Ruth 1

So, you've got Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

! They're all classic romance stories, aren't they?

And the book of Ruth, if you've read it, you'll know that it has got everything we'd expect from an epic love story.

It's got the sadness at the beginning, the disappointment, the waiting, it's got the confusion, the attraction, and then finally the marriage.

And Ruth and her husband-to-be, Boaz, in the story, are one of the great unlikely romances of the whole Bible, aren't they?

Now, I don't know whether this is true, I hope it's not a stereotype, but the big book of Ruth is perhaps one of the books that is very close to women's hearts.

As I've been chatting to some of you over the last few weeks, that seems to be the case.

It's one of the few books in the Bible that's named after a woman, isn't it?

And in many ways, women do dominate the story.

Ruth and Naomi, it's a sort of Thelma and Louise kind of story.

So it's written about women, set in a women's world, with women's concerns and cares.

It deals with childbirth and husbands and women's work and marriage.

But actually, I want to say to us from the beginning, that as we begin looking at Ruth, while it feels like a very feminine book, and it is a romance story,

It's a romance story driven by redemption.

Redemption that comes through the main male character in the book, Boaz, who we meet at the beginning of chapter 2.

So I think there are lessons of male sexuality and leadership in the book.

And Boaz will be the man through whom the lives of women in the book are transformed.

Boaz will turn Naomi and Ruth's fortunes around.

He will redeem their situation.

So it's a book about romance, but it's also a book of redemption.

Now over 23 times in the book, the word redemption or redeemer is actually used.

So it's a story in which the women characters are redeemed by a man.

Romance and redemption.

And the writer highlights redemption in the book, not just to show us how men should behave in society with women,

but to point to the man, the redeemer of all mankind, Jesus Christ.

So Ruth is a kind of shorthand version, really, of the whole Bible story.

God's big story of romance.

Of him wooing his people, of lavishing his love upon them and turning their lives around.

Of redeeming them back from death through his son, the man, Jesus Christ, the redeemer.

So that's where we're heading over the next four weeks.

I hope you can be with us for the next three evenings in August.

I want us to look at chapter one tonight, and I've got three headings to help us through that.

It is the romance and the redemption.

But firstly, at the beginning of Ruth in chapter one, we see the misery of leaving the Lord.

The misery of leaving the Lord.

So the first chapter of Ruth is a chapter full of misery.

It is a chapter full of weeping and loss and bitterness, isn't it?

Back in verse one, we're introduced to an Israelite family from Bethlehem in Judah.

And the father in the family is a man called Elimelech.

We're introduced to him.

Now Judah, the land that they live in, we're told has been hit by a famine.

So Elimelech in verse two, he packs his bags and he says to the family,

Listen, we're going to head out of the land of Judah and we're going to live, sojourn in the land of Moab.

So he takes his wife, Naomi, and their two sons.

So do you see, they leave the Lord's land.

They leave Judah.

And they go outside of the promised land.

Now over time, the two sons marry foreign Moabite girls.

And those girls are called Orpah and Ruth.

But do you see, by verse five, ten years on, out in Moab, all the men in the story have died, haven't they?

Look at verse five.

Both Malon and Chilion, the two sons, died.

So that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Now if you can just picture the scene for Naomi there.

Naomi stands, doesn't she, at the graveside of her husband.

And the two sons are buried either side, perhaps, of the grave.

You know, we've got some young lads in our family.

We saw my nephews a few weeks ago.

They're great fun.

And their mother absolutely don'ts on them.

And I just cannot imagine, I can't bring myself to think,

of the pain that it would cause the family if anything should happen to those lads.

It's just unthinkable.

Just imagine the funeral of those two lads.

Naomi has to watch her own children die.

Any mother would be shattered by that, wouldn't they?

And so she has just a numbing pain, away from Judah and in the land of Moab.

You know, the name Naomi means pleasant.

But by the end of the chapter she wants to change her name, doesn't she, in verse 20,

to Marah, which means bitter.

