THE TWO GRAVE MISTAKES ELIMELECH MADE

Reading from Ruth 1:1-5, one can easily see and understand what went wrong in the family of Elimelech. The names of the members of this family tell the story. Each has a story to tell in the ordeal of the family. It all started with Elimelech.He made two gracious mistakes.

1. He erred in marrying to Naomi

Elimelech means 'God is my King just as Melechiah. Naomi means pleasure in beauty.Now, if ' God is my King' marries for the pleasure of beauty, the end result is spiritual and physical sickling and pining away (Mahlon and Chillon).Thus, Mahlon ( infirmity) and Chilion (Finished or pining waway) were the result of this union.No beiliver in the Lord can survive the pressure if he or she involves oneself in the pleasures of the word. We should not be unequally yoked with nonbelievers.

2. He erred in leaving Bethlehem for Moab

Bethlehem means 'House of Bread' and Moab means 'seed of the father (seed of Lot by his daughter) or the desirable land. Moab was a seed of fleshly fees icebox Lot by his daughter. Many people resort to run away from the house of bread when itvseems there is no bread. They murmur like the Israelites in the wilderness who were willing to go back to Egypt and be under the bondage of Pharaoh as long as they would eat and have pleasure.

Pleasure will force us make  unnecessary decision in these situation. Elimelech made a fatal decision by leaving for Moab. Adam and Eve sinned because of the desired pleasure. The Bible says that Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasant in the eyes and desirable to make one wise. 

The results in both cases was death of both Adam and Eve (spiritual death) and of Elimelech and his two sons (physical death). When happiness and pleasure is made a goal of life, death is the result.That was what took Elimelech and his son's lives.

Be careful how you make goals in life. Let Jesus, the Bread of Life be our goal. Man was created to enjoy and worship God forever regardless of the situation. In fact, every situation is acreasob to thank and worship God for.