by Jen | Jul 16, 2024 | 1-23, DISO studies, Ruth 2
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back, I’m glad you’re here, my friend! For those in the United States, it’s been a week, hasn’t it? I am praying for our nation and specifically for the victims of Saturday’s shooting and their families, and encourage you to do the same, even for those with whom you disagree. My fervent prayer is for unity: not uniformity. Let us love each other despite our differences; and let us begin by seeking God’s help for the miracle that requires. If you’ve been studying with me for a while here, you know miracles require faith and prayer. I hope you’ll join me in praying and believing for a united nation.
Now, let’s get back to our study of Ruth!
Last Week’s Work
MY PRAYER
Here’s the prayer I intend to pray before digging into Ruth 2:
Thank You, Lord and Father God, for another chance to dig into Ruth. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to help me see, understand, and apply the principles here to my life. Remove the scales from my eyes and the plugs from my ears and unburden my heart so I can see all You want me to discover here. Give me wisdom to recognize Your good counsel and courage to follow it no matter what. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
If you’re studying along with me, you’re welcome to use this one.
HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Next, I slowly read through the study text, focusing on my reactions, and noting the parts that caught my attention. Here are my responses:
- HUH? What does a worthy man mean (v1)?
- WOW! I think it was most observant of Boaz to notice Ruth and ask about her (v5).
- HUH? and WOW! Did Ruth understand the Jewish Levirate law? Naomi mentioned it in Ruth 1:11-13. Specifically, it only calls for brothers to marry sisters-in-law, but Boaz is of the same clan (v1). Could Naomi or Ruth demand Boaz support them under it? If so, I think it’s notable that Ruth is so respectful of the servants (v7) and of Boaz (v10). But wait, at this point, Ruth probably didn’t know who Boaz was; though, looking ahead to the next chapter, Naomi did (3:2)! Maybe I’ve become too jaded by current culture, but I still find Ruth’s respect for the servants and for Boaz—not knowing who they were—remarkable.
- WOW! Gotta love Boaz: he starts with a beautiful blessing (v12), provides for her at mealtime (v14), and even instructs the reapers to help her (v16). What a great guy!
- HUH? How much is an ephah of barley (v17)? It took Ruth a whole day (vv7,17) to glean that much.
- WOW! Ruth gave her leftover food to Naomi instead of keeping it hidden so she could have it later (v18).
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, I plan to:
- PRAY: Read my prayer before studying this passage.
- MINE: Identify which aspect of this study I feel the Spirit leading me to dig deepest into right now. It could be one (or more) of the Huh? and Wow! Moments I wrote about this week, or some other item the Spirit hasn’t yet called to my attention.
- MINE: Focus specifically on the setting of the scene in Ruth 2 (who’s involved, where and when did the action take place), and note anything the Spirit emphasizes.
See you again soon, I hope!
GO TO WEEK 3 >
by Jen | Jul 9, 2024 | 1-23, DISO studies, Introduction, Ruth 2
Welcome! I’m so glad you’re with me as I study the second chapter of Ruth! We’ll be using the 5-step inductive study process I’ve developed from leading youth and women’s Bible studies for more than ten years.
Let’s Study Ruth 2!
After learning so much about bitterness from Naomi in Ruth 1, I’m ready to see what the Holy Spirit has for us in the second chapter of Ruth. So, this week, I’ll begin by praying and surveying Ruth 2. If you want to work along with me, here’s what I recommend you have ready:
- A copy of Ruth 2, plus access to the entire book of Ruth.
I copy the text from www.blueletterbible.org, paste it in a word processing program (Google docs or MS Word), change the formatting to suit my preferences, and print it out. If you want to use the ESV translation, here’s a copy I created with plenty of room for doodles and notes.
- A study journal.
To finish this study we’ll need to review what we’ve learned, so plan to record at least some highlights from your work in Steps 1-4. I’m old-school and like the pen/pencil-and-paper method for journaling my studies, but it’s okay if that doesn’t work for you. If you don’t have time to physically write or type your notes, consider dictating them into a notes app, or recording audio files, instead.
