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Welcome back: I have much to share with you this week!

Last Week’s Work

COMPARISONS

All the comparisons the Spirit revealed to me were contrasts:

• There was famine in Bethlehem at the beginning of the chapter (v1), but then there’s food from the Lord (v6), and barley to be harvested (v22).
• Though Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion escaped the famine, they still died (vv3-5).
• Orpah turned back, away from Naomi, but Ruth clung to Naomi (v14).
• Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara (v20). Per ESV Bible footnotes: Naomi = pleasant; Mara = bitter.
• Naomi went away [with her family] full, the Lord brought her back [by necessity and alone] empty. (v21)

CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS

I found these action – connector – explanation patterns that might explain Naomi’s bitterness (vv13, 20):

• explanation: both Mahlon and Chilion died (v5)
  so that
  action: the woman was left without her two sons and her husband

I think it’s understandable for a widow who also lost both her sons to be bitter!

• explanation: she had heard… that the Lord had… given his people food (v6).
  so
  action: she set out from the place where she was (v7)

Naomi’s discovery that God had blessed the people of Judah while she suffered loss and poverty in Moab may have further embittered her.

• action: go your way
  for
  explanation: I am too old to have a husband [and] sons [to] become your husbands (v12)

Not only had she lost her family, her prospects for getting another husband and sons weren’t good.

• action: it is exceedingly bitter to me
  for
  explanation: your sake (v13)

She’s bitter for her daughters-in-law, too: their prospects aren’t great, either.

• action: call me Mara
  for
  explanation: the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (v20)

She perceives God has dealt bitterly with her. But her story isn’t over!

Finally, did you notice therefore in v13? I don’t believe it’s meant to be a cause connector there, though. It seems to mean for that, as in: …even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you wait for that and refrain from marrying others your own age?

Also, I checked other translations and found many that didn’t contain therefore or any other cause connector in that sentence.

If you’re wondering what Naomi is talking about, I’ll explore it further in the next few weeks. But if you don’t want to wait that long, check out the Hebrew levirate law in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. Interesting, huh?!

CONDITIONS/METHODS

As I read through this chapter. I noticed how:

• The Lord had treated those who remained in Judah during the famine: he … visited his people and [gave] them food. (v6).
• Orpah and Ruth dealt with Naomi and her family: kindly (v8).
• Ruth felt about going back with Naomi, which is described as determined (v18). I’ll say she was!

And three statements about Naomi’s bitterness:

• it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake (v13)
• call me Mara—the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (v20)
• Naomi’s condition when the family left Bethlehem was full and upon her return it was empty (v21). I believe this is a reference to her family: she had a husband and two sons when they left, but returned with only her son’s widow, Ruth.

Dig-In Challenges

Now that we’ve collected all these facts, we need to make sure we’re viewing them the same way Ruth’s author and his audience would have interpreted this story.

Here’s how I’ll be working toward that this week:

1. PRAY. Of course!
2. REFINE: I’ll reread Chapter 1, looking for an overall writing type and places where the author used instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, and/or prophecy. Knowing this will help me know whether to take what is written literally or look for a potential symbolic meaning.
3. REFINE: Next we need to establish the literal context of the study passage. Ruth 1:1 starts, In the days when the judges ruled… and, the book immediately preceding Ruth is the book of Judges! It’s pretty long, but looking at the outline in the ESV Global Study Bible’s Introduction to Judges, it appears there’s a division in the material about chapter 17, so my plan is to start with the last four chapters (and that introduction) as I look for context.
4. REFINE: Next, let’s find out what we can about the historical context by identifying the author of this book, and when, to whom, and why he wrote it. You can usually find this information in your bound Bible if it contains introductory information on the books. If you don’t have a bound Bible with introductions, check out the Introduction to Ruth from the ESV Global Study Bible.
   REMEMBER: Bible introductions aren’t the inspired Word of God, but they usually provide factual details about the author and his audience we can use to adjust our perspective. Keep in mind, if you decide to research this further, stick with factual, historical resources and avoid commentary.
5. REFINE: Finally, examine key words and/or phrases (I’ll look at vv 13 and 20) using an interlinear Bible, and note what the Spirit reveals. These Bibles are available on several study websites (I’ll be using the Blue Letter Bible Interlinear tool), and show a verse in the original Hebrew or Greek providing details about each word, including its meaning in context. As usual, I encourage you to log anything the Spirit illuminates from this exercise.

This “refining” step is more involved than the “mining” we did earlier, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!

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