Unconditional Commitment

Transcript

GRM 904
06/07/2004
Unconditional Commitment
Ruth 1:1-22
Gil Rugh


The little book of Ruth, only 4 chapters and they are an interesting story pulled from a very difficult time in Israel’s history. One of those little books that become very precious to us, the story that it tells makes an impact upon us. And the characters stick with us in a way that perhaps some other portions do not. The book of Ruth is named after the key person of the book of Ruth, a woman by the name of Ruth. It’s one of 2 books in the Old Testament, one of 2 books in the whole Bible named after a woman—the book of Ruth and the book of Esther.

The time period in view as we look at the book of Ruth is the time period of the judges. So the book that just preceded the book of Ruth, the time of the judges is the period of time we’re in. Verse 1 sets that for you. Now it came about in the days when the judges governed. You’ll remember the record of the book of Judges is a time of reoccurring failure in judgment in Israel’s history and as Israel sinks into sin and disobedience God brings judgment upon them and their enemies conquer and subjugate them. And then in their despair Israel turns back to God and God in mercy and grace brings them deliverance through a judge. And the pattern goes on and on and you see the continuing mercy and grace of God through the time of the judges. The time of the judges would be a very difficult time in which to live. The book of Judges concluded, the last verse of the book of Judges, in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So it would have been a difficult time to live, a rough time, a hard time, a time of ups and downs. Not only the military difficulties of Israel experienced this repeated subjugation to their enemies, but there are also other difficulties that are recorded. And one of the difficulties in the background of the book of Ruth will be a famine in the land that is so serious that some have to leave the land searching for food in order to survive.

What is the outstanding characteristic of the time of the judges, we’d have to say is apostasy. Repeated judges that come on the scene are always in the context of the apostasy of Israel and the judgment of God for their apostasy. That ultimately brings a deliverer in the form of a judge. But not everybody in the time of the judges is obviously an ungodly or unspiritual person, and we meet some striking people, particularly 2 striking women and a man who will come on the scene who demonstrates true godly character. What Ruth does is record the faithfulness of some within that period of time of the judges. The period of time of the judges ran for about 300 years after the death of Joshua, the successor to Moses, and all the way down to the time of Samuel and the appointing of Saul to be king over Israel—a period of about 300 years. It’s out of that period of time toward the latter part of that period of time, because of the chronology given at the end of the book, that these events take place.

At least 4 purposes have been suggested through the book of Ruth, why is the book of Ruth in our Bible. Now 4 reasons: 1) It exhibits faith and godliness in a time of apostasy, demonstrates true faith and godly character in a time of apostasy. 2) It illustrates the concept of the kinsman/redeemer. We’ll talk about that, but a near kinsman who intervenes to redeem a person, this becomes a key concept--obviously the idea of redemption. In fact the Hebrew words redeem, redeemer, redemption, kinsman/redeemer are used some 20 times in the book of Ruth. So you see that would be an average of 5 times a chapter. Now they’re not evenly spaced out like that, but there’s a strong emphasis on this whole concept of redemption in the book of Ruth. 3) To show the scope of God’s grace—including the Gentiles. So even in Old Testament history during the time when Israel is the focus of God’s work in the world, His grace included Gentiles. And the key character here in the book of Ruth is a Gentile. Ruth is a Moabitess, yet God’s grace encompasses her. So it demonstrates the breadth of God’s grace even during Old Testament history. The Gentiles are included and have always been part of God’s plan of salvation for the world, evidenced both in the promises given to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant and the prophecies given to the Old Testament prophets. Here we are today, most of us sitting here, who have experienced the redemption of God are Gentiles. God’s grace has always made provision, not only for the Jews, His chosen nation, but for the non-Jews. 4) The fourth purpose for the book of Ruth and perhaps the key one is to trace the ancestry of David back to Judah. And the information you get in the book of Ruth is essential to make the connection for David back to Judah. Remember the Messiah has to come from the tribe of Judah and is the descendent of David. Without the book of Ruth you would not be able to put the genealogy together.

