Discussion Questions for a Study in Ruth

I'm not sure I'm ready to move on from the book of Ruth! So ...

... in the past, I've led various Bible studies on the book of Ruth.  Looking over old notes, I see a collection of discussion questions.  I copy some of those below. Some of these questions can be answered from the text but a number of them are open-ended, requiring speculation. I hope you find some of these interesting. (As always, feel free to leave a comment!)

Before I get to specific questions by chapter, I begin with a favorite trick question to ask around Christmas time:

I am a young woman who, 

traveled to Bethlehem, 

and gave birth to a son,

who is in the line of David, 

and was called "Redeemer."

Who am I?

(No, not Mary! 😁 )

Questions on chapter 1

1. Why do both women follow Naomi for a time?
2. Why does Naomi send the two women back to their gods? (Is this right?)
3. Is God punishing Naomi for going to Moab? Does Naomi think so?
4. What do Naomi's words say about her daughter-in-laws' chances of marrying in Bethlehem?
5. Naomi says "Return to your mother's home!" Where is Ruth's mother's home? (What might be available in her mother's home?)
6. How does Ruth react to her mother-in-law's instructions? Can you visualize this scene?! (It has been painted by numerous artists.)
7. A bitter Naomi says "YHWH has afflicted me!"  Should she be saying these things about God? What do you think is her opinion about God? Where is Ruth during these conversations?
8. Who takes care of the widows in Israel? (What was the Israel welfare system like?)
   

Questions on chapter 2

1. How does Ruth know of the Israelite custom of gleaning?
2. Why does the passage keep mentioning "Moab" and "the Moabitess"?
3. What characteristics of Ruth does the foreman notice?
4. What does Boaz's question mean? ("Whose young woman...?")
5. Why does Boaz ask the foreman about Ruth? Why doesn't he just ask Ruth?
6. In verse 11, there occurs the phrase "leave father and mother". It appears only one other time in the Old Testament. Where? What is suggested by this occurrence?
7. Notice Boaz's prayer: "May YHWH reward you." Who does YHWH use to reward her?
8. Boaz, in addressing Ruth, calls her "daughter". What does that term imply? 
9. How old do you think Boaz is (in comparison to Ruth)? Why?
10. What do we learn of Boaz from this chapter?
11. Why might the men of Boaz be tempted to rebuke Ruth?
12. Why might Boaz be especially concerned about the treatment of a foreigner? (Do you think Boaz would've reacted to all women the way he reacts to Ruth here?)
13. What is Boaz's fear regarding Ruth working in other fields?
14. What would it mean to Ruth to have food left over?
15. How should we interpret Boaz showering Ruth with gifts?
16. At the end of the chapter, Naomi says to Ruth, "Bless be the man who took notice of you!" What is Naomi really thinking about as she says this?

Questions on chapter 3

1. In chapter 1, Naomi prays "May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Who, at the beginning of chapter 3, is used to answer that prayer? (What is the theological statement here?)
2. The night on the threshing room floor -- what is going on there? Isn't Ruth's move rather bold?! Isn't this scene a little risque, a little forward? (I mean, she slips into bed with him, doesn't she?)
3. Why does Boaz react as he does? (If it is such a chaste scene, why does Boaz want no one to know a woman was with him and why does Ruth slip out when it is still dark?)
4. In chapter 2, when she first meets Boaz, Ruth uses a strange word for herself; she uses sipha, a Hebrew word for a virgin slave of the lowest class, assigned to menial tasks. In chapter 3, in the dark with Boaz, she uses the word ama, designating a higher status, that of an ordinary female servant. Why the change in description for herself?
5. How is Boaz showing kindness to the dead?
6. Why must Ruth do everything she is told? Why, when she slips onto the threshing room floor, must Ruth make sure Boaz does not know she is there?
7. What is the significance of Ruth uncovering the feet of Boaz?
8. What do you think was going through Ruth's mind after Boaz's promises in the dark? Did she sleep?  Did she pray? Did she talk quietly to him? What did Boz think? Did he sleep? (Did they kiss?)
9. Why has no go'el (kinsman-redeemer) stepped forward to redeem the two women?
10. Why does he give her barley? What does this symbolize?
11. While Ruth and Boaz were together in the barn, did Naomi sleep? What do you think was going through the mind of Naomi?
12. What is Naomi's reaction to the gift of "six measures"? Why? (This gift is explicitly mentioned twice!)
13. What does Naomi recognize in Boaz's character?

