Ruth Day 28: Chapter 4 Review

This is the last day of our study on Ruth. I’ve enjoyed going through it and I hope that you have as well! For our review questions, instead of focusing on what we’ve learned in chapter four, we’ll focus on what we’ve learned throughout the whole book.

Give a summary of events in the book of Ruth.
What did we learn about Naomi?
What did we learn about Ruth?
What did we learn about Boaz?
What did we learn about God?
How can we apply what we’ve learned?

A tidbit of information that I realized I never expanded upon was who the Moabite people were. Remember Abraham? He is the one who left his homeland because God promised to give him a land (which we find out to be Israel) There’s a whole lot about Abraham that we could talk about, but we’ll focus on the beginning of his journey. He took his nephew, Lot, along with him. We later find out that Lot had a wife and two daughters and they split from Abraham’s group due to lack of room for both groups (they both had large herds of animals and many servants and workers because God blessed them greatly). Lot and his family eventually moved to Sodom which was later destroyed by God for its evil and wicked ways. Lot and his family were saved by angels, but Lot’s wife looked back on the destruction of Sodom after they had been warned not to and was turned into the pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters ended up living in a cave and his daughters came up with a plan to have children to carry on their family line: they would get their father drunk and sleep with him. They both became pregnant and the older daughter bore a son named Moab who is the father of the Moabites. The younger daughter bore a son named Ben-Ammi who is the father of the Ammonites. That is where the Moabites originated. The story of Ruth occurs hundreds of years after this. The Bible does not condone the actions of the daughters, but gives an account for what has occurred.

Your answers don’t have to be the same, this is just a general list.

Give a summary of events in Ruth.
Naomi and her family leave Israel
Naomi’s sons get married to Moabites
Naomi’s husband and sons die
Naomi travels back to Israel with Ruth
Ruth works in Boaz’s field
Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is a redeemer
Naomi tells Ruth what to do so that Boaz will redeem her
Boaz accepts her request
Boaz speaks with other redeemer who could redeem
Other redeemer gives up his right to redeem
Boaz redeems Ruth by marrying her
Ruth bears a son named Obed
The people praise God
Obed is the grandfather of king David
What did we learn about Naomi?
Naomi was upset with God for taking away her sons and husband
Naomi saw herself as bitter and though that God was against her
Naomi saw a glimpse of hope when Ruth found Boaz’s field
Naomi was a bit of a schemer
Naomi learns that God had never truly left her and had another plan in mind
What did we learn about Ruth?
Ruth was willing to give up everything to follow Naomi
Ruth was a foreigner
Ruth worked hard to care for Naomi and herself
Ruth was worthy
Ruth was respectful
What did we learn about Boaz?
Boaz was worthy
Boaz was a man of God
Boaz was kind and generous
Boaz was a kinsman redeemer
Boaz often praised God
Boaz didn’t let important things sit
What did we learn about God?
God is always working, even when we can’t see Him
God never left Naomi or Ruth
God provided a kinsman redeemer for Ruth
God ultimately provides a kinsman redeemer for us (Jesus!)
How can we apply what we’ve learned?
Know that our salvation is only found in Jesus
Seek to be known as worthy (by our words and actions that honor God)
Be willing to work hard
Be willing to leave everything behind (sometimes God may ask us to)
Know that even when we can’t see Him, God is with us and working out His plan

Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I am currently working out what book to study through next and will have it figured out within the next few days. I had hoped to figure it out by now, but it has been a busy past few weeks. God bless!

Ruth Day 27: Ch 4:18-22

19: Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,

Perez is the oldest of the twin sons that Tamar bore to Judah.

Perez means “branch,” Hezron means “camping place,” Judah means “praise Yahweh,” and Tamar means “date palm.”

19: Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminidab,

Ram means “high, exalted” and Amminidab means “my people give freely.”

20: Amminidab fathered Nashon, Nashon fathered Salmon,

Nashon (also spelled Nahshon) means “serpent” and Salmon means “coat.”

21: Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,

Boaz means “lively” and Obed means “serving.” It is interesting to note that Obed is not referred to as the son of Mahlon in this genealogy as would be the custom when redeeming a widow. Instead he is referred to as Boaz’s son.

22: Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Jesse means “man” or “manly” and David means “favorite” or “beloved.”