Leave something in the book of Ruth and come to the book of Matthew chapter 1. Remember all the Old Testament is moving us to the coming of the Messiah/Redeemer. And all the details fit in preparation for His coming, and His lineage is key. In Matthew chapter 1 you have one of the genealogies given in the first 17 verses. Matthew 1 opens up, the record of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. You have to trace Him back to Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. We want to just take the Messianic line. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David. Then you see in verses 5-6 you pick up Boaz and Ruth. And from Boaz and Ruth you have Obed and Obed is the father of Jesse and Jesse is the father of David. So key link here in the lineage of the Messiah. And here you have this Gentile Moabitess being the mother of the father of David. So you have in the line of David this provision of God.

Come back to the book of Ruth. Let’s just walk through this chapter and see some of the significant points that come out as we overview it. Chapter 1 is the background and framework for the rest of the book, so the rest of the book doesn’t make sense if you don’t read chapter 1. So you know how I read books, I do the last chapter and then come forward. So in the book of Ruth I’m in trouble because I really don’t know what’s going on until I get to chapter 1. But I do know because I peek.

The story begins with a famine in the land of Israel. Now it came about in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land. Some would suggest that this famine was probably part of the judgments that God brought on the land as they apostasized from Him. That’s probably a good conjecture. The book of Ruth does not go into any of the details about this famine as far as why it happened or when in the chronology of the judges. Those are incidentals that we might find interesting, but they’re not necessary for understanding the book of Ruth. But there is a severe famine in the land and it has to be severe because it is so bad that the family we’re going to look at has to leave the land of Israel. They can no longer sustain themselves with the food that can be found in the land of Israel. They’ve become impoverished and you realize what a major thing this is—you’re just going to pack up and leave your home. As you’re aware, in that time they could just take whatever possessions they could carry and they’re going to go to a strange land. We’re told a certain man in Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his 2 sons. So he’s from Bethlehem, he’s going to Moab. Moab is about 50 miles east of Israel. It’s on the other side of the Dead Sea. From Bethlehem you would be going a little bit south as well as east. You look on a map in the back of you Bible, you see where Moab is in relationship to Bethlehem. It’s on the other side of the Dead Sea.

Now the northern part of Moab was an elevated land. The Dead Sea dropped down to about 1000 feet below sea level and the northern part of Moab was about 2500 feet above sea level. So 3500 feet difference between the area around the Dead Sea and the northern part of Moab. And as the clouds came across the Judean Desert they hit this elevated region, Moab, they would drop water so it was a rather fertile area. So 50-mile journey, taking his family. He takes his wife and his 2 sons and they’re going to sojourn in the land of Moab. That expression to sojourn would indicate he’s going there with a plan to be here temporarily for a relatively short time. In other words, he’s going to go over there where there is food, where they can make a living, sustain themselves, until the famine passes. Then they’ll return home.

The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife, Naomi. The names of his 2 sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judea. Ephratha was the district in which Bethlehem was located and Judah was the region of that tribe. So Bethlehem was in the broader region where the tribe of Judah settled, but the district around Bethlehem was called Ephratha and sometimes Bethlehem would be called Ephratha because it was the key place there.

Tragedy upon tragedy. You move your family to a strange land of non-Israelites and in verse 3 Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died and she was left with her 2 sons, a widow with 2 sons living in a foreign country. We’re not told why Elimelech died, some writers suggest that it was the punishment of God for leaving the land of Israel. There is no indication of that, there’s no discussion. We always like the personal information, the personal details. But here we are just told Elimelech died. What happened we don’t know—an accident, a sickness. We’re not told but it’s a tragedy for Naomi. Here she is in a foreign country now, a foreign land, with 2 sons that she’s responsible for. They’re evidently older because we’re not told how much time passes between the death of Elimelech and the events of the marrying of her 2 sons. But in the course of time, verse 4, these 2 sons marry Moabite women. They took for themselves Moabite women as wives. The name of the one was Orpah, the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about 10 years. They marry Moabite women and that’s not surprising as these young men come of marriageable age. They’re living in Moab, they want to get married. Who are you going to marry? You’re going to marry Moabite women. Now there is discussion here. Was this against the law of God?

Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 3, Israelites are forbidden to marry people of the land of Canaan. The people mentioned in Deuteronomy 7:1 do not include the Moabites. Some say this would be all right to marry a Moabitess because these are across the Dead Sea so they are outside the confines of the land of Israel and they’re not among the forbidden people mentioned in Deuteronomy 7:1. However, turn to the book of Ezra. We’re going forward in time now, so go from Ruth through the historical books of Samuel and Kings and Chronicles and come to Ezra chapter 9. And we find out that the understanding among the Jews, at least at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah was that the Jews were not allowed to marry Moabites. So in Ezra chapter 9 verse 1, now when these things had been completed the princes approached me saying, the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands. The hands of the princes and rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness. So this is the time of Ezra and this also happens in the time of Nehemiah, and in Nehemiah 13:23 it mentions that the Israelites had again intermarried with the Moabites and that was sin against God.

The book of Ruth doesn’t go into this. It’s mentioned, they married Moabitesses. They lived there about 10 years. Back in Ruth 1, we don’t know how long they stayed or if the 10 years was their whole time there. It may be because neither have children with their wives. So the 10 years may be the whole time from the time that Elimelech and Naomi came here with their 2 sons. Others might take it that the 10 years is they were married 10 years. So after their marriage they were there 10 years. It’s not clear. Would seem the probability is their whole time in the land was 10 years, but we’re just not told.

The tragedy is not over because verse 5, then both Mahlon and Chilion died and the woman, Naomi, was bereft of her 2 children and her husband. Here is a woman who had to leave Israel with her husband because the famine was so great they couldn’t survive. They uproot the family, move to a strange land and her husband dies. She had their 2 sons and they get married, the next thing you know the 2 sons die. And tragedy upon tragedy for this woman. The Jewish commentators who write on Old Testament scriptures are in agreement that all 3 of these men--Naomi’s husband died under the judgment of God for leaving the land of Israel and going to Moab, the 2 sons of Naomi died because they married Moabitess women. There is nothing indicated about that in the book of Ruth, for your information. That’s how the Jews who have written on this passage understood it. These 3 men died under the judgment of God. There is no indication of that here, but it could have been. We just don’t know. The fact is they are dead and now Naomi is truly destitute. She has no men in her family to take care of her, to provide for her. There are no social programs as a safety net and she’s outside the land of Israel. So here is a woman that is older in years so really not marriage material. What’s she going to do? Beg in the streets? She is truly destitute. The future is bleak. It’s bad now and it can only get worse.

So in verse 6, she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab. For she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. Word reaches her, the famine is over. She goes back to the land of Israel and back to her ancestral home and land, at least there’s a possibility that there might be someone there to help her. In Israel there will be some provision for her. So she arises to go. I think you ought to underline the last statement in verse 6, she heard that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. What that demonstrates here, the way this is put, is she has an awareness and a confidence in God’s sovereign control, even in the tragedies and difficulties of life. She saw the famine was a result of God’s hand being on Israel for judgment. Now she sees the Lord’s hand being on Israel for blessing in removing the famine. So she heard that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food and this becomes an important line running through Ruth, of the sovereign hand of God at work in the greatest trials and the greatest blessings.

Verse 7, she departed from the place where she was and her 2 daughters-in-law with them and they move to the road where they’ll travel back to Judah. They don’t have much to carry, so I take it this is a rather pitiful group. These 3 women with whatever they have in their poverty, now going to walk the 50 or more miles back to the region of Bethlehem, hoping that there’ll be something there for them. Because there is nothing for Naomi here.

