Boaz Marries Ruth

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Ruth 4:1) Then Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by, to whom he said, "Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down.

At the end of the last chapter and post, Ruth had let Boaz know he was her next of kin, and by law, should marry her.  Boaz, in turn, let Ruth know that although he was her kin, he knew she had one who was nearer in kin to her than he was.  So Boaz went to the city gate and sat and waited until that kinsman he had spoken of came by.  He did indeed come by, and Boaz said something to the effect of he was the one Boaz had been looking for, and he asked him to sit down.  The man did as Boaz asked and sat down with him.

(2) And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit down here." And they sat down.

Boaz also called ten elders of the city to come and sit by him.  His purpose was to call a court to determine whether or not Ruth's next of kin would assume his responsibility as laid out in Deuteronomy 25:7-9.

(3) And he said to the kinsman, "Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's, (4) And I thought to advise you, saying, 'Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it, but if you will not redeem it, tell me that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides you, and I after you.'" And he said, "I will redeem it."

Boaz began by explaining to his kinsman that Naomi who had come back from Moab was now needing to sell a parcel of land that had belonged to their mutual kinsman, Elimelech.  He had come to inform Elimelech's nearest kinsman that he might buy it and redeem it, preserving the inheritance in the family according to the law (Leviticus 25:25).  Boaz asked his kinsman to tell him then and there if he would redeem the land, for if he didn't, then it was Boaz's responsibility to redeem it as he was the nearest of kin after the kinsman to whom he now spoke.  The kinsman said he would indeed redeem it.

(5) Then said Boaz, "What day you buy the field of the hand of Naomi, you must buy also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance."

Boaz went on to explain that on the day the kinsman bought the field from Naomi, he was also buying it from Ruth, as her husband had been the rightful heir of Elimelech's land upon his passing.  Now that her husband was also dead, it was the redeemer's duty to raise up the name of Ruth's husband and Naomi's son, Mahlon, perpetuating it according to the law (Deuteronomy 25:5).

(6) And the kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance; you redeem my right to yourself as I cannot redeem it."

At that, the kinsman said he would not be able to redeem the land, for he had his own inheritance to think of and pass on to the next generation.  He was surely married and had children and thought that marrying Ruth and raising up children in her husband's name would greatly diminish his own inheritance for his children.

(7) Now this was the custom in former time concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things, a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor, and this was a testimony in Israel.

The custom at that time concerning redemption and the exchanging of property, in order to confirm the transaction, a man was to take off his shoe and give it to the other party, in this case Boaz, to confirm that he had refused his right of redemption and allowed it to pass to Boaz.  In Deuteronomy 25:8-9, we saw a stricter version of this custom that was the law, where the widow of the brother of the man who refused to uphold his responsibility in taking his brother's widow as his wife, she herself took off her brother-in-law's shoe and spit in his face because he refused to do his duty in perpetuating his brother's name.  As this kinsman was not a brother to Mahlon, he was therefore not obliged to take Ruth as his wife, but it appears that it remained a custom in the transferring of property to remove the shoe and pass it to the other party to confirm the transaction in the presence of the elders in Israel.

(8) Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." So he drew off his shoe. 

So the kinsman told Boaz to buy the land for himself, and he took off his shoe to confirm that he was relinquishing his right to the land and giving Boaz the right to redeem it.

(9) And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. (10) Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of this place, you are witnesses this day."

Boaz then said to the elders and thus in testimony to all the people of Israel that they were witnesses to the fact that he had bought all that had been Elimelech's, and all that would have been passed down to his sons, Chilion and Mahlon, from Elimelech's widow, Naomi.  In addition, he was purchasing the right to make Ruth his wife and agreeing to raise up the names of Mahlon and his father Elimelech, so that their names would not be cut off and forgotten among their brethren.  From their position at the gate of the city, the elders and the people present were witnesses to those facts that day.

(11) And all the people who were in the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah, the two who built the house of Israel, and may you do worthily in Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem, (12) And let your house be like the house of Pharez whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give you of this young woman."

The elders and the people present at the gate of the city declared they were indeed witnesses.  They blessed the union of Boaz and Ruth.  The fact that they wished that Ruth who was coming into his house be like Rachel and Leah seems to indicate that Boaz had married before this time, and their wish was that both women would continue to build up the house of Israel as Rachel and Leah had done.  They wished that Boaz might do well in Ephratah and Bethlehem, which were one and the same place, where Rachel had died and was buried, according to Genesis 35:19.  The elders and the people also wished that Boaz's house might be like that of Pharez, the son of Judah, by Tamar who was actually Judah's daughter-in-law.  When Tamar's husband Er died, the other sons of Judah and Judah himself refused to do their duty to Tamar to raise up an inheritance to her dead husband.  However, she tricked Judah into impregnating her when he did not know it was his daughter-in-law.  This event was detailed in Genesis 38.  The people wished that Boaz's house might be like that of Pharez who was the result of the union between his mother and a redeemer, although an unwitting one.  May he as Ruth's redeemer have descendants as numerous as Judah by Pharez.  The fact that Ruth was a Moabitess, although often mentioned, seems to be of no concern, as Ruth had obviously become a proselyte or convert to the Jewish religion.  

(13) So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Boaz took Ruth as his wife, and he performed his conjugal duty.  As the ultimate proof that God blessed this union, it is said that He gave her conception, and she bore a son.

(14) And the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. (15) And 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 better to you than seven sons, has borne him."

The women of Bethlehem, neighbors of Naomi, told her that the Lord had not abandoned her and left her without descendants after all.  Through her daughter-in-law Ruth, who so loved her, and was better to her than seven sons would have been, she had a grandson.  They wished that his name be famous in Israel as he was to her a restorer of life and nourisher to her in her old age at a time when she had felt alone and abandoned.

(16) And Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became nurse to him.

Naomi took the baby and laid him in her bosom as a sign of her tender love and affection for him, and she became a nurse to him, aiding Ruth in her care of him.

(17) And the women her neighbors gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi," and they called his name Obed; he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The neighbor women suggested a name for the baby that was indeed adopted by Ruth and Boaz.  They suggested the name of Obed which meant "serving," as they saw him serving, nourishing, and comforting Naomi in her old age as they had wished for her in verse 15.  However, the name had greater significance than they knew as Obed's grandson, David, was God's beloved servant.  Life was restored to Naomi's name as a son, actually a grandson, was born to her son's wife.  Obed would go on to have a son Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.  In this would Obed's name become famous in Israelite history as the grandfather of David, as the women neighbors had wished (v. 14).

(18) Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,

The author of Ruth now inserted a descendant genealogy of Pharez, the son of Judah and Tamar, whose house the people of Israel wished for the descendants of Boaz and Ruth to mirror (v. 12).  Pharez's son was Hezron.

(19) And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, (20) And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, (21) And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

Pharez's son Hezron had a son Ram who produced Amminadab, who produced Nahshon, and Nahshon produced Salmon, the father of Boaz.  And of course, Boaz's son was Obed.

