Ruth_ a Woman of Virtue

8/12/2019 Ruth_ a Woman of Virtue

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fe-Application Bible Study

th

Woman of Virtue

w York TimesBest-Selling Author

rlene Schacht


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e Ministry of

meWarp Wife

l Scripture unless otherwise noted is taken from

King James Version of the Bible.

ble Study on The Book of Ruth

meWarp Wife

ite 5-1377 Border Street

nnipeg, Manitoba

H ON1

pyright 2011 by Darlene Schacht

ver design by Darlene Schacht

LL RIGHTS RESERVED


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part of this book may be reproduced in any

mphotocopying, electronic, audio recording,

otherwisewithout written permission from the

hor.

rlenes Other Books include:

e Good Wifes Guide: Embracing Your Role as a

lpmeet

shaping it All: Motivation for Physical and

iritual Fitness (co-author)

nd Darlene blogging atTimeWarp Wife where she empowers wives to joyfully serve.
http://www.timewarpwife.com/http://www.amazon.com/Reshaping-It-All-Motivation-Spiritual/dp/1433669730/ref%3Dsr_1_1?ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1332832621%26sr%3D8-1http://www.amazon.com/Reshaping-It-All-Motivation-Spiritual/dp/1433669730/ref%3Dsr_1_1?ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1332832621%26sr%3D8-1http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca/2010/11/good-wifes-guide.htmlhttp://time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca/2010/11/good-wifes-guide.html


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able of Contents

roduction .......................................................... 1

th Chapter One ................................................ 7

th Chapter Two ............................................. 17

th Chapter Three ........................................... 32

th Chapter Four ............................................. 43


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ntroduction

ere about to dig deeply into the book of

th, exploring what it means to live a life of

f-sacrifice and how the story of kinsman

demption relates to our lives today.

th is the only woman in the Bible referred as

rtuous (3:11), and as we uncover some of

ose virtues, well see why. Ruths

raordinary devotion to her mother-in-law,

omi, is an incredible love story between two

men that offers us a pattern to follow in our

es.

th, the grandmother of Jessie, and the great

andmother of King David, was one of the

e women listed in the genealogy of Christ

ng with Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and

ary. The book was written between 1500

00 B.C., and although the authorship is

determined, Bible scholars commonly

ieve it was penned by Samuel.

e main characters within are all to be

mired for their devotion to family and


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ving kindness one to another. I pray that

ring throughout this study, the things we

cover will inspire you to reshape your

aracter and vigorously pursue our kinsman

deemer, Jesus Christ.

fore you start this study, I suggest that you

w for a moment in a word of prayer, asking

d to prepare your heart for His Word.


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uth Chapter One

ople in the first chapter and the Hebrew

eaning of their names:

melech = God is my King

omi = Pleasant

ahlon = Sickness (Ruths 1st Husband)

ilion = Wasting, puny

th = Beauty; Desirable

pah = Fawn

ara = Bitter

uth 1:1-5

w it came to pass in the days when the judgesruled, that there was a famine in the land. Anrtain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn inthe country of Moab, he, and his wife, and

osons.

d the name of the man was Elimelech, and the

me of his wife Naomi, and the name of his twosons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of

thlehemjudah. And they came into the country ofMoab, and continued there.

d Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she wasleft, and her two sons. And they took them

ves ofthe women of Moab; the name of the one wasOrpah, and the name of the other Ruth:

eydwelled there about ten years.

d Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them;

d the woman was left of her two sons and her

sband.

e see in verse one that Elimelech and his wife


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omi took their two sons to live in the

untry of Moab. In studying this, its

portant that we understand who the

oabites were and why they were looked

wn upon by the Jews.

oab was the son of Lot conceived by incest.

an attempt to preserve the seed of their

her, Lots daughters caused him to get

unk, and without his knowledge they both

nceived his children. The first born was

oab. Genesis 19:30-38

e book begins by telling us that a couple, of

wish decent, Elimelech and Naomi, moved to

land of Moab with their two sons to escape

famine in Bethlehem-Judah. After their

her died, the two sons married women of

oab.

hy do you think this union of marriage

ght have been looked down upon by the

aelites? Compare Deuteronomy 23:3-4 withRuth 1:4.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3DDeuteronomy%2023%3A3-4%26version%3DKJVhttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3DGenesis%2019%3A30-38%26version%3DKJV


