Ruth Sermons (written)

Ruth 1:15-22
Returning to the Promised Land

Introduction: As we walk along life’s highway, we never really know where we are going, do we? We may have plans, maps, and gas for a trip, but in reality we are as blind to what will happen one second from now as if our physical eyes were blind and we were on a twisting, crooked, dangerous path.

Not to be morbid, but as we sit in church, a meteor could come through the roof and destroy us. A car could come through the front wall and crush us. Or, a jetliner could have trouble on the way to the airport and plow through us like a steamroller.

And yet we sit here contently despite actually having no control over anything around us. Naomi had left Bethlehem to go to Moab with her family and she lost everything. When she left, she had no idea what would happen. Now as she starts her trip back to Israel, she has no idea what will transpire there.

Each moment of our life is uncertain and without God it is a useless, vain existence which ultimately ends in futility. However with God, the unseen future may be a mystery, but it is not futile. Whatever happens along the way, the end… the final destination is assured. Naomi struggled to see this, but we have her life recorded to show us more than what she could see.

Text Verse: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

The Bible, with its many unusual stories and hard to figure details, is still very plain nonetheless. It shows us where we were, where we are, and where we are headed. And even though the details of our lives are left out, the Bible shows us the truth that there is an overarching hand of Providence which is guiding all things to a very good end for those who are willing to accept its premises.

It is a book of stories which tell one greater story. That God has a plan, that it is being worked out, and that it centers on His entrance into the world in order to make all things right. It is all focused on Jesus Christ. Naomi didn’t know this, but we do.

And so with the assurance that God loves us enough to give us His Son and to reveal Him in His superior word, let us turn to that word again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Wherever You Go, I Will Go (verses 15-18)

¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods;

Orpah has turned away to return home, thus as we saw last week, she lived up to the name she was given at her birth. Orpah means “Mane” or “back of the neck.” As she walked away, this is the last of what they saw of her.

And so as they watch her depart, Naomi says to Ruth words of true sadness. She has “gone back to her people and her gods.” In this verse is a confirmation that Orpah and Ruth had both previously accepted the God of Israel as their God when they married into the family. One cannot “turn back” to something they never left.

Therefore, they had to have left Moab’s form of worship in order to be united to that of Israel. Now, with her husband dead and her mother-in-law departing, she is turning back to Chemosh, the god of Moab. She has become an apostate to the true faith of Israel.

Instead of going to the land of promise and seeking out the face of God who gives both blessing and hardship at His will, she turned her neck from Jehovah to that which is not God and is thus completely dropped from the biblical narrative from this point on.

In her words to Ruth about Orpah she uses the word, elohim, translated here as “gods.” However, the word she uses doesn’t necessarily mean a plurality. It could be singular or plural. A way of translating it so that this term would be understandable would be that she went back to her own forms of worship.

Because there isn’t either an adjective or a verb to indicate a number, we can’t really clearly translate the thought. But a way of understanding the worship of the word elohim – be it god or gods, is that it is “over there.” Elohim is in another realm and that is where the worship is directed.

^{15 (con’t)} return after your sister-in-law.”

As Orpah fades into the distance, Naomi now speaks again to Ruth. Are her words sincere, that she wants her to return with Orpah, or are they a final test of her allegiance to the God of Israel? The latter is certainly correct. She has already, several times and in various ways, shown that following the Lord requires understanding that hard times come with worshipping Him.

Her words that Orpah “has gone back to her people and to her gods” means that she wasn’t willing to accept this premise and she felt that the god of Moab would be more responsive to her physical needs and desires than the Lord. And this is exactly what drives people from Christianity or from right exercise of it.

We are self-centered beings and what we desire most is gratification and satisfaction in the “right now.” People will walk away from the faith because of the death of a loved one, blaming God for their sadness.

And people will ignore the parts of the Bible that they don’t like or that they don’t agree with because their relationship with God is about them, not about Him. We want the good and none of the bad; but that is not how it works in reality.

Naomi has placed the reality of the situation before the daughters and one has turned. The second is standing on the battlefield and the lines are drawn and set. This is a battle not unlike that which Jacob faced on the banks of the Jabbok River. As Fuller says –

“God wrestled with Jacob with desire to be conquered; so Naomi no doubt opposed Ruth, hoping and wishing that she herself might be foiled.”

The fact is that Naomi does hope to be foiled in her attempt to persuade Ruth to depart. But she is not willing to be defeated  without presenting the reality of the situation which Ruth will face. She must continue to embrace the true God as she had when life was sweeter. Will she be willing to do so?

The answer is “Yes” and it comes in one of the most memorable passages in the entire body of sacred Scripture. It is comparable to the words of Esther before her time of fasting and trial, and to the response of Job when he was told to curse God and die. Ruth’s words are even as confident and faithful as those of Mary as she spoke out the words of the Magnificat. And her words begin with…

¹⁶ But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you,

To “entreat” is to ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something, even to beg. Naomi has entreated Ruth numerous times and in various, heightening ways, to thoughtfully consider her choice to go to Israel with her.

Now Ruth asks for the begging to cease. She will not be deterred and the breath is wasted on continuing such requests. She will remain steadfastly with her and by her side.

^{16 (con’t)} Or to turn back from following after you;

Naomi had just said, “return after your sister-in-law.” Instead, Ruth will follow Naomi. Where Orpah goes will be up to Orpah. Her choice is made, but she will go alone. Where Naomi goes is where Ruth will follow. Naomi will have company on the path she takes.

^{16 (con’t)} For wherever you go, I will go;

Whatever difficulties lay ahead. No matter what trials would come or the hardships of the journey, Ruth would accompany her. Didn’t Naomi have the same distance to walk? Wouldn’t she also be tired? Wouldn’t there be the same chance of robbers or beasts attacking on the highway as for her? If so, and she was older and more frail, then certainly Ruth could face the same challenges. If there were mountains to climb, she would climb. If there were rivers to cross, she would cross. If there were sharp, difficult stones to walk over, she would walk them too.

But more than the physical trials was the surety that the God she was following would be there too – through both good and testing. Ruth had certainly heard the family stories of the God of Israel – how he had led them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and over the Jordan.

He was with Israel as they subdued the Canaanites and He would be with them as they travelled. Like Rahab at the time when Israel entered Canaan, Ruth was willing to live by faith because she knew of the power and the omnipresence of the Lord Jehovah.

Some years later, her own great-grandson, David, would demonstrate the same understanding of the Lord when he would pen these words in the 139th Psalm –

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10

Ruth now understood this and she trusted in the providence of the Lord enough to commit to following Naomi on her travel home.

^{16 (con’t)} And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;

The NIV translates this “where you stay I will stay.” This might give the impression of the house they are heading to. The reference, however, is not to the final destination, but to the nightly stops on the way to the final destination. The verb, luwn, indicates to spend the night.

It could be at a cottage on the highway, it could be in a cave in a mountain, or it could be sleeping under the stars with a stone for a pillow like Jacob once slept. Whatever place they stopped – both on the journey to Canaan, or at any place during their earthy walk once in Canaan, she would be willing to sleep in that same spot.

^{16 (con’t)} Your people shall be my people,

Amekh ammi – in the Hebrew, there is no verb. “Your people – my people.” In her mind and forever afterward, Naomi’s people would be her people. She, whether accepted by them or not, was counting herself and her destiny as entwined with Israel’s common destiny.

The blessings they would receive from the heavens would be showered on her as well. The famines or wars they faced would be her portion and her lot. Should the mountains fall and the earth beneath her feet quake, she would remain steadfast amidst it all.

^{16 (con’t)} And your God, my God.

veloha-yikh elohai (3:19). Again, there is no verb. It is the assertion that the God of Naomi, who has been her God since her marriage, is and will remain her God. Whether He provides wealth and prosperity, or poverty and deprivation, she will serve this God to whom she is united.

Again as we have seen elsewhere, her words are reflective of other faithful souls seen in the Bible. What she says here is a beautiful match with the words of Job –

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
¹⁶ He also shall be my salvation,
For a hypocrite could not come before Him.” Job 13:15, 16

As Matthew Henry says about her words, “Ruth is an example of the grace of God, inclining the soul to choose the better part.”

Regardless of the state of this life, be it great or be it sore and displeasing, following the God of Israel is to always choose the better part. And although they are far distant relatives of Ruth, there is a group of people who will descend from her that will someday follow the Lord with the same marked determination. We read about them in Revelation 14 –

“These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” Revelation 14:4

It is the true mark of the redeemed throughout all ages. Enoch, the seventh man from Adam, and in the time before the Flood of Noah, was said to have walked with God. Abraham followed the Lord from his native land and walked with him all his days.

