Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications that you can make. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

(I’m not going to suggest that you begin the lesson this week by asking for “mother-in-law stories,” though that could be a very fertile field for discussion, and it would tie in with this week’s lesson on Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi! But you might instead ask:

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“What is your favorite love story?” (Novel, movie, real-life)

One of my favorites is the story of actress Vanessa Redgrave, who played Guinevere in the 1960s musical “Camelot,” and who ended up, later in life, after many ups and downs in life and relationships, marrying Franco Nero, who had played Sir Lancelot in the movie! I just think it’s really neat that they came back to each other in the end in real life — life imitating art!

You/your group can share your own favorite love stories — then make the point: in today’s lesson we start a 2-session study of the Book of Ruth, which conveys one of the great “love stories” of the Bible — and how it fits in to the greatest love story of all: God’s love for us, and how this “little love story” fit into His plan to send the Messiah, Jesus.

CONTEXT:

We’re starting our last two lessons of this quarter, which has focused on the Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. These last two lessons will be from the little Book of Ruth.

Jewish tradition says both Judges and Ruth were written by Samuel, though nothing in the text specifically indicates that — although at the end of the book it points us to several generations of their descendants, leading to David, so it could have been someone like Samuel, who had seen David anointed as King. 

The Book of Ruth takes place some time in the same era as the Book of Judges. Verse 1 begins: “Now it came about in the days when the judges governed (literally “judged”). So these events happened sometime during the timeframe of the Book of Judges, which accounts for  its location right after that book. 

Ruth describes how a man from the tribe of Judah who lived in Bethlehem, Elimelech, went to live in the land of Moab, east of Israel, with his two sons, because there was a famine in Israel. I’d show a MAP indicating where Moab is:

 Elimelech died, and his two sons married Moabite women while they were there. But sadly, those two sons died as well, leaving Elimelech’s widow, Naomi, alone with her two daughters-in-law. She tells them to return to their people, and she will go back to Israel. This brings us to our Lifeway focus passage for this week, which begins in 1:11.

It is significant that Ruth follows right on the heels of Judges. Judges shows a continual downward spiral of God’s people morally and spiritually. But immediately after, we find this little Book of Ruth, that reminds us that even while all this wickedness seem to prevail, God was still working out His plan for the world. That should give us hope today: God is on His throne, and He is still working out His purposes in the world! The Book of Ruth reminds us of that! 

OUTLINE:

I.   Devastating Loss (1:11-13)

II.  Surprising Loyalty (1:14-18)

III. Divine Provision (2:5-12)

TEXT:  Ruth 1:11-18, 2:5-12

I. Devastating Loss (:11-13)

:11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me.” (NASB 1995)

Naomi was understandably devastated by the loss of her husband and both sons. It would be for anyone, and doubly so in a culture in which a woman’s worth was especially tied up in her husband and her children, especially her sons. Now she’d lost all that. It was truly devastating for her.  We see a couple of examples in the text of how Naomi expressed how devastating this was for her:

— In Verse 13 Naomi says (NASB) “it is harder for me than for you.” In Hebrew this expression is “mar,” the word for “bitter.” It’s the word used during the Exodus when the people of Israel tasted the waters, but they were “bitter,” so they called the place “Marah” — from that word for “bitter.” Naomi says here, it is “mar  meod,” “bitter exceedingly for me, from (compared to) you.” (It might be argued whether it was truly that much harder for Naomi than for her daughters-in-law who had just lost their husbands — but the point remains that this is how she FELT! It was a devastating loss.)

— In fact she was so bitter that :20 (which is just outside our Lifeway “focus passage” for this week) says that when Naomi came back to her hometown of Bethlehem, the women greeted her, saying, “Is this Naomi?” but she said ““Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” As with so many Hebrew phrases, there’s a play on words here:

— The name “Naomi” in Hebrew means “pleasant.”

— But “Mara” means “bitter.” 

So she was telling the ladies, don’t call me “pleasant;” I’m not “pleasant,” I am bitter/Mara. And like we often do, she blamed it on God: “for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” (There’s that word “bitter” again.)

