Ruth 1:1. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Elimelech decided to take a short trip to the far country of Moab.  It was a decision that affected his entire family.  It would not be wise to consider moving away from a good church to a place with no good church, just so you could get a job.  Elimelech could have waited out the famine, just like Boaz, and would have prospered in the end.  Instead, he ends up dying down in Moab,  along with his two boys.  There is a geographic will of God for all of us.  It is important to be where God wants you to be.

To sojourn meant he planned on staying there temporarily.  He had always planned on coming back.  The problem is he never made it back.  He died there in Moab.  Many a Christian has thought, if I just do this one little thing, I can make it back.  For the Christian, little spiritual detours or sojournings, usually end in disaster.  You will not recover as easily as you think.  It will cost you more than you want to pay and keep you longer than you want stay.  There is no such thing as a short trip to the far country.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, Pharaoh wanted just the men to go alone, and wanted to keep the women and children in Egypt. We need to commit our entire family to the work of God.  If we take a trip to the far country, we are committing our entire family to the devil’s work.  When you sin, it does not just affect you, but you will often take others into sin with you, for the most part.  Don’t take that short trip to the far county.  It is not worth it.  The price is far too high.