Ruth 1 Back to Bethlehem December 3, 2017 www.newhopefwbc.com 1285 Ne w Hope R oad Joelton, TN 37080 6 1 5. 7 4 6. 6 4 0 3 READ Ruth 1:1-9;19-22 KIDS What do the names Elimilech, Naomi, Mahlon, Chilion and Bethlehem mean? As we open this morning, I want you to think of that one place in the world that means the most to you. As soon as you step out of your car, memories start flooding back to you. It may be a grandparent s house, the old homestead, the farm. Maybe its a place of particular importance: where you met someone who forever changed your life the house you brought your children home to. It may have been your family s annual vacation spot: a cabin or a park. It may be as generic as your hometown. For me, aside from parents and grandparents homes, Sandbridge Beach is that place. It is a narrow strip of land at the southeast tip of Virginia. It s unique in that the Western side (green space) is home to Back Bay and the Eastern side (sand) is the Atlantic. The two bodies of water are only separated by about a thousand feet of sand in some places. You can watch the sun rise over the Atlantic in the morning and dip into Back Corey M. Minter Page 1 of 7
Bay at sunset all in one place. Its where I first learned to surf, its the only beach my family would go to, I have spent hours that could literally be measured in weeks there, and it is where I asked Rachel to marry me. So much of the Bible is dedicated to discussing a plot of land. Onethird of the Old Testament deals with the Israelites trying to get to that land flowing with milk and honey; one-third is about what happened once they got to it, and the last third tells the tale of how they were captured from it. Bethlehem is one of those cities in that promised land of the Jews, and it has been the epicenter of several historical events, none more so than the birth of Christ. But Bethlehem did not just spring up over night. This small city has a history; it has prophecies spoken of it; and I believe that as Joseph guided Mary into his hometown, Christmas night 2,000 years ago, memories came flooding back. Some, his own; some, history s. Throughout this Christmas season and Sundays of Advent, we will explore some of these most moving Stories from Bethlehem until we end up Christmas Eve Sunday with the most powerful story the little town of Bethlehem and all the world has ever known. The city is first mentioned in Scripture in the Book of Genesis. Its name is only casually dropped in passing as the place where Jacob the Father of the Twelve Tribes, the last of the Patriarchs buried Rachel, the love of his life after she had given birth to her second son Benjamin. Not much more is written about Bethlehem until years later, when the Israelites had won their inheritance. The great leaders of Israel Moses and Joshua have passed off the scene, and the country flops from anarchy into Corey M. Minter Page 2 of 7
order with every regime change of a group of leaders known as the Judges of Israel. While the book of Ruth follows the book of Judges in the Bible, most would agree that Ruth s story should be tucked chronologically somewhere in the pages of Judges chapters 6-8. This story a love story by all accounts between Ruth and Boaz opens in a dismal and desperate verse where we are introduced to some of Israel s royal elite, Ephrathites: Elimilech and Naomi. Things are not going well for this ruling class family. Famine has struck them hard. 1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. The word famine was enough to scare most living in this agrarian society. Thankfully, we do not fully grasp the desperation that accompanies famine. When we are hungry, we go to the store; we stop at a restaurant. When we want water, we go to the fridge; we turn on the tap; we hit the water fountain; or we buy it in a bottle. Famine was not an inconvenience. It was deadly. There is an ironic, Hebrew word play going on in verse one that most of us skip over in our translations, but it shows how desperate a situation it Corey M. Minter Page 3 of 7
was. Bethlehem means House of Bread. It was the fertile ground of Israel. A main source of the country s food, and Bethlehem was in famine. The House of Bread was empty Here, we see this young couple Elimilech (God is My King) and Naomi (Sweet/Gracious One), who by all scholarly accounts ought to be the high society of their day struggling to make ends meet. I would suggest that this famine had been going on for a while, at least since the birth of their two sons: Mahlon and Chilion. Why else would Naomi name her sons such depressing names? Mahlon weakling and Chilion pining. I don t know that I can blame Elimilech for what he does next (if I were in his shoes, I would have probably reacted the same way in my weakness), but