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Ruth And Naomi: A Story For Our Times
ONE
FOR ISRAEL
(MESSIANIC JEWS IN ISRAEL)
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you
go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and
your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the
Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
(Ruth 1:16-17)
When
reading the book of Ruth recently,
it dawned on me that the opening scene is a pertinent metaphor for our
situation today as believers.
Especially
when you take into account the Hebrew names of the key characters.
That
image of Ruth clinging to Naomi has a lot to say to the church in the West in a
time when many are tempted and pulled back by the “spirit of the age.”
Here
are my thoughts.
Decision-making time
Sands
are shifting, and the world is screaming that good is bad and bad is good… as
followers of Jesus, we can foolishly think we are above all that.
It’s so
very human of us to think that we know what’s really going on, and be convinced
by our own opinions.
But the
Bible warns over and over again about a great deception, a strong delusion, a
mass falling away.
This
could only come about because people are deceived, and people are deceived
because they are tricked.
They
are led to believe something is good when it is not.
We
think we know the difference, but unless we have a healthy appreciation of our
limitations, we are in danger too.
Pride
comes before a fall. We need to humbly admit that it is possible for our human
minds and hearts to fall prey to deception.
Who
then can stand? Since we all have fallible hearts and minds?
In the
context of this end times lawlessness and delusion, Paul gives us a sturdy mast
to cling onto – the factor by which we will perish or be saved: Love of
the truth.
“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be
saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
That
means, those who do not love the truth perish, and conversely,
those who do love the truth will be saved.
What
does loving the truth look like?
Here’s where the picture of Ruth and Naomi comes in.
Naomi
in some manner represents the people and the God of Israel – the truth about
God and His Word – out in the nations.
If
Naomi is a representative of the people and God of Israel, Ruth and Orpah can
be seen as representatives of the nations that have been invited into that
Jewish family.
Both
loved Naomi, but when hardship hit and Naomi decided it was time to go back to
Israel, the two women respond differently.
Both
loved her, embraced her, valued her and kissed her, but Ruth clung to her and
would not let her go.
Interestingly,
the Hebrew names (as so often
happens in the Bible) are highly significant.
The
root letters of Orpah (ערף) refer
to the back of one’s neck, or back.
It is
the word that God often uses when describing the Israelites as being
stiff-necked, and has connotations of turning back or apostasy.
Orpah’s
name has an additional letter at the end, ה (ah), which in Hebrew often indicates direction when attached
to a word.
The
word “smol” means “left”, and “smolah” means
“to the left”, home is “beit,” and if you say you’re going home, you’re
going “habeitah.”
Orpah,
although it means gazelle, can also look like, I’m “turning back”.
Ruth, (רוּת) on the other hand,
means friendship, from the word for companionship.
In the
story, and the parable that it is for us today, Ruth represents trust, loyalty
– and most importantly of all – relationship.
Naomi (נׇעֳמִי) means “my
delight.”
Ironically,
the Jewish return to
Israel prophesied of so frequently in the Bible is one of the
matters that divides many Christians today.
What
about the Palestinians? That can’t be right?
Surely
Israel is not the work of God, but the actions of men?
And so
many reinterpret those prophecies to mean something else, other than the
promised literal regathering of God’s people to the Land.
In
doing so, they miss out on a lot of amazing promises and information in the
Bible which we should pay attention to as we watch and wait for Yeshua’s
return.
(By the
way, God has certainly not forgotten the Palestinians, Ezekiel
47:22-23, even as he continues to fulfil his promises to
Israel. If you know him, you’ll know he can be trusted to do all things well
and that he’s completely just.)
Similarly,
the Biblical take on issues of gender and
sexuality, the horrific reality of hell and Jesus being
the only way to
salvation… these all seem so… harsh.
Especially
if any of these issues affect you personally, or someone you love.
The
world demands that the Bible must be updated and sanitised for our times, and
sadly, there are Christians that agree.
Like
Orpah, they are too fond of the life and culture they know to go the way of the
wild with God and his people.
They
will not follow the God of Israel along a path that defies commonly held
beliefs, because they do not know God well enough to trust that he knows what
he’s doing, and that he is right in what he says.
Things
often get pretty alarming and bewildering with God, it’s just how he rolls.
Instead they choose to lean on their own understanding.
They
adapt the Bible to say what they wish it said, instead of seeing God’s word as
their delight.
Hang on tight!
But
Ruth was welded to her beloved Jewish family through deep relationship. She
decided she was willing to risk everything to be with Naomi and the life she’d
found with her.
The
risks were great and there were many unknowns, but like Yeshua’s friend Mary,
Ruth had chosen the most important thing. Her mind was made up, because
she knew the person she was following.
The
deceptions are strong and confusing, but we can come to God and ask him for wisdom
and insight whenever we need it.
Sometimes
it’s quite the journey to understanding his heart on a matter, but he does
promise that those who seek diligently will
find.
In the
meantime, hang in there, and trust that he does know where he’s going!
Here
are some other illustrations the Bible gives us of clinging to God for dear
life: Moses didn’t dare take a step without God (Exodus
33:15) and Jacob refused to let the Angel of the Lord go until he was
blessed (Genesis 32:26).
In Song
of Solomon, the bride (representing us, God’s beloved) clings to
her bridegroom. Like Ruth, the Shunamite refuses to budge:
“I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not
let him go.” (Song of Solomon 3:4)
Don’t
be an Orpah – be a Ruth!
Hold on
tight, friends, and don’t let go. The road is getting rocky, but there’s a
great future to look forward to.
How do you feel about the
Bible?
Because there are many
Christians today who claim to love Jesus, but when the word of God takes a
different path than the wisdom of the world, they end up separated.
Others cling to God’s
word for dear life.
ONE
FOR ISRAEL
(MESSIANIC JEWS IN ISRAEL)
We are
an Israeli ministry composed of Jewish & Arab followers of Yeshua (Jesus)
who are all about blessing Israel through sharing the gospel online, educating
the new generation of born-again believers through our one and only
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