Verse 8, “Naomi said to her 2 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. May the Lord grant you that you may find rest each in the house of her husband. She kissed them, they lifted up their voices and wept.” Naomi encourages them to return home. They have parents in Moab. These widowed wives could return to their mother’s home, and in chapter 2 verse 11 would indicate their fathers were evidently alive as well. But going back to their mother’s home, the realm of the home where their mothers would be. It’s a gracious act on the part of Naomi because these 2 women are all she has in the world. And at least they are young, they are marriageable and through them maybe someone could be found to provide for her. But Naomi is totally unselfish in this. Look, there’s no future with me. Return to your homes, your parents. That’s the best you could have. And she speaks well of them. She asks the Lord’s blessing on them in verse 8, “may the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.” She thought they were good wives to her sons, she said they dealt kindly with the dead, with her sons. They were good wives for her sons. And they have treated her well. Even though we think of these Moabites as outside the framework of the blessing of God and Israel and part of the peoples that Israel was not to intermarry with, these were what we would call good women. Naomi asked God’s blessing upon them for their kindness that they have shown.

“May the Lord grant that you find rest each in the house of her husband.” You see in returning home to the possibility now that your family can arrange another marriage for you. Indication what happens with Ruth here would indicate these would be attractive, young women. Now there is a future. You understand in Biblical times like this for a single or widowed woman there wasn’t much. It was having a man to take care of you. So going back to their parents, having another marriage arranged, that they’d find rest in the house of each of you her husband. In other words, in the marriage that you would enter in to.

She kissed them, they all weep and they both say no we will surely return with you to your people. These are women of some character, Orpah as well as Ruth. Orpah is going to go back to her family in Moab, but even here she is willing to make the sacrifice and go with Ruth. So again, good women, who evidently were good wives to the sons of Naomi. They have a strong bond and relationship. This is their mother-in-law. That could be a difficult relationship. We often joke about relationships with in-laws and sometimes there is tension. There can be tensions between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, but that wasn’t the case here. They get along well. These daughters-in-law aren’t looking out for themselves, they love Naomi, they’re concerned for her.

Naomi says to them, verse 11, “return my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may be your husbands? Return my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, even if I could have a husband tonight and bear sons.” If I could conceive a son tonight would you wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? The idea of the levirate marriage that is talked about in Deuteronomy 25, if a brother died then the living brother took the widowed wife of his brother and conceived children with her. And those children were viewed as the children of the dead husband and that established that family and kept it going. What are you going to do? I’m too old to get married and have children, and even if I could have a child are you going to wait 20 years for him to grow up? So here are 2 young women who are childless and what Naomi is saying is there is no future for you with me. There is nothing for you if you stay with me. Your only hope is to find a husband.

She says at the end of verse 13, “no my daughters for it is harder for me than for you.” In other words, I’m in a much worse situation than you are. There is no sense in you going down with me. In effect there is nothing you can do for me, all you can do is put yourself in a bad situation with me. But there is hope for you. Go home, get married, have a family.

For the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me. Again you see the recognition of the sovereignty of God. It’s not circumstances have worked against me. The hand of the Lord has gone against me. Even in this terrible tragedy, the loss of her husband, the loss of her sons it’s the hand of the Lord that has brought this upon me. But that doesn’t mean that you have to experience anymore of my tragedies. There is nothing in my future but poverty, misery, but for you there is hope. You appreciate the character of Naomi, because if she looked at this selfishly you’d think she might want to hold on to these daughters-in-law. You have a responsibility for me. If you don’t take care of me no one will. You couldn’t just abandon me. This is a very unselfish act to tell the only 2 people she has in the world, leave me and go. Do what’s best for yourself, there’s not much you can do for me anyway. The hand of the Lord has brought this upon me.

