Take your Bibles with me this evening and turn to the book of Ruth, chapter 1. We have finished our study of Judges for now and are beginning to look at a few stories from Ruth.
I actually preached through Ruth a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I have a bit of a head start tonight.
Ruth is a unique book. It should not exist, for several reasons:
First, Ruth centers around a woman. How many books in the Bible have a woman as the main character? Only two. The Bible usually focuses on what the men are doing, so that alone makes it unique.
Second, Ruth is about a Gentile woman. You know how the Jews regarded the Gentiles. Why would they have a book that honors the life of a Gentile woman?
Third, it's a book about very ordinary events. There are no kings, no battles, no miracles, no major world events. It's about the everyday struggles of a couple of everyday women.
Fourth, Ruth is a love story. That in itself makes it unusual. But it's not really a love story between Ruth and Boaz; it tells of Ruth's love for her mother-in-law, Naomi.
Finally, Ruth is a unique book because it reveals the family scandals of Israel's favorite king's ancestors. That David had a grandmother who was a Gentile is a bit of a scandal. That David had a great-grandfather who abandoned Israel for Moab is also a scandal.
So this is a unique book, but it's also an awesome book. It is full of practical truth and beautiful pictures, and it points us to Christ in many ways.
There are two specific and practical things I think are emphasized in our text tonight: what happens when we walk away from God, and what happens when we come to Him.
You could say most of chapter 1 is about what happens when we walk away from God, and chapter 2 is about what happens when we come to Him.
So let's jump in.
Look with me at verses 1-2:
[!bible] Ruth 1:1-2 - KJV
- Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
- And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
There is a lot here for us in just the first two verses:
This book takes place during the time of Judges, a particularly dark spiritual period for Israel.
It starts in Bethlehem-Judah, the same city, just a few chapters back, where the Levite went to retrieve his concubine. Of course, we know that it would become famous as the hometown of David and the birthplace of Christ, but that is far in the future. At this point, it's just an unknown town in the Judean hills.
The biggest shocker to us is that this man would sojourn in Moab. Moab was enemy territory, a wicked place. Israel was to have nothing to do with it.
But this man, because of the famine in the land, justified his trip there, and we are going to see that it had disastrous consequences.
Elimelech takes his wife Naomi and their two boys and they move to Moab. They are trying to make a new start. They left their culture and their God behind. They left behind their inheritance and their place among God's people.
Whether they meant to or not, they were walking away from the faith. They were disobeying God. They were showing a lack of faith in God's ability to provide for them.
Look what happens next:
[!bible] Ruth 1:3 - KJV 3. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Right away, we have tragedy. Elimelech dies, presumably young, leaving behind a wife and young children.
Imagine a young family immigrating to the U.S. from China. A dad, a mom, and two young boys. After they move here, the dad dies, and now the mom has to find a way to provide in a new country and culture.
This is a tragedy. It's crushing.
But it gets worse. Verses 4-5:
[!bible] Ruth 1:4-5 - KJV 4. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
So the tragedy compounds. Elimelech's boys marry pagan women, which was expressly forbidden in scripture.
It seems that, far from Israel, the laws and customs of Israel weren't that interesting to Elimelech's sons.
Then the boys die. So now you don't have one widow with two boys. Now you have three widows. This is an absolute destruction of their families.
Look at verses 6-9 and then we'll stop for a bit:
[!bible] Ruth 1:6-9 - KJV 6. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. 7. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 8. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
Naomi realizes how bad their situation is and decides to go home. She hears how good Israel has it. She realizes their mistake in coming to Moab. God would have provided for them there. So she decides to leave it all behind and go home.
She prepares for a tearful goodbye with her daughters-in-law—there is no doubt they are close—and starts heading home.
I want to stop here and talk for a minute about what I think is the first practical theme of this story, and that is...
That is, after all, what Elimelech did. He walked out of God's will, and it worked terribly for him. So let me make several applications of that.
That's what Elimelech was doing. He looked at Israel. There was a famine there. He thought, "I'm not going to be able to provide for my family here in Bethlehem, here in God's will. I need to go up the road so I can take care of them."
What he was really doing was saying, essentially, "I do not believe God is going to take care of me if I remain faithful to Him. I don't think there is enough for me with the people of God. I need to go to the world to take care of me."
