The Merciful God for the Bittered Heart

The Merciful God for the Bittered Heart 

Ruth 1

Prayer | Welcome |

Opening Illustration:

Do we have any Hallmark Movie fans? Growing up and much of my college days Hallmark was a staple around the house. They have a pretty consistent play book.

There is a girl who has had a habit of picking the wrong kind of guys. Usually a good looking, rich dude that is self absorbed. They break up because he is being a jerk.

They meet Mr. Farm boy, local town guy, or their past friend. They fall in love.

Insert, drama element. It ranges from misunderstanding, an ex-wife, etc. that causes doubts.

Then conflict is resolved and they kiss to end the movie.

That is the general playbook. Of course there are various ways of telling that story with intriguing twists but that is the general gist.

We love stories. We love stories that cause us to be hopeful. People spend a great deal of money per year on producing films and stories to tell of love. Yet there is no greater love story than the Bible. Yet, far to often we do not see it as a love letter. Nor do we see it as a source of encouragement and hope as we ought.

Yet, the events found in the Book of Ruth has it all.

Introduce the book of Ruth

In fact, the story of Ruth is one that is full of loss, loyalty, and love.

Over the course of our study through the book of Ruth what we will witness is this story of loss, loyalty, and love unfolding before us.

The reason for the inclusion of the life of Ruth in the Bible is one that should draw us near. As we will see here in just a few moments, Ruth does not begin the story in the spotlight, in the first chapter she is, a side character. But quickly the story shifts to focusing on her and her story.

Why would the Bible spend time to focus on a non-jewish woman? Quite simply, Ruth is a Moabite who will become the great grandmother of King David, making her part of the lineage to Jesus Christ!

But how does the events in Ruth apply to our lives?

In this first chapter, I want us to see how God has mercy on us even when we are bittered toward him.

In the first chapter, we will see three times bitterness comes out of Naomi and in each of these moments, we witness God’s mercy demonstrated.

So lets look at our first point:

1. Bitter Experience (1:1-5)

Ruth 1:1–5 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

We see the timeline of when Ruth’s story takes place.

It takes place during the age of the judges. Which consists of the time between the end of Joshua’s conquest of Canaan until King Saul is anointed king.

Keep in mind that this is a season where Isreal was doing as they pleased. Essentially, through the period of judges Israel would face opposition because of sin, God would raise up a judge to defeat the opposition, then they would repent, then fall away again. It was a vicious cycle.

Here we see that a great famine has come upon the land. And it results in a man, wife, and his two sons to leave their home Bethlehem in Judah for a wicked nation of Moab.

The city named house of bread is infertile. We do not know how this family got to the point where they decided to get up and leave. But I can imagine that both husband and wife were discussing together that food was running low. Their kids needed to have food. What good was it to stay and die. So Elimelech and Naomi with their two sons Mahlon and and Chilion move to Moab and make that their residence.

We are not sure how long they were there but Naomi loses her husband to death. We are not told how he died just that he died. Then, after his death, the boys marry Moabite women. After their marriages, the lived there about ten years.

For Naomi, the death of her husband would have been difficult but the joy of seeing her sons married and the hope of grandchildren would have been able to cover a great deal of the heartache she would have felt.

Yet, then death strikes again and both Mahlon and Chilion die. Naomi is now left with now men in her life. Her husband is dead, her sons are dead, and no grandchildren.

Because of the famine, she is now in a foreign land, without her husband and sons. Bitterness is setting into this older woman.

Brings us to the first sign of God’s mercy at work: We see,

2. Providential Hope (1:6) 

Ruth 1:6 ESV

6 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.

Word comes to Naomi in Moab that God has visited his people and ended the famine. God’s faithful providence is demonstrated. As a result of the news Naomi decided it is time to go back to Bethlehem and leave Moab.

Who could blame her? Memories and hurt were all that remained in that land. God had provided a source of hope even if it was bleak.

So she and her daughters-in-law get up and go.

