The Road of Compromise
"In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food." Ruth 1:1-6
As we read in the opening verse, the events that Ruth records take place during the times of the Judges. In this period, judges ruled the nation of Israel. These were dark days in Israel’s history. The closing verse of the book of Judges, which comes immediately before Ruth, gives us the reason behind these dark times. It reads, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Let’s take a look at how a family’s road to a better life ended in tragedy and how God began to redeem a ruined situation.
1. Elimelech’s retreat from the land of Bethlehem
In the first 3 verses we read, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.”
Did Elimelech, the husband of Naomi and Father of two sons, make the right choice to leave Bethlehem for Moab in a time of famine? There are times in life when we all have to make choices, big ones and little ones. Sometimes in life we come to a crossroad—a life defining moment when the choice we make will have irrevocable consequences. Elimelech came to such a crossroad. There was a famine in his hometown in Bethlehem and as he assessed the situation, it appears he determined that there was plenty of provision in Moab to feed his family. So he made the choice to pack his bags and move to Moab temporarily.
The book of Ruth certainly teaches us that our decisions have consequences. However, we must not conclude from this that our destinies are solely determined and controlled by the decisions we make or the decisions that life makes for us. The book of Ruth also demonstrates that God’s hand of providence is at work directing the outcome of those decisions to fulfill His sovereign and good purposes in and through the lives of His people.
But Did Elimelech make the right move when he chose to move his family to Moab from Bethlehem in a time of famine? I want to submit to you that he chose the wrong path.
The famine, which led Elimelech to take the road to Moab in search of bread, was no doubt God’s judgment on His disobedient people. It appears that this famine occurred during the Midianite oppression recorded in Judge 6:1-4. After seven years of oppression, the Israelites cried unto the Lord in repentance and God heard their cries. In answer to their prayers, God called Gideon to deliver them from the Midianites and from the famine that resulted from their oppression.
Elimelech left Bethlehem, which means "house of bread", seeking better circumstances for him and his family, but at what cost? Did Elimelech, whose name means “my God is king,” even consider the cost? Interestingly, the name of his son Mahlon means "weak" and the name of his son Chilion means "frail." When he made his move to Moab, did he consider how the perverseness of that society would impact the lives of his weak and frail sons?
As Iain Duguig observed, “Many bear the label ‘Christian,” yet their Christianity has no real impact on life-defining decisions, just as Elimelech bore the name “My God is King” yet lived in a way that made it evident that God wasn’t his king at all. The road we choose for ourselves often make our deepest heart commitments plain for all to see.”
Elimelech left Bethlehem, the house of bread, the very town where Jesus, the bread of life, would one day be born, to go to Moab in search for the bread of the world. But at the end of the road he and his family learned that there’s no bread in Moab.
2. Naomi’s ruin in the land of Moab
It’s seems that what Elimelech intended to be a temporary move according to verse one, became a more permanent stay. In verse one. we read that they went to “sojourn” in the country of Moab and in verse 3, we learn that when they got there, they “remained there.”
The longer they lingered in Moab, the more complacent they became.
“Let’s just live together first and then we will get married.” If your boyfriend or girlfriend says that to you, not only should you refuse to make that sinful compromise, the person suggesting it is not someone you should marry. Don’t settle for the bread of Moab. Jesus the bread of life is so much more and has so much more for you.
After leaving the land of promise for the land of compromise and getting comfortable there, there’s a sudden turn of events. Beginning in verse 3, we read: “But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years”
After the death of Elimelech, Naomi and her two sons, weak and frail, had a decision to make. They could get right with the Lord, and return to Bethlehem or stay in Moab. Interestingly, Moab means “who’s your Father,” which was the name that was given to the son born of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his older daughter. The Moabites where their descendants.
The death of Elimelech in the land of “who’s your Father” should have been a wake up call to return to the land of the God of their Fathers, but instead they chose to remain in Moab. Sadly, they still felt more secure in the land of compromise than in the land of promise. They still considered that their chances for a better life would be best in Moab than in Judah.
“As a result of the road not taken, Naomi’s sons then took Moabite women as wives (Ruth 1:4), even though the Law of Moses had commanded them not to do so (Deut. 7:3). After all, they probably thought to themselves, who else was there to choose from? Once entered upon, the road to continued and deepened disobedience is often smoothly paved and provides little resistance.” -Ian Duguid
Even after the death of her husband, everything seemed to be going well circumstantially. When someone was a widow in those days, family was critical to their physical well-being. So Naomi and her sons got even more comfortable and for ten years everything seemed to be working out as they had hoped, except for the fact that both of her sons’ wives were barren. In those days barrenness was clearly a way that God dealt with the waywardness of His covenant people, which should have been another sign that God was not blessing the family.
But the barrenness would not be the worse thing to come upon Naomi’s family. Tragedy struck again. After being settled in Moab for ten years, God’s word says, “and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband” (Ruth 1:5).
Anytime a mother experiences the death of any of her children, there is incredible grief and pain. But in Naomi’s situation, not only did she lose her sons and her prospects for security, her means of survival were drastically diminished. As a widow without children in a foreign land, Naomi was in dire straits.
