Ruth
The Book of Ruth is a beautifully told, Hebrew short story of God’s grace in the life of one family of David’s ancestors. It tells of the importance of faithful love in human relationships among God's kingdom people. The author focuses on Ruth's unswerving and selfless devotion to desolate Naomi.
Ruth, a foreigner who found a home in Bethlehem lived during the period of the judges when there was yet no king in Israel, and “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). This narrative is about Ruth, but it is even more about God’s covenant kindness to his people—even in the midst of their repeated rebellion against him.
The book appears to have been written to defend David’s right to be king. He was the great-grandson of a Moabite named Ruth. Because the people of Moab didn’t help the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, the law didn’t permit any descendant of a Moabite to join Israel, down to the tenth generation. If they couldn’t even join the community, how could one of them serve as king?
The book is set up like a drama or stage play. Each scene features a short introduction and then dialogue between the characters. The book ends with a ten-generation genealogy leading up to David. So the form of the book mirrors its purpose, which is to show that genuine faith was present in a woman from a nation whose descendants were normally excluded for ten generations.
The book also shows how God’s purposes are accomplished in the world. God’s good laws (allowing the poor to collect grain in the fields), his providence over events, and the personal kindness of people all combine to help the story find a redemptive conclusion.
The story of Ruth keeps lifting our eyes to glimpse the God in charge of famine and harvest and barrenness and birth and death and indeed every scene of human history. Ruth is one episode in the story of Jesus. It’s an episode that shows the utterly magnificent and intensely personal kindness of this God who is redeeming a people for himself from all the families of the earth. As God fulfills all of Ruth’s and Naomi’s needs for food, home, and family, through their redeemer Boaz, we glimpse the heavenly Redeemer in whom all these needs are finally and fully met.
Key Verse
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!’” (Ruth 4:14).
SESSION 1 - Dealing with Famine and Loss
READ: Ruth 1:1-5
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Naomi Widowed
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
In Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” cupboards were bare. So, like Abraham, who left the promised land to escape a famine (Gen. 12:10-20), Elimelek moved his family to another land. They migrated to Moab. But before long, Elimelek died, and then his two sons, who had married, died also—leaving Naomi and her Moabite daughters-in-law with no support.
What would the God of Elimelek—whose name means “My God is King”—do about this grief and hunger? In the future, Bethlehem of Judah would provide Israel with a good and faithful king, David. But in the time of the judges, when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, there was no king in Judah.
Still, God’s people had the Lord as their King, who had been providing them with everything, and he was faithful in blessing (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). But if Israel turned its back on him, God would also be faithful in punishment (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). That’s why Bethlehem was empty and Naomi was living far from home, now alone without a husband or sons to provide for her.
What would happen to Naomi? Who would help her? Remember the name of her husband: “My God is King”! In all things, God, who is faithful despite his people’s waywardness, “works for the good of those who love him” (see Romans 8:28). Arie C. Leder
DIG IN
Ruth 1 shows the context of Naomi’s desolation (the time of the judges, famine, alienation from home, death, bitterness) and yet the seeds of hope in a return to a food-filled Bethlehem along with a faith-filled daughter-in-law, Ruth.
For a glimpse into the period of the judges (1:1), read Judges 2:6–23 and 21:25. Why might this background be important for understanding the book of Ruth?
Elimelech evidently didn’t intend to leave permanently the land of promise or his own particular clan, city, and tribe within it (1:2). He meant only to “sojourn” (1:1), or to stay a while in Moab, to escape the famine in Israel. Look on a map to find the land of Moab across the Dead Sea from Bethlehem. Moab’s inhabitants were the descendants of an incestuous union between Lot and one of his daughters (Gen. 19:30–38). The Moabites worshiped other gods and were not friends of God’s people (see Numbers 22–25). The story does not directly judge Elimelech, but in what ways might we see his move to Moab as problematic?
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 1:1-5
Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Genesis 26:1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Psalm 105:16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
2 Kings 8:1-2 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
Judges 17:8 And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.
Judges 2:16-18 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
Amos 4:6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
Joel 1:16-20 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer. To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
1 Kings 17:1-12 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.
2 Samuel 21:1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is blood guilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
Deuteronomy 28:23-24 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
1 Kings 11:1-2 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Deuteronomy 23:3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,
Deuteronomy 7:3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
SESSION 2 - "Your God Shall Be My God"
READ: Ruth 1:6-18
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
Naomi has urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their homes. In the middle of a circle of tears, Orpah says goodbye and turns toward home. At the same time, Ruth clings to Naomi and refuses to turn away, promising to go where Naomi goes and to trust in her God.
