In the first verse of the book of Ruth we read “During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. 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” (1:1). Famine is an underlying issue. If we give it some thought, we realize that famine is an important theme of Scripture, and it here presents itself on another occasion. We see famines in connection with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, and with Joseph. The man being referenced here in Ruth, whose name was Elimelech, now stands in good company, walking the familiar path that has been previously trod by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Elimelech, like these men, has voluntarily removed himself from the land of God’s promise. If we consider one of the overarching themes of all of Scripture, we see that he is now in something of a self-imposed exile. We should note that Scripture here offers no commentary on his departure from the promised land, but simply presents it as a matter of fact.
While in this state of exile from the land that represents God’s faithful promises to His people, Elimelech died. His death left his wife (Naomi) and two sons (Mahlon and Kilion) alone. Rather than return to the land of Judah, “her sons married Moabite women (Orpah and Ruth). And they continued to live there about ten years” (1:4). Here, as we listen to this story as a member of the nation of Israel, we hear echoes of Jacob’s first departure from his father’s house, coming on the heels of what he believed to be his father’s impending death (because of Isaac’s insistence on blessing Esau before he died), as we know that when Jacob was in the first of his exiles, in Haran, two women were married and there was an extended dwelling away from the land of promise. For Naomi, the pain of exile would grow, as her two sons went the way of their father, dying there in the land of Moab. With this, she is described as being “bereaved of her two children as well as her husband” (1:5b).
It was within this bereavement, that Naomi “decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her daughters-in-law” (1:6a). She decided to make this return journey “because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for His people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops” (1:6b). This statement reminds us of the opening statement of the book, and the famine mentioned therein “during the time of the judges.” Why would there have been a famine in Judah? Well, if we believe in a God that is faithful to His promises (according to Leviticus and Deuteronomy), and if we believe in the repetitive record of the book of Judges, the famine is a curse related to Israel’s idolatry (doing evil in the sight of the Lord). Famine points us to exile, while also informing us that Elimelech’s flight to Moab, occurring during the time period covered by the book of Judges, was most likely undertaken during one of the periods of subjugation to foreign power.
It would appear that the plan had been for Naomi and her two daughters-in-law to return to the land of Judah. To that end, we read “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” (Ruth 1:7). This would indicate that all three were leaving their land of exile, and that all three were about to experience an exodus to the land of the covenant promise, even though both Ruth and Orpah were Moabites and had not previously come from the region of Israel, and were not a part of God’s covenant people. Of course, if we were to peruse the history of the Egyptian exodus, we would find that there were non-Israelites that went out of Egypt with Israel, so we are seeing a bit of a re-playing of this as Naomi and the two women leave Moab.
For some reason there is a change of heart on Naomi’s behalf, as she “said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother’s home! May the Lord show you the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands and to me! May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband!’” (1:8-9a) Clearly, making this statement was difficult for Naomi, as she then “kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly” (1:9b). However, both were determined to return with Naomi, saying “No! We will return with you to your people” (1:10). Naomi speaks again, and this time is far more persistent, causing Orpah to accede to her wishes and demands, as she kissed her goodbye, presumably returning to her mother’s home as directed. However, as we know, “Ruth clung tightly to her” (1:14b). Naomi protested Ruth’s actions, but upon her doing so, Ruth famously and stubbornly declared “Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God” (1:16). Ruth’s dogged determination to be a part of the exodus people won out and Naomi relented, so they returned together to Judah, and more specifically, to Bethlehem.
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