Time and time again, in both testaments of the Bible, we are told to walk in the commandments of the Lord and in a manner worthy of Him. Ruth is just one of countless examples of the faith which is found pleasing to God. Without seeing Him, but only hearing of Him, we please Him when we follow Him as we walk. In this, there is a reward waiting for the faithful. Even in death…

¹⁷ Where you die, I will die,

“My dear mother, as we walk in life, so we will walk until death. And even after death, I will stay put until that day when I also die. I will not leave you in life and should you go before me, I will stay to lay flowers on your grave. And in that day when the God of Israel calls me to my place of rest, it will be in that same place of your calling.”

^{17 (con’t)} And there will I be buried.

We still often follow this practice today. There is a common burial ground or even a mausoleum where families are placed. The record of this began with Abraham and Sarah and it continued on in the heart of Ruth towards her beloved mother-in-law.

They would possess the same spot of soil in the hope of some day rising together at the call of the Messiah who was promised to the people of Israel by the God of Israel. She abandoned the worthless graves of Moab where death’s hold would stay firm and welcomed the graves of Israel where death’s sting would be removed in Him.

^{17 (con’t)} The Lord do so to me,

In these words, Ruth now begins a petition of imprecation. It is the first such time it is used in the Bible and it will be seen in the books of 1 Samuel and 1 Kings. She is invoking the name of the Lord, Jehovah, and calling down upon herself a curse from Him if she fails to adhere to the words of her solemn vow – may it be so.

Her words here and to follow are a sort of euphemism, which more conceal than reveal the true weight of the penalty that she should, and rightfully would, endure for violating the oath.

^{17 (con’t)} and more also,

This is a way of adding additional weight to the imprecation she was calling down on herself. It is an impossible state, one which could never come about and yet it should happen if she were found to violate her pledge.

In essence, it is saying, “If there were something more punishing than what Jehovah could mete out, then that is what I would deserve. May such horrible and awesome terrors come upon me should the truth of my words be found wanting.”

^{17 (con’t)} If anything but death parts you and me.”

To complete her oath, she utters the finality of her decision, ki ha’mavet yaphrid beni uvenekh. In these words, “death” is emphatic – ha’mavet; – the death. As the Pulpit commentary says, “It is as if she had said death, the great divider.” Nothing but this will come between us.

¹⁸ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

Having heard the substance of Ruth’s words, the exchange ends.

The very thing that Naomi had intended has come about. Her previous words were meant to show the reality of what lay ahead and to obtain a sure, truthful, and heartfelt commitment from Ruth if she were to actually return with her to Canaan.

And in fact Ruth has shown her faithfulness to the road set before them. No greater promises could come from her mouth even if Naomi were to continue to dissuade her. Because of the gravity of what she spoke, she has shown that she will not be deterred. To Canaan, the two will travel together.

Where can I from Your Spirit go?
Or where can I from Your presence flee?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there, I know
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there with me

If I take the wings of the morning, indeed
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea
Even there, me Your hand shall lead
And Your right hand shall have hold of me

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me
Even the night about me shall be light
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You
But even shines as the day, the very darkest night

 I. The Almighty Has Dealt Very Bitterly With Me (verses 19-21)

¹⁹ Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem.

This was a journey of no less than 50 miles in a land which is hilly, rocky, hot, and arid. It also would have included crossing over the Arnon and then the Jordan rivers. They would have had to carry whatever they owned and the water they would need to drink. It would not be an easy trip.

It would be like picking up from Sarasota and walking to Tampa. Driving there takes an hour, but walking there would be a long tedious venture. At a normal pace, it would be about 17 hours, but with carrying their things, stopping for rest and sleep and the like, it would take at a minimum between two and four days.

If they lived more than the minimum 50 miles, it could have been longer. And again, as seen last week, there is a masculine instead of a feminine pronoun in the words “the two of them.” There are little treasures in the book of Ruth that are yet to be explained

^{19 (con’t)} And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”

Upon their arrival the entire city was abuzz with the news. The translation here “and the woman said” is from a single word vatomarnah, which literally is “and they said” but it is in the feminine. The translators inserted the word “women” to make it understandable for us.

The women of the town were astonished at the person they once knew. More than 10 years had passed. Naomi would have gone out as a much younger lady and with her husband and sons. Now she has returned, certainly looking older, more worn down from the sadness and the years. She, a widow with only a daughter-in-law.

Any nice clothing or ornaments she had would be missing. The exclamation is certainly akin to us saying, “The years have been tough on her!” The entire picture is one which would have been shocking to the women who stayed in Bethlehem. The verse is a true to life, graphic touch of the reality of Naomi’s situation.

²⁰ But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;

The name Naomi, as we saw before, is translated in a variety of ways by scholars – beautiful, sweet, pleasant, lovely, or something like that. Some take the “i” at the end of her name to be possessive and so it would mean “my sweetness.”

But the “i” at the end may be a reference to Jehovah and so it would be “Pleasantness of the Lord.” This is certainly what is intended and for a reason we will see in a moment. But because of her afflictions and trials, she asks them to not call her Naomi. It is no longer a fitting name for who she has become.

^{20 (con’t)} call me Mara,

Instead of Pleasantness of the Lord, she asks to be called Mara, which means “Bitter.” In hearing her given name repeated time and again as she encountered the people of Bethlehem, she could only think that it was no longer appropriate.

The Lord, the covenant God of Israel, was distant from her and she felt the pain of it each time her name was repeated. And so a change to reflect her sad state was needed. Call me Bitter. Interestingly the way the name is recorded is not the normal Hebrew form of the word.

It is lacking the letter “h” (hey) at the end of the name which is the same letter that was added to Abraham and Sarah’s name as a sign of covenant grace. It is as if she is outside of the Lord’s covenant provision, wallowing alone in her bitterness.

^{20 (con’t)} for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

Only in the light of interpreting her name as “Pleasantness of the Lord” can the full implication of what she says in this verse be properly understood. Instead of being “Pleasantness of the Lord,” who is the one who monitors the covenant and the covenant people, she is “Bitter from the Almighty” – the one who bestows or withholds fruitfulness.

It is a double play on her name; bitter instead of pleasant, and affliction from the Almighty instead of grace from the Lord. Her words here are almost mirror of the anguish that Job himself felt after all of his many afflictions. In Job 27 we read his words –

“As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,” Job 27:2

Both of these people failed to see that the kindness of the Lord was just around the corner. Thinking they were the objects of God’s wrath, they had misinterpreted the sad and troublesome hardships they had faced. What seemed at the time to be harsh and cruel was in due time to be replaced with joy and comfort.

But even more, the troubles they faced have served a larger purpose as their lives have been used to show us the greater, and often unseen, hand of God as He unfolds history in a way which displays His sovereignty and His redemptive plans for us.

²¹ I went out full,

Naomi had forgotten that she went out with her family during a time of famine in search of bread and livelihood. If she was full, it was only because they ate their last meal before departing. But the overwhelming exaggerations of memories colored over the original reason why she had left.

All she could think of is who and what she had left with. Her memories were of a husband and two sons and the things they carried along for their temporary pilgrimage. She had forgotten that she had left a land which was beset by a lack of food.

^{21 (con’t)} and the Lord has brought me home again empty.

The word translated as “empty” doesn’t mean exactly that. It is an adverb rather than an adjective. Her words are v’reqam hishivani Yehovah (3:12) –  “and emptily has brought me home again the Lord.” It is as if the entire process of her journey has been without any positive benefit as the Lord continually drained her.

Again, in her misery, she failed to acknowledge Ruth who had clung to her and promised to continue clinging to her no matter what would come their way. The faithful words on that dusty road leading home from Moab were overshadowed by her own pitiful condition in the eyes of the women of Bethlehem.

And in her return, she is now in a land that is productive and fruitful once again. She may have come home emptily in some respects, but she has also come home with, and to, great abundance in other ways.

As she will find out before her days are through, the daughter-in-law she now has taken in is worth more to her than seven sons. The Lord will heap upon her a good and blessed latter life, just as He did upon His faithful servant Job.

^{21 (con’t)} Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me,

In her words, and based on the meaning of her name, she is repeating a pun. “Why do you call me Pleasantness of the Lord, since the Lord has testified against me?” She is misreading what has happened. She is finite, in time, and unknowing of the future.

Like Job, what she sees as the Lord testifying against her is simply a lack of the full resource of information that God possesses. Job misunderstood his circumstances and Naomi has as well. And like Job’s friends, she is seeing her afflictions as a result of penal punishment. In other words, she feels she must have done something wrong and the Lord is punishing her.

But there are other forms of suffering that are not at all because of punishment. The book of Job shows this as do many other examples in both testaments of the Bible. A perfect example of this is found in John 9 –

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.'” John 9:1, 2

Like the man born blind, like Job, and like Naomi and many others, suffering is a part of the fallen world in which we live. At times that suffering is used by God to demonstrate His glory. This is the case with the life and trials of Naomi.

