“The days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1) were the approximately three centuries between Israel’s entrance into Canaan and the anointing of their first king. Judges 17:6 sums up the period: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” or “every man did that which was right in his own eyes”. The recurring pattern we see is idolatry, divine judgment, crying out to the Lord, divine deliverance and a prompt return to idolatry. The book of Ruth shows that even in such a spiritually unstable society, some people saw fit to practice faithfulness and compassion.