People in sorrow and loss sometimes just want to be alone. They may even have a view that everyone would be better off if they just were not around. But isolation can be a tool of Satan that leads to even more trouble and sorrow.
Naomi is wrestling with God, but she will not wrestle alone. God doesn’t mean for the journey of faith to be a solitary walk. Even Jesus wanted his disciples with him when he struggled in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-34). — Julius T. Medenblik
DIG IN
The book’s introduction leaves Naomi in crisis, with her sons and husband dead (1:5). In that place and time, a woman without a man was without means of support, helpless and vulnerable. And a wife without children to continue the family line was regarded as a failure. Jewish law provided for “levirate marriage” (after the Latin levir, meaning “brother-in-law”), in which a brother was obliged to marry a childless widow of his deceased brother and to raise children in the brother’s name (see Deut. 25:5–10). Naomi refers to this law as she addresses her two daughters-in-law. Observe and listen carefully to Naomi in Ruth 1:6–15, and make a list of everything you can discern about her.
Orpah took the sensible route and went home, but Ruth “clung” to her mother-in-law (v. 14). The same Hebrew word dabaq in Genesis 2:24 describes a man leaving his father and mother and “holding fast” to his wife. It’s a strong word. Ruth’s own words are strong and beautiful, full of poetic parallelism. Make an outline of her statements (vv. 16–17). How do these statements grow, reaching a climax at the end? What do we learn here about Ruth?
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 1:6-18
Psalm 111:5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
Exodus 16:4-6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
Psalm 147:14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
Psalm 146:7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;
Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
Psalm 104:14-15 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.
Genesis 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
2 Timothy 1:16-18 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Ephesians 6:2-3 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
Joshua 24:15-28 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
Luke 14:25-33 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
Genesis 27:27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
Zechariah 8:23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
Psalm 16:3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
SESSION 3 - Dealing with Sadness and Bitterness
READ: Ruth 1:19-22
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Naomi and Ruth Return
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, "Is this Naomi?"👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
Around the world today, tens of thousands of people live as refugees, foreigners in a country not their own. They often face a difficult life, cut off from familiar people and places and dependent on others for daily provisions.
Naomi and Ruth were in the land of Israel in search of a new life. As outsiders and widows, they were doubly vulnerable by the standards of the day. The beginning of their story is filled with heartache and sorrow. Having lost husbands and homes, how would they provide for themselves?
But God had arranged to take care of all that. His plan for their lives was being worked out. Though Naomi saw only God’s hand of misfortune at this point, the first hopeful note in the book observes that she and Ruth came to Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest. This is significant because it recalls that God had arranged to bless vulnerable people through the generosity of farmers who had more than enough.
Naomi and Ruth may not have realized it, but God was at work already to arrange their arrival at just the time when he had provided the resources to show his care for them. And in providing for physical needs, God shows his commitment to save vulnerable sinners through Christ (see Philippians 3:20-21).
How can you use God’s resources to show his care to others today? -- Joel Vande Werken
DIG IN
“Naomi” means “pleasant,” but “Mara” means “bitter”—a name with which Naomi identifies at this point. In what ways does Naomi specifically attribute her bitterness to God in Ruth 1:13, 19–22? How might you evaluate her theology?
What elements of hope does bitter Naomi seem to be ignoring throughout chapter 1?
Ruth has the most powerful lines in Chapter 1, but Naomi has the most dialogue! Imagine, though, what other possible words might have come from Naomi’s mouth at various points in the chapter, had she been more alert to God’s gracious hand at work.
Note the “return from the country of Moab” in both verse 6 and verse 22—providing bookends for this dramatic scene. The final verse repeatedly emphasizes the return, for both Naomi and “Ruth the Moabite.” This clearly represents a turning point in the story and in the experience of these women. Why is this return so important? How would you express what it is Naomi and Ruth are returning to? (For further context, read Joshua 1:1–6.)
We have described this book as the story of a God who provides for his people according to his promises. In what ways does Chapter 1 lead us to begin considering the various parts of this description?
