28/03/2023 - THE RUSH OF DESTRUCTION

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The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.   Ruth 1.2

The haste of some is the reason they are destroyed. As soon as they receive bad news, they set out for some place that they think is better for themselves and their family. This happened to a man from the land of Bethlehem, who got carried away by illusion and left for Moab. In the House of Bread, meaning of the name Bethlehem, the city where King David would be born, there was drought, and there was prosperity in the country of the Moabites. 

Now, the best place is where the Lord has placed us. Crises don’t last forever; they come and go. But the desperate get desperate and do not pray to the Lord for guidance (Proverbs 14.29; 19.2). Elimelech was the head of this family, along with Naomi, his wife, and Mahlon and Chilion, their two sons. They went to another land, with a different language and customs, even the god worshiped there was invented by those who did not know the God of Israel, the one true Lord!

As the days passed, Elimelech became ill and passed away. His two sons must have looked for work and soon, as their age advanced, they married two Moabites. Their dreams were big, so they stayed there for almost ten years. However, Mahlon and Chilion also died. Where there is no faith in God, but rather in idols, the Lord’s help never comes. Naomi was left alone, without hope!

Elimelech had a beautiful name, its meaning is “my God is real.” Mahlon, the son, on the other hand, means “sickness.” The other was called Chilion: “wasting away.” It seems that these names were given to them after one became sick and there was no cure for him, and the other, for the same reason, withered to death.

Finally, the Good News arrived: Bethlehem had been transformed! The Lord visited His people and then there was bread in abundance. Naomi, whose name means “pleasant”, saw that it was time to return to her land, the House of Bread, where more than a thousand years later, the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus, would be born (John 6.35,48). She decided to return to Bethlehem with her daughters-in-law. So, the three widows prepared everything and set out on the road (Ruth 1.6,7).

When God visits our land, those who stayed and endured the ordeal find themselves far better off than those who ran away from the trouble. No one should hide from any bad news, but rather have faith in God and use the Name above every name. This will provide the solution to the problems to come. Naomi returned with little or almost nothing left, but her two daughters-in-law took pity on her (Ruth 1.9,10).

She then put her daughters-in-law to the test (Ruth. 1:8-18). Ruth means friendship, and Orpah, neck. The latter returned to her people, but Ruth went with her mother-in-law, and the Most High blessed her. She was the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Christ (Ruth. 4:13-22). Be attentive to the Word of God!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares