Setting The Stage In Ruth

Ruth 1: 1-2

This is a beautiful little story that can teach us some important theological truths, lived out by these simple people.

(1) Now it came about

This story begins with wayehi (literally, "and it was"), usually translated as "Now it came to pass," or in modern stories we might say, "It came upon a time." But this is not a fairy tale, "truth is stranger than fiction," and this little tale of history actually happened, and God wants us to know this charming story. 

in the days when the judges governed,

This took place during the time when Israel had come into the Promised Land and did not have a king yet, but when "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17: 6; 21: 25). Moses had warned them not to do this, in Deuteronomy 12: 8, but since they "had no king" to lead them, instead of letting the Lord be their King and following His ways, they went around and around doing evil, suffering economic ruin, returning to the Lord, and doing it all over again.

This was during the last third of the second millennium B.C. It is not necessary to put the time of this story any more precise than that.

that there was a famine in the land.

This was one of the economic downturns they experienced in those days. Which one is not important.

And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

The severity of the famine caused this man to leave his home and take his family to nearby Moab in the expectation of a fuller life, where the famine had not reached. This was not a permanent move, only a temporary sojourn, gur, "to live for a while." This is the legal status of a resident alien that usually included protection under the laws of the host land. Abandonment of one's homeland meant severance from one's family, clan, and deity.

(2) The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the name of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

The name Elimelech means "God is King," Naomi means "pleasant" or "lovely." The first son's name, Mahlon, means "sickly," and his brother's name rhymes with his, Kilion, and means "weak."

So this little family traveled to this other country and lived there for a while, so that's where the boys probably grew up.

O my Father, thank You for this little story of Your faithfulness and love for us. Thank You for showing us how You provide for us, even when we are unaware of all the machinations You are guiding us through to Your conclusion and purpose.

Father, we can see that this family had no idea of how You would use their decisions to further Your great Plan of the Ages. And we are also unaware of how You are using our choices, because we do not see our personal futures. We can plan out where we want to go, but our steps are guided by You into the path each of us is to take, so You will receive all the credit, all the glory for what is done.

O Father, even when we don't see, we can trust You to lead us aright, when we turn to You and take Your hand to lead and guide us through the darkness into Your great eternal Light.

Send us out, Father, to share with the world how much You have loved all of us to send Your own Son to be our Savior and rescue us. Let us broadcast Your Good News to every nation, so that every living person will hear, and realize how accessible You are to everyone who turns to You.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!