Ruth – La Vista Church of Christ

A Life Defined by Love

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 19:22:34 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A-Life-Defined-by-Love.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: I Corinthians 16:13-14

I. The story of Ruth is a popular love story from the Bible

A. It isn’t how most people see as a typical love story.

1. She doesn’t go out searching for love but she eventually finds it anyway

B. Rather, we see the story of a woman whose life is defined by love

1. Everything she does is a result of her love for others

C. Love is an important concept for us to understand - I Corinthians 13:1-3

1. It is what defines Christianity - John 13:34-35

2. It is required by our religion - I John 4:21

II. Ruth’s example

A. Devotion

1. When we are introduced to Ruth, we are told simply that she is the wife of one of Naomi’s sons - Ruth 1:4

a. It is not until the end of the story that we learn which one - Ruth 4:10

2. Misfortune strikes the family

a. Naomi loses her husband - Ruth 1:3

b. And then her two sons - Ruth 1:5

3. Naomi decides to return to her homeland - Ruth 1:6

4. She expected to leave her daughter-in-laws, but Ruth refused - Ruth 1:15-17

5. The Greek word for love is agape and it refers to a devoted love that is given even if it is not returned

6. Ruth is an example of a love that

a. Does not seek its own way - I Corinthians 13:5

b. Does not fail - I Corinthians 13:8

c. She does not leave Naomi because her husband died.

d. She doesn’t abandon her because she moves to another country

e. Naomi seeks to dissuade her, but Ruth persists

B. Diligence

1. Because of Ruth’s love for Naomi, she goes to work to provide for herself and Naomi - Ruth 2:2

2. She wasn’t slack about it - Ruth 2:5-7

3. We also are to show this type of love - Galatians 6:9-10

C. Sacrifice

1. Ruth gave up her family and country to move to a foreign land - Ruth 2:11

2. When she was offered food, she only ate until she was satisfied and then brought the rest to her mother-in-law - Ruth 2:14,18

3. This is what is demanded of us as well - Philippians 2:3-4

4. We help our brethren - I John 3:17-18

D. Humility

1. She asked permission to glean - Ruth 2:2,7

2. The request was an admission of being poor - Leviticus 19:9-10

3. Normally it is the man who proposes to the woman, but Ruth requested that Boaz take her in as a concubine - Ruth 3:7-9

4. Humility is what God wants of His people - Colossians 3:12

5. Humility and fearing God are rewarded - Proverbs 22:4

E. Rewarded

1. Ruth wasn’t doing these things to be honored. She genuinely loved Naomi and sought to care for her

2. It was her love that Boaz noticed - Ruth 2:11; 3:10

3. And eventually she became his wife (not concubine) - Ruth 4:13

4. We too should work to glorify God and not ourselves - Matthew 5:16

III. Jacob illustrates a similar love

A. He showed devotion and diligence by working seven years to marry Rachel - Genesis 29:20

B. When Laban tricks him into marrying her sister, he agrees to work another seven years to marry the woman he loved - Genesis 29:27-29

C. Jacob was basically a servant in Laban’s household, but he was willing to do so for Rachel - Genesis 30:25-26

D. He was ill-treated - Genesis 31:2, 5-7

E. But in the end he was rewarded - Genesis 31:9, 14-16

IV. All that we do should be from love - I Corinthians 16:14

A. God loved us - I John 4:19

B. So we ought to love each other - I John 4:11

C. Love ought to define the type of life we live

Based on an article by Stephen Harper

Ruth – A Woman of Virtue

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:27:42 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Ruth-A-Woman-of-Virtue.mp3

