Gospel Doctrine Lesson 20 – Old Testament – Doth Know That Thou Art a Virtuous Woman – May 30, 2010
Attn Activity: Write down how you would like others to describe your character in just a few words? What is one thing you can do this week to come closer to matching that desired description?
Goal: What doctrine if understood would motivate us to emulate the righteous qualities of Ruth, Naomi and Hannah. (Ruth 1-4, 1 Samuel 1, 2: 1-2, 20-21)
1. Ruth left her home to go to Bethlehem with Naomi
Why did Naomi and her family go to Moab to live?
Why did Naomi return to Bethlehem after the deaths of her husbands and sons?
While living in Moah, Naomi’s sons had married Orpah and Ruth, women of Moab. How did Naomi show love and concern for her daughters-in-law when they offered to return to Bethlehem with her?
What can we learn from Naomi’s concern for her daughters-in-law that can help us in our family relationships?
One of Naomi’s daughters-in-law, Orpah returned to her family but the other, Ruth, insisted on going to Bethlehem with Naomi.
Read Ruth 1:6-7 What can we learn about Ruth from her promise to Naomi?
How can we show greater loyalty in our families? How can we show greater selflessness, as Ruth did.
What did Ruth give us by going to Bethlehem with Naomi?
What did Ruth gain by going with Naomi?
What can we learn from Ruth about making sacrifices for the gospel?
After going to Bethlehem, what did Ruth do to provide food for himself and Naomi?
Whose fields did Ruth glean in?
Why was Boaz impressed by Ruth?
How did Boaz show kindness to Ruth?
How did Ruth show her selflessness when she returned from gleaning?
How have you been blessed by other people’s selfless acts.
2. Ruth and Boaz marry and have a child.
Naomi counseled Ruth to perform a ritual that she hoped would result in the marriage of Ruth and Boaz. By lying at the feet of Boaz, Ruth would be in effect proposing marriage. What did Ruth’s obedience to Naomi’s counsel reveal about her feelings toward Naomi?
How did Boaz respond when he woke up and found Ruth lying at his feet?
Note that whe Ruth said “spread thy skirt over thine handmaid, she meant guard me, protect me, car for me.
Under what condition did Boaz agree to marry Ruth?
When Ruth’s husband died, his nearest male relative was supposed to marry Ruth. Boaz was not the nearest male relative, but he agreed to marry Ruth if the nearest male relative did not wish to do so.
What was Ruth’s reputation among the people of Bethlehem?
How did this reputation benefit her in her relationship with Boaz?
Why is it important that our family members, friends, and neighbors know what we believe in and what values we strive to uphold?
What did Boaz do after promising to marry Ruth?
How did Boaz show that he was a man of integrity?
What famous king of Israel was a descendant of Ruth and Boaz? Who else was a descendant of Ruth and Boaz.
President Monson called Ruth a heroine in a conference talk. In what way does you thing Ruth is a heroine?
3. Hannah is blessed with a son, who she lends to the Lord as promised.
Hannah, wife of Elkanah, was childless. Each year at the temple she wept and prayed for a son. What promised id Hannah make to the Lord in 1 Samuel 1:11? What can we learn about Hannah from this promise?
Who witnessed Hannah praying in the temple?
What did Eli tell Hannah about her promise to the Lord?
How did Hannah feel after hearing Eli’s words? How can Church leaders help us when we are troubled?
Hannah told Eli that she had poured out her soul before the Lord. How can we make our personal prayers more sincere and meaningful?
What happened in response to Hannah’s promise to the Lord? How did Hannah keep her promise after Samuel was Born?
What promises do we make to the Lord?
What can we learn from Hannah to help us be diligent in keeping these promises?
How do you think Hannah felt about giving Samuel to the service of the Lord? What does the Lord ask us to give him?
What should be our attitude about giving to him?
This lesson has great application for how we accept converts into the Church and make them feel welcome (Boaz is a great example of this.)
It also teaches us about the danger of judging inappropriately. The first comment of Eli the priest to Hannah was a question about whether she had been drinking. President Hugh B. Brown said "If I make erros in judging people, I want them to be on the side of mercy." (Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought, 1975, Campbell and Poll)
And we should think about where Hannah went to make her promise to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:9-11) - The temple. It is where we should direct our thoughts and actions in all decisions and pleadings with the Lord.
Finally, think about the righteous qualities of Ruth, Naomi & Hannah. We should emulate these qualities as they will bring us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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