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As Ruth looked after Naomi and supported her, Naomi started to feel a little better. RUTH walked beside Naomi on a road that stretched across the high, windswept plains of Moab. The Ruth and Naomi relationship was like mother and daughter. The friendship and loyalty between Naomi and Ruth is what leads to the marriage of Ruth to Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. No one is certain of the religion in Moab, probably they made sacrifices to the god Chemosh; there are rumors of occasional human sacrifice. – Ruth 1:16 . In a book in which the story’s action centres on losing and gaining husbands, it is the relationship between two women that holds the meaning of the story. Of course this Bible story illustrates how a daughter-in-law cares for her mother in law after the passing of of her husband/son, but I’d like to examine the relationship of the mother and … That was enough for the relationship to go ahead on. The following article is adapted from Israel’s Mission: Becoming a kingdom of priests in a prodigal world, a guidebook for the associated That the World May Know video series.. Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law is beautiful and inspiring. The marriage of Ruth and Boaz created a family with a good chance of success, because – Naomi was shrewd, brave and persevering – Ruth was intelligent, loyal and level-headed Ruth, from the land of Moab, was daughter-in-law to Naomi, an Israelite. Naomi explained that there was virtually no hope of a family future for them in her homeland. Better enough anyway, to start to have Ruth's own interests at heart. Naomi’s perception of Ruth changes and she even starts calling her, “daughter” instead of the normal “daughter-in-law” which is the rightful relationship between the two women. 2. So again, no. The Ruth and Naomi Relationship Led to Naomi’s Kinsman Redeemer Boaz. Here’s a quick recap of the book of Ruth: So, Naomi said, to Ruth, “Look . But that is not the love story we mean, we mean the relationship that develops between Ruth, the Moab, and her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi. The story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz is one of the most moving accounts in the Bible.The events occurred during the period of the judges, about a century before David became king of Israel. Ruth told Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and she gleaned in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvest. He was therefore obliged by the levirate law to marry Mahlon's widow, Ruth, in order to carry on his family's inheritance. Or they have become close, close friends. Ruth cared for Naomi like a daughter would and went right to work to care for her mother-in-law. Ruth is the biological mother, Naomi is the adoptive mother. Ruth was her daughter-in-law who refused to abandon Naomi, even when there was no longer anything to gain from the relationship. They were alone now, two tiny figures in a vast landscape. The text of the Book of Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. But all three became widows, Ruth accompanied Naomi back to her hometown but … But by remaining with Naomi, she makes a profound personal sacrifice. Naomi was bitter, sad, angry, but Ruth was steadfast. What we will discover in the friendship between Ruth and Naomi is that their relationship … Question: "What is the story of Ruth and Boaz?" Maybe Ruth and Naomi have become lovers and partners. (June Jordan, ‘Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan: One Love’, in Out of the Garden: Women Writers on the Bible, p. Imagine Ruth noticing that the afternoon shadows had lengthened, then looking at her mother-in-law and wondering if … Eventually, Naomi steered Ruth into a relationship with a distant relative named Boaz. But Ruth answered her, … But, the relationship Ruth and Naomi shared couldn’t have been further from the traditional hostile relationship shared by … Yet Ruth loved both God and Naomi and she had chosen to be there. Ruth might hold the title of best daughter-in-law ever. Naomi and Ruth have a unique relationship, but one that I think we can learn much from. I assumed that their relationship would be like a mentoring relationship, where the elder or more experienced woman guided and trained the younger woman. Maybe Naomi’s Hebrew faith appeals to Ruth. Christ teaches us that nothing, absolutely nothing, trumps love. mi is an older woman who helped Ruth to learn about Jehovah. The relationship cannot be used to support same-sex celibate relationships, because the relationship between Ruth and Naomi is utterly different. Set the tone of thankfulness. Ruth and Naomi are not the sort of heroines you’d expect: Naomi is an old, sad woman. Ruth shows us how that teaching looks in the real, hard parts of life. In Naomi’s case, it was in the person of Ruth. Know that I am sending you the best that God has to offer you and I will see you up, up, and over the top. She was the rock on which Naomi stood. But the book of Ruth is more than it might appear at first glance. To really understand the tremendous risk Ruth took by sticking with Naomi, we need to understand the relationship between the people of Israel and Moab. Orpah, one of Naomi’s daughters-in-law, left, but not Ruth—Ruth stayed, pledging her life to the now-destitute Naomi in Ruth 1:16-17, saying “Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you. One of our favorite stories in the Bible is the love story found in the Old Testament book of Ruth. In Torah, in Leviticus 23:22 has Adonai