Read:
Chapter 3 and as much of Ruth as possible.
Name:__________________________________________Date:______________________
Vital
Statistics:
PURPOSE:
To
show how three people remained strong in character and true to God even when the
society around them was collapsing.
AUTHOR:
Unknown.
Some think it was Samuel, but internal evidence suggests it was written after
his death.
DATE
WRITTEN:
Covers
a period of about 11 years during the reign of the Judges. Possibly written
between ________B.C &
________B.C.
SETTING:
A
dark time in Israel's history when people lived to please themselves, not God
(Judges 17:6)
KEY
VERSE:
"And
Ruth said, 'Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after
thee: for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'" (1:16)
KEY
PEOPLE:
Ruth,
Naomi, Boaz
KEY
PLACES:
Moab,
Bethlehem
THE
BLUEPRINT:
A.)
RUTH REMAINS LOYAL TO NAOMI (1:1-22)
B.)
RUTH GLEANS IN BOAZ'S FIELD (2:1-23)
C.)
RUTH FOLLOWS NAOMI'S PLAN (3:1-18)
D.)
RUTH AND BOAZ ARE MARRIED (4:1-22)
MAJOR
THEMES FOUND IN THE BOOK OF RUTH:
Faithfulness
- Ruth's
faithfulness to Naomi as a daughter-in-law and friend is a great example of
love and loyalty. Throughout the story of Ruth we see the faithfulness of
God to
His people.
Kindness
- Ruth
showed great kindness to Naomi, and in turn was shown great kindness by Boaz.
Integrity
- Ruth
showed high moral character by being loyal to Naomi and making a clean break
from
her former land and customs. Boaz showed his integrity by being true to
his commitments.
Protection
- We see
God's care and protection over both the lives of Ruth and Naomi.
Prosperity/Blessing
- Ruth and
Naomi returned to Bethlehem as poor widows, but God's
God's
blessing was upon them and they soon became prosperous through
Ruth's marriage to Boaz.
WORDS/VOCABULARY:
1.)
Kinsman?____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2.)
Redeemer?____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3.)
Grace?________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4.)
Glean?________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
QUESTIONS:
1.)
Ruth was the Great-grandmother of
who?___________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2.)
Was Boaz Ruth's nearest kinsman? If not, who
was?___________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3.)
Where was Ruth born?___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4.)
What does it mean when Boaz tells his young men (2:16) to "let fall
also some of the
of the handfuls of purpose for
her."?____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5.)
At what time of the year did Ruth and Naomi return to
Bethlehem?_________________
_________________________________________________________________________
SUMMARY:
Two
books of the Bible bear the name of a woman. Ruth and Esther. Ruth was a Gentile
who married a Jew, and Esther was a
Jewess who married a Gentile. The book of Ruth is the book of the Bible that is
wholly devote to the history of a woman. In chapter one the background is laid.
Elimelech, Naomi and their two sons left Bethlehem-Judah because of famine and
went to the land of the Moabites
(Idolatrous descendants of Lot). The two sons married two Moabite girls, Oprah
and Ruth. After ten years the father and both sons had died and Naomi decided to
return to Bethlehem. Oprah remained behind but Ruth went with her. In chapter
two, we are introduced to Boaz the
son of Rahab of Jericho (Matthew
1:5). He, being a kinsman of Naomi & Ruth, took notice of Ruth gleaning in
his field and treated her kindly. In chapters three and four we see Boaz
fulfilling the role of “kinsman-redeemer”
by buying Elimelech’s and his sons’ inheritance and by marrying Ruth. The
book closes with a genealogy
stating the role of Ruth and Boaz in the ancestry of David. This shows that God
used Gentile blood to form the chosen family within the chosen nation which
would bring forth the Messiah for all nations. Ruth also provides us with a
beautiful picture of the church, being a Gentile; a stranger and foreigner to
the covenants of promise, who is
brought into the commonwealth of Israel by the grace of the “kinsman-redeemer
(Ephesians 2:11-13).
CHRIST
SEEN:
Christ is seen as a Mighty Man (2:1), the Lord of the Harvest (2:4-17), and our “kinsman-redeemer”, bringing us into union with Himself through grace.
Thank
you for studying with us today. At this point you may choose to either save an
unfinished assignment or submit it to the Pastor’s office for review and
feedback.
See
you next lesson: J
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