[MEST] Ruth 4
We can see that the book of Ruth is a lovely story... a love story. But this can't just be an interlude between the history of Judges and 1 Samuel. So now we must ask ourselves what God's doing behind all this...
[Read Ruth 4]
Boaz was a direct descendant of Judah, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. Jacob gave a prophecy to Judah on his deathbed _ "The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to who it belongs." What does this mean?
Boaz's mom wasn't a Jew, she was Rahab, the first Gentile to love the God of Israel. So, we have a mixed family tree: jamar was raped, Rahab was a Gentile prostitute, Ruth was a Moabite widow. And yet these are the ancestors of Jesus. What could this tell us?
This chapter focuses on 3 people; a bridegroom, a bride, and a baby...
First, the bridegroom...
In Lev. 25:23-34, and Deut. 25:5-10 we see two laws. What are the purposes of these laws? And how do they apply to this story in Ruth?
What is a "redeemer"?
How is Boaz Ruth's redeemer?
And how is Jesus our redeemer?
Now, not just anyone could perform the kinsman-redeemer's duties. It had to be a near kinsman. This was a big problem for Boaz, because someone else in Bethlehem who was closer related to Ruth. How does this parallel to Jesus?
Also, in order for Boaz to become the kinsman-redeemer, he had to be able to pay the redemption price. Ruth and Naomi were too poor to redeem themselves, but Boaz had all the resources needed to set them free. How does this parallel to Jesus?
The kinsman-redeemer had to be willing to redeem. This nearer kinsman wasn't. Why?
From our point of view, salvation is free. But from God's perspective it's a very costly thing. How?
Why take off a shoe? [Gen. 13:17 / Deut. 11:24 / Josh. 1:3]
[Activity]> In the past, we've compared Boaz to Jesus. How else, in this chapter, is Boaz like Jesus?
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Ruth 3
[MEST] Ruth 3
“Serving others brings us the greatest joy and satisfaction”
Up until now, Naomi was solely concerned with herself and her grief, but now we see that her focus has shifted onto Ruth and her future.
[Read Ruth 3]
Naomi and Ruth’s plan has drastically changed from first entering Bethlehem. What were the two plans?
As we’ve looked at before, this story isn’t just a nice warm love story. It’s an illustration of Christ’s relationship to those who trust Him and love Him...How?
[Activity] > The steps that Ruth takes in this chapter reflect on important milestones of our journey in order to have a deeper relationship with God...
Ruth... a] Washed herself
b] Anointed herself
c] Prepared by changing her clothes
d] Prepared by learning how to present herself to him
e] Promised to obey
A W Tozer said, “If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go right on; and nobody would know the difference.” What do you think about this?
So, we have looked at how Ruth prepared to meet Boaz. Now we turn to how she would react to him...
Why didn’t Ruth wait for Boaz to propose to her?
When Boaz asked who she was, Ruth didn’t say she was a “Moabitess”, she said she was the “hand maid” of Boaz. Why?
Read Ezekiel 16:8 and 1 Kings 19:19. What do these verses tell us and how do we link them to this story?
Next we see that, not only did Ruth prepare herself correctly and present herself correctly, she now listens to what Boaz has to say (v10-14). What does this tell us?
In verse 16, Naomi’s question is a bit weird. Our version (TNIV) says, “How did it go, my daughter?” and the Living translates as, “Well...what happened, dear?”. But the Authorised version translates the Hebrew the most literally into, “Who art thou, my daughter?” Why would Naomi, her own mother-in-law, ask Ruth who she was?
In verse 18, Naomi tells Ruth to “wait” or another version says, “sit still”. It could’ve been so easy for Ruth to try and get involved in Boaz’s arrangements and try to hurry the process along, but she doesn’t. What does she do instead and how can we apply this to our relationship with God?
Read Psalm 46:10. What does this mean to you?
“It’s when we serve others that we ourselves receive the greatest joy and satisfaction.” Do you agree with this statement? Share personal experiences...
Do you have trouble waiting on God? How do you control your impatience?
“Serving others brings us the greatest joy and satisfaction”
Up until now, Naomi was solely concerned with herself and her grief, but now we see that her focus has shifted onto Ruth and her future.
[Read Ruth 3]
Naomi and Ruth’s plan has drastically changed from first entering Bethlehem. What were the two plans?
As we’ve looked at before, this story isn’t just a nice warm love story. It’s an illustration of Christ’s relationship to those who trust Him and love Him...How?
[Activity] > The steps that Ruth takes in this chapter reflect on important milestones of our journey in order to have a deeper relationship with God...
Ruth... a] Washed herself
b] Anointed herself
c] Prepared by changing her clothes
d] Prepared by learning how to present herself to him
e] Promised to obey
A W Tozer said, “If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go right on; and nobody would know the difference.” What do you think about this?
So, we have looked at how Ruth prepared to meet Boaz. Now we turn to how she would react to him...
Why didn’t Ruth wait for Boaz to propose to her?
When Boaz asked who she was, Ruth didn’t say she was a “Moabitess”, she said she was the “hand maid” of Boaz. Why?
