Faithful God

by Sinclair B. Ferguson

This study of the Book of Ruth has its origins in a series of addresses given at the English-speaking conference of the Evangelical Movement of Wales in Aberystwyth in August, 1996

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christian Non Fiction, Christian Living, Old Testament

143 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2005

About the author

Sinclair B. Ferguson is Associate Preacher at St Peter's Free Church in Dundee and also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina and prior to that, he was minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.

Reviews

[Hannah Mignard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful overview of the book of Ruth that gave historical context, pulled out themes, and so much more! This supplemental text has been a great tool alongside reading Ruth. 🌾🌾🌾🌾

[Francesca DiGiacomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinclair Ferguson sheds a lot of light on deeper theology of the book of Ruth and comparing the physical events with the spiritual themes that they paralleled. It’s an easy/short read. I agree with some of the reviews that there tends to be a lot of speculation as to what certain characters thought or felt. But the application was very good.

[Ana Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book that gives a lot of insight about the book of Ruth. It takes the narrative in the context of the whole Bible and the character of God, pointing us to his steadfast love. A very encouraging book!

[Tre Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably rich.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinclair Ferguson is one of the greatest living theologians and his exposition on the Book of Ruth demonstrates his deep understanding of the original Hebrew text as well as his pastoral care towards those who hear his preaching. Ferguson shows truly what it means to be a pastor-scholar and his exposition on the Book of Ruth, Faithful God, is a must own by any who seek to study as well as apply the deep theological truths of this Old Testament book.
 
To rest any confusion away from those who are interested in, Faithful God, this work is not a commentary per-say. Rather it is a series of sermons preached by Ferguson during his ministry in Wales during the mid-1990s. The first four chapters in this book represent the sermons he preached which are followed by the text which he preached from. Every sermon is written in classic Ferguson style, with gripping personal stories, deep exegetical trues, and application to any reader who picks us up, regardless of where they are in life. I have read many works by Sinclair Ferguson, and this work, Faithful God, is one of the best books he has ever written.
 
As a minister of the Gospel, I have preached through the Book of Ruth, handful of times actually, and I have always lacked a good expositional work which draws out practical insights in a warm pastoral town. This book fills this need, for it gives pastors who are looking to supplement a exegetical work, wonderfully written needed pastoral wisdom to pass on to their congregation. Ferguson showcases how God sovereignly chooses and saves those he wishes to accomplish his Redemptive historical plan.
 
While this work is a great tool for pastors, it is also a great tool for the Sunday school teacher or normal church-goer.  For a while Ferguson is known as a high academic, his ties to academia never overshadow his deep pastoral concern for those in the church and this book teaches anyone and everyone how to be winsomely reformed in their discipleship as well as their evangelism.
 
This book receives my highest recommendation. I cannot under sell how much this work will impact a person's lives and those whom you share it with.
 


This book was provided to me free of charge from Evangelical Press in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.



Faithful God: An Exposition of the Book of Ruth

© 2005 by Sinclair Ferguson

Publisher: Evangelical Press

Page Count: 160 Pages

ISBN: 978-1850492474

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book pretty well, but there were things about it I found rather frustrating. I'll start with just a few of those. It was not as well written as I had hoped. While the author was spot on in many critical decisions, he seemed completely unaware of others. He made many wonderful connections with the rest of Scripture, particularly in the area of application, but missed some other very important connections that shed a great deal of light on the text. He was a little fast or anachronistic in imposing on the text an evangelistic spirit. And finally, his insistent projection of an initial attraction to Ruth on the part of Boaz felt off-putting (and as I have concluded in other research, actually weakens the portrayal of his character; while the author failed to convince me of his view, he at least dropped it in the second half and spoke very nobly of Boaz). And maybe he guesses a bit too much at the thoughts of different characters. For the good, there is also much to say. While the author suspects a romance, he does not romanticize the story. He has occasional moments of great insight scattered throughout the work. He loves the story, and it's hard not to find that a little infectious--though no one needs to convince me to love this story. Despite not being particularly well written, it is not a difficult book to read. And the author brings to the story an abundance of pastoral application.

In the end, if this is the book you have, then you would do well to read and enjoy it. If it is not the book you have, then I recommend Dean Ulrich's From Famine to Fullness: The Gospel According to Ruth instead. It is in every respect the better book of the two.

[richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faithful God: An Exposition of the Book of Ruth ~ Sinclair B. Ferguson

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

A great book from Sinclair B. Ferguson who never writes a bad book. This book is an exposition of the book of Ruth and is wonderful. God's story of love and blessings are present in this awesome book but when we look into God's Hesed.

Many biblical words such as mercy, compassion, love, grace, and faithfulness relate to the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד), but none of these completely summarize the concept. Hesed is not merely an emotion or feeling but involves action on behalf of someone who is in need. Hesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior toward another person.

Hesed is on every page of this book and we see it in Niomi, Ruth and then Boaz but ultimately we see it in God who will bring about the coming of Jesus the Messiah through the blood line of Boaz.

Excellent book for anyone wanting to go deeper into the book of Ruth

[Austin Gannett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I know this is probably a hot take for some who are Ferguson fans. In truth, I am, generally, a fan of Ferguson as well, but I didn’t think this was his best at different points. Where he is great is always pointing us to Christ, unpacking the depth of historical background and Old Testament words.

