Below I have included my summaries for the book of Ruth and the book of 1st Samuel, I hope they are helpful.
Also, check out this funny picture about the book of Ruth that was recently forwarded to me. Warning: it is on the "edgy" side but I hope you can find the humor in it. These days I'll take all the laughs I can get :)
Ruth
This is an incredible book which foreshadows the
redemption that will come from the line of Obed, the line of David. A woman has
cleaved (Gen 2:24) to her husband so much that after he is dead she is willing
to leave her home country to go with her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem. There
is also a righteous man who is deeply compassionate towards the poor and is
willing to put his own estate at risk to redeem the property and wife of
Elimelech (4:6). The two, Ruth and Boaz, meet in his fields where Ruth is gleaning
behind his harvesters. Boaz takes notice of Ruth and after hearing about her
character and dedication to Naomi (2:11) he makes this pivotal comment, “May
the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the
LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge”
(2:12). Little does Boaz know that God has ordained him to be the redeemer to
spread his “wings” over Ruth. The story climaxes at the threshing floor when
Boaz agrees to Ruth’s marriage proposal (3:9) and after giving the first
kinsman-redeemer the opportunity to lay claim to Naomi’s land and Ruth’s hand
in marriage (4:1-6) Boaz receives the man’s sandal (4:7) and assumes
responsibility of Naomi’s land and Ruth. God’s providence and sovereignty is evident,
He provides for this foreigner-widow who gives birth to Obed, father of Jesse,
father of David and thus Ruth is a key player in the continuation of Jesus’
line (Mt 1:5).
1st Samuel
1st Samuel is a major transition point for the
Nation of Israel because the elders of Israel make the following comment to the
last judge, Samuel “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now
appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Sam 8:5).
This key verse illustrates how Israel rejects the LORD as their King (8:7;
10:19) and thus their desire to be like the surrounding nations. Despite God’s
mercy in giving Saul the Spirit of the LORD (10:6, 10) the nation doesn’t
realize how different a man’s leadership is compared to God’s leadership
(8:11-19). As a result of the anointing of Saul (ch. 9) the days of the judges
are over and Samuel, the last judge, takes a back-seat to King Saul.
The Israelites continue to struggle with their Canaanite
neighbors whom they did not destroy and this posed continual problems for King
Saul, and then, David. In one instance Saul allowed King Agag and the best of
the Amalekite animals to live thus disobeying Samuel’s command to completely
destroy the Amalekite people and property (ch. 15). Coupled with this, and
Saul’s illegal offering of a burnt offering, Saul’s kingship is rejected and
Samuel declares that God has “sought out a man after his own heart” (13:14).
This man is David, the youngest son of Jesse (ch. 16). The rest of the book
covers the power struggle between Saul and David and the accounts of how David
arose to a leadership position. With the death of Saul in chapter 31, and with
the recognition by Jonathan who is David’s best friend that he will not be
king, the path is clear for David to become king.
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