Bethlehem
was going through lean times. Bethlehem ("the house of bread") was held
in the grip of a severe drought. It was too dry for the barley and
wheat to germinate. The food supply was running low. Sheep and cattle
were dying.
Elimelech decided to move, along with his wife
Naomi and two sons. Moab to the east was having abundant rain and the
crops were good. It seemed the logical place to consider.
It
was, no doubt, difficult to leave friends and relatives and the land
where they had worshiped the true and living God. But one had to be
practical.
Things did not turn out well for the family,
however. In Moab Naomi first lost her husband and later both her sons
through death. After her bereavement Naomi decided to go to Bethlehem,
a broken, discouraged woman. As she entered her hometown, she told her
friends, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt
very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me
home again empty" (Ruth 1:20-21, NIV).
But her
daughter-in-law, Ruth, was committed to her, accompanying her to
Bethlehem. Once again Naomi was home in a land where the true and
living God was worshiped. Now God could bless her again in the land.
God
had told Israel that this land they were to inherit was unlike Egypt.
In Egypt they watered their fields from the Nile by irrigation. They
could control the flow of water (Deut. 11:10). But, said God, "The land
you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks
water of the rain of heaven: a land for which the Lord your God cares…"
(Deut. 11:11-12).
Then followed a warning: "And it shall be
that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today,
to love the Lord your God, serve Him with all your heart and with all
your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season…"
(vv. 13-14). A drought would indicate God's displeasure with the
people; it would be an obvious act of His discipline.
What
should God's people do at such a time of drought? The Lord told
Solomon, "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the
locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My
people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and
seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chron.
7:13-14).
Israel was not to leave the land, seeking to avoid
the discipline of God. They were to allow the difficulties of life to
exercise their hearts toward repentance. David later wrote, "Trust in
the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness"
(Ps. 37:3).
There is a lesson here for God's people today. Are
things lean and barren in your local fellowship? Is it a time of
spiritual drought? Are few souls being saved? Be careful about leaving
the gathering of God's people.
Instead of leaving the
assembly, turn to God in earnest prayer. Confess any sins and right any
wrongs that you can. Be sure to do all you can to see there is a spirit
of love and harmony among the Christians. This is vital if we want to
enjoy God's blessing (see Ps. 133).
Then begin again to
witness fervently for the Lord Jesus. God is able once more to send
showers of blessing. Beware of leaving Bethlehem for Moab. Remember the
costly choice made by Elimelech. And remember Boaz. He stayed and
submitted to the chastening hand of God. When Naomi returned to Judah,
he was the richest man in the countryside.
Donald Norbie and
his wife make their home in Greeley, Colorado. Don is involved in
writing, preaching, prison work, and in the local church.