3. Naomi’s return to the land of Bethlehem
Although this time it seems like her circumstances were making the choice for her, Naomi has come to another crossroad in her life—another defining moment. Sometime after the death of her two sons, we read, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6). The famine that led Naomi’s husband to take his wife and family down the road to Moab from Bethlehem was over. God visited His people and provided food. This no doubt means that the people of God, who were under the judgment of God, repented and experienced God’s mercy and deliverance.
Like many today, including Christians, when there’s a famine in their marriage, or a conflict at church, or challenges at work, too often their first instinct is to think that the grass is greener on the other side. Instead of looking to God’s grace to give us the wisdom and endurance to work it out, we choose the road to Moab, the road of least resistance, we choose divorce, we choose to leave the church, we choose to move to another state in pursuit of the American dream. All the while we never stop to seek God’s direction.
Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem wasn’t just due to her circumstances or compulsion. Her decision to return came after hearing in the fields of Moab that God had visited His people. I want to suggest to you that what she heard in the fields of Moab, in the land of regret, despair, and hopelessness, was a message from heaven that put a spark of hope in her heart and gave her strength to humble herself, leave the land of rebellion, and begin her journey back to Bethlehem, back to the house of bread and land of the God of her Fathers.
In stark contrast to Elimelech, who left Bethlehem in a time of famine seeking a false blessing in Moab, Jesus left the glories of heaven to die on a cross so that we can receive the blessings of heaven. And because Jesus, the Bread of Life, took on flesh and came to this earth to seek and save the lost, there’s hope. There’s a road to redemption for everyone who recognizes that they have taken the road of their own way seeking their own happiness and pleasure in rebellion against God, a road that leads to spiritual ruin, emptiness, and ultimately eternal separation from God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Where are you today? If God has given you the grace to wake up and see that the road you’re on is the road to Moab, the road of compromise away from God—a path of ruin and regret, choose the path that God in His mercy is offering you. Don’t linger any longer. Don’t wait till it’s too late. There’s no bread in Moab.
Run to Jesus in repentance and faith. He’s waiting with open arms to embrace you with His love—to restore and redeem you. Keep looking to Him day by day. Only Jesus, the bread of heaven, can satisfy your deepest need. Whatever the crossroad, or conflict, don’t simply choose the road of least resistance. Choose the road of persistence, of staying faithful to where God has called you, which is the only road that God bestows His heavenly provision to fulfill His good plan for your life.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:4-5
In your service,
Pastor Marco
As we read in the opening verse, the events that Ruth records take place during the times of the Judges. In this period, judges ruled the nation of Israel. These were dark days in Israel’s history. The closing verse of the book of Judges, which comes immediately before Ruth, gives us the reason behind these dark times. It reads, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Let’s take a look at how a family’s road to a better life ended in tragedy and how God began to redeem a ruined situation.
1. Elimelech’s retreat from the land of Bethlehem
In the first 3 verses we read, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.”
Did Elimelech, the husband of Naomi and Father of two sons, make the right choice to leave Bethlehem for Moab in a time of famine? There are times in life when we all have to make choices, big ones and little ones. Sometimes in life we come to a crossroad—a life defining moment when the choice we make will have irrevocable consequences. Elimelech came to such a crossroad. There was a famine in his hometown in Bethlehem and as he assessed the situation, it appears he determined that there was plenty of provision in Moab to feed his family. So he made the choice to pack his bags and move to Moab temporarily.
The book of Ruth certainly teaches us that our decisions have consequences. However, we must not conclude from this that our destinies are solely determined and controlled by the decisions we make or the decisions that life makes for us. The book of Ruth also demonstrates that God’s hand of providence is at work directing the outcome of those decisions to fulfill His sovereign and good purposes in and through the lives of His people.
But Did Elimelech make the right move when he chose to move his family to Moab from Bethlehem in a time of famine? I want to submit to you that he chose the wrong path.
The famine, which led Elimelech to take the road to Moab in search of bread, was no doubt God’s judgment on His disobedient people. It appears that this famine occurred during the Midianite oppression recorded in Judge 6:1-4. After seven years of oppression, the Israelites cried unto the Lord in repentance and God heard their cries. In answer to their prayers, God called Gideon to deliver them from the Midianites and from the famine that resulted from their oppression.
Elimelech left Bethlehem, which means "house of bread", seeking better circumstances for him and his family, but at what cost? Did Elimelech, whose name means “my God is king,” even consider the cost? Interestingly, the name of his son Mahlon means "weak" and the name of his son Chilion means "frail." When he made his move to Moab, did he consider how the perverseness of that society would impact the lives of his weak and frail sons?
As Iain Duguig observed, “Many bear the label ‘Christian,” yet their Christianity has no real impact on life-defining decisions, just as Elimelech bore the name “My God is King” yet lived in a way that made it evident that God wasn’t his king at all. The road we choose for ourselves often make our deepest heart commitments plain for all to see.”
