Sunday School Lesson

KID’S CORNER

Noble Birth and Noble Character

August 18, 2019

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

 

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

(Ruth 3:1) Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

As poverty-stricken widows, Ruth worked hard to support her elderly mother-in-law by gleaning wheat and barley in the field of Boaz, a kinsman, a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband, who had died in Moab. Ruth proved herself a good provider by working long hours at gleaning according to the Law of God, and Boaz took notice of her as a virtuous woman who cared for her mother-in-law as though she were her own mother; therefore, Boaz protected her and made certain she took to Naomi more than she could have humanly gleaned in a day. Naomi loved Ruth so much that when Ruth wanted to go to Bethlehem with her to care for her, on the way Naomi told her to go back to her family and find a husband in Moab. Ruth refused, and put her mother-in-law’s happiness and security above her own. She did for Naomi what she would have wanted done for herself had the situation been reversed. So, after Ruth had proved herself so faithful and had won the respect of the whole village, Naomi wanted to help her find a husband in Bethlehem so she would have security in her old age. Naomi chose to apply and follow the Law of God that provided for a widow’s security through a kinsman redeemer should she die childless, for Ruth had no children by Mahlon, the eldest of Naomi’s two sons (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10 for the laws concerning Levirate Marriage).

(Ruth 3:2) “Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.

Boaz was “a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech;” therefore, a kinsman who might qualify as a kinsman redeemer (Ruth 2:1). Boaz was much older than Ruth and the young women that Ruth, as a gleaner, had been working with in the fields. Because Boaz had protected and provided for these women as he would have cared for his own daughters, Naomi knew that Boaz had the moral character to be a good husband for Ruth and possibly a kinsman redeemer for her. Therefore, Naomi devised a plan that would keep Boaz and Ruth from disgrace or embarrassment should Boaz refuse to marry Ruth according to the Law of God. She knew that Boaz was too old to propose marriage to Ruth with decorum, so she planned for Ruth to follow the laws of God and quietly propose marriage to Boaz through a Levirate Marriage.

(Ruth 3:3) “Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

Ruth obeyed her mother-in-law. She washed and anointed herself and put on her best clothes instead of following the ways of the adulterous as described in the Book of Proverbs. Naomi told her not to propose marriage to Boaz in front of others, which might cause embarrassment to them both.

(Ruth 3:4) “It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”

Because Ruth and Boaz were virtuous, Naomi did not tell Ruth to go and lie beside Boaz, which would not have been a marriage proposal. “Feet” is not a euphemism for anything else. By lying down at his feet, Ruth showed Boaz that she was willing to serve him and be his wife, even as she had been serving Naomi as her daughter. Boaz would be able to depend on her as his wife because he had seen how dependable she was to care for Naomi as a gleaner in his field. Naomi planned for Ruth to speak quietly to Boaz about marriage in a way that would not dishonor them before the LORD or others.

(Ruth 3:5) She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”

Boaz was no stranger to Ruth. She knew Boaz had cared for and protected her and he would be a good husband for her. Ruth humbly submitted to Naomi’s request, and she did exactly as she was told to do. Though Ruth’s way of proposal might not be the way our Christian culture would do things (we have no Levirate Marriage laws), Naomi and Ruth did the best knew how under the circumstances obey the Law of God and let Boaz know that they would be blessed and pleased if he would agree to take Ruth as his wife in a Levirate Marriage.

(Ruth 3:6) So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

After a hard day’s work, in the early to late evening when the wind was blowing stronger, they continued their work on the threshing floor. Workers would toss the wheat or barley into the air to separate the grain from the chaff, which the wind would blow away. Among the other young women, Ruth would have hardly been noticed.

(Ruth 3:7) When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.

Though Boaz was a wealthy farmer, he too worked at threshing and became exhausted. That night, he gave a feast to all his workers. After celebrating, rather than go back to Bethlehem at that late hour, he found a comfortable place to sleep with the grain as a mattress. Ruth did as Naomi told her.

(Ruth 3:8) It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.

Something startled Boaz awake and when he turned over, he discovered a woman at lying at his feet. Ruth revealed herself to Boaz in the purest way possible under the circumstances and for good reasons.

