Open your Bibles to Ruth 1 and read along as we talk through the chapter. (Seriously open your Bible or at least open this in a new tab!)
Read verses 1-2.
Who: a Jewish family of four - Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion
What: they are leaving Bethlehem for Moab to sojourn… Sojourn means a temporary journey.
When: the time of the judges... according to commentaries, it was probably during the same time as when Gideon was judge. Another reason this is important is because when the Jews would read that this story is taking place in the time of the judges they would sense hopelessness.
Where: They start in Israel and end up in Moab. Throughout the Bible, the land is associated with blessing. Jewish readers would see red flags go up as this family decided to leave their land and head to foreign land.
Why: there is a famine in the land of Israel, so rather than waiting for God to provide they decide to go try to find food.