No, no, no.

No, no.

Life is not pleasant in Moab.

It's bitter for this woman.

For these widows left behind.

It is one of those families, isn't it, that just gets struck with disaster after disaster,

heartbreak after heartbreak.

Broken lives and emptiness.

But can you see here that it's the misery and the broken heartedness caused by the foolish man,

Elimelech, as he has led them away from the Lord.

It is the misery of the separation that has happened between them and the Lord.

They've left the Lord's land, Judah.

They've left the Lord.

Even though it might look pleasant, Naomi says,

No, no.

Life away from the Lord has left me bitter and full of sorrow.

Life away from the Lord has just left me amidst death and pain.

Now, the book of Ruth, it comes in the Bible after the book of Judges.

If you didn't know that, Ruth starts off in verse 1, doesn't it?

In the days when the judges ruled.

There was a famine in the land.

Now, that helpfully sets the time frame for us for the book of Ruth.

At that point, alarm bells should be ringing

because there's an unmistakable problem about this time in the Bible story in this period.

Just flip back one page to the last verse of the book of Judges.

Just have a look there.

Chapter 21, verse 25.

In those days there was no king in Israel.

Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Now, Judges is a famous book, isn't it?

You've got stories like Samson and Gideon and Ehud.

But if you read Judges, you'll see that it's like a never-ending downward spiral

of bad behaviour and of sin,

followed by misery,

followed by God sending a rescuer or a judge,

and then sin again,

and then more misery,

and God sending them a rescuer.

It's the same again and again and again.

The people, it says there,

are without a king to lead them in living for God.

And they're all just doing what each one of them thinks is best in their own eyes.

Each person did what was right in their own eyes.

They did what was right in their own eyes.

They did what was right in their own eyes.

Again and again.

Each person calls the shots in their own life.

Now, don't forget that this is after Moses, isn't it?

So they've all got God's law in their society.

They've got the Bible.

They know how they should live.

But they're not listening to God's law,

and they're not living in that way.

They make up the rules on the spot,

doing what seems to be best in my eyes,

for my life, best for me.

God is just left out of the picture.

And so do you see, the famine comes in verse 1.

There is a famine in the land of Judah,

and that shouldn't surprise us.

Because famines were a sign from God

to the people to say,

you are in danger.

As you reject me, you are in great danger.

A famine was a warning sign.

It was a call out from God to say,

come back and live in the right way.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 says this,

Deuteronomy 28 · chapter mention

If you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God,

or be careful to do his commandments,

then cursed shall you be in the field.

Cursed shall your basket and your kneading ball be.

Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb,

and the fruit of your ground.

So the condition of the land

was like a gauge

as to how their relationship with God was going.

So famine was a signpost from God

saying loud and clear,

come back to me.

Because they weren't listening to him,

and they weren't living for him.

They needed to turn back to him,

but when the signpost comes for a limelight,

that's the last place he goes, isn't it?

He says to the family,

there's no food here.

It's no good returning to God,

looking to the Lord,

and to his land,

and for his food.

So he leads them to sojourn

in the land of Moab.

He leads them away

from the Lord

and his blessings.

It's ironic,

because the name Elimelech

actually means,

my God is king.

My God is king.

He was a Christian

in name,

but not in faith,

not in action.

He leads his family

away from the Lord.

When the going gets tough,

he's the family leader, isn't he?

But he doesn't run to God,

he runs from God.

He did what was right

in his own eyes.

He looked at what was in front of his face,

and he ran from God.

So the famine comes,

hard times come,

but Elimelech doesn't wait

for God's bread,

does he?

He goes for Moab's bread.

There's an obvious problem here,

but Elimelech addresses

the wrong problem,

the lack of bread,

rather than

the lack of relationship

with God.

He leaves the Lord.

And Elimelech's story,

it ends in tragedy,

doesn't it?

Because he dies in Moab,

he dies away from God.

