Moabs hostility and opposition to Israel continued on into the period of the Judges. Naomis third appeal is to Ruth alone, based on Orpahs decision to return home. It is four short chapters and will only take you a few minutes. Lot was turned to salt because she looked back at the city. She has chosen to permanently leave her homeland and family and to embrace Israel, the Israelites, and Israels God as her own, forever. 7 Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah, 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Listen to me! I hate to say this, but after being involved in ministry for many years, I would have to say that some of the worst counsel I have ever heard has come from well-meaning Christians. Lot fled with his daughters and was living in a cave. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? and a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. i. Reformed Witness Hour Newsletter - January 2023, The Punishment of Rebellious Children (2). 10 But they said to her, No! food. The book of Ruth opens with an Israelite, Elimelech, leaving Bethlehem with his wife Naomi and two sons, Mahlon, and Chilion. God bless you! Such people are in misery, and honestly, they make those around them miserable as well. NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible, Softcover, My First Hands-on Bible--soft leather-look, bold blue, NLT Thinline Reference Bible, Filament Enabled Edition--soft leather-look, rustic brown, NLT Spiritual Growth Bible--soft leather-look, cream floral, NLT Large-Print Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition--genuine leather, brown (indexed). & A. It led to a hopeless fatalism: It doesnt really matter what I say or do; God is against me, and there is nothing I can do about it.. Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time! In the book of Ruth 1:1 we are told that there was famine in the 12No, my daughters, return to your parents homes, for I am too old to marry again. This is not surprising since these verses are found in the Bible, which is an unashamedly religious book on knowing and serving the one, true and living God, revealed in Jesus Christ. Its tough to do. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 20Dont call me Naomi, she responded. All rights reserved. What is this you have done to me? Ruths spiritual journey is similar to that of Abraham. Jacob & Esau Pharez & Zarah document.getElementById('cloak79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c').innerHTML = ''; Some returned to the land of their birth.Is this what we have here in Ruth 1:1-5? var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 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). The reader is required to peel back these layers of irony so as to deepen his appreciation of God's grace and mercy to the needy. 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. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. 6Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. 4 So her sons married Moabite women. Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor! Probably the famine had not reached Moab, and this man heard that there was food there. The next day, the other man refused to take Ruth, and she and Boaz were married. Thus, there was something covenantal about this famine. When I realized this, I blurted out, What a witch!, much to the surprise of the rest of the class. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; document.getElementById('cloak4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140').innerHTML = ''; A man of the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehemjudah at the time of the Judges (Ruth i. The next thing we know, we find ourselves sitting in the seat of the fool. from Bethlehem of Judah. They insisted on going on to Israel with Naomi. But Ruth refuses to abandon Naomi and clings to her tightly. I pray that you, like Ruth, have forsaken all confidence in yourself and have cast yourself upon the one true God for salvation. Instead, call me Mara,[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. So the woman was left all alone bereaved of her two children as well as her husband! The place known for refusing Israel bread is the very place Elimelech chooses to move his family for bread. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another.Sixth, Elimelechs family left God. Ruth opens with a startling statement of famine. There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me! Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Likewise, the foolish person who decides to live like this soon discovers the deadly character of such a decision. There is no doubt that this is a great honor and privilege for a woman. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. Her husband and sons are gone, so the choice is now hers. Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. The stage is set, and the setting is loaded with redemptive meaning. My problem with the text in Romans 2 was that I couldnt think of an example of what Paul was saying. Id like to deal with our text by calling your attention to the contrasts the author has highlighted in the first chapter of Ruth. var addy_text6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = 'Stated Clerk';document.getElementById('cloak6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19').innerHTML += ''+addy_text6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19+'<\/a>'; Classis WestThis email address is being protected from spambots. Why were naomi and elimelech forced to flee Bethlehem and journey to moab? One has to ponder the outcome of her decision. You will note from the first verse of chapter 1 that the setting for the story of Ruth is the times of the judges. Psalm 1:1-2. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend (Isaiah 55:8-11). Lots older daughter neatly avoided the moral implications of what she proposed. Follow your sister-in-law back home! 16 But Ruth replied. And they continued to live there about ten years. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; (4) While the author does not make a point of it, it seems reasonable to assume that the famine (as well as the deaths of Elimelech and his two sons) was a manifestation of divine discipline. The son of the oldest daughter was named Moab; the son of the younger daughter was named Ammon. (6) Most (if not all) of Naomis actions, attitudes, and advice were misguided and downright wrong. Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 + 'prca' + '.' + 'org'; 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. It must have been on Naomis watch that these two sons married their Moabite wives Orpah and Ruth. 13Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? Samuel immediately requires the reader to wrestle with the dire need of a faithful husband. There is yet another irony in Elimelech's choice of Moab. As I was studying our text for this message, it occurred to me that the text which describes the origin of the Moabites in Genesis 19 is a key to understanding the story of Ruth, and especially Naomis role in this account. Who even remembers her name? At first they hired Balaam to curse Israel. No! We read of the origin of the Moabites in Genesis 19,3 just after the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Send me a private message so I can pray and come alongside you as you turn in a new direction. Elimelech faces the same kind of choice that Abraham faced. They would be a reminder that Naomis sons their husbands had not married Israelite wives. