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SOUNDING OUT:
Love’s Resolve: Returning
to Bethlehem
As Ruth opens we get some
important background information.
Ruth 1:1,2:
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled
[This was a dark time in the history of Israel in which
every man did that which was right in his own eyes.],
that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man
of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn [They weren’t
going to stay there for an extended period of time.
This was supposed to be temporary.] in the country of
Moab [because of the famine.], he, and his wife, and
his two sons.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name
of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon
and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they
came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
They went to sojourn,
but ended up staying longer. While they continued in
Moab, tragedy struck.
Ruth 1:3-5:
And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was
left, and her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name
of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth:
and they dwelled there about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the
woman [Naomi] was left of her two sons and her husband.
Things have gone from
bad to worse for Naomi. Not only had she lost her husband,
but she also lost both of her sons in untimely deaths.
If the family name were to continue there had to be
an heir, but she is apparently without hope of that
occurring. However, she hears that God has provided
for His people again, and Naomi makes a very important
decision to return to Bethlehem.
Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem:
It is interesting how often biblical records turn on
or revolve around specific decisions of will. Naomi’s
decision to return from Moab is a turning point in her
life. God emphasizes the importance of that decision
by repeating “return” (Hebrew, shub)
twelve times in chapter one.
Ruth 1:6,7:
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might
return1st [shub]
from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country
of Moab how that the LORD [Jehovah] had visited his
people in giving them bread. [The famine is over; God
has once again provided for His people.]
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she
was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they
went on the way to return2nd
[shub] unto the land of Judah.
Naomi heard that God had once again provided for His
people, and knew the only reasonable thing to do was
to return to the Land of Promise and seek relief among
her people. All three started the trip to Bethlehem,
but as they are on the way, Naomi considers that it
might not be best for her daughters-in-law to go back
with her. She is so thankful for them and how they have
been so kind to her, but she constrains them to stay
in Moab and not return with her.
Ruth 1:8,9:
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return3rd
[shub] [This is the first request.] each to
her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly
[chesed] with you, as ye have dealt with the
dead [Mahlon and Chilion], and with me.
The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you
in the house of her [next] husband. Then she kissed
them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
Verse 9 is a wonderful
example of speaking a blessing. One’s knowledge
of the covenant that Jehovah entered into with His people,
allows one to speak His blessing. What He said He would
do, He performs. People who took God at His Word and
knew His Word would speak blessings to one another.
Naomi acknowledges how her daughters have been
so kind to her, and requests of the Lord that He do
the same for them. The Hebrew word for “kindly”
is “chesed.” It is an important
theme in Ruth and throughout the entire Old Testament.
It occurs nearly 250 times and is also translated “mercy,”
“kindness,” and “lovingkindness.”
It speaks of God’s covenant loyalty to His people.
It involves grace in that it was extended even though
it was not deserved. Although her daughters were both
Moabitesses, they married men of Israel and therefore
Naomi felt that the Lord would return their kindnesses
to them.
Naomi wants each of them to return to their own
mother’s house so that they can find rest in the
house of another husband. She is well aware of the difficulty
an unmarried woman endured in the East. Marriage meant
security in the Bible lands, and Naomi felt that their
best opportunity for it was to remain in Moab.
Ruth 1:10-13:
And they said unto her, Surely we will
return4th [shub]
with thee unto thy people.
And Naomi said, Turn again5th
[shub], my daughters: [This is the second time.]
why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons
in my womb, that they may be your husbands? [She got
no response to that question.]
Turn again6th [shub]
[the third time], my daughters, go your way; for I am
too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have
hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and
should also bear sons;
Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would
ye stay for them from having husbands? Nay [Do you hear
a note of finality in that?], my daughters; for it grieveth
[makes me bitter; it will come up again in verse 19]
me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is
gone out against me.
Naomi has almost given
up hope. She has taken responsibility for the calamity
and has become disheartened. It sounds almost as if
she is being sarcastic, but in verse 11 she alludes
to the levirate marriage practice which God put in the
law to help in situations like this.
Deuteronomy
25:5-10:
If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and
have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry
without unto a stranger: [outside of the family] her
husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take
her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s
brother unto her.
And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth
shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead,
that his name be not put out of Israel.
And if the man like not to take his brother’s
wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the
gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother
refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel,
he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak
unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not
to take her;
Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in
the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from
off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer
and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will
not build up his brother’s house. [Please note
that it was the widow’s responsibility to confront
the levir before the elders.]
And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of
him that hath his shoe loosed.
Naomi made her point very
clearly. There were no more husbands for them if they
stayed with her. Their best opportunity to find another
was to stay in Moab.
Ruth 1:14:
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and
Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto
her.
Ruth’s resolve
to stay with Naomi: Orpah obeyed Naomi’s
request and returned, but Ruth did not. Orpah goes back,
off the pages of Scripture, into oblivion, never to
be heard of again. Ruth clung to Naomi and chose to
follow her and care for her, rather than to return and
seek a husband as Naomi suggested. However, Naomi still
presses her to go back.
Ruth 1:15:
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone
back7th [shub] unto her
people, and unto her gods [elohim]: return8th
[shub] thou after thy sister in law.
Naomi points out that
this decision is indeed life-changing. If Ruth returned
with her to Bethlehem it would mean forsaking the people
and the gods she had grown up with. Naomi is looking
from the perspective of what she could do for Ruth.
