Ruth Week 1

Emptiness

Scripture Reading: Ruth 1:1-5

Opening Question

What words or images do you associate with the word “Empty?”

Core Question

1

What emptiness do you see in Naomi’s circumstances? Can you relate to anything she is experiencing?

Core Question

2

Read Genesis 12:1-3. Why might God’s words feel like an empty promise to Naomi at this point in her life?

Core Question

3

Later, Naomi tells the women of Bethlehem to call her (‘bitter’) instead of Naomi (‘pleasant’). What seems to be the cause of her bitterness (Ruth 1:13, 21)?

Core Question

4

Consider Kyle Idleman’s argument in The End of Me:

God loves to fill empty things…At some point [in our lives], we’re left holding what feels a lot like nothing, and we hold on to it with clenched fists. We feel a surge of unwanted emotions: Fear. Vulnerability. Loneliness. Anger. Resentment. Ultimately, the worst emotional state of all: emptiness itself. We feel nothing; we’re done. That’s called despair. But what if that emptiness means God has us right where he wants us?”

Reactions?

Closing Question

How can the church help us during times of emptiness or despair?

How have you experienced this?