Reflection
Read Ruth chapter 3 all the way through.
Discussion
Reading scripture can be a challenging experience for us – all of us. We often have a tendency to read into the text, especially of a story. This can take many forms like Christianizing an Old Testament text – that is reading into it things relevant to the New Testament that did not exist in the context of that story in the Old testament. We can also reflect our modern culture into the text that took place in a completely different time and place. With this story or Ruth and Boaz it is easy to do both of those things.
You can make the whole thing a picture of Jesus as our redeemer and remove any reality of real people in Ruth and Boaz – completely making the story about you and Jesus. Some will say this whole story is made up and these are merely pictures, symbols of something to come. The whole thing, one could claim is an allegory and it never happened in reality.
You can also read our corrupt culture into these events and very quickly find things that we might see as common, sinful behaviors playing out in their lives when the story itself says nothing of the sort. In our culture if a woman went in and spent the night in the company of a man we might all immediately assume there was a secual encounter. The idea of complete integrity by both parties is, unfortunately, foreign to us.
It is very important when we read scripture to do so with careful attention to what it is saying, not what we wish it was saying or what we think would happen if the same event unfolded in our context today.
Read the Word and study the Word, but overall let the Word speak for itself. If this really is the inspired from of God sent by His Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to us, it can certainly speak for itself.
Connection
What is a danger in reading Scripture for what we want it to say instead of reading it for what it actually does say?
What kind of trouble might befall the church if we look for things in the Bible to shape our practices – even when those things are not found in Scripture?
How does a culture shape our view of Scripture?
How can we use Scripture to shape our lives and our culture?
Expansion
The Scriptures
The Bible is the inspired Word of God given to His people and revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is complete and without error in its content and given to individual believers with the intent of instructing them in who God is and transforming their lives according to His will.
Exodus 24:4, 1 Thes 2:13,2 Peter 1:19-21, John 17:13-17, 1 Cor 2:7-15, 1 John 2:20, John 16:12-13, Deuteronomy 4:2, Ps 19:7, Isa 40:8, Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33, John 10:35, Matthew 5:18, Luke 24:44, Exodus 24:7, Deuteronomy 4:1, Ps 119:9-16, Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 5:19, Romans 15:4, Colossians 3:16, Romans 16:25-27