(One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) Was it at Naomis initiative that her sons took Moabite women for wives? How did Elimelech know that strict justice was (loose) in the world? Machlon and Chillon died also both of them. 10 From what we learn from the Book of Ruth, one does wonder what role Naomi played in this decision. No wonder Naomi finally ceased trying to convince her to turn back (verse 18). When it sees people coming, it immediately runs away. 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. When the story opens, Naomis sons have just died. Elimelech appears to have been a man of faith who did not or could not be fully faithful. Lot and his two daughters are now living in a cave. We are not told how wide-spread it was, but we do know that it affected Bethlehem (which ironically means house of bread). That is why some men and women will choose never to marry or to bear children. 35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? Do clownfish have a skeleton or exoskeleton. Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, 13 surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry! 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! There Ruth married *Boaz, one of Elimelech's relatives. Had you done so, you would have been able to even withstand Gods anger (Petichta Ruth Rabbah 5). (1) There is no clear link to a particular time, to a particular judge, or to a particular event recorded in the Book of Judges. 10 But they said to her, No! Naomi and her two daughters-in-law had already set out for Israel11 when Naomi began to have second thoughts not about her return, but about having two Moabite daughters-in-law in tow when she arrived at her home town of Bethlehem. EphrathitesThe ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Ge 35:19; 48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mic 5:2). They were both Moabite women, close to the same age. The more Naomi moans on about how bad things are for her, and how hopeless it would be for Orpah or Ruth to stay with her, the more we see the mighty hand of God working all things for the good of His people, as well as for His glory. Submit your piece for review, and if approved we will publish it on our site as Community Contributions., Change Your Subscription God has chosen to save Gentiles as well as Jews. Ruth becomes a true Israelite in spite of Naomis persistent encouragement to return to her Moabite roots. Take note of the fact that Ruths covenant is not a short-term commitment; it is a lifetime commitment. 20 It could well be that Orpah had much to say, but the author did not wish to focus on her as she is not the heroine of this story. In this emergency, she was proposing an unconventional solution to their problem. Ruth, out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab. Though a widow, Naomi still had her two sons to provide for and protect her. Wouldnt it be better for the two of them to travel together? 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). 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. 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. Encyclopedia.com. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. Encyclopedia.com. When a famine came to the area He keeps loyal love; that is, He is a God who perseveres in His love, and thus He is a covenant-keeping God. I would be very reluctant to conclude that Ruths husband or his parents taught her the law. These are the times of darkness when godliness should shine forth as a brilliant light. That person is a true Jew at heart. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. Spouse. Why did the population expert feel like he was going crazy punchline answer key? 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces (Exodus 23:24). as Ili-Milku, a variant of the name Milk-ilu, ruler of Gezer. She has chosen to permanently leave her homeland and family and to embrace Israel, the Israelites, and Israels God as her own, forever. Moabs hostility and opposition to Israel continued on into the period of the Judges. Think of it: Naomi and her husband leave the land where God promised to bless them. Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. Look with me at these words from Genesis 19, taking up just after the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lots escape, along with his daughters: 30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. And she was honored to be a part of the messianic line.34. WebBecause of a severe famine in Judea, he emigrated to the land of Moab with his wife and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion. One would have to begin by saying that these two women have a fair bit in common. The same is true for Naomi. As the years have gone by, I may have mellowed in the terms I would use to portray Naomi, but my opinion of her has not really changed. 16 But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! Like a faithful shepherd whose corral- fence fell as darkness approached. We shall see more about this in chapter 3. Even professing Christians can fall victim to the tyranny of the urgent. 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. She has been convinced and turns back to her own country. Encyclopaedia Judaica. The Hebrew term Elohim is plural, but some render it god here, and others gods. Chemosh appears to be the primary Moabite god, but there may well have been others. Naomi signifies my amiable or pleasant one; Mahlon and Chilion signify sickness and consumption. %PDF-1.5 The younger daughter then did likewise and bore a son named Ammon. Thus, we cannot say with certainty that the story of Ruth occurs late in the period of the judges, though this seems likely. WebThe Bible Exposition Commentary: The meaning of redemption. Many years later, the Israelites were camped on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River from Jericho, poised to enter the Promised Land. 14 In her first attempt, Naomi issues a parting blessing, punctuated by a farewell kiss (verse 9). The Elimelech died and left Naomi in the care of their two sons, who eventually married Moabitish women. Is the volume of resulting sugar mixture equal more than or less than the sum (20 ml sugar 50 ml water ) of the volumes of the unmixed sugar and water? Lot and his family were spared, but his wife died (turned to salt) because she looked back. But here is where the similarity ends. This is entirely consistent with Old Testament history and with the warnings recorded in Leviticus 26:18-20 and Deuteronomy 28:23-24. He stood and surrounded it with rebuilt walls from three directions. We should learn from Naomi that if barrenness is ones earthly fate, our heavenly fate is vastly different. She would have been very much at home in our Postmodern world. Second, Naomis words are even more forceful here,14 issuing Ruth a command to leave her. When I realized this, I blurted out, What a witch!, much to the surprise of the rest of the class. 