Ruth 1:14b-16a
Ruth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again;
Then Back Turner (Orpah) kissed her mother-in-law,
but Companion (Ruth) clung to her.
15 Then she said, “Behold, your widow-in-law has returned to her people and her gods; return with your widow-in-law.”
16 But Companion (Ruth) said, “Do not strive against me to leave you, to return from following you;
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of the book of Ruth.
Now last week we left Naomi (My Pleasant One) and her two young daughters-in- law standing on the side of the road leading to Bethlehem bawling. The two girls are recently widowed. And Naomi knows that if they go back with her to a land that forbids pagan intermarriage, it will all but guarantee that these two young Moabite women will remain unwed and impoverished. Therefore, My Pleasant One has released them from all their obligations to her and ordered them to go back home.
However, the two girls genuinely love Naomi. As such, they both refuse to leave. Nonetheless, Naomi explains that nothing but hardship awaits them if they go with her. Therefore, Naomi makes her final decision and orders them to depart. And so, everybody is on the side of the road crying.
In our text this morning everything that we have been building up to comes to a head: the theme of returning with all its spiritual significance comes to a head (remember watch the feet and you will see the heart). Not only that, the central idea of future (the future that God gives versus the future that the world gives) comes to a head. And finally, the fate of each of these three women (what’s going to happen to them) comes to a head. In other words, it has all come down to this. Right now, the whole book and everything it stands for hangs in the balance.
Verse 1:14
Review: Notice at once the setting: Naomi has denied the girls’ appeal to stay with her and has given them her final answer: Naomi says No, you must return to Moab. Therefore, verse 14 opens by telling us that all three women lifted up their voice (singular) and with one heart wept FN#1. Importance: one last time before the resolve (before we see how everything shakes out), the text underscores that the love of all three women is genuine/sincere. In other words, the reason for the outcome that we are about to see is to be sought in the spiritual not the cynical.
Notice at once the resolve FN#2: verse 14 tells us that Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and leaves for home. Importance: in a book that is all about names, Orpah’s name in Hebrew means “Back Turner”. Now remember, it is evident that “Back Turner’ is a nickname that the author has given her and not Orpah’s original Moabite name. How? First, the (nick) name, “Orpah” has a direct Hebrew root. Second, over and again we have seen that the author uses nicknames to draw our immediate attention to the character and spiritual nature of those who bear them. In other words, the author has given her this nickname because turning her back is precisely what she does FN#3. However, please note: the text has repeatedly refused to let us view Orpah’s decision cynically. Instead, the text insists that both girls truly love their mother-in-law. So why does Back Turner leave, and why has the author given her this pejorative nickname? First, (non-cynically) Orpah leaves because she respects Naomi’s authority. Naomi is in charge and Naomi has ordered them to leave FN#4. Second, Orpah has listened to Naomi’s pragmatic reasoning and by the same worldly measure that Naomi is using, she is convinced that Naomi is right. Thus to Orpah, if the girls (selfishly) go with Naomi, they will simply add two further dependents to an already impoverished widow. Not only that, without the chance to remarry, the two girls will have no way to better the family’s situation. As such, Orpah is convinced that the heartbreaking decision to leave is the right thing to do (for Naomi and all involved). Simply put, Orpah’s choice is not due to her lack of love or because she is selfish. Instead, it comes down to her ultimate frame of reference (its spiritual) Notice then, YHWH (the God of Naomi’s constant witness) does not enter in to her thought process. Instead, her thinking is directed wholly by the world and therefore, it leads her right back to the world (watch the feet and see the heart). In other words, for Orpah to leave YHWH for the gods of Moab is a lateral move. As such, the author has nicknamed her “Back Turner” to draw our attention to the fact that she has turned her back not just on Naomi, but more importantly, on Naomi’s witness and Naomi’s God. In the end, Orpah’s decision is ultimately a spiritual one. That is, it comes down to who she truly worships and where her deciding point of reference really lies. Notice then the chilling result: Back Turner fades from the book. We will not see her again. Not only that, her actual name (whatever it was) is lost to the records and memory of God’s people. Why? Back Turner, as a result of her (spiritual) decision to depart, has no place or share in the future that God has for His people. And that is what the author wants you to see; that is where his nickname is drawing your attention, and that is what he wants you to take to heart.