Chapter One keeps reminding us that we are reading about a return. The gospel is all about God’s providing a way for lost people to return to God—ever since Adam and Eve were separated from God by their sin but received his promise to provide a way for that sin to be defeated, through the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). The shape of a return story resonates with the shape of redemption. The prophets called out again and again, “Return!” (see, for example, Hos. 14:1; Mal. 3:7). But they didn’t simply call for a return. They pointed ahead to the means for that return: the promised seed, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—the one born in Bethlehem, the very city to which Naomi is returning, in the land of God’s promise. Scripture resounds with the call to return. Both Naomi and Ruth follow this call and find the provision of God’s grace.
COMMENTSDo not call me Naomi; call me Mara: The name Naomi means “pleasant”; the name Mara means “bitter.”
- Naomi used this to tell the people of Bethlehem that her time away from Israel, her time away from the God of Israel, had not been pleasant – it was bitter.
- Naomi wasn’t a phony. She wasn’t going to go home, pretend everything was fine, and be “pleasant.” She was going to be honest and say “Here I am and my life has been bitter.”
- Naomi was not afraid to see the hand of God in all her calamity.
- Naomi knew that the tragedy that came into her life was not because of fate, chance, or blind fortune. She felt the tragedies were an example of God’s affliction because she could not see the end of His plan. But she knew there was a sovereign God of heaven and didn’t think she had just run into a string of “bad luck.”
- Yet, in the midst of all these bitter circumstances, Naomi was not bitter against the LORD. We can imagine one of the villagers asking, “Naomi, if God has dealt very bitterly with you, if the LORD has brought you home empty, if the LORD has testified against you, then why have you come back?” And she would have said, “Because I want to get right with Him again. Things have been terrible, and the answer isn’t in going further from God, but in drawing closer to Him.”
SET THE STAGE FOR DISCUSSION
In verse 20 Namoi says "for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me." What examples can you think of that explain how the LORD deals with people?Example 1
Exodus 6:1-6 God Promises Deliverance
2 God also said to Moses, “I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them.
4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
Example 3
John 21:21,21 When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
From this direct response of Jesus, we can see that God expects each person to take personal responsibility in responding to the events of his own life and not to look with envy, bitterness, or self-righteousness at what He requires of others. Each must learn to operate within his faith. God deals with each of us individually, preparing us for what He wants for His Kingdom. In a context that applies to the entire nation of Israel among all other peoples of the earth, Deuteronomy 8:18 contains an element of this same principle: "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today."
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The Holy Spirit is our personal advocate, our guide, and counselor. We miss the greatest gift God offers for managing life when we neglect this form of His power.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 1:19-22
Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Lamentations 3:1-20 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation;
Isaiah 38:13 I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
Job 5:17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
Exodus 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.
Genesis 43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
1 Samuel 2:7-8 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world.
Job 16:8 And he has shriveled me up, which is a witness against me, and my leanness has risen up against me; it testifies to my face.
Job 13:26 For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
Job 10:17 You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me.
Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
2 Samuel 21:9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
Exodus 9:31-32 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)
SESSION 4 - Showing Kindness to a Moabite Woman
READ: Ruth 2:1-7
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Ruth Meets Boaz
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
The Bible is full of needy people who receive favor from those who have the power to help them. Every such story echoes the big story of needy human beings who receive unmerited favor from God through his Son. Ruth 2 highlights the word favor (vv. 2, 10, 13), as this poor foreigner humbly acknowledges her need and her wonder at that need being met with such favor. Ruth’s finding such favor leads Naomi to see God’s “kindness."
Righteous Israelites were scarce in the time of the judges, for people generally did as they pleased. What would the owner of the field where Ruth was gleaning be like? Would he be upright and honest, or would he take advantage of a poor foreign widow?
Boaz turns out to be righteous: he respects his workers and acknowledges Ruth’s kindness in staying with Naomi and gleaning grain for her. Further, Boaz tells his workers to go beyond the letter of the law as stated in God’s Word; he gives willingly from his abundance without being asked to help Ruth and Naomi. Boaz also encourages Ruth to glean until the harvesting is finished. Boaz does what is right in God’s eyes. Allowing gleening to take place demonstrates that benevolence is built into the fabric of the culture.
Boaz and Ruth’s righteousness proceeds from letting God’s Word shape their lives. Righteous living is the key to a life of blessing for God’s people.
