Ruth
key words
biblical reference
Ruth 1 and 2
lesson objective
To help the students learn that God wants them to be his faithful servants
memory verse
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you″ (1 Samuel 12:24, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
It is common for most children this age to be helpful. It is precisely at this stage of their growth that they really want to help others, and therefore, it is not strange that they volunteer to set up chairs, erase the blackboard or hand out the pencils to their classmates. Children feel valued and appreciated when they contribute to daily activities.
Your students feel the need to work together to improve their environment. They want to show that they are trustworthy to carry out responsibilities. In a sense, they begin to develop their capacity to be faithful servants. This lesson will help them understand what it means to be a faithful servant for God.
Sadly, it is also likely that some of the members of your group have felt cheated by someone who did not keep their promise or lied to them. However, through the study of this lesson, they will learn that God is always faithful and worthy of our trust. Remind them that the Lord always keeps his promises and wants us to be faithful people too. Use this opportunity to help your students understand that God wants to use our faithfulness to bless other people.
biblical commentary
The book of Ruth is a masterpiece in Hebrew literature, but not only that, it is also a beautiful example of the way God works through the people who are faithful to him. Although at first sight the book seems to focus on the life of two women, it is actually a revelation of the power of God acting through the life of a faithful servant. The first five verses tell us the background of a dramatic situation. A crisis triggers another and everything seems lost and hopeless. However, within a situation seemingly out of control for these two women, God shows his care and mercy in a majestic way.
Ruth responds to God’s care with fidelity and obedience, and that’s why the Lord chooses her, not only to be an example of faith and loyalty, but to be part of the genealogical tree of our Lord Jesus Christ.
introduce the lesson
What is faithfulness?
For this activity, you will need: used magazines, newspapers, scissors, colored pencils and glue. Group your students into teams, and have them look in the magazines or newspapers for some images or words that represent “faithfulness” and paste them on their poster board, under the word they placed in the first activity. When both teams are finished, ask them to explain the content of their work, and use their answers as a basis to start today’s Bible story.
teach the lesson
Gather your students to hear the Bible story and tell them that each time they hear the word “Ruth” during the narration, they should clap once and when they hear the word “Naomi,” clap twice.
Ruth, a faithful servant
Long ago, when the people of God were ruled by judges and not by kings, there was hunger in the land of Israel. The people did not have enough food. For that reason, Elimelek, his wife Naomi (two claps) and their two sons went to live in a distant place called Moab. After some time, Elimelek died and his sons grew up and married Moabite women: Ruth (clap) and Orpah. Ten years later, Naomi’s sons (two claps) also died.
Naomi was very sad because she was alone in a foreign country, far from home. “I’ll return to my homeland; I have heard that God has blessed Israel and now there is food,” said Naomi to Ruth and Orpah. “We’ll go with you,” her daughters-in-law told her. “My children,” Naomi said, “go back to live with your families. You were very good to my sons and me. May God have compassion on you and prepare new husbands for you.”
Naomi went over to kiss them before leaving and they began to cry sadly. “God be with you,” Orpah said and kissed her goodbye and took the road back to Moab. “Look, Ruth,” said Naomi, “Orpah is returning to her village to be with her family; go with her.”
“I will not go,” said Ruth, “I wo not leave you. Wherever you go I will go with you; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” When Naomi saw that Ruth was not going to change her mind, she stopped insisting.
The two women set out on the road to Israel and arrived in Bethlehem just as the harvest began. When the reapers cut the grain and picked it up, a little grain always fell on the ground. God had commanded the Israelites to leave the falling grain on the ground for poor people to pick it up and have food. That’s what Ruth did. She went behind the reapers collecting the falling grain.
She was a hard-working woman and did not stop to rest. She knew that if she did not work, Naomi and she would not have anything to eat. While Ruth worked continuously, Boaz, the owner of the fields, was supervising the harvest. “Who is that woman?” Boaz asked the manager of the reapers. “Her name is Ruth; she came from Moab with Naomi,” he answered. “She has worked all day without rest.”
Boaz went to where Ruth was working and said, “Do not work in any other field; someone could hurt you. It is better to work in my fields where you will be safe.” “You are very kind!” Ruth said to him. “Why are you so good to me, a foreigner?” “I’ve heard that you’re very good to Naomi,” Boaz said. When Ruth returned home that night, she told Naomi about all the grain she had collected and the kindness of the owner of the fields to her.
“Boaz is a relative of my husband,” Naomi told her. “I’m glad he treats you well, so do not be afraid to work in his fields; he will protect you.” Ruth obeyed her mother-in-law and continued to gather the grain near Boaz’s maidservants. She worked in the fields until the end of the harvest. In this way she managed to store large amounts of grain to ensure enough food for her mother-in-law and for her.
connect the lesson
Mobile: I can be faithful to God!
For this activity you will need: colored pencils, scissors, glue, yarn and a punch. Before the session, cut a piece of yarn of 30 cm. and four pieces of 15 cm. for each child. Distribute Student Activity Sheet #249-A and #249-B. Ask the students to follow the instructions to assemble the mobile. Give them time to color the figures while reviewing the content of the lesson.
Once the children finish coloring the figures, provide them with scissors to cut out each section of the craft. Help them make holes to assemble the mobile following the instructions. Direct the attention of the children to the back of the figures of the mobile and tell them, “Here it says, ‘I can be faithful to God.’ In what ways can we show our faithfulness to God?” (Attending church, praying, obeying our parents, etc.)
If time and space allow, prepare a simple presentation for parents to observe the work their children did during the session. Encourage them to also share the mobile with their friends.
practice the memory verse
Before the session begins, write the memory verse on a poster board and cut it into several puzzle pieces. During the session, have your students take turns putting the puzzle together and reading the Bible verse aloud. Record each child’s time putting the verse together, challenge them to do it faster each session.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead the group in thanking God for always keeps his promises. Also, pray that we will be faithful people too. Ask God to use our faithfulness to bless other people.
Encourage
Briefly review the important word of this unit (faithfulness) and sing some choruses of praise before saying goodbye.
Invite
Remind the students that the next session will continue to look at being faithful servants for God. Motivate them to attend on time and to welcome new group members.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™