Faith Makes Family

Big Idea

In Christ we belong to a new family.

Context

The book of Ruth is in your Old Testament, right after the book of Judges and before 1-2 Samuel. The events described in the book of Ruth occur just before 1,000 BC. At that time, Israel was ruled by judges (Samson, Deborah) whom God would intermittently raise up to restore order and piety at times of need. After the book of Ruth, in the books of Samuel and then Kings, we are told how eventually a monarchy was established and about David, the greatest king of ancient Israel.

The book of Ruth, then is a hinge between two eras — that of the judges and that of the kings.

The book tells the story of a young Moabite widow — a non-Jew, Gentile — who, out of love for her mother-in-law, forsook her own culture, and started a new life trusting in the God of Israel to provide for her and for her mother-in-law.

Text

Ruth 1:1–18 ESV

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 names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites 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 the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion 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 to her gods; return 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.

Introduction

All kinds of social groupings. Work. Sports. Friends.

most special is family.

god provides family. Family

Exegesis

Naomi dream of family. pursued With all means.

Famine in the land.

Naomi, her husband, Elimelech, and sons, Mahlon and Chillion, leave Israel and go to the neighboring nation of Moab.

it seems things are going to work out. They “remained there” for some time.

Then things begin to unravel. In the space of 10 years.

Naomi’s husband dies.

Her sons marry, but then also die, leaving their wives childless.

Naomi is left a widow, with two young widows on her hands. A stranger, alone, in a strange land.

Dream of Family devastated.

Reduced to working in the fields (Ruth 2.6)

News of relief of the famine in Israel. Sets out to go back to Israel. Judah, Bethlehem. Eek out perhaps a better life.

They set out together. But Naomi is concerned for her daughters-in-law: They are young and deserve some happiness and a family if at all possible but she does not see a future for herself of them in Judah. So she sits them down for a hard talk.

You’ve been great toward me and toward the dead. But this is the end.

Go back home. Go back to your ‘mothers’ house’, your family of origin. There you can be comfortable and, if you like, marry again…find a new husband’s house.

But they initially refuse, seemingly placing their hope in the practice of Levirate marriage.

Practiced in the ANE. A brother or another male relative of the deceased husband would serve as a surrogate father to raise up off-spring for the widow. The first born son of that union would be considered the son of the first husband in the eyes of the law. So that the woman would have a male social advocate, and that the woman would have a child…that is not lose the chance to be a mother, even if being a wife was over. (Deut. 25:5-10)

But Naomi counsels against this.

Obviously she is not going to have any more sons who could fulfill the role of a brother and Ruth and Orpah could not wait for them to grow up anyway. Just not an option. And the likelihood that a Jewish man would ask either of the Moabite women to be his wife was virtually unthinkable.

So, no, go home, that is your best option.

Orpah makes a reasonable decision. Go back home and try to start a family. She weeps and departs to start over again.

Ruth makes a surprising decision. She clung to Naomi.

And Naomi cannot put her off. Try as she might:

Your sister in law has gone back to her people and her gods. To what is familiar.

Go back also to your family.

Ruths’ view is adamant: WE ARE FAMILY.

Vow. One of the most beautiful in the Bible.

Do not urge me to leave (ever). Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people. Your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.

Ruth makes a binding oath to Naomi. Comprehensive almost like a marriage vow.

She will go to a land to which she had never been, and it will be hers.

A foreign people will be her people.

She will believe in the God she had come to know through Naomi’s family.

WE ARE FAMILY.

Seeing Ruth was determined, Naomi relented. And I suspect was thankful.

Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem.

The rest of the story tells that although life was initially difficult for Ruth and Naomi, a Jewish kinsman of Naomi, the righteous and loving Boaz — to the amazement of all — married Ruth, largely because of the great faithfulness Ruth showed to Naomi and to God.

Ruth and Boaz have a son together. Naomi received at long last held her grandson: And they named him Obed.