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hat were the names of the two women they

arried?

hat happened to the sons?

uth 1:6-15

en she arose with her daughters in law, that shemight return from the country of Moab: for

dheard in the country of Moab how that the LORD

d visited his people in giving them bread.

herefore she went forth out of the place where shewas, and her two daughters in law with h

dthey went on the way to return unto the land ofJudah.

d Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go,return each to her mother's house: the LO

alkindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, andwith me.

e LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each ofyou in the house of her husband. Then she

sedthem; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

d they said unto her, Surely we will return withthee unto thy people.

d Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why

ll ye go with me? are there yet any more sons inmy womb, that they may be your husbands?

rn again, my daughters, go your way; for I amtoo old to have an husband. If I should say, I

vehope, if I should have an husband also to night, andshould also bear sons;Would ye tar

them till they were grown?

uld ye stay for them from having husbands? nay,my daughters; for it grieveth me much for

kes that the hand of the LORD is gone out againstme.

d they lifted up their voice, and wept again: andOrpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth

to her.

d she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone backunto her people, and unto her gods: return

ouafter thy sister in law.


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hy did Naomi leave Moab and return to

dah?

hat reason did Naomi give in urging Orpah

d Ruth to stay in Moab?

erses 8-13)

understand what Naomi meant in these

rses, its important to understand the Jewish

w and customs regarding widows.

brethren dwell together, and one of them die, andhave no child, the wife of the dead shall n

rrywithout unto a stranger: her husband's brothershall go in unto her, and take her to him

fe, andperform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.

Deuteronomy 25:5, KJV

omi wanted the best for them including a

ure with a husband and children.

hich daughter-in-law stayed and which

t?

e love and devotion that Naomi and her

ughter-in-laws shared is an example to


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men of the devotion that we can share with

r in-laws too.

uth 1:16-18

d Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or toreturn from following after thee: for whither

est, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:thy people shall be my people, and thy G

God:Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I beburied: the LORD do so to me, and m

o, ifought but death part thee and me.

hen she saw that she was stedfastly minded to gowith her, then she left speaking unto her.

thout a closer look at the underlying conflict

ween the two cultures, one might not fully

derstand that Ruths decision to stay with

omi in verse 14 was an incredible sacrifice.

oving away from her people to live in a

eign land would limit her chances of finding

usband. It was commanded in their law that

aelites marry other Israelites, rather than

ek out brides that serve pagan gods as the

oabites did. (Deuteronomy 7:2-3)

e of the most beautiful pieces of scripture is

und in this chapter:

t Ruth replied, Dont urge me to leave you or toturn back from you. Where you go I will g

dwhere you stay I will stay. Your people will be mypeople and your God my God. Where yoe I willdie, and there I will be buried. May the LORD dealwith me, be it ever so severely, if
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3DDeuteronomy%207%3A2-3%26version%3DKJV


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en deathseparates you and me. ~ Ruth 1:16-17, KJV

coming one with my husband means that

people became my people including every

osyncrasy they might have. I love that even

ugh my family is wonderfully-weird at

mes, my husband accepts them as his own

sh and blood. Its one of the virtuous

alities that Ruth possessed and that we can

n too. That doesnt mean its necessarily

ing to be easy, in fact the decision that Ruth

de to follow Naomi required a complete

rrender of all that she was.

hat five things did Ruth promise Naomi in

r plead to follow?

hat are some of the admirable character

its in both Ruth and Naomi?

uth 1:19-21

they two went until they came to Bethlehem.

d it came to pass, when they were come to

thlehem, that all the city was moved about them,and they said, Is this Naomi?


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d she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, callme Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bi

th me.

went out full and the LORD hath brought me

me again empty: why then call ye me Naomi,

eing the LORD hath testified against me, and theAlmighty hath afflicted me?

hen they arrived in Bethlehem, what did

omi wish to be called? Why?

omis character typifies the Israelites that

re exiled and eventually returned to their

d, but we can also see that she typifies the

e of a sinner that comes home.

ke the prodigal son, she went out full and

me home empty again. (v.21)

e wasnt worthy of her name. Nor was the

odigal son, And the son said unto him, Father,I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sig

dam no more worthy to be called thy son. Luke15:21,KJV

e people welcomed her home. In the story of

prodigal son we read, But the father said tohis servants, Bring forth the best robe, and p

him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on hisfeet. Luke 15:22, KJV

s important to note that when God brings


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u into His fellowship you come to Him

oken and lost. We are nothing without the

ace of God.

uth 1:22

Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her

ughter in law, with her, which returned out of thecountry of Moab: and they came to Bethle

thebeginning of barley harvest.

rley in its ripened stage is known as

bib.The month of Abib (referred to as

san after the captivity) represents a new

blical year for the Jews and the start of

ssover.

ke note of the correlation between the arrival

Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem and the

aelites' freedom from Egypt, which are both

rked by the Passover feastagain

nforcing the symbolism of Naomi typifying

ael.

serve the month of Abib, and keep the passoverunto the LORD thy God: for in the month of

ibthe LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egyptby night. ~ Deuteronomy 16:1, KJV


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uth Chapter Two

ckground - The Law of Gleaning

fore we get into chapter 2, we should take a

se look at the law of gleaning.

Leviticus we see that gleaning was left for

poor. Farmers were instructed to only

rvest the fields once so that the less fortunate

uld be provided for. They also left the edges

d the corners of the fields for them to glean.

hen you reap the harvest of your land, do not reapto the very edges of your field or gather t

eanings of your harvest. Do not go over your

eyard a second time or pick up the grapes thathave fallen. Leave them for the poor and the

eigner. I am the LORD your God. ~ Leviticus

:9-10, NIV

hen you are harvesting in your field and you

erlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it forthe foreigner, the fatherless and the wid

thatthe LORD your God may bless you in all the workof your hands. When you beat the ol

m yourtrees, do not go over the branches a second time.

ave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherlessand the widow. When you harvest the gra

your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leavewhat remains for the foreigner, the

herless andthe widow. Remember that you were slaves inEgypt. That is why I command yo

this.

uteronomy 24:19-22, NIV


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when we see the famous painting of the

aners, and when we hear it talked about in

th, we can now understand what gleaning

s all about.

ople in the second chapter and the Hebrew

eaning of their names:

az = In him is strength

uth 2:1

d Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a

ghty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech;

d his name was Boaz.

verse one, we are introduced to Boaz. We

told that Boaz is a relative (kinsman) of

omis deceased husband, Elimelech. Lets


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e a quick look at the genealogy in part to see

here Boaz came from:

raham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob;

d Jacob begat Judas [Judah] and his

ethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of

amar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom

gat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and

minadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat

mon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab

ahab]; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and

ed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the

ng; and David the king begat Solomon of her

t had been the wife of Urias; ~ Matthew 1:26, KJV

ok upMatthew chapter one to find thecomplete genealogy of Jesus Christ. List the five

men that you find there.

s interesting to note that in the genealogy of

us Christ 4 of the 5 women listed were

ostitutes, fornicators, and a Moabite. This

es to show us that God doesnt require

ople of perfection to do His work--He calls

ose with a pure and willing heart.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3Dmatthew%201%26version%3DKJV


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uth 2:2-9

d Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me

w go to the field, and glean ears of corn after himin whose sight I shall find grace. And she

toher, Go, my daughter.

d she went, and came, and gleaned in the fieldafter the reapers: and her hap was to light o

rtof the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of thekindred of Elimelech.

d, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and saidunto the reapers, The LORD be with you. A

eyanswered him, The LORD bless thee.

en said Boaz unto his servant that was set overthe reapers, Whose damsel is this?

d the servant that was set over the reapers

swered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel thatcame back with Naomi out of the country o

oab:And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gatherafter the reapers among the sheaves:e came,and hath continued even from the morning untilnow, that she tarried a little in the

use.

en said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my

ughter? Go not to glean in another field, neithergo from hence, but abide here fast by my

idens:Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, andgo thou after them: have I not

arged the youngmen that they shall not touch thee? and when thouart athirst, go unto the

ssels, and drink of thatwhich the young men have drawn.

verse 2 we see that Ruth offered to go to

rk for Naomi. Again we see loving kindness

m this young woman who has vowed to

nd by her mother-in-law.

