What Are Our Heavenly Fathers’ Machashabeth?

In Psalm 139:17

we read of our Fathers’ thoughts towards us

and in Jeremiah 29:11 we read

For I know the plans I have for you

The word plans translated from the Hebrew is

הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת

the thoughts

ham-ma-ḥă-šā-ḇōṯ,

“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

These are His thoughts for our futures

מחשבות

Thoughts

מַחֲשָׁבָה

Strong’s Hebrew: 4284. מַחֲשָׁבָה (machashabah or …

Transliteration: 

machashabah or machashebeth

Phonetic Spelling: 

(makh-ash-aw-baw’) {makh-ash-eh’-beth};
Definition: thought, device

from chashab
Definition:
thought, device a contrivance,

i.e. (concretely) a texture, machine, or (abstractly) intention,

plan (whether bad, a plot; or good, advice) —

cunning (work), curious work, device(-sed),

imagination, invented, means, purpose, thought.

More Hebrew words for thought.

noun מַחֲשָׁבָה. 

thinking, mind, think, idea, conception.

noun חֲשִׁיבָה. thinking, consideration.

noun רַעְיוֹן.

The Hebrew words used here – 

chashab and machashebeth 

also have a common origin.  

The word chashab means “to think, reckon, compute”.

This is thinking on a higher plane, at a more intense level than the more casual form of thinking would be; and the word machashebeth is the result of that kind of “thinking

– plans, plots, strategies, inventions, and so on. 

It could either be a mental result (a complex strategy or plot or scheme of some kind), or it could be a physical result (something more down-to-earth and practical – an invention of some sort, something more intricate and complex than the usual run of manufactured objects). 

 

The Modern Hebrew word מחשב (mahh’shev) means “computer.”

It is derived from the Ancient Hebrew root חשב

(Hh-Sh-B , Strong’s #2803)

meaning “to think.” One method of forming a Hebrew noun out of a root is by adding the letter מ ( M ) to the front of a root and this noun would then mean “what” does the action of that root.

 Since the passage here is set in the context of war, we could easily understand this “devise devices” phrase as a reference to the intricate computer-guided weaponry that mankind has invented in recent times.

The “computer”, is probably the most ingenious “device” that man has ever invented. So the ancient word machashebeth probably could be applied to any of a whole array of modern inventions – computers, weapons, TVs, cameras, and there’s no end of things it could stand for.

However most importantly;

What does the scripture show of His thoughts to us:

God’s thoughts towards us

מחשבותיו של אלוהים כלפינו

He cares for us before we were even born

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:16-17.

KJV: works [which] thou hast done,

and thy thoughts [which are] to us-ward:

they cannot be reckoned up in order

and for our future

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of affliction, to give you an end and patience. Darby Bible Translation. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you in your latter end a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is often quoted as encouragement.

Here in Jeremiah God strengthened His people through His prophet by explaining that even though they had been taken into 70 years of Babylonian captivity, after discipline the time for their release would come.

They had failed to keep the 70 Sabbath year rests for the land over 490 years that God had commanded in Leviticus 25: 2 -5. Once the 70 lost years of rest for the land had been completed, God would again bless and restore. 

The years of rest were known as Shmitas.

Brief summary of what a Shmita is:

The Shemitah (sometimes spelled Shemittah or Shmita) is the seventh year in a seven-year cycle described in the Old Testament.

The word Shemitah is pronounced “shem ē’ tah”, which literally means remission or to release or to let go.

The first reference to Shmita is in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 23:10-11):. For six years you are to sow your land and to gather in its produce, but in the seventh, you are to let it go [tishm’tenah] and to let it be [u’nitashta], that the needy of your people may eat, and what remains, the wildlife of the field shall eat.

Sabbatical Year: in the Jewish cycle of time, Shmita, is the “year of release,” The sabbath year in Hebrew: שמיטה ‎, literally “release”, also called the sabbatical year or shǝvi’it ( שביעית ‎, literally “seventh”), is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Bet HaMikdash in the Land of Israel and is observed in contemporary Judaism. During shmita, the land is left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity, including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting, is forbidden by halakha (Jewish law).

The Shemitah is this final year of the 7 year cycle and is set aside for debt forgiveness as well as refraining from direct cultivation of the land prescribed for Israel in the Old Testament. The debt forgiveness would break cycles of perpetual debt. The rest for the land would not only be good for the soil but dictated that the volunteer crops that sprang up should be harvested by the poor for their use.

Leviticus 25:1-7

On the last day of the Sabbath year, lenders were required to forgive or “release” (the meaning of “Shemitah”) borrowers from the obligation of repaying their debts. (Deuteronomy 15:1-11) so over time, the last day of the Sabbath year and the year itself came to be known as the “Shemitah”

(pronounced sh’mi’-tah).

The seven years are counted in the cycle of fifty 7 x 7years = 49 and culminating in the following years as the Jubilee.

Hebrew: יובל ‎ yōḇel; and are known by tradition as the year following the destruction of the second Holy Temple was the first year of a seven-year Sabbatical cycle. In the Jewish calendar, counting from Creation, this was the year 3829, 68–69 CE on the secular calendar.

New Moon and the Shemitah: 

The Shemitah starts at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah) of the seventh year in the cycle. The first day of the Jewish month is based on the new moon. 

YOBEL a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land.

So What are Our Fathers Machashabeth?

His thoughts are as numerous as the sand on the seashore that’s multiplied trillions!!!

Beyond counting.

So many grains of sand on so many shores around the earth; and they are all like precious jewels as shown in the previous picture.

I know the thoughts…

your down sitting and uprising and

you perceive my thoughts before they are in my mouth

Psalm 139:4

Our Heavenly Fathers Thoughts towards us are revealed in this Psalm:

the opposites

of sitting

and

rising

represent all actions

the opposites of

going out in the morning

and

lying down at night

represent the whole days activities.

There is not a word in my tongue He knows all my words before they are uttered as he knows all my thoughts while they are yet unformed.

Somewhere, at times along the way, we seem to have put to the side, or forgotten, that our Father is the all knowing, all seeing, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, always existed God; above all gods, King of all kings, and Lord of all lords.

He is more than able to know all our thoughts!

He is the same yesterday today and forever. He inhabits the ages outside of time He has seen the end from the beginning and has already prepared tomorrow he has gone before us and made the WAY.

Beset behind and before – God knows all the past and future.

This is why we have no need to fear or to be anxious,

He holds the future

and that future is

HOPE itself.

The hope that undergirds our faith.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you in your latter end a hope. Jeremiah 29:11.

The Tikvah – the anchor of our faith to believe –

in this, is where we focus our patient trust.

For more on the anchor click link below

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-secret-of-the-ogehn-of-tiqvah/

Laid thine hand upon me this is

the body language

of blessing.

Job 15:11; Ps 139:77; Rom 8:28,

Then according to Isaiah His thoughts are not like our thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 King James Version (KJV) 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord . 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Job 21:27 
HEB: הֵ֣ן יָ֭דַעְתִּי מַחְשְׁבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם וּ֝מְזִמּ֗וֹת עָלַ֥י
NAS: I know your thoughts, And the plans
KJV: Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices

Psalm 33:11 
HEB: לְעוֹלָ֣ם תַּעֲמֹ֑ד מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת לִ֝בּ֗וֹ לְדֹ֣ר
KJV: for ever, the thoughts of his heart

 His Plan for His People is revealed in His Word written and the manifestation of His Living Word Yeshua/Jesus.

There are the type of thoughts that make sense of the world around us, that may invoke logic and planning, that revive memories and bring them to our conscious minds.

These are מַחְשָׁבוֹת

the plural form of the word

מַחְשָׁבָה 

listen and repeat – a thought – that itself comes from the root

ח.שׁ.ב (kh.sh.b)

meaning think or calculate.

As previously mentioned the word chashab means “to think, reckon, compute”. This is thinking on a higher plane, at a more intense level than the more casual form of thinking would be. And the word machashebeth is the result of that kind of “thinking” – plans, plots, strategies, inventions, and so on.

Abstract thought is the expression of concepts and ideas in ways that can not be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard. Hebrew never uses abstract thought as English does, however examples of Abstract thought can be found in

Psalms 103:8; “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger, abounding in love”.

Hebrew uses concrete and not abstract thoughts, but notably, here we have such abstract concepts as: compassionate, gracious, anger, and love in a Hebrew passage.

