Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
I love Naomi's words at the close of chapter three: For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today. That is such a contrast to the usual assurance of deliverance ...sometimes it seems God's favorite words are things like 'in due season' or 'soon' or 'in the fullness of time' or some other such thing that really doesn't tell us when we can expect Him to show up. Oh, we know He WILL show up...but we seldom know when to expect Him. And, in all honesty, Ruth and Naomi had no real idea of when to expect redemption, either. The guy who was nearer kin than Boaz did not appear to be in a hurry to do any redeeming. But things had changed subtly; Ruth had requested redemption of Boaz and he declared that he would put the guy into a position of either redeeming the inheritance or allowing him to redeem it. Naomi understood he meant 'today'.
And Boaz did mean that very day. He left the threshing to take care of it. He went to the city gate, the place where all transactions that needed legal witnesses took place. When the guy who was ahead of him in the redemption line came through the gate, Boaz called him over and asked him to have a seat. Since this was the place for legal business, there were always city elders there at the gate and Boaz collected ten in a group and asked them to come sit with him, too.
Now he had official witnesses for what was going to transpire. First, he mentioned the property that Naomi had to sell... Elimelech's inheritance. "I thought I would bring the matter to your attention," Boaz said, giving the fellow the benefit of the doubt that just perhaps he was not aware of the situation. This would scarcely be news to any of them; Boaz was being polite. The kinsman-redeemer should already have acted on the issue, but he had not. By collecting the witnesses, Boaz placed the fellow in the position of having to act...at that moment.
First, the guy replied that he would buy the property. Fine. But Boaz pointed out...in the presence of the witnesses...that redeeming the property would also entail taking Ruth as a wife in order to raise up a son to inherit that property, in accordance to what was termed the 'levirate law' (see Deuteronomy 25: 5- 10). The first son born to Ruth from that union would be counted as a descendant of Elimelech.
Now the fellow states plainly that that won't work for him as it might endanger his own inheritance. I'm going to do a little guessing here and guess that this guy had no sons of his own to inherit after him...or, at least, he didn't at that time. If he did not, then Ruth's son would not just inherit the property from Elimelech, but could possibly also inherit his and he didn't want to risk that. So he formally declined to redeem the property, and gave his sandal to Boaz to indicate that Boaz now had the right of redemption.
Y'all, this is a wedding now...and we don't even see the bride. Boaz declares to the witnesses that he:
1) has bought all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon from Elimelech's widow, Naomi
2) has acquired Ruth as his wife, in order to maintain the property as the inheritance of Elimelech, in his name, so that the name of Elimelech will not disappear from the town records.
The elders who were the official witnesses agreed that these things were true, then spoke blessings over Boaz and Ruth. At that point, all Boaz had to do was pay Naomi for the property and take Ruth home as his wife. There wasn't an engagement period; there wasn't a wedding feast. Under the law, Ruth was his wife the moment he redeemed the property.
But Boaz's duty...Ruth's duty...was actually to raise a son to inherit that property. And, in the course of time, Ruth did indeed become pregnant and give birth to a son, and Naomi became his nanny. The gloom of Naomi's life had broken; now she had something she had never had...a grandson (do you not think it significant that 'Obed' means 'Worshiped?'). And the only time 'love' is mentioned is in verse 15: '[Obed] will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For you daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.' There's a little commentary note in my Bible that says 'Ruth requited with marriage'...but, not intending to belittle Mr. Scofield, I believe Ruth's real reward wasn't marriage...it was a son. That meant she had a future and a legacy.
And what a legacy...the last verses trace the linage of Obed, from Perez (whom Tamar bore to Judah, as noted in verse 12) down through to David...who we know became a man after God's own heart and the king of all Israel.
One thing I'd like to point out, though...I've heard teaching in odd places about how things must've gone badly for Obed and/or Jesse. By David's time 'son of Jesse' was not exactly high praise. The implication was that either Obed or Jesse had squandered the inheritance of Boaz, since Boaz had been a man of means and property and respect. But remember...Obed did not inherit Boaz's property! I believe Boaz had older sons who inherited his property; there was no risk to his inheritance by marrying Ruth. Obed inherited Elimelech's property, and that was passed down to Jesse.
I don't mean to cast this whole transaction as cold business and duty! Ruth respected and honored Boaz, Boaz honored and respected Ruth. And in many ways that is a much better foundation for a marriage than the heat of passion that passes for love in our society. They were working together to fulfill an an ancient law, and that work required a lifetime: raising a son to be an heir.