rd work is a virtue. We see it here in the

tuous character of Ruth, and again in

overbs. Note these hard-working

aracteristics of the virtuous woman in


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overbs chapter 31:

orks with eager hands. (13)

ovides food for her family (15)

e considers a field and buys it; out of her

nings she plants a vineyard. (16)

e sets about her work vigorously; her arms

strong for her tasks. (17)

e sees that her trading is profitable, (18)

e makes coverings for her bed; (22)

e makes linen garments and sells them, and

pplies the merchants with sashes. (24)

ese women arent sitting around waiting to

served--they are joyfully willing to serve

d do what it takes to contribute.

e you joyfully serving your family? List

me ways, if any, where you think that you

ght be able to give more of your time and


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alents.

rse three tells us that Ruth haps on the

ld of Boaz which means that she was there

chance. But looking at the entire story of

th and Boaz, and down the line to the birth

Christ, we see that what is often viewed as

ood fortune" is a divine orchestration of Gods plan.

uth 2:10-12

en she fell on her face, and bowed herself to theground, and said unto him, Why have I fou

acein thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge ofme, seeing I am a stranger?

d Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fullybeen shewed me, all that thou hast done un

mother in law since the death of thine husband: andhow thou hast left thy father and thy

ther, andthe land of thy nativity, and art come unto a peoplewhich thou knewest not

retofore.

e LORD recompense thy work, and a full rewardbe given thee of the LORD God of Israel, uose wings thou art come to trust.

our study on Ruth chapter one, we learned

t Naomis character typified the Israelites

t were exiled and eventually returned to

ir land. We need to understand that these

nt fictional characters, they are actual

torical figures, but rather than just telling us a story for the sake of entertainment, the Word of

lds a message in each powerful word

read.

is symbolism illustrates the grace of God


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d His mercy toward mankind.

th that in mind, take note that in chapter

o, we see Ruths character symbolizing the

ntiles which were grafted in to the faith to be

e with Gods people. Not by our own right,

t by grace.

r I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am theapostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine offic

mans 11:13, KJV

d if some of the branches be broken off, and thou,being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in am

m,and with them partakest of the root and fatness ofthe olive tree; Boast not against the

anches. But ifthou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the rootthee. Thou wilt say then, Th

anches were brokenoff, that I might be grafted in. Well; because ofunbelief they were brok

f and thou standest byfaith. Be not highminded, but fear: ~ Romans11:17-20, KJV

ter reading that, compare it with the

ndness of Boaz in verse 9 and the humble

ction of Ruth in verse 10.

en she fell on her face, and bowed herself to theground, and said unto him, Why have I fou

acein thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge ofme, seeing I am a stranger? (10)

e word stranger used here doesnt have

same definition of stranger as we

mmonly know it. It is a biblical term for a


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eigner. Ruth was humbled and grateful that

az offered grace to someone outside of his

mily, especially since she was a Moabite.

other word for stranger that well often see

ed in scripture is Gentile, which denotes

ople who are not of Jewish decent.

th's and the Famous Wall of Faith

th is similar to those listed in the famous

ll of faith found in Hebrews 11. Because of

r obedience to leave her family and country

serve God, it was counted to her for faith.

st 11 of the faithful people found

Hebrews chapter 11.

mpare these verses from the wall of faith:

ese all died in faith, not having received thepromises, but having seen them afar off, and w

rsuaded of them, and embraced them, andconfessed that they were strangers and pilgrims o

e earth. For they that say such things declareplainly that they seek a country. And truly, if t

d been mindful of that country from whence theycame out, they might have had opportunity

vereturned. But now they desire a better country, thatis, an heavenly: wherefore God is no

hamed to becalled their God: for he hath prepared for them acity. ~ Hebrews 11:13-16, KJ

th was mindful of where she came from,
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3Dhebrews%2011%26version%3DKJV


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d she desired to serve the God of the

aelite'sthe one true God. She was willing

give up everything that she had to be a part

His people and their faith.

nsider your own life. What things are you

ll hanging onto? Are there people,

dictions, or passions that are standing in

e way of your faith? If so, list some of the

eas that you need to work on.

uth 2:13-17

en she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, mylord; for that thou hast comforted me, and f

atthou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid,though I be not like unto one of thine

ndmaidens.

d Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou

her, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel inthe vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers

reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and wassufficed, and left.