(Ruth 3:9) He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.”

When he asked who she was, Ruth identified herself by name and indicated that she considered herself his servant, not his equal; therefore, by lying at his feet she symbolically bowed before him as a servant would bow down at the feet of his or her master. “Spread your cloak over your servant” was her way of making a marriage proposal. Would he marry her and grant her security as his wife? Her reason for proposing to Boaz was because they were “next-of-kin,” which meant that they were related through Mahlon, her deceased husband. When she used “next-of-kin,” Boaz knew what she wanted. Would Boaz follow the Levirate Marriage laws and marry her?

(Ruth 3:10) Then he said, “May you be blessed of the LORD, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

Boaz blessed her for the way she had humbly presented herself to him at his feet and had proposed. He blessed her because she had not run after the young men who were harvesting his grain hoping that one of them would take notice and want to make her his wife. He called her his daughter, because that is the way he had treated her and had protected all the young women working for him. She had shown herself loyal to the LORD and to Naomi, and all Bethlehem knew her virtues. Boaz spoke of her kindness in her willingness to become his wife in Levirate Marriage even though he was old. Her kindness was an even better instance of loyalty than the way she had worked so hard to care for Naomi and herself. Ruth showed greater or better loyalty than the first to her deceased husband by her willingness to perpetuate his name in Levirate Marriage rather than seek after a man younger than Boaz, who might have been about the same age as Naomi and Elimelech.

(Ruth 3:11) “Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.

Boaz and the whole assembly (all the faithful followers of the LORD in Bethlehem) knew that Ruth was a worthy woman, and Boaz planned for Ruth to remain a worthy woman. He told her not to be afraid, because he would not reject her or her desire that he exercise his rights in a Levirate Marriage as next-of-kin.

(Ruth 3:12) “Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.

Boaz agreed to marry Ruth, but he acknowledged that though he was a near kinsman, there was one nearer to her than him. The nearest kinsman had the first right of refusal. He would need to give the nearest kinsman the opportunity to marry Ruth, the opportunity to inherit the land of Mahlon, the opportunity to have a child by Ruth who would then inherit Mahlon’s land and perpetuate Mahlon’s name. In chapter 4 of Ruth, we learn that the nearest kinsman was happy to inherit Mahlon’s land, but he did not want to marry Ruth which would complicate his inheritance, so Boaz married Ruth.

(Ruth 3:16) When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her.

Everything Naomi told Ruth to do she did, and the LORD blessed her as Naomi hoped.

(Ruth 3:17) She said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

Boaz sent Ruth home with about as much grain as she could carry in a way that no one would know that she had been at the threshing floor. By taking this grain to Naomi, Boaz showed his appreciation to Naomi for encouraging Ruth to do as she told her.

(Ruth 3:18) Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.”

From Ruth’s report and from the generous gift of grain, Naomi knew that Boaz would go and settle the matter as quickly as possible. She encouraged Ruth to remain patient, because they would learn the results of her proposal that very day. Ruth 4 describes what Boaz did.

 

 

Noble Birth and Noble Character

August 18, 2019

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

“And now, my daughter, do not be afraid, I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman” (Ruth 3:11).

When the Apostle Paul wrote about Christians in the church, he said not many of them were of noble birth; however, through faith in Jesus Christ and obeying Jesus’ commands they all could develop a noble character. It does not matter so much how we begin life, whether of royal blood or not, but it makes an eternal difference how we end life. For example, Ruth began life as a Moabite who worshiped idols. She was outside the people of God, but she married a man who had moved from Bethlehem to Moab with his father and mother. Though he died before they had children, Ruth learned about the true God from him and his mother, Naomi. Though Naomi’s faith was feeble from much suffering, Ruth saw enough of the truth of God in what Naomi said and did to make the God of Israel her God and Naomi’s people her people. After Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem in Judah, Ruth’s hard work and sacrifices for her mother demonstrated that she was a worthy woman with a noble character. Boaz met Ruth as she was gleaning in his field, and he looked after her as he protected all the young women who worked in his fields. He treated all of them as though they were his daughters. Ruth knew Boaz would make a perfect husband. Therefore, Ruth asked Boaz to marry her according to the laws of God regarding childless widows of family members. After they were married, Ruth became the ancestor of many kings, including King Jesus.

