There can be a shocking blow to your reality when you witness an older, productive member in your church fall into temptation. We shouldn’t leave it at that, chalk them up, and write them off though. There are life lessons from the elderly that can help us in our walk as well as (potentially) in your relationship with that person.
Sometimes, it creates a moral dilemma and extra guidance is needed for how to proceed. Other times, we can apply life lessons. It’s similar to a parent raising a child; they will choose some of the decisions they were raised with to pass on and say no to other ones.
In these set of verses, we are confronted with elders, Naomi and Eli, to the main story characters.
Intro to Naomi, aka Mara…
Studying the book of Ruth, we can determine Naomi’s real attitude as it surfaces. She. Was. Bitter! The name she chose to call herself truly reflected her pitiful attitude (even though no one else calls her by that name).
The poor lady seemed to be in constant internal conflict. Not saying I wouldn’t be the same, but it serves as a great opportunity to take note of her attitude and work hard to ensure bitterness does not settle inside like it did with Naomi, no matter what tragedies befall us.
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Naomi had a husband, two sons, and two daughter-in-laws (descendants of Lot), then she lost the men in her life while in a foreign country, Moab. In that time, it was well known that a woman alone usually held a very sad prognosis for safety and provision.
Intro to Naomi and her journey…
Naomi and her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, all set out together. Only after they set out does Naomi try to convince them to go back to their mother’s homes. Oftentimes, it is always referenced that a woman comes from her father’s homes, so it’s of some note that the father figures are not mentioned, perhaps this has to do with the loss of all the men in her family. After some back and forth, she makes the assertion:
'No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.' -Ruth 1:13b
That’s a bold declaration! She seems convinced that His people were all cared for with proper provisions back home, but she, in particular, was not. She was saying this in reference to the fact that her sons were dead, and if she were to find a kinsman-redeemer and birth more children, it would be a long time away, if at all.
Intro to Naomi and her God…
Her phrasing right after this is very telling of her viewpoint of God during this time.
And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." -Ruth 1:15
It is clear she is not actively promoting God. She heard about His provision for His people, felt excluded from that, decided the hand of the Lord was against HER in particular, and now she’s encouraging Orpah and Ruth to not just go home… but go back to their gods! This shows a huge shift in where she’s at spiritually and emotionally. This bitter woman is promoting other gods above her God.
In life lessons from the elderly, this would be a “let’s not turn away from our God like this when tragedy strikes”. Let us never encourage someone to turn to a false god over and above our Sovereign Creator.
In an about face, we also can see some of Ruth’s character emerging here. Ruth, a Moabite woman raised in a home with gods, was more devout in her loyalty to God than Naomi was, who was raised an Israelite with God as her God.
Naomi further settles for us her current thoughts on God.
She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” -Ruth 1:20-21
If you’ll notice, she switches back and forth between ‘Almighty’ and ‘Lord’. She is further revealing her mindset through these passive adjustments.
The word ‘Lord’ in the concordance (3068) is “[a] noun meaning God. The word refers to the proper name of the God of Israel, particularly the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses.” The word “Almighty” in the concordance (7706) is “found in the passages that report God’s promises of fertility, land, and abundance to them, indication that He, the Almighty could fulfill His promises.”
But what’s interesting, is that this word comes from the root word shadad (7703), which is “[a] verb meaning to be burly, to ravage, to destroy, to oppress, to assault, to spoil, to lay waste, to devastate. The primary meaning of the verb is to devastate or to destroy. This word is used to describe the destruction of the unfaithful, an action taken due to their duplicity.”
In light of the definitions, we see more clearly her attitude of God being the bearer of her troubles.
Intro to Naomi and her procreation…
Naomi also wrestled with her status as a matriarch. She was well on her way to becoming a Grandma, in that her two sons were of age and married; for them to have children was the next natural step.