Questions on chapter 4

1. How does Boaz know that Naomi is selling land? (Or is she?)
2. Why is the kinsman-redeemer so caught off guard? Didn't he know about Ruth?
3. Why does the other kinsman-redeemer not want to redeem Ruth? Why does he back out? 
4. Why ten elders?
5. Who is "the dead man's widow?"
6. Why does Boaz add the phrase: "to maintain the name of the dead with his property?"
7. Why is Boaz conducting this sale? What is his major interest in the transaction?
8. What is the major interest of the Storyteller's audience in the transaction?
9. Do the witnesses (townspeople) recognize what the transaction is really about?
10. What do you know about the women mentioned in this passage? What does the listing of Rachel, Leah, Tamar, say about the status of the Moabite woman, Ruth?
11. Who is ultimately responsible for the fertility of Ruth and Boaz?
12. Who, in chapter 4, is said to have a son? (It is not Ruth!) What is the significance of this?
13. What do the women say to Naomi after the birth of Obed? How does this compare with their first conversation with Naomi (in 1:19 - 21)? How does Naomi respond?
14. How do the women describe Ruth's value to Naomi?
15. In verse 11 we have a blessing by the townsmen: "may you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem!" What however, is the prophecy of the women?
16. According to the text, who named Obed? (Obed apparently means "one who works/serves". It may be short for Obadiah, which means "one who serves YHWH".)
17. How does this book close? Why is David mentioned?
18. What is the implied theological/spiritual statement of the last verses of this book?

General questions over the nook

1. Why did Ruth "as it turned out" go to Boaz's field?
2. In 2:12 Boaz says "May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." Who is used in chapter 4 to answer his prayer?
3. Why is a Moabitess allowed into the Israel community? (Compare with Deuteronomy 23:3; doesn't that passage indicate even David and Solomon should not be considered Israelites?)
4. Does Naomi really believe God is taking care of Israel? Does she believe in God? Does she believe YHWH is taking care of her?
5. How religious do you think Ruth is? Boaz? 
6. What role do women play in the story and the community? (Note the references to Rachel, Leah, and Tamar.) 
7. Our Storyteller never directly mentions YHWH.  Why?
8. Ruth has been married before? Why did Ruth not conceive before? Was Boaz unmarried? (If so, why?) 
9. What is the main point of the book? A theological (spiritual) point? Why is this book in the Bible?

An observation

As we finish the short book of Ruth, one might ask, "What is the main point of the book? What theological (spiritual) point is being made?"

There is debate among commentators on the main point of the book. Certainly one of the themes is the value of hesed (steadfast lovingkindness), modeled by Ruth, Naomi and Boaz.  But another significant theme is God's providence.  How does a human act when he/she is relying on the actions of YHWH?

In chapter 1, Naomi appears beaten, defeated, and says so.  In chapter 2 she has a plan for Ruth and instigates it.  Ruth, in chapters 2 and 3 is active and aggressive. But after being aggressive that night on the threshing room floor, she and Boaz patiently spend the night waiting for the dawn. Surely there was the temptation, that night on the threshing room floor, to hurry God's timing. Ruth was almost saved; Boaz was almost her husband. But the couple remain chaste and Ruth goes home to wait while Boaz prepares for his negotiations. And they are rewarded the next night, as Boaz takes her into his home and "goes to her". And, apparently nine months later, they have a child, a child that is the grandfather of King David.

There is a lot of wisdom required in knowing when God wants us to be aggressive and when He want us to be passive!