Closing Thoughts: Notice verses 9 & 10 use the past tense of the verb! Boaz says "I have bought... I have also acquired..." The money had not yet changed hands, but the transaction was considered done. Ruth and Naomi were still at home, wondering what was going to happen, and it was already done. Now, think of the things that God has put in the past tense for us...phrases like 'you have been set free' (Romans 6:22), 'Christ accepted you' (Romans 15:7), 'God...has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ' (Ephesians 1:3); 'God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms' (Ephesians 2:6); '...by his wounds you have been healed.' (1 Peter 2:24); 'His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness...'(2 Peter 1:3); just for example. How would my life change if I really, really understood what God has already done on my behalf?
Ruth is also a study in submission; we see Ruth submitting to Naomi and to Boaz, but she has entrusted her life to the God of Israel. To modern American women, this kind of submission is the equivalent of emotional death. Yet it is a picture of the submission we are all to display (not just women, by the way) to the working of God in our lives. In what areas am I still trying to 'do it my own way' or 'get my fair share (of happiness, of respect, of...whatever)? Am I really willing to trade the legacy God intends for me to leave for the opportunity to have it my way? How do my thought patterns need to change in order for me to choose the legacy/inheritance?
I'll have a little follow-up on this study next week...thanks for sticking with me through it!
Showing posts with label Blogging Bible Study: Ruth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging Bible Study: Ruth. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ruth: Lesson 3
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
NOTE: I am indebted to Angie Smith for sharing insights on threshing in her blog this week. If you haven't read Bring the Rain, be sure to drop by, and click on the archives to read the story from the beginning. You will be awed and humbled and moved. Make sure you've a box of Kleenex handy...
Redemption Requested
Ok, I'll freely admit this is the most difficult chapter of Ruth to discuss. To our modern thinking, it is just plain weird. But as Mr. Scofield points out in the footnotes on this passage, all of it has to be 'interpreted in the light of the customs of that day,' and none of those customs involved romance or seduction. It was all about the inheritance.
Naomi, of course, was the catalyst. She knew the customs, and she knew her family. And she'd watched Ruth follow Boaz's workers around to all the fields and taken note of the treatment she received from him. She could see that he was an honorable man, and she knew what that would mean...that he would recognize his duty as well as Ruth's. So after the harvest was done, when it was time to thresh the grain, she sat Ruth down and had a little heart-to-heart chat with her. Here was a chance for Ruth to have a place, and provision, for the rest of her life. Also, Elimelech's name and inheritance would go to the first son Ruth bore to Boaz. Naomi's instructions were, as bizarre as they sound to us, an honorable way for Ruth to request that Boaz redeem her and her deceased husband's inheritance. Ruth agreed; dressed and perfumed herself and went down to the threshing floor.
The threshing floor is a place of separation...grain from chaff; what is valuable from what is worthless. But it is also a place of celebration. The harvest is gathered, and the goodness is collected. There is feasting. And Boaz feasted. Verse 7 says that he had 'finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits.' The men slept at the threshing floor to guard and protect the harvest (although how much protection a bunch of guys who had eaten and drunk themselves into 'good spirits' would really be is kind of open to speculation), and Boaz found himself a spot at the far end of the grain pile...a rather secluded spot that worked well for Ruth's purpose.
I honestly do not know if there is a custom associated with uncovering his feet, or if that was just the way Ruth got his attention. Because if you're sleeping soundly and your feet get uncovered and chilly, you'll wake up. Boaz woke up...and found a woman at his feet!
Ruth immediately asked him to spread the corner of his garment over her. He was a kinsman-redeemer, and he had the right to do that. Protecting her, protecting the inheritance.
Boaz is even more impressed with Ruth. (Note that he calls her 'my daughter' again...). By 'this kindness' he speaks of her willingness to do whatever needs to be done to secure the inheritance for her family. She could have left Naomi and gone after a young husband to suit herself, but she did not. She could have kept her commitment to Naomi for the rest of Naomi's life, then pursued her own agenda. But she raised her own level of commitment; instead of just being committed to Naomi, now she is committed to Naomi's family. She went to the one who could maintain the lineage of the family she had married into. Boaz recognized and respected that. The whole village had been impressed with Ruth's character.
But wait...there's a slight problem...Boaz is NOT the closest relative. He cannot just take her as wife; the other fellow must have an opportunity to do so first. But he promised Ruth that, one way or another, she would be redeemed. If the other guy wasn't willing, Boaz would take care of it.
