Two Sermons, Commentary · Chapter 1 · Verse 2
Vers. 2.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi, and the name of his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah, and they came into the Country of Moab, and continued there.
THese words contain; first, The principall party that undertook the journey. 2ly. His company, described by their relations; his Wife, and Children, and by their names, Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion. 3ly. The successe of his journey; When he came into the Land of Moab, he continued there.
Now whereas Elimelech took his Wife and Children along with him: from his practise we gather this Observation.
Observ.
It is the part of a kind Husband, and of a carefull Father, not onelyonly to provide for himselfe, but also for his whole Family. Gen. 2. 24. A man shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh, Ephe. 5. 25. Husbands love your wives—for no man as yet hated his own flesh, 1 Tim. 5. 8. If any one provideth not for his own Family, he denyeth the faith, and is worse than an Infidell: this made Abraham to take with him at his removal, his meek Sarah; Isaac, his wife Rebecca; Iacob, his fair Rachel, and fruitfull Leah; and Ioseph, Mat. 2. took with him Mary, his espoused wife, and our Saviour, his supposed Sonne. And when Pharoah, Exod. 10. 9. offered Moses with all the men of Israel to go out of Egypt, but on condition, they should leave their Wives and Children behind them; Moses refused the proffer: he would either have them all go out, or else he would not go out at all.
Vse.
It confuteth such cruell Husbands and carelesse parents, who if so be with Iobs Messengers, they onelyonly can escape alone, they care not though they leave their wives & children to shift for themselves; like the Ostridge, Job. 39. 14. who leaveth her Eggs in the sand, and so forsakes them. Surely the two Kine which drew the Arke of God out of the Land of the Philistines to Bethshemesh, 1 Sam. 6. 12. shall rise up at the day of Iudement and condemn such cruell Parents: for it is said of them, That as they went along the high way, they did pittifully low by that querulous ditty, as nature afforded them utterance, with witnessing and expressing their affection to their Calves shut up at home: O that there should be such humanity (as I may terme it) in Beasts, and such beastlinesse in many men. Remember this you that fit drinking and bezzling wine abroad, whilst your Family are glad of water at home, and think thus with your selves, To what end is this needlesse wast, might it not have been sold for many a penny, and have been bestowed on my poor Wife and Children.
Observ.
Secondly, Whereas we find Naomi and her Sons going with Elimelech, we gather; It is the duty of a dear Wife, and of dutifull Children, to go along with their Husband and Parents, when on just cause they remove into a forraign Country. It was an unmanly and cowardly speech of Barak to Deborab, Judg. 4. 8. If thou wilt go with me, then will I go; but if thou wilt not go with me, then will I not go: but it would be a gracious resolution of a grave Matron and her Children; Husband, if you be pleased to depart, I will be ready to accompany you; Father, if you be minded to remove, I will attend upon you: but if you be disposed to sta…, I will not stir from the p…ace where you abide: otherwise if …he wife refus…th to go along with her Husband, what Abraham Gen. 24. 8. said to the Servan… in another case, is true in this respect; but i… the Woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from thine Oath; if the wife be so peevish and perverse, th…t she will not go along with her Husband, who propoundeth lawfull means unto her to relieve her wants; then is he acquitted from the Oath he made her in Marriage, when he plighted his troth unto her, in sicknesse and in health, to maintain her.
Question.
But methinks I hear the Widows and Orphants crying unto me, as the Souldiers to Iohn Bapti…, But what shall we do? Luk. 3. It is true, saith the Widow, that kind Husbands a…e to provide for their Wives, but alas we have no Elimelech's to carry us into a forraign Country in the time of Famine; indeed saith the Orphant, it is the Fathers duty to provide for his Children; but my Parents are dead long ago, I have not as Samuel had, a Mother Hannah every year to bring me a new Coate; what shall we do in this our distresse.
Answer.
Answer, Use the best means you can, and for the rest, relie on Gods providence, who is said, Psal. 10. 20. To help the fatherlesse and poor to their Right, Psal. 68. 5. To be a father to the fatherlesse, and to defend the cause of the Widow, even God in his holy habitation: who will deale with thee as he did with David, When my Mother and Father forsooke me, the Lord cared for me.
So much for Elimelech's company described by their relations: we should come now to speak of their names, where we might take occasion to speak of the Antiquity, and use of Names, but that hereafter we shall have better conveniency to treat thereof, in those words, Call me not Naomi, but call me Marah: We come therefore to the successe of Elimelech's journey;
And they came into the Cou…try of Moab, and they continued there.
The meaning is, That the Moabites afforded them harbour without any molestation.
Observ.
From whence the Observation is this; We ought to be Hospitall and courteous to receive strangers. First, Because God in severall places of Scripture enjoyneth it, Exod. 23. 9. Levit. 19. 33. 2ly. Because God apprehendeth all courtesie done to a stranger as bestowed on himselfe; He that receiveth you, receiveth me, &c. I was a stranger and ye harboured me, Mat. 25. And then if we entertain strangers, it may be said of us not onelyonly as it is of Lot and Abraham, Heb. 13. 2. That we entertained Angels, b…t that we entertained God himselfe unawares. 3ly. Because it spiritually considered, we our selves are strangers with the Patriarks, Heb. 11. We have here no abiding City, but seeke one from above, whose b…ilder and maker is God. I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims, 1 Pet. 2. 11. Lastly, Because of the uncertainty of our own estates, for thou knowest not what evill shall be upon the earth, it may be we that now relieve strangers, hereafter our selves being strangers may be relieved by others.
Vse.
Let us not therefore abuse strangers and make a prey of them, making an advantage of their unskilfulnesse in the language, and being unacquainted with the fashions of the Land; like Laban that deceived his Nephew Iacob in placing Leah for Rachel, and to cloak his cheating, pleaded it was the custome of the Country: wherefore rather let us be courteous unto them, least the Barbarians condemne us, who so courteously intreated S. Paul, with his shipwrackt companions, and the Moabites in my Text, who suffered Elimelech when he came into the Land, to continue there.