Ruth 1

There is a *Redeemer

Book of Ruth

Gordon Churchyard

Words in boxes are notes on the Bible text.

Jesus said, ‘The Son of Man came to give his life to *redeem many people’ (Matthew 20:28). (‘Son of Man’ is a name that Jesus gave to himself.)

This book is in the *Old Testament. The *Old Testament tells us some of the things that happened before the life of Jesus on earth. There is a lot in it about the kings of Israel. The most famous one may be David. His grandfather was Obed. The story of Ruth is a true story, and it tells us about the birth of Obed.

What happens in the story

Ruth Chapter 1

A family from Bethlehem in the country called Judah went to live in Moab. Moab was the country east of Judah. The two sons in the family married women from Moab. The father in the family died. Then the two sons also died. Their mother Naomi went home to Bethlehem, and one of the women went with her. The woman’s name was Ruth.

Ruth Chapter 2

Ruth and her husband’s mother came to Bethlehem while the farmers were cutting *barley. God had told the people in Israel to leave some *barley for poor people to get. So, Ruth went out into the fields to get some. She worked in a field where Boaz was the farmer. He told his men to leave some extra *barley for Ruth.

Ruth Chapter 3

One night, Ruth’s husband’s mother Naomi sent Ruth to where Boaz worked. Naomi told Ruth what to do then. Ruth hid while Boaz worked. Then he went to sleep, but he woke up at midnight. He found Ruth by his feet. Ruth asked Boaz to marry her. He said that he would answer in the morning.

Ruth Chapter 4

The next day Boaz found that he could marry Ruth. They got married, and later they had a baby. He was Obed, the grandfather of the great King David! Naomi helped Ruth with the new baby. The book ends with a *family tree.

What the Story of Ruth teaches us

Here are some of the things that it teaches us:

1) God rules what happens in the world. It was God that gave food to the people in Bethlehem, Ruth 1:6. It was God that led Ruth to Boaz’s field, Ruth 2:3. It was God that gave Ruth and Boaz a son, Ruth 4:12. When bad things happened (Ruth 1:21), God still used them. God can make good things come from bad things.

2) God loves people. He does not only love *Jews. He loves people from all other countries also. He does not only love men. He also loves women, Ruth 2:10; Ruth 2:13. Boaz’s love for Ruth is a picture of God’s love for us. Read the *family tree in Matthew 1. There are 4 women in it. And we think that 3 of them were foreign to the *Jews.

3) God is kind to people. In other words, he gives them what they need. God was kind to the family of Jesus 1000 years before Jesus came to the earth, (Ruth 4:16). God uses people to give help to other people. He used Naomi to give help to Ruth and Obed. Those people that love Jesus are part of his family. That means that God gives help to them as well.

The Goel

The *Jews spoke a language that we call *Hebrew. An important *Hebrew word in the Book of Ruth is GOEL. We have translated it as ‘*redeemer’. ‘*Redeem’ means ‘buy back again’. Here is an example. Someone buys an animal from you. Later, you go and buy that animal back for yourself. You have *redeemed the animal.

In the Book of Ruth, it was land that Boaz *redeemed. The land first *belonged to Elimelech. When he went to Moab somebody else had the land. Boaz bought it back from that person. But Boaz made a new rule. He said that if you bought the land back you must buy Ruth as well! So, Boaz was a goel, or *redeemer, for the land and for Ruth.

We call Jesus ‘The *Redeemer’. It is one of his many names. God made everybody. But nobody obeyed God’s rules. Some tried, but they could not. Everybody became a slave to sin. Sin is when we do not obey God’s rules. When Jesus died, he bought men back from sin. He *redeemed them. So, if we thank Jesus for *redeeming us, we are not slaves to sin any longer. We become part of the *Church of Jesus Christ. And remember … it does not matter who you are, Jesus can be your *Redeemer. Ask him! You may be a man or a woman or a child from any country in the world. JESUS CAN BE YOUR *REDEEMER!

The *Levirate Marriage

This was part of the law of Israel in the *Old Testament. The law tells you what you must do. *Levirate comes from an old word that means ‘the brother of your husband or wife’.

Here is an example of that law. A *Jewish woman married. The man died before they had any children. The *levirate law said, ‘The brother of your dead husband must marry you. The first son that the two of you have will be your dead husband’s son.’

In Ruth 1:11–13, Naomi is talking about *levirate marriage. The brothers of Mahlon and Kilion must marry Ruth and Orpah. But there were no brothers! Perhaps Naomi could find a husband and have sons. But Ruth and Orpah could not really wait for them. Naomi was too old to marry and to have children. There would be no *levirate marriage.