So she stayed at his feet till morning, and arose before dawn to return to Naomi. Boaz didn't want any hint of scandal; so he sent Ruth away very early, but he filled her shawl with barley to take back to Naomi.
Naomi was no doubt waiting for her to return; she may not have even gone to sleep. When Ruth came in, Naomi wanted to know what happened. Naomi could not have been happier... the grain was a good will gift, and she recognized that things were in motion now to bring about a resolution to their situation. One way or another, the inheritance would be redeemed...and Ruth would be redeemed as part of that inheritance.
As Angie pointed out in her post, it is significant that this took place on the threshing floor...the place of separation. If Ruth is going to commit herself raising up an heir, she will not marry some young dashing fellow her own age; she will be bearing children to a man old enough to be her father. Yes, she was giving up something; make no mistake. She had begun to give up those things when she decided to follow Naomi and dedicate her life to her service; now that service meant going as wife to Boaz. The winnowing of her heart was completed here. But when that chaff was blown away, she was left with what was good: a place of blessing; a place of honor; a place in the lineage of kings.
Closing thoughts: How highly do I esteem the inheritance? Do I esteem it enough to make it a priority in my life? In what ways do I go to my Redeemer and ask Him to spread the corner of His garment over me? Am I willing to go to the threshing floor and allow my motives to be winnowed? What might that entail?
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
NOTE: I am indebted to Angie Smith for sharing insights on threshing in her blog this week. If you haven't read Bring the Rain, be sure to drop by, and click on the archives to read the story from the beginning. You will be awed and humbled and moved. Make sure you've a box of Kleenex handy...
Redemption Requested
Ok, I'll freely admit this is the most difficult chapter of Ruth to discuss. To our modern thinking, it is just plain weird. But as Mr. Scofield points out in the footnotes on this passage, all of it has to be 'interpreted in the light of the customs of that day,' and none of those customs involved romance or seduction. It was all about the inheritance.
Naomi, of course, was the catalyst. She knew the customs, and she knew her family. And she'd watched Ruth follow Boaz's workers around to all the fields and taken note of the treatment she received from him. She could see that he was an honorable man, and she knew what that would mean...that he would recognize his duty as well as Ruth's. So after the harvest was done, when it was time to thresh the grain, she sat Ruth down and had a little heart-to-heart chat with her. Here was a chance for Ruth to have a place, and provision, for the rest of her life. Also, Elimelech's name and inheritance would go to the first son Ruth bore to Boaz. Naomi's instructions were, as bizarre as they sound to us, an honorable way for Ruth to request that Boaz redeem her and her deceased husband's inheritance. Ruth agreed; dressed and perfumed herself and went down to the threshing floor.
The threshing floor is a place of separation...grain from chaff; what is valuable from what is worthless. But it is also a place of celebration. The harvest is gathered, and the goodness is collected. There is feasting. And Boaz feasted. Verse 7 says that he had 'finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits.' The men slept at the threshing floor to guard and protect the harvest (although how much protection a bunch of guys who had eaten and drunk themselves into 'good spirits' would really be is kind of open to speculation), and Boaz found himself a spot at the far end of the grain pile...a rather secluded spot that worked well for Ruth's purpose.
I honestly do not know if there is a custom associated with uncovering his feet, or if that was just the way Ruth got his attention. Because if you're sleeping soundly and your feet get uncovered and chilly, you'll wake up. Boaz woke up...and found a woman at his feet!
Ruth immediately asked him to spread the corner of his garment over her. He was a kinsman-redeemer, and he had the right to do that. Protecting her, protecting the inheritance.
Boaz is even more impressed with Ruth. (Note that he calls her 'my daughter' again...). By 'this kindness' he speaks of her willingness to do whatever needs to be done to secure the inheritance for her family. She could have left Naomi and gone after a young husband to suit herself, but she did not. She could have kept her commitment to Naomi for the rest of Naomi's life, then pursued her own agenda. But she raised her own level of commitment; instead of just being committed to Naomi, now she is committed to Naomi's family. She went to the one who could maintain the lineage of the family she had married into. Boaz recognized and respected that. The whole village had been impressed with Ruth's character.
But wait...there's a slight problem...Boaz is NOT the closest relative. He cannot just take her as wife; the other fellow must have an opportunity to do so first. But he promised Ruth that, one way or another, she would be redeemed. If the other guy wasn't willing, Boaz would take care of it.
