The book of Ruth takes place during the period of the judges, when “every man did what was right in his own eyes,” a time of godlessness and much violence. And yet, the town of Bethlehem is an island of grace. The violence in the rest of the world is absent. The residents care for one another and seek God’s blessings for each other. Kindness prevails.
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.
To aid your personal or group study of this book, a free downloadable PDF of discussion questions is available at our free resources page.
In An Island of Grace, Christopher Wright takes us on 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, and Elder in Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
Wright does an excellent job in drawing lines of redemptive history from the book of Ruth to the Old Testament Law of Redemption, the Psalms, and the New Testament, by carefully staying close to the text thereby revealing the message of this small gem in Scripture. The desire of the writer to join and worship God for who he is: a God that redeems us through the One that is more than Boaz, Jesus Christ, is clearly articulated...
Jan-Hermen Dannenberg elder, Gereformeerde Gemeente Reformed Church, scientist and director, Genmab
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, author, The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Lamentations
With both depth and clarity, Christopher Wright traces how the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan is revealed in the book of Ruth. I highly commend this resource to Bible teachers and students alike!
Lydia Brownback author, Flourish Bible Studies
Knowing [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
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
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
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