The book of Ruth is a historical book set at the time of Judges. The events take place roughly three thousand years ago.

There are many themes that could be drawn from this book. Loyalty, selfless love, redemption and restoration to name a few obvious choices. But there is a deeper theme that underlies the historical text and the actual events that took place. A prophetic theme that points forward to events a thousand years later and beyond.

For the main characters in this book, Ruth the redeemed bride, and Boaz the Lord of the Harvest, reflect Christ and the Church. Thus, like all the rest of Scripture, this book's primary purpose is not to inform our minds about historical events that fill in a picture and set a scene of what is to follow, but to speak directly to us about our Lord and our relationship to him.