What is the meaning of Ruth 1:1? In the days when the judges ruled • The narrative opens in “the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1), a turbulent period between Joshua and King Saul. • Judges 21:25 describes the era: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” • Spiritual drift, social instability, and cyclical oppression (Judges 2:11-19) frame the background of Ruth, showing why daily life could feel uncertain and perilous. There was a famine in the land • Famine was one of the covenant disciplines God warned about when Israel turned from Him (Leviticus 26:18-20; Deuteronomy 28:23-24). • Earlier famines tested Abraham (Genesis 12:10) and Isaac (Genesis 26:1). Here, the scarcity signals both physical hardship and a spiritual wake-up call. • The setting readies us for themes of God’s providence: scarcity in chapter 1 will be answered by harvest in chapter 2. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah • Bethlehem, meaning “house of bread,” ironically lacks bread. God often works through such contrasts (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1). • The verse spotlights an ordinary, unnamed Israelite—later identified as Elimelech—reminding us that God’s redemptive plans often begin with everyday people (1 Samuel 16:1). With his wife and two sons • The family unit underscores covenant continuity; God’s promises move through households (Genesis 17:7; Psalm 103:17-18). • Mentioning the wife and sons foreshadows the coming losses and the central role the women will play in God’s story. Went to reside in the land of Moab • Moab lay east of the Dead Sea, outside Israel’s borders. Moabites descended from Lot (Genesis 19:37) and often opposed Israel (Numbers 22–25; Deuteronomy 23:3-6). • Leaving the Promised Land for Moab reflects desperation and raises questions about faith versus pragmatism. • Yet God will use this move to weave Ruth—a Moabite—into Messiah’s lineage (Matthew 1:5), showing His sovereignty over choices and circumstances (Romans 8:28). summary Ruth 1:1 sets a vivid scene: during the chaotic era of the judges, a divinely sent famine drives an Israelite family from breadless Bethlehem to foreign Moab. Every detail—the timing, the hunger, the family, the journey—prepares us to witness God’s faithful providence. Even in national unfaithfulness and personal crisis, the Lord is orchestrating redemption that will reach all the way to Christ. |
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