Title Wrong choice ..... Ruth 1:1-5
Content br /> We constantly encounter problems and make decisions about them. And our destiny is determined by the decisions and choices we make. Depending on the choice you make when you meet a problem, your life will change. Therefore, we must live by making the right choices. Look at the men who spyed out the land of Canaan. Those who came to spy out the land, complained, and saw themselves as locusts, died in the wrath of God. However, Joshua and Caleb, who saw the land of Canaan with the eyes of faith and believed that they could possess it, were able to enter the land of Canaan according to their faith. Their fates were completely torn by their choices.
How can we make the right choice? There is one thing to consider first in your choice, and that is the will of God. Faith. Many believers make decisions and make choices based on their thoughts, feelings, and interests rather than the will of God. Such choices inevitably lead to failure and regret. But if we make choices that are in accordance with God's will, there will be no need to worry in any case.
The book of Ruth tells the story of a family that was ruined by a moment's wrong choice. Elimelech's family encountered the problem of famine. However, they chose to emigrate to a place called Moab to escape the famine. With this choice, the family completely collapsed. The good news is that God has restored this fallen family. The book of Ruth is the story of God restoring a failed family. God restored this completely destroyed family and used it as a channel to send the Messiah. How amazing is that?
The Book of Ruth
In the book of Ruth, we see God's mercy and grace at work in people's lives. And we see how God restores the lives of His people. We hope this will be an opportunity to learn how God restores our lives as we study the book of Ruth.
famine and immigration
1:1 tells us that there was a famine in the land when the judges ruled. “When the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem, Judea, took his wife and two sons, and went to live in the region of Moab.”
A reference to Judges shows that this famine did not come by accident. When the children of Israel sinned, God delivered them into the hand of Midian. At this time, the Midianite army came and destroyed all the produce of Israel. “And the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel, and the children of Israel made for themselves pools and caves and fortresses on the mountain because of Midian; and when Israel sown, Midian and Amalek and the men of the East came up against them and encamped and came to Gaza. He destroyed the produce of the land, leaving no food in the midst of Israel, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys” (Judges 6:2-4). So even Bethlehem, which means ‘House of Bread’, suffered a severe famine.
As the famine made it difficult to live, Elimelech's family emigrated to Moab. But their decision was wrong. And their misery was the result of this wrong decision. In what ways were their choices wrong?
Deciding not by faith, but by the sight of the flesh
They decided not by faith, but by the sight of the flesh. When they saw Moab in Bethlehem, suffering from famine, it was considered a place of abundance. At least with my physical eyes, that was true. However, God's people should not make decisions based on their physical eyes alone. You must be able to see with the eyes of faith.
Although Moab appeared to be a place of abundance to the eyes of the flesh, to the eyes of faith it was a cursed place. The Moabites were idolaters and enemies of the people of Israel. God said that the Moabites and Ammonites would never enter the assembly of Jehovah. “Neither the Ammonites nor the Moabites shall come into the assembly of the Lord, and those belonging to them shall not enter the assembly of the Lord, not only teenagers, but also forever” (Deuteronomy 23:3). has not been
On the other hand, what kind of place is Bethlehem, where the famine is so severe that it is painful to live in? It was the land of blessing God had given them. Although now the famine is severe as a result of their transgression, God would heal the land if they returned to God. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). What I should have done was not to emigrate to another place, but to seek God and repent.
This is also true for us today. I don't know how many Christians humbly seek God when they face difficulties under God's discipline and try to solve them using human methods without repenting. This is because you do not fully trust God. How about you? We must not forget that if we do not try to live by faith, but by what we see, we will inevitably fail.
Lord or the world?
People fail because they try to live only for themselves rather than for the Lord. In fact, the reason there was no king in the period of the judges was not that each one had to live his own life, but that God became their king. Therefore, even without a king, if we lived in complete obedience to God, we could receive any number of blessings. “Behold, I have set before you today life and blessing, death and evil, that I command you today to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his decrees, and his decrees, that you may live and multiply. For the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are going to possess” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).
However, sinful human beings have the nature to become God and live for themselves rather than obey God and live for God. The tragedy of the period of the Judges was not that the king did not exist, but that they did not live in obedience to God. So Israel was punished by God, and a famine came to the land. Naomi's family also lived in this spirit of that time. So, when the famine came, they moved to the land of Moab.
Many Christians follow the world with the excuse that it is inevitable to live. As long as he can earn a lot of money, if he can get into a good school and job, if he can get what he wants, he will not hesitate to betray his faith. How about you? But you should know that it will cause failure. We live in the world, but we are not of the world. No matter what happens, we must live in the Lord, obey the Lord, and live for the Lord.
not knowing the root of the problem
Naomi and her family had no idea where the problem was. They thought they would avoid trouble and go to Moab. And I thought everything would be fine there. But they did not know that the problem was within themselves. They thought they were going to avoid the problem, but in reality they had a problem and took it with them, so they had no choice but to fail. Their problem was not simply that they suffered from famine, but that they were spiritually weak. My faith was weakened. A bigger problem than the famine was that they were in a spiritual famine. If the problem is within you, it is useless to run away from the outside while blaming others and blaming the environment.
The name Elimelech means ‘my God is my king’. This must have been their confession of faith. They confessed, “My God is Lord of my life and my King.” However, when a famine came and faced with problems, they made a choice that was contrary to their profession of faith. They did not trust and depend on God, the Lord and King of their lives, but they betrayed their faith and emigrated to a land of unbelief and idolatry.
Naomi means 'joy'. But pain and sorrow awaited this family who had emigrated to Moab. Malone means 'disease', and Kiryon means 'loss'. The names of their two sons are a testament to what their lives were like when they betrayed their faith. Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and her two sons, Marlon and Kirion, also died. Naomi became a miserable widow with her two daughters-in-law. Naomi had come to live a life opposite to her name of 'joy'. If you go with the problem of unbelief, you will inevitably fail wherever you go.
So are we today. How often do we forget that the problem is within us and try to solve it in the wrong place? It is the same no matter where you go with the sin of disobeying God's word. Do you have a problem today? You cannot get the problem solved until you know the root of the problem right away. However, when our relationship with God is right, all our problems will be solved. After making the wrong decision, Naomi's family eventually failed and became miserable.
You have some famine today. Failed in business? Are you experiencing financial hardship? Are you weak and afflicted with disease? Didn't get what you wanted? Have you been disappointed and hurt in your relationships? How are you facing these problems? Are you resentful or trying to escape? Are you not trying to solve it using your own wisdom and worldly methods?
Above all, try to find the will of God who caused you to face the problem. And look around yourself. Trust that God is good and merciful and is preparing to restore you and give you more grace and blessings. Look at the problem with the eyes of faith. When you do that, you will come to understand the will of God, and you will be able to make the right choices with complete trust in God. In the new year, I hope that you will make the right choice by realizing God's will through faith in all your problems. So may Heavenly Father's Restoration grace abound in your life.