Ruth 1:8-18

Okay, Ruth.

The book of Ruth is just after the time of Judges.

Like I said last week, it's an everyday story of country folk.

It describes for us what life was like for just an ordinary family in the days of Judges,

in the days of Gideon's Israel.

And so that's where we are this morning.

And we're looking at the turning point.

It's quite early on in the story, but we're in the crossroads in the book of Ruth.

London is a city, isn't it, full of immigrants.

And many people have come to this city in search of a better life.

It's often why people leave one culture and they go to another.

To go to one where they speak another language and they settle down permanently there,

people are in search of a better life.

There's tens of thousands of people like that, aren't there, in London today.

There are tens of hundreds of women,

and like these women we're going to be looking at this morning.

Naomi and Orpah and Ruth.

Tens of hundreds of widows in our city today who've suffered unbearable loss.

If we had to make a movie of the book of Ruth, we'd probably call it three funerals and a wedding.

You don't get to the wedding until the end of chapter four, but there are three funerals.

Naomi's husband Elimelech has died.

Elimelech and Naomi, they'd left the land of promise.

The promised land in search of a better life, of a fresh start.

Times were tough during the days of the judges.

There was a famine in the land, we're told, and they left instead of staying put where God had promised to bless them.

Instead of sitting on the premises and standing on the promises, they upped and they left.

They walked away from God's land.

They were looking for a better standard of living.

They were probably pretty well off.

They were Ephrathites.

They were a wealthy family in Israel.

They were from one of the leading clans.

They were descendants of Caleb, one of the great heroes of Israel.

But times were tough.

And so off they go in search of a better life.

And it all goes pear-shaped for them.

But now God is dealing with them.

And God is bringing them back.

And Naomi is turning around.

And she's coming back to where she belongs.

She's only been 40 or 50 miles down the road.

But spiritually, she's been a long way off.

She's been in the far country.

The apostle Paul says,

Anywhere outside of the people of Israel.

Anyone outside of Israel.

That's us.

We are Gentiles.

Most of us here.

Paul says,

We are foreigners to God's promises and covenants.

And so Naomi and Elimelech,

they chose to go out of Israel to walk away from God's promises.

To go to the Gentile countries.

And not any old country.

To Moab.

Of all the places to go.

There are Gentile places.

And then there are Gentile places.

And Moab was particularly singled out in the book of Deuteronomy.

It was a bad place for God's people to be.

They were God's enemies.

It isn't just like us deciding that there's somewhere else you'd rather live.

It's not like thinking,

Well, I'd like to move to Vancouver Island.

Or I'd like to go to New York.

No, it's like somebody from Ukraine going to live in Russia.

It's like going to Syria.

And living under ISIS.

The Midianites were dreadful people.

They worshipped Chemosh.

Required human sacrifice.

And so this lady, Naomi,

she is the prodigal daughter of the Old Testament.

She's gone into the far country.

Far, far away.

And God's hand had been upon her.

And she confesses.

Do you remember last week?

We saw God is turning her around.

He's dealing with her.

He's cutting her.

And it's a bitter experience.

That she's passing through.

And he turns her around.

And now she's going back.

And she brings with her,

her two daughters-in-law.

Oprah and Ruth.

Oprah and Ruth,

they'd never been to Israel.

But the author tells us now

they are returning to Israel.

And in fact, that's the big emphasis.

You can't see it so clearly in the English.

But 12 times,

the word turn,

turn,

turn,

keeps coming up.

And so what we're going to look at this morning,

Jonathan Edwards would have called

the narrative of a surprising conversion.

Because that's what you've got here.

You've got the conversion of an outsider.

You've got the conversion of a Moabitess.

The conversion of Ruth.

And so I want to talk about Ruth's faith.

And Orpah's failure.

And then I want to talk first of all about the Naomi factor.

The Naomi factor.

Because it's obvious, isn't it,

that this lady, Naomi,

has had a huge influence on those two girls.

So there are, aren't there,

awful mother-in-law jokes.

And mother-in-law stories.

And some people would do anything

to get away from their mother-in-law.