So she stayed at his feet till morning, and arose before dawn to return to Naomi. Boaz didn't want any hint of scandal; so he sent Ruth away very early, but he filled her shawl with barley to take back to Naomi.
Naomi was no doubt waiting for her to return; she may not have even gone to sleep. When Ruth came in, Naomi wanted to know what happened. Naomi could not have been happier... the grain was a good will gift, and she recognized that things were in motion now to bring about a resolution to their situation. One way or another, the inheritance would be redeemed...and Ruth would be redeemed as part of that inheritance.
As Angie pointed out in her post, it is significant that this took place on the threshing floor...the place of separation. If Ruth is going to commit herself raising up an heir, she will not marry some young dashing fellow her own age; she will be bearing children to a man old enough to be her father. Yes, she was giving up something; make no mistake. She had begun to give up those things when she decided to follow Naomi and dedicate her life to her service; now that service meant going as wife to Boaz. The winnowing of her heart was completed here. But when that chaff was blown away, she was left with what was good: a place of blessing; a place of honor; a place in the lineage of kings.
Closing thoughts: How highly do I esteem the inheritance? Do I esteem it enough to make it a priority in my life? In what ways do I go to my Redeemer and ask Him to spread the corner of His garment over me? Am I willing to go to the threshing floor and allow my motives to be winnowed? What might that entail?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Ruth: Lesson 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
Chapter 2: Gleaning
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleainings...leave [it] for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. -- Leviticus 19:9 - 10
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the works of your hands -- Deuteronomy 24:19
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." -- Ruth 2:2
Remember, Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. That was not pure chance, nor was it just a random thing that the first field she went to...which was obviously a large field as it required a team of workers to harvest it...belonged to a man named Boaz, who is described in verse 1 as 'a relative on [Naomi's] husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing.' I also believe he was in his mid to late 40's; based not only on his position but also on the way he speaks about and to Ruth, whom I believe was probably still in her teens.
I have heard the story of Ruth referred to as a romance, a love story...but the plain truth is there is not one drop of evidence that romantic love played any part in this story whatsoever. There is respect, there is honor, there is favor, but the only love mentioned is the love Ruth had for her mother-in-law. Ruth went to the fields because it was a legitimate way for her to provide for herself and her mother-in-law; she asked permission to glean from the workers, and she worked steadily but wisely, resting when she needed to.
Bethlehem was a small town and Naomi's return was News. However, despite the fact that Naomi declared she came back empty, the townspeople had noticed (and obviously discussed) Ruth. Boaz had already heard her story and been impressed by it...not only had Ruth demonstrated remarkable loyalty and care, but his family had been the beneficiary of her dedication. In appreciation and, I think, as an intentional expression of the grace of 'the God of Israel, under whose wings [she had] come to take refuge,' Boaz blesses Ruth with both protection and provision:
He instructed her to glean only in his fields, and he had given his men instructions not to touch her; she would be protected in his fields (no small thing in those rather lawless times).
He told her to drink from the water provided for his workers.
He provided her lunch along with his workers; she received a portion too large for her to eat and carefully took the rest back to Naomi.
He instructed his men to leave extra grain lying for her to pick up, and to allow her to get grain wherever she wanted to...even to pulling it from the sheaves they had already bound.
The marginal note in my NIV indicates that when Ruth had threshed out the grain she had gathered, she had about 3/8 of a bushel...based on Naomi's reaction, that was quite a bit for just picking up what was left ungathered the first time. Naomi recognized that Ruth was receiving some preferential treatment. With a practical mind, she noted that Boaz, who was being so kind, was one of their kinsman-redeemers. That is, he was a relative close enough that he could purchase and hold the property of Elimelech and raise up a son in his name to inherit it, so that the family line and inheritance would remain intact.
So, following the instructions of both Boaz and Naomi, Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz for the rest of the barley harvest and on through the wheat harvest, staying with his servant girls in the fields. Boaz no doubt kept an eye on her, and noted that she came and worked regularly and with diligence to provide for herself and her mother in law. Need I say it...she was seen.
"Gleaning" is the practice of picking up that which was overlooked, dropped, leftover or forgotten but yet has value. Ruth gleaned in the barley and wheat fields, but I believe there was more gleaning going on here. She herself may have felt overlooked, dropped or forgotten. In a foreign land, caring for a sad older woman with little hope of any kind of future, she was doing what she needed to do to survive. Like the leftover scrap clay used in the plaque I posted yesterday, her purpose seemed to be missed. But the Master Potter had a different plan, and was creating something unique. Even though the fiery trial caused what looked like a fatal crack, the Father knows how to apply the glue that mends and restores.
