Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro me.

We’re continuing working through the ancient story of Ruth found in the bible, a story over three thousand years old.

We might think that distance would mean the story will be so alien, so remote that there couldn’t be anything that connects with our world, couldn’t be anything to learn for our modern age, our radically different place.

There definitely are customs in here which seem strange - particularly in the chapters to come - but there are also profound resonances with our day, our experience - things three thousand years hasn’t changed at all.

The setting for today’s chapter of our story is a journey - it’s the very beginning of what’s almost certainly going to be a long and difficult journey.

Where the travel, the road itself, is just the tip of the iceberg - because, if they go through with it, this will be a life-changing journey - a journey into a different place, people, world.

Some of you, I know, have been on a physical journey like that across our globe: leaving your place, your people, your world and making your way into a new one.

You’ll understand what this is really like in a way the rest of us can only begin to imagine - you’ll have experienced this first-hand.

Maybe some more of us will have considered such a radical move: choosing to leave the known, the familiar, and step into the unknown.

Often, for a journey like that, you’d want to have a guide, right, someone who knew the terrain, knew the dangers, knew the customs, knew the path.

What if right at that moment you are about leave the world and the life you’ve known, at the last moment, just as you’re getting onto the plane or boarding the ship, your guide, the only one who has actually experienced you destination, the one you are counting on, looks you in the eye, shakes their head, and says “turn back”?

Can you imagine that?

Are you going back?

Or pressing on?

Let’s read together Ruth 1:6-19 - page 267 in these blue bibles.

Ruth and we’re in the first chapter, we’ll start at verse 6 - look for the tiny 6. Page 267 and Lorna’s going to read for us this morning.

Three widows at a crossroads, weeping.

One, a generation older, is Naomi, a refugee from the land of Israel, who came to Moab years ago with her family.

She is heading home without that family: her husband and both her sons have died.

The two younger figures with her are her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth - her sons’ wives - now their widows.

The three are a tight-knit group - perhaps because of how much they’ve suffered together - shared adversity can really bond people.

They have become deeply connected through the troubles of this life.

As Naomi sets off on the road home, Orpah and Ruth join her.

But then, with tear-filled eyes, she begins to try and turn them back.

The only family she has left.

The people she’s closest to in this world.

On the road to her own country where, it seems, there’s at least food.

Why would she do that?

I think we have to conclude it’s because she loves them and thinks it’s what will be best for them.

Think about it: if she just wanted rid of them - because they were too much of a burden; or talked too much; or had terrible fashion sense or really bad BO or something - if she just wanted rid of them she could have snuck out in the middle of the night while they were asleep.

But it’s clear the three love one another - all the weeping is testimony to that.

That the girls set out on a long, dangerous journey with her is testimony to that.

Naomi acknowledges their love for her in her prayer in v8 - the kindness they’ve shown her.

The way she tries to persuade them to turn back, the reasons she uses, point to her love and care for them in return.

Go back and find new husbands is her first pitch.

Ruth 1:8-9 .

In that ancient culture, a husband meant provision, protection, security - and children who were like your pension and care in old age.

That’s what Naomi’s love for Ruth and Oprah means she wants for them.

But they’re determined, and they turn down Naomi’s offer with a firm “no”- Ruth 1:10 we will go “with you to your people.”

So Naomi goes further, not just pointing to the hope for provision and security if they turn back.

But warning them there’s no such hope if they go ahead.

That’s what v11-12 are: no hope of more sons for Naomi who could in time be husbands to Ruth and Orpah.

And implicitly no hope ahead: no way anyone else would marry a foreign widow either.

Naomi’s love makes her want the girls to see there’s hope if they turn back, no hope if they go ahead.

Turning back is what she thinks is best for them.

Although there may be food ahead, Naomi sees nothing else - it’s hopeless.

And hopelessness is infectious.

Ultimately one of the girls, Orpah, is convinced it is indeed hopeless, and so with a final parting kiss she turns back.

Why does Naomi see the road ahead as hopeless?

Practically speaking, humanly speaking, naturally speaking, her argument is very reasonable - responsible, even.

She’s right she won’t have more sons.

She’s right husbands for widows, for foreign widows, are unlikely.

And it’s her bitterness which steals her hope for anything beyond this.

