07-15-07
Sorry, you must have Windows Media Player 9 or higher. This is a large file which may take a few seconds to start Windows Media Real Audio MP3 I WENT OUT FULL… AND WAS BROUGHT HOME AGAIN EMPTY (Ruth 1:19-22) So they two went [Naomi and Ruth] until they came to Bethlehem [house of bread (the covenant community; the birthplace of Jesus)]. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved [in an uproar, or agitated greatly (controversial)] about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi [pleasant], call me Mara [bitter /// angry, discontented, heavy /// grieved, vexed]: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full [of what?], and the LORD [sixth mention] hath brought me home again empty [of what?]: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD [seventh mention] hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted [broken to pieces] me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest [the spring harvest in April, the time of Passover]. 1. Commentary: “Is this Naomi?” = Why was the city of Bethlehem in an uproar or greatly agitated? Because, from their point of view, Naomi had gone out of Israel with a high and full hand (Elimelech had sold their land, we assume to finance the family’s move to Moab), and she returned empty, except for this Gentile (Heb: heathen, infidel) Ruth (worse than empty). The people could not then comprehend that by Naomi leading the heathen infidel Ruth into the covenant community, symbolic of the church, that Naomi was typifying the ultimate function of the Hebrew race, God’s chosen people, to be evangelists. Symbolically, in first chapter of the Book of Ruth, Naomi was progressively purified, purged, stripped as a seed of its chaff of everything and everyone that she had possessed, stripped of every source of pride, until she was finally and completely humbled, and only then a fit seed prepared for the LORD’s wonderful purpose. 2. “the Almighty” = Heb: El Shaddai; (a term for God meaning sufficient or all-powerful), to be burly, i.e. (fig.) powerful (pass. impregnable); by impl. to ravage:--dead, destroy (-er), oppress, robber, spoil (-er), X utterly, (lay) waste. [compare the implications of Naomi’s usage of “the LORD” (Heb: Jehovah/Yahweh; self-Existent or Eternal) in these verses with her usage of “the Almighty”] 3. Commentary: “the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” = This declaration, heavily implying injustice, is derived from the “root of bitterness” (Heb 12:15) that anchors (as in a sharp barbed hook) “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” into our soul, the seed in the fruit of which our father Adam and mother Eve ingested. The “root of bitterness” (rebellion) is our heritage from Adam and Eve existent in all men, and now manifesting itself within Naomi as she bitterly points the accusatory (Satanic) finger of fault outward toward another, the Almighty in Naomi’s illustration. How often have we each pointed the accusatory finger of bitterness toward God for our negative circumstances, or toward another? Adam pointed the accusatory finger outward toward “the woman” (Gen 3:12), rather than rightfully inward toward himself. “Adam was not deceived,” he just plain flat-out disobeyed God, “but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Tim 2:14), and in her own defense, pointed the accusatory finger outward toward “the serpent” (Gen 3:13). 4. Commentary: Please note that in modern American comedy “The Debil made me do it” (coined by Flip Wilson) is a very popular accusatory phrase that summarizes the essence of the almost universally accepted (excepting born-again Christians) pattern of thinking of our society, and perhaps the world, i.e. all unsaved peoples. The superficial logic of this accusatory phrase (and similar accusations) functions as an avoidance rationalization, a Satanic defensive covering (“fig leaves” Gen 3:7), under which we hide our guilty selves and self-righteously seek to escape retribution to self for our evil deeds. This action effectively preserves our pride, insofar as this and like phrases serve to “deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8) away from, rather than humbly submitting to, the righteous correction of God. The Bible teaches that each person is solely responsible and answerable to God for his or her own actions. 5. Commentary: We may note in a comparative application that the prodigal son also “went out full” of pride, and came “home again empty,” i.e. humbled. 6. (Rev 2:27) And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers [pieces]: even as I received of my Father. [Naomi was certainly “broken to shivers,” i.e. greatly humbled] A NEW THING IN THE EARTH (Ruth 1:19) So they two went [Naomi and Ruth] until they came to Bethlehem [house of bread (the covenant community; the birthplace of Jesus)]. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved [in an uproar, or agitated greatly (in controversy)] about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? 1. Commentary: But what controversial new thing did the Jewish evangelist Naomi bring back to Bethlehem with her? Naomi brought a Gentile convert who had begun the process of being grafted into the “true [Jewish] vine” (John 15:1). 2. (Isa 43:19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 3. (Jer 31:22) How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding [Jewish] daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman [Ruth, a Gentile] shall compass a man [a Jewish man, Boaz (figurative intercourse); a prophecy of the consummation of the marriage of the Lamb of God]. 4. (John 3:3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5. Commentary: What happens after the marriage consummation of the Bride of Christ with the Lamb of God? Answer: “much fruit” (John 12:24;15:5,8). What do you suppose shall be Father God’s purpose for all of the “fruit” generated by the consummated union of the Bride of Christ with the Lamb of God? Amen Previous Chapter Table Of Contents Next Chapter Click here to download a printable version of this message Click here to download a DOC version of this message
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I WENT OUT FULL… AND WAS BROUGHT HOME AGAIN EMPTY
(Ruth 1:19-22) So they two went [Naomi and Ruth] until they came to Bethlehem [house of bread (the covenant community; the birthplace of Jesus)]. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved [in an uproar, or agitated greatly (controversial)] about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi [pleasant], call me Mara [bitter /// angry, discontented, heavy /// grieved, vexed]: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full [of what?], and the LORD [sixth mention] hath brought me home again empty [of what?]: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD [seventh mention] hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted [broken to pieces] me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest [the spring harvest in April, the time of Passover].
