Ruth is one of the most poignant of books in the Bible. At times it is heart-breaking; other times it is intense and penetrating because it cuts to the heart of our common human experience. A major theme in this book has to do with the grace of God in transforming suffering into blessing and sorrow into joy. Therefore Ruth, set in the context of the dark days of the judges, the time of Israel’s greatest apostasy and spiritual rebellion against God, we see that even in the midst of the rank pa