(22) And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Completing the genealogy from Judah (by his son Pharez) to David, Obed would go on to have a son Jesse, who was the father of David.  How beautiful and fitting that Ruth the Moabitess should play a prominent role in the genealogy of David which would also extend to Jesus, the Son of David, the Lion of Judah.  Of course, Ruth had converted to Judaism, so was not really a Moabite at the time she married Boaz.  But this shows how the Gentile, someone not originally of the Jewish faith, was grafted into the line of Jesus, just as Jesus offered his salvation to the Gentiles and allowed them to be grafted into His living vine (Romans 11).  As the author of Ruth linked her to her great-grandson David, we know her book was written after David's anointing which agrees with Jewish tradition that the prophet Samuel may have written it.

Ruth Visits Boaz on His Threshing Floor

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Ruth 3:1) Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?"

In the last chapter and post, Ruth had met Boaz and found favor with him.  He was Naomi's next of kin by marriage.  Boaz allowed Ruth to glean his fields until the end of all harvests in order to provide for her and Naomi.  Now that the end of the harvests had been gleaned, Naomi asked Ruth if she should seek out a husband for her so that she might have a house of her own and a husband to provide for her that she might be free from the hard labor in the fields she had been recently doing.  Although this verse does not specifically mention marriage, that is what Naomi meant, as she had before called marriage a rest (Ruth 1:9).  Naomi understood it would certainly be a rest from the worries of being a provider for another person such as herself.

(2) "And now is Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor. (3) Wash yourself, therefore, and anoint yourself, and put your garment on you, and get down to the floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he shall have done eating and drinking."

Naomi reminded Ruth that Boaz was their kin.  As she knew that he was winnowing barley that night at his threshing floor, she encouraged Ruth to wash and anoint herself and put on a clean, probably her best, garment, and go to where Boaz was.  However, she told Ruth not to make herself known to him until he had finished eating and drinking.  Naomi was actually very wise in that she knew by law, Boaz, her nearest kinsman, was obliged to marry Ruth.  She relied on the law expressed in Deuteronomy 25:5, that if a man died leaving a widow with no children, his brother was obliged to marry his sister-in-law.  She was not to marry outside of the family.  As Ruth had no brother-in-law because he had also died, Boaz was her nearest kin among her late husband's family.

(4) And it shall be when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what you shall do."

Naomi went on to tell Ruth that after Boaz had finished eating and drinking and went to lie down, she should take note of where he lay.  She was to go in and uncover his feet and lie down at his feet, and Boaz would tell her what she should do.  It seems a rather bold and immodest move on Ruth's part, but Naomi knew that by law Boaz should be Ruth's husband, and surely she must have been led by the Spirit of God to suggest what she did.

(5) And she said to her, "All that you say to me I will do." (6) And she went down to the floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.

Ruth told Naomi that she would do as she had told her to do.  After she had washed and dressed, she went down to the threshing floor where Boaz was.  At this point, she stood out of sight of Boaz.

(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 corn, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

After Boaz had eaten and had drunk what would appear to be intoxicating drink, as his heart was merry, rather than going to bed in his house, he went to lie down on a heap of corn.  This Naomi probably knew would be the case when she had told Ruth what she should do.  Ruth indeed came softly to where Boaz lay, and she uncovered his feet and lay down at them.

(8) And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid and turned himself, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.

Boaz slept until midnight, at which time he was startled awake and turned himself to find a young woman lying at his feet.

(9) And he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your handmaid; spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a near kinsman."

Boaz asked who the woman was.  She answered that she was Ruth, the handmaiden who had been gleaning in his fields.  She told him to spread his garment over her, as if taking her under his wing, a sign of taking her in marriage, for he was her near kinsman.

(10) And he said, "Blessed be you of the Lord, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you did not follow young men, whether poor or rich."

Boaz commended Ruth and asked God's blessing on her, as she continued to show even more kindness to his kinsman than she had in the beginning.  She could have stayed in her own country and followed after the young men there, yet she showed honor to her husband's name and to her mother-in-law by following her to her country and seeking a proper husband according to the Jewish law.

(11) "And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to you all that you require, for all the city of my people know that you are a virtuous woman. (12) And now it is true that I am your near kinsman, however there is a kinsman nearer than I."

Boaz told Ruth not to be afraid.  I believe his sense was that she should not fear that her actions might make her appear to be an immodest woman.  He understood why she did what she did, and he agreed to do all that was required under the law.  He said that the people of his city saw her as a virtuous woman.  He agreed that he was indeed her near kinsman, but he said there was actually one nearer to her than he was.

(13) "Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, if he will perform to you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman to you, then I will do the part of a kinsman to you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning."

Boaz told Ruth to stay until morning, and then they would see if the nearer kinsman would do his part and marry Ruth, and if so, that would be good.  However, if he would not do his part, then Boaz would do his part as a kinsman and marry Ruth, as sure as the Lord lived, he would agree to do his part.  He told Ruth to lie down there until the morning.

(14) And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, "Let it not be known that a woman came to the floor."

Ruth lay at Boaz's feet until the morning and rose up before it was light enough for one to recognize another.  Boaz told her it should not be made known that a woman had come to his threshing floor, so perhaps he was the one who woke Ruth early.

(15) Also he said, "Bring the veil on you and hold it." And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her, and she went into the city.

Before she left, Boaz asked her to bring her veil to him, and he filled it with six measures of barley and laid it upon her, and she left and went into the city.

(16) And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "Who are you, my daughter?" And she told her all that the man had done to her.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked who it was who approached her.  It may have been more of a question like, "Is that you, my daughter?" Ruth told Naomi all that had transpired that previous night.

(17) And she said, "These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, 'Do not go empty to your mother-in-law.'"

Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had given her six measures of barley to take to her mother-in-law, perhaps as an assurance that her daughter-in-law's mission had been successful.

Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall, for the man will not be in rest until he has finished the thing this day."

Naomi then told Ruth to sit tight and wait to see how the matter would unfold, for she was certain that Boaz, as a man of great integrity, would not rest until he knew whether or not she would be his wife.  Wise advice from a woman surely following God's direction, as Psalm 46:10 states, "Be still, and know that I am God..."  She had done what she had felt led to do, and now it was time to wait on God to work His will.  

Ruth Gleans in Boaz's Field

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Ruth 2:1) And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

In the last chapter and post, we were introduced to Naomi, the widow of Elimelech, and her daughter-in-law Ruth, who had also become a widow when her husband, Naomi's son, died.  They had been living in Moab, where Ruth was a native, and had come to Bethlehem, Naomi's home, after their husbands had died.  Naomi had a relative of her husband's there in Bethlehem, a wealthy man named Boaz.

(2) And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me now go to the field and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."

Ruth requested that Naomi allow her to go to a nearby field to glean ears of corn that had been left behind by someone in whom Ruth hoped to find grace.  Actually, it was a Jewish law that when one reaped the harvest of his field, he was to leave the corners and not pick up every dropped ear so that the poor might be able to glean some food from the field (Leviticus 19:9).  Whether or not Ruth knew this to be law and that she was allowed to glean the edges of a field, she displayed modesty and humility in wishing to find grace in the eyes of the reaper of the field.  Naomi told her to go ahead.

