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Overview
- Cover the books of Ruth & Esther in 10 lessons
- Equip yourself to lead a Bible study
- Imagine the Bible’s historical world
- Study word origins and definitions
- Explore thoughtful questions on key themes
- Go deeper with optional projects
- Add your notes with extra space and wide margins
- Find the flexibility to fit the time you have
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780891090748 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 03/06/2018 |
| Series: | LifeChange , #29 |
| Edition description: | Study Guide |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 1,103,988 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d) |
| Age Range: | 12 Years |
About the Author
The Navigators is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people "know Christ and make Him known” as they look to Him and His Word to chart their lives.
Navigators have invested their lives in people for more than seventy-five years, coming alongside them life on life to study the Bible, develop a deepening prayer life, and memorize and apply Scripture, The ultimate goal is to equip Christ followers to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2—to teach what they have learned to others.
Today, tens of thousands of people worldwide are coming to know and grow in Jesus Christ through the various ministries of The Navigators. Internationally, more than 4,600 Navigator staff of 70 nationalities serve in more than 100 countries.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Lesson One
OVERVIEW
The Story of Ruth
Map of Israel Under the Judges
"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit."
Judges 17:6; 21:25
The story of Ruth shines like a diamond in the dark years before Israel took Saul as its king. On one level, it is a tale of selfless love in a family, but at bottom it tells what God was doing when most of His people were doing whatever they pleased.
The judges
After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. They were supposed to kill or enslave all the Canaanites, lest those people seduce Israel into their depraved, pagan ways (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6). But the conquest was incomplete when Joshua died, and the Israelites found it more agreeable to settle down among the Canaanites, trade and intermarry with them, and borrow their morals and religious beliefs.
God had promised Israel victory over the Canaanites if His people remained faithful to Him, but defeat and enslavement if they shared their loyalties with other gods. The book of Judges shows a repeating cycle of apostasy, oppression by foreign peoples, appeals for help, and deliverance by the ever-faithful Lord. What the Israelites saw at the time, however, was an endless series of skirmishes and raids interspersed with months or years of tense peace. The "judges" who arose were men (and one woman) endowed by God with special skills to lead the tribes. They were chiefly empowered to lead in warfare, but God also gifted them with wisdom, discernment, and moral virtue.
When a judge defeated an enemy, there was often peace in his region for a generation. He was respected as one who could decide disputes between people, and he might influence some Israelites to conform their religion and ethics more to God's Law. However, no judge ever governed more than a few of the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel was just a loose league of tribes; the mountains and Canaanite cities that separated them prevented unified action. Hence, while there was peace and godliness briefly in one tribe, parts of another tribe were practicing child sacrifice and ritual prostitution with their pagan neighbors, and another several tribes were at war with foreigners.
Judah, where the book of Ruth is set, seldom appears in the book of Judges. No judge over Judah is named, and no battle for liberation is described. Judges 15:9-13 tells us that in the time of Samson the Philistines dominated Judah and the tribe accepted its foreign rulers. The Judahites "mustered a force, not to support Samson, but to capture him for the Philistines." The Philistines worshiped the gods Dagon ("Grain," a god of the crops) and Baal-Zebul ("Baal the Prince," a god of rain and thunder). However, Bethlehem in the book of Ruth shows no signs of war or Philistine influence; the village is like an island in a sea of violence and immorality.
We can date Ruth's life only approximately. Her great-grandson David became king of Judah in 1011 BC at the age of thirty, so Ruth and Boaz probably married around 1100–1075 BC.
The monarchy
Because Ruth 4:22 names David, we know that the book was written sometime after he became king of Israel. In his lifetime and that of his son Solomon Israel finally defeated the Canaanites and attained the peace and prosperity Moses had promised. After Solomon, most of Israel rejected the royal house of David, but Judah continued to adore him and crown his descendants. When peace and prosperity crumbled, Judah looked back to David's time as a golden age. The book of Ruth was written by someone who revered David, but it could have been anyone who lived after 1000 BC. Because of the book's literary style, most scholars suggest dates between 1000 and 600 BC, while Judah was still ruled by kings from David's line. However, the story itself is probably a tradition passed down in Ruth's and David's family, since the tale so vividly reflects the customs of its setting.
