unit 7: judges ot7.6 ruth chooses naomi lesson · the choices we make will have consequences in our...

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OT7.6 Ruth Chooses Naomi ©Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7: Judges OT7.6 Ruth Chooses Naomi Lesson

Scripture: Ruth 1

Lesson Goal: During the time of the judges Israel was very disobedient to God. The people were

idol worshippers and the land was full of violence. However, three people in this period remained faithful to God—Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. In this lesson we will see how we too have to make choices about loving and serving God.

Introduction: This lesson about the life of Ruth comes from the Book of Ruth. In this lesson Ruth chooses to care for Naomi. We will see that we too have to make choices about loving and serving God. Ruth is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Tree Roots” When you look at a tree what do you see? You may notice the leaves, the branches, or even the trunk. Each part is important to the tree but there is one more part. Tree Roots! Tree roots help the tree stand tall and strong in the wind. They also act like a straw. They get food and water from the soil to supply the rest of the tree. The tree needs food and water so it can grow. Although we do not have roots in a way we are like trees. The choices we make will have consequences in our lives. Good choices will make us grow green and strong. Bad choices will cause us to have bad things happen. Let's see how this works. If a tree has too little water it can begin to dry up. This is a tree that is almost dead. Or if the roots are of the tree are damaged, it will show up in the tree. The leaves may fall off or the branches may die. A tree cannot survive without roots. Now a tree cannot make choices. It cannot choose where it is planted or what is in the soil around its roots. But we can make good choices or bad choices. The choices we make will determine if we are going follow God or not. In this lesson we will learn about two women who had to make choices, Naomi and Ruth. One made some bad choices and one made a good choice.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, Thank You for the gift of eternal life that you made available to us by your death on the cross. Help us to make good choices and to choose to love and serve You. Help us not be become bitter or angry when hard times come but to trust in Your care. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/euw11puCjKU When Israel first began to live in the Promised Land God gave them judges to lead and rule over the people. During the time of the judges Israel was very disobedient to God and started worshipping idols. The land was full of violence.

Because of their disobedience God punished them by allowing enemy nations to rob and steal from them. Then the people would be sorry that they had disobeyed God and call out to Him for help.

God would then send a deliverer or judge who would lead the nation of Israel. God would use these judges to free Israel from their enemies. Some of these judges were Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah,

https://youtu.be/euw11puCjKU

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and Samson. For a while the people would once again worship and follow God. Then as soon as the judge would die they would go right back to disobeying God again.

The book of Judges tells us that they would choose to do worse things than before. It was like a big circle. Israel would make a bad choice by disobeying God and then make a good choice to love Him. But each time this cycle happened there was more idolatry, disobedience, and violence in the land.

The book of Ruth tells us a wonderful love story that takes place during the time of the Judges. It is about a young woman named Ruth who was a beautiful example of loyalty, friendship, and commitment to God.

The time of the Judges was a sad time for the people of Israel. They did not have a strong leader and many people did not follow God so everything was hopeless and bad. During this time Israel suffered from a famine.

A famine is a time when it does not rain for a long, long time in the land. When it does not rain, the land becomes very dry. Crops cannot grow and the grass and the trees also die. Soon there is no food for the people to eat. People begin to be hungry and they look everywhere for food.

In the town of Bethlehem in Judah lived a man name Elimelech and his wife Naomi. They had two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. When the area was hit with famine Elimelech decided to leave to find food. They travelled to the nearby land of Moab and settled there to live.

Moab was on the other side of the Dead Sea and was not in the Promised Land that God had given Israel. Leaving Israel was moving out of the land of God’s promised blessings. Naomi's husband Elimelech was making a BAD choice. Moab had food but the Moabite people did not worship God. Instead they had their own idols.

In Moab Elimelech and the boys had plenty of work and the family had lots of food to eat but soon some difficult things began to happen. After their arrival Naomi’s husband Elimelech died and she was left with her two sons. The two sons grew up and married local Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Marrying Canaanite women was against God’s law.

Sadly tragedy struck again. Ten years after the two sons had settled in Moab, Mahlon and Killion both died. That left three widows, Naomi and her two young Moabite daughter-in-laws, Ruth and Orpah. Nothing was much worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Often they were ignored and poverty stricken because there was no man to watch after them.

When Naomi heard that the Lord had provided food for the people back in Bethlehem she decided to return. The three widows packed up their belongings and set out on the road that would take back to the land of Judah. But Naomi was thoughtful and considerate of her daughters-in-law.

