Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected by Mariel Davenport | Book Review
- Amber Thiessen
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
The story of Ruth begins with emptiness — a famine, a funeral, a foreign land. Yet in the middle of heartbreak, God’s grace quietly takes root. This Bible study, Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected, walks through those tender chapters of grief and renewal, showing how God redeems what feels lost and how His faithfulness meets us in the most unlikely places.
Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected by Mariel Davenport | Book Review
Content
Content
Purpose of the Book
In this book, Mariel takes us through the book of Ruth to reveal a woman of godly character who inspires us to live patiently before God, trusting His love.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Setting the Context
Week 1 - Returning to God, Ruth 1
Week 2 - Learning to Stay, Ruth 2
Week 3 - An Active Pursuit of Rest, Ruth 3
Week 4 - Redemption, Ruth 4
A Closing Thought
Summary
This is a 4 week study through the book of Ruth. The book has ample space for journaling and writing out notes and prayers.
In the introduction you’ll find her testimony and how she developed a love for studying God’s Word. She also outlines the TEND method, which she uses through the study to point us to be both hear-ers and do-ers of the Word.
T - Take time to Pray
E - Examine the Scriptures
N - Notice the Lessons
D - Do What it Says
In setting the context, she highlights the genre, the who, what, when, and themes throughout the book of Ruth, highlighting Scriptures metanarrative of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation.
Each week of study is broken up into 6 day segments where she takes the portion of verses and applies the TEND framework, along with “Tending Tools” along the way where she adds insight and questions from commentaries and original languages to deepen our reflection.
My Take
In Ruth: Finding Grace in the Unexpected, I’m reminded that faithfulness is rarely flashy. It often looks like showing up for the people God has placed in our care, choosing obedience when no one else is watching, and trusting God’s unseen hand in the details.
Ruth’s quiet courage and Boaz’s steady integrity stand out even more when we remember the time in which they lived—an age when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). Yet through their ordinary obedience, God’s extraordinary grace unfolded.
As I consider my own life, I see how easy it is to overlook faithfulness in the small things—kindness offered when I’m tired, diligence when no one notices, a prayer whispered in the middle of laundry or work. But this is where God often writes His redemption story.
As the Bible Knowledge Commentary puts it, “The Lord is faithful in His business of loving, superintending, and providentially caring for His people. God’s people should also be about His business in the ordinary activities of daily living” (p.47). That reminder turns my attention again to the quiet beauty of obedience—where His grace meets our faithfulness in the everyday.
In what ordinary places might God be calling you to quiet faithfulness today?
My Recommendation
If you’re looking for a bible study that’s a perfect balance between reflection and study, you will enjoy this new series! I loved the space to journal.
You’ll find more from Mariel on her Substack with links to her podcast and online studies.
Quick Stats
# of Pages: 128 pages
Level of Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: 5 stars
More Like This
Favourite Verses from Ruth
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God (Ruth 1:16)
The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a ful; reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12)
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave hiim a name, saying “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:16-17)
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*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book and for the opportunity to post an honest review