YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE
Ruth 2
SECONDARY SCRIPTURE
1 Timothy 3:6-7
OBJECTIVES
1. THINK: Understand the value of a good reputation.
2. TODAY: Realize that a Godly reputation is an important character trait for all believers.
3. APPLY: Learn to develop a Godly reputation.
OVERVIEW
In the second chapter of Ruth, we find Ruth and Naomi have returned to Bethlehem at
harvest time. Since they are widowed with no way to provide support for either of them,
Ruth decides to serve her mother-in-law by gathering food in the barley fields. She does
this in accordance to the Mosaic Law that requires land owners to leave behind food for
the needy to gather (see Leviticus 19:9-10). In the process, Ruth ends up in the field of a
wealthy family member (Boaz) who treats her with integrity and respect. This lesson will
examine how the reputations of both Ruth and Boaz had shaped them and the importance
of a Godly reputation for our lives today.
GETTING THINGS STARTED
A CASE STUDY: Josh and Samina are dating. They are both juniors at their school and
they are pretty much inseparable. They e-mail, talk on their cell phones, text one another,
and hang out all the time. Josh has had several relationships prior to this one and has a
reputation for moving in and moving on. For Samina, this is her first relationship and she is
head over heals in love with Josh. Her friends from church are starting to worry she’s going
to eventually get really hurt and she’s pulling away from all her other friendships to spend
more and more time with Josh. Her grades are suffering and her focus on this relationship
is intense. Josh and Samina both think their friends are overreacting and are just jealous
that things are so good for them. Word on the street is for their junior prom, Josh’s parents
are going to be out of town and he and Samina are going there after the dance. They say
it’s to “watch movies.” Based on how much affection they already give one another and the
pictures they post on MySpace, no one really believes that’s all they’ll do.
RUTH
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
1. Based on the information you have, what do you think is the reputation of this couple?
2. Which is harder: getting a good reputation or keeping it? Why?
3. How important is your reputation to you? Would your friends agree?
4. What determines your reputation?
5. If you could create the ultimate reputation, what would you want your peers to
know you?
6. If Josh and Samina both claimed to be Christians, what concerns would you have for
them in light of the reputation they have developed among their peers?
7. Is there a difference between the genders as to what is a good reputation? In other
words, should a Godly guy’s reputation be any different than a Godly girl’s? Why or
why not?
TEACHING GUIDE
As a leader, there are some things you should know about the book of Ruth as you prepare
to teach it. Here is a brief overview of some historical/contextual things that will aid you in
being accurate as you present this lesson and respond to questions your group may have as
a result of reading the text.
Some Key Words/Concepts
Glean
The Hebrew custom of allowing the poor to follow the reapers and gather the remaining
grain or grapes (Judges 8:2; Ruth 2:2, 16; Isaiah 17:6), backed by one of the laws of
Moses (Leviticus 19:9; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19-21).
Sheaf
The sheaf was grain left behind as the reaper gathered. It was smaller pieces which were
usually bound by women or children. A donkey or a heavily loaded cart bore
these bundles to the threshing floor. Some sheaves, however, were left behind for the
poor (Deuteronomy 24:19; Ruth 2:7, 15; Job 24:10).
Threshing
This is the act of separating the grain head from the straw that holds it up. It was an
outdoor activity, usually on a hard surface of the ground and in one of two ways: (1) by
beating the bundles of grain with a rod or (2) by trampling them under the feet of oxen
that pulled a wooden sled around the threshing floor.
RUTH
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
Threshing Floor
This is the place where grain was threshed. Usually clay soil was packed to a hard
smooth surface. The sheaves were spread on the floor and trampled by oxen often
drawing crude wooden sleds. The grain was then separated from the straw by tossing it in
the air and letting the wind blow away the chaff or unwanted, lighter straw from the
heavier, and more valuable grain. For this reason, threshing floors were often on hills
where the night winds could more easily blow away the chaff. Additionally, since robbers
would visit the floor at threshing time when grain was abundant, the laborers often slept
there to protect their earnings (Ruth 3:4-7).