Then Naomi told Ruth and Orpah, “Go back to your own mothers’ homes. May the Lord show you the kindness you have shown to your dead husbands and to me. May God help you find new husbands.” Naomi knew that it would be difficult for Ruth and Orpah to find new husbands in Bethlehem. They would be foreigners.

So Naomi kissed them both goodbye and they wept aloud. “We will go back with you and to your people,” they replied. They knew that Naomi felt bitter and alone. She thought that the Lord God had turned against her. “No, you must return home,” Naomi insisted. “You can marry again.”

Orpah and Ruth wept again. Ruth and Orpah had to decide whether they would choose to go with Naomi or remain in their homeland where false gods were worshipped. Finally Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and returned to her mother’s house. This was her right since Naomi had given her the choice of staying or going home but it was not the best choice since she would be returning to the worship of false gods. Ruth, however, clung hold of Naomi and would not let go.

“Orpah has returned to her people and their gods,” said Naomi. “Go back with her.” But Ruth had learned to worship the true God and she was willing to give up the possibility of security and children to care for Naomi.

“Don’t urge me to leave you,” Ruth replied, “Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be

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buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to stay with her, she stopped urging her to return home. They both set off on the road to Bethlehem.

Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. Their arrival caused quite a stir. Naomi’s grief and suffering had changed her appearance so much that many did not recognize her. “Can this be Naomi?” the people asked.

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she insisted. “Call me Mara (which means bitter) because God has made my life bitter. I went away full but the Lord has brought me back empty. The Lord has brought misfortune on me.” Naomi had once been married with children and had love and security. Now she was alone, widowed, and in poverty. She was so bitter that she was now blaming God for all the difficulty that she faced.

The town of Bethlehem where Naomi and Ruth had come to live was about five miles southwest of Jerusalem. The small town was called the “bread basket” because it was surrounded by lush fields and olive groves. The barley harvest was in the spring and it was in this season of hope that Naomi and Ruth had returned to Bethlehem.

Just like Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah we all have to make choices in our life. Some of the choices we make are good and some are bad. When the land of Judah was hit with famine Elimelech decided to leave to find food and go to the heathen land of Moab. He made a bad choice and left the land of God’s blessing. He suffered the consequence of losing his own life as well as his sons.

Orpah also made a bad choice by returning to her people and the worship of false gods. Nothing is ever mentioned again about her or her life. She missed out on God’s blessing.

Although it was hard Ruth chose to put her trust in the God of Israel. She left her family in Moab and moved to a foreign land. She loved Naomi and wanted to follow God just like Naomi did. She knew that caring for Naomi was what God wanted her to do and she was willing to be obedient to Him. Ruth made a good choice.

Naomi told everyone in Bethlehem how sad life had been for her. She told them about the death of her husband and two sons. She said that God had dealt harshly with her. Naomi did not look at her relationship with Ruth as a blessing but instead was very bitter. She even told everyone to call her "Mara," which means bitter because of all the bad things that had happened. It was Naomi's choice to be bitter and angry. That was a bad choice.

Sometimes we act just like these people in the book of Ruth. We all make choices to disobey God. They may not seem like big things, like fighting with your brother or sister, or disobeying when you mom, dad, or teacher tells you to do something. However God calls these things sin.

Romans 3:23 says that we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” So there are consequences to our sin. The consequence of our sin is that we can't get to Heaven and we deserve death. Our bad choices separate us from God.

But God loved us so much that He sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sin. Jesus died on the cross to make a way for us to go to heaven some day.

The good news is that Jesus didn't stay dead. He came back to life three days later and is now in heaven preparing a place for those who choose to trust Him. Now we can choose to believe in Christ Jesus who is our way to heaven.

The question is "What will you choose?" Will you choose to disobey like Israel did and not follow God? Will you be like Orpah who decided to go back to her home town and the idols? Will you be like Naomi who chose to be bitter? OR Will you be like Ruth who chose to leave her homeland and obey God?

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We will see that God blessed Ruth for her choice. Although Ruth was a Moabite and the Moabites were enemies of God, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. She made a good choice and later became the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.

We all have tough times in our lives. We have to make a choice about how we are going to respond. We can trust God or become angry and bitter toward God. When you go through hard times in your life, are you going to make the choice to trust God or will you respond like Naomi?

Remember let's choose to love God and serve Him.