Some people believe that the marriage of Boaz to Ruth was a *levirate marriage. It was not, unless the rules in those days were different. Boaz was not the brother of Mahlon. And they did not say that Mahlon was the father of Obed. Boaz may have been Mahlon’s *uncle (see Ruth 4:3) but he was not his brother.

So we think that Boaz really loved Ruth. And that is why he wanted to marry her. We do not think that he married her because of the law.

Chapter 1

v1 There was a *famine in the country. It happened in the days when the *judges ruled the people. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the country called Moab. His wife and his two sons went with him. v2 The man’s name was Elimelech and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were all *Ephrathites. They went from Bethlehem in Judah and they came to live in Moab. v3 But Elimelech died. He was Naomi’s husband. Naomi and her two sons remained. v4 The two sons married women from Moab. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth. Naomi’s family stayed there for about 10 years. v5 Then Mahlon and Kilion died also. The woman now remained without her children or her husband.

v6 Then she heard in Moab that the *LORD had given his people help. He was giving food to them. So, she started to go home from Moab. Her sons’ wives went with her. v7 She left the place where she lived. She and her two sons’ wives went on the road to return to the place called Judah. v8 Then Naomi said to her two sons’ wives, ‘Go; return home to your own mothers. You gave kind love to me and to those that died. So I hope that the *LORD gives you his kind love. v9 I hope that the *LORD will give you rest in the home of a husband.’ Then Naomi kissed them. But they cried, v10 and they said to Naomi, ‘No, we will not go home. We will go with you to your people.’ v11 But Naomi said, ‘My daughters, go home. You should not come with me. I will not have more sons to become your husbands.

v12 Go, my daughters, go home. I am too old to have a husband. I might say that:

• there is hope for me.

• I might have a husband tonight.

• I might have sons.

v13 Even then you could not wait until they were men. You could not be without husbands until then. No, my daughters. What the *LORD has done is more *bitter for me than for you. The *LORD is against me.’ v14 Then they cried aloud again. Orpah kissed her husband’s mother, but Ruth held on to Naomi.

v15 ‘Look’, said Naomi, ‘your *sister-in-law is going back to her family and to her gods. Go back with her.’

v16-17 But Ruth said:

• ‘Do not ask me to leave you or not to follow you.

• Where you go, I will go. And where you stay, I will stay.

• Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.

• Where you die I will die. And there they will bury me.

• I want the *LORD to hurt me if anything except death makes us separate.’

v18 Then Naomi knew that Ruth wanted to go with her. So she did not argue any more. v19 The two women went to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, all the people in the town started to talk about them. The women asked, ‘Is this really Naomi?’ v20 But Naomi said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi. Call me *Mara, because *The Almighty has made life very *bitter for me. v21 I went away full. The *LORD has brought me back empty. So do not call me Naomi. The *LORD has spoken against me. *The Almighty has done bad things to me.’

v22 So Naomi came home. Ruth, her son’s wife, came with her from the country called Moab. They reached Bethlehem at the beginning of the *barley *harvest.

Verse 1 The *judges ruled Israel before the kings. Judah was one of the 12 groups of people that made the country called Israel. Elimelech and his family travelled about 80 kilometres to reach Moab.

Verse 2 Ephrathites lived in Ephrathah. This was another name for Bethlehem.

Verse 3 Elimelech died before his sons married Ruth and Orpah.

Verse 4 Ruth 4:10 tells us that Mahlon married Ruth. So then we know that Kilion married Orpah.

Verse 5 We do not know why the 3 men in the family all died.

Verse 6 *LORD is a special name for God. We call it a covenant name. You make a covenant when you agree with someone. The *Jews made a covenant with God: they would *serve God and he would give them help.

Verse 8 ‘kind love’ in *Hebrew is hard to translate. There is no word in English that means the same. It is the special love that God has for his people. The *Jews also used the word for the love that people in a family had for each other.

Verse 9 ‘rest’ here means ‘a home where you will be safe’.

Verse 13 There is a note on *levirate marriage above. *Bitter can mean two things. It can mean that something does not taste sweet. Or it can mean that life is very difficult. Here it means the second of these.

Verse 15 The gods of Moab were false gods. The wife of your husband’s brother is called your sister-in-law.

Verses 16-17 These verses are very famous. They tell us how much God’s people can love each other. (A verse is part of a chapter.) The last part of verse 17 is strange. Perhaps people said it in those days when they were making an important promise. It seems that they did. They knew that God could hear their promise.

Verse 19 We think that ‘Is this really Naomi?’ means ‘This really IS Naomi!’