To some extent, every one of us fails to properly interpret the signs which surround us as we live out our lives before the Lord. What is needed is a firm belief in the promise found in Romans 8:28, that “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (LIFE APP)

^{21 (con’t)} and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

Her words in Hebrew are v’shaddai heraa li (4:21). This form of the verb heraa implies an evil doer, a doer of wickedness, or simply evil or wicked. If taken in that light, she is actually ascribing the evil that was accomplished to the Almighty. As the Pulpit Commentary says, she is “walking on a theological precipice, where it is not needful that we should accompany her.”

Instead of ascribing the evils that come our way to God, it is right that we humble ourselves and our hearts before His providential hand. The afflictions we bear may not do us good, but the way we carry ourselves in midst of them is what is right, honorable, and noble. And above all, we are never to ascribe evil to the Lord.

It is we humans who chose the path we are on and it is the Lord God who has worked to correct it and to put us on a new and eternally good path.

Shall we indeed accept good from God
And shall we not accept adversity?
Who is it that lays out before us the path we trod?
Let us never contemplate such perversity

It is fair when things go ill to be dejected and lacking strength
But it is right to remember that God has not forgotten us
He will return us to paradise and eternal joy in due length
And we have this certainty because He gave His Son, Jesus

So when trials, heartaches, or much loss comes our way
Remember to not blame God thus making matters worse
For He is God and He is working out every single day
His glorious plan when soon there will be no more curse

III. The Time of the Barley Harvest (verse 22)

²² So Naomi returned,

So Naomi returned… She has come again to the land of her birth which is the land of promise. She had crossed the Jordan and now she has crossed it once again. She has again come to the land of favor and the land of blessing.

^{22 (con’t)} and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab.

This continues to reiterate what we already know. Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law has come. It identifies her specifically as a Moabitess to remind us of the account of Lot and his daughters. They were relatives of Abraham, but not of the covenant line.

And more, the Moabites had hired Balaam the prophet, to curse Israel as they travelled toward Canaan. Later, they caused Israel to trip up and fall into idolatry and sexual immorality. She is a gentile from what many would consider an unsavory line of people.

However, her ancestor Moab was born to a woman who was looking forward to the coming Messiah. Unless you saw the sermon on Lot and his daughters, you might not understand this. But it explains why this verse in Ruth continues with the unlikely thought that she “returned from the country of Moab.”

One commentary said that this verse is both “remarkable, at once for its simplicity and for its inexactitude.” (Pulpit) They said this, because Ruth didn’t actually return from Moab. Rather, she came with Naomi who returned.

However, if this verse is taken in light of their great ancestor who slept with her father in order to have a child who would lead them to the Messiah, then Ruth did, in fact, return to the Land of Promise. They once lived in it and left many generations earlier. Now she had come home.

Words aren’t wasted in the Bible. And words are neither redundant nor inexact. They are precise, carefully chosen, and intended to show us God’s overall plans, which come in short, interesting sentences and concepts. In this, Ruth truly did return to Canaan through the loins of Lot and his faith-filled daughter.

*^{22 (fin)} Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Naomi and Ruth returned to Canaan and have arrived at the House of Bread, Bethlehem. It is the same spot where the Lord Jesus, a descendant of Ruth, will be born in a bit over 1000 years. And it is at the time of the barley harvest.

The barley is ready for reaping during the month of Abib which is our March/April time-frame. It commences during the Feast of Unleavend Bread when the firstfruits of the harvest are cut and presented to the Lord, a picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is at this same time of year when the Lord was crucified and then rose from the dead that these ladies arrive in the House of Bread. Barley is known as the crop of hairy ears because of its hairy appearance. The word “barley” in Hebrew is seorah which is closely related to the word se-ar or hair.

Hair in the Bible indicates an awareness of things, especially that of sin. The goat for example, which is used in Leviticus for the sin offering, is known as sair. We have an awareness of sin in the hairy goat sin offering. In Numbers there is a type of person known as a Nazirite. This is someone who made a vow or was consecrated to the Lord.

During the time of that vow, they were never to cut their hair. Samson was a Nazirite from birth as were Samuel and John the Baptist. Paul took a Nazirite vow in Acts. The hair on their head was a reminder of their state, just as the hairy goat is a reminder of sin. It is man’s place to be aware.

We are sentient beings, ever in search of more knowledge and experience and hopefully seeking out the cure to the sad state we are in. These things are all going to be seen in and revealed in the story of Ruth as it continues. Much is in store in the coming three chapters and it all revolves around the work of God in Christ. But it also is a true story of real people, living out their lives in the stream of time. God has carefully sewn them into pictures of greater things that affect us all. It is a marvelous way of Him showing us that He is attentive to the big things in history, but also the little details as well.

And one of the little details in the big picture, but the biggest detail of all in our individual lives, is where we will spend eternity. God has worked out a plan where we too can return to the Promised Land. And it revolves around the giving of His Son for us. I would ask just another moment to share with you how you can be certain of eternal life in the presence of God because of Jesus Christ…

Closing Verse: A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Next Week: Ruth 2:1-7 (Whose Young Woman is This?) (4th Ruth Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He knows your trials, troubles, and woes and He is there with you through them. So cling to Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

Your People, My People; Your God, My God

And she said, “Look, as you can see
Your sister-in-law Orpah has gone back
To her people and to her gods
Return after your sister-in-law, don’t be slack

But Ruth said in words heartfelt and true
“Entreat me not to leave, please don’t do so
Or to turn back from following after you
For wherever you go, I too will go

And wherever you lodge, I will lodge too
Your people shall my people be
And your God, my God, it is true
I shall not ever leave you, this you shall see

Where you die, I will die, may it be so
And there will I be buried, I speak plainly
The Lord do so to me, and more also
If anything but death parts you and me

When she saw that she was determined to go along
She stopped speaking; her determination strong

Now the two of them went
Until they came to Bethlehem
When finally the miles were spent

And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem
That all the city was excited because of them

And the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
She was a different woman, they could plainly see

But she said to them just the same
“Do not call me anymore Naomi
Instead now Mara is my name
For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me

I went out full many years before
And emptily has the Lord has returned me to my door

Why do you call me Naomi
Since the Lord has testified against me

And the Almighty me He has afflicted
I have been tried by His trial and convicted

So Naomi returned along with Ruth
The Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her
Who returned from the country of Moab
Their future unknown and unsure

Now they came to Bethlehem the town
At the beginning of the barley harvest
There they together settled down
As the Bible story does attest

Lord, help us to see Your hand in all things
As directing our lives not for evil, but for good
Help us to accept everything that our life brings
And to honor you at all times as we should

Yes, troubles come our way, but there are always blessings too
And both the troubles and the blessings are being used by You

For our good and for Your glory
Everything comes as a part of Your plan for us
This is the message we find in Your gospel story
And it is all because of our Lord Jesus

Yes, thank You Lord for such kind and attentive care for us
And thank You for our blessed Redeemer, our Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

Ruth 1:6-14
Bread in The Land of Promise

Introduction: Last week we saw the miserable state that Naomi found herself in after ten years in Moab. Her husband and both her sons had died and she was left alone with her two daughters-in-law. The story continues now with news from Israel that will impel her to make the move back to her homeland.

She had probably sat and talked about this with her daughters-in-law many times and they had probably made conversation about going back with her when she went. We all do this, saying things as if they would happen when the probability is that they never will. It is a way of filling time and filling our minds with hopes that please our thoughts.

With her time to move at hand though, the reality of those idle conversations will now be proven either true or false. Certainly there was no malicious intent in either daughter-in-law, but just the wistful ruminations that would never really come to the point of being realized.

But during all that time, and through the moments of sadness and heartache, a preparation was being made for either of the girls who would really presume to make the move with Naomi. God has a way of making us hope for what is better by handing us difficulties in the present. Matthew Henry sums it up this way, “Earth is made bitter to us, that heaven may be made dear.” Think about that…

Life in Moab was made bitter for Naomi and her daughters-in-law in order to make their hearts hopefully look for the pleasantness of a return to the land of promise. And it did. Naomi is ready to return home.

Text Verse: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

In the coming verses, we will see Naomi bless her daughters-in-law in the name of the Lord. But in order to receive such a blessing, it means they must seek Him. They will be tested by Naomi in her words to them as to whether their devotion is sincere or not. If it is, then their reward will certainly come.

What will seem like an honest plea by Naomi for them to depart from her is actually a plea for them to consider well the road they plan to take. The same is true for us who understand that following Christ doesn’t always mean prosperity, wealth, and health.

Instead, God has granted affliction to His apostles and faithful followers for the past 2000 years. If we simply open our eyes to history, it should be apparent that we are bound to face such trials from Him as well. If we do, will we still be willing to follow Him?

Let us resolve in our hearts now to follow the Lord no matter what happens. And the best way to do that is to know Him intimately and to trust Him implicitly. The way we come to do both of those things is through knowing His superior word. So let’s turn to that word now and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Lord Visited His People (verses 6, 7)

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab,

This verse takes us back to verse 4 which said, “And they dwelt there about ten years.” The word for dwelt, as we learned, meant “to sit.” Now the time for “sitting” has ended and so the Hebrew says she “stood up.” The imagery is exciting and shows that activity lies ahead.