If hard times come,

if famine comes,

I wonder,

by the time

you and I die,

where will we

have taken our families,

if we have families?

No matter what you go through

on the way,

will you have taken them out

to Moab?

What sort of legacy

will you leave behind?

We pray,

don't we,

that we will never

take our families away

from the Lord,

just doing what is right

in our own eyes.

So we see the misery

of leaving the Lord

for Naomi.

The misery of leaving

the Lord.

But secondly,

is there determination

to return to the Lord?

The determination

to the return to the Lord.

Now there's an old TV ad,

it's one of my favourite adverts,

The Hovis,

the bread brand,

where a child runs away

from the family home.

It's quite an old advert.

But you know,

mum doesn't panic

because she knows

the one thing

that will bring him back

without fail.

It is the alluring smell

of freshly baked Hovis,

isn't it?

So the aroma

waffes down those

Huddersfield streets

and that guy

starts playing the trumpet

and the lad comes back.

It's a really moving story,

actually.

Now,

Naomi gets a whiff

of something,

doesn't she?

Just have a look

at verse 6.

Naomi,

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.

So there she is

in the fields of Moab.

She hears that

there is more to be had

back in Judah,

back in the Lord's land.

Now,

we're told that they've been

in Moab

for about 10 years.

Now,

just think for a moment.

Without our modern communication

that we have today,

we don't actually know

how long it took

for Naomi to find out

that there was any food

back in Judah,

do we?

Could have been weeks.

Could have been months,

even.

Just think of all that time

that Naomi could have been

feasting

back in the Lord's land

when she remained

in the fields of Moab.

Naomi and the girls

were outside of God's land,

outside of his covenant blessings.

They were outside of

God's people,

the church

in the fields of Moab.

Being away from the Lord

and it could have been

so much better for them,

couldn't it?

Life in Moab,

it was slowly starving them,

sapping their life.

That is life, isn't it?

Away from the Lord.

It's just sapping.

Life away from the Lord,

always eating,

but always hungry,

never really satisfied.

But there is a feast

available with the Lord

and with his people

back in his land.

And that's part of

becoming a Christian,

isn't it?

It is to say,

why should I do

without bread?

Why should I starve

when I can go back to God

and I can feast

from all that he gives to me?

Don't we want to be a church

where people look in

and they go,

wow, the hovis is in the oven.

It smells so good in there.

What is that aroma?

What are they feasting on in there?

Why should I do without that?

So Naomi,

she's determined

to return to the Lord

because there's a feast

for her.

Now, Elimelech's choice

to leave the Lord earlier

has limited

the life

and provision

of the family,

hasn't it?

Faced with a famine,

he thought,

you know,

I'll grab what is right

in front of my face

and I'll get away

from Judah

and I'll go to Moab.

Now, it's interesting

if you look at

how those two places

are described in the passage.

Now, every time Moab

is mentioned,

it's called

the country of Moab,

isn't it?

Verse 1,

the country of Moab.

Verse 2,

the country of Moab.

Verse 6,

the country of Moab.

Again.

Whereas Judah is called

the land of Moab,

the land of Judah.

Verse 1,

the land.

Verse 7,

the land of Judah.

Country and land.

Now, those two words

are at polar opposites

in terms of size

and of scale,

of place.

It's probably

the opposite

of what we'd usually think.

But the word land

is used over 300 times

in the Bible

and it means

the earth,

the whole world,

the big wide world.

And the word country,

country of Moab,

is used far less.

It means something

more limited,

a smaller plot

or piece of land

or earth.

So you see,

Elimelech chooses,

doesn't he,

to leave the land,

the world of God's land

behind.

And he goes to the

little country of Moab,

the big,

wide,

wonderful world

of God's land,

and exchanges it

for little Moab.

He chooses the limited

instead of the unlimited.

You know,

at that point,

he thought leaving the Lord

would be the big move

for the family,

wouldn't it?