Read Ezekiel 16:8 and 1 Kings 19:19. What do these verses tell us and how do we link them to this story?
Next we see that, not only did Ruth prepare herself correctly and present herself correctly, she now listens to what Boaz has to say (v10-14). What does this tell us?
In verse 16, Naomi’s question is a bit weird. Our version (TNIV) says, “How did it go, my daughter?” and the Living translates as, “Well...what happened, dear?”. But the Authorised version translates the Hebrew the most literally into, “Who art thou, my daughter?” Why would Naomi, her own mother-in-law, ask Ruth who she was?
In verse 18, Naomi tells Ruth to “wait” or another version says, “sit still”. It could’ve been so easy for Ruth to try and get involved in Boaz’s arrangements and try to hurry the process along, but she doesn’t. What does she do instead and how can we apply this to our relationship with God?
Read Psalm 46:10. What does this mean to you?
“It’s when we serve others that we ourselves receive the greatest joy and satisfaction.” Do you agree with this statement? Share personal experiences...
Do you have trouble waiting on God? How do you control your impatience?
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Ruth 2
[MEST] Ruth 2
Loyalty
"Loyalty" and "Love" are almost the same word in Hebrew. Love that isn't loyal...isn't love. Likewise, God's covenant love for his people means He sticks with us through thick and thin.
[Read Ruth 2]
"Before God changes our circumstances, He wants to change our hearts". Is this true? How can we connect this to the story in Ruth 2? How can we connect this to our individual stories?
What is grace? How do we apply it to Ruth's story? How do we apply it to our own story?
I get the impression that when Boaz saw Ruth, it was love at first sight. Do you agree? Why?
So, if we think that God led Ruth to this particular field, how do we see God working in this scene?
People have compared Boaz and Ruth in this story to Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. Can you think how?
Now, staying on this theme of grace, lets look at the evidence of that grace through the way Boaz related to Ruth...
* Boaz took the initative (v8) >
* Boaz spoke to Ruth (v8) >
* Boaz promised to protect Ruth & provide for her needs (v9, 14-16) >
* Boaz encouraged Ruth (v10-13) >
* Boaz saw to it that she was satisfied (v18 & 18) >
[Activity]>
If we want God to work in our lives and circumstances, and accomplish His purposes, then there are sertain conditions we need to meet. Three of these conditions are illustrated in this 2nd chapter of Ruth. We must live by....
1] FAITH in the Lord >
2] The GRACE of God >
3] In HOPE >
Think about and explain how these three conditions appear in Ruth 2, AND how they apply to us.
The last time we saw Naomi, she was sharing her "bitterness"... now we hear a new word from her lips, "blessed". We have moved from bitterness to blessedness. What's happened? Why the change?
Naomi had hope because of who Boaz was, what Boaz did, and what Boaz had said. How does this show through in this story? How does this relate to Jesus' story?
"When we commit our lives to the Lord, what happens to us happens by way of appointment and not by accident". Do you agree? Give examples from your life.
"One person trusting the Lord and obeying His will can change a situation from defeat to victory". Can you think of examples of this? (Biblical or contemporary)
Loyalty
"Loyalty" and "Love" are almost the same word in Hebrew. Love that isn't loyal...isn't love. Likewise, God's covenant love for his people means He sticks with us through thick and thin.
[Read Ruth 2]
"Before God changes our circumstances, He wants to change our hearts". Is this true? How can we connect this to the story in Ruth 2? How can we connect this to our individual stories?
What is grace? How do we apply it to Ruth's story? How do we apply it to our own story?
I get the impression that when Boaz saw Ruth, it was love at first sight. Do you agree? Why?
So, if we think that God led Ruth to this particular field, how do we see God working in this scene?
People have compared Boaz and Ruth in this story to Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. Can you think how?
Now, staying on this theme of grace, lets look at the evidence of that grace through the way Boaz related to Ruth...
* Boaz took the initative (v8) >
* Boaz spoke to Ruth (v8) >
* Boaz promised to protect Ruth & provide for her needs (v9, 14-16) >
* Boaz encouraged Ruth (v10-13) >
* Boaz saw to it that she was satisfied (v18 & 18) >
[Activity]>
If we want God to work in our lives and circumstances, and accomplish His purposes, then there are sertain conditions we need to meet. Three of these conditions are illustrated in this 2nd chapter of Ruth. We must live by....
1] FAITH in the Lord >
2] The GRACE of God >
3] In HOPE >
Think about and explain how these three conditions appear in Ruth 2, AND how they apply to us.
The last time we saw Naomi, she was sharing her "bitterness"... now we hear a new word from her lips, "blessed". We have moved from bitterness to blessedness. What's happened? Why the change?
Naomi had hope because of who Boaz was, what Boaz did, and what Boaz had said. How does this show through in this story? How does this relate to Jesus' story?
"When we commit our lives to the Lord, what happens to us happens by way of appointment and not by accident". Do you agree? Give examples from your life.
"One person trusting the Lord and obeying His will can change a situation from defeat to victory". Can you think of examples of this? (Biblical or contemporary)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)