Next, notice the contrast: verse 14 tells us that Ruth clung to Naomi. Importance: the Hebrew word here for “clung” literally means to fasten oneself to something. In other words, unlike “Back Turner”, Ruth latches herself around Naomi’s legs and refuses to let go. Notice the result: the scene that verse 14 presents underscores the emotional intensity of what is at stake in Ruth’s eyes. Ruth is acting like leaving is a matter of life and death. Not only that, notice we are once again confronted with the centrality of names: in Hebrew Ruth’s name means “Companion” FN#5. As such, it stands her in direct contrast to Back Turner, not just in her actions but in the spiritual factors that direct those actions. In other words, the author is preparing us to see that a difference in the direction of the feet points to a difference in the condition of the heart.
Verse 15
Next, notice Naomi’s response: she points to Back Turner, who has said her good-byes and is already heading down the road back to Moab and says to Companion, behold/look your widow-in-law has returned FN#6. Importance: notice at once that the central theme of returning together with all its spiritual factors is in full view. Not only that, notice the Hebrew term here for “widow-in-law is far more specific than the usual gloss “sister-in-law. In fact, every time it is used in Scripture it points directly to a girl’s widowed in-law. As such, it casts a shadow of death and foreboding over the entire passage (as well as a ray of hope) FN#7. In essence, Naomi points to Back Turner and says that the wife of the dead has returned to the dead. Notice then specifically where Naomi says that Back Turner has gone: However, first notice what Naomi does not say: Naomi does not say that Orpah has simply returned home or gone back to the house of her mother (which is exactly what Naomi instructed the girls to do back in verse 8). Instead, there is a variance. In other words, Naomi breaks with her past (pragmatic) assessment of what returning means. Notice then, Naomi says that Back Turner has returned to her people, her customs, and her gods. Importance: Ruth’s unrelenting insistence has caused Naomi to question if there is not some other reason that Companion is so ardently refusing to go. Thus, as Naomi ponders what this other reason might be, it awakens Naomi’s spiritual consideration. As such, for the first time in our passage, the spiritual enters into Naomi’s assessment and thought process. Thus returning to Moab is no longer about practical provisions and worldly security. Rather, it is about death, pagan gods, and a pagan land.
Next, notice Naomi tells Ruth to return with her widow-in-law. However, notice that the entire tone of Naomi’s instruction has changed (it is almost a taunt/ challenge). In other words, Naomi is not merely repeating her past commands to leave. Instead, for the first time Naomi’s instruction sets the spiritual stakes before Ruth. Naomi tells Ruth to return with your widow-in-law to the land of the dead and its gods. Why? Naomi is testing to see, if in fact, the spiritual is why Ruth is refusing to leave. FN#8.
Verse 16a
Next, notice that Companion respond by shouting through her sobs and tear, do not strive against me to leave you, to return from following you. Importance: once again we encounter our theme of returning and the reminder to watch Ruth’s feet and you will see her heart. Not only that, notice the Hebrew word here, which is often translated “urge” at its root means to strike/attack/assail. By extension it comes to mean to strike or attack someone verbally. In other words, Ruth’s response is not some polite dispassionate request. Instead, it carries with it the emotional intensity and sense of defending off a hostile attack. Notice then the picture that verse 16 provides: as Companion clings to Naomi’s feet, she portrays Naomi’s words to return like violent blows that are striking her and trying to push her off. But Companion is not letting go. Ruth wants no part of death, the dead, or their gods. Instead, she wants something more.
Bottom line: so what does Ruth really want? Is her reason really YHWH? Are we going to be able to point to that answer definitively in the text, or is it just something that the preacher will read into the text because it sounds nice? Who knows? But for now, what I can tell you is this: Back Turner is heading down the road and is almost out of sight. So if you want to give her one last wave good-bye, you better do it now, because you will never see her again.
