roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God (Leviticus 23:14). A storm or plague of insects could destroy the crop before the harvest could be completed, so it required faith to give God everything and trust Him to provide for one s needs. At the end of the harvest, in response to God s provisions, the people were to give a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord had given them (Deuteronomy 16:10). After the destruction of the Temple as a place of offerings, the focus of Shavuot shifted from agriculture to the Torah. In the same month as Shavuot, God had given the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1), so Shavuot has become a time to renew one s commitment to God and His Word. Even today, it is customary for people to stay up all night to study and discuss Torah in observance of Shavuot. The Book of Ruth is traditionally read on Shavuot because it takes place during the harvest season. Further, the book describes Ruth as a foreigner from Moab who made a commitment to the people, culture, and God of Judaism. Her commitment serves as a reminder for all to renew their faithfulness to God and His Word. Finally, Ruth s conversion and marriage resulted in God s blessing as she became the great-grandmother of King David, placing her in the lineage to the Messiah. Our narrative in the Book of Ruth begins during a time of famine in the land of Judah. Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons departed from Bethlehem for the land of Moab to live for a while (1:1). Bethlehem means house of bread and suggests a fertile land, but apparently the bread basket of Judah was empty at the time. Elimelech died in the foreign land, and his sons married Moabite wives, Ruth and Orpah. Then the sons died too, leaving the three women as widows. Naomi heard that the Lor d had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them (1:6), so the three women set out for Bethlehem. Leaving Moab 1. The events of the book of Ruth occur In the days when the judges ruled (1:1). Ruth s marriage to Boaz is a blessing bestowed on each for their faithfulness to God. How does Judges 21:25 summarize the moral climate of the time? In what ways did Ruth and Boaz live in contrast with the values of society? Is it possible to live a godly life in the midst of a selfish, sin-saturated society? 2. Naomi urged Ruth and Orpah to go back to their parents (Ruth 1:8) and Orpah obeyed. Naomi told Ruth: your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods (1:15) but Ruth responded, Your people will be my people and your God my God (1:16). Ruth s commitment to God meant leaving behind her homeland, friends, family, culture, and religion. Put 2
yourself in Ruth s place. What would you have done? What lessons can we learn from Ruth about our decision to follow God? Write out your own affirmation of commitment to God as a way to honor Shavuot. Returning to Bethlehem 3. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she told her friends not to call her Naomi, which means pleasantness, but to call her Mara, which means bitterness. Naomi s misfortune had made her empty and bitter. Trace Naomi s progression from despair to hope by describing her actions and attitudes in the following passages. Passage Action/Attitude Result Ruth 1:20 21 Ruth 2:19 20 Ruth 3:1 2 Ruth 3:3 4 Ruth 3:16 18 Ruth 4:13 16 4. Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning (1:22). In the Mosaic Law, God instructed landowners not to be selfish, but to remember the poor during the harvest season. What provision did God make for people such as Ruth? (See Leviticus 19:9; 23:22; and Deuteronomy 24:19.) What does this tell you about God? 5. Boaz expressed a genuine concern for Ruth s well-being (2:8 9). Read Ruth 2:1 23 and list the ways that Boaz protected and provided for Ruth. 3
The Kinsman-Redeemer 6. When Ruth returned home with a generous portion of grain to show for her efforts and leftovers from her mid-day meal with Boaz, Naomi revealed that Boaz was one of our kinsman-redeemers (2:20). A kinsmanredeemer was the next of kin. According to the following verses, what were the duties of a kinsman-redeemer? Leviticus 25:25 Leviticus 25:47 48 Numbers 35:20 21 Deuteronomy 25:5 10 7. Naomi instructed Ruth on how to approach Boaz to ask him to fulfill his duties as a kinsman-redeemer (3:1-4). After Boaz went to sleep at the threshing floor (a public place where others would have protected their grain piles by sleeping near them), Ruth uncovered his feet. When Boaz awoke, she made her request known: Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer (3:9). In Hebrew, the word corner can also be translated as wings. Compare Ruth 2:12, where Boaz prayed that Ruth would be blessed by God, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Read Psalms 36:7; 57:1; and 91:4. What concept or quality of God is conveyed by this expression? 8. For a man to spread his outer robe (like wings) over a woman was a legal and symbolic gesture that indicated he intended to provide for the needs of the woman as his wife. Boaz agreed to serve as Ruth s advocate before the closer relative. If the rightful kinsman-redeemer refused to marry her, Boaz promised to do so. Initially, the kinsman-redeemer agreed to purchase the land, but why did he change his mind (Ruth 4:5 6)? 9. Boaz said to Ruth: All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character (3:11). In the Hebrew Bible, the sequence of books places Ruth after the book of Proverbs, so Ruth becomes a real-life example of a woman of noble character as described in Proverbs 31:10 31. Compare the following verses and note some of the qualities that Ruth demonstrated. 4
Proverbs Ruth Proverbs 31:10 Ruth 3:11, 4:15 Proverbs 31:15 Ruth 2:18 Proverbs 31:17 Ruth 2:6 7 Proverbs 31:23 Ruth 4:1 3 Proverbs 31:31 Ruth 3:11, 4:11 12 10. The Book of Ruth indicates that both human decisions and God s providence play a significant role in the course of individual lives and human history. Which two instances mentioned God s intervention (1:6 and 4:13)? Also, what does Nahum 1:7 say that might summarize the theme of the Book of Ruth? Something to Think About Childless widows, such as Ruth and Orpah, usually returned to the home of their parents (Genesis 38:11; Leviticus 22:13), but Naomi s godly character must have impressed her daughters-in-law because both of the young widows set out with Naomi (1:7) and both initially refused to go back (1:8). Consider in what ways your own character is an example to others. What areas would you like to improve? Who has influenced you? Why? Extra Credit Although God promised His people His blessings for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:2), sometimes personal loss and economic difficulty will occur in life. Ruth and Naomi persisted in their faith despite their suffering. Faith in God goes beyond what God can do for us. Habakkuk 2:20 3:19 is also read on Shavuot. Describe Habakkuk s attitude toward God in Habakkuk 3:17 19. Personalize your own faith and circumstances right now using Habakkuk s words as a model. Sources Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, How Firm A Foundation, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 1997. Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal, The Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1997. F. B. Huey, Jr., Ruth, Expositors Bible Commentary, Zondervan Reference Software, 1989 2001. John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2000. Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. 5