var addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 = 'laning' + '@'; 25 Translations differ here, but I think that this daughters choice of words is very important to consider. Lot and his two daughters are now living in a cave. Famine should have provoked the faithful person to inquire, "How could there be famine in the land that was supposed to be flowing with milk and honey?" Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Classis EastThis email address is being protected from spambots. And that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the Word of God, to separate themselves from all those who do not belong to the church, and to join themselves to this congregation wheresoever God hath established it, even though the magistrates and edicts of princes be against it, yea, though they should suffer death or any other corporal punishment. var addy_texta1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = 'Classical Committee';document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML += ''+addy_texta1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68+'<\/a>'; There is something particularly encouraging about our text. There was a shortage of bread in Bethlehem, which towns name means house of bread. So what did Elimelech and his family do? They no longer have their old or former husbands because they have died. . Ill attempt to support my conclusions as we proceed in our study of this book. Elimelech exhibits an almost crazy decision when he left Bethlehem, the house of bread, and sought bread from Moab. 8But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your mothers homes. Somehow God wrote His law on Ruths heart, not unlike Tamar and Rahab, her predecessors. Many, including me, are troubled by the times in which we live, but this is no excuse for ungodly behavior. Moab was the nation that actually hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. From start to his family's finish, Elimelech acted contrary to his name and to the lessons of redemptive history. We are connected theologically with the last verse of Judges as it unfolds in Ruth, but with curses that will be reversed by a faithful husband rather than a judge. Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class believer. | He left his wife | His sons murdered him | He died | He was killed by the King of Moab |. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. The security in the home of a new husband referred to earlier is now spelled out in plainer terms. The two sons married: Mahlon was joined to Ruth and Chilion wedded Orpah (4).However, the two marriages remained childless and worse was to follow. Only death will be able to separate me from you!. Orpah chose differently than Ruth and Naomi. They were both Moabite women, close to the same age. document.getElementById('cloak4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140').innerHTML = ''; 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). The Messianic seed was often put at risk in the Old Testament. The scriptures don't mention Naomi's parents, just the fact that She makes this insightful observation about Naomis decision to leave Moab: In the same way and for the same reason, you and I need to leave the Moabs of our own making. has Naomi sold. Ruth is very significant as regards church membership, departing from the church and joining the church. Elimelech was a faithless husband who led his family into the yawning jaws of death. A pointer to the fact that, in moving from Bethlehem to Moab, Elimelech did not truly take God and His Word into account? Read More. 4The two sons married Moabite women. It appears from redemptive history that the Moabites had deliberately schemed to intermarry with the Israelites in order to conquer them. Thus, there was something covenantal about this famine. 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. He and his sons die in Moab leaving his wife and eventually his daughter in law, Ruth, to return to Bethlehem. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The two were penniless, and supported themselves by gleaning grain (Leviticus 23:22) in other people's fields. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and childrens children, to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7, emphasis mine). Ruths spiritual journey is similar to that of Abraham. A famine was ravaging the land, and so Elimelech moved his family away from How do you know when to leave and when to stay? She seems to have little or no conviction regarding her sins, the sins of her husband, or of the sins of the nation. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; They need new or different husbands to marry and to bear children. i. Such people are in misery, and honestly, they make those around them miserable as well. For some who emigrated, it worked out well, but for others it did not. Even if she were able to bear children, it would be unreasonable for these two widows to wait 20 years for replacement husbands. No, in Naomis mind there was no good reason to remain with her as she returned to her homeland. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; He is slow to anger, and He does forgive sin. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 1 in the series, Ruth: A Story of Redemption, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on January 10, 2010. Rather, he searched for other places of blessing; he left the land of promise. Your email address will not be published. The Moabites were known for their evil and for their false worship. He took his wife and 3, 4). Call me Mara because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly. We can be sure from this word that Elimelech had every intention of staying in Moab temporarily. 22So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. 