by Jen | Nov 26, 2024 | 1-18, DISO studies, Ruth 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to my U.S. readers this week! God has been so good to me this year, even in difficult circumstances. I pray you also find reasons for gratitude to the One who loves us so much. Amen! Here’s what I discovered from comparisons, causes, and conditions in Ruth 4.
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
This time, I noticed four comparisons:
- Verse 11: … May the Lord make [Ruth] like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel.
- Verse 12: May [Boaz’s] house be like the house of Perez because of the offspring…
I think both the above comparisons are about Ruth bearing Boaz many children because the speakers mention Rachel and Leah, the sisters who competed to have children by Jacob (Israel). With them and their servants, he fathered ten of the twelve men whose families became the twelve tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin.
- Verses 14-15: [Obed] shall be [Naomi’s] restorer of life and nourisher of [her] old age.
Obed was born to take the place of his mother’s first husband, Naomi’s son Mahlon, and, as the only surviving boy in Naomi’s family, would be charged with taking care of her.
- Verse 15: [Ruth] is more [valuable] to [Naomi] than seven sons…
I think this is a reference to all Ruth did for Naomi, returning with her from Moab and working so hard for her survival, including bearing Obed.
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
This time I focused on verse 6: The original redeemer said, I cannot redeem [Naomi’s property] for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. In other words, the reason he couldn’t redeem the property (and acquire Ruth) was because if he did, his inheritance would be in jeopardy.
This is the huh? the Spirit directed me to dig into in this study. I suspect it relates to being forced to give up the firstborn of the marriage to Elimelech’s family as Obed was in vv16-17. I’m hoping I can get more clarity on that soon!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
The only condition I noticed was the legal one requiring the redeemer to marry Ruth and produce a son for Naomi’s family with her when he bought Elimelech’s property (v5). Just giving her the money for the property would provide support temporarily, but once she spent all the money, how would she survive? Having a son (through Ruth and the redeemer), though, enabled the property to come back to Naomi’s kin when the boy was old enough to own it (as I mentioned last week). At that point, he’d probably also become responsible for supporting Naomi (v15).
I also noticed the process through which Boaz acquired Ruth: assembling ten witnesses, discussing the situation with the redeemer in front of them, and receiving the sandal from the redeemer as proof he was renouncing his claim to the property and Ruth. That seems strange to us who memorialize important agreements with written contracts, but back then literacy was not so common. The shoe and the witnesses were the proof needed to enforce the agreement if necessary.
Dig-In Challenges
Next week we’ll begin refining our understanding of what we’ve discovered so we can interpret it as Ruth’s author and his audience would have.
Here’s how I’ll be working toward that this week:
- PRAY. Of course!
- REFINE by rereading Chapter 4. We know the overall writing type in Ruth is narrative, so now we’re just looking for instances of instruction, law, letter, poetry, and/or prophecy in chapter 4.
- REFINE: by considering historical context: We know from earlier research that this story is set in the days when the judges ruled, and everyone basically did what they wanted to do. We also know no author is named for this book, but the mention of King David in Chapter 4 indicates it was written after 1010BC. I’d like to see if I can find anything that further clarifies the redeemer’s statement about his own inheritance, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to find anything factual about that.
- REFINE: by examining key words and/or phrases (I’ll look at verse 6) using an interlinear Bible, and note what the Spirit reveals. Interlinear Bibles are available on several study websites and let us examine Ruth in the original Hebrew. They provide details about each word, including its meaning in context. I’ll be using the Blue Letter Bible Interlinear tool for this research.
This “refining” step is more involved than the “mining” we did earlier, and you might be busy (as I will) with Thanksgiving festivities, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | Nov 19, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 4
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hi, again! Here’s my work from this week:
Last Week’s Work
REPETITION
This time, the Spirit called my attention to repetition of redeem/redeemer again, and the author’s mention of Naomi.
Interestingly, He also showed me how little Ruth is mentioned in Chapter 4, only appearing three times: as the inheritance spoiler (vv5-6), in Boaz’s statement of intent (v10), and as Boaz’s wife, the mother of a son (v13). The witnesses and women have more lines than she does! Moreover, the major activity happens to her and is out of her control: Boaz acquires her; the Lord gives her conception; and when she has the baby, Naomi takes him!
Then, the Spirit reminded me of what I’d seen about Ruth in the earlier chapters, too. From 1:16-17 on, she surrendered her life to Naomi and Naomi’s God, fully obeying Naomi’s directions, even when it meant slaving in the barley and wheat fields so they wouldn’t starve. What a difficult example of godly submission that is for me!