She felt she could do nothing, so she suggests that
Ruth return to her previous life. Ruth, however, does
not selfishly opt for getting her need met. Indeed she
wanted to help Naomi. Naomi had been such a blessing
to her, and she wants to give back to her for all she
has done. Ruth loved Naomi and that was worth holding
on to. There are some relationships based on the greatness
of God’s Word that you should never forsake. She
realized that she may never marry again, but the relationship
she had with Naomi was too special to terminate. This
is a relationship of extraordinary commitment and love.
This relationship has substance and a future. There
would be meaning and fulfillment there, because there
was an abundance of love there.
Ruth 1:16,17:
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return9th
[shub] 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 [Elohim]
my God [Elohim]:
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.
Verses sixteen and seventeen
have to be one of the most beautiful expressions of
commitment that has ever been made. Ruth abandoned her
people and forsook her past and declared allegiance
to the people and God of Israel. Naomi realized how
great Ruth’s love for her was and how she longed
to learn of her people and of her God.
God works in our lives through committed relationships.
Our families are the primary laboratories of our character
development. Relationships where little commitment is
placed yield little reward. Relationships where there
is much commitment yield great rewards. To live meaningful
lives we need loving relationships. Without responsibility
and accountability there will be little growth and development.
Naomi and Ruth would get so much out of their relationship
because they put so much into it.
From whom had Ruth learned of the Lord and His
people? (From her husband and Naomi, of course!) That
helps to explain her love and commitment. She knew that
the Lord God of Israel would provide for her. She knew
that Naomi was shaken to the very core of her being,
and she wants to help her through the difficult times.
She commits herself to Naomi and pledges that only death
will separate them.
Ruth 1:18:
When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with
her, then she left speaking unto her.
Naomi had pushed her as
much as she could, and now she knew it was proper for
Ruth to go with her. Ruth’s resolve to accompany
and care for Naomi has been recorded for posterity to
see and learn from.
A new start: Naomi and Ruth arrive in
Bethlehem and cause quite a stir.
Ruth 1:19-21:
So they two (Orpah didn’t make it to Bethlehem.)
went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass,
when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city
was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
[They did not forget her.]
And she said unto them, Call me [Both the words “them”
and “call” are in the feminine gender; Naomis
was speaking to the women; they will come up again in
chapter 4.] not Naomi, call me Mara [bitterness; see
Exodus 15:22-27]: for the Almighty [Shaddai]
hath dealt very bitterly [In the Hebrew the verb “to
deal bitterly” is in the perfect tense indicating
the action has been completed.] with me. [She is saying
in essence, I am not the same person I was when I left.]
I went out full (This most likely does not refer to
wealth, but rather family.), and the LORD hath
brought me home again10th [shub]
empty: [Sounds a bit like the prodigal son in Luke 15.]
why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified
against me, and the Almighty [Shaddai] hath
afflicted me?
The verbs communicating
God’s action in verses 20 and 21 (“dealt
bitterly,” “brought me home again,”
“testified against me,” and “afflicted
me”) are in the perfect mood, meaning the action
has been completed. She wasn’t simply bitter,
blaming God for what had happened. She has “come
to grips” with her past and is actually putting
the trouble she has experienced into the past. She has
accepted responsibility for what happened and is closing
the door on that chapter of her life. She is now expecting
things to change. That’s why she returned.
“Hath brought me home again” is the
Hebrew, shub. However, this is the only one
of the first twelve occurrences that is in the hiphil
conjugation. The other 14 are in the kal. The kal is
simple active, and hiphil is causative active. In the
simple active we found it translated “return,”
“turn again,” and “go back.”
Each of these referred to what the women did, the actions
they took. This occurrence in verse 21 refers to what
the Lord did. He “brought her home again”
or “caused her to return.”
Just how did He do that? Did He drive them like
cattle from Moab? Did He overstep their free will, and
make them come back even though they did not want to?
He caused them to return the same way He causes us to
return when we stray from where we should be. He called
them back with His Word.
Remember verse six said, “she arose…
for she had heard… that the Lord visited His people.”
What did she hear? Words from God. How did they get
to her? I don’t know. It’s not important
or God would have told us. The point is the Lord got
the word to her, and she responded to it by her freewill
choice. God guided her through His Word. It is important
to keep our ears open and be attentive to the still
small voice of God.
Ruth 1:22:
So Naomi returned11th [shub],
and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her,
which returned12th [shub]
out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem
in the beginning of barley harvest.
“So Naomi returned.”
The second occurrence of “return” in verse
22 and the verb “came” are both in the perfect
mood, indicating the action has been completed. They
are finally back in Bethlehem, and they expect things
to change. The Lord had provided for His people, and
they were there to claim their portion of it.
Naomi has returned to her inheritance in Israel
in the beginning of the barley harvest. What happened
at the beginning of the barley harvest? Passover was
celebrated. They got home in time to celebrate Passover.
When they arrived, Naomi was recognized and greeted
by the local women. In her grief, she declared that
she “returned empty.” But, did Naomi really
return empty? In her devastated state, that was her
assessment of the situation. Perhaps they carried all
they owned, but she was not alone, Ruth was with her.
In great grief we seem to always make things worse than
they really are. She may have only had that which she
could carry, but she had Ruth, and that will prove to
be very important in the success of the return and restoration
of Naomi as we will see on the next few Internet Newsletters.
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