Elimelech left Bethlehem, the house of bread, the very town where Jesus, the bread of life, would one day be born, to go to Moab in search for the bread of the world. But at the end of the road he and his family learned that there’s no bread in Moab.
2. Naomi’s ruin in the land of Moab
It’s seems that what Elimelech intended to be a temporary move according to verse one, became a more permanent stay. In verse one. we read that they went to “sojourn” in the country of Moab and in verse 3, we learn that when they got there, they “remained there.”
The longer they lingered in Moab, the more complacent they became.
“Let’s just live together first and then we will get married.” If your boyfriend or girlfriend says that to you, not only should you refuse to make that sinful compromise, the person suggesting it is not someone you should marry. Don’t settle for the bread of Moab. Jesus the bread of life is so much more and has so much more for you.
After leaving the land of promise for the land of compromise and getting comfortable there, there’s a sudden turn of events. Beginning in verse 3, we read: “But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years”
After the death of Elimelech, Naomi and her two sons, weak and frail, had a decision to make. They could get right with the Lord, and return to Bethlehem or stay in Moab. Interestingly, Moab means “who’s your Father,” which was the name that was given to the son born of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his older daughter. The Moabites where their descendants.
The death of Elimelech in the land of “who’s your Father” should have been a wake up call to return to the land of the God of their Fathers, but instead they chose to remain in Moab. Sadly, they still felt more secure in the land of compromise than in the land of promise. They still considered that their chances for a better life would be best in Moab than in Judah.
“As a result of the road not taken, Naomi’s sons then took Moabite women as wives (Ruth 1:4), even though the Law of Moses had commanded them not to do so (Deut. 7:3). After all, they probably thought to themselves, who else was there to choose from? Once entered upon, the road to continued and deepened disobedience is often smoothly paved and provides little resistance.” -Ian Duguid
Even after the death of her husband, everything seemed to be going well circumstantially. When someone was a widow in those days, family was critical to their physical well-being. So Naomi and her sons got even more comfortable and for ten years everything seemed to be working out as they had hoped, except for the fact that both of her sons’ wives were barren. In those days barrenness was clearly a way that God dealt with the waywardness of His covenant people, which should have been another sign that God was not blessing the family.
But the barrenness would not be the worse thing to come upon Naomi’s family. Tragedy struck again. After being settled in Moab for ten years, God’s word says, “and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband” (Ruth 1:5).
Anytime a mother experiences the death of any of her children, there is incredible grief and pain. But in Naomi’s situation, not only did she lose her sons and her prospects for security, her means of survival were drastically diminished. As a widow without children in a foreign land, Naomi was in dire straits.
3. Naomi’s return to the land of Bethlehem
Although this time it seems like her circumstances were making the choice for her, Naomi has come to another crossroad in her life—another defining moment. Sometime after the death of her two sons, we read, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6). The famine that led Naomi’s husband to take his wife and family down the road to Moab from Bethlehem was over. God visited His people and provided food. This no doubt means that the people of God, who were under the judgment of God, repented and experienced God’s mercy and deliverance.
Like many today, including Christians, when there’s a famine in their marriage, or a conflict at church, or challenges at work, too often their first instinct is to think that the grass is greener on the other side. Instead of looking to God’s grace to give us the wisdom and endurance to work it out, we choose the road to Moab, the road of least resistance, we choose divorce, we choose to leave the church, we choose to move to another state in pursuit of the American dream. All the while we never stop to seek God’s direction.
Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem wasn’t just due to her circumstances or compulsion. Her decision to return came after hearing in the fields of Moab that God had visited His people. I want to suggest to you that what she heard in the fields of Moab, in the land of regret, despair, and hopelessness, was a message from heaven that put a spark of hope in her heart and gave her strength to humble herself, leave the land of rebellion, and begin her journey back to Bethlehem, back to the house of bread and land of the God of her Fathers.
In stark contrast to Elimelech, who left Bethlehem in a time of famine seeking a false blessing in Moab, Jesus left the glories of heaven to die on a cross so that we can receive the blessings of heaven. And because Jesus, the Bread of Life, took on flesh and came to this earth to seek and save the lost, there’s hope. There’s a road to redemption for everyone who recognizes that they have taken the road of their own way seeking their own happiness and pleasure in rebellion against God, a road that leads to spiritual ruin, emptiness, and ultimately eternal separation from God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Where are you today? If God has given you the grace to wake up and see that the road you’re on is the road to Moab, the road of compromise away from God—a path of ruin and regret, choose the path that God in His mercy is offering you. Don’t linger any longer. Don’t wait till it’s too late. There’s no bread in Moab.
Run to Jesus in repentance and faith. He’s waiting with open arms to embrace you with His love—to restore and redeem you. Keep looking to Him day by day. Only Jesus, the bread of heaven, can satisfy your deepest need. Whatever the crossroad, or conflict, don’t simply choose the road of least resistance. Choose the road of persistence, of staying faithful to where God has called you, which is the only road that God bestows His heavenly provision to fulfill His good plan for your life.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:4-5
In your service,
Pastor Marco