SPECIAL STATEMENTS
I noticed these special statements:
- Two Blessings:
Elders/people to Boaz: May the Lord make the woman… like Rachel and Leah… May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem (v11), may your house be like the house of Perez (v12).
The women to Naomi: Blessed be the Lord, may his name be renowned in Israel. He [Obed] shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age (vv14-15).
- Three Commands:
Boaz to nearer redeemer: turn aside, … sit down (v1) … buy [the property], redeem it if you will… or tell me (v4)
Boaz to elders: sit down here (v2).
Nearer redeemer to Boaz: take my right of redemption yourself (v6).
- Promises:
Boaz to elders/people: I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and … Chilion … and Mahlon … Also Ruth … to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance (vv9-10).
As I recorded this it occurred to me: Boaz gave Naomi value for the property that Obed would inherit. But effectively, the property he bought was his only until Obed was legally able to own it, at which time it would revert to Obed as Mahlon’s heir. No wonder the other redeemer changed his mind about buying the field. Once again, Boaz is acting against his own self interest (as I noted in my Chapter 3 study)!
LISTS
The only list the Spirit brought to my attention was the genealogy from Perez to King David in vv18-21. I had two questions about it: why start with Perez; maybe because the people named him in the blessing on Obed’s house in v12? and why trace the line through Boaz when Obed was supposed to be Mahlon’s son, not his?
As I thought about this, I remembered Perez’s story. He was the son of Judah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar (v12). Like Ruth, Tamar’s husband died childless, and her brother-in-law did, too. There was another, younger brother, but Judah wouldn’t marry him to Tamar because Judah was afraid that son would also die. Later, Tamar posed as a prostitute and tricked Judah into impregnating her with twins. Perez was the firstborn of them (Genesis 38:6-29).
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, we’ll wrap up Step 3 by:
- PRAYING: As always, start with the prayer we wrote for Step 1.
- MINING: Read through the passage again looking for comparisons in or related to your focus verses. Look for similarities using like or as, quantitative/qualitative comparisons using more or less, and/or contrasts.
- MINING: Next, look for causes or motives by focusing on key words or phrases I call cause connectors.
- In this chapter, look for the connectors for, because, in order to, lest, so, that, and to.
- Then check the text surrounding the connector for an action and the reason for that action.
For example: I went to the store because I was out of milk:
the action = I went to the store because the reason = I was out of milk.
NOTE A: for, so, that, and to don’t always connect an action and a reason. To determine if they do here, substitute a different connector (because instead of for, therefore instead of so, so that instead of that, and in order to instead of to). If the new sentence makes sense and means the same as the original, make a note of the action and its cause.
NOTE B: Most often the action will occur before the cause connector and the reason will follow it (like the example above). However, with so, the reason appears before, and the action comes after the connector. Here’s an example using the same reason and action as above, just changing the connector:
I was out of milk, so I went to the store.
the reason = I was out of milk so the action = I went to the store
If you have questions about this or any other part of the study, please reach out to me at [email protected]!
- MINING: Finally, look for conditions or methods the author describes. For example, does the text say if or when a certain condition is met, some outcome will happen (e.g., whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matt 21:22)? Or does the author describe a particular method by which something happens—for example, specific steps taken to achieve something, or more generally by or through attributes or actions (e.g., saved by grace, through faith (Eph 2:8)? Does he use any adverbs (-ly words) that describe how action was accomplished?
These exercises are more involved, but I know you can do it—rely on the Spirit, give it a try and check back with me next week!
GO TO WEEK 5 >
by Jen | Nov 12, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 4
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again! Thank you for checking in with me this week. It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving and the Christmas season are almost upon us again. I pray for joyful reunions with family and friends, honoring the spirit of gratitude and the arrival of the greatest Gift of all.
And in the meantime, let’s keep studying Ruth 4!
Last Week’s Work
MY PERSONAL TREASURE
I remain drawn to the original redeemer’s reason why he changed his mind about buying Elimelech’s property after Boaz mentioned Ruth: lest I impair my own inheritance (v6). I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to learn about this reason, but I certainly want to try to understand it better. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Holy Spirit will show me there!
WHO (CHARACTERS)
These are the main characters I noticed in Ruth 4:
- Boaz. In vv1-5, he met the redeemer and assembled a council of elders to witness their discussion of the property sale and Ruth. In vv9-10 he bought the property and acquired Ruth. In v13, the Lord gave Ruth conception with him, and she had a son.