(3) And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to light on a part of the field of Boaz, who was the kindred of Elimelech.

Ruth went out to a field and began gleaning of the harvest that had fallen and had been left behind.  She "happened" to light on the field belonging to Boaz, who was the kinsman of Elimelech.  The author of the book of Ruth wrote as if it was only happenstance that Ruth ventured onto Boaz's field, but of course, it was the providence and direction of the Lord that led her to her mother-in-law's kinsman's field.

(4) And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you." And they answered him, "The Lord bless you."

Another "happenchance" occurred in that Boaz came from the city at that time to his field.  This man of wealth took the time to address his reapers which shows him to be a considerate and humble man.  His reapers returned the good wishes he had given them.

(5) Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, "Whose damsel is this?"

Then Boaz asked his servant whom he had set as head over the reapers who the young lady was he saw gleaning in his field.

(6) And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, "It is the Moabitish damsel who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab, (7) And she said, 'I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves,' so she came and has continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house."

The servant and manager of the reapers told Boaz that he knew her to be a young Moabite woman who had come back with Naomi from Moab.  The servant indicated that Ruth had been very polite and asked permission to glean after the reapers in the field.  She had been gleaning in the fields all day until that present time, except for a little rest in a house or shelter that must have been adjacent to the field.

(8) Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Do you not hear me, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go from here, but abide here with my maidens. (9) Your eyes be on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink of what the young men have drawn."

Then Boaz spoke to Ruth and asked that she listen to him.  He called her "my daughter," which indicates that he was much older than she was, and I'm sure he was as a contemporary kinsman of Elimelech's.  He told her not to glean any other fields but stay with the maidens gleaning his fields.  He told her to watch where they went and follow after them to glean after them.  He assured her he had ordered the young men in his charge not to touch her.  He told her when she was thirsty, she was to go to the vessels the young men had drawn and drink from there.

(10) Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said to him, "Why have I found grace in your eyes that you should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"

Ruth fell down and bowed herself to the ground before Boaz and asked why she had found favor with him that he should even take notice of her, seeing she was a stranger.

(11) And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has fully been shown me all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and you have left your father and your mother and the land of your nativity and have come to a people whom you did not know before. (12) The Lord recompense your work and a full reward be given you of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings you have come to trust."

Boaz told Ruth that he had been told about all she had done for her mother-in-law since the death of her husband, and how she had left her parents and the land of her birth to come with her mother-in-law, his kinsman's wife, to a land she had never known.  As a sort of blessing, Boaz told Ruth that the Lord God of Israel would repay her for her kind deeds, and she would be given a full reward from the Lord as she had come to trust in Him, Naomi's God, as she had said she desired to do when she pleaded with Naomi to let her go with her (Ruth 1:16).

(13) Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me, and you have spoken friendly to your handmaid though I am not like one of your handmaidens."

Ruth told Boaz that she hoped to continue to find favor in his sight for he had so comforted her and was friendly to her, treating her as one of his handmaidens although she was not like them.

(14) And Boaz said to her, "At mealtime come here and eat of the bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar." And she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her parched grain, and she ate and was satisfied and left.

Boaz told Ruth to eat a meal with them.  I believe the sense of what he said was that she could eat of all they had to offer, including bread and vinegar which was a sort of household wine.  She sat at the table beside the reapers, and Boaz gave to her parched grain.  Ruth ate until she was full and satisfied and then left.

(15) And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her, (16) And let fall on purpose from the bundles and leave them that she may glean them, and do not rebuke her."

As there was still light in the day, Ruth had left to go back to gleaning.  Boaz told his reapers to let her glean even among the sheaves, which probably meant she did not have to stay at the ends and corners of the field only but could follow the reapers in the entire field.  He told them not to censure her at all, and even purposely let grain fall from their gathered bundles so that she could glean them.

(17) So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

Ruth continued to glean until the evening, and she beat out and winnowed the grain she had gleaned.  She had about two thirds of a bushel of barley grain.

(18) And she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her what she had reserved after she was satisfied.

Ruth took her grain and went back to the city to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who saw all that she had gleaned.  In addition, Ruth gave Naomi food she had apparently reserved from her meal after she had been satisfied. 

(19) And her mother-in-law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be he who took knowledge of you." And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."

Naomi asked Ruth where she had worked and gleaned. She also offered her blessing to whomever had taken notice of Ruth and allowed her to glean so much grain.  Ruth told Naomi it was Boaz for whom she had worked that day.

(20) And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed he of the Lord, who has not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead." And Naomi said to her, "The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen."

When Naomi heard it was Boaz who had allowed Ruth to glean so much that day, she offered her blessing to Boaz.  I'm not sure if she was acknowledging that it was the Lord who had actually not left off His kindness to her and Ruth, the ones left living, as He had been kind to their husbands before they died, as she had felt abandoned by the Lord after so much loss when she left Moab (Ruth 1:13, 21).  Or perhaps she meant Boaz was to be blessed, as he was a man of the Lord, who continued to show kindness to the living widows of his kinsmen, demonstrating his respect also for his dead kinsmen.  Naomi then told Ruth that Boaz was one of their next of kin.

(21) And Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said to me also, 'You shall keep close by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.'"

Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had also told her that she could follow close to his reapers until they had finished all his harvest, which meant more than just the barley she was gleaning at present.  

(22) And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "Good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, that they do not meet you in any other field."

Naomi told Ruth it was good that she could be with Boaz's handmaidens as she followed the reapers, that she did not have to meet strangers in other fields who may not be as kind as Boaz.

(23) So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth indeed kept close to Boaz's handmaidens and gleaned until the end of the barley harvest and then to the end of the wheat harvest.  She lived with her mother-in-law.

In Ruth, we find a polite, modest, and industrious young woman, and one loyal to her mother-in-law.  Such a humble woman was amenable to the leading of the Spirit of God.  How bleak Ruth and especially Naomi's life looked, but God led them to the exact place where they would find favor and provision.  And the best may be yet to come!  May we all be in tune with the Holy Spirit and the direction of God for our best life:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  How harsh Ruth's life might have been had she stayed behind and lived among her pagan gods.  But she had felt she must follow Naomi and Naomi's God, and He led her to good things.

Naomi and Ruth

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

According to Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible, it was a commonly received notion of the Jews that Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, the king of Moab, from whom Ehud had delivered Israel in the last post, chapter 3 of Judges.  As Ruth was a contemporary of the judges in the last post, her story fits chronologically here:

(Ruth 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 Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

At the time when the first judges ruled Israel, there was a famine in the land of Canaan.  A man from Bethlehem in Judah took his wife and two sons to live in Moab, and as Moab ruled Israel during the time of Eglon and Ehud, it seems reasonable that they might go there.

(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 Bethlehem, Judah. And they came into the country of Moab and continued there.

