Elimelech and Naomi - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

It came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
Ruth 1:1.2.

Elimelech and Naomi
A married couple made plans. They did it properly, and off they went to a foreign country.

Many years later the husband was dead, and the wife was returning to her homeland.

Elimelech and Naomi set off together for a better future, however without God's approval. Apparently neither had any objections, nor put any hindrance in the way. They thought they were going empty-handed owing to the famine and would be full in Moab, where there was bread. Later Naomi had to admit that it was the very opposite: "I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty" (v.21). Her husband and sons were dead, and everything appeared to be lost. But her confession contained something new: she now knew that she had gone, but the LORD made her return. She had learned and continued to learn.

We can make wrong decisions as married couples. The husband takes the lead, and the wife doesn't restrain him. Or she takes the ini­tiative, and he remains silent. One leaves "the straight path", and the other fails to notice (Hebrews 12:13).

If we have been preserved in our marriage, then it is through God's grace! And if we have made a wrong decision, there is grace to rectify it: "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not" (Lamentations 3:22.23).

Today's reading: Joshua 19:1-51 · 1 Corinthians 14:26-40