Leaving the Lord,

freedom at last,

the country of Moab,

the land of opportunity.

But all it's left

his wife with

is a little corner

to bury him

and his two sons in.

a little tiny piece

of land called Moab

by a graveside.

They find out,

don't they,

that to leave the Lord

is to put your life

in a box.

It is to live

in a little corner.

It is to starve yourself

and to limit yourself

and your family's life.

It is to be

closed-minded

and stunted.

Life becomes

restricted and small

away from the Lord.

the unlimited

for the limited.

C.S. Lewis

puts it really well.

He says,

we are half-hearted creatures

fooling about

with drink,

sex and ambition

when infinite joy

is offered us.

Infinite joy

like an ignorant child

who wants to go on

making mud pies

in a slum

because he can't understand

what is meant

by the offer of a holiday

by the sea.

Great, isn't it?

Naomi knows

that back with the Lord

it smells good.

there is a feast

back there.

So she's determined

to return to the Lord

back to the big

beautiful

plentiful

wide world

of living

with the Lord.

Isn't it funny

how God calls

his people

to what often

looks smaller

and yet

is far far bigger.

So Abraham

he is called

to a tiny piece

of land

isn't he?

The promised land.

Moses is called

into a wilderness

and through a wilderness.

And people today

we are called

into a tiny

looking church

aren't we?

But what looks

smaller

in the world's eyes

is actually

far far bigger

in reality.

because it opens

up all of life

as it's meant

to be lived.

Returning

to the Lord.

Is that how

we think of church?

The big

full

unlimited

wide world

of God's church

God's land.

So

they choose

to return

to the Lord

but what about

the two daughters?

Ruth

and Orpah.

In the time

we've got

we just need

to see

I think

the difference

in the reaction

to Naomi

telling them

that they have

to stay

in Moab

in verse 8.

Just look there.

Verse 8.

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've

dealt with

the dead

and with me.

That's an

emotional

moment isn't it?

Both of the

girls cry

about the

prospect

of leaving

Naomi

don't they?

Verse 9.

They kissed

each other

and they lifted

up their voices

and wept.

Verse 14.

They lifted

up their voices

and wept

again.

They've grown

to love

their mother-in-law

Naomi

and they both

weep tears

about this

idea.

They both

refuse to go

back don't

they?

In verse 10

they said to her

no we will

return with you

to your people.

they refused

to go back

but the issue

here is the

desire for

marriage

and for

rest.

Look at

verse 11.

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?

Turn

back my

daughters

go your

way

for I'm

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

would

you

therefore

wait

till they

were

grown?

The issue

here is that

the daughters

find husbands.

Now those

words husbands

and daughters

come up again

and again

in those

verses

daughters

six times

husbands

four times.

So in a

sense the

quest of

this book

is to

find Ruth

a husband.

To have

a husband

meant

security

and to

have

children

was to

have

posterity

and

provision

for

older

life.

So there

was a

lot

riding on

this

decision.

To

find a

husband

with

Naomi

seemed

ludicrous.

She was

too old

to have

other

sons

and who

would

marry

two

Moabite

girls?

You

see for

the girls

personal

loyalty

to

Naomi

would

mean

marriage

probably

wouldn't

happen.

