12 May the LORD reward your efforts! Orpah and Ruth were committed to returning to Israel with their mother-in-law. The scene requires Elimelech to make choices about his family's future. In moving to Moab, Naomi left the Lord to some extent and for some years. Once again I would suggest that Naomis strong urging for Ruth and Orpah to return was as much for her interests as for her daughters-in-law. What time does normal church end on Sunday? Surely it fell short of what Ruths experience will be. There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me! You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Naomi saw singleness (widowhood for her) and childlessness as a curse, while Paul taught that singleness could facilitate ministry to others and to God (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). We are not told how wide-spread it was, but we do know that it affected Bethlehem (which ironically means house of bread). They did not seem to live by it, so why would they consider it important to teach it to a Moabite? 2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. It took two attempts to convince Orpah to turn back and three attempts to convince Naomi that her efforts to turn Ruth away were futile. We read in Deuteronomy 23:3-4. When they return, Ruth meets Boaz, and he fulfills the role of kinsman redeemer. Ruths words are her covenant with Naomi, with Israel, and with God, patterned after Gods covenant with Abraham and his descendants: Only death will be able to separate me from you! (Ruth 1:16-17). Sometimes we have to leave people too. Both were traveling with Naomi as she made her way toward Israel. All three women had to make a choice. In her second effort, Naomi insists that her daughters-in-law must not return with her because it would only cause them to endure some of her affliction (verse 13). var addy79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c = 'jdengelsma' + '@'; Many, including me, are troubled by the times in which we live, but this is no excuse for ungodly behavior. It had been at least ten years since Naomi and her family had left them. Classis EastThis email address is being protected from spambots. Access 50+ premium resources. There the sacrifices were made, bespeaking the full and rich atonement made for our sins on the cross. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. And what communion has light with darkness? 17 Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.'. Now, Naomi urges both of her daughters-in-law to go back home to their own land21 and to their mothers homes22 and to find a new Moabite husband, so that they might have security.23 While God promised to bless all those who blessed Abraham and his offspring, Naomi told her daughters-in-law that to stay with her would be to share in the curse God had placed upon her.24 As the story of Ruth and Boaz unfolds, God promises are fulfilled, while Naomis warning and instructions are proven to be false. Mahlon, the older son, died. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) These choices are also related to the covenant and to the unfolding theme of our story. One can even imagine Elimelech explaining his apparently unfaithful choice to leave the land of God and spend time in Moab, but only until the famine is over. This email address is being protected from spambots. She believes in a God who is all powerful, but who is not merciful and compassionate. Then we find that such ways become comfortable, and so we stand or linger in them. 8But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your mothers homes. You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. A pointer to the fact that, in moving from Bethlehem to Moab, Elimelech did not truly take God and His Word into account? For I am too old to get married again. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. 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. Return to Bethlehem (Ruth 1) 1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. James illustrates the progression in the following way: Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Now she had no husband and no children. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. The use of this word highlights for us the problem with trying to justify faithless living because it will only be for a short time. Why do you call me Naomi, seeing that the Lord has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer? 22 So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came back with her from the region of Moab. 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. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. and a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely Christian in a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. In Ruth, this element of the curse of the Moabites is also mentioned. Naomi also made it clear that this was because (in her mind) God had dealt harshly with her.16 Naomi measured Gods blessing only in terms of food and of family. I would be very reluctant to conclude that Ruths husband or his parents taught her the law. A godly Israelite would not only trust in the one true God, Yahweh, they would also know that there are no other gods. Naomi was now left without a husband, without sons, and without grandchildren. Elimelech is confronted with more than merely the problem of feeding his family; he has a covenantal choice set before him. She was Naomis other daughter-in-lawthe wife of her other son. document.getElementById('cloak79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c').innerHTML = ''; Blessings to you and your ministry as well. And thus there is no evidence of repentance on her part at this point in time. There is nothing random, therefore, about the construction of biblical narratives. food. If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Those who place too much emphasis on marriage and child bearing should listen well to these words of Scripture: 6 He bends down to look at the sky and the earth. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Movie directors use this kind of setting to heighten the tension of a story. As a relative of Boaz (ib. 3, 4). Rather it points to the common problem of the progression of sins. Chilion, the only remaining son, also expired (5).Of the four who had left Bethlehem, only Naomi remained. Lenten Focus: Sacrifice As we head into our final, Lenten Focus: Worship This week we have done a de, Lenten Focus: Worship As we focus on worship this, Lenten Focus: Worship We began our Lenten series, Lenten Focus: Service "For even the Son of Man ca, Lenten Focus: Service She who does not serve God, Lenten Focus: Service We began our Lenten series, Lenten Focus: Silence & Solitude This week we hav, Lenten Focus: Silence & Solitude On Monday, I cha. Thank you, sister friend! The wonder is that God remained faithful to those who so easily abandoned Him. Named after a female character, Ruth could be described as a romantic book, for it begins with several tragedies and it contains a courtship (of a sort) which issues in a marriage (between Ruth and Boaz) and the birth of their son (Obed). The author has a covenantal perspective as he links us to Judges. The all-powerful God was making Naomis life miserable, so she thought and said. Save 15% on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. The crises of life are Gods pop quizzes, times when He puts our faith to the test, times when He gives us an opportunity to put our faith on display. The just God, of course, is right in so doing, for He is judging sin.We also have Ruths beautiful and moving words to Naomi: 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: 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 (16-17). To use a food metaphor, the table is set for a choice that will determine the course of the story. Reformed Witness Hour Newsletter - January 2023, The Punishment of Rebellious Children (2). Likewise, the foolish person who decides to live like this soon discovers the deadly character of such a decision. The man whose name means God is my King decided to reject the way of the King, leaving the land of life and blessing for a journey to a land of certain curses. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; WebWhat happened to Elimelech in Moab? In the midst of her affliction and hopeless despair, God is at work preparing for the gracious things He is about to reveal to her and to the reader. And then, within 10 years, both Naomis sons died. 3, 4). Joseph's family were given the land of Goshen to live People who want to stay in Moab. However, there appears to be far more than meets the eye. There were no men nearby to marry, she reasoned, so there was no conventional way25 for them to bear children and thus to preserve their fathers line. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? 26 The way they acquired the 400 wives by wiping out Jabesh Gilead is no more noble. The present tense of the English Version seems to suggest that the sale is From Ruth 4:13, one might infer that God prevented both Orpah and Ruth from bearing children to their husbands. That is why some men and women will choose never to marry or to bear children. She would be buried where Naomi was buried. In her mind, this was the normal, the customary, way to produce offspring. WebElimelech, one of the notables of Judah, came to Moab, where he hoped to find food and an easier life. What is this you have done to me? Like Moabs mother, the Israelites reasoned that due to their circumstances, an Israelite line might become extinct. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father. 35 So they made their father drunk that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. - Quora Answer (1 of 4): Because there was a famine in Israel, so he went to another country presumably ii. Moab was the nation that actually hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. The famine in Ruth 1:1 was itself a judgment of God upon Israel for its sins (Deut. Was it at Naomis initiative that her sons took Moabite women for wives? She then kissed both of them, a very clear signal of dismissal. Ruth and Naomi 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were He was not a faithful husband. May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection! (Ruth 2:10-12, emphasis mine). Hi, I'm Carla! 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. He came alongside Eve as her friend, as someone who was doing her a favor. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the Ruth would not only do this until death separated them, she would do so in death. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing and distressing thing Naomi has said so far. 9May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage. Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Boaz commanded his field-workers to be considerate toward her. She was one who received Gods blessings because she blessed one of Abrahams offspring by remaining with her and committing to care for her.28 Ruth was a woman who committed herself for a lifetime, and she did so in spite of her national pride, her family affections, the example of her sister-in-law, and the urgings of her mother-in-law. (7) Naomi does appear to have one thing right humanly speaking, Naomis chances of perpetuating her husbands line are between slim and none. 13Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? As Orpah kisses Naomi goodbye and turns back toward home, Ruth clings all the more tightly to her mother-in-law.
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