See link below for more on mindsets

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/

An important aspect of ancient Hebrew that should be kept in mind: With its rather limited vocabulary (normal for languages in their early stages of development), a Hebrew word could encompass many different shades of meaning, which in English could be translated by several different words. For this reason translators often experience difficulty in trying to pinpoint the best word to use for an ancient Hebrew word. In these cases, to eliminate some of the guesswork, it helps to look at the context and other clues that will aid in finding a more or less accurate translation of the word or phrase in question.

Machashabeth

in conventional Hebrew means

thoughts or plans, but it especially implies

intricately woven plans that infer purpose and meditation.

Although these thoughts and plans of God relayed by Jeremiah are good, Machashabeth can also be used of evil plans.

In Genesis 6:5

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

the word thoughts used here is the word מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת

Machashabeth and shows evil intent.

Repeating the statement from above that Machashabeth in conventional Hebrew especially implies intricately woven plans that infer purpose and meditation. With this in mind is there anything in the ancient pictograms that make up the word מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת Machashabeth that may give us insight about our Fathers’s intricately woven plans for His children?

Machashabeth is spelled

Mem Chet Sheen Beyt Tav.

מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת

What were our Heavenly Fathers intentions?

Do the pictures in any way point to Yeshua/Jesus?

Remembering that we are grafted into Israel and His Thoughts and Plans include each of us as part of His family.

The Yiddish word Mishpocheh is Literally translates to family.

Often means extended family, and then some.

Also spelled

Mishpocah:

noun Yiddish;

an entire family network comprising relatives by blood and marriage.

Reading from R to L.

Mish Pa Chah

Also Mishpachah definition is –

a Jewish family or social unit

including close and distant relatives. 

Strong’s Hebrew: 4940. מִשְׁפָּחָה (mishpachah) — a clan

Machashabeth is spelled

Mem Chet Sheen Beyt Tav.

מחשבות

Mem    

 is the picture of

waters

and can be chaotic and destructive like

a tsunami  

or gentle

like a stream bringing life in a desert.   

It can mean: the Word of God that brings life

or the living waters.

 

Chet   

 

is the picture of the 

fence, poles and rails

and means:

to be cut off, a place of protection,

a sanctuary, or a refuge.

Sheen 

 is the picture of teeth  

 and means: to press or to destroy and is also

the one letter God uses to identify Himself,

it is His signature.

(Remember I Will Put My Name)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/i-will-put-my-name-here/

Beyt  

 

is the picture of

the floor plan of the tent  

and means:

the house, the dwelling place,

or the family.

Tav

 

is the picture of

crossed sticks   

and means:

a sign, to seal,

or

to covenant.

Remember Laminin and the shape of the TAV?

https://www.minimannamoments.com/hubble-cross-ing-the-great-divide/

Here the letter Sheen could indicate that: God is telling us this is His plan because now the pressing and crushing which is also depicted in the Sheen is over, and as we know from the scriptures, His intent towards His people is not evil.

(Where we began in Jeremiah 29:11).

In this instance, the Mem doesn’t show

destruction like a tsunami,

but depicts life

like

the stream bringing water into the desert.

(Isaiah 41:18)

His Machashabeth/thoughts, are to surround His people with a CHET/HEDGE of protection and bring them into His BEIT/HOUSE/TENT/DWELLING and again make them His Family/Tribe/Clan/Mishpocha.

(Sometimes spelled Mishpochah.)

This plan will be implemented by means of the

covenant

He made with them indicated by the

TAV;

as the covenant which Abram had entered into with God was still in force.

Despite her unfaithfulness, Israel would be restored because God never breaks His promises.

Recall that each of the letters has a numerical value and these numbers also hold meanings according to how they are used in the scriptures.

Mem

has the numerical value of 

40 

stands for

a trial or testing that results in renewal.

Chet

has the numerical value of

8 

meaning

a new beginning.

Sheen

has the numerical value of

300 

and indicates

the final blood sacrifice made by

the Perfect Lamb of God.

Beyt

has the numerical value of

2 

and points us to

Yeshua/Jesus the Son of God.

Tav

has the numerical value of

400 

and indicates

a divinely appointed period of time

that will bring about renewal through deliverance.

This uncovers

the truth

seen in the time of Jeremiah which was

a shadow and a precursor

to a

final restoration

indicated in the numerical value of each of the letters.

God’s thoughts His Machashabeth,

Our Heavenly Fathers intricately woven plan,

will result in the trials and testing of His children

and conclude in a new beginning –

new birth spiritually.

And is where we began in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

This TRUTH revealed in the letters is:

This new beginning and renewal of life which is in reality

the restoration of broken fellowship that began in Eden:

will be accomplished through the Blood sacrifice of the

Perfect Lamb of God /Yeshua/Jesus the Son of God.

His sacrifice will come at a divinely appointed time

and will provide everlasting deliverance from sin,

giving us a hope and a future.

AND IT HAS….

The Amplified Bible Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Here Shalom remember the definition of Shalom?

Shalom,

It means to set, to establish you in shalom. The word normally translated as peace, means health, welfare, security, justice, and tranquility, also freedom from all disaster.

A Hebrew scholar gave the best English translation of shalom: no good thing is withheld.

Jesus/Yeshua gave us in this peace in John 14:27 saying, ‘shalom aleikhem’.

Shalom comes from shalem

meaning to be complete, shalam = restore.

When there is shalom there is tranquility just as sufficient food clothing Housing. There is divine health, with no sickness. Shalom means an absence of: disorder, injustice, bribery, corruption, conflict, flat, hatred, abuse, violence, pain, suffering, immorality and all the other negative forces.

And an EXPECTED END

Jeremiah looked forward to this life altering event,

while Paul looked back on it and describing it for us

in Galatians 4:3-5.

“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

 Here he explained our impossible position and gives us the truth of the gospel message –

God’s solution to mans sin problem.

in verse 7 He continues:

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

These then, are His Machashabeth, and was what Gods plan was designed to ultimately accomplish by sending His only begotten Son: so that we too could be sons and heirs; we could be part of His family/mishpocah.

Please remember that if you have not already read the posts to the links provided, they are relevant as everything is connected and will further enhance our understanding.

Finally and most importantly according to His plan, we must all enter through the blood of His Son, the Perfect Lamb of God, Yeshua HaMashiah/Jesus Christ.

According to the Word of God…

There is no other way but to

Remember ….

You can Know Today That

You

Are Part Of

His 

and His Shalom and Future Plan

can and will include you

for

Our Heavenly Fathers

מַחֲשָׁבָה /machashabah/thoughts

are continually towards us

and ….

Not sure that you are part of His Family?

You can be…

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His. That you are forgiven washed in His Blood, salvation a gift of His Mercy and Grace…

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

 

 

 

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken – Part 5

Toldot of the Melech

Generations of the King

Tol’dot, Toldos, or Tol’doth – Generations

תּוֹלְדֹת

Melech – King

 מֶלֶךְ. 

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob;

and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara

of

THAMAR

and Phares begat Esrom;

and Esrom begat Aram;

4 And Aram begat Aminadab;

and Aminadab begat Naasson;

and Naasson begat Salmon;

5 And Salmon begat Booz

of 

RACHAB;

and Booz begat Obed of

RUTH;

and Obed begat Jesse;

6 And Jesse begat David the king;

and David the king begat Solomon of

her that had been

THE WIFE OF URIAS;

7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia;

and Abia begat Asa;

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram;

and Joram begat Ozias;

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz;

and Achaz begat Ezekias;

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon;

and Amon begat Josias;

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren,

about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

12 And after they were brought to Babylon,

Jechonias begat Salathiel;

and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim;

and Eliakim begat Azor;

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim;

and Achim begat Eliud;

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan;

and Matthan begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband

of

 MARY,

of whom was born

JESUS,

who is called Christ.

 

Here is the last one of the five

written in the geneology of Messiah.

The identity of her that had been

the wife of Urias;

is

Bathsheba

בת שבע

Strong’s Hebrew: 1339.

בַּת־שֶׁ֫בַע (Bath-sheba) 

Bath-sheba:

(perhaps) daughter of oath,

the mother of Solomon

Original Word: בַּת־שֶׁבַע

Transliteration: Bath-sheba
Phonetic Spelling: bath-sheh’-bah
from bath and perhaps shaba, sheba

בת ( bath ): Ahban, Baalis, Baana (h), Bath-shua, Ben, Ben-abinadab, Ben-ammi, Ben-deker, Bene-berak, Bene-jaakan,… • Via שבע ( sheba’ ): Barsabbas, Beersheba, Beth-ashbea, Elisheba, Elizabeth, Jehosheba, Sheba

Bathsheba, also spelled Bethsabee, in the Hebrew Bible.

