The Path of Despair and the Path of Return. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. He will do what he says he will do. 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. . That is precisely what Naomi did with Orpah and Ruth. Because he abandoned his people during a famine. 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. Judah married a Canaanite woman, and two of his sons died because of their sin. Clearly as quite young men. I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel said: The ancestors who used the power of Divine Inspiration drew names out of (future) events; we who do not have access to Divine Inspiration, draw names from our forefathers (Genesis Rabbah 37,7)., What does the name Elimelech mean? Ruth 1:3 Commentaries: Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 1:1-5 Elimelech's care to provide for his family, was not to be blamed; but his removal into the country of Moab could not be justified. 12 May the LORD reward your efforts! 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. It is as though she has forgotten Gods description of Himself in Exodus 34: 6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. The name itself is attested in the *El-Amarna letters of the 14th century b.c.e. A wolf approached and he fought the wolf. We will not focus overmuch on the details as much as on the concepts. When the story opens, Naomis sons have just died. This is the origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org. He could have helped more, since he was wealthy. 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. 2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. 22 Feb. 2023 . Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. When Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she finds most of the residents of the city still living there, and judging by what we are told about Boaz, they appear to have done fairly well. Perhaps he was not even fully aware of this failing but God was. Thankfully, she later confessed and returned to Israel. She has chosen to permanently leave her homeland and family and to embrace Israel, the Israelites, and Israels God as her own, forever. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Her faith and obedience was known by all. Lot was turned to salt because she looked back at the city. , ), Phoenician port, N. of Tyre in Lebanon. To her, Gods blessings should appear now, in the form of bread, an eligible bachelor (marriage), and babies. than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. We need to bear in mind that what is at stake here is the Messianic line, the line which will ultimately bring forth Messiah. The mans name was Elimelech. where did these children come from? (Isaiah 49:20-21). ). In fact, my study for this sermon has caused me to think of Naomi in even less flattering terms. We dont have a very good reputation in the Bible.. Thus, we cannot say with certainty that the story of Ruth occurs late in the period of the judges, though this seems likely. 11 The thought occurred to me that Naomis journey back to her homeland traced the steps of the Israelites when they first entered the Promised Land. . And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 1:1-5 Elimelech's care to provide for his family, was not to be blamed; but his removal into the country of Moab could not be justified. And the removal ended in the wasting of his family. Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class believer. 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. In Judges 3, we read that the Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for 18 years.8 Since the Moabites were not Canaanites, marriage to a Moabite was not strictly forbidden.9 Nevertheless, Moabites were not only regarded as aliens or foreigners, but also as second class citizens. Marriage to a Moabite was not something one did to gain status in Israel. 14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 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. Humanly speaking, staying with Naomi does not offer much promise of a good life for these Moabite widows. Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. To do it any other way was to disobey God. Someone reminded me that the Book of Ruth is a lot like the Book of Esther. - In 2012, I became a member of juFORUM, a Germany-wide network of young scientists. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her. 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). Naomi should teach us to be careful about accepting the counsel of those who seem to be well meaning. Major Gift. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today (Genesis 19:30-38, emphasis mine). She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. (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. What could have led them to this interpretation? Text Copyright ,), Midianite priest and father-in-law of *Moses. Elamtu), region on the edge of the southwestern part of the Iranian plateau, modern Khuzistan, Sidon Elimelech died in Moab. Born. Naomi felt that God was against her, and every indication is that she felt God had dealt with her in a harsh and severe way. From these events, we can easily see that the Moabites were no friend to Israel. Create a Memorial 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. She would go where Naomi went and live where she lived. 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. When a famine came to the area around Bethlehem, Elimelech and Naomi moved to Moab (Moab was the name of Lot's elder It was a good number of years ago that I sat in on an excellent elective class taught by my friend, Tom Wright. If our text tells us anything about God, it is that His ways are not our ways. There her husband died, and her sons married Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah. The subject was the Book of Ruth. 5 Then Naomis two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. Not only is Naomi unable to provide these women with husbands (and thus with children), God is also dealing harshly with her. Apparently Elimelech abandoned his people because they scorned their leaders. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Apparently soon after the settlement of the family. Hebrews 12:6,10,11 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth, Elimelech -- 'God is king', the husband of Naomi, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular, Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular, Elimelech, driven by famine into Moab, dies there, Mahlon and Chilion, having married wives of Moab, die also, dissuades her two daughters-in-law from going with her, Orpah leaves her, but Ruth with great constancy accompanies her, The two come to Bethlehem, where they are gladly received, OT History: Ruth 1:3 Elimelech Naomi's husband died (Ru Rut. We must be aware that they taught in riddles and parables (Proverbs 1, 2) and that our task is extract and restate their message in the conceptual language that we use today. Word had reached Naomi in Moab that God had visited His people by ending the famine and providing abundant crops back in Israel. Who thinks of Orpah today? Not even death would separate them. While they were in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi and her two sons. It must be, the Sages reasoned, that Elimelech misread his destiny. Ruth and Naomi are very different people. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit. Lot and his two daughters are now living in a cave. The oldest daughter (who will become the mother of Moab) saw their situation as impossible. Do clownfish have a skeleton or exoskeleton. Copy. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomis husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. T -6d$zA ^C(D`Ed8 BR. (2) There is no indication that other Israelites from Bethlehem (or elsewhere in Israel) accompanied Elimelech and his family to Moab. - As part of a small team, I organized a five-day congress (90 participants, budget 17,000), the largest yearly event of the association. 15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. In short, Naomi is a picture of Israels spiritual condition at this point in their history. It was a bad start, and sadly things didnt get any better over time. One has to ponder the outcome of her decision. Finally, the description of Elimelech departure is frugal and bereft of detail. Ruth emphatically says No to Naomi, but with such wonderful words Naomi can hardly continue to stand in her way. Elimelech Weisblum 1717 Tykocin, Kingdom of Poland. What was Moses like? Im an Assyrian not a Syrian. A space remained that he did not manage to rebuild. Web1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. Both had married Israelite husbands, had borne no children, and were now widows. In Job and in Ruth, this term seems to underscore Gods power, but in the context of suffering and adversity. Both were traveling with Naomi as she made her way toward Israel. But it is not the essence of what our life in Christ is about. (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. Lot fled with his daughters and was living in a cave. The oldest daughter went first, bearing a son whom she named Moab. Naomi adds one final argument in favor of Orpah and Ruth returning home to Moab. 1 Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! 3 I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name (Genesis 12:1-3, emphasis mine). We are not told how wide-spread it was, but we do know that it affected Bethlehem (which ironically means house of bread). But when Ruth refused to return to her people and accompanied her to Bethlehem, Boaz entered the picture, a close relative, a possible redeemer. She had given up all hope. The son of the oldest daughter was named Moab; the son of the younger daughter was named Ammon. After the death of their father, the two sons married Moabite women. Ordinarily it would be translated as, My God is King. They produced offspring for the Benjamites by orchestrating the kidnapping and rape of 200 virgins.26 The Israelites were like Moabs mother in that they were thinking and acting like Moabites. Ruths words are beautiful, and thus it is no wonder that some have chosen to employ them for their marriage vows. <>>>
Ruth becomes a true Israelite in spite of Naomis persistent encouragement to return to her Moabite roots. Elimelech was Naomi's husband. The only hope Naomi sees for Orpah and Ruth is the hope of finding a Moabite husband and bearing children. Submit your piece for review, and if approved we will publish it on our site as Community Contributions., Change Your Subscription . Leaving His land, His people, His office-bearers, His worship and His day is leaving God. 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. Now that Orpah has decided to turn back, Naomi appears to have more leverage. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. She was willing to sacrifice family ties, marriage, and a family to do so. Another label for pragmatism is doing what seems right in our own eyes. That was the spirit of the age during the days of the judges. 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? Naomi doesnt mention that these women would likely not find an Israelite husband. 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. RACHEL (Heb. What a marvelous woman of faith Ruth was. The story of Ruth and Boaz (yes, and even Naomi) should encourage us to live godly lives in dark days, days of unbelief, disobedience, and disregard for the Word of God. God is always at his work. One would have to begin by saying that these two women have a fair bit in common. Yet, they throw a shadow over the entire story. It certainly would be safer for the two women to travel together, but it is Orpah who will travel alone, not Ruth. The younger daughter then did likewise and bore a son named Ammon. "I Have Already Written of You Thrice:" Megilat Esther and the Eternal War with Amalek, Many Can Have "Urim" - Power; But Few Have "Tumim" Power. They would be a reminder that Elimelech and Naomi had left Bethlehem when the going got tough. endobj
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