How exciting it is to be arriving at the beginning of the story from The Book of Ruth for our studies!
After all the battles and wars and problems of The Book of Judges, we finally come to a sweet love story. Ruth lived right at the end of the times of the Judges of Israel. Her family would have been caught up in all of the problems of that period of history.
Before we explore the things of Ruth we must go back even further to the life of a couple named Elimelech and Naomi; who were living in the Promised Land in Bethlehem of Judah.
WELCOME
Welcome to the COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY which we present on this blog every Thursday. We are so happy to have you with us. Today is a happy day for us because we have completed our study on Judges. Now we are moving on to the beautiful life story of Ruth. This is one of the favorite stories of many biblical scholars. It is full of courage, love and hope for the future.
Ruth is one of the few books of the bible named for a woman. Not even a Jewish woman; but by birth a woman from Moab. This fact alone is amazing and ironic to discover. The story only gets deeper as we go. This book called Ruth will be full of unexpected and miraculous events.
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THE LIFE OF ELIMELECH
Very little is said about Elimelech in this book called “Ruth.”
However; Elimelech was an owner of land in Bethlehem Judah. Though not much is said of him; the fact that he owned land in Israel may have placed him as one of the most important characters in the whole story. Later we will see why this mattered so very much.
HAPPY LIFE OF A LAND OWNER
Since we hear so very little about Elimelech; we have to imagine the life he led based upon the facts of the type of man that we know he was.
Elimelech was Jewish.
He was a land-owner and a farmer.
We know he owned a donkey. It is supposed this donkey was very helpful to the whole family.
WORKING AT THE MARKETPLACE
Some have proposed that Elimelech would go out to the market place, taking his donkey with him. The donkey would be pulling the cart which hauled Elimelech’s produce. By growing produce from the wise use of his land Elimelech provided for his family. it was profitable and good to take the produce to the market to sell.
FIRSTFRUITS OFFERINGS
Being Jewish, as well as a descendant of Abraham from Judah and an Ephramite; Elimelech would have faithfully presented himself before the Ark of the Covenant three times a year. This was where the Presence of The Lord dwelled among God’s People of Israel.
Elimelech would have done this at least three times each year at God’s annual feasts and festivals. All men of Israel went up at Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. They always took an offering to God. Each man’s offering would be derived from the work of his hands by the talents God had granted to them individually.
No one partook of their blessings unless the firstfruits of their labor were presented unto the Lord first.
Elimelech made many friendships from his acquaintances at the Temple, as well as his acquaintances in the marketplace. His religious friendships were probably dearest to him. The business acquaintances were also a necessity.
Every year at the time of Early Firstfruits Elimelech would take whatever he and his donkey had made from their work in their land and offer a gift to the LORD which contained the first and the best of their labors at the Feast of The Passover called Early Firstfruits.
TRIPS TO JERICHO
After the feast days, when Elimelech was selling produce in the marketplace again; he sometimes took his profits and rode his donkey into a city of Moabites called Jericho. Jericho was the center for salt trade.
Elimelech would buy large amounts of salt from the market there.
Jericho’s marketplace was full of foreigners coming to trade their goods for salt. All of the people of all of the lands needed to use salt. They would come and trade whatever products they had produced for it.
Elimelech always bought extra salt. He traded with many men from Moab who were working the salt market. After the trades Elimelech would take the extra salt home and distribute it among his friends and neighbors. It was a good and profitable sideline business for him.
FRIENDS FROM MOAB
Because of his trading in Jericho, Elimelech had many good friends who were also Moabites as well as good business associates who were happily living busy and prosperous lives in Jericho Moab.
Every year when Elimelech went to Jericho his friends would inquire as to the state of things back in Bethlehem.
One year Elimelech told them the good news that he had married a beautiful wife named Naomi.
The next year Elimelech told his friends that he and Naomi had been blessed with their first son named Mahlon.
The next year he shared the good news of the blessings of a second son which they named Chilion.
ELIMELECH HAD A GOOD LIFE IN BETHLEHEM
Yes; things were good for Elimelech about 3,200 years ago back in the land of Judah.
Everywhere he went, he told friends how God had blessed him by increasing his wealth, his family, and his happiness.
Then one year things began to change.
Suddenly; there was no rain in Bethlehem Judah for three years.
WHEN THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE
The crops ceased to grow so there was no money from selling the produce anymore. They lived off the cattle that had grazed their land. Soon though, the cattle became thin and eventually died out because of the lack of grass that would not grow for lack of rain.
Then the people of Israel used their goats for food. Goats could survive on almost nothing. They did not need as much grass and water as the cattle. So people then had goat’s milk and cheese.
Eventually though, the goats could not survive either.
One day there was no water for the donkey.
Without the donkey they would never be able to plow and plant. The donkey was needed for transporting their trade in the good years. No donkey – no profit.
Even the people were beginning to suffer from lack of water in the land. All of their wells were running dry.
MAKING A HARD DECISION
Elimelech knew he had to do something.
He and Naomi remembered his friends in Moab who would gladly give him work until their land returned to normal.
They decided to move to Moab.
No one seemed to be happy about this forced decision. Still, Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon and Chilian packed all they had upon the back of the donkey and they traveled to Moab.
LIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND
Everything in Moab was so different from Bethlehem.
The people were strange. They did not know the God of Abraham. The culture was completely different.
Elimelech’s work was not the same. He was not as free to do as he chose with his time. His hours were long and hard.
There was a new language for the whole family to learn.
Naomi greatly missed her friends from Bethlehem. The boys missed their friends too.
They were a Jewish family living in a completely un-Jewish country.
No one around them kept the feasts and festivals of God.
Elimelech lay awake many nights wondering when and how he would ever be able to get his little family back home to Israel.
He was out of Bethlehem; but Bethlehem lived inside his heart every day.