After ruth brought home gleanings to naomi, we read in ruth 2. How old was ruth from the bibles book of ruth when she. And naomi said to ruth her daughter in law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field. As the book begins, naomi does not see the value in womens relationships. Ruth and naomis friendship starts off with griefstricken naomi deciding to move back to her hometown of bethlehem after the loss of her husband and two sons. Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you. So that naomi, deprived of her husband and her two sons, having lost. So she told her motherin law with whom she had worked and said, the name of the man with whom i worked today is boaz. The story of ruth and her motherinlaw naomi teaches us the importance of. Lessons in life and faith from the book of ruth in the bible. Their son obed was the ancestor of david and christ. Ruth the hero goes on a quest, is tested, and is ultimately rewarded for her love and devotion. The story of ruth, who was loyal to her husband mahlons mother, naomi, is a beloved bible story.
The women represent groups of believers after christ who make choices that mold the church for ages. Ruth was from the land of moab, as naomi had gone there as there was a famine, ruth was naomis daughter in law, she returned to naomis hometown, and is david great grand mother, asked in the. The book of ruth only has only four chapters and a total of 85 verses. The book of ruth is the story of naomi and ruth returning to bethlehem and how ruth married a man named boaz and bore a son, obed, who became the grandfather of david and the ancestor of jesus christ. As i was thinking about motherin law and daughter in law relationships that had gone right, i remembered a bible story featuring this very topic. The story of ruth beautifully illustrates the conversion of a nonjew into the fold of israel. The model motherinlaw sermon by charles clary, ruth 1. It must have been heartbreaking for her to start the return journey without those she had come with. Naomi, beloved motherinlaw of ruth, changed bible history.
Ruth and naomi s relationship and friendship was very special. Having moved to moab and lost everything there, including her husband and two sons, naomi decided it was time to return home to judah. If you read the little book of ruth to the end, you know that ruth and boaz became the greatgrandparents of. The story is told in the book of ruth, part of the biblical canon called ketuvim, or writings. Its main character is a moabite woman named ruth, the daughter in law of a jewish widow named naomi. For to her who has well taught and well instructed her daughterinlaw a ruth will never. Many scholars agree that it is in the book of ruth that the phrase first appears with the. It isnt until the end, when naomi has a sweet little grandson. On the road back to the land of judah, 8naomi said to her daughtersinlaw, go. When naomi hears about boaz and what a standup guy he is, she hatches a plan for ruth to snag him as a husband. There may be a tiny touch of irony in the next sentence when the narrator tells us, naomi returned together with ruth the moabite, her daughterinlaw, who came back with her from the country of moab 1. Ruth was the moabite daughterinlaw of a jewess named naomi.
Ruth, in a supreme act of devotion, follows naomi home from moab and there meets boaz, naomi s close relative. After the death of their husbands, naomi and ruth went to. Sexual harassment in the book of ruth bible odyssey. She has no reason to stay in moab, so she tells her daughterinlaws to return to their people the moabites to. Their son obed was the ancestor of david and jesus. It appears to be in the bible primarily because ruth, a gentile. Ruth the moabite daughter in law of naomi and elimelech, who were israelites.
They were living in moab when both of their husbands died. The lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. The book of ruth is one of the bibles shortest books, telling its story in just four chapters. The book of ruth is a beautiful piece of sacred literature, applauded by many for its literary excellence. Naomi, as a motherin law, to have earned the love and respect of both her daughtersin law and in particular ruth, a moabite, of another culture, and one that did not believe in god must have been the ultimate example of a family position. And naomi said unto her, the man is near of kin unto us. Mahlons father died leaving behind mahlons mother, naomi and brother chilion who married orpah. Ruth as a fairy tale the book of ruth can be read as a fairy tale. Chapter 1 describes the life of elimelech and his family in moab. All the persons in the account actually lived and the events happened long ago just as they are recorded1. The book of ruth explains that she was naomi s daughter in law. And naomi said unto her two daughters in law, go, return each to her mothers house the lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. But she did have her two young daughtersinlaw, orpah and ruth.