And the bond between a mother-in-law

and a daughter-in-law

isn't always the strongest.

But here there is a strong bond of affection,

isn't there,

between Naomi and her two Moabitess daughters-in-law,

Oprah and Ruth.

In one sense, that's totally understandable.

They've been through a lot together.

They've suffered terrible bereavement together and loss.

And that's obviously drawn them together.

There's obviously a great deal of affection

between Naomi and her daughters-in-law.

But it goes deeper than that, I think.

Because these girls are not only

attached to Naomi,

but it seems to me,

as you look at these verses,

they are attracted to Naomi's God.

And I think that's something

that comes out really strongly.

It's surprising, that.

Because when people go through bitter experiences,

when they go through tough times,

very often it puts them off.

Sometimes it is then,

and from then,

that people walk away from God.

Why is he allowed this to happen to me?

But it seems here

that there's something that's happening

which is actually drawing

these two girls,

these two Moabitesses.

These two Gentiles,

girls,

were being drawn

to the God of Israel.

What is it?

Well, I want to argue with you,

and it's almost counterintuitive.

I want to suggest to you

that what's so attractive

to these Moabitess girls

is not so much Naomi's togetherness,

but Naomi's brokenness.

Look what she says to them

in verse 13.

She says,

this is more bitter for me

than for you,

because the Lord's hand

was against me.

Naomi's saying,

this is a tough time for me.

I've not got it all together.

It's not good for you

to be with me.

Go back to your own family.

Go back to your own friends,

to your own home.

It's not a good time

to be with me.

God is dealing with me,

and it's tough.

I came out full,

but now I'm going back

very much empty.

There's not much of a future

for you girls with me.

And there's a sense, isn't it,

where you would think,

well, that would put them off.

But they want to go with her.

They are compelled

by her honesty

and her openness.

And so if I can apply it to you,

sometimes in our foolishness,

we imagine that as Christians,

we have to keep up appearances.

That we have to keep up a good show,

not to let the side down.

And so often,

we pretend that we are not

what we are not.

I was speaking with somebody

who their dad is

towards the end of his life,

and he's been very,

very difficult to live with

for his wife,

for my friend's mother.

And she says,

it's been a really,

really hard time

for the family.

She says,

apart from when his brother,

who is not a Christian,

calls,

and at that point,

he pretends to be

the most gentle,

most accepting,

kindest man of all.

And we think,

well,

that's ridiculous,

don't we?

But I see that in my own life too.

That we can pretend

to be what we're not.

Of course,

God sees through that,

isn't it?

He is the one

from whom no secrets are hid,

all hearts open before him.

We can't fool him,

but we can fool other people.

To a certain degree,

but people see through it,

don't they?

That's why often people say to me,

the problem is with churches,

it's just a bunch of hypocrites.

Because they see hypocrisy.

And not only one of the reasons

why it doesn't work,

it's because it's phony.

There's a lot of phoniness

around in churches.

But there's something worse

than phoniness.

It's actually kind of

counterproductive.

In a sense,

if you are trying to pretend,

if you are trying to act,

you are misrepresenting

the God of the Bible.

You are basically

misleading people

into thinking that

the God of the Bible,

well, he is the good people's God

and he is the together people's God.

So people say that to me,

like they say to you,

I'm not good enough.

You don't know me,

I'm not that sort of person.

I could never come to church.

And people get that impression

from us,

don't they?

Because we're so high and mighty,

they couldn't possibly

come among us.

Because our God

is the good people's God.

But he isn't,

is he?

He is the God

who is gracious

and forgiving

and full of mercy

and full of forgiveness

and kindness.

He's the God of sinners.

And he dwells

with the contrite

and with the brokenhearted.

You see,

what was it

that brought

Orpah and Ruth

back to Israel?

It is what they saw

in Naomi.

And what they saw

in Naomi

was her brokenness,

not her togetherness.

And so if my people,

God says,

who are called by my name,

humble themselves

and pray

and seek my face

and turn from

their wicked ways,

then I will turn from heaven

and forgive them

and heal their land.

And so what will God

use to reach Ealing?

What will God use

to reach London?

