The Birth of Samuel
1:1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.1 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
12 As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the LORD.”2
Footnotes
[1] 1:5
Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Septuagint And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb
[2] 1:20Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God (ESV)
Categories
Going Deeper
Going Deeper
Ruth & Boaz (2.22.20)
Grab your Bibles and let’s go deeper into the book of Ruth.
I love the book of Ruth for several reasons. It’s a story for people who wonder where God is when there are no answers or clarity on the horizon. It’s for people who wonder where God is when one tragedy after another attacks their faith. It’s a story for people who wonder whether a life of integrity in tough times is worth it. And, it’s a story for people who can’t imagine that anything great could ever come of their ordinary lives.
Ruth 1
Ruth 1:1-2 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, … The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion.
The first observation to be made here is that Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Surely there is a subtle irony here that, in the “House of Bread,” people were starving to death due to a famine. What is interesting here is Moab is only about 50 miles away, yet they are not experiencing famine. So, this gives us a picture that, indeed, God’s hand is causing famine in the land of His people, in Bethlehem, because just 50 miles away they are eating and living just fine.
What we know is, during this time, the people of God were surely being disobedient as they were openly practicing a wide variety of blatant sin. If we look to the rest of Scripture, we see that, most often, famine is the result of the people’s disobedience to God. God uses famine to strip the people of their pride and rebellion in order to draw them to trust in Him again.
In Elimelech, we see a common error that we men can often make. Elimelech is asking himself, “Do I stay here and have my family possibly suffer and die, or do I go find a job in a new town where we will be foreigners, but are more likely to prosper and be fed?” The problem is that God specifically instructed His people not to dwell amongst the Moabites. In Genesis 19, we see that Lot had sex with his daughter and they gave birth to a son whom they named Moab. From Moab came the Moabite people who were an incestuous people that worshiped other false gods. Elimelech makes the tragic decision to move his family to a place where there are no God-centered people groups (churches) by which they could fellowship and worship the God of Israel.
In verse 2, we see that the father’s name is Elimelech which means “my God is King.” Here is a second, subtle irony because Elimelech’s decisions show very little faith in God as King. Instead, Elimelech chooses to make his own prosperity and future by going against God’s wishes concerning Moab.
Ruth 1:3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.
Why did Elimelech move to Moab? Answer: So that he could avoid death. He leaves the place where they had little to eat and goes to a place where they could eat well. He gets there and what happens? Answer: He dies.
What can we take from this? God is supreme over all things—including death. The circumstances of a more prosperous life in Moab meant he should have thrived, but instead he died. Don’t miss this important truth of life. It is not the circumstances of our lives that determine life’s outcome—it is God, because He is sovereign.
Now that Elimelech is dead, let’s turn our eyes to the suffering of Naomi, his wife, around whom this chapter really centers.
Ruth 1:3-4 … she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years
Naomi’s two sons are the ones charged with carrying on the family name and heritage, so her hope is now in them; but as we read in verse 5:
Ruth 1:5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Ten years later, not just one, but both of her sons die. Naomi’s suffering has reached a new high. She has not only lost the love of her life, she has been living in a foreign land amongst strangers for ten years, only to lose both of her sons.
What is extra-tragic about this is that couples in that day would not wait to have children. This means she was also a Grandma-in-waiting for some grandbabies for ten years. This means God was not allowing them to conceive, and now that both sons are dead so is her legacy, having her family name continue. Her misery and suffering are at max!
In verse 6, we read that Naomi gets word that “the Lord has visited his people and given them food.” So, she decides to return to Judah. Her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, go with her partway it seems, but then in verses 8–13, she tries to persuade them to go back home.
Ruth 1:11 But Naomi said, “Turn back my daughters, why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.”
In other words, Naomi has nothing to offer them. Her condition is worse than theirs. If they try to be faithful to her and to the name of their dead husbands, they will find nothing but pain, she concludes at the end of verse 13:
Ruth 1:13 “… No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.”
She is saying, “Don’t come with me, because God has gone forth against me and your life may be as bitter as mine.”
Looking further at Ruth 1:14-18, notice the faithfulness of a young woman in the middle of all of this suffering and tragedy. Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi is amazing, especially after Naomi’s grim description of their future with her. Ruth stays with her in spite of an apparently hopeless future of widowhood and childlessness. Naomi has painted the future black and Ruth has taken her hand and has walked into it with her.
