The Integrity of Ruth

...whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Ruth 1:16

Preparation:
• Read the scripture story and additional activity information. Choose the readings, questions and
activities most appropriate for the ages and interests of your family. You may use the sample
lesson for an idea of how to make your FHE lesson flow.
• Gather supplies for the activities you choose. For example, grab two baskets for the Gleaning
Ears game. Make copies of the coloring pages. Place the footprints around the room.
• c. Picture, Ruth Gleans in the Fields of Boaz.

Suggested Music:
“I Feel My Savior's Love” (Children’s Songbook, p. 74, verse 4)

Scripture Story:
• Ruth 1:1–5—Naomi and her family move to Moab. Her husband and sons die.
• Ruth 1:6–22—Ruth stays with Naomi when Naomi returns to Bethlehem.
• Ruth 2—Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz.
• Ruth 4:9–17—Boaz marries Ruth and they have a son named Obed.

Additional reading:
• John 7:42—Christ was to be a descendant of David and be born in Bethlehem
Questions and story ideas provided on subsequent pages
• “Lessons from the Old Testament:Lessons from Ruth and Hannah” by Elaine S. Dalton, Second
Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

Activities:
• Gleaning Ears Game
• Coloring Page(s)
• Footprints To Follow

Lesson Sources:

• LDS.ORG “Lesson 26: Ruth and Naomi,” Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996),114
• LDS.ORG “Lessons from the Old Testament: Lessons from Ruth and Hannah” by Elaine S. Dalton from April 2006 Ensign
• LDSfamily.fun.com - FHE: Be A Loyal Servant
 Sample Lesson:
Purpose
To help the family have the desire to follow the example of righteous people and to be good examples
themselves.
 As the family enters the room, direct them to walk on the footprints you have placed on the
floor around to where they can find a seat.
Explain that we all leave footprints as we travel through life. Sometimes we follow in someone else’s
footsteps and try to do as they do. But others are watching us, and they may try to follow in our
footsteps. Everything we do leaves an impression on someone, just as our step would leave a footprint
in soft ground. When we do something good, we set a good example for others; when we do
something wrong, we set a bad example. Tell the family that they are going to learn about a woman
who knew the importance of both following and being a good example.

Hold up the coloring page of Ruth and Naomi. Tell the family who the women are. Explain that Ruth
is an example of faithfulness and loyalty. Share the scriptures below and emphasize Ruth's love for her
mother-in-law and her loyalty to her.
Ruth 1:16–17
16. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my
God:
17. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do
so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Note: For younger children, it may be helpful to summarize the following ideas:
Loyalty is being faithful and true.
“I think of loyalty in terms of being true to ourselves. I think of it in terms of being absolutely loyal to
the Church and its many facets of activity. I think of it in terms of being unequivocally true to the God
of heaven, our Eternal Father, and His Beloved Son, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ...Be loyal to
the best that is in you.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2003, © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Loyalty means standing up for that which is right.
“We show our loyalty to the Lord by being obedient to parents, being respectful of our brothers and
sisters, following Church leaders, and fulfilling our church callings and priesthood responsibilities.
Loyalty includes being obedient to the laws of the land and the commandments of God. Loyalty to
employer and employee, demonstrated by an honest day’s work and an honest day’s pay, is part of our
loyalty to the Lord, for what we do unto each other we do unto Him. It means standing up for that
which is right when our associates would persuade us to do wrong.”
Rex D. Pinegar, New Era, July 1976, © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tell the Story of Ruth and Naomi:

• Ruth 1:1–5—Naomi and her family move to Moab. Her husband and sons die.
• Ruth 1:6–22—Ruth stays with Naomi when Naomi returns to Bethlehem.
• Ruth 2—Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz.
• Ruth 4:9–17—Boaz marries Ruth and they have a son named Obed.
Additional reading:
• John 7:42—Christ was to be a descendant of David and be born in Bethlehem

• Do you think Ruth loved Naomi? Why?

• How did Naomi know Ruth was loyal to her?
• How was Ruth blessed for her love and loyalty?

“When Naomi sensed the true depth of Ruth’s love and loyalty, she consented and the two made their
way back to Bethlehem. There, through the mediating role of Naomi, Ruth met Boaz, ‘a mighty man of
wealth’ (Ruth 2:1), and they married. From this union came a son named Obed, who fathered a son
named Jesse, who fathered a son named David, the greatest king in Israel’s history. Thus Ruth’s love
for and loyalty to Naomi not only brought gospel blessings to Ruth, but ultimately blessed the entire
Israelite nation.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, New Era, June 1998, © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

• How can being a loyal servant bless our family?

