Friday, August 19, 2011

Respecting Community Standards aka Caring for One Another, Ruth 4:1-10; The Adult Sunday School Lesson for 8-28-11

ATTENTION:  Please note that this is The Adult Sunday School Lesson, Respecting Community Standards aka Caring for One Another, on Ruth 4:1-10 for the 8-28-11 International Sunday School Lesson.  You will find the 8-21-11 lesson, Empowering the Needy directly beneath this message and on the right side.


Jed




Respecting Community Standards
Or
 Caring for One Another
Ruth 4:1-10
International Sunday School Lesson
August 28, 2011



Commentary
By
Jed Greenough


The first thing you should do with today’s lesson is to go back and include reading the fascinating 3rd chapter of Ruth.  Ah, to think about what many will ponder in their minds let alone say out loud if they discuss this chapter as opposed to merely the staid ten verses of our 4th chapter verses 1-10.
As we discussed last week Naomi saw herself as put upon by God and did not realize that her life and the lives of her loved ones including those activities we read about in the 3rd chapter were all going according to God’s plan.  He knew that Boaz and Ruth were the line from whom David’s line should come.  Being clean and smelling good and looking fine didn’t hurt but Boaz clearly “saw Ruth” long before this night and God knew that he would.
By the rules in place though, someone else had first rights, Ruth told Naomi in chapter 2 that Boaz was one of the guardian redeemers, but he was not the only one and not even the one most closely related.  We wouldn’t know this nor why Boaz was having the discourse in today’s chapter 4 verses 1-10 unless we read all the accompanying scripture found in Ruth such as the omitted Ruth 3 and educate ourselves in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25.
So after reading all of the preceding scripture and getting a little background on redeemers we can now at least understand why the process is going on.  What we don’t fully understand is why this closest redeemer who was so eager to step up to the plate with regard to acquiring the land backs just as quickly away with regard to Ruth.  We can all guess, and some of us might actually come up with what was going on but I personally think Boaz knew the man well and that he knew things would play out this way in the end.  So did God!

For Discussion:

1.      Discuss why Boaz chose this location for events to unfold.
2.      Research and discuss the role that elders fulfilled in these communities.
3.      Note that the name of this more closely related kinsman- redeemer is never mentioned.
4.      Note the similarity between this kinsman and those who after hearing the good news choose not to follow after Christ.
5.      Note that though she also had a right to the land Boaz does not bring up Ruth’s name during negotiations.  Did Boaz have a motive?
6.      Discuss opinions of how this kinsman-redeemer’s estate might be endangered?  Would it really?


9-04-11:  Righteousness and Wisdom (Trust in the Lord), Proverbs 3:1-12
9-11-11:  From Generation to Generation (Walk the Straight Path), Proverbs 4:10-15, 20-27
9-18-11:  Teaching Values (Instruction in Wisdom), Proverbs 15:21-33
9-25-11:  Wisdom and Discernment (Wisdom and Government), Proverbs 25:1-10



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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved



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