Verse 20 Naomi again says that life is *bitter (or difficult, see note on verse 13). She tells people to call her Mara, the *Hebrew word for ‘*bitter’. The *Hebrew word for ‘*The Almighty’ is ‘Shaddai’. There are about 12 ways to translate ‘Shaddai’. We have given one of them. You may hear the name ‘Shaddai’ in some Christian songs.

Verse 21 The bad things were the deaths of her husband and sons. Later in the story, good things would happen to Naomi.

Verse 22 The *barley *harvest was at the end of April in Judah. It was when they picked the *barley. They got *grain from the *barley. And they made bread from the *grain. The *wheat *harvest was a few weeks later. The word ‘Bethlehem’ can mean ‘house of bread’.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words)

redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.

sin ~ when we do not obey God’s rules.
redeem ~ buy back again.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.'family tree ~ a list of your parents, grandparents and descendants.

descendants ~ children and their children and so on.
Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.

sin ~ when we do not obey God’s rules.
redeem ~ buy back again.'belong to ~ what someone has; people’s things belong to them.
church ~ a group of Christians who meet together. A church is not only the building that they meet in. It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
redeemer ~ a name for God. It means that he pays the price of our sin. This happened when Jesus died on the cross.

sin ~ when we do not obey God’s rules.
levirate ~ a law about marrying. See the notes at the beginning.

law ~ the rules of a country.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that *belongs to a Jew.

Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
levirate ~ a law about marrying. See the notes at the beginning.

law ~ the rules of a country.
uncle ~ your father’s brother or your mother’s brother.
famine ~ time when food plants do not grow.
judges ~ the leaders of Judah after Moses and before Saul.
Ephrathites ~ people that lived in Bethlehem.
lord ~ someone who rules or is a master; someone with authority.

LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God.
covenant ~ when people agree something together; when God and a person or people agree to a special thing.
bitter ~ opposite of sweet; or a very difficult life.'sister-in-law ~ the wife of your husband’s brother is called your sister-in-law.
Mara ~ a Hebrew word that means ‘bitter’.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
bitter ~ opposite of sweet; or a very difficult life.
Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

'The Almighty ~ a translation of the Hebrew word ‘Shaddai’. Bible students are not sure what Shaddai means. Some think that it means The Almighty; that is someone more powerful than anybody else is.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ someone that was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
harvest ~ the time when people pick plants and fruits.
serve ~ work for another person.
bitter ~ opposite of sweet; or a very difficult life.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.

barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.
thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.
wheat ~ a plant like barley that gives grain when threshed.

barley ~ a plant; you make bread from its seeds.
grain ~ the seeds of barley and wheat.
thresh ~ hit wheat or barley plants until the grain falls out.

Ruth Obeys God And Finds Love

Ruth

Hazel Rea and Chris Gladwell

Introduction

The book of Ruth is a beautiful story. The events in it happened over 3000 years ago. Because it is about ordinary people, this story can help us today. This story is about an ordinary family whose members suffered many losses but God went on looking after them. Then he gave them new gifts to make them glad.

We do not know who wrote Ruth. Perhaps it was a familiar story that a *scribe wrote down after King David’s death. In chapter 4 verses 18-22, there is a list of people who were born into Ruth’s family. This includes King David. He was a very great king, an *ancestor of Jesus.

Chapter 1

v1 There was a *famine in the country. It happened in the days when the *judges ruled the people. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the country called Moab. His wife and his two sons went with him. v2 The man’s name was Elimelech and his wife’s name was Naomi. His two sons’ names were Mahlon and Kilion. They were all *Ephrathites. They went from Bethlehem in Judah and they came to live in Moab.

Verses 1-2 These verses introduce the story. The events happened in the time of the *judges, before there was a king ruling Israel’s people. Judah was an area in the south and west of Israel. Moab was on the opposite side of the Dead Sea and was a separate state.

Bethlehem was a large town. The local area usually produced plenty of food. Then there was a *famine (a time when crops did not grow well and so there was not enough food). Elimelech and his family wanted security. They left home to look for food elsewhere. They came to a country where the people did not *worship God.

Elimelech was from Ephrath. This probably meant that he belonged to one of the chief families in Bethlehem. (‘Ephrath’ is an old name for Bethlehem – see Micah 5:2.) He took his wife Naomi and his two sons Mahlon and Kilion. They planned to stay in Moab only for a short time.

The names in this story are important. Elimelech means ‘My God is king’. Naomi means ‘pleasant’. What had happened in Naomi’s life did not match her name. In Ruth 1:20, Naomi realised that. Mahlon and Kilion seem to come from two other words. Those words mean to be sick and to become weak and die. These names show the sad events to come.

v3 But Elimelech died. He was Naomi’s husband. Naomi and her two sons remained. v4 The two sons married women from Moab. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth. Naomi’s family stayed there for about 10 years. v5 Then Mahlon and Kilion died also. The woman now remained without her children or her husband.

