The Way Home: God's Invitation to New Beginnings

PRAISE FOR THE WAY HOME

Weaving story with biblical truth is Tessa Afshar’s specialty. In her new Bible study, The Way Home, Tessa invites us to discover truth for ourselves. Finding our story within the timeless story of Ruth, and discovering Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, afresh and anew. What a beautiful study!

JOANNA WEAVER

Bestselling author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

The crying need of the church today is for teachers, authors, and preachers to draw God’s people deeper into God’s Word. Tessa Afshar has done exactly that in her highly accessible study of Ruth, The Way Home. Part commentary, part study guide, Afshar invites readers into a profound interaction with arguably the Bible’s most beloved book. The six-week plan will enable readers to open themselves in new ways to the book of Ruth, where they will find grace for the deepest recesses of their hearts. Highly recommended.

BILL GIOVANNETTI

Pastor, Pathway Church; professor, A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and VeritasSchool.life

How do you pick up the pieces of your life when everything is seemingly ripped away? How do you fit in with others when you’re the odd one out? How do you discover your life’s meaning and purpose? Tessa Afshar addresses these questions and more in her beautiful study of the book of Ruth, The Way Home. With solid teaching on historical and biblical context, this study will provide life-changing insight with its application of faith principles. I highly recommend it for personal or small group studies.

JANET HOLM MCHENRY

Bible teacher, speaker, and author of twenty-four books, including the bestselling PrayerWalk and the Bible studies Stronger Every Day and Training for Success

The book of Ruth has long been a personal favorite, and Tessa Afshar is one of the most gifted writers I know. In The Way Home, we have the perfect combination of subject matter and teacher. Tessa’s scholarship and mature understanding of Scripture coupled with her unique cultural background enables her to lead us through an in-depth study of Ruth in a way few others can. Just as Ruth found her destiny in companionship, I urge you to journey through this amazing story of redemption in community with others. You could not have a finer guide.

MAGGIE WALLEM ROWE

Author of This Life We Share: 52 Reflections on Journeying Well with God and Others

A page-turner of a Bible study. The Way Home walks you right into the vivid world of Ruth and right up to your own relationship with God, then sends you off on a wave of encouragement as you discover your own part in God’s glorious plan.

KIMBERLY HILL

Television writer, Family Ties, One Day at a Time, The Facts of Life

In a stunning craft of study and reflection, Tessa takes a well-known story and paints it with fresh, new strokes. The timeless encounter of Ruth comes alive as Tessa brings us to points of realization in our own lives. Will we be bitter and waste our lives … or will we overcome pain to unlock our destiny? Through the bold rhythm of this study, Tessa authentically shows us how.

GARI MEACHAM

Author of Spirit Hunger, Watershed Moments, and Be Free; president of The Vine Uganda

This study is an extraordinary walk through the book of Ruth. Need a little hope? Do this study!

VICKI HEATH

National Director, First Place for Health and author of Don’t Quit Get Fit

The Way Home will change the way you view life’s storms. The author’s love for God and her passion for His Word will guide you into a new understanding of His presence and activity in the hard places. It will instill hope and renew peace as you delve into its pages.

GRACE FOX

Author of Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation, global worker, popular international speaker

Are you currently on a life journey that includes both unknown and new? Then I highly recommend this Bible study by Tessa Afshar. This award-winning storyteller and Bible teacher takes readers deep into God’s Word to mine the treasure that is the story of a woman who risked everything for God’s ultimate plan. Being a word girl, I especially loved the careful teaching from the original biblical languages. But it is the exquisite imagery and historic sense of place—done so beautifully by this novelist—that make the book of Ruth come alive. I look forward to working through this study (including the video) with my own group of sisters and highly recommend you do the same. I’m better equipped for life after reading The Way Home!

LUCINDA SECREST MCDOWELL

Author, Soul Strong and Life-Giving Choices

© 2020 by

TESSA AFSHAR

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All emphasis in Scripture has been added.

Published in association with the literary agent Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Management, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370

Edited by Pamela Joy Pugh

Interior design: Erik M. Peterson

Cover design: Dean Renninger

Cover illustration of landscape copyright © 2019 by arxichtu4ki / Shutterstock (758207317). All rights reserved.

Author photo: Matthew Murphy from MurphyMade LLC

ISBN: 978-0-8024-1983-6

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8024-9876-2

Originally delivered by fleets of horse-drawn wagons, the affordable paperbacks from D. L. Moody’s publishing house resourced the church and served everyday people. Now, after more than 125 years of publishing and ministry, Moody Publishers’ mission remains the same—even if our delivery systems have changed a bit. For more information on other books (and resources) created from a biblical perspective, go to: www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

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To my husband

Who has taught me how easy it is to love like Ruth

When you are loved by a Boaz;

I am grateful for you every day.

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

The proceeds from your purchase help pay the tuition of students attending Moody Bible Institute. These students come from around the globe and graduate better equipped to impact our world for Christ.