Footnotes
1] In other words, the author’s deliberate use of the singular (voice) where the plural “voices” would be expected, indicates that they all wept with one voice and one heart. Simply put, this is not fake grief nor is it an easy decision for any of them. Importance: the text will not allow us to be cynical. Instead, both girls truly love their mother-in-law. Therefore, as we watch this theme of returning unfold, the text repeatedly prohibits us from falsely ignoring the sincerity of both girls. In fact, the text has gone out of its way to repeatedly show us that in all outward factors (their love, their commitment to Naomi, and the sacrifice involved) the girls are exactly equal. Therefore, the text is preparing us to see that at the end of the day and despite all the extraneous factors, each girl’s decision will come down to the spiritual. That is, it will come down to what they truly worship.
2] as you take note of the resolve, consider that from this point on, the lives of each of these women will never be the same. In fact, here on the side of the road God’s hand is quietly setting into motion a course that will forever change all Israel (through David) and eventually the whole world (through the Messiah). However, nobody standing there on the side of the road sees any of that. Instead, our focus is on the seemingly ordinary everyday acts of faithfulness through which God works His extraordinary plan. Importance: once again we see a key spiritual principle that is at work throughout the book: faithfulness is never in vain. Instead, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to us, faithfulness always glorifies God and God always uses it to carry forward His plan for His people and His creation. We might not see it. Like Naomi, we might not live to ever see it. However, our faithfulness always reflects and contributes to God’s purpose for creation. Such then also underscores the way that our small compromises rob us, obscure God’s hand in our life, and misdirect us. Simply put, compromise wastes the possibilities that faithfulness sets before us.
Question: Does this mean that every act of your faithfulness will lead to something as grandiose as the line through which the Messiah will come? To answer this (or at least to put the question in better perspective) we need only to look back one generation, to Naomi’s parents, her friends, her spiritual teachers- to all the people whose faithfulness God used to instill true faith in Naomi (the faith that God is using even now in the account of Ruth to change the world). Thus you might not be a Naomi. Instead, you might be more like her parents. Regardless, God uses your faithfulness as a key component of His plan to directly change the world.
3] First, the entire weight of the book suggests that the author is providing poignant nick-names to some of the people. Why? Over and again we find that the auxiliary names in the book of Ruth precisely fit the character and actions of those who bear them with uncanny exactness. Now while it is certainly possible that God in His providence brought all of this about, the flavor and tone of the book seems to indicate that the author is using these nick-names to draw his readers in, engage them in what they are reading, and to alert them to the significance of what is going on. As such, these nicknames point to a playfulness and provides an important clue to how we are to approach the book. Ruth is a book that is meant to delight and engage its readers and draw them into the account.
Second, these nicknames replace the actual non-genealogical names on the grounds that the actual names were either removed from the genealogies because their bearer’s unfaithfulness had removed them for God people (as in the case of Mahlon and Chilion- who died childless in a foreign land); or these names were simply forgotten (as is possible with Mahlon, Chilion, and Orpah); or the names were known at the time the book was written and thus the significance of the nickname would be immediately evident to the original readers. Regardless, the author uses these nicknames to describe each character and point out their spiritual significance to the account. Simply put, these nicknames serve much like the stock characters from the early days of cinema or stage productions (think the black cloak of a villain or the white hat of the good guy). As such, they immediately clue you in on who these guys are and what you should expect to see from them. Thus right away, you know who to boo, who to cheer for, and when to cover your eyes until the danger is past.
Third, this practice of giving nickname is something we see in other places in Scripture: for example in the book of Judges (remember Ruth takes place in the days of Judges) Gideon is given the nickname, Jerubbaal by which he is known throughout the account because he pulled down Baal’s altar. The name Jerubbaal means let Baal fight/defend himself (Judges 6:31-32)
Judges 7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod;
Again, in the same book we hear of Gaal the son of Ebed who dealt treacherously with Gideon’s Son, Abimelech (Judges 9:28). The name Gaal means “loathsome one” and Ebed, his father means “servant”. Thus Gaal’s name might well be translated, “loathsome son of a servant.” It seems likely that this is not the name that his dad gave him, but is a nickname given to him because of his immoral character and lowly social status.