Which brings us to our third point, a

3. Bitter Goodbye (1:7-14)

Ruth 1:7–14 ESV

7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 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? 12 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, 13 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.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Both daughters-in-law are being faithful to stay with Naomi. From what we see in the text, it appears that the women had developed deep bonds as a family. The women have a genuine love for each other and two younger women truly care for their mother-in-law. Yet, Naomi realizes that there is now no future for the women in her household and instruct them to go back home.

In fact, Naomi says that you need to go back to your people and get married to a new man. Have a family and be happy!

We cannot lose sight of the fact that in the ancient society men were responsible for providing the wealth and stability to the home. There was little opportunity for widows who had no sons to provide financial stability to themselves.

It is not out of line to imagine that Naomi could have also been considering that the three of them finding food to sustain themselves was going to be difficult and that one mouth was much more feasible.

Yet, the two younger women declare that they will not go back home but will go with her.

Naomi pleading with them to remember that they do not have hope of gaining a life with a husband from her, even if she had gained a husband that night and bore children shortly after.

Here, in verse 13, we see that Naomi’s bitterness is great because it has impacted these young women. She says that “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

Naomi’s decree reveals the state of Naomi’s heart. She is bitter and frustrated because God’s hand has seemed against her and her family.

After hearing the plea of her mother-in-law Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and leaves. But Ruth, she clings to Naomi.

Application:

When we are experiencing the trials in this world, we can feel beaten down. Defeated. Bitter. Angry. It is so easy to see our suffering and question God. Question his faithfulness. The hurt of loss can be overwhelming. It be debilitating. Our natural desire is to push everyone away just as we see Naomi doing with her daughter-in-laws.

Are you pushing loved one’s away while you are hurting? Are you trying to carry the heartache alone? Do not fall into this trap that Naomi finds herself as a hurt and bitter person. We need the Lord and our loved ones most when we are hurting.

Which brings us to the fourth thing we see in this passage, we see

4. Sacrificial Love (1:15-18)

Ruth 1:15–18 ESV

15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 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. 17 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.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

There might not be a more popular text in Ruth than this section from Ruth to Naomi. It is often read in Weddings to signify the union of the Husband and wife. It is one of the purist expressions of God sized love we can imagine.

Naomi is still pleading for Naomi to return to her pagan country and gods. Yet, Ruth is not having it.

Ruth tells her beloved mother-in-law to stop asking her to leave her.

She then says, I’m following you through it all, I won’t leave your side, I am forsaking more land, my heritage, my gods, I will die where you die and I will buried where you are buried. In other words, she is committing herself fully to Naomi.

Yet the most telling and powerful statement is the oath she takes, Ruth does not take an oath with the Moabite false god’s name; instead, she uses the proper name of God YHWH. She says that God should harm her even greater harm if she should leave Naomi for any reason.

Her devotion of love is both extreme but is a reflection of the Love God has for us and the love we experience when we surrender our lives to Jesus in saving faith! See:

God will never leave us.

He goes where we go

He stays where we stay

He has made us his people

And he is our God.

When we die, we are alive in his presence.

Even death cannot separate us from Him!

Not only do we get to experience this kind of loving embrace from the Lord in hardships and in life, we also as a church should be the source of this kind of love to the broken and hurting.

Are we devoted to one another to lovingly stick beside those hurting even when they attempt to push us away? Are we going the extra mile to love them and make sure that they understand that they do not have to travel the difficult road alone.

Ruth was willing to Sacrifice everything for the sake of her beloved mother-in-law and she was not going anywhere. Do we have this kind of love for others.

Even more importantly, do we have this kind of devotion to our own spouses? We use this verse far to often yet, when things get hard, and our hearts are no longer in the marriage. We give up. We no longer pursue closeness with that loved one and decide to divorce breaking up our homes. We need to be like Ruth, devoted, and willing to demonstrate sacrificial love as God has called us to do as he has done for us!

