why did elimelech and his family go to moab

And yet as the story of Ruth unfolded this time, it suddenly became obvious to me that Naomi was no role model. From start to his family's finish, Elimelech acted contrary to his name and to the lessons of redemptive history. And thus there is no evidence of repentance on her part at this point in time. Her boys ended up choosing Moabite women to marry and these women became part of Naomis family. The chapter ends with the authors assessment of where things stand, with a hint of what lies ahead. The Moabites were the result of the initiative and immorality of Lots oldest daughter. What will he do? We are not told how long Elimelech may have waited before he made his fateful decision. It took two attempts to convince Orpah to turn back and three attempts to convince Naomi that her efforts to turn Ruth away were futile. The author has a covenantal perspective as he links us to Judges. 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 1, iv. The psalmist maps out a common progression in the life of sin. Orpah seems to have no great spiritual interest in Israel or in the God of Israel. According to Jewish doctors, a noble and potent person. Thus, the use of the word lagur can be explained as related to geirut conversion. Dispensationalism misses this because it denies that Israel is the Old Testament form of Gods church (and the church is the New Testament form of Israel). 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. As they entered Bethlehem, they became the talk of the town. Required fields are marked The Moabites had resorted to more than one way to curse and to destroy the Israelites. WebHence, Elimelech decided to go to Moab anticipating that his sons might marry the daughters of Eglon. You will note from the first verse of chapter 1 that the setting for the story of Ruth is the times of the judges. While they were there, Naomis husband died, and her two sons married women from Moab, one of whom was named Ruth. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile, 9 He makes the barren woman of the family. After Mahlon died and Ruth had 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). 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). If our text tells us anything about God, it is that His ways are not our ways. 4 So her sons married Moabite women. Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Now that Orpah has decided to turn back, Naomi appears to have more leverage. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloak4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140').innerHTML = ''; It certainly would be safer for the two women to travel together, but it is Orpah who will travel alone, not Ruth. Instead, call me Mara,[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. They arrived, in fact, just in time for the barley harvest. Surely it fell short of what Ruths experience will be. There is something particularly encouraging about our text. And there is another difficult part of leaving Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. God had given the Israelite a way of understanding the world and life in the land. of Orpah in the Book of Ruth. and a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. Subscribe today for access to my Free Faith Resource Library! That strongly suggests that she was still a Moabite at heart, still an idolater at heart. That is to say, while Elimelech may have intended to stay only as long as the famine was in the land, his sons remained long enough to reap the consequences. Ruth does not cling to Naomi as a kindred spirit, but as a very needy person. We want to go with you to your people., 11But Naomi replied, Why should you go on with me? 15Look, Naomi said to her, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. the portion of land, which belonged to our brother Elimelech. It was a good number of years ago that I sat in on an excellent elective class taught by my friend, Tom Wright. God loves to show mercy and compassion. Think of it: Naomi and her husband leave the land where God promised to bless them. You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. I am reminded of Satans strategy in the Garden of Eden. Thus, when Elimelech began to purse daughters for his sons, ironically, he went to a place cursed for this very action. 14 Again they wept loudly. Ruth was born in Moab about B.C. 91a), Elimelech, Salmon (the father of Boaz), Peloni-Almoni, and the father of Naomi were the sons of Nahshon ben Aminadab. 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. Their ultimate blessing would have been to leave their land, their people, their false religion, and to identify with the Israelites and with their God. Note Judges 21:25. WebElimelech, one of the notables of Judah, came to Moab, where he hoped to find food and an easier life. Id like to deal with our text by calling your attention to the contrasts the author has highlighted in the first chapter of Ruth. This email address is being protected from spambots. He took his family away from the covenant and proved to be an unfaithful husband. So God says in Deuteronomy 4:1. 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. How does one today keep the Lords Day holy when he or she has no faithful church to attend? Stated in the words of the author of Judges, every man (and woman) was doing what was right in their own eyes. Here is a woman who is not walking by faith, but by sight, who is not living according to the law, but in disregard for it. Rev. "Then," he might say, "we will return to the land of promise." Unlike Orpah, who returns to her Moabite family in obedience to Naomis wishes, Ruth insists on traveling to Bethlehem with Naomi. We find Ruth contrasted with Orpah, and then with Naomi. People who want to stay in Moab. It had been at least ten years since Naomi and her family had left them. He can respond out of a sense of fear and desire for food or out of a sense of faith. There is really no evidence of faith (on Naomis part), either. The subject was the Book of Ruth. Indeed, the structure of Judges begs us to ask about the future. NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible, Softcover, My First Hands-on Bible--soft leather-look, bold blue, NLT Thinline Reference Bible, Filament Enabled Edition--soft leather-look, rustic brown, NLT Spiritual Growth Bible--soft leather-look, cream floral, NLT Large-Print Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition--genuine leather, brown (indexed). Second, Naomis words are even more forceful here,14 issuing Ruth a command to leave her. 2). 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel. Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia, Missions, Sister Churches, Christian Schools. Mahlon, the older son, died. Shouldnt Ruth follow her lead? What are the qualities of an accurate map? 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. She decided it was time to get out of Moab. Ruth became acquainted with the Jewish family and with their religion. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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). 3Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The New Covenant promises that God will write the law on the hearts of those He has chosen for salvation, whether Jew or Gentile. Naomi adds one final argument in favor of Orpah and Ruth returning home to Moab. I pray that you, like Ruth, have forsaken all confidence in yourself and have cast yourself upon the one true God for salvation. May you grow in giant leaps in Jesus Name. The contrast between Ruth and Orpah. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. A pointer to the fact that, in moving from Bethlehem to Moab, Elimelech did not truly take God and His Word into account? Naomi was preoccupied with the here and now, rather than trusting in Gods covenant promises by faith. It must have been on Naomis watch that these two sons married their Moabite wives Orpah and Ruth. Is Brooke shields related to willow shields? She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. This is completely secular thinking. Why were naomi and elimelech forced to flee Bethlehem and journey to moab? Who would carry on his line? 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. In our text, Naomis conversation with her daughters-in-law is couched in language that gives the appearance that she is encouraging them to return to their families and their land because this would be in their best interest. Did Billy Graham speak to Marilyn Monroe about Jesus? Is God judging here? Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, moved to Moab during a famine. As I was studying our text for this message, it occurred to me that the text which describes the origin of the Moabites in Genesis 19 is a key to understanding the story of Ruth, and especially Naomis role in this account. 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. Many of the commentaries on Ruth argue that the initial setting provides a mere backdrop to the story and nothing more. They werent just turning their backs on their hometown of Bethlehem and its people: they were turning their backs on God. Surely this poor fellow doesn't understand the covenant". 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). When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. 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. Boaz commanded his field-workers to be considerate toward her. In short, Naomi is a picture of Israels spiritual condition at this point in their history. var addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = 'billlangerak' + '@'; In Genesis 12, God tested Abraham's faith in his promises. In her third attempt, she orders Ruth to follow her sister-in-law back home. Like Moabs mother, the Israelites reasoned that due to their circumstances, an Israelite line might become extinct. The geological marvels, millennia in the making, drew more than 1. They left each other and went in opposite directions. Leaving His land, His people, His office-bearers, His worship and His day is leaving God. Many in Israel were wicked and unbelieving, and even the elect were not perfect, but the latter were the redeemed, called and believing people of God. Thanks for sharing and God bless your ministry. We should never have taken that one step in the direction of sin. lived and so they went to Moab where conditions were better and get Ruth would have none of this foolish talk, and she made this abundantly clear to her mother-in-law. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. I think I understand generally what Paul is saying here, based upon the promise in Jeremiah: 33 But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land, says the Lord. 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. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If Naomi had other sons, she could give them to these women in Levirate marriage, but she has no other sons. 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. Let us reflect on these contrasts for a moment. 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. 7With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. I might have taken her as my wife. Why did Elimelech live with his family in Moab? Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely (which is exactly what we see later when Boaz the faithful husband responds to God with faithfulness remember he lays down on a huge pile of harvest from the land). But wait, it gets even better! (Ruth 1:1+2). They emigrated from famine-stricken She went on to become so righteous that God made her the ancestress of King David. Many tears were shed, but in the end both women refused to leave Naomi and return to their mothers home. We certainly are reminded of the sovereignty of God by our text, but unfortunately most of the emphasis on Gods sovereignty in chapter 1 comes from Naomi, and she is not seeing things as she should. 56:8)!Naomi had been through a lot in the last few years: famine, emigration, two weddings and three funerals. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But here is where the similarity ends. A.Stewart, Pastorates: Covenant Protestant Reformed Church of Ballymena, Northern Ireland - 2001. She gave them very pragmatic counsel, based upon what could be seen, rather than on Gods Word and the principle of faith. Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. There was a shortage of bread in Bethlehem, which towns name means house of bread. So what did Elimelech and his family do? Elimelech chose to leave the land and to seek food from other fields. 17Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. These cookies do not store any personal information. ii. Ruth would not only do this until death separated them, she would do so in death. 17 Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried. And she was honored to be a part of the messianic line.34. 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. PRC-Related: RFPA, Standard Bearer, Reformed Witness Hour, Etc. 31 Later the older daughter said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world. Both the Benjamites sin and their judgment are similar to what happened in Genesis 19. (If you're a human, don't change the following field), Ruth 1:1-6 - Famine in the House of Bread. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. While they were in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi and her two sons. His occupation is not known; the Bible never says. The barley harvest will play a significant role in moving this story forward in the next two chapters. Now she had no husband and no children. But ten years later tragedy hit struck again as both of Naomis sons diednow leaving three women defenseless, alone, and with no way of supporting themselves. during the time of the judges in Israel. Not only is Naomi unable to provide these women with husbands (and thus with children), God is also dealing harshly with her. They would be a reminder that Elimelech and Naomi had left Bethlehem when the going got tough. addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 = addya1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68 + 'sbcglobal' + '.' + 'net'; 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! They insisted on going on to Israel with Naomi. All three women had to make a choice. Indeed, Ruth begins with a stark opening sentence that is intended to alarm the reader. Yet we are about to learn that the man who acts contrary to faithful service actually has a name that means God is King; he acts in complete opposition to his name. (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. But Ruth refuses to abandon Naomi and clings to her tightly. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer[b] and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?. Web214 views, 46 likes, 14 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Reels from Prayers Move Mountains: Ruth 2:20 "The LORD bless him!" We already noted that irony occurs when something that usually means one thing is deliberately twisted or changed so that it transmutes into the opposite. 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. Lots daughters, the Israelites (on behalf of the Benjamites), and Naomi are inclined to resort to a pragmatic solution, rather than one that is faith-based and rooted in principle. Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her Elimelech was Naomi's husband. 3, 4). WebSee Page 1. This was the place that was characterized as the place of famine for Israel; Moab was known for withholding bread from Israel. But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.

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