2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1, 2,

Bathsheba:

Bat ‘daughter of’,

shebaabundance’.

The Book of Chronicles changed her name to Bathshua.

Her story can be found in 1Kings chapters 1 and 2

As this womans’ dramatic life unfolded, it also secured her place in the geneology of the future Messiah of Israel. Her role is looked at as rather a questionable one because it is not really certain who seduced who?

Bathsheba is portrayed by the midrash as a modest woman who carefully observed the laws of family purity, but who found herself, without any conscious action on her part, in an adulterous affair with the king.

Taking a look at the situation from another angle let the reader research/be a good Berean and decide.

Things are not always what they first appear to be!

Usually the first thing we associate with King David is his adulterous affair with Bathsheba as both were married at the time however, before we condemn them both out of hand we must recall that Jesus/Yeshua said in Matt 5:

 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The scriptures also refer to adultery as being with other gods and idols

…when… backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also… through the lightness of her whoredoms, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and stocks (sticks/idols).” Jeremiah 3:8-9

so it covers a multitude of sins and its a lifelong battle over faith in Jesus/Yeshua vs. faith in Idols of the Heart. Idolatry is of paramount importance as it violates the first and greatest of what we refer to as the 10 commandments.

“You shall have no other gods before Me” Ex 20:3 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart . . .” Mt. 22:36.

And who among us can say we have not sinned in some way…

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Rom. 3:10-18

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

John 8:7.

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Of course it goes without saying that it takes two and there is no indication of forcing her against her will…

So with that in mind and before we condemn anyone…..

lets see how the story unfolds…

First who was she?

Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam

who was one of David’s elite mighty men.

2 Samuel 11:3; 23:34 – 39

Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam; but of Ammiel

according to I Chron 3:5,

Her father is identified by some scholars with Eliam,

mentioned in 2 Sam. 23:34 as

the son of Ahithophel.

She was married to one of Eliams comrades in arms called

Urias,

more commonly known as

Uriah the Hittite.

אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי ‎ – ʾŪriyyāh haḥittī

Yahweh is my light’.

So Bathsheba was the beautiful grand-daughter of Ahithophel, a shrewd military and political counselor of David.

Her father and husband were stationed at Jerusalem, directly under the control of the King. They were David’s personal bodyguards, his champions, renowned for their bravery. 

So being as she was a member of an elite warrior family, as her husband Uriah was a high-ranking professional soldier. Since her grandfather, father and husband were close allies of David’s, it is safe to assume that she and David had already met before the famous scene where David sees her bathing.

Uriah being a mighty man in David’s elite army, may have been bonded to David, becoming a proselyte; i.e. believing in the God of Israel.

Uriah was also among the specially regarded Thirty of David’s army, implying he was one of the best soldiers in the military.  We assume that all who were counted among David’s mighty men were men David deemed to be trustworthy.

Uriah was listed as one of David’s heroes in 2 Samuel 23:39. The most important of these was Uriah the Hittite.

What is Uriah’s family connection?

To understand the genealogy of Uriah, we must start at the beginning with Noah’s son Ham. Most researchers will readily admit that Ham is considered to be the father of the African nations. If this is true, then it would mean that Ham’s descendants are Africans. It can be found in Genesis 10, where Uriah’s family connection is identified as belonging to Ham.

The name of Ham’s sons are: Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan.

The Hitittes are descendants of Canaan.

The canaanites are in the land of Canaan and their descendant families are: Hivites, Jebusites, Arvadites, Girgashites, Amorites, Arkites, Sinites, Hittites-Heth.

דוד   DAVID

David means: beloved

Original Word: דָּוִד.

Phonetic Spelling: daw-veed’

a son of Jesse.

David – דָּוִד ‎ is described in the Hebrew Bible as:

King of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah.  

In the Books of Samuel, David is a young shepherd who gains fame first as a musician

and later by killing the enemy champion Goliath.

He becomes a favorite of King Saul and

a close friend of Saul’s son Jonathan.

The first reference to Bathsheba in this scripture describes her as very beautiful.

It is also where we read about David walking in the early evening on his palace rooftop and he looks down on his city where he saw her bathing in the privacy of her courtyard.

This scripture in 2 Sam 11:2-4 tells us several things; first

It was late one afternoon, Bathsheba was most probably on the house’s flat roof, a tented area in a warm climate was often used by the women of the family for a variety of tasks.

The Jewish tradition of purification applied to women every month and they were considered to be unclean and the bathing ended the 7 days separation by the ritual cleansing.

This points to 2 things:

it shows she was not carrying Uriah’s child, and it was a normal practice to be purified, and therefore not necessarily a planned provocative act.

 

The scriptures do not mention any other children between Bathsheba and Uriah.

The terrace may or may not have been screened by latticework

in Judges 5:28 the mother of Sisera watched the road through a lattice.

The text does not tell us whether Bathsheba knew she was being watched.

David may have been screened from sight by a lattice, so that she was unaware of his presence. Or she may have been quite aware she was being watched.

Did she go willingly? Or was she a victim taken to the palace against her will?

The text gives a clue that she went willingly.

The sentence reads

…David sent messengers to get her, and she went‘,

suggesting that, though young, she was ambitious and strong-willed enough to seize her chance.

The proximity of her dwelling was close enough for David to see because her husband was one of his mighty men he would have been close at hand if needed.

Jerusalem at the time of King David.

The small area in the lower right of the map is Jebus, the fortress captured by David. The walled area above is a large flat rock on which the city of Jerusalem grew. The house of Uriah and the palace of David may have been in the upper area.

Second, David should have been at war out on the battlefield but he was not, he was at home.

Wrong place, wrong time and he saw something he wasn’t supposed to see?

His physical senses were activated and he desired /lusted after what his eyes beheld. A covetous desire entered in through his eye gates….

So he sent someone to find out who she was.

Sadly even after he found out whose wife she was 11: 4 he sent messengers to bring her to him. The fact that she was married to Uriah did not deter him from his decision.

The eternal question is… did she know that David could see her or did she think he was away fighting which was usually the case?

Then, could she have resisted his moves; or did she have no other choice due to the fact that the ancient societies were dominated by men and after all he was the King?

It is interesting that the scripture condemns David however, it does not put the blame on Bathsheba. Further reading shows us that not only did David suffer for the rest of his life as a consequence of his lustful choice; both their family and the entire nation of Israel paid the price.

Was she also a clever and unscrupulous woman?

The next we hear is that Bathsheba was going to have his child. On receiving this news David called Uriah back from the battlefield, encouraging him to go home and spend intimate time with his wife in an effort to cover up his actions.

Uriah refused at first; it almost seems that he had to have known what was going on, and why he was summoned. There were plenty of people to tell him – maybe outraged family members who had seen Bathsheba go to the palace? Or soldier-friends who had watched her pass through the guard-house at the entrance of the palace?

Above:The reconstruction of the gates at Gezer shows the sort of gates Bathsheba would have passed through to get to the palace. Note the compartments at the side of each gate.

These provided shelter for guards on duty, and she and David’s messenger could not have passed through without the soldiers seeing them.

The events of that night would probably have been known to many people.

But there is no record saying that Uriah confronted David with what he knew. Instead, he took the line of passive resistance. He told David he would not break the rules of soldiers on active service since he was still technically on duty.

Ancient people believed that marital relations robbed a man of some of his physical strength, so during active service soldiers were required to abstain from them.

Next, David tried again by plying him with intoxicating liquor. but despite every inducement, Uriah stuck to his stance of faithful behavior to his position in Davids military.

When that did not work either, David plotted a cold-blooded murder in order to cover up his sin.

He sent Uriah back onto the battlefield with a sealed letter to the army’s captain, Joab, who was Uriahs commander; with the very clear and ominous instructions in 2 Samuel 11:15 to arrange Uriahs’ death.

We are told that the plans succeeded and in verse 26

 

Soon after Uriah had returned to the army and delivered the letter, he was sent into battle to storm the walls of a city. Following David’s instructions, the soldiers around Uriah pulled back and left him alone, so that he was surrounded by the enemy and cut down.

The sin began with covetous lust for what belonged to another, then it selfishly took what it wanted to satiate that desire and the scripture fulfilled itself in this case literally. The progress included lies, deception, then murder, leading to the death of an innocent.

Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. James 1:15

‘When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him.’

Bathsheba suddenly became a widow and went into mourning.

