Consequences of a Life Without God (Ruth 1:1-5)

Ruth 1:1-5 “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. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.  But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.  These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

This week we started in the book of Ruth.  We only looked at one big theme in this text: the consequences of a life without God.  Even though Elimelech was probably a “Christian” of the day it is obvious that God was not his Lord.  As we see in the text, things were going bad for God’s people in Bethlehem, God is still the one we are to place our trust in.  It is obvious from this story that Elimalech did not have his trust in God, which is odd because his name means “my God is king”.

His intent was to move his family from Bethlehem, to Moab, so that they wouldn’t die.  On the surface this seems like a good thing.  But if we look deeper we see that is not the case.  A Jew moving to Moab then, would be like a Christian moving to Saudi Arabia today…bad.  There was a lot of bad blood with the Jews and Moabites during that day, and it wasn’t a good idea.  On top of that God’s people were not supposed to associate with them because of two parts of their history.  First, they’re origin: they came out of the lineage of Lot and his daughter through incest.  Second, at one point God offered to redeem them but they would not repent and turn to Him, so they were left to their own selves and sins.

On top of all that leaving God’s people and God’s land shows a lack of faith and trust in God.  Therefore Elimelech makes a choice apart from God to go and live away from God’s people.  And both he and his whole family pay the consequences.  He and his sons die (somehow, we aren’t told how).  The very thing they sought to prevent happened.  And his wife and daughters-in-law were left with the consequences.

This is what life can be like for us today if we refuse to live with God.  We are left to reap the consequences of the seed we sow, and are left without God’s protection and guidance.  And on top of that, when we step out and do our own thing, it isn’t just us who are hurt, but often the people around us as well.  We should all take this opportunity to reflect on the guidance and protection that God provides and embrace His love and grace and forgiveness of our sins.