- Aug 26, 2007
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Ruth and Esther are the only two books in the Bible named after women. Both are Cinderella-like stories. Ruth is a Moabite ho chooses to marry a Hebrew man and accept his one invisible God. Most pagan idol worshipping women lead their husbands astray with idol worship and the evils of pagan revelry. Not so with Ruth! she chooses to accept the God of Israel, the Lord Yahweh the most high God. Her husband's brother also married a Moabite woman. I am not sure how serious Orpah feels about the Israelite God. Then there is Naomi, their mother-in-law, whose husband died, and later on Naomi's sons die, leaving their wives as widows. Ruth and Orpah go with Naomi on a journey back to Israel. Naomi pleads with them to go back to their own country and their own families, they could marry again in Moab, surely their families would find other husbands for them. Orpah goes back to her family, but Ruth counties to go on the caravan to Israel. She says to Naomi,
"Do not plead with me or intreat me to leave you. I will go with you wherever you go, your God will be my God and your house my house, your people will be my people and together we will be as one."
Ok, I do not remember the verse exactly, but I remember the gist of it. I just remember the basics.
When Naomi and Ruth arrive in Israel they are greeted by old friends. Naomi finds her old house, empty, dusty and dirty, but with some work she can clean it up with Ruth's help and it will be livable. There is a built-in table and built in shelves. SOme friends donate chairs, stool, kitchen wear like pots and pans, and blankets. A dear old friend comes to visit brining bread, and they eat together.
The friend keeps saying Naomi's name, "Naomi, Naomi, Naomi..." and so the old widow tells her to stop calling her by her name, Naomi, because it means "sweet, pleasant."
Naomi says she does not feel sweet and pleasant. She tells her friends to call her "Mara", which means bitter, because "the Lord has dealt bitterly with me." Naomi's friends try to comfort her, but she has little hope.
The next day Ruth works in the fields of wheat as a gleaner. Her mother in law Naomi explained the custom to her. So Ruth is eager to work to feed herself and her mother-in-law. She follows behind the other gleaners and workers, working hard but not taking anything that is not acceptable for a gleaner.
God created the custom of gleaning so the poor could have food to eat, and also they would earn it too. With gleaning, the farmers leave behind some of the stalks of wheat for the poor to pick up. With olive trees, all fruit trees and fields of vegetables, the farmers/gardeners would leave behind some of their crops for the poor to gather up and eat. This is a form of charity God ordered in the law He gave to Moses.
Ruth works hard and does not stop to take a break. The rich man who owns the field, Boaz, notices her for her hard work and beauty. He asks his foreman about her. The foreman said that she was the daughter-in-law to Naomi, they were both widows and Ruth was doing her duty to provide food for her mother in law and herself. He also told Boaz that she was from Moab, and Israelites in that day did not like moabs.
Boaz showed great kindness to Ruth. He ordered his hired hands to respect her and not harass her. Whenever she was tired and needed a break she could go rest in the tent shelter with his other servant girls and drink from the cold well they refreshed themselves from. In addition, Boaz gave her extra wheat adn invited her to sit in the shade and eat the noon meal (lunch) with him and his male and female servants. Boaz gave her a packet of extra food to share with Naomi.
"Do not plead with me or intreat me to leave you. I will go with you wherever you go, your God will be my God and your house my house, your people will be my people and together we will be as one."
Ok, I do not remember the verse exactly, but I remember the gist of it. I just remember the basics.
When Naomi and Ruth arrive in Israel they are greeted by old friends. Naomi finds her old house, empty, dusty and dirty, but with some work she can clean it up with Ruth's help and it will be livable. There is a built-in table and built in shelves. SOme friends donate chairs, stool, kitchen wear like pots and pans, and blankets. A dear old friend comes to visit brining bread, and they eat together.
The friend keeps saying Naomi's name, "Naomi, Naomi, Naomi..." and so the old widow tells her to stop calling her by her name, Naomi, because it means "sweet, pleasant."
Naomi says she does not feel sweet and pleasant. She tells her friends to call her "Mara", which means bitter, because "the Lord has dealt bitterly with me." Naomi's friends try to comfort her, but she has little hope.
The next day Ruth works in the fields of wheat as a gleaner. Her mother in law Naomi explained the custom to her. So Ruth is eager to work to feed herself and her mother-in-law. She follows behind the other gleaners and workers, working hard but not taking anything that is not acceptable for a gleaner.
God created the custom of gleaning so the poor could have food to eat, and also they would earn it too. With gleaning, the farmers leave behind some of the stalks of wheat for the poor to pick up. With olive trees, all fruit trees and fields of vegetables, the farmers/gardeners would leave behind some of their crops for the poor to gather up and eat. This is a form of charity God ordered in the law He gave to Moses.
Ruth works hard and does not stop to take a break. The rich man who owns the field, Boaz, notices her for her hard work and beauty. He asks his foreman about her. The foreman said that she was the daughter-in-law to Naomi, they were both widows and Ruth was doing her duty to provide food for her mother in law and herself. He also told Boaz that she was from Moab, and Israelites in that day did not like moabs.
Boaz showed great kindness to Ruth. He ordered his hired hands to respect her and not harass her. Whenever she was tired and needed a break she could go rest in the tent shelter with his other servant girls and drink from the cold well they refreshed themselves from. In addition, Boaz gave her extra wheat adn invited her to sit in the shade and eat the noon meal (lunch) with him and his male and female servants. Boaz gave her a packet of extra food to share with Naomi.