 

Thinking Further

Noble Birth and Noble Character

August 18, 2019

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

Name _______________________________

1. Do you think Ruth would have made a good wife for Boaz? Why or why not.

 

2. Do you think Boaz would have made a good husband for Ruth? Why or why not.

 

3. In what way did the Law of God provide for the security of childless widows?

 

4. What did Boaz mean when he spoke of Ruth’s loyalty being better than the first?

 

5. What reason did Boaz give Ruth for doing what she asked?

 

 

Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. Do you think Ruth would have made a good wife for Boaz? Why or why not. Yes. She was an excellent daughter-in-law to Naomi, and she was a hard worker as a poor gleaner to care for Naomi and herself. Most importantly, she had made the true God her God and God’s people her people. Everyone considered her a worthy woman of noble character.
2. Do you think Boaz would have made a good husband for Ruth? Why or why not. Yes. Boaz cared for his workers, especially the young women who he treated as he would a daughter. Boaz was scrupulous in keeping the moral law of God and especially careful to not ignore the rights of others, especially the kinsman who was nearer to Naomi and Ruth than he was. He gave him the legal right of first refusal. He would treat Ruth right and appreciated her character and loyalty more than any other attributes. He could give her the security she and Naomi needed.
3. In what way did the Law of God provide for the security of childless widows? The Law of God included provisions for a childless widow to marry a man who was next of kin to her (a kinsman redeemer); thus giving her security and the opportunity to bear children in the name of your first husband, which would also carry on his property rights for the children she bore.
4. What did Boaz mean when he spoke of Ruth’s loyalty being better than the first? That she was willing to go to him as a kinsman redeemer that she was willing to marry him to carry on the family line of her husband, that she did not seek a husband among the young men she saw in the fields, but would honor and obey the law of God and marry a kinsman redeemer. She was more loyal to the LORD and to her husband by marrying Boaz under the circumstances as a kinsman redeemer than when she first married Mahlon.
5. What reason did Boaz give Ruth for doing what she asked? He knew and the whole assembly knew that she was a worthy woman of noble character.

Word Search

Noble Birth and Noble Character

August 18, 2019

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

Name _______________________________

 

D C Z K I C H Z L T D K Y S U

P I V I Z M T D A U G H T E R

E N J N Y A O K M H M C I L G

J S F S Z F O A C F T V R W Y

G T Z M B D U B N W O I U I X

N R J A L O Y A L T Y G C N Z

I U D N E B B F B U B V E N Y

H C B X V A L P S E C Q S O H

S T I R G R E D H T U R V W T

E E O X U L S A Y X S X A I R

R D Y W O E S H N U R O D N O

H S I F M Y E A S O Y V M G W

T N Y N K O D E F A I L E Y H

S C T D L M J X I N W N M V E

Y P S X E S C S P G B Y T G A

 

Naomi

Daughter

Security

Kinsman

Boaz

Winnowing

Barley

Threshing

Wash

Anoint

Instructed

Ruth

Blessed

Loyalty

Worthy

 

 

True and False Test

Noble Birth and Noble Character

August 18, 2019

Ruth 3:1-12 & 16-18

Name _______________________________

 

1. Naomi treated her daughter-in-law as though she were her own daughter. True or False

 

2. Naomi wanted Ruth to have the security of a husband. True or False

 

3. Boaz was the very next of kin and qualified to be Ruth’s kinsman

redeemer immediately. True or False

 

4. Boaz thought Ruth was a loyal woman. True or False

 

5. All those who knew Ruth thought she was virtuous; therefore, she was a worthy woman for Boaz to marry. True or False

 

6. Ruth gave Boaz a good excuse when he asked her to marry him.

True or False

 

7. Boaz was disappointed in Ruth because she had gone after the young men while she was gleaning in his field. True or False

 

8. Boaz and Ruth did not know very much about each other when they got married. True or False

 

9. Naomi was disappointed that Boaz took a week to decide whether he should marry her or not. True or False

 

10. Ruth disappeared from history and was never thought of again after she married Boaz because they had no children. True or False

 

 

True and False Test Answers

 

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. False
9. False

10.False