Ruth 1 verses 1 to 5: Leaving

 

Introduction

As each of us journey along life’s path we will face certain defining moments, key turning points along the way. Sometimes we may consciously choose our destination. And there may be occasions when we, like the writer says, may take the ‘road less travelled’- we choose a different path from those around us.

On the other hand, there may be occasions when our destination seems chosen us- when we are driven down a path we would never have chosen for ourselves. For example, no one chooses to have a crippling accident or a life-threatening disease. These too are defining moments, key turning points along life’s journey.

All of us- whether by the choices we make, or the choices made for us- are on a journey through life. And in Ruth 1 we encounter fellow travellers and see choices made and choices seemingly thrust upon them, roads travelled or left untraveled. We also see that those choices have consequences- that their lives bear the mark of the decisions made and the turning points faced.

So, as we study Ruth Chapter 1 verses 1 to 5 we will see there is a…

…A context to note…

…a strange turning to ponder…

…a truth to face.

 

The Book of Ruth shows us that our actions have consequences. However, our lives are not simply the consequence of the various decisions we have made and events that have occurred. In these verses, and in the whole book, we see that our sovereignly gracious God is as work for the good purpose for His People. And it is this truth that calls us to live lives of complete trust and total obedience for our good and His Glory.

So, firstly, there is a… A context to note…

Certain words are devastating. No one wants to hear the words ‘We’re going to have to let you go’ from their employer, or ‘I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more we can do’ from a doctor, or ‘Could I talk with you for a moment’ from their child’s teacher.

Ruth opens with some devastating words; in verse 1 we read:

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

In one verse the author sets the scene for this wonderful love story and provides the theological context in which this love story unfolded.

Notice again those opening words: ‘…the days when the judges ruled…’. The Book of Ruth takes place during one of the darkest periods in Israel’s history: the days of the Judges. When we read the Book of Judges we see that it was a period filled with violence, idolatry, moral depravity, and civil war. Throughout the Book of Judges we hear these words repeated: There was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

So this love story takes place in chaotic days when everyone did what was right in their own eyes because there was no king. Our love story takes place in a morally disordered world- a dark, death-filled society in need of a king to deliver and lead God’s People, in God’s Way.

It is against this black backdrop that the godly character of both Boaz and Ruth shine. It is somewhat surprising to find godly examples in this time period! And yet, we see Ruth and Boaz, in differing ways, honouring God’s Way when it may have been easier to live for themselves.

Could not that description- ‘…everyone did what was right in his own eyes…’- be given to our context as well? False religion, biblical ignorance, political corruption, moral decay, social disorder, and violence surround us. In many places today, people speak about ‘tolerance’ as the virtue above all other virtues. Their version of tolerance could be summed up by the same phrase from Judges- everyone doing what is right in their own eyes.

In our contemporary context to hold to the absolute, and life-giving, truths of Scripture, especially to what the Bible says about sin, will provoke a variety of negative reactions. Most of here today know this firsthand. We know it so well that we now often think twice before speaking up for these truths, if we even speak up at all anymore.

But this problem is not just outside the church. Is it not true that we have allowed the world and its views to shape how we see ourselves, how we conduct our relationships, and how we live in our world today? Today it could be said that the Church in the West is neither standing up nor shining out- that we are not taking up our call to make disciples of all nations as we point to Jesus as both Saviour and Lord.

As Believers are called to speak up and shine out in our context. In these days we face a choice: we must take the ‘road less travelled’. We will see that Ruth and Boaz inspire us to do so. The nobility and courage of Ruth and the compassion and righteousness of Boaz will catch our gaze. When we see the way they live in their context it will motivate us to go against the flow of our own day and follow Christ instead.

And, ultimately, as we look to Christ, our humble Servant-King, we are called to live for Him as we live like Him. Christ is the most noble, courageous, compassionate, and righteous One who ever lived. And He lived and died and rose again for you and me. He came to set us free and give us full life- a life we are to live for our good and His glory.

So, we see a context to note, and then… a strange turning to ponder…

It was in the midst of these difficult days- when everyone did as they pleased- that a man moved his family out of Israel; in verse 2 we read:

² The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was 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.

The ultimate irony had occurred: Bethlehem, whose very name means ‘House of Bread’, was a place of no food.

In that situation, Elimelech had a choice to make, a road to choose. He could stay in Bethlehem, mourning the sin that surrounded him and trusting God to provide for him. Or, he could leave the Promised Land behind and go to Moab, where food was more abundant.

We can certainly sympathise with a man wanting to provide for his family. But Elimelech’s choices were not equal choices, theologically speaking.

Elimelech was choosing to leave the Promised Land. God had promised to bless His People there, should they walk in His ways. Elimelech’s move was not like that of a person today migrating to another country seeking opportunity. God had called Elimelech to live in Bethlehem. He therefore had no business leaving there to go anywhere, least of all Moab.

For Israel, Moab was known for several things, none of them good- their king Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel when they came out of Egypt; their women had led God’s People to worship of false gods in the wilderness; and they had recently oppressed the Israelites in the days of Eglon. This was not the place to go in order to raise a godly family.

