In 21st-century North America, we are a culture that focuses on hands. We don’t really think about it that way on a daily basis, but it’s nevertheless true. We communicate a lot of information with our hands, and you can tell a lot about a person in our culture by looking at his/her hands. All … More First Reading of Ruth: 4, Redemption
Chapter 3 of the book of Ruth dives right into the point. If you haven’t read chapters 1 & 2, go do that so you can catch up. They’re very short chapters, and the context is pretty important. Now that Naomi has really experienced her daughter-in-law’s loyalty and been reminded of the kindness and justice … More First Reading of Ruth: 3, A Widow’s Proposal
I have been away too long! My husband got very sick for three solid weeks, and our household has been in chaos. But let’s get back in where we left off. Just open your Bible to Ruth chapter 2 and read through it. It’s quite short. Come back when you’re there and let’s go through … More First Reading of Ruth: 2, Abundance, Respect, & Support
I got a marvelous comment on my first reading of Ruth Chapter 1 that made me see a lot that I missed. I found this post in a Google search to look at the things my commenter brought up. It is a marvelous writeup and explanation of a key lesson in Ruth that just flew … More From Naomi to Mara: A Perspective on Bitterness
As I approached writing a First Reading post on Ruth, I believed it would be easy. The book of Ruth is very short, tells only one story, and contains nothing that will upset or frustrate the reader. Unlike literally every other book of the Old Testament before it, Ruth gives us only good examples. The people … More First Reading of Ruth: 1, This is What Love Looks Like
It’s funny where Bible study can take us. It’s been about a month since I read the book of Ruth for the first time, so I sat down to look at my highlights again and write a First Reading to share with you here. I didn’t get very far before my brain decided to take … More What on Earth is an Ephrathite?
