Bread in Bethlehem

Bethlehem was known as ‘the place of bread’ but that seemed to be only a name in the mind of Elimelech. Sure, his family had some good crops in previous years, but now the famine had hit hard and was lasting a long time. His nights were getting longer and the stories of prosperity in Moab began making the rounds in the little town of Bethlehem. With no relief in sight while carrying the weight of providing for his family, Elimelech was seeking a remedy. He finally decided that he would move his family from Bethlehem to Moab. This was the story a few years ago…

Two women are standing together on the border of Moab. One is named Naomi and the other Ruth. Elimelech has died in Moab and Naomi is now a widow. She is a determined woman though. She has had a life full of sorrow. The famine she fled a few years ago, with her husband, had been a hardship but now in Moab the pain only worsened. Not only was she a widow, but she was also without any social standing. She had no means of financial assistance, for you see her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, had also died in Moab. These boys had married pagan girls bringing them into the family. Their names are Orpah & Ruth. She encourages these young girls to go back to their people and remarry. They are young and still can have another family. Orpah returns but Ruth refuses. One of the most beautiful passages in the OT is found in Ruth 1:16-17. A paraphrase of this passage is often used in wedding ceremonies. “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”
Off to Bethlehem these two women begin walking. It most likely takes them a couple of days of solid travel, but finally they arrive at the outskirts of town. Naomi may have begun to point things out to Ruth. “This is where I met Elimelech. He was such a handsome man and we loved each other at first sight.” “This is the field that our family worked back in the day before the famine caused us to leave.” All of these memories brought joy and at the same time sadness. Joy because of the memory of times of plenty but sadness because those days have now passed. Let me share some observations from this story.
1. Hardships can bring people together. These two women were as different as night and day. One was a Jewess of Israel and one was a Gentile pagan from Moab. One was older and one was young. But the power of love bonded these two women and they were now mother and daughter bound together in love, sorrow, hardships, and they both determined that nothing except death would separate them. I have been extremely happy with the unity our church has shown during this hiatus that has stepped into everyone’s lives. We as a church have stayed unified and that makes the Lord look good. It speaks well of the members and their walk with the Lord and love for each other.
2. Hardships should cause us to search for God. We should search our souls thinking about what does God want from me. We should search the scriptures so we’ll know the mind of Christ. Elimelech’s hardship caused him to choose unwisely. After he was gone, Naomi’s hardship caused her to choose wisely. When sorrows began piling up, husband and sons dead, no financial means to survive, she was determined to go home to Bethlehem. If I die, let me die in ‘the place of bread.’ But God had plans for Naomi and Ruth.
3. Hardships are a pathway for Blessing and Peace. Naomi could share the stories of sweet fellowship with God’s people that she’d enjoyed as a young wife and mother. Ruth knew nothing about that type of fellowship for she was a pagan. A beautiful truth in the book of Ruth is the influence of Naomi. She must have been a remarkable lady. There was something about her that drew Ruth to her (she could have left like Orpah) and Ruth’s God. “…and thy God my God” (1:16b). Naomi’s life was a witness and Ruth her convert. The unseen hand of God has been at work since before Naomi and Ruth realize it. Their circumstances (hardships) have been allowed by the Lord because there is a higher purpose. Naomi is just doing her best to get by and survive, only seeing what is just in front of her. But God has moved behind the scenes and soon joy will return to Naomi and Ruth will become the vessel for the greatest blessing earth has ever received. Naomi begins to see opportunity and circumstances arise. She begins to advise young Ruth and soon Boaz steps into the story. He’s a kinsmen redeemer and ultimately marries Ruth. They have a little boy and name him Obed. Joy has returned to Naomi. The women of Israel no longer called her “Mara” as she requested (1:20). The name Mara means “harsh or bitter.” But now she’s smiling, she is a grandma and Naomi is being blessed (4:14-16). I know God doesn’t have a face as we do, but metaphorically, I often wonder if He smiles at times like these. Ruth, the Gentile, was to become the great-grandmother of David and destined to be listed in the genealogy of Christ found in the Gospel of Matthew.
Let’s decide to live in Bethlehem instead of Moab. A loaf of bread with joy and happiness is far better than to live in the world full of everything the world counts valuable but is always seasoned with strife, anger, and tension.