Live-Wire Bible Study - Day 77 - Ruth 3–4 · Acts 4 · Psalm 37 - FeedTheGoodHorse

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Day 77: Ruth 3–4 · Acts 4 · Psalm 37 · Commentary · Commentary² · Audio

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• The Bible text is included for reading continuity; it is accurate in substance, aligned with major modern translations, and may be read alongside any Bible you prefer.¹

Special Note about the following Bible text: The following translation uses the Hebrew terms tamé (טָמֵא) and tahor (טָהוֹר) instead of the traditional “unclean” and “clean.” These terms describe ritual status in relation to sanctuary access, not moral fault, shame, or physical dirtiness. A fuller explanation will follow in a dedicated article.

Ruth 3

Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, so that it may go well with you? Now is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you have been? Look, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash yourself and anoint yourself, and put your cloak upon you, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, notice the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what you should do.”

She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”

She went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had instructed her. Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was glad, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came quietly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

At midnight the man trembled and turned over, and look—there was a woman lying at his feet. He said, “Who are you?”

She said, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your covering over your servant, because you are a redeemer.”

He said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last faithful kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. Now, my daughter, do not fear. All that you say I will do for you, because all the gate of my people knows that you are a capable woman. Now it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Stay tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good—let him redeem. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until morning.”

She lay at his feet until morning, but rose before one person could recognize another. He said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

He said, “Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it.” She held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and placed it upon her. Then she went into the town.

She came to her mother-in-law, and she said, “How did it go, my daughter?”

She told her all that the man had done for her and said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, because he said, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

She said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out, because the man will not rest until he has finished the matter today.”

Ruth 4

Boaz went up to the gate and sat there. Look—there passed by the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken. He said, “Turn aside, sit here, such-and-such person.” So he turned aside and sat.

He took ten men from the elders of the town and said, “Sit here.” So they sat.

He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the fields of Moab, is selling the portion of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I said that I would inform you, saying, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, tell me, so that I may know, because there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I am after you.”

He said, “I will redeem it.”

Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the wife of the dead man, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.”

The redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself, because I cannot redeem it.”

Now this was formerly the custom in Israel concerning redemption and exchange, to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another, and this was the confirmation in Israel.

So the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” and he removed his sandal.

Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Kilion and Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, so that the name of the dead will not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.”

All the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and proclaim a name in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He knew her, and the Lord granted her conception, and she bore a son.

The women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be blessed, who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name be proclaimed in Israel. He will be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age, because your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Naomi took the child and placed him in her lap and became his caregiver.

The neighboring women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they called his name Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Acts 4

While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. So they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were from high-priestly families. After placing them in the middle, they began asking, “By what power or in what name did you do this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means this man has been restored—let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus the Messiah of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man stands here before you healthy.

This Jesus is
‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’

And there is rescue in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be rescued.”

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were astonished, and they recognized them as having been with Jesus. But since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against it.

After ordering them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What should we do with these people? For an obvious sign has happened through them, and it is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it may not spread any farther among the people, let us warn them not to speak anymore to anyone in this name.”

So they called them back and ordered them not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right before God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

After threatening them further, they released them, finding no way to punish them because of the people, since all were glorifying God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing had happened was more than forty years old.

After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, and who said through the Holy Spirit by the mouth of our father David your servant,

‘Why did the nations rage
and the peoples imagine empty things?

The kings of the earth took their stand,
and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’

For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed—Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the nations and the peoples of Israel—to do whatever your hand and your purpose had determined beforehand would happen.

And now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one of them said that any of the things that belonged to them was their own, but they held everything in common. With great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was upon them all.

For there was not a needy person among them, because all who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the apostles, and it was distributed to each one as anyone had need.

So Joseph, who was called by the apostles Barnabas—which means Son of Encouragement—a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him, brought the money, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.

Psalm 37

Do not be heated because of the wicked,
and do not envy those who do wrong.

For they will quickly wither like grass
and fade like green plants.

Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and remain faithful.

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring out your righteousness like light,
and your justice like the midday sun.

Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not be heated because of the one who prospers in his way,
because of the one who carries out evil schemes.

Leave anger and abandon fury;
do not be heated—it only leads to wrongdoing.

For those who do evil will be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land.

In a little while the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place,
he will not be there.

But the humble will inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.

The Lord laughs at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword
and bend their bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slaughter those whose way is upright.

Their sword will enter their own heart,
and their bows will be broken.

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord supports the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will remain forever.

They will not be ashamed in the time of trouble,
and in days of famine they will be satisfied.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the beauty of the fields—
they vanish;
like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous shows favor and gives.

For those blessed by him will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be cut off.

A person’s steps are established by the Lord
when he delights in his way.

Though he falls, he will not be thrown down,
for the Lord supports his hand.

I was young, and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.

All day he shows favor and lends,
and his descendants are a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good,
and live forever.

For the Lord loves justice
and does not abandon his faithful ones.
They are preserved forever,
but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

The righteous will inherit the land
and live in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.

The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.

The Lord will not leave him in his hand
or let him be condemned when he is judged.

Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on
when the wicked are cut off.

I have seen a wicked, violent man
spreading himself like a native tree.

