• References: Ruth 1-4; Matthew 1:5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
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• Memory Verses:  Ruth 1:16-17 [16] And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: [17] Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
  See All...; Ruth 2:12The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
  See All...; Ruth 3:11And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
  See All...; Proverbs 22:1A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
  See All...; Proverbs 31:10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
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• Dates:  1135?-1050? BC

Ruth has always been one of my favorite women in the Bible. She’s one of two women after whom a book is named and she is the only woman in the Bible specifically said to be virtuous. Not only that, but she isn’t even a Jew. She’s a Moabitess. She married a Jewish man and then watched while her father-in-law, her brother-in-law and her husband died. Then, she followed her mother-in-law back to Israel. To a country she had never been to before. She left her family, her gods and her nationality. And she traveled to a land she had never seen where she knew no one. She was a foreigner and an outsider determined to find the God of Israel. Ruth is a picture of God’s grace in offering salvation to Gentiles. What did she see in her husband and his family that drew her to God? God blessed her devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She married and had a little boy who became the grandfather of David. David’s great-grandmother was Ruth. Did he know her? We aren’t told, but I’m sure at the very least he heard stories about this godly woman. By the way, did I mention that she’s the first woman on record who proposed to her husband?

Look up the following words in a dictionary and give the definition:

• Sojourn (1:1)
• Steadfast (1:18)
• Suffice (2:14)
• Virtuous (3:11)
• Nourish (4:15)
• Virtue
• Ruthless

1. What one word would you use to describe Ruth?
2. What made Ruth a virtuous woman?
3. What is the significance of there being a whole book about Ruth?
4. What verses from this book really speak to your heart?
5. Read Ruth 2:12The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
   See All..., why do you think it refers to “wings”?
6. Who is Boaz a picture of?
7. Is there anything Ruth should have done differently?
8. Look up Ruth 1:8And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
   See All..., 2:20But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
   See All..., and 3:10The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.
   See All.... How are kindly and kindness in these verses similar and how do they differ in meaning?
9. What was the name of Ruth’s first husband?
10. What was the name of Ruth’s son?
11. Who is Ruth’s great-grandson?
12. Who was Ruth’s sister-in-law?
13. What great compliment did the women of Bethlehem-Judah give to Ruth in chapter 4?
14. After all the pain and suffering that Ruth went through losing her father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband all at once and then being deserted by her sister-in-law as well, what do you think still drew her to God?
15. In what areas of Ruth’s life is the hand of God visible?
16. Here are 3 verses from Proverbs 31. Find matching verses in Ruth.

• Proverbs 31:10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
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• Proverbs 31:23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
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• Proverbs 31:31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
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Bonus Question: Where did the Moabites come from? (Read Genesis 19:37And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
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Note: An ephah (2:17) is about a bushel.

Fill in the blanks in this passage from Ruth 1:16-17 [16] And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: [17] Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
See All...

“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from ________________ after thee: for whither thou _________, I will ________; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy ___________ shall be ________ people, and _________ God __________ God: Where thou diest, will I ________ and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but ____________ part ___________ and me.”