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. That strongly suggests that she was still a Moabite at heart, still an idolater at heart. She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. married Boaz. This means that we can find redemptive theology or theological concepts not only taught explicitly, but also reinforced as the theology is embedded in the very structure of the text. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. Therefore, when we read of the times of the Judges and we also see that there is a famine in the land, we are confronted with a setting that is charged with theological/redemptive meaning. If the reader knows redemptive history, then there isn't a place on earth worse than Moab for an Israelite to turn for bread. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This takes risk, obedience, and movement in a totally different direction. Bearing children was to be done Gods way. The Lord continue to prosper your ministry. How could Naomi encourage Ruth (and, by inference, Orpah) to return to their god(s), when doing so would condemn them eternally? elimelech died, leaving naomi and her daughters-in-law alone. I am now inclined to believe that Ruth is an example of Romans 2:12-16. And when both her sons died without bearing children, her situation seemed impossible. The word does mean something, but not exactly what the rabbi thinks. Today, people move all the time for jobs, family, location, schools, etc. First, departing from Israel for Moab is to leave Gods land, the land He gave His people, the land in which Jehovah dwelt. 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. 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. 28:23-24).Together these first three factors are, to say the least, suggestive (three deaths, no reference to God in this scene alone in Ruth, and the dark days of the judges); the next two arguments are more explicit and are based on the words of Naomi and Ruth.Naomi states that, in the death of her three menfolk, the hand of the Lord is gone out against me (Ruth 1:13) and the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me (20). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. That is to say, while Elimelech may have intended to stay only as long as the famine was in the land, his sons remained long enough to reap the consequences. I can imagine how it alarmed and frightened Naomi when Elimelech died while they were sojourning in Moab. Certain decisions have a way of progressing to their natural conclusion. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Word had reached Naomi in Moab that God had visited His people by ending the famine and providing abundant crops back in Israel. For whatever the reason in God's sovereign purposes, famines provide the context for the test of faithfulness. Who will be the judge that does not fall like Samson fell? God had given Israel the land as a place of rest and blessing. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Elimelech had a wife named Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. What time does normal church end on Sunday? than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Take note of the fact that Ruths covenant is not a short-term commitment; it is a lifetime commitment. 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. Follow your sister-in-law back home! (Ruth 1:15). We dont have a very good reputation in the Bible.. Both the Benjamites sin and their judgment are similar to what happened in Genesis 19. 17 Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing and distressing thing Naomi has said so far. Elimelech was Naomi's husband. WebElimelech, one of the notables of Judah, came to Moab, where he hoped to find food and an easier life. She was married first to She views God as harsh and uncaring, doling out affliction and trouble in a way that is completely unrelated to her attitudes and actions. Wow, Pat! He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today (Genesis 19:30-38, emphasis mine). When we read the Bible, we should expect to be taught the way of the covenant. she was the wife of Elimelech and the mother of Mahlon and Chilion Ruth was determined to serve and care for her mother-in-law; Orpah chose to look out for herself. Read More. Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class believer. The women of the village said, Can this be Naomi? 20 But she replied to them, Dont call me Naomi! To do it any other way was to disobey God. Even professing Christians can fall victim to the tyranny of the urgent. Is it really Naomi? the women asked. Naomis people (Israel) would be her people, and Naomis God would be her God. This email address is being protected from spambots. But is this really all that the first five verses of Ruth contain? It is also true (as God Himself says above) that God also punishes the guilty, but that is not the totality of who God is. 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. And what communion has light with darkness? She had left her country and lost her husband and both her sons. For example, one might wonder, "Who is this guy anyway? ii. There is really no evidence of faith (on Naomis part), either. They would be a reminder that Elimelech and Naomi had left Bethlehem when the going got tough. 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). What a difference it makes to believe in a God who is in absolute control and who is also merciful and gracious, causing all things to work together for our good and for His glory, if we believe in Him. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? Others fail to see this teaching on church membership in Ruth because they have not fully grasped the robust biblical and Reformed doctrine of the church, as summarized, for example, inBelgic Confession28: We believe, since this holy congregation is an assembly of those who are saved, and out of it there is no salvation, that no person, of whatsoever state or condition he may be, ought to withdraw himself to live in a separate state from it; but that all men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves with it, maintaining the unity of the church; submitting themselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof; bowing their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ; and as mutual members of the same body, serving to the edification of the brethren, according to the talents God has given them.
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