In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a
man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons,
went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
Ruth 1:1
man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons,
went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
Ruth 1:1
In studying the book of Ruth, there is something to consider right off the bat. It tells us that Elimelech and Naomi left Bethlehem for Moab because of a famine. They went where they could be secure and be fed. Where they could be comfortable with their family. Not a big deal, right? The problem is that if you look at the Scriptures prior to Ruth, you see that God's people and the Moabites had a contentious relationship that lacked trust. God's people had been told not to enter into a relationship with this group and not to intermarry with them. But Elimelech chose to ignore all the previous information and go to the place where life would be easier.
In my weak, little mind, Moab came to mean a place (or a thing, person, etc.) that might provide us a comfort but not necessarily be right for us. So what is your Moab? Are you staying in a job that is comfortable even though you feel like you should move on? Do you find yourself returning to a habit (that you might even want to break) because it calms your nerves, makes you feel better, or is what you have always done? Do you have a person who comforts you but maybe not with the kind of comfort that is good for you?
In college, my Moab was a friend. Any time things didn't go the way I thought they should, if I was hurt or down, I called this person. And this person always told me what I wanted to hear. My hope would be restored - but not in what it needed to be. When I finally realized that this person was comfortable to me. This person made me ignore the things that needed to be fixed and dealt with because I focused on all the great things discussed in our conversations. Not on reality.
So maybe your Moab is a person. Maybe not. Whatever your Moab is, notice in Ruth that Moab moved Elimelech and his family further away from God. Not closer.
Just a little something to ponder.
In my weak, little mind, Moab came to mean a place (or a thing, person, etc.) that might provide us a comfort but not necessarily be right for us. So what is your Moab? Are you staying in a job that is comfortable even though you feel like you should move on? Do you find yourself returning to a habit (that you might even want to break) because it calms your nerves, makes you feel better, or is what you have always done? Do you have a person who comforts you but maybe not with the kind of comfort that is good for you?
In college, my Moab was a friend. Any time things didn't go the way I thought they should, if I was hurt or down, I called this person. And this person always told me what I wanted to hear. My hope would be restored - but not in what it needed to be. When I finally realized that this person was comfortable to me. This person made me ignore the things that needed to be fixed and dealt with because I focused on all the great things discussed in our conversations. Not on reality.
So maybe your Moab is a person. Maybe not. Whatever your Moab is, notice in Ruth that Moab moved Elimelech and his family further away from God. Not closer.
Just a little something to ponder.
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