Emptiness

We're here to worship God. We're going to begin by singing to his praise in Psalm 139a.

! So the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 139, you'll find that on page 180 in your psalm books.

We're going to sing from the beginning down to the verse marked 10. These are words that remind us of

God's awareness of everything about us. Psalm 139a on page 180. At the beginning,

O Lord, you have examined me. You know me through and through. My sitting, rising, all my thoughts

afar are known to you. Verses 1 to 10 of Psalm 139a to God's praise.

You have examined me. You know me through and through. My sitting, rising, all my thoughts afar are known to you.

My going and I'm lying down, I've been before you. Before I speak a word, O Lord,

our heart is well known to you. You have me in behind before. You lay on me in your hand. Such

The story is too wonderful, too high to understand.

Where can I draw your spirit dream, or from your presence go?

If to the heavens you are there, or in the depths below.

If I should take the wings of dawn, and dwell beyond the sea.

There also you will be my guide, your right and holding me.

Let's bow our heads as we call on God's name in prayer.

Let us pray together.

Lord, we praise you this morning for your knowledge of us, of all things.

There's everything, everything about us is known to you.

And Lord, that can be a great comfort to us at times.

It can also be something that unsettles us also.

Lord, even as the psalmist penned these words, it's not clear.

Whether he was comforted by that fact, or whether he was wanting to escape from you.

But he knew that wherever he went, Lord, you would be there.

And Lord, even when our circumstances are bleak, when we're in dark and difficult situations, Lord,

you're aware.

You are with us.

You know us.

We thank you, Lord, for that.

And we thank you that you're here today.

You're always there where your people meet to worship you.

We thank you for every individual that has come here today.

We're a large group of people, and yet we're all different.

And we're all known to you.

Everything about our circumstances, everything that's going on in our lives, Lord,

you are intimately aware of these things.

And we pray today, Lord, that you would meet us according to our need.

Whether we're young or whether we're old, bless the children with us, we pray.

And we desire, Lord, and long for your blessing on their young lives.

Every single one of them is loved by you with a love that is even greater than the love of their own parents.

And Lord, we pray for them today as they go out to Sunday school shortly.

We pray for those who teach them.

We pray for those who look after them and crash.

And we ask, Lord, that you would be part of their lives.

And even as they grow up, that they would grow up loving and following and deciding to serve the Lord Jesus.

Be with the teenagers here as well, Lord, at a different stage in their lives

when there are so many temptations and so many things that could draw them away from you and away from your word.

Lord, guard them and keep them, we pray.

And draw them ever closer to yourself.

May we all, Lord, regardless of age, young or old, may we be brought closer to you today.

Be pleased to bless us.

Speak to us through the Bible.

And forgive us for all our sins.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Okay, I want to speak to the young folk for a moment.

And I can see that you're dotted about all over the place.

Today, I brought in an Advent calendar.

So put up your hand if you have an Advent calendar.

Let me see some hands go up.

I bet you some adults have one of these as well.

So, yeah, okay.

Quite a few of you have an Advent calendar.

An Advent calendar is a strange thing because the less that's left of it, the better.

Because the less that's left of it, then the closer we are to Christmas.

But, you know, it would be really strange if you got an Advent calendar and it didn't have any doors open by this stage in the month.

If you had an Advent calendar and you didn't actually bother to eat the chocolates.

That would be really odd.

Because you would get...

I knew somebody who had one like that last year, year before.

Halfway through December, there was still no doors that had been opened on the Advent calendar.

And I don't get that.

Because you get no benefit from the Advent calendar unless you open the doors.

And, you know, people are like that with Jesus as well.

Particularly at Christmas time.

Christmas, we should be remembering Jesus.

That he...

His birth into the world.

It was an amazing event.

And the fact that he came to save us.

And yet there are people who celebrate Christmas and they forget about Jesus.

Now, if you forget about your Advent calendar for a day or two and you miss a few chocolates, that's not going to do you any harm.

It might actually do you some good to not eat so much chocolate.

But, you know, if we forget about Jesus, that will not be good for us at all.

