“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. 2 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.”
God’s people were no strangers to drastic moves. Abram and Sarai leave their homeland, as does Issac. The book of Ruth opens with a drastic move too.
A certain man of Bethlehem (King David’s City!) leave for Moab. They do so because of a great disaster, a famine.
Although things may look uncertain for us today, be assured that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is well-versed in big moves. When life changes and shifts, God does not. “Where can I flee from your presence? If go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (Psalm 139:7)
In Jesus God is revealed as the One who is faithful in every way, in every place, in every time. Always. In Bethlehem. In Moab. Right here. Forever.
rev. dr. greg davidson 