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PART 1 – The Fatal Departure
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In
order to understand the events that are taking place in the book of
Ruth, let us have a look at the circumstances that prevailed in those
days. The book of Ruth comes right after the book of Judges, and the
unfolding events are taking place „in the days when the judges ruled”(Ruth
1:1). When we read the last verse of the book of Judges in chapter
21 verse 25, it says: „In those days there was no king in Israel:
every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” The book
of Ruth starts by giving us an information that will have an eternal
impact on the lives of Ruth the Moabite: there was a famine in the
land of Israel. The story of Ruth is ineluctably linked to a woman
called Naomi who would become her mother in law. Naomi was an Israelite
woman who was living in Bethlehem with her husband Elimilech and their
two sons Mahlon and Chilion. They were living in Israel in a time
where there was no supreme hierarchy to set the law and lead the people
in the way of righteousness. The Bible says in Proverbs 29: 18 „Where
there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law,
happy is he.“ Because of the famine that was raging in the land,
Elimelech thought it would be a good idea to move to the country of
Moab, even though God had told the Israelites not to fellowship with
the Moabites because they were idol worshipers who used to let their
children pass through the fire and sacrifice them unto Moloch, a false
God.
At no time does the Bible tell us that Elimelech sought council from
God before taking that step to settle down in Moab. He was worried
about the welfare and the future of his family, and as a good and
responsible father, he wanted to be able to care for his family and
provide them with bread, clothing and everything they needed for their
living. The book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 to 8 admonishes
us as follows: „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. It shall be health to thy navel, and
marrow to thy bones.“ Elimelech was worried about the physical
and material sustenance of his family, but obviously the spiritual
welfare and health of his beloved ones was not the most important
thing. Or maybe he thought that he was spiritually strong enough to
stand firm in his faith in a land full of idol worshipers. But as
the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10: 12, the one who thinks he is standing
firm should be careful not to fall. Little did Elimelech know that
the trip he was taking to Moab would have fatal consequences in his
life and in the lives of his precious family.
Was it possible for Elimelech and his family to live in Moab without
compromising their faith? How was their worship during the 10 years
that they spent in Moab? Did his dreams really come to pass while
he was there? Were his expectations met? Was he able to realize his
plans and have a better life than in Israel? During the course of
these 10 years, the Bible tells us that Elimelech died, followed by
his two sons who had gotten married to two Moabite women, Ruth and
Orpah. So, at the end of the day, Naomi was bereaved of her husband
and her two sons. The hope of a better life and the dreams of a glorious
future had crumbled down like a sand cattle. Maybe Elimelech had planned
to come back to Israel after some time, when the ground would be fertile
again, but he never had the chance to return to the land of his forefathers.
Elimelech did not even have the joy of seeing his two sons getting
married. Do not allow your dream to dig your grave. One day in God’s
presence is better than ten thousand elsewhere, even in the time of
famine. God is able to turn the dry land into a fertile country.
It is very much possible that Elimelech and his family were not the
only ones in Israel who had decided to move to Moab. Maybe he had
heard about some of his friends who had become prosperous after living
Israel to settle down in the fertile land of Moab, and this had prompted
him to move out also, in the hope of a better future for his family
and himself. But maybe he had a friend who had been encouraging him
to hold on until the end of the famine, a caring friend who was advising
him not to go to Moab because of all the evil that was going on there.
But he would not listen and his mind was made up to leave. He did
not have the patience to wait. Uncertainty about the length of the
drought and the future were stronger. Maybe his wife Naomi had tried
to discourage him from leaving Bethlehem, “the place of bread”, but
to no avail. He was the head of the family and she had to be submitted
to him and follow his decisions at the end. There was no need to argue
about this issue for ever. After all, maybe this country of Moab was
the best solution for their two sons Mahlon (which means invalid)
and Chilion (which means pining). From the meaning of their names,
it is not impossible that Naomi’s sons had a kind of physical infirmity
which caused their parents to take them to a foreign country away
from the famine to make sure that they would at least continue to
be in good health. But there was a setback in the course of events.
Things turned out to be worse than what they had expected. Death struck
in and their dreams were shattered. Naomi became a widow and had to
bury her two sons. But as we will learn later on, God’s ways are unsearchable
and He can turn every chaotic and desperate situation into a mighty
blessing. (To be continued). mt
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