Ruth: Hope For Troubled Times

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RuthHope For Troubled Times

• Chapters 1 and 2
• Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem

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Announcements
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Judges and Ruth
Week Date Topic
1 07 Dec 11 Overview Judges and Ruth
2 14 Dec 11 Israels Success and Failure Judges 11-25
3 21 Dec 11 Oppression and Deliverance Judges 26-331
4 28 Dec 11 Deborah, Gideon Judges 4-6
5 04 Jan 12 Gideons Success and Failure Judges 71-105
6 11 Jan 12 Jephthah the Judge Judges 106-1215
7 18 Jan 12 Samson and His Exploits Judges 13-14
8 25 Jan 12 Samson and Delilah Judges 15-16
9 01 Feb 12 Auditorium
10 08 Feb 12 A Levite and His Concubine Judges 17-19
11 15 Feb 12 The War with Benjamin Judges 20-21
12 22 Feb 12 Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem Ruth 1-2
13 29 Feb 12 Ruth and Boaz are Married Ruth 3-4
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Todays Objectives

• Provide an overview of the book of Ruth including
  leading characters and places
• Provide historical background and timeline for
  this weeks lesson
• Review historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Ruth chapters 1 and 2
• Understand why Naomis family moved to Moab and
  why Naomi returned to Bethlehem years later
• Explore the way Ruth expressed her loyalty
• Note how Boaz began to meet the needs of Ruth and
  Naomi

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Historical Background

• Unsure who wrote the book of Ruth
• Written around 970-930 B.C. and covered the
  period from 1150-1100 B.C.
• Collapse of the Hittite empire 1180 B.C.
• Period of three Judges - Gideon (1162-1122 B.C.),
  Abimelech (1122-1119 B.C.) and Tola (1119-1096
  B.C.)
• Ramses II (the Great) had conquered Moab
• Depressing period in Israels history
• Great famine in the land (see Ruth 11)
• Spiritual compromise was the norm of Israel
• God sends powerful oppressors to counter
  spiritual compromise

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Hekla III
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Characters in Ruth

• Elimelech
• Native of Bethlehem of Judah
• Moves to Moab with his wife Naomi
• Dies in Moab
• Naomi
• Mother-in-law of Ruth
• Travels back to Bethlehem with Ruth
• Ruth
• Moabite
• The daughter-in-law of Naomi
• First married to Mahlon, who dies, then Boaz
• Becomes an ancestor of Jesus (Matt 15) through
  Obed

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Naomi Moves to Moab, Then Leaves (11-10)

• Historical overview (11)
• In the days of the Judges
• Famine in the land
• Causes a migration of people
• Elimelech moves his family (12)
• From Bethlehem to Moab
• With Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion
• Tragedy occurs
• Elimelech dies and Naomi is left with two sons
  (13)
• Sons marry
• Kilian married Orpha and Mahlon married Ruth
• Both women were from Moab

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Naomi Moves to Moab, Then Leaves (11-10)

• More tragedy
• Naomis sons die
• Naomi and her daughter-in-laws left to fend for
  themselves (15)
• Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem
• Her needs coupled with return of a bounty to
  Israel (16)
• Daughters-in-law determined to return with her
  (17)
• Naomi later orders the two women to return home
  (18)
• Despite the pressure, the two women continue with
  Naomi (19-10)

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Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem (111-22)

• Naomi again asks the women to return home
• Naomi would not be able to provide sons to marry
  (111)
• Naomi laments
• Considered her situation more bitter than the
  other two
• No hope of remarrying
• Attributes her condition to Gods action
• Orpah returns, Naomi and Ruth continue (115-17)
• Ruth makes a vow to her mother-in-law
• Travel, live, worship and die with Naomi
• Ruth calls a curse upon herself if she breaks the
  vow
• Arrival of Naomi and Ruth during the harvest
• Again, attributes here troubles to God (120-21)

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Boaz Takes and Interest in Ruth (21-16)

• Ruth finds work
• Offers to go into the fields and glean (22)
• By chance she arrives in the fields of Boaz (23)
• Boaz was a relative of Elimelech (21)
• Boaz arrives in the fields
• Boaz blesses the workers (24)
• Boaz asks about Ruth (25-7)
• Allows Ruth to stay in the fields (28)
• Told his men not to touch Ruth (29)
• Boaz and Ruth talk
• Boaz recognized Ruths kindness to Naomi (211)
• Recognized Gods blessing upon Ruth (212)
• Boaz ensures Ruth has grain to glean (215-16)

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Naomi Learns of Boazs Kindness (217-23)

• Ruth gleans and then threshed the grain
• 3/5s of a bushel (217)
• Naomi very pleased (218-19)
• Naomi learns that the field belonged to Boaz
  (220)
• Naomi explains to Ruth that Boaz is a relative
• Ruth is unaware of the connection
• Naomi calls Boaz, one of our kinsman-redeemers
  (220)
• Naomi encourages Ruth to continue in Boaz fields
• Safety (221-22)
• Ruth continues working in the fields throughout
  the harvest (223)

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Review

• Provided an overview of the book of Ruth
  including leading characters and places
• Provided historical background and timeline for
  this weeks lesson
• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Ruth chapters 1 and 2
• Learned why Naomis family moved to Moab and why
  Naomi returned to Bethlehem years later
• Explored the way Ruth expressed her loyalty
• Noted how Boaz began to meet the needs of Ruth
  and Naomi