Year B. Term 3. Lesson 3. Bible Buddy - Ruth

Scripture: for teacher background:  Ruth 1-4

Making contact: 

Talk about mother’s in law. There is a plant called “Mother’s –in –law tongue”

It is long and sharp. 

If possible have the plant there as an introduction. 

Today’s story is about a beautiful mother-in-law/ daughter-in-law story. For the younger children who don’t understand this, just talk about families and grannies.

Exploration:

During the time of the Judges there was a famine in Israel.

It hadn’t rained and there was no food to eat. There was one family that decided to leave Israel and go to live in the land of Moab.

 This was Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their 2 sons, Mahlon and Chilion. 

They had food but in this country God was not worshiped, but an idol called Chemosh.

A sad thing happened. Elimelech died. The 2 sons had married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but then both Naomi’s sons died too. 

Naomi had heard that the famine was over in Israel and decided to go back home. She told Orpah and Ruth to stay in Moab and marry again, but Ruth insisted on going back with her. 

She said she wanted to worship Naomi’s God and that Naomi’s people would be her people. 

Back home  in order to get some food Ruth offered to go and glean. This was a custom which allowed poor people to follow the workers who were harvesting the crops and to pick up the left overs.

This custom kept the poor from starving. So Ruth chose a field and asked if she may glean and they kindly said yes. She followed the harvester’s all day. 

She was given some bread for lunch and cool water.

God honoured this lovely daughter-in-law. That field just happened to belong to one of Naomi’s relatives called Boaz.

He noticed this woman gleaning and told his servants to make sure she was safe.

He also told them to drop extra barley as they harvested and she went home with a generous quantity. Naomi was so pleased. She said that God had led Ruth to that very field and that she had found favour there.

This story has such a happy ending because Ruth married Boaz and married her and she had a baby boy, Obed.

Naomi was the happiest granny!!

But there is even a better ending to this story. Obed grew up and when he was old he had a very special grandson - the most famous king in the Old Testament - King David.

And King David is in the ancestor line of KING JESUS!!. 28 generations later!!.

Application

This Bible buddy was a lovely example.

Ruth joined God’s family and was so faithful to her mother-in-law. We learn from her how to be a humble, trusting, kind person. 

We also see how God blessed her. He honours those that honour Him.

We can also glean today. Let’s give our left over change for the poor, and even give extra.

This is over and above our gift to God.

Consolidation

There are pictures to colour in.

Memory Verse

"Wherever you go I will go, wherever you live I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God." Ruth 1:16