Do not leave the place of provision

Good day

 

I hope you are doing incredibly well. So, I was reading the story of Ruth repeatedly because I was trying to understand how the protagonists made decisions and whether God was a consideration as those decisions were made. This struggle was compounded by my lack of patience in waiting out certain seasons of my life because they felt long, tiring, draining, consuming, and even borderline "unacceptable." You know those seasons that you feel you do not deserve because you are born again, tongue speaking, zealous, etc., and you are done going through the most because hardships “were never meant to be your portion”? Mhhhhh

 

I am referring to those seasons or times when we bolt out in song singing, wait for it:

 

“Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; while on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.

 

Let me at Thy throne of mercy find a sweet relief; kneeling there in deep contrition, help my unbelief. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.”

 

Such a beautiful hymn! The problem is that the times and seasons we experience are not always as bad as we think; they do not reach the level of hardships or pain that Job faced. It is just that things are not as we have envisioned or planned. Am I saying that we don’t get agitated, frustrated, or scared? No, but I am saying that some of those seasons are not necessarily crisis level but rather waiting periods and / or opportunities for further engagement with the Lord. Let me get back on track.

 

I reread the book of Ruth until one thing became expressly clear, and that is, our decisions have the potential to bear implications far greater than momentary relief, pleasure, preservation, etc.; therefore, do not go where the Lord has not assigned you to go and leave the place of your assignment for it is the place of your provision, substance, preservation, fulfilment, and even peace. God did not place you where He did because He was bored and lacked better things to do. He knew exactly why He was placing you there. Even waiting periods or seasons of stretching are purposeful. Do not lose out on the opportunity to acquire in those seasons what is necessary for your next season (i.e., deeper relationship with God, greater dependence on God, lessons, capacity increase, repentance, etc.).

 

Anyway, let’s go to the book of Ruth, chapter 1

 

¹ Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges [a]ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to [b]dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. ³ Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁴ Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they [c]dwelt there about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so, the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

 

The famine in the land was the reason behind the departure of Elimelech and his family from Bethlehem to Moab. They left to preserve their lives and sustain their livelihoods. Who can fault them for doing so? Additionally, how many of us have either made similar choices or attempted to do so but ultimately failed? One of the things that I have learnt from studying the Word of God is that readers tend to have biases against some protagonists because they, through what is encapsulated in scripture, know the heart and will of God for those people (the protagonists) and yet see them doing the opposite or failing. I am not certain if I am capturing what I am saying well enough.

 

We can easily be infuriated or enraged by David for having an affair with Bathsheba because we know who he was and became, as well as God’s heart for him. We find it easy to see Cain as vile and unworthy of being a person we can learn from because we know who he was and what he became. We expect the worst from Cain, leading us to only see his negative traits; conversely, we expect the best from David, which makes it difficult to accept his worst actions. I hope this clarifies what I tried to articulate above.

 

Wow… I was trying so hard to clarify what I meant above that I lost my trail of thought and literally forgot why I mentioned the biases to start with. Hopefully I will remember as I continue writing to you. Anyway, we press on.

 

They went to Moab on their own, thinking it would help their family, and it did until it became harmful. They got what they needed in Moab, i.e., food security; there was no famine there, but they lost a lot more than they ever envisaged. They were trying to avert death (by hunger) only to get into a head on collision with it (death), resulting in the loss of all the men of the household. They met the very end that they feared. I am tempted to write about the eighty/twenty rule and equate it to this scenario. They left in pursuit of the 20% (food security and economic certainty) only to lose the 80% that they initially had (family members/lives).

 

This story is heartbreaking: they hoped for a better life yet met their end, resulting in the bitterness within Naomi’s heart. She had food, but she lost everything that mattered most to her: her family. When we read the story, there is no mention of a consultative process unfolding between Elimelech, his household, and God. This suggests that the decision to leave was taken unilaterally without considering God and His will. How many of us have been here? How many decisions have we made without consulting God yet with the hope that He would get on board? Oohhh, I have been there more often than I would like to admit, when I say to God, “I know you understand why I am doing what I am doing.” Have you been there before?