d when she was risen up to glean, Boaz

mmanded his young men, saying, Let her glean

en among the sheaves, and reproach her not:

d let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose forher, and leave them, that she may glean th

drebuke her not.

she gleaned in the field until even, and beat outthat she had gleaned: and it was about an

hah ofbarley.

az recognized this faith in Ruth and in


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urn accepted her into his household.

stowing a great honor upon her, he invited

r to share at his table (14).

mpare our relationship with Jesus:

nceforth I call you not servants; for the servantknoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have

lledyou friends; for all things that I have heard of myFather I have made known unto you.

hn 15:15,KJV

uth 2:18-21

d she took it up, and went into the city: and hermother in law saw what she had gleaned: a

ebrought forth, and gave to her that she had reservedafter she was sufficed.

d her mother in law said unto her, Where hastthou gleaned to day? And where wroughtest

ou?

essed be he that did take knowledge of thee. Andshe shewed her mother in law with whom sdwrought, and said, The man's name with whom I

ought today is Boaz.

d Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessedbe he of the LORD, who hath not left off his

dness to the living and to the dead. And Naomisaid unto her, The man is near of kin unto u

e ofour next kinsmen.

d Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also,Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, un

eyhave ended all my harvest.

th returned home to Naomi with an ephah

substantial amount, probably about 60

unds) of barley, and told her about the

ndness of Boaz.


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omi was pleased that Boaz recognized the

ationship (kinsman) that they had to him

ough her marriage to Elimelech. She

dited God for his kindness on the living and

dead (20). She then explained to Ruth that

az was a close relative and one of their next

sman.

nsman is another word for relative. While

az was a close relative, he wasnt the

sest/the nearest kinsman to them. Well

cuss how this comes into play in the next

o chapters.

uth 2:22-23

d Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, Itis good, my daughter, that thou go out with

idens, that they meet thee not in any other field.

she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to gleanunto the end of barley harvest and of wheat

rvest;and dwelt with her mother in law.

th stayed close to the handmaidens of Boaz

d gleaned in his fields through the barley

rvest and the wheat harvest.

s interesting to note that the first chapter

ds at the barley harvest, and the second


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apter ends by mentioning the wheat harvest.


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he Two Harvests Mentioned

April-May Barley Harvest,

rresponds to The Passover

June-July Wheat Harvest, corresponds

The Feast of Pentecost

was during this wheat harvest that Ruth is

rothed to Boaz as we will see in the next

dy. This foreshadows the day of Pentecost,

Acts chapter 2 when God established his

urch by pouring His spirit upon all believers.


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uth Chapter Three

uth 3:1-2

en Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My

ughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it maybe well with thee? And now is not Boaz of o

dred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, hewinnoweth barley to night in the threshingor.

verse one, Naomi said that she was seeking

st for Ruth. Since Ruth was a widow, it

uld be an ongoing concern for Ruth to earn

ving and provide for herself even

oughout her old age. It was customary that

ws would take care of their own, but even in

ose cases they had to be reminded by the

ders to do so:

t if any widow have children or nephews, let

em learn first to shew piety at home, and to

quite their parents: for that is good and acceptablebefore God. ~ 1 Timothy 1:4, KJV

owing that Boaz was related through

melech, Naomi seized the opportunity for

th to be his bride. With that hope in mind

e instructed Ruth to approach him.

rse two tells us that Boaz was winnowing


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rley in the threshing floor. Winnowing was a

ocess of separating the wheat from the shaft.

hn the Baptist also used this analogy when

spoke of the coming Messiah:

hose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughlypurge his floor, and gather his wheat into the

rner; but he will burn up the chaff with

quenchable fire. ~ Matthew 3:12

hat do you suppose John the Baptist meant

that verse?

e fan is a wind that was required in the

ocess. Heres a description of winnowing

m Wikipedia.org:

Winnowing] In its simplest form it involves

owing the mixture into the air so that the

nd blows away the lighter chaff, while the

avier grains fall back down for recovery.

chniques included using a winnowing fan (a

aped basket shaken to raise the chaff) or

ng a tool (a winnowing fork) on a pile of

rvested grain.