Not a proud,

strutting,

triumphless church.

But a broken church.

Not a bunch of Pharisees

who are trying to occupy

the high moral ground

and looking down their nose

on everyone else

as if we were special.

We're just sinners,

aren't we,

who've been forgiven

for goodness sake.

There's no difference

between the people in here

and the people out there

other than we've found

a saviour.

A saviour who's full

of compassion

and kindness,

who shed his blood

to rescue us.

And that is what

God will use.

And so as a church,

we don't need

better PR

to make ourselves

look good

to a watching world.

There's a great competition

amongst ministers

about who's got

the best church website.

And so if you go on

to various churches,

it's like a kind of

arms race

amongst church websites,

isn't it?

People are arguing

with their deacons,

can I have more money

for the website?

And you look at the photos

on the website.

Does that result

in really reaching people?

Our website's very good,

by the way.

Joanna, thank you.

And loads of churches

are at it, aren't they?

But we need to come

in brokenness

before a holy God

and confess

our sin

and our guilt

so that something

of his kindness

that we experience

might be seen

to others.

And that's so attractive.

So why then,

if that is the case,

why does Naomi,

if you look in verse 8,

why does she try

to persuade

her daughters-in-law

to go back

to their pagan gods?

Those pagan gods.

That's what it sounds like,

isn't it?

She's obviously

very concerned for them.

She prays for them,

in fact.

Verse 8,

she prays,

May the Lord,

may the Lord

deal kindly

with you

as you have dealt

kindly

with the dead

and with me.

She's concerned for them.

She's concerned

for them spiritually.

The word kindness

is the key there.

It's the key word

in the book of Ruth.

It's the word chesed,

which means covenant love

or steadfast love.

It's the word

for God's kindness

to his people,

God's kindness

to sinners.

It's the word

that is ultimately

fulfilled in Jesus.

So in the start

of John's Gospel,

we're told that the word,

that is the Lord Jesus,

he was made flesh

and he dwelt amongst us

and he was full of grace

and truth.

They're synonymous words.

Grace and truth,

it's not like he had

grace in him

and he had truth in him

and we must be sure

that we've got that balance

of grace and truth.

It's not that at all.

Grace and truth

are the same thing.

They describe

what this word means,

chesed,

covenant love.

God is faithful

to his covenant.

God will keep

his word

to his people

even though

it will cost him

dearly.

It will cost him

his own dear son.

And that is the word

that's issued here.

It's used here.

That is the attitude

of heart

that Naomi has

towards her daughters-in-law.

That's why she's

urging them

to go back to Moab

of all places.

Well, I think

the only way

I can understand it

is that she's wanting

them to count the cost.

they're not going

to take no

for an answer.

They are determined

to follow her back

into the land of Israel.

But it's not a good time

in Israel.

It's the time

of the judges.

And so she's

basically saying

to them

what you often

find in the Gospels.

Do you remember

there was

this yuppie guy?

He was a really

young guy.

He was rich.

He was good looking.

He had everything.

He had all the money.

Everybody knew

who he was.

He was a pillar

of society.

He had all the perks

of being upwardly mobile

in society.

And he comes to Jesus

and he says to Jesus,

good master,

what must I do

to inherit eternal life?

And he brings his CV

along with him

and he says,

I've done this

and I've done that.

Ever since I was a kid

I've kept the law.

And Jesus says to him,

go and sell what you have

and give it to the poor.

And because the man

was very rich,

he turns around

and he goes back

to Moab.

The gospel says

he went away sad.

Not because he was wealthy.

Not because he had riches.

But because those riches

had him.

He was an idolatry.

He was a worshipper

of other gods.

He was worshipping his wealth

and his status.

And Jesus says,

if you're really serious

about this,

if you really want

to come after me,

if you really want

to follow me,

then deal with that issue.

Go and sell what you have

and give it to the poor.

If you want to gain

your life,

Jesus says,

you've got to lose your life.

Do you understand

that principle?

That's what repentance

is all about.

If you want life

from Jesus,

you've got to give

your life away

in order to get it back.

It's what Peter said

to the lame man

at the gate

of the temple.

