There have been many ships that have sunk while at sea, but few have captured the attention like the sinking of the Titanic.
She sank on her maiden voyage in April of 1912 and the persistent theory was that an iceberg tore a three hundred-foot gash in the side of the nine hundred-foot ship. In 1985, the wreckage was discovered two and one-half miles beneath the sea near Newfoundland. Since that time, fascinating footage has displayed the mystique of this sunken ship. In August of 1995, an international team of scientists and engineers repeatedly dove to the remains for an exhaustive study of the ship’s demise. The fateful damage is buried beneath the ocean floor so these experts peered through the mud with sound waves. Their findings were astonishing. Rather than a massive three hundred-foot gash, as previously theorized, the total area of damage was about twelve to thirteen square feet (less than the area of two sidewalk squares). Six punctures across six watertight holds was all it took to sink the ship that some said even God couldn’t sink. Many times we tend to believe that avoidance of the “big” sins will keep us afloat, but in reality, sin of any size can sink us.
Did you know that most people don’t just go out and beginning committing big sins. Most men don’t just go rape a woman. It all begins with a few impure thoughts and then and goes on and gets bigger and bigger until they don’t even realize you stuck they are in their sin.
In 1982, "ABC Evening News" reported on an unusual work of modern art--a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gun barrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next hundred years. The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the shell’s path! They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn’t happen during their minute in the chair. Yes, it was foolhardy, yet many people who wouldn’t dream of sitting in that chair live a lifetime gambling that they can get away with sin. Foolishly they ignore the risk until the inevitable self-destruction.
In our Scripture reading this morning, Elimelech did what so many Christians have tried to do. He tried to just play with sin for a little while, but he ended up paying the price for his sins. So will you.
This morning I would like to talk to you for a little while about The Terrible Price of Playing with Sin.
I. Elimelech Reasoned with Moab.
The first mistake that Elimelech made was a mistake that so many people make, he reasoned out why he should go to Moab.
There was a famine in the land of Israel, and so he decided that he was going to take his family to Moab where there was more food available.
On the surface, this sounds like something anyone of us would do. There was food in Moab so what would be so wrong with going there to get it?
Well, the Moabites were descendents of Lot’s son Moab. The Moabites were known for their pride. Jeremiah 28:29 describes them, “We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.” The Moabites were a very wicked and idolatrous nation of people. The Moabites were not allowed to worship with the Israelites, Deuteronomy 23:3-4 says, “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.”
The Israelites were to have nothing at all to do with the Moabites. And Elimelech’s first mistake was that he reasoned with sin. He reasoned in his heart, that because his family was starving he would take them to Moab.
Notice here in verse 1 this word “sojourn”. This word means to “dwell temporarily.” Elimelech’s intention was to only stay for a little while in Moab. He was only going to sin a little bit, kind of like telling a ‘white lie’.
Elimelech, like so many other people, tried to reason with sin. He reasoned in his heart that he would just take his family to Moab ‘for a little while’ and would then return. Well, second notice. . .
II. Elimelech Remained Moab.
Elimelech had planned on just going to Moab for a little while, but we notice in verse two it tells us that they “continued there.” In other words, they took up residence in Moab. What a sad day! If you would have asked Elimelech before he went to Moab if he was going to stay there he would have said “never!”
There are a lot of alcoholics who swore they would never get addicted, and a lot of addicts who said they could quit anytime they wanted too. Elimelech didn’t intend on staying in Moab, but he gave into the first little harmless act of going to Moab for food, and he ended up living where he knew he should not.
Far too many people have ended up in this very same place as Elimelech. They began to dabble a little bit here, and a little there, until before long they had swallowed the devil’s bait – hook, line and sinker.
Paul Little said, “Collapse in the Christian life is seldom a blowout; it is usually a slow leak.” This is so true. The devil doesn’t want to get you to fall for the first time into some deep heinous sin; he just wants to get you to do something seemingly harmless. The question so many people ask is “what’s so wrong with this?” “Why does God way we can’t do such and such – there’s nothing wrong with it.”