But he passed away, and look—he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.

Observe the blameless
and look at the upright,
for there is a future for the person of peace.

But rebels will be destroyed altogether;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

The rescue of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their strength in the time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Commentary - Day 77

Ruth 3–4 · Acts 4 · Psalm 37

Summary:

Naomi directs Ruth to the threshing floor, where Ruth approaches Boaz quietly and asks him to act as redeemer. Boaz confirms his willingness but first settles the matter publicly at the town gate, where the nearer redeemer steps aside and transfers his right through the exchange of a sandal. Boaz takes Ruth as wife, and she bears a son, Obed, restoring Naomi’s household and establishing a lineage that leads to David.

In Acts, Peter and John are arrested and questioned by leaders but speak openly about the source of healing already witnessed. After release, the believers gather in prayer, asking for boldness rather than safety. The place trembles, and their shared life deepens as property is sold and distributed so that none remain in need.

Psalm 37 repeats the call to trust, wait, and endure, contrasting fading power with lasting inheritance.

Ruth 3 begins with Naomi directing attention toward settlement rather than survival. After the seasons of gathering, she names rest as the next concern and identifies Boaz at the threshing floor, where grain is separated and stored. Preparation marks the beginning of movement: washing, anointing, and clothing precede descent into the place where barley is winnowed. Ruth follows Naomi’s instructions step by step, remaining hidden until Boaz has finished eating and drinking and lies down beside the heap of grain. In the quiet of night, she uncovers his feet and lies there. The moment turns at midnight when Boaz awakens and finds her presence at his feet. Her identity is spoken aloud, along with a request that he spread his covering over her because he stands in the role of redeemer. Boaz acknowledges her loyalty, recognizing that her actions have remained directed toward preserving the name of the dead rather than seeking advantage elsewhere. He names the existence of a nearer redeemer, setting the matter into ordered sequence rather than acting immediately. Before dawn, he measures barley into her cloak so that she does not return empty-handed, and she carries the grain back into the town. Naomi receives the report and instructs waiting, trusting that the matter will not remain unfinished.

Ruth 4 shifts from private encounter to public confirmation. Boaz moves to the town gate, the place where agreements are witnessed and decisions are made before elders. The nearer redeemer is called to sit, joined by ten elders who form the assembly. Boaz lays out the matter in stages: the field belonging to Naomi is presented first, and the redeemer expresses willingness to purchase it. The condition that includes Ruth as wife to raise the name of the dead alters the response, and the nearer redeemer withdraws, handing over his right through the exchange of a sandal. This visible act confirms transfer before witnesses. Boaz declares before the gathered elders that he has acquired the land and taken Ruth as wife to preserve inheritance within the family line. The elders and people respond with blessing, naming earlier mothers of Israel and linking Ruth’s entry into Bethlehem with the building of a household. The sequence continues into conception and birth. Ruth bears a son, and the women speak over Naomi, naming the child as restorer of life and sustainer of her age. Naomi takes the child into her lap, and the household once emptied through famine and death now holds a living descendant. The record concludes with the naming of generations, tracing the line forward until the name of David stands at the end of the genealogy.

Acts 4 opens with interruption following public speech. Temple authorities approach Peter and John, disturbed by proclamation of resurrection, and take them into custody as evening closes the day. By morning, rulers, elders, and scribes gather into council, placing the two men at the center and demanding explanation of power and name. Peter responds within the assembly, speaking of the healing already witnessed and naming Jesus as the source through whom restoration occurred. The rejected stone becoming the cornerstone enters the speech, shifting the focus from rejection to foundation. The healed man stands present among them, leaving visible evidence within the council itself. Private discussion follows among the authorities, acknowledging the undeniable sign yet seeking to limit its spread. The command forbidding further speech is issued, but the response from Peter and John places obedience toward God above silence imposed by leaders. Threats follow release, and the two return to their companions to recount the events. The gathered group lifts their voices together, recalling earlier words spoken through David and naming opposition as part of what had been foreseen. Prayer does not request removal of threat but boldness to continue speaking, along with continued signs of healing. The place of gathering trembles as prayer concludes, and speech resumes with renewed boldness.

The closing movement of Acts 4 widens from resistance to shared life. The group of believers is described as holding unity of heart and purpose, with possessions treated as shared rather than private. Property is sold, and proceeds are placed before the apostles for distribution according to need. The naming of Barnabas introduces an individual example of this shared practice, as he sells a field and lays the money before the community. What began as proclamation under pressure continues into ordered sharing, where testimony and provision develop side by side within the assembled group.

Psalm 37 moves through instruction framed in contrast between flourishing that fades and endurance that remains. The language shifts repeatedly between the visible success of the wicked and the steady inheritance of the righteous. Grass withers, smoke disperses, and violent strength turns inward against itself. Waiting replaces agitation as the repeated action, paired with trust that unfolds over time rather than through immediate reversal. The psalm returns again and again to the image of inheritance—land received, steps supported, descendants preserved—placing endurance within continuity rather than momentary gain. The closing lines gather rescue, help, and refuge into a final movement that names the Lord as strength in trouble, sustaining those who take shelter rather than seize control.

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