And so, she arises with her daughters-in-law. Again, the Hebrew term is very descriptive. The word for daughters-in-law is khaloteha which means brides, as in the brides of her sons. It is with the two of them that she arises and begins her return from Moab. And there is a reason why she is now engaged in this course of action which is…

^6 (con’t) for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread.

Somehow, without the Bible further explaining it, word came to her that the famine was over and it was time to return. And the reason is given that the Lord, Jehovah, had “visited His people” by giving them bread.  Naomi has stayed no longer in this foreign land than necessity required her to.

Again as in verse 1, the term sadeh or the “fields” of Moab, is used. It is another indication that the story was written in Israel because the term sadeh is used when speaking of foreign countries. We are asked to view these events from the perspective of the people who are the redeemed of the Lord. From that point of view, we are to look at how He deals with such events.

The Hebrew word translated as “visited” is paqad. It is a word which has no comparable single word in English, and so it must rather be described. It indicates “overseeing or looking into a matter and then attending to it.” In other words, the Lord divinely looked into the affairs of Israel and attended to the famine which had gone on for so long by giving them abundance once again.

Because the book of Ruth is an insert story, showing God’s attendance to the affairs of mankind in order to meet His redemptive purposes, then it can be rightly assumed that the entire scenario of the move to Moab, the marriage of these women, and then the sending of news to Naomi that the famine had ended was completely and surely for the purpose of directing the events of the book of Ruth.

The famine, the death, the marriages, the next two deaths, and the ending of the famine were all designed to bring about the events to come in the next verses and chapters of Ruth. Real people and real circumstances were used by the sovereign God to give us this story. Imagine the importance of the words we are now looking at!

⁷ Therefore she went out from the place where she was,

Having “stood up” from the place of her ten-year “sitting,” she next “went out” from the place where she was. It is a very descriptive sequence of events which has taken place. The words are used to put us inside the events and to move us mentally us as she moves.

^7 (con’t) and her two daughters-in-law with her;

As Naomi arose, so arose the two daughters-in-law. It is an indication that their house was merely a temporary residence which is now to be abandoned by all three of them.

^7 (con’t) and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Only Naomi came and so only she can actually return. If the other two were to go, it would be not as a return unless they went with her. Instead it would be a journey that is commencing. They had probably talked about this moment many times and said that when she left, they would go with her.

And now, they have arisen with her to walk with her at least a portion of the way, but there is nothing yet to suggest that it is a true commitment to go to Judah with her.

The words of the Bible are spoken to us
So that we may have peace in this world where we live
They reveal the heart of God seen in Jesus
And in the Holy Spirit who to us He does give

In the world you will have tribulation it is true
But be of good cheer as on the difficult road you trod
Jesus has overcome the world and His peace He grants to you
Peace and contentment sent from our glorious God.

Be not despondent at the woe which does surround
Wait patiently on the Lord through each test and trial
And He will shower upon you blessings to astound
The difficulties will end after a short while

II. The Blessing of the Lord (verses 8-10)

⁸ And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house.

For however long they walked with Naomi, if they were to remain in Moab, there had to be a point where the walk would end and they would eventually turn around. Each step forward would be a burden on her, knowing that each step required another step back in the opposite direction. And so finally, she lets them know that it has been far enough.

Her words to them are to “return each to her mother’s house.” And yet, in the next chapter we’ll see that Ruth’s father is still alive. The wording is not intended to mean that the mother in Moab was the leader of the house, but rather to show that she, Naomi, isn’t their mother and that they have mothers who are awaiting them.

In the return to the mother would be a return to the comfort and solace of a welcome and familiar refuge. Naomi wanted this for them rather than the privations that would be expected in Israel. As widows, they would be extremely poor and dependent on the charity of the people for their livelihood.

There is no fault in Naomi here as many try to infer. They will say she is doing wrong to the daughters by not having them come to be a part of the covenant people. But the next half of verse eight shows that this is a poor analysis…

^8 (con’t) The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

The marriage of a woman implied that she was uniting herself to the religion of her husband. In turning back to Moab, it would imply that they were no longer bound to that faith, but Naomi’s simply-understood theology was that the Lord was the One true God and that He reigned not only in Israel, but in Moab as well.

Her words then are a pronounced blessing on them and an acknowledgment of His sovereignty. In her plea, she asks Jehovah to deal with these two faithful daughters-in-law just as they had dealt with her. It is an exemplary note of their attentive care to her through her many trials and sadnesses.

For those who are interested in these things, this verse contains a little peculiarity in the Hebrew. The pronoun which should be feminine is masculine. A literal translation says: The Lord “make” [masculine] grace upon you as you have “done” [masculine] with the dead [plural] and me.

In fact there are nine instances of gender discord in chapter 1 and seven of them are spoken by Naomi. Other gender peculiarities are found elsewhere in the book as well. These then are trying to tell us something either directly, or in the pictures they present.

In invoking the name of the Lord, she is here relying on His providence towards them. These two women married into the faith of Jehovah and so, through their kindness to her sons, she is pronouncing this blessing. No fault, but rather great faith is found in Naomi.

⁹ The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”

It is the second of a two-fold blessing where the divine name of the Lord, Jehovah, is invoked. Instead of saying “May God do these things,” she again gives the specific title of the Lord, Jehovah. When this title is used, it is speaking of the One who monitors the covenant and the covenant people.

In the first blessing, she asked that “The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.” And now, she explains what the first general blessing meant by giving specifics. She asks the Lord grant that they may find rest, each in the house of her husband.

The term “in the house of her husband” is used in a locative manner. The natural, but unstated question would be, “Where will they find rest?” and the answer is given. “The place where you will find rest is in the house of your husband.”

What she is implying is that they have tended to her with the same care that she had lost when her husband and then her sons had died. Her petition is that the Lord repay them in kind for this kindness.

Understanding this verse in connection to where Ruth ultimately finds rest and what it pictures is one of the secret keys of the book of Ruth and it is ultimately pointing to our own place of rest in the person of Jesus Christ.

The fourth chapter of Hebrews shows us the fulfillment of this petition of Naomi for her daughters as fulfilled in Him. It is when we believe in the work of Jesus Christ that we enter into His rest. Understanding this, gives us an advanced insight into what the book of Ruth is picturing.

^9 (con’t) So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

In the customary Hebrew way, there is a preposition before the pronoun. And so it reads va’tissaq la’hen – “and she kiss to them.” It shows the passionate imparting of herself to these cherished daughters-in-law.

And in response it says “they lifted up their voices and wept.” Unlike our western way hiding of emotions, the opposite is true in the Middle-eastern cultures. There is often an unbridled showing of emotion during instances like this and the term “lifted up their voices” is certainly not an understatement.

There is true sadness and it is being truly vocalized by these three women.

¹⁰ And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

They must have talked about this before they left, saying they would go with her. And she would surely have said that it would be better for them if they stayed. But whether they were actually serious or not couldn’t be determined until now.

Were they merely being polite and respectful? Or did they really intend to go the distance and start a new life in a new land? Where words fail, actions tell the truth and it is now time to determine which is which.

Come to Me, all you who labor, come to Me
You who are heavy laden, I will give you rest
Put your confidence in My words and truly
You will find your soul is eternally blessed

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me
For I am gentle and lowly in heart
Here your souls will find rest eternally
Yes, My peace and My rest to you I will impart

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light
And I will return You to the long lost Garden of delight

III. Turn Back My Daughters (verses 11-14)

¹¹ But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me?

Her statement is direct and her question is obvious. What would be the point of going with her? She is a widow and therefore she is destitute of anything except the house or land that her husband left in Israel before the famine.

Without a husband to take care of the house and to work in the field, she would be left poor, without an income, and wholly dependent on the goodness of others and whatever the law provided for her.

It would be a bleak and meager existence and she was hoping to keep them from the same sad lot. And it was a lot which would be unexpected to change as we see next…

^{11 (con’t)} Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

This seems like an odd thought to us today. What possible difference could this make? But in the custom and culture of the times, her statement is one which is perfectly understood. Going all the way back to Genesis 38, we see the practice of what is known as the levirate marriage.

It comes from the Latin term levir and it is where a brother-in-law would fulfill the responsibilities to the wife of his dead brother. This was later adopted, in a form particular to Israel, into the Law of Moses. That was concerning land inheritances and family name, and is recorded in Deuteronomy 25 –

“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” Deuteronomy 25:5, 6

Before the time of the law though, this was still a culturally mandated practice. And it is more in line with what Naomi is referring to now. In Genesis 38, Judah had three sons. The oldest, Er, had a wife Tamar. He died before Tamar had children and so she was given to the second son to raise a child up in Er’s name.

