FELLOWSHIP GROUPS

 – SUMMER 2002 JUN 11/13

THE BOOK OF RUTH: ‘LIFE-STORY : LIFE-VALUES’

IMPORTANT BACKGROUND: TO RUTH CHAPTERS 3 AND 4

GOD’S GOOD LAWS:

The OT law is often misunderstood as God’s stringent demands on his people. Rather it is to be seen as his fatherly instructions and guidance for the good and welfare of the people he has chosen in love and redeemed and made his own in a committed covenant relationship. The laws are his fatherly guidance for their protection and preservation.

In the next two weeks’ passages, we must have a clear understanding of two of those ‘good laws’ for his people’s protection, or we shall totally misconstrue what is happening. And then we will completely fail to discern the good values to be found in the actions and events of this chapter.

THE LEVIRITE LAW (‘Levir’ means brother-in-law) – God’s fatherly instructions for the protection of a childless widow, and for the preservation of her family line. If a man died before his wife bore him a son to be his heir, the man’s brother or nearest kinsman was to marry her and have a son by her to be heir to his dead brother, to inherit his property, carry on his family line and secure the future of the widow and her whole family. There are such good things in the intentions of this law.

THE REDEEMER LAW – God’s fatherly instructions for the ensuring that a family who fell on hard times and were forced to sell their inheritance in the Promised Land, did not permanently lose it and so have no means of support. It was the obligation of the nearest kinsman to buy back (redeem) the sold inheritance for his family members, to secure their future and rescue them from poverty. That man was called the ‘Kinsman redeemer’, the go’el.

Behind all this lies a strong sense of family solidarity – a solemn duty to care and protect one another. And underlying this is sense of love and duty to both the family, to the Lord who redeemed his people and gave them all an inheritance in the land. The law is obeyed and followed out of a love for the Lord and a love for his fellow people.

All this is the background to the events of Ruth 3 and Ruth 4.

RUTH 3: SECURING RUTH’S FUTURE

• THE STORY
• Discuss together your understanding of what is going on in this chapter.

(the Levirite law should help you. And so should the following questions)

• NAOMI’S CONCERN AND HOPE

Naomi, buoyed up and given hope by the events of chapter 2, becomes proactive. The Lord’s guidance of Ruth to a Kinsman has brought hope

• What is Naomi’s great concern?

(How does this tie up with her attitude seen in 1.8 –13?)

Is it a selfish concern or altruistic?

How is her concern linked to the basic ingrained concerns for family obligations that lie behind the Levirite law.

• What is Naomi’s plan? What do you think of it?
• How might you misunderstand Naomi’s plan (and Ruth’s actions) if you had no knowledge of God’s Levirite law??)

3.5-15: RUTH’S GRACIOUS COMPLIANCE

 (Remember Boaz was certainly far older than Ruth, 3.10)

• What do Ruth’s actions and attitude tell you about her? What is revealed about her character in this chapter?
• What might the reaction of a young woman like her have been? (3.10)
• What do you think motivated her to agree to being part of the Levirite customs?

 (How does her compliance authenticate her vow made in 1.16-17?)

What sort of things make a woman today be called ‘noble’ or ‘worthy’ (as Ruth is said to have been, 3.11?)

3.8-15: THE GOODNESS OF BOAZ

(remember, Boaz is not the next of kin and so legally was under no obligation to Ruth or Naomi.)

• How does Boaz come over in this chapter?
• From the passage, what can we see motivates him to be so very ready to act for Ruth and Naomi although he’s under no obligation?

3.15-18: NAOMI – NO LONGER ‘EMPTY’

 Compare 1.21 and 3.16

• How has Naomi’s lot changed?
• who has brought about the change?

• THE VALUES
• Discuss together the picture you get from this chapter of the ideals of family support and care that God had for his people in the Old Testament. What values come across?

Then talk about ‘family’ in today’s society. Do we have anything to learn? Have we lost anything? Is it possible in our very different society to follow the sort of family care and support shown as God’s OT ideal?

 Are you at all challenged by the family values shown here?

• What other important values come over in this week’s passage?