Ruth Chapter 2 Summary

Ruth Chapter 2 Bible Study Summary and Questions

This week, we will cover the Ruth Chapter 2 summary and Bible Study questions. Have you ever considered the reward that comes with loyalty, friendship, and looking out for the interest of others? Ruth had no idea what seeds her loyalty to Naomi would plant in her and Naomi’s lives. If we think about what Ruth had to gain by sticking with Naomi and what she had to lose, she had nothing to gain and her entire future to lose. Not only did Ruth show loyalty to Naomi, but she also demonstrated the faith she had in God. This week, we will examine how God rewarded her faith and loyalty and what that means for Ruth and Naomi’s future.

Have you ever been through an event in your life or experienced a season where you wondered where your justice and redemption would come from? We don’t have many laws in our current day to instruct us on how redemption works in our culture. We are incredibly self-sufficient when it comes to living our lives. If something happens where we lose our job, house, home, or a loved one, we are often faced with the challenge of getting back on our own “two feet.”

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.
Ruth 2:1-6 (WEB)

That’s what Naomi and Ruth did in this chapter; they came up with a plan not to starve and survive this new life they were living. Naomi strategically planned for Ruth to glean from a relative’s crops. Ruth showed honor to the man, Boaz, who owned the crop, and in return, he showed Ruth favor.

Overcoming Injustice

There is no doubt that Ruth and Naomi experienced an injustice regarding the loss they faced in life. Sometimes, the difficult part of injustice is finding hope and faith despite it all!

Naomi did just that; she found faith and hope in redemption. After all that Naomi had been through, she realized that redemption was possible.

Recently, I told a friend that I was upset because there was no justice and no redemption for an event another friend of mine experienced in their life. My heart goes out to this friend; it seems people rejected her and did not believe the life and the pain she went through no matter what. The injustice can often lead to hopelessness and needing to help someone else when you cannot help.

With injustice and the pursuit of redemption, there can often be a heart that feels responsible and entitled along the way. This can often harm the relationships around you and turn your heart cold towards God.

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.” Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest.'” Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you in any other field.” So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law.
Ruth 2:20-23 (WEB)

Embrace the Process of Redemption

When we seek redemption in our own lives – or pray for God to redeem an injustice in someone else’s life – we can learn to have faith and hope through humility.

I don’t know what injustice you might be facing today. Maybe after sacrificing for someone else, you have been rejected, or perhaps you have a prodigal son or daughter. Maybe you’ve lost someone you love to an illness or an unexpected tragedy like Naomi and Ruth. Or the injustice you face is racially motivated, or your friend is gossiping behind your back. Maybe the injustice is based on a misunderstanding – or someone is not treating you fairly or trying to control you.

Whatever the injustice and redemption you are waiting on, let us remember Naomi and Ruth in our journey and know that redemption comes from God. Naomi and Ruth received favor from Boaz – they did not demand redemption, and God provided for Naomi and Ruth during the waiting period.

I think about my injustice and the redemption I am waiting on, and if I am honest with myself, God has provided for me every day since I began praying for redemption. God has also worked on my heart and revealed what I needed to repent and turn away from.

Naomi knew her heart was bitter, but she did not allow the bitterness to turn into entitlement. Sometimes, in the waiting, God’s provision is the heart work He performs on us. I don’t know how that works – or why removing the plank from my eye helps me see what God is doing through me. But it does help, and there is growth in me and those around me.