Is This Naomi?

Naomi and her husband, along with their two sons, left Bethlehem and moved to Moab because there was a famine. 

Ruth 1:1a

1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.

The famine came as judgment for Israel’s rebellion, and it dried up the crops along with every source of water; it was devastating. God often allows a famine to come to get our attention so we will return to Him.

It took a famine to drive the prodigal son back to his father’s house. Ironically, Bethlehem means: “House of Bread” and the reason they left the “house of bread” was because there was no bread in the house of bread. 

Because of the famine, they weighed their options and decided that it was not a good idea to stay in Bethlehem. They could’ve stayed and trusted God to provide for them, but they chose instead to move to Moab.