Did Bathsheba know that David had arranged to have her husband killed?

Did she mourn for the death of a good man?

Or was her mourning just pretense? 

The story of Bathsheba’s seduction as we have it in the Bible was probably edited by court story-tellers during the reign of her son Solomon, and doubtless influenced by Bathsheba and her son. 

This is why it is so hard to tell what really happened.

We only know two things:

what Bathsheba wanted us to know, and

what she was forced to acknowledge because it was already public knowledge. 

Following the time of mourning, David married her and she gave birth to a son.

However vs.27 tells us the Lord was displeased with Davids’ actions.

This treachery in breaking the trusting relationship between him and his friend, gives us the insight that even the Godliest people are sinners.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…

It seems to be very conflicting when in 1Samuel 13 :14 we are told very surprisingly that:

David/he was a man after God’s own heart.

which seems strange after this course of events.

However this is in reference to the fact that

he was repentant.

And as God looks on the heart this quantifies the statement.

Even though God forgives the truly repentant person – the consequences of that sin can linger on long after the initial event and the time of repentance. This is why people think they have got away with things and often don’t relate events that occur even years later with previous actions.

Repentance – Teshuvah

RETURN to the Lord and His ways.

It was nine months later when David repented following the confrontation from Nathan the prophet finally David confessed in verse 12:13

I have sinned against the Lord.

The prophet Nathan’s words recorded in the spine chilling verses 13&14

and even though David fasted and prayed for seven days the words of the prophet came true. Sin brought forth death and what David had sown he reaped – death.

Surely Bathsheba’s heart was broken for there are very few things worse than losing a child.

However, overtime David comforted her and later she gave birth to another son whom David called Solomon.

Shlomo/Solomon in Hebrew shelomoh,

שלמה

has a meaning of

his replacement,

perhaps referring to Bathsheba’s first baby who died soon after birth.

Scripture says that the Lord sent Nathan with another word calling him

Jedidiah which means:

beloved of the Lord. Vs 24/25

Even though there were consequences from their actions and there was punishment for them God did not withhold his love from David, Bathsheba, or their child; but instead poured out His mercy and Grace on them.

Furthermore, He did not change His mind concerning his promise to establish David’s line for ever; and would choose their son, Solomon to establish that Royal line and so keep the Davidic covenant.

7:12 – 13.

Years passed, and Bathsheba and King David grew older. We hear nothing about Bathsheba’s life during these long years and probably the rest of her life was spent in the palace.

She lived in the royal harem and gave birth to three more sons; however Solomon was the one chosen by the Lord.

David’s life was one of adversity 12:10-11, of ups and downs and an out-working of the punishment that, the sword would never depart from his house; for what he had done.

The events in their lives shaped history with some of the most painful examples of rebellion by Absalom.

Bathshebas emotions must have been in shreds especially when Ahithophel, her own grandfather join forces with Absalom to fight against David. 15:31 11:3; 23:24.

It’s very possible there is some truth to the speculation that Ahithophel turned on David’s as an act of revenge for seducing his granddaughter and murdering her husband.

 Bathshebas influence became stronger in the royal court as David came to the end of his life.

In his old age, David lost his ability to father any more children and in consequence, his political power.

Eventually, concerns arose about the king’s continuing decline – in ancient Middle Eastern societies, the ability to produce children by the king, was closely linked with the state of the nation. If the king was no longer able, it was a bad omen for the well-being of the country.

So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found  Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The girl was very beautiful. 1 Kings 1:1-37

When, despite her beauty, the king could not show he was able to have relations with Abishag, it was considered time for a co-regency. This meant that someone would rule alongside David, to help him.

 

Most people took it for granted that this co-regent would be the next king.

David’s oldest surviving son was Adonijah, a young man impatient for power.

Not waiting for David to die, he proclaimed himself king and was accepted as such by many people.

The text implies this was done without David’s knowledge. It was a palace coup in which Bathsheba and her adviser Nathan maneuvered to secure the throne for Solomon.

1Kings 1-2, Nathan came to her to warn her that Adonaijah was planning to make himself king, Nathan encouraged her to go and tell David immediately 1:13. On hearing the prophet, she went and told David what he had said. Because he respected her, David was able to order Solomons coronation immediately and this stopped Adonaijah rebellious attempt from becoming king.

Bathsheba begs the dying David to name Solomon his heir,

from a painting by Goodall

Solomon took the throne, honored his mother, and was advised by her. She took part in court intrigues, occupying the most prestigious position a woman could hold, and accepted the title of Queen Mother; which was the most powerful position a woman could hold and the first woman in the history of Israel to hold this title.

Bathsheba out witted Adonijah in his attempted coup d’etat and she secured the throne for her own son. 

According to the Bible, Adonijah approached Bathsheba with an odd request: to help him get Abishag as his wife.

Adonijah begs for Bathsheba’s help.

On the surface, this seems a harmless thing to ask, but  Abishag was considered one of David’s wives, and marriage to a widow of the previous king was a way of making a claim on the throne!

It is hard to believe Adonijah would have made such a request, to Bathsheba of all people. She knew only too well that Adonijah was very dangerous and could never marry Abishag.

The whole episode seems to have been contrived to execute Adonijah. Solomon may have been reluctant to do this and so it took a public accusation of treason, made by Bathsheba, to give him good reason for killing his half-brother.

In 2:19-24 we read that Solomon didn’t always grant Bathshebas requests however, he respected her, bowed to her and even put a throne for her right next to his; and she remained a respected influence within the court.

This is the last we hear of Bathsheba, maybe because her son was secure on the throne and her own position was safe.

Bathsheba would have no doubt been aware of Gods’ plan to include Solomon in the Royal line of King David; which the Scriptures said would somehow continue forever. 

She would not have known how far the story would eventually lead in that, she would become integral to the genealogy line of the future Messiah of Israel.

The scriptures show Bathsheba as capable, ambitious, and gifted. She gave David a son, Solomon, who was noted for his wisdom and intellectual brilliance. Her son presided over a court famous for its literature, culture, wealth, architectural achievements, and consolidation of Judah-Israel as a nation-state.

Bathsheba is clearly listed in Matthew chapter 1 even though her Name is not mentioned per se, stating only:

her who had been the wife of Uriah!

The whole promise of the Redeemer is in

Genesis 3:15

which declares the seed of a woman

through many wombs/rechem,

grace and mercy…

More on the connection between Womb and Mercy at:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/mystery-of-rechem-the-secret-of-living-like-royalty/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-season-of-our-hiding/

will bring that about

and will crush satan and the sin that he caused.

The promise of the coming Messiah

echoes all throughout the Old Testament/Tenach and

the Brit Chadashah/New Testament

declares

He is here

and His Name is Yeshua/Jesus.

Matt 1:1.

The most amazing thing about this first chapter is that it goes against the Jewish protocol because it includes five individuals in the line of Messiahs genealogy, these 5 were women, usually only men were named.

However, God has a very good reason for including them because it emphasizes the whole truth of the gospel and the reason why Jesus/Yeshua came.

It is in His Name –

Salvation

for He shall save His people from their sins v.21

Ephesians 1:11 – 12 tells us that He is in control, and every time He shows His grace and mercy and His undeserved kindness to those who have sinned and deserve punishment …all glory goes to Him.

Even though Solomon became the wisest man that lived and according to Scripture in Ecclesiastes 7:20

Even he was very aware that there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

God’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting and His mercies are new every morning…

Great is His faithfulness

and all these stories are written for us to shows these truths.

Bathsheba is four of the five in the line unbroken,

whose lives give hope to the lost,

encouragement to the disappointed,

acceptance to the rejected,

a raising up to those who have fallen;

and forgiveness for the repentance sinner.

Humble hearts touched by the unconditional love of a father who loves His children so much that He

corrects,

chastises and restores us;

in the process of teaching, training

and growing us up;

to become all that has destined us to be.

When we truly understand the reason

for His adjustments in our lives, we will start to welcome them,

instead of trying to side step them.

If we are being attended to, then we are greatly loved by Him.

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. – 

and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with sons, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by him; For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, And scourges every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? But if you are without discipline, whereof all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby. -Hebrews 12:5-11

His Story is HiStory – God is the author of it all.

Everything is purposed Eph 1:11 and Romans 8

Knowing this is often a mute point, however, we need to carefully consider as we look at the reality of the fact –

it is all

HIS STORY

from The Genesis to the Revealing

the only true and correct history IS GODS’ not mans’.

Humans who are influenced by the spirits in this world, Eph. 6; that are not promoting His Story; change parts, times and in many cases, huge chunks of information. Facts have been altered and in some cases not just hidden but are outright lies.