So there was a 3-fold emphasis on “bitter” here: “it’s more bitter for me than for you;” just give me the name “Mara” I’m so bitter; the Almighty has dealt very “bitterly” with me.” “Bitter … bitter … bitter.” But you can understand it, with all she had been through.

Naomi also said something here that a lot of people say in their times of loss: “the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me.” I can understand why she felt that way — and isn’t that the way we often feel when things go badly for us? “Oh, God must be against me!” We know from scripture that this is not true. Of course sometimes we sin and suffer for it, but every time we suffer, it is not a direct consequence of our sin. But we all know people who have felt this way. We’ve all likely felt that way at times. 

ILLUSTRATION:

Not long ago I was walking down the hallway in the hospital with a man who’d just been told he had a large brain tumor that would need surgery. I said to him, “You’re in God’s hands.” He said, yeah, and look at me! I tried to encourage him that God would be with him in this, and and to find comfort in Christ — but I understand the feeling. It was devastating news.

We talked about this some a couple of weeks ago, when the angel told Gideon “The Lord is with you,” Gideon, hiding in a wine press for fear of the enemy told the angel, “If God is with us, then why are things this way?” And as we said then, we all probably feel that way sometimes. 

???DISCUSSION/APPLICATION???

Most of us know what it is like to have a devastating loss. You might choose to share some of the devastating losses that you/your group members/people you know, have and are going through:

I would share our family’s experience in 2024: my mother’s husband passed away two years ago almost to this day in August 2024, then my wife Cheryl had her crippling stroke the last day of that month; then my brother-in-law, the beloved uncle of our children, died after a long battle with cancer a few weeks later — then my mother died after complications of surgery that November.  2024 was indeed a devastating time for our family.

I have no doubt that you and your group members will be able to share many examples like this if you choose to. The hurts of this world are many, and they are all around us.

In fact, we really need to remember that we have people in our midst every time we gather at church who have gone through/are going through devastating losses. This world is full of them. The old English Puritans were very insightful into life and application of scripture. One of them, Thomas Watson wrote something that many of us have felt from time to time, maybe often: “We spend our years with sighing,” that this world “is a valley of tears.” 

Many of us have felt that from time to time, more often as we age, and experience physical ailments and losses of friends and loved ones. If you’re young and haven’t experienced these yet, I’m sad to say, before too long you will. That’s not how God created this world, but that’s what man’s sin has brought to it. This world is a “valley of tears;” it is a world of devastating loss. 

There is comfort to be found in the Lord on this earth, as we will see. And one of the surprising ways God would show His love and provision for Naomi was through her daughter-in-law, Ruth, as we see in point II:

II. Surprising Loyalty (:14-18)

:14 “And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back 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. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she [b]said no more to her.” (NASB 1995)

So after Naomi told her daughter-in-laws to leave, one of them, Orpah, kissed her and left. “But Ruth clung to her.” Naomi urged her to follow her example and leave as well. But Ruth would not be dissuaded. She was going to remain faithful to her mother-in-law. 

A. The Surprising Nature of her loyalty

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???
“Why is Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi here so surprising?”

(Answers can include the following:

— Ruth was not Naomi’s daughter, but her daughter-in-law. That’s a huge difference. Many daughters might be loyal to their own mother — but the number is probably somewhat fewer when it comes to mother-in-LAWS! Those relationships are notorious for being strained! 

In Genesis 27:46, speaking of her son Esau’s two wives: “Rebekah said to Isaac, ‘I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?’”
We’ve all heard of some strained mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships over the years. I’ve known of some surprisingly good ones —but strained ones may be more common.

— Ruth was also not even an Israelite, she was from Moab. This is not hidden at all in the Book of Ruth; in fact FIVE TIMES in this book she is referred to as “Ruth the Moabitess.” 

Significantly, Moab was not highly regarded by most Israelites. (There’s a good article on Moab in your Teacher’s Guide this month.) Moab is almost always mentioned in the Bible in a negative way: Moab was named as a nation after the illegitimate son Lot had with his daughter — an inauspicious beginning for them! It was Moab’s King Balak who brought in Balaam to curse Israel. And it was Moab who enticed Israel to sin with Baal of Peor. So Moab had many negative connotations to Israel. 