1. Commentary: “Is this Naomi?” = Why was the city of Bethlehem in an uproar or greatly agitated? Because, from their point of view, Naomi had gone out of Israel with a high and full hand (Elimelech had sold their land, we assume to finance the family’s move to Moab), and she returned empty, except for this Gentile (Heb: heathen, infidel) Ruth (worse than empty). The people could not then comprehend that by Naomi leading the heathen infidel Ruth into the covenant community, symbolic of the church, that Naomi was typifying the ultimate function of the Hebrew race, God’s chosen people, to be evangelists. Symbolically, in first chapter of the Book of Ruth, Naomi was progressively purified, purged, stripped as a seed of its chaff of everything and everyone that she had possessed, stripped of every source of pride, until she was finally and completely humbled, and only then a fit seed prepared for the LORD’s wonderful purpose.
2. “the Almighty” = Heb: El Shaddai; (a term for God meaning sufficient or all-powerful), to be burly, i.e. (fig.) powerful (pass. impregnable); by impl. to ravage:--dead, destroy (-er), oppress, robber, spoil (-er), X utterly, (lay) waste. [compare the implications of Naomi’s usage of “the LORD” (Heb: Jehovah/Yahweh; self-Existent or Eternal) in these verses with her usage of “the Almighty”]
3. Commentary: “the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” = This declaration, heavily implying injustice, is derived from the “root of bitterness” (Heb 12:15) that anchors (as in a sharp barbed hook) “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” into our soul, the seed in the fruit of which our father Adam and mother Eve ingested. The “root of bitterness” (rebellion) is our heritage from Adam and Eve existent in all men, and now manifesting itself within Naomi as she bitterly points the accusatory (Satanic) finger of fault outward toward another, the Almighty in Naomi’s illustration. How often have we each pointed the accusatory finger of bitterness toward God for our negative circumstances, or toward another? Adam pointed the accusatory finger outward toward “the woman” (Gen 3:12), rather than rightfully inward toward himself. “Adam was not deceived,” he just plain flat-out disobeyed God, “but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Tim 2:14), and in her own defense, pointed the accusatory finger outward toward “the serpent” (Gen 3:13).
4. Commentary: Please note that in modern American comedy “The Debil made me do it” (coined by Flip Wilson) is a very popular accusatory phrase that summarizes the essence of the almost universally accepted (excepting born-again Christians) pattern of thinking of our society, and perhaps the world, i.e. all unsaved peoples. The superficial logic of this accusatory phrase (and similar accusations) functions as an avoidance rationalization, a Satanic defensive covering (“fig leaves” Gen 3:7), under which we hide our guilty selves and self-righteously seek to escape retribution to self for our evil deeds. This action effectively preserves our pride, insofar as this and like phrases serve to “deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8) away from, rather than humbly submitting to, the righteous correction of God. The Bible teaches that each person is solely responsible and answerable to God for his or her own actions.
5. Commentary: We may note in a comparative application that the prodigal son also “went out full” of pride, and came “home again empty,” i.e. humbled.
6. (Rev 2:27) And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers [pieces]: even as I received of my Father. [Naomi was certainly “broken to shivers,” i.e. greatly humbled]
A NEW THING IN THE EARTH
(Ruth 1:19) So they two went [Naomi and Ruth] until they came to Bethlehem [house of bread (the covenant community; the birthplace of Jesus)]. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved [in an uproar, or agitated greatly (in controversy)] about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
1. Commentary: But what controversial new thing did the Jewish evangelist Naomi bring back to Bethlehem with her? Naomi brought a Gentile convert who had begun the process of being grafted into the “true [Jewish] vine” (John 15:1).
2. (Isa 43:19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
3. (Jer 31:22) How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding [Jewish] daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman [Ruth, a Gentile] shall compass a man [a Jewish man, Boaz (figurative intercourse); a prophecy of the consummation of the marriage of the Lamb of God].
4. (John 3:3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
5. Commentary: What happens after the marriage consummation of the Bride of Christ with the Lamb of God? Answer: “much fruit” (John 12:24;15:5,8). What do you suppose shall be Father God’s purpose for all of the “fruit” generated by the consummated union of the Bride of Christ with the Lamb of God?
Amen
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