Thursday Bible Study

 It's Naomi who raises the possibility of marriage for Ruth. Traditionally, Jewish parents would arrange marriages for their children, including their widowed daughters-in-law. Naomi knows that there are 'guardian-redeemers' in their extended family, who can buy back Elimelek's property, provide for the widows, and continue the family line. Now that it seems like LOVE has developed between Boaz & Ruth, Naomi plans to make that happen. She is opportunistic. The issue is with how she plans to bring these two together...   In verses 2-4 what main thing is Naomi's plan hinging on? There are all sorts of ideas around what's going on here. What could be read into this part of the story? Particularly, what is going on in verse 4? What do you think of Naomi's plan? Why would you agree or disagree with it? If you were Naomi, how would you have approached this matter of marriage between Ruth and Boaz? Looked at from one angle, it could be seen that there is nothi...

 In some countries, laws have been enacted allowing aged parents to claim 'maintenance' from their children. For example, in Singapore, the 'Maintenance of Parents Act' gives neglected or abandoned parents the legal means to force their well-off children to support them financially. In ancient Jewish society, there was a similar thing in place in the Mosaic law. It said that a well-to-do relative, known as a 'guardian-redeemer' or 'kinsman-redeemer' was to help a destitute family member. The 'guardian-redeemer' is one of the main themes and central focus of the book of Ruth. In verse 20, how does Naomi respond to Ruth's news? The Hebrew word hesed is used in the Old Testament to talk about God's covenant faithfulness and loving-kindness. How do we see this playing out here in Ruth's story? How is Boaz described, by Naomi, in verse 20? Combined with what we already know about Boaz, what does this tell us? [Activity] The 'guardian-r...

 Gleaners would have to work really hard for really long hours, if they wanted to be able to gather enough grain to feed themselves and their families. They lived day-by-day, and hand-to-mouth. Quite often they would have to glean in multiple fields each day, because unscrupulous land-owners would prevent them from gathering or they would make sure they harvested every little bit of grain, so there was none left over... Why do we read that Ruth gleaned diligently in Boaz's field from morning to evening? What else does Ruth's diligence do? We're told that Ruth gleans "an ephah" of barley grain. That's about 13 kilograms! That's at least half a month's wages worth of food! How has Ruth, alone, collected so much? Ruth's abundance of food is the result of Boaz's abundance of kindness. In verse 14 we're told that Boaz invites her to eat from his table. Why is this significant? In the New Testament, in James 4:6, it says "Grace given is gr...

 After a big fire, forest rangers began to assess the damage. One ranger found a hen literally petrified in the ashes, perched statuesque on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked it over with a stick.  Three tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother's wings. It turned out, the loving mother, keenly aware of the impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings. When the blaze arrived and the heat scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live... [Read Ruth 2:11-12] After Boaz notices her presence in his field, then enquired about her, and then offered her his protection, Boaz now tells Ruth what he knows about her... Verse 11 echoes of Genesis 12, where Abraham leaves his home in Ur, even though he did not know where he was going. By comparing Ruth to Abraham, what is Boaz ...

 In his book, 'What's so amazing about grace?', Philip Yancey tells about a conference where experts from all over the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith... The experts began to eliminate possibilities. Incarnation? Resurrection? But other faiths tell of deities that appeared in human-form and that returned from death. This debate went on for quite some time, until the theologian and philosopher, C S Lewis joined the discussion. When he was told what the debate was about, he replied "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." Do you agree with C S Lewis? Why or why not? Ruth prayed that she could glean in a field where she would find favour or grace. As a widow and a foreigner, Ruth basically have no rights or claim on anyone. How would you define 'grace'? How does it apply here to this part of Ruth's story? In Ruth 2:8, Boaz calls Ruth "my daughter". What could that tell us? Why is this significant? Boaz knows th...

 There is a truth that we all know... The kind of boss we have affects our work attitude. How do we see the example of God's timing in Ruth 2:4? It appears that Boaz gets to meet Ruth "by chance". Do you believe in coincidence? Why or why not? Looking back over your own life, how can you discern God's hand in those events? Boaz does something very unusual for landowners of that culture and time. Boaz greets the workers first .  What does this tell us about the character of Boaz? How do the workers respond to Boaz's greeting and treatment of them? Boaz also does something else unusual, in this scene... He pays attention to who else in in his field. He takes notice of the strangers and the poor. What else can we 'glean' from the information we're given about Boaz in 2:5? What is emphasised in Ruth 2:6? Why does this seem to be important to the author? Although Jewish Law gives her the right to glean in the fields, Ruth doesn't presume to. What does ...

 Most civilised societies have their own versions of welfare programmes to help feed the poorest members of their society... Judaism was no exception. Check out Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22, and Deuteronomy 24:19-22. What was the reasons behind leaving the edges and 'left-overs' of their fields? God's solution to hungry stomachs involves the generous hearts and open hands of God's people. We're told that 'in the days when the judges ruled' (Ruth 1:1) and when 'everyone did as they saw fit' (Judges 17:6)... what implications could this have on the poor? How can Christians today apply this law to help the poor in our midst? In verse 2, Ruth hopes to go to the fields and pick up the left-over grain. How does Ruth know that this is even a Mosaic provision? Why does Naomi not go and glean in the fields? How do we see Ruth trusting in Yahweh to protect and provide for her and her mother-in-law? Who's field does Ruth find herself in and how is this signific...