Ruth chapter 1 Home coming!
Preamble:
Promote Sunday 8:30am prayer meeting…. Plug d-groups
Sermon introduction:
John committed his life to Christ in high school. The summer after his senior year, he served as a counselor at a Christian camp near Bellevue Washington. It was an idyllic setting—a beautiful lake, a beautiful beach, amazing people, immaculate grounds, and great chapel speakers. John was on a spiritual high all summer.
When the summer ended, he moved to Pullman Washington and joined the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He tried to follow Christ, but it was really hard. Everywhere he turned alcohol, scantily clad girls, and wild parties summoned him.
He fought the good fight for a season, but eventually he gave into temptation. By the end of his second semester, he was so caught up in the party scene that his grades plummeted. His grades got so bad his fraternity had no choice but to kick him out of the house at the end of his freshmen year. This was incredibly humbling. If he wanted to stay at WSU he had to move into the dorms, which was even more humbling.
John wandered from God for a season! But God did not wander from him. God used hardship and pain to bring him back to himself. He ended up in Waller Hall, an all-guys dormitory. He was “randomly” placed on a floor with eight Christians guys, including myself. Was this a coincidence? I don’t think so!
John wandered away from God, and God used pain to bring him back.
Some of you have wandered from God. Maybe it was for a few weeks, a few months, or a few decades, maybe you are still wandering. When we wander from God, he will do whatever it takes to bring us home, even if it involves pain and suffering.
This brings us to Ruth chapter 1. This chapter can be divided into two scenes.
Leaving home Returning home
Scene one-leaving home!
Ruth 1:1a (ESV) — 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land,
The phrase, “in the days when the judges ruled” is a very ominous phrase. The period of the judges was between Joshua’s conquest of Canaan and the reign of King Saul (1300-1020BC). During this period the twelve tribes of Israel spiraled deeper and deeper and deeper into anarchy and spiritual darkness.
Back to the second half of verse 1.
and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.
In these verses, we learn that Elimelech is married to Naomi. They have two sons Mahlon and Chilion (whose names literally mean weak and frail).
We also learn that there is a famine in the land of Bethlehem. In other words, the crops have failed, the cattle have died, and the people are on the verge of starvation. When famine strikes, all that matters is food and water.
In light of the famine, Elimelech takes his family to Moab. In verses 1-2, the author mentions not once but twice that Elimelech is from Bethlehem. He also mentions, not once but twice, that Elimelech went to Moab.
Through the use of repetition, the author of Ruth wants us to understand Elimelech’s folly. Elimelech is leaving the promised land for Moab—a fifty-mile journey.
No one is blaming Elimelech for trying to feed his family. This is good, right, and honorable. But why in the world did he go to Moab?
This would have shocked the original audience.
Why?
The nation of Moab was the result of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19:30-38) These are the same Moabites who hired Ballam to curse Israel (Num. 22-24). These are the same Moabites whose women seduced the men of Israel with sexual sin (Num. 25). These are the same Moabites whose ruler—fat King Eglon—tormented the Israelites for eighteen agonizing years (Judges 3:12-14). These are the same Moabites who worshipped the God Chemosh through child sacrifice (Nu. 21:29). These are the same Moabites who were forbidden from entering God’s assembly for ten generations (Deut. 23:3-6).
Let me ask you a question— does Moab sound like a good place to go to raise godly kids?
No!!!
Commenting on these verses, one scholar writes,
“This is not, ‘Things were difficult in Town A and so we migrated to Town B to find food.’ No, this is more like, ‘There were difficult times in our home country, so we emigrated to join the Islamic State of Syria.’” (Ash, 44)
Now days, we can serve God in Alabama, Arkansas, Acapulco, or Amsterdam—right??? But we can’t forget where this story falls in redemptive history. God just delivered Israel from Egypt and then led them very specifically to the promised land. This was the land promised to Abraham hundreds of years beforehand. God called Israel to serve him in this specific land—the land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, Elimelech had no business leaving this land—especially for Moab!
Back to verse 1…
We read that Elimelech went to “sojourn in the country of Moab” (v. 1). In other words, he initially planned on staying for a brief period, just long enough to feed his family. But he ended up staying for ten years.
