Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 31 “Ruth in the Land of Judah”

 Ruth 1-2

Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem of Judea during the spring at the beginning of the barley harvest. Naomi was well known in Bethlehem and when the people saw that Naomi had returned they were excited! Naomi told them that she was mourning. She no longer had a husband to take care of her. But, she had Ruth! God has a statute that allows the poor to gather produce that the reapers leave in the fields during harvest time. Ruth decided that she would glean in the fields to support her mother-in-law. Gleaning was very hard work  but each day Ruth walked to the fields where she toiled from sunrise to sunset gathering what the reapers had left. Ruth worked very hard to take care of Naomi, and people began to notice.

Discuss:

• Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem during the barley harvest. The wavesheaf offering during the Days of Unleavened Bread marked the beginning of the barley harvest which always occurs in the spring (Leviticus 23:10–14).
• God’s law includes statutes to provide for the needs of the poor, yet the poor are still expected to work. How is this different than the way different governments take care of the poor people today? 
• What are some of the ways Ruth displayed diligence?

Memory Challenge: 

Ruth 1:22  

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.