Review Questions: “Naomi and Ruth” Game Board Preparation: You will need a printed copy of the Naomi and Ruth game board below, a paper clip, and some game board markers. Push a brad through the small end of a paper clip and through the black hole in the middle of the spinner square to make a game board spinner. Say: “Today we are going to use a game board to remind us of how Naomi traveled from Bethlehem during the famine. Once she was there, Naomi’s husband and two sons died. Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law then moves back to Bethlehem with Naomi.” Procedure: Divide students into two teams. Give each team a game board marker. Spin the paper clip to see what number it lands on. The player moves the game board marker ahead the specified number of spaces. If the students lands on a box with directions, the directions must be followed. Give the following review questions to the two teams alternately. If the team answers the question correctly then they spin the paper clip to find how many spaces they move ahead on the game board. The first team to make to the last box wins. Students can take turns from each team to spin the spinner and move their team’s marker.

1. What period of time did Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons live in Israel? (They lived during the time of the judges.)

2. What was Israel like during the latter part of the time of the judges? (Israel was very disobedient to God. Many were worshipping idols and there was a lot of violence in the land. Israel did not have a ruling judge.)

3. Why did Naomi and her husband Elimelech and two sons move to Moab? (There was a famine in the land and the children of Israel went over to the East side of the Salt Sea to find food.)

4. What is a famine? (A famine is a time when there is no rain for a long period of time. The land dries up, the crops cannot grow, and food is not available. People begin to be very hungry because there is no longer any food.)

5. Why was moving to Moab a bad choice? (Elimelech was not trusting God. He was moving from the Promised Land where God had promised to bless Israel.)

6. What sad thing happened to Naomi and her two daughters-in-law when they were living in Moab? (Naomi’s husband and her two sons died, leaving the three women as widows.)

7. Why was being a widow a difficult problem in the ancient world? (Widows were often stranded without any way to make a living. They were neglected and often poverty stricken.)

8. Why did Naomi decide to go back home to Israel? (She heard that the famine was over and that God had blessed His people with good crops again.)

9. After she started her journey back to Israel, what did Naomi suddenly tell her daughters-in-law? (She told them to go back to their own families in Moab.)

10. Why did Naomi tell both of her daughters-in-law to go back to Moab and not travel with her to Israel? (She knew the girls would have a better chance of getting remarried among their own people. She only wanted what was best for the girls.)

11. What did Orpah decide to do? (Orpah decided to return to her own family.) 12. Why was Orpah’s decision a bad choice? (She was returning to her own family who

worshipped idols.

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13. What did Ruth say to Naomi about her choice? (“Don’t urge me to leave you,” Ruth replied, “Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”)

14. Why was Ruth’s choice a good one? (Ruth had learned to worship the true God and she was willing to give up the possibility of security and children to care for Naomi.)

15. When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, why was everyone surprised about Naomi? (Naomi’s grief and suffering had changed her appearance so much that many did not recognize her. “Can this be Naomi?” the people asked.

16. What did Naomi tell everyone to call her? (“Don’t call me Naomi,” she insisted. “Call me Mara (which means bitter) because God has made my life bitter. I went away full but the Lord has brought me back empty. The Lord has brought misfortune on me.”)

17. Why was Naomi so bitter? (Naomi had once been married with children and had love and security. Now she was alone, widowed, and in poverty.)

18. Why was Naomi’s choice to be bitter a bad decision? (She was so bitter that she was now blaming God for all the difficulty that she faced.

19. What time of the year did Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem? (It was during the spring barley harvest.)

20. What is the most important choice that we have to make? (Whether we will choose to love and trust in Jesus as our Savior.)

21. What promised does God give to those who trust in Him in our memory verse? (Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Paper Plate” Bean Bag

Our memory verse is Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” Have students locate the verse in scripture. Read the verse several times together. Say: “This verse means that God will do good things for those who make the good choice to follow Him.”

Preparation: Print each word of the memory verse Psalm 128:1 on a paper plate. In verse order place the paper plates face down in a line on the floor. You will need a bean bag.

Procedure: Children will take turns tossing the bean bag toward the paper plates turning over the plate the bean bag lands on or near. Continue until all the paper plates have been turned face up. Read the verse aloud with the children. Repeat the meaning of the verse. Continue the activity as time permits. You can vary the way you arrange the paper plates on the floor depending on the size of your class.

