Elimelech was Naomi's husband. 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. 1 0 obj Such is not the case, my friend, and seeing her as some kind of heroine will distort our understanding of the message of this wonderful book. But Ruth refuses to abandon Naomi and clings to her tightly. Second, Naomis words are even more forceful here,14 issuing Ruth a command to leave her. (2) There is no indication that other Israelites from Bethlehem (or elsewhere in Israel) accompanied Elimelech and his family to Moab. Why do you call me Naomi, seeing that the Lord has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer? 22 So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came back with her from the region of Moab. (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. You need to get right with God. The contrast between Ruth and Naomi. The best thing for Orpah and Ruth to do was to return to their people and their gods, Naomi concluded. 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. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her. When it sees people coming, it immediately runs away. Eventually, Naomi steered Ruth into a relationship with a distant relative named Boaz. 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. Dedicate an Article Amen (Romans 11:33-36). 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). 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. And they continued to live there about ten years. (Ruth 1:1-22)2. From Ruth 4:13, one might infer that God prevented both Orpah and Ruth from bearing children to their husbands. As the years have gone by, I may have mellowed in the terms I would use to portray Naomi, but my opinion of her has not really changed. Look with me at these words from Genesis 19, taking up just after the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lots escape, along with his daughters: 30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. WebPrevious commentary: Next commentary: About this commentary: are made available by the generosity of . Who would want Naomi for a mother-in-law? It is as though she has forgotten Gods description of Himself in Exodus 34: 6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. He could have helped more, since he was wealthy. Copy. "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. How could Naomi point them in the wrong direction? Ruth has an uncanny grasp of Israels religion and has chosen to embrace it as her own. 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. 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. We, who are not certain of our genealogies, derive names from our forefathers. And in good covenant form, she pronounced a curse upon herself if she did otherwise. Naomi should teach us to be careful about accepting the counsel of those who seem to be well meaning. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. But when she urged Ruth to return to her pagan god(s), that was the worst unkindness of all. She would be buried where Naomi was buried. Naomi heard that the famine in Judah had ended and food was now available in Bethlehem ( Ruth 1:6 ), so she determined to return. In spite of the fact that Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons (Mahlon and Kilion) are living according to the spirit of their day (doing what is right in their own eyes), two people (Ruth and Boaz) stand out as examples of those who live by faith in the God of Israel, and whose lives exemplify living in accordance with Gods Word. Naomi doesnt mention that these women would likely not find an Israelite husband. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! He will do what he says he will do. How could Naomi encourage Ruth (and, by inference, Orpah) to return to their god(s), when doing so would condemn them eternally? The final chapters of the Book of Judges are certainly the worst of times, and yet the Book of Ruth describes the best of times. This suggests to me that godly character is not only evident in the good times, but even more dramatically in the bad times. Lots older daughter neatly avoided the moral implications of what she proposed. 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. 35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? EphrathitesThe ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Ge 35:19; 48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mic 5:2). It led to a hopeless fatalism: It doesnt really matter what I say or do; God is against me, and there is nothing I can do about it.. Judah married a Canaanite woman, and two of his sons died because of their sin. 20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement will say within your hearing. First, she insisted that Naomi must cease urging her to turn back. Im an Assyrian not a Syrian. 1When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. . Like a faithful shepherd whose corral- fence fell as darkness approached. 9 May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband! Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly. For I am too old to get married again. These are the times of darkness when godliness should shine forth as a brilliant light. endobj around Bethlehem, Elimelech and Naomi moved to Moab (Moab was the And one of these two Ruth is a Moabite, not an Israelite. There we read of the Sodom-like immorality of some of the Benjamites in the city of Gibeah, which resulted in the near extinction of their tribe. Humans cannot see beyond these two alternatives but God has another choice. Both were traveling with Naomi as she made her way toward Israel. . The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Now I should stop to say that I firmly believe in the sovereignty of God, that God is in absolute control of everything that takes place on this earth. Such people are in misery, and honestly, they make those around them miserable as well. How did Elimelech know that strict justice was (loose) in the world? 