The meanings of Hebrew names can almost tell the whole story by themselves. They give insight to the hidden meaning of the allegory. For example: Ruth means "friendship." She represents our spirit which is the only part of man which can respond to God's offer of friendship through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Elimelech means "strength of the king." He represents the sin nature which attempts to live by its own capabilities rather than the grace and mercy of God.

As you read through this story about Ruth, you might want to use this list of meanings to help put the story together.

	Name	Meaning	Representation
	Ruth	Friendship	Human spirit
	Naomi	Beautiful Grace of God	Human soul
	Elimelech	The Strength of the King	Sin nature
	Judah	Worship	Presence with God (heaven)
	Bethlehem	Celebrated	Praising God
	Moab	Incest	Sin
	Mahlon	Sickly	Self effort
	Kilion	Failing	Self effort
	Orpah	Stubbornness	Pride
	Mara	Bitterness	Broken hearted
	Boaz	Strong Redeemer/Pillar	Jesus
	Obed	Servant	Born again
	David	Beloved Son	Jesus
	Jesus Christ	Salvation	Jesus
	Israel	He will rule	Man as a whole

Next: The Story

Wyatt considered himself a good Christian until he had to be coerced into giving CPR to a repulsively obese, bearded biker with vomit on his mouth.
  He attended church regularly, taught the college students on Wednesday night, kept the 2-year olds on Sunday morning, held prayer meetings.
  But after realizing that his heart was no better than that of the Pharisees, he doubted his own salvation. Then he found God's grace!

Jacob is about the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

Seven Days of Creation tells about Jesus' entry into the world, His death and resurrection.

Daniel 1-6 is an excellant insight into the entire salvation process.

Jonah explains everything Jesus went through to provide our salvation.

Samson foreshadows Jesus' relationships with man, the Church, Israel, and Mankind.

Adam and Eve provide a perfect picture of Jesus Christ and His bride the church.

Deborah is a description of the Holy Spirit working in each one of us proclaiming Jesus --the light of men-- our salvation.