Moabitess: Story of Ruth

By Lonnie-Sharon Williams

There are only four chapters in the Biblical Book of Ruth, but very little information is given as to why she decided to leave her own country of Moab and her Moabite gods to travel with her widowed Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem-Judah. She and her best friend Orpah married two Israelite men and their lives together are given attention in this book. Once well-to-do, Ruth was now considered poor and upon arriving in Bethlehem had to glean during the harvest to survive. Why did she decide to follow an Israelite woman who did not worship her own pagan gods, and later choose to embrace the one-God religion of a deity which had no form?

In this story, Ruth is able to glean on land owned by Boaz, a handsome landowner and a romance ensues. Since God works in mysterious ways, the hand of Yahweh is shown in this fictional story of perseverance and gives insight into human and spiritual love. Key characters are Ruth and Orpah, Naomi, and Boaz.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: May 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489732804

Lonnie-Sharon Williams

LONNIE-SHARON WILLIAMS, the author, is a retired middle school teacher and Bible study facilitator. She enjoys Biblical history and has been writing short stories, children’s stories, skits and poems since childhood. Her first published work, “The Healings, Three Stories,” was showcased in 2013 at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis, the national Christian book display for booksellers. Since 2015 she has also showcased both “The Healings” and “Coming Home” at the Western Reserve Writers Conference as well as traveling the nation as a speaker. Her latest release, “Accused!” is already becoming a best seller. Her books can be found on the shelves in many midwestern libraries, and have also been focused in national magazines and newspapers. She enjoys reading her (unpublished) children’s stories at nursery schools and daycares “to see the response of the little ones,” she laughs. Ms. Williams resides in Cleveland, Ohio with her cat Leroy Jethro, where she enjoys Biblical history research, writing short stories, reading ‘whodunits’ and listening to all forms of music. She is the mother of one son, Robert, his wife Clare, and her amazing grandson, Daniel, who are her greatest admirers.

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Copyright © 2021 Lonnie-Sharon Williams.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-3279-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3280-4 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/10/2021

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Characters Listing

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Epilogue

Addendum References

Bibliography

Psalm Chapter 91

The Reason For The Story

God Will Take Care Of You

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

While reading one of the books authored by the noted theologian, teacher and historian, the late Dr. J. Vernon McGee, I saw that he had attempted to put the cookies on the bottom shelf so that everyone could get to them, which is what I wanted to do. I wanted to write my stories in such a way that all ages could read them.

No one can do it alone, so I wish to thank those who were helpful in putting my thoughts together: My poet friend, L. Marie White, who writes poems that, as she says, ‘just seem to pop into my head,’ and was pleased to allow me to include them in this book. When asked, she did not hesitate to give her poems to me.

I also thank my dear friend Dorothy (‘Dot’) Evans who volunteered to read over my ramblings, offering suggestions and correcting my grammar. I appreciate my two Bible study friends, Bernice Shaw and Constance Sealey-Welch, whose discussions gave me ideas to insert into this story; and warm kudos to the staff at the Cleveland Memorial-Nottingham branch library for their help.

Many thanks and love to my Ohio ministerial encouragers: my mentor, Pastor Joyce J. McIntyre, Pastor James A. Roma, Pastor Laureate Ronald J. Fowler, Pastor Kevin M. Goode, the late Pastor Dorris E. Rembert, and retired Korean Missionary Carol Fuller, as well as Grace Reese and the Madison Library ladies in their book club.

Each of my siblings, whom I love dearly, have all been rainbows on my cloudy days: Lillian, Cornelius, Horace and Lori; my son and daughter-in-love, Robert and Clare, and of course, my little sunshine, Daniel.

MOABITESS

Story of Ruth

(Page viii)

Addendum References

God Will Take Care of You

With Intro: The Reason for the Story

The Moabitess is my fourth published book. I praise God and thank everyone who prayed for me to accomplish this milestone in my lifetime. I enjoy reading the Bible and have concocted many such stories in my mind, typing many into my computer (previously into my family’s old Royal and Remington-Rand typewriters), never imagining I would become a published author.

