150809 Into the Pit of Despair

Ruth 1:1-5 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. ³ But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, ⁵ and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

This story begins with, “when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land,”. When the judges ruled there was a great deal more than a famine to concern oneself with. The period of judges was 400 years of confusion and rebellion. The book of Judges closes with, “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” It was a very dark time. The people would sin, God would bring a powerful enemy, the people would beg for help, and God — in his mercy — would bring a deliverer! Ruth is a sort of “side story” during a time of national spiritual famine. The story of Ruth tells us how God worked in one family during the time he was working on a larger scale with the whole nation.

We need to remember that Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, were Israelites who knew the history of God’s moving in their people. The story focuses on Naomi, and then on Ruth. The men are mentioned but they are “bit players” in this story. Normally, in the Bible the stories focus on the men and the women are minor actors. In this case the women are extremely important. There are many things to learn from the book of Ruth and we certainly won’t have time to cover them all in these four sermons. Suffice it to say that God’s people do not always do what they know they should do…

Naomi knew that famine came from God. Turn with me to Leviticus 26:3-4. If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, ⁴ then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

This would’ve been standard educational material in the families of Israel. So far as we know, they did not have schools as such but instead the parents took care of their own families. They were homeschoolers and so both the males and females were taught. The writings of Moses would have been the common textbook. Emphasis would’ve been placed on obeying God and expecting his care and concern for them. When the famine came they would have known that God’s hand was against them. Especially, when you consider that Moab was right next door and there must have been less evidence of the famine there. Naomi must have been very unhappy and certainly…

Elimelech’s death added to her misery. Life and death are in the hands of God and this would’ve been well known to Naomi. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 30:19-20.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, ²⁰ loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

The people of Israel certainly understood that obedience brought blessings and disobedience brought cursing. I believe Naomi would have seen the death of her husband as more evidence of the displeasure of God. But she was determined to stay away from the famine even if it meant disobedience to God. In Israel, Naomi would have chosen wives for her sons. In Moab the sons took Moabite wives. This too was a direct act of rebellion against God. As we see these things unfolding we know that God is still in charge. At the same time…

Naomi knew not to allow intermarriage. Part of what she had learned over the years was very clear. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 7:3-4.  You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, ⁴ for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

Taking foreign mates was forbidden because they would have such influence over the Israelites that they would be turned against serving God. It seems to me that these two young man might have been more faithful to God than we would first assume. A little later in the story I’ll be able to show you why.

Naomi considered she had lost everything when her two sons also died. They died without children leaving their wives as young widows. The rule in Israel was that when a man died without heirs their brother would marry the widow and raise up children in the name of the deceased. But in this case both brothers died. Apparently, Naomi had forgotten that there was at least two men in the vicinity of Bethlehem who would have the right to marry one of the widows and claim the property for himself.

Naomi’s life had pretty much hit bottom so…

After losing everything Naomi chose to go home. Let’s look back at the book of Ruth and see what it says. Turn with me to Ruth 1:6-7. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. ⁷ So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

When Naomi set out both her daughters-in-law went with her. They had left their father’s homes and attached themselves to Naomi. It would seem that rather than lead the two men away from God these two women had been brought to believe in Yahweh. However, Naomi had nothing to offer these two women, so…

Naomi sent her daughters-in-law away. Let’s read on in Ruth 1:8-14.  But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ¹⁰ And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” ¹¹ But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? ¹² Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” ¹⁴ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

These three widows appear to have been bonded to each other. The younger two were urged to go back to their family homes. Naomi spoke her love to them by saying that they had more possibilities in Moab. So far as she could recall there was nothing she could give them. She loved Ruth and Orpah but knew she could not support them.

They had a good cry and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her ancestral family. But Ruth clung to her and…

Ruth refused to go. Now let’s look at what is probably the best-known verses in the book of Ruth. They are found in Ruth 1:16-18. But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” ¹⁸ And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

This is quite a testimony that Ruth gave that day. She expressed her love for Naomi and committed herself to go to Israel and live with her there. She was willing to renounce her allegiance to Moab and let the people of Israel be her people. This was not just for Naomi’s life but for her own life as well. She promised Naomi, “Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.” But this is not the most intriguing part of her statement. That is found in her saying that Yahweh would be her God. Apparently her Israelite husband had taught her well. She not only loved Naomi but she had also come to love Naomi’s God. She would stay with Naomi until death parted them. She would go with Naomi to Israel and live out her life there no matter what the consequences were.

Naomi had a great sense of loss. She failed to see the great treasure she had in Ruth! In fact she was so bitter that…

Naomi changed her name. Let’s read on in Ruth 1:19-21. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

Naomi was changed all that she had gone through. When she and Ruth came into Bethlehem they caused quite a stir. The women of the town could hardly believe their eyes. They had to ask, “Is this Naomi?” Now Naomi meant “pleasant” and she no longer felt “pleasant”. So she changed her name to “Mara” which means “bitter”. This pleasant lady had now become a bitter old woman. She saw all that had happened to her as coming from the hand of God. And like most people she believed that if it came from God it would always feel good! She could only see it all as “calamity”.

Naomi could not see the unseen hand of God. Let’s look at the last verse in chapter 1 of Ruth. 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

The writer of the story did not choose to use Naomi’s new name. It had only reflected Naomi’s feelings. It’s very significant that they arrived at the right time. The God we serve is always faithful and the right time is a big part of his faithfulness. There would have been little time for Naomi to find a way to live. So it’s very significant that they arrived at the beginning of the barley harvest. One of the rules that God imposed upon his people is that they were to leave part of their crops for the poor. Now they were not required to harvest the grain and take it to the poor they were simply to leave it for the poor to gather it for themselves. They were providing the people with a hand up not a “handout”. In fact the Bible is pretty clear, Old Testament and New, that if they will not work they will not eat. From the very beginning of this whole story God has been in charge. It seemed to the actors that the blessings of God had been withheld from them and there was not a clear understanding of why. Well, we are hardly in a position to argue with God. When things are not going the way we think they should we need to think back to the stories found in the Bible. Naomi could not see that unseen hand that was guiding her with a special purpose in mind. It was Matthew who recorded it, “and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.” There was never any doubt in the mind of God what this whole story was really about. Naomi should have remembered the story of Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery and meant it for evil but…

God meant it for good. Turn with me to see what Joseph had to say in Genesis 50:20. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

God, looked ahead into the future and saw the need to park his people for 400 years while the iniquity of the Amorites was filled up. To achieve that end God had allowed Joseph to be made a slave and suffer injustice in order for his people to be cared for. Joseph’s brothers couldn’t see that they were doing the will of God. In the same way…

It was hard for Naomi to see God’s hand in all that had happened to her. God was obviously displeased with this people so he brought a famine, and rather than repent, his people scattered. Naomi’s family went to Moab for relief rather than going to God. Naomi’s husband died leaving her alone with two sons who intermarried with the heathen. Then her two sons died and she saw herself as being left completely alone. She did not realize that all of this was done for a purpose. She could not see beyond her despair! But God had a better plan and we will learn more about that in the next three weeks. Are you having trouble seeing beyond your despair? Does life seem impossible? Join the psalmist and sing. Psalm 43:5. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Place your hope in God he will not leave you without relief!

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.