He says,

silver and gold

have I none.

I can't give you that

if that's what you're here for.

But what I have,

I give you

in the name of Jesus Christ.

Get up and walk.

You see,

I've got to tell you

this morning,

there's a great cost

to becoming a Christian.

I don't think we

emphasize that,

particularly in my preaching enough.

There's a cost

to following Jesus

and Naomi is

wanting her daughters-in-law

to count the cost.

And she rubs

their noses in it.

She is

very almost cruel

to be kind to them.

Look at verse 11.

Why would you

come with me?

She says,

am I going to have

any more sons

to become your husbands?

It's the only hope

in that culture

at that time.

The only hope

of survival.

These girls

had to find a husband

to get married.

It's very politically

incorrect

from our perspective.

But in that culture

at that time,

that was the reality.

That the only hope

of survival

was to raise sons

to get married.

And she says,

there's no hope

of that happening now.

If you follow

me to Israel,

who is going to marry

a Moabitess

in Israel?

You think America's

got problems

with racial tensions.

It's got nothing

compared to what

it's going to be like

for you girls in Israel.

If you follow me there,

a Moabitess,

she drives it home

to them.

It's almost comical.

She says,

look,

even if I get back

there,

and I've got twin boys,

and you're going

to wait around

for them to grow up

so that you can

marry them,

is that really

going to happen?

I'm past

childbearing age.

And by the time

I grow up,

by the time

those kids grow up,

you'll be past

childbearing age.

So it's a touch

of reality.

Do you see

what she's doing?

It sounds cruel,

but these

are harsh times,

and she's being

cruel in order

to be kind

to them.

And we need

to realize

that we need

to count the cost.

And here are

these two girls,

and maybe you

in this congregation

this morning,

you're at the

crossroads,

and you're wondering,

am I really

going to follow

the Lord Jesus Christ,

or will I

follow what I

want and my

own dreams?

And you've

got to make

the decision.

Are you going

to go back

to Moab

and go back

to where life

is just a little

bit easier,

where you can

pursue what

you want?

Or are you

going to abandon

all that

to follow Jesus

and abandon

all your own

plans for the

future and take

control of your

life?

Let him take

control of your

life.

And that's the

decision that these

girls faced,

the turning

point,

the crossroads.

So what

happens?

Well, we know

what happens.

Orpah goes

back.

Orpah's

failure.

You know,

Oprah,

Oprah was

meant to be

called Orpah,

but the

registrar

spelt it

wrong.

So Oprah

Winfrey was

meant to be

called Orpah

Winfrey.

Because of

that spelling

mistake,

she's become

known as

Oprah.

Why would

any mother

want to

call her

Orpah?

Because Orpah

went back.

It's a tragedy.

Orpah was

the almost

Christian

of the Old

Testament.

Do you

remember,

in the New

Testament,

Paul is on

trial for his

life.

He's in front

of King

Agrippa.

And King

Agrippa

listens to him

and King

Agrippa

says,

you almost

persuade me

to be a

Christian.

You're trying

to persuade me

to become a

Christian and

you're almost

there,

Paul.

That's what

Orpah was.

King

Agrippa says

to Paul,

do you think

that in such a

short time you

can persuade me

to become a

Christian?

That's what

Agrippa said

to Paul.

Do you think

that in such a

short time you

can persuade me

to be a

Christian?

Paul's answer

is magnificent.

Paul says,

I don't care

if it's a

short time

or a

long time,

I want you

and everyone

else to be

exactly like

me except

for these

chains.

Paul says,

of course I'm

trying to make

you a

Christian.

Of course I

want you to

come with me.

Of course I

want you to

come under

the shelter

of the

wings of

the God

of Israel.

I want you

to experience

his covenant

love and

his kindness.

I want you

to have a

future amongst

his people.

Of course I

want to

persuade you.

I don't want

to pull the

wool over

your eyes.

So it's

not going to

be easy,

is it,

to be a

Christian in

the coming

years.

But of

course,

of course I

want you to

be persuaded

to come to

Jesus.

The Christian

faith is a

public faith.

We can't

keep it to

ourselves.

