God had made his intentions and commands known to the Israelites about how they were to live.  But by the time of the Judges, they were doing as they pleased – as each man thought best. 

BACKGROUND TO RUTH

In OT, famine was often a time of discipline.

Do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.  But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon and you and overtake you: … The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.  The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; Deut. 28: 14-15, 23-24

If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.  I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze.  Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.  Lev. 26:18-20

It was the time of the Judges when idol worship, among other things, had become a repeated sin.

Every man did as he saw fit. – Judges 17:6 

We can easily compare the day of Judges with today – a time in our own history when anything goes, when obvious sins are accepted, or where, for a time, the path may be difficult or unpleasant and the tendency is to take the easy road. 

There is no easy way to do life these days and especially as a Christian we can do things the hard way or the harder way.  Either way, God’s way is the only way that will stand the test.

God had brought famine to Bethlehem – which means House of Bread.  Moab was wealthy and abundant.  Moab was where Lot went when he and Abraham separated.  Lot, fearing that Zoar (the city to which he fled), might also be destroyed, went up to the mountain and dwelt in a cave, where, by an incestuous relationship with his two daughters, became the ancestor of the two nations Moab and Ammon.

The LORD said “Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.  … Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.  When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.  Deuteronomy 2:9, 18-19

And, as God also said, ‘Moab is my washpot’.  Psalm 60:8

Yet when the LORD brought famine to Bethlehem, Elimelech took his family to Moab, to sojourn there – the one place to which God said they were not to go. 

We can easily turn from the hard choices to something the world gives us that looks good our eye  and easier.  Yet the Bible says:

Trust in the LORD and do good.  Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  Psalm 37:3

This is a scripture we will all have the opportunity to practice at one time or another in our lives.  However, while widowhood is a never judgment upon a woman’s life, it does bring its own trouble and difficulty – emotionally, practically, financially, spiritually.

As Warren Weirsby writes in his beautiful ‘Be Committed’ study on Ruth:

WHEN TROUBLE COMES INTO OUR LIVES WE CAN: 
ENDURE IT, ESCAPE IT OR ENLIST IT.[2]

ENDURE IT – It becomes our master and we run the risk of becoming bitter.

ESCAPE IT – We run the risk of missing the purpose God wants to achieve in our lives.

ENLIST IT – Our trials become our servants instead of our masters and work for us, and God will work them together for His glory and our good.  (Romans 8:28)

Abraham walked by sight and not by faith when he encountered the famine in the land of promise.  In Genesis 12:10 – instead of waiting for God to tell him what to do, he headed off to Egypt and got himself into trouble – where Sarai was taken captive and Abraham lied to save his own life. 

No matter how difficult our problems – the safest place is in the will of God. 

Trust in the LORD and do good.  Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  Psalm 37:3

When the Shepherd puts forth all his own, he goes ahead, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  John 10:4  

At such a hard moment time of our lives, cultivating faithfulness may be just learning to hear the Shepherd’s voice – and following Him first. 

Or, if we already know and recognize His voice, we can build on that knowledge as He teaches us something new in our lives. 

Dear LORD I pray that my heart and mind will be blessed with full knowledge and understanding of Your direction for me.  I pray that, with the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will recognize Your voice and cultivate the faithfulness I need to stand firm in obeying You.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen 

If you do not have access to a Bible, you can access the Bible online at the following link:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ruth%201&version=NASB  

This link will take you directly to Ruth Chapter 1.  If you want to go to the next chapter, just type in Ruth 2 in the passage lookup link towards the top of the page and you can go to the next chapter, and so on.  You can also change the translation – by scrolling through the translations at the drop-down box to the right of the passage lookup link.  This translation is New American Standard. 

[1]  Warren W. Weirsby – p. 13, Be Committed – Doing God’s Will Whatever the Cost.  Victor Books.  ISBN 1-56476-067-7

[2] Weirsby – Be Committed, p.15