In “Ruth: Discovering Your Place in God’s Story,” Peterson creates a Bible study featuring Ruth, a simple woman who eventually becomes the great-grandmother of the great king David, as well as an ancestor of Christ.
Peterson takes us through the “small story of two widows and a farmer in their out-of-the-way village.” Each of the four sessions begins with some introductory questions to ask yourself, tying into that session’s lessons on Ruth, followed by a number of Scripture passages and related questions, helping you delve deeper into Ruth’s story. Each session also includes several full one- and two-page images to color, as well as several small images throughout the pages.
Ruth is an important, yet unusual, historical and biblical lesson to study because, as Peterson points out, “Ancient literature focused on men, especially powerful men, so it’s extraordinary to get a tale from the point of view of two lower-class women.”
The story of a widowed, impoverished and obscure alien, Ruth teaches us so many wonderful lessons — loyalty, redemption, love, faithfulness, and the fact that every last one of us counts, and what we do counts. This study encourages us to not only learn about God, but to experience Him even more deeply and personally than ever before.
“Ruth” can be done as either an individual or in a group setting. During the study, Peterson encourages the reader to not only read the biblical text, but to also meditate, pray and live the text — what he calls “spiritual reading.”
The “Drawn in” study series helps you battle life’s busyness and study God’s word with help — coloring, which encourages creative thinking; the version of Scripture used — Peterson’s “The Message” is written in easier-to-understand contemporary language; the questions, which help the reader connect their lives to those lives featured in the Bible reading; the commentary, which offers clarifications and insights into the passage; and leader’s notes, which can help both a single study user or a group leader.
I look forward to checking out the other two books in the series and I hope Peterson will include many more of the Bible’s characters in future studies!
Five stars out of five.
NavPress, along with Tyndale House Publishers, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Ruth: Discovering Your Place in God’s Story” (a Drawn in Bible Study) by Eugene H. Peterson