RUTH

This is our revised script for our 'Ruth' presentation!

Ashley – Narrator

Chris – Audience Commentary

Jeanie – Naomi

Eric – David/Servant/Next-of-kin/Witnesses

Rian – Orpah/Boaz

Shelby – Ruth

Eric – My father was Jesse, his father was Obed, his father was Boaz, who was Ruth’s husband. This is her story.

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and Elimelech and his wife Naomi, both from Bethlehem, went to live in Moab with their sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Elimelech died…

Chris -- Horrible bus accident—they didn’t teach to look both ways back in the day.

Eric – …leaving Naomi with their two sons. The sons married Orpah and Ruth, Moabite women. After ten years, both men died…

Chris -- Didn’t learn from their father, I guess.

Eric – …leaving their mother and wives alone.

Ashley – Due to the famine, Naomi took her two daughters-in-law and left to return to Judah. Along the way, Naomi said to the girls,

Jeanie – Go back to your mother’s house. May you be blessed as the Lord has blessed me and dealt kindly with our dead loved ones.

Ashley – The young women began to cry and said to her,

Rian – ‘No, we will return with you to your people.’

Jeanie – Go home, children. Why would you go with me? I can have no more sons for you to marry.

Ashley – The girls cried again, but Orpah did as she was told.

Chris – Went to start a daytime talk show but was struck by a bus on her way there.

Ashley -- Ruth, on the other hand, refused to leave Naomi.

Jeanie – Orpah has gone back to her roots. You should do the same

Shelby – ‘Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried.

Ashley – When Naomi saw that Ruth was not going to take no for an answer…

Chris – a.k.a. She was acting like a stubborn, whiny teenager.

Ashley -- …she allowed the girl to remain with her on their journey to Bethlehem. They arrived there at the beginning of the barley harvest. Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech, had a relative in Bethlehem by the name of Boaz, who was a rich and prosperous land owner.

Chris – Who made his millions off of a local bar and grill, as well as the local supermarket.

Ashley -- Ruth asked Naomi,

Shelby – May I go glean in the grain fields behind someone who may take kindly to me?

Jeanie – ‘Go my daughter.’

Ashley – So Ruth went to the grain fields and ended up in some fields belonging to Boaz. Not long after, Boaz arrived from town and said to his servant that was in charge of his workers…

Chris – Who does this lovely lady belong to?

Eric – She is Naomi’s daughter-in-law who returned with her from Moab. She wanted to glean the grain behind the workers today. She has not rested for even a moment since she began working early this morning.

Rian – In that case, do not go into any other fields to glean grain, my child. Stay close to my workers, who have been instructed to not bother you. Help yourself to the drinking water that is provided to my workers.

Shelby – Why do you show such care for me…

Chris – You don’t even know her! She could be an ax murderer!

Rian – I have been told how you remained loyal to your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, even though that meant leaving your family and coming to a foreign land. May the Lord bless you.

Shelby – May I continue to find favor in your sight, as you have treated me kindly, even though I am not one of your people.

Ashley – Some time elapsed, until it came time to sit down to a meal.

Rian – Come here and eat with us.

Ashley – So Ruth sat down to eat with Boaz and his workers. She had plenty to eat and even had some left over. After the meal, Boaz instructed his workers,

Rian – Let Ruth glean among the grain. Also, remove some grain from the harvest and leave it in the field for her to glean. You must do this without unkind words towards her.

Ashley – Ruth worked in Boaz’s field until evening. Then she took to Naomi what she had gathered that day. There was enough grain for both of them.

Jeanie – In whose field did you work today? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.

Shelby – I worked in the field owned by Boaz.

Jeanie – ‘Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken us.’ As a matter of fact, this man that you speak of is a relative of ours.

Shelby – Really? He even told me to stay near to his workers until the harvest is finished.

Jeanie – It is better that you stay with his workers, rather than risk being bothered in someone else’s field.

Ashley – So Ruth worked in Boaz’s field until the end of the harvest, and she lived with her mother-in-law.

Jeanie – I need to seek a secure place for you. Boaz may be one to offer this secure place, as he is a close relative of ours. He will be at the threshing floor tonight. Get cleaned up and go to where he is, but do not make yourself known until he has finished eating and drinking. After he lies down, go over to him and lie at his feet.

Chris – Just watch. It doesn’t take much to get a man once he’s drunk.

Ashley – Ruth did what Naomi told her to. In the middle of the night, Boaz woke up and was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet.

Chris – Oh, really! How often do you wake up and find someone lying at the foot of your bed?

Rian – ‘Who are you?’

Shelby – ‘I am Ruth. Give me your cloak to use as a blanket, as you are my next-of-kin.

Rian – May the Lord bless you. Not only were you loyal to your mother-in-law, you have been loyal to family in that you have not chased other young men. Do not be afraid. My people know that you are a worthy woman. It is true that I am a near kinsman, but there is one closer yet. Stay with me tonight. I will speak to this man in the morning. If he is willing to act as your next-of-kind, he shall. If he will not, then I will.

Ashley – Ruth stayed until the morning, when Boaz gave her a supply of barley to take back to Naomi.

Jeanie – ‘How did things go at the threshing floor?’

Shelby – He gave me a supply of barley so that I would not return to you empty-handed.

Chris – You had to smell his feet all night, and all you got was some wheat?! Isn’t this guy supposed to be rich?

Jeanie – Good. We shall wait here until the next-of-kin issue gets settled. Boaz will get it settled today.

Ashley – Boaz went to the city gates and waited, as he knew that the next-of-kin would be passing by soon enough.

Rian – ‘Come over, friend; sit down here.’

Ashley – Not long after, ten elders of the city passed by and came over to the gate to sit with Boaz and the next-of-kin.

Rian – Naomi is selling the land that belonged to her late husband Elimelech. I thought I would give you a chance to redeem this land, by buying it in the presence of the elders of the city. Please decide if you will be redeeming this land, as I am second in line to redeem it.

Eric – ‘I will redeem it.’

Rian – Okay. On the day you acquire the land, you will also be acquiring Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, so as to maintain Elimelech’s name on his inheritance.

Eric – On second thought, if I redeem this land, I will damage my own inheritance. You may redeem the land. I do not want it.

Ashley – The custom in Israel at the time was to take off a sandal to give to the other person when confirming a business transaction. The next-of-kin did this and the deal was sealed.

Rian – Elders, today you are witnesses that I have acquired Naomi’s land, along with Ruth.

Eric – ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem; and, through the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.’

Ashley – So Boaz and Ruth married and had a son. They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.

Eric – Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab, Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon, Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.

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The presentations today were great! However, after having seen what some of the other groups put together for their presentation, I definitely think we could have done more as far as preparation, props, line memorization, etc. I'm also still not exactly sure why we had the 'bus' clips in our presentation, though I do agree they added some humor to the whole thing.

Here is the information from the presentation about the book of Ruth:

Name meanings:

Ruth: “friend”

Naomi: “gracious one”

Mara: “bitter one” (although not included in our presentation, Naomi asks to be called Mara when she returns to her hometown after the death of her husband and sons)

Boaz: “strength is in him”

Orpah: “gazelle; from the root; back or nape of neck”

*More comments for the group as a whole can be seen in Ashley Wheeler's blog, our group lead!