“… and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.” – Ruth 1:1b-2

Scripture reading: Ruth 1:1-5

Things are bad. And so, Elimelech makes the decision to take his family and go. Where do you go? To godless Moab. Bad choice. Not just because of where he went, but also because of where he left. He left Judah. That’s the tribe from which God’s ultimate and perfect King will come – Genesis 49:10. But leaving Judah also means leaving the Promised Land. It means leaving the covenant community. Again, a bad choice.

Elimelech, which means “God is my King,” isn’t sticking with his King. And one bad choice leads to another. He went to “sojourn in the land of Moab.” He figured on just hanging out there for a little while. But it wasn’t long before “sojourn” turned into “remained there”, and that turned into they “lived there about ten years” (verse 4). He settled down to what he figured was a good life. At least now he and his family had supper on the table.

You know it as well as I do. One bad choice far too easily leads to another, and then another, and then another. Abandoning our heavenly King is the worst decision we could make. But be aware, that often comes after a string of sinful choices. Praise God that He sent the King, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to pay for our sinful decisions. Praise God that He gives us His Spirit to guard us against abandoning Him.

Suggestions for prayer

Thank the Lord for the gift of His Son and Spirit as we ask Him to give us clarity about the bad choices we make, and also when one bad choice leads to another.

Since 2019, Rev. Rodney Vermeulen has served the Attercliffe Canadian Reformed Church near Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. He, his wife, children and grandchildren are deeply grateful for the blessing of daily living under the shelter of God’s wings. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.