Gleaning is hard work; it is not something that gets any kind of accolades or reward. It's an invisible sort of task. But God knows how to bring favor even to someone who is laboring invisibly; Ruth did nothing unusual...but she did it willingly and uncomplainingly and without worrying about how *she* was going to be fulfilled. And THAT was what proved her character to those in the area.
Once her character was proven, she was in a position to receive a greater blessing than she had ever considered.
Closing thoughts: What tasks are before me, that I can undertake with the attitude of Ruth, in order to prove my character (or, *im*prove my character, as the case may be)? What around me has been overlooked, dropped, leftover or forgotten that I can recover and restore to its purpose? Where do I need to trust God to recover and restore what appears to be broken and hopeless in my own life?
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
Chapter 2: Gleaning
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleainings...leave [it] for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. -- Leviticus 19:9 - 10
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the works of your hands -- Deuteronomy 24:19
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." -- Ruth 2:2
Remember, Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. That was not pure chance, nor was it just a random thing that the first field she went to...which was obviously a large field as it required a team of workers to harvest it...belonged to a man named Boaz, who is described in verse 1 as 'a relative on [Naomi's] husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing.' I also believe he was in his mid to late 40's; based not only on his position but also on the way he speaks about and to Ruth, whom I believe was probably still in her teens.
I have heard the story of Ruth referred to as a romance, a love story...but the plain truth is there is not one drop of evidence that romantic love played any part in this story whatsoever. There is respect, there is honor, there is favor, but the only love mentioned is the love Ruth had for her mother-in-law. Ruth went to the fields because it was a legitimate way for her to provide for herself and her mother-in-law; she asked permission to glean from the workers, and she worked steadily but wisely, resting when she needed to.
Bethlehem was a small town and Naomi's return was News. However, despite the fact that Naomi declared she came back empty, the townspeople had noticed (and obviously discussed) Ruth. Boaz had already heard her story and been impressed by it...not only had Ruth demonstrated remarkable loyalty and care, but his family had been the beneficiary of her dedication. In appreciation and, I think, as an intentional expression of the grace of 'the God of Israel, under whose wings [she had] come to take refuge,' Boaz blesses Ruth with both protection and provision:
He instructed her to glean only in his fields, and he had given his men instructions not to touch her; she would be protected in his fields (no small thing in those rather lawless times).
He told her to drink from the water provided for his workers.
He provided her lunch along with his workers; she received a portion too large for her to eat and carefully took the rest back to Naomi.
He instructed his men to leave extra grain lying for her to pick up, and to allow her to get grain wherever she wanted to...even to pulling it from the sheaves they had already bound.
The marginal note in my NIV indicates that when Ruth had threshed out the grain she had gathered, she had about 3/8 of a bushel...based on Naomi's reaction, that was quite a bit for just picking up what was left ungathered the first time. Naomi recognized that Ruth was receiving some preferential treatment. With a practical mind, she noted that Boaz, who was being so kind, was one of their kinsman-redeemers. That is, he was a relative close enough that he could purchase and hold the property of Elimelech and raise up a son in his name to inherit it, so that the family line and inheritance would remain intact.
So, following the instructions of both Boaz and Naomi, Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz for the rest of the barley harvest and on through the wheat harvest, staying with his servant girls in the fields. Boaz no doubt kept an eye on her, and noted that she came and worked regularly and with diligence to provide for herself and her mother in law. Need I say it...she was seen.
"Gleaning" is the practice of picking up that which was overlooked, dropped, leftover or forgotten but yet has value. Ruth gleaned in the barley and wheat fields, but I believe there was more gleaning going on here. She herself may have felt overlooked, dropped or forgotten. In a foreign land, caring for a sad older woman with little hope of any kind of future, she was doing what she needed to do to survive. Like the leftover scrap clay used in the plaque I posted yesterday, her purpose seemed to be missed. But the Master Potter had a different plan, and was creating something unique. Even though the fiery trial caused what looked like a fatal crack, the Father knows how to apply the glue that mends and restores.
Gleaning is hard work; it is not something that gets any kind of accolades or reward. It's an invisible sort of task. But God knows how to bring favor even to someone who is laboring invisibly; Ruth did nothing unusual...but she did it willingly and uncomplainingly and without worrying about how *she* was going to be fulfilled. And THAT was what proved her character to those in the area.
Once her character was proven, she was in a position to receive a greater blessing than she had ever considered.