Jesus, therefore, tells his disciples to glean their “harvest” from among “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:6), and Jesus himself brought his good news and healing to people outside Israel (Mark 7:24-37).
Today we, who are needy Gentiles like Ruth, are also temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). May each of us also let God’s Word shape our lives.
DIG IN
After Naomi’s “empty” return to Bethlehem along with Ruth, we are ready to see how God will fill her. Chapter two begins to unfold God’s full provision for these women, as Ruth goes out to glean and encounters Boaz. The scene overflows with God’s kind, abundant provision through Boaz, and it sets up the expectation to see how this encounter between Ruth and Boaz might develop.
God’s kindness is demonstrated and recognized as Ruth leaves Naomi to glean, finds herself welcomed and abundantly provided for in Boaz’s field, and then returns to tell Naomi all about the gracious provision.
Consider the ways in which the narrator introduces us to Boaz in the first four verses. Why this order of information, and what things can we discern about this man?
Jewish law made provision for the poor, sojourners, widows, and orphans to gather (“glean”) grain that was standing in corners or borders of fields or that was dropped by reapers as they cut and tied the grain in sheaves (Lev. 19:9–10; 23:22; Deut. 24:19). Ruth qualifies for these gleanings in more than one category! As we watch her in verses 1–7, what things does the narrator want us to observe or discern about this young woman?
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 2:1-7
Leviticus 23:22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.
2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ...and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Luke 1:28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Psalm 118:26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Psalm 133:1-3 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
1 Peter 5:5-6 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
Ephesians 5:21 ...submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
- Who is Boaz? 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,4Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,6 and Jesse the father of King David. Mat: 1:2-6
- Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5
- It appears that no one invited them into their home, yet God provided a plan for them and Ruth identified that in 2:2 with "in whose sight I shall find favor"
- In verse 2, Ruth has an idea. “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” Here we already see the sweet providence of God. Ruth and Naomi are in the land of Israel, a place ruled by God’s law, which made provision for poor women like them. God’s law allowed for poor people and foreigners to glean from the fields by restricting landowners from scraping out every possible grain. The edges were for the hungry. Leviticus 19:9-10 says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.” Here is the sweetness of God revealed in his law. When setting up Israel’s economy, God provided for the poor.
- Gleaning is an example of how benevolence was built into the culture of the Israelite community. What examples of care for others are built into our culture?
SESSION 5 - Finding Favor
READ: Ruth 2:8-23
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
One of the pillars of the Israelites’ temple was called the Boaz pillar (1 Kings 7:21). That was fitting. Boaz was a pillar of virtue in the raucous time of the judges. When “everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25), Boaz did as the Lord said.
Gleaning was one of many practices God had set up to provide for the poor. The law of gleaning said that the harvesters could only make one pass through the field. The stalks that they missed were to be left for the poor.
Yes, the owners of the land had earned the fruits of their labor. But since the real owner of the land was God, all of God’s people had a right to the life-giving bounty of God’s land. The landholders were not to scrape every last kernel from the field but to recognize the harvest as an opportunity to fill the needs of their neighbors.
Boaz did that and more. He offered Ruth some of the best pickings of grain and sent her home with a large basketful. He knew that his own fullness derived from the blessing of God.
Today there are many groups that help in similar ways. Food pantries collect items from individuals, churches, and businesses, and they distribute them to the needy. The things we have are God’s produce, and this produce is for all God’s people, including the poor. Such acts are a pillar on which justice and holiness are built. — Kent Van Til
DIG IN
What details of Boaz’s abundant kindness to Ruth do you notice in Ruth 2:8–9, 14–16? What details do you enjoy, as they help you picture the scene?
Verses 10–13 give us the heart of this meeting, in the characters’ words. First, what do Ruth’s words show about her heart, in verse 10 and verse 13?
Boaz’s words in verses 11–12 capture the essence of this conversation and of this chapter. As Boaz blesses Ruth with his words, he builds up to the most important thing she has done. How does that phrase about God’s “wings” explain everything Ruth has done? (Note the following verses about God’s wings: Ex. 19:4; Ps. 36:7; 57:1.)
Boaz prays that God will “repay” Ruth with a “full reward,” as she has come to take refuge under his wings (Ruth 2:12). Comment on just how that reward is given to Ruth in this chapter.
