But this is more than a story of kindness and everyday grace. It is also about saving grace—redemption. Here is a picture of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ for all of his people. And in that picture are Ruth and Boaz, ancestors of David, the ancestor of the Messiah. In this present age, drinking deeply from Ruth will be a balm for your soul.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Wright is elder emeritus of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts. A native of Northern Ireland and an organic chemist by vocation, he loves the church and preaching, having been approved for occasional preaching by his presbytery in 1991. Now retired, he and his wife Carol have six children and many grandchildren.
ENDORSEMENTS
...a heart-warming, thoroughly researched, and winsome tour of the little town of Bethlehem in the days of Ruth. During this tour, our guide repeatedly points us to the great King and Redeemer who would one day be born in Bethlehem. Buy it, read it, reread it, and give it to your friends.
—John D. Turner, professor, Queen’s University Belfast
What a beautiful exposition! Whether in personal Bible study or for reading aloud in family worship, Christopher Wright’s An Island of Grace leads us into the gracious heart of one of the Bible’s most beautiful books, and thus to the grace of Ruth’s most beautiful descendant: Jesus Christ, her Redeemer—and ours.
—Byron G. Curtis, Ph.D., professor of biblical studies, Geneva College
With a pastoral heart, Christopher Wright expounds the gospel riches of the book of Ruth, showing the reader how this story of hardship and redemption anticipates the work of Christ. The author’s clarity, insight, and devotional application make this book a pleasure to read.
—C. J. Williams, professor of Old Testament studies, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz come to life in this gentle retelling of a beloved Old Testament story. The author’s skill is such that profound insights fall naturally out as the narrative unfolds, and we feel like we are reading it for the first time.
—Faith Martin, author, The White Chief of Cache Creek
Knowing him [Wright] as I do for as long as I have, I see the scientist he is with a lifetime of laboratory research skills, bringing his mind and heart to the Word of God, asking the most important questions, digging away at the most difficult issues, in and through it all confident that what he is reading is given to us by God himself, a revelation of who God is and who we are called to be. Attentive to the best scholarship, committed to wrestling his way into the meaning of the authoritative text, from the first page on, it is also clear that Wright is a gifted communicator, writing with unusual clarity and pastoral care about the most weighty truths of life in the world. Simply said, An Island of Grace is a gift of grace.
—Steven Garber, author, Visions of Vocation and The Seamless Life, senior fellow, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust