Road to Chaos

Ruth 1:1-5

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Introduction

As people living in this world, we are hit with different crossroads in life. Do we turn left, right, straight, or back? There are times when we make our own choice, and we choose our own destination. Sometimes we would travel to a road where many people take, or we would take the “the road less traveled.”

On other days, we have moments where the destination came to us instead. These are the times of life when you get no chose at all, but is forced to go down that road. No one chooses to have her husband, and sons pass away. No one chooses to have a tragic accident, or a life-threatening disease. These too can be defining moments in life. But all of us are on a journey to a certain destination. The question is, “Where are you going?”

The first chapter of the book of Ruth is about the choices made, and the choices thrust upon individuals It is a story about roads traveled and left untraveled. It is about long-term consequences of decisions that are made, or forced to be made. The book of Ruth reveals to us that our actions have results and consequences that can be for the good, or for the bad. Yet, the book of Ruth has reveals that there is an outside factor that is involved, and directs the outcome of these set decisions made, which are then turned to good, and for a good purpose. The book of Ruth teaches us that the grace of God is always the defining element in our journeys, and roads that we face.

Setting of Ruth 1

The book of Ruth begins with a description of the times and place in which the story occurs.

v. 1 says, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.”

This is not just a date-stamp put in by the author (ex: “Long, long ago...”) , but there is a theological reason of why the author of Ruth added this section. Which book is before the book of Ruth? Yes, it is the book of Judges! Ruth 1:1 reveals not just the setting of the story, but the repeated cycle of a corrupted nation. Judges 21:25 ends with, “25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

The book of Judges was a cycle of the Israelites rebelling against God, God bringing upon judgement, the Israelites repenting, and the Israelites rebelling again. However, the end of Judges is missing the step of repentance from the people of God. The final chapters of Judges is giving to us a downward spiral of the nation, and how the nation was so corrupted that the people of God no longer worshiped the Lord, but rather did what they felt like. It was one of the darkest times of Israel’s history where people did whatever they wanted to. That is the context in which the book of Ruth took place in. There is a reason why Ruth is the transitional book between Judges and 1 Samuel when kings are first introduced.

The book of Ruth took place in the times of the judges to show that there were also faithful people of God that was worshiping Him, and doing good to each other.

Elimelech’s Entrance (v. 1)

Ruth 1:1-2 says, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion.”

So, Elimelech had a choice as he was considered to be an Israelite. We are introduced to a male character who seems to be the main character of the story. Due to Israel’s unfaithfulness, the land of Bethlehem was in famine. The irony is that the town Bethlehem means “house of bread.” In this situation, Elimelech had two choices to make: either stay in Bethlehem (Iive in poverty, witness the corruption of Israel, but also trust in God), or leave the Promised Land into greener fields (the land of Moab). Elimelech’s choice actually paves the road for the entire story of Ruth and Naomi.

Elimelech’s name is not mentioned much anymore, but the choice that he made is a relatable choice for most of us. However, it seemed to be a choice that did trust God. Elimelech should have first contemplated on the consequences of leaving the Promised Land. Also, the place he decided to go to was the land of Moab. Scipture revealing where they went is super important. Why? Moab was not known for anything good according to Scripture.

in Genesis 19:30-38, the Moabites were originated out of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his older daughter. The Moabites were literally a product of dark sin of incest. In Numbers 22-24, the king of Moab Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel when they came out of Egypt. Not only that, in Numbers 25, the Moabite women (this will be important for the future of Ruth) seduced Israelite men to worship false gods. Also in days of Eglon in Judges 3, the Moabites have recently oppressed and harmed the Israelites. Does this place sound like a good and godly place to raise a family?

Before Elimelech left the land of Israel and went to a place like Moab, Elimelech’ very name should have left him in pause. The name Elimelech literally means “God is king.” However, it seems as if in his life, God was not king, but rather his king was his circumstances and wherever there was comfort and food. Elimelech thought that moving to the land of Moab was the best decision, so he chose to do what was good in his own eyes. Does this sound familiar to the end of the book of Judges. Instead of trusting in the Lord, he chose a road that was the opposite of God. He chose a road to Moab.

The road that we choose in our lives are defining moments of not just our time on earth, but in eternity. Sometimes when we make decisions on where we go to school or work, we trust in our own guts, and believe that we can do what it takes to succeed in life. Most of the time, we rarely seem to think about how our actions can affect where we are going, and what kind of Christian family we will raise. Like Elimelech, we attempt to make ourselves gods, and make choices thinking we are always right. However, when have we always been right brothers and sisters? NEVER!

“Many bear the label “Christian,”yet their Christianity has no real impact on life-defining decisions, just as Elimelech bore the name “My God is king” yet lived in a way that made it evident that God wasn’t his king at all. The roads we choose for ourselves often make our deepest heart commitments plain for all to see.”

