Ruth 1: 1 – 22
Decisions, Decisions
1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. 19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
As a little kid I became interested in history when I was told that my name was listed in a historical book. You see I come from a long line of early Americans. A relative showed me a Genealogy book starting around the time of William Penn. The lineage was from my grandmothers lineage which were Pidcocks. After the listing at the end of my father’s name there were my brothers and my names listed.
It seems that my ancestor owned quite a lot of land along the adjacent to the Delaware River. In fact for you history buffs George Washington camped on it with his troops prior to crossing the river to attack the Hessians at Trenton.
Are you impressed? I’m not. You see my great, great, great, etc. grandfather was a boozer. He drank himself into poverty. In fact all this prime land today would have allowed me to be a millionaire many times over. He became so poor from his drinking that others had to pay for his burial expense. If you ever travel to Bucks County and visit Washington’s Crossing, take some time to travel to a unique spot a few miles away called Bowman’s Hill. It has a very unique tower at its peak that allows you to see spectacular distances. At the base of this tower are the grave sites of my ancestors. This is all that remains of their glory days on this prestigious land.
Today we are going to begin our study of the book of Ruth. To a large degree it focuses on three individuals by the name of Boaz, Naomi, and the woman whose name bears the title of this book – Ruth.
However overlooked is the man who is part of the genealogy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ yet most believers who never make the connection. Like my ancestor who could have been noteworthy, most people would never connect this man in the linage of the Messiah. In the book of 1 Chronicles chapter 2 verse 4 we find that this guy Elimelech could trace his ancestry back to the tribe of Judah through Perez
The book of Ruth demonstrates in an intimate way how God was moving through what seemed to be the most unfortunate of circumstances to the fulfillment of His purposes. It is a reminder to us that God works in mysterious ways His wonder to perform.
We can also see the Grace of God in that He chose a Moabite woman to be the ancestor of both David, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. We read in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 3 that Moabites and the Ammonites were excluded from entering the congregation of Israel for ten generations because of the attitude that they had shown towards Israel at the time of the conquest and whilst this was strictly a restriction on the men, it did indicate a general attitude towards Moabites.
1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
We know from the ending to the story Elimelech could trace his ancestry back to Judah through Perez He would thus be highly respected as one of the minority who could do so. And he lived, and had land, in and around Bethelehem-judah. But a severe famine appears to have smitten the land and, probably for the sake of his sons, he determined to seek refuge in Moab, which was across the Jordan to the east of Israel, on the other side of the Dead Sea. However, tragedy was the consequence of his decision as we will read in verse 21 that our Great Adoni Yahweh ‘testified against them’. Our Precious Holy Spirit clearly intends his readers to see this tragedy as resulting from his desertion of the land of Promise. The one named ‘My God is king’ had gone to another land where God was not seen as king, in order to find refuge. He actions had virtually exposed the only real and living God to ridicule. Take a note for yourselves regarding this point and it is this, our actions whether intentional or not might case hurt to our Holy Master and God. I do not want to do this and I am sure you feel the same.
The famine occurred in the days of ‘the Judges’, each of whom at various times ruled a part of Israel. It was probably the need of his sons that he had in mind when he made the move, especially if, as their names suggest, they were weak and sickly. They would be in no condition to withstand famine. But one whose name declared that ‘My God is king’ should never have been seeking refuge in a land that was submissive to another god which was called Chemosh.
2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
Detailed names are now given of the family. The family consisted of Elimelech (‘my God is king’), his wife Naomi (‘my delight’ or ‘my sweetness’), and their two growing sons Mahlon (‘sickness’) and Chilion (‘wasting’). ‘Sickness’ and ‘wasting’ probably refers to how they were seen when born, as they struggled to survive, but it may well be that they had continued to experience such problems.
3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.
We are not told how long they had been in Moab before Elimelech died, but his death must have been a cruel blow to the family. Please take note that during those ten years neither son had fathered an heir. Both marriages were barren, a further sign of Yahweh Elohe Yisrael – The Lord God of Israel’s disapproval. It would have been seen as signifying Adoni Yahweh’s disapproval of their presence in Moab. And it meant that Orpah and Ruth had no one to act as their protector in the future. They shared in Naomi’s desolation, three poor women with no male protector.
5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.
