Ruth

In examining Ruth it is essential to discuss one difficulty before we begin, the earlier prohibition against Moabites.

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.” (Deuteronomy 23:3 NIV)

Note that the prohibition does not mention marriage. According to the genealogies in Ruth 4, Matthew 1 and Luke 3 Boaz was the eleventh generation after Abraham. Prohibitions against marrying foreigners were not racial segregation, but religious. Many neighboring tribes were of the same ethnicity. Ruth had chosen Israel’s God and He gave her redemption from her ancestor’s sins and her poverty.

Ruth’s Faith

Was faith an important part of Ruth’s life?

“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’ ” (Ruth 1:16-17 ESV)

Was acknowledging God part of Boaz’s and the harvesters’ conversation?

“Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He said to the harvesters, ‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they said to him, ‘May the Lord bless you.’ ” (Ruth 2:4 CEB)

Work for welfare was part of God’s law and so Ruth was permitted to go behind the harvesters to glean any leftovers. What did the foreman tell Boaz?

“She asked if she could pick up grain left by the harvest workers, and she has been working all morning without a moment's rest.” (Ruth 2:7 CEV)

Is there an indication that Boaz was much older than Ruth?

“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here.’ ” (Ruth 2:8 NASB)

Her dedication to her mother-in-law really impressed Boaz. He warned the young men not to treat her roughly, allowed her to drink from his well, share meals with his workers and even bring food home to Naomi. What else did he say to Ruth?

“Boaz answered her, ‘Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.’ ” (Ruth 2:11-12 HCSB)

Did Naomi acknowledge God in her reply to Ruth’s report?

“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘May he be blessed by the Lord, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living or the dead.’ Naomi continued, ‘The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.’ ” (Ruth 2:20 HCSB)

A family or kinsman redeemer was a close relative who had the legal right to inherit land that would pass out of family hands due to the deaths of inheritors. Land was originally divided according to tribe and would ideally stay within the family and tribe. Naomi would die childless.

Ruth’s Proposal

How did Naomi suggest that Ruth propose marriage to Boaz?

“Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:3-4 NIV)

What was Boaz’s response to this proposal?

“ ‘The Lord bless you, my daughter!’ Boaz exclaimed. ‘You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.’ ” (Ruth 3:10-13 NLT)

How discreet were Boaz and Ruth?

“Ruth lay down again, but she got up before daylight, because Boaz did not want anyone to know she had been there.” (Ruth 3:14 CEV)