John D. Currid

Who doesn’t love a good prequel? It is fun to hear the back story of characters you care about and their family history (please note: Star Wars Episodes 1-3 do not qualify as a ‘good’ prequel). In the Old Testament, the book of Ruth is something of a prequel. It is set during the time of the Judges (Ruth 1:1-bad times) and it tells the story of the great grandparents of Israel’s greatest King, David. David’s great great grandmother, Naomi, was widowed in the land of Moab and her sons also died in that land. She returns to Israel with Ruth (her Moabite daughter-in-law). Ruth had left her culture, her family, her foreign gods and swears loyalty to Naomi, her people and her God, Yahweh. Through God’s providence, Ruth ends up gleaning from a field belonging to Boaz, Naomi’s near relative. Under Israel’s law, Boaz is a possible Kinsman-Redeemer for Ruth and for Naomi’s land (securing the land for later descendants). After Ruth approaches Boaz according to Naomi’s plan(at night on the threshing floor), Boaz acts swiftly to make sure that Ruth and Naomi are cared for and to insure that another (closer) relative lays down his claim on Ruth and the land. Ruth and Boaz marry and they have s son named Obed and through his line comes David and eventually Jesus.


Ruth: From Bitter to Sweet by John Currid
John Currid, professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, has written an insightful commentary on Ruth for the Welwyn Commentary Series (Gordon Keddie wrote an earlier volume which explored Judges and Ruth, but this is the first stand alone treatment of Ruth for this series). He is also a pastor at a Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. This commentary is both accessible and full of scholarly insight.

Currid looks at Ruth in five acts: Act I. 1:1-5, setting the scene; Act II. 1:6-22, Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law; Act III, in fields of Bethlehem; Act IV, The scene at the threshing floor; and Act V, redemption. In looking attentively at the arc of the Ruth narrative, Currid offers ‘points to ponder’ which explore the themes of the cost of disobedience, God’s sovereignty, faithful living, and redemption.

I enjoyed this short commentary. Currid is attentive to the story and presents it in a way that is sensitive to the cultural, Literary and narrative context. He notes narrative inclusios and reputations and the meaning of Hebrew terms, but manages to write in a way which is understandable for the lay person. His theological lens is strongly informed by his Reformed Evangelical heritage, but a focus on God’s sovereignty seems appropriate for the Ruth story. I appreciated how his opening chapter, made the bitter struggle and hardship on Naomi relevant to our context. His ‘points to ponder’ which close each chapter helped underscore the significance of this story. But he doesn’t overdraw his conclusions. For example. Boaz is not pictured by Currid as Christ figure (even though he sees some Christlike aspects). Currid is judicious in his theological inferences.

I didn’t agree with Currid on every point. He insists that the encounter between Ruth and Boaz on the threshing room floor was wholly non-sexual. I think the narrative is intentionally ambiguous at this point, but I agree that in light of the wider narrative is unlikely that Ruth and Boaz ‘had sex’ that night. I just think that the story is told with delibrate undertones and ambiguities (i.e. what all did Ruth uncover? And even if it was just the feet. . .).

But my disagreements are small and I appreciative Currid’s insights and accessible presentation. I came away from this commentary with some new insights into the text. Anyone could read this commentary with profit. Small group leaders doing a Bible study on Ruth or Sunday School teachers could make use of this resource. It is also a great resource for personal devotional reading (which is how I read it).

Ruth is a prequel but it is also a love story. There is the mutual love of Ruth and Boaz, but at the center there is also the relentless love of God for his people and his daughter Naomi, whom he would not allow to be called Mara (bitter) for long. Naomi tasted the sweetness of God’s plan for her and her people.

Thank you to Crossfocused Reviews and Evangelical Press Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.… (meer)

In seminary I was introduced to the writings of Israel's cultural neighbors, often referred to as the ancient Near East (ANE for short). In several Old Testament classes, we spend hours discussing and debating over the similarities and differences between the biblical accounts of creation, Noah's flood, and the Exodus with those found in ANE myths and literature. Most agree that these similarities are more than coincidental; but determining how the Old Testament relates to other cultures is a great matter of debate.

In Against the Gods, author John D. Currid provides one such explanation on how the OT and ANE writings are related. He views the similarities as polemical: the biblical authors intentionally used imagery from local cultures to highlight the greatness and power of Yahweh. According to Currid: "I would argue that many of the parallels between ancient Near Eastern literature and the Old Testament, from creation accounts to flood stories, may be properly and fully understood only through the right use of polemical theology." (Kindle loc. 392)

In the book, Currid walks readers through several of the important parallels between the OT and ANE writings. He covers ANE parallels to creation account, the flood narrative, and the Exodus. Some--like the similarities between Gilgamesh and Noah's flood--are well known; others--like the Egyptian Tale of the Two Brothers and its similarities to the stories of Joseph and Judah--were new to me. Currid draws from several ANE cultures: Egyptian and Mesopotamian mainly, but also Ugaritic, Canaanite, and Babylonian, among others.

In each chapter, Currid spends time laying out the biblical passage, then the related ANE literature. He highlights the similarities before he notes the substantial differences, always noting the differences through a polemical lens.

For the most part, Currid's work is accessible and easy to read. He quotes and distills the 200 years of ANE scholarship in an easy to understand manner. His experience with the ANE literature is evident throughout the book. Currid also writes with a pastoral heart; he wants Christians to see and understand how* and why* the ANE literature differs from the Old Testament.

In the churches where I have worshipped, the relationship between the Old Testament and ANE cultures is rarely mentioned. For some Christians, this book might be the first time they hear how similar the Old Testament is to other cultural writings. Currid seems sensitive to this, and does a fine job explaining polemical theology to a popular audience.

After the first two chapters, when he starts getting into the actual work of contrasting OT and ANE literature, each chapter seems disjoined. While he does end each chapter by explaining how the biblical text is supremely different than the ANE text, these conclusions are never connected to one another. A concluding chapter summarizing the arguments and defending the uniqueness and supremacy of the Bible would have strengthened the book.

Against the Gods does not answer all the questions surrounding the parallels between the Old Testament and ANE literature, but it is a fine introduction. Currid's thoughts on polemical theology will be helpful to pastors and teachers as they study and teach on the narratives in Genesis and Exodus. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction into the study of ANE cultures. This book will help readers see that Christians can engage in ANE studies while still maintaining the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible.… (meer)