Before Elimelech made this strange turning- before he left the Promised Land for a place like Moab- he probably should have considered his own name. Elimelech means ‘My God is king’.

Elimelech acted like the people of the day. He did what was right in his own eyes. The appropriate response to the famine would have been to remain in Israel, to repent, to call others to repent, and to trust God. But Elimelech choose his own path- he followed what seemed to be the best way of supporting his family, humanly speaking. He chose the road to Moab. He chose not to make God his king. Instead of turning to God in repentance, he turned away from God.

Which road will each of us choose?

The reality is that so often we, like Elimelech, make choices that seem best in our eyes. We make our decisions based upon what is most likely to provide us with immediate comfort and security- without reference to God and His life-giving ways. Just as Elimelech bore the name ‘My God is king’ but lived in a way that made it evident that God wasn’t his king at all- we call ourselves Christians and yet Christ, and His life-giving ways, has no real impact on how we live.

Elimelech’s decision stands as a warning to us. We must not do whatever is right in our own eyes. We must not make decisions without reference to God and His Word.

Instead, we must really believe God’s Word is sufficient for life and godliness. We must not be ‘pragmatic Christians’ who live by whatever makes the most practical sense to us. We must be people who come to God’s Word with humility and a willingness to be shaped by God’s life-giving truth.

So, whenever the Bible says one thing and our own reason says another, we must trust and obey God and His Word. We must resist the temptation to allow our feelings and experiences to lead us away from life-giving obedience- from Christ and the fullness of life He offers us in the Gospel.

We must ponder the strange turning made by Elimelech. When we do we will learn that faithful Christianity means seeking to live by the Word of God in biblical community, among Spirit-filled, prayerful, wise saints. This is the pattern for fullness of life- not going our own way, as Elimelech did. As Followers of Jesus we follow Him together in communities centred on His Word and shaped by His grace.

So, we ponder the strange turning and, finally, we see there is… a truth to face.

The road to Moab turned out to be a road to nowhere; in verses 3 to 5 we read:

³ Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, ⁵ both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

In Moab, Naomi experiences a nightmare: everything she holds dear is taken from her.

These verses leave us contemplating Naomi’s sad state. Picture her: a widow in a foreign land. Without a husband or sons, she has no significance in society or protection from its dangers. She has no one to provide for her and no social standing- no hope of carrying on her family line. Naomi’s situation can be summed up in one word: hopeless.

Many know the pain of Naomi. In this fallen world, we all will face suffering. We will weep like Naomi. We will stand beside graves. We will fear for what the future holds. We will feel like giving in or giving up. We can identify with Naomi. We can identify with what Naomi needed: true hope.

So, what do we make of all this tragedy in the opening five verses?

We need some help to understand and deal with suffering. Not all suffering is alike, and not all suffering carries the same kind of pain. But this much is true: every single person will suffer.

And one of the most encouraging things about God’s Word is that it is not silent about suffering. Indeed, from Genesis to Revelation we learn about how suffering entered our world, the many types of suffering that exist in our fallen world, and where our hope is to be found in the midst of our suffering- we look to Jesus and await His return when He will finally put an end to all suffering forever.

So in many ways, we cannot understand Scripture if we ignore suffering. And if we ignore Scripture then we will never properly understand our suffering. For if there is one lesson we learn about suffering in Scripture, it is that it is not outside the control of our sovereign God. The Book of Ruth magnifies this truth: you can trust Him even in suffering. You may be perplexed, but you can trust Him.

Naomi did not know how things would turn out, but we know her whole story- a story of emptiness to fullness. It shows us that God is still trustworthy in the midst of emptiness and difficulty. The question for us is: can we bring ourselves to trust him? Can we still worship and obey God in suffering?

All suffering is painful, but in Christ all suffering is purposeful. And as God’s People we must remember that while we will have trouble in this world, we are not alone. By faith in Christ, we have a relationship with God and we have the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, dwelling in us. We have a Savior who is not distant but sympathises with us in suffering. Jesus knows suffering, not only because He knows all things in a general sense but because He was Himself the man of sorrows. Our Father cares for us and is aware of our need.

 

The Bible tells us how suffering came into the world, what kinds of suffering we will experience, and what our King has done and will do to make all things new. Therefore, in suffering we must not turn from our God but to Him. We must cast all our cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for us.

And we must not stop gathering with God’s people; as we hear the word and participate in the sacraments, we are reminded in word and sign that suffering is under God’s control, and that there is the hope of glory in the end.

 

Conclusion

In our passage today, we do not hear how Naomi responds to the loss of her husband and sons. But in Ruth we learn the same lesson of hope that we see throughout Scripture. During Naomi’s time of darkness, God is working out His sovereign and saving purposes.

We do not always understand what God is doing. We are simply called to trust and obey our God who is sovereignly gracious and graciously sovereign. This is not always easy. So let us close with the words of a favourite hymn, written by William Cowper, which praises the mysterious providence of God:

 

 

 

 

 

 

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.

 

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding ev’ryhour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

 

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan his works in vain;

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.