The period of the Judges lasted 450 years (Acts 13:20). Thirteen judges ruled in all. The theme of the book of Judges was that men did what was right in their own eyes (Jud. 21:25). During the period of the Judges a famine befell Canaan, and was felt in the fertile areas of Judah.
In the Book of Ruth we are introduced to Elimelech, a man from Bethlehem in Judah. Bethlehem was located in Judah. Bethlehem was a very fertile land; it was covered with wheat and barley. The name Bethlehem in the Hebrew is made up of two words Beth and Lehem, which means “house of bread.” Bethlehem produced life-giving bread to God’s people. It was during the famine that Elimelech gathered up his wife, and two sons and left Bethlehem and headed towards Moab.
Moab, unlike Bethlehem, was quite the unsavory place. Moab’s origin was an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters. Moab was filled with idolatry. The Moabites worshiped Chemosh and Baal. Historically the Moabites treated the Israelites with contempt while they traversed the wilderness after their escape from Egypt. It was also Balak king of Moab who hired Balaam to curse the Israelites.
But we should note what God thought about Moab: “Moab is my washpot” (Ps. 60:8) God considered Moab his washpot. The washpot or washbasin was used to wash the hands and feet of those in Ancient Near East. It was a basin and large pitcher. The pitcher was filled with clean water and was poured out on the unclean hands, or dust covered feet that then filled the washpot. No one would use the water in the basin again to wash. They would pour it out and get fresh water for the pitcher. That’s what God thought about Moab. And this is the place where Elimelech decided to take his family.
Elimelech’s choice to uproot his family from Bethlehem to Moab proved to be disastrous. His two sons died in Moab, but not before they married Moabite women. Furthermore, Elimelech also died in Moab, leaving his wife a childless widow.
Brothers and sisters, when you leave the house of bread, the house of the Living God where you get nourished spiritually, you only leave it for the contaminated washpot of the world. There may be times where you have a spiritual drought, but a drought in the house of bread is better than the contaminated waters of the world.