God of the Ordinary: A Study in the Book of Ruth

by Alistair Begg

The book of Ruth may be one of the loveliest short stories ever written, telling an unforgettable tale of purity, faithfulness, innocence, loyalty, duty, and love. Yet it is set in dark times. The final verse of the book of Judges, which precedes Ruth in the Bible, tells us that “in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The time was marked by apostate religion, lawlessness, invasions, and tribal war.

Against this backdrop of strife and chaos, Ruth is a story of ordinary people in Bethlehem making the most of their bad situation—and finding God in the midst of it.

Through this 6-session Bible study, Alistair Begg reminds us that no matter how dark or dramatic our days may seem, God still protects His people and accomplishes His purposes. Within life’s humdrum and routine events, we discover His loving hand at work.

God of the Ordinary Bible Study Book with Video Access includes printed content for six weeks of study, including group sessions with helpful discussion questions, personal study between group sessions, applicable Scripture, “How to Use This Study,” and tips for leading a group. Also, each book contains unique codes that enable you to access teaching videos for each session.

144 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry since 1975. Following graduation from The London School of Theology, he served eight years in Scotland at both Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church.

In 1983, he became the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio. He has written several books and is heard daily and weekly on the radio program, Truth For Life. The teaching on Truth For Life stems from the week by week Bible teaching at Parkside Church.

Reviews

[MaryLucille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I thought I fairly knew this book but I learned new amazing insights by doing this study. The video messages linked in the book given by Begg are edifying, inspiring and heartfelt. I highly recommend. It is the story of the Moabite Ruth, Boaz and Naomi and takes place during the time of judges, before there was a king, King Saul, then David, then Solomon and then through the fractured future kings. Everybody was doing their own thing, thus Elemelich decided to take Naomi and his sons to the forbidden Moab because of a famine in his homeland of Bethlehem. There Elemelich and his childless sons died. This is a tragedy for Naomi and her family. But God knew; He saw all; He protected and had a marvelous plan through which our Savior would be brought through the earthly ancestral lines of this family. How is this possible? God is the God who uses the unlikely. God is always looking for good for those whom He loves. God’s plan of redemption is true. He is full of grace and mercy, love and security.
The book of Ruth entirely points to Jesus Christ as our Savior and this book always includes a message of “Gospel Insights,” Scripture and Prayers and Praises.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short but super deep and sweet study of the book of Ruth! Such a balm! Highly recommend! Great for any size group and any level of study!

[Kari McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me reflect on the plans and purposes of God and especially human suffering. Good one!

[LILIYA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have completed over 30 Bible study workbooks and this one is my #1. The way he presented the material in a biblical, comprehensive, and critical thinking fashion was superb. He included "Gospel Insights" throughout the book and the questions spurred me to review cross-references from Genesis to Revelation. This workbook also comes with an access code for 6 videos. The videos are well done. The only food-for-thought regarding videos is that they portray Boaz as young, whereas the inferences in the text are that he was significantly senior to Ruth. Highly recommend!