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Hello again! Has the Spirit shown you awesome treasure from Ruth 1? If you’re willing to share what you’ve discovered, I’d love to hear about it. You can email me at jen@jencason.com, or use my contact form.
Last Week’s Work
I noticed two types of writing in Ruth 1. First, the overall type is narrative, since Ruth 1 tells the story of a Moabite woman who married into the family of Elimelech, a Judean expat living with his wife, Naomi, and two sons in Moab. Second, I noticed poetry in the rhythmic repetition of verses 16-17 (Ruth’s pledge to Naomi). At this point, I think it’s safe to conclude Ruth’s author meant for us to interpret this story literally: these characters actually lived and this is really what happened in their lives.
LITERAL CONTEXT
Last week I mentioned I planned to look at the last four chapters of Judges for anything that might help me better understand the context of Ruth, and particularly, the statement made in Ruth 1:1, In the days when the judges ruled.
As is often the case with God’s Word, I got a little carried away, but I found so much treasure!
I started with a cursory review of the entire book of Judges, looking specifically for any mention of Moab. Based on this map from blb.org, it was a region east and south of the Dead Sea. So, the trek back to Bethlehem for Naomi and Ruth required they either cross the Dead Sea or walk around it. What a trip!
I discovered in Judges 3 that Moab had actually been Israel’s enemy: for eighteen years, the Israelites were subjected to Eglon, King of Moab (Judges 3:14), but then Ehud assassinated Eglon, and Moab was subdued by Israel for eighty years (Judges 3:15-30).
Also, it appears after Joshua’s death (Judges 2:6), Israel began to worship the gods of the Canaanites. Over time, God raised up judges (i.e., Ehud, above) to deliver them from specific enemies, but every time the judge died, Israel went right back to idolatry and evil.
When I turned my attention to the last four chapters of the book, I saw the statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” twice (Judges 17:6 and 21:25),” as well as variations of it, especially, “in those days there was no king in Israel, (Judges 18:1, 19:1).” I couldn’t help but notice the emphasis on their lack of strong, Godly leadership during this time, and the ruin and chaos stemming from it. I can’t help but seem some contemporary parallels there!
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
From reviewing the ESV Global Study Bible’s Introduction to Judges and to Ruth, I discovered Ruth’s author is unknown, but it’s believed to have been written about 1010 BC.
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
As I looked over verses 13 and 20 in Hebrew, I was drawn to the following:
- “it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake” (v13) – the word for bitter is H4843 mārar. Strong’s renders the phrase, “it is very bitter to me on your account (I am much distressed). As I looked at other biblical uses for H4843, it was clear many involved embitterment connected to misfortune.
- “call me Mara” (v20)– the word Mara is H4755 mārā’. Strong’s indicates this is the only time H4755 is used, and defines it as “a name Naomi called herself due to her calamities.” A side reference here was to H4751 mar, used to describe the bitter water at Marah encountered by the Israelites in Exodus 15:22-26. As I drilled down into those verses, I discovered a statement God made to the Israelites there that had a familiar ring to it, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26). But no, Naomi and her family clearly did what was right in their own eyes (not God’s) when they left famine-stricken Bethlehem for Moab, a land where idolatry was common.
After her husband’s and sons’ deaths, Naomi returned. Interestingly, so did Ruth, who thereby rejected the idolatry in her home country for faith in Naomi’s one God.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, we’re going to wrap up the second half of our Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (for v13, I’ll start at this blb.org page) to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in and note what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: if you’re interested in other verses, follow the above link, then point to the TOOLS button to the left of a verse, and choose Cross-Refs from the menu. - REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations’ version of the same verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT starting with this biblehub.com page. You can compare your own verses from that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass there.
It’s hard to believe we’re almost through this study, my friend: just two more weeks! I hope the Lord has used it for His glory and your good! See you next week!