Ruth: From Bitter to Sweet

Image credit: Amazon.com

Ruth: From Bitter to Sweet, by John Currid would be an excellent addition to the library of  any preacher or Bible teacher. I wish I would have had this resource when I taught through the book of Ruth earlier this year.  I found his explanation of the text thorough and yet easy to understand. Most importantly, he points to Christ as the reason for this beautiful narrative.

Currid gives a detailed analysis of the Hebrew language and practices good Bible interpretation by cross-referencing Scripture to make his points. But he also explains the text in a manner that someone without a seminary degree can understand. I appreciate that his "Points to Ponder" at the end of each chapter are easily applied to people today and stay within the context of the storyline.

The author clearly has a great appreciation for 17th and 18th century writers and preachers, as he often uses quotes and anecdotes from their lives. These quotes and stories make nice transitions to the point he will make about the text and would be easy to insert into a sermon or lesson. However, I found that having a prior knowledge of these men helped in gaining the full impact of the author's purpose in quoting them.

Too often, when using a commentary to study, I find that there is a huge gap between the theological interpretation of the Scriptures and the level of understanding of the ladies in my Sunday School class. It is then left up to me to "translate" great insights into understandable application to my students, and I often wonder if I'm doing the writer justice. I think Currid has done a beautiful job of filling in that gap with his commentary on the book of Ruth.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Cross Focused Reviews as part of the From Bitter to Sweet – Ruth (Welwyn Commentary Series) Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review.