The story of ruth as you may never have thought of it before. In a previous post, i wrote about naomi and ruth, from the perspective of a daughter in law, but today, we are going to get to know her on a deeper level. Near destitute, naomi returns to bethlehem with one daughter inlaw, ruth, whom she could not dissuade from accompanying her. Naomi and ruth, her daughterinlaw, afford a relief after characters like tamar. He tells her to work with female servants, warns the young men not to bother her, and at mealtime invites her to share his food. The book of ruth, which is one of the most lovely idylls in literature, and has. For those lesbians who know their bible, the use of the passage of ruth 1. She instructs ruth to uncover boazs feet after he has gone to sleep and lie down. Orpah does so, but ruth refuses to leave naomi, declaring ruth 1. The book of ruth illustrates the difficulty of trying to use laws given in books such as deuteronomy as evidence of actual practice. It swelled with love for naomi and for the god whom naomi served. So i went back and took a look at the book of ruth, one of the shortest books in both christian and jewish scripture.
In the synagogue we read the book of ruth that recounts the heartwarming story of ruth the moabite, who leaves everything behind to follow her motherin law naomi to the holy land, ultimately fully embracing judaism and becoming greatgrandmother to king david. The relevance of the book of ruth to shavuot is clear enough. Naomi was a good motherin law who loved ruth like a daughter. Naomi was very bitter about having lost her husband and both sons and had decided to return to judah. Ruth was not naomi s daughter, but her daughter in law, so it would make no sense for naomi to raise ruth. Near destitute, naomi returns to bethlehem with one daughterinlaw, ruth, whom she could not dissuade from accompanying her. When naomi returned to her own country from moab with her daughter in law ruth, her old town was a buzz. Orpah stays in moab, but ruth chooses to move to the land of israel with naomi. They never expected to see her again and she probably never expected to see them again either. It happens that boaz is a kinsman of naomis late husband. There would be nothing for ruth in judah, naomi told her.
Note the patient stance of the donkey loaded to the gills for a long journey. Most paintings of this scene focus on ruth, but this shows naomi as the active agent, pushing her daughterinlaw back towards her own people. The two would have met, presumably, when ruth was already an adult. So naomi returned, and ruth the moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of moab. It isnt until the end, when naomi has a sweet little grandson in her arms that she starts to feel less empty. Ruth is a beautiful lesson from history about the loyalty and love of a daughter in law for her motherin law. Her daughter in law ruth was committed to going with naomi and, despite naomi s urging. After the death of her husband, ruth married naomi s kinsman boaz. So a man from bethlehem in judah, together with his wife and two sons. Naomi had two daughters in law ruth had what answers. Its important to know that their time was a time of national rebellion against god, when the people of israel turned their backs on him and lived for their own pleasures. The story of naomi and ruth is one of my favorite stories in the bible. Naomi plans to provide security for herself and ruth by arranging a levirate marriage with boaz. Naomi and ruth begin their bonding in the fires of affliction.
Naomi and her daughtersin law heard there was food again in bethlehem, and naomi decided to go back home. One day ruths motherinlaw naomi said to her, my daughter, i must find a. Ruth is working in the field of boaz, when a servant identifies her to him as naomis daughterinlaw. The story of ruth took place in the days when the judges ruled ruth 1. The book of ruth is an important historical work in hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible, as it traces the lineage of king david and ultimately that of the messiah, jesus christ.
Her husbands family had emigrated to moab because of famine. Naomi is ruths motherinlaw in the hebrew bible in the book of ruth. The story of naomi and her daughter in law ruth can be found in the old testament between the books of judges and 1 samuel. She told her two daughtersinlaw, orpah and ruth, of her decision and. Naomi, hearing that theres bread in bethlehem, gets on the road to leave the land of moab.
Who was the two daughtersinlaw of naomi were ruth and. She tells her daughter in law to visit boaz at night in secret and lie at his feet its sexy, trust us. The death of all the men left naomi ruth s motherinlaw, ruth, and orpah ruth s sisterinlaw. The moabite daughter in law of naomi and elimelech, who were jews. Later, when she and ruth arrived in bethlehem, naomi said to the women of bethlehem, call me not naomi, call me mara. The death of all the men left naomi ruth s motherinlaw, ruth, and orpah ruth s sisterinlaw widowed, helpless and without support. The widowed, moabite daughter in law of naomi, ruth saves herself and naomi from starving and provides longterm security for them by marrying boaz and producing a male heir. Naomi planned to return to israel and encouraged ruth to stay in moab and return to her mothers family. The speaker is ruth and the object of her affection is her motherin law, naomi. Against this background, the book of ruth stands out as a celebration of female friendship. Here are four relationship lessons i gleaned from my most recent rereading of the book of ruth. Ruth was a moabite woman, whose sense of piety and devotion to her motherin law naomi led to her marriage to the prominent boaz of bethlehem in judah. Its an intimate family tale of misfortune, crafty use of kinship ties, and ultimately, loyalty.
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