This is a great trial and a great tragedy for all 3 of these women. What do they do? Orpah and Ruth are in a difficult spot. And verse 14, “they lifted up their voices, they wept again.” What is the solution? Naomi is right. Humanly speaking, what Naomi has said is the only solution to the problem here. No sense in there being 3 widowed women starving to death, living in misery and poverty and perhaps an early death. At least for 2 of the young women there could be a future. So hard as it is, her counsel is wise. So Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, Ruth clung to her. In Oprah kissing her mother-in-law she kisses her with the weeping, the wrenching experience of separation, she goes back to her parents.

Ruth clung to her. Then Naomi says to Ruth behold your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods. The Moabites worshipped their own gods, they didn’t worship the God of Israel. She’s returned home and in doing so she’s returned not only to her home but to her Moabites gods. Return after your sister-in-law, Ruth, don’t stay, you go, too. It’s time for you to look out for yourself. And Ruth makes this declaration that reveals something of her character and her great faith.

“Ruth said do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you. For where you go I will go, where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, your God my God. Where you die I will die and there I will be buried. Thus, may the Lord do to me and worse if anything but death parts you and me.” This remarkable statement. This is not conditional. In other words what Ruth says is don’t waste your breath. I am going to stay with you and I’m not going back to the gods of the Moabites because I’m going to worship your God. The God of Israel will be my God. The God that you worship is the God I will worship and this is not conditional. It’s not well I’ll go with you and get you settled back in your homeland. It wasn’t an act of kindness like that. You’ll note in verse 17, “where you die I will die.” I’m with you until death. That’s a tremendous commitment from a daughter-in-law, from what was evidently a relatively short marriage to Naomi’s son because neither her nor Orpah produced any children out of their marriages. It’s a remarkable statement.

What’s in this for Ruth? What’s she going to get out of this? Now she’s tied to an old widow who has no future by her own admission, can expect things will probably get worse and not better. And here’s Ruth saying let’s not talk about it anymore. I’m committed to stay with you and serving the God of Israel, the God who is your God and I will be with you until you die. And then I’ll be buried where you’re buried. It’s not well I’ll stay with you because I expect we don’t have long and then I’ll come back home. Because what did she say? I’ll be buried where you’re going to be buried. Tremendous statement of commitment and faith on Ruth’s part. And it indicates a willingness to make a complete break with her past, her family. You understand here she’s saying she’s ready to leave Moab. That’s where her family is, that’s where her roots are, that’s where her parents are. She will later be commended for having left her father and mother. I mean here’s a woman who is turning her back on everything humanly speaking that might bring a bright future for her and willing to commit herself to this elderly widow and the God of Israel. Nothing conditional here. Not let’s give it a try, let’s see how it works out. I’m with you to death and she takes an oath before God. May the Lord do to me and worse if anything, but death parts us. What’s Ruth going to say now?

When she saw she was determined to go with her she said no more. Let me just review the situation with Ruth and Naomi so you appreciate Ruth’s commitment here. She had witnessed and been part of the tragedies of Naomi’s life. She knew that they came to Moab fleeing a famine, she knew that Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, had died. She had experienced the death of her own husband, Naomi’s son. She had witnessed the death of the other son of Naomi, Orpah’s husband. Naomi is left in abject poverty. Elimelech and Naomi were sojourners in Moab, they don’t have anything here. They’re just here because they could find enough food to get by. Naomi had told her to count the cost and return home. There is no future for you with me. Your hope of marriage, children is returning home. Naomi didn’t expect things would get better. She doesn’t try to cover this up, that’s all right, you go back, I know tomorrow is going to be brighter. You know our positive thinking. Think brighter, think of the best that could happen tomorrow. Naomi, the hand of the Lord has gone against me. And it really has. When you’re driven from your own home and family, relatives by famine, your husband dies, your 2 sons die, and now you’re left an elderly widow with no means of survival. Why should you think things are going to get better? There is no power of positive thinking displayed here on Naomi’s part.