And so

at this

point

the girls

split

don't

they

with

Naomi's

final

appeal

to

them

in

verse

13

to

14

both

of

them

cry

out

but

only

Ruth

clings

to

Naomi

they

both

cry

but

only

Ruth

clings

look

Naomi

says

verse

15

your

sister

has

gone

back

to

her

people

and

her

gods

you

should

do

the

same

but

it's

the

determination

to

return

to

the

Lord

do

not

urge

me

to

return

from

following

you

Ruth

says

they

both

cry

but

only

Ruth

clings

verse

18

she's

determined

Naomi

saw

that she

was

determined

to

go

with

her

so

it's

not

just

the

tears

is

it

the

crying

that

marks

a

determination

to

return

to

the

Lord

crying

tears

of

repentance

but

it's

a

clinging

to

him

to

return

to

him

now

why

is

Ruth

so

different

what

makes

her

go

with

Naomi

at

this

point

in

some

ways

it

is

mysterious

isn't

it

we're

maybe

not

told

all

of

the

thoughts

in

her

mind

but

it's

clear

that

she

has

a

deep

desire

not

to

go

back

to

Moab

she

insists

there

was a

fundamental

objection

in her

soul

of living

in

Moab

somehow

she knew

there was

nothing

in Moab

for her

anymore

she'd been

changed

so she's

determined

and she

decides

when faced

with the

prospect of

losing

everything

humanly

speaking

of perhaps

not marrying

she makes

this call

now I

wonder

whether

there are

people

here

tonight

and

perhaps

you

wouldn't

call

yourself

a

Christian

but

you've

been to

church

a few

times

you've

been

with

Christians

and

you've

heard

the

Bible

preached

and

even

though

you

wouldn't

call

yourself

a

Christian

you

know

something

is

happening

something

is

happening

inside

when you

come to

church

or when

you hear

the

Bible

and if

you

had

one

last

chance

and

were

faced

with

the

ultimatum

to

stay

or to

go

you'd

say

like

Ruth

well

I've

come

this

far

I

just

can't

go

back

I

can't

go

back

to

my

old

life

without

the

Lord

you see

before

she

realised

it

Ruth

was on

another

road

wasn't

she

the

narrow

road

away

from

Moab

and

returning

back

to

the

Lord

and

faced

with

that

ultimatum

she

decides

she

is

determined

I

can't

go

back

so I

must

go to

the

Lord

it's

all or

nothing

for

her

now

we're

in a

shape

that

upholds

God's

sovereign

choice

of his

people

aren't

we

but we

also

know

that

God's

word

calls

us

to

believe

and

to

act

upon

our

belief

and

a

will

to

action

to

actually

decide

time

to

decide

decide

to

leave

Moab

and

to

return

to

the

Lord

and

if

you're

wondering

about

whether

to

start

on

that

road

back

to

the

Lord

or

to

the

Lord

for

the

first

time

even

everyone

around

us

here

this

evening

is

on

that

road

just

look

around

you

if

you're

wondering

about

whether

to

start

on

that

road

see

those

of us

who

have

got

to

that

fork

in

the

road

and

we

said

I

just

can't

go

back

and

be

encouraged

Ruth

wants

everything

that

Naomi

has

she

wants

to

follow

her

doesn't

she

verse

16

to

18

where

you

go

I

will

go

I

will

lodge

where

you

lodge

your

people

shall

be

my

people

your

God

my

God

where

you

will

die

I

will

die

her

whole

destiny

has

changed

her

living

and

her

dying

she

wants

to be

with

the

people

and

serve

the

God

that

they

serve

Ruth

says

doesn't

she

I

cannot

live

without

the

Lord

take

everything

away

from

me

if

you

want

take

away

my

life

this

prospect

of

marriage

but

don't

take

Jesus

away

from

me

she

doesn't

know

what

the

future

will

hold

does

she

and

the

marriage

could

be

down

the

drain

but

she

can't

go

back

so

she

decides

she's

determined

to

return

to

the

Lord

even

if

life

gets

harder

I

can't

be

without

the

Lord

one

writer

puts

it

like

this

you'd

rather

have

Jesus

during

the

darkness

of

night

than

be

without

him

in

the

daytime

you'd

rather

have

Jesus

during

the

darkness

of

night

than

be

without

him

in

the

daytime

the