The amazing words of Ruth are found in 1:16–17: …“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Ruth teaches us that if you trust the sovereign goodness and mercy of God to pursue you all the days of your life, then you can be free and full of faith and hope like Ruth. If God calls, you can leave family; you can leave your job; you can leave your home; you can make radical commitments and undertake new ventures; you can find the freedom and courage and strength to keep a commitment you have already made.
We must glean from this today: when you believe in the sovereignty of God and that He loves to work mightily for those who trust Him, it gives a freedom and joy that can’t be shaken by hard times.
Ruth 1:19-21 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
What do you think of Naomi’s theology here, specifically, her view of God? I believe that she is right-on about how she sees God in her hardships! Naomi is unshaken and sure about three things: God exists. God is sovereign. God has afflicted her.
Naomi is right to believe in a sovereign, almighty God who governs the affairs of nations and families and gives each day its part of pain and pleasure. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Hear this today: neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament promises that believers will escape affliction in this life, for God in His sovereignty uses suffering to do eternal things in the lives of people and ultimately carries out His purposes for His glory!
The Scriptures say that God disciplines those whom He loves, but it is not His anger or wrath! He might be disciplining you and/or shaping and sanctifying you for your good and His glory—there is a big difference.
Do you realize that the suffering you might be in right now could be God, in His mercy, frustrating you and even causing you to suffer greatly for the purpose of drawing you to Him?!
If our ultimate satisfaction is found in God and not in our stuff or status in this life, then it is His mercy, because when He frustrates my stuff and status in this life with suffering, it causes me to re-center my affections on Him. I purposefully left out the last verse, Ruth 1:22: So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Ruth 2
In Chapter 2, the mercy of God breaks through bright enough for even Naomi to see it.
We meet Boaz, a man of wealth, a man of God, and a relative of Naomi’s husband.
We see Ruth taking refuge under the wings of God in a foreign land and being led mercifully, by God, to the field of Boaz to find work. As a result, we see Naomi respond positively to God’s hand (2:20): “… the Lord, whose kindness (Hessed) has not forsaken the living or the dead! …”
Ruth 3
In Chapter 3, we see the barley season coming to an end. There is much to celebrate as God has delivered His people from famine. But this also means that the temporary work Ruth has found laboring for Boaz is coming to an end, and there is more important business Naomi and Ruth must tend to, which is, primarily, to get Ruth a husband who is a kinsman to Naomi’s family so that Naomi’s family name can carry on and she and Ruth can be cared for.
Ruth 4
In the closing chapter, Boaz is faithful to go out and find the potential husband first thing in the morning. He arranges to speak with ten elders in the city. He tells the other kinsman that Naomi is looking to sell some land that belonged to her husband, but that the property comes with Ruth becoming the kinsman’s wife. This will mean that he’ll also have to get her pregnant with a child that will be raised as Mahlon’s. This is not intriguing to the kinsman, so it is passed to Boaz. Ruth and Boaz tie the knot and then have a son together. His name is Obed. The book of Ruth concludes by saying that Obed became the father of Jesse who was the father of King David.
Why is all of this important?
This is important, because God, in His sovereignty, was making a way, the entire time, for the royal line of the promised redeemer to continue through Ruth and Boaz to Obed, to Jesse, to King David, and all the way to Jesus.
This is huge! Our hope, our life, and our redemption come through the kinsman redeemer Boaz in order to ultimately get to the kinsman Redeemer, Jesus! Praise God for His steadfast love to provide for us a salvation from our deserved, eternal suffering.
May we rest in Him in our suffering. May we have enduring faith despite our bleak circumstances and stay steadfast in the Lord in all things so that those who do not know the hope we have in Christ may see it, be saved by God’s grace, and know it with us.
By His grace and for His glory,
-Shepherd
Soldiers for Jesus MC
Categories
Ruth & Boaz
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,1 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
Footnotes
[1] 1:3
Greek Aram; also verse 4 (ESV)
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,1 the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Footnotes
[1] 3:27
Greek Salathiel (ESV)
Categories
Ruth & Boaz
Boaz Redeems Ruth
4:1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you1 will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth2 the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
Ruth and Boaz Marry
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Genealogy of David
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
(ESV)
Categories
Ruth & Boaz
Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
3:1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings1 over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”
Footnotes
[1] 3:9
Compare 2:12; the word for wings can also mean corners of a garment (ESV)