RUTH, BOAZ, AND OBED LIFE POINT: God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. LEADER BIBLE STUDY FAMILY LEVEL OF BIBLICAL LEARNING God s plan is for all family members to work together so that God is honored by their family. BIBLE PASSAGE Ruth 1 2; 4:1-17 UNIT VERSE Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 WEEKLY BIBLE VERSE Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 Did you ever have a lab with a course of study? Maybe you had a chemistry lab or biology lab in college. Have you ever wondered: Where is the lab for learning how to love and respect others? You might answer: Life! That is true, but the better answer may be family. Primarily, we can test love and respect in the context of family life because that should be the safest lab in which to experience the results of respect and disrespect and loving and unloving actions. The story of Ruth is full of examples of love and respect in family life. Naomi respected her husband as he led the family to a foreign land. Naomi showed love and respect for her daughters-in-law by keeping them with her after her sons died. Ruth and Orpah showed love and respect for Naomi by being willing to leave family and home to stay with her. Ruth showed love and respect for Naomi by refusing to leave her and by obeying her strange instructions in a foreign culture: Uncover his feet (Ruth 3:4). Boaz showed love and respect by fulfilling his duties and going beyond cultural requirements. This family respected God by fulfilling their part in His plan. The fruit of their love and respect was Obed, grandfather of King David and forefather of Jesus. Why is family the safest place for children to test the principles of love and respect? How can you communicate how love and respect from others has impacted your life? How does the story of Ruth, Boaz, and Obed highlight the need to love and respect others as a part of loving and respecting God? NOTE: Downloadable versions of items identified as CD are available in the Music and Print Extras Bundle. Items identified as DVD are available in the Digital Video Bundle. SUGGESTED DATE Week of October 28 Training for Bible Studies for Life: Kids is available at ministrygrid.com/web/biblestudiesforlife. Bonus teaching helps and a social media plan are available at biblestudiesforlife.com/kidshelps. 58 Unit 2, SeSSion 4
PRACTICE BIBLE SKILLS Invite kids to play a game called Catch Me If You Can. Their job is to catch you making a mistake in reciting the books of the Bible. Slowly name the books, using the Old Testament Law and History divisions (Genesis Esther). Make mistakes occasionally and watch for kids to catch you. If they are right, award them ten points. If they are wrong, take away five points. Include the following mistakes: adding a book, reversing the order, omitting a book, greatly mispronouncing a book, dropping a final syllable ( Deuteron instead of Deuteronomy ), or changing the beginning letter ( Benesis instead of Genesis ). Refer kids to the Books of the Bible Poster if they struggle with the game. After kids become comfortable playing the game, invite a volunteer to call books. INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY Lead a player to draw a number from the gift bag and match it to the Ways to Show Love and Respect poster. After the player reads the example, invite him to share how he might respond with love and respect. Instruct him to remove the sticky note to find a possible response. (Several answers are possible.) As time allows, invite kids to offer their own examples of times when they need to show love and respect. Mention that in today s Bible story, kids will hear about a family who showed love and respect for one another. MISSIONS EMPHASIS Lead kids to review the Missions in Argentina story. Mention that not all houses in Argentina are equipped with doorbells. It is a common custom to clap to attract the attention of the family living in the house. Suggest kids clap softly as they say sentence prayers related to the Criollo people and the missionaries who love them and minister to them. Pack Item 4: Books of the Bible Poster Option: Allow small groups or pairs to play the game. Guide them to take turns being the reciter and the listener. Pack Item 23: Ways to Show Love and Respect scissors gift bag Cut off numbers 1 15 from Ways to Show Love and Respect and place in the gift bag. 15 sticky notes Cover each answer on the Ways to Show Love and Respect poster with a sticky note. Then display the item on the wall. masking tape Option: Ruth, Boaz, and Obed Coloring Page (CD) International Missions: Argentina (CD) Print the Missions in Argentina missions story. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3 r d & 4t h GRADE 59
STUDY THE BIBLE 1. BIBLE STORY Sing We Are Family (track 4). Point out the Unit 2 Banner and mention that the kids just played a game about good manners which is part of showing love and respect for family and others. Show the Teaching Picture and explain that today s Bible story is about family members who knew how to love and respect one another. Open your Bible to Ruth 1 and tell the story. Pack Items 12, 13: Unit 2 Banner, Unit 2 Verse Teaching Picture 9 CD DVD paper markers bowl 2 sheets of construction paper Write 1 word per sheet: LOVE, RESPECT. Tape each sheet to a wall. 2 sturdy paper plates small strips of brown construction paper (to represent grain) masking tape Tape a start line on the floor. Bible Story: Ruth, Boaz, and Obed Bend, scoop. Bend, scoop. Bend, scoop. The scraps of barley from the field Ruth brought home would feed herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. So all morning long, Ruth followed the harvesters and gathered, or gleaned, the grain they spilled from their bundles. Bend, scoop, bend, scoop. Ruth s story began far from the barley field, in the country of Moab. Ruth and Orpah married two brothers, who were Naomi s sons. Naomi was a widow. Years later both of the sons died. Now the three women were left alone. Naomi decided to return to her homeland, hoping someone would care for her there. Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Where you go, I ll go! she insisted. Together they traveled to Bethlehem when it was time to harvest the barley and where Ruth would bend, scoop bend, scoop the grain to gather enough to make a meal. The barley field belonged to Boaz. He asked his servant, Whose young woman is that? The servant answered, She came with Naomi from Moab. She has worked hard all morning. Boaz told his workers to leave extra grain for Ruth to gather. Then he spoke to Ruth. Stay in my field. Do not go anywhere else to gather grain. My workers will not bother you. Drink from the water jars I brought for my workers. Why are you so kind to me? Ruth asked as she bowed low before Boaz. I heard how you left your home to care for your mother-in-law. May God reward you for what you have done! In time, Ruth became Boaz wife, and they had a son named Obed. Obed grew up and was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of King David. Obed also was an ancestor of Jesus. BASED ON RUTH 1 2; 4:1-17 60 Unit 2, SeSSion 4
