4 The LORD said to Moses, Arrest all the leaders of the people, and hang them up before the LORD in broad daylight, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each of you must execute those of his men who were joined to Baal-peor (Numbers 25:1-5). var addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 = 'laning' + '@'; Instead of trusting God to preserve her husbands line (indeed, the Messianic line), she at least passively (if not actively) approves of their marriage to non-Israelites. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest. 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. The scriptures don't mention Naomi's parents, just the fact that As you will recall, Mrs. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org. We may only intend to walk somewhere for a brief time. The subject was the Book of Ruth. It would seem to be significant that Naomi told Ruth that Orpah had returned to her god. Famine in the Old Testament is a call to repentance and to covenant renewal. Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father. 35 So they made their father drunk that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. This email address is being protected from spambots. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 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. 5 Then Naomis two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. And there is another difficult part of leaving Moab. What a marvelous woman of faith Ruth was. She went on to become so righteous that God made her the ancestress of King David. Maybe you remember this from the story of Naomi and Ruththere was a third woman standing at the crossroads when they had to decide between staying in Moab or returning to Judah. They struggled to find employment or they never really settled in their new environment or they experienced tragedy in their families (though few had it as hard as Naomi). Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me., 14And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! She does not acknowledge sin on her part (and Elimelechs), and she does not seek to repent. If Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, and Kilion suffered because of their sins, they deserved it. Instead, call me Mara,[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. Your Moab. This means, says the rabbi, that Elimelech was only on a temporary journey. Im thankful that it encouraged you, Bill. They emigrated from famine-stricken 4 So her sons married Moabite women. While they were in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi and her two sons. May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection! (Ruth 2:10-12, emphasis mine). How could Naomi encourage Ruth (and, by inference, Orpah) to return to their god(s), when doing so would condemn them eternally? 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. Put another way, the title of this book is Ruth, not Orpah. In such a declared emergency, she reasoned, they must take extraordinary measures. What a delight it becomes to experience the layers of irony unfolding into a beautiful story that breathes with love, life, and hope. Pat. The only time the land was dry was during times of curse. Are you in a place you dont need to be? Take note of the fact that Ruths covenant is not a short-term commitment; it is a lifetime commitment. He took his family away from the covenant and proved to be an unfaithful husband. If so, perhaps the minister can moralize a little on the problems and dangers of emigration. The unnamed man is certainly one who doesn't acknowledge that God is King. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.'. Orpah succumbed to Naomis reasoning and chose to pursue what appeared to be in her best interest. Movie directors use this kind of setting to heighten the tension of a story. (Ruth 1:1-22)2. 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. 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. But, like Naomi, God started taking things away from me one by one, so I was left standingat the crossroadsall by myself. The next day, the other man refused to take Ruth, and she and Boaz were married. (9) What we know (and Naomi does not) is that God is about to do a wonderful thing for her, solely on the basis of His grace. 16 The expression, the Sovereign One (rendered the Almighty by most translations) is the term Shaddai. To this we shall return in our next article in theNews, DV. About four years ago I was fasting on a 21 days with the church and the Lord said get out of Moab' I had no earthly clue what that meant until the end of July and reading your message is a confirmationI thank GOD for his perfect timing because I had struggled trying to find out what exactly God was trying to get across. Ruth places us in the middle of a scene of covenant testing. From Ruth 4:13, one might infer that God prevented both Orpah and Ruth from bearing children to their husbands. For the children of the desolate one are more numerous. Where will he turn to find food for his family? In Naomis mind, it probably was in their best interest, but it also appeared to benefit her. 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). It was a bad start, and sadly things didnt get any better over time. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. In Ruth, this element of the curse of the Moabites is also mentioned. 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. Serving the god(s) of Moab (or any others) was an abomination to God: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). 