by Ross Ward

Text: Ruth 3:11

Defining
1. Virtuous
  1. Brown Driver & Briggs – strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army
  2. Strong’s – probably a force; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
  3. Army 56x
  4. Man of valor 37x
  5. Host 29x
  6. Forces 14x
  7. Valiant 13x
  8. Strength 12x
  9. Riches 11x
  10. Wealth 10x
  11. Power 9x
  12. Substance 8x
  13. Might 6x
  14. Strong 5x
  15. Virtuous 4x
  16. Misc 33x
Strength
1. Ruth 2:1 – Boaz was a man of “wealth”
  1. Same word – “virtue”
2. Ruth 2:17-18 – about 1 ephah
  1. Could be 30-45lbs
3. Ruth 3:14-18 – 6 “measures” of barley
  1. Ephah or seahs?
  2. Could be 2x or 6x that of Ruth 2:17-18
  3. Showing generosity of Boaz
4. Husband – wife relationship
  1. I Peter 3:1-7 – “weaker vessel”
    1. A relative term not absolute
Industrious hard worker
1. Looked for work
  1. Ruth 2:2-3 – let me now go to the field
2. Daylight till dark
  1. Ruth 2:6-7, 15-17
3. Provided for her household
  1. Ruth 2:18, 3:14-18
4. Entire harvest season
  1. Ruth 2:23
Women of strength
1. Proverbs 31:10-31
  1. Vs. 10 – who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies
  2. Vs. 17 – she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. (ESV)
  3. Vs. 25 – strength and honor are her clothing
  4. Vs. 1 – a mother to her son
Women of strength (misused)
1. Lacking meekness
  1. Genesis 24,27 – Rebekah
  2. Judges 16 – Delilah
  3. I Kings 18-21 – Jezebel
  4. II Kings 11:1-16 – Athaliah King (Queen)
Loyalty
1. To Naomi
  1. Ruth 1:6-18
  2. Ruth 2:11
  3. Ruth 3:1-5 – instructions about Boaz
2. To Boaz
  1. Ruth 2:8-10 – to stay with his maidens
  2. Ruth 2:14 – eat with his servants at mealtime
Loving-kindness
1. To Naomi
  1. Ruth 1:16-18 – desired to stay with Naomi
  2. Ruth 2:18 – stored up food
  3. Ruth 3:10-11 – showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning
  4. Ruth 4:15 – better than 7 sons
Humble/Meek
1. Toward Naomi
  1. Ruth 1:6-18 – leaving Moab
2. Toward Boaz
  1. Ruth 2:10-13 – in light of his benevolence toward her and Naomi
Lessons
1. Society’s portrayal of women
  1. Previous generations
    1. Feeble, weak, and helpless
    2. Frontier women
  2. Current
    1. Extreme – “liberation” movement
2. Women of the kingdom
  1. John 4 – Samaritan woman evangelizing
  2. Acts 18, Rom. 16:3, 1 Cor. 16:19, 2 Tim. 4:19 – Priscilla and Aquilla
  3. Acts 9:36 – Tabitha (Dorcas)
  4. John 12:2-3 – Martha and Mary served
  5. Acts 21:8-9 – Phillip had 7 daughters that prophesied
3. Ruth a “virtuous” woman
  1. Godly example
    1. To be admired and followed
    2. Context: strong and mighty in many ways
    3. Industrious and hard worker
    4. Loyal
    5. Loving-kindness
    6. Meek and humble
  2. Not a Rebekah, Delilah, Jezebel, nor Athaliah
A portrait of redemption
1. Boaz redeemed Ruth
2. God’s grace offered to us
  1. For any who would trust and obey him
  2. A Boaz

Portraits of God's Leaders

Portraits of God’s Leaders

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 18:46:54 +0000

A series of lessons presented by Ross Ward of Des Moines, Iowa, April 4-9, 2021

King Saul - An 'I' Problem

Saul relies on his own will and ability, ultimately refused to accept responsibility for his actions (I Samuel 8-16)

Jesus - Humble Servant King

Jesus is King but not according to the world's standards (Mark 11:1-11)

The Mind of a Servant - The Nature of a Godly Leader

We have one Lord, Jesus, he had the nature of a servant and instructs his leaders to be servants (Luke 22:24-27)

Barnabas - The Encourager

Barnabas, a servant of our Savior who had a great influence on young Christians and the young church (Acts 4; 9; 11; 15)

Ruth - A Woman of Virtue

Ruth, a woman of might, a servant in her time (Ruth 1-4)

David - A Child's Faith

David, faith in God as a youth (I Samuel 17)

David - A Man After God's Own Heart

David, a man of many failures, but overcame because he trusted in God (II Samuel 11-12; Psalms)

Jonah - Wrath of Man / Mercy of God

God's Mercy shown to Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 1-4)

Who raised Obed?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Question:

I just finished Ruth. In Ruth 4:16, it states, "Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse". There is a footnote in the NASB that says the term, "laid in her lap" is an example of taking "as her own". So, did Naomi or Ruth raise Obed?

Answer:

It would be both. Since Naomi did not remarry, she would live with Boaz and Ruth for the rest of her life. The phrasing means she took an active role in his upbringing.

What was Naomi’s lineage?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 01:50:00 +0000

Question:

What was Naomi’s lineage?

Answer:

"The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion-Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there" (Ruth 1:2).

Ephrath is the old name for Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19; 48:7; Micah 5:2). So other than being natives of Bethlehem and thus of the tribe of Judah, we know nothing about Naomi's family.

When did Ruth convert to Judaism?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Question:

Was Ruth converted to Judaism in the Book of Ruth? If yes, when did it happen? By the time she marries Mahlon, or by the time she follows Naomi to Bethlehem, or by the time she marries Boaz or none of the above?

Answer:

Ruth's decision to follow the Law of Moses is seen in her vow to follow Naomi's God and be a part of Naomi's people. "But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me" " (Ruth 1:16-17).

