Christ-Light Connections: Ruth’s Faith & God Blesses Ruth

As you study this short narrative, follow the identity changes of Ruth. She began as a pagan, a Moabite, a widow, a beggar, and a foreigner. As the book closes, she is a believer, part of Israel, a wife, and an heiress in the messianic line of Judah.  

During the dark days of the Judges defined by cycles of faithlessness, idolatry, and oppression, the faith of Ruth and Boaz shines bright. Their story points forward to the coming Redeemer.

The Christ-Light theme this week is God graciously blesses faith that forsakes all for him.

OT3 13A

Ruth’s Faith — Ruth 1

Context

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges. Recall that this was a dark time in Israel’s history as they cycled through rebellion, oppression, repentance, and rescue. In those days, “everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 21:25). Even the judges themselves struggled with idolatry and self-interest.

During this dark time, the book of Ruth is a light of hope, highlighting God’s hand as he cares for the individual, Israel, and the world.

Big Ideas

Leaving Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1)

Elimelech was faced with a difficult choice. Should he leave the promised land and live among pagans or stay and face the uncertain hardships of the famine? God had commanded the Israelites to live on the land he had given them and to avoid intermingling with unbelievers. Yet, even Abraham and Jacob had left the land for respite during a famine (Genesis 12:10, Genesis 46:3-7). Although we do not know if God approved or disapproved of Elimelech’s choice, we can use this as a chance to talk about making hard decisions.

Conversation Starters:

• What do you think? Should Elimelech have stayed in the promised land, or did he do the right thing by leaving?
• Do you think Elimelech took his faith in God with him? How do you know?
• What kinds of challenging decisions have you, as an adult, faced? What helped you make your choices? Were they the right choices?
• What kinds of difficult decisions do children face?

Moab (Ruth 1:1)

Moab was about 100 miles from Bethlehem. The Moabites were descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. They were pagans who worshiped Chemosh. We remember them from the story of Balaam as they tried to curse Israel. Later, Moabite women seduced the Israelite men, tempting them to forsake the LORD and worship idols (Numbers 25:1-4). They were hostile to God and not chosen by him (Deuteronomy 23:3-4).

Naomi’s Identity (Ruth 1:11-14, 1:20-21)

Naomi has lost everything. In her cultural context, women were ascribed value, worth, and identity by their children and grandchildren. A woman’s job was to produce heirs to strengthen her family’s significance and line. The death of her sons made her a failure. She no longer had status and purpose according to her culture. Naomi, which means “pleasant,” changed her name to Mara, which means “bitter”.

Conversation Starters:

• How does your culture ascribe value, worth, and identity to women? To men? To children?
• What happens when part of your identity is taken from you? (What if you could no longer play sports? What if you lost all of your friends? What if your family died?)

Naomi’s Faith (Ruth 1:13,20)

We see from her words that Naomi’s faith is challenged. Some of us know and understand the depth of grief she is experiencing and the effects such loss can have upon our relationship with God. Like Job, Naomi blames God, yet she still looks to him in faith (Ruth 1:6). While Satan may use the anger of a Christian to turn a believer against God, God may use brokeness to drive a believer deeper into their need for him.

Conversation Starters:

• At what should Naomi’s anger actually be directed? (Sin? The power of death?)
• How would you comfort Naomi?
• Have you ever been angry with God? It is scary to be honest about the valleys of our faith with our children, but honesty will prepare them for the challenges ahead.

Ruth’s Identity (Ruth 1:16-17)

Against all earthly logic, Ruth, the Moabitess, proclaims an unexpected identity. Ruth knew the LORD. She believed it was better to leave behind her security and chance at a prosperous life in Moab than to be separated from God and Naomi. Instead, she embraced her identity as the daughter of a poor widow and bravely set her face toward the uncertain hardships that awaited her as a foreigner in a foreign land.

Conversation Starters:

• List all that Ruth said goodbye to as she left her homeland.
• Can our need for comfort, stability, and safety be an idol?

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides Law and Gospel points as well as helpful application questions.

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OT3 13B

God Blesses Ruth — Ruth 2-4

Context

There are a few key concepts we need to understand about Israelite law and culture to make sense of the next few chapters. Remember, Elimelech had left behind his land in Bethlehem, and there was no longer an heir to claim it. Naomi would need to sell the land.

• The Land: God commanded that the land must remain within the possession of each tribe. All land that originally belonged to Judah must stay in the tribe of Judah (Numbers 36:7-8).
• The Kinsman-Redeemer: If the land was sold because of hardship, God established laws for the redemption of the land. The nearest relative was obligated to redeem or buy back what had been sold.
• Widows and Redeemers: There was a law (Levirate) that required a brother to marry his sister-in-law if her husband, his brother, had died. Their son would be the heir of the first husband. This law did not apply to Boaz since he was not the brother of Mahlon. He freely chose to embrace the spirit of the law to provide for Ruth and produce an heir.

Big Ideas

Hidden God (Ruth 2:1-23)

As Ruth goes out to find food, she happens to end up in the field of Boaz, a close relative of Naomi. Naomi’s reaction indicates she believes that God’s hand is at work. (Ruth 2:20) The same woman who blamed God for her troubles also ascribed to him her blessings.

Unless the Bible clearly states it, we cannot say for sure whether or not something is from the LORD. But, we can rely on his promises and trust that he will steer history and our individual lives accordingly. See Jeremiah 29:11 or Romans 8:28 for examples of God’s promises.

Conversation Starter:

• What are some other promises God makes to us? What plans does he have for our lives?

The Engagement (Ruth 3:10-11)

The courtship and engagement of Ruth and Boaz are unique. Many of the marriages that are described in the Bible are infected with lust, jealousy, and adultery. Pause and study the love story of these two believers.

Conversation Starters:

• Why did Ruth choose Boaz? Why did Boaz choose Ruth? (Ruth 3:10-11)
• Read Proverbs 31. Which verses would you apply to Ruth?
• Can your reword Proverbs 31 to describe a modern-day wife?

Kinsman-Redeemer (Ruth 4:1-11)

The transaction between the relative and Boaz at the city gate is a bit confusing because of the translation. If you are able to read Ruth 4:5-6 in the EHV translation, it is clearer. Basically, Boaz explains that he is going to marry Ruth, and then he will have the ability to produce an heir for Elimelech’s land. Then, that land would rightfully belong to this child. Because of this, it did not make sense for the other relative to buy the land.

This marriage and transaction foreshadowed the work of Christ. Ruth and Naomi had been cut off from the inheritance and blessings of the land. There was no work they could do to fix the situation. We have been cut off from the inheritance of heaven with no ability to redeem it ourselves. Christ is our kinsman-redeemer who has freely chosen to make us his bride and has regained our eternal inheritance.

Conversation Starter:

• Discuss the meaning of the word “redeem.”

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides Law and Gospel points as well as helpful application questions.