Day 113 – Ruth’s Virtue

• Today’s third reading in the book of Ruth opens with a passage showing Naomi and Ruth planning a marriage proposal.
• How did Ruth, in actions that seem rather unusual to us nowadays, ask Boaz to marry her? How did Boaz respond to her marriage proposal?
• What do you make of her actions? They will have seemed rather odd! I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. You might be wondering why she was anywhere near his bed at all. But don’t be confused – there is no sexual sin occurring here. Ruth’s actions are humble and good, as you should be able to tell from Boaz’s response, especially in Ruth 3:10. Note that Boaz would have been quite a bit older than her.
• Why don’t you think they “dated” before Ruth asked Boaz to marry her? Did you know that there wasn’t a concept of dating in the Bible?
• Ruth picked Boaz because he was a potential “redeemer” for her, as he was a close relative to Noami’s previous husband. That said, what potential stumbling block is described in Ruth 3:12-13? What qualities does Boaz show by acting in the way he does in these verses?
• Why did Ruth leave early and out of sight, in verse 14?
• The Old Testament provided a unique way for people to help widows. This was called the “law of the kinsman redeemer.” Try and do a bit of study, particularly in today’s passage in Deuteronomy, and explain how Boaz ended up being the kinsman redeemer for Ruth. I’ll probably ask you about this when we meet up so try to understand what’s going on! It’s important to note that Christians are not bound by these marital laws any more; passages like 1 Corinthians 7:39, and others, talk about this.
• How does God describe a godly woman in Proverbs 31? How does Ruth fit the description of a Proverbs 31 woman? Do you or anyone in the family share any of the same character qualities (ie your mum, sister or gran)? The image in these verses paint an idealistic picture; i.e. something to strive for, as no woman could match up to the standard, just like no man could if such a list was made for him! You might be interested to note that the whole of Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic poem; each new sentence starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
• Boys, what godly attributes do you look for in a woman with whom you might consider starting a relationship? Girls, what do you make of the list of virtues in Proverbs? Are they the same as the world suggests to you?

I love this book. It’s such a gentle story of love, honour and godliness; a stage upon which the actors and actresses are acting their parts with godly wisdom and integrity. Don’t forget the bigger picture though! This seemingly innocuous story will, unbeknown to Boaz and Ruth, affect human history as we know it. You’ll find out what that is tomorrow. And yet, at the time, they would never have known that their story had any consequence… let alone be part of the Bible.

You have no idea how your actions or choices will affect you or those around you too. Can I encourage you to act in love, integrity and godliness in all your little decisions, just like Boaz and Ruth? Practise making these virtues a habit. You just never know – maybe someone will see you living for God in that small way and come to faith in Christ through your quiet display of faith.

And in the 999/1000 times when nobody sees it, you’ll still know about it. And so will God.