instructing His people: Answer: The book of Ruth largely focuses on the relationship between Ruth and Boaz. When I first stepped into their story, I presumed that the elder woman, Naomi, was going to be the mentor. What we are looking for is learning how to love like Christ loved, getting to the place in our relationships where love covers the cost. In fact, Ruth and Naomi inspired the birth of this blog. Ruth and Boaz were married, and she had a son, Obed. A quick recap of the story: The book of Ruth opens as Naomi, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orphah, is beginning her journey back to … Yet Ruth loved both God and Naomi and she had chosen to be there. It’s about loyalty: to God, to family, to each other. your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Naomi loved Ruth, but she was willing to let her go back to her family. Even though Naomi knew that a new marriage for Ruth would change their relationship, she still played an important part in arranging the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. While Naomi and Ruth probably did not know what was to come in the future, they are an exemplary example of the mentoring relationship and just how powerful this relationship can be. Ruth and Naomi’s story does eventually intersect with that of a man when they journey to Bethlehem and find they’re on … Maybe she and Naomi have developed a mother-daughter relationship. Yes, in the end, Ruth gets the man (Boaz) and they live happily ever after. Orpah then said goodbye, but Ruth was not persuaded to leave Naomi. Eventually Ruth would be the great-grandmother of King David. Ruth, out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab. Orpha returned but Ruth refused. They were companions, just like God intended for Adam and Eve. She made a passionate commitment, saying, “Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Through a loving relationship, Ruth expressed faith both to Naomi and to her God. The very existence of Ruth and Naomi’s intimate relationship in the Bible, a thousands-of-years-old text, is significant and radical. The loyal support from a strong and resilient woman like Ruth was proof that God still cared about Naomi. In fact, the women of the village (and the author) ignore the father entirely, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” (Ruth 4:17) They remind her that Ruth “who loves you, is more to you than seven sons.” (Ruth 4:15) Everyone seems to understand that, for Ruth and Naomi, their most important relationship is … But a relationship where one feels coerced or backed into a corner is built on a faulty and fragile foundation. But it was Ruth’s love for Naomi that made her willing to leave her country to return to Israel. 1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. 82.) Naomi and Ruth had little in common. I wonder when I read the story of Ruth and Naomi about what their relationship was really like. . Naomi could have had Ruth approach Boaz at the city gate while he was on an errand and force him to do the “honorable” thing and redeem her through marriage. That was enough for the relationship to go ahead on. Ruth and Naomi. Summary: Ruth, Naomi & Boaz. There might be support from other places in Scripture for such relatonships, but the account of Ruth is not the place to find it. As Ruth looked after Naomi and supported her, Naomi started to feel a little better. Ruth and Naomi’s friendship starts off with grief-stricken Naomi deciding to move back to her hometown of Bethlehem after the loss of her husband and two sons. Exploring Ruth with the Factbook Despite their differences, they established a deep bond. She had returned with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who had also lost her husband. Naomi asked Ruth and Orpha (her other daughter in law) to go back to their parent’s house. Boaz was a close relative of Naomi's husband's family. Ruth was a Moabite woman had come to Israel as the widow of an Israelite man. The Old Testament book of Ruth is a favorite of many. . It includes verses that are often used in weddings—“your people shall be my people”—and tells the story of a relationship between Naomi and Ruth, a widow and her daughter-in-law, that many see as a story of love and loyalty. What connected them was deeper than a superficial sexual relationship. Naomi could have easily chosen the path of isolation. Boaz married Ruth and took her in, rescuing her from the sad life of … Ruth, Naomi & Boaz – Bible love story. Ruth was a women from Moab, she married Naomi son , actually Naomi had two sons. They were from different cultures, places and families and Naomi was older than Ruth. It’s important to recognize that, historically, the Israelites and Moabites were enemies. Better enough anyway, to start to have Ruth’s own interests at heart. She has no reason to stay in Moab, so she tells her daughter-in-laws to return to their people- the Moabites- to … Ironically, the Midrash tells us that both Orphah and Ruth come from royal families, perhaps to give the future King David a royal lineage, something which Naomi could not do. Go back with her” (Ruth 1:15). Ruth and Naomi were most likely not lovers. Recently I’ve discovered the parallel between the familiar tale and a New Covenant life. In their first public disagreement, Naomi is the one who sets the tone for her relationship with her daughters-in-law. Ruth illustrates loyalty and she is the epitome of true friendship. But one that I think we can learn much from Ruth and Naomi relationship Led to Naomi was... 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