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! A man of the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehemjudah at the time of the Judges (Ruth i. Is Brooke shields related to willow shields? How could Naomi point them in the wrong direction? No! 32 Come, lets make our father drunk with wine so we can have sexual relations with him and preserve our family line through our father. 33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, and the older daughter came and had sexual relations with her father. Judging for sin? For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And yet as the story of Ruth unfolded this time, it suddenly became obvious to me that Naomi was no role model. At the very times when outward appearances look to us as though God is against us, God is at work behind the scenes for us. You should do the same.. Elimelechs family left the land God gave To him be glory forever! Web1. Both had married Israelite husbands, had borne no children, and were now widows. Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia, Missions, Sister Churches, Christian Schools. Naomi returned to her homeland accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. She would be buried where Naomi was buried. This also reminds us of the way of God's people in the book of Judges. PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. All rights reserved. Will he respond with repentance and humility or will he seek blessings outside the land? 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. If our text tells us anything about God, it is that His ways are not our ways. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. We should note several things about Naomis third attempt to persuade Ruth to join Orpah as she returned to Moab in verse 15. It is not Naomis belief in the sovereignty of God that troubles me as much as how she applies it. In the midst of her affliction and hopeless despair, God is at work preparing for the gracious things He is about to reveal to her and to the reader. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Ruth is the perfect story of transition. Thus, when Elimelech began to purse daughters for his sons, ironically, he went to a place cursed for this very action. But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. First, departing from Israel for Moab is to leave Gods land, the land He gave His people, the land in which Jehovah dwelt. The Moabites had resorted to more than one way to curse and to destroy the Israelites. 3Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. At this point in time, one would not think that Naomi would be at the top of the list in the hall of faith: 13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. Did Billy Graham speak to Marilyn Monroe about Jesus? Though a widow, Naomistill had her two sons to provide for and protect her. Orpah chose differently than Ruth and Naomi. WebA. WebAnalyzes how ruth opens with a man leaving bethlehem of judah, along with his wife and two sons, for the land of moab during the time of the judges. B. Lots older daughter neatly avoided the moral implications of what she proposed. In the book of Ruth 1:1 we are told that there was famine in the var addy6abc068fa8d6d6e3ed55f5c6ed881e19 = 'spronk' + '@'; Naomi not only disregards the Abrahamic Covenant, she also urges Ruth (and Orpah) to do likewise. 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. For 2,000 years, millions of elect, believing Jews and Gentiles from around the world have become one body in Jesus Christ.Third, this book records remarkable instances of Gods providence. Indeed, the structure of Judges begs us to ask about the future. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The psalmist maps out a common progression in the life of sin. But in Old Testament redemptive narrative, famines often come to the land as God curses his people or tests them regarding their faithfulness. 21 I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty-handed. Naomis third appeal is to Ruth alone, based on Orpahs decision to return home. 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. Probably the famine had not reached Moab, and this man heard that there was food there. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. He says this because the Hebrew that Samuel uses to describe Elimelech's action is the word for "sojourning!" And with Gods help and the support of others who love you and are moving in the same direction, make the decision to get out of Moab today. Why did Elimelech live with his family in Moab? 3), he was of the family of the Hezronites. Now, Naomi urges both of her daughters-in-law to go back home to their own land21 and to their mothers homes22 and to find a new Moabite husband, so that they might have security.23 While God promised to bless all those who blessed Abraham and his offspring, Naomi told her daughters-in-law that to stay with her would be to share in the curse God had placed upon her.24 As the story of Ruth and Boaz unfolds, God promises are fulfilled, while Naomis warning and instructions are proven to be false. Moabwas fun, it was easy, and it was making me feel good. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! It may be. WebElimelech Why did Naomi decide to return from the country of Moab? 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). Were Orpah and Ruth Israelites? Ruth was the great grandmother of King David. Ruth does not cling to Naomi as a kindred spirit, but as a very needy person. She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. 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. Ill attempt to support my conclusions as we proceed in our study of this book.
Kai Morae Husband,
Stacking Klon And Timmy,
Quints By Surprise Birthday,
Haikyuu Boyfriend Scenarios Wet Dreams,
Liveaboard Boat For Rent Brighton,
Articles W