 

This makes me think of king Saul’s reign over Israel. He had a tendency of making decisions and expecting God to get on board even when God had instructed otherwise. He defied God yet required God's and Samuel’s endorsement/support of his disobedience; wild, isn’t it? I feel as though we sometimes do that as well. We, through our actions, say to God, "Get on board or be left behind.” As if God can be left behind. What I am certain of is that God cannot be blackmailed or manipulated, even if we think our decisions or reasons thereof are logical, calculated, or informed. I believe you will return to the place you left in disobedience, either out of repentance and the need to obey the Lord, or you will die in your disobedience.

 

Let’s get back to Elimelech and his family.

 

Their circumstances in Bethlehem were not ideal because of the famine. The probability of sleeping hungry or dying from hunger seemed enormous, but God never said they should migrate; He never said that He would not make a way. They did not enquire of Him, yet there was an expectation for Him to show up in Moab, i.e., sustenance, preservation and provision. This expectation is evident in how Naomi addressed people upon her return to Bethlehem.

 

¹⁹ Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ But she said to them, “Do not call me [g]Naomi; call me [h]Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and [i]the Almighty has afflicted me?” ²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

 

She said that the Lord dealt bitterly with her. She is now blaming God for the outcomes of her decisions; however, God was not involved in the decision-making process that resulted in their departure. When did God deal bitterly with her? How is it God’s fault that we suffer from the consequences of our decisions? Was God supposed to support, sustain, and maintain what He neither commissioned nor endorsed? What did she expect from the Lord that was not communicated or even agreed upon? It is really unfair that we do what we want and blame God for the consequences. Moving on…

 

We all know that Naomi later received word that things were well in Bethlehem, and she decided to pack up her life and return. Orpah went back to her family, but Ruth migrated with Naomi (Ruth 1). This is where things become intriguing; God begins to move in a way that neither Naomi nor Ruth anticipated. Naomi returned to her homeland, which was a place of provision for her, while Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, where she would also find provision. How did I conclude that they were at the place of provision? Let’s take a look at what unfolded from the time they arrived in Bethlehem to the end of the book of Ruth.

 

Ruth 2:  ²So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³ Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ⁴ Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

 

⁵ Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” ⁶ So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. ⁷ And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So, she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.” ⁸ Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 

 

⁹ Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” ¹⁰ So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

 

Ruth 2: ¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So, she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. ¹⁹ And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So, she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

Ruth did not leave home specifically for Boaz’s field, yet she found herself there. Furthermore, Ruth and Boaz did not know each other.

Boaz was not there when she arrived and made a request to glean after the reapers; the responsible servant allowed her to do so, knowing very well that she would take the contents at no fee. Additionally, he agreed to her request without consulting Boaz, indicating that his decision was a manifestation of God's favour. He did not know how Boaz would take the news of a person taking some of his harvest for themselves at no charge / fee, yet he still agreed.

Boaz evidently knew his staff because he noticed Ruth from the onset as an outlier, and upon finding out who she was and why she was in the field, he welcomed her presence and further expounded on what she could do in the field, even asking his staff to leave more behind so that she could gather more.

Boaz further instructed the men to not make any attempts against her. These things left Ruth in awe, so she bowed down and asked why she had found such favour.

The workers gave Ruth food to eat, and after eating, she kept some for Naomi. She took home barley and food, without paying a cent. The workers were employed by Boaz, while Ruth worked to gather barley for herself and her family.

 

Do you also find it ironic that when they had everything, they left out of the fear of the effects of the famine on their family, yet upon their return, when they had nothing much, there is provision?

 

Everything that unfolded upon their return was clearly orchestrated by the Living God. We see God stepping in to move things for the benefit of the two women, one of whom thought that God could not be bothered with her because of the losses she suffered. Naomi finally saw God on her side. Remember, she was the same person who once said, “Do not call me [g]Naomi; call me [h]Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

 

Her tune changed, Ruth 2:

 

²⁰ Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of ^[d]our close relatives.”

 

Ok, I need to wrap up.

 

I must say that Ruth's insistence on migrating to her assigned place (Naomi's side in Bethlehem) offers valuable lessons: She, in Bethlehem, experienced unprecedented favour and served the One True God. Ruth’s story did not end after taking barley home; she later married Boaz, who redeemed the land once owned by Elimelech. Let’s not forget the efforts that Boaz put into ensuring the land is redeemed and Ruth is married. He did not have to; he was not even first in line as a kinsman redeemer, yet he sought to address the matter. Had Ruth stayed in Moab, she would have never experienced the life that she later enjoyed. She would not have become David’s great grandmother. The decision she made in Ruth 1:16–17 catapulted her to the end we read of in scripture.