Path of Nowhere

The path to Moab turns out to be the path of nowhere. Many of us think that Elimelech made the logical and right choice. Of course, he would leave and go to a better place to raise his family. Of course, he should go to Moab to provide for his family, and give his children better opportunities. It seemed when they moved, Elimelech was going to make some grand plan, but it seemed that they just settled, and are just getting by. They seemed to be just drifting through life without grand plans.

However, somewhere in this journey of Elimelech, something permanent happens: Elimelech dies. This is something interesting created by the author. We are first introduced to this character as if he is the main character, but he dies in verse 3. Although, Elimelech is such a short-lived character in today’s story, his decision affects all the characters in the book of Ruth.

After Elimelech’s death, Naomi, his wife, and their two children had another road to take. They could either return, and trust in the Lord, and go back to the Promised Land, or continue to live in exile, and away from God’s people. Unsurprisingly, Naomi and her two sons continued to stay in the land of Moab, rather than Israel. They felt as if Moab was more home to them than the land that they were originally from. As a result of not returning back to Israel, Naomi’s two sons took Moabite women as their wives according to verse 4. This is important because the laws of Moses in Deuteronomy 7:3 told them not to take them as wives.

“You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly” (Deut. 7:3-4).

Naomi, like Elimelech, thought that she had no choice but to stay in the land of Moab, away from God’s promise. This has been a common pattern in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation (until Jesus comes back). God’s created people are attempting to live away from God. However, once we begin to enter the road of self-dependency, our road will continue to have deepened disobedience. Why is that we want to walk in this path? Because it is easier. It is considered to be the wide road filled with little resistance. It is smoothly paved!

Naomi, even after the death of her husband, initially, seemed to be doing well with her decision. In fact, she still had her sons to help her, and be with her. Her sons, then, got married! Naomi’s sons and their wives were young, so what did Naomi need to worry about? However, the red flags were all there. First, for ten years, her sons did not bear any children. Scripture, especially in the OT, constantly talks about how God opens and closes the womb. God is the one who brings, and takes away life. So, if a family is able to have children, it means that God has blessed you. For Naomi and her family, it seemed as if God was not blessing them with children. Not only that, tragedy struck Naomi once again.

v. 1:5 says, “and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

Naomi’s world crashed down at that moment. She lost all her children, and husband in a span of ten years. She was by herself living in a foreign land. She had no family to help support her. Naomi had a choice to make. Naomi decided to go back the Israel, to the town of Bethlehem.

Naomi would have to swallow her pride, and go back to the Promised Land! After experiencing much hardships and sorrows, Naomi was about to return home like a prodigal daughter.

God Always Working

Throughout the book of Judges, there is a pattern of God’s people rebelling, God bringing judgement, and through judgement the people of God repenting. After repentance, God brings joy, and flourishing to His people. The same thing happened to Bethlehem, after the people of God repented in Bethlehem, the town was once a “house of bread.” Would this pattern be applied to Naomi then?

Naomi and her family lived a life of disobedience, and walked a path of chaos. Yet, by God’s grace, He changed Naomi’s heart, and called her back home. Grace is always God’s last word. When we are God’s chosen people, God will lead us back unto Him. However, not everyone who abandons the right road will return back the Lord.

1 John 2:19 says, “19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

This is why we must always remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If not for God’s grace, we would all end up like Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion: dead in our bodies and sins.

Road to the Promised Land

The book of Ruth reveals that we are all like Naomi and Elimelech. WE think we can choose our own destinies, and roads. We think we can only trust our own guts and minds that without realizing, we end up straying away to a road leading to nowhere. We often think that the grass is greener on the other side, so we would abandon our churches, and God Himself! The provisions of this world is very tempting. Just like how the fields of Moab was green and luscious, this world brings to us much temptations. However, in those moments of temptations, let us look at the Word of God. The grass may be greener on the other side, but the Word of the Lord brings true life.

The reality is if God does not work, we will never be saved. We will always be empty, and alone in this world. Yet, the reality is that God works.

In Luke 15, we saw that the father of the prodigal son did not just sit in his living room. Rather, he stood out every morning waiting for his child to come. When he saw his child, the father ran towards the son, and embraced him. Elimelech left the place of famine to find a false blessing in Moab, Jesus Christ gives to us true life and the glories of eternal life.

Elimelech and Naomi sent themselves into exile attempting to leave the presence of God, but Jesus went into exile in obedience to the Father saying that the kingdom of God is near.

The Father delights in bringing His people back to Him. The Father delights in clothing, and feeding the prodigal child, and exalt the humble. The Father rejoices in finding the lost sheep! So, even if we are wandering the fields of this world, let us remember the goodness, and greatness of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst,     a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness;     he will quiet you by his love.”