So whether

you're in the

school playground

or anyone

else for that

matter,

whether you're

in parliament

or anyone

else,

you cannot

keep it to

yourself because

to do so

would be to

deny you what

it is.

And so my

job is to

persuade you to

follow Jesus

Christ, but

there is a

cost.

And we

want you to

count that

cost.

Somebody's

put it like

this, the

choice before

Orpah was

Yahweh plus

nothing or

everything minus

Yahweh.

And that's the

choice that

confronts every

one of us.

I'd rather

have Jesus

been new.

I'd rather

have Jesus

than silver

or gold.

But Orpah

goes back.

Orpah

chooses

Moab.

She chooses

the lifestyle

she's comfortable

with.

She chooses

to stay in

charge.

She chooses

the immediate,

the temporal,

the visible.

And she

chooses a life

in Moab.

And we're told

in verse 14,

she kisses

her mother-in-law

goodbye.

When that

rich young

ruler came

to Jesus

and Jesus

saw him

go away

because he

was sad,

do you think

Jesus cared?

Of course

he did.

It tells us

Jesus loved

him.

It's a

poignant

moment, and

here's a

poignant

moment.

Orpah

goes off

into the

darkness,

and it

breaks

Naomi's

heart.

If it

wasn't

broken,

enough

already

by then.

And Orpah

goes back,

and then

this is the

amazing part

of the

story.

It's so

surprising,

is that

Ruth,

she decides

to follow.

And it's

a profession

of faith.

That's what

it is.

It's Ruth's

faith.

Have you

heard these

words before?

Do these

words ring

a bell

to you?

Where Ruth

says this,

for where

you go,

I will

go, and

where you

lodge, I

will

lodge.

And here

it is,

your people

shall be

my people,

and your

God, my

God.

The bell

that should

be ringing

is this,

I will be

your God,

and you

will be

my people.

God says

to Abraham,

it's the

theme tune

of the

Bible.

That is the

heart of the

Bible, the

heart of the

covenant.

That's what

Paul says in

Galatians,

was the

gospel that

was preached

to Abraham.

And now

here comes

this

Moabitess,

this girl

from the

middle of

nowhere, and

she takes

the words

of the

covenant on

her own

lips, and

she says,

your God

will be my

God.

And your

people will

be my

people.

And she

wants to

come in

amongst the

covenant

people of

God.

And she

wants to

know the

kindness of

God, and

she wants

to experience

the covenant

of God.

she wants

to shelter

under the

Lord's

wings, and

she embraces

the covenant.

And so

we're told in

the next two

chapters how

she comes to

take refuge.

You see, she

knew what she

was doing.

This isn't

sentimentality in

Ruth 1.

This isn't

desperation.

She's seen,

hasn't she, in

the flesh and

blood example

of Naomi.

Naomi.

Naomi has been

an instrument in

the Redeemer's

hands.

She's seen a

flesh and

blood instrument

of God's

kindness to

others.

That's what

she's been to

these girls.

And that's

what Ruth is

experiencing.

And she's

seen the

kindness of

God and how

it's been

played out,

that it's

overflowing in

her life.

And Ruth

has seen the

character of

God.

As you

think,

Donald McLeod,

has got a

line in one

of his books

where he

says this,

there is

nothing

un-Jesus-ness

about God.

There is

nothing un-Jesus-like

about God.

Do you know

what Jesus

says?

If you've

seen me,

you've seen

the Father.

Do you want

to know what

God is like,

Ruth?

He's nothing

like Chemosh,

or any

of the other

pagan gods

you've

experienced

back there

in Moab.

Do you want

to know what

God is like,

Ruth?

Look at

Naomi.

Look at

her flesh

and her

blood example.

Look at

Naomi's

kindness,

look at her

faithfulness,

look at her

tenderness,

and you get a

glimpse there of

what Naomi's

God is like.

And so you want

to know what

God is like this

morning?

You look at

Jesus.

The word who

was made

flesh and

dwelt amongst

us, and we

beheld his

glory, the

glory of the

one and only,

full of grace

and truth.