 

Also, Naomi was no longer bitter; she had a son from Boaz and Ruth’s union!

 

Ruth 4: 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

We cannot talk about this subject matter and not talk about the following:

 

·             Elijah at Kerith Ravine and later at Zarephath

 

1 Kings 17: 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

 

5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 

 

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So, there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

 

The verses show us how God ordered Elijah’s steps and ensured continuous provision. God was very intentional and clear about what He wanted Elijah to do, as well as where He wanted him to go, and everywhere he went out of obedience, God indeed provided. God honoured His word. Had Elijah disobeyed the Lord, what would have become of him? Imagine if Elijah had stayed at the dried brook or gone elsewhere; he would have died of hunger and thirst because the woman who was meant to provide him food would not have been there. Furthermore, had he disobeyed, he would have adversely affected the widow’s livelihood as God had planned to use Elijah’s situation to meet her at her point of need.

 

This just shows that our decisions affect and have a significant impact on other people, including those that are not proximal to us.

 

·             Isaac, staying in the place of provision during a famine

 

Genesis 26: Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed, [b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything, I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

 

Genesis 26: 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

 

Isaac stayed in the land where God said He made provision, and as a result, he reaped the benefits of his decision: he received a 100-fold harvest, had no trouble finding water when he dug his father’s wells, and his flock increased significantly. He obeyed God, and God kept His word to him!

 

·            Joseph: taken to Egypt to prepare for an impending famine that would compromise the lives of many, leaving them hungry and destitute.

 

When Joseph was taken to Egypt, he served in Potiphar’s house and later was arrested; it did not look like things were on track. It felt like everything was going wrong. His life was not easy, and it was definitely not a straight line; it felt like every time he took two steps forward, five steps backwards followed. But there came a time where he saw what God was doing and why it was necessary for him to be in Egypt.

 

Genesis 45: 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. [a] 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

 

Genesis 47: 11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children. 13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.

 

The above verses are evidence of how God orchestrates things for our benefit, well-being, preservation, etc. God made a plan and executed it well despite the events that unfolded. This helps me have an even deeper understanding of the scripture that says:

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

 

God can transform any situation or use it to accomplish His will and purposes. Furthermore, we should remember that the migration of Israel and his household to Egypt was an impending matter. God told Abraham about it long before it could happen.

 

Genesis 15: 13 And [God] said to Abram, Know positively that your descendants will be strangers dwelling as temporary residents in a land that is not theirs [Egypt], and they will be slaves there and will be afflicted and oppressed for 400 years. [Fulfilled in Exod. 12:40.]

 

God planned everything well in advance. During the famine, Israel was temporarily provided for in Egypt, as part of their destiny was to conquer Canaan. The migration to Canaan was itself impending, and there (in Canaan) God had made provision; hence, it was called the land flowing with milk and honey. Before I let this go, I want to emphasise that even in the wilderness, there was provision because God commissioned it. The wilderness served a purpose! Is your wilderness season serving its designed purpose, or are you trying to escape just like Elimelech and his household? When life becomes uncomfortable, we often perceive it as a sign that things have gone awry. We seldom think that God is fulfilling His will, even through those "chaotic / uncomfortable" things or seasons. God is very intentional about His will, and He honours His Word.

 

·           Jacob’s (Israel) migration to Egypt to join Joseph. They went to the place of God’s provision.

 

Genesis 42: 1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” 3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

 

Genesis 45: 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts, Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

 

Genesis 46: So, Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

 

Genesis 47: 27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. 28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.

 

Israel and his family lived in Egypt beyond the famine, and when many lost everything, they acquired much and increased in numbers. This was the doing of the Lord.

 

My point is simple: plan and act with God. Know His will before acting. Obedience is better than sacrifice, and sometimes obedience looks, sounds, and feels like sacrifice, but it is worth it. Stay where you should and go where you should, but ensure that it is God's will. Where God leads, He provides.

 

Love Happy