Tag: Judah

Ruth Day 3: 1:6-9

Verse Six: “ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited His people and given them food.”

The reason that Naomi and her family had left Bethlehem in the first place was because of the famine. After ten years, Naomi learns that God has provided food.

Verse Seven: “So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.”

This verse reiterates the previous verse and points to the location of her return. Verse one mentioned how they were from Bethlehem in Judah. Naomi is returning home to her people and seems to be bringing her daughters-in-law with her.

Verses Eight-Nine: “But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”

Naomi seems to realize that it is better for her daughters-in-law to return to their families. From the context, they are young enough to remarry and go on with their lives in the land of Moab. They need not remain widows. In that way, they would be taken care of into their old age.

They care for each other, as Naomi tries to persuade them to remain for their benefit and the young women weep at her suggestion. Naomi also mentions how they have been kind to her.

We see that God has removed the famine from the land of Judah at that particular time just as He had allowed it to come at a previous time. His plan, as will be seen as we read through more of the book, brings a Gentile woman, not originally part of the Israelite people, into the genealogy of Jesus. By doing this, God also shows His plan for all people to be saved. Jesus didn’t come just to save the Israelites, but to save all peoples who repent and believe.

Ruth Day Two: 1:1-5

Verse One: “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.”

History:

The time of the judges is accounted for in the book prior to Ruth, appropriately named Judges. During the book of Judges, the people of Israel would follow God for a period of time, usually when a judge was alive, and then as soon as that judge died, they would go back to doing what was evil in God’s eyes. This cycle repeats throughout the book of Judges and is the background for the events in the book of Ruth.

Now Moab was a group of people whom God had warned the Israelites not to mingle with. They worshiped idols and false gods and God knew that they would turn the Israelites against Him. Not only were they not supposed to mingle with the Moabites, but they weren’t supposed to marry them either.

Interesting fact: Bethlehem would be the hometown of king David later in the Old Testament and would also be the birthplace of Jesus in the New Testament.

Verse Two: “The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah.”

The geographical location is important because the future king is supposed to come from the tribe of Judah. Remember this when we go over chapter four. Judah is one of the twelve tribes of Israel and the land of Israel was broken up between the twelve tribes. Bethlehem is a city in Judah.

According the the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Ephrathites were people who were from Ephrath, which was often associated with Bethlehem. It is possible that it is a family name of importance in Bethlehem (502).

Verse Three: “But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.”

Elimelech’s name means, “my God is king.” His death means Naomi needs to rely on her sons to care for her. Her sons need to marry in order to bear children, hence the next verse.

Verse Four: These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years.”

As stated earlier, the Israelites were not supposed to marry the Moabites. Some didn’t care quite as much since everyone did what was right in their own eyes during this time period, but there was still a stigma about it which will appear later on.

What is also interesting is that neither Orpah nor Ruth had any children during this time. We are not told when exactly they were married during the ten year time span, but it is an interesting note. It shows how God was preparing for what comes in the later chapters.

Verse Five: “and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

Naomi was left without the means to be cared for. This does not mean that she couldn’t take care of herself, but in this society, the men worked and provided for the women. When the parents would get too old, the children would care for them. From Naomi’s point of view, her future is very bleak.

Interestingly, Mahlon and Chilion both mean “sickly.”

From what we know of the book of Ruth, we can see that God works to achieve His glory. In the moment, however, it can seem hopeless. That is how Naomi probably felt at the end of this section and it is shown at the end of the chapter when she changes her name.

Ruth has just entered the story. Naomi has lost almost everything. This is only the beginning of God’s wonderful plan. When life seems hopeless or like trials will never end, we can remember that God isn’t finished yet. The trials grow us and strengthen us. They bring us closer to Him. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” – Psalm 30:5.

Ruth Day One: Overview of Chapter One

Chapter one of Ruth covers Naomi and her family leaving Judah for Moab during a famine, the death of the men, and the return of Naomi joined by Ruth.

Here is a more detailed outline of chapter one:

  • Famine in the land (vs. 1)
  • Moved to Moab (vs. 1-2)
  • Elimelech dies (vs. 3)
  • Two sons take Moabite wives (vs. 4)
  • Sons died (vs. 5)
  • Famine over (vs. 6)
  • Begin the return to Judah (vs. 6-7)
  • Naomi tells her daughter-in-laws to return to their families (vs. 8-9)
  • Daughter-in-laws refuse (vs. 10)
  • Naomi implores them (vs. 11-13)
  • Orpah leaves, Ruth stays (vs. 14)
  • Naomi implores Ruth (vs. 15)
  • Ruth’s response (vs. 16-17)
  • Naomi relents (vs. 18)
  • Travel to Bethlehem (vs. 19)
  • Naomi changes her name (vs. 20-21)
  • Summary of their travel (vs. 22)

A lot happens in the first chapter of the book. It covers a span of about ten years, according to verse four.

During the time of Ruth, men took care of the women. When Naomi’s husband and sons died, and she had no grandchildren, she then had no one to care for her. Ruth and Orpah were young enough to be remarried so Naomi saw that it was better for them and their future if they did so.

Ruth’s response to remain with Naomi shows a strong care for her. She was willing to give up her own personal security in order to care for Naomi. She also showed that she was willing to follow the God of Israel rather than the idols of Moab.

Read chapter one and see what you glean from it. Here are some questions to think about:

  • What do we learn about Naomi?
  • What do we learn about Ruth?
  • What do you think about Naomi’s words in verse 21?
  • Do you have any questions from chapter one?

Ruth Study Overview

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges (1:1). We are not told which judge, but it can be speculated based on the genealogy at the end of the book. Some Biblical scholars date it as late as 1370BC or as early as 971BC.

The author is unknown, although some speculate it to be the prophet Samuel due to the genealogy at the end beginning with the son of Judah, Perez, and leading to king David.

The Basic Outline of Ruth is this:

I. Intro: Death of Elimelech and sons (1:1-5)
II. Return to Bethlehem (1:6-22)
III. Ruth and Boaz meet (2:1-23)
IV. The Threshing Floor (3:1-18)
V. Boaz Redeems Ruth (4:1-17)
VI. Genealogy of David (4:18-22)

For simplicity’s sake, I’ve decided to follow the typical one week per chapter outline for this study. The chapters are broken up so well in this book that it works well.

The format for the study will be:

Sundays: Overview of chapter, things to look for, and things to think about.
Mondays – Fridays: Study of the chapter broken up over the five days.
Saturdays: Themes in the chapter, what we’ve learned about the characters, what we’ve learned about God, what we’ve learned about Christ, and how we can apply what we’ve learned.

I look forward to studying with you and pray that God can use this study in some way to encourage you!