RUTH
The Romance
of Redemption
Ruth1:1-2
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledtherewasa
famineintheland,andamanofBethlehemin
JudahwenttosojourninthecountryofMoab,
heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswife
Naomi,andthenamesofhistwosonswere
Mahlon andChilion.TheywereEphrathites
fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Ruth1:3-5
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,
and she was left with her two sons. 4 These
took Moabite wives; the name of the one was
Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They
lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon
and Chilion died, so that the woman was left
without her two sons and her husband.
Genesis12:1-3
TheLORDhadsaidtoAbram,"Leaveyour
country,yourpeopleandyourfather'shousehold
andgotothelandIwillshowyou."Iwillmake
youintoagreatnationandIwillblessyou;Iwill
makeyournamegreat,andyouwillbeablessing.
Iwillblessthosewhoblessyou,andwhoever
cursesyouIwillcurse;andALLPEOPLESON
EARTHWILLBEBLESSEDTHROUGHYOU."
The Families Of The Earth:
Blessed Through One Family
Abraham’s
family
Theideaofmissions,thatis,God’sdesiretobless
theentireworld,didnotbeginintheNew
TestamentorwithJesus.Missionsbeganinthe
heartofGod.
- SteveHeartsill
Ezekiel5:5
ThussaystheLordGOD:Thisis
Jerusalem.Ihavesetherinthecenter
ofthenations,withcountriesall
aroundher.
Israel: The Strategic Land Bridge
ThisiswherethebookofRuthcomesin.It
focuseslikeamicroscopeonpartofthe
detailedpreparationGodmadeinorderto
fulfillhispurposesinredemptivehistory.
Apparentlythestoryofasmallandinsignificant
family,itisactuallyoneofthebuildingblocksin
God’spreparatoryworkashesovereignly
directedhistorytowardsthecomingofthe
SaviorJesusChrist.
– SinclairFerguson
Ruth1:1-2
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledtherewasa
famineintheland,andamanofBethlehemin
JudahwenttosojourninthecountryofMoab,
heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswife
Naomi,andthenamesofhistwosonswere
Mahlon andChilion.TheywereEphrathites
fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Ruth1:1-2
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledtherewasa
famineintheland,andamanofBethlehemin
JudahwenttosojourninthecountryofMoab,
heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswife
Naomi,andthenamesofhistwosonswere
Mahlon andChilion.TheywereEphrathites
fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Ruth1:1-2
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledtherewasa
famineintheland,andamanofBethlehemin
JudahwenttosojourninthecountryofMoab,
heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswife
Naomi,andthenamesofhistwosonswere
Mahlon andChilion.TheywereEphrathites
fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Ruth1:1-2
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledtherewasa
famineintheland,andamanofBethlehemin
JudahwenttosojourninthecountryofMoab,
heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswife
Naomi,andthenamesofhistwosonswere
Mahlon andChilion.TheywereEphrathites
fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledthere
wasafamineintheland,
“whenthejudgesruled”aspirituallydarktimeinIsrael’shistory
Judges21:25
InthosedaystherewasnokinginIsrael.
Everyonedidwhatwasrightinhisowneyes.
Inthedayswhenthejudgesruledthere
wasafamineintheland,
“afamine”somethinganancientJewwouldhaveunderstoodasasign
ofGod’sdispleasureandjudgment.
Deuteronomy28:15-17
“ButifyouwillnotobeythevoiceoftheLordyourGodor
becarefultodoallhiscommandmentsandhisstatutes
thatIcommandyoutoday,thenallthesecursesshallcome
uponyouandovertakeyou.Cursedshallyoubeinthecity,
andcursedshallyoubeinthefield.Cursedshallbeyour
basketandyourkneadingbowl.
…andamanofBethleheminJudahwenttosojourninthe
countryofMoab,heandhiswifeandhistwosons.2Thenameof
themanwasElimelech andthenameofhiswifeNaomi,andthe
namesofhistwosonswereMahlon andChilion.Theywere
Ephrathites fromBethleheminJudah.Theywentintothecountryof
Moabandremainedthere.
“Bethlehem”-
literally“houseofbread,”lacedwithironyinlightofthefamine
“Moab”-
fullof“bread”butaplaceassociatedwithgreatevil
1.MoabitesoriginatedfromanincestuousrelationshipwithLotandhisdaughter.
2.Moab’sking,Balak,hiredBalaamtocurseIsraelwhentheycameoutofEgypt
3.ManyoftheirwomenhadintroducedIsraelitementoworshippingforeigngods.
4.TheyhadattackedandoppressedIsraelshortlybeforeRuth’stime.
ThenameofthemanwasElimelech and
thenameofhiswifeNaomi,andthe
namesofhistwosonswereMahlonand
Chilion.TheywereEphrathitesfrom
BethleheminJudah.Theywentintothe
countryofMoabandremainedthere.
Elimelech=
“MyGodisKing”
Manybearthelabel“Christian,”yettheir
ChristianityhasnorealimpactonlifedefiningdecisionsjustasElimelechbore
thename“MyGodisking”yetlivedina
waythatmadeitevidentthatGodwasn’t
hiskingatall.
– IanDuguid
TheywentintothecountryofMoaband
remainedthere.3ButElimelech,thehusband
ofNaomi,died,andshewasleftwithhertwo
sons.4ThesetookMoabitewives;thename
oftheonewasOrpahandthenameofthe
otherRuth.Theylivedthereabouttenyears,
5andbothMahlonandChiliondied,sothat
thewomanwasleftwithouthertwosonsand
herhusband.
NaomiandherfamilycametoMoabfora
betterchanceatsurvival,abetterlifethanin
Bethlehem.Butcircumstancesprovedthat
Moabwasmorehostile,moredeadly,than
Israel.WithElimelech,Mahlon,andChilion,
alldead,Naomiandherdaughters-in-laware
leftwithableakfutureandlittlehope.
– BrettAvants