WebRuth 1:3. "Elimelech Serving the god(s) of Moab (or any others) was an abomination to God: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. In Job and in Ruth, this term seems to underscore Gods power, but in the context of suffering and adversity. There Ruth married *Boaz, one of Elimelech's relatives. Lot fled with his daughters and was living in a cave. That is precisely what Naomi did with Orpah and Ruth. She had given up all hope. The Sages, however, read it with a slight difference in pronunciation as Elai Melech For he said: Kingship is due to me (Ruth Rabba 2,5). Clearly as quite young men. Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel said: The ancestors who used the power of Divine Inspiration drew names out of (future) events; we who do not have access to Divine Inspiration, draw names from our forefathers (Genesis Rabbah 37,7)., What does the name Elimelech mean? endobj But Other translations have another another husband. The crises of life are Gods pop quizzes, times when He puts our faith to the test, times when He gives us an opportunity to put our faith on display. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/elimelech, "Elimelech Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. ), Handbook of Ugaritic Studies (1999), index, 841. The story of Ruth and Boaz (yes, and even Naomi) should encourage us to live godly lives in dark days, days of unbelief, disobedience, and disregard for the Word of God. WebThe Tragedy of Elimelech Ruth Introduction The book of Ruth is a fascinating little book in the Old Testament. 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. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. The chapter ends with the authors assessment of where things stand, with a hint of what lies ahead. After only ten years in Moab, Elimelechs sons also died. Amen (Romans 11:33-36). The oldest daughter went first, bearing a son whom she named Moab. As we explained in the introduction, the restoration of Elimelechs seed by Boaz through Levirite marriage to Ruth, constitutes the first redemptive cycle of the book; in this lies the importance of early introduction of Ruths former husband, brother-in-law and their father. 35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? She urged her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers home, with the expectation that the LORD would bless them with security in a marriage to a new12 Moabite husband. It must be, the Sages reasoned, that Elimelech misread his destiny. 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. This is a text that has always puzzled me. The word redeem means to set free by paying a price. In the case of Ruth and Naomi, Elimelechs property had either been sold or was under some kind of mortgage, and the rights to the land had passed to Ruths husband, Mahlon, when Elimelech died. Apparently Elimelech abandoned his people because they scorned their leaders. It follows, therefore, that these characters must be important in setting the theme of the book. Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. T -6d$zA ^C(D`Ed8 BR. In Ugaritic documents of the 13th century the name is written Imlk and pronounced either Ili-Milku or Ili-Malku. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Bearing children was to be done Gods way. in 1971. She views God as harsh and uncaring, doling out affliction and trouble in a way that is completely unrelated to her attitudes and actions. And both (at least initially) were committed to staying with Naomi, even if that meant immigrating to Israel. The subject was the Book of Ruth. DAGON (Heb. iddunnu) comes from the root , Hadad 7 Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah, 8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Listen to me! (2) There is no indication that other Israelites from Bethlehem (or elsewhere in Israel) accompanied Elimelech and his family to Moab. Elimelech appears to have been a man of faith who did not or could not be fully faithful. Naomi doesnt mention that these women would likely not find an Israelite husband. March 11, 1787 Leajsk, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. A wolf approached and he fought the wolf. Encyclopaedia Judaica. For the Lord is afflicting me!. ,), Midianite priest and father-in-law of *Moses. That is why some men and women will choose never to marry or to bear children. , ), Phoenician port, N. of Tyre in Lebanon. Ordinarily it would be translated as, My God is King. 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. 12 May the LORD reward your efforts! Follow your sister-in-law back home! 16 But Ruth replied. 19 So the two of them journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Take note of the fact that Ruths covenant is not a short-term commitment; it is a lifetime commitment. Such are the products of our pleasant things, weak and infirm, fading and dying. W. Moran, The Amarna Letters (1992), 326; W. Watson and N. Wyatt (eds. Elimelech was severely punished for his failings but the good within him was preserved and rewarded and he became the progenitor of the Royal line. The Midrash explains: What does a fox watch out for in the ruins? 3 Sometime later Naomis husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were left alone. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16). Who would want a Moabite wife, especially a widow? Once again I would suggest that Naomis strong urging for Ruth and Orpah to return was as much for her interests as for her daughters-in-law. 