Key Thought : Ruth comes from a root word meaning friend or ally. The message of kindness shows no tension, conflict, or criticism. Esther shows the same hope of peace and good in the face of adversity.
June 14, 2025

1. Have a volunteer read Ruth 2:5-20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Why is this such a pivotal moment in the story? Why is Naomi’s discovery of the benefactor’s identity such good news?
3. Personal Application: How does understandsing that the Creator became part of His own creation and dying for it help us understand our own existence? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Why does God allow His people to go through trying times like famine and death? What is the point of allowing it to happen? For every Ruth and Naomi there were thousands who had no benefactor, no one to intercede and save them from hardship and starvation.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Esther 3:1-14, Rev 12::14-17, Rev 13:15.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What parallels do you find between these passages? How is John’s description of God’s remnant church like Heman’s description of God’s people?
3. Personal Application: If we fail on the small things that test your faith, how will you do when the big tests come? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Not everyone can be the most beautiful or the strongest. So not everyone is called to save God’s people or do some great thing. So, how can I relate to these passages in my life?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Esther 4:13,14, 5:1-3, 9:20-28.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What lessons can we draw from these passages concerning our experiences in the closing moments of Earth’s history?
3. Personal Application: How do we prepare ourselves for any potential hardship that may come with loyalty to Christ? How do we find and keep hope in the middle of difficult circumstances? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “In the Bible stories, it seems like everything always works out well in the end. But in real life, many faithful, God-fearing people always get the short stick, and troubles seem to follow them. So how are they to have hope and faith in the face of all the troubles that happen to them? How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Ruth 1:1-5.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What hardships fell on Naomi and Ruth, and what caused them? How does this reflect the situation that the entire human race now faces?
3. Personal Application: Even after six thousand years of sin and death, how does the earth still reveal the wonders of God’s love and creative power? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared. ”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-ruth-and-esther-teaching-plan/

Daily Lesson for Monday 9th of June 2025

Naomi asked that her name be changed to Mara because of the bitterness that had fallen over her life (see Ruth 1:20). Our relationship with our Creator has been irreparably damaged by sin, forcing us into spiritual poverty. Our prospects are dim, and we spend our lives gleaning what we can from the edges of the field, living on the scraps of joy that can still be found in a broken world. But it all changes the moment we make a remarkable discovery: God has not forgotten us.

Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com

Naomi could not take possession of her husband Elimelech’s land without obtaining assistance from her husband’s family. She hopes that Ruth can marry a close relative of her deceased husband and bear a child in Elimelech’s name. God had made provision in Israel for individuals to reclaim their inheritance in the Promised Land: a close relative was needed to redeem Elimelech’s inheritance. Boaz was not just a kind farmer; he was a kinsman of Elimelech who could redeem the land.

The discovery that Boaz was not only kindhearted and generous but a relative was the best possible news: the poverty in which these two women existed did not have to last forever.

Christians have long understood Boaz to be a type of Christ, who is not only our Creator but chose to become our kinsman—a real, flesh-and-blood human being, one of the reasons why, again and again, He called Himself “the Son of man” (Matthew 12:8, Mark 8:31, Luke 22:22, John 3:14).

Far too many people think of God in harsh terms—e.g., “Perhaps He will let us into heaven if we check all the correct boxes on a moral inventory, but He will do so grudgingly because we have scraped by on a technicality.” The picture of Christ revealed in Boaz completely displaces such notions. God not only notices us, but, in spite of our deep spiritual poverty, He wants us as His bride.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-11-ruth-and-boaz/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 8th of June 2025

Critics of the Christian faith have often pointed to the brutal reality of living in this world as evidence that: (a) God does not exist, (b) He is powerless to intervene when bad things happen, or (c) He doesn’t care when we hurt. Many of the stories of the Bible, however, provide abundant evidence that none of these assumptions are correct. True, God is allowing the human race to reap the consequences of rebellion against Him. But without violating our free will, He is always present, always working in human history, always moving us toward the ultimate resolution of the problems of sin and suffering. The story of Ruth provides one such example.

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

There is irony to be found in the opening statement of this story: there was a famine that affected Bethlehem, a town whose name means “house of bread.” One is reminded of the abundance of Eden, where God told Adam and Eve, “ ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat’ ” (Genesis 2:16, NKJV). The human race began its existence in abundance, under the care of a generous Creator, but then exchanged its role as caretakers of creation for the slavery of sin. “ ‘In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground,’ ” God told Adam (Genesis 3:19, NKJV).

Like Naomi, we have been dispossessed from the inheritance that God originally planned for us to have, and our lives have become a hardship. Eden was given as a gift, but not unconditionally: humans were free to rebel, but that would mean they would have to take responsibility for their own well-being. Originally, we were meant to “subdue” the whole unfallen world under God’s blessing, but now we are faced with the task of subduing a fallen one. Selfish human beings competing for scarce resources leads to much heartache and suffering.

The tragedy is unspeakable: the earth still produces abundantly, a powerful testimony to God’s love. But between human greed and the ravages of sin, the world at times seems to subdue us more than we subdue it. One day, however, all this will end.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-11-famine-in-the-house-of-bread/

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 7th of June 2025

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Ruth 1:1-5; Ruth 2:5-20; Job 1:6-11; Matthew 4:8-9; Esther 3:1-14; Revelation 12:14-17.

Memory Text:

“So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter” (Esther 5:2, NKJV).

This week we continue to explore stories that prefigure last-day events. By using real-life events and people, God helps us to see things from His perspective and helps us understand how to interpret the prophecies that come later, which are given to help strengthen our faith.

Our attention turns to two important women whose stories have touched the hearts of countless generations: Ruth and Esther. One is a dispossessed widow who finds hope after meeting the kindly Boaz, her kinsman redeemer. Their marriage has become a favorite love story for Christians because of the way it reflects Christ’s love for us. The other is a young girl living in a foreign land who becomes aware of a plot to destroy her people and finds herself thrust onto the main stage in the drama that unfolds to save them.

In prophecy, of course, a woman is a powerful symbol for God’s church, shedding much light on how God regards His people. Let’s look at the biblical accounts of these two women, whose life circumstances have been immortalized in the Word of God, and seek to draw whatever lessons we can from their experiences.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 14.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-11-ruth-and-esther/

Our Sabbath School program has always been linked to the support of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission program. This video provides a little insight into this important work.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-june-7/