“Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once god has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to god, and that to you, O lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.” (Psalm 62:9-12 ESV)
Wireman
Chapel @ Eckerd College
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
Intro to Ruth
• Upon
finishing up the book of Judges we noted how different this book was from what
we’ve encountered so far.
• More graphic and detailed than other books of the Bible so far (stories of kings having swords run so deep into their fat that the fat closed over the swords, people dying by having tent pegs driven through their skulls, and people having millstones dropped on their heads etc.)
• The entire book of Judges was marked by chaos and the repeating of the theme that everyone did whatever they wanted to.
• Ruth stands as a juxtaposition to Judges, showing how sovereign the Almighty is and how he really was in control at this turbulent time.
• The events of the book of Ruth actually take place at the same time as the events of the book of Judges.
• More graphic and detailed than other books of the Bible so far (stories of kings having swords run so deep into their fat that the fat closed over the swords, people dying by having tent pegs driven through their skulls, and people having millstones dropped on their heads etc.)
• The entire book of Judges was marked by chaos and the repeating of the theme that everyone did whatever they wanted to.
• Ruth stands as a juxtaposition to Judges, showing how sovereign the Almighty is and how he really was in control at this turbulent time.
• The events of the book of Ruth actually take place at the same time as the events of the book of Judges.
Ruth 1
The Famine
• The players are as follows:
• The couple: Elimelech- “my God is king” & Naomi- “pleasant”
• The sons: Mahlon- “puny” & Chilion- “pining”
• The foreign wives: Orpah- “back of the neck” & Ruth- “friend”
• Two Israelites are having a tough go of things because there is a famine. They end up moving with their 2 sons to the country of Moab.
• Elimelech dies and the sons find and marry Moabite women. Living up to their namesakes (puny and pining) the sons die and leave Naomi alone with 2 foreign daughters-in-law.
• Naomi tries to tell her 2 widowed daughters-in-law that they should return to their families in Moab because she is going to return to Israel. They have no obligation to follow her back because their husbands are both dead and there are no children involved at all.
• The players are as follows:
• The couple: Elimelech- “my God is king” & Naomi- “pleasant”
• The sons: Mahlon- “puny” & Chilion- “pining”
• The foreign wives: Orpah- “back of the neck” & Ruth- “friend”
• Two Israelites are having a tough go of things because there is a famine. They end up moving with their 2 sons to the country of Moab.
• Elimelech dies and the sons find and marry Moabite women. Living up to their namesakes (puny and pining) the sons die and leave Naomi alone with 2 foreign daughters-in-law.
• Naomi tries to tell her 2 widowed daughters-in-law that they should return to their families in Moab because she is going to return to Israel. They have no obligation to follow her back because their husbands are both dead and there are no children involved at all.
The Famine Continued
• The only obligation that the two daughters would have to Naomi would be if Naomi had a younger son (or sons) who would then be obligated to marry the daughters and carry on the dead brother’s family.
• After a touching family moment Orpah decides that she is going to stay in her home of Moab but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi.
• This is where one of the messages of the book of Ruth is displayed- Ruth had absolutely no obligation to return to Israel with Naomi yet the family of God Almighty is open even to the outsiders who seek him.
• The vow of Ruth invoked Yahweh to punish her if she were not faithful to her promise to Naomi.
• “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (1:16-17 ESV)
• The word “Mara” means bitter.
• The only obligation that the two daughters would have to Naomi would be if Naomi had a younger son (or sons) who would then be obligated to marry the daughters and carry on the dead brother’s family.
• After a touching family moment Orpah decides that she is going to stay in her home of Moab but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi.
• This is where one of the messages of the book of Ruth is displayed- Ruth had absolutely no obligation to return to Israel with Naomi yet the family of God Almighty is open even to the outsiders who seek him.
• The vow of Ruth invoked Yahweh to punish her if she were not faithful to her promise to Naomi.
• “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (1:16-17 ESV)
• The word “Mara” means bitter.
Think About It
Think differences:
• Although the message of Judges was that even in times of trouble Yahweh has his hands on things, but quite often we saw a different picture. How has Ruth been different so far?