What we are taught we simply believe, trusting those who filled our innocent minds as children. If we have not got a solid foundation from the Word of God, we will not have His truth and we will see and experience this life with a skewed view point and confused understanding.

Many call it providence yet in reality it is what someone said is,

the hand of God in the glove of history.

As we move from tragedy to triumph for the glory of God, we often wonder how our individual lives fit into Gods plan; yet we trust Him that all things are purposed.

We are predestined to become… Romans 8:30.

It is not until after things unfold that we see with 2020 vision..

which is hindsight.

This is called the walk of faith – for if we knew what was to happen then we would not need faith to believe –

we would know!

Their descendent was and is

our Savior, Lord and

soon returning king.

Bathsheba

was indeed

one of five,

another notable woman

sealed into

the line unbroken

another story connected to the

House of Bread

Beth-Lechem

and of Him, who when we eat of,

we will never hunger again for

He is the Bread of Life!

Don’t leave this page until you are certain you are grafted in to this family, this royal hose of David that this geneology is true for your life too….that

You are His offspring,

a child of THE KING of KINGS

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

 

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken – Part 4 continued

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken –

Part 4 continued from…

 https://www.minimannamoments.com/five-chosen-in-a-line-unbroken-part-4/

In Bethlehem, Ruth looked after her aging mother-in-law Naomi, as if she were her own mother; and to keep them from going hungry, Ruth gleans grain in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.

Boaz בעז

Meaning:

In Strength, By Strength

From the prefix ב – be, in,

and

the verb עזז – azaz,

to be strong, powerful or strong.

Boaz = fleetness.

Strong’s Hebrew: 1162.

בֹּ֫עַז

Boaz — quickness.

Here while gleaning in the fields of Bethlehem, Ruth meets Boaz.

He was a wealthy Bethlehemite,

a rich land-owner

and kinsman to Elimelech the husband of Naomi.

Ruth 2:3 says that

as it happened’

Ruth went to the field of Naomi’s rich relative, Boaz.

This phrase

as it happened

is often used in the Bible to suggest that God is setting the scene for something significant.

It also implied, with a touch of Jewish humour, that Naomi and the people of Bethlehem saw a good match for Ruth and edged her into meeting Boaz. (Matchmaking!)

Naomi knew that Ruth was beautiful and respected, Boaz was the ideal choice. He was available, childless, well respected and rich. and she knew that a rich husband for Ruth would solve all their problems.

He was also a relative of Naomi’s through her husband’s family, (see Leviticus 19:9-10). so he had a legal obligation to help Naomi and to redeem the estates of her deceased husband Mahlon. (Ruth 4:1)

Boaz was second in line to the position of go’el in Naomi’s, and therefore Ruth’s, family.

In English, the word go’el

is often translated as ‘nearest kin’,

but in ancient Judah it meant much more than that.

A go’el was a close male relative with the duty of looking after a family when the male head of the family was absent.

In earlier times, the go’el of the family was expected to marry the widow of an Israelite man if she wished it

Deuteronomy 25.

Ruth, who may not have understood the formalities of Israelite law,

called Boaz – go’el =

Kinsman Redeemer.

It seems to have been love at first sight for him, and he ordered his workers to treat Ruth well when she worked in his fields. picking up leftover grain

Ruth 2:1-23    

He went to great lengths to get extra grain for Ruth, to protect her from young men who might harass her, and to see that she was properly fed.

 

‘At mealtime Boaz said to her “Come here, and eat

at some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine”.

So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.’

Naomi saw immediately what had happened, and encouraged Ruth to keep on working in Boaz’s fields. who has heard about her kindness to Naomi.

Ruth 2:11,12

Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.”

Following Naomi’s guidance, Ruth visits Boaz at night.

When Boaz finally lay down and is

fast asleep after winnowing barley on the threshing floor,

she approached

and lay down at his feet.

Someone always slept there at night until the grain was removed, to guard against thieves.

Ruth 3:1-18

‘When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down.’

The threshing floor is the same that David bought from and it became the site of the Temple!

It is Mount Moriah the scene of many meetings and sacrifices.

The Threshing floor and

the significance of threshing:

The context of King David’s initiative to purchase that threshing floor was the need to stop the Angel of Death, who was exacting the punishment for sin.

2 Samuel 24:15-16

As believers this connection makes sense – it’s the place of God’s victory over sin and where the power of spiritual death was stopped.

King David purchases the threshing floor of

Araunah the Jebusite

and, according to one classic rabbinic opinion,

the entire city of Yerushalayim /Jerusalem.

That threshing floor,

the place where he intends to offer sacrifices,

is now called the

Har HaBayit –

Temple Mount in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem.

Araunah in Hebrew: אֲרַוְנָה ‎

’Ǎrawnāh was a Jebusite mentioned in 2 Samuel,

who owned the threshing floor on Mount Moriah

which David purchased and

used as the site for assembling an altar to God.

1 Chronicles, a later text, renders his name as

Ornan – in Hebrew: אָרְנָן ‎ ’Ārənān.

David built an altar on Ornan’sAraunah’s threshing-floor

2 Samuel 24:18-24 1 Chronicles 21:18-27,

which later became the site of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 3:1.

David probably chose this place for his altar because it was elevated, and the ground was already level and prepared by the rolling action from all the threshing activity.

It is very significant that the threshing floor of Araunah was on 

Mount Moriah–the Temple Mount–

where the temple was built because it was

where Messiah was also threshed/beaten for us:

2 Chronicles 3.1

Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

The angel of Adonai

was then by the threshing floor

of Araunah the Jebusite.”

2 Samuel 24:15-16

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. Then David built there an altar to Adonai , and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

A threshing floor like that sold by Araunah, would have been a large, open, elevated area to facilitate threshing and winnowing.

A threshing floor was a large, open, hard surface, so threshing floors were often located on hilltops. After bundles of stalks were laid on the surface of the floor, oxen were repeatedly led over the piles until the dried plants were broken up. Then it was thrown up in the air to separate and remove the chaff as the wind blew upon it.

More details at:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/why-a-threshing-floor/

He awakes to find Ruth at his feet.

Why did Ruth do this? Her action would seem strange unless you knew that in ancient times ‘foot’ was a euphemism for the male reproduction, as ‘sandal’ was for the female.

Threshing floors at harvest time were often the scene of intimate misconduct but not in Ruths case. Lying beside Boaz, Ruth suggested that he, as the go-el of Naomi’s family, should ‘cover her with his blanket’, a euphemism for marriage, And this would no doubt have been his prayer shawl which even in present day is used as a canopy over a couple getting married.

It is also a reference to the healing in His wings of Isaiah of the future Messiah and the place of safety under those wings which is the name given to the corners of the Tallit/Prayer shawl

Click links below for more on the Tallit Prayer Shawl.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/life-on-the-fringe/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/knot-just-another-string-theory/

Ruth had the right to demand marriage of the go-el of her family. Following Jewish customs, Ruth lets Boaz know he is a kinsman-redeemer and that she is eligible to marry him –

Ruth 3:1-18.

 Yeshua/Jesus is our Go’el and He says the same to each of us today and we can put our name in here ……… I will redeem you!

So…

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [g’al’tika]

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Isaiah 43:1-3a

Boaz happily agreed, but pointed out to her that there was another man who had that right, a closer relative even than himself.

Boaz promises to act as kinsman-redeemer for her if the one closer male relative will surrender his right to the position.

Ruth stayed beside Boaz until morning, leaving before first light to return to Naomi.

Boaz had to give him the option first, before he could marry Ruth. He was careful to do everything correctly, so that there could be no question about the legality of the marriage.

Ruth 4:1-12    

To fulfill the laws of inheritance, another kinsman – who is more closely related to Ruth than Boaz – is given the option of buying the land, but he cannot afford it. So Boaz buys the land from Naomi and then marries Ruth in order to keep the ownership of the land within Elimelech’s family.

Boaz negotiates with the other man and obtains the right to redeem Ruth and Naomi.

Kindness and loyalty permeated Ruth’s character. Further, she was a woman of integrity, maintaining high morals in her dealings with Boaz.

As a relative, Boaz agrees to help Ruth and Naomi by buying a plot of land which belonged to Naomi’s husband Elimelech. 

Leviticus 25:25.

Naturally as people in small towns usually are, the people in Bethlehem were well aware of what was happening. When Boaz went next morning to the meeting place at the gate of the town, he was met almost immediately by the official go-el of Naomi’s family – and probably by a good many interested onlookers as well.

