(I am in love with this picture)
I love the story of Ruth. Who doesn't? She went through so much and stayed strong through the whole thing and was blessed for it in the end.
What was the situation in the land of Judah when Ruth and Naomi lived?
Judah was a fairly peaceful place. There was not a whole lot of fighting going on there like there was in areas surrounding it. It was a land of agriculture but it was prone to experience drought from time to time. Such was the case at this time. There was drought and famine in the land which caused Naomi and her husband and two sons to travel to Moab.
List the trials Ruth faced in Ruth 1.
-Her husband died (verse 5)
-She leaves her family to live with Naomi (verse 16-17)
-They had nothing when they arrived in Bethlehem (verse 21)
Choose one trial that is like one you have faced and briefly describe it.
I have also had to leave my family. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I left to come to school here in Idaho, got married and have stayed in Idaho. It was harder when I got married than when I went to school because while I was still single I knew that I would be home for months at a time on my off semester. Getting married was different, I was now going to be establishing my new life with my husband and because of work would be stayed in Idaho for an undetermined amount of time, only being able to visit home for a week or two out of the year. It was very hard. I can imagine it was very hard for Ruth as well.
Explain what you think motivated Ruth to go with Naomi. In what ways would it have been hard for Ruth to go with Naomi?
I think Ruth was motivated by empathy. She knew Naomi was all alone, no husbands and no children. She would have been going back to her home land but she probably did not have anyone to take care of her in her old age. I'm sure Ruth understood how it must have felt to be alone and did not wish that for Naomi. I'm sure it was a hard decision. She was leaving her family and traveling to a land she did not know. Facing uncertainty is not easy for anyone.
Why was Boaz so impressed with Ruth?
Boaz was very impressed with all that Ruth had done for Naomi. He was impressed that she would leave her family and home to live with Naomi and take care of her. (Ruth 2:11)
Explain what you can learn about facing your challenges from the examples in this chapter.
If we face our challenges head on, relying on the Lord after all we can do, we will be blessed. Ruth did what she had to do. She stayed with her mother-in-law and she did what she needed to do to get them food and she was blessed for it. Boaz saw all that she had done and made life a little easier for her.
Ruth is truly an amazing example. She sacrificed so much, and not only did she sacrifice it but she did it willingly. I have seen the same outcome that Ruth had in my own life. In high school, I sacrificed a lot of sleep to attend early morning seminary and was blessed a hundred times over for it. I did better in my performance at school and I was blessed with the Spirit while at school to protect me from all the filth I was surrounded by. I, too, got married and left my home and family. I and my family have been blessed so much for that. My husband has a wonderful job, I am able to attend a wonderful school, we live in an awesome ward and we have been blessed with so so so much more. I know that as we sacrifice things in our life, the Lord will bless us a hundred times over.
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