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. Major Gift. In an effort to escape the famine, a man named Elimelech took his family to Moab, where he intended for his family to sojourn until the famine ended.10 How could he have imagined how long his family would stay? He thought that he would be King. What are the advantages and disadvantages of video capture hardware? Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. ." 6 So she decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her daughters-in-law, because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for his people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops. 16 But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. She seems to have little or no conviction regarding her sins, the sins of her husband, or of the sins of the nation. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing and distressing thing Naomi has said so far. Can one, on the other hand, forgive and excuse his deficiencies and the damage that they bring about? A wolf approached and he fought the wolf. The only hope Naomi sees for Orpah and Ruth is the hope of finding a Moabite husband and bearing children. What a relief it is to leave Judges behind and come to the Book of Ruth! In Judges 19-21, we find a similar situation. Spouse. 2013Mrz 20185 Jahre. We shall see more about this in chapter 3. Many tears were shed, but in the end both women refused to leave Naomi and return to their mothers home. What a mighty, magnificent, merciful, awesome God we serve! Both women initially refused to heed Naomis exhortation to leave her and return to Moab. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today (Genesis 19:30-38, emphasis mine). 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. The two women, now forever bound together by Ruths covenant, continued on their way until they reached Bethlehem. The Messianic seed was often put at risk in the Old Testament. There her husband died, and her sons married Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Naomi, so to speak, put all of her eggs into one basket marriage and bearing children. A few years later, king Saul will offer the sacrifices, even though he was instructed to wait for Samuel, all because Saul felt this was a crisis that justified setting aside obedience in faith to Gods Word.27. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend (Isaiah 55:8-11). Leaving His land, His people, His office-bearers, His worship and His day is leaving God. This story can be found in the book of Ruth. While in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving his wife with their two sons (verse 3). The sons married Moabite women, which was something else God wanted His people to avoid. However, God ended up blessing Elimelechs family anyway, although not through his sons. God instead chose to work through Naomi and one of her Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth. Holy MatrimonyMarriage 1Marriage 2The Tenaim TranslatedThe Kesubah TranslatedMarriage and the Royal FamilyMarital Partners Compatibility of MissionsEverlasting Happiness10 Mistakes Couples Make, AbarbanelShem MeShmuelShabbos: Taam ChaimMikraHaarosGrowing with the ParshaGal Einai Jerusalem ViewsSfas EmesWeekly HalachaOsher HaChaim. 17 See Ruth 4:17, 21-22. Was it at Naomis initiative that her sons took Moabite women for wives? No, my daughters, you must not return with me. Can one dismiss the sincerity of a man of faith who fails to always live up to his convictions? Elimelech died, whereupon Mahlon and Chilion both married local women. 2 0 obj There is really no evidence of faith (on Naomis part), either. When the years of famine came he said, Now all of them will come to my door post, each one with his begging cup in his hand. No wonder God forbade Moabites from entering the assembly to the tenth generation.7. Only death will be able to separate me from you!. There is something particularly encouraging about our text. The subject was the Book of Ruth. 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. As you will recall, Mrs. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces (Exodus 23:24). A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? Text Copyright Elimelech died in Moab. God had just destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sin. And when both her sons died without bearing children, her situation seemed impossible. Bildungswesen. Web(5) And they died. One would have to begin by saying that these two women have a fair bit in common. The book of Ruth opens with a presentation of several characters. Lot fled with his daughters and was living in a cave. Conversely, one who is not a Jew and isnt instructed by the Law may have the law written on his (her) heart, and thus do the things the law requires. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. She would have been very much at home in our Postmodern world. He is slow to anger, and He does forgive sin. Naomi thought of Gods blessings in terms of having food and a family. The name of Achimelech, the priest who gave aid to David at Nob, reflects his elevated stature (Leviticus Rabbah 1,3) and Malchizedek was the King of Salem (Malkiel in Numbers 25, 24 deserves a separate discussion). Naomi adds one final argument in favor of Orpah and Ruth returning home to Moab. That is precisely what Naomi did with Orpah and Ruth. Web1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. In her third attempt, she orders Ruth to follow her sister-in-law back home. - As part of a small team, I organized a five-day congress (90 participants, budget 17,000), the largest yearly event of the association. It was a good number of years ago that I sat in on an excellent elective class taught by my friend, Tom Wright. 