Ruth Week 6
Blessing
Scripture Reading: Ruth 4:11-22
Opening Question
What words or images do you associate with the word “Blessing?”
Core Question
1
The book of Ruth is filled with blessings. Which one stands out most to you and why?
(Ruth 1:8-9, Ruth 2:12, Ruth 3:10, Ruth 4:11-12, Ruth 4:14-15)
Core Question
2
Based on the genealogy listed at the end of Ruth, what great blessings will come from Ruth and Boaz’s offspring?
Core Question
3
Luke 3:23-37 records the lineage of Jesus. What struggle or difficulty did each of the the women experience?
(Genesis 29, Genesis 38, Joshua 2, 2 Samuel 11)
Core Question
4
Consider Max Lucado’s argument about life’s struggles (From Fearless):
What makes no sense in this life will make perfect sense in the next. I have proof: you in the womb. Every day equipped you for your earthly life. Your bones solidified, your eyes developed, the umbilical cord transported nutrients to your growing frame… Womb time equipped you for earth time.
Some prenatal features went unused before birth. You grew a nose but didn’t breathe. Certain chapters in this life seem so unnecessary, like nostrils on the pre-born. Suffering. Loneliness. Disease. Holocausts. Martyrdom. Monsoons. But what if this earth is the womb? Might these challenges, severe as they may be, serve to prepare us, equip us for the world to come?
How likely are you to view your difficult circumstances as spiritual preparation?
Closing Question
How can the church help us to experience blessing in our lives? How have you experienced this?