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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Book of Ruth

This is seven parts, although on one big post. 
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3
  • Chapter 4
  • Summary

The following quote is from a friend's Facebook status which caused this study.
Hey Brothers, if all she does is come to church looking pretty and has no worship life in her; she can't be your Ruth. 
Ladies if he's too cool to shout and praise God; he can't be your Boaz.
Here is some of the stuff i have found.

INTRO ~
This book can be divided out into four main parts by chapters:
  1. Ruth Deciding      or Love's Resolve
  2. Ruth Serving        or Love's Response 
  3. Ruth Resting        or love's Requests
  4. Ruth Rewarded    or Love's Reward
There are always many ways you can go with this. Four chapters are proven so much stuff, to the story of the kinsmen redeemer which is a foreshadow of our Savior Jesus Christ to the the power to serve. So many aspects in just four chapters i will try to share a few of them because to do all of them would take super long time.  One way to start a study is to look at the main people and the main places then go form there, while this is not exciting this helps see the people.

Our Main People (grandparents to King David):
Ruth -  "friendship" - originally wife of Mahlon, later married to Boaz.
Boaz - "Fleetness" -

Supporting (lesser) Roles:
Naomi - "pleasant"
Mara (Naomi) - "Bitter" - This is how Naomi felt after her husband and sons died.
Elimelech - "God is my king"
Mahlon - "sick" Husband of Ruth, son of Naomi & Elimelch
Chilion - "pining"  Husband of Orpah, son of Naomi & Elimelch
SIDE NOTE - both of her son's names are relating to having an illness 
Orpah - "hind"  Wife of Chilion

Places spoken of:
Bethlehem - "House of Bread". A town in Judah located about six miles southwest of Jerusalem  The birthplace of King David and Jesus Christ.

Moab - "progeny of a father" The region outside of Israel, located south of the Arnon River and east of the Dead Sea. Moab was the son of Lot and was the product of a incestuous relationship between a father and a daughter (Gen 19:31-37). These people were marked because of that.

Into the story we go . . .

CHAPTER 1 ~
This story can not be talked about until the fact that they left God's lands and entered a land full of pagans and idolatry just because of physical circumstance.

Before we get to the main scene there are some leading up events ... Naomi took her husband's and son's death as a personal trouble from God. She tried to discourage the girls from going back into Bethlehem. Chapter one verses 8 - 12 is all about Ruth being discouraged from her mother-in-law to ever enter the place where she will receive her great blessing.  Naomi was being Mara and was working in the flesh! It is important to note while she was being bitter she blessed them (1:8,9) and asked that the Lord deal kindly with them and find rest with their new husband. When she did this, they all wept.

Naomi's discouragement to go with her only worked on Orpah but not Ruth. This section could be called "A Tale of Two Women",  This is interesting in 1:14 where it says "Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her". The word clave means "clung to". This is the equivalent  to touching something versus holding it.  Right after this she is told once again to return to her people. This opens up one of the best loyal comments and the best confessions with Ruth's reply.

  1. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
  2. for whither thou goest, I will go; and
  3. where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
  4. thy people shall be my people, and
  5. thy God my God:
  6. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:
  7. the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 
Wow! What a  seven fold consecration of Ruth! When Naomi decided she was not going to sway Ruth into going to back to Bethlehem then she decided to have Ruth go with her.  Naomi changes her name to Mara ("bitter") and is the second time she has claimed God's judgement on her personally (verse 13 and 20). Modern day terms for verse 20: "call me not pleasant but bitter".

CHAPTER 2 ~
This chapter introduces Boaz! This chapter shows something very interesting about their culture, the tradition was let the harvesters go through once and what ever was left unharvested as a form of welfare for the poor and the widows. They wanted a hand up, not a hand out! I suspect that Naomi directed Ruth to this particular field knowing it belongs to Boaz. Ruth was given very special treatment harvesting. Boaz even told his young men not to touch her, and not to rebuke her. She had the eye of the land owner! She followed what Boaz said and what Naomi said and stayed there the rest of harvest season. Ruth had to spend her time in the field during the harvest! Verse 23 said she stayed loyal and faithful to his field until the harvest was finished.

CHAPTER 3 ~ 
This chapter introduces the kinsmen redeemer custom. Ruth followed a custom and started talking to Boaz about him being able to redeem the land, he takes her up on the offer. Naomi sets this up and Ruth obediently obeys! Boaz reconizes Rtuh's claim to kinsmen redemption.


CHAPTER 4 ~ 
The final chapter has an interesting scene. Boaz calls the elders to the gates of the city, and talks with the anonymous person who is a closer kindsman redeemer than Boaz is. This anonymous redeemer wanted the land but not to fulfill the place of the kinsman (v. 4-6), but Boaz wanted to do it. The reason why the anonymous redeemer refused to mary Ruth is not completely evident but it is thought that he had a wife already and did not want to mar the inheritance, it was not worth more land. Old testament rules state that the child would be counted as the offspring of Mahlon. The old testament rule of the loosed shoe is intersting too, he took a shoe off his foot (both singular) to indicate he was passing on the land.


SUMMARY ~ 
While this study is not too in depth, thats for later,  it gives the characteristics of the people in this little 4 chapter book.  This book shows the grandma of David - who was the least likely candidate through obedience and favor came into her destiny. Chapter one 7 fold decree reveals the heart of Ruth. We cant forget Orpah, who wanted to come over too however she didnt cling like Ruth did.  Ruth declared and decreed she is going!

Back to the original quote ....
Hey Brothers, if all she does is come to church looking pretty and has no worship life in her; she can't be your Ruth. 
Ladies if he's too cool to shout and praise God; he can't be your Boaz.

Ruth  was no doubt dedicated to all she did, the decree she gave Naomi proves this.  Boaz being a righteous man followed through all he should have through out the book of Ruth. This quote is very profound for men and women alike. Ruth quote matches better to the book than the Boaz quote does, however the nature of Boaz is shown, he followed the law of gleaning to the poor, Boaz was for sure more about his commitments than his image.  We can all learn from both of them. 

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