How to Use This Study Guide
As mentioned before, the goal of this study is not only to study only the text itself but also to sharpen our investigative skills by focusing on the important concepts in our study.
The first concept is that of discovering the Author’s Intentions which is understanding the human author’s reasons, motivations, or thoughts for writing to his original audience. We are attempting to understand what the author wanted his first readers to learn about God and about themselves.
The second concept is the Cohesive and Progressive Storyline of the Bible. The Bible is essentially a drama that originated from the mind of a Divine author who also ordained specific characters, plots, events throughout history for his purposes. Each of the sixty-six books of the Bible contributes to the whole biblical narrative.
The third concept is the Proper Application which can only result from knowing the authorial intent and the progressive nature of biblical revelation. Understanding these will avoid misapplication or out of context applications.
To help you through this process of study I have provided you with the following: A copy of the text of the week, and study questions of the week with portions of the passage in blue.
Step 1: Orientation into the Text 1. Read through the text several times while doing your own “marking-up” of the passage. 2. Begin to“mark-up” the copy of the text of the week.
Tips on mark-ups: (a) Use colored highlighters to identify repetitive sentences or phrases. (b) Use arrows to show the connection between sentences/phrases. (c) Underline key-words that indicate actions/commands/results. (d) Circle themes that are dealt with elsewhere in scripture (i.e. cross-references).
Step 2: Observation and Interpretation of the Text 1. Read the study questions 2. Answer these questions based on the preceding portion of the text in blue ink 3. Consider the “commentator’s” notes.
Step 3: Attend the Weekly Study (Wednesday Online)
Page 1 Ruth 2:20–3:10 (NASB95)
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.” ← 21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.” 23 So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law. 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?
2“ Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. 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.
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.” 5 She said to her, “All that you say I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 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.
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. 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.” ← 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. 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
Page 2 Study Questions
20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.”Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”
A. What phrase keeps reoccurring in Ruth 2:4, 2:19, 2:20, 3:10, 4:14?
B. Look up the phrase “may he be blessed of the Lord” in 1 Samuel 15:13, 23:21 & 2 Samuel 2:5. Could this be indicative of common authorship?
C. Do a study on the word “kindness” in Ruth 1:8, 2:13, 20 and 3:10. Look up the word "kindness" and "loyalty" in the back of your Bible and read the references to all the scriptures using those words.
Notes: “kindness” —For centuries the Hebrew word ḥesed was translated into words like mercy, kindness, love and loyalty. The implication is that ḥesed is one of the words descriptive of the love of God. So, it is obvious that God was in covenant relationship with Israel, also that he expressed this relationship in ḥesed, that God’s ḥesed was eternal — Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.” 23 So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
D. What phrase is striking Ruth 2:21 and v. 23?
Chapter 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?” A. Let’s read Genesis 38:8-10. What is the theme being developed here?
B. How does this relate to the Levirate marriage talked about in Deuteronomy 25:5—10?
C. What is Naomi’s plan? Do you think she is doing what is right or what seemed good in her own eyes? Read Proverbs 16:1-4, 9 and 19:21 . Commentator’s Note: Levirate marriage is a ‘marriage” in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. The term levirate is itself a derivative of the Latin word levir meaning "husband's brother”. The word “security” (Ruth 3:1) = “rest” is the Hebrew word mānôaḥ, “place of rest.” It is derived from the same root mĕnûḥâ in Ruth 1:9; and it speaks of the security and tranquility that a woman in Israel longed for and expected to find in the home of a loving husband.
2“ Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. 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. 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.” 5 She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”
D. Do you think Naomi’s plan is realistic at this point ? Does the plan show creativity? Does it pose any risk of going south or even back-firing on them? Read Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25.
Page 3 E. Surprisingly, Naomi’s scheme appears deceiving and dangerous, perhaps even charged with seductive over- tones. After reading the Commentator's note below, what are your thoughts?
Commentator's note: First, the root glh, "to uncover," is often used in sexual contexts of "uncovering someone's nakedness" (a euphemism for exposing the genitals [see Bible footnotes in Lev 18:6-19; 20:11, 17-21: Ez. 22:10]) or of "uncovering someone's skirt" [footnotes in Deut. 22:30: 27:20]. Second, the final verb, sakab, "to lie," is often used to denote sexual relations [footnotes in Gen. 30:15-16 and 2 Sam. 11:11. What Naomi was asking Ruth to do was to seduce Boaz. If Ruth was your daughter, would this be a good plan to make Boaz your family's kinsman redeemer? If anything, it wouldn't make for a good start to a marriage through deception and seduction.
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 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. 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.
