Ruth An Earth Bible Commentary

"Alice Sinnott highlights ecological dimensions of the Book of Ruth and shows how the narrator gives voice to the way in which the Earth functions throughout the story. Sinnott considers non-human characters as legitimate determining factors in the structuring of the narrative and recognizes Earth and members of the Earth community as valid subjects in the narrative. Integral to Sinnott's reading of the text is a concern for Earth and matters such as food, famine, death, harvests, grain, day and night and members of the Earth community"--

This ecological reading of the book of Ruth takes into account the power which this short story holds, speaking to the whole person by engaging each reader's emotions, imagination, memory, and reason. Alice M. Sinnott demonstrates how the story of Ruth transcends geographical, spatial and historical boundaries by appealing to all concerned with the plight of the Earth. Sinnott highlights the ecological dimensions of the text that scholars have ignored or dismissed in the past, and explores how the narrator gives voice to the way in which the Earth functions throughout the story. Integral to her reading of the text is a concern for Earth and matters such as food, famine, death, harvests, grain, day and night and members of the Earth community. Sinnott considers non-human characters as legitimate determining factors in the structuring of the narrative, and recognizes Earth and members of the Earth community as equally valid subjects. By identifying with these aspects of Ruth, Sinnott is able to read the text with new eyes; and by placing special emphasis in how the narrator depicts the natural world, she reinforces how subjects from that world emerge as integral components.

The subtitle of this book is “A Somewhat Different Commentary,” so how is it different? Theology without application can be lifeless and boring, and while the comments have been well-researched, contemporary application has been primarily my focus. I hope that with this commentary on the book of Ruth I have written something that can be read for pleasure as well as spiritual growth. I started writing this commentary during the drought of 2019 that ravaged Australia, prompting me to keep my small farming valley in mind. Whenever possible I have tried to tie the lessons of Ruth back to the issues I see in my own community, one which has foreign farm workers, successful landholders, virtuous men and women, older godly women who no longer work but have influence, the issue of who gets the farm, and what constitutes citizenship.

The narrative of the book of Ruth is a drama of ordinary human life, but the drama unfolds against a background of the providence and purposes of God. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld has written a commentary that makes very clear why the book of Ruth has such great importance as literature and as Scripture. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story. EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting. LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students. —Ruth, Esther— The book of Ruth presents a compelling account of how most of us experience God in our everyday lives. We see God working indirectly behind the scenes, giving us a theology of divine and human cooperation, as those who pray for God’s blessings participate in answering their own petitions as well as the prayers of others. In Esther’s story, we recognize our own world today, often experiencing it as a place where God seems hidden. Her book challenges us in unique ways. Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.

Sex. Race. Scripture. Sovereignty. The book of Ruth entails them all. So readers shouldn't be fooled by its age, says Pastor John Piper. Though its events happened over 3,000 years ago, the story holds astounding relevance for Christians in the twenty-first century. The sovereignty of God, the sexual nature of humanity, and the gospel of God's mercy for the undeserving-these massive realities never change. And since God is still sovereign, and we are male or female, and Jesus is alive and powerful, A Sweet and Bitter Providence bears a message for readers from all walks of life. But be warned, Piper tells his audience: This ancient love affair between Boaz and Ruth could be dangerous, inspiring all of us to great risks in the cause of love.

Jione Havea analyses the Book of Jonah through the lens of climate change, using this present situation to reconsider the significance of Jonah for contemporary struggles and contexts, and tapping into traditional practices of commentary to draw out the meaning of the biblical text. Havea takes Jonah 3:10 as a starting point, in which God repents and rethinks (decides not to destroy), taking this as a challenge and an opportunity for biblical scholars to reflect on the realities of climate change. Havea builds on this opportunity in two ways: first, by reading Jonah forward, giving special attention to the orientation of the narrative toward the sea and Nineveh, and then backward, highlighting the significance of sea and (is)land lives to the flow of the narrative. Second, by looking at the other figures in the narrative, rather than focusing on the narrator's obsession with Jonah and his God. Havea reminds readers that the fish, plant, worm and other beasts are also crucial in this narrative, and considers how this can change our reading of the text.

Jione Havea analyses the Book of Jonah through the lens of climate change, using this present situation to reconsider the significance of Jonah for contemporary struggles and contexts, and tapping into traditional practices of commentary to draw out the meaning of the biblical text. Havea takes Jonah 3:10 as a starting point, in which God repents and rethinks (decides not to destroy), taking this as a challenge and an opportunity for biblical scholars to reflect on the realities of climate change. Havea builds on this opportunity in two ways: first, by reading Jonah forward, giving special attention to the orientation of the narrative toward the sea and Nineveh, and then backward, highlighting the significance of sea and (is)land lives to the flow of the narrative. Second, by looking at the other figures in the narrative, rather than focusing on the narrator's obsession with Jonah and his God. Havea reminds readers that the fish, plant, worm and other beasts are also crucial in this narrative, and considers how this can change our reading of the text.