When We Choose the World

Elimelech's Tragic Choice “In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there. Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.” Ruth 1:1-5 Introduction: I. Ruth is a book that takes place in a dark period in Israel's history. A. The period of the judges. – “In the days when the judges ruled in Israel” B. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6) C. Why didn't they ask their friends for help? 1. Maybe they couldn't help. 2. Or maybe they had no real friends. - it's impossible to have true friends when everyone only looks out for number one. D. In any case, they had none. This is where our story opens. Lesson: I. What was Elimelech's tragic choice? (v1-5) A. His name means "God is king.” 1. But he doesn’t live like God is king. a. He doesn’t turn to God. i. He doesn’t repent. ii. He doesn’t cry out for help. b. His choice does not reflect his name sake. B. What did he do? 1. He left Bethlehem, "the house of bread.” 2. He left Judah, "praise.” 3. He went into the wilderness of Moab. a. What made Him think it would be better there? i. It was a barren wilderness. ii. God had to give Israel bread from Heaven and water from a rock. b. In all likelihood, he wasn’t taking this into account. He just moved. i. It was common practice to relocate in time of a famine. ii. Two problems with this common practice for him. - He was disobeying God’s command. – “When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.” (Deuteronomy 7:1) - He was moving in amongst a pagan people. – “When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.” (Deuteronomy 7:2-4) 4. He left God's provision and moved back to the wilderness that God had delivered Israel from. II. What were the results of this choice? A. He never returned to the land of promise. – “they settled there. Then Elimelech died..” 1. God's judgment? a. We’re not told point blank, but Naomi seemed to believe that their choice in moving to Moab was the reason her life turned out like it did. - “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?” (v20-21) 2. All too often this same sort of thing happens today. a. We think things look better outside the church. i. The end result is that we leave to “take a break.” ii. Sadly, most never come back. b. We think that just this once we’ll use ungodly methods to accomplish what we want, and it becomes a patter. B. His family bore the brunt of the consequences for the choice he made. a. He left his wife and sons in the worst possible situation someone could be in. i. To be a widow or an orphan at this point in history was the absolute worst position someone could find themselves in. - had they been in Israel, there would have been provisions in the law for them to be taken care of. - The practice of the kinsman Redeemer. - Israel was commanded not to harm widows and orphans. – “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.” (Exodus 22:22-24) - If this didn’t happen society was supposed to take care of them. – “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.” (Deuteronomy 24:19-22) - Counties like Moab had no such law. - Widows and orphans were voiceless. - Widows and orphans were not provided for. b. His children were radically influenced by the life that he lived. – “The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth.” i. His sons, when they came of age, chose to stay and intermarry. ii. Some would say, “But Ben, everything turned out okay. Ruth is a beautiful story.” - First of all, the ends do not justify the means. - Just because God can turn a situation around and use it for good does not make a bad choice okay. – “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?” (Romans 6:1-3) iii. We also see that like Elimelech, his sons die and leave their families in dire straits. – “But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.” - The number one influencer on children is their parents. - We pick up their hobbies and their mannerisms, but most of all, we pick up their morals. - As adults, we need to be careful where we lead our kids. Conclusion: I. Three lessons we learn from the story of Elimelech. A. It’s always better to dwell in God’s house and trust Him. B. Sin will take you further than you want to go, leave you longer than you want to stay and cost you far more then you ever want to pay. C. The choices we make have consequences for others. II. If you have fallen unto this trap, there is redemption and a happy ending. – “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)