— And it’s also surprising because Naomi was not well-off. It might be one thing to stay with a mother-in-law who was well-to-do financially, but Naomi was not. She had nothing. 

In light of all this, Ruth’s devotion was very surprising indeed! 

— Additionally, Ruth’s commitment to Naomi is also extraordinary when you see it in the light of Naomi’s bitterness that we talked about in Point I. She was so bitter —can you imagine how very difficult she must have been to live with, carrying and expressing all that bitterness? It wasn’t like she was a joy to be around! The one daughter-in-law may have been pretty relieved to be sent away! And yet Ruth remained faithful to Naomi despite her bitterness. It truly was extraordinary devotion, on many levels.

B. The Expression of her loyalty (:16-17)

Ruth expressed her loyalty to Naomi in these classic words:

“… 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. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

These are some of the most amazing words ever spoken. Many have used them as marriage vows — and they are certainly fitting for it! But I wonder how many of them actually knew they were originally spoken in this context, not of a wife/husband, but to one’s mother-in-law?! It really is an extraordinary expression of faithfulness.

What is especially surprising here is that this great faithfulness was not found in a Hebrew, but in a foreigner, a Moabite, with all the negative connotations that we talked about. In that sense it’s very like Jesus’ story of the “Good Samaritan,” in that it goes against the grain of our prejudices. We’ve heard Jesus’ story so often that we’ve lost the “sting” of the word “Samaritan” that He used. The Samaritans were “half-breeds,” Israel’s despised enemies to the north. For Jesus to make the Samaritan the hero of that story was totally unexpected, and powerful.  (In context for Americans today, it might be something like “The Good Iranian” or “The Good Immigrant,” or something like that! 

We need to realize that the Book of Ruth is very much like The Good Samaritan in that way. This story highlights the faithfulness, and usefulness to God, of a person that most Israelites would have been prejudiced against the moment they heard where she was from!

But this is a theme we find throughout scripture: that God’s plan involves calling people of ALL nations into His kingdom. He brought in Rahab from Canaan; Ruth from Moab; the Treasurer from Ethiopia; the Roman Centurion from Caesarea, and so on. God’s kingdom is open to all who will come to Him in repentance and faith — as we can be very thankful for! 

And what He’s looking for from all of us who come to His kingdom, is this quality of faithfulness, like we see in Ruth.

— Psalm 37:4 “Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”

— I Corinthians 4:2 “It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” 

??? DISCUSSION/APPLICATION QUESTION???
“What are some relationships TODAY where we need to have loyalty?”

(— husband and wife, as we mentioned

— other family relationships. We need to be devoted and faithful to one another as family members: siblings, in-laws, to parents and grandparents, and so on.

— we should be faithful to our friends, not a “fair weather friend”!

— we should be loyal to our employers wherever possible. Be faithful employees

— we should also be faithful church members. Don’t run out at the first sign of trouble. Our church home should truly be a church “family,” that we don’t abandon, but rather are faithful to, in good times and bad.

— Most importantly, we should be faithful to GOD. And know that faithfulness is the #1 thing God is looking for, from His servants. What did the master in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25 say? “Well done, good and FAITHFUL slave …”. God’s not looking for “flash” from His servants — or even “success.” We’re not always responsible for whether something succeeds or not. He’s just looking for faithfulness. Just continue being faithful to what He’s called you to do, and you will be in for a great reward.)

Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man?” Let’s determine to be faithful people, not only with our words, but also in our actions, to our spouse, children, family, friends, employers, to our church — and especially to our GOD!

III. Divine Provision (2:5-12)

:5 “Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 The servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

8 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 stay here with my maids. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 

11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 

So in between where we left off in chapter 1, and 2:5 where the focus passage picks up, Ruth begins “gleaning” from Boaz’ field. “Gleaning” comes from God’s command in Leviticus 19:9-10:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.”

So Ruth, being poor with her mother Naomi, was one of those “needy,” as well as a “stranger,” a foreigner who had come to the land, and she was “gleaning” from what Boaz, as a righteous man, had instructed his servants to leave in the field for the poor. 

