In v. 1, the word translated “dwell” is more literally “to temporarily dwell, sojourn, be a stranger, dwell for a time.” However, in v. 4, the word translated “dwelt” is a different Hebrew word meaning “to remain, abide, inhabit.” Perhaps Elimelech only intended for his family to leave Israel for a short time, but they remained in Moab for ten years (end of v. 4). The leaving of Judah is an analogy for leaving fellowship with God, which of course results in sin. While he thought that he would leave his troubles behind by going to Moab, unfortunately he met with tragedy. “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay (R. Zaccharias).” Can you think of some examples of sins taking people further than they wanted to go?
In v.2, we find that Elimelech took with him his wife Naomi, whose name means “my delight” or “my pleasantness”, and their two sons Mahlon (“sick”) and Chilion (“wasting away”). Symbolically looking at these names, we can probably infer a few things about Elimelech’s mindset. When things were delightful and pleasant, he was content to be in the house of praise. But when things were sickly and wasting away, as in a famine, he distanced himself from the Lord. Elimelech was not the only one affected by his choices. He brought his wife and sons along with him. Our actions, our sins, always affect those around us. In verse 4, we see that this decision led to his sons marrying Moabite women, something which was forbidden (see Duet. 7:3) because intermarriage with the surrounding pagan nations would lead the Israelites to unfaithfulness to God (see Ex. 34:16). In v. 15, we see that at least one of the sons’ wives was truly not devoted to the Lord. When her husband died, Orpah simply returned to her gods. The compromise in the spiritual walk of the sons resulted from the example set by their father. Many people today don’t think that their sins are truly harmful to themselves or those around them; can you think of examples of “harmless” sins taking people farther than they want to go and affecting their loved ones? All three women, Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth, are now childless widows. For a woman in this time period and culture, this was absolutely devastating. They had to depend on the generosity of strangers. The situation is very dark. While having gone through a physical famine before, Naomi has never experienced a famine like this. But in the midst of all of this, she resolved to return to the Lord, to trust Him to provide for her. No matter how far or how long she had been gone, she knew it was a good idea to return home. Times of crises can become times that our Savior powerfully moves on our behalf. If we trust God and return to Him, they can be the most defining and glorious times in our lives (Rom. 5:3). For Naomi, God was going to bring her life from ashes to beauty. If we look at the two main characters in this passage, we can learn an important lesson about dealing with trials. Elimelech needed to care for his family and found a practical solution by moving to Moab, not really considering the spiritual impact this would have on his family. Naomi, however, recognized her need for the Lord and returned to Judah, even though she couldn’t see a solution to her problem. Naomi and Elimelech demonstrate two contrasting reactions to trials. One is to withdraw from God. The other is to draw near to God. You might view it as choosing to rely on yourself or the Savior. When we are faced with obstacles, we make a choice to either operate in the flesh or the spirit. Whether in feast or famine, we always want to be those who draw near to God. He promises to take care of you in the famine, and we see in v. 7 that He truly had taken care of those who waited through it all in Bethlehem. Which reaction resonates with you? What do you do when you experience times of famine in your life?
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Ruth is a story of redemption and romance, depicting our relationship to Christ. It begins with famine and death and ends with harvest and birth. In this book we find universal themes and characters from which we can glean useful application.
To begin, this true story is set during the time of the judges. Judges were rulers who presided over the affairs of Israel during the period between Joshua and the ascension of Saul to the throne. They only had authority over those tribes that acknowledged them as such, and there was no income or wealth attached to their leadership. The book of Judges describes this period in Israel’s history as a time of moral depravity and decay. The book ends with horrific accounts of rape, murder, and genocide. The issue is summed up in the final verse, Judges 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” How is this setting similar to the condition of our country today? Much like today, everyone determined their own truth and standards. Because people determine their own truth, they are enslaved by their own “freedom.” Only Christ provides a context in which we can truly thrive and experience freedom. God determines what is good. There is an absolute truth, and His name is Jesus. (See Prov 3:7.) What is wrong (morally, logically) with the idea of determining your own truth? (See Isaiah 5:20) What are some examples from our culture or your personal life of people calling things “right” and “wrong” apart from the Lord? Continuing in this verse, we see there was a famine in Bethlehem (meaning “the house of bread”), and the man called Elimelech (meaning “God is my King”) lived as though there was no king in Israel. He did not trust God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, or providence to sustain his family in the midst of the famine. Instead, he took his family from the land of Judah (meaning “praise”) to the land referred to, by God, as His toilet: Moab (see Ps. 108:9). The Moabites were a people who came from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19:30-38), cursed by God to not enter the congregation of the Lord to the 10th generation (Duet. 23:3). They were enemies of Israel. Elimelech thought that it was better to escape the famine in Judah by coming to these lands. Rather than wait for God’s solution, he created his own solution to the problem. What are some other Biblical examples of people who tried to create their own solutions rather than wait on God? (See 1 Sam. 10) Are there examples from your own life? Can you think of any examples of people waiting for God’s solution in the Bible or your life? (See Ps. 62) |
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