There Ruth married *Boaz, one of Elimelech's relatives. 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). 2 Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16). 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). My sense is that most of the residents of Bethlehem stayed in Bethlehem, rather than leaving to sojourn in a foreign country during the days of the famine. Now it's ironic that he left Bethlehem because he was afraid he couldn't survive there, yet he went over into Moab and died anyway. The genealogy provided in chapter 4 would incline us to believe that the events of Ruth took place later rather than sooner in the period of the judges, because Ruth is the great grandmother of David.17 But other than this, there do not appear to be any direct links to events or persons in the Book of Judges. This news prompted her to return to her people and to her land. Elimelech of Lizhensk. The mans name was Elimelech. Ruth emphatically says No to Naomi, but with such wonderful words Naomi can hardly continue to stand in her way. (8) All of this leads me to conclude that Naomi is not an example of faith, but an excellent example of Israels poor spiritual health. Ruth, out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab. (Now they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.) Both women initially refused to heed Naomis exhortation to leave her and return to Moab. This story can be found in the book of Ruth. name of Lot's elder daughter's son and the people and land are And one of these two Ruth is a Moabite, not an Israelite. One manifestation of Gods mercy, expressed through His sovereignty, is His providential working at times when there appears to be no hope. As the story of Esther unfolds, it looks as though every Jew is doomed to annihilation, but for the providence of God, whereby Gods enemies are destroyed and His people are spared. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Submit your piece for review, and if approved we will publish it on our site as Community Contributions., Change Your Subscription I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! 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. This is entirely consistent with Old Testament history and with the warnings recorded in Leviticus 26:18-20 and Deuteronomy 28:23-24. What are the advantages and disadvantages of video capture hardware? Posted on September 7, 2005 By Rabbi Dr. Meir Levin |, Bar Mitzvah Keeping the Right Perspective, Bar and Bas Mitzvah A Special Celebration, Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Re-enactment of Kabolas Hatorah, Shavuos and Bar Mitzvah: Causes For Celebration, Marital Partners Compatibility of Missions. In our text (as in Judges and everywhere else in Scripture), man looks bad, very bad, and God looks good, very good. No, my daughters, you must not return with me. Ruth becomes a true Israelite in spite of Naomis persistent encouragement to return to her Moabite roots. Shouldnt Ruth follow her lead? When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. What are the disadvantages of shielding a thermometer? We, too, live in very pragmatic times, and those who live by principle especially the principles of Gods Word are few and far between. 11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. Naomi was married to Elimelech and had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. 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. If God has it in for Naomi, what woman in her right mind would want to be closely associated with her? You need to get right with God. Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. There is no doubt that this is a great honor and privilege for a woman. The contrast between Ruth and Orpah. ELAM (Heb. You can't run away. And Gideon said to them: I shall not rule over you and my son shall not rule over you, Hashem shall rule over you (Judges 8, 22). 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. Elimelech was one of the great men and authorities in Israel. RACHEL (Heb. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/elimelech, "Elimelech <> Naomi was preoccupied with the here and now, rather than trusting in Gods covenant promises by faith. Web1290 BC Elimelech dies, likely stricken by God for abandoning his inheritance, allowing his two sons to marry Moabites and not joining the battle against Benjamin in Judges 20. Naomi"fair or pleasant"; and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, are supposed to be the same as Joash and Saraph (1Ch 4:22). 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. We will return with you to your people., 11 But Naomi replied, Go back home, my daughters! . What a marvelous woman of faith Ruth was. Mahlon married Ruth in Moab while Kilion married Ruth's sister Orpah. The contrast between Ruth and Naomi. In Esther, the people of God were supposed to return to the Promised Land, but they chose instead to dwell in the apparent peace and safety of Persia. 25 Translations differ here, but I think that this daughters choice of words is very important to consider. But what she fails to see is that God is only increasing her problems to the level of human impossibility, so that He can demonstrate His power and grace through her weakness. Naomi returned to her homeland accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. 10 The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. 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. Ruths spiritual journey is similar to that of Abraham. They need new or different husbands to marry and to bear children. Do clownfish have a skeleton or exoskeleton. , Akk. Probably they were sickly children, and not likely to be long-lived. Spouse. The security in the home of a new husband referred to earlier is now spelled out in plainer terms. Only death will be able to separate me from you!. in 1971. The family lived in Bethlehem, a small city near Jerusalem. 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. He could have helped more, since he was wealthy. I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. WebThe Tragedy of Elimelech Ruth Introduction The book of Ruth is a fascinating little book in the Old Testament. Copy. The term she used to refer to Him Shaddai was a term that emphasized Gods great power. When he saw that his generation scorned great men, he said, Surely I shall go from here so that I will not be caught among them (Zohar Chodosh 77a). 