• There is a misconception among gentiles that Jews do not allow gentiles to convert to Judaism and worship Yahweh. One of the themes of Ruth was to show this for what it was- a misconception.
• Many of us find ourselves like Peter- although we’ve known Jesus our whole lives we can’t step up to the plate and defend him when people question our loyalty. We actually should be more like Ruth- a foreigner who has no knowledge of God Almighty but willing to commit our lives to him.
• Although the message of Judges was that even in times of trouble Yahweh has his hands on things, but quite often we saw a different picture. How has Ruth been different so far?
• There is a misconception among gentiles that Jews do not allow gentiles to convert to Judaism and worship Yahweh. One of the themes of Ruth was to show this for what it was- a misconception.
• Many of us find ourselves like Peter- although we’ve known Jesus our whole lives we can’t step up to the plate and defend him when people question our loyalty. We actually should be more like Ruth- a foreigner who has no knowledge of God Almighty but willing to commit our lives to him.
Ruth 2
Glean
• Back in Leviticus when Moses is giving the law it talked about harvesting the fields. There was a provision in the law to not harvest the crop to the edge of the field and pick up everything, but that some of the crop would be left in the field for the poor. When the poor gathered the leftover crop that was called gleaning.
• As Ruth is out gleaning she happened to be in the field of a relative of her dead father-in-law. Note that she never met her father-in-law.
• The name of the relative that is well off and owns the field is Boaz, Hebrew for “by strength”.
• Contrast that name with the names of the other 2 boys- Mahlon- “puny” & Chilion- “pining
• Back in Leviticus when Moses is giving the law it talked about harvesting the fields. There was a provision in the law to not harvest the crop to the edge of the field and pick up everything, but that some of the crop would be left in the field for the poor. When the poor gathered the leftover crop that was called gleaning.
• As Ruth is out gleaning she happened to be in the field of a relative of her dead father-in-law. Note that she never met her father-in-law.
• The name of the relative that is well off and owns the field is Boaz, Hebrew for “by strength”.
• Contrast that name with the names of the other 2 boys- Mahlon- “puny” & Chilion- “pining
Glean Continued
• Boaz has heard about the foreigner, Ruth, and how she promised to take care of Naomi and came with her to Israel. Boaz speaks of Ruth’s commitment to leave her familiar homeland and come to a land that she did not know.
• A wonderful picture of God Almighty taking us under his wings is painted here, an image that is used elsewhere in Scripture to show how Yahweh shields us and protects us- even if we are outsiders to him.
• When it is time for Boaz’s servants to eat he invites Ruth in to eat. The meal would have been roasted grain and wine- Boaz did not have to feed Ruth.
• Boaz tells his servants to leave her not just the gleanings, but an actual part of the whole harvest.
• A ephah of barley would have been enough to feed her and her mother-in-law for quite some time. When she gets home, Naomi realizes that she got that much barley through a special favor. Then Ruth gives her the rest of the leftover food that she ate with Boaz.
• Naomi wants to know the scoop about where the food came from and Ruth tells her mother-in-law that the man was named Boaz. Ruth is then informed that Boaz was a relative of Elimelech.
• Ruth is allowed to stay in Boaz’s field throughout the harvest.
• Boaz has heard about the foreigner, Ruth, and how she promised to take care of Naomi and came with her to Israel. Boaz speaks of Ruth’s commitment to leave her familiar homeland and come to a land that she did not know.
• A wonderful picture of God Almighty taking us under his wings is painted here, an image that is used elsewhere in Scripture to show how Yahweh shields us and protects us- even if we are outsiders to him.
• When it is time for Boaz’s servants to eat he invites Ruth in to eat. The meal would have been roasted grain and wine- Boaz did not have to feed Ruth.
• Boaz tells his servants to leave her not just the gleanings, but an actual part of the whole harvest.
• A ephah of barley would have been enough to feed her and her mother-in-law for quite some time. When she gets home, Naomi realizes that she got that much barley through a special favor. Then Ruth gives her the rest of the leftover food that she ate with Boaz.
• Naomi wants to know the scoop about where the food came from and Ruth tells her mother-in-law that the man was named Boaz. Ruth is then informed that Boaz was a relative of Elimelech.
• Ruth is allowed to stay in Boaz’s field throughout the harvest.