However, we find after they started their journey back to Israel, Naomi tries to stop her daughters-in-law from coming with her. She uses some odd phrasing. Not only does she encourage Orpah and Ruth to go back to find new husbands, but she alludes to the fact that she is going back to find herself a kinsman-redeemer, not that she would be finding one for her daughters-in-law.
Now. not only does she sound bitter and sullen, but lonely as well. Rather than a desire to grow her family through kinsman-redeemers for Orpah and Ruth, we find her put forth the conundrum of all conundrums. Her husband is dead. Her sons are dead. Her womb is (essentially) dead. She tries to send the girls back to find new husbands under the Moabite god, Chemosh, a god who requires human sacrifices. Ironic much? It appears that life is not worth living for her or anyone else and she’s not subtle about it.
It is not clear from Mosaic law who the kinsman-redeemer would be for in this case, Naomi or Ruth. The law states that the widow of the deceased is the one to whom a kinsman would redeem as it is that man’s land and inheritance they are preserving. In this case, Naomi originally seems to head back for her own redeemer to spare her the troubles that ‘God brought upon her’ and to provide security. She is not the receiver of a kinsman-redeemer, but her daughter-in-law is. It likely is because of child-bearing age that this occurred in this instance, but we can’t know for sure without more information on the law.
When Ruth gives birth to a son, it is Naomi who takes the child and cares for him while the local women say “Naomi has a son”. Again, this is likely customary at that time but seems odd nowadays for a daughter-in-law to marry a man and birth his son in place of her mother-in-law to replace an older brother-in-law. How’s that for confusing family dynamics?!
Intro to Naomi and her food…
The whole book showcases Naomi’s desire for security. Most women have a similar comfort knowing that their needs are covered; there is nothing inherently wrong with that. The whole book of Ruth takes us on a journey that is riddled with provision of food being representative of God’s care… or lack thereof. The story takes off with Naomi recognizing that God provided food for His people and she is determined to also be included.
Naomi and Ruth come back just as the barley harvest was beginning. There was food! Now, how to get some? The work ethic of Ruth comes out in full force as we read that she asked to go work without expecting any handouts, she worked diligently and for many long hours, and she caught the attention of the foreman as a result. The first day Boaz offered Ruth an abundance of roasted grain, so much so that there was more than a full meal and she was able to take home the excess to Naomi. She also brought Naomi all of the barley she had threshed and it was an impressive amount.
An instruction dating back to Moses was for landowners to leave what they missed for the poor to come in after the workers to glean for themselves. It was a way for the rich to be generous without greed for every stalk of grain, as well as for the down-and-out to be able to provide for themselves. The other thing we can understand from Ruth 2:9 and 22 is that it was not a very safe place for a woman. We do not read that Naomi ever went out to the fields. Yet, she was provided for the entire time she was in Israel.
Intro to Eli and his position…
In 1 Samuel, a new Bible character is introduced, Eli. The Bible informs us that he is a priest during the times when ‘everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’ He was a father to two grown sons, Hophni and Phineas. He was a man who appeared to vocalize his rebukes, but actions seem to take a backseat to his verbiage.
Intro to Eli and his sons…
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. ... Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. ... Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. -1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22
In chapter 2, we learn a bit more about Eli’s sons and how they helped themselves to their desires. They ate the fat of the offering and had relations with the women who worked at the temple. At one point later on, we learn that Phineas was married but it is unclear if he was married while he committed these immoral transgressions.
When the Bible says ‘everyone did what was right in his own eyes,’ it really means everyone. The priests working in the temple were no different; it was clearly a time of moral decay.
Intro to Eli and his rebukes…
Quick to speak, slow to act. Or so the Bible seems to indicate. When we are introduced to Eli, the first thing we observe is that his rebuke of Hannah was based (erroneously) on his assumptions.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ... As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” -1 Samuel 1:10, 12-14
While this may point to a sign of the times, that drunk people were a common sight for sore eyes, it actually speaks more to Eli as a priest. He was sitting at the door to the temple (apparently a spot he frequents) watching people, in particular this time, Hannah. Even if she were drunk, she was still weeping and in deep distress. Rather than bring him to offer care or concern, he rebukes her for an offense she has not committed.
