Part 2: A Very Costly Move
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
A couple weeks ago, we gave an introduction to the book of Ruth and really had a quick overview to the entire book. We looked at each character, and what their names meant and looked at some Biblical numerology that is taking place in the book.
The father, here in these verses chose to lead his family down the road to the pagan land of Moab.
I mentioned last week how that one families move of only 50 miles would end up being the most deadly move in history, and in this section today we are going to see exactly what I meant by that statement.
Let it be noted today that “It is better to go through the famine with God, than to leave the famine without God.”
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes:
Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
I do not think I’ve read a sadder family history than the one recorded in these five verses. It is a story of famine, death, bereavement, widowhood, and constant sorrow. The cause of all this sorrow can be traced to one thing—Elimelech was wise in his own eyes. Rather than trusting the Lord in the time of famine, he leaned unto his own understanding and moved to Moab. That proved to be a very costly move.
The Lack (v.1)
The Lack (v.1)
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
The first thing we see here is that Israel was in the middle of a great famine.
Elimilech and his family lived in Bethlehem-Judah, which was the house of bread and praise, and we see from this that even there, they faced this horrible famine.
The first question that comes to mind is why would there be a famine there? Israel was supposed to be the land flowing with milk and honey, but you could not even find bread in the house of bread!
God promised blessing on his people for obedience, which included things like defeating their enemies and productive crops (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
But God warned them of curses for disobedience, which included infertility, defeat, and famine (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).
Due to Israel’s disobedience, during the time of Ruth, God’s warning came true. The fields were barren, and the crops failed. The barns were empty. People were desperate because they were under the judgment of God.
The Lord God still exercises judgment among men and nations for their disobedience to him. When those judgments of God fall upon a land, the righteous suffer with the wicked. Just as the wicked benefit by living near the righteous when God sends the sunshine and rain for his children, the righteous suffer with the wicked when God pours out his wrath upon the wicked.
This famine should have led the people to repent.
But as we look into this story, we see that instead of repenting, Elimilech takes matters into his own hands.
Elimelech, whose name means “My God is King,” does not act as if his God is King.
Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “Instead of turning back to the Lord, this little family turn their backs on the Lord, and go to live in Moab”.
Instead of mourning over the sin of the land and asking God to restore things, Elimelech leaves the fields of Bethlehem for the fields of Moab.
This brings us to our second point...
The Landing (v.1-2)
The Landing (v.1-2)
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
The scene now moves from Bethlehem to Moab, it was only fifty miles to the east on the other side of the Dead Sea. Elimelech displayed a great lack of faith in moving his family from Bethlehem to Moab.
The Distance was Close and Easy
BUT
The Decision was Costly and Enormous
Please understand that Satan will always make sure you have easy access to the doors he will open for you to depart from the will of God.
It is so easy to drift and to depart into a state of waywardness, but the cost will be monstrous and momentous. I believe that before Elimelech took one step towards Moab he had already abandoned God in his heart.
The lack that he faced in Bethlehem would be nothing to the landing he would encounter in the pagan land of Moab. Bethlehem's famine would be nothing compared to Moab's funerals.
The Bible tells us in
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
In walking by site we fail to recognize the unseen hand of God in our circumstances. The man Elimelech was a husband and a father that must have felt a tremendous amount of pressure to secure the means to take care of his family. This pressure pushed him to trust in himself rather than in God.
We can’t be too hard on Elimilech…Many of us have departed for far less things than he did...
The famine seemingly was not going to break and the anxiousness got the best of this man and off he goes to Moab. The news from Moab must have been very exciting and enticing. The distance from Bethlehem to Moab was on 50 miles which he could travel in a few days time. It was only 50 miles from Bethlehem but it was millions of miles from God's plan for his life.
It seems as if we always go for the money, for the prestige. Elimelech desired the best for his family, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?
America has proven this to be true time after time, follow the money and the materialistic. It is for lack of judgment that we allow ourselves to lead our family into the lions den of sin and shame.
Always remember that when we walk by our flesh we’ll get only what the flesh can give.
Notice what happens when the first move is made...
I don’t remember who originally said this as I’ve heard several people say it, but it goes like this: “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.”
The Longevity (v.2-4)
The Longevity (v.2-4)
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
Elimelech’s journey at first appeared to be a quick “drive thru,” a brief “sojourn”. But then he and his family “continued” (or “settled”) there, and Naomi ended up living in Moab for ten years.
Elimelech acted like the people of the day. He did what was right in his own eyes.
The death of Elimelech seems to have been quick. Elimelech lost his life while seeking a livelihood and found a grave where he sought a home.
The family went down to Moab planning to wait for the end of the famine, and then before everyone knew it they would swiftly shoot back up to the land of Bethlehem.
The only issue is that when we move out of the will of God we open our lives up to tragedy and the discipline of God.
Naomi is now without her husband. What they put their security in has turned out to be insecure. We have to learn this lesson the hard way so many times. God help us to learn to put our security and trust in the Lord.
The Loss (v.5)
The Loss (v.5)
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
In spite of his relationship to the Lord, in spite of the blessings of God, in spite of the intervention of the Lord in his family, Elimelech moved to Moab. What was a reality in his heart became a reality in his life!
After a while, his sons were also taken in death. It is my opinion that God used the ultimate form of discipline in the lives of Elimelech and his family in order to bring the remainder of the family back to God. You see, the famine in Bethlehem was a call to repent. Those sick sons were a call to repent. God gave this family ten years of rope, but time finally ran out and they paid the ultimate price for their disobedience.
It is sad, but it is also true, God will use whatever means that He deems necessary to bring you home again! If you are His, you will not run from Him forever.
Naomi and her two daughters-in-law were left desolate. In that society, the poorest of the poor were widows with no children to care for them. These women were left with nothing but desolation, discouragement and defeat.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I say that it’s a very serious matter to end up backslidden in a pagan land. The message today is “STAY OUT OF MOAB.”
When you go to Moab, you’ll always leave something! What will you leave behind? Your testimony? Your health? Your wealth? Your family? What will your journey away from God cost you? Whatever it is, it’ll cost less if you go ahead and come back home today instead of waiting for later.
If you’re lost tonight, God is calling you to leave your wretched life and come to Him and be saved! If you linger where you’re at away from Him, you’ll wind up paying the ultimate price. Come to Him tonight if the Lord is calling you to be saved.