Naomi forms this chapter’s bookends, as Ruth leaves her and then returns to her, carrying about an ephah of barley (over 5 gallons, or 24 liters), along with the leftovers from lunch (vv. 14, 18)! It’s a rich and overflowing scene—first with the food and grain, and finally with the amazing news of the source of all this abundance. There is some debate about to whose “kindness” Naomi refers, in the first statement of verse 20. It certainly could refer to Boaz, but how might it perhaps most fittingly refer to the Lord? And how does this statement represent a reversal of perspective for Naomi, especially in contrast with certain statements in Chapter 1?
Next, in verse 20, Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz is one of her family’s “redeemers,” sometimes called “kinsman-redeemers.” Jewish law made provision for a near kinsman to redeem (buy back) land sold by a poverty-stricken relative, and even to redeem the relatives themselves who were sometimes sold into slavery if they had no way to pay their debts. The purpose was to keep the family and the God-given inheritance together (Lev. 25:25–55). At this point in the narrative, the fact that Boaz is a potential redeemer leads to no immediate conclusions. We know nothing so far of Elimelech’s land and what has happened to it. And yet, these women have found Boaz, who has shown kindness. Why does the narrator probably hope we’ll think back to the wording of Ruth 2:3?
The Lord’s kindness never fails. Naomi thought it had. What various factors contributed to her opening her eyes? What can we learn from this, both as we need to see clearly and as we help others see clearly the kind providence of God always at work?
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 2:
Matthew 10:42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
John 4:7-11 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
Genesis 24:18-20 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
Psalm 36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
Psalm 63:7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Psalm 61:4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Matthew 10:41-42 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
1 John 3:17-18 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
Psalm 112:9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.
Proverbs 27:10 Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.
SESSION 6 - All that You Say I Can Do
READ: Ruth 3:1-14
👉TEXT FROM NIV (excerpt for discussion)
Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for.THINK ABOUT THIS
God’s providence infuses this story from beginning to end, but in this chapter, the pictures of it are especially rich, particularly in relation to harvest plenty. By the time Ruth leaves the field of Boaz which she “happens” upon, she has received more help than the law required (plenteous bread and water and wine, extra grain pulled out and left for her), more lunch than she can eat, and perhaps almost more barley than she can carry home! God’s provision is pictured in Scripture not as measured out to be just enough, but rather as overflowing, poured down from the windows of heaven (Mal. 3:10), “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over” (Luke 6:38), not just life but “abundant” life (John 10:10). The harvest God ultimately promises is abundant and eternal (Ps. 126:6; John 4:31–38).
Boaz prays that God will “repay” and “reward” Ruth for her selfless care of her mother-in-law (2:12). A quick reading might lead to the conclusion that Ruth’s good works deserve God’s good reward—that we somehow earn his favor. The climactic point of verse 12, however, is that what Ruth has done is to take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. From that place of faith, her good deeds have overflowed. Boaz prays she will be blessed not because she has earned any favor but because she has by grace found the place of blessing, in following the true God. Ruth’s response of humble servanthood confirms this understanding of her as one who is responding to the grace and favor she receives.
DIG IN
Notice the word “rest” in Ruth 3:1, and recall the context of the same word in Ruth 1:9. How does the use of this word affect our understanding of Ruth 3?
The “threshing floor” was an open-air setting where the harvested sheaves were delivered, the grain was loosened from the straw, and then the grain was “winnowed,” or tossed up with winnowing forks so the wind could blow away the straw and chaff. The men often remained there after a long day of work, eating and drinking—and staying the night to guard the grain. Naomi’s plan for Ruth to visit Boaz secretly in the night is presented matter-of-factly and accepted by Ruth with no commentary—but it was an unorthodox plan!
The scene, in Ruth 3:6–8, begins dark and full of tension: Ruth is obviously putting herself (and Naomi) at great risk in a number of ways.
Ruth must have thought carefully about what to do and say! (“Spread your wings” could also be translated as “Spread the corners of your garment,” but it is important to see Ruth’s use of the very word “wings” earlier used by Boaz.)
By so asking for his protection as a “redeemer,” Ruth is asking Boaz to redeem her along with Elimelech’s land—in sort of a “custom” combination of the laws concerning levirate marriage and kinsman redemption! Boaz would have understood that Ruth, with this request, was asking him to marry her. Read and comment on a similar picture in Ezekiel 16:8, where God speaks as the husband of his unfaithful people.
