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Welcome back to our final study in Ruth—though I encourage you to keep studying this book because there is always something new and different to discover in God’s Word as we grow in our faith; even in Scripture we’ve studied numerous times already!

Also, I have some big news to share!

If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember more than a few years ago I announced I was writing a book about this process. Unfortunately, the project stalled after beta readers kindly but firmly indicated it needed a lot of work. Thanks to God’s grace and many, many prayers, the rewrite is complete, and I’ve submitted it to a content editor for feedback. It’s still a long way from publication, but I am excited that it’s moving forward. Follow me at www.facebook.com/JenCasonDISO to see how the project is progressing, and sign up for my quarterly email newsletter (debuting in January 2025) to learn about cool giveaways as the launch date approaches. I can’t wait to study with you in a book, too!

Last Week’s Work

MY PRAYER
This time I’m using a shorter version. I’ve been editing the rewrite manuscript, so I turned the same tighten-and-cut eye to my study prayer. Hopefully it’s more succinct and clearer now!

Thank You Father God, for this chance to dig into Ruth 4. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who helps me see, understand, and apply Scripture. Help me listen to His teaching and learn and grow from it. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Next, I read Ruth 4, focusing on my reactions, and noting what caught my attention. Here are my responses:

• WOW! The redeemer originally intended to buy the land (v4), but didn’t want it when he learned Ruth was part of the deal (v6).
• HUH? The original redeemer explained why he didn’t want to redeem Ruth: lest I impair my own inheritance. (v6) I don’t know what he means by that.
• WOW! I like that the author recorded why the original redeemer rejected Ruth. She was known as a worthy woman in Bethlehem (3:11), so it might not make sense to us that he would reject her. As is often the case these days, when we don’t know the reason, we tend to infer it’s nefarious (“he must have been prejudiced against Moabites,” etc.). Isn’t it awesome that God puts that to rest right there?!
• WOW! The witnesses mention Rachel and Leah, and Tamar (vv11-12). I thought all these women were also mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ, but only Tamar is there (Matthew 1:3). Then I remembered both Rachel and Leah were married to Jacob (Judah’s father)—duh! only one of them could have given birth to Judah! It was Leah is (Genesis 35:23).
• HUH? Boaz redeemed the property and Ruth (vv9-10), but the women said the baby (Obed) was Naomi’s redeemer (vv14-17). How does that work?

Dig-In Challenges

Between now and next week, let’s dig into the facts we find in this chapter. Here’s how:

1. PRAY: Read my prayer before studying this passage.
2. MINE: Identify which aspect of this study I feel the Spirit leading me to dig deepest into right now. It could be one (or more) of the Huh? and Wow! Moments I wrote about this week, or some other item the Spirit hasn’t yet called to my attention.
3. MINE: Focus specifically on the setting of the scene in Ruth 2 (who’s involved, where and when did the action take place), and note anything the Spirit emphasizes.

I hope you’ll check back with me next week!