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Ruth

Part 1

Introduction

I guess I am like an old hound dog when I study the Bible. I like to sniff in every little rabbit hole I find along the way. That being the case I hope you will enjoy the journey through Ruth with me. We are not going to be in a hurry. There are too many inviting “rabbit holes” to examine. Whenever my husband studies the Bible and he starts on one subject but his research takes him far and wide, he calls that “chasing rabbits”. In this study we will chase some rabbits. You may even find a few rabbits of your own to pursue along the way. I hope you enjoy this study in Ruth!

When the Judges Ruled

Lesson 1

1. Now it came to pass in the days when the ______ ruled, (Ruth 1:1)

2. That there was a _______ in the land. (Ruth 1:1)

The time of our lesson was “when the judges ruled”. Let's see what we know about this time in Israelite history.

God set up the Israelite justice system through the law of Moses by which they would be ruled by judges:

3. “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall _____ the _____ with just judgment. (Deuteronomy 16:18)

When the children of Israel entered the Promise Land, God told them to drive out all the nations of the land because these nations worshiped idols. Israel did not obey. God allowed the nations that were not driven out to vex Israel sorely. The Israelites cried unto God and He raised up one judge at a time, (not many and not one in every city), to tell them what to do. The Israelites would obey God until the judge died and then they would fall into disobedience again. This pattern repeated itself over and over throughout the period of the judges. Please read the passage below which will help you better understand this period of time. Remember, as you read this passage, that Joshua led the Israelites after Moses died. Judges 2:7-20:

So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, which He had done for Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD died when he was one hundred and ten years old. (7-8)

And they buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD, nor the work which He had done for Israel. (9-10)

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. (11-12)

They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. (13-14)

Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. (15-16)

Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. (17)

And when the LORD raised up judges for them , then the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. (18)

And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. (19)

Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,..." (20)

Ruth was written during the period of the judges. It was written during the time that Israel was supposed to be driving the inhabitants out of the land.

4. Name the judges.

A significant factor in the story of Ruth is that there was a famine in the land. We know from reading other passages that God controlled and caused the periods of famine. He used these times to cause people to relocate and at other times He used famines to punish or to try men’s hearts:

5. Moreover He called for a _____ in the land; He _____ all the provision of bread.( Psalm 105:16)

6. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will _____ them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine;...' (Jeremiah 11:22)

7. "They shall die of gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be _____ ___ the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth." Jeremiah 16:4

We do not know the reason for the famine mentioned in Ruth. We could read between the lines and assume that it was probably for punishment during one of the many cycles of Israelite rebellion found in the book of Judges.

What did God desire that men do during these times of famine and hardship? He wanted them to repent and to look to Him and to trust Him to deliver them.

Considering all of this, Elimelech’s actions did not indicate he had faith in God to solve the problem but, like we so often do today, he depended on “self” to resolve the matter . We can look back to history in the Bible and see that “self reliance” instead of “God reliance” often caused a lot of trouble. Consider even Abram, when he was perplexed by a famine, he went up to Egypt. God had not told him to go to Egypt! This is where God had told him to go:

8. Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will _____ you." (Genesis 12:1)

9. Was Egypt the land that God was showing him?

10. Please read and tell what happened as a result of Abram’s lack of faith which caused him to stray into Egypt. (Genesis 12:10-20)

11. Discuss a time when Abram and his wife Sarai decided to solve a problem instead of trusting in and waiting on God. What problems did this decision cause?

12. Name an area today where Christians are tested to see if they will rely on God but prefer to rely on “self” to solve the problem.

13. Give an example of another famine in the Bible (well known or a lesser known one) and give some details about it.

May we always trust in God and obey Him even when we don’t understand Divine wisdom behind His commands. Part of trusting Him is being confident that He always knows what is best.