Some complicated negotiation went on regarding a small parcel of land that Naomi either owned outright or had put up for sale at some previous time, but this was just a formality.

Ruth 4:9-10
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”

‘So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son.

Then the women said to Naomi “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin. May his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourishment for your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him”.

Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.’ Ruth 4:1-22

  Boaz marries Ruth;

together they care for Naomi.

Ruth and Boaz have a son Obed,

He becomes the father of Jesse,

the father of King David.

In due course, Bethlehem becomes the ‘City of David’.

Book of Ruth 4:16-17
Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

The women of Bethlehem exalted Ruth as the loving daughter-in-law who meant more to Naomi than seven sons, the ideal number.

Ruth 4:15

Although people from Moab were often hated by the Jews, God selected Ruth to be a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The book of Ruth is a beautiful illustration of God’s impartiality and faithfulness to those who are true to Him.

She had little idea that her decision would affect the future of multiplied millions and 

that a sequence of God ordained events that had been unfolding 1000’s of years before, were dependent on her choice!

Gods’ promise of a Savior in Genesis, through the promise to Abraham, that all families would be blessed through him and his offspring – encompassed her, a foreigner, a widow, a Moabite, a gentile, heathen, goyim…

She would have had no idea at that point that her choices and subsequent actions would lead her into a country where she would meet a relative of Naomi named Boaz.

This man would become her

kinsman redeemer

according to Israelite law and would

restore the lost heritage.

Just as we saw in the story of Tamar.

The truth is that her great grandson would become the king of Israel; and David was called the man after Gods own heart and was the royal line that eventually brought forth the long awaited and long promised Messiah. (The phrase man after Gods own heart was due to his repentant attitude.)

Remember that Boaz is Rahabs son

and his great grandmother was Tamar!

As we have seen, Ruth was a Moabitess and her ancestors were called Moabites because Moab was the incestuous son of Lot and one of his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gororrah. See charts…

Ruth and Boaz become the parents of Obed, the grandparents of Jesse and the great-grandparents of David, the king of Israel, and finally the ancestors of Jesus/Yeshua the Nazarene.

Matthew 1:5

 Ruth is spelled Ρουθ, Rhouth in Greek.

Strictly speaking, therefore, Yeshua/Jesus

was not only a son-by-law of Joseph,

he was also a son-by-law of Mahlon and not of Boaz.

It is interesting that the word love never appears in the book of Ruth, even though it is story full of love. The love is recorded in the words and action, rather than being cited as an emotion or feeling. Love is action its doing and being. God is a God of love and of unconditional love, not the same kind as our feelings and emotions dictate to our flesh life.

Its this unconditional love that God extended to all the heathens, gentiles and Goyim when He sent His Son Jesus/Yeshua to show by action the ultimate act of love; by dying in our place, by sacrificing His life on our behalf… how many individuals do we know today that would lay down their own lives for another, for us; and would we do that for someone else?

 

Its always a good time to reassess what Jesus/Yeshua did for us to remember where we came from,

where our Moab was;

and where we are today….

grafted in by grace and mercy, forgiven, redeemed, sanctified, justified, by His precious Blood that continually cries Mercy from that kapporet in heaven mercy seat –

the throne of grace in Hebrews 9:23–26

 

Hebrew כפורת , Kaporet, meaning atonement seat.

What manner of love is this??…

it’s beyond our comprehension –

how marvelous – how wonderful

is our Saviors love for us.

the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3.

Lets return to our first love and ask Him to renew the joy of our salvation and strengthen our resolve like Ruth; to follow Jesus/Yeshua, the One we love above all else. To make Him the focus of our life and the director of our future.

Let our steps along the WAY to the house of Bread – Beth lechem – be guided by the One who was The Bread from Heaven and whose life began in that very town; fulfilling the words of the prophets so many millennia ago.

In an age when childbearing was seen as the highest honor for women, Ruth played a key role in the coming of the promised Messiah. Ruth, being one of Messiahs’ Gentile ancestors, showed that Yeshua/Jesus came to save all people whosoever will.

Ruth’s life seemed to be a series of timely happenstances/ coincidences, but her story is really about the perfect plan and providence of God. In His loving way, He orchestrated natural circumstances toward the birth of David, then from David to the birth of Yeshua/Jesus. In the natural course of events, it took centuries to put in place, and the result was God’s plan of salvation for the world.

Ruth and Naomi were rare female heroines at a time when women were often consigned to a secondary role and status. To survive as outsiders, they had to remain true to themselves and their God.

The main themes of Ruth’s story?

Friendship: Ruth was poor and a foreigner, but she listened to the advice of an older, wiser woman. In turn, Naomi was rewarded by Ruth’s unfaltering loyalty.

The message?

Courage and loyalty – triumph over misfortune.

Family The story of Ruth celebrates the family and the way it continues through many generations. Ruth, a childless widow at the beginning of the story, became the great-grandmother of Israel’s great king, David.

God’s plan: The story of Naomi’s family and the way it endured is a universal theme. Even Ruth, a foreigner from the despised Moabites, could move God’s plan towards fulfillment.

Faithfulness 

kindness

honor

and

redemption

are key themes of this book.

We see Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi,

Boaz’s faithfulness to Ruth,

and everyone’s faithfulness to God.

In return, God rewards them with great blessings.

These characters’ faithfulness led to

kindness toward each other.

Kindness is an outpouring of love.

Everyone in this book showed the type of selfless love toward others that God expects from His followers.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.

Romans 5:8

There is a great sense of honor that is also highlighted as Ruth was a hardworking, morally chaste woman. Boaz treated her with respect while fulfilling his lawful responsibility showing examples of obeying God’s laws.

She was also a hard worker in the fields, gleaning leftover grain for Naomi and herself.

Finally, Ruth’s deep love for Naomi was rewarded when Boaz married Ruth and gave her love and security.

Book of Ruth 2:11-12

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband–how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (NIV)

A sense of safekeeping is emphasized too.

Ruth took care of Naomi, Naomi took care of Ruth, then Boaz took care of both women, and God took care of all of them, blessing Ruth and Boaz with a child they named Obed, who became the grandfather of David.

From David’s line came Jesus /Yeshua of Nazareth, Savior of the world.

Finally, redemption is the underlying theme.

As Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, saves Ruth and Naomi from a hopeless situation, he illustrates how Yeshua/Jesus redeems our lives.

Some thought provoking facts:

Ruth worked in the field belonging to her relative Boaz and ultimately became his wife.

The reputed site of this field –

the Field of Ruth –

can still be seen at 

Beit Sahur 

Village of the shepherds

near Bethlehem!

Where the lambs were raised for the sacrifices!

For more on the shepherds field links below

 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lambs-tale-and-a-mysterious-tower/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/because-he-came/

Bethlehem is also the site of the tomb of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, who had died here about six hundred years earlier, in c.1690 BC.

Rachel’s tomb can still be visited today, on the main road leading from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Almost a thousand years after the death of Rachel

Genesis 35:16-20,

the prophet Micah, writing between 747BC and 722BC, declared,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me”

Micah 5:2.

This prophesy was fulfilled seven hundred years later when Yeshua/Jesus – a descendent of Isaac, Jacob and Judah, and of Ruth and Boaz – was born at Bethlehem in Judaea

Matthew 1:2 & 5 and Genesis 49:10.

The kinsman redeemer it’s a story again of salvation

Yeshua/Jesus is our kinsman redeemer.

Yeshua/Jesus said

Follow Me…

Ruth said

wherever you go I will follow you.

 

For Ruth, it led to her salvation…

we must be ready,

willing and

available

to follow Him

wherever He goes;

and Ruth was loving not her life unto death,

she said, where you die I will die.

She had to follow up her words with actions

and was faithful to do so.

Can we say the same?

Ruth’s words are so remarkable that they are still echoing today  through several thousand years and for good reason.

They indicate a love so faithful and strong that she would stay with Naomi always and that only death would separate them. She was prepared to leave everything behind abandoning her old life in every aspect.

Jesus/Yeshua said He called us friends and yet He requires that we leave all behind to follow Him.

And again I say unto you, my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you friends, it is expedient that I give unto you this commandment, that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power; John 15:15.

When we are called, He also equips or qualifies us: it has a twofold meaning; one, that He has given us giftings to match our callings and second, He establishes and strengthens us.

Romans 8:30; Ex.4:10-11; Hebrews 13:21.