Or, if you just don’t have the bandwidth to study right now, no problem. You’re welcome to just read the posts I publish here. They’ll help you become more familiar with the process and show you how the Spirit speaks to my situation. I’m praying there will be enough similarities between my life and yours that you’ll find it worth your while to keep checking in with me, even if you can’t dig in yourself this time.
Dig-In Challenges
So here’s what I’m going to do this coming week:
- PRAY: I’ll be creating a prayer that I can pray every time I study Ruth 2. I’m going to write it in my study journal, so I’ll have it handy each time I study.
- SURVEY: And then I’ll read Ruth 2, noting anything that makes me say, “huh?” (as in, “I wonder what that means?”) or “wow” (as in, “that is so awesome!”). I’ll record these and ask the Spirit to reveal which one He would have me dig more deeply into right now.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I discover in this process with you—I hope you’ll keep checking in with me each week!
GO TO WEEK 2 >
by Jen | Jul 2, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 1
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Wow! I can hardly believe this is the last week for Ruth 1. I am again amazed at how the Spirit has helped me learn anew through this story. If you’re working with me, I hope you’ve discovered new ways of reading, studying, and thinking about Naomi’s situation. Here’s how I think the Spirit is leading me to practice what I’ve found.
Last Week’s Work
LESSON(S) LEARNED
As I went back over my study notes, the Spirit showed me these principles:
- You can’t run from God’s discipline. Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons left Bethlehem during a famine—a scriptural punishment for the disobedience common in Israel during the time of the Judges. But a change of habitat didn’t make that much difference. Elimelech and his two sons died anyway, leaving Naomi in a strange land with only her two Moabite daughters-in-law.
- God’s discipline can make us bitter. It certainly did so to Naomi, she recognizes it in verse 20, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
- But the Lord doesn’t want us to be alone in our bitterness. By God’s provision, one of Naomi’s sons married Ruth. We don’t know much of Ruth’s background, only that she was a Moabite. Her country didn’t acknowledge Naomi’s God (our God), but by the time Naomi was ready to return home, Ruth knew enough about Him to take an oath converting to Judaism (v16). From whom but her husband and her husband’s mother would she have learned about God? And, even when Naomi turned into a bitter, old woman, Ruth committed to stay with her anyway.
I’m really excited about these revelations! I see them coming together in an awesome way as we dig deeper into Ruth, so I hope you’ll stay tuned through this whole series, my friend!
CONVICTION
In this section of study, my focus landed on what Naomi did in her bitterness. She turned back to God by going home.
In a sense, I’ve been where Naomi was. I also left home for greener pastures only to become destitute through a series of self-serving decisions. I, too, was embittered by the failure of my plans—so bitter I wanted to take an easy, though permanent, way out. Looking back through the lens of this chapter, I see how God placed several Ruth-like women in my life who stuck with me when I needed their energy and assistance. What a wonderful God He is, providing companions like Ruth who walked with me on the difficult journey back to Him.
CORRECTION
This time I didn’t find a correction text from Ruth 1 or its cross-references. As I was doing a little more reading about Moabites in general, the Spirit brought up from nowhere this partially memorized verse:
… if my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
When I get Scripture like this, I always look it up, paying particular attention to the literal context. In this case, it’s the second part of a sentence God spoke to King Solomon after he finished and dedicated the temple in Jerusalem. Here’s the first part:
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, (2 Chronicles 7:13)
Sounds like the kind of stuff that would cause a famine, huh?!
And the amazing thing is, we know Naomi humbled herself and turned from pursuing her own solution to the famine crisis. I think it’s probably fair to assume she also prayed and sought God’s face, even as she complained to others of her bitterness at His outstretched hand.
ACTION PLAN
This is one of the easiest action plans I’ve ever developed for a study because my correction verse spells it out so well!
When I feel bitterness, resentment, indignation, etc., coming on—and it happens more often than I want to admit—I will turn back to God, humble myself, pray, and seek Him through His Word.
