Lessons from Ruth: Fear and Insecurity

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The fear and insecurity of a couple of young ladies led to the birth of two illegitimate children. I say, illegitimate, because these two boys were born through the girl’s own father. But the fear did not start with them, it started with their father, Lot, in the first place. Lot was afraid to run into the hills to escape the destruction of Sodom, even after he was told to do so by the Angels. He pleaded with the Angels to allow him to flee to a small village, which would later be called Zoar, which means ‘Little’. Its original name was Bela. (It is interesting that Bela is from a word which means to devour or destroy.) Even after all of this, Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar and went ahead and moved on up into the hills, where he was told to go in the first place. He found a cave and moved into it with his two daughters. It was in that cave that the emotional fear and insecurity overtook the oldest daughter who said, ““Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.” (Genesis 19:31) Out of this unrealistic fear came her rather devious scheme to have a child by her own father. As is often true when someone does something they know is wrong, she talks her little sister into joining her plan. Thus, was born Ben-Ammi (son of my people) and Moab (from father). The descendants of both children grew into their own nations, settling in their own land. Many years later, the King of Moab, Balak, feared the children of Israel who had been camping in the plains of his land. There, the King of Moab bribed a prophet of GOD to curse Israel. And thus, the account of Balaam and his donkey. Once again, the legacy of fear and insecurity led to another bad decision from a descendant of Lot’s son, Moab. Perhaps it is wise for us to heed the words of David, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in YOU.” Psalm 56:3

Russell Ashby