Other Moody Ministries that may be of interest to you include Moody Radio and Moody Distance Learning. To learn more visit www.moodyradio.org and www.moody.edu/distance-learning.

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CONTENTS

How to Use This Study

A Word from Tessa

WEEK ONE

New Beginnings: Avoiding a Wasted Life (Judges)

WEEK TWO

A New Way: Unlocking Your Destiny with Love (Ruth 1:1–14)

WEEK THREE

A New Heart: Overcoming Offense (Ruth 1:15–22)

WEEK FOUR

A New Provision: Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 2)

WEEK FIVE

A New Life: Open to God’s Invitation (Ruth 3)

WEEK SIX

A New Future: Fulfilling Your God-Given Purpose (Ruth 4)

Recipes

Acknowledgments

Notes

Listening Guide for Video Teaching

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)

How often I have prayed that Jesus will meet you as you work through these pages. Prayed that the beloved Carpenter who once held and cradled wood in His expert hands will hold and cradle you. Prayed the hands that once shaped and molded wood will shape and mold you. Prayed those hands that pierced the wood just where it needed a nail in order to hold together and grow strong and stable will pierce you at just the right places.

Because those hands know all about nails and being pierced.

Those hands belong to a man born into Ruth’s lineage over a thousand years after she moved to Bethlehem. He is at the heart of Ruth’s story. And at the heart of your story.

So, the first way to use this study is prayerfully, with the Holy Spirit as your companion and guide.

You will also need to commit to honesty, to the kind of openness that is willing to face the deepest wells of your heart. This study was written to bring you closer to God, and the only way that is possible is when we are transparent with ourselves and with Him.

Now, to practical matters.

SETTING

You can use this six-week study by yourself, though I suggest you do it in a small group, or with a group at your church, or with a friend. Ruth found her destiny in companionship. Jesus walked His calling out in fellowship. There is a special way God moves when we commit ourselves to faith-centered community with one another.

BOOK

The Bible study time in this book is designed for you to do alone in the course of the week. Each session contains four days of study, and a fifth day titled Overview and Conclusion, which gives you an opportunity to go deeper into the concepts you have studied.

On your first day of each session, you will read an introduction before moving to Day One.

Each of the four study days are divided into three parts:

Understanding the Word will give you an opportunity to delve into the passage and study other passages connected to it.

Applying the Word will give you the chance to make your study more personal and devotional, applying the head knowledge of your study to your inner life.

Praying the Word: Although you have opportunities to pray throughout the study, you will end your day with prayer, which allows you to close your study with an act of surrender and worship.

Overview and Conclusion: On the fifth day you will have a shorter study day, designed to pull together the different threads of your study from the past four days.

That leaves two days for catching up or rest. Some days, you may find the study time a little more intense than others. I have tried to remain faithful to the scope of the topic rather than forcing the study into perfectly even-sized chunks.

There is space in your book to write out your answers. But you might want to keep a special journal dedicated to this study so that you are able to write more freely as you go deeper into the Word.

The English Standard Version of the Bible has been used unless otherwise noted, though you of course may use any version of Scripture you prefer.

IDEAS FOR INCLUDING THE VIDEO TEACHING FOR THIS STUDY

Teaching videos (sold separately) are available for The Way Home Bible study. Keep in mind that you do not have to include the video teaching to go through this study, but I do believe it will enrich your study of the book of Ruth.

If you choose to include the video teaching as part of your study time, you’ll find a listening guide starting on page 249, which will be helpful for taking notes as you listen to my teaching each week. The videos are designed to be watched after you have completed the correlating week of study. For example, the video you watch when you gather to discuss Week One’s completed homework will be the video session for Week One.

If you are leading this study at your church or in a small group setting, there is an introduction video that you can watch during your first gathering before assigning Week One’s homework to talk about the following week.

A NOTE FOR LEADERS

If you are leading this study for a group, you might want to mix questions from Understanding the Word and Applying the Word depending on time and the makeup of your group. Or, you might want to cover all the discussion points, bearing in mind the personal nature of some of the responses. Ultimately, you’ll choose the questions that will best serve your participants.

And now, may your Kinsman Redeemer spread the corner of His covering over you as you seek the new beginnings He has set aside for you through this study.

A WORD FROM TESSA

A few months ago, my husband and I were excitedly preparing for our first trip to Israel. Visiting the land where our Lord had lived and loved and ministered was a dream come true. Several weeks before our departure date, we received a phone call that shattered our plans.

After some routine tests, one Sunday we received an unexpected call from the doctor. My husband needed serious surgery. Instead of packing for Israel, we started packing for the hospital.

What do you do in times like that? Times when your hopes and expectations crumble before your eyes? Times when the future seems so uncertain?

That first night, after hearing the news, I could not sleep. Around midnight, I quietly slipped out of bed and went to my study. A feeling of terror had settled over me. I realized that I might lose my precious husband. I might lose him on that sterile surgical table, or I might lose him bit by bit afterward, as he fought to recover.

I had