The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1891-01-07
For the Central Presbyterian.
Ruth the MoabitesS.
By REV. T. NJ. MCCONNELL.

BY REV. i. NJ. MCDONNELL.
Both the date and the author of
the Book of Ruth are unknown, but
some time after the days when the
Judges ruled" it was penned by
some one divinely inspired. The
contrast between the peaceful scenes
therein presented and the scenes of
war and bloodshed portrayed in
Judges and Samuel, between which
it is sandwiched, is exceedingly
pleasant 1t is neither a history
nor a biography, but merely an
episode in a history, an inspired
love story and picture of Hebrew
home-life. The name of the book
is derived from the heroine of the
story, while the facts it records
occurred during the reign of the
Judges Ruth i: }, and were doubt
less handed down as a sacred legend
from sire to son until the reign of
David, the great grandson of the
heroine, when they were carefully
embalmed in language at once
simple and elegant, perhaps by
the pen of the king himself,
who would naturally wish to
preserve for other generations
incidents at once so interest
ing and so closely connected with
his own family history. The story
is one of deep interest and impor-
tant significance, whether viewed
from a literary, historical or re-
ligiOus standpoint, and is familiar
to every reader of the Bible.
Probably in the days of Gideon,
when the land of Israel was overrun
by the Midianites to escape the
famine caused by this invasion, a
family of the tribe of Judah left
their homes and crossed over into
the land of Moab. But although
Elimelech escaped the famine, he
could not escape death, for shortly
after his arrival in Moab, as the
record seems to indicate, he died,
leaving his widow and hiss two sons
strangers in strange land. After
sojourn OF a few years among the
idOlatrous Moabites, these sons be-
came familiar with, and perhaps
attached to the customs of the peo-
pie among whom they lived. At
any rate they soon took to them
selves wives of the fair daughters
of the land, and thus became, in a
measure, identified with the idola-
trOus practices of the nation.
Whether their marriage with these
pagan women was a violation of
their national law, is a controverted
point, but it must necessarily have
brought them into close and con-
slant contact with heather Gus
toms, and perhaps resulted in lead
ing them astray from the worship of
the true God.
These young men, whose very
names signify sickness" and "con-
sumption" seem to have inherited
a delicate constitution from their
father, and soon sickened and died.
After this three-fold bereavement,
Naomi grows restless and dissatis-
fed in the home of her adoption,
and prosperity having once more
been restored to her own land,
she determines TO return TO her
kindred and friends. With this
object i'm view she calls her daugh-
lers-in-law TO her and acquaints
them with her purpose SO kind
had she been TO them, that the very
thought of separation filled their
hearts with sadness, and doubtless
they began TO demonstrate with
her But her determination is un-
alterabIe, and so the matter re-
solves itself into separation from
their beloved molher-in-law or
from their own kindred and friends
i'm Moab So deopIyare they attached
TO her that they decide to- leave home