Ruth the Moabitess
The author continually reminds us that Ruth was not an Israelite (see 2:2,6,10,21; 4:5,10). Israel regarded Moab as an inferior people, descended from an incestuous union (see Genesis 19:30-38). The Law stated that "no Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation" (Deuteronomy 23:3) because Ammon and Moab had been hostile toward Israel since the days of Moses. Moab oppressed some of the Israelite tribes for eighteen years toward the beginning of the judges' era (see Judges 3:12-30). When threatened by King Saul, David sent his parents (Ruth's grandson and his wife) to the king of Moab for protection (see 1 Samuel 22:3-4), but when David became king of Israel, he fought and subdued Moab (see 2 Samuel 8:2). For the next several centuries, Moab alternately won and lost its independence from Israel; the two nations were never at peace until Assyria conquered them both (see 2 Kings 1:1; 3:4-27; 13:20; 14:25; Isaiah 15:1-9).
This historical enmity and the express command of Scripture make it astonishing that God chose a Moabitess to be the ancestor of both David and Jesus, that the author of the book of Ruth stressed this fact, and that the Jews revered David's ancestress enough to acknowledge the story as Scripture. In light of Deuteronomy 23:3, why was David allowed to be not only a member of the congregation of Israel but even king? Certainly the Israelites of Ruth's day were casual toward God's Law, but why did God select this family above all others? As you study the book of Ruth, keep these questions in mind.
1. The book of Ruth is a story, crafted with artless genius. It demands to be studied not by dissecting it into bits but by appreciating it as a whole. So, begin by reading it through (it has only four chapters), jotting down any important repeated words and phrases you notice, key ideas and themes, and any questions you have about customs, words, and so on. Don't let taking notes distract you from enjoying the story; take notes after your first reading if necessary.
important repeated words and phrases____ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ key ideas and themes____________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ questions________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________
2. Now skim the story again and write a title for each episode that tells what it is about.
1:1-5___________________________________ ________________________________________
1:6-22__________________________________ ________________________________________
2:1-23__________________________________ ________________________________________
3:1-18__________________________________ ________________________________________
4:1-12___________________________________ ________________________________________
4:13-17_________________________________ ________________________________________
4:18-22_________________________________ ________________________________________
3. Briefly describe your first impressions of the characters.
Naomi__________________________________ ________________________________________
Ruth___________________________________ ________________________________________
Orpah__________________________________ ________________________________________
Boaz___________________________________ ________________________________________ the unnamed relative in chapter 4 ______ ________________________________________
4. At this point, what do you think are the main themes of Ruth or the main purposes for which it was written? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
5. "In the final analysis, God is the hero of all biblical narratives." What does your first reading of Ruth tell you about God? ________________________________________ ________________________________________
6. What lessons can you already see that the book of Ruth has for us? (Think about how the themes and what you learn about God are relevant to you.) ________________________________________ ________________________________________
For the group
This "For the group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select what suits your group. The main goals of this lesson are to get to know the book of Ruth and the people with whom you are going to study it.
Worship. Some groups like to begin with prayer and/or singing. Some pray only briefly for God's guidance at the beginning, but leave extended prayer until after the study. Ask God to speak to each of you through your discussion of Ruth.
Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, for getting comfortable with each other, and for encouraging a sense of common purpose. One way to establish common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of your study of Ruth, and out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. Discuss also what you hope to give to the group. If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, then you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met. You can then change your meetings accordingly.
You may decide to take about fifteen minutes at the beginning of your discussion of lesson 1 to discuss goals. Or, you may prefer to take a whole meeting to hand out study guides, introduce the study, examine the "How to Use This Study" section, and discuss goals. You can structure a discussion of "How to Use This Study" by reminding the group of the main points from this section and then asking if anyone has questions about what to do.
For example, point out the optional questions in the margins. These are available as group discussion questions, ideas for application, and prompts for further study. It is unlikely that anyone will have either the time or desire to answer all the optional questions and do all the applications. It is reasonable to expect a person to do one "Optional Application" for any given lesson. You might choose two "For Thought and Discussions" for your group discussion. If someone wants to write answers to the optional questions, suggest that he use a separate notebook. It will also be helpful for discussion notes, prayer requests, answers to prayers, application plans, and so on.
Note the observation-interpretation-application pattern in each lesson. Many of the numbered questions are observations and basic interpretations that lay the groundwork for deeper study. The meaty questions are often in the margins. In your group discussion, you may prefer to move quickly through the numbered questions (even skipping some) in order to concentrate on questions that interest you.
Point out the study aids on pages 117–121. If you own any, bring them in to show the group.
You may need to discuss how and why Christians memorize and meditate on Scripture. Christian meditation is not meant to empty the mind, as in oriental mysticism. Rather, after emptying your mind of distractions, you fill it with God's thoughts by dwelling on a short piece of His Word.
