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 need JavaScript enabled to view it. Even the structure of the Hebrew in our story is similar to that of Abraham's story. daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. 1 Copyright 2010 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. 19 and Micah 5:2. New Living Translation (NLT). Naomi adds one final argument in favor of Orpah and Ruth returning home to Moab. 16But Ruth replied, Dont ask me to leave you and turn back. Reformed Witness Hour Messages for May 2020, Corporate Responsibility and Ezekiel 18 . You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The genealogy provided in chapter 4 would incline us to believe that the events of Ruth took place later rather than sooner in the period of the judges, because Ruth is the great grandmother of David.17 But other than this, there do not appear to be any direct links to events or persons in the Book of Judges. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). In her thinking, God had stripped her of all hope by taking her husband and her sons in death, and by preventing their wives from bearing children. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Save 15% on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces (Exodus 23:24). They were of the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah.) Naomis second effort13 will be less subtle and more pointed and forceful. She has no husband to father sons, and she is too old to bear children anyway. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. My problem with the text in Romans 2 was that I couldnt think of an example of what Paul was saying. It appears from redemptive history that the Moabites had deliberately schemed to intermarry with the Israelites in order to conquer them. He was not a faithful husband. The first chapter of Ruth is very important because our appraisal of Ruth, Naomi, and (soon) Boaz in the first chapters of Ruth will greatly shape our understanding of the rest of the book. Beware of well-meaning advice that is not rooted in Scripture and that is supportive of what you would really like to do, rather than what God commands us to do. A Jew who knows the law and doesnt live by it is not really a true Jew. So she set out from the place [Moab] where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. What time does normal church end on Sunday? He took his family away from the covenant and proved to be an unfaithful husband. What is wrong with reporter Susan Raff's arm on WFSB news. Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. var addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = 'spronk' + '@'; When they entered Bethlehem, the whole village was excited about their arrival. In moving to Moab, Naomi left the Lord to some extent and for some years. When a famine came to the area around Bethlehem, Elimelech and Naomi moved to Moab (Moab was the name of Lot's elder You can easily imagine the many tears she shed, tears which were all stored in Gods bottle (Ps. We can almost hear him telling himself and his family, "Look, I know that we shouldn't be doing this, but we will only stay until the famine has ceased!'. His sons, on the other hand, decide to stay or to dwell in Moab. One has to ponder the outcome of her decision. Ruth, a Moabitess, became Naomi's daughter-in-law. document.getElementById('cloak79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c').innerHTML = ''; The final chapters of the Book of Judges are certainly the worst of times, and yet the Book of Ruth describes the best of times. This suggests to me that godly character is not only evident in the good times, but even more dramatically in the bad times. The contrast between Ruth and Orpah. The all-powerful God was making Naomis life miserable, so she thought and said. Classis EastThis email address is being protected from spambots. Moab was the nation that actually hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. If you see what happens to Elimelech's sons you will remember Moab's method of destroying Israel. Some are so focused on courtship and romance in Ruth that they overlook its instruction on joining, staying in and never leaving Gods church. 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. 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, A man of the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehemjudah at the time of the Judges (Ruth i. Its tough to do. How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! There was a shortage of bread in Bethlehem, which towns name means house of bread. So what did Elimelech and his family do? Surely it fell short of what Ruths experience will be. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 3Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. ii. And yet as the story of Ruth unfolded this time, it suddenly became obvious to me that Naomi was no role model. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. food. Other translations have another another husband. WebWhy did Elimelech go to Moab? If I have counted correctly, the term is used 48 times in the Old Testament; 9 times in the Pentateuch, 2 times in Ruth, 2 times in the Psalms, 1 time in Isaiah, 2 times in Ezekiel, 1 time in Joel, and 31 times in Job. from Bethlehem of Judah. Certain decisions have a way of progressing to their natural conclusion. Just being Jewish and knowing the Law of Moses isnt enough; one must also live by the law. It is no wonder that Naomi speaks to her daughters-in-law about husbands, marriage, and children, because this is what is on her mind. He was clearly a faithless husband who led his family directly into death. Naomi instructs us to beware of Calvinism run amuck. They emigrated from famine-stricken Israel to Moab (1-2). 