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uth 3:3-5

ash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thyraiment upon thee, and get thee down to t

or:but make not thyself known unto the man, until heshall have done eating and drinking.

d it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shaltmark the place where he shall lie, and thou

alt goin, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and hewill tell thee what thou shalt do.

d she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto meI will do.

m digging deep into this chapter because I

ieve that the story of kinsman redemption

und in the book of Ruth is symbolic to our

ationship with Christ, and Gods redeeming

ve. Its exciting to see just how much

mbolism is used and how the events of this

ry line up with the harvests as discussed in

sons one and two.

verse three Naomi instructs Ruth to wash

rself, anoint herself, and put on her raiment.

ese are the three things that we as Christians

t on in a sense, as we prepare and wait for

return of our Lord.

ashing with water by the word is a continual

ocess. As we read the word and follow Gods

mmandments.

oint means to smear, rub or smooth on. In

blical times, Shepherds would anoint sheep


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th oil on the head and around the ears to

otect the area from the infestation of insects

ww.gotquestions.org/anointed.html). In the

w Testament it is synonymous with the

ly Spirit upon Gods people. Anointing one

th oil is a symbol of consecration. By the

ointing of the Holy Spirit we are set apart

m the world and purified.

r raiment as believers is our robe of

hteousness that covers our sin. It is the

rfect conduct of Christ covering our

perfect sinful lives. It is given to us by the

ace and forgiveness of God.

will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall bejoyful in my God; for he hath clothed me w

garments of salvation, he hath covered me with therobe of righteousness, as a bridegroom

ckethhimself with ornaments, and as a bride adornethherself with her jewels. ~ Isaiah 61:

V

what ways if any is this similar to a

odern bride preparing for marriage?

uth 3:6-7

d she went down unto the floor, and did

cording to all that her mother in law bade her.

d when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heartwas merry, he went to lie down at the end

ap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered hisfeet, and laid her down.

re we read that Ruth went to Boaz softy,


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covered his feet and lay down. There are

nflicting theories as to why she uncovered

feet, and what exactly that meant. I believe

t we can best understand it by comparing

r actions to that of a humble servant. She

s in essence bowing at his feet in an act of

bmission rather than assuming the right to

kinship.

w can we apply this demonstration by

th to our relationship with our husbands,

d also to our relationship toward Jesus

hrist?

uth 3:8-9

d it came to pass at midnight, that the man wasafraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a

manlay at his feet.

d he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I

Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirtover thine handmaid; for thou art a near

sman.

hen Ruth says, Spread therefore thy skirt

er thine handmaid, to Boaz, it was the same

saying spread your wing or take me

der thy wing of protection. Then Ruth adds

or thou art a near kinsman.


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irt Hebrew Kanaph Strongs

ncordance H3671 - wing, extremity, edge,

nged, border, corner, shirt, skirt.

fore going any further with the study of

th, we need to look closely at the law of a

nsman in relation to marriage, and what a

nsman redeemer is. This following portion

scripture is very important in understanding

th chapters 2 and 3. In fact the "shoe"

ntioned in the following portion of scripture

ll be found in our next study of chapter four.


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aw of Kinship

f brethren dwell together, and one of them die, andhave no child, the wife of the dead shall

rrywithout unto a stranger: her husband's brothershall go in unto her, and take her to him

fe, andperform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.

d it shall be, that the firstborn which she bearethshall succeed in the name of his brother w

dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And ifthe man like not to take his brother's wifen lethis brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders,and say, My husband's brother

fuseth to raise upunto his brother a name in Israel, he will notperform the duty of my husb

other. Then theelders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him:and if he stand to it, an

y, I like not to take her;Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in thepresence of the

ders, and loose his shoe from off hisfoot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say,So

be done unto that man that will not buildup his brother's house. And his name shall be calle

ael, The house of him that hath his shoeloosed." ~ Deuteronomy 25:5-10, KJV

nsman Redemption:

e law of Kinsman Redemption is basically

s. If a relative is sold as a servant to a

anger, the next of kin has a right to buy him

ck.

nd if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee,and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax po

dsell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee,or to the stock of the stranger's family

er that heis sold he may be redeemed again; one of hisbrethren may redeem him: Either h

cle, or hisuncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh ofkin unto him of his family madeem him; or if hebe able, he may redeem himself." ~ Leviticus 25:47-49, KJV

hat does the word redeem mean? (See

ww.dictionary.com)
http://www.dictionary.com/


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ow are we redeemed by Jesus Christ? Was it

portant that He was born of Jewish

scent? Why or why not?

