Ruth: Chapter One - The Tragedy

Rth 1:1 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 Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Rth 1:2 And 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 Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

God works in the small things. Our tendency is to look for Him in greatness. The history of His works show an occasion for this, but more often His plans are at work where nobody is looking. God had plans, and He prodded Elimelech, and Elimelech moved to Moab.

This is along the progression of the seed of the woman, mentioned in Genesis 3:15. What unknown warfare took place in Moab then? And the result? 3 dead, no seed.

Rth 1:3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Rth 1:4 And 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.
Rth 1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

Where's God when things go so badly? I lost a son, myself. He was 5. A victory for Satan? It ain't over till it's over.

It appears that whatever happened to the two young men must have been simultaneous, or at very close intervals. This is a tragedy. And God is at work.

Rth 1:6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

Don't you love the perspective here? The LORD visited His people in giving them bread. How blessed we are when we have bread! The Lord has visited us!

Rth 1:7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
Rth 1:8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

Naomi hears about the bread and heads back to her homeland. Her daughters-in-law begin to follow along, but she has nothing to offer them, and bids them to stay with their own people. But don't miss the blessing here: the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.

dealt with the dead: There is a theme running through this book regarding the dead. You don't want to miss that. We'll see more about the dead later in the story. Christ dealt with the dead, didn't He?

Rth 1:9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
Rth 1:10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

Initially, both were willing to accompany their destitute mother-in-law. The love between the members of that family must have been great.

Rth 1:11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Rth 1:12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
Rth 1:13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
Rth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

Orpah did the right thing, as far as she knew. It made sense. It was practical. I would not condemn Orpah for turning back, considering the situation. But this is where Orpah's story ends, and Ruth's begins.

And here is a lesson for us. Ruth was told to leave. She was told that there was nothing for her. Nothing to gain, as far as Ruth was concerned.

Ruth is willing to go, because Ruth is more concerned about Naomi than her own well being. She's not going to leave Naomi. Naomi insists that she go back. Ruth says no.

Where is your faith? Is your love for Christ conditional on what you get from Him? Like so many today, are you looking for that blessing? Or is there something inside you that clings to Him in spite of the storm? Even though He bids you to leave, as it may seem at times, where is your heart?

Consider this woman:

Mark 7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Mark 7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

"Okay," says the woman, "so the Savior of the world just called me a dog. What do I do with that?"

Mark 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
Mark 7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

So the lesson for us is to hang on to God. Like Ruth forsook all and clung to Naomi, and partook of her suffering, we are to forsake all and cling to Christ, and partake of His suffering. Ruth had no idea what was around the next corner. Isn't that how God leads us? We have no idea where following Him will lead, not while we are in this world. All we know is that we need to be with Him.

Rth 1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Rth 1:17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
Rth 1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

I chose the book Ruth because it gets overlooked a lot, yet there is a lot in it.

Here you have a story of a famine that leads a man to take his wife and two sons to live in another land.

It is in these small things that so often go unnoticed that God is at work. You read the story and find Naomi left destitute, saying call me Mara, for God has dealt bitterly with me!

So God is at work in the deepest pits of human suffering and anguish. When did God raise up Moses? While the Jews were partying in the streets? No they were in bitter bondage, and their children were in constant danger of being killed. But God was at work. God had plans, and was about to do something very great.

But the beauty of the story, and one which we can all learn, is the beauty of sacrifice.

Ruth just sacrificed everything she knew to be with this woman, Naomi. Her love for this woman, her mother-in-law, poured deep.

Rth 1:19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
Rth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Rth 1:21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

What a joy to see Naomi again! Or was it? Call me Mara, she says.

Did you ever know someone going through hell? They lift up a few choice words directed against the Almighty.

Job is a rare bird. Not everybody is a Job, and God knows that.

So Naomi didn't curse God, but she definitely laid the blame for her suffering at His door. And rightly so, for even Satan cannot touch God's people unless permission is granted from On High. I call it the bottom line signature. Whatever suffering you experience, whether it is a direct consequence of sin, or a trial God has brought into your life, the bottom line is that God is in charge, working all things for good to those who really love Him (Regardless of those few choice words, where is your heart really? God knows.). And God is at work here even at the bottom of the Valley of Naomi.

I was once confronted with a question by a philosophy teacher. Where does the mountain begin and the valley end? Later I understood that the mountain begins at the bottom. When you're at your lowest, the only way to go is up.

So here's another analogy. When does the harvest begin?

Rth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Things are looking up.