The Story Chapter 9 Reflection Questions

The story of Israel’s judges closes with a line that could just as well be the opening for the story of Ruth: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25) God’s chosen ones looked more like a reality show gone wrong than a holy beacon of hope. They had abandoned God’s plan (again) and had become moral misfits and spiritual adulterers. The light had gone out on God’s people. Then a foreigner stepped onto the stage and a candle of hope flickered once again.

The story of Ruth is a literary and redemptive gem that glimmers against a backdrop of blackness. In the opening scene, Naomi’s family caravanned away from the Promised Land where famine had left them hungry for food and for hope.  They settled in Moab where idol worship was the prevailing ritual and God seemed far away.  Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.  The weddings were too quickly followed by funerals—three of them. Naomi’s husband died first.  Soon after, both of her sons died too.  And all that was left was three widows, no children and no prospects.  The prospects were indeed grim.

Yet this is a story of redemption, God’s redemption in the midst of no hope. How can this story give you hope for a situation that seems to have no hope?

Use these questions taken from the individual Bible studies to use for your reflection questions.

1. Meanings of Biblical names are always significant. Elimelek’s name meant “my God is King.”  Naomi’s name meant “my pleasantness,” but later asked to be called Mara, meaning “bitterness.”  Ruth’s name meant “friendship.”  Boaz’ name meant “swift strength.”  Who best lived up to their names and who did not?

2. Compare Naomi’s attitude at the beginning and end of this story.  How does her view of God and the Upper Story change?

3. Look at Ruth and Boaz’s interaction with Naomi. What can you learn about the challenges and benefits of caring for an aging parent? What challenges do you face with your parents?

4. The period of the Judges was marked by weak faith and irresponsible living, but this foreign woman gives hope. What specific examples of strong faith and responsible living can you find in the characters of Ruth and Boaz?

5. The story of Ruth demonstrates laws that God had given Israel to take care of marginalized people (Deut. 25:5-10, Lev. 25:25, Lev. 19:9-10).  What do these laws and customs reveal about the heart of God for the poor, the widow and the orphan?  How could your group care for the less fortunate and thereby reflect the heart of God?

7. The word for redeem is used twenty times in this story, making it a key theme.  What does it mean to be redeemed? How does Boaz’s redeeming of Ruth compare to our redemption found in Christ?

8. What some people might call coincidence others call divine providence.  What are some key examples of God’s divine providence in this story?

The Story Chapter 9 Introduction

(Pictured above, Ruth gleaning the fields of grain.)

Chapter 9 continues in The Story with a family saga that is so real that it could almost be any of our families.This story could be placed in almost any place or context. It is about a family of Israelites that could not find food during the famine and so they went to a foreign country, Moab to find work and food. Moab is across the Jordan river from their home village of Bethlehem.

After Naomi’s husband and sons die she decides to go back home to Bethlehem, one daughter-in-law, Ruth comes with her.

Let’s tell the story of  Ruth a little differently: There is famine in the land, the family of 3 was starving, so they left Mexico, El Salvador, (you fill in the place) and they went to the United States where there were jobs. The boys marry local women, but then the dad and the boys all die, leaving all three women on their own. The Mom decides to go back to Mexico, do the daughters-in-law go back with her?

About now you might be saying, wait a minute, this is very different. But realize this scene could play out in a similar fashion almost anywhere. Ruth was a Moabite woman who went back with her mother-in-law to a country that was not her own. She was ultimately allowed to glean the grain from the fields AND Boaz became her protector and her redeemer. He not only accepted a foreign woman, but he married her! This foreign woman ultimately became part of the genealogy of Jesus, the ultimate Redeemer!

Think of a time when you were accepted in the midst of folk who were different from you, or think of a time you were not accepted. What did that feel like?

Dream about different ways this story could have played out as your read Ruth. Remember, God’s upper story is always at work behind the scenes in ways we cannot see. God’s upper story is working in your story too.