BUT, I think after spending a good bit of time in Ruth, with some great commentaries, I disagree with some of his exegetical/applicational points early on regarding romance between Ruth and Boaz. I think it isn’t really there in the text (especially early on), and reading our notions of romance back into the text is anachronistic and, ultimately, unhelpful. All that to say, what he says about romance and marriage is often good, but I think it strains and narrows the story too much.

Final point (both authorial/editorial), there had to be a better word choice than the one on pg. 120-121 that makes the same (valid) point.

[Taylor Rollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent exposition of the book of Ruth. It is not a detailed as a commentary, of course, but it is a great guide to the overall themes and teaching of the book, particularly its focus on the hesed--"steadfast love" of God. It would be an invaluable resource to any pastor or teacher planning to preach or teach through the book. One could use this as a guide and couple it with a few detailed commentaries for technical matters and things this book does not address.

It would also be helpful to someone reading the book of Ruth devotionally, for it reads clearly and plainly enough to be a devotional resource, and it applies the teaching of the book to the reader's life.

I highly recommend it.

[Eric Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been meditating on the book of Ruth recently and decided to pick this tiny volume up as Ferguson is one of my favourite theologians alive. A compilation of the addresses given at the conference of the Evangelical Movement of Wale in Aberystwyth in 1996, this tiny volume features Ferguson's consistent exegetical clarity and pastoral warmth, as Ferguson eloquently unearth the deep covenantal structure in Ruth that undergirds much of the Old (and New) Testament. One minor point of imperfection though, I think that Ferguson somewhat overtly emphasized the "romantic" flavour of this book and may have read too much into the characters' psychology, but he was unabashedly clear about the scandalous nature of Ruth's night visit, which was enlightening for me.

[Jeff Wiesner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strengths: (1) Situates Ruth within the larger redemptive framework of the Bible. (2) Strong grammatical exposition. (3) Insightful conclusions regarding the motivations behind Ruth's proposal to Boaz in chapter 3.

Weaknesses: (1) Thematic rather than textual organization makes it less useful for exposition. (2) While pastorally sensitive, some of Ferguson's illustrations fall outside of a given text's intended pattern of meaning.

[Matt Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little brief exposition about the Book of Ruth. This book is not so much an exploration of the characters in the narrative as it is an exposition of what God is doing behind the scenes. The chapters are small and follow the chapters behind the biblical narrative. There is Sinclair's signature style and plenty of New Testament application, but it is true to te original context. It is an excellent book and a short read.

[Robert Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth is a brilliant little book, and Ferguson picks up on plenty here that a quick read through will not alert you to - there is real depth in those four chapters, and so much of the gospel that it is hard to see why it does not have more attention paid to it. Ferguson points out how in all the details, including the oft-missed Hebrew ones, God is at work here, and it's great to have your eyes opened to.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book of Ruth is an amazing true story of redemption on many levels. Ferguson walks us through each of the four chapters and explains what God is doing each step of the way. The take home message foretells the gospel message of the new covenant that “the Holy Spirit produces in us what he has produced here in Boaz-such a love for the Lord that we fulfill his law-and this the full meaning of God’s design comes to expression in our lives.”

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read based on Ferguson's sermons through Ruth. Heart-warming, general exposition good for light devotional reading. I didn't care for Ferguson's liberty with the text, particularly how he is so confident reading into Naomi's motivations, but his applications were true. John Newton's appendix on discerning God's will is the best part of the book.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent exposition of the book of Ruth. Ferguson wisely engages challenging elements of this book with skill, and applies the great doctrine of Providence to his readers with comforting grace.

Well worth the read!

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and very insightful look into the book of Ruth. More than just a commentary, Ferguson does an incredible job of really expounding on the story and bringing to light so many details that a casual reader of the book of Ruth would never catch.

[Ben Clouston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as I was going through the book of Ruth in my devotional time with God. I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for something to do this as well. Sinclair masterfully tells an overview of this story as he also describes how it fits into the whole story of the Bible.

[Billy Glosson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as I preached through Ruth. I found it to be in line with his Let's Study series. Ferguson always has the skill of taking deep theological concepts and making them plain. I deeply appreciate his heralding of the infinite mercies of God found in his faithful sovereignty.

[Kevin Smallacombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful commentary on the book of Ruth. A sermon series turned in to a book and so application is included to make the book come alive.

[Dan Alban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the book with some good thoughts. I did struggle a bit with following his style, but that may be more of a personal reading style issue than him!

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little accompaniment to studying Ruth for personal devotion or preaching.

[Brian Bement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on Ruth, great perspective on a number of issues. Helpful in sermon preparation

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent in parts and a bit scattered/haphazard in some other parts. The letter from John Newton printed as an appendix is worth the price of the book in a number of ways!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very readable exposition opens the small book of Ruth in all its beautiful layers of meaning.

[Lydia Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very encouraging book that dives deep into the theology of Ruth and the providence of God.

[Lillian Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Emily K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #18 in 2023
4 Stars

Great, short commentary on the Book of Ruth.

[Cameron Barham]

“The book of Ruth shows us in miniature form, but in considerable detail, how wise God’s sovereign purposes really are.”, p. 12