- The closer redeemer, who originally volunteered to buy the property (v4), but backed out when Boaz mentioned Ruth (v6).
- The people at the gate (including elders), who witnessed Boaz’s purchase of Elimelech’s property and acquisition of Ruth (vv9-10), and blessed Ruth and Boaz (vv11-12).
- The women who blessed the Lord and told Naomi He had provided the baby as her redeemer. They also said Ruth was more to Naomi than seven sons (v15), they named the baby Obed, and said he was Naomi’s son (v17). That sounded strange initially, but based on my research on the levirate law in Ruth 3, it makes some sense, since Obed was legally considered Naomi’s son Mahlon’s heir (v10).
- Naomi, who laid the child on her lap and became his nurse (v16).
I also noted several characters mentioned in the genealogy (vv18-22) from Perez to King David, explaining how Boaz fathered Obed who fathered Jesse, who fathered David. Given what we know about the levirate law, I think it’s interesting that this genealogy is traced through Boaz, not Mahlon. Also, why does it start with Perez? Was he maybe the common “father” through whom Boaz and Mahlon were “brothers”?
WHERE (LOCATIONS)
- The gate, where Boaz waited for the redeemer and assembled the council of elders (v1).
- Ephrathah and Bethlehem: locations mentioned in the people’s blessing for Boaz (v11).
- Israel, where the women asked the Lord’s name be renowned (v14).
WHEN (TIMEFRAMES)
The only date I noticed was the/this day (vv5,9-10), when Boaz purchased the field from Naomi and acquired Ruth to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. I think this was the day after Boaz winnowed barley on the threshing floor (Ruth 3:3-18).
Dig-In Challenges
Here’s what I plan to do this week:
- PRAY before I study using my prayer from last week.
- MINE: Look for repeated concepts in this passage, including synonyms and pronouns referring to those concepts.
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, and/or warnings) in the passage.
- MINE: Note any lists (3 or more similar items) mentioned in Ruth 4.
See you next week!
GO TO WEEK 4 >
by Jen | Nov 5, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Ruth 4
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back to our final study in Ruth—though I encourage you to keep studying this book because there is always something new and different to discover in God’s Word as we grow in our faith; even in Scripture we’ve studied numerous times already!
Also, I have some big news to share!
If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember more than a few years ago I announced I was writing a book about this process. Unfortunately, the project stalled after beta readers kindly but firmly indicated it needed a lot of work. Thanks to God’s grace and many, many prayers, the rewrite is complete, and I’ve submitted it to a content editor for feedback. It’s still a long way from publication, but I am excited that it’s moving forward. Follow me at www.facebook.com/JenCasonDISO to see how the project is progressing, and sign up for my quarterly email newsletter (debuting in January 2025) to learn about cool giveaways as the launch date approaches. I can’t wait to study with you in a book, too!
Last Week’s Work
MY PRAYER
This time I’m using a shorter version. I’ve been editing the rewrite manuscript, so I turned the same tighten-and-cut eye to my study prayer. Hopefully it’s more succinct and clearer now!
Thank You Father God, for this chance to dig into Ruth 4. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who helps me see, understand, and apply Scripture. Help me listen to His teaching and learn and grow from it. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Next, I read Ruth 4, focusing on my reactions, and noting what caught my attention. Here are my responses:
- WOW! The redeemer originally intended to buy the land (v4), but didn’t want it when he learned Ruth was part of the deal (v6).
- HUH? The original redeemer explained why he didn’t want to redeem Ruth: lest I impair my own inheritance. (v6) I don’t know what he means by that.
- WOW! I like that the author recorded why the original redeemer rejected Ruth. She was known as a worthy woman in Bethlehem (3:11), so it might not make sense to us that he would reject her. As is often the case these days, when we don’t know the reason, we tend to infer it’s nefarious (“he must have been prejudiced against Moabites,” etc.). Isn’t it awesome that God puts that to rest right there?!
- WOW! The witnesses mention Rachel and Leah, and Tamar (vv11-12). I thought all these women were also mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ, but only Tamar is there (Matthew 1:3). Then I remembered both Rachel and Leah were married to Jacob (Judah’s father)—duh! only one of them could have given birth to Judah! It was Leah is (Genesis 35:23).
- HUH? Boaz redeemed the property and Ruth (vv9-10), but the women said the baby (Obed) was Naomi’s redeemer (vv14-17). How does that work?
Dig-In Challenges
Between now and next week, let’s dig into the facts we find in this chapter. Here’s how:
- 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.
I hope you’ll check back with me next week!