So, I want you, if you have one of these, I want every single day that you open a door to have a chocolate.

I want you to remember Jesus.

And I want you to remember that Jesus came to save us from our sins.

So, every day when you have your chocolate, thank the Lord for Jesus.

He came to save you.

And I hope and pray that you will grow up to trust and follow him.

We'll do the Lord's Prayer together now as a congregation.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

I'm going to sing again now.

This time we're singing from Psalm 146 in the Scottish Psalter.

You'll find that on page 446.

Page 446.

Psalm 146.

And at verse 5, the top of the page,

singing to the end of the psalm.

Psalm 146 at verse 5.

Oh, happy is that man and blessed,

whom Jacob's God doth aid,

whose hope upon the Lord doth rest,

and on his God is stayed.

Psalm 146.

We're singing verses 5 to 10 to God's praise.

O happy is that man and blessed,

whom Jacob's God doth aid,

whose hope upon the Lord doth rest,

and on his God is stayed.

Who made the earth and heavens high,

who made the swelling deep,

and all the cliffs within the sea,

who took the heaven of the Lord doth.

Who made the righteous judgment and saviour,

for those so blessed that he,

who to the hungry giveth food,

God sets the listeners free.

The Lord doth give the blind their sight,

that the legend doth raise.

The Lord doth fear the wise,

that walk in a bright place.

Let stranger's shield the widow's sting,

they o'er flat self-esteem,

but yet by him the wicked's clay,

turned up sight and shall be.

The Lord shall reign forevermore,

like God, O Zion, he.

Praise to all generations,

Praise to the Lord give thee.

We're going to read God's word now,

from the Old Testament,

in the book of Ruth.

So we're going to Bethlehem this morning,

but not for the birth of Jesus,

but for the story of one of his ancestors,

Ruth, from whom the Messiah was descended.

So we're going to read the first chapter of Ruth.

The first chapter of Ruth,

maybe on page 267 in your Bibles.

We'll read the whole of this chapter together.

So let's hear God's word.

Ruth chapter one.

In the days when the judges ruled,

there was a famine in the land,

and a man of Bethlehem in Judah

went to sojourn in the country of Moab,

he and his wife and his two sons.

The name of the man was Elimelech,

and the name of his wife, Naomi,

and the name of his two sons

were Malon and Kilion.

They were Ephratites from Bethlehem in Judah.

They went into the country of Moab

and remained there.

But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,

and she was left with her two sons.

These took Moabite wives.

The name of one was Orpah

and the name of the other Ruth.

They lived there about ten years,

and both Malon and Kilion died,

so that the woman was left

without her two sons and her husband.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law

to return from the country of Moab,

for she had heard in the fields of Moab

that the Lord had visited his people

and given them food.

So she set out from the place where she was

with her two daughters-in-law,

and they went on the way

to return to the land of Judah.

But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law,

Go, return each of you to her mother's house.

May the Lord deal kindly with you

as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

The Lord grant that you may find rest

each of you in the house of her husband.

Then she kissed them,

and they lifted up their voices and wept.

And they said to her,

No, we will return with you to your people.

But Naomi said,

Turn back, my daughters.

Why will you go with me?

Have I yet sons in my womb

that they may become your husbands?

Turn back, my daughters.

Go your way.

For I am too old to have a husband.

If I should say I have hope,

even if I should have a husband this night

and should bear sons,

would you therefore wait till they were grown?

Would you therefore refrain from marrying?

No, my daughters,

for it is exceedingly bitter to me

for your sake,

that the hand of the Lord

has gone out against me.

Then they lifted up their voices and wept again.

And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law,

but Ruth clung to her.

And she said,

See, your sister-in-law has gone back

to her people and her gods.

We turn after your sister-in-law.

But Ruth said,

Do not urge me to leave you

or to return from following you,

for where you go, I will go,

and where you lodge, I will lodge.

Your people shall be my people,

and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die,

and there will I be buried.

May the Lord do so to me,

and more also,

if anything but death parts me from you.