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. Who was Elimelech? Humans cannot see beyond these two alternatives but God has another choice. He will do what he says he will do. . The best thing for her to do was to return to Bethlehem and live out the rest of her days, dying empty (i.e., childless). When he saw that his generation scorned great men, he said, Surely I shall go from here so that I will not be caught among them (Zohar Chodosh 77a). Cholim Prayers for Those in Need, Make a Donation When I realized this, I blurted out, What a witch!, much to the surprise of the rest of the class. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces (Exodus 23:24). We will return with you to your people., 11 But Naomi replied, Go back home, my daughters! Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. WebChoices bring consequences, and Elimelech's wrong choices brought death. Text Copyright 2005 by Rabbi Dr. Meir Levin and Torah.org. It has been supplied by the translators. Think of it: Naomi and her husband leave the land where God promised to bless them. Many tears were shed, but in the end both women refused to leave Naomi and return to their mothers home. Naomis hope was in the physical rather than in the spiritual, in the present rather than in eternity. As they continue their journey toward Bethlehem, Naomi makes a three-fold attempt to persuade Orpah and Ruth to return to their homes, rather than to accompany her all the way back to Israel. Ruths words are her covenant with Naomi, with Israel, and with God, patterned after Gods covenant with Abraham and his descendants: Only death will be able to separate me from you! (Ruth 1:16-17). 2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. 32 Come, lets make our father drunk with wine so we can have sexual relations with him and preserve our family line through our father. 33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, and the older daughter came and had sexual relations with her father. They entered the region of Moab and settled there. Elimelech died in Moab. Naomi counseled Orpah and Ruth to do what seemed right in their eyes. In this emergency, she was proposing an unconventional solution to their problem. 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. 15 The translations differ here. The only hope Naomi sees for Orpah and Ruth is the hope of finding a Moabite husband and bearing children. 16 The expression, the Sovereign One (rendered the Almighty by most translations) is the term Shaddai. And they will do this because they believe they are doing their friend a favor. She seems to have little or no conviction regarding her sins, the sins of her husband, or of the sins of the nation. One manifestation of Gods mercy, expressed through His sovereignty, is His providential working at times when there appears to be no hope. You can't run away. For example: And he called his name Noach, meaning to say, This one will give us comfort (e-noach-meinu) (Genesis 5, 29). Is this the behavior of a leader who loves and cares for his people, even if they do not fully deserve his respect? 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. Mahlon chose a young woman named Ruth, but he also died shortly thereafter. Ruth is never dealt with as a second-class believer. ), matriarch of Israel, wife of *Jacob and the mother of *Joseph and Benjamin. Finally, the description of Elimelech departure is frugal and bereft of detail. 8 Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, 9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. Judah married a Canaanite woman, and two of his sons died because of their sin. Yet, they throw a shadow over the entire story. We read of the origin of the Moabites in Genesis 19,3 just after the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Thankfully, she later confessed and returned to Israel. As the story of Esther unfolds, it looks as though every Jew is doomed to annihilation, but for the providence of God, whereby Gods enemies are destroyed and His people are spared. The Moabites were the result of the initiative and immorality of Lots oldest daughter. Webwas Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and ChilionEphrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. He lived during the period of the Judges, had a hereditary possession near Bethlehem, and is chiefly known as the husband of Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ru and ancestress of David the king. 2013Mrz 20185 Jahre. In Judges 3, we read that the Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for 18 years.8 Since the Moabites were not Canaanites, marriage to a Moabite was not strictly forbidden.9 Nevertheless, Moabites were not only regarded as aliens or foreigners, but also as second class citizens. Marriage to a Moabite was not something one did to gain status in Israel. 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. Without a doubt, this is the most amazing and distressing thing Naomi has said so far. Naomi is not at all like Ruth or Boaz; she is, in fact, a backdrop against which Ruth and Boaz are contrasted. She gave them very pragmatic counsel, based upon what could be seen, rather than on Gods Word and the principle of faith. 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