This second son refused to adhere to the custom and so the Lord killed him. The third son, Shelah, was never given to her. This resulted in events that finally ended with Judah becoming the father of her child without even realizing it. That account is directly tied to this account in Ruth as we will later see.

Naomi is telling them that she has no children in her womb that could come forth and fulfill this cultural obligation.

¹² Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband.

She is now going to begin a series of justifications for the daughters to consider and act on concerning a return to their homes. She’s already asked rhetorically if she had sons in her womb. The answer is surely “no.” Now she tells them that she is “too old to have a husband.”

Although this certainly isn’t literally true, it is culturally so. She is older, has had a husband and children, and is beyond the age where any normal possibility within her culture would indicate that a man would be interested in her. She is an elderly lady by society’s standards and she is poor on top of that. And so it is an obvious conclusion based on her situation.

^{12  (con’t)} If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

Now she raises the level of the concern even higher. Suppose that even against the odds of culture and situation, she were to tell them, “I have hope. Come to Israel with me because I have a man who will marry me…” Even if this were the case, she would still have more obstacles ahead of her.

The first is obvious – would she have children at all, or has she passed the age where it would happen? Secondly, what if she remained barren even if she were still of child-bearing age? Thirdly, what if she had daughters instead of sons?

And fourthly, even if she had sons, would they be like Judah’s son Onan and refuse to fulfill their roles towards their dead brothers? The logical conclusion is that there was too much that would stand in the way of her bearing sons that could fulfill this levirate responsibility to one or both of the daughters.

¹³ would you wait for them till they were grown?

And on top of all the other uncertainties comes another which they must personally consider. As she speaks, she states it in parallel thoughts. First, would they be willing to wait, despite all of the other unknowns that may arise?

Even if everything worked out in an exact and perfect manner, would they be willing to wait the many years that were necessary for one of her sons to mature enough to even fulfill his duty? The questions have been raised to the highest level of impossibility in any foreseeable scenario.

In the case of hoping for something from Naomi in regards to family life, there was nothing but her friendship left. And as she was older, it would become an increasingly one-sided relationship as the daughter or daughters would eventually have to take over more and more responsibilities as Naomi aged.

As a side note, this part of verse 13 is difficult to translate because the term “for them” as in “would you wait ‘for them'” (meanings sons) is actually feminine, not masculine and so it doesn’t make any sense. Many translators now translate this as “would you therefore wait till they were grown?” The word would then be an Aramaic term “therefore” instead of a Hebrew term “for them.”

^{13 (con’t)} Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands?

This is the second half of the parallel thoughts. First she said, “would you wait for them till they were grown?” And then she heightens it for them to consider further. “Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands?

The first thought conveys the idea of time and patience, something they might have. But the second conveys the idea of human nature and our personal urges that either exist or may arise due to circumstance. The second is decidedly harder to withstand.

It is one thing to wait for something without any external pressures being applied. A person in jail will wait patiently to be reunited to his wife because no other opportunity exists. But it is another thing to wait for something while being tempted in the process. The wife who is not in jail will wait impatiently and possibly unfaithfully simply because opportunity exists.

A man at war in Germany is a faithful husband as he fights the battle, but once he gets his leave and goes to France for two weeks, circumstances are bound to change. King David found this out when he stayed home from the battle one fateful spring.

And so in this verse, she uses a word which is found only here in the Bible. It is the Hebrew word agan and it is translated as “restrain.” It means “to shut oneself in” or “shut oneself off.” In other words, it implies that they would completely isolate themselves from having a man and would remain in their unwedded state as they now were.

Naomi is asking them to consider everything carefully and not to make a sudden decision which will forever change their futures and their relationships. She is being just, wise, and noble in presenting to them the exact nature of what they are contemplating.

If they were to come with her, there would more probably be inconvenience rather than good times. There would probably be poverty rather than abundance. And there would be expected sadness beyond hope of joy.

She is asking them to take stock of the situation before committing. And this is exactly what the Lord did when confronted by those who wanted a share in His ministry. In Matthew 8, we read this –

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’
²⁰ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'” Matthew 8:18-20

And even more to the point is the certainty that the family had told both of these women about the God of Israel. Despite the famine and the move, and despite the death of her husband and her sons, Naomi was returning to the land He gave to them. If you wonder why she was so intent on dissuading them from accompanying her back home, even when she was determined to go, it was to ensure that they were doing it, not only for her sake, but for the sake of the religion they had heard of and joined to.

Beyond all of the hardships and sadness, there was said to be a God over Israel who transcended difficulties and who is much less interested in temporary affections and excitements than He is to a faithful commitment from His people. It is a novel and fun experience to travel to another country, yes.

But what kind of allegiance is there when the novel turns to the mundane? Naomi, above all else, is looking to the strength and sincerity of their commitment to the Lord God of Israel. Something she and her family had taught them, but which would need to be tested in a race of long endurance and many trials.

And this is exactly what Jesus referred to in His words to those who followed Him. See how they reflect this sentiment that we are seeing between Naomi and her daughters from Matthew 10:37-39 –

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Were these two girls worthy of the God of Israel? Were they ready to give up on father and mother and pursue Him and Him alone? One more time Naomi shows them that being a follower of this God doesn’t always mean pleasure and prosperity, but it also means times when His hand is against you. And so she utters her final words of warning…

^{13 (con’t)} No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”

The New King James Version doesn’t at all give the correct sense here. These words are literally translated, “for it is bitter to me, exceedingly, beyond you.” The daughters had suffered bitterly at the loss of their husbands, but Naomi had suffered more. She had lost her husband and her children.

And now the suffering would continue and it would continue to be more grievous to her than to them. Whether they came with her or whether they parted, her lot wouldn’t change. And in fact, either way her lot would probably get worse.

If they stayed, she would be separated from these two daughters she had come to love. If they came, then she would continue to suffer knowing that they too were suffering because of her. Any course of action that she could imagine would bring heartache.

And the heartache was directly from the God that she was going back to. Is this something they were willing to accept, a God that would allow this? But she is adamant that it was because “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

Jehovah, her God, was the cause of her bitterness. Would they be willing to follow a God who brought both joy and adversity? It was a question that Job himself answered. After all of the calamites he endured, he faced the decision as to whether he should abandon his faith or not. Here is the account from Job 2 –

“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ ¹⁰ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Job 2:9, 10

Would one or both of the daughters act in this same vein of faith?

¹⁴ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again;

The emotions are beyond words to describe them, just as they are at the funeral of a loved one or the parting of lovers in a time of war. We can only understand the emotion when we have lived through them and known the feelings from personal experience.

These three women who had endured so much were now faced with their inevitable choices. There could be no more delay than this time of weeping. When it ended, the choices would be realized. If the weeping would endure forever, it would hold back the reason that the weeping had come. But it couldn’t…

^{14 (con’t)} and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law,

Implied in this is the Middle-eastern custom of kissing upon saying goodbye. Orpah has lived up to the name she was given at her birth. Her name Orpah means “Mane” or “Back of the neck.” As she walked away, this is the last of what they saw of her.

The word from which her name comes from is the Hebrew word oreph. As an interesting pattern, this word is used in Jeremiah 48:39 when speaking of Moab in a manner similar to Orpah’s turning back to Moab now –

“They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.” Jeremiah 48:39

Instead of going to the land of Israel and seeking out the face of God who gives both blessing and hardship at His will, she turned her neck from God to that which is not God and departed from the annals of history except as is recorded in this chapter of Ruth.

The act of kissing is a rare thing in the Bible. Only two kisses are mentioned in the book of Ruth and both of them have occurred during these eight verses. The first was as Naomi kissed her daughters after she blessed them in the name of the Lord, Jehovah.

The second is here when Orpah gives a farewell kiss to her mother-in-law and to the hope of Israel. There is a contrast between the two, but there is also a confirmation that God has granted us the freewill to pursue Him.

Orpah made her choice and Ruth will make hers. And each of us must make our own. God doesn’t force His will upon us, but He gives us the choice to earnestly seek Him or to turn from Him. Orpah chose poorly. However, Ruth chose another course for life…

*^14 (fin) but Ruth clung to her.

In contrast to Orpah who continued to fade into the distance on that dusty road in Moab, Ruth clung steadfastly to Naomi. Though at this time, Naomi could hardly be said to live up to her name, Pleasantness of the Lord, Ruth was willing to endure the bitterness along with her.

In fact, the word “clung” is the Hebrew word dabaq. It is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 when speaking of the relationship between a man and his wife. It is also the same word used in the 63rd Psalm to describe the person who was absolutely determined to follow the Lord –

“My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8 (NASB)

A good way for us to think of Ruth’s grasp is when something sticks like glue. It is a binding which reflects permanence. Despite the trials that may lay ahead, Ruth was willing to endure the hand of the Lord through good or trial. She was steadfast in her heart.