6 So she decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her daughters-in-law, because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for his people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops. Because of a famine, they relocated to Moab, a neighboring country where there was food. Elimelech faces the same kind of choice that Abraham faced. They would be (or so it may have seemed to Naomi) a liability to her when she returned. Neither does she mention the mistreatment they would likely receive because Moab is Israels enemy, but they could probably read between the lines. But, given his subsequent actions, we have no problem understanding that his final decision was more closely connected with food than with faith. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her. God has chosen to save Gentiles as well as Jews. And both (at least initially) were committed to staying with Naomi, even if that meant immigrating to Israel. Both were related to Naomi in the same way. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. I want you to think about Moab. Ruth was a superlative servant of God.Naomi and her family had sojourned in Moab during a famine. To walk in the steps of Abraham, one like Ruth would need to: (1) leave her relatives; (2) leave her homeland; and, (3) trust God to bless her as she sought to bless her mother-in-law. After Mahlon died and Ruth had Elimelech responds with fear and flight. In Leviticus 26 we read. This would have been Another crossroadsbut now the decision falls to Naomi to choose. When Abraham responded in fear rather than in faith, his choices were so bad that even an Egyptian king rebuked him in Genesis 12:18 saying. Surely this poor fellow doesn't understand the covenant". Design by Social Village. Would Abraham believe that God would provide for him and protect his wife to whom God had given a promise of future blessings? For the children of the desolate one are more numerous. And so this older daughter persuaded her younger sister that both of them needed to get their father drunk, and then each should lie with him, so that they might produce offspring for their father. People who are not traveling in the same direction. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Why did Elimelech take his family to Moab?, Why was it wrong for Elimelech to take She had given up all hope. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' The lot of widows was especially hard in those days, but for a widow in a foreign land, like Naomi, it was even more difficult.We are not altogether unfamiliar with stories like this. married Boaz. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Following the death of her husband, Elimelech, and her two sons, Naomi decided to leave Moab, where her family had fled to escape famine. Ruth places us in the middle of a scene of covenant testing. Elimelech chose to leave the land and to seek food from other fields. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (21). This also reminds us of the way of God's people in the book of Judges. land of Israel, which included Bethlehem where Elimelech and Naomi PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. 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). Can this be Naomi? they asked (verse 19). Word had reached Naomi in Moab that God had visited His people by ending the famine and providing abundant crops back in Israel. Mahlon, son of Naomi and Elimelech. Naomi and her sons lived in Moab for ten years and then both Mahlon and Kilion died as well, childless. Moabwas fun, it was easy, and it was making me feel good. When a famine came to the area around Bethlehem, Elimelech and Naomi moved to Moab (Moab was the name of Lot's elder daughter's son and the people and land Ruth emphatically says No to Naomi, but with such wonderful words Naomi can hardly continue to stand in her way. The only time the land was dry was during times of curse. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. . The sin of leaving Israel?Second, Ruth 1:1-5 is the only scene in the book in which the name of God is not mentioned. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. As the story of Esther unfolds, it looks as though every Jew is doomed to annihilation, but for the providence of God, whereby Gods enemies are destroyed and His people are spared. We see how heedless it was for Elimelech to seek refuge in this land for the reasons that he did. The people were to know that as they lived in the land of promise in faithfulness, God would bless them. document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML = ''; WebWhy did Elimelech and his family go to Moab? The author has a covenantal perspective as he links us to Judges. Whether its a place we dont belong or a relationship going in the wrong direction or an activity were ashamed of or a habit thats strangling us, we need to get out of Moab. To develop this point, I would have to summarize the four chapters of Ruth, but you can read the book for yourself to trace Jehovahs sovereign decree and hand guiding the various characters.Fourth, this book is significant because it presents the godly examples of Ruth herself, Naomi and Boaz, people whose virtues we would do well to emulate.But there is another important theological and practical lesson from the book of Ruth, especially chapter 1, that is often unnoticed or underdeveloped in sermons and writings on the eighth book of the Bible. Lot and his two daughters are now living in a cave. document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML = ''; 1 Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! The place known for refusing Israel bread is the very place Elimelech chooses to move his family for bread. She would have been very much at home in our Postmodern world. Elimelech was a faithless husband who led his family into the yawning jaws of death. What a great story. We dont have a very good reputation in the Bible.. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing and distressing thing Naomi has said so far. Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. He deliberately sought blessings outside of the land and thus outside of the covenant. 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. Sin has a way of making progress in our lives even if we start in rather small ways. The stage is set, and the setting is loaded with redemptive meaning. 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). And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which. Rather it points to the common problem of the progression of sins. 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. 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). 12 Go back home, my daughters! Naomi advised Ruth to glean in the field of Boaz, since he was a relative of Elimelech. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. 3:16).Ruth 1 itself indicates the spiritual significance of its first five verses. 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. Many are the times when friends counsel others to act in their own best interests, and all too seldom do they point their friends to the difficult principles and commands of Scripture. PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. We, too, live in very pragmatic times, and those who live by principle especially the principles of Gods Word are few and far between. 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. than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Did Billy Graham speak to Marilyn Monroe about Jesus? If Naomi had other sons, she could give them to these women in Levirate marriage, but she has no other sons. 2The mans name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Ruth's story has exactly this kind of setting as it regards the covenant. Who even remembers her name? They lived in the town of Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah in the land of Israel, in the days of the judges (1), that is, after the deaths of the elders who outlived Joshua and before the reign of King Saul.But famine struck the promised land, including Judah and Bethlehem (1). 16 The expression, the Sovereign One (rendered the Almighty by most translations) is the term Shaddai. I might have taken her as my wife. But is this really all that the first five verses of Ruth contain? What is this you have done to me? 1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. However, as they lived in the land and were not faithful, then God would bring famine. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. The law was there to remind them that they couldn't join together the clean with the unclean. But when she urged Ruth to return to her pagan god(s), that was the worst unkindness of all. There is nothing random, therefore, about the construction of biblical narratives. - Quora Answer (1 of 4): Because there was a famine in Israel, so he went to another country presumably Somehow God wrote His law on Ruths heart, not unlike Tamar and Rahab, her predecessors. 2 (Now the mans name was Elimelech, his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. 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. Rev. How does one today keep the Lords Day holy when he or she has no faithful church to attend? var addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = 'billlangerak' + '@'; Thus he trusts in this And in good covenant form, she pronounced a curse upon herself if she did otherwise. I am reminded of Satans strategy in the Garden of Eden. Both the Benjamites sin and their judgment are similar to what happened in Genesis 19. Your email address will not be published. Conversely, one who is not a Jew and isnt instructed by the Law may have the law written on his (her) heart, and thus do the things the law requires. We cry out in frustration and desperation, "Who will free the people of God from this vicious cycle of failure and death? Wow, Pat! 15Look, Naomi said to her, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. But what she fails to see is that God is only increasing her problems to the level of human impossibility, so that He can demonstrate His power and grace through her weakness. Like Moabs mother, the Israelites reasoned that due to their circumstances, an Israelite line might become extinct. This forces our first character, Elimelech into a very important choice. This seems to be designed to provoke some questions in the mind of the reader. Boaz commanded his field-workers to be considerate toward her. This means, says the rabbi, that Elimelech was only on a temporary journey. The oldest daughter went first, bearing a son whom she named Moab. lived and so they went to Moab where conditions were better and get The something that occurred is immediately coupled together with the problem of a famine. 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). This was a grievous sin, departing from the church of God and the communion of saints (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention the names of other gods do not let them be heard on your lips (Exodus 23:13). Both had married Israelite husbands, had borne no children, and were now widows. 91a), Elimelech, Salmon (the father of Boaz), Peloni-Almoni, and the father of Naomi were the sons of Nahshon ben Aminadab. The chapter begins, In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a man from Bethlehem in Judah left the country because of a severe famine. Even professing Christians can fall victim to the tyranny of the urgent. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.'. (8) All of this leads me to conclude that Naomi is not an example of faith, but an excellent example of Israels poor spiritual health. Indeed, Ruth begins with a stark opening sentence that is intended to alarm the reader. 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
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