by Don Hatfield
Ruth
Introduction
My name is Boaz and I am related to two Kings. The first of course is my King Jesus. He is my Savior of course I just met Him when I got here. Got where? Heaven of course. Yes I am in Heaven with my God my redeemer. The other King is King David for he descended from my line. It is quite a story to tell you. A true story, a miraculous story. It is the story of a young lady named Ruth who decided against all odds to trust God. My part in the story comes later so let me introduce to a fine godly woman named Naomi for she also plays quite a part in this story of how I became related to two Kings. Take a walk with Naomi, Ruth and me through the book of Ruth. Take a walk verse by verse and watch as the God of Heaven reveals Himself in the details of our lives.
Watch as His providential care and concern for His children becomes evident in the circumstances of their lives. Each verse will be numbered as we try to tell you what we thought and felt as each verse happened to us.
Chapter 1
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 Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons
1a. My name is Naomi and on a certain day in a certain year when the judges ruled the land there was hunger in the land, famine like I have never seen before. The marketplace was empty for there was nothing to purchase. There was no food anywhere but the famine spread further than that for it had spread into the spirits of the people. They had forgotten their God and had turned to other gods. Gods made of wood and stone who never moved. To worship these gods one had to pay a price and that price was famine. Famine always comes to the soul before it comes to the body. My husband, a godly man, worshiped the true God of Israel. One morning after prayers he told us that God had told him we must leave this land. So he and I and our two sons set out for Moab.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
2a. My husband’s name was Elimelech. My son’s names were Maloh and Chilion. Together we entered into the land of Moab. We came into the land of the descendants of Lot.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. Why Father? Why did we come if only to die? And God was silent. You know the kind of silence that I am talking about. The kind where you know He is there but He says nothing.
3a. It was there in the land of Moab that my husband died. You ask how long he did live once we got there. It does not matter, for he died in that land. How old was he when he died? He was too young that is how old he was. God took him there in the land of the descendants of Lot. I was left behind with my two sons Maloh and Chilion.
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.
4a. My sons took wives to themselves there in the land of the descendants of Lot. I have grown embittered for I have lost my husband here in this land and now instead of Hebrew women for daughter in laws I have Moabite women. One of the women was named Orpah and the others name was Ruth. I was embittered but I still taught them the ways of God. But slowly my hopes began to revive for I could see that perhaps God brought us here so that my sons would marry and others would learn of our God. We lived there for ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
5a. Then my sons died here in the land of the descendants of Lot. I sat down on a stone in a field. I thought my husband was so wrong for God would not tell us to come to this country for this. He could have taken our lives in the land of my kin instead of here in the land of the descendants of Lot. Now I see no reason, no hope. I pray and search my soul in front of God. Night after night, day after day to find a reason. My prayers are met with silence. You know the kind of silence I am talking about. The kind that knows that God is everywhere but nowhere.
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
6a. And so I arose there in my bitterness there in the land of the descendants of Lot. I arose with Orpah and Ruth. I arose to go back to that from whence I came. I began to prepare to leave the land of Moab. To leave my husband and two sons there in the land of the descendants of Lot. To leave them there in their silence. To leave them there never to return unto the land that they loved. My bitterness was as a biting serpent in my soul when I heard that Jehovah the Existing One had visited the land of my exodus. He had visited the land of Judah and given them bread. How could we have been so wrong? We had prayed and this is what had happened here in the land of the descendants of Lot. I laughed a bitter laugh there in the terrible silence for my prayers were all used up. My husband, my sons and I had played the fool and now God was silently watching as I followed the same path backwards in the bitterness of my soul. The same path that I had once followed forward in what I thought was the joy of His guidance.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
7a. And so I now went forth out of the land of the Moabites. Out of the bitter land of the descendants of Lot. And Orpah and Ruth also arose with me and we began to walk and depart from there to proceed out of the land of Lot with our companions. For me the companion of misguided prayer and his cousin silence. For Orpah and Ruth the companions of barrenness. We set out with our companions to go back to the land of Judah. Back to Bethlehem.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me
8a. And as we began to depart from the land of Lot I could no longer bare to see Orpah and Ruth with their companions barrenness so I said to them, “turn back now for perhaps the Lord will deal with you differently. Than He has dealt with me. You have acted honorably with me and my sons turn back now.” I have somehow displeased Him and can now only cling to the thread of His mercy for His face has turned from me.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
9a. Turn back now and find rest here in the land of your descendants. Yes, find rest with husbands here in your land with your people.” Then I kissed them the kiss of goodbye and remembered the joy when I had kissed them the kiss of hello there in the land of Lot. Then we wept, wept for dreams turned to ashes, hopes turned to tears, fields turned to graves praise turned to silence there in the land of Lot.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
10a. Then they in their honor said we will go with you to your people. We will live in your land and I said no. For I was going there to die, to die without my husband, to die without my sons and they did not need to see anymore death.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
11a. And then I, Naomi, said no. Go back, turn away, my daughters for I have nothing left to give you. Why would you walk with me? Why would you proceed with me any further? I am lifeless, I am destitute not only in my spirit but in my womb. Look at me, look
through me, I have no life left in me for my Creator has turned His silence upon me and it is more that I can bear.
