why did elimelech and his family go to moab

And that this may be the more effectually observed, it is the duty of all believers, according to the Word of God, to separate themselves from all those who do not belong to the church, and to join themselves to this congregation wheresoever God hath established it, even though the magistrates and edicts of princes be against it, yea, though they should suffer death or any other corporal punishment. 16But Ruth replied, Dont ask me to leave you and turn back. Thus he trusts in this Ruth and Naomi are very different people. When Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she finds most of the residents of the city still living there, and judging by what we are told about Boaz, they appear to have done fairly well. Judah (through whom the messianic line would be traced) kept his third son from a Levirate marriage with the first sons widow, and then had sex with a woman he thought was a cult prostitute.31 God not only preserved the messianic line, He was faithful to fulfill His (Abrahamic) covenant32 with Abraham. 9May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage. Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. Indeed, Ruth begins with a stark opening sentence that is intended to alarm the reader. We dont have a very good reputation in the Bible.. People who want to stay in Moab. Note Judges 21:25. | He left his wife | His sons murdered him | He died | He was killed by the King of Moab |. 1: Why did Elimelech go to live in Moab with his family? Though a widow, Naomistill had her two sons to provide for and protect her. This seems to be designed to provoke some questions in the mind of the reader. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. Chilion, the only remaining son, also expired (5).Of the four who had left Bethlehem, only Naomi remained. Not only is Naomi unable to provide these women with husbands (and thus with children), God is also dealing harshly with her. In the dark shadows of the days of the judges, we find two individuals whose lives are truly lights in the darkness. Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely Christian in a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the Design by Social Village. But in Old Testament redemptive narrative, famines often come to the land as God curses his people or tests them regarding their faithfulness. While they were there, Naomis husband died, and her two sons married women from Moab, one of whom was named Ruth. Ruth, a Moabitess, became Naomi's daughter-in-law. The inference is clear: to remain with Naomi has no promise of blessing and every reason to expect that they will share in her divinely-imposed affliction. May the Lord show you the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands and to me! Today, people move all the time for jobs, family, location, schools, etc. 15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, 16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus (Romans 2:12-16, emphasis mine). He and his sons die in Moab leaving his wife and eventually his daughter in law, Ruth, to return to Bethlehem. Boaz informed her that there was another relative who, according to custom, had prerogative to redeem Elimelech's field and marry her. Start your free trial today! moved to Bethlehem with her mother in law, Naomi, she met and He took his family away from the covenant and proved to be an unfaithful husband. Leaving His land, His people, His office-bearers, His worship and His day is leaving God. The women of the village said, Can this be Naomi? 20 But she replied to them, Dont call me Naomi! New Living Translation (NLT). 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? It may be. addy79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c = addy79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; Ruth 1:1. Scarcity of food compelled him to emigrate with his family to Moab, where he died, and where one of his sons married Ruth (ib. The two were penniless, and supported themselves by gleaning grain (Leviticus 23:22) in other people's fields. 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. Reformed Witness Hour Messages for May 2020, Corporate Responsibility and Ezekiel 18 . Thus, there was something covenantal about this famine. 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. I might have taken her as my wife. Chilion was the son of Elimelech and Naomi and the late husband And they will do this because they believe they are doing their friend a favor. How will this family survive without a faithful husband? What begins as a tragedy of death and sorrow ends in the birth of new life and the resurrection of hope for the family of David. This man, who is yet unnamed, left the land of promise. Im thankful that it encouraged you, Bill. The security in the home of a new husband referred to earlier is now spelled out in plainer terms. Elimelech had a wife named Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. May you grow in giant leaps in Jesus Name. We need to bear in mind that what is at stake here is the Messianic line, the line which will ultimately bring forth Messiah. has Naomi sold. Then we find that such ways become comfortable, and so we stand or linger in them. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. People of faith in God often stand out in times of crisis, so let us live by the principles of Scripture, rather than by pragmatism. Many, including me, are troubled by the times in which we live, but this is no excuse for ungodly behavior. Ruth 1:1b. In Leviticus 26 we read. 