David becomes the king of Israel. He is a king whom God promised. The people revered him as a good king and God promised a king greater than David which we learn is Jesus. Anyone who knows the history of David knows that although he was a great king, he had his share of mistakes. Jesus is the perfect king who will reign forever. He lived a sinless life and gave us His righteousness for our unrighteousness which makes it possible for us to enter heaven!

Although the meanings of the names aren’t important, it is good to know that God uses everyday people to achieve His plans. We don’t know much about many of the people in David’s ancestry, but God used them. They surely taught their children the truth of God’s Word. David sang songs to God and his faith was great. He was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” Sometimes our greatest achievement in the kingdom of God will be to raise children who are after God’s own heart. I’m not sure about you, but that is pretty encouraging to me.

Ruth Day 26: Ch 4:13-17

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.

They are married!! And as I mentioned last chapter, the Bible tells us when intimacy happens. This time it did. We are also reminded that the Lord gave her conception. We might also note that it was the Lord who kept her from conceiving in her previous marriage for His better purpose.

14: 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!”

When Naomi thought all was lost and changed her name to Mara, God was working and never left her. We are reminded of that in this verse.

15: “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

It is interesting to note that this child is not related to Naomi by blood (or at least not closely related.) Boaz is a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, not Naomi herself. That doesn’t matter to Naomi or the townspeople because this child is seen as an heir for Naomi. Ruth is also praised as being better than seven sons. This is a great praise because sons are seen as better than daughters only because they are the ones who take care of the parents in their old age. Seven is often called the number of completion and is a common number throughout Scripture. Ruth is better than seven sons.

16: Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.

Naomi cared for the child.

17: And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Although Ruth gave birth to Obed, he is attributed as a son to Naomi. We are also told in this verse that he is the grandfather of king David. The name Obed means “serving.”

We learn in these verses that Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons and that she bore a son. Naomi was greatly blessed. Something she never would have guessed, especially at the end of chapter one. We all will go through challenges. We are not guaranteed freedom from struggle, but we are guaranteed One who will be with us through those struggles. Even when we don’t see God, He is with us!

Ruth Day 25: Ch 4:9-12

9: Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon.

Being at the city gate, Boaz probably had plenty of witnesses besides the ones that he requested to sit with him.

10: Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

Boaz knew that the firstborn would not be seen as his child, but as Mahlon’s heir and he was okay with that. He explained the custom and reminded the people that they are witnesses.

11: Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem”

In case you don’t know who Rachel and Leah were, they were the wives of Jacob, also known as Israel. Through him, the twelve tribes of Israel come about. You may also know that there were two other women involved in the bearing of sons for the tribes: the maids Bilhah and Zilpah. (Let me take a second to note that this action of Jacob to have two wives and concubines was not condoned, but it is a historical account of what actually happened.) Returning to the verse, the focus seems to be that the people wish for Ruth to build up a family for Boaz.

As mentioned way back in the first week, Ephrathah was a people group located in Bethlehem. The people are wishing that Boaz would be worthy in Ephrathah and renowned in Bethlehem. This is funny because when he is first mentioned in chapter two, he is noted to be a worthy man.

12: “and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give to you by this young woman.”

The story of Tamar and Judah is another interesting story. Again it is something that is not condoned, but is historically accurate. Tamar was the wife to one of Judah’s sons. The son was wicked in God’s eyes so he died. The second son was supposed to create an heir for the first, but refused and was struck down. Judah had one other son who was too young to marry so he asked Tamar to wait. When she saw that the boy was old enough for marriage, but Judah hadn’t brought them to marry, she hatched a plan. She pretended to be a prostitute and slept with Judah. She later became pregnant with twins. Judah repented of his actions and Tamar bore Perez and Zerah.

I’m not sure why these interesting characters were chosen, but we can definitely see God’s work through their shortcomings. Perez is the ancestor of Boaz.

This concludes our awkward dive into family history and reminds us that not everyone obeyed God perfectly. When you read their stories, you see how they failed, but how God was still able to use them. It is encouraging, especially when I look at my own shortcomings. It is also encouraging because those people aren’t really known for their shortcomings, but rather for their faith. God never quits His work in us. We are being refined until He calls us home. I’m thankful that He doesn’t give up on me!