Closing thoughts: What tasks are before me, that I can undertake with the attitude of Ruth, in order to prove my character (or, *im*prove my character, as the case may be)? What around me has been overlooked, dropped, leftover or forgotten that I can recover and restore to its purpose? Where do I need to trust God to recover and restore what appears to be broken and hopeless in my own life?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Ruth: Lesson 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
Imagine for a bit that you are a woman of the tribe of Reuben about a thousand years before the birth of Christ. You...and perhaps some companions...have a walking trip you must take. Early in the morning, you make your way from your home near the Moab border west to the road that comes up from Moab and heads North. With the sun coming up behind you, the early summer day promises to be lovely, and, when you reach the road, you decide to stop and rest just a bit and have a snack of raisins and roasted grain and a drink from the water sack before continuing your journey.
Sitting under a gnarled tree, by a large rock, munching slowly on your provisions, you are not seen by the three women coming up the road from the south. An older lady, with two young women, all in mourning garb, are moving slowly but with purpose along the road, small bundles strapped to their backs. Suddenly, they seem to realize that they have left Moab and are now in Israel, and they stop to confer. You cannot make out what they're saying, but they are obviously distressed. The older woman speaks, and points back down the road the way they came. Both younger women shake their heads, and the sound of weeping reaches you as they clasp the hands of the older woman, one on each side. The older woman rather abruptly shakes her hands free, and points back towards the south, and, although you still cannot make out what she is saying, you can detect the hard bitterness in her voice. One of the young women takes a step backwards, looking into the face of the older woman for a moment. Then, she begins to weep anew as she kisses the older woman sadly. She glances at the other young woman, who shakes her head slightly. The first young woman nods and squeezes the hand of her contemporary, and, with tears streaming down her face, turns reluctantly towards the south and heads back whence she came.
The other two women watch her for a moment in silence, then the older woman turns back to her companion and gestures back towards the south again. But this young woman shakes her head resolutely and speaks firmly. A slight shift in the morning breeze brings one phrase to your ears, 'Where you go, I will go....' When she stops speaking, the older woman looks at her intently and the young woman does not flinch under her gaze. The older woman nods once and, without speaking, turns her face toward the north and resumes her journey. The younger woman looks back south at the retreating figure and lifts one hand in a gesture of farewell, then rubs her hand across her face to wipe the tears away and turns to follow the older woman, hurrying her steps just a bit to walk beside her. They do not speak as they go over a slight rise and out of sight.
Although the book is named for Ruth, it is much a story of Naomi as it is of Ruth, especially in the first chapter. Naomi has been ten years away from her home, and she's lost her husband and then her sons. There is no mention of how they died; it has always struck me as odd that both her sons, who would have yet been young men, should die in an apparently very short time period. If it was an illness, it was odd that none of the women seemed to contract it. It seems likely that the young men died in an accident of some sort, but there's no way to tell. A now childless widow in a foreign land, she had no protection/provision at all where she was and, when she heard that the famine that provoked them to move to Moab had ended, she decided to return home. The daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, were likely living with her and helped her make the small preparations for the journey...probably selling what they could not carry with them and paying off any debts. They obviously took very little for the journey that would take them up the east side of the Dead Sea, across the Jordan, and west-southwest to Bethlehem.
There's no mention of how far the three women traveled together; at some point Naomi realized what the younger women would give up if they went with her. Perhaps she remembered how she felt, moving to a strange nation among people of strange customs. Or, perhaps in her bitterness she did not want the obligation of providing for them. Whatever her thoughts, she exhorted them to go back to their own people and find new husbands...and a future. Orpah, released from the obligation to care for her mother-in-law, decided to obey her wish. Ruth, however, refused to leave. In a beautiful little speech that is often quoted in weddings, she declared her intention to stay with Naomi all her life.
Naomi, however, did not recognize yet what Ruth was. When she arrived in her hometown, the folks there were astonished at her return. But Naomi did not even want them to call her by her name ('Pleasant'). Instead, she wanted them to call her 'Mara' ('Bitter'). 'I went out full' she told them, 'but the LORD has brought me back empty.' In typical human fashion, she put all her calamity down as God acting against her, personally. 'The Lord has afflicted me,' she lamented, 'The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.'
But standing silently beside her was a treasure whom God had seen and reached into Moab to bring out, because her character would shape a lineage. God's hand was not against them...it was for them. He had a greater destiny for them than they would have seen living in a foreign country, married to men who were content to live away from the land of God's promise. Naomi came back, not empty as she thought, but full of potential and on the brink of seeing God do great things.
