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Sermon Notes 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.
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