Elimelech (‘my God is king’) took his wife Naomi (‘my delight’ or ‘my sweetness’), and their two growing sons Mahlon (‘sickness’) and Chilion (‘wasting’) to exist in a foreign land. Now stop and think. Okay there was a famine in the land. Wouldn’t you think that one who is from the royal line would have the One he is named after take care of them or at the least trust in some of his relatives to help him and his family out. Something was very wrong with this man’s thinking. I have done even stupider decisions than Elimelech. I have come to now rely on my Holy Ruler to kick me somewhere before I readily make a major decision.
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
The three of them left the place where they had been residing, and took the road to the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
When they had reached a certain point, possibly at the crossing of the Arnon which divided Moab from the territory of Reuben, Naomi encouraged her two daughters-in-law to return to their family homes. She prayed that in view of the loyalty they had shown to her and her dead sons, that Qedosh Yisreal – The Holy One of Israel would deal kindly with them.
10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
Both women felt a genuine duty and love towards Naomi. And recognizing her loneliness they insisted that they should rather accompany her as she returned to her own people. It was not the kind of journey that an old woman should make alone.
11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Naomi recognized that she now had nothing to offer them. To women of those days almost nothing was more important than having a husband and producing children. And her problem was, how she could provide them with husbands, for she had no sons in her womb. In other words she was too old to bear children. And where would Moabite women otherwise find husbands in Israel apart from in the family?
12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!”
Furthermore even if there had been a chance that she could produce children, and was able immediately to marry, would they really want to wait until any sons so born would grow up? By that time the women too would be almost beyond childbearing. No it was better for them that they left her and returned to their families and sought husbands in Moab. She assured them of the grief that she felt that Adoni Yahweh had so dealt with her that she could offer them nothing, because His hand had ‘gone forth against her’. The whole move to Moab, although seeming a good idea at the time, was now seen as a disaster. It was evident that the Lord God had not been in it for good.
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
Then they all again wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her home as Naomi had suggested. We must in this recognize the strong pressure that Naomi had put on both of them. It was not that Orpah had not really been willing to go with Naomi. She had been willing. But she had paid heed to the word of Naomi. Ruth, however, was having none of it. She was determined to remain with her mother-in-law. The word ‘clung’ is a strong one.
15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
Naomi pointed out to Ruth that her sister-in-law had taken her advice and had gone back to her people ‘and to her god’ - the Moabite god Chemosh. And she urges Ruth to do the same.
Naomi recognized that she had sent Orpah back to the worship of Chemosh, and it is clear that the Holy Ghost wants us to see that Naomi was in a poor spiritual condition. Her concern was for the physical needs of her daughters-in-law not their spiritual needs. You know this is something that we are all vulnerable to do. When the pressure cooker is on we tend to break down emotionally and spiritually. If you think this couldn’t happen to you, watch out!
If you are a minister or a couple planning your wedding, here is probably some of the sweetest words one person can say to another.
16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
Ruth firmly sets aside Naomi’s arguments. She begs Naomi not to entreat her to leave her. Rather she wishes to share in all that Naomi will face in the future. She will go where she goes. She will lodge where she lodges. Naomi’s people will be her people, and Naomi’s God will be her God. She will die where Naomi dies, so much is she committed to Naomi’s Israelite background. And she will be buried in the same land in which Naomi will be buried. The place where a person wished to be buried was a sign of the place that they saw as ‘home’.
18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. 19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
When they arrived in the small town of Bethlehem word got around that Naomi was coming. Workers in the fields would have seen these two helpless women and had seemingly thought that they recognized Naomi. Don’t forget that over 10 years had gone by. Naomi left with her husband and sons. Now she is coming back to her home town without them. There weren’t any newspapers or phones to announce deaths of individuals. The result was that when the women entered the town the majority of its inhabitants were showing a deep interest in them, and were indeed asking whether this could possibly be Naomi, who had been away for so long.
When Naomi heard her name being spoken it brought home to her the significance of her name, ‘sweetness’ or ‘delight’. And it made her feel very bitter. She called on them not to speak of her as Naomi, but as Mara (bitterness), because El Shaddai = Almighty God - had dealt very bitterly with her.
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Naomi had, with her husband, deserted from within the sphere of the covenant, because there had been famine in the land, But now when she returned it was to discover a plentiful barley harvest, while she herself was empty. No wonder that in the bitterness of the experience she wanted to change her name. But what she did not as yet realize was the treasure that she had brought with her, Ruth the Moabitess from whose descendants would be born Israel’s greatest king, and whose even greater ‘Son’ would be the Savior of the world.
