Tragedy Strikes a Bethlehemite Family

[Read Ruth 1:1-5]

One of my uncles has a favorite story he likes to tell about me as a child. The story has morphed and changed and been distorted over the years—yet it has become legendary in our family. It’s also not a flattering story. 

As my uncle tells the story, we were tubing the Madison River through Bear Trap Canyon. It was one of our favorite things to do in the summer. It was a beautiful canyon and a beautiful, fast flowing river. We would drop one vehicle off at a parking lot downriver and then drive a few miles upriver and put our tubes in. As we got to the end of our float, everyone started jumping out of their tubes and walking out of the river to our vehicle. I was struggling. As my uncle tells the story, I was helplessly flailing in the water, acting like I was drowning. A couple young girls on the shoreline began running into the river to save me. Then, as the tension of the moment was building, my dad yells from the shoreline, “It’s only six inches deep. Stand up ya idiot!” I stood up and walked out of the river, leaving everyone to laugh at my foolishness. 

Now, I have to admit. It’s a good story—gripping and funny—but it’s not true. I wasn’t struggling to get out of the river because I thought it was over my head. I knew it was shallow there (although it was definitely deeper than six inches). I was struggling because the current was so strong. Every time I tried to stand up, it would wash my feet out from under me and carry me further down the river. I would try again, and it would happen again. I wasn’t strong enough to stand against the current. 

It is extremely hard to fight against the current when everything is heading in a different direction. We’re experiencing that today in our own culture. There are many areas where our culture has gathered momentum and they are flowing like a raging river—all headed in the same direction. Then, when we try to stand against it, it’s hard. Our feet get easily swept out from underneath us and we’re carried a little further down stream with the culture. We try to stand again, but are swept a little further downstream with the culture. Some eventually get sick and tired of trying to stand—they think the fight is futile—so they give up and get swept away. 

We see some of this happening at the beginning of Ruth. The story of Ruth begins with these ominous words: “In the days when the judges ruled…” (Ruth 1:1, ESV). This was not a good time in the history of God’s people. As you read through the book of Judges, you regularly find yourself cringing at the things God’s people were doing. The repeated refrain throughout the book of Judges is two fold. You either hear, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” (Judges 3:7, ESV) OR you read the last line of the book of Judges: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, ESV). These are the phrases that characterized this period in the life of God’s people. They were turning away from the Lord, turning to other false gods, and doing what was right in THEIR OWN EYES. And it didn’t work out well for them. They would find themselves in trouble, cry out to God, he would save them, then they would forget and GET WORSE. The book of Judges is a depressing read of God’s people spiraling down into the toilet. 

So, when we begin the book of Ruth, it shouldn’t surprise us to read “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land…” (Ruth 1:1, ESV). God had warned his people of this a long time ago. Deuteronomy 27 & 28 are filled with promises of cursing and blessing of God’s people. If they refuse to follow God, they will be cursed. Here’s one of those sayings: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything.” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48, ESV). So, the famine is a call to repentance. It’s a call to God’s people to turn from their wicked ways and return to him. 

Yet, what do we see happening at the beginning of Ruth? “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 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.” (Ruth 1:1–2, ESV). We see a family from Bethlehem. It says they were Ephrathites, which had basically become synonymous with Bethlehemites. The father’s name is Elimelech, which means “My God is king,” and the mothers name is Naomi, which means “Pleasant.” Sadly, the boys’ names are more like “Weeny” and “Whiny.” 

How do they respond to the famine—this call of repentance from God? They do what everyone else is doing—they do what is right in their own eyes. They don’t repent and turn back to God. They don’t trust in God. They take matters into their own hands and head to Moab. And they say they’re just going to “sojourn in the country of Moab” (Ruth 1:1) for a little bit. They’re not going to stay long. It’s not like they’re going to live there. They’re just going to pass through for a while. But when they got there, they stayed. We read, “They went into the country of Moab and remained there…They lived there about ten years” (Ruth 1:2, 4, ESV).

This is the way it is with all sin. We begin by saying, “I’ll only do it this one time.” Then we say, “I’ll only do this for a little bit.” Then we end up trapped in that sin—enslaved to that sin—and ten years later we find ourselves asking, “How in the world did I get here?” 

