NSBT 41: Unceasing Kindness

The Old Testament book of Ruth is understandably a firm favorite in the
church for small-group study and preaching: a heart-warming story of loyalty
and love, a satisfying tale of a journey from famine to fullness. In the
academy, the book has been a testing ground for a variety of hermeneutical
approaches, and many different ways of interpreting it have been put forward.
However, the single interpretative lens missing is the one that is most
beneficial for the church: biblical theology. While commentaries have adopted a
biblical-theological approach of one form or another, there has not been a
detailed treatment of the themes in Ruth from that perspective.






Lau and Goswell's valuable New Studies in Biblical Theology volume
aims to fill this gap. First, they focus on the meaning of the text as intended
by the author for the original readers, but are mindful that the book is set
within the wider context of Scripture. This context means not only the books
surrounding Ruth in the canon, or even a particular section of Scripture, but
also the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament.



Second, they discuss selected themes in Ruth, including redemption,
kingship, mission, kindness, wisdom, famine, and the hiddenness of God. Within
the overarching narrative of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, these
themes can be viewed as different threads within the same cloth, or can be
heard as different instrumental 'voices' within a symphony.






Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology






Recommended € 14,90