And professing Christians do the same thing ALL THE TIME. Whenever we look to the world for our satisfaction, we are walking away from Bethlehem. Whenever we say, "I know this is probably right, but they have better games over there. They have more perks over there. Things are looking pretty thin here," we are walking away from Bethlehem.
I've seen so many people walk away from God. I've known many people who walked away from God because of a man or a woman. They wanted to be with somebody who was not a Christian, or who they knew their church family would never accept—and so they walked away from God. They chose their immediate happiness over holiness.
And listen, this isn't just teenagers we are talking about here. I've definitely seen teenagers do this, but I've also known people in their sixties to do this.
I've known people who walked away from God for money. They wanted a job or a certain lifestyle.
A lot of people walk away from God for the acceptance of the world. You can't be "in" with the popular crowd if you believe what the Bible teaches. So they walk away from God.
When we walk away from God for whatever reason, we are saying, "God, what you are offering me isn't good enough. It isn't meeting my needs. It isn't what I wanted. I want more."
And isn't that at the root of every sin? Isn't every sin us saying, "God, I know you say this is bad for me, but I don't trust you and I want to take my happiness into my own hands."
Another thing that happens when we walk away from God is...
Elimelech put more faith in the
fields of Moab than in the God of Israel. He heard a rumor that things were better over in Moab, so he left everything behind and went chasing what the world had to offer.
This is what millions of men and women have done through the centuries. We play the prodigal son. We leave our Father behind to go play and frolic with the world in a far country.
Whenever we do that, what are we saying? We are saying, "God, you aren't good enough. God, you don't care about me. God, I want that."
And that leads me to a third thing that happens when we walk out of God's will...
That's the sad thing about what Elimelech did here. If it was just Elimelech going to Moab, that would be sad, but that would be tolerable. But that isn't how sin works. Sin spreads. And when we walk out of God's will, there are almost always consequences for our family.
One more thought about walking away from God's will...
The Bible is very clear that there are consequences for walking away from God.
[!bible] Galatians 6:7-8 - KJV 7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
[!bible] Hebrews 12:6 - KJV 6. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
[!bible] Revelation 3:19 - KJV 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
When we walk away from God's will—listen, if we are truly saved, I do not think we can lose our salvation—but there will be consequences.
The wages of sin is always death. There are always consequences.
Elimelech didn't know he was walking his family right into tragedy, but he was.
And if you walk away from God, God will do what He has to do to get your attention and bring you back to Him.
So don't do like Elimelech. Stay close to God. Stay in God's will.
This story teaches us about what happens when we walk out of God's will, but it also teaches us about what happens when we come to God.
You see, if Elimelech shows us what happens when we leave God's will, Naomi shows us what happens when we come back, and Ruth shows us what happens when we come to God in the first place.
If you keep reading, you see Naomi tries to leave, and at first, both of her daughters-in-law try to come with her. Orpah and Ruth both said they were going to go, but Orpah didn't mean it. She went back to her homeland to find another husband, and we really can't blame her.
What Ruth does here is truly remarkable.
Imagine if you will, some family comes up here from Mexico. The husband dies in an accident. Then both of his boys marry local Illinois girls. But then they both die in tragic accidents.
So you have a Mexican mother who is a widow with two American daughters-in-law who are also widows. The mother says, "I'm going back to Mexico." How strange would it be for the widowed daughters-in-law to say, "We are coming with you—to this land where we don't speak the language, where we don't share the culture, we are coming to be immigrants in a strange land."
That would be truly remarkable, and that is what Ruth did.
Look at verse 16.
[!bible] Ruth 1:16 - KJV 16. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
I think the key to understanding WHY Ruth did it is because of that last phrase—thy God my God. Whatever bad decisions Elimelech and Naomi had made, they had enough of a testimony to win over Ruth.
Orpah chose the broad path. Ruth chose the narrow way. Orpah chose the world. Ruth chose the Lord. Ruth committed to God and God's people.
I think what Ruth is saying here isn't so much, "I belong with you." I think she is saying, "I belong with you because I belong to your God."
So Ruth is coming to the faith. If Elimelech is walking away from God, Ruth is walking to God.
