1. What preparations does Boaz make in order to speak to Ruth’s kinsmen redeemer in verses 1-2?
Boaz goes up to the gate of the town to wait for the kinsmen redeemer. He also gathers 10 elders of the city for witnesses.
2. What do these preparations say about Boaz?
These preparations show the business side of Boaz. He's very prepared and straight forward. He's a law abiding man. He gets witnesses and also gives the kinsmen redeemer the choice to redeem it first as required, instead of trying to take matters in his own hands.
3. What does the Bible say about preparation from the following verses and why is it important to prepare?
Genesis 41:34-36: Joseph correctly interprets Pharaoh’s
dream and there's seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Since Joseph made appropriate
preparations, there was food for the Egyptians and neighboring cities. Preparation for our physical
needs is a wise thing to do.
Proverbs 21:31: The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Even though God controls the outcome, it's not an excuse to prepare for things in life. Preparing for a natural disaster would be wise even though we don't know the outcome.
Matthew 25:1-13: Parable of the Ten Virgins: five out of the ten virgins weren't ready when the bridegroom returned. We must also be spiritually prepared for Jesus when He comes.
4. When in your life have you felt the most prepared? Why? When have you felt the least prepared? Why?
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5. How would you describe the manner in which Boaz presented his case to the kinsmen redeemer in verses 3-5?
Boaz leaves out Ruth when he first speaks to the kinsmen redeemer. He first offers the land and then secondly adds Ruth. The bible doesn’t answer why Boaz presents his case in this manner but it's very interesting. When Boaz speaks, he is very direct and in a clear way makes sure that the witnesses are always aware of what's being presented.
6. Upon hearing the news of Ruth, the kinsmen redeemer refuses to complete redeem Ruth and states his reason in verse 6. How are we like the first kinsmen redeemer?
The kinsmen redeemer rejects the deal because it could hinder his inheritance to his family. Unfortunately, we can be like the kinsmen redeemer when we choose not to do the right thing. In other words, he didn't want to share his inheritance if he had a son with Ruth. We too can be selfish and think of ourselves.
7. In verse 11, the elders pray that the Lord make Ruth like Rachel and Leah. What does this verse mean? Read Genesis 29:32-35 and Genesis 30: 22-24.
Both Rachel and Leah were barren for a while before the Lord allowed
them to conceive. Their
children along with children from Jacob’s two maid servants built up the 12
tribes of Israel. Ruth was also barren up until this point
but had not taken matters into her own hands like many of us try to do when things
don't go our way.
8. What type of legacy has Ruth established by looking at verse 15? What type of legacy do you want to leave behind?
Ruth was so good to Naomi that it was compared to having more than seven
sons! Ruth left a legacy of love, commitment, trust, faith, and kindness with her
relationships with Naomi and Boaz.
9. What changes have occurred with Naomi and Ruth's situation from Ruth chapter one to chapter 4?
In the beginning, the ladies suffered a great misfortune with the loss of their husbands in foreign land and had to work an uphill battle since then. The ending of Ruth 4 is a happy ending because we see that these women have overcome by staying obedient to God. They're blessed with a kinsmen redeemer and a son. Despite the rocky start at the beginning, God turned misfortune in Naomi’s and Ruth’s lives into a blessing.
10. Read:
How can we learn to trust God like Naomi and Ruth did when things look bad at the beginning?
It's important that we don't develop an attitude of complaining like the ancient Israelites. Over and over again, God provided and protected them. Our time frame is not the same as God’s. We need to look at things with an eternity perspective. We may not realize that the things we are experiencing now may be something for the future generations. We learn to trust God because we know that in an eternal perspective, God’s plan will prevail.
11. Have you ever experienced a blessing out of a tragedy? Share a story.
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12. Which person (Ruth, Naomi or Boaz) do you relate to the most?
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We pray this Bible Study on Ruth has blessed you.