STUDIES IN RUTH: (Study #1)
 "You can't run from your problems"!------------(RUTH 1:1-5)
Ruth is the 8th book of the bible, which signifies a NEW BEGINNING.
that truth is illustrated in that Christ rose from the dead on the 1st day of the week which is the 8th day of the jewish calendar!  Noah is referred to as the 8th person in (2pt.2:5).  Jewish boys were circumcised on the 8th day...etc.

Ruth & Esther are the only books of the bible named after women.  Esther was a Jew married to a Gentile, and Ruth was a Gentile married to a Jew; and God used both women to save an entire nation!
The events in Ruth take place during the times of the Judges, perhaps in the days of Gideon when the Philistines were known to have "destroyed the increase of the earth",  which in turn, caused this "famine in the land.
	
*The book of RUTH is at one and the same time a:
(a)...LIFE STORY...in that it reflects the struggles, joys, sorrows, homes & workplaces of day to day life which we all can identify with.
(b)...LOVE STORY...in that it illustrates to us the important high moral issues and ethics needed in romance and marriage!  (The Cinderella of the Bible!)
(c)...HISTORICAL STORY...in that we learn of traditions and customs of people who lived thousands of years ago.
(d)...RELIGIOUS STORY...most importantly, for it repeatedly tells us the truths of redemption...also Ruth (as a Gentile, becoming ancestrous to Christ!)
*The 1st chapter of RUTH tells of RUINED LIVES...but it doesn't end that way!  You may have made a mess out of things...but life for you does NOT have to end that way!!!-(Forgiveness/Grace of God)
*This chapter begins with RUINED LAND-(Bethehem).  Actually, the name of the town was a contradiction to the existing situation..."house of bread"?  Many people at church are called "Christian", but are living in direct contradiction to that term!
*The worst part of the story is found in the RUIN OF LEAVING Bethlehem!
There was:  DISOBEIDIANCE in the move!-(MOAB-"the world").  DISTRUST in the move!-Difficult times will either drive people TOWARD or AWAY from God!  There were DUDS in the move!-(Elimelech packed his "duds" and v.21 "went out FULL"!)  Somehow Boaz made it through those rough times...Elimelech wasn't impoverished when he departed...but he "got out of dodge" before the losses became too great!  People who are unwilling to lose anything in order to be obeidiant to God EVENTUALLY WILL lose everything!(Mark 8:35-"if you save your life you'll lose it...if you lose it for the Lord's sake you'll find it.")   *The entire family was DEFILED by this Father's move!-(TOPIC)

(1)-HE MADE A WRONG DECISION-(v.1-"a certain man WENT")
The name "Elimelech" means "GOD IS MY KING"....and he was an Ephrathite which means "fruitful".  His wife "Naomi" means "PLEASENTNESS".  *People make wrong moves all the time; but if your problem is a SPIRITUAL one, then changing locations won't help!  *Note that this trip to Moab was ment to be only a "SOJOURNEYING"-(v.1)....which became a "CONTINUATION"-(v.2)... which lasted into "TEN YEARS"-(v.4).  
	The DRYNESS OF THE FAMINE
	The DECISIONS OF A FATHER
	The DEATH OF FAMILY MEMBERS
	...............................(all started with running from problems!)
(2)-HE WENT THE WRONG DIRECTION-(v.1-"Moab")
MOAB wasn't that far away...only about 20-30 miles.  Sin operates the same way; in only a short step you can be in big trouble; for Elimelech and both his sons died out there!  *PREACHERS are criticised for preaching against so called petty issues like smoking, drinking, shacking up,& not tithing, but one sin leads to another, and like the RIP-TIDES of the ocean you'll find yourself further out than you ever imagined!!!      Also, for a jew to move into Moabite territory would be like you and I packing our bags for Iraq!!!

		*HAVE YOU WENT THE WRONG DIRECTION?
		*HAVE YOU MADE THE WRONG DECISIONS?
		YOU CAN'T RUN FROM YOUR TROUBLES!!!