Most readers are fascinated by biographies of real people, largely because they tread the recognisable ground of human history, negotiating experiences with which we are familiar. Bible character study is therefore one of the most accessible and interesting ways of exploring the riches of God’s Word because it illustrates doctrine in the context of daily life.
I greatly enjoyed reading this recent hardback volume in the Ritchie Character Study Series. With accuracy and sensitivity, it investigates the careers of two Old Testament women, devoting around 50 pages to Hannah and 90 to Ruth.
Hannah’s story is organised into four sections: sorrow, supplication, son and song. Each link in the chain of her experience is presented with careful attention to timeless spiritual lessons. The writer offers some memorable quotations: “Any aberration from God’s perfect design [for marriage] will end up causing difficulties” (page 13). “God may hear the cries of His people and open the womb, but He may not, and we must rest in Him” (page 21). “Men need to take up the challenge of being aware of their wife’s longings, and do what they can to meet them” (page 25). “Is it any wonder that the example of a praying mother was replicated in the son?” (page 42). His comment on the hard work behind Hannah’s song of thanksgiving should be a spur to all worshippers: “Hannah had meditated on the Old Testament stories and seen how God worked; now she sets these in poetry and expresses her appreciation” (page 53).
Though the Bible’s Ruth narrative is more detailed, it is still wonderfully compact in its sequence of vignettes charting the heroine’s journey from enemy alien to distinguished member of the Messianic genealogy. Marcus Cain deftly draws out the key spiritual principles, locking the tale into its cultural and historical background so that we may make sense of ancient customs, such as levirate marriage, the gleaning rights of the poor, Ruth’s oblique but delicate proposal to Boaz at the threshing floor, and pre-eminently the role of the kinsman redeemer. So crucial is this last that the writer provides a brief appendix helpfully summarising the qualifications and functions of what might be called the ‘family defender’ in Israel. He must be related to the destitute, himself rich and ready to act for their good – all characteristics of our great Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I especially liked the emphasis on those occasional brief prayers and benedictions which punctuate the storyline. As the writer says, “God is constantly being brought into the picture in Ruth” (page 76).
Naomi, who clearly recognised that “Every joy or trial falleth from above”, traces both her sorrows and her joys to a sovereign God Who infallibly supervises her steps. Divine providence is therefore a key doctrine in the book: even in dark days God is still at work for His people. Other endearing features of Ruth are her respectfully submissive spirit, her steadfast loyalty, and her selfless industry on behalf of the elderly Naomi. In Ruth we see fleshed out the virtuous woman of Proverbs chapter 31.
A loving, God-centred relationship between two widows, a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, may go against the grain of twenty-first century secular society, but it grants a glimpse into a world where the Lord presides. “Biblical love”, writes the author, “is not an emotional response but a devotion seen in action” (page 141). Every reader will benefit from this excellent study.
Hannah and Ruth by Marcus Cain is available here.
Book Review by David Newell
