Ruth 1:1-51Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 3And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. (Ruth 1:1‑5)
We have just traced the record of Israel’s failure under the judges in spite of the faithfulness of God in delivering them over and over again, until at last there was no remedy. It is refreshing, therefore, to come to the book of Ruth and see the grace of God working in blessing, even in such a dark day.
We learn in this deeply interesting and touching story, how God never loses sight of the individual, and no matter what the state of things among His people, He ever blesses those who turn to Him. Even a poor Moabitish woman who saw that the true God was in Israel, in spite of all their failure, tasted of this grace, when she came into the land of Israel.
The book begins with a famine in the land, particularly in Bethlehem-judah. Even though it was God’s land, indeed we might say because it was God’s land, a famine was there. Judgment must begin at the house of God, and so the prophet Amos said, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Amos 3:22You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. (Amos 3:2). He dealt with Israel because they were His people, even as He now deals with His children. The unbeliever may receive his “good things” here in this life (Luke 16:2525But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (Luke 16:25)), but how awful to have to meet God in his sins at the end. The Christian, on the other hand, comes under the chastisement of God’s family here (Hebrews 12: 7), but what a glorious ending there is to his journey.
When the famine came, however, instead of taking it from the Lord, Elimelech with his wife and two sons, decided to try to escape it by going down into the country of Moab. How often this takes place among God’s people. We had an example of it before, in the life of Abraham, who, when a famine came upon God’s land in his day, went down into Egypt, to his own sorrow and loss, spiritually, even though he became wealthy there. Many times in our day too, because of our unfaithfulness, there is a lack of fresh ministry in the assembly—there is a spiritual famine—and some are turned aside. They leave the place where the Lord has put His Name to go other places, where they “sojourn” to escape the “famine.” Undoubtedly there is an important lesson for us all, therefore, even today, from this story of Elimelech.
We are not told what Elimelech found in Moab in the way of better crops, but we can at least say that the whole time spent there was full of sorrow and disappointment, both to himself and to his family. Moab might be all right for the Moabites, who knew nothing of the Lord’s presence among His people, but it was no place for those who had known such a place and privilege. And so today, God may bless those who have never known the truth of scriptural gathering, but it is an entirely different thing for those who have known it, or have been thus gathered, to leave it. This Elimelech learned, for he never returned to God’s land, nor did his two sons. The three of them died in the country of Moab under the government of God. In addition to this, his two sons had taken wives from among the Moabites, a thing forbidden of God, and now their wives were left widows along with Naomi his wife. It is sad indeed to miss the path for oneself, but there is surely a greater responsibility upon those who are parents, who lead their children away from the path too, when a false step is taken. Oh how watchful we have to be! And our children may never come back, even if we do.
ML 01/31/1954