ompareGalatians 4:3-7)

uth 3:10-11

d he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my

ughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in thelatter end than at the beginning, inasmuc

oufollowedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

d now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee allthat thou requirest: for all the city of myople dothknow that thou art a virtuous woman.

re we see that Boaz refers to Ruth as

rtuous.

rtuous Hebrew chayil Strongs

ncordance H2428 strength, power might

hy do you think that Boaz defined Ruth as

virtuous woman?

uth 3:12-13

d now it is true that I am thy near kinsman:

wbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry thisnight, and it shall be in the morning, that
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search%3Dgalatians%204%3A3-7%26version%3DKJV


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az or not? Naomi wanted to know.

ter filling Naomi in on the details, she

vised Ruth to leave it in the hands of Boaz.

the same way, we can rest knowing that our

vation is in the hands of Jesus Christ.


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uth Chapter Four

mes in this chapter (excluding the closing

nealogy):

ed: Servant

uth 4:1

en went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boa

akecame by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turnaside, sit down here. And he turned a

d satdown.

is chapter begins by telling us that Boaz

nt up to the gate. In scripture we often read

out leaders sitting at the city gates, its

milar to what we know as town hall

etings, a market place, and a court house.

ere was much activity at the city gates.

me references include:

t at the gate of Sodom (Genesis 19:1)

raham in front of an audience of the

ldren of Heth (Genesis 23:10)

vid sitting at the gate, and all the people

me to the gate to hear him. (2 Samuel 19:8)

vid acknowledges the murmuring against

m at the city gates (Psalm 69:12)


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sband of Proverbs 31 woman was known at

gates and sat among the elders (Proverbs

23)

uth 4:2-5

d he took ten men of the elders of the city, andsaid, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. And unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come againout of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel

nd,which was our brother Elimelech's:And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy itbefor

habitants, and before the elders of mypeople. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thouw

t redeem it, then tell me, that I may know:for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I a

er thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

en said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field ofthe hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of

e Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up thename of the dead upon his inheritance.

e kinsman walked by. Hebrew word used

re is Strong's H1350 - ga'al To redeem or to

nsom.

verse two, Boaz took ten elders to witness

discussion, and hopefully, their transaction.

much the same way, a public confession of

th is a necessary step in living a victorious

ristian life. Baptism is one way we do that.

hat are some ways that you have publicly

nfessed your faith? Or haven't you?

az chose ten men. Yet it was required in the


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wish law that they required the witness of

o or three. The only significance that I can

e in his choice of ten is that of the Ten

mmandments. The commandments, and our

lure to keep them, prove our need for a

nsman redeemer. In a sense they bear

tness to our sin. (Well discuss this a little

ore further down).

e word brother used in verse three likely

ers to Elimelech being a close relative. It

esnt necessarily mean brother as we

ow it.

az states his intentions in front of the

tnesses, offering the unnamed man first

ht of redemption. Boaz offers the kinsman

right to purchase Elimelechs land, but

vises him that should he wish to purchase it,

must also take Ruth to be his wife so that

melechs name would live on.

uth 4:6

d the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for

self, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeemthou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem


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is is a key verse in the book of Ruth.

though this historical account is true,

member from our previous studies that

omi represented Israel, Ruth represented

Gentiles who were grafted in to the faith,

d Boaz represents Jesus Christ as our

nsman Redeemer. Its interesting to note that

this chapter we are introduced to an

known next-of-kin who would seem to

present the old law.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weakthrough the flesh, God sending his own So

likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sinin the flesh. ~ Romans 8:3, KJV

Weak through the flesh means that we are

ves to our sin (the Ten Commandments and

r failure to keep them, bear witness to that),

t when we are in Christ Jesus we walk after

Sprit and die to ourselves.

ying the land was inviting, but marrying

th meant that he would also raise up the

me of Elimelech and destroy his own

heritance.


