Devotion 233
“Escaping His Chastisement”
Reference: Ruth Chapter 1
The land was without the Word of God - everybody in Israel was doing what was right in their own eyes.
Seeking to avoid the barrenness of the land, Elimelech and his family decided to leave the place God had placed them, to live among the heathen in Moab.
We cannot avoid the chastisement of God by changing locations. For God is not hindered by our location.
Let’s read:
Ruth 1:1 “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 Beth–lehem–judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.”
The Word of God is the bread of life. It’s the spiritual and also the source of the physical bread. Instead of Elimelech seeking the Word of God, he sought physical bread.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:2-5 “And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth–lehem–judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. [3] And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. [4] And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. [5] And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.”
Their lives did not get better from moving out of Bethlehem. Due to the absence of the Word of God, there was spiritual death (barrenness) no matter where they went, and physical death to all the men in the family.
The Lord’s chastisement follows us no matter where we go hiding.
Jeremiah 42:16-17 “Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. [17] So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. “
The Bethlehem famine which Elinelech feared overtook him in Moab.
The solution to His chastisement is not to run from Him like Adam or Elimelech but to run to Him in repentance.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:6 “Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.”
Naomi continues to chase physical bread. May we hold on to the spiritual bread so that we are not going in cycles after physical bread.
Having the Bread (the Word) is what makes us His people.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:7-16 “Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. [8] And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. [9] The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. [10] And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. [11] And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? [12] Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; [13] Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. [14] And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. [15] And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. [16] 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:”
She saw the Word, and was ready to exchange her god for the God of Israel. She believed the Word, and became part of the people of the Word.
Believing the Word is what makes us people of God. It’s not joining a church or organization. Ruth lived with Naomi and her family but she was not part of the people of God until she believed. The unbeliever can join ten churches and still not be a person of God until he or she has personally received Jesus Christ by believing in His Sacrifice for sin.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:17-21 “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. [18] When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. [19] So they two went until they came to Beth–lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth–lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? [20] And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?”
We should not blame God for our unbelief. We can only receive from God by faith.
Unbelief is when we walk by what we see, feel, hear, smell or taste.
Faith is trusting only in the Word and Promises of God. It has nothing to do with how we feel, what we physically see, hear, taste, or smell.
Unbelief cuts us off from receiving from God.
We conclude our reading:
Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth–lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.”
The distance between man and God is unbelief.
Faith makes man one with God in Word.
Let the Word of God remove the distance between you and God. BELIEVE and confess Christ the Word as we’ve revealed Him from the First Adam. Unbelief is the sin and the sickness. Faith is the solution, in Christ!
Reference: Ruth Chapter 1
The land was without the Word of God - everybody in Israel was doing what was right in their own eyes.
Seeking to avoid the barrenness of the land, Elimelech and his family decided to leave the place God had placed them, to live among the heathen in Moab.
We cannot avoid the chastisement of God by changing locations. For God is not hindered by our location.
Let’s read:
Ruth 1:1 “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 Beth–lehem–judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.”
The Word of God is the bread of life. It’s the spiritual and also the source of the physical bread. Instead of Elimelech seeking the Word of God, he sought physical bread.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:2-5 “And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth–lehem–judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. [3] And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. [4] And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. [5] And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.”
Their lives did not get better from moving out of Bethlehem. Due to the absence of the Word of God, there was spiritual death (barrenness) no matter where they went, and physical death to all the men in the family.
The Lord’s chastisement follows us no matter where we go hiding.
Jeremiah 42:16-17 “Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. [17] So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. “
The Bethlehem famine which Elinelech feared overtook him in Moab.
The solution to His chastisement is not to run from Him like Adam or Elimelech but to run to Him in repentance.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:6 “Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.”
Naomi continues to chase physical bread. May we hold on to the spiritual bread so that we are not going in cycles after physical bread.
Having the Bread (the Word) is what makes us His people.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:7-16 “Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. [8] And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. [9] The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. [10] And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. [11] And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? [12] Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; [13] Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. [14] And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. [15] And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. [16] 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:”
She saw the Word, and was ready to exchange her god for the God of Israel. She believed the Word, and became part of the people of the Word.
Believing the Word is what makes us people of God. It’s not joining a church or organization. Ruth lived with Naomi and her family but she was not part of the people of God until she believed. The unbeliever can join ten churches and still not be a person of God until he or she has personally received Jesus Christ by believing in His Sacrifice for sin.
We continue our reading:
Ruth 1:17-21 “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. [18] When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. [19] So they two went until they came to Beth–lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth–lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? [20] And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?”
We should not blame God for our unbelief. We can only receive from God by faith.
Unbelief is when we walk by what we see, feel, hear, smell or taste.
Faith is trusting only in the Word and Promises of God. It has nothing to do with how we feel, what we physically see, hear, taste, or smell.
Unbelief cuts us off from receiving from God.
We conclude our reading:
Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth–lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.”
The distance between man and God is unbelief.
Faith makes man one with God in Word.
Let the Word of God remove the distance between you and God. BELIEVE and confess Christ the Word as we’ve revealed Him from the First Adam. Unbelief is the sin and the sickness. Faith is the solution, in Christ!
Recent
Archive
2025
January
February
Devotion 146Devotion 145Devotion 144Devotion 143Devotion 142Devotion 141Devotion 140Devotion 139Devotion 138Devotion 137Devotion 136Devotion 135Devotion 134Devotion 133Devotion 132Devotion 131Devotion 130Devotion 129Devotion 128Devotion 127Devotion 126Devotion 125Devotion 124Devotion 123Devotion 122Devotion 121Devotion 120Devotion 119Devotion 118Devotion 117Devotion 116Devotion 115Devotion 114Devotion 113Devotion 112Devotion 111Devotion 110Devotion 109Devotion 108Devotion 107Devotion 106Devotion 105Devotion 104Devotion 103Devotion 102Devotion 101Devotion 100Devotion 91Devotion 92Devotion 93Devotion 94Devotion 95Devotion 96Devotion 97Devotion 98Devotion 99Devotion 147Devotion 148Devotion 149Devotion 150Devotion 151Devotion 152Devotion 153Devotion 154Devotion 155Devotion 156Devotion 157Devotion 158Devotion 159Devotion 160Devotion 161Devotion 162Devotion 163Devotion 164Devotion 165Devotion 166Devotion 167
Categories
no categories
No Comments