Ruth Day 24: Ch 4:5-8

(I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I thought I had completed it already, but found out that I did not and didn’t have time to work on it until now.)

5: Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”

Since Mahlon had no heir when he died, a relative needed to marry Ruth in order to bear an heir. The land happened to play a part in this role since the land would go to the heir. It is two similar yet different customs that are combined in this situation.

6: Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take the right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

We aren’t told why the other relative refused to redeem except for that redeeming the land would cause problems with his own inheritance. My guess is that he did not realize that marrying Ruth was required. Naomi was older and had already born sons, although they had died, so the law most likely did not go into effect where they would need to bring up an heir. He probably thought that all he had to do was care for Naomi and the family land would be his. The land was to remain with the family which is why only a family member could redeem it. When the relative realized that he would have to marry Ruth and have an heir for Mahlon, he refused. Again, this is just my speculation since we are not told in Scripture.

7: Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.

The author of this book wrote much later than the events of the book. We can clearly see that in this particular verse as well as in the length of the genealogy at the end of the book. Some suggest that the prophet Samuel wrote the book, but we are not told.

8: So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.

The author mentions the custom and then tells us that the other redeemer did so in order to give up his right to the land, and thus Ruth.

If you read this book for the first time, you may have been holding your breath for a few verses. It seems like that one “perfect” couple are headed towards marriage when a wrench is thrown into the mix. There’s a mix of anxiety and groaning as you wait for the problem to be solved and the happy ending to be achieved. Well, unlike many TV dramas, you didn’t have to wait for long. The other redeemer has forgone his right and now Boaz has the chance to redeem Ruth.

In a way, this also reminds me of the Gospel. Back in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in charge of caring for the garden and there was no sin at that time. The only rule was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In return, they could enjoy fellowship with God forever. Like the other redeemer, they chose to forgo their inheritance. They ate of the forbidden tree and were kicked out of the garden. Sin entered into the world and we suffer because of it. Like Boaz who sought to redeem Ruth, Jesus sought to redeem us. He had planned it from the beginning and put His plan into action. At the right time, He bore our sins on the cross and paid our debt! Now we can enjoy eternity in fellowship with God! Jesus is our kinsman redeemer!

Ruth Day 23: Ch 4:1-4

1: Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of who Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

Boaz knew exactly where to find the other redeemer and the other redeemer obliged his request to sit down.

2: And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

Now there’s a party; just kidding! It seems that everyone respects Boaz enough to listen to his request and to wait for him to make his full request known.

3: Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country ofMoab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative, Elimelech.”

The Israelites had a law that family land could not be sold to anyone other than another relatiave. Boaz begins his statement by pointing to the land.

4: “So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

Uh oh. The other redeemer is interested in the land. Boaz has elders watching their interaction so that they would have witnesses.

And we’re going to stop here on this cliffhanger for today. This seems like a wrench in God’s plan, but when we see what happens next, we realize that it was only a little bump that had no effect whatsoever. Oops. I guess it’s not a cliffhanger anymore 🙂

Ruth Day 22: Chapter 4 Overview

Welcome to the last chapter of Ruth! Here we will see what Boaz does and what happens next. We’ll even dive into genealogies at the end of the chapter.

Here is the overview:

Boaz sets up a meeting (vs. 1-2)
Boaz speaks to the other possible redeemer (vs. 3-4)
Boaz mentions stipulation of marrying Ruth (vs. 5)
Other redeemer refuses (vs. 6)
Old custom (vs. 7-8)
Boaz redeems Ruth (vs. 9-10)
Witnesses praise Boaz (vs.11-12)
Ruth and Boaz have a son (vs. 13)
Praise the child redeemer (vs. 14-15)
As unto Naomi (vs. 16-17)
Genealogy of David (vs. 19-20)

As usual, think about what we learn about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz through this chapter. Also notice how God’s plan for our redemption is shown. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at rerouted.blog@gmail.com

Ruth Day 21: Chapter 3 Review

A lot has happened for Ruth in one day. Her mother-in-law puts her up to a scheme to catch the man called Boaz and have him redeem her (through marriage). He accepts and sets the necessary steps in motion.

As usual, it is time for questions and answers!

