My plan was to stay the course with John, but the Lord has re-directed me to take us on a 3-week side trip with Ruth and Paige Benton Brown.
I realized, as Paige closed her lecture in perfect Kelleresque fashion, that this side trip fits perfectly in the middle of John 17, the chapter where Jesus is telling us how to love well, how to love as He has loved. As Paige says, Jesus is the Greater Ruth. Ruth left her family and friends in Moab and clung to Naomi, promising to stay with her to death, and transformed Naomi’s life. If you’ve ever had to say goodbye like that, you know how hard it is. Yet not nearly as hard as the goodbye Jesus made with His Father, knowing what lay before Him. But He came, loving us, cleaving to us, and dying a terrible death for us. Behold what manner of love!
Paige is only taking one chapter this week, one next week, and finishing with the last two chapters. Not overwhelming at all! I realize you only have 3 days at this point to listen to her first lecture, but if you simply can’t fit it in, you can still do this lesson with us, for I will summarize Paige’s teaching. I will keep the post on Sundays.
I promise you, you will be glad if you take the time to watch it. You may want to break it up as it is 74 minutes, but that is up to you. Here is the link to YouTube, which will work only until Tuesday night for Part I. You’ll be able to find Part II on YouTube after she streams live on Wednesday morning.
SUNDAY:
1. Was there a way that you were particularly blessed or even convicted (which is a blessing) by the Lord last week?
MONDAY: The Bethlehem Trilogy
Whether or not you watch Paige, you can do these questions. If you watch, share anything you like as it pertains to what she said concerning these questions.
1. Scholars, Paige says, talk about the Bethlehem Trilogy. Parts 1 and 2 are below.
A. What happened in Judges 17 and what do you discern about the character of Micah? How does Bethlehem enter into this story?
B. What happened to the concubine from Bethlehem in this story? How does this exemplify the final verse of Judges? (Judges 21:25)
C. What is the first phrase in the book of Ruth? Why do you think Paige says we are apt to think OH NO!
TUESDAY: The Surgeon’s Hands
REASONS FOR INTERVENTION
2. In the book of Judges we see cycles of disobedience, repentance, and God coming to the rescue. But by the end, there are no more cycles because there is not more repentance on the part of God’s people. According to Deuteronomy 28:1-24, what will be some of the blessings of obedience and curses of disobedience? Why do you think the Lord allows this?
3. Moab was a pagan land where the god Chemosh demanded child sacrifice. God told His people they should not inter-marry with the Moabites. (See Deut. 23:2-3) What happened in Ruth 1:1? Thoughts?
4. Bethlehem and Moab are only 50 miles apart. Why do you think the conditions of the two lands were so different?
COMPROMISE OF THE FAMILY
5. Read Ruth 1:1-5
A. What happens to Naomi in these verses?
B. What began as a “sojourn” turns into how long?
C. Paige made a parallel with a family that chooses to leave a strong gospel-centered church for a church with a more “fun” kids ministry. Thoughts?
COMPLEXITIES OF GOD
6. Paige makes the important point that this isn’t simplistic — it isn’t that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people, for we know both happen to both. God is complex. She compared the knife of a murderer with the knife of a surgeon. Your life depends not on your circumstances but on whose hands you are in. Contrast how a child of God might respond to hardship to a child of the devil. (For those are our two choices.) How does this apply to your life right now?
7. What whisper of hope do you see in Ruth 1:6?
8. The word return is the Hebrew word “shub” and is translated many ways in Ruth, but inherent is the idea of repentance. How would this be like the younger prodigal son?
Wednesday: Faint-Hearted Response of Naomi
9. Read Ruth 1:7-18
A. What does Naomi say to her daughter-in-law when they set out to go with her to Bethlehem according to verses 8-9?
B. Paige questioned her sincerity, believing she really didn’t want them. What do you think and why? (I’ll give you my opinion after a few answer!)
C. How many times does she try to send Ruth back?
D. What do you think about her words to Ruth in verse 15?
E. What were Naomi’s feelings about God that were not true?
F. Paige said that saying “It is what it is” is Nihilism. Thoughts?
Thursday: Full-Hearted Response of Ruth
10. Read Ruth 1:16-17
A. This is the first time Ruth speaks, and she doesn’t answer any of Naomi’s objections. Instead, what does she say?
B. Paige explains the word “cleave” or “clung” is the same word used for marriage. What does this tell you? To whom is Ruth primarily cleaving? Explain your answer.
C. I (Dee) think her words should parallel are hearts in cleaving to Christ. If you look at it that way, what do you see?
D. Paige compares her to Rahab — if you are familiar with that story, what parallels do you see?
E. Ralph Davis said that from the worldly perspective, Ruth’s decision is not rational. Why?
F. Orpah and Ruth heard the same thing from Naomi. Why do you think they responded differently? (John Piper said, “Naomi painted the future black and Ruth took her hand and walked into it with her.”) Why?
Friday: THE GREATER RUTH
10. Read Ruth 1:19-22
A. How does Naomi respond in verse 18? Paige said the phrase is literally that Naomi goes silent. What is “the silent treatment” often meant to communicate?
B. Describe the dialogue between Naomi and the women of Bethlehem. What do you see? How might this have been hurtful to Ruth?
C. Eon Duguid: “We would rather bear the pain of continued emptiness than confess our pursuit of fulness in all the wrong places.” How might you see this in Naomi? Do you agree with this concerning Naomi? Have you done this?
D. How did God respond to the grumbling Israelites? How does He respond to Naomi? How has He responded to you?
11. Who really left His home to cleave to us even unto death?
12. Paige returns to her theme about the surgeon’s hands. What do you know about the hands of Christ?
13. Paige tells a story of her 6 1/2 hour heart surgery and her mother’s concern about her comfort. The surgeon said, “The point is not to make her comfortable but to fix her heart.” How has God brought pain into your life in order to fix your heart?
Saturday:
14. What is your takeaway and why?
174 comments
10. Read Ruth 1:19-22
A. How does Naomi respond in verse 18? Paige said the phrase is literally that Naomi goes silent. What is “the silent treatment” often meant to communicate?
She doesn’t say anything! What if she just thought that she was never going to change her mind? Kind of like Democrats and Republicans in our country. We each know how we feel, and these days there is no way I’m going to change your mind. It’s not worth the argument.
The silent treatment is meant to hurt the other person.
B. Describe the dialogue between Naomi and the women of Bethlehem. What do you see? How might this have been hurtful to Ruth?
She claims that she is now bitter. She says she went away full and is now empty. I can see that Ruth might be sad because she was a part of Naomi’s life prior to all the death. Was everything always bad?
11. Who really left His home to cleave to us even unto death?
Jesus
12. Paige returns to her theme about the surgeon’s hands. What do you know about the hands of Christ?
He took the nails into His hands for me.