“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in
the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17
• What can our family do to loyally serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
• What does it mean to be loyal?
Loyalty is being faithful and true. “I think of loyalty in terms of being true to ourselves. I think of it in
terms of being absolutely loyal to the Church and its many facets of activity. I think of it in terms of
being unequivocally true to the God of heaven, our Eternal Father, and His Beloved Son, our
Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ...Be loyal to the best that is in you.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2003, © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
• How can we show our loyalty to the Lord?
Some of the things we can do to show our loyalty to the Lord are being obedient, respectful, following
our Church leaders, fulfilling our stewardships, and keeping the commandments. We can also show our
loyalty to the Lord by the way we treat others “...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye
are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17.)

Read Leviticus 23:22

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy
field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them
unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.”
• What it means to reap and to glean?
To reap means to cut and gather the crops. The Lord instructed the land owners to leave some of their
crops for the poor. These are called the gleanings. The poor would then go to the fields and glen
(gather) what was left in the fields.
• What has the Lord asked us to do for the poor that compares to His instruction to the land
owners in Ruth’s time?
To give a generous fast offering.
• How did Ruth show her loyalty to Naomi?
Instead of returning to her own family, Ruth went to Bethlehem with Naomi. She cared and provided
for her by gleaning in the fields.
• What great blessings came from Ruth’s love and loyalty to Naomi?
Because of Ruth’s love and loyalty to Naomi she was able to meet and marry Boaz. Ruth and Boaz
were blessed with a son, Obed and Obed’s son Jesse was the father of David, the greatest king in
Israel’s history. Ruth’s love and loyalty to Naomi not only brought gospel blessings to Ruth, but
through her lineage the entire Israelite nation was blessed.”
• What can our family do to loyally serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
List and discuss things you can do to loyally serve the Lord and others.

Bear testimony about about loving one another and why having integrity is important to you.

 Color Pictures or play a round of “Gathering Ears”

 Questions:

 What did you walk on as you came into FHE?

 Do you think Ruth loved Naomi? Why?

 How did Naomi know Ruth was loyal to her?

 How was Ruth blessed for her love and loyalty?

 How can being a loyal servant bless our family?

 What can our family do to loyally serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

 What does it mean to be loyal?

 How can we show our loyalty to the Lord?

 What it means to reap and to glean?

 What has the Lord asked us to do for the poor that compares to His instruction to the land

owners in Ruth’s time?

 How did Ruth show her loyalty to Naomi?

 What great blessings came from Ruth’s love and loyalty to Naomi?

 What can our family do to loyally serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

 What opportunities have we had come due to adversity in our lives?

 How does faith play a roll in changing adversity into moments of opportunity and blessings?

 What can we do to become more like Ruth?

 Activities:

Gathering Ears:
Note: Younger children will need help from an older sibling or parents
What you need:
A copy of the of the “Gleaning Ears of Corn” game (art work included with this lesson) and scissors
and 2 baskets (or shoeboxes).
Preparation:
1. Place ears of corn, question side down on the floor.
2. Divide into 2 teams.
3. Read Leviticus 23:22
How to Play:
Pick a number or draw straws to determine which team goes first. Each team takes a turn “gleaning”
(picking) an ear of corn and answering the question. Team members are not allowed to help (except in
the case of younger children).
If you answer your question correctly, place your ear of corn in your team’s basket. If you answer your
question incorrectly, place the ear of corn back on ground (face down).
There are two empty corn husks. If you pick an empty husk your team looses a turn. There is one corn
husk that has a bonus question. If you answer the bonus question correctly your team receives an extra
point (team members can help answer the bonus question).
After all the corn is gleaned the team with the most ears of corn in their basket wins.
Do not count the empty husks, but remember to count the extra point for the bonus question.

Coloring Pages:
Color Pictures depicting events from the story of Ruth

Footprints Activities:
Before FHE arrange these footprints so they lead from the door of the room, around part of the room, and then to
where the family will be sitting.

Reading and Discussion:

Read the article by Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, and
talk about how faith and adversity play a roll in our lives. Talk about your “Ruth” moments.