Tuesday, August 10, 2010
God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part II - A "Chance" Meeting, Part 20 of 44
TEXT: "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech; his name was Boaz . . . Then Ruth left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech . . . Then Boaz said to Ruth, 'You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close to my young women' . . . Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, 'Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!' And Naomi said to her, 'The man is a relative of ours, one of our near kinsmen'" (Ruth 2:1, 3, 8, 20).
IDEA: Character is displayed not only by what people say about us but also by the actions we do.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that lives of great people remind us of what we can make of our lives.
What are the elements that go into a story that make it into an interesting plan, movie, or novel?
Hebrew authors usually develop their characters by the use of conversation and actions (rather than by describing the action in the story).
I. In the story of Ruth there are three major characters and it is through their interaction that the story develops.
Naomi and Ruth are introduced to us in the first scene, Ruth chapter 1.
What have we learned about them from their conversations?
At the end of the first chapter, what questions might a thoughtful reader have about what might happen to these two women?
A third character, a man named Boaz, is introduced to us in Ruth chapter 2.
II. The incident reported in Ruth chapter 2 not only advances the story line but also gives us some insight into the character of Boaz.
What do we know about Boaz from what the narrator tells us?
Boaz and Naomi knew something about each other because of Naomi's marriage to Elimelech (Ruth 2:1, 2:3, 2:20).
He was from the same "clan" as her husband. Why do you think that fact may be significant for the story?
Clan loyalties were strong. The clan owned lands together and owed loyalty to each other.
What do you know about Boaz's position in the village of Bethlehem? Boaz was "a man of standing." He was a wealthy, influential person. We can see that in the remainder of the chapter.
What difference does that make? His wealth and high social standing probably gave him strong influence in the community.
His strength and standing is the opposite of Naomi’s and Ruth's weakness.
What do we know about Boaz from the way he acts in this scene?
Do you make anything of the way he exchanges greeting with his field workers? He seems to have good relations with his employees (Ruth 2:4). They seem to have an easy familiarity with each other.
The exchange of greetings could also be a hint that the Lord was present in that field in the abundance of the harvest (Ruth 1:6).
What was about to happen between Boaz and Ruth is more than "luck."
What can you gather about his character in the way he interacts with Ruth?
He was kind to Ruth without being condescending. He assured her of his acceptance in his field, but he didn't do her work for her.
He was protective of Ruth. He knew how easily his workers might take advantage of a woman who was a foreigner. He instructed his workers not to harass Ruth (Ruth 2:8).
