Hello Divas!  Our walk through the book of Ruth was ah-mazing! I can’t wait to see the truths that we discover in the book of Esther. 

Chapter one opens in year 483 the third year of King Xerxes’ (Ahasuerus’)  reign when he was 35 years old.   Within the first few sentences of the chapter, we read a description of a lavish and completely over the top 180-day party being thrown by the King.  Yes, you read that correctly, an 180 day party.  A party for Xerxes to make sure all the dignitaries knew he was “THE MAN”, the first “baller-shot-caller”. 

After the 180 day party, Mr. Baller threw a swanky seven-day banquet to make sure everyone could see the splendor of his majesty.    What in the world do you wear to a 187-day party? 

Ok, I digressed.  By the King’s command, everyone was to drink as much wine as they wanted to. I can hear Pitbull in the background…”party all night and drink all day”. 

As the days of feasting drew to a close, King Xerxes, completely drunk, decided that he wanted all his male guests to know that he was truly “all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips” by showing off his wife’s beauty. 

“On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him…to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.” (Esther 1:10)

We are not told exactly how she is told to appear, only that she was to wear her royal crown. Since Mr. Shot-Caller was probably obnoxiously drunk surrounded by more drunk men, early Jewish interpreters suggest that Vashti was commanded to show herself in the nude – wearing only her crown. Really?  I am thinking NO! Although many sources scold Vashti for her disobedience, what the King was asking her to do was crazy even against today’s “anything goes” culture.  

So let the drama begin!  Nobody was obviously supposed to tell the King no, especially in front of his boyz! (LOL!)  One of his “advisors” Memucan…(love how Beth Moore likens his name to Metamucil) extrapolated Vashti’s refusal to an upheaval of wives and women everywhere! Seriously? 

Crazy I know— but read what he said:

“Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces, for the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands…there will be no end of disrespect and discord.” (Esther 1:16) . 

Metamucil,cough… I mean Memucan suggested Vashti be banished.  The king sent Vashti away and he issued a decree to everyone in their own language: “Every man is master of his own house; whatever he says, goes.”

Great…..

Oh girls, this is going to be good! Our homework is to read Esther Chapters 1 and 2 and answer the questions in the study guide.  The study guide materials can be found here.

1.  Can you remember a “Vashti” (a woman/girl who was so pretty she made you feel insecure) in your lifetime?

2.  Have you ever had a Memucan in your ear?

Chapter One of the Book of Ruth ended with Naomi and Ruth returning to Bethlehem, Naomi’s hometown.  Other than the glimmer of hope  sparked by the barley harvest, our beloved girls..Naomi and Ruth were still husband-less and broke.

Chapter two of the book of Ruth begins with a man!  Well of course it does!  Don’t all love stories involve a prince charming?  The first verse in chapter two says the following:  Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech (Ruth 2:1).

Aren’t we reading about Ruth and Naomi?  What does this Boaz person have to do with anything?

Just like a great movie my dear divas, lets just call this description of the mystery man “Boaz” foreshadowing for God’s providence.

Verse two of chapter two begins very abruptly with Ruth asking Naomi’s permission to go out into the fields and “glean” for left over grain.  Naomi must have shared with Ruth God’s law for landowners which required that they not harvest all of their fields but leave the edges and the grain their harvesters missed to provide for the poor and alien (Deuteronomy 24:19-22).

Are y’all seeing what I am seeing?  I sure hope so…uh hun…God’s providence. 

So, Ruth goes out and found a field to glean in and “by chance” (yea right), she began to glean in none other than our mystery man Boaz’s field.  As Ruth was diligently working, Boaz “just happened” (double yea right), to visit his field.  When Boaz arrived, he greeted his harvesters by saying:  “The Lord be with you” and they called out to him: The Lord bless you!”  (Ruth 2:4).

What would our workplaces be like if bosses and their employees genuinely greeted each other this way every day?

Ok, I digressed..back to the story! 

