Ruth and Boaz

As a family, read Ruth 3-4.  Afterwards, share the following family discussion.

What Happened?

This is the story of a Moabite woman named Ruth who left her family, her country, and her country’s idols because she wanted to be identified with God’s land and God’s people.  She had chosen to place her trust in the God of Israel.

A wealthy, influential man named Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the workers in his barley field.  On that same day, Ruth was gleaning the leftover grain from the fields so that she and Naomi, her mother-in-law, would have food to eat.  She “happened” to select a field belonging to Boaz.

When Boaz noticed Ruth, he asked his foreman who she was. The foreman told him that Ruth was the Moabitess who came back with Naomi; she had asked permission to gather leftover grain. Boaz had heard about her kindness to Naomi and spoke graciously to Ruth, letting her know that she could continue to stay with his servant girls and gather grain throughout the harvesting season.

Upon returning home, Ruth told Naomi about Boaz’s kindness. Naomi praised Boaz for his kindness, telling Ruth that he was their close relative. A short time later, Naomi instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor to let Boaz know that she wanted him to be her kinsman-redeemer. This term referred to a close male relative who could act on behalf of a family member in need, rescuing or delivering them from whatever trouble they were facing. Ruth did as Naomi had instructed her, and Boaz told her that he would follow God’s directions for a kinsman-redeemer and do what he could to make that happen.

Later that same day, Boaz obtained the right to redeem Naomi’s husband’s property and acquire Ruth as his wife. Boaz was willing to obey God’s instructions concerning a kinsman-redeemer, and in doing so, he obtained God’s blessing in ways he could not have imagined.  He would become the great-grandfather of David, the future king of Israel, as well as one of the ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is this important to us today?

The book of Ruth is an incredible story of how God rewarded a family for their faithfulness and obedience to God. Ruth and Boaz were married.  In God’s time He sent them a son named Obed.  He had a son named Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David who would become one of Israel’s greatest kings.  Through King David would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ who is the King of kings. Ruth’s faith allowed her to be of great significance in Israel’s history as well as in the history of the world. Because of her faithfulness, she was used by God to further His plan for the world – she was blessed and became a blessing to both Jews and Gentiles.

The story of Ruth is a great reminder that it is our faith that both pleases God and blesses our lives. Every day you make hundreds of decisions. Some of them, like what you eat for breakfast or what you wear, might not have a huge impact on your life. However, some of the decisions you made today were more significant. Maybe you had to decide whether you would trust God to solve a problem or take it into your own hands. Or, maybe you chose to be honest when you could have lied and stayed out of trouble. But the biggest decision you’ll ever make is to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Spend a few minutes talking about what you just read by answering these questions together:

What decisions brought Ruth the honor of being the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus? In what ways was Ruth’s life changed because she decided to place her faith in the God of Israel?  What decision have you made this week that made your faith stronger? What decision could impact others to have faith in Christ? 

How can we better follow God this week?

Faith and obedience to God can change your life!  When you faithfully follow Him, your life will be blessed, and you’ll be a blessing to the people around you.  How can you better follow Jesus and faithfully obey Him this week? Take turns sharing situations in which you each need to trust God. What decisions are family members facing this week? How does your faith in Christ affect those decisions?

God sent Jesus to save a world full of sinners. This may be the perfect time for you to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your life. Have you done that? If you have, remember to trust God with whatever He brings into your life.