Welcome to the Book of Ruth Advent series! We hope that this amazing story will make Advent come alive for you in a new way. We recommend you play Ruth 2 Episode 2 first to listen to the chapter and discussion before listening to this Advent Bonus episode.
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Susan’s Summary
The next 2 chapters of Ruth are as close to a Hallmark love story as you will get in the Bible. But the love in this story goes beyond romance, it is a kind of love called Hesed. The book of Ruth is considered the greatest example of Hesed in the whole Bible. Because while Ruth and Boaz both demonstrate Hesed, it is God’s Hesed that steals the show.
We defined Hesed in episode 1 of season 8, and recommend you listen to Bible Book Club season 8 of Ruth with these advent bonuses. Hesed is a Hebrew word that is translated in the English Bible as “kindness,” but it means so much more; we just don’t have a good English word that fits. Hesed goes beyond kindness and includes loyalty, generosity, mercy, and compassion. It usually requires a voluntary action, typically from a more powerful person to a weaker person. In summary, Hesed is a voluntary act of extraordinary mercy or generosity performed for a person in real and desperate need in the context of a deep relational commitment.
The book of Ruth is saturated with Hesed. In fact, the entire book is a love story, and not just between Boaz and Ruth. It is a story of sacrificial love, compassionate love, loyal love, generous love.
Ruth’s Hesed is a sacrificial and compassionate love
Questions to ponder:
- What do you see in your family, neighborhood, community, at work or church? Do you see the people with needs around you?
- As we approach the 2nd week of Advent ask God to show you the people who need your Hesed.
- If you feel like too many people need you, ask God to give you to fill you with the time and energy to meet the needs of others with loving kindness or Hesed!
Boaz’s hesed is a loyal and generous love
Questions to ponder:
- In our cancel culture, it is easy to justify dismissing people around us, even family. But what if they need our loyalty and generosity?The second greatest commandment is to “love your as yourself.” It does not say that they will be easy to love! Our closest neighbors are those in our family! How can you follow Boaz’s example and demonstrate hesed, loyal and generous love to those closest to you?
The greatest hesed is God’s gift of love
Questions to ponder:
- In week 2 of adventing the arrival of the savior, remember that every single day, God is silently, providentially carrying out his plan. Even if you don’t see it.
- Then ponder and marvel at the 3rd stanza from our theme song: O Little Town Of Bethlehem:
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.
