Session 12
EXPLORE THE TEXT
Believers can be confident in God’s sovereign ability to provide for our needs.
5 Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters,
“Whose young woman is this?”
6 The servant answered,
“She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi
from the territory of Moab.
7 She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain
among the bundles behind the harvesters?’
She came and has been on her feet since early morning,
except that she rested a little in the shelter.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter.
Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave
this one, but stay here close to my female servants.
9 See which field they are harvesting, and follow them.
Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you?
When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
10 She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him,
“Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me,
although I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done
for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death
has been fully reported to me:
how you left your father and mother and your native land,
and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know.
12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done,
and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
In the ancient world, gleaning involved going behind workers
and gathering the grain that fell to the ground during the harvest.
By Jewish law, Ruth had the right to glean in any field with the landowner’s permission.
In fact, the law encouraged landowners to leave the corners
of the fields for the poor.
This would allow them to put in an honest day’s work
and to provide for their needs without shame.
Draw attention to how God began to connect the dots for Boaz and Ruth:
Finding Boaz’s field, a close relative to their family, was
not by chance.
Her steps were established by the Lord (Ps. 37:23).
When Ruth gained permission to glean, she did not know
the field belonged to Boaz, a relative of her deceased
father-in-law, Elimelech. .Boaz told Ruth not to glean in another field.
He did not want her to go outside of his protection
but to stay close to the other female servants. (PSG, p. 115)
Even in our darkest moments, we can find hints of God’s care
and sovereignty in our lives.
We might feel frightened or confused, but He is always at work
and providing for our needs.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 117 of the Personal Study Guide:
Lead the group to read the statements and to discuss with a partner which one is most challenging to them and why. After a few minutes, allow volunteers to share their responses.
Guide the group to read and reflect on the first set of questions on page 117 of the PSG. Challenge them to recall times God has strengthened their faith during times of loss and uncertainty. Encourage them to list ways the group can serve others who are going through difficult times.
Direct attention again to Pack Item 7 (Poster: Key Verse: Ruth 1:16). Lead the group in reading the memory verse aloud two or three times. Challenge them to continue working to memorize the verse this week and to ask God how He wants them to apply it in their lives each day.
Close in prayer, thanking God for His sovereignty in times of suffering. Lead the group to pray in response to today’s points. Ask that God would help them know that their future is secure in Him.
Send a text or email to the group, thanking adults for their attendance and participation. Invite them to reflect on God’s provision in their lives. Suggest they read and respond personally to the second set of questions on page 117 of the PSG. Encourage them to express gratitude to anyone who has walked with them through a painful circumstance.
God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. (See Proverbs 16:33; Romans 8:28.)
Use Bible study tools to learn more about a place in the Bible.
Using a Bible atlas, locate Moab and note its proximity to Israel. Why would Elimelech take his family to Moab during the famine in Israel? Read an article about Moab in a Bible dictionary. Use a concordance to find other times Moab is mentioned in the Bible. For each verse, write a summary statement that describes the role Moab played in biblical narrative.
1. Lewis, C.S. A Grief Observed (HarperCollins, 1961), 3.