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. 17 Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried. Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk (1717March 11, 1787) was a rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. The New Covenant promises that God will write the law on the hearts of those He has chosen for salvation, whether Jew or Gentile. 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. What is A person who sells flower is called? And yet as the story of Ruth unfolded this time, it suddenly became obvious to me that Naomi was no role model. God loves to show mercy and compassion. Who would want a Moabite wife, especially a widow? They produced offspring for the Benjamites by orchestrating the kidnapping and rape of 200 virgins.26 The Israelites were like Moabs mother in that they were thinking and acting like Moabites. 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). I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. We dont have a very good reputation in the Bible.. What was Moses like? There they made a new home and seemed to do well (the Bible does not give us many details) until Elimelech died. (Now they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.) Religion. But it is not the essence of what our life in Christ is about. Naomis people (Israel) would be her people, and Naomis God would be her God. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/elimelech. A space remained that he did not manage to rebuild. Not long afterward he died, and his two sons married Moabite Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel said: The ancestors who used the power of Divine Inspiration drew names out of (future) events; we who do not have access to Divine Inspiration, draw names from our forefathers (Genesis Rabbah 37,7)., What does the name Elimelech mean? The son of the oldest daughter was named Moab; the son of the younger daughter was named Ammon. In moving to Moab, Naomi left the Lord to some extent and for some years. My impression is that Naomi had changed not only in her appearance (she may not have aged well in Moab), but also in spirit. The ultimate test is the Word of God and Naomis counsel, while it sometimes used Gods name, did not conform to Gods Word. WebBoaz is a preeminent example of selflessness, willing to risk the loss of his own name so that he could make sure that the name and line of his relative Elimele , ' eylam; Elamite halhatamti; Akk. When I realized this, I blurted out, What a witch!, much to the surprise of the rest of the class. You can't run away. Text Copyright 2005 by Rabbi Dr. Meir Levin and Torah.org. There is a paucity of clues but the first one is the Elimelechs name itself. Ill attempt to support my conclusions as we proceed in our study of this book. 4 0 obj But Call me Mara because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly. W. Moran, The Amarna Letters (1992), 326; W. Watson and N. Wyatt (eds. Ordinarily it would be translated as, My God is King. 34 So in the morning the older daughter said to the younger, Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, lets make him drunk again tonight. 1 During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. 2 Kings 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. Who even remembers her name? We will return with you to your people., 11 But Naomi replied, Go back home, my daughters! Follow your sister-in-law back home! 16 But Ruth replied. His oldest daughter concluded that their father would die without an heir. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! The men in the family die, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in- law, Ruth and Orpah. She would go where Naomi went and live where she lived. After about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion died. 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). Webelimelech Due to the famine in Israel during the time of the Judges, Elimelech crossed over to Moab, where he and his two sons died. What Naomi does mention pertains to marriage and child bearing. ; "God [or my God] is king"), the husband of *Naomi and father of Mahlon and *Chilion, from Beth-Lehem in Judah. T -6d$zA ^C(D`Ed8 BR. We, too, live in very pragmatic times, and those who live by principle especially the principles of Gods Word are few and far between. 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 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). ." Thankfully, she later confessed and returned to Israel. Wouldnt it be better for the two of them to travel together? 10 From what we learn from the Book of Ruth, one does wonder what role Naomi played in this decision. If Naomi had other sons, she could give them to these women in Levirate marriage, but she has no other sons. There is literally a gap between the man and what he called himself. SIDON (also Zidon ; Heb. But the most dramatic new development in Naomis argument is her reference to Orpahs god: 15 So Naomi said, Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. In her thinking, God had stripped her of all hope by taking her husband and her sons in death, and by preventing their wives from bearing children. 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