Ruth 1:1-2 Lesson 1

Ruth is a book that tells the story of great changes that took place in the lives of one family. Most of us don’t like change; in fact many are afraid of change. We like stability. We like to know where everything and everyone is going to be, to know that life is going to stay the same and we’re all going to be okay. Everyone wants to live happily ever after. Ruth is a book about changes brought about by trials and tribulations and understanding that in those changes- regardless of how difficult or frightening or uncertain things seem- the Lord is at work, promising to work all things for good for his children.

The first chapter of Ruth is about choices made by a man and the resulting aftermath which affected his entire family. About roads traveled and roads left untraveled. It is about the long-term consequences set in motion by radical decisions made in times of crisis. It teaches us that our actions definitely have repercussions. And in the cases of most involved at the onset of this story the consequences were deadly! Moreover, God’s presence was not always obvious to the characters in this story. Not unlike the times in our lives when we find ourselves wondering, “Where is the Lord in all of this?” And of course, the answer is, he is always present, always well aware and always in control.

And so we begin this story in a dark time of disobedience on the part of God’s people. So insubordinate were they, that God brought along a famine and parked it right where they lived. Now the beautiful, fruitful country that was once like paradise is a barren land. Nobody’s table was overflowing as it once had. There was very little to eat and everyone had to make the best of it. The land was Bethlehem which means the “House of bread.” Well, ironically, there was no bread in Bethlehem. Now, there was a man in the city whose name was Elimelech. His name means, “My God is king.” Unfortunately for Elimelech and his wife and sons, his stomach must have been his king, because one day he up and decided to move his family to Egypt, to a town called Moab, because he heard there was bread in Moab. So here was a man who was presented with two choices. A man whose name meant God is king should have stayed in the land where God was the king! Choice one: stay in Bethlehem even though things were very challenging and uncertain at present; or choice two: leave the Promised Land and head over to where the grass looked so much greener.

But, things are not always as they seem, are they? Bad move Elimelech! Years ago God delivered His people Israel from Egypt. He brought them into Canaan, the land that flowed with milk and honey. This was his land and this was where he wanted his people. Now, everyone in Israel knew of the wicked city of Moab. It got its start back in the days of Lot, when after Lot and his two daughters fled Sodom and Gomorrah, the girls each put their little knuckle heads together and decided that if they were ever going to have offspring it might as well be by their father. Moab had originated out of the relationship the oldest daughter had with Lot! So off we go! Elimelech’s decision to move to Moab was an ungodly choice. As the head of his Jewish home this was a crucial moment in Elimelech’s life. It was a cross roads’ decision. The Scriptures do not indicate that Elimelech was the least bit concerned about God’s will; rather, he was only looking for a way out. What he imagined to be his best prospects for survival.

But how can anything turn out well for someone who knows better than to leave God out of his or her plans? He knew better-that’s the bottom line for Elimelech. He had no business moving to Moab. I think of it this way; when Elimelech and his family left town, they left friends and loved ones behind. And those friends and loved ones survived. We know this because-fast forwarding in the book of Ruth a bit-years later, when Naomi, Elimelech’s wife returned to Bethlehem, there were people still there that recognized her! So that means Elimelech and his family could have gotten through as well, right? There certainly would have been less, they would have had to make sacrifices, their kids couldn’t have sported the latest sneakers, no new roof on the house that year- but what they could have had-was God’s continued blessing. Can anyone put a price on that?
Now can you just imagine the scene as Elimelech gathered his family around him one night? He has made his decision to leave and he’s going to break the news to his little family. Maybe the kids wondered what was up when they saw him sell their old milk cow earlier in the day. Maybe Naomi became suspicious as he was strengthening the wagon wheels and refurbishing the old cart they traveled in. Leave Bethlehem? Move to Moab? In Ruth chapter one verse two the Bible tells us not only did they move to Moab-but they continued there.

That is generally what happens. Those who turn their backs on God to go off into a far country usually continue there. It may seem believable at first to say, “I’m just going to try this or do this. I’m not leaving leaving…” But it is so hard to come back. One reason is that it takes a great deal of humility for someone to admit they were wrong, that they made bad choices and should have never sinned against God. In addition, the devil has an endless supply of bait to dangle before the one he has observed so carefully for years. Young people boast of their independence in the various choices they are making, but the horrifying truth is they are being greatly influenced by the evil one who knows them well. And in the terrifying process, the heart grows harder, more cynical and sarcastic to the things and people of God, as the voice of the Lord grows as faint and distant as the people and places they leave behind.

Next Lesson –“A Famine and a Farewell”