And so Ruth also fulfilled her name, or at least one aspect of her name, in this act today. Her name means in one sense “Friend” or “Companion.” And she proved that she is such a friend. One who would stick closer than any bond but death itself could separate.

Orpah may have loved Naomi, and Naomi’s words testify that she was a faithful daughter-in-law. But her love wasn’t so deep as to overlook the trials one might face in a walk towards the land of promise. Like her, many look at the value of heaven and decide it’s not worth the walk to get there.

They cannot find the strength and the resolve to forsake family, home, addictions, or pride in order to walk by the Lord’s side. They may love Him, just as Orpah loved Naomi, but they love Him as an unattainable ideal and not as a Savior worth giving up on life itself.

In the end, there are only one of two directions we can go. One is toward the face of God which is seen in the Person of Jesus Christ, or we can turn our neck and go in the opposite direction. The first leads to eternal life, the latter leads to eternal separation.

The choice belongs to each of us, so choose wisely. If you have never made the commitment to this wonderful Savior who came to lead us back to the land of delight which we lost so long ago, please let me tell you how you can. Let me tell you about the work that Jesus did for you…

Closing Verse: O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. 2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations. 4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the clouds. Psalm 108:1-4

Next Week: Ruth 1:15-22 (Returning to the Promised Land) (3rd Ruth Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He knows your trials, troubles, and woes and He is there with you through them. So cling to Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

One Choice, Two Paths

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law
That she might from the country of Moab return
For she had heard in the country of Moab
Words which made her heart churn

That the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread
And so she prepared to move from Moab to Israel instead

Therefore she went out
From the place where she was on that day
And her two daughters-in-law with her
And off they went on the way

To the land of Judah to return
For her home her soul did yearn

And Naomi to her two daughters-in-law said
“Go, return each to her mother’s house I say affectionately
The Lord deal kindly with you my beloved
As you have dealt with the dead and with me

The Lord grant that you may find rest
Each in the house of her husband, may you be kept
So she kissed them, after them she blessed
And they lifted up their voices and wept

And they said to her through the streaming waters
“We will return with you to your people, surely
But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters
Why will you go with me?

Are there still sons in my womb
That they may be your husbands?
Save yourself from this gloom

Turn back, my daughters, go—
For I am too old to have a husband as you know

If I should say I have hope this day
If I should have a husband tonight, no longer alone
And should also bear sons, I pray
Would you wait for them till they were grown?

Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands too?
No, my daughters; this I cannot ask of you

For it grieves me very much for your sakes as you can see
That the hand of the Lord has gone out against me

Then they lifted up their voices
And wept again as if a dirge was sung
And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law
But Ruth to her tightly clung

In reality there was but one choice to make
Though down different paths it will lead
Will one cling to the God of Israel for heaven’s sake
Will they to His word pay heed?

If the answer is yes, the destiny is bright and sure
If the answer is no, there is no true hope at all
One must look to Jesus with a heart tender and pure
And on His glorious name each must call

Lord God, thank You for Jesus our Lord
Thank You for the chance to walk in His light
Help us all our days to hold to Your word
Until You bring us home to the land of delight

Until that day we will praise our Lord Jesus
Who has done such marvelous things for us

Hallelujah and Amen…

Ruth 1:1-5
Famine and Heartache

Introduction: The book of Genesis is behind us and Exodus is the next logical place to continue our journey. But before we go there, we’re going to take a short trip through the book of Ruth. If we were to follow the same time-frame as the book of Genesis for the next six books before Ruth, it could be many years before we actually get there.

Unlike the New Testament, the prophets, and the books of wisdom which we frequently have cited while going through Genesis, our travels through the pages of the Bible don’t naturally reach out for quotes from books like Ruth.

Ruth is only four chapters long and yet it is almost completely overlooked by Christians, as if it were an unimportant story which has no relevance to anything we would care about in our daily walk. And yet, it is a book which drips with Christological significance and is filled with amazing beauty and wonder.

If one were to sit down and read it from beginning to end, it would take no more than 20 minutes, and yet how many of us have taken the time to do so even once? We’ll be in Ruth for a bit more than 20 minutes, but I don’t think you will find any of it tedious or boring.

Instead, you’ll find it a delight to your senses and a marvelous story of love and grace – both from a human perspective and from the perspective of our heavenly Father. Ruth is an “insert” story, similar to that of Judah and Tamar found in Genesis 38.

There is a main narrative line which the Bible is following, but there are at times stories which occur during the main narrative which are selected and highlighted. As we will see in the last chapter of Ruth, there is a direct link between the insert story about Judah and Tamar and that of the book of Ruth.

Interestingly, Ruth was a story used by Benjamin Franklin to open up the wonders of the Bible to French aristocracy. When he was serving in the French Court as an ambassador to these United States, he was a frequenter of the Infidels Club.

While there one time, he heard some of the aristocrats demeaning the Bible as the pompous often do, even today – maybe even more so today. They noted that it was unworthy of their time or attention and that it lacked style or relevance.

Franklin knew this to be exactly the opposite of the truth and so he played a bit of a trick on them. They had a habit of bringing in and reading stories that were entertaining and then would evaluate them after the reader was finished in order to compliment them or critique them in one way or another.

Franklin went to the book of Ruth, wrote it out longhand, and changed all the proper names to French names. There in the Infidels club, he read his cunningly altered manuscript to his pompously elite associates – the great minds of France.

When he finished, they were utterly enchanted with what they had heard. They loved its elegance and straightforward, simple style. Their exclamation was Charmant! – “Charming.” And their question, “But where did you find this gem of literature, Monsieur Franklin?”

His answer certainly wasn’t what their intellectual and arrogant minds would have expected. He said, “It comes from that book you so despise, la sainte Bible!” Certainly there were those who were put in their place because of this one portion of the greatest book of literature in human history.

And yet, the arrogance and pathetically demeaning attitude is found still today; certainly in greater abundance than at the time of Benjamin’s ambassadorship to France. The world of scholars, high-browed professors, and godless politicians continues to put down and belittle the book that they could never fully grasp or mentally assimilate.

Text Verse: “When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, ¹⁷ then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.” Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

Paul says in the book of 1 Corinthians that the Lord will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. He certainly did it through Benjamin Franklin at the Infidel’s club, but He does it to us in our daily lives as well.

We make plans for the contingencies that arise and we feel sure that the choices we make will turn out in a particular way. And yet, we often find that things don’t turn out as we’d wished. The things we had hoped for or expected are forgotten and even regretted. This is how it will appear to a lady named Naomi in today’s verses.

But someday, she will look back on the tragedies described in these few lines and realize that God was there with her all along. The same is true with each one of us. We lose a job, a family member dies, there is sadness or heartache heaped up in little pockets of time in our lives, and we lose heart.

And yet, when we get through them, we can turn around and look back and see how the good place we have come to needed each one of those difficulties in order for us to arrive at the location we are at. This is a constant theme of the Bible. We think things are out of control and God is there tending to them anyway.

Job is used as the Bible’s exemplar of patience and fortitude in times of grief, sadness, and loss, but close on his heels is a lady named Naomi. Her reaction at the beginning of her trials is different from that of Job, but by the time the story is complete, she will, like Job, find herself in a wonderfully satisfied place.

When times get tough for us, we can go to stories like this, even stories which are only four chapters long, and we can be reassured that God really is in control and that He is working our lives out for a marvelous end.

They are stories of hope. They are stories of promise. They are stories which reveal the heart of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. And, they are stories found in His superior word. So let’s go to that great and magnificent book now and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Famine in the Land (verses 1 & 2)

¹ Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled,

In the Hebrew, the book opens with these words – v’hi bime shephot ha’shophtim – “And came to pass in the days when judged the judges.” A book beginning with the word “and” may seem rather remarkable to us. It is as if we read the Bible and come to the book and find it is merely a continuation of the same story we have been reading. And for all intents and purposes it is. God is revealing to us wonders, unfolding them in a logical sequence which may or may not be chronological, but they fit in a fashion as orderly as if they were chronological.

This same “and” begins the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Ezekiel, Esther, Ezra, and Jonah. Beginning this way is certainly intended to show us an unraveling of a thought processes which had already began elsewhere.

The time when the judges ruled begins with the time of Othniel who became judge after Joshua died. His time began in Judges 3:7. It goes all the way until the time of Samuel, the last judge of Israel. The time of kings replaced the time of judges when Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king in 1 Samuel 10:1 –

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: ‘Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?'” 1 Samuel 10:1

Knowing that the author of Ruth said that these things came to pass in the days when the judges ruled tells us that it was written after that time. In the last chapter of Ruth, it is going to mention King David, and so we know that it was written during or after his life as well. It is unsure who wrote the book.

Jewish tradition says that it was Samuel who wrote it, but whether it was him or someone else, they were under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and thus the majestic and beautiful story is given to ultimately show us the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Of this, there can be no doubt.

