He says "a certain man" of Bethlehem went to sojourn away from the land. And yet as the story of Ruth unfolded this time, it suddenly became obvious to me that Naomi was no role model. Follow your sister-in-law back home! (Ruth 1:15). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. She had given up all hope. And so they, like Lots daughters (the oldest one in particular), devised a scheme whereby the line would be preserved, albeit apart from faith and obedience to Gods Word. They struggled to find employment or they never really settled in their new environment or they experienced tragedy in their families (though few had it as hard as Naomi). There is something particularly encouraging about our text. Judah (through whom the messianic line would be traced) kept his third son from a Levirate marriage with the first sons widow, and then had sex with a woman he thought was a cult prostitute.31 God not only preserved the messianic line, He was faithful to fulfill His (Abrahamic) covenant32 with Abraham. And she was honored to be a part of the messianic line.34. Ruth was born in Moab about B.C. Abraham had been faced with similar choices and God had used a famine to challenge him. For whatever the reason in God's sovereign purposes, famines provide the context for the test of faithfulness. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. The Hebrew word for return is shubh (sounds like shove) and in this context it means: turn again, go on, go back, brought back, turn back. Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, moved to Moab during a famine. The Moabites had resorted to more than one way to curse and to destroy the Israelites. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Because they had neither food nor money, Naomi chose to return to her homeland, Bethlehem, in Judah. Only death will be able to separate me from you!. This is the first Bible study on Ruth 1:1-6. The next day, the other man refused to take Ruth, and she and Boaz were married. 37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! The inference is clear: to remain with Naomi has no promise of blessing and every reason to expect that they will share in her divinely-imposed affliction. They emigrated from famine-stricken She had had a long stretch of time during which she observed Naomi's righteousness, and she (Ruth) became convinced that she must serve the One God and abandon her former idolatry. that Elimelech was one of the chiefs of Israel, andthat his premature death was his punishment for having left the Holy Land and having settled in the land of Moab. 2On one level the rabbi is exactly correct. The latter chapters of the book of Judges contain variations of In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In Genesis 12, God tested Abraham's faith in his promises. He can respond out of a sense of fear and desire for food or out of a sense of faith. For 2,000 years, millions of elect, believing Jews and Gentiles from around the world have become one body in Jesus Christ.Third, this book records remarkable instances of Gods providence. 15Look, Naomi said to her, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. Thus, the reader of this narrative is forced to see the covenant connection between famine and the passages found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Be honest with yourself and recognizethat staying there is not good for you. You can easily imagine the many tears she shed, tears which were all stored in Gods bottle (Ps. We cry out in frustration and desperation, "Who will free the people of God from this vicious cycle of failure and death? PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. According to Jewish doctors, a noble and potent person. than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Surely it fell short of what Ruths experience will be. In an effort to escape the famine, a man named Elimelech took his family to Moab, where he intended for his family to sojourn until the famine ended.10 How could he have imagined how long his family would stay? If the reader knows redemptive history, then there isn't a place on earth worse than Moab for an Israelite to turn for bread. Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. This means that irony becomes the most important device for deepening our meditation on Ruth's story. the portion of land, which belonged to our brother Elimelech. var addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 = 'laning' + '@'; var addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = 'spronk' + '@'; 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your children will conquer nations and will resettle desolate cities (Isaiah 54:1-3). How does one today keep the Lords Day holy when he or she has no faithful church to attend? If we are correct about the date of the book, then it fits perfectly with how the book of Judges ends and how Ruth's story begins. That is to say, the setting has redemptive or covenantal significance. Who thinks of Orpah today? It has been supplied by the translators. The author has a covenantal perspective as he links us to Judges. All scripture [including the first five verses of Ruth] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in0 righteousness (II Tim. Why did Elimelech live with his family in Moab? Each of you should return to your mothers home! Naomi adds one final argument in favor of Orpah and Ruth returning home to Moab. Both women initially refused to heed Naomis exhortation to leave her and return to Moab. In our text, Naomis conversation with her daughters-in-law is couched in language that gives the appearance that she is encouraging them to return to their families and their land because this would be in their best interest. In Numbers 25:1-3 we read. No wonder they didnt have a great reputation. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. Samuel immediately requires the reader to wrestle with the dire need of a faithful husband. Ruths spiritual journey is similar to that of Abraham. In such a declared emergency, she reasoned, they must take extraordinary measures. 17 See Ruth 4:17, 21-22. Is Brooke shields related to willow shields? This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband. Famine should have provoked the faithful person to inquire, "How could there be famine in the land that was supposed to be flowing with milk and honey?" var addy_texta1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = 'Classical Committee';document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML += ''+addy_texta1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68+'<\/a>'; (6) Most (if not all) of Naomis actions, attitudes, and advice were misguided and downright wrong. The security in the home of a new husband referred to earlier is now spelled out in plainer terms. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. But Ruth refuses to abandon Naomi and clings to her tightly. 12 The word new is not in the original text. There may have been others who traveled to Moab with Elimelech and his family, but the author does not make a point of telling this to his readers. i. In the book of Ruth 1:1 we are told that there was famine in the 6Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. The oldest daughter went first, bearing a son whom she named Moab. She has no husband to father sons, and she is too old to bear children anyway. In fact, we might even think that Elimelech was being a good provider by looking out for his family. Naomi advised Ruth to glean in the field of Boaz, since he was a relative of Elimelech. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. I am always seeking fellow travelers on the journey, so I hope you stay awhile, check out my free resources, and find encouragement for your soul. There was a famine in the era of the Judges. Her name was Orpah. This is completely secular thinking. The book also presents a kinsman redeemer (Boaz) who buys back or redeems his deceased relatives wife (Ruth). In Job and in Ruth, this term seems to underscore Gods power, but in the context of suffering and adversity. Where will he turn to find food for his family? The best thing for her to do was to return to Bethlehem and live out the rest of her days, dying empty (i.e., childless). Ruth emphatically says No to Naomi, but with such wonderful words Naomi can hardly continue to stand in her way. It was a bad start, and sadly things didnt get any better over time. And there is another difficult part of leaving Moab. Rather it points to the common problem of the progression of sins. Even if she were able to bear children, it would be unreasonable for these two widows to wait 20 years for replacement husbands. No, in Naomis mind there was no good reason to remain with her as she returned to her homeland. They emigrated from famine-stricken Israel to Moab (1-2). Stay in Bethlehem: risk starving their bodies. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. land of Israel, which included Bethlehem where Elimelech and Naomi 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. In her mind, this was the normal, the customary, way to produce offspring. God bless you! WebElimelech Why did Naomi decide to return from the country of Moab? People of faith in God often stand out in times of crisis, so let us live by the principles of Scripture, rather than by pragmatism. 14 In her first attempt, Naomi issues a parting blessing, punctuated by a farewell kiss (verse 9). Lot was turned to salt because she looked back at the city. We are connected theologically with the last verse of Judges as it unfolds in Ruth, but with curses that will be reversed by a faithful husband rather than a judge. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If her daughters-in-law could snag a good (Moabite) husband, bear some children, and have a bountiful harvest they were indeed blessed, at least as Naomi viewed it. You may not even notice this at first, but the very first man in the story remains unnamed. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. It is not only Ruth and Naomi who benefit from Gods work in the Book of Ruth, for everyone who has been saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has been saved by the offspring of Ruth and Boaz. Elimelech had a wife named Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. Even if we know it is best togo. In Esther, the people of God were supposed to return to the Promised Land, but they chose instead to dwell in the apparent peace and safety of Persia. I remember responding to Nate, Neither do the rest of us. Well, if this is true of us, it is certainly true of the Moabites. Perhaps one reason why the author does not make a major point out of the theme of divine judgment is because his purpose is to emphasize divine mercy, not only as God provided food for His people, but also in His providential provision of a family and a posterity for Naomi and Elimelech.
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