By bringing tests and trials into our lives that qualifies us to become what He has destined for us. Ruth once more encourages us that whatever our background,

wherever we have come from,

and whatever we have done

there will be a situation or a person

that points us to Yeshua/Jesus,

which in turn leads us to salvation.

It is our choice to accept the gift of all gifts;

but like Ruth

we too will have to leave the past behind,

take up new family,

new land,

and become the bride of the heavenly bridegroom –

our kinsman redeemer..

Ruth was one of five in a line unbroken

as she would not let Naomi go without her…

let’s hold onto Yeshua/Jesus

with even greater hope and love in our hearts .

Do not fear,

for I have redeemed you [g’al’tika]

I have called you by name;

you are Mine!

We would still be spiritually destitute, heathen, gentile, goyim, dead in our sins, poor in spirit and without hope…without Messiah….

BUT now…

Ephesians 2:12 -14, 18-19.

Ruths decision for the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob/Israel led her to being grafted into the family of God. The second of the gentiles incorporated into the line of the Tribe of Judah.

When we decide for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel, we too are grafted in and through Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua HaMashiach. We are saved by Him our Kinsman Redeemer; Who cared enough to make sure the gentiles are included in His plan of the ages.

Let’s not simply discard the monumental actions of Ruth

because her descendent was and is

our Savior, Lord and soon returning king.

Ruth was indeed one of five,

another brave woman sealed into

the line unbroken

another story connected to the

House of Bread

and of Him, who when we eat of,

we will never hunger again for

He is the Bread of Life!

 

Don’t leave this page until you are certain this is true for your life too….

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken – Part 4

Next in the unbroken line is

Ruth –  רות  – Rooth – Rut

Strong’s Hebrew: 7327. רוּת (Ruth) — friendship

From the noun:

רע – rea’,

friend, companion, associate.

From the noun:

ראות re’ut,

a looking or understanding.

 The name Ruth   רות

as a contraction of the noun

 ראות – re’ut,

meaning:

Look; perhaps Vision/View would be better.

Scholars who follow this root group see the name

Ruth as a feminine derivation of the root

 רעה – ra’a 

meaning:

to associate with, or be a friend of;

therefore the name Ruth means 

(Lady) Friend or (Lady) Companion

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara

of Thamar;

and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

5 And Salmon begat Booz

of Rachab;

and Booz begat Obed of

Ruth;

and Obed begat Jesse;

6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband

of Mary,

of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Ruths’ story begins in

Bethlehem!

House of Bread

Beit Lechem –

where Yeshua/Jesus,

the Bread from Heaven,

came into this earthly realm.

In Bethlehem of Judea,

(Land of tribe of Judah)

there was a man called

Elimelech

אלימלך

Strongs 458

There is only one Elimelech in the Bible,

and means:

My God is King.  

El-imele-ch  is pronounced as

iy-L IH MMeh-LehK 

Elimeleck, Elimelek, Elymelech, Elymeleck,

and Elymelek are variant spellings.

אל  אלה

The name Elimelech consists of two elements.

The first part is the word

אל    El ,

In names אל – ‘el

usually refers to 

אלהים –‘Elohim,

 or God,

also known as 

אלה –‘Eloah.

The name applied to the God of Israel.

In English, the words ‘God’ and ‘god’

exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words

 אל -‘l and אלה -‘lh are far more common

and may express approach and negation,

acts of wailing and pointing,

and may even mean oak or terebinth.

The second part of the name comes from the noun

מלך – melek,

meaning king:

and a king is not merely a glorified tribal chief

but the alpha of a complex, stratified society,

implying a court and a complex government.

Elimelech was a member of the clan of Ephrath, a native of Bethlehem of tribe of Judah, a man of wealth and probably head of a family or clan (Ruth 1:2,3; 2:1,3).

He lived during the period of the Judges and had a hereditary possession near Bethlehem, and he is chiefly remembered as the husband of Naomi.

Ephrath: For those of the tribe of Ephraim are also called Ephrathites,

Judges 12:5,

Art thou an Ephrathite 1 Kings 11:26; 1 Samuel 1:1.

David is called the son of an Ephrathite,

that is, a Beth-lehemite.

(לְאֶפְרָיִם): Ephraimites

אֶפְרַיִם ‎, ʾEfrayim pronounced like Ef•ra•yim) meaning: fruitful, fertile, productive.

Genesis 35:19; Micah 5:2; either from Caleb’s wife of that name, 1 Chronicles 2:19; 4:4, or from the fertility of the soil about it; which title may therefore be used here, to show the greatness of the famine, which affected even fertile parts.

Recall that Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph and his Egyptian wife.

Genesis 41:52

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. These 2 were absorbed into the 12 Tribes of Israel/Jacob. Genesis 48:2

Later Ephraim became the name of:

The half-tribe Ephraim (Joshua 16:5).

The hill country in Palestine (1 Samuel 1:1).

The scripture records that 3000 years ago there was a famine in the land and because of the famine affecting nearby Israel.

Elimelech and his family had traveled from Bethlehem Ephrathah to escape its ravaging effects; moving to a pagan country bordering Canaan called

Moab מוֹאָב

located east of the dead sea in Israel.

Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

Moab is the area shaded in pink is the territory known across from the wilderness of Judah.

A flat and arid plane extends east from the banks of the Dead Sea before ascending sharply some 4,000 feet to the plain above. The upper plain is a more fertile stretch of land that extends about 15 miles from the escarpment east to the Arabian Desert. Dibon, the capital city of Moab in the biblical era, is located in the northern region of the upper plane.

In ancient times, it was home to the kingdom of the Moabites, a people often in conflict with their Israelite neighbors to the west.

Strong’s Hebrew: 4124. מוֹאָב (Moab) — a son of Lot

 From a prolonged form of the prepositional prefix m-

and ‘ab; from (her (the mother’s)) father; 

Moab, an incestuous son of Lot;

also his territory and descendants 

Which is why the Israelites were forbidden by law to marry a Moabite.

This name is pronounced mo-ahv in Hebrew.

The base word is ahv meaning father.

The prefix mo means from.

Combined these mean: from father. 

 

Mo’av was the son of Lot’s oldest daughter and Lot himself (Genesis 19:35), the product of an incest relationship; implying that the similarity in Hebrew between

Mo’abi /Moabite and me’abi – from my father

was no coincidence Gen 19:37.

According to the Torah, no descendent of Mo’av is allowed in the assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3).

Moab, Moabites, pronounced: 

Moh´ab, moh´uh-bits.

So reading the biblical narrative, it describes the Moabites’ origins in terms of both kinship and disdain. They are blood relatives of the Israelites, but their forefather was born as a result of incest. According to the Genesis 19:30-38 story, Moab was the son of Abraham’s nephew Lot, through his own eldest daughter, with whom he had a child after the destruction of Sodom.

The Bible clearly explains the etymology of Moab as meaning “of his father.” Nevertheless, there was considerable interchange between the two peoples, They were closely linked with their northern neighbors, the Ammonites (descended from Moab’s half brother, Ben-ammi), with whom they later shared a border.

So from this account, clearly, Israel and Moab shared kinship, history, language, institutions, and theology, and that this closeness often led to competition and strife between the two peoples. Being “just like us” made the Moabites dangerous to Israelite identity and assimilation was always a threat. 

It shows that there was incest, disobedience and gentile heritage in the mix.

In Moab, a child was probably raised in a culture that worshipped an ungodly idol named Chemosh. This entity was worshipped by the Moabites sacrificing their children to it. This child knew no other way of life and may have witnessed family or friends being offered as sacrifices to this pagan god.

In this Biblical account this young woman was called Ruth and one day a new family came to her home town.

This family of four people were father Elimelech his wife Naomi and their 2 sons Mahlon and Chilion.

As noted earlier,

the name Elimelech means my God is King

which is indicative of him being a believer in

Yahweh/The God of Israel.

Naomi – נָעֳמִי

means:

pleasant or my pleasantness.

The sons names Mahlon and Chilion

were indicative of their characters

Mahlon מַחְלוֹן

meant:

Is sick sickly ‘sickness’ sorrowful. 

Strong’s Hebrew: 4248. מַחְלוֹן (Machlon)

Transliteration: Machlon
Phonetic Spelling: makh-lone’ 

Chilion  כליון  

The name Chilion is not very cheerful

he was a complainer and it is spelled the same way as,

but pronounced slightly different from,

the noun כליון ( killayon ),

meaning failing or annihilation,

Also

כִּלְיוֹן    Ḵilyōn

further meaning is:

Wasting Away

 Pining

Coming To An End,

Man Of Finality

Used up, consumed, finite.