The name of the man was Elimelech, which meant literally "my God is King."  His wife was Naomi, which meant "sweet, pleasant," and the sons' names were not nearly so nice, as the root of Mahlon was "sick," and the root of Chilion, "destruction."  The meaning of names was important in Biblical times, but it always makes me wonder if people always knew what the names meant when they gave them.  Would good people like Elimelech and Naomi purposely give their sons names that meant sick and destruction?  Or were they inspired by God to call them such names because God knew their outcome?  Or maybe their names were changed after their fates had played out?  It makes one wonder.  Anyway, this family moved from Bethlehem in Judah to Moab and continued there.

(3) And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.

Elimelech died in Moab, leaving his widow Naomi and his two sons.

(4) And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelled there about ten years.

The two sons married Moabite women.  Chilion married a woman named Orpah, and Mahlon married Ruth.  The Jewish Targum, an ancient translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Aramaic, states that Ruth was "the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab."  Although the Bible doesn't say so, the Jews from as early as the first century B.C. believed it.  As King Eglon was a very fat gluttonous man, one can reasonably assume he was just as gluttonous about his women and had many "wives."  The sons of Naomi dwelt in Moab about ten years.

(5) And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

Naomi's sons both died, and she was left alone in a strange country, without her husband or her sons.

(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 the Lord had visited His people in giving them bread.

Naomi had heard that the Lord had ended the famine in Israel, so she intended to go back to her country.  It appears her daughters-in-law both rose up with intentions to go with her.

(7) Therefore 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 to the land of Judah. (8) And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house; the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. (9) The Lord grant you that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

Naomi and her daughters-in-law with her began on her journey back to Judah.  However, Naomi told her daughters-in-law to go back to their homes, to the loving arms of their mothers.  She blessed them with the prayer that the Lord would deal kindly with them and give them rest because of how kindly they had dealt with Naomi and her sons, their husbands.  The rest she wished for them was that they each might have another marriage.  The fact that she called marriage a state of rest is confirmed in a later verse, Ruth 3:1.  She kissed the young women, and they wept.

(10) And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people."

However, both the daughters-in-law said that they would go with Naomi back to her land.

(11) And Naomi said, "Turn again, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there yet sons in my womb that they may be your husbands? (12) Turn again, my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope I should have a husband also tonight and also bear sons, (13) Would you tarry for them till they were grown? Would you stay for them from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me."

Naomi told her daughters-in-law to go back.  She asked why they would want to go with her.  She saw no reason as she had no more sons who could be husbands to them.  She saw no hope of another husband in her life, but even if she did remarry and were to have sons, it made no sense to her that her daughters-in-law should spend the rest of their lives waiting for her sons to grow up and marry them.  It grieved Naomi that she couldn't do anything for her daughters-in-law.  She had no husband, no sons, and was probably left poor.  She felt she could do nothing for them, so they ought to stay in their country.

(14) And they lifted up their voices and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

The young women wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to Naomi.

(15) And she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

Naomi told Ruth that as her sister-in-law had gone back to her own people and her gods, she should do the same.  It's interesting that Naomi would tell her to return to her gods, the pagan gods of Moab.  Perhaps it was her way of telling her that she was going back to her people and the one true God and that would not be the life Ruth had had.

(16) And Ruth said, "Do not ask me to leave you, to return from following after you, for wherever you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

However, Ruth begged Naomi not to ask her to leave her.  She let her know that wherever Naomi went, she wanted to go.  She did not want to return to her people and the gods of her land.  She wanted Naomi's people to be her people, and Naomi's God to be her God.  

(17) "Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts you and me."

Ruth continued imploring her mother-in-law, telling her she wanted to remain with her until death should separate them, and she wanted to die and be buried in her mother-in-law's land.

(18) When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she stopped speaking to her.

When Naomi saw how determined Ruth was to go with her, she stopped arguing with her about it.

(19) So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, "Is this Naomi?"

Therefore the two women made their way to Bethlehem.  When they arrived there, it seemed there was much excitement about the return of Naomi.  The fact that they asked if it was really her, might mean she looked much different than when she had left her land.  For there to be such excitement about her return surely meant that she and her husband Elimelech had been well known and respected.  The sweet, pleasant, and perhaps beautiful Naomi was now old and worn.

(20) And she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. (21) I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty; why call me Naomi seeing the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

Naomi told the people not to call her Naomi, "sweet, pleasant," anymore.  Rather they should call her Mara, "bitter," for the Lord had dealt bitterly with her.  I don't believe she was bitter in her heart, but rather she knew she was in bitter circumstances.  She was humbled and perhaps did not feel all the excitement about her return was warranted.  She wasn't the same woman who had left out, and she demonstrated her acceptance of her present state with her new name, Mara.  She accepted the fact that it was her Lord's will.

(22) So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned from the country of Moab; and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Thus Naomi had returned, bringing her daughter-in-law called a Moabitess, with her.  They had left the country of Moab and had come to Bethlehem in the beginning of spring which was when the barley harvest began.

The First Judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 3:1) Now these are the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel by them, as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan.

The last chapter of Judges told how the Lord had purposely left some nations in the Israelites' promised land in order to prove their need for Him.  These were the people who had not lived during the time of Joshua and his conquest and did not personally know of God's mighty works in delivering Canaan to His people.  A list of the nations that remained follows.

(2) (Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it.)

It was important that the next generation of Israelites understand war as there would always be enemies in the world that would try to destroy them.  Adversity is an important teacher.  We learn the most through conflict and distress.  That which does not kill us makes us stronger.  And people draw closer to their God in times of trouble.

(3) Five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entering in of Hamath.

The list of the nations the Lord had let remain in the land of Canaan began with the Philistines, the lords of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (Joshua 13:3).  In Judges 1:18, we were told that Judah had taken Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, after the death of Joshua, but apparently they recaptured the cities and remained thorns in Israel's sides.  The Canaanites remained.  In Judges 1:4, the Lord had delivered the Canaanites into Judah's hand.  That referred to the specific tribe of Canaanites, not Canaanites as the whole of all the tribes that inhabited Canaan.  Since the scripture said, "all the Canaanites," I am assuming this refers to all the Canaanites who were dispersed throughout the land.  The Sidonians, inhabitants of the city of Sidon, also remained, as well as the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, north of where the Israelites dwelt to the east of Lebanon to Mount Hermon and northward to the entrance of Hamath.  This map from JesusWalk.com shows the areas left unconquered in white:

(4) And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of the Lord which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

Those nations were left in Canaan in order to try the Israelites' courage and prove their faithfulness to their Lord to know whether or not they would follow the commandments of the Lord that He gave them through His servant Moses.  It's not that the Lord had to do this in order to know what they would do.  Of course, the Lord already knew what they would do.  That's why He left the nations.  The people had to be repeatedly reminded of why they needed their Lord God.  They could not prosper without Him.

(5) And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.

Because the Lord did not completely drive out all the nations from Canaan, the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

(6) And they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods.

The Israelites intermarried with the pagan inhabitants of Canaan and served their pagan gods, which was disobedience to the direct command of God (Deuteronomy 7:3).  That is a natural occurrence in such situations.  That's why the Lord had told them to drive out all the nations.  That is the reason the Apostle Paul said, obviously by inspiration of the Lord, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

(7) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim and the groves.