And when Naomi saw that she was determined

to go with her,

she said,

No more.

So the two of them went on

until they came to Bethlehem.

And when they came to Bethlehem,

the whole town was stirred because of them.

And the woman said,

Is this Naomi?

She said to them,

Don't call me Naomi.

Call me Mara,

for the Almighty has dealt

very bitterly with me.

I went away full,

and the Lord has brought me back empty.

Why call me Naomi?

When the Lord has testified against me,

and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.

So Naomi returned,

and Ruth the Moabite,

her daughter-in-law with her,

who returned from the country of Moab,

and they came to Bethlehem

at the beginning of barley harvest.

Amen.

This is the word of the Lord,

and we trust and we pray

that he will follow it with his blessing.

Let's just bow our heads once more

in a word of prayer.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Lord, we thank you for your word,

the Bible,

that is just so honest

and shares with us

the struggles

that your people have.

Most of us would

be fearful of using

the kind of words

that Naomi used

when she said

that the Almighty

has dealt very bitterly with me.

But not only did she say that and more,

but the Bible reports it for us,

and it doesn't condemn her for it.

Lord, her pain is evident,

and her pain is understandable.

After she had lost so much

that was precious to her

in the world.

And Lord, we want to pray today

for those who have pain

in their hearts

and those who are struggling

this morning.

We thank you, Lord,

that while we can feel powerless

to help people very often,

we can pray to a God

who is able.

And so we ask you today, Lord,

that you would come alongside

those who are struggling.

The Bible tells us

that those that are broken

in their hearts

and grieved in their minds,

God heals,

and their painful wounds

he tenderly abides.

So, Lord, we ask that you

would deal tenderly

with all who face

challenging situations

in their own lives,

in their own homes,

in their own hearts,

in their own families today.

We pray, Lord,

for those whose turmoil

may be in their minds,

those who are cast down,

those who feel

that are in a dark place.

Lord, may you shine

your light of hope

into that darkness

and transform their situations,

we pray.

Bless your word.

Bless the gospel today

as it is preached

up and down our land

and to the ends of the earth.

We pray, Lord,

for the preaching

of your word here

and in the other churches

in the town

and throughout this presbytery.

We thank you, Lord,

that we have a promise

that your word

will not return to you empty.

It will accomplish

your purposes.

And, Lord,

we pray that you would purpose

that it would do us good today,

that your word

would be the means

of drawing us

closer to yourself.

And we pray, Lord,

that you would send workers

into your harvest field.

You've asked us

to pray that prayer,

to pray for laborers, Lord.

And you know

that the need is great

within this presbytery,

within our presbytery

in the north

and sky in Westeros.

Lord,

we ask that you

would be calling men

into ministry

and calling others

to serve you

in different ways

and that you, Lord,

would provide

for the need is great.

Bless this congregation.

Be with its minister,

its office bearers.

Be with all those

who are members

and adherents of it, Lord.

Bless the children

who've just gone out

to Sunday school

and creche.

And, Lord,

we pray that you would be

at work in their young lives.

Help calm them

in all the responsibilities

that he bears.

Be with himself

and Joan

and with the family

and uphold them, Lord,

and equip them

for the work, we pray.

And bless the congregation

in all its efforts

to reach out to others.

For the Christmas outreach

next Saturday

and the family service

on Sunday,

we ask, Lord,

that you would be in it

and that you would be

using these means

to draw people

to yourself.

So bless us now

as we turn to your word,

as we continue to sing it

and as we shortly

will study it.

We ask, Lord,

that you would bring

this book alive to us

and bring us alive to it.

And may your Holy Spirit

be our teacher

and our guide today

and make us willing students

of your word,

ready to learn from it

and to be changed by it.

And all of these things

we ask, Lord,

we ask with the cleansing

and the forgiveness

of our sins.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

We're going to sing

once more this time

from Psalm 55

in Sing Psalms.

You'll find that

on page 71.

Sing Psalms 55

on page 71.

And we're going to sing

from the beginning

down to the verse

marked 8.

Page 71.

