Eric Thiele

March 24, 2016

Five Scrolls-Schifferdecker
Final Project-Ruth Bible Study
The Bible Study Outline
Session #1
1. Introduction to the book of Ruth
a. Introduce key themes to the book as a whole
i. Strong women taking a key role
1. Naomi and Ruth are lifted up within this book as great leaders and
examples of faithfulness
ii. What does it mean to belong?
iii. Dislocation and loss: what does it mean to be in a foreign land? How will
you be taken care of? What hope does one have for survival?
1. Moabites relationship with Israel at work within the book of Ruth
a. Deuteronomy 23:3-4
b. Moab in the Bible
2. Famine forced Naomi to leave Bethlehem
3. Ruth the Moabite is brought back to Bethlehem with Naomi
a. Faithfulness and kindness within the book of Ruth
iv. Blessings: Given and received. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are central to both
the giving and receiving of blessing with the book of Ruth.
v. Gods presence in Ruth?
1. Where is God? What role does God have in the book of Ruth, if
any?
b. Focused Reading
i. Ruth 1:1-22
ii. Focus on the themes that come up within this first chapter.
1. Dislocation and loss,
2. Belonging
3. First blessing
Session #2
1. Review of the main themes of the book of Ruth
2. What happened in chapter one?
3. Focused reading
a. Ruth 2:1-23
b. What does it mean for Ruth to glean in the field of Boaz?

i. Introduce the commands God gave the people Israel back in Leviticus
19:9-10, 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:21
ii. What might it mean that this is part of the Israelite identity to provide food
for the widows and aliens?
c. What role does Boaz seem to play for both Naomi and Ruth?
i. What sort of protection does Boaz provide for Ruth?
ii. Boaz is also the name of one of the pillars of the temple in Jerusalem
iii. Boaz is a pillar of his community in Bethlehem
iv. Second and third blessings: Ruth 2:4, 19-20
Session #3
1. Review what happened in chapter one and chapter two
2. Main themes of Ruth thus far
a. How have they played out?
b. What have you noticed so far in the midst of the blessings, dislocation and loss,
belonging, and the roles of Naomi and Ruth?
c. What has been surprising about the first two chapters?
3. Focus reading
a. Read Ruth 3:1-18
i. Foreigner (Ruth) calls the pillar of the community (Boaz) back into his
responsibility of taking care of the widow and the alien
ii. Faithfulness of Ruth is playing out
1. To Naomi
2. To Boaz
3. From Boaz to Ruth and Naomi
iii. Focus on verse 16
1. Translated as who are you?
2. Naomi is seeking to know what identity Ruth has: Is Ruth a
Moabite still? Will Ruth now be considered an Israelite? How has
Boaz blessed Ruth and therefore blessed Naomi?
a. This is a crucial question of identity for Ruth and for
Naomi
Session #4
1. Summarize the book of Ruth up to this point
2. How have the major themes played out up until now?
3. Focus reading

a. Ruth 4:1-22
b. What makes Ruths marriage to Boaz so important?
i. What plays out in the middle of town?
ii. What does it mean that the next of kin chooses not to marry Ruth nor take
care of Naomi?
c. Blessing of Naomi 4:14-15
i. Restores Naomi
ii. What sort of identity does this provide for Naomi?
d. What is the significance of Ruth giving birth to Obed?
i. Line of David
1. Ruth is Davids great-grandmother
2. Ruth is also a foreigner
ii. Why is the line of David so important?
iii. Matthew 1
1. Ancestry of Jesus is given.
2. Includes David, Abraham, Obed, and Ruth
a. Ruth is one of four women named in the genealogy of Jesus
3. Theme of strong women
e. What is the final message that you take away from the book of Ruth?
f. Where might we have experienced dislocation and loss?
g. Where do we go to feel that sense of belonging?

First Session
1. Opening
a. Opening prayer
b. Discussion with a group of two or three: Where in your life have you felt a sense
of belonging? What did that experience teach you? What does it mean to belong?
i. Report back: What were some of your answers about belonging? What
might have been some common themes from person to person? Location?
A group? Common interest?
c. Return to your small group of two or three: What are some instances, whether
from your own life or in general, where someone or you might experience
dislocation and/or loss?

