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1 Now 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 dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. ~ Ruth 1:1-5
Today, we begin a study of the book of Ruth which is a love story that starts with misery and ends with joy. This true story includes anxiety, fear, love, and commitment that inflames the imagination and soothes the soul. It begins with despair and ends with delight. This book of four chapters and only 85 verses covers a vast range of human emotions, starting with heartache, then moving to intrigue, then romance, then happiness. Along the way we discover "God behind the scenes," which means the real star of the book is the Lord Jesus who works in, through, and sometimes in spite of the decisions we make.
There are only two books of the Bible named for women, Ruth and Esther. Ruth is the only book in the Bible named after one of the Lord Jesus’ ancestors. Ruth is the only Old Testament book named after a gentile and Luke is its New Testament counterpart. Ruth was written during the time of King David’s reign in Israel, which would’ve been about 1,000 B.C. but it happened during the time of the Judges about a hundred years earlier.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now 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 dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons."
The book of Ruth opens with a note that anchors this story to a particular time and place: "During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land." This means the story took place after Joshua’s death and before Saul became king. It was a time when the people largely forgot the Lord and did what was right in their own eyes. The problem with this is our default mode is sin or that which is contrary to the definitions of God.
When we read the book of Judges, we may be tempted to think it was a godless time, but that would not be entirely correct. We should think of it as a time when every man did what was right in his own eyes which is the final verse in the book of Judges. As long as the judges ruled, the people served the Lord. But when a judge died, the Jews returned to idolatry. It was a recurring cycle of obedience, disobedience, judgment, suffering, desperation, and returning to the Lord.
Elimelech and his wife and two sons lived in Bethlehem which means "House of bread." The land around Bethlehem was some of the most fertile ground in the Promised Land. In fact, it was often referred to as "the bread basket." So, when the famine hit that area, it was a particularly hard time on the people. As with all trials, God's design is to use the discomforting times to turn us back to Him. Elimelech made the decision to move his family to Moab because it was a land of good soil and adequate rainfall.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. "
I find it instructive that Elimelech's name means "My God is King." The names of most of the characters in the book of Ruth have an important role to play in conveying the main message of the story. Probably the two most significant names in the book are the one that is mentioned first and the one that is mentioned last. The first name in the book is Elimelech and the last name is David and in the Hebrew text David is the final word. Both names convey the idea of Kingship. Elimelech’s name was very appropriate in the time of the Judges, it means "My God is King." This name is an indication of the faith that still burned in many Israelite hearts that in spite of the disastrous period of the Judges, God was still in charge and he was their King. However, the last name in the book, David, showed that God was raising up a leader for His people who would exercise leadership under God’s authority. God was providing a king who would honor him and lead the people to blessing.
Elimelech's family lived in the region of Ephrathah where the town of Bethlehem's located to this day. Bethlehem Ephrathah is the town that is recorded in Micah 5:2 would be the birthplace of the Messiah. Of course, in the gospels we learn that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem Ephrathah in order to pay their taxes that were ordered at the time. In traveling back to Bethlehem Ephrathah and giving birth to their firstborn child, they fulfilled the prophecy spoken by the prophet Micah hundreds of years before.
Moab originated with Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughter. Elimelech left the land of blessing to live among the pagans on the east side of the Dead Sea. He and his family would be exposed to the Moabite religion with its degrading idol worship and its gross sexual perversion. Elimelech understood the risk of living among the Moabites but considered this move a temporary move for the sake of his family.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons."
Elimelech lost his life while seeking a livelihood, and found a grave where he had sought a home. The death of her husband left Naomi with a longing in her heart. Sometimes God allows things to happen in our lives or causes them to happen in order to position us to the place of His blessing.
I remember the day God started moving my heart to attend Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina. I did not want to attend CBC because of those whom I had met who had gone there were quite different than I was at that time. Needless to say, I obeyed the Lord and enrolled. The first two years were quite difficult. Then, my junior year came around and two weeks into that most wonderful year the Lord introduced the girl who became my wife just two years later. I look back on that and I am reminded that it is best to obey the Lord even when we do not understand or desire to do what He wants.
In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband."
The famine in Bethlehem was now a distant memory. But soon after the family moved to Moab Elimelech died, leaving Naomi without a husband and the two sons without a father. We know tragedy as something that should have never happened. But, when we give God time and we trust Him, we will eventually see His genius even in the things that were most painful. For me the death of my mom when I was five years old and the death of my dad when I was seventeen years old positioned me to go from hopelessness to a personal relationship with my creator.
Well, as noted in v.5, eventually the two sons married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After ten years of marital bliss, the two sons died and were buried in Moab. Suddenly ten years had passed and the longing in the heart of Naomi to return home came knocking. The scriptures remind us to "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." This does not means that God will give us whatever we ask of Him. It does mean that when we give our heart to God He will give His to us, resulting in it being natural that we ask God for His will to be done in our lives.