Be still my heart…not only is Boaz a wealthy and influential man (Ruth 2:1), he is also a man of God!  Now, the plot truly thickens. 

After Boaz’s arrival and greeting, Ruth returned to her work.  As she worked, Boaz noticed her and asked his laborers who she was.  They informed him that she was Naomi’s Moab daughter-in-law.  Boaz went over and talked to Ruth! He told her how impressed he was with the way she treated her mother-in-law Naomi.  During their conversation, he offered her protection, water, and an opportunity to glean at his field exclusively for the entire harvest.  Ruth’s response was one of extreme gratitude.

Then they had their first date….well not really.  At mealtime, Boaz asked Ruth to eat with him. Ruth ate until she was full and even had enough prepared food to take back to Naomi.  In addition to left overs, Ruth took home about 30 pounds of grain (enough grain for a few days).

A glimmer of hope sparked in Naomi’s eyes when she saw all the grain Ruth brought her and the realization that Boaz was related to her deceased husband.  She called Boaz their kinsman redeemer.

Key the Jefferson’s theme song…”Well we’re movin’ on up”.

Food for thought questions:

1.  Why did Boaz admire Ruth?

2.  How did Boaz show kindness to Ruth?

3.  How can you show kindness to others?

Homework:  Read Ruth Chapter 2 and complete Session 1 questions in the “Esther and Ruth Group Curriculum” by North Point Ministries. (Located HERE)

Hello Divas! Thank you so much for joining us for our Spring/Summer Bible Study Series… “Ruth & Esther”.  Need more information about our study?  Go HERE.  Session one of our series is focused on the book of Ruth, chapters one and two.  Each week, at least one discussion post will be available with additional “food for thought questions”.

The book of Ruth is a fabulous short story that is completely ready to become a lifetime movie. There is a great plot, masterful character development, high-drama dialogues and a girl-gets-a-prince conflict resolution.

In chapter one, we are introduced to a family….(Hum the Brady Bunch Tune as you read)

Here’s the story of a lovely lady (Naomi) who was married to a man named Elimelech.
With two sons, living all together, in Beth-le-hem. 
Till one day when a famine hit the la-nd
so they moved to a town called Moab.

Right after they mov-ed, Eli-me-lech di-ed
and they were all alone.
Naomi’s sons married Moab women…..Orpah and Ruth

This group, became a new family…………

At this point in the story, you would hardly find Naomi, her sons, Orpah and Ruth smiling and waving at each other like the Bradys did each week at the beginning of the show.  Moab was no place for Israelites.  The Moabs worshiped various Gods and it would have been hard not to assimilate into the culture to some degree.  Naomi’s sons married Moab women which had been deemed illegal by Moses.  As if being in a strange land was not enough, Naomi’s sons both died and she was left a widow with no heirs because her son’s wives did not have children. Naomi was left with two Moabite daughter-in-laws…Orpah and Ruth. 

Widows in those ancient times lost all social, political and economic status. Without a male to protect and provide for them, widows were completely dependent on society.

With nothing left, Noami decided to return to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-laws.

After a great deal of urging by Naomi and a lot of tears from them all, Orpah decided to return to her family in Moab.  Ruth pledged her allegiance to Naomi and to God saying these famous words: 

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17

At the close of the chapter one, Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem and their presence has caused a gossip buzz around town. When the women in town spoke to Naomi, she told them to stop calling her Naomi which means pleasant, and begin to call her Mara instead which means bitter. In verse 21 Ruth cried out that the Lord had afflicted her.

With no dramatic pause the chapter ends with this final verse:  So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. (Ruth 1:22)

The chapter started with famine and ended with a harvest…sounds just like my GOD!

Food for thought questions:

1. Can you describe the turmoil Naomi must have been feeling because of all that had happened to her?

2. What is the most traumatic thing/event that has happened to you over the last six months? Did you have a “Ruth” to “go with you” during your hard time?

Homework for this week:  Read Ruth 1&2, complete the “Session One” discussion questions located in the “Ruth & Esther Bible Study Handout”