What a magnificent moment, when the “worthy man” (2:1) lives up to our hopes! In Ruth 3:10–14, in what various ways does Boaz honor and protect this “worthy woman” (3:11)? What words stand out?
In what ways are the actions and responses of Boaz and Ruth in this chapter shaped not only by their own characters but also by their knowledge of the other’s character?
In fact, the whole town is involved in this scene! Everyone knows, says Boaz, that Ruth is a“worthy woman” (3:11). How does this chapter (and this book so far) show that love and marriage are intricately connected to the community of God’s people?
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 3:1-14
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Corinthians 7:36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin.
Deuteronomy 4:40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
Ecclesiastes 8:15 And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.
1 Thessalonians 4:6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jeremiah 4:2 and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”
Judges 8:19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
Deuteronomy 25:5-9 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
Are there people within your family who helped others in a great way?
Meaning of kinsman redeemer: “kinsman redeemer,” one whose responsibility was to “act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need.”
Boaz's act of redeeming Ruth and Naomi's inheritance parallels Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, where He paid the price to free humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Boaz's role as a redeemer symbolizes Jesus' role in bringing salvation and restoration to all who trust in Him.
In order to redeem, you had to be kin, willing, able to redeem and to pay the price in full.
SESSION 7 - Abundant Provisions
READ: Ruth 3:15-18
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
The theme of redemption grows. This story is full of Ruth’s blessedness and wonder at finding such a kind redeemer who is willing not only to pay a price for her but to marry her in love. The pictures this book uses to show such a human redeemer are pictures the Bible uses to show our redeeming God: the one who saves and protects us under his wings (Ruth 2:12; 3:9; Ps. 91:4; Mal. 4:2), the husband who loves and covenants with his wife (as in Ezek. 16:8; Hos. 2:16–23), and the Son willing to ransom us at his own cost (Matt. 20:28). Boaz’s words in Ruth 3:13 ring out: “I will redeem you.” As the book progresses and these various pictures merge, the story of Boaz the redeemer resonates increasingly with the Bible’s big story of redemption.
Ruth portrays the beauty of being redeemed, though not, in this story, by showing any sinfulness of her own from which she is rescued. Of course, Ruth was not sinless, and we know that God drew her from a pagan society of idol-worshipers. Ruth is a foreigner to Israel, not part of God’s people, who becomes part of God’s people. (Read again those beautiful words of Hos. 2:23; also 1 Pet. 2:10). This is what Christ’s redemption accomplishes: by grace, through faith, we are reconciled to God and become part of his family forever. Ruth is not called “the Moabite” in this chapter. In this joyful, pastoral harvest setting we sense she has come home and is covered and safe, richly provided for. The public redemption must be resolved, but the private scene is full of satisfying resolution, with Ruth under the wings of Boaz her redeemer.
DIG IN
The ample supply of barley Boaz sends with Ruth is meant to send a message to Naomi! How does this picture of abundance add even more momentum to Naomi’s journey through the book?
The chapter opens with Naomi and the search for “rest” for “my daughter” (v. 1). It closes with Naomi and the same themes (“rest,” and “my daughter”; v. 18)—but now with the resolution in sight. The pace of the narrative quickens, with the space of only hours between this chapter and the next. Stop and think, at this point, of the worthy man and the worthy woman we have witnessed at the heart of this climactic chapter. What qualities in them stand out, especially in contrast to the “heroes” and “heroines” of many love stories in our world today?
The theme of redemption grows. This story is full of Ruth’s blessedness and wonder at finding such a kind redeemer who is willing not only to pay a price for her but to marry her in love. The pictures this book uses to show such a human redeemer are pictures the Bible uses to show our redeeming God: the one who saves and protects us under his wings (Ruth 2:12; 3:9; Ps. 91:4; Mal. 4:2), the husband who loves and covenants with his wife (as in Ezek. 16:8; Hos. 2:16–23), and the Son willing to ransom1 us at his own cost (Matt. 20:28). Boaz’s words in Ruth 3:13 ring out: “I will redeem you.” As the book progresses and these various pictures merge, the story of Boaz the redeemer resonates increasingly with the Bible’s big story of redemption.