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. WebRuth 1:2. 4 So her sons married Moabite women. Ruth rejected Naomis appeal to leave her and go back to Moab, choosing instead to believe and behave like a true Israelite. They did not seem to live by it, so why would they consider it important to teach it to a Moabite? She was not a Jew, and she had not been raised by parents who taught her the law. I am now inclined to believe that Ruth is an example of Romans 2:12-16. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Not even death would separate them. Lot was turned to salt because she looked back at the city. WebChoices bring consequences, and Elimelech's wrong choices brought death. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? As we explained in the introduction, the restoration of Elimelechs seed by Boaz through Levirite marriage to Ruth, constitutes the first redemptive cycle of the book; in this lies the importance of early introduction of Ruths former husband, brother-in-law and their father. 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. WebWhen a severe famine struck Israel, Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons across the Jordan and south to the land of Moab, in the hope of finding a living there. You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. xkOF;GBYH6=3fn=3_]o{09j?]YNvflo'N_~iv4:8N.N";>5"!2M*bNH$!E/EA@e|h9!MSrj:3Y^&!:Xqw-8O?n#-"XY+;-ZN$ayCp}k _F+w +g du]yB2 (0#`2BYfeu(pV,!g\A:>ffY)Yr,gl}*>3|5g-a>F#oE|v0m7G;o}\B,=y"Z|GMogbAD[ J6tW8!jm4GIt\ul4yg2b>x|YH&-B(k7zk4%>5z$@Q8nK+ja4aAqTND&QqM @%(g]v/mnn-vTY2^JrxVNgl/'u:K-cdw>-xs_X0$%.$f#X2l| @n:c 0/#S=>k"ey4=^Gy^tb^ e The New Covenant promises that God will write the law on the hearts of those He has chosen for salvation, whether Jew or Gentile. He came alongside Eve as her friend, as someone who was doing her a favor. He was a leader who possessed the requisite qualities, except for that of deep love and concern for his flock and of disregard of his own worthiness and rights. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. 26 The way they acquired the 400 wives by wiping out Jabesh Gilead is no more noble. I think I understand generally what Paul is saying here, based upon the promise in Jeremiah: 33 But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land, says the Lord. 25 Translations differ here, but I think that this daughters choice of words is very important to consider. JETHRO (Heb. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. The ultimate test is the Word of God and Naomis counsel, while it sometimes used Gods name, did not conform to Gods Word. The closing chapters of the Book of Judges contain some of the most gruesome accounts in all of the Bible homosexual Benjamites want to rape a guest in their city; a woman is brutally gang raped by these same men; her husband seems more than willing to sacrifice her to save his life, and then he chops her dead body into twelve pieces which he delivers to every part of Israel. The all-powerful God was making Naomis life miserable, so she thought and said. A Christian wife is having difficulties in her relationship with her husband, and she shares this with a Christian friend. Encyclopaedia Judaica. 31 Later the older daughter said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world. Douay-Rheims Bible And Elimelech the husband of Noemi died: and she remained with her sons. Naomis first attempt is described in verses 8-10. This, of course, is Naomis meaning. Now it is true that Machlon, Kilyon, and Elimelech pass quickly from the scene and Orpah follows them soon thereafter. 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. It certainly would be safer for the two women to travel together, but it is Orpah who will travel alone, not Ruth. Ruth emphatically says No to Naomi, but with such wonderful words Naomi can hardly continue to stand in her way. The benchmark by which we need to compare Ruth and Naomi is the Abrahamic Covenant: 1 Now the LORD said to Abram, Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father's household to the land that I will show you. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). (3) One gets the impression that those who remained in Bethlehem fared reasonably well during the famine; certainly better than Naomi and her family did. 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. 14 Again they wept loudly. If God has it in for Naomi, what woman in her right mind would want to be closely associated with her? In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. Just being Jewish and knowing the Law of Moses isnt enough; one must also live by the law. 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. They would be (or so it may have seemed to Naomi) a liability to her when she returned. Naomi instructs us to beware of Calvinism run amuck. All rights reserved. How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! . 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. 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. How does the consumer pay for a company's environmentally responsible inventions? ). "Elimelech Abraham put the seed at risk when he represented his wife Sarah as his sister, and she ended up (temporarily) in Pharaohs29 (and later Abimelechs)30 harem. WebThe Bible Exposition Commentary: The meaning of redemption. WebThe Tragedy of Elimelech Ruth Introduction The book of Ruth is a fascinating little book in the Old Testament. 16 The expression, the Sovereign One (rendered the Almighty by most translations) is the term Shaddai. , ), Phoenician port, N. of Tyre in Lebanon. Much more common is the pattern in which a single character is introduced, his fathers and forefathers are fully described, and his story then related. Naomi told her friend not to call her Naomi (which means pleasant) any longer, but rather to call her Mara (which means bitter). And they continued to live there about ten years. In addition, why would a private individual carry a name that signifies royalty. So, you would have been able to even withstand gods anger ( Ruth... Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others fair bit in.! And she had not been raised by parents who taught her the law in spite of persistent! 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But as it is Orpah who will travel alone, not Ruth. the term Shaddai it sees coming.