Group Learning Activity: “Magnets” (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To illustrate how the attraction of a magnet is like loyalty to God and others Preparation: Assemble a few small magnets, some screws, nails, bottle caps, pins, chalk, sponges, etc. Be sure some items have steel or iron in them and others do not. Place items on a tray. Procedure: Give each student a magnet and some of the objects from the tray. Allow them to explore which items are attracted to the magnet. Say: “When something is magnetic, it can pull things with steel or iron in them to it. The two ends of a magnet are called the north and south poles. These are the parts where the magnets are strongest. Around these poles is an area known as a magnetic field. In the magnetic field, other objects can be drawn to the magnet.” Here are some fun facts about magnetism that you might share: The Earth is a very big magnet. Its North

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and South poles are highly magnetic. The Earth’s magnetic force is not very strong. The magnets on your refrigerator have more magnetic force. A collapsed star, known as a neutron star, has the strongest magnetic force of any object in the universe. A compass has a tiny magnet in it. The arrow always points to the North Pole.” Say: “Did you know that being loyal is something like the attraction of a magnet? When we trust and believe in Jesus we are attracted to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to be strong and cling to that which is good and right. That is similar to the way these objects are attracted to the magnet. Just as some objects are not attracted by magnetism the Holy Spirit will help us repel that which is evil and wrong. God wants us to walk in obedience to him. He promises to bless those who are faithful to him.”

Group Learning Activity: “Being Loyal” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To learn that Ruth was loyal to Naomi by choosing to obey God Preparation: You will need a badminton birdie. Procedure: Show the children the badminton birdie. Say: “This is a kind of ball that is used in the game of badminton. It is called a “birdie.” It has an open cone shaped form or it can have feathers. The feathers or a plastic cone shape is attached to the cork or rubber ball. In the game of badminton this ball is hit between two players using rackets. The goal of the game is to hit the ball over the net without letting it drop to the ground. The special thing about a “birdie” or shuttlecock as it is sometimes called is that it suppose to turn around in the air after it is hit so the cone or feathers trail behind it as it bounces back to you. Let’s see if that is true. How many times do you think we will need to bounce the birdie on the wall to prove that it will always turn around in the air.” (Maybe it will be twice, five times; or perhaps once for everyone in the class.) Have the students line up about 3 or 4 feet away from a classroom wall. Show them how to hold the feather ball so the feathers are pointing away from the wall. Have each child hold the birdie by the ball and toss it toward the wall. Every time the feather ball or birdie will turn around in the air and return to the child ball first. Let each child toss it several times. Say: “You did a great job of testing this ball. I guess it really is true—no matter how many times we bounce it on the wall, the feather ball will always flip around in the air and return to us ball first. We can count on it. In our lesson we learned that Naomi could count on Ruth to be loyal and always choose to love and serve her. Ruth was “loyal” to Naomi. “Ruth had learned to love and obey the God of Israel that Naomi served. She was dependable and loyal. That means that no matter what happened people knew that she could be trusted. Naomi could rely on her help and kindness. Ruth also knew that she could count on God and trusted in Him to provide. God wants us to be like that, too.” Say: “Just like Ruth was loyal and faithful to Naomi, God wants us to be faithful and loyal to Him. God wants us to do what is right, to love being merciful and kind to others, and to be humble. When we do these things we are “fearing the Lord” and walking in obedience to Him. Say: “What are some things about Jesus that we can count on? (Jesus loves us. That Jesus will keep His promise to come again. That He promises to forgive us our sin when we trust in Him. That God will give us the gift of salvation if we believe in Him. He promises to bless those who are obedient and walk in His ways.)

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Group Learning Activity: “Spider Web Tag” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To help children learn that being loyal to one another means being willing to help each other. Preparation: You will need masking tape. Before class use masking tape to create a grid on your classroom floor like the one shown here. Make the grid as large as possible with as many lines as possible. Procedure: Have the children stand on the masking tape lines. Choose a volunteer to be the spider. Say: “We are going to play Spider Web Tag. In this game everyone must walk on the masking tape lines—the spider web. If you get tagged by the spider, you can reach out, grab your classmate by the hand and gently pul him or her onto your strand of the web. The spider cannot reach across the web to catch you. As long as you are holding hands, you are safe. However, you can’t hold hands for more than five seconds. Ready? Go!” Start the game and play for several minutes or until everyone has been tagged. After the game, ask: “What did you think when the spider got closer and closer to you?” (I was scared; I felt like I needed a friend to grab me.) Say: “How is someone saving you form the spider by giving you a helping hand an example of loyalty? (If you are loyal, you reach out to help someone.) What would be an example in real life of when a friend gave you a helping hand? (A friend might help you with your homework, or learn how to play a sport better, or help you learn to play an instrument in the band.) What would happen if you had just thought about yourself and nobody grabbed anyone’s hand? (More people would have gotten out of the game quicker. We would not have been loyal to each other.) Say: “In this game we all worked hard to save one another. That is what loyal is like. Loyalty means that we try to help others without worrying about what happens to us. That is what Ruth did for Naomi. She was willing to leave her family and to go to a foreign land to obey God and care for Naomi. Who is someone you should do good to? (My best friend; my family) The people in our church are our family just as much as the people we life with. God wants us to be loyal to our family and friends. God is pleased when we are loyal to them. But it isn’t always easy to be loyal. What can you do to be loyal to a friend or someone in your family? (I can help my little sister when her friends tease her; I can stick up for my friends; I can do nice things for my parents.)