Both my mother and father loved to read, especially dictionaries, encyclopedias and the daily newspaper, which instilled in me the value of the written word. Due to the passing of my Dad’s father, he chose to drop out of high school at the end of the 10th grade to help support his mother and siblings.

I have fond memories of Dad sitting in his easy chair with his glasses sliding down his nose reading various newspapers or turning the pages of one of our schoolbooks. Although he was not a high school graduate, my father was a learned man. Our home library’s greatest treasure was the 28-volume set of the Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia.

My parents believed that all of their children were geniuses and wanted us to earn our high school diplomas and go on to higher education and have fulfilling careers (something we all fulfilled). The short story at the end of this book, God Will Take Care of You was at my mother’s prodding, and the Lord allowed me to finish and read it to her prior to her passing.

I also wrote short stories in honor of my father who enjoyed reading the New Testament. His favorites were the wedding at Cana where Jesus changed water into wine and the feeding of the 5,000. He enjoyed many others, and if the Lord allows, I hope to include one of Dad’s favorite stories at the end of my next book. Oh, yes, there will be another book!

Therefore, I dedicate this book to my parents, the late Robert and Daisy Eugenia Spivey.

CHARACTERS LISTING

Abelar – Landowner, cousin to Elimelech

Ablu – Orpah’s young cousin

Azor – Son of Soris and Nahshon

Boaz – Landowner; relative of Elimelech; Go’el Redeemer

Cavem – Boaz’s horse

Chilion – Son of Naomi and Elimelech; Orpah’s husband

Densen-Abara - Ruth’s father

Elhi-Tolba – Older man; Densen’s friend; proposed suitor for Ruth

Elimelech – Husband of Naomi; an Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah

Hashmonah – Naomi’s best friend in Bethlehem

Jada – Orpah’s grandmother

Japha – Younger sister at the Sukkoth booth

Jibba – Field manager over Boaz’s property

Jidu – Orpah’s grandfather’

Lekki - Ruth’s personal slave

Lidah – Ruth’s mother

Ludima - Orpah’s personal slave

Mahlon – Son of Naomi and Elimelech; Ruth’s husband

Malah – Grandmother of Zelphi and Japha

Meerah – Proposed second wife of Densen-Abara

Meshir – Azor’s young female friend (also Adeelah)

Nahshon – Father of Azor; husband of Soris

Naomi – Wife and widow of Elimelech; Mahlon and Chilion’s Mother

Orpah – Ruth’s best friend; wife and widow of Chilion

Rahab and Salmon – Boaz’s deceased parents

Ravizi – Lidah’s personal servant

Rivka – Gleaner; friend of Ruth

Roshni – Gleaner; friend of Ruth

Ruth – Wife and widow of Mahlon

Shaluth — Merchant

Simeon – Israelite priest and Rabbi

Soris – Mother of Azor; wife of Nahshon; Naomi’s friend

Zelphi – Older sister at the Sukkoth booth

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,

says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil,

to give you a future and a hope."

[Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV]

MOABITESS

Story of Ruth

~1~

The two young friends sat beside the Arnon riverbank eating a mid-day meal of smoked fish, goat cheese, olives and barley bread, finishing it with grapes and figs. They shared a skin of water which Ludima, Orpah’s slave, had fixed for them. As they discussed their families, there was sadness.

Both were compassionate girls, almost like sisters, having grown up together since they were little, for Orpah was barely six months younger than Ruth. Both were now approaching betrothal age, having grown into lovely young women.

Orpah’s grandmother was very ill and she knew Jada would not last much longer. Her grandmother was dying and her grandfather, Jidu, was sad. They had been married for many years, raised four children who were adults and had sons and daughters of their own. Orpah was the daughter of his now deceased youngest daughter. The grandparents had raised her since she was almost three years old.

It would not be long now and her grandfather and other relatives were waiting on the gods to come for her. As far as they could see, Jada was not in any pain, but had been withering away slowly for the past two months. Jidu loved her but believed the gods were slow in coming for her spirit. The Moabite tradition was to wait for the gods to arrive to take away her spirit as she breathed her last. The slaves in the household constantly wiped her brow and fanned her. She had a fever and all knew her temperature was very high.