And that Jesus

said, that if I

thirst, that I

should come to

him.

And that no one

else can satisfy,

so I should come

to him.

And Jesus said

that if I am

weak, I should

come to him,

that no one

else can be my

strength,

that I should

come to him.

There is

nothing un-Jesus

like about

God.

And you can

trust yourself,

can't you, to a

God like that?

The Jesus who

said that if I

fear, I should

come to him.

That no one

else can be my

shield, I should

come to him.

And Jesus said

that if I'm

lost, he will

come to me.

And so Ruth

does that.

She comes and

she shelters

under his

wings.

And she's

gloriously

converted.

The Westminster

Confession says

that it is out

of a sense of

the mercy of

God that we

are brought to

repentance.

That is so,

so helpful.

Paul, so

sometimes people

come to me and

say, actually, we

need a little bit

more of the

holiness of God

and we need a

bit more of the

fear of God put

into us.

Lay the law

down a bit.

If you make

people feel really

guilty, then

they'll repent.

But that isn't

the way.

The Westminster

Divines were

right.

It is out of a

sense of the

mercy of God,

not just emotion,

but out of a

sense of the

mercy of God,

then we

repent.

And Ruth

saw in

Naomi the

mercy of God.

She saw

Naomi's heart

of kindness.

It's

interesting,

isn't it?

The book is

called Ruth,

but the first

chapter is all

about Naomi.

Because God

used Naomi in

all that she

suffered to

bring Ruth to

himself.

I think it's

really helpful to

ask yourself,

how would Naomi

have felt in

Ruth chapter

one?

She must have

asked herself

countless times

in her darkest

moments, as many

of you ask

yourself, Lord,

why?

Why do I have

to go through

this?

Why is this

happening to

me?

And part of

the answer,

well never of

the full answer,

but part of

the answer,

God's great

purpose in

Naomi's life

was not to

punish her for

her sin,

but to reach

out to bring

Ruth the

Moabitess into

the kingdom.

The Apostle

Paul put it

perfectly.

In 2

Corinthians he

says,

where death

is at work

in us,

but life in

you.

And so we

want to see

our friends

and our

relatives come

to life in

Christ,

don't we?

We want the

people whom we

love and live

amongst to

have eternal

life, which

is to know

God and

Jesus Christ

whom he has

sent.

Do you want

that?

Well you

very may well

have to

suffer.

And you

may well

have to die

a thousand

deaths for

that to

happen, but

it's worth

it, isn't

it?

God used

Naomi's

suffering to

bring Ruth

into the

kingdom.

And that

is the way

God's works.

And so

maybe this

morning you

are very much

like Naomi

and you

are aware

of great

regrets in

your life.

And you

are more

aware this

morning of

your failures

than your

successes.

And you

are more

conscious of

your sinfulness

than your

giftedness.

And you

think to

yourself,

God could

never use

me.

And if

you'd said

to Naomi

back then

on the

road to

Moab in

Bethlehem,

if you

told her

that God

would use

her in

a way

that would

have people

talking about

her in

the UK

3,000 years

later,

she would

have thought

you were

stark,

raving mad.

And if

you told

her there

and then

that in

her suffering

and through

her tears

God was

going to

use her

to bring

the saviour

of the

world,

she would

never have

believed you.

But that's

exactly what

he did.

In the

worst of

times when

it could

not have

been worse

morally or

spiritually in

the time of

the judges,

that is what

God did.

He brought

a Moabitess.

He brought a

foreigner,

the worst

sort of

foreigner,

and he

brought her

into his

kingdom

amongst his

people and

he saved

her and

she became

the great

grandmother of

David.

That's a

surprise at

the end of

the book,

isn't it?

King David

was of

course the

ancestor of

the Lord

Jesus,

great David's

greatest son,

the saviour,

the redeemer.

And God

did that

3,000 years

ago in a

very,

very ordinary

family,

living in a

tough and

difficult place

with broken

hearts.

But if God

did that

then,

he's the

same God,

isn't he?

And he can

do that now.

And he can

do that

through you,

through me,

and through

this church,

despite all

our faults

and all our

feelings.

Let's pray.