Scripture Reading: Ruth 1
In this message we will consider Ruth 1, a chapter that covers Elimelech’s swerving, Naomi’s returning, and Ruth’s choosing.
In verses 1 and 2 we see that Elimelech swerved from the rest in God’s economy. He was in the good land and had a portion of it, and he should have remained there. Remaining in the good land that God has promised and given is the real rest. Elimelech foolishly swerved from this wonderful rest.
Israel, as God’s elect, was living in the God-promised land for the carrying out of God’s economy. This means that staying in the good land is not just for us to earn a living but for us to participate in the carrying out of God’s economy.
Israel’s rest, their prosperity for their enjoyment and their contentment, was related to their situation with God in His economy. For an Israelite to leave the good land meant that he was cutting himself off from God’s eternal economy.
The book of Ruth speaks of Christ being brought into mankind through incarnation. This is the real rest. Ruth is thus a book of rest. As we will see, after Ruth married Boaz, they brought forth a child, Obed, and Ruth enjoyed a rest with an absolute satisfaction and full expectation for her descendants. The following generations enjoyed rest under David. Then after one thousand years, they enjoyed the real rest with the Lord Jesus. Two thousand years later, this rest will be enjoyed in a fuller way in the millennial kingdom with Christ as the King. After the millennium, the enjoyment of this rest will consummate in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth for eternity. This matter of rest is the key to the book of Ruth.
Elimelech’s mistake was to swerve from the ground, the standing, which gave him the opportunity to enjoy the rest in the good land. He swerved from Bethlehem in Judah.
Bethlehem, the city of David, was designated as the birthplace of the coming Christ (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4-7). In the eyes of God, Bethlehem was a very special place, for it was the place where He, through incarnation, would be born to be a man.
Judah was the land of the royal tribe among Israel (Gen. 49:8-10). Of all the tribes, no tribe had a higher allotment of the land than Judah. It was the top part of the God-promised land (Exo. 3:8b), the top part of the good land (Deut. 8:7-10), and the top part of the land of Immanuel (Isa. 8:8). How mistaken Elimelech was in swerving from this land!
Elimelech swerved from Bethlehem in Judah to Moab, a place of incest rejected and condemned by God. Moab was a country of the descendants of Lot through his incest (Gen. 19:30-38). It was also a country of the people who were not allowed to enter into the assembly of Jehovah because of the incest of their forefathers (Deut. 23:2-3) and because of their mistreatment of Israel (v. 4). Furthermore, Moab was a country of people whose peace and prosperity God would not allow Israel to seek all their days forever (v. 6). Finally, Moab was a country of idolatry (Judg. 10:6).
Elimelech left in the days of the rule of the judges, under Israel’s forsaking of God and under their degradation, confusion, and corruption.
Elimelech left due to a famine in the good land, a lacking of life supply for living and satisfaction as a punishment of God (Lev. 26:26; Ezek. 14:13). We may wonder how there could be a famine in the good land since God had promised that it would be a land flowing with milk and honey. God sent a famine to His people as a serious punishment. He punished them by stopping their food supply. Because they had forsaken Him as their source and Husband and had gone to idols, He let them go to their idols for food as well. There was no food from God and no food from the illegal husband of their harlotry.
Elimelech left the good land with his wife and two sons, who were good for the increase of the kingdom of God.
Ruth 1:3 and 5 speak of God’s chastisement over the house of Elimelech. Elimelech was punished by God with death upon himself and his two sons. This left his wife, Naomi, as a widow with two daughters-in-law in a foreign country. That was the pitiful result of Elimelech’s swerving from the rest in God’s eternal economy.
In verses 4 through 7 and 19 through 22 we see Naomi’s returning to the rest in God’s economy.
Naomi returned from Moab, the country of idolatry.
Naomi returned to Judah, the land of Immanuel.
Naomi returned because she had been stripped by God first of her husband and then of her two sons, leaving her and her two daughters-in-law as widows without children (vv. 5, 20-21). Naomi returned also because she had heard that Jehovah had visited His people by giving them food (v. 6). In the Lord’s recovery, we also have experienced the Lord’s merciful visitation. During the last several years He has blessed us and supplied us with rich food.
Naomi returned with Ruth, her daughter-in-law given to her by God for the accomplishment of His economy concerning Christ (v. 22a).
Naomi arrived at Bethlehem, the birthplace of the coming Christ (vv. 19a, 22b).
All the city was stirred because of Naomi and Ruth, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” (v. 19b). Naomi said to them, “Do not call me Naomi [meaning ‘my pleasantness’]; call me Mara [meaning ‘bitterness’]; for the All-sufficient One has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, when Jehovah has afflicted me and the All-sufficient One has dealt harshly with me?” (vv. 20-21).
In verses 8 through 18 we have an account of Ruth’s choosing for her goal.
Naomi made a proposal to her two daughters-in-law for their future. She said to them, “Go and return, each of you, to your mother’s house. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, just as you have dealt with the dead and with me. May Jehovah grant you to find rest, each of you in the house of your husband” (vv. 8-9a). Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept, saying to her, “No, we will return with you to your people” (vv. 9b-10). Naomi told them to return and then asked them, “Why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Return, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I said, I have hope; even if I had a husband tonight and even bore sons; would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having a husband? No, my daughters; it has been far more bitter for me than it should be for you, for the hand of Jehovah has gone forth against me” (vv. 11-13). When the daughters-in-law heard this, they lifted up their voice and wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi said to Ruth, “Your sister-in-law has now returned to her people and to her gods; return with your sister-in-law” (vv. 14-15).
Ruth said to Naomi, “Do not entreat me to leave you and turn away from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you dwell, I will dwell; and your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die; and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more as well, if anything but death parts me from you” (vv. 16-17). When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she ceased speaking to her about it (v. 18).
Ruth chose the goal of participating with God’s elect in the enjoyment of Christ, and she even became a top ancestor of Christ who helped bring forth Christ into mankind. This was more than just a resolution on the part of the Moabite widow; it was a goal, a choosing. Ruth chose God and His kingdom for the carrying out of God’s economy concerning Christ. Hallelujah for such a goal and for such a person choosing this goal!
