Copyright ©2010 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org 1 Family Worship Guide – Week 13 READ o Ruth 1:1‐6, 19‐22 o After finally conquering the Promised Land, the book of Judges reveals the people of Israel did not heed the previous warnings of Moses and Joshua, but rebelled against God’s rule and turned to serve other gods. The story of Ruth took place during this time period, and we see how God rightly judged His people with a famine in the land (1:1). Elimelech, Naomi and their sons responded by leaving the land (Bethlehem in Judah) and journeying to Moab (the wicked enemies of Israel). Here the sons married Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah). When Naomi’s husband (Elimelech) and sons died, she decided to return to her home in Bethlehem, and her daughter‐in‐law, Ruth, chose to go with her. o Ruth 2:1‐3, 8‐13 o After arriving in Bethlehem Ruth went to gather grain in the harvest field of a man named Boaz and found great favor in his sight. Verse 3 says that she “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.” This text was written from Ruth’s limited perspective. As far as she was concerned, she randomly picked a spot in the field. But, as we will see, God was providentially at work and led her to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. Once again, God’s sovereignty was on display ‐ the significance is to be seen in the verses to come! o Ruth 2:18‐20 o We see it was no coincidence that Ruth came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz; instead God’s sovereign plan was being worked out. In the law of Israel, there was a principle called the ‘kinsman redeemer’. When a woman was widowed, it was the responsibility of the nearest unmarried man in her husband’s family to take her as his bride so she would not become destitute. o Ruth 4:7‐17 o Ruth, a cursed Moabite, was the great‐grandmother of David. How did a cursed Moabite get into the line of the Messiah? Because God provided for her a redeemer. Boaz is a picture of our kinsman redeemer to come. We, too, were destitute when the Lord Jesus Christ bought us for Himself and made us His own beloved bride. Hebrews 9:12 says, "He brought eternal redemption." Through this incredible story, we see the kindness of God on display as He remained faithful to a stubborn and undeserving people. He used the least likely recipients of His grace to maintain the line of promise, which would eventually bring a great King and future Savior. The Bottom Line: God lavishes His kindness on His people and is sovereignly in control of our redemption. Questions: How have you seen the sovereign hand of God at work in the intricate details of your life? Kindness is a huge theme throughout the book of Ruth. In what ways have you experienced the Lord’s kindness? How can you be active in sharing the story of redemption with those God has sovereignly placed in your life? PRAY o Read Window on the World, pg. 38‐39 China o Use Prayer Card SING o Use lyric sheet and mp3 download of “Story of Love” o This week we are diving into the amazing story of sovereign grace in the life of Ruth. In this epic tale of redemption, we see God weaving together His plan to redeem His people for His glory, through the ordinary life of a Moabite widow. “Story of Love” is Ruth’s song to Boaz, expressing her gratefulness that God put Boaz in her life. This song also takes notice that Ruth and Boaz’s tale is just a tiny chapter in God’s great story of redemption: ‘Just like the sun lights up the moon, this love is a reflection of more than just me and you’. The book of Ruth ultimately points us to Christ, who came down to us to make a way to God through the redemption of His blood. MEMORIZE o 1 Corinthians 15:3‐5 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.