There will be specific names of people and places which are selected to purposefully reveal hidden treasures of God’s redemptive plans. As we continue through the book, every detail will be carefully sifted through in order to reveal Him.

Finally, before we go on, to understand the “and” at the beginning of Ruth, it is necessary to understand what the situation of Israel was at the time of the judges. The theme of the book of Judges can pretty much be summed up in the following words, which are the last words of the book –

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25

This phrase, or a portion of it, is repeated four times in the book. It shows that despite being under a theocracy, there was no true union among the people and there was often more of anarchy than obedience to God.

However, God promised under the law blessing and fruitfulness when the people were obedient and the opposite when they weren’t. For a time in this story there is a lack of fruitfulness in the land. It is then a time of disobedience within Israel. The lack is noted in the continuation of verse 1…

^1 (con’t)  that there was a famine in the land.

This part of the verse in the Hebrew is very similar to the previous part – v’hi raav baaretz, “and came to pass a famine in the land.” The entire thought so far shows God’s hand is written all over it. It literally says “And came to pass in the days when judged the judges, and came to pass a famine in the land.”

This isn’t an unnecessary Hebrew lesson, but it is to show us that both the timing and the circumstance are noted for us to consider. Famines are directed by God. They are used by Him throughout biblical history to effect His will in the unfolding story of the world.

Famines come about in many ways, but none of them are unknown or undirected by Him. Sometimes they come about by unfavorable weather conditions and the lack of rain. Some come about by civil wars where a nation fights itself, and others by wars waged with foreigners.

From the time of Abraham all the way to Joseph, the patriarchs were all affected by famine in ways which showed the realization of God’s purposes. Through these famines, patterns are seen which involve the repetition of specific dates and other occurrences.

And in those famines, specific people and places are named which seem otherwise unimportant and yet each reveals something to do with the work of Christ. No word is ever wasted in the Bible. Each has purpose.

In this verse, it says “in the land.” By not specifying the country where the famine is, it supposes that the writer is in Israel and that we are joining him there in the narrative as it continues. And even though this happens during the time of the judges, nothing more precise is specified than that it is during a time of famine.

Many suggestions have been made, but none can be certain. Only by looking at the genealogy of David can we guess the approximate time, but even that is mere guesswork and supposition because the ages of his ancestors during this period aren’t given.

^1 (con’t) And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah,

The Hebrew here says, v’yelek ish “and went man.” The word “certain” is put in there by the translators as a way of further singling him out. Modern translations tend leave out the word “certain.”

This man was from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The reason for including “Judah” is because there is another Bethlehem mentioned in the land of Zebulun which is recorded in Joshua 19:15. This then is the same Bethlehem where Jesus would be born some 1100 or 1200 years later.

Judah is the main tribe of Israel and it is the tribe from which Jesus descended. The account is ensuring already that we look for Jesus and that no error is made in assuming a different Bethlehem. The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread” and Judah means “Praise.”

^1 (con’t) went to dwell in the country of Moab,

“To dwell” means to sojourn rather than to live permanently. It was the intent to move to Moab in order to be free from the famine, not to make a permanent new home. It is to the “country of Moab” that they went, but the word in Hebrew is “the field” of Moab.

This is a term used with reference to a foreign country, not where the speaker or writer is. Again, it is showing in several ways that Canaan is the point from which the author is intending and he is including us in the narrative as he writes.

The name Moab comes from two words – mi which means “who” and ab which means “dad.” In modern language we’d call him “Who’s your daddy?” The answer comes from the story of Lot and his two daughters. Through his oldest daughter, he had a son and he was named Moab because he came from her father.”

^1 (con’t) he and his wife and his two sons.

Not only did the man go, but he headed out with his family. What is important is to keep remembering that this is a story of real people and things that really happened to them. The story could have simply been “not” included in the Bible, but it is. And so it is there for a reason.

We are to open our eyes and pay attention because a zillion people have been in famines and some of them were Israelites. Lots of people have moved during famines, including many Israelites. And yet, the Bible selected this family and these details for a reason.

This book is so important that it is one of the five megillah scrolls which are read each year during feast days by observant Jews. Those five scrolls and the times they are read aloud include –

The Song of Songs at Passover
Ruth at Shavuot, or Pentecost
Lamentations on the 9th day of the month of Av
Ecclesiastes during Tabernacles
And Esther on Purim

The stories are read and yet eyes remain closed and hearts remain unopened, but Jesus is there if they will but look and believe.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I from Your presence flee?
If I ascend into heaven you are there
If I make my bed in hell, behold even there Your hand is upon me

If I take the wings of the morning to the coastland
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea
Even there You shall lead me with Your hand
And Your right hand shall have hold of me

Wherever Your people go
You are attentive to their every need
Surely we can trust that this is so
You are ever-faithful in Your care, amen and indeed

² The name of the man was Elimelech,

The name Elimelech can have a couple different meanings. El means “God” and melech means “king.” The “i” in the middle is either possessive and so it would mean “My God is King.” This would then affirm that he lived in the time of the Judges which was when Israel was a theocracy. God, literally being King of Israel during that time.

The “i” could also belong to “king” instead of God and if so, then it is the third person statement that “God is King.” In the end, the conclusion is the same – God is Israel’s king. There is one more possibility for the “i.” That would be to translate it as “God of the King.” But at this time, there were no kings and so it doesn’t fit.

^2 (con’t) the name of his wife was Naomi,

Naomi is translated by most as beautiful, sweet, pleasant, lovely or something like that. Some take the “i” at the end of her name to be possessive and so it would mean “my sweetness.” However, the “i” may also be a reference to the Lord, Jehovah. In this case her name would be Pleasantness of the Lord. This translation is the most likely based on something she herself will say later in verse 20.

^2 (con’t) and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—

And the names of the two sons are given. Mahlon is mentioned first and so is assumed to be the older of the two, but in chapter 4 he is named second. The names being reversed then has meaning in the story. Mahlon, the younger, will be the husband of Ruth. He is noted first here apart from birth order because Ruth is the principle in the story.

Their names reflect a sad state of affairs anticipated within the story itself. Mahlon literally means “Man of Weakness” or “Sickly.” Chilion means “Wasting Away.” Why a parent would choose names like these is unknown, but it could go to their appearance and health at birth. Or it could be the thoughts of a father who was aware of the fallen state of man and the useless nature of life under the sun.

Either way, their lives will match their names and they are in turn a picture of the pleasant things that the Lord gives us to enjoy during this life. They are weak, infirm, wasting away, and dying. Only the eternal things He offers are of any true value.

We may cherish a banana, or a beautiful sunrise. We may long for the cool days of autumn or the sunny days of spring, but as soon as they come, they pass away. It seems that this was on the mind of Elimelech when he married and had children with his wife, whose name is Pleasantness of the Lord. She would fade as would the children who would issue from her.

Solomon speaks of this in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 –

“Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor.
¹¹ Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11

^2 (con’t) Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah.

The Bible now further defines the residence of the family. They lived in Judah, they lived in Bethlehem, but they are Ephrathites as well. Ephrath is the same place mentioned in Genesis 35 as the place of burial for Rachel.

The name Ephrath as we have seen in the past, means both “ash heap” and “place of fruitfulness.” It is not surprising that both of these meanings fit perfectly into the story. The land meaning “place of fruitfulness” is no longer fruitful which shows the greatness of the famine around them.

And so in order to stay alive, they decided to leave to find another dwelling to replace it. And in their leaving, it is a place of ashes, or mourning, because of the move they must make away from the Land of Promise.

Many find his actions as disobedience to the Lord, but the story doesn’t indicate this. The fact that there is a famine shows that Israel as a whole is in a state of disobedience. Elimelech is actually separating himself and his family from those sad surroundings.

There are numerous examples of people leaving the land of promise during famines, and disobedience for this happening is not considered the case. A classic example of this is found in 2 Kings –

“Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.” 2 Kings 8:1, 2

When she returned, her land and all the proceeds from her land were restored. When someone is exiled from the land forcefully, it is certainly because of God’s curse. But when a voluntary move happens, no such deduction can be made on an individual level.

^2 (con’t) And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.

And so, with the intent of merely being pilgrims, not permanent residents, in a foreign land, they went to Moab. As I said, many scholars fault in them for lacking faith in the providence and promises of God by moving to there.

Normally, such a move involves changing one’s god when the move is made. However, nothing in the story implies this and no indictments are made. The famine is directed by God, the events are being used by God, and God’s plans will be realized through what has happened.

Later in this same chapter, Naomi’s words will actually reflect that they had remained obedient to the Lord even during their time in Moab. All that occurs takes place without the Bible negatively commenting on the actions of Elimelech and his family.

What then shall we say to these things?
What is it that our joy and gladness brings?

If God is for us, who can be against us?
This God upon whom we call
He who did not spare His own Son, Jesus
But delivered Him up for us all

How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
This is that which certainly our joy and gladness brings!

