Ruth 1

Ruth Chapter 1

As we go into the month of February we are faced with the impending holiday of Valentines which for some brings feelings of warmth and love, others feelings of loneliness and hurt, and others the feelings of an empty wallet. As our minds are on the topic of love I felt it would be nice to visit one of the greatest love stories of Scripture which we will see is a wonderful example of the love that God has for His people. If you would turn with me to the book of Ruth we will be spending the next few weeks looking at this wonderful story and seeing how it relates to us as His people today. Let’s start in verse one and get some context.

Ruth 1:1 “Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.”

Here in our opening verse we have the time, location, problem, and where they are coming from. All these are important when getting into a book so that we can understand what God is teaching us through the story.

Starting with the time period we are in it is the days that the judges ruled. This is referring to the book of Judges that we see in scripture where instead of having a king the nation of Israel was ruled by men and one woman at different times selected by God to judge the nation. Sometimes they ruled righteously and sometimes they were wicked. Think of the story of Sampson the great Israelite who was basically Superman with inhuman strength but fell to his own pride and arrogance as well as a pretty woman. This is the same time period that we are talking about now. This is important because of the last words of the book of Judges so if you’ll flip back one page you’ll see it.

Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

If you read the book of Judges then it often reads like a horror story in the lawlessness and evil that persisted in Israel at this time because everyone was doing what was right in their own sight. This is the backdrop that sets the book of Ruth it is a time of evil and wickedness when the people of Israel have abandoned God and His way. We see also that it is a time of famine which is often a way that God punished His people in the Old Testament and we see that a man coming from Bethlehem which if your familiar with Christmas should sound familiar and will become important. We see that this man does not trust in God and remain in the promised land which God had given to them through the conquest of Joshua and runs to their neighbors in Moab which are the cousins of the Israelites who have abandoned God completly in favor of idols and false gods.

Ruth 1:2–5 “The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.”

In these verses we are dumped with a lot of information that sets up the new problems that they are faced with. Naomis husband dies but her sons take wives. They take wives from the Moabites though which are pagans and this is outlawed by God. God does not call ourselves to be wed to nonbelievers as it often further corrupts our own morals rather than encouraging them to come to faith. Both of these sons then dies as well now leaving behind three widows their mother and their two wives. This is significant because in the ancient world women could not own property or provide any form of living for themselves. Widowed women with no family were totally hopeless and incapable of providing anything for themselves. This leaves these women at the end of verse five not only wrapped in grief for their losses but in total hopelessness for their future circumstances.

Ruth 1:6–7 “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread. Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.”

Naomi hears a rumor that God has returned His favor to the people of Israel and their is food once again there. She reasons that she will likely be better off with her own people and with God. It says that she returns to Israel and the term returns is used in Hebrew one as a physical return but also as a spiritual returning to God. We have often felt the pruning of God and the conviction of our sin just like Naomi and her husband did and many of us have ran just like they did to seek refuge in the world. If you have not discovered yet then you soon will that the world has nothing but death to offer us. There is no salvation to be found there and we will only cause ourself more harm. Fortunately for us though there is a whisper in the fields that the Lord is still faithful and good. We have an opportunity to return to God and focus ourselves back on Him. If you have strayed away and ran from God then know that He does not offer condemnation but offers forgiveness and mercy and a second chance because it is only through God that we can find salvation and prosperity not necessarily in wealth and life but in soul with peace and love.

Now Israel was not very welcome to outsiders and Naomi knew that. Her two daughter in laws were Moabites and caring for them she tells them to stay behind and go back to their old ways and their old gods rather than endure hardship with her. At first both protest and say they will stay with her but Naomi tells them there is no use in coming with her because she cannot bare them new sons to marry as was tradition in Israelite families for brothers to marry their siblings widow to provide for them. Upon hearing this Orpah agrees and returns to her people in Moab but Ruth remains with Naomi. Naomi tries again to get her to go but hear Ruths response to Naomi.

Ruth 1:16–17 “But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever 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. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.””

This verse is so very often misused because it is not taken in its context. I hate to break it to the romantics out there but this is not a romantic verse. It is not a verse describing a love between a man and a woman but it is a verse about love all the same. Sometimes it can be easy for us to gloss over scenes in Old Testament stories like we are reading a text book but I want you to remember that these were real people having a real human moment right here. Imagine if you will Naomi a middle aged woman who has lost a husband and two sons in a short period of time relatively. She is stricken by grief probably wishing nothing more than to be on her own so that she might wander off into the wilderness and probably die on the way so it can all be over. She is tired and hurting immensly and begging her daughter in law to save herself and go home. Now hear Ruths reaction to this imagine she has just lost her husband and is hurting as well and sees her mother in law hurting. Likely tears streaming down her face she resolves within herself to stay with this woman even if it means death because she loves her as a friend and a companion in grief. She tells her to stop begging her to leave because its not happening. She will follow her and die where she dies because she loves her.

A couple of things to note here, first think of the great providence of God that in the midst of Naomis great despair God gave her Ruth to walk beside her and to love her and keep her going. God knew Naomi had no will to live on her own anymore but with Naomi with her she had just enough to push forward and persevere. God gives us what we need when we need it. Some of us have faced loss before, all of us will face loss in the future. It is an inevitability of life. Pay close attention though to what and who God puts into your life during those times because God has a plan to help you and to guide you. He never leaves you on your own without a life vest but always provides someone to walk alongside you through it to keep you going. You are not alone and you never will be alone so long as the Lord is in control because He loves you and wants to help you.

The second thing here is that we should be thinking of who can we be Ruth for? That love that says I will not abandon you or forsake you to a friend in need, who needs that in our life right now? I think that all of us can think of someone who is hurting, maybe not something as serious as a loss but is going through a tough time right now and they need a friend they know isn’t going anywhere. Be that person for them. Let them know that only death will seperate you from them and that your love is extended to them in this time. You may not have all the words to say but just letting a person who is struggling know that you love them and care for them can do amazing things. And I do mean actually telling them that you love them as well. Guys especially I know we don’t like to say that but man up and love like God loves express it like God does tell your friends and family you love them.

Going out from here today then heres your two missions, who has God put in your life to help you through your hardships? Find them and don’t close them out of your life but let them in let them know your hurt and sorrow and let them be there for you. Secondly, who needs you right now? Who in your life is hurting today? Stand by them. Text them right after this and tell them you love them and are thinking about them. Hang out with them soon and make sure they know you’re there for them and more importantly that God is there for them.