O God,

please listen to my prayer.

Do not ignore my plea.

My anxious thoughts

make me distraught.

O hear

and answer me.

Psalm 55.

We're going to sing

verses 1 to 8

to God's praise.

O God, please listen to my prayer.

Do not ignore my plea.

O God, please listen to my prayer.

My anxious thoughts

make me distraught.

O hear and answer me.

I'm troubled by the voice of hope.

By their malicious fear

For they bring suffering to me

The hatred I must bear

Within the anguish lifts my heart

It's ever shot the near

I tremble out of dead and fire

I know the wealth I fear

Though that I lie not on the wings

Then I would fly away

And be at rest

I'd live from here

And in the desert stay

Then would I do

My hiding place

Forever you see my fight

But from the raging of the storm

And from the tempest might

As we seek God's help

Can we turn back in our Bibles

To the passage that we read together

In the book of Ruth

And we're in chapter 1 today

We're looking at most of this chapter

But we can read again a verse 21

Ruth chapter 1

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

And at verse 21

Naomi is speaking

And she says this

I went away full

And the Lord has brought me back empty

Why call me Naomi

When the Lord has testified against me

And the Almighty has brought calamity upon me

I went away full

And the Lord has brought me back empty

If this first chapter of the book of Ruth

Were to be made into a film

It might be called

Three Funerals

And a Famine

It is a chapter filled with hardship

And with pain

It's a story of a family going through

An incredibly challenging

And sad experience

But it also reminds us

That God is interested

In our families

The book that comes before it

The book of Judges

Gives us an insight into

The life of the Israelites

In broad brush strokes

You could say

But then when we come into Ruth

It's as if the camera zooms

Right in

To focus on one household

And one family

And this particular family

Is a family that is struggling

A family that is hurting

And if the camera were to zoom in

On your family today

Might it be a similar picture

Difficulties

Trials

Struggles

Pain

But what this book reminds us of

Is that God knows

What's going on

As you read through this chapter

He ensures that

The name of every person

In this family

Is recorded then

A reminder that

God knows each of us by name

God knows us intimately

And God knows whatever struggles

Or hurts

Or pains

Or trials

That you might be experiencing today

And this book of Ruth

Also reminds us of this fact

That the Bible

Always deals

With reality

There's no sugar coating here

No airbrushing

Of the fact that

Life is incredibly tough

There are times when it's painful

There are times when it's really sad

And yet even in the midst

Of these sad circumstances

In Ruth chapter 1

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

God is at work here

God's at work

And the heartwarming

Aspect of this story

Is that Ruth

This complete outsider

A Moabite

From among the enemies

Of God's people

She comes

To be

Attached to the people of God

And more than that

She comes to trust

The Lord

And even more than that

The Lord Jesus himself

Is descended

From her

You don't need to read

Very far

Into the genealogy

At the beginning

Of the New Testament

In Matthew chapter 1

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

To find the name

Of this outsider

Ruth

Amongst the ancestors

Of Jesus

So God's great plan

Of salvation

For the world

His plan for the coming

Of the Messiah

It's being worked out

Right here

In this chapter

Among the mess

And the misery

Ruth

Is one of only two women

Who have a book

Of the Bible

Named after them

The other is

Esther

And they're two

Very different people

Esther was a queen

Who lived in a palace

Ruth was a peasant

Who lived

In poverty

Massively different

Circumstances

Opposite ends

Of the social spectrum

And yet God cared

For both of them

So today

