Hope in the Harvest Ruth 1

Purpose of Ruth

Relationships

Finding a Man

Loyalty/Devotion

Friendship

Sovereignty and Provision of God

Ruth 1:1–5 (CSB)

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while.

2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there.

3 Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons.

4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years,

5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.

Tragedy Strikes

Judges—Unrest politically, socially, and spiritually

Famine—Natural Occurrence or Judgement of God?

In God’s blessings and curses of Israel in Deut 28, he tells them if they obey the land will be fruitful, however, if they disobey the land will be barren.

Bethlehem— “House of Bread” fertile land

The little while became 10 years

Moabites-shameful and unsafe

History between Israel and Moab is one of hostility.

Came from incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters

Balak and Balaam

Ehud and the Moabites

No formal prohibition against marrying them.

But in Deut they cannot enter the assembly of the Lord

However, danger of them causing to worship idols.

No children-possibly barren, unable to have children.

At least that’s the allusion used.

The death of the sons meant that the family line was going to die out.

Cease to exist.

No one to take care of Naomi

No protection/provision

“The woman” vulnerability

No Husband. No Kids. No source of income. hopelessness.

Naomi and her family left Bethlehem full but they are now empty.

She has been wrung out.

No husband.

No sons.

No hope.

No future.

Ruth 1:6–14 (CSB)

6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food.

7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.

8 Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.

9 May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly.

10 They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands?

12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.”

14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

The Return

The travel would have been hard.

Especially for women alone

Bandits, gangs, other nefarious people.

Especially during the time of the Judges.

sub=Shoov 12 times in this chapter—To Return, turn back

Return, brought back, came back

Usually used by prophets for repentance

“your mother’s home”=A widow should go back and live with her mother not her MIL.

Continuing on with Naomi means that they are cosigning on a life of widowhood.

Naomi loved Ruth and Orpah, and we can see that by the fact that the familial terms daughters/daughters-in-law are used repeatedly.

These weren’t just her sons wives, they were her daughters.

v.8-9 Naomi is speaking a blessing over these ladies.

Deuteronomy–Ruth Comment

Naomi’s blessing introduces two important themes in the book: kindness and rest.

they are currently restless.

Yet demonstrating loving kindness

v.13 Naomi views all the hardship and difficulties as God’s hand against her.

Levirate Marriage suggestion

Deuteronomy 25:5–6 “5 “When brothers live on the same property and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her. 6 The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”

Total despair-Lord’s hand against me

We want/need someone to blame.

We need to make sense of what has happened.

We need to know why

Naomi sees herself as a target of divine punishment and

Ruth Clung to Her

This is the same word used of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24 “24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Firm Loyalty, deep affection

Ruth 1:15–18 (CSB)

15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.”

16 But Ruth replied: Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.

Steadfast Love

Orpah serves to stand in stark contrast to Ruth.

The fact that she went home and Ruth stayed demonstrates Ruth’s selfless decision.

Ruth clings to Naomi even though there was nothing waiting for her in Judah.

Ruth embodies the essence of God’s Law.

v.16 Echoes of God’s faithfulness and promise

Exodus 6:7 “7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians.”

Exodus 34:6 “6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,”

v.17-Swearing by an oath of the Lord makes him as her God.

Ruth had every right to leave Naomi.

Even had her blessing, and yet she chose to stay.

Mirrors God’s own steadfast love.

Every right to leave, abandon, and let Israel figure it out without him, yet he stuck around

Ruth didn’t need Naomi

God doesn’t need us.

Irony of a non-Jewish woman demonstrating the character of God would not be lost on the people reading this

The Moabites worshiped Chemosh not Yahweh

Ruth 1:19–22 (CSB)

19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival and the local women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter.

21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

22 So Naomi came back from the territory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Hope in the Darkness

Our perception of events cannot be taken as the truth of what’s happening.

God’s discipline or just the result of living a broken world?

Naomi “pleasant” Mara “bitter”

Naomi is very vocal about her bitterness.

The return to the Land is a return to the promises of God.

The promises of his provision

This is a return to God and his people.

Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26–30 CSB

26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.