RUTH 1:1-5 THE COST OF IGNORING GOD’S WILL

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 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. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

·       We have to decide which world we are going to live in for eternity

·       We have to decide which world we are going to live in now

·       Three fatal mistakes

o   Walked by sight not faith - Deut 28

·       Bethlehem means house of bread

·       Should have repented instead of going to Moab, and God would have lifted the famine

o   Focused on physical not the Spiritual

§  Better to be in Bethlehem and be hungry than to be in Moab out of the Will of God with a full stomach

§  By doing this He honored the enemy instead of the Lord

o   He broke covenant with God by leaving the land – Deut 28

Moab is my wash pot, in other words instead of eating at the house of bread, he is eating out of the garbage can

§  Like the Story of prodigal

·       They became comfortable in their disobedience

o   They remained there – lived there 10 years, made it their home

o   Got swept up into the culture

o   They were disciplined by the Lord

After Elimelech died the sons Married Moabite women

Am 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Lessons

1.       It’s been said that crises reveal what we are.  They also make us what we are in God’s plan 1 Peter 1 and

James 1 says count it all joy and let patience have it’s perfect work. Don’t get out of the trial, learn what God wants you to in the trial

2.       You don’t want to be anywhere out of the will of God.  It’s better to starve to death in God’s will rather than be somewhere He doesn’t want you to be

3.       When we disobey we put others and ourselves in danger of God’s discipline and all kinds of bad things can happen.  We can lose everything.

4.       God loves it when we come home to Him.

Lu 15:6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'