I've been thinking about what book of the Bible we should study next - I remembered doing an indepth study of the book of Ruth many years ago, and really learning alot from it so I decided that we will now tackle Ruth. Let's get started:

Ruth begins in the days when judges ruled and there was a famine in Bethlehem. Elimelech took his wife (Naomi) and 2 sons (Mahlon and Chilion)from Bethlehem and moved to Moab due to the famine.

Now, the Moabites came from back in Genesis when Lot's oldest daughter had her father drink wine until he was drunk and then she had sex with him. She became pregnant and her son was named Moab.

The Moabites, among other gods, worshipped Chemosh, and their worship involved sexual immorality.

After moving to Moab, Elimelech dies and Naomi was left with her 2 son who then both take Moabite women as wives (Orpah and Ruth). After about 10 years, Mahlon and Chilion die too.

FYI- By God, Israelites were not to intermarry with other nations

After all this, Naomi hears that the famine is over and plans to return to Bethlehem. When she is prepared to go, she says goodbye to her daughter-in-laws and gives them her blessing. They inform her that they are not leaving her but returning with her.

She tries to convince them to stay saying that she will not have any more sons for them to marry and they should be with their family. Through tears, Orpah decides to stay but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi. Vs. 16&17 "But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.'"

Wow! Knowing the Moabite background, I would have to guess that Naomi had quite an impact on these two girls, especially Ruth. We don't specifically know much about her, but her willingness to be faithful to Naomi and her God makes me think that Naomi had been showing God's love to her daughter-in-law.

So the 2 of them go to Bethlehem and caused quite a stir among the other people there. Naomi tells themin vs. 20&21: She said to them "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?"

I'm sure Naomi's Bethlehem friends were wondering why she was bringing a Moabite into their presence. They both probably got "those looks" from the other women but Ruth continues to stay faithfully by Naomi's side.

From Naomi's words to the other women, we see her pain continues over the loss of her family. She feels that the Lord is against her. That's a feeling that I have felt before and I'm sure you have too.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.

Bad times can come to the totally innocent, as they did to Jesus. Righteous people suffer. Sometimes that suffering is due to sin in the world. Sometimes suffering comes to the righteous because God has a plan that is hidden from their sight. But bad times can be a result of personal or corporate sin, for we do reap what we sow and God does test His people. That is why we must continually examine our hearts to see if we have wandered into the darkness.

Have a great day

Christie