“Moab” in hieroglyphs
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Background: Lament for Moab
The move to Moab by Elimelech and his family must be
interpreted in light of the general Israelite disposition toward the
Moabites. That disposition seems to have been colored by
several factors in their history:
The Moabites' contemptible origins in the incestuous
relationship of Lot and his daughter (Gen 19:30-38).
The Moabites' resistance to Israelite passage through their
territory when they came from Egypt (Numbers 22-24).
The Moabite women's seduction of the Israelites and the latter's
subsequent punishment (Num 25:1-9).
Israel's constitutional exclusion of Moab from the assembly of
the LORD (Deut 23:3-6).
The recent oppression of the Israelites by Eglon the king of
Moab (Judg 3:15-30).
Coming to Moab = Sodom
• As we’ve seen, in the minds of Israel Moab was strongly
associated with Sodom
• Sodom carries multiple connotations of a culture of
inhospitality and moral indifference that degenerates into
social oppression
• Is Elimelech betraying his own moral indifference and
acquiescence to sin by going there?
• What difficulties would Elimelech and his family face as they
come to take up residence in Moab?
 Difficulties of language barriers
 Cultural gaffs
 Bouts with homesickness and depression
 Immigrants aren't always welcome
 The sense that you're never really "one of them." After migrating
from Judah, Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon and Chilion lived as
outsiders among the Moabites.
Ruth 1:1-5
“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. 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. They
went into the country of Moab and remained there.
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
Ruth 1:1-5
“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. 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. They
went into the country of Moab and remained there.
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
In general terms, how much time do you think Elimelech
may have planned to spend in Moab?
Living in Moab: A Short Stay?
• To “sojourn” (gur) means to stay somewhere
temporarily
• First uses in Scripture of the word “sojourn”
– Genesis 12:10 – Abraham's disobedient “sojourn” in
Egypt during famine
– Genesis 19:9 – Lot’s stay as an alien in Sodom
– Genesis 47:4 – Israel's sanctioned stay in Egypt but only
after reluctant Jacob received divine permission to leave
the Promised Land
 To “sojourn” in Moab was not an act of faith but a
practical questioning of God's goodness.
How did the short stay become a long-term lease?
Ruth 1:3-5
1:1-5
“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. 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. They
went into the country of Moab and remained there.
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
What
happened
Elimelech
in
Moab?
Why?
How
is Naomi’s
the
one
was
Orpah
andto
thesituation
name of thedescribed?
other
Ruth. They
lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
“left”
often
used for
a “remnant”
who
survive
that- The
the term
woman
wasis left
without
her
two sons and
her
the judgment of God; even in Naomi’s widowhood she was
husband.
left as a remnant revealing the grace of God
Ruth 1:3-5
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
Although tragic is the loss of her husband,
What
kinds
of
discussions
can
you
imagine
Naomi
Naomi’s
aloneness
is mitigated
by the face
fact in
What
cultural
problems
would
Naomi
having
withtwo
Mahlon
and Chilion
during
this critical
that her
sons
were
alive
…
they
were
the
getting her
sons
married
in
Moab?
their
lives? glory
family’s futuretime
and in
their
mother’s
What decision did Naomi have to make?
Finding a Moabite Wife
• In ancient culture, fathers typically negotiated arranged
marriages, usually with an eye toward forging
advantageous relationships with other families
• Naomi’s drawbacks:
drawbacks
– What
Immigrant
Israelitewould
statusNaomi and her sons
have
to a Moabite father?
– Absence of
a father
– No land, wealth, or other assets that might attract a
Moabite family's interest
• Fathers in Moab's high society would not be inclined to
marry off their daughters to the likes of Mahlon and
Chilion
• The brides Naomi's sons took for themselves were
probably not the cream of the crop of young Moabite
women
Ruth 1:3-5
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
How is this marriage to Moabites to be evaluated?