As a result of their intermarriages and serving of their spouses' gods, they forgot their one true God and did only evil in His sight.  They served the Baals and the groves, as trees and groves were worshipped by the Canaanites.  As the original word for groves is "asherah," perhaps Ashtaroth was meant, as the female gods were also often worshipped with groves of trees.

(8) Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.

The anger of the Lord burned hot against Israel, and He allowed them to become subjects of Cushan-Rishathaim, which meant literally Cushan of double wickedness.  He was the king of Aram in the northeast corner of the map above.  Aram was the same as Syria.  Mesopotamia was the Greek name for Aram Naharaim, which is the name some other Bible translations besides the KJV used.  That name meant Aram or Syria of the two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates).  The Israelites became subjects of the king of that region in the northeast.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that that region lay at such a far distance from Israel, one wouldn't think the Israelites would have any trouble with it, but that may be all the more reason to believe God's hand was in it.  The Israelites served that king for eight years.

(9) And when the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

When the Israelites cried out in distress to their Lord because of their oppression, He raised up a deliverer, the first judge, Othniel, the son of Kenaz who was Caleb's younger brother.  Othniel was Caleb's nephew who received the hand of his daughter Achsah in Judges 1:12, because he took Kirjath Sepher.

(10) And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Cushan-Rishathaim.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel to move him to act as judge and deliverer of Israel, and he went to war against Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram, and the Lord gave him victory over the king, and he delivered the people out of the hand of Aram.

(11) And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

With Othniel as its judge, the land had rest from their enemies for forty years, and then Othniel died.

(12) And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.

After forty years, another generation passing, the Israelites began to do evil in the sight of the Lord again, most likely serving idols again.  The Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, and stirred him to rise up against Israel.  Moab was southeast of Israel.

(13) And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek and went and struck Israel and possessed the city of palm trees.

Eglon gathered the Ammonites and the Amalekites to him, which may have been the strengthening the Lord gave him, and they went and struck Israel and possessed the city of palms, which was Jericho.

(14) So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

Therefore the Israelites became servants of the king of Moab for eighteen years.  It may be noteworthy that this was ten years longer than they had been in servitude to the king of Aram.  Perhaps it was God's will that they should have a longer oppression this time in order to press upon them more greatly their need to resist the temptation to follow after false gods and follow only their Lord God.

(15) But when the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-handed, and by him the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon the king of Moab.

When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord after being so long oppressed, the Lord raised up another deliverer, or judge, Ehud, a Benjamite from the family of Gera, the son of Bela, Benjamin's first born.  It's interesting that it was of note that he was a left-handed man.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that this was most likely not to be seen as a defect but rather power to use left and right hands equally well, as was the sense in other scriptures (Judges 20:16, 1 Chronicles 12:2).  Ehud delivered a present to the king of Moab from the children of Israel.

(16) But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length, and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

However, Ehud had made a dagger that had two edges and was about 18 inches in length.  He hid it under his clothing on his right thigh which was probably the proper side for a left-handed man.  It would probably give the appearance that he was unarmed and thus is the reason it was noted that he was a left-handed man.

(17) And he brought the present to Eglon king of Moab; and Eglon was a very fat man. (18) And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people who bore the present.

Ehud brought "the present" to King Eglon with attendants he had with him.  When he had made an end to offer the present, which may have been a speech to the king made in the name of the Israelites, he sent away his attendants, whom it appears had indeed borne a present.  It was noted that King Eglon was a very fat man.

(19) But he himself turned again from the quarries by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret errand to you, O king," who said, "Keep silence!" And all who stood by him went out from him.

I believe the sense is that Ehud had turned away from the king to dismiss his attendants, and he now turned back to the king.  As the original word that was translated as "quarries" most often meant "graven or carved images, idols," I'm sure that is what was meant here.  Perhaps there was an abundance of them in one area.  Regardless of the exact meaning, the point was that Ehud now turned back to the king and told him that he had secret business for him.  With that, the king sent away his attendants.

(20) And Ehud came to him, and he was sitting in a summer parlor which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God to you." And he arose out of his seat. (21) And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.

The king was now alone sitting in his summer parlor.  Ehud told him that he had a message from God for him.  As the original word for message was "dabar" which actually meant either a word or a thing, it is true Ehud had something he called from God for the king.  The king arose out of his seat to receive the message, either out of some sort of respect or perhaps fear.  John Wesley wrote that the name Ehud used for God was Elohim which did not always mean the one true God, but gods in general.  Ehud then took the dagger from his right thigh with his left hand and thrust it into the king's belly.

(22) And the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed on the blade so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out.

Ehud had thrust so hard that the handle of the dagger went into the king's fat belly as well as the blade.  The king's excessive fat closed over the blade so that Ehud could not draw it back out.  Dirt here actually meant excrement; either the content of his bowels came out as the intestines were ripped, or his bowels emptied the normal way as they often do upon death.

(23) Then Ehud went forth through the porch and shut the doors of the parlor on him and locked them.

It appears that instead of running for his life, Ehud calmly and methodically went forth in that sun porch and shut and locked the doors of the summer parlor and went calmly on his way with confidence that he had performed the will of God.

(24) When he was gone out, his servants came and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, "Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber."

After Ehud had left, the king's servants attempted to enter the summer parlor and found it locked.  The consensus of the commentators I study is that the servants used an expression that the Jews used that meant "he was going to the bathroom," as we would say today.  As one would sit down to relieve himself, his long garments would naturally fall and cover his feet.  The servants assumed the king had locked his parlor as he desired privacy for that reason.

(25) And they tarried till they were ashamed, and behold, he did not open the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key and opened, and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

The servants waited embarrassingly long and still the king had not opened the doors of his parlor.  They finally took a key and opened the doors themselves, and there they found their king dead on the ground.

(26) And Ehud escaped while they tarried and passed beyond the quarries and escaped to Seirath.

While the king's servants waited on their lord to open the doors of the summer parlor, Ehud was able to escape.  He passed beyond the quarries of idols which would have been in the king's kingdom and escaped to Seirath.  It is not known exactly where Seirath was located, but as seen in the next verse, it was located in the mountainous area of Ephraim.

(27) And it came to pass when he had come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. (28) And he said to them, "Follow after me, for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." And they went down after him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab and did not allow a man to pass over.

When Ehud had come to Mount Ephraim, he blew a trumpet which summoned the Israelites, and he led the people down from the mountain.  He told them to follow him and be assured that the Lord had delivered the Moabites into their hands.  The people went down after him and took the fordable places of the Jordan River and did not allow anyone of the Moabites to cross over.  There were surely Moabites in Israel as they controlled their land, so the Israelites wouldn't let those Moabites go back into their country, nor would they let any Moabites back into Israel.

(29) And they killed of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all stout and men of valor, and there escaped not a man. (30) So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

The Israelites killed ten thousand Moabites, even though they were large men of bravery.  Not one Moabite was able to escape the Israelites.  Moab was subdued under Israel.  It's not that the Israelites destroyed Moab, but they killed the Moabites in their land and were therefore no longer subject to them.  Israel then had rest for eighty years.  