She and Naomi make the long journey to Bethlehem, where they have nothing. Naomi gets there and tells her countrymen, "Don't call me Naomi anymore" (Naomi means sweet); call me "Mara—bitter—because God has dealt bitterly with me."
But the story isn't over yet. You see, she came back to the will of God. Ruth came into the will of God. What happens to them?
Well, the very last phrase of chapter 1 tells us it's the time of the barley harvest. It just so happens that Ruth and Naomi have come at a time when they can be taken care of and find a little food.
Then, it just so happens that Ruth goes into the field of Boaz, who is a near kinsman to Naomi.
And it just so happens that Boaz notices Ruth and takes a liking to her and offers her his generosity, allowing her to hang out with his servants. He takes care of her.
So we have learned about what happens when we walk away from God. Let's learn a few things from this story about what happens...
Let me quickly give you five thoughts about the wonderful things that happen when we come to God in faith.
First,
Do you know what we do not see at all from chapter 2 on? We do not see anything about the judgment of God. It's like as soon as Naomi and Ruth went by faith back to God, God never mentioned Naomi's sin or Ruth's pagan background again. It was completely forgiven.
And when we come to God in faith, when we trust in Christ, we are completely forgiven. The old us is passed away, and we become new creatures in Christ. Jesus takes all of the penalty for our sins.
Listen, God isn't in heaven saying, "Stay away, you sinner—you rejected me, now wallow in your misery and punishment." No, "the spirit and the bride say Come." God's mercies through Christ are new every morning, and when we come to Him in faith, we find His forgiveness.
There was no bread for Naomi in Moab, but God had dealt plentifully with His people in Bethlehem. God always does. God might test us here and there, but God provides for His children.
They came right at the time when the harvest was happening and just happened into just the right field where one of God's servants was ready to help them.
God takes care of His own.
Paul said that if we don't provide for those in our household, we are worse than an infidel. Can I tell you—our God is no infidel. He provides for His own.
When you follow God and walk with God, you walk in His provision. He takes care of you.
I could tell you so many ways that God takes care of me. Just this week, we had a bill that we owed, and we didn't know how we were going to pay it. We were a little worried about it. And we opened the mailbox and there was a check in there from something we overpaid last year that just about covered it.
God takes care of us like that all the time. Where God guides, He provides. We are under the care and provision of He who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine.
God takes care of His own.
A second thing we see in this story is...
There is a reason why Ruth 1:16 is so popular. It's beautiful. What Ruth did in coming with Naomi was an amazing picture of selfless, sacrificial love.
Ruth was leaving her people, her culture, and probably the hope that she would ever get married again, to go with Naomi. It is a perfect picture of sacrificial love.
And one of the things we are supposed to do when we come to Christ is to reflect His love. I talked about that on Sunday night. God is love. And we are His children. He wants to perfect His
love in us and show through us His love to the world.
Another thing we learn from this story about what happens when we come to God in faith is...
Ruth didn't just stay with Naomi. Ruth got a whole new family in Israel, the family of the redeemed. She was welcomed by Boaz and Boaz's people. She seems to fit right in with the people of God.
Listen, a huge part of what we get when we walk with God is we get a new family. We get to be a part of the family of God. We get to be numbered with His people. We get to experience the blessing and encouragement of His people.
God's plan isn't for us to just get saved and live like the lone ranger. His people come with it. They are part of the package.
So when we come to God, we get His forgiveness and His provision and His love and His people.
There is one more thing I want you to see in this story, and I'm done...
You know the end of the story. Ruth marries Boaz. They have a son. That son has a son. Their great-grandson becomes David the king. Which means that Ruth is in the line of Christ.
And we see Ruth in Matthew. Matthew 1:5 says:
[!bible] Matthew 1:5 - KJV 5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
I'm not saying that it wasn't a mistake for Naomi and Elimelech to go to Moab. It absolutely was. I am saying that God's will and God's grace are big enough to redeem even our sinful mistakes.
God has a way of taking lemons and making lemonade, of turning darkness into light, of taking the worst mankind has to throw at Him and, through His grace, redeeming it.
If you are away from God and you think, "God could never use me again—I'm too far gone," think of Naomi.
There are real consequences to walking away from God, but God is gracious, and there are real benefits to coming back to Him.
Are you away from God? Come back to Him. Come into His grace.
Let's stand for prayer.