Naomi realizing that Ruth’s determination was not to be deterred decides to press on with nothing left to say.

Which brings us to point five.

5. Bitter Return (1:19-21)

Ruth 1:19–21 ESV

19 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 women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 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?”

The whole town is excited because Naomi has returned. There is a great commotion and buzz. I can hear the people saying come out, people are here, I think it is Naomi! Come on!

Some of the women appear to be talking to themselves asking, “Is this Naomi.” Here we see Naomi’s deep bitterness extend to her vary name. See her name means pleasant or lovely. Names and their meaning carry great weight in the Israelite culture. It often was connected to the person’s character. Naomi no longer considered herself pleasant at all. She was a battered, old, and bitter woman.

Her declaration is to call her Mara, meaning bitter. If you think back to the book of Exodus, when the Israelites found bitter water they named the place Marah. Here Naomi is declaring herself a bitter woman. She then turns her bittered state towards God’s hand. She says that “Shaddai has dealt very bitterly with me.”

She explains why she has declared this saying that she went away full (She had a happy marriage, two young boys) now she is empty (husband, sons are dead).

Naomi identifies the source of her bitterness as God’s testimony against her and that the calamity has been at the hands of God’s sovereignty.

As we see in Job, God’s sovereignty allows for us to experience great calamity for purposes outside of our understanding. All that we experience is a result of God’s permissive will. Naomi’s acknowledgement of this reality is one that should not be criticised but understood as her processing that God had permitted her to suffer. However, it seems that she has allowed the suffering to pull her away from God’s presence instead of closer.

The unfortunate reality is that Naomi entered her home town with a crowd ready to embrace her but instead she pushed them away with her bitter heart. She could have felt the embrace of her community instead she pushes them away.

Yet, again, we see the hurt and pain Naomi was experience adversely effecting her relationships with others. Far to often, in our suffering we make the same mistake over and over again. We tell ourselves. No one cares, I don’t need to bother others, I don’t want people to think less of me. I don’t want to hurt them too. This burden is one I can only carry.

Yet, the church is supposed to be a hospital for the sick, hurting, broken. We are called to be a people who love selflessly to show people the way to Jesus who is the healer of our deepest hurts. We are to live life in community not apart. It is why being involved in our discipleship classes we call Sunday School is so important. You build deep relationships and grow as a family and it allows you to know you have people who truly will walk through the darkest seasons of life with you.

Which leads us to our final point this morning,

6. God’s Mercy (1:22)

Ruth 1:22 ESV

22 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.

Simply, God’s gracious hand was at work. Upon their arrival, God’s sovereign hand had allowed it to be at the beginning of the barley harvest. God’s mercy allows them to have a way to glean food that will help sustain them.

God’s providential workings allows us to be experience God’s wonderful blessings even in the midst of heartbreaking difficulty. Naomi who had left has returned as a battered bitter aged woman but through her daughter-in-law we will see God will bless both Ruth’s faithfulness and Naomi through Ruth.

Conclusion: We have seen how circumstances lead Naomi to a bitter heart and lead to the departure back to Bethlehem where only Ruth would follower her and even at the return we see the battered woman’s frustration pour out as she declared a new name for herself.

Yet even though she was bittered, God’s mercy continued to over flow through his providence of food in Bethlehem, Ruth’s sacrificial love for her her mother-in-law, and God’s perfect timing.

Are you trusting God to provide for you in your season of difficulty? Are you walking through the hardships with other faithful christians and loved ones allowing them to support you through your hardship through prayer and love? Or have you chosen to be hard towards others, have you pushed people away? This morning, would you ask God to soften your heart towards him? Would you ask him to allow you to no longer have a bittered heart towards God and others?

For others in this room, you are in need of surrendering your life to Jesus. You have gone through life looking for somewhere to have your broken heart mended. You are looking for what true love is, and this morning you have heard of Ruth’s love. Let me tell you about Jesus love,

Gospel

Will you come to Jesus this morning?

With every head bowed and eye closed.