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, struggled with and took many pains to describe how what Ehud had done to the king was an immoral sin of murder.  Indeed, the Lord commanded man not to murder.  Clarke points out that the scripture does not indicate that Ehud ever inquired of the Lord before his action.  However, I have to believe that Ehud was justified in what he did.  The Lord had initially told the people to kill all the inhabitants of the land which they had failed to do.  It was always His will that the Canaanites should be punished for their wickedness.  Additionally, verse 15 states that the Lord raised up Ehud to deliver the people from the Moabites.  And the fact that they had rest for eighty years thereafter certainly seems like a blessing from the Lord after a job well done.  Yes, it seems harsh and immoral, but the Old Testament times were different times.  God used mortal men to exact His punishment.  When God told someone to kill, it cannot be seen as murder.  God cannot murder; He is without sin and only holy.  He cannot abide sin, and it must be eliminated.  The Old Testament was the perfect illustration of what all sinners deserve.  And that is all of us!  Jesus came in the New Testament to provide salvation from what we deserve.  The Old Testament killings had a just purpose.  If there was nothing to be saved from, what would have been Jesus's purpose?  And we must remember that God is the author of life; He gives it and He takes it away.  But as a just and perfect God, we can be sure that anyone who died or was killed as a righteous person, is in eternal joy with Him in heaven.

(31) And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad, and he also delivered Israel.

After Ehud, God raised up Shamgar as a judge.  He fought against the Philistines in the south and west regions of Israel and killed six hundred Philistines with only an ox goad, a prod for driving oxen.  That could have only been possible by the Lord, and he also delivered Israel.  

Introduction to the Judges

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 2:1) And an Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, "I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swore to your fathers, and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you.'"

The end of the last chapter described all the places in their promised land where the Israelites had failed to drive the Canaanites out.  Now an Angel of the Lord was said to have come up from Gilgal to a place called Bochim.  He said that He had made the people leave Egypt and had brought them into the land He had sworn to give their forefathers.  This Angel of the Lord appears to be Jesus Christ who last appeared at Gilgal to Joshua (Joshua 5:14).  Some people believe that these words were spoken by the prophet Phinehas, but as the angel did not say, "Thus says the Lord," it appears more likely that this was Jesus Christ, the only one who could have ascribed these words to Himself.  He referred to the past when He had told His people He would never break His covenant with them, that it was an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:7, Leviticus 26:42).

(2) "'And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; you shall throw down their altars,' but you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?"

The Lord reminded the people that He had specifically commanded them not to make any covenant with the inhabitants of Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:2).  They were to destroy their pagan altars (Deuteronomy 7:5).  However, they had disobeyed Him, and He asked why they had done such a thing.

(3) "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.'"

However, He also reminded them that He had said if they did not drive the inhabitants out of their land, He was not going to do it for them.  He had warned that those inhabitants would be thorns in their sides (Numbers 33:55), and their gods would ensnare them, drawing them away from the worship of the one true God.

(4) And it came to pass when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

After the Angel of the Lord had spoken those words to them, the people wept.  One wonders if they cried out of conviction in their consciences that they had sinned against their Lord, or if they cried because they selfishly feared what was coming to them because they had sinned.  I imagine it was a combination of the two.

(5) And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there to the Lord.

The people called that place where the Lord had spoken to them Bochim, which literally meant "weeping" or "weepers."  They then sacrificed there to the Lord.

(6) And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man to his inheritance to possess the land.

This is not to be understood as happening after the Angel of the Lord spoke to them.  This subject begins with the retelling of what had happened after Joshua had divided the land and everyone went to their own inheritance, and it will continue to explain how the people had behaved after that time.

(7) And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He did for Israel.

During the life of Joshua and the lives of the elders who had served with Joshua and had outlived him, the people served the Lord.  Joshua and the elders had personally seen all the great works of the Lord and could continually remind the people of them.  This is an almost precise retelling of Joshua 24:31.

(8) And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died one hundred and ten years old. (9) And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres in the mount of Ephraim on the north side of the hill Gaash.

Joshua died at 110 years of age, and the people buried him in his inherited land in Timnath Heres in the mountains of Ephraim on the north side of Mount Gaash.  The account in Joshua called the place Timnath Serah, but "heres" and "serah" mean the same thing, "sun."

(10) And also all that generation was gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord nor the works which He had done for Israel.

That entire generation died out, and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord nor the great works He had done for Israel.  I have to say, it seems the people of Joshua's generation must not have done a very good job of teaching their children the way they were supposed to (Deuteronomy 11:19).

(11) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim.

That next generation of Israelites did evil in the sight of their Lord and served the false god, Baal.  Baalim was the plural of Baal as there were many Baals, Baal Peor (Numbers 25:3), Baal-Berith (Judges 9:4), Baal-Zebub (2 Kings 1:2), etc.

(12) And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods of the gods of the people who were all around them, and bowed themselves to them, and provoked the Lord to anger.

The people abandoned the worship of their Lord God and followed the false gods of the Canaanites who remained in their land all around them.  They bowed themselves to the false gods, giving them religious worship and honor, provoking the true God to jealous anger.  God's jealousy is not petty; it's zealous and passionate.  Because He loves us so fervently, He does not want us to fall under the spell of false gods that will only hurt and eventually kill us.  Those pagan gods are of Satan who only wants to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

(13) And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

The people forsook the worship of their Lord and served the gods of Baal and Ashtaroth.  The Baals were male gods and the Ashtaroths were female gods.

(14) And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers who spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. (15) Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them, and they were greatly distressed.

The anger of the Lord was hot against His people; it burned as a flame that consumed them.  He delivered them into the hands of their enemies all around them and allowed those enemies to plunder them of their goods and substance.  They could no longer stand before their enemies.  Wherever they went, in anything they undertook, the Lord was against them, as He had warned them He would be (Leviticus 26:15-25).  The people were greatly distressed.  The Lord used His punishment to bring His people back to Him, their only source of life and blessing (Deuteronomy 30:19, Leviticus 26:23-24).  It's because of His love for His people that He chastises them in order to save them from eternal damnation.

(16) Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who spoiled them.

However, in His mercy, the Lord raised up judges who delivered His people out of the hands of their enemies.  That is the subject of this book of the Bible, the judges who ruled Israel in the times between the death of Joshua and the rise of Samuel.

(17) And yet they would not hearken to their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods and bowed themselves to them. They turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.

Yet the people would not listen to their judges but went after other gods and bowed down before them.  The Bible calls it whoring because it was spiritual adultery.  They turned from the way of their fathers who walked in the way of the Lord, obeying His commandments.  This generation of people did not do as their fathers had done.

(18) And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge, for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them who oppressed them and vexed them.

When the Lord raised up a judge, He was with that judge and would deliver His people out of the hands of their enemies all the days of that judge.  This repenting of the Lord just meant that He changed course.  He felt compassion for His people who groaned under the oppression of their enemies and turned back toward them, sending them judges to guide them and deliver them from their oppressors.