We're just going to study

This first chapter

In the book of Ruth

You need to go home

And read the rest

Of the story

You may already

Be familiar with it

Maybe you're not

But in this first chapter

The focus is actually

More on Naomi

Than it is on Ruth

So we'll spend a little

Of our time

Talking about Ruth

But most of our time

Will be focused

On Naomi

So I want to look at this

Under four headings

This morning

First of all

The problem

This famine

That caused them

To have to leave

Their homes

The problem

And then the parting

There are several

Partings

Bereavements

In this chapter

And then thirdly

The pledge

We'll look at Ruth

As she pledges

Herself to Naomi

And to her people

And to her God

The pledge

And then finally

The poverty

From the verse

That we took

As our text

Where Naomi

Talks about

Going out full

And coming back

Empty

So we'll break it up

Into these four sections

And we'll work our way

Through the chapter

The problem

The parting

The pledge

And the poverty

So let's begin

With the problem

What is the problem here

Well verse 1

Sets the scene

For us

By telling us

That this took place

In the days

When the judges ruled

And that immediately

Alerts us to the fact

That these were dark

And difficult days

In Israel

We know that

Because you only have

To look across the page

To the end

Of the book of Judges

To find out

What these days

Were like

The closing verse

Of the book of Judges

Says in those days

There was no king

In Israel

Everyone did

What was right

In his own eyes

There was no leadership

And the people

Had drifted away

From the faith

And then the next thing

You find out

In Ruth chapter 1

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

It's also something

That should surprise us

That is that

There was famine

In Bethlehem

Because the very name

Bethlehem

It means house of bread

And it was given

Part of the reason

It was given that name

Was it was a fertile place

So it was unusual

To have famine

In Bethlehem

And then we meet

The family

In verse 2

All of them are named

And we're told

That they decide

To go to Moab

For a while

Verse 1 uses

The word soldier

Which just means

A short trip

But clearly

The situation changes

Because by the end

Of verse 2

We're told that

They remained there

So the plan

Has changed

They're going to go

For a time

Because there's famine

But they end up

Staying there

Now going to Moab

Is a strange choice

Of place

To go

Because Moab

Was enemy territory

The Moabites

Were enemies

Of the people

Of God

If you read

Through the book

Of Judges

You'll find that

Moab

Had attacked

And subdued Israel

Ruled over them

For 18 years

So it's an odd

Place

To go

It's even worth

Bearing in mind

Where Moab

Came from

The Moabites

Were descended

From Lot

From that

Incestuous

Encounter

He had

With his own

Daughter

When he got

Drunk

And one of

The children

Born

Was called

Moab

The Moabites

Came from there

And they were

Long term

Enemies

Of the people

Of God

And it's just

A reminder to us

That sin

Has long

Lasting

Consequences

Decades

And decades

And decades

Later

The Moabites

Were a thorn

In the side

Of God's

People

We meet

Elimelech

He's the head

Of this home

His name

Means my God

As king

Although

Some will

Suggest that

He's not

Really living

Up to his

Name

If he's

Leaving Bethlehem

The house

Of bread

Where God

Has blessed

Them

To go

To enemy

Territory

To Moab

Well maybe

That's the case

The passage

Doesn't say

So it doesn't

Say that he

Was wrong

To go

Should Elimelech

Have stayed

In Bethlehem

Even when

There was famine

Would you

Have

It is hard

To study this

Chapter and

Study this book

Without forming

A view

Over whether

He was wrong

To go

Or not

But more

Important

Than what

We think

Of his

Decision

Is how

We respond

When trials

And difficulties

And challenging

Circumstances

Face us

There are three

Main options

That are open

To you