Boaz asked about her, and his servant filled him in on who she was, and how she was working. Boaz spoke to her, and gave her free rein to continue gleaning with his maids. Verse 9 says he gave her protection, specifically telling his servants not to touch her (you can imagine how helpless people like that might be abused and taken advantage of), and she could drink from the servants’ water jar. She had found amazing provision here from Boaz. 

And of course, Boaz here serves as a picture of God, and His providence for us as His people. There are pictures like this throughout the Old Testament, which show how God treats us, as His people. This is one of them. When Boaz showed Ruth this kindness, she asked him, “Why have I found FAVOR in your sight?” The word “favor” here is the Hebrew word “chen,” which means “favor,” or “grace.” She found “grace” with Boaz. He didn’t have to treat her the way he did; he was gracious to her, and provided for her and her mother-in-law’s needs.

This is what God has done for us. In our sin and helplessness, God showed us “grace,” “unmerited favor.” Ephesians 2 says we were dead in our trespasses and sins, BUT GOD being rich in mercy made us alive in Christ. It says in :8-9, “By GRACE you were saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Just as Ruth in her trouble found favor in the eyes of Boaz, so we in the depths of our sin found favor in God’s eyes, and we were saved by His grace, through faith in Christ. Make sure that this IS indeed your testimony! 

Now, no illustration is perfect (as the old saying goes: “Don’t make an allegory stand on all fours.”) Every illustration breaks down somewhere. And there is a distinction here: Boaz said in :11-12 that he showed favor to Ruth because of her hard work and her faithfulness. That’s good — but that’s also NOT at all the case with our salvation! We should emphasize here that we are definitely NOT saved by any good work or faithfulness on our part, but ONLY by the grace and unmerited favor of God. 

GRACE ILLUSTRATION:

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet who died in 1834. He was raised as a Christian, but went through many different religious “phases” in his life: Unitarianism, neo-Platonism, pantheism — and he also got addicted to opium and brandy, which plagued him for the rest of his life. He looked like a lost cause. But at the very end of his life, he returned to the orthodox Christian teaching of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. In fact just before his death, he wrote a letter to his godchild, Adam Kinnaird, saying: “The greatest of all blessings, as it is the most ennobling of all privileges, is to be indeed a Christian …. And I, thus on the brink of the grave, solemnly bear witness to you, that the Almighty Redeemer, most gracious in his promises to them that truly seek Him, is faithful to perform what He has promised.”

Now, someone might object: “But Coleridge wasted his life on all these religions, and addictions. Just because he came to faith in Christ at the end, he was saved?” That just shows that that person doesn’t understand salvation by grace through faith. It isn’t based on our works and deeds — thank God — but on God’s grace through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. Ruth may have “earned” Boaz’ favor by her work — but we don’t earn God’s favor by ours! It’s all of His grace, undeserved mercy from God to us in Christ. 

But Boaz is definitely the agent of the Lord here. Through Him, God made provision for Ruth and her family. But there was an even greater purpose that God was providing for here. As we will see next week, Ruth and Boaz would end up being married, and they would have a child, and Ruth 4:17 says “They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” So why is the Bible taking the time to tell the story of this obscure Moabite woman? Because she was David’s great-grandmother, ancestor not only of David and Solomon, kings of Israel, but also as Matthew 1 shows us in the very line of the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself! (Matthew 1:1, 5-6)

So ultimately this is not merely the story of God’s provision for just one obscure foreigner, or even for a king’s family — but of His provision for all the world of the Messiah, His Son Jesus Christ.

A FITTING CONCLUSION to this lesson would be to finish that Thomas Watson quote we shared earlier. Yes, he wrote: “We spend our years with sighing; it is a valley of tears.” but then he ended it: “but death is the funeral of all our sorrows.” 

When Watson says “our,” he means those of us who are Christians. Because of the provision God made for us in Jesus Christ, the God/Man Messiah, the descendant of Rahab and Ruth and David, if we trust in Him as our Lord & Savior, this “valley of tears will not last forever.” No, now for those of us who are in Christ, “death is the funeral of all our sorrows”! Let’s rejoice in that truth, even in our most devastating losses. All of these are only temporary. Very soon, through Christ, death will be the funeral of all our sorrows!

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