Group Learning Activity: Bible Study: “Loyal Friends” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To understand that God wants us to be faithful and loyal to Him. Preparation: You will need Bibles, pencils, and spiritual journals. Procedure: Look up the following scriptures to learn about loyalty to God.

John 15: 9-12 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now

remain in my love. 10

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 I have told you this

so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”—We are to love each other as Jesus loved us and he love us enough to give his life for us.

John 15: 13-17 13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

15 I no longer call you servants,

because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose

me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will

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last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17

This is my command: Love each other. --We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, and giving. Think of someone who needs this kind of love today. Give all the love you can and then try to give a little more! Jesus made the first choice—to love and to die for us, to invite us to live with Him forever. We make the next choice—to accept or reject his offer. Without His choice we would have no choice to make.

Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”---People have tried all kinds of ways to please God but He has made His wishes clear. He wants his people to be just, merciful, and to walk humbly before Him. Are we fair in our dealings with people? Are we showing mercy to those who wrong us? Are we learning to happily serve others?

Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” We do not honor others just to get something from them or for them to reward us. Rather we honor others because they are created in the image of God and because they are fellow believers. Putting others first requires our personal sacrifice and our devotion to obey God.

Say: “Ruth chose to be faithful to Naomi. She loved Naomi and wanted to follow God just like Naomi did. She knew that caring for Naomi was what God wanted her to do and she was willing to be obedient to Him. Ruth made a good choice. Although Ruth was a Moabite and the Moabites were enemies of God, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. She later became the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.”

Distribute spiritual journals and let students summarize the principles they have learned from this lesson.

Group Learning Activity: “True Blue Friend” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Print the template “True Blue Friend” below and cut apart so that each student in your class has one section. You will need blue markers and index cards. Procedure: Have students use a blue marker to print words on separate index cards that explain or describe what it means to be a true-blue friend. (Examples: unselfish; generous, loyal, kind, thoughtful, considerate, big hearted, giving, charitable, faithful, trustworthy, devoted, reliable, dependable, dedicated, constant, etc.) Have students form groups of three. Say: “One way to describe someone who is very loyal is to say he or she is “true-blue.” A true-blue friend loves people the way Jesus loves people. I’m going to read aloud some situation. After each one, discuss with your group what a true-blue friend would do in that situation. Reach each of the following situations. After each one give the groups time to decide what a true-blue friend would do. Then have volunteers share their ideas with the rest of the class.

Situation 1: James and Brad were walking home from school one day. Brad said, “I’m going to float my new boat in the creek this afternoon. I’m not supposed to play by the creek, so I’m going to say that I was playing at your house. If my mom asks you, just tell her I spent the whole afternoon at your house.” What should James as a true-blue friend say to Brad? Situation 2: Rebecca was eating cookies, drinking milk, and watching her favorite after school program on TV. From where she sat, she watched as her dad pulled up to the driveway, stopped the car, got out, and moved two bicycles, a skateboard, a basketball, two jump ropes, a baseball bat, a ball, a catcher’s glove, and a scooter from the driveway so he could drive his car into the garage. What should Rebecca do as a true-blue friend to her dad do?

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Situation 3: From where Sam was sitting, he could see every word on Hannah’s spelling test. Sam had just learned in Sunday School that cheating is wrong. Sam knew he shouldn’t peek. But spelling was his hardest subject, and his parents had promised him a trip to the ice cream store if he improved his grades. What should Sam as a true blue friend to Hannah and to his family do?

Say: “Your ideas about what a loyal friend should do were very good. Loyal friends are always ready to help their family and friends but we must first be loyal to God. Our Bible verse is Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” This verse means that God will reward those who are loyal and faithful to Him. That means that helping a friend do good things will make God happy. Helping a friend do something wrong would not be a loyal act. Ask students to complete the True Blue Friend commitment by thinking of someone this week for whom they can be loyal and kind.