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons.
12a. And again I, Naomi, said no. Go back turn away, my daughters. Can you not see? Can you not understand? Let me explain, I am too old, I have no husband. I have no hope, I have no expectations, I have no faith. Yet, if in my soul I did have hope and if in my body I did have life, even then my daughters who would give me sons? The thought comes slipping into my spirit, whispering to me in my silence. Your hope will never be found in your soul, your hope will never be found in your body. It will only be found in your God.
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
13a. I cannot see my spirit nor can I see my God. I can only see where I am and so again I say to them. Turn back. If there were hope would you wait for it to bud and bloom? Look at what you see. God has turned His back on me and I do not know why. That is the worst part. He has gone out against me and I do not know why. Again the whisper. Jehovah –Shammah (The Lord is There).
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
14a. I heard the whisper but my eyes only see the hopelessness and so we embraced and wept again. Then Orpah kissed me the kiss of goodby and she turned and walked away. Then I turned and walked away and as I looked back Ruth continued to follow. Ruth is following the hopeless, Ruth is following the deserted, Ruth is following the barren one. Then the whisper, Jehovah – Shammah,( The Lord is There).
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
15a. And so I again turned back and again in my despair I spoke. Look, behold, Orpah has turned back. She has gone back to the gods of her land. Back to the gods who live here in the land of the descendants of Lot. I was saying without saying it go back and worship them for my God has forsaken me and I do not know why. Then the whisper Jehovah – Shammah, ( The Lord is There).
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
16a. There in the land of the descendants of Lot God had spoken to Ruth. There in the land of my silence and darkness He had brought light to her spirit. There to my shame He had used me to reveal Himself to Ruth. She entreated me not to let her go to let her follow in my bitter footsteps. To let her go with me back to my people for they had now become her people. Then she said it what I knew to my shame she was going to say. Your God shall be my God. Your God Jehovah – Shammah, The Lord who is There shall be my God. Somehow, someway through me Ruth had heard that whisper. Ruth had heard the whisper in her spirit while the heavens seem as brass.
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me
17a. Then she said I will go with you to your land and I will die there in the Land of your Lord, the Existing One. She had learned so much but from where? From whom? Surely not from me who was now so bitter. Somehow she is seeing Gods hand and I am missing it. Somehow she knows what inside what I cannot see on the outside.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
18a. And then because I knew that she knew what I did not I quit speaking and took her hand and we began to walk together. Together back to the land of Judah. Back to the place where I had once been happy. Back to the place where I lived with my husband and sons. And I knew now that God was watching. Though silent He was watching. The God who is everwhere but no where. The Jehovah- Shammah. The God who is there.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
19a. And so we came back, back to Bethlehem. The city of my birth. The city I had left with my husband and two sons. The city that I come back to with my silence and misguided prayers and the barrenness of Ruth. Ruth who has heard the voice of God. Ruth who has heard the One who is There. Orpah did not hear for she turned back. I know that He is watching and though my heart wants to turn again to Him as Ruth’s has done. I hear, is this Naomi? They are astounded by my countenance, by my demeanor, by my words, by my silence.
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
20a. I could only say to them call me not Naomi. For I went out as Naomi full of delight but I have returned as Mara full of bitterness. For El Shaddai, The Almighty God, has dealt very bitterly with me and I know not what I did wrong.
21 I went out full and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
21a. Can you not see my kin I was full with my husband and two sons and now I am empty. Jehovah, the Existing One, has brought me back. Look at me and see my companions that I return with, misguided prayers, the silence of His presence and only this little barren girl Ruth. The Existing One has testified against me He has spoken out against me. El Shaddai, The Almighty God is displeased with me and I know not why. Tell me if you know. Give me your words of wisdom you who know so much about God.
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
22a And so I Naomi-Mara came back out of the land of the descendants of Lot with Ruth. We returned to Bethlehem, the city of bread. We returned with our companions, misguided prayer, silence and barrenness. I went out full and came back empty and Jehovah-Shammah, the One who is There, El Shaddai, the Almighty One was displeased with me and I knew not why. It was the beginning of the barley harvest. I knew that the Almighty One, the One who was there was watching at the beginning of the barley harvest but I knew not why.
Now I, Boaz, will take over part of the story. We can only see in front of us while our God can see all around us. He as Naomi has said is the Jehovah-Shammah, the One who is There.