Ruth had seen her sister-in-law, Orpah, return home and now you have the long, difficult journey. Where are we going? We’re going to walk back to where I came from many years ago, at least 10 years ago. What are you going to find there? What do you have there? Well nothing. And when they get back there you know what they’re going to have? Nothing. It will become clear as you move through the book of Ruth that she’s not going back because she has something there to go back to. It’s like people might do when they’ve lost everything in a foreign land and all their family is gone, what do they think? I’ll return home, even though there is nothing there anymore. I mean it’s home, that’s where I’ll go to die. That’s probably why Ruth says I’ll die with you, because that’s all that’s in Naomi’s future—death.

You know this is a striking kind of demonstration of the faith Jesus talked about in the New Testament, we won’t turn there right now. But Matthew chapter 10 verses 37-38, chapter 16 verses 24-25, you leave your father and mother. You can’t love family, friends, parents anything more than me. You must take up your cross and follow me. Ruth has become an example of that kind of commitment that I will follow you and your God and leave everything else behind.

“So they both went”, verse 19, “until they came to Bethlehem.” You know maybe in glory we’ll sit down with Ruth and Naomi and say fill in the blanks for me. What did you talk about on that trip back from Moab to Bethlehem? Here it’s just summarized, “they went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”” So there are people remembering them. I mean it hasn’t been a hundred years, you know 10 or so years she’s been gone. Naomi has come back and Naomi says to them in verse 20, “don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara.” And Naomi means sweet or pleasant and Mara means bitter. And she says “call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” And note again the sovereignty of God in this and Naomi’s acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. She doesn’t say I have become a bitter person, but her life has been filled with bitter experiences. There’s a marked difference. We see the way Naomi conducts herself. There’s no evidence that she has become a bitter person through all of this, resenting what God has done. But she recognizes the sovereignty of God, the Almighty, Shaddai. We sing the song El Shaddai. Shaddai means almighty, all powerful, El means God. So we sing of God Almighty. Here the Almighty is a title for God, the one who has sovereignty over all, the one who exercises His power and might over all has brought bitterness into my life. Not just a bitter experience, but her life has become a life of bitterness from family to the loss of husband to the loss of children. He’s dealt bitterly with me.

I went out full but the Lord has brought me back empty. When they left she had a husband, she had sons, they were a family, they were looking forward to when they would return together. They were just going to sojourn for a while in Moab. Who would have thought it would turn into these years and those closest to her that she loved, her husband and her children, would be dead and she would come back a destitute widow with nothing. I went out full but the Lord has brought me back empty. ??????the sovereign hand of God in all this. The Lord has brought be back, but He’s brought me back empty. No concept that the Lord has abandoned me. The Lord has brought me back empty, it’s His doing. Is she bitter against Him? No, but life has been bitter, it has been hard, it has been unpleasant.

Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me. The Almighty, the one who is all powerful, the one who does according to His will in the heavens and on the earth. He has dealt bitterly with me, He has afflicted me. But she’s not bitter against God, but she recognizes this is God’s doing, this is what He has appointed to be my lot. Remarkable statements. So now they’re back in the land. This one whom the Lord has dealt with in difficult and hard ways.

You know Job becomes the model or example for us in scripture of a man who suffered greatly. He told his wife in the book of Job chapter 2 verse 10, “shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” Now here’s a man who loses all his children in one day, loses his wealth and his possession and his health and recognizes it’s the hand of God. You know it’s interesting, the title for God, the name for God, the Almighty, Shaddai, is used 31 times in the book of Job. Now from our perspective we simply say of course God was in control, look how it ends up. But Job had to live through that. And it’s interesting to me that 31 times in the book of Job God is identified as the Almighty one, the powerful one. He’s in control of it all. The most bitter, wretched circumstances in life, even in the life of one who is the most righteous man on the face of the earth. Here in the lives of these 2 women, particularly Naomi at this point, to be used significantly of God that He chose to bring bitterness and affliction and hardship into her life.