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ok at this scripture:

ou knowest the commandments, Do not commit

ultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear falsewitness, Honour thy father and thy mothe

d he[the rich young ruler] said, All these have I keptfrom my youth up. Now when Jesus he

esethings, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing:sell all that thou hast, and distribut

to the poor,and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,follow me. And when he hea

s, he was verysorrowful: for he was very rich. ~ Luke 18:20-23,KJV

what ways, if any, are the near kinsman

d the rich young ruler similar?

w might that piece of scripture from Luke

ate to your walk with Christ?

u see the law and commandments were

odtheir purpose is to show us our need for

avior--but the new covenant requires us to

ve up our own desires to serve the Lord and

se up His name. Thats what being born

ain is all about. Our old life along with its

ssions and desires are gone, and we are born

o a new life that seeks to serve God.

ing a moral citizen does not a Christian

ke. Desiring to serve God and live

cording to His wisdom sets us apart as Holy.


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e kinsman in chapter four wasnt ready to

ve of himself to become one with his people,

d so he passed his right on to Boaz.

uth 4:7-9

w this was the manner in former time in Israelconcerning redeeming and concerning chan

to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe,and gave it to his neighbour: and this wa

timony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman saidunto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his s

d Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all thepeople, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have

ughtall that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion'sand Mahlon's, of the hand of Naom

moving ones shoe was a custom in Israel as

ublic confirmation of transfer in the

demption process.

uth 4:10-12

oreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon,have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up

meof the dead upon his inheritance, that the name ofthe dead be not cut off from among hi

ethren, andfrom the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

d all the people that were in the gate, and theelders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD ma

woman that is come into thine house like Racheland like Leah, which two did build the ho

Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and befamous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be

house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, ofthe seed which the LORD shall give the

syoung woman.

az knew that there was a coming Messiah,

rn through the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10)

d therefore it was his honor to carry on the

eage of his family, That the name of the

ad be not cut off from his brethren. Its this

pe in the coming Messiah that was counted


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faith in the Old Testament, whereas our

pe is in Jesus Christ who came to redeem us

d will come again.

cause of his faith, the witnesses blessed him,

hich came to pass since the Messiah was born

ough their blood line.

uth 4:13-22

Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and whenhe went in unto her, the LORD gave her

nception, and she bare a son.

d the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the

ORD, which hath not left thee this day without akinsman, that his name may be famous in Is

d he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and anourisher of thine old age: for thy daugh

law,which loveth thee, which is better to thee than sevensons, hath born him.

d Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom,and became nurse unto it. And the women

ighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a sonborn to Naomi; and they called his name Obisthe father of Jesse, the father of David.

w these are the generations of Pharez: Pharezbegat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and R

gat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat

hshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, And Salmon

gat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begatJesse, and Jesse begat David.

e he referred to in verse fifteen is the

ord mentioned in verse fourteen. God

tored Naomis life in the sense that Boaz

ried on the family name of Elimelech, and

ough his marriage to Ruth brought

scendants to their family. The book of Ruth


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rted out with the death of three men, but

hat was once death became life through

nsman redemption.

even is generally considered spiritual

mpleteness in the Bible. To have seven sons

uld give a mother a sense of completeness,

t in verse fifteen we see that Ruth was

emed higher than that. It is evident that

th was deemed as a great blessing.

nsider the full study of Ruth. What are

me of the many ways that Ruth was a

ssing to Naomi?

hen Naomi took the child and became

urse to it, lets not confuse it with her with

wet nurse as we might see elsewhere in the

ble. The word nurse used here is aman,

ong's H539, which means to support,

nfirm, or be faithful.

e name given to their child was Obed,

aning servant. Obed begat Jesse, and


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se begat David, King of Israel. Its exciting to see that one who is called servant became

andfather to the King of Israel.

out the Author

rlene Schachtis an ordinary

m, living an extraordinary

e, because of who she is

ough Jesus Christ. As help

et to her husband Michael,

e guides and nurtures their

ur children, leading them

ward a deeper walk of faith.

e is an award-winning and

w York Timesbest-selling


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hor, who loves writing and digging deep

o scripture!

u can find Darlene at:

ww.timewarpwife.com (blog) www.facebook.com/timewarpwife

ww.twitter.com/darleneschacht

eck out her recent book:

e Good Wifes Guide: Embracing Your Role as a

lpmeet
http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca/2010/11/good-wifes-guide.htmlhttp://time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca/2010/11/good-wifes-guide.htmlhttp://www.twitter.com/darleneschachthttp://www.facebook.com/timewarpwifehttp://www.timewarpwife.com/

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Ruth_ a Woman of Virtue