misery

of

the

Lord

but

Naomi

and

Ruth

determination

to

return

to

the

Lord

they

cannot

do

without

him

but

thirdly

as we

close in

more

briefly

verses

19

to

22

the

misery

of

leaving

the

Lord

determination

to

return

and

the

gracious

scars

of

the

time

in

between

the

gracious

scars

of

the

time

in

between

I

don't

know if

you've

ever

been

on

a

reunion

and

there's

that

awkward

thing

isn't

there

of

trying

to

remember

people

you

once

knew

so

well

years

and

years

ago

but

time

has

elapsed

hasn't

it

periods

in

life

go

by

people

and

faces

change

you

see

them

again

and

so

much

has

gone

by

you've

forgotten

them

what

their

names

are

they

seem

familiar

but

you

don't

know

who

they

are

now

the

women

finally

make

it

back

to

Bethlehem

in

Judah

don't

they

but

Naomi

is

not

the

woman

who

left

there

over

ten

years

ago

at

the

reunion

the

people

of

Bethlehem

look

out

over

the

horizon

and

they

squint

their

eyes

she

is

the

figure

of

a

woman

who

seems

familiar

but

is

only

a

shadow

of

her

former

self

verse

19

the

town

is

stirred

as

they

return

and

the

women

ask

is

this

Naomi

is

this

Naomi

is

that

really

you

you've

changed

you've

changed

so much

but

it

isn't

just

the

sands

of

time

here

isn't

it

it

isn't

just

natural

aging

but

it's

the

time

she's

had

away

from

the

Lord

she's

been

away

from

the

land

away

from

God's

covenant

people

verse

21

I

went

away

full

and

the

Lord

has

brought

me

back

empty

it's

the

scars

and

the

memories

of

a

life

lived

in

Moab

leaving

the

Lord

in

fullness

and

having

to

return

to

him

in

emptiness

from

pleasant

Naomi

she

is

bitter

Mara

isn't

she

it's

a reminder

to her

as she

returns

of the

toll

it takes

when we

live our

lives

doing what

is right

in our

own eyes

when we

live in a

dark box

for months

years

decades

even

being away

from the

Lord

it is not

freedom

is it

and it's

not fun

no no

Mara

she says

it's bitter

it will

ruin your

life

to

willingly

willfully

depart

from the

Lord

and be

away

from him

the

long

years

of life

doing

what is

right

in my

own

eyes

have a

heavy

toll

she's

paid

dearly

and she

looks

tired

she's

come back

empty

she's

hardly

recognisable

but at

the same

time

Naomi

knows

doesn't

she

that the

Lord

has been

behind

it

to bring

her back

to himself

the Lord

has done

this

and isn't

it so

sometimes

the case

that the

Lord

who will

fill us

must first

empty us

in his

providence

look at

verse 22

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 the

harvest

there is a

sign

isn't there

at the

end of

this

chapter

of God's

graciousness

they've

returned to

the Lord

in bitterness

and emptiness

but the

harvest

has come

the harvest

has come

and even

though their

past

is full

of scars

there is a

glimpse here

isn't there

of future

hope

of harvest

and of

satisfaction

for

Ruth

and if

you look

at verse

one

of chapter

two

we're

given

an even

greater

hint

aren't

we

Naomi

had a

relative

of her

husband

a worthy

man

of the

clan

of

Elimelech

whose name

was

Boaz

it is

the man

who will

turn these

women's

lives

around

who will

redeem

them

who will

fill

their

empty

lives

we can

be so

foolish

can't

we

we can

leave

the

Lord

at

times

and we

can

experience

the

bitterness

of that

limited

life

but God

is gracious

to his

people

to work

even in

suffering

to bring

you to

the man

Jesus

Christ

his

redeemer

God's

word

it tells us

doesn't it

to come

back to

him

to come

back

to his

wide

world

to come

back to

his

people

to the

church

and to

his

redeemer

the Lord

Jesus

not just

with tears

not just

with crying

but clinging

to him

determined

so tonight

is it time

to finally

decide

to do

that

why not

do it

tonight

to stop

doing what

is right

in your

own eyes

are you

tired of

living in

that way

and come

back to

him

and to

say

why should

I go