“These took (nasa’) Moabite wives (‘issa)”
• nasa’ issa is a phrase loaded with negative connotations
• In Judges 21:23 it speaks of marriage by abduction:
with the consent of the rest of the Israelites, the
Benjamites forcibly seized the dancers at Shiloh and
took them as wives
• Since most marriages by abduction would be outside
the clan, this idiom came to be used mainly of
illegitimate marriages, especially with non-Israelites,
whether by kings (2 Chron 11:21; 13:21; 24:3) or laymen
(Ezra 9:2, 12; 10:44; Neh 13:25)
 The present usage here in Ruth 1:4 fits the latter class
“Left Hand” of Fellowship with Moabites (Deut 23:3-6)
“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the
assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth
generation, none of them may enter the assembly
of the LORD forever, because they did not meet
you with bread and with water on the way, when
you came out of Egypt, and because they hired
against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of
Mesopotamia, to curse you. But the LORD your
God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD
your God turned the curse into a blessing for you,
because the LORD your God loved you. You shall
not seek their peace or their prosperity all your
days forever.”
Wouldn’t be a church wedding!
Marriage Prohibition
Deut 7:1-4 “When the LORD your God brings you into the
land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears
away many nations before you,… and when the LORD your
God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you
must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make
no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You
shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to
their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they
would turn away your sons from following me, to serve
other gods.”
2 Cor 6:14-15 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or
what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has
Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share
with an unbeliever?”
Why is it dangerous to marry a non-believer?
Ruth 1:3-5
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
What did not happen during
How long were Mahlon and Chilion married?
the first ten years of marriage?
What is the significance of ten years of barrenness?
Ruth 1:3-5
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was
left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of
the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived
there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so
that the woman was left without her two sons and her
husband.
What does happen after 10 years
of double infertility in Moab?
What crisis now faces Naomi?
Naomi’s Emptiness
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•
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•
She lost her home … living as stranger in a foreign land
She lost her wealth during the famine in Israel
She lost her husband … lacks provision/protection
She lost her children … family faces annihilation
She is widow without options:
– Can’t return to the house of her father; her parents
are most likely already dead
– No real possibility of remarriage, even a levirate
marriage since she is beyond child-bearing years
– Can’t support herself through some kind of craft or
trade since she probably has none
Ruth 1:6
1:1-6
“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. 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. They
went into the country of Moab and remained there.
But had
Elimelech,
the
of
died,
and she
Describe
ahappened
time
or husband
situation
inNaomi,
your
life
when
youwas
Why
couldn’t
Naomi
blame
her
What
back
home
in
Bethlehem
didtwo
it
take
forThese
Naomi
toMoabite
come
to
her senses?
What
hope
does
this
offer
us?
leftWhat
withCould
her
sons.
took
wives;
the name of
Naomi
have
remained
in
Moab?
were
the
only
believer.
husband
for
all
her
whileand
she
was
gone?
the one was Orpah
the
name
oftroubles?
theWhy?
other Ruth. They lived
Was
difficult?
Were
you
able
to stay
the so
Lord?
thereitabout
ten years,
and
both
Mahlon
andstrong
Chilionindied,
that the woman was
leftor
without
her twoyou?
sons and her
What
who helped
husband.
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 Road Home
How are we like Elimelech and Naomi?
• Like them, we often find the grass seems greener in the
fields on the Moabite side of the fence
– The food the unpromised land offers seems very
real, very tangible, and easily available … in contrast
to the promises of God that constantly test our faith
and our trust
• Often we exhibit a lack of trust in God's goodness
– Perhaps we complain about the job God has given
us, or the spouse that we married, the family (or
lack of family) that God in his providence has
allotted to us
– Perhaps we have to confess that we have even
turned our back on the Lord's way and have
journeyed to the fields of Moab that seemed to
offer better bread
The Road Home
What is our hope?