Now let me summarize what I’ve noted as some of the lessons from this chapter on Ruth and Naomi. One, God is sovereign in “natural” calamities and blessings. Verse 6 is where she heard the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. She recognized the famine was a result of the Lord withholding His blessing and now He was giving His blessing. The Lord is sovereign in “natural” calamities and in what we call natural blessings—the famines, the storms, whatever, the illnesses that are part of life. They are part of God working His purposes.

Two, God is sovereign in personal difficulties and tragedies. Regarding the death of her husband and the death of her 2 sons, the end of verse 13, the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me. Not only sovereign in the “natural” calamities and blessings, He’s sovereign in the personal difficulties and tragedies. We’re not told the details of how any of these 3 men died, but Naomi sees the hand of God in it. Doesn’t make it any less a tragedy, but it does put it in proper context. He doesn’t say she understands why the Lord would such a thing, but God is sovereign in the personal difficulties and tragedies.

Three, true faith is tested by difficulties. And it’s going on here in both the life of Naomi and in the life of Ruth.

Four, true faith is not discouraged or turned back by difficulties, and Ruth becomes an evidence of that. The fact that God has chosen to bring great tragedy into Naomi’s life and leave her with a future that is bleak. Who’s to say, if God has brought these calamities that He won’t continue to bring calamities and difficulty and bitterness into Naomi’s life. Doesn’t deter Ruth.

Five, people should count the cost before committing to follow the living God. And for us it’s His Son, Jesus Christ.

Keep a finger here in Ruth, we’re not quite done, but come back to Luke 14. I do want to read a passage with you here, Luke 14, that I think is exemplified in the commitment of Ruth to really turn her back on her family, on what would seem to be her best hope for the future and commit herself to Naomi and to the God of Israel. When Jesus speaks in Luke 14 verse 25, the crowds were going along with Him. And Jesus knew how to thin out the crowds. Our big concern is to get the crowds, today. Jesus didn’t mind thinning out the crowds. He said to them in verse 26, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sister, yes and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. That’s putting it out there pretty bluntly. Why do you want to discourage the crowds? Because He’s not looking for the crowds, He’s looking for the committed. Don’t tell me your family, well I would follow the Lord but I know it will be difficult for my family. My parents wouldn’t understand, my children wouldn’t. He puts it bluntly, you can’t be my disciple if you don’t turn your back on it all. If you’re not willing to take up your cross and come after me you cannot be my disciple. I think Ruth exemplifies that kind of commitment. Doesn’t matter what the suffering, doesn’t matter what the commitment. Don’t talk to me about the bitterness the Lord brings into your life. If He brings bitterness into your life then I guess I will continue to be a sharer in that bitterness. But I won’t go back from following you and worshipping your God.

He goes on to say count the cost. You’re a fool if you don’t count the cost. Jesus didn’t try to trick people into becoming followers, His followers. He says you’re a fool if you don’t count the cost. If you’re going to build a tower you first sit down and consider what’s involved in building a tower, otherwise you become an object of ridicule. Or a king doesn’t go out to battle until he considers whether he can win the battle, has the potential to win the battle. Verse 33, “so none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Let’s put it out clearly. All the crowds are following Me, you think this is going to be fun and wonderful. You cannot be my disciple unless you give up everything, unless you’re willing to turn your back on everyone and let go of all you have and follow Me. I think Ruth exemplifies that kind of commitment.

