🥀a famine🛤️the walk home🌾barley🧺a basket🤝staying together
Ruth and Naomi's story.
The big ideaThe Bible tells how Ruth stayed loyal to Naomi, and how God looked after them both.
How it works
The Bible tells how Naomi lived in Bethlehem with her husband and two sons. A famine came, so the family walked to Moab to find food.
Later Naomi decided to go home. She told Ruth, who had married one of her sons, to go back to her own home, but Ruth held on to Naomi and said she would go wherever Naomi went.
In Bethlehem it was the start of the barley harvest. Ruth picked up the grain the harvesters dropped, in the field of a man named Boaz, who was kind to her.
Boaz and Ruth were married, and they had a baby boy named Obed. Naomi held him close, and the women told her she had a family again.
The story in order.
🥀famine: not enough food🌾gleaning: picking up dropped grain🤝redeemer: a relative who helps a family
Words from the story.
Example 1: Why they left Bethlehem
A famine came, which is a time when there is not enough food.
In those days there was no shop to buy food, so the family walked to Moab to find some.
Example 2: What Ruth did
Ruth asked to pick up the dropped grain, which the law left for the poor.
She went out at sunrise with a basket.
She picked up the grain that the harvesters dropped, and that evening she carried a basket home to Naomi.
Example 3: What Boaz did
Boaz greeted his workers and asked who Ruth was.
He told her to stay in his field and drink from their water jars, and he gave her bread.
He told his workers to leave extra stalks for her to find.
Example 4: Count the elders
In those days elders settled matters at the town gate.
Boaz sat with ten elders.
They blessed Boaz and Ruth when he said he would marry Ruth and care for Naomi.
Words to know
famine
A time when there is not enough food.
gleaning
Picking up the grain the harvesters leave.
redeemer
A relative who looks after a family in need.
Watch out
Ruth did not go home. She stayed with Naomi. It was Orpah who kissed Naomi goodbye and went home.
Ruth took the grain home to Naomi. She did not keep it all.
Boaz said he had heard all that Ruth had done for Naomi, and he was kind to her, a stranger.
Gleaning means picking up the grain the harvesters leave. It is not stealing.
Try it
Why did Naomi's family go to Moab?
What did Ruth pick up in Boaz's field?
Who gave Ruth bread at lunchtime?
How many elders sat with Boaz at the gate?
A new child sits alone at lunch. What can you do?
Answers: 1. There was a famine · 2. Barley that the harvesters dropped · 3. Boaz · 4. Ten · 5. Invite them to sit with me
Try at homeWith a grown-up, think of someone who stayed close to you when things were hard. Say thank you to them, or make them a card.
For grown-upsThe story has some sad things in it, so you can skip any part your child is not ready for. Ask who stayed with them when things were hard, and find a way to say thank you.
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