What happened during the chapter?
What did we learn about Naomi?
What did we learn about Ruth?
What did we learn about Boaz?
What did we learn about God?
How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives?

Tomorrow we’ll review chapter 4 and get an idea of what is to come regarding Boaz’s plans and the redemption of Ruth.

Answers! (They don’t have to be exactly the same)

What happened during the chapter?
Naomi tells Ruth of her plan
Ruth agrees to obey
Ruth obeys what Naomi said
Boaz is surprised
Boaz promises to put the plan of redemption in action
Ruth returns with barley to Naomi
Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz won’t rest until the matter is settled
What did we learn about Naomi?
Naomi is a bit of a schemer and match maker
She understands the rules of a kinsman redeemer
She is looking out for Ruth’s well-being
What did we learn about Ruth?
Ruth is obedient
Ruth is worthy
What did we learn about Boaz?
Boaz is a man of God
Boaz will seek to rectify the problem immediately
What did we learn about God?
God’s plan was in motion before anyone could see it
Boaz implementing the steps to redeem Ruth can remind us of how God set up the steps for our own redemption
How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives? (Your answers may be different)
We can thank God for putting His plan in motion to redeem us
We can tell others of God’s redeeming love
We can know that God is working in our lives, even when we can’t see it

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Ruth Day 20: 16-18

16: And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her.

Spill the details! Ruth fills Naomi in on all that has happened.

17: saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

How could I forget? That’s what I get for not re-reading the chapter before writing yesterday’s post (insert face palm here). The reason that Boaz gave Ruth the barley was so that she would not go back to her mother-in-law empty-handed. It was a signal to Naomi. This answers my question from yesterday about Boaz’s knowledge of Naomi’s involvement. You can always learn something new even when you read something multiple times, especially in regard to the Bible.

18: She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

As we will see in the next chapter, Boaz wastes no time in setting this redemption thing in motion. He goes through the proper channels and redeems Ruth.

This reminds me a bit of the Gospel. For one, Jesus left His home in heaven to come live among men just as Ruth left her home in Moab to live with Naomi in Bethlehem. Jesus also didn’t take His sweet time to plan our redemption. Genesis 3:16 is referred to as the “protoevangelion,” which means “first Gospel.” The plan for our redemption was in motion from the beginning. God wasted no time in getting His plan in motion. When the time was right, Jesus came to earth as a man to take our sins upon Himself and die on the cross, bearing the punishment for our sins. Then He rose from the dead to show His power over death. Now all who believe will be set free and their sins wiped clean! I get excited every time I think about it!

Anyway, I apologize for the error on my part regarding the meaning of the barley. I can’t believe I missed it when it was right in front of my eyes! It’s good to know that our Savior does not make mistakes! God bless and see you tomorrow!

Ruth Day 19: 3:14-15

14: So she lay at his feet until morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

Rumors. If you’ve every watched Veggie Tales, the rumor weed song pops into my head when I think of this. It is to protect her dignity that she leaves before she can be recognized. If you questioned their chastity, she laid at his feet until morning so I’m pretty sure nothing happened. I find it interesting that he says “the woman” here. My Greek and Hebrew are rusty which is why I haven’t brought the languages up during this study, but I am curious as to why Ruth is referred to in this way.

15: And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.

Growing up I used to think that Boaz gave her the barley as an excuse to be out so early in the morning. If anyone were to ask why she was up, she could say that she needed barley for breakfast or something like that. Recently I heard a sermon where the pastor mentioned that it could be because he wanted to give Naomi a sign that he had accepted their request and would get it taken care of that day. My only question regarding this is; did he know that Naomi had put Ruth up to this? On the one hand, Ruth most likely did not know the customs so it would be obvious that Naomi had put her up to this. On the other hand, we are not told of Ruth mentioning anything about Naomi during their conversation. Either way he gifts her with barley

This section is a little short, but still interesting. We see how Boaz looks out for Ruth’s dignity and that both of them were respectful towards one another. Tomorrow we will look at Naomi and Ruth’s interaction that morning.

We should seek to honor one another and to look out for each other’s well-being. We can all guess that temptation was there, but they chose to remain pure. I’m sure that we’ve all faced temptation in whether it be the same as Ruth and Boaz, although most likely a different scenario, or some other temptation. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”