John Piper says, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, but you may be aware of three of them.” Over and over again, Jesus’s disciples missed what he was doing right in front of them. They missed the point of the miracles. They missed the lessons. Which should give us hope for our own lack of clarity today. Here are four important encouragements about how God provides and cares for you.
1. God May Provide Differently Than We Expect
The Israelites escaped captivity in Egypt only to face the challenges of the desert. “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).
2. God Provides More of Himself
Scripture tells us to make the pursuit of God the primary function of our lives. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
3. God’s Ultimate Provision Has Already Been Given in the Gospel.
James 1:17 reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
4. God Provides Finally in Eternity
Hebrews 11 gives us two different perspectives on God’s provision and care for us. Some, by faith, came through this life victorious, while others lost their lives. Both are commended for their mighty faith.
God does not always provide and care for us in ways we might expect in this life. The Bible does not promise this. Peter, James, John, and Paul gave their very lives for the gospel. They viewed the gospel as a treasure not to be lost at any cost. They suffered gladly because they had something in the gospel that had far more worth.
We are sojourners and aliens on this earth. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 4:15-18
Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Isaiah 32:8 But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.
Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
Isaiah 30:7 Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.”
Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
1. Timeline: Matthew Chapter 1:4,5,6
Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. Matthew 1:17 (in those days 36 years was an average generation length)
2. The time span from the events of Ruth and the writing of Ruth could be as much as 100 years. The account would have been told as a family narrative by word of mouth all over Israel. Each telling may have been a little different, but we can rest assured the end story as recorded is accurate because the entire Bible is God-inspired.
Date of event: Ruth: 1140-1010 BC app, writing of Ruth: 1030-1060 BC app
SESSION 8 - A Redeemer for Naomi's Family
READ: Ruth 4:1-12
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Boaz Redeems Ruth
1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Turn aside, friend; sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down.👈END OF TEXT
THINK ABOUT THIS
In every clan in Israel, the head of the family was considered the guardian-redeemer, responsible for the well-being of the family. This person was expected to rescue, ransom, buy back, recover, or redeem anyone or any property that was in danger of being removed from the family by poverty, war, or death (Leviticus 25:25-55).
Boaz became the guardian-redeemer for Naomi’s family, and he was needed to fix two problems: a parcel of land had to be bought back (redeemed), and Ruth needed a husband. Boaz had to do some clever bargaining to redeem the land and marry Ruth, but he was successful, and the story of Ruth ended happily. Ruth gave birth to a grandson for Naomi to preserve her family name. What’s more, these people became ancestors of Israel’s great King David—and of an even greater king, the King of the world, Jesus Christ.
God, of course, is the real guardian-redeemer in this story. God sent Jesus—a descendant of Ruth and Boaz—to pay the redemption price for our freedom, to restore us to our home in God’s family, to rescue us from the evil that threatens us, and to give us a permanent home with him.
God’s work in the world is always about redemption; it is always renewing, always loving, always good news. — Thea Leunk
DIG IN
Layers of blessing unfold as the story resolves: the nearer kinsman bows out and leaves Ruth to Boaz, their marriage produces a son, the reversal of Naomi’s emptiness is complete, and we glimpse the line of this child reaching all the way to King David.
The previous chapter called for a quick resolution! How do the details of the narrative (and of Boaz’s method) impress you, in verses 1–6? Why is this process so important?
The closer kinsman-redeemer with first rights (whose name is not recorded or remembered) quickly changes his yes to no! Why? What does he fear? What is the irony here, in light of the rest of the chapter?
With the exchanged sandal symbolizing the transferred rights to redemption, Boaz legitimately and nobly announces his redemption of Elimelech’s inheritance. How do his words show that he understands the purpose of the laws he is fulfilling?
Trace the repeated mentions of the various people gathered in this scene, which is “bookended” not by Naomi this time, but by the larger gathering of the elders. In what ways is it important that this is not just a private but a public resolution?
The elders’ blessing concluding this scene asks God to prosper Boaz and Ruth as he has done for his people in the past. First, briefly review a bit of the history to which they refer: of Rachel and Leah (Gen. 29–30); of Perez, Tamar, and Judah (Gen. 38; Matt. 1:1–6). What elements of this history stand out in relation to this story?
As you read this blessing given at the city’s gate (vv. 11–12), how do the words and phrases echo even more loudly than the people could know at the time?