Kinsman-Redeemer
This is a man who under the levirate law could fulfill the duty of preserving the name
of the dead by marrying someone such as Ruth. The responsibilities of the kinsmanredeemer included avenging the death of a murdered relative (Numbers 35:19), marrying
a childless widow of a deceased brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), buying back family
land that had been sold (Leviticus 25:25), buying a family member who had been sold as
a slave (Leviticus 25:47-49), and looking after needy and helpless members of the family
(Leviticus 25:35).
As a group, read Ruth Chapter 2.
Based on your reading so far, what would you say is the reputation of Boaz, Ruth, or Naomi
at this point? What do you think has contributed to that reputation?
The truth is that Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi have all demonstrated good reputations in Chapter
2. From their example, we can learn some life principles that kept them close to God and
known for loving Him among the other workers and the people of the town.
RUTH
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
5 WAYS TO DEVELOP A GODLY REPUTATION
1. Live a life that serves others first.
Notice the way Boaz greets his people in the field and the way he treats his servants/
employees. Notice the way Boaz cares for Ruth and the steps he takes to make sure that
her needs and Naomi’s needs are met. Notice and discuss the way that Naomi tells Ruth to
go back to the same field for she will be safe with Boaz, because he’s from her husband’s
family blood line. Notice the way Ruth takes care of Naomi by gathering the food for both of
them.
2. Develop a good work ethic.
Being lazy in our culture today might be popular, but it’s not Godly (see Proverbs 12:14 and
14:23). A God-fearing man or woman can be trusted to do the work God has called them
to. Notice the comments Boaz’s foreman gives him when he asks about Ruth. Note how
diligently she works in the field. Notice that Boaz, though he could have, doesn’t tell his
workers to just give her a bushel of grain. He lets her glean it on her own, but does tell them
to leave some specifically for her. He gives her no handouts that she doesn’t “work for” first.
3. Listen to the counsel of those who are older and wiser.
Notice the way that Boaz and Naomi instruct Ruth and notice her response. Note that she
has gained a good reputation by her teachable spirit.
4. Sweat the small stuff. It all adds up.
When it comes to your reputation, there is no such thing as a “little thing.” Your past will
catch up to you – for better or for worse. Notice the things that Boaz says to Ruth in the
field and how her reputation has been shaped by how she treated Naomi in the past. The
small and big things she’s done several days or months earlier are setting the stage for her
reputation. It all adds up and produces a response in others.
5. Devote yourself to loving God.
This should go without saying, but it is surprising the number of people who claim to follow
God and yet spend very little of their focus there. Boaz rewards Ruth because her reputation
is a Godly one. Based on the response of the workers to Boaz and his words and actions in
this text, it is clear that he too is clearly devoting his life to loving God first and is known as a
Godly provider by Naomi too.
RUTH
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
DISCUSSING THE TEXT
• What do you think it would have felt like to be in Ruth and Naomi’s shoes in
this culture?
• What kind of boss do you think Boaz is? Would you want to work for him?
• How has the attitude of Naomi changed from chapter 1 to chapter 2? What factors seem
to have influenced how she is feeling and her hope for the future?
• Do you have to work for your food? How would your perspective on life be different if
you did?
APPLYING THE TEXT
• What practical steps are you taking today to keep your reputation solid?
• We all have weaknesses; what part of your reputation or your character do you think
needs to be worked on most? What piece do you think needs to change?
• If you have a good friend who you see is beginning to do some things to create a bad
reputation, what would you do to help your friend avoid that mistake and how would
you help?
• Do you have people who speak truth to your life? Are you in a circle of friends that have
enough love and honesty with each other that they actually will tell you when they see or
hear of a flaw in your character? Is that happening in our small group? Why or why not?
• What is the reputation of your youth group in general? What do people believe about it
at church? What do they say about it at school? Is it positive or negative? Do you agree
with this reputation or do you think it’s a bad rap? What could you do to influence that
reputation toward a more positive one?
RUTH
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU
Developing and Maintaining a Godly Reputation
FOR KEEPS (MEMORY VERSE)
May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD,
the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12).
You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your hearts give you joy in the
days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that
for all these things God will bring you into judgment (Ecclesiastes 11:9).
RUTH