From the verb כלה – kala,

to come to an end.

Chilion is pronounced kil-yone’

Strong’s concordance H3630

And they came Judges. 5:30 into the country of Moab, and continued (Hebrew) were there.

[They continued there]

While the famine continued, they could remain, which was lawful: However, it was not lawful to abide for ever in a foreign land, both because of the danger of idolatry; and on account that they may become forgetful of the covenant and appointed times of the Law.

Remember, all the males were required to go up three times in a year to the Temple, Appointed Times/Feasts.

Ruth 1:3

tells us that Elimelech died in Moab leaving Naomi with her 2 sons

Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion /Kilion married Ruth’s sister Orpah.

Strong’s Hebrew: 6204. עָרְפָּה (Orpah)    

Ruth   Orpah עָרְפָה

Phonetic Spelling: or-paw’ ‎ ʿorpā,

meaning neck or fawn or

back of the neck; she turned her back on Naomi.

The name Orpah comes from the verb ערף ( arap ).

The added letter he is a common feminization form:

The verb ערף ( ‘arap) means to drip or drop.

Noun עריף ( ‘arip) means cloud and ערפל ( ‘arapel) describes a heavy cloud mass.

The noun ערף ( ‘orep) means neck.

Hebrew Strongs #06204: hpre `Orpah Orpah = “gazelle” 1) a Moabite woman, wife of Chilion, the son of Naomi, and sister-in-law of Ruth 6204 `Orpah or-paw’ feminine of 6203; mane; Orpah, a Moabites:-Orpah.

It is highly probable that during the 10 years of marriage Naomi would have recounted the stories of her homeland and of the God in whom she believed.

This God who created the universe and brought her people out of slavery performing mighty miracles while leading them for 40 years through the wilderness to the promised land where they had come from. She may have told them the history of Jerichos walls falling down the other side of the Dead Sea and of Rahabs courage to save her family with Joshuas men and the scarlet cord in her window. She may have shared how her God had provided guidelines that helped His people and stopped them from hurting one another opposite to the demands of their false god to sacrifice children as a form of worship.

Sadly, about ten years later, both of Naomis sons died.

It would be interesting to know why all three died; it’s unusual for all the men in a family to die at more or less the same time. However God had a plan and the timing was crucial had they not died the women would probably have remained in Moab.

So Mahlon and Chilions wives, Ruth and Orpah tragically became widows; they were alone and they faced certain poverty and a future of destitution as they had no one to support them. Their death leaves Naomi, Ruth and Orpah stranded, without protection, they had to find a refuge, or starve.

Not long after that, probably towards the end of the period of the Judges, in c.1060BC/1050BC, news came to Naomi that the famine in Israel was over and that God was blessing her people; this made her want to return to Bethlehem.

Ruth 1:6-18   

Naomi decides to return alone; assuming that Ruth and Orpah would not want to return to Bethlehem with her, even though the women respected and loved each other.the main problem for Ruth and Orpah was that they were Moabite women, not Israelites.

The Moabite people were traditional enemies of the Israelites. There was frequent warfare between the two groups. As previously mentioned according to the Israelite belief, Moabites came from the act of incest between Lot and his older daughter (Genesis 19:30-38), and to them the whole nation was tainted and inferior.

At first both Ruth and Orpah wanted to go with her.

Naomi loved the women but she reminded them that if they did leave with her, they would become the foreigners and so she encouraged them to return to their mothers house.

Verse 8.

Naomi did not want a bad future for them and said to them; the lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

Her genuine desire was for them to remarry into their own people and to be at peace.

They lifted up their voices and wept v.9

Then in verse 10 they insisted on accompanying her because they didn’t want to leave her. Naomi told them she had no more sons for them to marry. Obviously she loved them v13 and crying with loud sobbing Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye; however Ruth clung onto her and what Ruth says at this moment is recorded in verses 16-17 and are without doubt some of the most touching and beautiful words in the Bible.

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

This is a prophetic reference to the heathen, goyim, gentile nations being grafted in as they believe in the God of Israel.

Orpah, decided to return to her people and the Moabite way of life, but Ruth could not be budged.

She had shared loneliness, anxiety and grief with Naomi, and now that the older woman was completely alone, Ruth stood by her and out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, while Orpah stayed in Moab.

This revealed that not only is she is devoted to Naomi but that she was also willing to totally submit her life and future to Naomis’ God, the God of Israel. Ruth abandoned her lifelong home and her pagan gods and she became a Jew by choice.

The scriptures show that she had some understanding of what she was doing and that she had a relationship with Him, as she uses the proper name of the God of Israel saying; the existing one/ Yahweh /Lord.

The last part of verse 17 was her promise to Naomi. This was more than Naomi could resist and they headed towards Bethlehem together along the dusty road.

This young womans decision 3000+ years ago was more than a step towards Bethlehem it was a momentous decision to both follow Naomi and Naomi’s God who had also become her God.

The extraordinary modern painting (below) of Ruth and Naomi captures the essence of the story: the mutual dependence of people within a family. It shows the younger woman, Naomi, sheltering and protecting the elderly woman (billowing cape as shield against harsh weather, supportive arm around the shoulder) and the older woman leading the way (staff in her hand, grey hair signifying both wisdom and experience).

Together, the figures form a single unit, stronger together than they would be if they had gone their separate ways.

Ruth 1:19-22    

The two women arrive in Bethlehem 

meaning ‘house of bread’

at the start of the barley harvest in April.

Barley was used to make bread.

Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.

The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot – Weeks.

The book is divided into four chapters;

and takes place at the beginning of

barley harvest

which is Passover Pescah

and the story goes through to

wheat harvest

which is Pentecost Shavuot

and covers the

counting of the Omer

over 49 days = 7 weeks.

Barley was used to make bread….

and Who is the Bread of Life?

Feasts of the Lord in Hebrew is

סעודות האל

Chag means feast or festival,

and has its root in the word chah-gog,

that, in the Hebrew mindset, means:

to circle, as in to circle dance or feast.

By definition, these three feasts

are to be celebrated before the Lord

in a joyous, party atmosphere with singing, dancing,

and processions.

Hebrew verb

יעד – ya’ad

meaning: to appoint.

 moadim – moe-ah-DEEM.

Appointed times – mo’ed. מעֵד

Passover (Pesach),

Weeks (Shavuot), and

Tabernacles (Sukkot).

Pesach

פֶּסַח Pesaḥ

Chag HaMatzot

חג המץ

Hag Hamatzot  – Feast of Unleavened Bread,

חג המצות

Unleavened bread – מצה, matzah, plural matzot,

 Strong’s #4682 

חג המצות

 Yom HaBikkurim  י ום הביכורים 

Feast of First Fruits or

the Day of Firstfruits,

or

Reshit Ha’Katzir  ראשית הקציר

the first of the harvest.

Yom HaBikkurimm – Reishit Qatzir . ראשׁית קציר. 

Shavuot – Pentecost, Shavuos,

Hebrew: שבועות, literally = Weeks

The Hebrew word sheva means seven,

shavu’ah means week, and

shavu’ot means weeks. 

Passover: The Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

Passover is the 1st feast commanded by the LORD for Israel to observe. In Old Testament Israel, it commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

Feast of Unleavened Bread: The Burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Hag HaMatzah

in modern Israel

is the 2nd of the 7 feasts

that the LORD commanded Israel to celebrate.

Feast of Firstfruits: The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The Feast of Firstfruits

called Bikkurim

in modern Israel

is the 3rd of the 7 Feasts of Israel

commanded by the LORD to be celebrated by Israel.

NOTE: When Ruth appealed to his kinship, he redeemed the property in Ruth 3:9.

In consequence of this he had to marry Ruth, in order

to raise up the name of the dead!!

Pentecost: The Giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church and the First “Come Up Hither”.

The feast of outpouring called

Shavuot

in modern Israel

4th of the 7 Feasts of Israel.

Gleaning was a common practice in ancient Israel.

It was a form of charity for the disadvantaged

(see Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19).

Recognized groups of the poor, such as widows, orphans and foreigners, could walk behind the harvesters, picking up what was left. This is what Ruth did.

They knew that women took an active part in all stages of food production – and Ruth decided she would help to glean the barley in the fields, to feed herself and Naomi and to get a store of grain for winter.

So to keep them from starving to death, Ruth gleans grain in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.

For Ruth, this course of action behind her words led to her salvation…

Don’t leave this page until you are certain of your salvation.

Conclusion coming in next post….

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.