It was not chance that brought them back to Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning.
And, close to this same time, in the hill country of Ephraim, was another childless young woman who was beseeching God for a son. Though these women would never meet, the aged son of the Ephraimite would anoint a boy who was the great-grandson of Ruth. The time of 'everyone doing as he saw fit' was drawing to an end. There was a king coming.
But all Naomi could see at that moment was how much she had lost.
Closing thoughts: What negatives am I focusing on in my life, to the point that the blessings God has sent me are not even noticed? What have I gained that I have not even considered worth mentioning? Am I allowing bitterness in any area to prevent me from recognizing treasures God has placed in my life?
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
Imagine for a bit that you are a woman of the tribe of Reuben about a thousand years before the birth of Christ. You...and perhaps some companions...have a walking trip you must take. Early in the morning, you make your way from your home near the Moab border west to the road that comes up from Moab and heads North. With the sun coming up behind you, the early summer day promises to be lovely, and, when you reach the road, you decide to stop and rest just a bit and have a snack of raisins and roasted grain and a drink from the water sack before continuing your journey.
Sitting under a gnarled tree, by a large rock, munching slowly on your provisions, you are not seen by the three women coming up the road from the south. An older lady, with two young women, all in mourning garb, are moving slowly but with purpose along the road, small bundles strapped to their backs. Suddenly, they seem to realize that they have left Moab and are now in Israel, and they stop to confer. You cannot make out what they're saying, but they are obviously distressed. The older woman speaks, and points back down the road the way they came. Both younger women shake their heads, and the sound of weeping reaches you as they clasp the hands of the older woman, one on each side. The older woman rather abruptly shakes her hands free, and points back towards the south, and, although you still cannot make out what she is saying, you can detect the hard bitterness in her voice. One of the young women takes a step backwards, looking into the face of the older woman for a moment. Then, she begins to weep anew as she kisses the older woman sadly. She glances at the other young woman, who shakes her head slightly. The first young woman nods and squeezes the hand of her contemporary, and, with tears streaming down her face, turns reluctantly towards the south and heads back whence she came.
The other two women watch her for a moment in silence, then the older woman turns back to her companion and gestures back towards the south again. But this young woman shakes her head resolutely and speaks firmly. A slight shift in the morning breeze brings one phrase to your ears, 'Where you go, I will go....' When she stops speaking, the older woman looks at her intently and the young woman does not flinch under her gaze. The older woman nods once and, without speaking, turns her face toward the north and resumes her journey. The younger woman looks back south at the retreating figure and lifts one hand in a gesture of farewell, then rubs her hand across her face to wipe the tears away and turns to follow the older woman, hurrying her steps just a bit to walk beside her. They do not speak as they go over a slight rise and out of sight.
Although the book is named for Ruth, it is much a story of Naomi as it is of Ruth, especially in the first chapter. Naomi has been ten years away from her home, and she's lost her husband and then her sons. There is no mention of how they died; it has always struck me as odd that both her sons, who would have yet been young men, should die in an apparently very short time period. If it was an illness, it was odd that none of the women seemed to contract it. It seems likely that the young men died in an accident of some sort, but there's no way to tell. A now childless widow in a foreign land, she had no protection/provision at all where she was and, when she heard that the famine that provoked them to move to Moab had ended, she decided to return home. The daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, were likely living with her and helped her make the small preparations for the journey...probably selling what they could not carry with them and paying off any debts. They obviously took very little for the journey that would take them up the east side of the Dead Sea, across the Jordan, and west-southwest to Bethlehem.
There's no mention of how far the three women traveled together; at some point Naomi realized what the younger women would give up if they went with her. Perhaps she remembered how she felt, moving to a strange nation among people of strange customs. Or, perhaps in her bitterness she did not want the obligation of providing for them. Whatever her thoughts, she exhorted them to go back to their own people and find new husbands...and a future. Orpah, released from the obligation to care for her mother-in-law, decided to obey her wish. Ruth, however, refused to leave. In a beautiful little speech that is often quoted in weddings, she declared her intention to stay with Naomi all her life.
Naomi, however, did not recognize yet what Ruth was. When she arrived in her hometown, the folks there were astonished at her return. But Naomi did not even want them to call her by her name ('Pleasant'). Instead, she wanted them to call her 'Mara' ('Bitter'). 'I went out full' she told them, 'but the LORD has brought me back empty.' In typical human fashion, she put all her calamity down as God acting against her, personally. 'The Lord has afflicted me,' she lamented, 'The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.'