Our Next Study
Thanks so much for joining me for this study! If you’re working along with me, we’re 25% done with the book of Ruth! I hope you’ll continue to check in as I start Ruth chapter 2 next week. After the long journey back to Bethlehem, Ruth’s life is about to get really interesting!
CONTINUE TO RUTH 2 STUDY
by Jen | Jun 25, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 1
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! This week I reviewed the cross-references available for Ruth 1:13 and 20 and compared four English translations of these two verses. Here’s what I discovered.
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
- Hand of the Lord/ God (v13). In the Old Testament this seems related to the judgment and punishment God inflicted on Israel’s enemies. For example, God instructed Moses to warn Pharoah that “the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock” if he didn’t release the Israelites (Ex 9:3), and the author of 1 Samuel indicates the Philistines in Gath saw the Lord’s hand against them (1 Samuel 5:9-11). They weren’t the only ones. God’s own people, including Naomi (Ruth 3:13) and even King David (Psalms 32:4, 38:1-3, and 39:10), also felt the disciplining hand of the Lord.
In the New Testament, though, I found the phrase most often in reference to Jesus being at God’s right hand (Mark 16:19, Acts 2:33, 7:55-56, Col 3:1, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:22), and, reassuringly, He’s there interceding for us (Romans 8;34). Naomi and her family didn’t have the benefit of Jesus, though.
- Almighty (v20).The reference that caught my attention here was Exodus 6:3: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.
In this conversation with Moses, God distinguishes his name God Almighty—El Shaddai (“most powerful God”) from Lord—Yahweh (“self-existent, eternal one”). Until I looked at that cross-reference, I didn’t realize Naomi had used two different names for God in her two conversations the Spirit called me to examine! First, she used Yahweh (Hebrew God) in conversation with her Moabite daughters-in-law (v13); then, with the Israelite women of Bethlehem, she spoke of El Shaddai (“most powerful God”) and His chastisement of her and her family (v20). As we continue to work through Ruth, I’ll be curious to see how God is named going forward.
- Dealt (v20). The Old Testament passages under this category are predictably, from Job, Psalms, Isaiah, and Lamentations, though I didn’t see a clear connection between any and Naomi’s statement except Lamentations 3:15: “He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood.”
The one New Testament reference was Hebrews 12:11: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Naomi’s loss of all the men in her family had to have been awfully painful. Yet it seems there might be a silver lining to all this. I guess we’ll have to keep studying this book to see what that is, huh?!
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
This time, I compared verses 13 and 20 of Ruth 1 across four translations: the English Standard Version (ESV), the Amplified Bible (AMP), the New International Version (NIV), and the Good News Translation (GNT).
The first thing I noticed was the ESV is the only translation to use therefore in verse 13, so I believe my conclusion—that its use there wasn’t as a connector between an action and its reason—was a correct one.
Next, also with verse 13, I notice a comparison in the Amplified and NIV translations that I don’t see in the ESV or Good News Translation. Naomi says it’s much more difficult [AMP] or more bitter [NIV] for her than for the daughters-in-law. In the ESV and GNT, I believe Naomi is saying something different: not that her suffering is worse than theirs, but that she feels badly for them that they, too, suffered loss when the Lord was punishing her.
Finally, with verse 20, it appears all the translations I compared are essentially the same.
Dig-In Challenges
It’s hard to believe we’re almost done with another study. This week, let’s
- Read the prayer we created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Then review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned.
- ALIGN: As we consider those “lessons learned,” notice what the Spirit is using to convict us in this study. In other words, where is He showing us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, we’ll think about a part of this study that offers us a way to correct that misalignment. For me, this has often—but not always—been a verse either from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally we want to reflect on how we can change our walk or talk (or both) to align more closely with God. To really make this work, I commit to changing something and do my best to act on that commitment every day for at least three weeks.
That may seem like a lot to consider in one week, but my experience has been the Spirit often leads me through steps 2-5 very quickly (though sometimes I have to pray about it more than a couple of times during the week). If you’re working with me, just do what you can. Any study done with the Spirit is good study, my Friend!