See at the end of Ruth 1:13 - “it is more bitter for me than for you” [she says, even though both Ruth and Orpah have been widowed!] “it is more bitter for me than you” - why? - “because the LORD’s hand has turned against me.”

The word-picture of the LORD’s hand there just means God’s acts.

Naomi sees God himself acting against her in her circumstances.

She’s allowed her circumstances to make her bitter - and her bitterness towards God naturally breads hopelessness.

There’s a beautiful symmetry in the original language which makes us expect this segment of the story which started with a departing kiss and weeping in v9 to close in v14 when those two signs are reversed: weeping and a departing kiss.

It feels like a conclusion - but then we realise only Orpah has departed.

Naomi sees the road ahead as hopeless - Orpah has joined her in that - but Ruth sees differently.

Ruth sees differently so somehow, as Orpah walks away, instead Ruth clings on to Naomi - and clings on to hope.

Naomi tries one last approach in v15:

You can almost feel her pointing to the shrinking figure of Orpah as she walks away, heads back home; she puts the peer pressure squeeze on: “Orpah has grasped how hopeless this path is; be like Orpah; you should join her.” Orpah has swallowed Naomi’s hopelessness, been infected by it - but despite the pressure, still Ruth clings on.

We’ve thought about why Naomi tries to turn the girls back.

Now we need to think about why Ruth presses on.

It seems from what’s written here that it is love for Naomi, the relationship and connection with Naomi that’s in the foreground as Ruth takes her stand and refuses to turn back.

In Ruth 1:14, Ruth clings to Naomi; it’s not the destination but the company.

In verse 16 it’s Naomi again; not the destination but the company - don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you.

Ruth 1:16 (NIV)

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.

And at the end of her famous statement she returns to the same thing: Ruth 1:17

Ruth 1:17 (NIV)

May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

It seems Naomi is in the foreground of Ruth’s thinking the whole time: she not be separated from Naomi.

And Naomi seems to understand it that way too - Ruth 1:18 Ruth is determined to go with her.

Ruth doesn’t talk longingly about Naomi’s descriptions of the Bethlehem landscape or the impressive social policies of Israelite society; not about the splendour of the tabernacle or the goodness of the Mosaic Law.

The heart and summit of her famous profession is sharing Naomi’s God as Ruth joins her people - but it’s root - “where you go I will go” - and its conclusion - “where you die I will die” - is relationship with one individual among that people: Naomi.

The relationship, the connection seems to be the key driver here.

Ruth’s decisive commitment to the LORD - “your God my God” - seems to be driven by her loving relationship with one of his people.

It’s almost as if relationship compels Ruth to cling on to Naomi and that clinging on will carry her all the way into God’s people, all the way to bowing to the LORD as her God.

And it’s relationship almost in spite of Naomi’s words: If we were to evaluate Naomi as an evangelist based on her message here, we’d have to give her 0/10 - even if we’re rounding up.

Total fail.

Where was the presentation of God’s holiness and justice?

What of His mighty power shown through creation and His loving kindness in nature’s provision?

Where was the urgent call to obedience in order to enjoy the blessing He has promised?

But it seems her relationship with her daughters-in-law, her genuine love for them - along with her deep identity as one of God’s people, as a follower of the LORD who could return to His land and His care, is enough.

I think it’s really important we see the significance of relationship here.

As a church, we exist to multiply disciples - to make more followers of Jesus who, in turn, also want to share the hope that we have in him.

We spend a lot of time talking and thinking about this because it isn’t just one priority among many, it’s the reason we exist.

We sum up the way we think we can best go about this mission with three words: participation, journey and … relationship:

Participation: we think every Christian here shares this mission - not just the pros, not just those who find it easy.

If you join Hope City, you join this mission - it’s a package deal.

Journey: we think for most people, coming to faith is a journey made up of lots of small steps.

Each step counts and thankfully we can all manage small steps.

Finally, Relationship: we think most people who come to faith do so in relationship with someone who already follows Jesus.

How’s this for a passage underlining that last point?

Naomi’s words are not a model for us in how we approach trying to share the hope that we have in Jesus: telling people to give up and turn back from pursuing him, that we’re chilled if they go worship other gods.

Perhaps a comfort for us when we mangle our words - but not a model.

Naomi’s deeply compelling relationships are absolutely a model for us, though.

Like I said, I think the passage shows us Naomi really loves Orpah and Ruth - and they love her too.