II. Life in a Foreign Land (verses 3-5)

In this sad section, there will be a death, two marriages, and two more deaths.

³ Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died;

No mention is made concerning how long they lived in Moab, but at some point, God, in order to continue the narrative in the manner which He alone is the Decider of, the life of Elimelech ended in the foreign land in which he sojourned. Thus the story must now take on a new biographical direction.

^3 (con’t) and she was left, and her two sons.

Naomi is the one to remain behind to lead the family through their sojourn – she with no husband and they with no father. There, with her sons, they will wait for their own departure from Moab. Elimelech had simply gone in advance of them.

The Hebrew word used to describe them being left, vatishaer, gives this thought. They remained, while he departed in advance.

⁴ Now they took wives of the women of Moab:

Again, as before, scholars treat this as a real offense and something that was forbidden for them to do. However, this is not the case at all, nor does the story imply it or indict them in any way for this. In Deuteronomy 7, forbidden marriages are listed and they include to the daughters of the people who lived in Canaan the land.

They are named individually and there is nothing said about Moabites. Later in Deuteronomy 23, it is implied that marriage to a Moabite could occur, but with restrictions. There it says this –

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever, ⁴ because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.” Deuteronomy 23:3, 4

If an Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter the assembly even to the tenth generation, then it implies that a marriage may occur with them, but guidelines are given in that instance. Further, this applied to the female who would marry a male, but it didn’t apply to a male who is married to a female. How do we know this? Because the name travels through the father, not the mother. None of those in the line of Ruth will be excluded from the assembly, and even David, who comes from Ruth, entered the assembly. He was only the third generation from Ruth. In 1 Kings 7, Solomon is noted as being disobedient for such a marriage. There it says –

“But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— ² from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.'” 1 Kings 11:1, 2

In this, the list includes the explicitly forbidden marriages to the Hittites, but the list doesn’t mean that all are included as we saw a moment ago. And it is from an Ammonite wife that the next king of Israel after Solomon, Rehoboam, would come. Both Ruth and Rehoboam’s Ammonite mother are ancestors of Jesus.

^4 (con’t) the name of the one was Orpah,

The name Orpah is a Moabite, not a Hebrew name. It means the “back of the neck” or the “mane.” Her name will find its meaning in her actions before the chapter is finished.

^4 (con’t) and the name of the other Ruth.

The name Ruth has one of two general meanings. It means either “Friend” or “Companion”, or “Beauty” or “Looker” such as in one you would look at because of their beauty. It depends on the root word used to determine the end result. Because it is uncertain, it is probably a play on both words, Companion and Looker.

^4 (con’t) And they dwelt there about ten years.

The term for dwelt, literally means “to sit.” This idiom has passed down even to our modern times where we say that our house is our seat of residence. It was about- ten years that they dwelt in Moab.

No reason is given for the length of time, but it could be as simple as life just getting away from them. Without any regular communications with those in Israel, time crept by and before they knew it, ten years had passed.

Because it says “about ten years” it is asking us to look at what the significance of the number ten is in the Bible. The specific number is given in a general sense for a reason. According to EW Bullinger in his book, Number in Scripture, the number ten –

“…signifies the perfection of Divine order. …It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

God has a plan, the plan is being executed, and there is a completion to that plan. In the case of the story of Naomi and Ruth, the time for that completion to be realized and for them to enter into a new cycle of life would now come…

⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died;

In approximately ten years of living, no more than a few verses are given to show us the life events of the family of Elimelech. In them are contained death, followed by marriage, followed by death. Only the details that are pertinent to the story are given, and only the details which point us to God’s work in redemptive history are pertinent.

As with the father, and as with all of us, the lives of Mahlon and Chilion were in the hands and at the will of God. It is during this time of spiritual lethargy that the sons marry and it is during this time that no children are born. God has directed the events of their lives for a greater purpose, a purpose which they can’t see, but which is leading all the time to bring us to Jesus.

It has been speculated that the two sons died because they married Moabite women. In essence, it is judgment on disobedience for following after the gods of Moab. It is also speculated that no children were born to the women during their marriages as punishment to the husbands.

There are several reasons to know these are both incorrect assumptions. First, when God judges this way, it is stated. We see an example of it in the death of Judah’s son Er –

“But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.” Genesis 38:7

Such judgment is noted as a lesson to us and they are noted often, but no such hint is given in the deaths of Mahlon and Chilion. Secondly, Naomi’s words to her daughters later in this chapter to “return to their gods” implies that they had married into a family who had been following the Lord.

Thirdly, Ruth will, in the coming chapters, marry a man named Boaz. If God were to have killed the sons for disobedience by marrying Moabite women, then the same disobedience would be seen in Boaz for him doing so. But this is completely contrary to the entire message of the book of Ruth. The assumption is wrong.

Fourth, the women not bearing children cannot be seen as any type of punishment. God withheld children from Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Tamar, among many others in order to meet His goals.

Finally, Ruth will have a baby to Boaz, who is an Israelite, in the pages ahead. And so punishment for having married her is an entirely wrong view.  All such assumptions that God was somehow displeased with these actions are wrong.

*^{5 (fin)} so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

From God’s perspective, life was being directed with purpose and with care, even Naomi’s life. But from her perspective, not seeing all that He sees and not understanding His plan, there was only loss and sorrow and certainly confusion.

Again as before, the Hebrew uses the term vatishaer to indicate that she is left while now her husband and both of her sons have gone before her. Their journey is taken while she remains. One scholar, Fuller, gives these heartfelt words concerning Naomi’s plight –

“Of the two sexes, the woman is the weaker; of women, old women are most feeble; of old women, widows most woeful; of widows, those that are poor, their plight most pitiful; of poor widows, those who want children, their case most doleful; of widows that want children, those that once had them, and after lost them, their estate most desolate; of widows that have had children, those that are strangers in a foreign country, their condition most comfortless. Yet all these met together in Naomi, as in the center of sorrow, to make the measure of her misery pressed down, shaken together, running over. I conclude, therefore, many men have had affliction – none like Job; many women have had tribulation – none like Naomi.” Fuller

The beginning of the book of Ruth resembles a Greek tragedy. It seems as if nothing could go right for Naomi. Surely the pleasantness of the Lord doesn’t seem to describe her situation at all. She is in a rut that seems hopeless and beyond ability to bear.

But the Bible says that God is attentive to the widow. With three of them living together, there is three times the attentiveness to that home where they dwell. Certainly good things are in store for those who have mourned their dead and good things are in store for those of us who belong to Him and who mourn as well.

But there is the truth that we must belong to Him in order to receive His favor and His hand of grace. It would be illogical to assume that God would care for those who don’t first reach out to Him. When tragedy happens, people ask, “Why did God let this happen to me?” They say this as if God owes them something.

But isn’t it we that owe God? Didn’t He give us life, time, and place. Every good thing we have came from Him and yet, we often don’t take the time to thank Him. And above all, He gave us His greatest Gift of all, His own Son. If we don’t accept that gift, then why would we expect any rights as His child.

And so, this is what God would ask of us, to call on Him, to receive His offering of peace, and to become His child through adoption. And this can only happen if we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. After that, even trouble and sadness begins to make sense. They are no longer hindrances to our relationship with Him.

Instead, they are steps which we must take in order to come to the place where His greatest blessings can be bestowed. Every step, every step, every step… leading to the perfect fulfillment of His plans for us. If you have never taken that first step, the one of calling out for Jesus, let me explain to You why this is necessary and how you can do it even right now…

Closing Verse: Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
⁴ Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow. Psalm 144:3, 4

Next Week: Ruth 1:6-14 (Bread in the Land of Promise) (2nd Ruth Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He knows your trials, troubles, and woes and He is there with you through them. So cling to Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Famine in the Land

Now it came to pass, as we understand
In the days when ruled the judges
That there was a famine in the land
Which brought about difficulties, toils, and trudges

And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah
To dwell in the country of Moab went
He and his wife and his two sons
Until the time of the famine was spent

The name of the man was Elimelech
The name of his wife was Naomi
And the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion
Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah, their place of residency

And to the country of Moab they went
And remained there in a new emplacement

Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died
And she was left, and her two sons
A husband and a father, they were denied

Now they took wives of the women of Moab
Orpah was the name of the one
And the name of the other Ruth
And they dwelt there about ten years under Moab’s sun

Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died
So the woman survived her two sons and her husband
Surely at this time, God’s plans had her mystified

We too live in a world of troubles, trials, and woes
And often things occur which make us question God
We shake our heads and take the path where it goes
And each step can be a painful, heartbreaking trod

But at the end of the miserable, weary path
We find that God was there all along guiding us
We thought that we were the objects of His wrath
But instead we were being molded to be like Jesus

His ways are far above ours, so let us in Him trust
Let us never let our faith fail as each day we live
He is tending to us, and all His ways are just
And so let us to Him all our praises give

Hallelujah and Amen…