pramsay posted on November 13, 2008 02:35 1958 views

“Let’s Leave!”

“I’ve had it up to here,” Elimelech said to his wife as he drew his hand across his throat. “If the Lord’s not going to do something about it, I will! So much for this place being the place where God wants us to be – God’s land! It doesn’t get much worse than this. When have we last seen rain? We’re leaving!”

And they left. Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two boys. Was it the smartest choice they made in their life time or the darkest? Sure, it was barren because there was a famine. But the famine wasn’t just affecting Elimelech and Naomi. All the other people of God were experiencing the same thing – but did they all pack their bags and leave too?

“…there was a famine in the land,

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.

(Ruth 1:1-2)

“God, I’m jumping ship,” Moses prayed. “I’ve had it up to here. I no longer think this is what you want me to be doing or where you want me to be. The only way out is to drop out.”

“Lord, I believe it’s your will for me to lock myself in my dorm here in Babylon,” Daniel prayed. “I’m quitting. I know You wanted me to be a witness here but I can’t hack the undercurrent any longer or the blatant attempts to assassinate my character. You name it Lord, they’re doing it! I just don’t believe this is where You want me to be anymore. So, until I see it differently, I’m turning the key in my lock and I’ll just serve You in my room here.”

“I think it’s Your will Lord for me to cut myself off from the Christians,” Paul told the Lord on bended knees. “I’ll find a monastery in the hills overlooking a placid lake and I’ll honor you there on the sundeck. I’ll do lots of journaling of my lofty God-thoughts. I’ll enjoy You in my own way. I can’t take all the failures of Your people anymore.”

“Father, the going is rough. Everyone is against Me. I know You wanted me to go to Calvary and die for their sins – but really, this is way too much. I’ve never seen such opposition, such failure, such rejection of Divine things, such departure. I’d like to leave now!”

It almost feels irreverent allowing that last paragraph to remain. Such a thought never crossed His holy mind. He was in complete obedience to and in harmony with His Father’s will. There was no thought of leaving, calling it quits or turning back because of ‘hard times.’ 

And by the way, Moses never jumped ship, nor did Daniel withdraw himself nor did Paul spend the rest of his days dipping his toes in the placid lake. But Elimelech and Naomi did leave.

Elimelech and Naomi left when the going got rough. Discouraged and disillusioned, they stuffed their luggage, grabbed their boys’ hands and headed down the road. And ‘down’ it truly was. Many tears. Loneliness. Sickness. Death. Wasted years away from God’s people and God’s land. The head of the home made a tragic choice.

Sure there may have been thriving blades of grass in Moab and luscious leaves on the trees but there’s more to life than that. There’s more to Christian living than just whether or not ‘I’ am happy – the big ‘I’. The real joy in Christian living is when I am doing the things that make God happy, even if they are brutally hard on me personally.

Read the first chapter of Ruth and ponder whether Elimelech made the right choice in the time of famine or not. And then reflect on your own thought patterns recently.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

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