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. Many are the times when friends counsel others to act in their own best interests, and all too seldom do they point their friends to the difficult principles and commands of Scripture. He turned his back on them and He dried up the land. Other than weeping, Orpah remains silent;20 Ruths words and actions are what the author has chosen to report. For 2,000 years, millions of elect, believing Jews and Gentiles from around the world have become one body in Jesus Christ.Third, this book records remarkable instances of Gods providence. His occupation is not known; the Bible never says. These three widows, Naomi, Ruth and Orpah, were in a difficult and sad situation. document.getElementById('cloak4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140').innerHTML = ''; Disagreement with his town leaders Famine in his home town Distant relatives invited him Earthquake in his home town Sara Rachel Mara Elizabeth 2: What were the names of Elimelech's two sons? The something that occurred is immediately coupled together with the problem of a famine. Ruth was born in Moab about B.C. How could any faithful Israelite encourage someone to return to their (false) god(s)? His counsel (even though it effectively called God a liar) was given as though it were in her best interest. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her And so this older daughter persuaded her younger sister that both of them needed to get their father drunk, and then each should lie with him, so that they might produce offspring for their father. helen phillips obituary; demarini nautalai 2022; can vanishing twin be misdiagnosed at 7 weeks; coates 11kw pool heater. 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). Be honest with yourself and recognizethat staying there is not good for you. 1 Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! var addy_text79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c = 'Stated Clerk';document.getElementById('cloak79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c').innerHTML += ''+addy_text79beab5da96ef5c7e556d8524343f19c+'<\/a>'; 2014 Protestant Reformed Churches in America. Who will be the judge that does not fall like Samson fell? Following the death of her husband, Elimelech, and her two sons, Naomi decided to leave Moab, where her family had fled to escape famine. Word had reached Naomi in Moab that God had visited His people by ending the famine and providing abundant crops back in Israel. Rather, the portion of land, which belonged to our brother Elimelech. WebYet, you guessed it; Moab is the very place that Elimelech chose as his destination for bread. When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. We are not told how long Elimelech may have waited before he made his fateful decision. document.getElementById('cloaka1ecccfd0b401858a2877dcb45f7be68').innerHTML = ''; She went on to become so righteous that God made her the ancestress of King David. Moabwas fun, it was easy, and it was making me feel good. 12 May the LORD reward your efforts! Leaving the people of God is leaving the God of His people. Sin has a way of making progress in our lives even if we start in rather small ways. Their ultimate blessing would have been to leave their land, their people, their false religion, and to identify with the Israelites and with their God. from Bethlehem of Judah. The first chapter of Ruth is very important because our appraisal of Ruth, Naomi, and (soon) Boaz in the first chapters of Ruth will greatly shape our understanding of the rest of the book. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Responding to the famine, Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two sons moved to Moaba move of desperation given the long enmity between Israel and Moabwhere they thought the prospects for productive work were greater. If you desire to join a community where you can meet others for hope and encouragement on your faith journey, I would love to have you as a fellow traveler. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. In Esther, the people of God were supposed to return to the Promised Land, but they chose instead to dwell in the apparent peace and safety of Persia. Yet, you guessed it; Moab is the very place that Elimelech chose as his destination for bread. (3) One gets the impression that those who remained in Bethlehem fared reasonably well during the famine; certainly better than Naomi and her family did. Instead, call me Mara,[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. She has no husband to father sons, and she is too old to bear children anyway. Naomi saw singleness (widowhood for her) and childlessness as a curse, while Paul taught that singleness could facilitate ministry to others and to God (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 = addy4e942a4423f495800f38cd74f5bbd140 + 'prca' + '.' + 'org'; Warren Wiersbe, one of my favorite Bible teachers, puts it like this: Emilelech walked by sight not by faith and took his whole family right down with him. Abraham put the seed at risk when he represented his wife Sarah as his sister, and she ended up (temporarily) in Pharaohs29 (and later Abimelechs)30 harem. It is not Naomis belief in the sovereignty of God that troubles me as much as how she applies it. We know about people emigrating, often because of economic reasons, like famine or unemployment, and out of a desire for a more prosperous life in another land. Ruth opens with some dramatic flair, which heightens the irony. NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible, Softcover, My First Hands-on Bible--soft leather-look, bold blue, NLT Thinline Reference Bible, Filament Enabled Edition--soft leather-look, rustic brown, NLT Spiritual Growth Bible--soft leather-look, cream floral, NLT Large-Print Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition--genuine leather, brown (indexed). 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 a mighty, magnificent, merciful, awesome God we serve! WebWhy did Elimelech and his family go to Moab? But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 14 Again they wept loudly. We will return with you to your people., 11 But Naomi replied, Go back home, my daughters! Each of you should return to your mothers home! If Naomi had other sons, she could give them to these women in Levirate marriage, but she has no other sons. These choices are also related to the covenant and to the unfolding theme of our story. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. There was a shortage of bread in Bethlehem, which towns name means house of bread. So what did Elimelech and his family do? It must have been on Naomis watch that these two sons married their Moabite wives Orpah and Ruth. 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.

Sahith Theegala Family, Articles W