There Was Famine in the Land - Ruth 1:1-5
Notes
Transcript
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
The account of Ruth, to a greater or lesser extent, is known of by many. However for most it is viewed as wonderful love story. That is true but there is a much deeper meaning as it relates to God’s glorious plan of redemption. It is set in the period of the Judges, written about 1000BC, very short about 2500 words.
In its application we are given an insight into God’s redemptive plan. Also there is a correlation with the situation we find ourselves to be in today.
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1. In the Day When the Judges Ruled v1-2
1. In the Day When the Judges Ruled v1-2
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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.
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25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
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a. Famine v1
a. Famine v1
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.
The words in the days when the judges ruled (verse 1) hint at how we should understand the early verses of Ruth. They take us back to the Book of Judges where, as we have seen, a repeated cycle of disobedience—disaster—repentance—renewal—is found (especially in the earlier chapters). Probably, the precise time of the Book of Ruth is that of the Midianite conquest described in Judges 6. S Dray
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1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
The land God promised was one of plenty.
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7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
However the Lord had said that if the people rejected him judgement would come.
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22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
How does a people desert God? Only because individuals one by one do so!
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b. A Critical Decision v1
b. A Critical Decision v1
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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.
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3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6 You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.
Elimelech decided to take his family to Moab.
In this way, Elimelech is typical of many unspiritual believers. Living in sinful days, he adopted the attitudes of men and women around him and gave little thought to God. He was self-willed and unsubmissive to God. Instead of seeing that the famine was a reason for him to come in repentance to God, he added to his sin; and doubtless he excused his behaviour by appealing to the needs of his family. Dray, S.
The name Elimelech means ‘The Lord is King’. He did not live up to his name!
There is a distinct lack of a central political authority in Israel at this time. But this description is also one that indicates a lack of spiritual focus. There exists a dominant relativism. This relativism violates God’s covenant in two significant ways. First, God’s covenant law is no longer the standard; rather, the people are doing what is best in their own eyes. Secondly, the unity intended among Israel as God’s covenant people has broken down into individualism. People are simply trusting in themselves. Currid, J. (2012). From Bitter to Sweet (pp. 16–17). EP Books.
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c. The Family v2
c. The Family v2
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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.
i. Bethlehem
i. Bethlehem
First, the name of his home town underscores a bitter irony: the famine hits the town of Bethlehem, a name that literally means ‘the house of bread’, or ‘the house of food’.
ii. Tribe of Judah
ii. Tribe of Judah
Secondly, the town is identified with the tribe of Judah, and that distinguishes it from another Bethlehem, which belongs to the tribe of Zebulun (Josh. 19:15–16). To the reader, both ancient and modern, the town of Bethlehem in Judah should immediately bring to mind that this was the home town of David, the great king of Israel. And, of course, the New Testament records that it was also the birthplace of the coming Messianic king, the Son of David (Matt. 2:1). Irony again plays into the story: at the time of the judges there was no king in Israel, yet the story of Ruth is set in the very place where the greatest kings in Israel’s history will be born. Currid, J. (2012).
iii. Moab
iii. Moab
What do we know about Moab at this time? First, the Moabites were descendants of Lot; the person named Moab, who was the progenitor of this people, was born as a result of incest between Lot and one of his daughters (Gen. 19:37). Their habitation was on the east side of the Jordan River. The Moabites were pagan, and their main god was Chemosh (Num. 21:29). They also worshipped the notorious god Baal of Peor (Num. 25:1–3). During the period of the judges, in which the book of Ruth takes place, the Moabites were arch-enemies of Israel (see, in particular, Judg. 3:12–30). Currid, J. (2012).
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.
29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon.
1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
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2. Tragedy v3-4
2. Tragedy v3-4
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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,
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a. Death v3
a. Death v3
3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.
From Bitter to Sweet Dire Straits (1:3)
The family is under great hardship. There is a famine in Israel, and so they go to sojourn in Moab and to live there under the authority of the pagan Moabites. Tragedy then strikes: Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, dies. Thus, matters are moving from bad to worse. Naomi is now a widow. Nevertheless not all is bleak, because she still has her two sons to care for her; she is not yet destitute.
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b. Marriage v4
b. Marriage v4
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,
From Bitter to Sweet Life Goes on (1:4)
May we grasp the truth that God will use his people despite their sin. That, of course, does not give anyone a licence to sin, but it underscores the reality that God employs frail and weak vessels to proclaim his truth. God uses his people, despite their feebleness, debility and transgressions, for his glory and purposes.
From Bitter to Sweet Life Goes on (1:4)
This is what happens in the book of Ruth. As has already been suggested, the act of Elimelech to move his family to Moab because of a famine in Israel was not the right response to adversity. He should have trusted in the Lord’s provision and remained steadfast in the land of his inheritance. Now in verse 4 we see another errant action: Naomi’s two Hebrew sons marry Moabite women. How often biblical law demands that the Israelites should not intermarry with pagan peoples!
3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 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.
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3. Increase in Adversity v5
3. Increase in Adversity v5
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5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
From Bitter to Sweet Increase of Adversity (1:5)
Naomi’s situation is grave: she is now a widow with no sons to care for her. Certainly the Moabites would have no sense of responsibility for the widow of a sojourner; Naomi would have very few rights and privileges in that culture. So, on top of her grief and mourning, Naomi is facing destitution, poverty, and perhaps even enslavement
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From Bitter to Sweet Increase of Adversity (1:5)
Difficult circumstances ought to lead a child of God into a period of self-examination. They ought to cause one to assess how one is living before God on this earth. The Puritan commentator Matthew Henry says in this regard, ‘When death comes into a family it ought to be improved [i.e. made good use of] for the reforming of what is amiss in the family.’ Such tragedy as Naomi is facing ought to lead to change, and it ought to bring into focus the things that are truly important. For Naomi, this change is about to take place.
Conclusion
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28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