LIFE POINT God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. 2. REVIEW Play Mother, May I? with a new twist. Choose one child to be the mother or father. Lead the other kids to line up shoulder to shoulder at a start line. The mother stands at a finish line. Read a Review Question (page 91) to the first person in line. If she answers correctly, Mother tells her how many special steps to take. For example, she might tell her to do two kangaroo hops or one frog leap. The new twist is the mother has to say Please with her instructions. If she forgets, the player who answered the question trades places with her. However, the player also has to respond to the mother with Mother, may I, please? If she forgets, she loses her turn and goes back to the beginning. Play until someone reaches the finish line and kids answer all the questions. Option: Show Ruth, Boaz, and Obed: Bible Story video. 3. LIFE ACTION Give each person a sheet of paper and marker. Direct half the kids to write a way to show love to their family members; the other half, a way to respect their family members. Collect responses in a bowl. Lead kids to draw a paper slip (not their own), determine whether it relates to love or respect, and tape it next to the appropriate Love or Respect sign. Observe that love and respect are closely related. God wants family members to do both. Show Ruth, Boaz, and Obed: Life Action video. Encourage kids to silently thank God for their families. Prompt kids to silently pray and ask God to help them show love and respect to members of their families. 4. UNIT VERSE Read the Unit 2 Verse together. Form two teams. Direct each team to line up behind a start line. Hand the first person in each line a plate of grain (brown paper strips). Stand at the opposite side of the room, ready to listen to kids recite the verse. On your command, the first child should walk carefully across the room, recite the verse to you, and return to hand the plate to the next player. If a child spills grain along the way, he must return to the start line and begin again. Declare the first team to complete the relay as the winner. Commend the kids for showing respect and good sportsmanship to their friends. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3 r d & 4t h GRADE 61
LIVE IT OUT CHOICE 1 Pack Item 17: Huddle Up Gameboard Kids Activity Pages pencils coin 2 game tokens or footballs, such as coins, buttons, or marker tops CHOICE 2 Pack Item 24: Do Over Situations Kids Activity Pages pencils box of assorted household items, such as a basketball, juice box, box of markers, TV remote control, grocery bag of groceries, and men s briefcase or messenger bag CHOICE 1: HUDDLE UP REVIEW Lead kids to complete What Goes Where? on their Kids Activity Pages. If needed, help kids find and copy the lines in each shape. Set out the Huddle Up Gameboard and form two teams. Place each team s token (or football ) on the 50-yard line to begin. Assign each team an end zone. Each team will try to get its football into the other team s end zone. Instruct each team to select a team captain. Guide the captains to stand with you and flip a coin to determine which team will go first. Read a Review Question (page 91) from today s Bible story and from previous Unit 2 Bible stories. If the player can answer correctly, he moves the football ten yards toward the end zone and chooses another player from his team to answer the next question. If a player cannot answer, the ball stays where it is and play shifts to the other team. Remember that teams move the ball in different directions. Ask questions until one team moves the football into the end zone. Declare a Touchdown! and award the team six points. Then place the football on the 50-yard line and shift play to the other team. Congratulate kids for showing respect for the opposite team. Remind kids that God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. CHOICE 2: DO OVERS Lead kids to complete What Goes Where? on their Kids Activity Pages. If needed, help kids find and copy the lines in each shape. Remind kids that God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. Lead kids to work in pairs or trios. Assign each small group a Do Over Situation. Encourage each group to use the props to plan a skit about the situation on the card. Explain that kids will act out the situation and then pause before acting out a solution that shows love and respect. Allow time for rehearsal. Encourage each group to act out its situation without including a solution to the problem. Then instruct the actors to freeze in place where they are. While the actors freeze, lead the rest of the group to discuss ways to handle the situation that show love and respect. Then lead the actors to finish the skit and show their solution. 62 Unit 2, SeSSion 4
LIFE POINT God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. CHOICE 3: PLATES OF GRAIN Lead kids to complete What Goes Where? on their Kids Activity Pages. If needed, help kids find and copy the lines in each shape. Provide each child with a plate and permanent marker. In the middle of their plates instruct kids to write in large letters the words, Love and Respect. Guide kids to allow the marker to dry for a few seconds before touching it. Direct kids to use cotton swabs to cover the first letter with a thick layer of glue and add grain to it. Lead kids to add glue and grain one letter at a time until they cover the words. Kids may choose to use a variety of grains, make each letter a different grain, or make all of the letters the same. As kids work, discuss how they can show love and respect to their families. Include some of the phrases from the Ways to Show Love and Respect game they played in the Introductory Activity. Remind kids that God wants family members to show love and respect for one another. CHOICE 3 Pack Item 23: Ways to Show Love and Respect Kids Activity Pages pencils large plastic or foam plates (1 per person) several grains (wheat, barley, oats) cotton swabs glue permanent markers Note: Check with parents about any potential exposure allergies. WRAP UP Remind kids that Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz loved one another and cared for one another, just as God wants us to. Pray, asking to God to show kids daily how they can love and respect their family members. Give kids One Conversation pages. Plans for Postcards Mail the Hope to see you! Postcards (005806086) to all kids on your roll as well as visitors. Encourage kids to look up the Unit Verse, Psalm 95:6, and begin to memorize it. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3 r d & 4t h GRADE 63