When life

Gets difficult

Escape

Try and run

From it

Endure

Simply put up

With it in some

Stoic kind

Of way

Or embrace

It

See it as

Part of God's

Plan for your

Life

Now

Embrace might

Be too strong

A word

I used it

Obviously

Because the

Other two

Were ease

But just

Simply

Accepting

This is what

God has

For me

Just now

That is how

We should

Deal

With our

Trials

But I'm not

Saying it's

Easy to do

So

It wasn't

Easy for Elimelech

He took the

Other option

He went

For the

Escape

Route

But that's

The problem

That he

Faced

There was

Famine

And he

Had a

Family

Who were

Hungry

So that's

Our first

Point today

The problem

Life was

Incredibly

Difficult

For this

Family

But we're

Going to

Look secondly

At the

Parting

Life

Wasn't

Going to

Get

Easier

By taking

The escape

Route

The very

Next thing

We're told

After we

Read that

They go to

Moab

Is that

Elimelech

Died

How tough

Was that

They're in a

New place

Unfamiliar

Territory

And the

Head of the

Home is

Gone

Now

There must

Have been

Some good

Times in

Moab as

Well because

They celebrated

Two weddings

While they

Were there

The two

Boys

Marlon

And

Killian

Found

Wives

And got

Married

But clearly

The good

Times were

Short lived

Within ten

Years

It had all

Fallen

Apart

And I've

Called the

Second point

The parting

Because there

Are repeated

Partings

If you look

At verse

Five

It says

The woman

Was left

Without

Her two

Sons

And her

Husband

It's just

A few

Verses

And everything

Changed

Everything

Changed

First there's

One widow

Then there's

Two widows

And then there's

Three widows

And you know

It's easy to

Suggest

Maybe even

Tempting

To conclude

That they

Must have

Been wrong

To go

If it all

Went

So

Pearship

But we

Need to

Be careful

We need

To be careful

In forming

That kind

Of view

Because

The bible

Doesn't say

So

What we

Can say

With certainty

Is that

Naomi

Believed

That this

Was

God's

Chastisement

For something

Wrong

In her

Life

So you'll

Notice

That in a

Few verses

So say

At the end

Of verse

Thirteen

She says

It's exceedingly

Bitter for

Me

For your

Sake

That the

Hand of

The lord

Has gone

Out against

Me

God's

Against

Her

She says

And then

Look at

Verse

Twenty

One

Middle of

The

Verse

Towards the

End of

The

Verse

Why call

Me

Naomi

When

The lord

Has

Testified

Against

Me

The lord

Has testified

Against

Me

She's

Saying

God

Has

Some

Evidence

Against

Me

And that's

Why she

Believes

Everything's

Gone

So

Pearship

Why she's

Had so

Much

Trouble

Now

Maybe

She's

Right

Maybe

She's

Right

But even

If she

Is

Even

If

This

Is

And

This

Is

Just

Her

View

Okay

This

Is

Not

Scripture

That's

Saying

This

Is

A

Chastisement

From

God

This

Is

Just

Naomi's

!

Conclusion

!

But even

If she's

Right

That this

Is

A

Chastisement

From

God

For

Some

Wrongdoing

In

Her

Life

We

Can't

Be

Sure

What

Wrong

What

It

Is

That

She

Did

Wrong

Was

It

The

Fact

That

The

Family

Left

Bethlehem

When

They

Ought

Not

To

And

Went

To

An

Enemy

Country

Was

It

The

Fact

That

She

Allowed

Her

Sons

To

Marry

Heath

And

Wives

From

Moab

Was

It

Something

Else

All

Together

Or

Was

It

None

Of

These

Was

She

Just

Misled

In

Thinking

That

This

Was

A

Punishment

Or

A

Chastisement

Of

Some

Sort

We

Don't

Know

There's

Lots

Of

Things

We

Don't

Know

What

We

Do

Know

Is

That

We

Are

Looking

At

A

Woman

In

Turmoil

!

Hard

For

Her

To

Think

Straight

Maybe

You

Know

What

That's

Like

When

You

Go

Through

Circumstances

Like

This

You

Can't

Think

Straight

The

Following

Verses

They

Show

Us

That

Naomi

Is

All

Over

The

Place

Because

She

Decides

To

Go

Back

To

Bethlehem

With

Her

Two

Daughters

In

Law

And

Then

At

Some

Point

On

The

Way

She

Decides

No

Maybe

They

Should

Go

They

Should

Go

!

