1In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there. 3Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years. 5Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.
In the Bible a name is usually more than a label by which people are known. Someone’s name reveals their character, nature, identity; their name can even be prophetic. Their name defines them. It captures the essence of who they are. It is the key to their soul. There is a lot to be gleaned about the book of Ruth through the meaning of the names mentioned in Chapter 1.
Elimelek (God is my king) is married to Naomi (sweet one). It seems like a marriage made in heaven; a godly man marries a sweet one. Unfortunately, things are not all that they seem. They have two sons, Mahlon (sickly) and Kilion (pining or wasting away). Why would 2 sickly children be born to such a nice couple? Hold on to that question.
The first thing that becomes apparent to us is that the members of this family, along with many other families, are victims of a natural disaster. There is famine where they live. That is strange as they live in Bethlehem (House of Bread). It is an area known for its wheat and barley fields. It is the bread basket of the Promised Land. Why would there be a famine in the Promised Land? Hold on to that question.
With four mouths to feed Elimelek decides to move to Moab where there is plenty of food. The way the text reads, his intention is to go there for a short time. They are not long there when Elimelek dies. The two sons marry Moabite women. One is called Orpah (neck) and the other Ruth (friend or companion). The unthinkable happens. Both sickly sons die. Naomi, the sweet one, must be wondering, ‘What in the world is going on? Why has all of this tragedy come to me? Why? Why? Why? Why were my sons born sickly? Why was there a famine in Bethlehem? Why did my husband and sons die?’
An old man once told me that when you hit a difficulty in life and you find yourself asking, ‘Why,’ remember Jesus almost died with a why on his lips. On the Cross He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus had to push through the why question to ask another question, who can I turn to? He pushed through the why barrier and turned to One He could trust. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
We may not understand everything that goes on in our lives. CH Spurgeon said, “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” You can trust His heart today.