F. Though Ruth did exactly what Noami commanded her to do, she followed it to an extent and stopped short of completely seducing Boaz and it turned out to be honoring to the Lord. Do you think Boaz, a godly man, would “bless” Ruth for her actions if they were improper (v. 10)?
G. What in verse 8 strikes you as an act of God’s providence (compare with Ruth 2:3)? Do you think Boaz recognized immediately the true meaning of Ruth’s actions as a request from Ruth, and a work of God’s sovereign providence ?
H. If there was an immoral / improper endeavor here as some commentaries claim, then how can Ruth be called a supremely noble woman (v. 11)? How does she compare with the Proverbs 31 wife? (We will find out later).
9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over you r maid, for you are a close relative.”
I. Let’s analyze Ruth’s statement: What does “spread your covering over your maid” mean? Why do you think the same word translated “wings” in Ruth 2:12 is being used here? Did Boaz not know who she was or was it too dark for him to recognize her?
Commentator’s Note: But mostly he is seen as sheltering his own beneath his wings as a hen does her chicks (Ps 17:8; Ruth 2:12). Commonly some statements of God’s proven trustworthiness is related to the statement of an intent to seek shelter under his wings. God’s “wings” offer deliverance and security to those who fear him.
J. What is referred by “for you are a close relative [kinsman redeemer]”? What theme is being developed for us here?
Commentator’s Note: The same word gōʾēl translated here as “close relative” —in Job 19:25 is translated “redeemer” —some have taken it to refer to the coming of Christ in his work of atonement)— Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Page 4 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. 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.
K. Read Genesis 19:32-28. Ruth's ancestors didn't want to wait for God to move. They took matters into their own hands to fulfill God's plans and wanted a "quick fix" rather than wait on His timing. Ruth was beautiful and could have easily seduced a younger man and forced him to be her family's kinsmen redeemer, "not going after young men, whether poor or rich". Boaz was much older than Ruth and despite being well-off and respectable, was probably not regarded as a "catch". Yet, Ruth followed Naomi's instructions stopping short of seducing Boaz, and waited for God to act through Boaz. She entered the royal lineage of Christ by not resorting to a quick fix, but entrusting herself to the providence of God. How often do we rush ahead with our plans instead of waiting on God's timing?
L. Note the use of the word blessed and the word “excellence” is being used here by Boaz. What characterizes her as being an excellent (supremely noble) woman (v. 11)? Do you think she was being practical or doing what was right?
M.Ruth did what was right thus setting her apart from other women (even apart from Naomi). Commentator’s Note: While “charm is deceitful and while beauty is vain”, it could have been used to her advantage. However, Ruth is a “woman who fears the Lord, and she shall be praised for her truste in th Lord” just as in Proverbs 31:29 –31. Compare these verses in Proverbs with Ruth. Ruth is as one who not only fears the Lord but as one who seeks security and refuge in Lord— Psalm 36:7 (NASB95) —w “Ho precious is Your lovingkindness [kindness] O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.” For while Israel certainly had the invitation to take refuge in the shadow of His wings the Lord this gentile Ruth came to find it. Is this not what Jesus lamented that His people resisted and refused just as Matthew 23:37 shows —“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. While it is God’s express desire to have all of Israel to take refuge under His wings Israel was very unwilling but those who were willing seemed to have been those outside Israel—Mark 7:26. God desires for all to come seek refuge under his wings, but his desire is often resisted and rejected. For while God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) we know that not all men desire to be saved, and they reject the knowledge of the truth.
Passage Summary:
Ruth forsaking her land and people (Moab), and then coming to the land of Israel in one sense wase th first step of entrusting herself to the protective wings of God. She was seeking God for refuge and provision because she trusted Him. Even in her hopes to find favor (grace) she went gleaning in peace and quiet without someone mistreating her. Gleaning in a “random” field she was practically entrusting herself under the protective wings of God. No wonder Boaz gives Ruth praise—“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. “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” (Ruth 3:10-11).
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Notes on Authorial Intent:
Simply stated, authorial intent means the intention of the author as expressed in the text. The emphasis is on what the author “expressed in the text.”
Tools for Identifying Authorial Intent:
1. Observation
1. Historical Context
2. Grammatical Context a) Literary Genre b) Text Structure Nothing in Scripture stands in a vacuum but c) Word meaning d) Grammar /Syntax rather forms part of a greater context. No truth, or message at any point in the Scriptures will 2. Interpretation contradict rather it will augment and develop truth. 1. Identify a) Key Words & Phrases b) Repeated Terms & Phrases c) Structure / Outline of the Passage 2. Determine a) Overarching Theme in the Passage b) Development of the Theme in the Passage
3. Conclude a) Central-propositional statement (thesis) of the Passage
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