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.
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