As a side note, take note of the contrast between Naomi and Hannah. While the book of Ruth brought about a bitter woman who was under the impression that the Almighty was essentially the cause of her bitterness, she ends up with a redeemed son whom she keeps and raises. The Bible does not say she thanked the Lord, gave Him praise, or attributed the redeemer to the work of the Lord; only that the other women did.
Here, we see Hannah, also with a bitter soul, being provoked and taunted to by her husband’s other wife, reaching out to God for a son, recognizing that He is the source of all things, offering to dedicate a son to the Lord which she ends up doing when He remembers her, and continuing to worship Him through infertility and after. Two very different responses from women struggling with a similar issue.
Chapter 2 offers us another picture of Eli’s harsh words.
And he said to [Hophni and Phineas], “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” -1 Samuel 2:23-25a
Sounds harsh and strong, yet, harsh words are hardly taken in that light when there is no enforcement of consequences. If you are a parent, and tell your kid “No, that was wrong” each time they do the same thing over and over, your words hold less meaning and influence. Your kids will find out how flippant you are about consequences very fast!
Intro to Eli and his (lack of) action…
Eli was a priest during a time of moral decay (from priests and the Isrealites) and of no big surprise it was also a time when God’s word was scarce.
And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. -1 Samuel 3:1b
The Bible so beautifully paints us pictures. Pictures of character traits to emulate and pictures of examples to learn from. If we are to take life lessons from the elderly, we should see the big picture as a whole to guide our walks. Eli is someone we can learn lessons from.
His sons went without consequences and were not prevented from continuing to live in sin within the temple or stopped from leading the people as priests. This was a grave error. Eli enabled, allowed rather, his sons to do as they pleased with no recourse.
In fact, when we read his rebuke to his sons, he passes on the responsibility of consequence to God since the sin was done to God. Yet, when we faction in the ripple effect of sin, it is imperative in our Christian walks that we confront lovingly and enforce consequences to change behavior. All sin is against God first and foremost, but it definitely affects those around us; that needs to be factored into our responses.
God holds us to this. First a man of God delivers a message to Eli from the Lord saying as much, then Samuel shares his vision from the Lord stating much the same thing. Yet, and YET, Eli continued to allow his sons to do as they pleased within God’s holy temple. To his credit, a lesson to learn from Eli is that he accepted his consequence as righteous.
And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ... 'Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel? ... Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. -1 Samuel 2:27, 29-35, emphasis added
Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” -1 Samuel 3:11-14, emphasis added
The Lord considered him (and his sons) unfaithful priests, he put his sons before God, he essentially despised God, he did not act according to God’s heart and mind, and he was guilty for iniquity he knew about and failed to stop.
Life Lessons From the Elderly…
The Bible is wrought with opportunity for us. We can take the verses and skim over and be content glossing over the details, or we can dig in to try to learn something from them. The big picture of people presented in the Bible almost always presents a good side and bad side for a reason. It can serve as a great reminder that no one is perfect but can still be great leaders for the Lord. Other times, the Bible gives more of a lesson only for certain people. Life lessons from the elderly are similar, not always roses and bows but can sometimes be part of a bigger picture where we take note of a mistake or flaw of a true believer. They can be hard realities to accept, just like the lessons we learn from those we are in relationship with today.
While these two examples presented more as lessons, it is important to keep in mind the big picture of the Bible just as we do the person. God’s holiness and sovereignty is to be of upmost concert to us. If you are learning (or learned) a hard lesson from someone, keep in mind their bigger picture as a potential child of God and don’t just focus on their sin. You might see them as an Eli, but they may be a Moses.
Last Week
Judges 16 – Ruth 1
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I love studying the life stories of different characters in the Bible and their relationship with God still reveals important lessons for us today – thank you for a great study!