(19) And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them; they did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

However, when that judge died, the people returned to their corruption and served other gods.  They became more corrupted than their fathers ever were, probably seeking new gods and being more constant in their worship of those false gods.  Even though the Lord had been with the judge and therefore with them, they never ceased from their corrupt doings and were stubborn in their own ways.

(20) And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He said, "Because this people has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and have not hearkened to My voice, (21) I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died, (22) That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers did keep, or not."

The anger of the Lord was hot against His people every time they fell back into idolatry after He had sent them a judge.  He said that because that generation of people had transgressed His covenant with their forefathers and would not hearken to His commandments, He would not continue to drive out the nations that still remained in their land after Joshua's conquest.  Through those nations that remained in Israel, He would try His people's faith, whether they would return to the ways of their one true God and walk in His ways as their forefathers had done, or if they would not do so.

(23) Therefore the Lord left those nations without driving them out hastily, neither did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

Because God knew from the beginning that His people would repeatedly fall back into their corrupt ways, He purposely left some of those nations and did not deliver all of them into the hand of Joshua.  They were designed to be a check on His people.  It was obvious that had He completely driven out all the inhabitants of the land, the people would have completely abandoned their God.  By allowing them to be persecuted by their enemies, it made the people dependent on their Lord, realizing that He was their only source of life and supplier of all their needs.  It's an important lesson to learn that God, in His mercy, does not give us all that we desire, for if He did, we would not recognize our need for Him, and we would surely fall into the ways of the world which lead only to destruction and death.

The Continuing Conquest of Canaan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 1:1) Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, "Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?"

Joshua had died in the last chapter and post.  As he left no successor, no commander in chief, the people inquired of the Lord, either by prayer or the Urim and Thummim, which were some sort of objects worn by the high priest that were used to determine God's will, about who would go first to fight the Canaanites that remained in their land.

(2) And the Lord said, "Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hand."

The Lord said that the tribe of Judah should go first against the Canaanites that remained in their land.  He said He had already delivered that Canaanite land into their hand.

(3) And Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into my lot that we may fight against the Canaanites, and I likewise will go with you into your lot." So Simeon went with him.

As the tribe of Simeon lay in the middle of the tribe of Judah, Judah's tribe asked the tribe of Simeon to go with them to fight the Canaanites, and in turn, Judah would go with Simeon when they were called to fight.  The tribe of Simeon agreed and went with the tribe of Judah.

(4) And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

Judah with Simeon went up against the Canaanites and the Perizzites.  The term "Canaanites" often referred to the seven nations that occupied Canaan as a whole, but there was one nation of Canaanites, and it, as well as the nation of Perizzites, were delivered into Israel's hand by the Lord.  The Israelites killed ten thousand men in and around the area of Bezek which was just west of Jerusalem.  This section of a map borrowed from Psalms to God shows the tribes of Judah and Simeon and where they went up to fight in the northeastern part of Judah:

(5) And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. (6) But Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued after him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

The Israelites found the king of Bezek there and fought against him.  They slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites, but King Adoni-Bezek fled from them.  They pursued him and eventually caught him, and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes.  This would have disabled him from fighting as he would not be able to hold a weapon, and he would no longer be able to run.  It was unusual for the Israelites to inflict such torture and punishment, but it may have been God's will as the king himself recognized:

(7) And Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off gathered scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has requited me." And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

The king confessed that he had cut off the thumbs and big toes of seventy kings who were then left to gather scraps from under his table.  He said that as he had done so cruelly to others, God had repaid him by doing the same to him.  It's interesting that a pagan king would realize that God had done that to him, so it may be that he spoke under the influence of God's Holy Spirit.  The Israelites brought him to Jerusalem where he died.

(8) Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem and had taken it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

Judah had previously conquered Jerusalem which was how they were able to take the king there.  During the time of Joshua, the Israelites had not yet been able to drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:63), but apparently Judah had been able to do it.

(9) And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the mountains, and in the south, and in the valley.

After the death of King Adoni-Bezek, the Israelites went southward to fight against the Canaanites who still dwelt in other areas of Judah, in the mountains, in the valley, and in the southern part of Judah.

(10) And Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath Arba), and they killed Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

The tribe of Judah went against the Canaanites who still dwelt in Hebron.  The city of Hebron was before named Kirjath Arba for Arba, a chief among the Anakims who were giants in the city.  Caleb had previously driven out the giants, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai (Joshua 15:14), but it seems they must have regained at least parts of the city.  This time the tribe of Judah killed the three giants.

(11) And from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir, and the name of Debir before was Kirjath Sepher.

This and what follows in the next few verses appears to be a retelling of Joshua 15:15-19.  It couldn't have happened after Joshua died because Joshua wrote about it.  Since Jewish tradition considers the prophet Samuel to be the author of Judges, and he would have written this about 300 years after the fact, it may be reasonable to believe he might not have gotten the chronology exactly right.  However, here Samuel was writing about the lands that were conquered after Joshua's initial conquest, and the conquest of Hebron did happen after that.  It was after the tribe of Judah had been given their allotment that Caleb (of Judah) went against the inhabitants of Debir.  Before it was renamed Debir the city was called Kirjath Sepher.

(12) And Caleb said, "He who strikes Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter to wife."

Caleb had said at the time that whoever was able to take Kirjath Sepher would be given his daughter Achsah in marriage (Joshua 15:16).

(13) And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it, and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

It was Caleb's nephew Othniel, the son of Kenaz who was Caleb's younger brother, who took Kirjath Sepher, and Caleb indeed gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

(14) And it came to pass when she came, that she moved him to ask of her father a field, and she dismounted, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?" (15) And she said to him, "Give me a blessing, for you have given me a south land; give me also springs of water." And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

When Achsah came to Othniel on her donkey, she persuaded him to ask for a field from her father.  She dismounted her donkey, and Caleb asked her what she wanted.  She asked for an extra blessing.  He had already given her a south land, which might indicate a dry land, so she now asked for springs of water.  Caleb gave her upper springs and lower springs.

The fact that this account was written twice made me look harder at the reason why it was so important.  I read many commentaries and understood what others had found.  It was an illustration of how we can boldly approach our Father in heaven with our requests.  Imagine that!  The holy God of the universe wants to have a father/child relationship with us sinful creatures, and He urges us to come to Him with our petitions.  However, we must remember that the only way we unclean sinners are able to approach Him is because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ that purifies us when we accept His gift.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"  However, we are to use wisdom and discernment as Achsah did.  She didn't ask for a gold-plated castle, but for springs for her dry land to make it more fruitful for her family.  James said in James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  Our Father in heaven wants to bless us with the things that will help us grow and be more effective servants for His church, not with worthless trinkets.  He knows what is best for us, but He invites us to come confidently to Him with our requests, having faith that He will give us what we need, but perhaps not always what we want.

(16) And the children of the Kenite, Moses's father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad, and they went and dwelt among the people.