Finally, the author’s intentionality is seen in his use of both the genealogical and non-genealogical name: Notice then, the author uses the genealogical names in the book (e.g. Elimelech, Naomi, and Ruth) to point out important factors at work in the account. As such, he sets the meaning of the genealogical name over against the realities of a particular situation in order to bring out the deeper spiritual factors at work. In the same way, he provides nicknames to other non-genealogical characters to make the spiritual factors surrounding them clear and evident to the reader.
Note the genealogical names in the Book are:
· Elimelech
· Naomi
· Ruth
· Boaz
The non-genealogical nicknames are:
· Mahlon
· Chilion
· Orpah
· The unnamed relative in 4:1ff
4] Here then is the importance of the authoritative character of Naomi’s actions back in verses 8-9 and why it is important that we listen to Scripture and keep in mind what it has told us. Remember, back in verses 8-9 the text underscored the official nature of the girls’ release and Naomi’s position of authority over her household. Thus:
1. Naomi grants the girls an official release from their obligation
2. She orders them to return home
3. And as the matriarch of the family and the last authority figure standing she blesses them and their departure
All of which point to her authority and the official capacity in which she is acting. The result is that this authoritative capacity in which Naomi is acting provides the first non-cynical reason that Orpah turns her back and departs. Simply put, she is honoring Naomi’s authority even though she does not like its results.
5] Note: we can tell that the names of both girls have been altered. We can tell this by the fact that the names of both of these Moabite women have direct Hebrew roots. However, unlike “Back Turner”, Ruth is not a nickname created by the author. Instead, Ruth is an actual genealogical name. That said, the fact that it has a direct Hebrew root (רֵעַ -friend/companion) tells us that in all likelihood, her original Moabite name was changed/modified/Judaized upon her inclusion in God’s people. In turn, it was change to reflect exactly what Ruth did. She was a companion to Naomi and loyal daughter-in-law to Naomi’s God- which is exactly what is unfolding in our passage.
6] Note: when Naomi says, “your widow-in-law has returned” the verb is in the Perfect Tense. That is, it views the action as a complete whole rather than a process. Thus, instead of using an ingressive participle or imperfect (e.g. she is returning), the author’s word choice deliberately underscore the finality and completion of Orpah’s action. The result is that, even though she is just underway and has by no means reached home, the matter is treated as already finished. She is gone. Importance: every detail of verse 15 underscores the fact that it is the spiritual factors of the heart that are the primary focus and primary grounds of the decisions being made.
7] In Hebrew, the term used here (יְבָמָה -widow-in-law) occurs only 5 times in all of Scripture (2 in Ruth and 3 in Deuteronomy). Each time it specifically denotes a girl’s widowed in-law. In other words, it refers to a sister-in-law who is widowed. Not only that, every time it is used outside of Ruth, it occurs in the context of the Levirate marriage laws, which will become a big part of this book (Deut 25:7 2x; 25:9). Thus, for the original Hebrew readers the use of this highly specialized word provided a foreshadowing of what is to come and yet another instance of God’s hand quietly at work in the situation (thus the ray of hope mentioned in the sermon).
8] Note the essence of the test comes down to how Naomi’s instruction will register with Ruth. Will Ruth hear verse 15 through pagan ears and thus take it as a positive (return to your home and all that is familiar to you); or will she hear it as a believer (return to the dead and the gods of the dead)? In other words, to return to Moab will mean something completely different to a believer than it does to an unbeliever. For the unbeliever, it simply means a return to life as usual. However, for the believer, it means excommunication and separation from God and His people (i.e. death among the dead). As such, for the believer, there is far more at stake here than just momentary security and worldly provision. Importance: Naomi’s test question is alerting us to what we are looking for in Roth’s response. Will Ruth’s heart answer pragmatically or spiritually?