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 4:1-12
Deuteronomy 25:7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’
Deuteronomy 16:18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
Amos 5:15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:10-12 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
Job 31:21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,
Job 29:7 When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square,
Deuteronomy 21:19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,
Zechariah 2:6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Proverbs 13:10 By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
Psalm 112:5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
2 Corinthians 8:21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.
Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Jeremiah 32:25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”
Genesis 23:18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
Deuteronomy 25:6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
Deuteronomy 25:7-10 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
SESSION 9 - "a restorer of Life"
READ: Ruth 4:13-22
👉TEXT FROM ESV (excerpt for discussion)
Ruth and Boaz Marry
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.The Genealogy of David
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,Isn’t it strange? Ruth was pregnant and gave birth, but the women exclaimed that Naomi had a son. Actually, this is the point of the story: not only did Ruth fill Naomi’s emptiness with enough food, but she also provided a son to replace the ones Naomi lost.
Isn’t it strange that although Ruth did all of this, the women praised God and responded in the way they did to Naomi? Actually, that’s another point of the story. Although he is seldom mentioned, God gets credit for bringing food back to Bethlehem. And in a departure from the normal way of reporting conception, God is reported as making it happen: “The Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.”
Of course, Ruth and Boaz themselves had a hand in restoring Naomi’s well-being; it could not have happened without them. Even so, a few well-placed phrases remind God’s people that there are no fields of ripened grain and no children without the Lord’s blessing. God blesses the fruit of our labor and the fruit of the womb.
Years later, Jesus, a descendant of this family, was born in Bethlehem with heaven’s blessing. Through the story of Ruth, we can see that Christ’s birth is part of a family history that depends on God’s abundant blessings. In God’s world, it is normal for him to fill the empty and redeem what was lost. — Arie C. Leder
DIG IN
Consider Naomi - How is the view of God expressed in Ruth 4:13–17 both similar to and different from the view expressed by Naomi in chapter 1? In what ways does this concluding scene perfectly complete the shape of Naomi’s story?
Verses 14–15 speak about the newborn son as a “redeemer.” In what ways does this title fit this particular child?
Ruth 4:13–17 actually makes a good conclusion for the narrative! Why then go on to add an official (and slightly repetitive) genealogy? This genealogy in Ruth 4:18–22 looks both back and forward, from Boaz’s time. First, read Genesis 49:8–10; Isaiah 11:1–2, 10; Matthew 1:1–17; Revelation 5:1–5. Then write your thoughts musing on the wonder of a book about Ruth set in the time of the judges and ending (twice!) with the name of David (vv. 17, 21).
We have described Ruth as the story of a God who provides for his people according to his promises. Look back one more time to the promises given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–7. In light of these verses, write your summary of how the book of Ruth shows a God who provides for his people according to his promises.
We have seen the theme of redemption develop throughout Ruth, but in the final scene, we watch it enacted, as Boaz buys from Naomi all that belonged to her sons—including Ruth. This cost of redemption, paid in full, points to another, greater Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who ransomed us “from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Pet. 1:18–19).
The closing scenes offer marvelous pictures of God’s people together rejoicing in his steadfast love and saving kindness. The women’s “Blessed be the Lord . . .” joins a chorus of generations of praise and worship to a redeeming God. Truly, as Mary sang, “his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50). In the words of Zechariah, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David . . .” (Luke 1:68–69).
SCRIPTURE SIMILAR TO Ruth 4:13-22
Luke 1:58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
1 Corinthians 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Psalm 34:1-3 Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Matthew 1:5-20 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Isaiah 11:1-4 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness, he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Psalm 103:1-2 Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Ruth 4:21-22 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.
Genesis 24:27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.”
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Matthew 1:5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
SIDELINE THOUGHT: The word “hoary” refers to the color gray or white, so the “hoary head” is better known as a senior citizen or elderly person. Old age is not necessarily good, nor is it automatically bad either. It can be advantageous, as Proverbs 16:31 says: “The hoary head is a crown [distinguishing mark] of glory [honor or praise], if it be found in the way of righteousness.” Hoary” is translated “old age” six times (Genesis 15:15; Genesis 25:8; Judges 8:32; Ruth 4:15; 1 Chronicles 29:28; Psalm 92:14), as well as “gray hairs” five times (Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:29,31; Deuteronomy 32:25; Hosea 7:9), “grayheaded” once (Psalm 71:18), and “gray head” one time (Proverbs 20:29).
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