Moab

I'm doing a Bible study on Ruth....the Kinsmen Redeemer. Ruth is one of my favorite books and I love looking at it from all different perspectives. Recently, a friend of mine wrote a book on Ruth, focusing on the aspect of the famine that the people are enduring.....in this Bible study, we are focusing more on Boaz and what his relationship represents to Ruth and for us as well. And there are many other nuggets of truth tucked all through the pages of this story.....I love it!
As I studied the first chapter last week there was one small point that kept tugging at me....something I knew needed to be applied to my life in a personal way......
It all centered around the fact that Elimelech left Bethlehem (a portion of the promise land) to go to a land that God specifically commanded that he not be a part of....in fact, his ancestors before him were supposed to completely wipe out these people, not leave a remnant at all. But instead, they were allowed to remain, and now Elemelech has decided to go and live among them.....all because of a famine. But it's not just any famine....it's a famine, in the PROMISE LAND....the land they had to wander for 40 years before they were allowed to enter....the land God specifically set aside for His people....a land He promised to prosper. But here is a man, trying to decide the best way to care for his family. In some ways, i sympathize with him.....it was the man's responsibility to care and provide for his family....and here he is, in a dry and barren land, watching his family get weaker and more discouraged as the days dragged on. I'm sure there are many men who would have done the same thing....at least entertained the idea. But nonetheless, he packed up his family and moved them to this land where apparently the 'grass was greener'.
Well, to make a long story short, possibly because of his poor decision making skills, he died....he and his two sons....leaving his wife and 2 daughter-in-laws without any means of provision, in a land where they are foreigners. In many ways, it's a sad story....if it were to end there. But fortunately, we serve a perfect God who can even use the mistakes and poor judgement of sinful man to accomplish His purpose....but we will save that for another day. The question that seemed to keep popping up in the back of my mind was: "Where do I go when things get tough?"....where do I turn and were do I head towards when things get uncomfortable? I'm not proud to admit it, but I dont' always stay in the place God has provided for me. Sometimes that place doesn't look very "promising" to me.....sometimes it looked a little dry and barren to me. And again, I'm not proud to admit it, but it doesn't always have to be a famine that causes me to look across the river to the greener pastures of Moab.....how quickly I forget the promises and faithfulness of God.....and the discipline of God. The whole reason they were in a famine to begin with was because of their sin....it was during the period of the Judges and we all know the "theme" of that time: everyone did what was right in their own eyes! This was not a time of rejoicing over the rewards of the promise land, but a time of selfishness and unrest....what a shame. And what a shame that I too, seek what is right in my own eyes too.
But it makes me even more grateful for the faithfulness, the provision, the promises, and yes even the discipline of God.
The very cool part of the story is that for some reason, Naomi, Elimilech's widow decided to "return" to where the Lord was.....when things got really bad, she turned to the Lord....again, i have to ask myself: where do i turn when things get bad? Do I turn to things specifically forbidden by the Lord? (my own strength, others, distractions, escape, etc)....or am I more like Naomi, and do I turn to the Lord? (His Word, His promises, prayer, etc). I know which one I want to be like, and from now on, since I finally listened to the nagging voice during my Bible study, I'm going to strive to be a Naomi!