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. It purposefully draws our attention to it, for it first tells us that a man went out and then tells us that the name of the man was Elimelech. How could Naomi point them in the wrong direction? The men in the family die, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in- law, Ruth and Orpah. It would seem to be significant that Naomi told Ruth that Orpah had returned to her god. 12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. Web1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. All this is described in the Bible book of Ruth. She was willing to sacrifice family ties, marriage, and a family to do so. 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. 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. It says in verse three that Elimelech died in Moab. ELIMELECH (Heb. Ruth would have none of this foolish talk, and she made this abundantly clear to her mother-in-law. and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband; deprived both of her husband and her sons, which was a great affliction, aggravated by her being in a strange country; many are the afflictions of the righteous. "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. 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. 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. 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. She believes in a God who is all powerful, but who is not merciful and compassionate. It seems that they are pointing out a certain disconnect between the name and the behavior. 14 In her first attempt, Naomi issues a parting blessing, punctuated by a farewell kiss (verse 9). Naomi not only disregards the Abrahamic Covenant, she also urges Ruth (and Orpah) to do likewise. The ultimate test is the Word of God and Naomis counsel, while it sometimes used Gods name, did not conform to Gods Word. I believe the opening words of A Tale of Two Cities go like this: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . Surely these words aptly describe Ruth in the period of the judges. (February 22, 2023). Naomi tended to focus only on herself, on her lack of sons to give in marriage, and on her lack of a child to carry on the family line. 10 But they said to her, No! (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. They rejected him as they rejected others. It was a bad start, and sadly things didnt get any better over time. And they continued to live there about ten years. I remember responding to Nate, Neither do the rest of us. Well, if this is true of us, it is certainly true of the Moabites. Perhaps he was not even fully aware of this failing but God was. HADAD , an early Semitic god, first appears in texts written in the Old Akkadian dialect and in Eblaite (third millennium). Ezekiel (10, 3) castigates the leaders of Israel as being foxes in the ruins. Elimelech was severely punished for his failings but the good within him was preserved and rewarded and he became the progenitor of the Royal line. In Judges 19-21, we find a similar situation. T -6d$zA ^C(D`Ed8 BR. Id like to deal with our text by calling your attention to the contrasts the author has highlighted in the first chapter of Ruth. (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. 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. 15 So Naomi said, Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. It is not for us to say how far those are right who see in the death of Elimelech and his sons Gods punishment for the disregard of His A lion approached and he fought off the lion. This suggests that the Narrator was not happy with him, for when God approves of a journey, it, the participants, their families, and even their livestock are described in loving detail (See Ezra 2, 66-67, after commentary Nachalat Yosef). Now that Orpah has decided to turn back, Naomi appears to have more leverage. Text Copyright Naomi also made it clear that this was because (in her mind) God had dealt harshly with her.16 Naomi measured Gods blessing only in terms of food and of family. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. For I am too old to get married again. After only ten years in Moab, Elimelechs sons also died. Wouldnt it be better for the two of them to travel together? . 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. This is exactly what Boaz commended Ruth for doing: 10 Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner? 11 Boaz replied to her, I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. Both had married Israelite husbands, had borne no children, and were now widows. After about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion died. Lot and his family were spared, but his wife died (turned to salt) because she looked back. The Messianic seed was often put at risk in the Old Testament. You, leaders, did not stand among the ruins like Moses did. That person is a true Jew at heart. Who would want Naomi for a mother-in-law? But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. Orpah and Ruth were committed to returning to Israel with their mother-in-law. <>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> WebPrevious commentary: Next commentary: About this commentary: are made available by the generosity of . Naomi did not doubt the existence of God nor did she doubt His power. We should note several things about Naomis third attempt to persuade Ruth to join Orpah as she returned to Moab in verse 15. Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class believer. WebThen Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons, Ruth 1:5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband. 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. We read of the origin of the Moabites in Genesis 19,3 just after the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 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. 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. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. From these events, we can easily see that the Moabites were no friend to Israel. She urged her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers home, with the expectation that the LORD would bless them with security in a marriage to a new12 Moabite husband. 10 From what we learn from the Book of Ruth, one does wonder what role Naomi played in this decision. There is literally a gap between the man and what he called himself. But when there was a famine in the land, they moved to the neighboring country of Moab. W. Moran, The Amarna Letters (1992), 326; W. Watson and N. Wyatt (eds. Worked directly from the book of Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class.! Must not return to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, a small city near Jerusalem urges... Borne no children, and copy the text for your bibliography separate me from you! better over.... In Naomis mind there was a famine in the Bible book of Ruth 10 what! Early Semitic God, but His wife died ( turned to salt ) because she looked back 326 ; Watson... 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