"In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for awhile in the country of Moab." (Ruth 1:1 NIV)
Famine sent Naomi and Elimelek into self-preservation mode. Their attempt to meet their own needs cost them far more than they gained. Naomi came home without husband or son. She went into Moab hungry, but she came home bitter.
In thin seasons, such as famine or inflation or even recession, we are tempted to run away in search of resources. This sort of self-preservation is actually self-destructive. Moab means loss. Moab will extract more than multiply.
Meanwhile, back at home, God had provided.
"The Lord had come to the aid of His people by providing food for them," (Ruth 1:6 NIV)
God meets the needs of His people, plain and simple.
Naomi’s life didn’t really begin to turn around until she came back to Judah. When she returned to her homeland, she returned to God’s will for her life. See, God expected His people to live in His Promised Land. The bordering countries were broken: filled with idol worshipers and child-sacrificers. The blessing for God’s people was bound up in the nation of Israel.
God still expects His people to live in close proximity. We don’t hold to a land any longer, but we do hold to His presence. The problem with our flights of self-preservation is that they send us out of His presence. When we are far from God, we find it hard to hear from Him. When we can’t hear Him, we can’t possibly attain His will. Staying near enough to hear His whisper puts us in proximity for His provision as well.
When Naomi returned to Judah, she began to remember God’s way of accomplishing things. It was in Judah where she recalled how the edges of fields were left for the disenfranchised. It was in Judah where she recognized her Kinsmen Redeemer. It was in Judah where she encountered the kindness of Boaz. The best place to experience God’s provision is in close proximity to His presence.
Amazingly, Ruth the Moabite, understood the power of proximity. She had lived within Naomi’s influence long enough to see firsthand how the people lived different than the rest of the world. And even when nearness to Naomi would cost her comfort, connections and culture, she refused to let her mother-in-law out of her sight. Naomi possessed something Ruth refused to live without: the knowledge of the One True God.
"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17 NIV)
Ruth represents the level of tenacity we should take on when we encounter God. We can adopt this “follow you anywhere” mentality. When we finally recognize God as our source for everything that matters most, we cling to Him as the life preserver He is.
So times are tough. Money is tight. Belts are cinched. Resist the urge to move to the Moab of self-preservation. Hold fast to God instead. He is our source. Moab may feed us momentarily, but it will come at a terrible cost. Instead, let us keep living out the will of God, trusting in His remarkable ability to provide for His people in season and out.
"I was young and I now am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."" (Psalm 37:25 NIV)
Lord, forgive us for our flights of self-preservation. Today we recognize our own Moab and we realize that only heartache awaits those who move away from You. You sustained Your Israelites in the wilderness; manna will happen here, too. Give us the determination to stay near enough to receive Your provision: confident that You possess all we require. Amen.