• God's grace … no matter what we have done and how
long we have done it, there are forgiveness and hope
for us
– Indeed, the very fact that we have come, whether willingly
or unwillingly, to see the emptiness of the fields of Moab is
itself a hopeful sign of the Lord's work in our hearts
• God's faithfulness to his people … He is committed to
save for himself a people of his own
– He reaches down to rebellious sinners and transforms
them from the inside out
– This is usually a slow work, as it was in Naomi's case, but
God is not in a hurry; it also often involves painful paths, as
God strips away the things in which we have placed our
trust instead of Him
– All along the hard road to heaven, though, the love of God
draws us and drives us to himself and will not let us go
How this Points Us to Christ
• Elimelech left the place of famine to seek a
false blessing in Moab … Jesus Christ left the
glories of heaven to bring us a true blessing on
earth
• Elimelech and Naomi sent themselves into exile
from the land of promise, trying to build their
own kingdom rather than waiting for God to do
it … Jesus went into exile from his Father's
presence so that he might rescue us from our
own kingdom-building and grant us a true and
living future in his kingdom
• The God who empties us and strips away those
precious things in which we trust … knows what
it is to be stripped of all of his possessions, left
alone and abandoned by his friends, and hung
empty on a cross
• Every tear of loss that God inflicts on us is a tear
whose cost he himself understands
Choosing A Different Path
“… Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
-- Robert Frost (1916)
Ruth 1:7-10
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. 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 that 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. And they said to her, “No, we will
return with you to your people.”
IEven
canNIV
understand
why
Naomi
decided
to
tofor
her
homeland
The
How
do
though
you
saysthink
I’ve
that
read
when
Ruth
this
and
Naomi
story
Orpah
heard
many
feltreturn
that
times,
about
God
leaving
had
some
come
Moab
reason
towhen
and
help
I
she
famineurged
had
passed,
butdaughters-in-law
why
do to
youstay
think
and
her found
moving
always
people
thought
toout
Bethlehem?
inthe
Bethlehem,
Naomi
she
Ruth
and her
and
Orpah
in Ruth
Moab
“prepared”
Orpah
decided
go
with
her? trip. Where
to return
before
they
home.
settoout
What
on their
preparations
do you
didthink
Naomi’s
theydiscussion
made?
What
emotions
do family
you think
they
or
internally?
Remember,
Naomi’s
moved
to expressed
atake
foreign
country
of need, but
with her
daughters-in-law
actually
place
(v.felt
7)?out
what might Ruth’s and Orpah’s reasons have been?
Ruth 1:7-10
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. 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 that 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. And they said to her, “No, we will
return with you to your people.”
Why
do
Naomi
told the
girls to
back
Naomi
urge
her daughters-in-law
remain
in Moab?
Whatdid
doyou
youthink
think
transpired
between
vvgo
7toand
8,home?
where
the three
How
didwere
they starting
respond?
women
on the journey to Bethlehem together and
Should
Naomi
encouraged
her
daughters-in-law
toshe
return
Put
in have
Naomi’s
shoes and
try
to imagine
was
thenyourself
Naomi
seemingly
changes
her
mind
and tellswhat
them
to
go back
with
hermother’s
so they
could
bedescribe
with believers?
feeling.
How
would
you
her desire to see Ruth and Orpah
to their
home?
return home?
Ruth 1:8
“But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go,
return each of you to her mother's house. May the
LORD deal kindly (hesed) with you, as you have
dealt (hesed) with the dead and with me.’”
Remembering our discussion about the concept of hesed, answer
the following question about hesed as it is used in Ruth 1:8.
Does
What
Naomi’s
do Orpah’s
prayer
andRuth
for
Ruth’s
the
LORD
acts oftohesed
grant
tell
hesed
ustoabout
to
Orpah
theirand
faith?
How had
Orpah
and
demonstrated
hesed
Naomi?
Ruth mean that God’s blessings are rewards for good works?
Explain your answer.