Dave, was living in Moab for ten years really that bad? What could possibly go wrong?
Let’s keep reading.
Ruth 1:3–5 (ESV) — 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
As a result of dwelling in Moab for ten years, Elimelech’s sons married Moabite women—an act explicitly forbidden by God’s law (Deut. 7:3).
Application-
The story of Elimelech’s family is not merely a tragedy, it is also a warning.
It is a warning for those who are drifting away slowly.
This is usually how spiritual drift works.
I’m sure Elimelech told himself, “We are only going to leave the promised land for a few months. Eventually we will return.”
It was all rationalized away, “I need to provide for my family.”
A few months went by, then a year, then two, then five. As time wore on, he thought less and less about the things of God. So did his boys! They had no problem disobeying God’s laws regarding foreign women.
Side note- Dad’s your example really matters...
We often drift away very gradually...
“I will only miss church for a season… I will come back eventually!” You miss a few weeks, which turns into a few months, which turns into a few years, then a few decades.
We rationalize our behavior away…
“It is ok that I have missed church and small group most of last year, because I’m providing well for my family!!! It is only a season.”
Sin is often so very subtle.
It is just one more drink… It is just one more look… I just need to buy one more thing… This show is probably ok… I can just close my eyes during the bad parts! It is just some innocent flirting… what is the big deal?
Before we know it, we have been in Moab for ten years. We have slowly drifted away.
Fortunately, God loves us too much to let us drift forever. Which brings us to the next scene
Scene one-leaving home!
Scene two-returning home!
The words turn or return are mentioned 12 times in verses 6-22, which means that “returning” is a critical theme in chapter one. With that in mind, let me ask a question…
Why causes Naomi to return? Hardship!!!
Ruth 1:4–6 (ESV) — 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.
Naomi really suffered. She has four strikes against her.
Strike one- her husband dies. Strike two-her sons die (both of them). Strike three- her daughters in laws are barren. Strike four- she is living through another famine.
To understand Naomi’s predicament, we must understand the culture of the ANE. Although this is very offensive to even suggest today, back then, without a man a woman was in deep trouble. Women could not go to college. They could not go to trade school. They could not be doctors, lawyers, or engineers. As a result, they had no way to provide for themselves or protect themselves.
Without a husband, sons, sons in law, or grandsons Naomi had no way to provide for herself. Furthermore, she could not depend on the welfare system or Biden bucks. She was destitute.
To understand Naomi’s predicament, imagine being in a terrible car accident. As a result of the accident, your family is dead, your bankrupt, you have a permanent disability that prevents you from working, and the government won’t help you. More than likely, you would be homeless.
This was Naomi’s situation!!!
Application:
Yet, God was at work through the intense heart ache and the pain.
God used all of Naomi’s hardships to bring her back home to the promised land, back to Bethlehem.
God often uses hardship to bring us home!!!
Maybe you have drifted away from God. God uses broken relationships, lost jobs, jail, addictions, and health issues to bring us home.
Maybe you have not drifted from God, yet your life is still really hard. Whether you are drifting or not, if you are a child of God, God promises to use all the pain in your life to draw you closer to himself. Romans 8:28 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Have you noticed that people rarely talk about how much they grew in the midst of prosperity? On the other hand, I have heard many saints explain to me how much they grew through terrible adversity!
C.S. Lewis wrote,
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 90-91, 2001)
At this point in this story, you’re probably wondering what the young Moabite widows are going to do? Will they return to the land of promise with Naomi, or will they stay in Moab?
Let’s keep reading….
Ruth 1:7–9 (ESV) — 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
Rutha and Orpah are Moabites. As a result, Naomi encourages them to stay in their homeland, where they know the customs, know the people, and can lean on their families.
In addition, Naomi can’t provide for them in Bethlehem. Finally, she knows that they will not be well received in Bethlehem—they are Moabites. Why in the world would a Jewish man marry a Moabite widow?
One scholar writes,
“Ruth was a nobody, and outsider, a Moabite of all things. There was nothing kosher about Ruth. She knew she would be about as welcome in Bethlehem as a ham sandwich at a bar mitzvah.” (Duguid, 142)
No… it made the most sense for Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab.
But let’s keep reading….
10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”
The two young widows insist on returning home with Naomi.
