The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-10-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Especially Arranged from Peloubet's Noteal
GOLDEN TExr--Thy people shall be my peo.
pie and thy God my Qod.-Ruth liza
T1xn-Keil with great probability. places
Ruth In the time Of Gideon, b. g. i22e-iiss.
PLACk-The early home Of Naomi and the
later one Of Ruth was at Bethlehem. around
which 30 many interesting events cluster.
The early home Of Ruth was In Moab, esst Of
the Dead sea and southern Jordan.
EXPLANATORY.
During the rule of the judges, prob
ably near the time of Gideon, there
arose a great famine in the land of
Israel, which must have lasted several
years
At this time there lived a family at
Bethlehem consisting of Elimelech, his
wife Noami, and two sons, whose names
indicate feeble health. Finding it
difficult to obtain living on the home
farm on account of the famine, the
family determined to emigrate. In
the course Of ten years the sons
married Moabitish women, and both
sons and Elimelech,. their father, died
in the land of Moab. leaving the three
women widows.
1t is plain that Naomis personal char
acter and her teachings, shining out
through the night of sorrow, had COM
mended to her family and neighbors
the religion of the true God But this
was not her home. Everything here
reminded her of her loss. The two
widowed daughters-ln-law, Orpha and
Ruth (''The Rose of Moab'), went part
of the way to see Naomi off, as friends
and relatives were accustomed to do,
and as is still the custom in the east.
When the time came to part, when they
had kissed each other and wept to-
gether, they both declared they would
not return, but would go with her to
Israel. Like wise woman she de-
clined to take advantage of the impulse
of passionate regret, and urged them,
by strong arguments, to return. Orpha
was prevailed upon, and gave Naomi
the farewell kiss.
1e. "And Ruth said:" Ruth's passion
ate burst of tenderness is immortal.
"Entreat me not to leave thee" All
that Naomi had said, her solitariness,
poverty, sorrow only served to attach
Ruth more firmly. "Whither thou goest,
will go:' Compare the very similar
entreaties of Elijah, and the steadfast
determination of Elisha not to leave
him q Kings 2:2-6). ''Thy people shall
be my peoples" even though she went
apparently to lifelong poverty among
strangers. But the blessedness that
people had in the true God was infinite
ly greater than that she left, and trans
formed the dark clouds as the sun does
with his setting glories.
ssyVhara tho11 I;acf will I 1ia ond
there will be buried" She gave her.
self up wholly and forever to the peo-
pie of God. "The Lord do so to me:"
calling upon herself the severest pun
ishment if she should break her prom
ise.
1s. ''She left speaking" Persevering
love conquered all opposition.
10. "They came to Bethlehem" the
early home of Naomi, which she had
left ten years before. "All the city was
moved" Bethlehem was small town
(Mic. 5:2); and in such small villages,
and especially in an age when there
were no newspapers, mails, etc., every
event flew quickly abroad by the COM
munications of friend to friend. "And
they said:" They in the Hebrew is
feminine. The women of Bethlehem
said: SIS this Naomi?" Can this be
the Naomi who went away so happily
ten years ago?
90. Call me not Naomi" ''lovable,"
pleasant" That name once belonged
to me. "Call me Mara" "bitter," for
this better expresses my condition.
"For the Almighty hath dealt very bit
terly with me-" He has given me this
bitter medicine for my soul.
81. II went out FULL" j. e., rich, not
in money and property, but in the pos
session of husband and two sons;
rich mother, but now deprived of all
that makes a mothers heart rich-be-
reft of both husband and sons.-Keil.
Hath afflicted Me-" The Jewish writ
ers generally think that they did wrong
in leaving their own country to go and
live among idolaters.
%. BARLEY harvest" Usually in the
middle of April. The fact of it's being
barley harvest suggested to Ruth that
sho might contribute something to
their mutual subsistence by going
forth to CLEAN. This right of cleaning
was one of the legal provisions for the
poor of Israel. The part of the field to
which Ruth was providentially directed
belonged to Boaz, a near kinsman Of
Naomi's late husband.-Kitto. The
rest of the book of Ruth tells the story
of her recompense for all self-denying
love and giving up all to religion and
to God. Still, we are to be careful not
to confound outward rewards with the
real reward of virtue. As~"Love in
loving finds it's joy" as the Savoyard
singer, neglected and forgotten, declares
that
THE song itself shall yet reward
The labors Of the Savoyard,"
so virtue contains in itself, in the ap-
proval of God, in peace of conscience,
in spiritual life and character, in help
fulness and service, its best reward.