Jidu and the other relatives had been taking shifts in waiting and the two girls had just finished their shift, holding Jada’s feeble hands for over eight hours, leaving only to eat or relieve themselves. They believed it was not a chore, but a blessing to be able to sit with the older woman before she died.

Ruth was her friend and to be able to sit with Orpah’s Jada was a privilege. Her father allowed her to visit with Orpah only because Jidu had requested it. After all, Jada had helped in raising the two girls together, loving them even as her health began to falter. Ruth’s mother was always pregnant or ill and took very little notice of her.

Sitting with the old woman was wonderful for Ruth, for she was able to leave her own home for many hours throughout each day.

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Ruth’s father kept his eyes on her as if she was gold. Not due to a great love for her, but because he had plans for her to become betrothed to one of his affluent friends. There were times he would send her personal slave, Lekki, to bring her home or tell her to come home.

Lekki was a well-shaped girl, somewhat pretty, with a slave brand on the skin of her brown arm, long dark hair and dark brown eyes. In Ruth’s opinion, her slave seemed to have sly eyes for she would never look directly into Ruth’s face, allowing her eyes to focus only on her mistress’ ears or keep her head down. Lekki looked like a young girl, but Ruth was of the opinion that she was older, perhaps in her mid to late 20’s. She knew the slave had a tendency to lie or exaggerate, but Ruth kept her opinions to herself, only telling Orpah what she thought.

She was sometimes envious of Orpah’s slave, for unlike Lekki, Ludima was not just a personal slave, but also a trusted companion to her mistress. There seemed to be a loving relationship between Orpah and her slave and Ruth knew she and Lekki would never have such a relationship. There was the issue of trust.

When they were younger, she and Orpah would sometimes slip away to areas around the Valley. Once the girls traveled to Jidu’s fields to watch the workers reap and glean during harvest. This caused her father to become angry when he became aware of it. Once Lekki followed them, later running to her father reporting where the two girls had gone and what they had been doing. Right away, an angry Densen-Abara came to the field and grabbed her from behind.

Densen had loudly ordered Orpah to go home and made Ruth follow him for as he said, he did not want her to look like a field hand. Besides, the two girls had no business where there were many men to ogle them, although no one really paid them any attention as they were intent on their work.

Yet both girls knew what he said was true, for men who had not been around women for some time were known to act unwisely and the two girls seldom traveled with a chaperone.

Don’t you know that gleaning is hard work and Jidu has servants and slaves to work in his fields? That friend of yours should know that!

Densen was very angry with them and, as punishment, kept Ruth homebound for five days afterward, and did not allow Orpah to visit. Both agreed they had no business in Jidu’s fields, but felt the punishment was harsh.

Ruth believed Densen-Abara purchased Lekki expressly to keep an eye on her, for she was aware that although Lekki was a personal slave, she was somewhat lazy and any duty or instruction had to be repeated at least two or three times.

Lekki had a habit of keeping her father informed of every little thing she and Orpah would do, whether good or bad.

Ruth did not like the man her father had chosen to be her husband. There was nothing she could say or do to change her abba’s mind, for her mother, being a dutiful wife, always agreed with her husband. Ruth enjoyed visiting with Orpah and being around her grandparents, for there was always a feeling of love and peace in their home.

~2~

Jada’s sickroom was heavily perfumed to erase the smell of illness, and the vessels containing fragrant incense and oils were very pretty. The pleasant room was in the rear of the house and had a small window, which allowed sunshine and the singing of birds. Jada never opened her eyes but there was a rhythmic movement of her chest as her breathing raised and lowered her thin frame.

Today there was a death rattle and with her laborious breathing, everyone knew her passing would not be much longer, for Chemosh, Ishtar, and the other gods must be on their way to collect her spirit.

As they conversed, young Ablu, one of Orpah’s young cousins ran around a nearby boulder, shouting her name.

Orpah, Orpah! Jidu said to come find you! The gods have arrived for Jada. Come quickly! Having delivered the message, he turned and swiftly ran back the way he came.

The girls hurriedly jumped up and scrambled to clear their debris, overtaking the boy. As they reached the house, they were met by Jidu standing in the doorway. Orpah’s slave, Ludima, stood behind him with tears in her eyes, looked at her mistress, then bent her head and went inside.