9 May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband! Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly. And that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the Word of God, to separate themselves from all those who do not belong to the church, and to join themselves to this congregation wheresoever God hath established it, even though the magistrates and edicts of princes be against it, yea, though they should suffer death or any other corporal punishment. God had given Israel the land as a place of rest and blessing. He keeps loyal love; that is, He is a God who perseveres in His love, and thus He is a covenant-keeping God. The latter chapters of the book of Judges contain variations of In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). the portion of land, which belonged to our brother Elimelech. Boaz commanded his field-workers to be considerate toward her. land of Israel, which included Bethlehem where Elimelech and Naomi Surely it fell short of what Ruths experience will be. Naomis people (Israel) would be her people, and Naomis God would be her God. This time it is Orpah who kisses Naomi goodbye. elimelech died, leaving naomi and her daughters-in-law alone. But in Old Testament redemptive narrative, famines often come to the land as God curses his people or tests them regarding their faithfulness. 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.. 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). It would seem to be significant that Naomi told Ruth that Orpah had returned to her god. Naomi, seeking a husband for the young Ruth, sent her to Boaz's threshing-floor when he would be there, in the hope that he would want to marry her. My passion is helping women connect Faith + Life in authentic and meaningful ways. 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. Probably the famine had not reached Moab, and this man heard that there was food there. If you have time this week, my suggestion is to go to the book of Ruth and read it. 13Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. We, too, live in very pragmatic times, and those who live by principle especially the principles of Gods Word are few and far between. Ruth was born in Moab about B.C. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' In fact, my study for this sermon has caused me to think of Naomi in even less flattering terms. Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia, Missions, Sister Churches, Christian Schools. Isnt it so cool how the Bible is like that? For you are the temple of the living God. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. 12 Go back home, my daughters! Elimelech chose to leave the land and to seek food from other fields. Second, Naomis words are even more forceful here,14 issuing Ruth a command to leave her. and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile, 9 He makes the barren woman of the family. 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. 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. Would he trust in God's promise to provide food for his family in the land or would he leave in fear? All three women had to make a choice. What a marvelous woman of faith Ruth was. And so they did. 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 Both had married Israelite husbands, had borne no children, and were now widows. Elimelech responds with fear and flight. Naomi seems to be encouraging Ruth to accompany Orpah as she returns home. And when both her sons died without bearing children, her situation seemed impossible. Is it also a suggestion that the emigration of Elimelech and his family from Bethlehem to Moab is of a piece with the disobedience of that period? What a mighty, magnificent, merciful, awesome God we serve! His occupation is not known; the Bible never says. 1:2 (Now the mans name was Elimelech, his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. His occupation is not known; the Bible never says. The law had made this clear to God's people using the illustration of yoking of a donkey with an ox. And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? Naomis third appeal is to Ruth alone, based on Orpahs decision to return home. Though a widow, Naomistill had her two sons to provide for and protect her. Shouldnt Ruth follow her lead? addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 + 'prca' + '.' + 'org'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The present tense of the English Version seems to suggest that the sale is Abraham had been faced with similar choices and God had used a famine to challenge him. 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. There is really no evidence of faith (on Naomis part), either. Therefore all those who separate themselves from the same, or do not join themselves to it, act contrary to the ordinance of God.At first blush, Ruth 1:1-5 records a very simple human story, involving a family of four, consisting of a man and his wife, Elimelech and Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion (2). Her husband and sons are gone, so the choice is now hers. document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML = ''; This was the place that was characterized as the place of famine for Israel; Moab was known for withholding bread from Israel. If so, perhaps the minister can moralize a little on the problems and dangers of emigration. 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. 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. Ruth became acquainted with the Jewish family and with their religion. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16). Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? To an ancient Israelite, the idea of famine in the land should have confronted them with a theological challenge. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. Naomi did not doubt the existence of God nor did she doubt His power. Subscribe today for access to my Free Faith Resource Library! You need JavaScript enabled to view it. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. I am now inclined to believe that Ruth is an example of Romans 2:12-16. Did Billy Graham speak to Marilyn Monroe about Jesus? Then grief befell them in Moab! He was not a faithful husband. Samuel does this, not just once or twice, but he layers the whole story with irony. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. This takes risk, obedience, and movement in a totally different direction. They came empty (at least according to Naomis assessment see verse 21), but God would not let them go hungry (or childless). The ultimate test is the Word of God and Naomis counsel, while it sometimes used Gods name, did not conform to Gods Word. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia, Missions, Sister Churches, Christian Schools. She persuaded her younger sister to help her get him drunk, and then for both of them to sleep with him to produce offspring for him. 1 Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! Leaving His land, His people, His office-bearers, His worship and His day is leaving God. We answer this question with a reminder that Israel was under God's command to remain in the land as part of their call to be faithful. Ruth opens with a startling statement of famine. 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. addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 = addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 + 'prca' + '.' + 'org'; 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. James 1:15. They werent just turning their backs on their hometown of Bethlehem and its people: they were turning their backs on God. Send me a private message so I can pray and come alongside you as you turn in a new direction. WebMany resident aliens (especially Jews) may have been placed in this kind of agricultural occupation by the Moabite government. Such is not the case, my friend, and seeing her as some kind of heroine will distort our understanding of the message of this wonderful book. They attempted to destroy Israel by getting them to marry their daughters. Sadly, many professing Christians today will accept a job in another part of the country or world, before even asking themselves if there is a good Reformed church there and without doing the requisite research. Naomi instructs us to beware of Calvinism run amuck. addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 + 'sbcglobal' + '.' + 'net'; Leaving the people of God is leaving the God of His people. These three widows, Naomi, Ruth and Orpah, were in a difficult and sad situation. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest. Many of the commentaries on Ruth argue that the initial setting provides a mere backdrop to the story and nothing more. He came alongside Eve as her friend, as someone who was doing her a favor. 1When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. We should first note that Naomis words here are prompted by Orpahs decision to return home. To her, Gods blessings should appear now, in the form of bread, an eligible bachelor (marriage), and babies. she was the wife of Elimelech and the mother of Mahlon and Chilion This should not come as news to us, but it is a truth that has not come easily to Jews, even some Jewish Christians.33 It is Naomi who fails to live up to the faith of her fathers, while Ruth is an example for all to follow, Jew or Gentile. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! In Ruth, this element of the curse of the Moabites is also mentioned. We see how heedless it was for Elimelech to seek refuge in this land for the reasons that he did. We should learn from Naomi that if barrenness is ones earthly fate, our heavenly fate is vastly different. 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). This is leaving Almighty God out of a big issue, whether or not to stay in the church!Third, the very first verse of Ruth states, Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled Certainly, this is a temporal indicator, telling us when these events took place. No, of course not, my daughters! She was married first to Moabs hostility and opposition to Israel continued on into the period of the Judges. Second, this book points ahead to the New Testament days of the catholic or universal church, for Ruth is a Moabitess, a Gentile who is grafted into Israel. document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML = ''; Why do we know this? This was a grievous sin, departing from the church of God and the communion of saints (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. How wrong she was! She would have been very much at home in our Postmodern world. In spite of the fact that Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons (Mahlon and Kilion) are living according to the spirit of their day (doing what is right in their own eyes), two people (Ruth and Boaz) stand out as examples of those who live by faith in the God of Israel, and whose lives exemplify living in accordance with Gods Word. When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. There is no doubt that this is a great honor and privilege for a woman. WebA. I am reminded of Satans strategy in the Garden of Eden. What a delight it becomes to experience the layers of irony unfolding into a beautiful story that breathes with love, life, and hope. (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. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. Elimelech had a wife named Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. This email address is being protected from spambots. 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.

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