Going Down to Moab
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good evening and welcome back!
Tonight we are going to be taking a look at the first chapter of the Book of Ruth.
And we are going to be talking about the subject of “Going Down to Moab.”
However, before we can get into our focus we have to lay some foundation about Moab and the things that were going on during this time.
Moab was a foreign nation about 50 miles on the other side of the Dead Sea from Bethlehem.
The people of Moab, like the rest of the non Israeli’s were deep into the worship of the Canaanite god Baal and his female counterpart Ashtoreth, whose intimate relationship with Baal was believed to control the fertility of the land and the crops.
And God had already commanded Israel under Joshua's leadership to purge the land of the Canaanites and their idols.
Remember back to Deuteronomy . . .
You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
And . . .
Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.
However, the Israelites had failed to listen to God and follow God’s command . . .
They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.
And . . .
But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor. Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them.
And, their failure to follow God's commands led to the beginning influence of these Canaanite traditions and gods on the Israelite people and many had began to go astray.
Which Moab was a perfect representation of this failure by the Israelites.
And to go down to Moab would be falling victim to this temptation, which brings us to our passage here in Ruth chapter 1.
So, in Ruth 1, starting in verse 1, the Bible reads . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Moab Represents Backsliding
Moab Represents Backsliding
Now, at first glance nothing out of the ordinary seems to be going on here, just a family trying to do the best with what they have.
But once we start digging under the surface will will start to see some very interesting things emerge.
So, again though verses 1 and 2 read . . .
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
We pick up here and a great famine has come on the land of Israel and Bethlehem is hit hard by this famine.
And "A certain man" by the name of Elimelech decides to gather his wife, Naomi and two sons Mahlon and Chilion up and move down to Moab to escape the famine.
And the Bible never says but more than likely he decided to move because there was no famine in Moab and life would be easier for them there.
However, Elimelech makes a grave mistake by deciding to go down to Moab.
In, fact his directly disobeys a commandment of God.
God had directly told the children of Israel to not co-mingle with the inhabitants of Moab.
And to stay away from them and don’t buddy up to them. . .
No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation.
And . . .
Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.
So, because Elimelech is hungry and worried about his family, instead of trusting God, he disobeys God and not only him but he has now drug his wife and two sons down this road with him.
SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US?
Well, Elimelech represents man in his backslidden state and Moab the draw of the flesh and the world.
But how so preacher?
Well, Elimelech was a child of God, an Israelite, who chose to directly disobey God and is now living in a life of sin and disobedience to God.
Elimelech knows the right way, but chose to go the wrong path.
And,we as Christians know the right way but when we choose to disobey God and choose live a life contrary to God's will then we are no different than Elimelech living down in Moab.
And, what's worse is that we also have a great deal of influence over our family as well.
Elimelech's decision influenced his wife and his children.
Our families and our friends are watching how we live our lives and what decisions we make.
They then depend on us to set the example.
And by our refusal to obey God we are becoming a stumbling block to them and contributing to their fall as well.
Here's what the Bible has to say about us when we are a stumbling block, even if we have not directly sinned . . .
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
And ...
So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
So, in a nutshell when we cause someone else to stumble, they will perish for their sin, but their blood will also be on your head.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
And ...
When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
We want to think that we are not responsible for anybody but ourselves, but in reality when we accept Christ, we then have a responsibility to live for Christ and be an example for Christ.
WE ARE OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER.
Whether we want to think it or not.
And before we act, we need to think, "how is this going to be perceived by those watching me?"
Does it reflect Christ?
Is it God's Will?
Do we want to be the reason someone else misses heaven?
Why Did They Go to Moab?
Why Did They Go to Moab?
Because that is really what is at stake here.
It’s not just a “do as I say situation.”
The example we set for others sets the tone for their and our relationships with Jesus Christ.
So, we need to tread lightly and take these matters seriously.
But, getting back to Elimelech, why did he choose to go to Moab of all places?
And what I am really getting at is, why did he stray away from God?
Well for the same reasons we do.
Why do we choose to stray from God?
Most of the time it is because the temptation was too great, it was the easy road.
Is it not much harder to trust in God when things are tough then to take the "easy way out?"
And, that's the thing about sin.
It always seems to be the "easy way" or the "path of least resistance."
Consider Lot when he and Abraham parted ways.
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
The problem is, we never consider the wickedness or the consequences of our choices.
We never consider what the end result is.
Because, Satan doesn’t tell us that part.
He just dangles that forbidden fruit out there and we bite it like a fish jumping for a worm.
And like Proverbs 14:12 reminds us . . .
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
That is always the end result, death.
Don't think that you can escape it either on your own.
Don't think that you can dabble for just a little while and then come back to God.
What happens is you get into that rut and you end up like the rich man . . .
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
Instead of trusting in God to be their provision, Elimelech trusted in himself, in the flesh.
He decided he was going to take care of himself and leave God out of the equation.
Elimelech Meets His End
Elimelech Meets His End
How often do we do that?
"I've got this," "I'll take care of this." "I can handle this."
What usually happens is we make a mess of things and end up in our own Moab.
So, what happens to old Elimelech?
Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
So, here is Elimelech and his family and they are down in Moab living.
Scholars think it was about 10 years.
Why so long though?
The famine ended, why didn’t they go home?
Well, they had been there so long they got comfortable in their current state.
The famine had long ended but they remained.
Remained so long that Elimelech died there.
And his two sons got married.
And, look at who they married, two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.
Was this pleasing to God?
Nothing was wrong with these women, but God had told them to not go around the Moabites.
But do we see how Moab had rubbed off on them.
What else did they compromise?
What else did they give up in order to live in Moab?
His sons marry and they remain there in Moab, not seeing the need to return to Bethlehem, to God.
They are there so long, that eventually both sons also die, leaving Naomi and her two daughter in laws as widows.
So, now here is Naomi in a foreign land where she had been led by her husband, with nothing left but two daughter in laws who were not even Israelites.
THAT'S A BAD STATE TO BE IN, LOST AND NO WHERE TO TURN.
However, Naoimi comes to her senses and decides she is going home.
She is going back to Bethlehem, going back to God.
When she heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
And the story continues . . .
At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
So, Orpah kissed Naomi but Ruth clung to her.
Orpah left and went home to her parents.
Orpah chose the comfortable world of Moab and Ruth chose the hard journey to Bethlehem.
And Orpha and Naomi's journey together had to end there, the way of the world and the ways of God are at odds and you can't live in both, riding the fence, it is all or nothing.
But Ruth would continue on.
Ruth chose the path of salvation . . .
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
The influence that Satan meant for evil, God turned it around and made good out of it.
Naomi and Ruth went to Bethlehem and we know that through the lineage that Ruth actually is the great-grandmother of King David.
Two souls were saved (Naomi and Ruth) and the lineage of Christ flowed through them.
HOWEVER, IT CAME AT A GREAT COST.
A husband and three sons dead in Moab (the world, apart from God).
A daughter in law that could not break free from the world of Moab.
Years wasted wandering out in Moab.
All because of the bad decision to trust in self instead of God.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
So, what about us tonight?
Where are we at?
Are we living in Bethlehem, following, trusting God?
Or have we decided to go down to Moab and do things the easy way?
How long have we been in Moab?
Whether we stay in Moab and die in Moab, or return to God is up to us.
Which way will we go?
It’s our choice.
Let’s pray . . .