Moses's father-in-law was Jethro, a Kenite.  There is no consensus for whom the Kenites were named, but they were an ancient people living in Canaan in the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:19).  They were among ten tribes whose land God said He was giving to Abram.  However, during the time of Moses and Joshua, only seven nations were named as occupying Canaan.  The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, had either become extinct, moved out of Canaan, or mixed with other nations.  Jethro's daughter Zipporah married Moses.  Jethro and his son Hobab had joined with Moses, and Hobab's descendants lived among the Israelites in the land of Canaan; they were the Kenites.  The city of palm trees was Jericho (Deuteronomy 34:3).  The Kenites had apparently resided in Jericho, but they now left it to go with the tribe of Judah and settled in the wilderness of Judah which was south of Arad, which would put them east of the tribe of Simeon according to the map above.  According to Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible, the rabbinical story was that Jericho had been given to Hobab.  Joshua had cursed that city and any person who rose up to rebuild it (Joshua 6:26), so apparently the descendants of Hobab had determined to leave that cursed city and dwell among the tribe of Judah in the wilderness.

(17) And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

As the tribe of Judah had promised, they went with the tribe of Simeon and killed the Canaanites who inhabited a city called Zephath in eastern Simeon, and they renamed it Hormah.

(18) Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.

Judah also took Gaza and Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast and Ekron in the north.  The Biblical scholars I study wrote that the cities were later retaken and possessed by the Philistines.  John Wesley in his Notes on the Bible, observed that the scripture did not say they slew the people as it did in the verse before it.  The people, being spared, regained their control of the cities.

(19) And the Lord was with Judah, and he drove out the mountaineers, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron.

The Lord was with Judah, and the tribe was able to drive out the inhabitants of the mountainous region of Judah.  However, it appears their faith failed when they feared the chariots of iron, and they were unable to drive out the inhabitants of the valley.  The Lord was with them, and there was no reason to believe that He wouldn't be with them to drive out those people, but it appears they didn't even try because of their fear.

(20) And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses said, and he expelled from there the three sons of Anak.

 

Once again, the author of this book wrote in this chapter about the areas that had been left unconquered after Joshua's conquest. He referred again to Hebron which had been given to Caleb.  Caleb had driven out the three giants, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, whom Judah later killed (v.10).

(21) And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem.  Although the tribe of Judah had previously taken the city (v. 8), it appears it was reinhabited by the Jebusites.  They remained dwelling with the tribe of Benjamin to the day the author, probably Samuel, wrote this.  John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that Samuel wrote the book of Judges before the reign of David who would dispossess the Jebusites.

(22) And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

The house of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, went up against Bethel in the southern portion of Ephraim.  The inhabitants of Bethel had been driven away from the city by Joshua (Joshua 8:17), but apparently the city had become reinhabited by the Canaanites.  The Lord was with Ephraim and Manasseh as they went against the inhabitants of Bethel.  This map borrowed from Precept Austin, shows all of the tribes, and Bethel is seen in southern Ephraim:

(23) And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh sent spies into Bethel to examine the conditions.  The name of Bethel was formerly Luz.

(24) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him, "Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy."

The spies saw a man coming out of Bethel.  They asked him to tell them how to get into the city, and they in turn would show him mercy.

(25) And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all of his family go.

The man showed the spies a way into the city, and the tribes of Joseph struck the city and killed its inhabitants, but they let the man and his entire family go free.

(26) And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

The man and his family went into the land of the Hittites where the Hittites apparently dwelt after being expelled from Canaan.  He built a city and called it Luz after the city he had been forced to leave.  Luz was still there at the writing of this book, although it was no longer there at the writing of the Biblical scholars I study, as they didn't know where this city of Luz would have been.

(27) Neither did Manasseh drive out Beth Shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

Beth Shean, Taanach, Ibleam, Dor, and Megiddo, were cities given to the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan River out of the lots of Issachar and Asher (Joshua 17:11).  Apparently, they never made any attempt to drive out the inhabitants of the cities and inhabit them as their cities, so the Canaanites dwelt in their land.  The map above shows most of these cities in northern West Manasseh.

(28) And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute and did not utterly drive them out.

When Israel became strong, they still did not drive out the Canaanites but made them tributaries under them.

(29) Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

Neither did Ephraim, the other son of Joseph, drive out Canaanites in his land, specifically Gezer, and the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.  

(30) Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron nor the inhabitants of Nahalol, but the Canaanites dwelt among them and became tributaries.

Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol, and the Canaanites there became tributaries.

(31) Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob, (32) But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

The tribe of Asher appears especially slothful in driving the Canaanites out of their land as God had instructed.  Out of 22 cities they had been given (Joshua 19:30), they failed to drive the enemy out of seven of them, about one third of their allotted cities.

(33) Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath, but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became tributaries to them.

The tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the Canaanites from Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath, so they dwelt among the Canaanites, but they did make the Canaanites in those cities tributaries to them.

(34) And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley.

The Amorites in the tribe of Dan's territory forced their tribe into the mountains and would not allow them to go down to the valley.  There must have been a serious lack of faith in God to drive out their enemies that their enemies were able to drive them from their land.

(35) But the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed so that they became tributaries.

It appears that the Amorites even dwelt among Dan in the mountains.  However, the house of Joseph helped its brother tribe, as Ephraim and Manasseh bordered Dan.  They at least made the Amorites tributaries in Mount Heres in Aijalon and in Shaalbim, however it doesn't appear that they were ever able to make tributaries of the Amorites in the valley.

(36) And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock and upward.

Akrabbim means "scorpion," so this is believed to be the Scorpion Pass, a pass between the south end of the Dead Sea and Zin.  "The rock" is believed to be Petra which was located east of that region on the east side of the Dead Sea.  Looking at the map above, I believe the territory of the Amorites at this time was from the eastern edge of the Wilderness of Zin, eastward below the Dead Sea, and upward on the east side of the Dead Sea, the regions of Edom and Moab.  The Amorites were said to be the most powerful people among the Canaanites and would prove to be very troublesome to Israel.

The Israelites were very careless with their duty to drive out all the Canaanites from their land.  Whether it was laziness or fear and a lack of faith, they did not do as their Lord God had told them to do.  Some of the cities where the Israelites failed to remove the Canaanites were cities that had been given to the Levites, including Taanach, Gezer, Nahalal, and Rehob, which may have been the reason they were lax in driving out the Canaanites.  However, you would think they would take better care of their priests and ministers who served their Lord God.  There may have been some covetousness on Israel's part as well, as they decided making the Canaanites pay tribute was more advantageous to them than driving them out.  However, God's way is always the best way, and by disobeying Him in their total conquest of Canaan, they brought troubles on themselves.  However, this may have been by divine design.  The Israelites had proved to be a people lacking faith and easily drawn away from their Lord.  Perhaps they needed adversity to keep them in check.  It's most often in adversity that people turn toward God.  It's not that God purposely designed things the way they were in order to punish His people.  He just allowed them to do or not do according to their own desires, letting them learn great lessons as He brought them through their adversities.