he leaves the land of promise for another country. Bethlehem was situated in such a way so that its ridge overlooked the land of Moab, and I can just see desperate and despairing Elimilech, holding his young wife s hand, each holding the hand of their hungry/sickly toddlers, standing on the edge of God s promised land that is in famine, looking out over the heathen land of Moab, bathed in greens and blues. There is food and water over there, and with that, Elimilech forsook his birth right of the Bethlehem. He suffered from Greener Grass Syndrome. We all have at one point or another. I have heard some of you use it as an illustration before, but I had never seen it myself. Yesterday, I was driving the back part of our neighborhood in hopes to get away from some of the parade traffic, when I saw a calf stretching through the pasture s fence to get some of the grass. This is not the picture; he moved before I could get a photo. Corey M. Minter Page 4 of 7
Acres and acres of land that were all his, but he wanted a bit of grass from the 3 feet wide side of the road grass. I have never read the book, but I remember seeing the title The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank. That was literally true of Moab. Psalm 60:8 called that land a washpot a place of refuse, filthy bath water. Sure, the Moabites worshipped their god Chemosh by sacrificing their own children on its altar, but it was greener; so, Elimelech compromises. What started as a casual glance over to the land of Moab from Bethlehem s fields turned into an insatiable longing for it. The original language shows Elimelech s digression in his compromise. 1 And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab The KJV translators got it right when they said of verse one that Elimelech went to sojourn in the country of Moab. This was supposed to be a quick trip a supply run, but it turned into 2 And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. Things were so nice. The boys were so hungry. We ll stay here a little while but it turned into 4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. A glance turns into a decade, a quick trip into a new life. They get a house. The boys get married to Moabite women, Corey M. Minter Page 5 of 7
and Bethlehem God s promise for them seems like another life altogether. Davey wrote it masterfully, What seems like a temporary compromise, no big deal, just a quick trip, just a quick phone call, just one bet, just one sip, just one personal expense charged to the company account, just one little lie, just one purchase, just one click of the mouse, and the greener grass grows into a wilderness where one can barely see daylight. 1 We do not know how, we do not know why, and surely it happened over the span of their Moabite decade and not in quick succession as it is laid out in verses 3-5, but Elimilech, Mahlon and Chilion all die. And there is Naomi sweet and gracious all alone; yet churning and seething more embittered everyday until she forsakes her name and begins calling herself Mara: bitter. The name takes hold, and it transfigures even the way she looks. Her friends do not recognize her anymore. She has nowhere to go; this culture does not treat widows well. The name of Bethlehem rings in her head. Back to Bethlehem, back to blessing, but it is no sure thing. She has no idea how or if she will be accepted back into Israel s fold. With no prospects, no plans, no husband, no sons and probably very little hope, Naomi returns to Bethlehem with a loyal daughter-in-law, Ruth, who lived up to her name friend in every way imaginable to Naomi. What Naomi and Ruth do not know is there is a man from Bethlehem who has even though he does not even know been waiting for them. 1 Stephen Davey. Greener Grass. http://www.wisdomonline.org/cgi-bin/media_player.cgi?id=521 Corey M. Minter Page 6 of 7
Boaz was one of the only men alive who could restore Naomi s fortune to her and redeem Ruth into the family of Israel. What happens over the next three chapters is a love story like only God Himself could write, but it all coincides that Boaz the son of Salmon (a Levite) and Rahab (a Gentile harlot who forsook that lifestyle for God s people) marries Ruth, reinstates Naomi, and fathers Obed. The book of Ruth ends with a line that is very special to the Jews, but we usually gloss over it like we are reading a telephone book. 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. Naomi becomes the Great-Great Grandmother of King David, the most powerful and respected king Israel ever knew. Add to that, 29 generations from a direct line in Naomi s family as detailed in Matthew 1 would come Jesus, the Savior of the world. I d say a lot happens when you decide to go Back to Bethlehem. Corey M. Minter Page 7 of 7