First impressions. Start with a question that everyone can answer, like, "What did you like best about the book of Ruth?" Then use questions 1–5 to get a broad sense of what the book is about. It is often dull to ask, "What did you get for number 1? ... 2? ..." It is more interesting for the group if you rephrase the questions: "What repeated words did you find? What is Boaz like? Can someone describe Naomi?"
Your goal is for everyone to get a general grasp of the book's themes and for everyone to sense the characters as real people. It will be easier for you to make applications if you try to identify with each character.
Application. You'll find more Study Skills on application in later lessons (pages 28, 33–34, 41, 82, and 97). If the group finds application difficult, you can look ahead at those Study Skills. Otherwise, take at least ten minutes to discuss how one theme of Ruth applies to you. Try to find at least one way in which your situation is like Ruth's, Naomi's, or Boaz's.
If group members do not know each other well, they may be reluctant to discuss specific circumstances in their lives. Instead of forcing intimacy too soon, spend the next few weeks building trust among yourselves. You may want to lay some ground rules, such as that no information learned from a prayer request or application may be repeated outside the group.
Questions. Give the group a chance to voice any questions about the book of Ruth or the time of the judges. You may decide to postpone answering some questions until after you have studied the book in more detail, but you may want to assign certain people to research answers to some questions. The sources in Study Aids may help. It's often easiest to let the group leader do all the research, but the group will mature together if other members are encouraged and helped to share this responsibility.
Wrap-up. This is a time to bring the discussion to a focused end and to make any announcements about the next lesson or meeting.
Worship. A time of prayer rounds out a meeting. You can share requests as a group or break up into smaller groups of two, three, or four. If group members don't feel comfortable praying aloud, you can pray silently for a while, and then the leader can close with a brief prayer aloud. Use what you've learned in the lesson as a springboard to worship. For instance, praise God for His active participation in the lives of His people, even ordinary people like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Thank Him for not giving up on His people in the depraved time of the judges. Thank Him for participating in your lives. Then share any specific prayer requests, and take time to pray for each group member to understand and apply the book of Ruth.
Study Skill — Themes and Purposes
Consciously or unconsciously, we usually study a book of the Bible in light of what we think the book as a whole is about. It is therefore wise to come to some tentative, conscious conclusions about this. In a narrative (true story) like Ruth, we should think about the plot (what happens in the story), the main characters (who are most important), themes (ideas or topics that recur through the book), and the author's purpose (what is he trying to explain, convince us about, encourage us to do or accomplish). A book may have several themes and purposes, and the more of them we can discern, the more we will benefit from the study.
Bible teachers often recommend that we read a book first for an overview and an initial impression of the themes and purposes. Then, after studying the book in detail, we reconsider our view of the themes and purposes.
Study Skill — Application
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Therefore, the last step of Bible study is asking yourself, "What difference should this passage make to my life? How should it make me want to think or act?" Application will require time, thought, prayer, and perhaps even discussion with another person.
At times, you may find it most productive to concentrate on one specific application, giving it careful thought and prayer. At other times, you may want to list many implications a passage of Scripture has for your life, then choose one to concentrate on for prayer and action. Use whatever method helps you to grow more obedient to God's Word.
One question to ask as you try to apply Old Testament Scripture is, "What do I have in common with the original audience of these words?" In the case of a narrative, you can ask, "What do I have in common with the people in this story?" Christ's death and resurrection, as well as a change in culture, make some things in the book of Ruth no longer applicable. However, God's character has not changed, and much of what He expects of people remains the same.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Ruth and Esther"
by .
Copyright © 2013 The Navigators.
Excerpted by permission of NavPress.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
How to Use This Study, 5,
PART I — RUTH,
One — The Story of Ruth (Overview), 9,
Map of Israel Under the Judges, 9,
Timeline for the Book of Ruth, 10,
Two — Naomi and Ruth Return (1:1-22), 21,
Three — Ruth and Boaz (2:1–3:18), 33,
Four — Naomi Filled (4:1-22), 45,
Five — The Redeemer (Review of Ruth), 53,
PART II — ESTHER,
Six — The Story of Esther (Overview), 61,
Map of the Persian Empire, 61,
Timeline for the Book of Esther, 62,
Chronology of the Book of Esther, 63,
Seven — Xerxes: King and Husband (1:1–10:3), 75,
Eight — Mordecai and Haman (1:1–10:3), 85,
Nine — Esther (1:1–10:3), 97,
Ten — The Lord of History (Review of Esther), 107,
Study Aids, 117,
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