To The Tenth Generation

The book of Ruth is among the most famous and most frequently read in the Old Testament. Its themes of love, faithfulness, and redemption have resonated within both Judaism and Christianity from generation to generation. But is there more to this book than an encouraging story? Is there more to the characters of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz than models of faith and virtue? “To the Tenth Generation” explores the story of Ruth both on its own and as part of a much larger Biblical story. Isaac McPhee urges the reader to see Ruth, and God’s redemptive works through these characters in light of other stories, particularly the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 19, the stories of the final chapters of Judges, and others. By taking a broader “Biblical Theology” approach to Ruth, these four short chapters are granted new life and new meaning. Better understanding the parts of God’s story is the first step to better understanding and better appreciating the whole.

There are countless books and studies on Ruth, but “To the Tenth Generation” offers a fresh perspective on well-trodden territory. This is a perspective that urges the reader to look both forward and backward in Scripture, asking questions about how God works in and through His people, how He saves, how He rescues, how He restores, and the lengths He will go for those He would redeem.