i. Report back: What were some of the examples you came up with?
d. Last discussion question: Who have been some of the more influential women in
your lives? What have they done to help you throughout your journey in life?
What has made them so important?
i. Report back: Who were some of the key influential women in your lives?
Mothers? Sisters? Pastors? Aunts? Grandmas? What did they do in your
lives to provide such influence?
ii. Ruth and Naomi are lifted up within this book and within the Bible as
important leaders and influential women. Ruths influence is witnessed to
throughout the book and into the New Testament. We shall come back to
this point when we hit chapter four.
e. These three questions that we discussed are central to understanding some of the
key themes throughout the book of Ruth: Belonging, dislocation and loss, and the
role that strong women leaders play in our lives and in the book of Ruth.
2. Study
a. Before we begin, let us take a look at a little bit of the background information
that we will be covering as we read the book of Ruth.
b. Moab and Israel relationship
i. This is a traditionally rocky relationship.

ii. Show map of Holy Land and highlight Moab and Bethlehem.
iii. Read Deuteronomy 23:3-4
1. Essentially, when the Israelites were wandering in the desert, they
came to Moab, which is on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, and
the Israelites were not given any food or water for their journey to
the Promised Land. For this reason, the relationship between
Israelites and the Moabites is contentious.
iv. Highlights of Numbers 22 and 25
1. In Numbers 22, the king of Moab hires Balaam to curse the
Israelites
2. Numbers 25, the Israelites are seduced by the Moabite women and
start to worship Baal. The Israelites were then punished by a
plague.

c. Background Laws
i. There are many laws from Deuteronomy and Leviticus that come up
throughout the book of Ruth, we will cover a few of them each time we
gather for our study on Ruth
ii. The most pertinent to our study of chapter one today is from Deuteronomy
25:5-6
1. Essentially, this law says that when a womans husband dies the
brother of the husband would then become the new husband of the
widow. Furthermore, the first born son of the deceased husband
would also help to take care of the widow
d. Lets begin
e. Read Ruth 1:1-5
i. What has happened so far?
ii. Why is the famine in Bethlehem so crucial?
1. Bethlehem means house of bread. Famine means there is no food
in the town called house of bread.
iii. What are perhaps the most pertinent aspects of the opening verses?
1. First, the family leaves Bethlehem and goes to Moab, the land of
hated foreigners to find food and a new way of life.
2. The two sons of Elimelech and Naomi marry Moabite women,
Ruth and Orpah
a. How does this fit into the dislocation and loss theme?
3. Elimelech and his sons both die, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah
as widows in a foreign land. They are vulnerable
a. Reminder of Deuteronomy 25:5-6
f. Read Ruth 1:6-17
i. Small Group (2-3 people): What is so important about Naomi being
willing to let Orpah and Ruth leave her?
1. About security
2. What about this brings us back to our themes of belonging and
dislocation and loss?
ii. Why do you think Orpah leaves and Ruth does not? Should our opinion of
Orpah and/or Ruth be swayed because of leaving and staying?

g. Read Ruth 1:18-22

i. Naomi and Ruth have returned to Bethlehem. Naomi has come home to
her native land but Ruth is the foreigner. How might you think this
dynamic would play out for Ruth as the Moabite and Naomi and the
native?
ii. Why might Naomi want her name changed?
1. Mara means bitter
2. Naomi means pleasant
3. Ruth means companion/friend
4. What is the significance of these names?
5. Notice that this is the only time in the book of Ruth where Naomi
calls herself Mara. After this instance, it is back to Naomi.
3. Closing
a. Where is God?
i. The name of God is mentioned once in verse 8 of this first chapter. Where
might God be acting in the midst of this story even in the midst of Gods
perceived absence for Ruth and Naomi?
ii. What role might God have, if any, in the book of Ruth?
iii. Discussion: Where do we perceive God to be in the midst of Gods
perceived absence?
b. Belonging
i. In this first chapter, Naomi and her family have to move from Bethlehem
to Moab, then Ruth and Naomi go to Bethlehem. What might it mean for
these two women to find that sense of belonging?
1. What might it mean for us to find a sense of belonging?
2. How might it be different for us to find a sense of belonging if we
are in an unfamiliar place?
3. How might you need to rely on the kindness and love of others?
What kind of vulnerable state does that put you in?
c. Closing Prayer: God of love, we give you thanks for your constant presence,
especially in the midst of dislocation and loss. Guide us this day and always to be
reaching out to those who are in need. In your sons holy name we pray. Amen.

Bibliography
Jacobson, Diane. Ruth. Enter the Bible. Accessed March 20, 2016.
https://www.enterthebible.org/oldtestament.aspx?rid=28.
Lutheran Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2009.
Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob. Ruth. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and
Preaching. Louisville, Ky.: John Knox Press, 1999.