Ruth 1 & 2
When Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon and Kilion moved away from Bethlehem to escape the local famine, they chose the godless neighboring nation of Moab for their new zip code. If Bethlehem was home to a famine of food, Moab was home to a famine of faith. All three of the men in Naomi’s life died while living in a godless place. No explanation is offered in Scripture; their deaths may have been natural, or they may have been the result of problems in Moab. Nevertheless, Naomi and her Moabite daughters-in-law were devastated. Naomi’s response is to this tragic news is understandable but flawed. She is angry with God. She said, “Don’t call me Naomi (which means pleasant) call me Mara because the Almighty has made me bitter.” It is difficult to understand the tragedies of life. The longer I live the more perplexed I become. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the nasty people of this world seem to prosper and the gracious people of this world seem to suffer? I have no adequate answer – I just know that God isn’t the root cause of your rotten moments in life. It’s true that he doesn’t always intervene to prevent the bad from happening especially when it is the consequence of our own decisions. That, of course, would violate God’s gift of our free will. When we make lousy decisions we should not expect Him to spare us from our own stupidity. And even when our burdens are not the result of our choices, God is still not to blame. We live in a broken world so we shouldn’t expect life to be trouble free.
So when tough times come, what should you do? Run to God not to Moab. By the way, what’s your Moab? Do you desperately want friendship with that person in school who lacks character and integrity but is really popular so you sacrifice character hoping the popularity will rub off? Are you working on a less than honest business deal but justify it because you promise to give a gift to God out of the profits? Has that co-worker down the hall who has been flirting with you long enough that you’re contemplating taking that relationship to a new level? Be careful – every promise that Moab offers is empty. Just remember, the Lord is the only one who can make sense out of life’s difficult moments. When you honor Him, the end of the story is always redemptive. So don’t be bitter. Stick with God; stay away from Moab!