But Naomi responds by saying, “Look, I can’t provide husbands. I’m way too old to get married. Even if I got married tomorrow, and conceived twins the next day, you will have to wait 18 years to marry them. No, no, my daughters stay here in Moab. If you come with me, you will be destitute. But, if you stay in Moab, you have a fighting chance.”
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
For the fourth time, Naomi urges Ruth to return with Orpah. It makes no sense for Ruth to go to Bethlehem. Why would she???
Let’s keep reading….
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
These words of Ruth are extraordinary.
This Moabite widow has converted to YHWH.
How do we know that Ruth converted? There are several clues in the text.
She says to Naomi, “your people shall be my people.” v. 16b. Then she says, “your God shall be my God.” v. 16c. Then she says, “I want to be buried in the promised land” v. 17a. Then she says, “May the LORD (YHWH) do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” v. 17b.
The word “Lord” is the word YHWH in the Hebrew. YHWH is the name by which God has revealed himself as Israel’s deliverer and savior. Ruth is calling down on herself YHWH’s covenant curses if she fails to remain loyal to Naomi and her people. Amazing!!!
If there is any doubt that Ruth converted to YHWH, the covenant language of verse 17 shreds it to pieces!!!
Ruth is saying, “Naomi I want your people to be my people, and I want your land (the promise land) to be my land, and I want YHWH to be my God.”
Amazing!!!
What happens when they finally return home?
Let’s keep reading….
Ruth 1:19–22 (ESV) — 19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
Notice how they totally ignore Ruth… the Moabite widow!!!
20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi (Pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Naomi is clearly angry with God. She knows that God is sovereign, but she doubts that God is good. This probably describes some of you?
It is not enough to know that God is sovereign, he is also good. Although this is sometimes hard to recognize.
William Cowper the great hymn writer, who suffered much, captures this well. He writes,
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense But trust Him for His grace Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face
This brings us to the last verse…
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
What can we learn from this beautiful story?
Application-
We learn that the Gospel is for all peoples!!!
Nearly 800 years earlier in Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham that he would bless the nations through his offspring.
Ruth is a direct fulfillment of this promise. God wants all the peoples of the earth to come to him, even the wicked Moabites. A Moabite seems like the least likely person to come to YHWH.
Who are the Moabites in our culture??? Who are the people that seem the least likely to come to Jesus?
The racists… The sexually broken. The drug addicts. The murderer. The porn addict. That parent who yells at his or her kids over and over again… The soccer mom who has it all together and does not understand her great need?
God wants all people everywhere, regardless of what they have done, to return to him.
God wants you, yes you, to return to him!!!
Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV) — 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We also learn what it means to count the cost!!!
After Ruth’s husband dies, her options are very clear.
She can remain in Moab where she knows the culture, knows the people, knows relatives, and has a good chance of getting remarried.
Or she can go to Bethlehem where she knows no one, will be despised, will have no way to provide for herself, and it is highly unlikely that she will ever remarry.
Yet she is willing to do whatever it takes to follow the LORD, even if that means leaving the safety, security, and comfort of Moab.
Are we willing to do the same???
Jesus said, “Unless you are willing to take up your cross, and deny yourself, and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
Following Jesus will cost you everything…
Is it worth it??? Absolutely, Jesus is the only way to the eternal promise land!!!
We also learn about real friendship!!!
Ruth was an amazing friend to Naomi. She refused to leave her side. We all need a Ruth in our lives. We all need a close friend who will never leave us or fail us.
Yet even the closet human friends fail us, don’t they?
But there is a friend who will stick closer to you than a brother or a sister. There is a friend who will never ever leave you or for forsake you. There is a friend who will forgive all of your sins. There is a friend who will listen to you all the time.
Who is this friend? His name is Jesus! Jesus is the friend of sinners.
Friendship with the triune God is the very essence of Christianity.
Who gets to be friends with God? Those who repent and believe!!!
If you are a friend of God, nothing can separate you from his love.
Let me close with the words or Romans 8
Romans 8:35–36, 38-39 (ESV) — 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36… 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lets pray…
Communion…
In our story, we saw God working bad things for good… How do we know, really know that God will work all things for good? The broken body and shed blood of Jesus…