She

Tells

Them

To

Go

Back

And

She

She

Is

At

One

Point

Praying

That

The

Lord

Will

Bless

Them

And

Then

In

Another

Moment

She

Telling

Them

Go

Back

To

Your

Own

Gods

This

Is

A

Woman

Who

Is

Deeply

Confused

Notice

Her

Prayer

Or

At

Least

It's

A

Desire

For

God's

Blessing

Verses

8

And

9

Naomi

said

To

Her

Two

Daughters

Go

Return

Each

Of

To

She

Is

Asking

God's

Blessing

On

Them

One

Moment

And

Then

Not

Long

After

That

She

Is

Telling

Them

Go

Back

To

Your

Own

Gods

Verse

15

She

Said

See

Your

Sister

In

Law

Is

Going

Back

To

Her

People

And

To

Her

Gods

Return

After

Your

Sister

In

Law

If

You

Want

To

Be

Whether

You

Want

To

Be

Sympathetic

With

Naomi

Or

You

Want

To

Criticize

Naomi

You

Could

Find

A

Verse

To

Support

Your

Argument

And

What

We

Actually

See

From

This

Is

This

Is

A

Woman

Who

Is

In

Torment

Who

Is

In

Turmoil

!

And

No

Wonder

Berement

Is

Painful

And

One

After

Another

After

Another

Incredibly

So

Naomi

Has

Been

Parted

From

Three

People

Who

Were

Precious

To

Her

In

Just

One

Decade

Of

Disaster

And

Now

We

See

Her

And

She's

All

Over

The

Place

So

That's

Our

Second

Point

To

The

Parting

The

Parting

There

Were

Several

Partings

Here

So

We

Looked

At

The

Problem

We

Looked

At

The

Parting

I

Want

To

Come

Now

And

Think

About

The

Pledge

The

Pledge

From

Verse

!

Takes

Its

Name

And

Ruth

Refuses

To

Stay

In

Moab

Even

Though

Her

Sister

In

Law

Orpah

Has

Decided

To

Go

Back

And

She

Makes

This

Impassioned

Plea

To

Naomi

That

She

Really

Must

Go

With

Her

You'll

See

It

In

Verse

16

And

17

And

As

You

Read

These

Verses

You'll

See

That

This

Is

A

Professional

!

Faith!

She's

Come

To

Trust

The

Lord!

Let

Me

Read

16

And

17

But

Ruth

Said

Do

Not

Urge

Me

To

Leave

I

Will

Die

And

There

Will

I

Be

Buried

May

The

Lord

Do

So

To

Me

And

More

Also

If

Anything

But

Death

Parts

Me

From

You

This

Is

It's

More

Than

Just

A

Commitment

To

Israelite

Religion

In

Verse

17

She

Calls

God

The

Lord

The

Hebrew

Name

Yahweh

Which

Is

Covenant

People

The name

That

The

Covenant

People

Would

Use

This

Is

Her

Showing

Her

Allegiance

To

The

Lord

And

You

Have

To

Ask

How

Did

That

Happen

Here

Is

A

Woman

Brought

Up

Steeped

In

Idolatry

The

Moabites

Worshipped

Chemosh

One

Of

The

Worst

Idols

One

Who

Accepted

Human

Sacrifice

That's

How

This

Woman

Was

Brought

Up

Steeped

In

Idolatry

How

Is

It

That

She

Come

To

Trust

The

Lord

Well

Conversion

Is

Always

A

Work

Of

God

God

Alone

Can

Do

Circumstances

You

Might

Think

That

The

Loss

Of

Her

Husband

Might

Have

Had

The

Opposite

Effect

Might

Have

Driven

Her

Away

From

Any

Thought

She

Might

Be

Having

About

God

And

Yet

It's

Quite

Possible

That

It

Was

Standing

At

The

Graveside

Of

Her

Husband

That

Ruth

Realized

There

Must

Be

More

To

Life

Than

This

You

Know

It's

Not

Uncommon

For

Beream

To

Bring

Us

Face

To

Face

With

The

Realization

That

We

Need

God

Ruth

Lost

Her

Husband

She

Lost

Her

Father

In

Law

She

Lost

Her

Brother

In

Law

And

Yet

It's

To

God

That

She

Turns

In

The

Middle

Of

Her

Pain

It's

To

God

That

She

Turns

And

Here

She

Is

Professing

Her

Faith

And

There's

Nothing

More

Wonderful

Than

Hearing

Someone

Say

That

For

The

First

Time

I'm

Trusting

The

Lord

I'm

Trusting

The

Lord

But