Group Learning Activity: “Side by Side” (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To help children understand that Naomi and Ruth were committed to love and serve each other. Preparation: You will need a medium sized ball. Use masking tape to mark out a course for a relay race with a starting line and a finish line. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Ruth chose to stay with Naomi as she returned to Bethlehem. We are going to play a game that will help us understand how they were committed to love and help each other. Procedure: Have children form pairs. Instruct the children that they will try to get the ball to the other side of the room, around the chair, and back to the beginning. They cannot use their individual hands, arms, mouths, or feet. The children may choose where they want to place the ball, but they must work together just as Naomi and Ruth did in the Bible lesson. The ball can be placed between their shoulders, arms, waists, and so on. If the ball falls, they must pick it up and return to the beginning and start again. Allow all the pairs of students to have a turn. Repeat as time allows. Say: “Naomi and Ruth stayed by each other’s side through the good and bad times. We too must be loyal to God, our family, and our friends in good times and difficult times. God can use anything—good or bad—to accomplish His good plans for us.”

Group Learning Activity: “Ruth and Naomi Stuck Together” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To help children understand that Naomi and Ruth were committed to love and serve each other. Preparation: You will need a several scarves or long strips of fabric. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Ruth chose to stay with Naomi as she returned to Bethlehem. Ruth and Naomi were “stuck together.” When the tough time came Ruth chose to cling to her mother-in-law, Naomi instead of going back to her own home. Today we are going to play a game that will help us understand how they had chosen to work together.” Procedure: Have the children find a partner to form pairs. Have students tie a scarf around his or her ankle and each of the partner’s ankles. Say: “I want you to work together to make the long trip from Moab to Bethlehem (one side of the room to the other). You are going to have to stick together, communicate, and help each other reach the other side. This is not a race so it does not matter who finishes first. The goal is to not fall on your journey. Get ready, go!”

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When all the pairs have finished ask some questions: “Was this activity hard? How did you have to work together? Why did Ruth stay with Naomi?” Conclude discussion: “You really had to trust your partner for this activity. Remember we can trust God during tough times.” Craft Learning Activity: “Loyalty Medal” (Grades K-4) Purpose: To make salt dough medals to help students remember how Ruth was loyal to Naomi by making the choice to care and love for her. Say: “When we are faithful or loyal to God by obeying Him, He promises to reward us. Our memory verse is Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” We receive the blessing of God when we are loyal to Him. Today we are going to make medals of loyalty which will remind us to be faithful to Him. Ruth was an example of loyalty to Naomi. We too can make a good choice of obeying and following God.” Preparation: Make a salt dough recipe out of 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of plain (all purpose) flour, and ¾ cup water. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl then add the water gradually. Knead the mixture until it becomes a dough like consistency. It will feel very grainy because of the high salt content but that’s fine. If too sticky add more flour or it won’t hold together then add more water, a teaspoon at a time. You will need cookie cutter and ribbon to complete the project. Procedure: Have students add glitter confetti if they desire to dough to make it sparkly. Roll out the dough to 1-2 cm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out three medal shapes. (Circle or octagon works well.) Push a straw into each one to create a hole for threading the ribbon through later. Let medals dry thoroughly before adding the ribbon.

Life Application Challenge: “String Cheese” Say: “In this lesson we learned that God wants us to make good choices. One of the choices we will make is whether we will be loyal to our family, our friends, and to God. Another way to say that we will be loyal to people is to say that we will stick together. Say: “Let’s use some of this string cheese to show our commitment to stick together. I will pass out a stick of string cheese to each of you. (Give each child a stick of string cheese. Have the children bend the stick to form a sculpture blob. Then have the children pull the cheese strands apart. Demonstrate how the single strands of cheese are not as strong as the stick of cheese.) Say: “When we all stick together, we are very strong just like this stick of cheese. It is hard to hurt us or separate us because loyalty is a strong bond that keeps us together. Naomi and Ruth were stronger when they were together as they traveled back to Bethlehem and faced the future together. People who are loyal to each other help each other become stronger. People who choose to lean of God are stronger because of His strength in them. As you take this stick of string cheese with you today, remember that God wants us to make good choices about being loyal to one another and to Him.” Lead children in a prayer of commitment to be loyal in our relationship with the Lord and with one another.

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Ruth Chooses Naomi Ruth 1: 1-14

Psalm 128:1

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”

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True Blue Friend

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unit 7: judges ot7.6 ruth chooses naomi lesson · the choices we make will have consequences in our...

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