“Story Of Ruth”

{Women are heroes in the Bible. Did you know that there are only two books of the Bible named after women? Esther and Ruth. Ruth is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus referenced in the book of Matthew. What is significant about this is that women weren’t ordinarily included in genealogies. Many have regarded the book of Ruth as an inspiring piece of sacred literature with an important message. In this story, we see a simple Moabite widow becoming an essential character in the powerful story of salvation entwined in the Bible. There are many important figures in the Bible who are recognized for their strength and quality. While many think of men first when it comes to these strong biblical figures, there are also a number of important women in the Bible, like Ruth who inspire. They do this, not only because of how they lived, also because of their rock-solid faith, even in some of the toughest of situations. Sadly, too often, women’s stories have taken second place to the interests and needs of men Biblical writers and men leaders in Christian churches, but this didn’t mean their stories weren’t important, especially in the eyes of God. A strong woman is fearless when it comes to facing hard situations. They are confident in who they are and what they believe, and in their example of fearlessness, they encourage others to be courageous, encouraged and make a difference in all that they say and do.}

“Ruth’s story of faith, dedication and loyalty inspires us all.”

{Ruth Chapters 1,2,3,4}

During the time judges ruled Israel, a man named Elimelech and his wife, Naomi moved from Israel to the land of Moab.

His sons married Moabite girls, and they all lived together for about ten years. Then Elimelech and his two sons all died, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law.

Naomi decided to go back to her home in the city of Bethlehem in Israel. She asked her daughters-in-law if they would rather stay in Moab, the land where they were born and where all their friends and relatives lived, or whether they wanted to move to Israel with her.

When her daughters-in-law learned of her decision to return to Israel, they cried. One of them, Orpah, decided to stay in Moab; but the other, Ruth, didn’t want to leave Naomi.

“I’ll go with you,” she said, “and live wherever you live. Your friends will be my friends, and your God will be my God.”

When Naomi saw how much her daughter-in-law Ruth loved her, she didn’t urge her to stay in the land of Moab, but agreed to let her come with her to the land of Israel.

So they came to the city of Bethlehem where Naomi had lived before moving to Moab.

Her neighbors remembered her, of course, and the news of her arrival spread quickly. “Oh, theirs Naomi!” They would exclaim. But she would reply, “No, don’t call me Naomi anymore, for Naomi means ‘Pleasant.’ Call me Mara, because that means ‘Bitter.’ “For the Lord has given me bitter troubles.” She meant that when she left Bethlehem so many years before, her husband and her two sons were with her; but now all three were dead.

One day during harvest time, Ruth said to Naomi, “Let me go out to the harvest fields and pick up grain dropped by the harvesters.” She said this because one of God’s laws was for His people was that poor people must always be allowed to pick up any bits of grain that dropped to the ground at harvest time. Ruth wanted to get some of this grain for them to eat.

Naomi agreed to this, Ruth went to a field belonging to a man named Boaz and began picking up the grains behind his workers.

When Boaz came out to the field later that morning, he asked the foreman in chargeof the reapers. “Say, who is that girl over there?”

“She is the one who came with Naomi from the land of Moab,” the foreman replied.

Boaz went over and talked to Ruth. He was very pleasant to her and told her to stay with his reapers and not to go to some other field, for he had warned his young men not to bother her. When she was thirsty, he said she should get water from the pitchers placed there for his workers and drink as much and as often as she wished. And Boaz told her to eat ;unch with his workers from the food he provided for them.

Ruth thanked him very much and asked him why he was so kind to her since she was only a stranger. Boaz said it was because he knew about her kindness to her Mother-in Law: how she had left her father and mother and the land where she was born, and had come to live among the people of Israel. He said he hoped God would bless her because she had done these things. He was glad, he said, that she had left the land of Moab where the people worshipped idols and had come to Canaan to worship the Lord.

Afterwards Boaz told his workers to drop some handfuls of grain on purpose so that she could find the grain and pick it up!

Ruth stayed in his field until evening, then beat out the barley grain she had gathered, and took it to her mother-in-law. When Naomi saw how much Ruth brought, she was glad, and asked the Lord to bless the man who had been so kind to Ruth. She asked who it was, and Ruth said: “the man’s name is was Boaz.” Naomi was surprised and told her he was a close relative of theirs! He was a very rich man, Naomi said.

Ruth said he had asked her to keep coming back to his field until the harvest ended. Naomi, too, said to do this; so Ruth went went back day after day until the end of the harvest.

One day Naomi said to Ruth, “Boaz is threshing Barley tonight at the threshing floor.” In those days the grain was separated from the straw and chaff by throwing it up in the air while the wind was blowing. The wind would blow away the straw because it was so light, but the grain was heavier and would fall in a pile on the ground. A threshing floor was smooth, level piece of ground where this was done. Naomi had heard that Boaz was divide his barley from the chaff that night, and she had a plan! She told Ruth to go to the threshing floor and find Boaz. Then she told her what to say to him.

Ruth did as her mother-in-law said. Boaz and his workers winnowed his barley that night, and after a hearty supper he lay down for the night beside a stack of sheaves. When it was dark, Ruth went over and lay at his feet! Around midnight he woke up, startled and afraid. “Who’s there? he demanded.

“It’s only me, sir,” Ruth replied.

Then she said what Naomi had told her to say. Because he was a close relative, she wanted him to take care of her and marry her.

The idea pleased him very much. “May the Lord bless you my child,” he replied. Boaz said he would gladly marry her if he could, because all the people of Bethlehem knew what a fine person she was. But first he would need to talk with another man who was even closer relative to Naomi’s, who had the first right to marry her. If he didn’t want to, then Boaz would. Boaz said he would talk to the other man that very day. So Ruth slept at his feet all night; and early the next morning before it was light, he gave her a large sack of barley to take home to Naomi. When she told Naomi what Boaz said and showed her his present, Naomi told Ruth to be patient and see how it would all turn out.

That day Boaz called together ten of the city officials and told them that he wanted to marry Ruth. Soon, the other man who had the first choice of marrying her came by. Hew said he didn’t want to marry Ruth, so Boaz could. Then all the city officials prayed that the Lord would bless Ruth and make Boaz still richer and greater than he was already.

So Boaz married Ruth, and Naomi was very happy. The Lord gave Boaz and Ruth a son, and grandmother Naomi loved the baby very much. They named the little boy Obed.

Questions:

Why did Ruth go to Canaan with Naomi?

Why did Ruth go to the Harvest fields?

What kind thing did Boaz tell Ruth?

Who got married in this story?