takes place “in the days when the judges governed” (Ruth 1:1). As a story of faith and loyal love it stands in stark contrast to the book of Judges. It ends with a genealogical note, indicating that Ruth was the great-grandmother of Israel’s most important king, David. Beyond providing an example of righteous living, even in a dark time like the days of the judges, it answers the question of how a righteous king like David could emerge from a time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg 21:25). God preserved a faithful remnant, and in an unexpected twist, this time it centered on a Gentile woman.
The only indication of where Ruth belongs chronologically is the genealogy at the end of the book, which places Ruth three generations before David. This means an exact date cannot be calculated, but we can approximate. David was the seventh son of Jesse, so he was not born when Jesse was a young man. David was born in 1040 BC (he was 30 years old when he became king in 1010 BC). If we grant 30 years for a generation, Obed would have been born in about 1100 BC. This would place the events of the book at the end of the 12th century BC.
Click on the links below to access either a pdf version of the handout (orange) or a YouTube link to the online recording (blue).
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