hello dears! this is like my first post haha so appreciate the monumental honour it is! ((: haha yep so the questions from today's awesome discussion! sorry if the phrasing doesn't encapsulate the meaning of the questions yall were asking >< just uhh read between the lines k heh (:

oh and abbreivations here! cause i was too lazy to type mahlon and chillon ten million times :D
m - mahlon
c- chillon
dil- daughters-in-law
n - naomi
r - ruth
o - orpah

1) Why did m and c marry the Moabite women?
2) Why was there a famine?
3) why is the land of Moab fertile?
4) were the deaths (m, c, elimelech) a part of God's judgements?
5) why did elimelech die?
6) would marriage between an Israelite and a non-Israelite be condoned? (ref Levirite marriage)
7) why/how did m and c die?
8) did m and c die at the same time/ due to the same reasons?
9) why did m and c die after 10 years? (significance of time frame)
10) how was the famine in Judah resolved? through divine intervention or through plentiful harvest?
11) how did naomi survive without a breadwinner in the family?
12) what was the significance of Naomi urging her dil to return to Moab DURING the course of the journey and not before?
13) why were the dil so insistent on staying with Naomi?
14) is it imperative for women to be married?
15) was Orpah really sincere about staying with naomi? why did orpah leave naomi after repated persuasion from the latter?
16) why was ruth so insistent on staying with Naomi?
17) what were the implications of the dil converting religions and naomi's corresponding little emphasis on her dil returning to their prior religions?
18) what was the rationale for the Levirite marriage?
19) why was n welcomed back even though she left Judah during hard times?
20) why was n so bitter and full of complaints?
21) why didnt n ackonwledge her own faults in causing her misery? (ie marrying her sons to non-israelite women, leaving judah etc)
22) what should be our views on suffering?
23) what should n have done in place of complaining and harbouring bitterness?
24) what was the significance of the barley harvest?

YAY! tadahhh! today's discussion was reallyreally fruitful and i thought it was awesome having everyone participate and just ask questions without qualms (: yay so fun so fun! remember to do homework ah or else jess will uh hang you upside down by your toes and make you recite the whole of ruth 1. :D k have an awesomebrillinatfantabulous week!

-joanne