Jidu immediately put his arms around his granddaughter. There were tears in his eyes, not of sadness or relief, but of joy as they headed toward the room where Jada’s body lay.

Chemosh has been merciful and the gods have taken her with no pain. Our Jada is now in the presence of the gods.

The women in the house were wailing and men had tears in their eyes. Even the slaves and servants walked around on tiptoe among the crowd carrying food as the women supplied death trinkets and small idols, leaving them on tables, chairs and shelves. These people were Orpah’s family – uncles, aunts and cousins, as well as many of the people from their village.

Ruth stayed outside the home and wailed with the other women. There was another reason for her sorrow. She knew once Jada’s body was placed into her burial cave, her father would not allow her to come to Orpah’s house as often.

Her abba knew the two girls were inseparable and would do anything to irritate her, even to the point of cutting off any friendships that meant anything to her.

She had other friends from childhood, but they were no longer as close. Even the young men no longer visited.

Within a short while, men came through the opening, moving the crowd aside to make room for the slab of wood they were carrying. The people separated, allowing them access into the room. Two of the priests from Chemosh’s altar area came inside and began sprinkling ashes on Jada’s body while performing a chant as she lay upon the wood.

The women prepared death offerings of food, flowers, trinkets and leaves for placing over the body as Jada took her trip to the afterlife. Jada’s body would be carried to the opened cave for her burial the next morning. The cave was at the end of Jidu’s vineyard where other family members were buried and there the relatives and friends would observe the wine feast as they celebrated her death.

There would later be a sacrifice so that the smoke would rise to the skies as Jada’s spirit took its journey to the afterlife with Chemosh, Ishtar, and the lesser gods. Some of the priests who worshipped those gods tended to make cuttings in their flesh around their tattoos during the sacrifice.

Many of the tattoos the priests wore were very large. Such tattoos denoted which god they served and were on their arms and legs as well as their backs, but some enjoyed letting the people know they were special priests. Ruth personally felt the tattoos were more a fashion statement than a religious sign.

Jada was an Ammonite and her nation’s god was Molech, but her burial ceremony was through Chemosh because her Ammonite gods believed in incest, infanticide, as well as human sacrifice, which she abhorred. Although her request was that her funeral service be performed by the priests of her husband’s gods, Ruth felt it was no better, for the Moabite gods tended to do the same. She never voiced her opinion to Orpah or Jidu, for Moabites are raised from birth to honor their gods.

Generally, after the Moabite burial and during the wine feast, many prostitutes attended the ceremonies for orgies were known to take place. It was no secret for such women were there to help the mourners through their grief. Usually the orgies took place once the wives and sisters left the feast, yet it was common knowledge women who were not prostitutes also enjoyed taking part.

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Ruth headed for home and saw Lekki not far ahead of her. Now where had that sneaky snake come from?

As she kept walking along the road, two young Israelite men passed her to go around the next corner. Her father called the immigrants ‘Isri’ for he did not really care for the Israelites settling into Moab. In addition, why, he fumed, did they have to settle near the Arnon River, and so very close to his property?

Her father had enough property to avoid contact, so why he constantly complained and fussed about their proximity was beyond her comprehension.

Densen-Abara was not friendly toward the Isri, and was cordial only if it was necessary to speak to them. He felt the new community of Israelite immigrants from Judah was starting to encroach too close to the Moabite areas.

She could see by the young men’s attire, they were Israelites of one of the families who had migrated from Bethlehem-Judah some time ago. Both had thin frames, neatly attired, and had strange little caps on their heads. Many such families were settling in Moab due to Judah’s famine. She remembered seeing wagons and carts of people arriving to settle in Moab a few years ago and new arrivals came every two to three months.

As Ruth passed, she partially turned to watch where the young men were going, and was surprised to see the taller one turn back to look at her. Their eyes locked as she gave a tremulous smile and was rewarded with a smile in return from him, who was probably only three or so years older than herself. The other Isri was a bit younger, but did not turn around.

The two men continued their walk toward the area where the Isri held worship services for their unseen God. As they turned the corner,