Meat for the Hungry

www.sarahbmartin.wordpress.com The morning sun was mid-sky when Boaz acquired the sandal from the nearer kinsman. In this crowded, open-air courtroom, Boaz held the sandal high and shouted, "You are witnesses to this transaction. I have bought all that was Elimelech's and his sons. In addition, Mahlon’s widow, Ruth, will become my wife and I will raise a son for Mahlon, so neither his inheritance is lost nor his position at the city gate.” www.anewdaywithchrist.blogspot.com “...All the people…said, ‘We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.’” What an amazing and grand blessing. This very wealthy, prominent Israelite would marry a Moabite, and they were excited about it. Nevertheless, what did their blessing mean, especially since they referred to Rachel and Leah building the house of Israel?

Ruth 1:1-2 :   “Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion--Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.” (NKJV) Bethlehem, Judah, was their home, their God-given land and to leave was a serious decision. Judah, meaning “Praise”, was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. His descendants, including Elimelech, filled this territory. Bethlehem, or “House of Bread” also known as Ephrath, was the burial ground of Jacob’s                                      most beloved wife, Rachel.