But standing silently beside her was a treasure whom God had seen and reached into Moab to bring out, because her character would shape a lineage. God's hand was not against them...it was for them. He had a greater destiny for them than they would have seen living in a foreign country, married to men who were content to live away from the land of God's promise. Naomi came back, not empty as she thought, but full of potential and on the brink of seeing God do great things.
It was not chance that brought them back to Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning.
And, close to this same time, in the hill country of Ephraim, was another childless young woman who was beseeching God for a son. Though these women would never meet, the aged son of the Ephraimite would anoint a boy who was the great-grandson of Ruth. The time of 'everyone doing as he saw fit' was drawing to an end. There was a king coming.
But all Naomi could see at that moment was how much she had lost.
Closing thoughts: What negatives am I focusing on in my life, to the point that the blessings God has sent me are not even noticed? What have I gained that I have not even considered worth mentioning? Am I allowing bitterness in any area to prevent me from recognizing treasures God has placed in my life?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Syllabus: Ruth
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Ok, here we go...
For my first attempt at an on-line study, I decided I'd kind of go with the flow of the Wife of Noble Character and look at a book that focuses mostly on women: Ruth.
Plus, Ruth is a very short little book, so it'll be a good pilot study.
Anyway, here's the Syllabus for our little walk through Ruth:
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
One of the things I love about Ruth is that it is a relief to the dismal book of Judges that precedes it. When I was teaching the 'through the Bible in six years' curriculum, Judges and Ruth were almost always put together in one quarter's study...which meant that we ended the quarter on the upbeat of Ruth instead of the downbeat of Judges.
The time period for Ruth is just given as 'when the judges governed'. But, kind of doing some mathematical guesstimation, I'm going to place David's father, Jesse, as a contemporary of Samuel's sons, which means Obed would be more or less a contemporary of Samuel, which means the bulk of the book of Ruth likely took place when Eli was the high priest/judge of Israel. We know from the early pages of 1 Samuel that this was a very corrupt time in the land; 1 Samuel 3:1 says 'the word of the LORD was rare.' The end of the book of Judges does not indicate any leader for the nation prior to Eli; it just says 'everyone did as he saw fit' (Judges 21:25) (aside: there's a sermon in that phrase....).
So, it is in this rather bleak, spiritually dry environment that the events recorded in the book of Ruth take place. It's interesting to note that Ruth is a turning point; things happen in Ruth that are seeds of change for the whole nation.
So...grab a four color pen, or your study guide, or whatever and dig into Ruth along with me! We'll hopefully all learn something.
Ok, here we go...
For my first attempt at an on-line study, I decided I'd kind of go with the flow of the Wife of Noble Character and look at a book that focuses mostly on women: Ruth.
Plus, Ruth is a very short little book, so it'll be a good pilot study.
Anyway, here's the Syllabus for our little walk through Ruth:
Ruth: A Blogged Bible Study
Beerlahairoi.blogspot.com
Syllabus
5/20/08 Introduction
5/27/08 Chapter 1: Losses and Gains
6/3/08 Chapter 2: Gleaning
6/10/08 Chapter 3: Redemption Requested
6/17/08 Chapter 4: Redemption Manifested
One of the things I love about Ruth is that it is a relief to the dismal book of Judges that precedes it. When I was teaching the 'through the Bible in six years' curriculum, Judges and Ruth were almost always put together in one quarter's study...which meant that we ended the quarter on the upbeat of Ruth instead of the downbeat of Judges.
The time period for Ruth is just given as 'when the judges governed'. But, kind of doing some mathematical guesstimation, I'm going to place David's father, Jesse, as a contemporary of Samuel's sons, which means Obed would be more or less a contemporary of Samuel, which means the bulk of the book of Ruth likely took place when Eli was the high priest/judge of Israel. We know from the early pages of 1 Samuel that this was a very corrupt time in the land; 1 Samuel 3:1 says 'the word of the LORD was rare.' The end of the book of Judges does not indicate any leader for the nation prior to Eli; it just says 'everyone did as he saw fit' (Judges 21:25) (aside: there's a sermon in that phrase....).
So, it is in this rather bleak, spiritually dry environment that the events recorded in the book of Ruth take place. It's interesting to note that Ruth is a turning point; things happen in Ruth that are seeds of change for the whole nation.
So...grab a four color pen, or your study guide, or whatever and dig into Ruth along with me! We'll hopefully all learn something.
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