Six, our faith in the face of tragedy impacts the lives of others. Naomi continues to talk about the hand of God at work. And you know, Ruth is not deterred from wanting to serve the God of Naomi. Now think about it. Here is a Moabitess woman. All she has seen, her mother-in-law has experienced tragedy, and yet she says at the end of verse 16, your people shall be my people, your God my God. The God who has gone forth against you as Naomi said at the end of verse 13, the God who has dealt very bitterly with her, that’s the God I’m going to serve. He rules over all and I’ll serve Him even though He brings difficulty and hardship and bitterness. Naomi impacted Ruth with her life even through the bitterness of her experiences.

Seven, true faith is unconditional faith. Where you die I will die and there I’ll be buried. There are no conditions here. If it gets much worse I may have to go back to my parents, but let’s give it a try. There’s no conditions. What you see here is the commitment of Ruth and it’s irrevocable. I’m committed to death. Isn’t that what Jesus called for in the passage we read in Luke of those who would be His followers? You turn your back on everyone and everything, you can’t even love your own life. You take up your cross and follow me. If you love your own life more than Me you can’t be my disciple. In other words if you’re not willing to die for Me you can’t be my disciple. It means there can be no conditions in here. I must become everything or it’s nothing. And Ruth exemplifies that in a very clear way.

Eight, the last lesson I would note here is the Almighty brings bitterness and affliction to His children. We know He’s the all-powerful God, we don’t know why He brings affliction, we don’t know why He brings bitterness. But we know He is Shaddai, He is the Almighty. You think of the worst tragedies of your life. God could have done differently. If He couldn’t we’re all in trouble. For whatever reason He chose to bring tragedy and difficulty. At times it seems perhaps more tragedy, more bitterness, more pain, more suffering than I could be expected to endure. All I can say is the Almighty for whatever reason has dealt bitterly with me. That doesn’t mean I have reason to be bitter against Him because He is God and I am not. There is never any indication Naomi is bitter against God, that she’s rejecting her God. There must be a serene faith through this because Ruth says your God is going to be my God. The God who makes life difficult for you, the God who brings bitterness into your life, He’s the God I’m going to serve. It’s paradox, but it is our comfort and security. I don’t have to have all the answers. We see the completed stories as we read the biblical account. You understand Ruth didn’t know how it was going to end up, Naomi didn’t know how it was going to end up. Job didn’t know how it was going to end up. These biblical characters, for all they knew, it’s going to end in my death. It’ll get worse and then it’ll be all over, and I never will be able to make rhyme or reason out of what I get. But all you do is walk with God today. If He chooses to bring bitterness, to bring hardship, to bring pain, you’re Shaddai, you’re God, you’re all powerful, you are the Almighty. I accept adversity from your hand just as you brought me good things. And I don’t accept it conditionally, because if I accept adversity today I know you’ll bring good things tomorrow.

We see this in the life of the Apostle Paul. He said he had to put all of his life, all that he had, all that accounted for something on the dung heap. And you know how he’s going to die? A martyr. He was not going to end up in a bigger home with more possessions and sit back and say see it does work out in the end. He’s going to go be executed. God is still Shaddai, He’s still the Almighty, He’s all powerful. We’re His children. The ultimate end for us is glory, it may not be in this life, though, but the ultimate end is glory. Job knew that. However it comes out I know that in my flesh I shall see the Lord. There is a future for me. The days ahead may be bleak, humanly speaking, but my God rules over all, His purposes in my life are for my good and His glory. Praise the Lord for testimony of the life of people like Naomi and Ruth who encourage us even today.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for these faithful people who experienced difficulty and trial, heartbreak. It seemed to go on and on, who experienced the loss of husband, then a son, then another son. And Lord yet to recognize you are the Almighty. We accept from your hand whatever you have deemed right and good. Even if it is painful and difficult, Lord, they are good times for us as we learn to trust you without seeming hope, but we believe what you said. Encourage our hearts, encourage the hearts of those going through difficult times. Lord, give us a greater appreciation of your sovereign power, that in using even the worst of pain and difficulty for the accomplishing of your purposes and bringing the events of this life and this world to the appointed end, the ultimate reign of your Son, our Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.