On 11 May 2000 a lady found a new e-mail message on her computer, which simply said, "I love you". It looked innocent enough, perhaps even romantic. Like most of us would, she clicked to open the message, and the so-called "Love Bug" was born. With lightning speed it raced around the world, bringing politics and business to a halt. It was a deadly computer virus that caused millions of computer software programs to crash. It was only a one little, but it caused so much contamination. But it’s not the first time that a single virus has caused so much grief to mankind. In fact, it’s a kind of replay of a deadlier virus that hit Planet Earth more than six thousand years ago polluting the first human couple, Adam and Eve. Despite God’s warning not to click on to Satan’s message, they did so with appalling consequences for them and through them to all mankind. That virus is called "Sin".
There is a song that says, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, it will cost you far more than you want to pay.” How true those words are! Sin will always take you farther that you ever thought you would go. It will keep you longer than you want to pay, and will cost far more than you want to pay.
Elimelech’s sin took him farther than he wanted to go, and kept him longer than he wanted to stay. And, our final point of this message this morning shows us how Elimelech’s sin cost him far more than he wanted to pay.
III. The Rewards of Moab.
Elimelech paid a high price for playing with sin. In verse three it tells us that Elimelech died in Moab. He died living were he wasn’t supposed to live. He paid the ultimate price for sin. The Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.” Because he reasoned with sin and remained in sin, he was rewarded with the wages of sin – and that was death.
However, that was not the only reward of Moab. Elimelech’s sons also married non-Jews. According the Law, the Israelites were not too married outside of their nationality. I mentioned earlier that the Moabites were idolatrous and wicked. The Scripture tells us of several different occasions when God’s wrath was kindled against them. Because Elimelech took his family to Moab, his sons married outside of the will of God.
Not only did his sons marry Moabites, but they died in Moab as well. Like their father’s example, they lived in Moab and died there.
One of Elimelech’s daughter–in-laws, Orpah, also chose to remain in Moab when his wife and Ruth returned to Israel.
Also, Elimelech’s wife, Naomi, ended up bitter because of what took place in Moab. Naomi, which means ‘pleasant or beautiful’, herself said, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hat brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hat testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?”
Bitterness is a terrible thing, and Naomi ended up bitter because of Moab.
Conclusion:
Friends, you pay a terrible price for playing with sin. Elimelech disobeyed God and he paid a terrible price for his actions. You will as well. If you disobey God, you will pay the price.
Rowland Hill illustrated the folly of sinners by the story of a butcher who was followed by the pigs right into the slaughterhouse. As pigs do not usually go where they are wanted, it seemed a mystery how these animals were so eager to follow their executioner; but when it was seen that he wisely carried a bag of peas and beans with which he enticed the creatures onward, the riddle was solved at once. Unsuspicious of impending death the hogs cared only for the passing gratification of their appetites, and hurried to the slaughter.
And in the same manner ungodly men follow the great enemy of souls down through the jaws of hell, merely because their depraved passions are pleased with the lusts of the flesh and the pleasures of sin which the devil gives them by handfuls on the road.
Alas, that there should be such likeness between men and swine!
The joys of sin are so short and so unsatisfactory, that they can never be thought of for a moment as a fitting inducement for a rational being to lose his immortal soul.
Will a few hours of foolishness, gambling, drinking, or immorality, compensate for eternal fire?
Is the momentary indulgence of a base passion worth the endurance of flames which never can be quenched?
To moan in vain for a drop of water! To be tormented by the never dying worm! To be shut out from hope forever! To be eternally cursed of God! Is any sin worth all this? Can any gain make up for this?
Oh, you who delight in the poisonous sweets of sin, remember that though pleasant in the mouth for the moment, sin will be bitter in your stomach forever.
Why will you swallow the bait when you know that the hook is there? Why will you be lured by Satan? Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird; but you are more foolish than the birds and fly into the snare when you know it is there. Oh, that you were wise, and would consider your end.
Let that one word "Eternity" ring in your ears and drive out the silly laughter of the worldly that prefer the present joys of sense.
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus receives sinners. Go to Him and He will never drive you away.
So, I want to ask you a question this morning. Are you playing with sin? Have you been playing around on the edge? If so, may I suggest to you that you need to repent and forsake those things, before the devil gets you so wrapped up in them that you won’t know what happened?
May I also suggest to all of us that we must be on our guard not to allow the devil to deceive us into thinking that we can get away with any “little sins”. We will face the consequences for all of our actions. May God help us not to end up in the shape that Elimelech found himself?
Elimelech reasoned with Moab (or sin), he remained in Moab, and he received the reward of Moab. So will you