You might be saying to yourself, “I don’t get the big deal. I mean, why is it so bad that they went to Moab if there was no food in Bethlehem?” The land of Moab screams of godlessness. It was a tribe that began when Lot’s daughters got him drunk and slept with him. It was a tribe that hired Balaam to curse God’s people. It was one of the tribes that was supposed to be wiped out when God’s people entered the promised land. It was said of this tribe, “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.” (Deuteronomy 23:3, ESV). So, it’s a big deal when God’s people don’t trust Him to meet their needs, but turn to a godless nation to meet their needs. The famine was sent to cause God’s people to turn back to Him. Instead, this family turned further away from Him, did what was right in their own eyes, and trusted in a godless nation to help them. 

Yet, as they wander in the plains of Moab, searching for help, things get worse. Elimelech dies in a foreign land, leaving his wife and children. The narrator leaves some hope for Naomi saying, “She was left with her two sons.” (Ruth 1:3, ESV). At least she isn’t alone. But once again, we see this family take matters into their own hands. We read that “Weeny” and “Whiny” “These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth.” (Ruth 1:4, ESV). Once again, this was not something God’s people were supposed to do. This was a godless act. God’s people were told not to marry godless people who would lead them into more godlessness. But, here we see it happening.

I’m sure they were worried. I’m sure Naomi wanted to make sure she would have an heir. I’m sure they wanted to make sure their family would be extinct. Yet, rather than trusting God, they did what was right in their own eyes and took matters into their own hands. 

And, once again, it didn’t end well. Immediately after we find out about their marriage we read, “and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.” (Ruth 1:5, ESV). Before there was consolation for Naomi. At least she was LEFT with her two sons. But now, at the end of this passage, we read that Naomi is left without her sons and without her husband. She is empty. She tried to escape the famine in Bethlehem, but is now experiencing her own famine in Moab. 

This is the result when we do what is right in our own eyes and take matters into our own hands. It NEVER WORKS OUT in the long run. It may seem like we have made a wise decision. It may seem like we’ve achieved some success for a short period of time. Yet, in the end we will be left empty. Disobeying God never works. Sin never works. Sin always leads to death and destruction. It will ALWAYS lead to emptiness. 

As I studied this depressing introduction to Ruth, I couldn’t help but think of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In that story, we see a son taking matters into his own hands. He leaves his father’s house and travels to a foreign land. For a while he thinks he’s on easy street. He’s partying and living it up. But the money runs out. The friends dry up. And then we read, “And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15:16, ESV). That’s the same emptiness Naomi is feeling at this point in the story. That’s the same emptiness that results when we do what is right in our own eyes and take matters into our own hands. When you ignore God, you will be left empty and longing. 

We’re faced with a similar situation right now. We’re not facing a physical famine, but I think we would all agree that we’re facing a spiritual famine in our country. More than that—and more controversial—I’ve mentioned before that plagues are given by God to call His people to repentance—just like a famine. I’ve also mentioned that God gives a nation wicked rulers as a sign to His people that they need to repent. How many more signs do we need? 

The question is, “How are we going to respond?” Will we repent and turn back to God? OR will we be like Elimelech—claiming the name that God is King but acting like He’s not. Will we be like Elimelech and do what the culture around us is doing? Will we be like Elimelech and do what is right in our own eyes and take matters into our own hands? I hope not, because we’ve seen the consequences of that at the beginning of this story. It will only leave us empty and longing. 

The answer is to repent—to turn from our sin—and trust God to provide for us and to bring salvation. And, I have to be clear when I say this. I’m not just calling for some general repentance of our nation. I’m not just calling for repentance for all those people “out there.” I’m talking to myself. I’m talking to you. We need to take time to really evaluate our lives. We need to ask ourselves, “In what areas am I doing what is right in my own eyes? In what areas am I taking things into my own hands? In what areas am I no longer trusting in my God?” It may be greed, pride, gluttony, sexuality, laziness, etc… If you see it in your life, repent of it—turn away from it. Right now. Don’t wait. If you wait, you will slowly slide back into it and be enslaved once again—trapped. Turn away from it now and RUN AWAY!

And then we can experience this beautiful promise from the Old Testament: “Yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.” (2 Chronicles 6:37–39, ESV).

Trusting in ourselves, doing what is right in our own eyes, and taking matters into our own hands only leads to emptiness and despair. But when we repent, and turn back to God in faith, we receive the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, the new life we have in him, and the fulness of his blessings. So, repent and believe.