TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
In the scripture below we read about a famine in Israel and the slow decline of a family. Described are a father named Elimelek, his wife Naomi, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, and how they left the land of Israel to go to the land of Moab. There, they became enmeshed in the lifestyle of that sinful and idolatrous culture to the point where their sons took foreign wives. Leaving the Lord always results in disaster, so when her husband and two sons died, Naomi decides to return to the promised land of Israel. So, as you read today, realize this: It’s never too late to repent and go back home to the Lord.
(Ruth 1) 1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
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