Also, I’m looking forward to sharing what the Spirit reveals next week, as well as a preview of our next study text, Ruth 2.
GO TO WEEK 8>
by Jen | Jun 18, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 1
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again! Has the Spirit shown you awesome treasure from Ruth 1? If you’re willing to share what you’ve discovered, I’d love to hear about it. You can email me at [email protected], or use my contact form.
Last Week’s Work
I noticed two types of writing in Ruth 1. First, the overall type is narrative, since Ruth 1 tells the story of a Moabite woman who married into the family of Elimelech, a Judean expat living with his wife, Naomi, and two sons in Moab. Second, I noticed poetry in the rhythmic repetition of verses 16-17 (Ruth’s pledge to Naomi). At this point, I think it’s safe to conclude Ruth’s author meant for us to interpret this story literally: these characters actually lived and this is really what happened in their lives.
LITERAL CONTEXT
Last week I mentioned I planned to look at the last four chapters of Judges for anything that might help me better understand the context of Ruth, and particularly, the statement made in Ruth 1:1, In the days when the judges ruled.
As is often the case with God’s Word, I got a little carried away, but I found so much treasure!
I started with a cursory review of the entire book of Judges, looking specifically for any mention of Moab. Based on this map from blb.org, it was a region east and south of the Dead Sea. So, the trek back to Bethlehem for Naomi and Ruth required they either cross the Dead Sea or walk around it. What a trip!
I discovered in Judges 3 that Moab had actually been Israel’s enemy: for eighteen years, the Israelites were subjected to Eglon, King of Moab (Judges 3:14), but then Ehud assassinated Eglon, and Moab was subdued by Israel for eighty years (Judges 3:15-30).
Also, it appears after Joshua’s death (Judges 2:6), Israel began to worship the gods of the Canaanites. Over time, God raised up judges (i.e., Ehud, above) to deliver them from specific enemies, but every time the judge died, Israel went right back to idolatry and evil.
When I turned my attention to the last four chapters of the book, I saw the statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” twice (Judges 17:6 and 21:25),” as well as variations of it, especially, “in those days there was no king in Israel, (Judges 18:1, 19:1).” I couldn’t help but notice the emphasis on their lack of strong, Godly leadership during this time, and the ruin and chaos stemming from it. I can’t help but seem some contemporary parallels there!
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
From reviewing the ESV Global Study Bible’s Introduction to Judges and to Ruth, I discovered Ruth’s author is unknown, but it’s believed to have been written about 1010 BC.
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
As I looked over verses 13 and 20 in Hebrew, I was drawn to the following:
- “it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake” (v13) – the word for bitter is H4843 mārar. Strong’s renders the phrase, “it is very bitter to me on your account (I am much distressed). As I looked at other biblical uses for H4843, it was clear many involved embitterment connected to misfortune.
- “call me Mara” (v20)– the word Mara is H4755 mārā’. Strong’s indicates this is the only time H4755 is used, and defines it as “a name Naomi called herself due to her calamities.” A side reference here was to H4751 mar, used to describe the bitter water at Marah encountered by the Israelites in Exodus 15:22-26. As I drilled down into those verses, I discovered a statement God made to the Israelites there that had a familiar ring to it, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26). But no, Naomi and her family clearly did what was right in their own eyes (not God’s) when they left famine-stricken Bethlehem for Moab, a land where idolatry was common.
After her husband’s and sons’ deaths, Naomi returned. Interestingly, so did Ruth, who thereby rejected the idolatry in her home country for faith in Naomi’s one God.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, we’re going to wrap up the second half of our Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (for v13, I’ll start at this blb.org page) to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in and note what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: if you’re interested in other verses, follow the above link, then point to the TOOLS button to the left of a verse, and choose Cross-Refs from the menu.
- REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations’ version of the same verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT starting with this biblehub.com page. You can compare your own verses from that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass there.
It’s hard to believe we’re almost through this study, my friend: just two more weeks! I hope the Lord has used it for His glory and your good! See you next week!
GO TO WEEK 7>