GO TO WEEK 3 >
by Jen | Oct 29, 2024 | 1-22, DISO studies, Introduction, Ruth 4
Hello! If you’re viewing this blog from the United States, I encourage you to pray for and vote in this year’s election. It may seem like one side or the other has the upper hand and your vote is too small to make a difference, but that is not so. In our study of Mark 9:14-29 last year,* we discovered faith and prayer can move God to miracles. It’s one way we can participate in His good works!
Thanks for joining me in this study of the fourth chapter of Ruth. We’ll be using the 5-step do-it-ourselves study process I’ve developed from decades leading youth and women’s Bible studies.
Let’s Study Ruth 4!
Now that we’ve studied through chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 3 of Ruth, let’s work with the Holy Spirit to wrap up this book. This week, I’ll begin by praying and surveying Ruth 4. If you want to work along with me, here’s what I recommend you have ready:
- A copy of Ruth 4, plus access to the entire book of Ruth.
I copy the text from https://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 lots of room for doodles and notes.
- A study journal.
Step 5 of this study requires a review of 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 don’t have time 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 how I’ll be studying this week:
- PRAY: This time, instead of writing a new prayer, I’ll probably take the easy route and just adjust the one I’ve been using. Feel free to do the same, my friend!
- SURVEY: And then I’ll read Ruth 4, 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!
*If you missed that Mark 9 study, it was a casualty of the takedown by my previous web hosting company a little over a year ago. I’m hoping to restore it and others here early next year. In the meantime, email me at [email protected] or use my contact page to request your copy of a pdf of those posts and related materials.
GO TO WEEK 2 >
by Jen | Oct 22, 2024 | 1-18, DISO studies, Ruth 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t know how the story of Ruth and Boaz turns out, this post contains information about it you may not want to read just yet. Come back after we’ve started Ruth 4 if you want to see it for yourself first…
Hello again! It’s so hard to believe we are already wrapping up this study. I hope your dig into Ruth has been as profitable as mine has. God’s Word is so good!
Last Week’s Work
This time, the Spirit called out the poetry in verse 9, “spread your wings over your servant for you are a redeemer.” I commented about how this might have helped Boaz identify Ruth on the dark threshing floor, since he used similar language in their conversation in Ruth 2:12. I also recall seeing similar words in a few of the Psalms attributed to David, the famous king of Israel who was also Boaz’s and Ruth’s great-grandson.
As I studied the Hebrew word ga’al, translated redeemer, I thought about how often I’ve heard Jesus called the Redeemer. He’s not a redeemer in the sense Boaz was: the kinsman who bought Elimelech’s field and married Ruth to provide a son for her childless, late husband. But, to Christians, Jesus is our brother who also fulfilled at least one of the kinsman’s duties. By his death, he redeemed us from slavery to sin and death (see John 8:31-36, Romans 3:23-24, Ephesians 1:3-10). I feel the Spirit leading me to dig more deeply into this facet of Jesus’s life—which means our next DISO study text will probably be one of those passages!
CONVICTION
I remain convicted by Boaz’s steadfast commitment to God’s law and his family. He had a humble heart and was very willing to do the right thing, even when the woman who needed rescue was born of people with whom Israel was in conflict.
As I write, I see myself in a similar situation, facing the possible surrender of something I really want, and I believe the Spirit is prompting me to respond as Boaz did: if x happens, good; let it be. But I don’t want x to happen. I want y to happen. So much so that I am catastrophizing any other outcome. That feels like an idol.
CORRECTION
I’m pulled toward two passages in this study: first, a segment of Ruth 3:21, “do not fear,” one of the most repeated commands in God’s Word, I’m told. The second passage is from the cross-references, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is … not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way…”
I believe the Spirit is telling me not to fear the outcome of the situation about which I’m so concerned, and to stop insisting on my own way. I know from experience this doesn’t mean I’m going to get what I want, but I can say—also from experience—whatever happens will be for God’s glory and He will work it out for my good, even if that takes a long time.
ACTION PLAN
So, my action plan is to walk with courage toward this crossing, willing to accept how God chooses to resolve the situation. Like Boaz, the result is completely out of my hands. God knows how I want it to go, but He sees beyond my vision. Both Ruth and Boaz have trusted God in this whole series, and I know it turns out for good all the way around. I’ve got to trust that God is working that way in my situation, too.
Our Next Study
I hope you’ll continue to check in with me as I start our examination of the last chapter in Ruth next week. See you then!
CONTINUE TO RUTH 4 STUDY