Verse 3 Elimelech died. We do not know his age or the cause of his death. Naomi still had two sons who could provide for her.

Verses 4-5 The two sons married local girls, Orpah and Ruth. They were from Moab. (The name of their god was Chemosh – see 2 Kings 23:13.) After 10 years, the girls became widows too. They had been married but they had no sons. Naomi was now without any man from her family to look after her, and she was in a foreign country.

v6 Then she heard in Moab that the *LORD had given his people help. He was giving food to them. So, she started to go home from Moab. Her sons’ wives went with her. v7 She left the place where she lived. She and her two sons’ wives went on the road to return to the place called Judah.

Verses 6-7 Naomi heard that God had helped his people. News came from Judah. God had provided food there. She still trusted that he looked after his people. She wanted to go back home. Orpah and Ruth started the journey with her. They loved her and they wanted to stay together.

v8 Then Naomi said to her two sons’ wives, ‘Go; return home to your own mothers. You gave kind love to me and to those that died. So I hope that the *LORD gives you his kind love. v9 I hope that the *LORD will give you rest in the home of a husband.’ Then Naomi kissed them. But they cried.

Verses 8-9 But Orpah and Ruth were from Moab. They were young and they could marry again. Their people would look after them. Naomi was grateful for their kindness and she blessed them. This showed that she trusted God. And she spoke about him. She prayed to him to look after Ruth and Orpah too.

v10 They said to Naomi, ‘No, we will not go home. We will go with you to your people.’ v11 But Naomi said, ‘My daughters, go home. Why are you coming with me? I will not have more sons to become your husbands. v12 Go, my daughters, go home. I am too old to have a husband. I could say that there is hope for me. I could say, “I will have a husband tonight and I will have sons.” v13 But even so would you wait until they were men? Would you not have husbands until then? No, my daughters. What the *LORD has done is more bitter for me than for you. The *LORD is against me.’ v14 Then they cried aloud again. Orpah kissed her husband’s mother, but Ruth held on to Naomi.

Verses 10-14 Both Ruth and Orpah still wanted to stay with Naomi. But Naomi wanted what was best for them. She could not give them new husbands. They needed to marry for security. So, Naomi tried to persuade them to go back to their families in Moab. At last, Orpah agreed, although it made her sad.

v15 ‘Look’, said Naomi, ‘your *sister-in-law is going back to her family and to her gods. Go back with her.’

v16-17 But Ruth said,

Do not ask me to leave you or not to follow you.

Where you go, I will go. And where you stay, I will stay.

Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.

Where you die, I will die. And there they will bury me.

I want the *LORD to hurt me if anything except death makes us separate.

v18 Then Naomi knew that Ruth wanted to go with her. So, she did not argue any more.

Verses 15-18 Ruth understood the practical wisdom of Naomi’s advice. However, her love for Naomi and her wish to obey God made her strong. She would be loyal to him and to Naomi. She was ready to give up everything else. ‘Where you go, I will go. And where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God’, she said. Ruth chose to belong to Naomi’s people and to *worship Naomi’s God. The book now becomes Ruth’s story.

v19 The two women went to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, all the people in the town started to talk about them. The women asked, ‘Is this really Naomi?’ v20 But Naomi said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi. Call me *Mara, because *The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. v21 I went away full. The *LORD has brought me back empty. So do not call me Naomi. The *LORD has spoken against me. *The Almighty has done bad things to me.’ v22 So Naomi came home. Ruth, her son’s wife, came with her from the country called Moab. They reached Bethlehem at the beginning of the *barley harvest.

Verses 19-22 Ruth and Naomi travelled together. They arrived at Bethlehem when the men were beginning to harvest the *barley. The women from the town recognised Naomi. They were surprised at how she appeared. She explained her circumstances. She thought that her name should now be Mara. Mara means ‘bitter’. She was without a husband or sons. She had nothing. She thought that God was against her. Only Ruth, the young woman from Moab, remained with her. But in all that she had suffered, Naomi did not stop believing God. She did not understand why her life was sad. She only knew that God was in command.

scribe ~ a man who writes as his work. People pay him to write letters and records.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or your mother have come.
famine ~ time when food plants do not grow.
judges ~ leaders of Israel who tried to govern as God directed them.
Ephrathites ~ people that lived in Bethlehem.
worship ~ to love and thank someone (God) more than we love anyone else.
lord ~ one who rules or is a master.

LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use.

'sister-in-law ~ here it means the wife of your husband’s brother.
Mara ~ a word that means ‘bitter’.'The Almighty ~ a name for God, someone more powerful than anyone else.
barley ~ a type of grain.