It wasn't called Judaism at this time. That name arose after Assyria destroyed the northern tribes leaving only Judah left.

Ruth – God’s Mother of Kings

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:17:00 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011Fall5Ruth.mp3

by Eric M. Hamilton

Ordinary Is God's Extraordinary

Was Naomi related to Obed in any way?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Question:

Was Naomi Obed's grandmother or even related to him in any way?

Answer:

Obed was the son born to Boaz and Ruth. Ruth was Naomi's widowed daughter-in-law. She had married Naomi's son who had died. Boaz married Ruth in part because he was a near kinsman to Ruth's husband. In particular, he was the second nearest kinsman (Ruth 3:12).

Many assume that Boaz was one of Elimelech's nephews, meaning that Salmon was Elimelech's brother (Ruth 4:18-22). However, there is no way to prove this. So if you are looking for blood relations, they are not close.

However, in society one can function as a relative. Ruth's oath basically made her more than a daughter-in-law to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). Naomi refers to Ruth as her daughter (Ruth 2:22; 3:1, 18). Even the neighbors realized their close relationship. "And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him" (Ruth 4:15). And Naomi helped to raise Obed (Ruth 4:17). So while not a blood-relation, Naomi still functioned in every way as Obed's grandmother.

We do the same today. If a woman becomes a stepmother or a man a stepfather, we still refer to them as a mother or father and later in life as a grandmother or grandfather. When children are adopted, they still refer to the ones who raised them as their father and mother. So what is spoken of in Ruth is not unusual.

Most importantly, however, is to go back to the reason why Ruth and Boaz married. Ruth was the widow of a man who died before they had any children. Since their marriage was to raise up an heir for Ruth's dead husband, that first child would be considered the child of her husband and, thus, his heir. "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband's brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel" (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). Thus, from an Israelite's point of view, the child was the dead man's and thus would be Naomi's grandchild.

Why wasn’t Naomi concerned that her daughters-in-law might marry ungodly men?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 02:28:37 +0000

Question:

I'm preparing to teach the book of Ruth for the first time. In fact, to even study it! I'm a bit confused as to why Naomi insisted that her daughters-in-law not go with her to her homeland in Judah when Moab was a land full of idolatry. If her daughters-in-law married men there, would they not be men who were not believers in the true God?

Also, wasn't it "Naomi" that when she saw how determined that "Ruth" was that she didn't say another word.? (1:18)

Were Naomi's daughters-in-law sisters or sisters-in-law?

Answer:

While you are looking at it from a spiritual standpoint, I believe Naomi was at the time looking at matters from a financial viewpoint. Her husband had died along with her two sons. The reason she was returning is that there was food available there (Ruth 1:6). She told her daughters-in-law to return because she had nothing to offer them. She couldn't offer them husbands, such as under the old custom of a widow being married to her dead husband's brother, as she had no surviving children, she was too old to have children, and even if she could have more, it would be too long of a wait for two young women. It is not that she didn't love them or that they didn't love her, it was a simple fact that she had nothing. One sorrowfully left knowing that what Naomi said was true. The other, Ruth, didn't care that Naomi couldn't offer her anything; she was going anyway.

Yes, if her daughters-in-law remained in Moab, they might not marry godly men as they had before. But they might not find any husband at all. But they would at least have their families there to support them. Still, Naomi couldn't offer them prospective husbands in Israel and she would not be able to support them while they remained unmarried.

Yes, when Naomi saw that Ruth could not be dissuaded she stopped trying to talk her out of coming to Israel with her.

There is nothing in Ruth to indicate that Orpah and Ruth were sisters, so there is no reason to conclude such a relationship.

Why did Ruth uncover Boaz’s feet?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 02:23:25 +0000

Question:

Why did Ruth uncover Boaz's feet?

Answer:

In the story of Ruth, Ruth worked in the fields as a charity case to supply food for her mother-in-law and herself. Ruth didn't realize it, but the field she selected was owned by a relative of her deceased father-in-law. Boaz spoke to her, realized she was related and made sure that she was protected (Ruth 2:8-13). He even asked her to join him for lunch (Ruth 2:14). Nothing more might have happened, but Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, told Ruth that at the celebration at the end of harvest to dress up. "Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do" (Ruth 3:3-4).

Many scholars conjecture as to what this symbolic action represented, but the most sensible is that Ruth was indicating that she was willing to serve Boaz (willing to be under his feet). Boaz wouldn't hear of Ruth becoming a servant in his house. He was impressed that she had not chased after men as other women did (Ruth 3:10) and he realized that she had an excellent character (Ruth 3:11). Thus, Boaz realized that he wanted Ruth as a wife, not as a servant. Yet, Ruth had to give him a small push to make him realize that she was available and worthy to be his wife by offering to be his servant.