The book concludes by noting that Obed, the son of Ruth the foreigner, became the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David. David was the shepherd boy who grew up to become the great King of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, — and is the primary figure of the following books of Samuel and Kings. The one who united all the Jews into one Kingdom.

Faith made family between Ruth and Naomi. Faith made family between Ruth and Boaz. Faith made family for all the Jews who were brought together by King David, the descendent of Ruth.

Yet the way faith makes family did not end there. For in the New Testament we read that the great king David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ. It was prophesied and fulfilled that the Messiah would be a son of David. And so Jesus was. Therefore he was also a son of Ruth the Moabitess. Matthew 1:5 explicitly mentions Ruth.

Ruth shows us that faith makes family in a powerful way when God is at work fulfilling his promises.

Interpretation

The Christian church has always seen Ruth as a sign that God is extending his family to all people.

Jesus the Son of God, died to deal with the problem of sin which separates all humanity from God and from one another. Jesus was raised again to offer a new life to all who place their faith in him. All who are baptized into him are baptized into his death and then raised with him. So that as Jesus is the Son of God, all believers become sons and daughters of God the Father.

A new family. A family not built on blood, but on the spirit and on faith.

John 1:12–13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And if sons and daughters of God all, then brothers and sisters to each other.

Throughout the New Testament, Christians are always addressed and “brothers and sisters.”

For early Christians getting baptized into the family was a radical move. It meant saying good by to what was familiar and safe. Jewish Christians often forfeited the Jewish roots. Gentile believers set themselves apart from the idolatry of their culture.

In a hostile world, Jews and Gentiles had to cling to one another as Christians.

Come what may, They were family now. The family of God. The church.

Not brothers and sisters in law. Brothers and sisters in grace.

They were commited to a new country. The heavenly country of the Son of God. They believed God would give a them a future.

Ruth left Moab with Naomi, trusting in God that a new family would emerge. And it did.

family led to christ

from Christ family for all people, Jew or Gentile.

Jews and Gentiles in the early church left their old lives for God in Christ, and joined the family.

Application

That family is what we inherit today.

When we place our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord and are baptized into Christ we become sons and daughters of God.

If we are children of God, then that makes us brothers and sisters of the Risen Jesus. And siblings to one another.

I have a brother, Nathan. What makes him my brother? Or common heritage. My parents.

If the people sitting around you have the heavenly father as their father, and so do you…what does that make you? Brother and sister.

Not family by blood or law…but by faith and grace.

Brothers and sisters in grace.

You can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family.

But how much better, you are in a family that God has chosen!! You have been chosen by Christ, we choose Christ. Then we accept his family. These are all our brothers and sisters in grace.

An amazing thing!! These Christians around you and so many more!

Sure some make you crazy and we have our hurts and our tiffs and our fights and estrangements. But we have a family. therefore a base-line of love and commitment.

Allow for each others sorrows, faults, and virtues. That is my happy brother, my crazy sister, my curmudgeonly sibling. I love them all. They love me. We are committed to each other.

Ruth stuck by Noaomi when she had nothing to offer. Jesus clung to us. We should cling to one another.

Brother and sister in grace and the grace is sufficient.

And what a testimony to those who don’t know what a spiritual family is! They can see the grace!

We make a commitment to Christ and to each other.

We are going on a journey together.

We promise to help and uphold each other on our journey to our heavenly homeland.

My parents chose where to live so that they could be near their family, the church.

Family Reunion

Let us speak to each other as Ruth did to Naomi. Your people are my people. Your church my church. I die where you die (in this world) i will be raised where you are raised, for your God is my God.

A family here recently had a reunion. 30 people under one roof. I’m looking forward to family time at Thanksgiving,

How much moreso shall we look forward to the family reunion in Christ!

Conclusion

Is church a family. Absolutely. It is God’s family. Established upon Jesus Christ it is for all who place their faith in Christ, born again.