The Book of Ruth Part 1 - When It's Time to Walk Away

Introduction

He was son of a commander in the merchant service engaged in the Mediterranean trade. His mother, who gave him some religious training, died on 11 July 1732. His father married again, and he was sent to school at Stratford, Essex, where he learned some Latin. When he was eleven (1736) he went to sea with his father, and made six voyages with him before 1742. In 1743, he was made a midshipman through his father’s influence, but he soon deserted that post. He returned to the sea life in 1745, and became servant to a slave-trader on one of the Plantane Islands, and suffered brutal persecution. By another master he was treated more humanely, and was given some share in the business. Early in 1748 he was rescued at a place called Kittam by the captain of a vessel whom his father had asked to look out for him.

During his wandering life he had lost all sense of religion, and afterwards accused himself of degrading debauchery. But the dangers of the homeward voyage, when he was set to steer the ship through a storm, suddenly awakened in him strong religious feeling. To the end of his days he kept the anniversary of his 'conversion,' 10 March 1748, as a day of humiliation and thanksgiving for his 'great deliverance.' On settling again in England, he was offered by a Liverpool friend of his father, Mr. Manesty, the command of one of his slave vessels. He preferred, however, to go as mate first (1748-9). On 12 February 1750 he was married at Chatham to Mary Catlett, the daughter of a distant relative, with whom he bad been in love since 1742, when he was only seventeen, and the girl no more than fourteen. Three voyages followed his marriage, but in 1754, owing to ill-health, he relinquished his connection with the sea. During his adventurous career as a sailor he succeeded in educating himself. Even while in Africa he had mastered the first six books of Euclid, drawing the figures on the sand. Subsequently he taught himself Latin, reading Virgil, Terence, Livy, and Erasmus, and learning Horace by heart. At the same time be studied the Bible with increasing devotion; and adopted, under the instruction of a friend at St. Kitts (Captain Clunie), Calvinistic views of theology. Although a captain of slave-ships, he repressed swearing and his free-spending wasteful ways, and read the Liturgy twice on Sunday with the crew.

From 1755 to 1760 he held, on the recommendation of Manesty, the post of surveyor of the tides at Liverpool. Shortly after his settlement there, George Whitefield (an English evangelist), whom he had already met in London, arrived in Liverpool. He became his enthusiastic disciple, and gained the nickname of 'young Whitefield.' At a later period John Wesley visited the town, and he laid the foundation of a lasting friendship with him. Still eagerly pursuing his studies, he taught himself Greek, and gained some knowledge of Hebrew and Syriac. He soon resolved to undertake some ministerial work; but he was undecided whether to become an independent minister or a clergyman of the church of England. In December 1758 he applied for holy orders to the Archbishop of York, on a title in Yorkshire, but received through the archbishop's secretary 'the softest refusal imaginable.' In 1760 he was for three months in charge of an independent congregation at Warwick. In 1763 he was brought by Dr. Haweis, rector of Aldwinkle, to the notice of Lord Dartmouth, the young evangelical nobleman; and on 29 April 1764 was ordained deacon, and on 17 June priest.

And in 1772, John Newton wrote one of the most famous hymns of all time, Amazing Grace.

Your past may try to pin you down, but grace lifts you up.

Have you ever thought that the pain of your past could be the very thing God uses to lift you up? If you have ever felt the weight of uncertainity, you are not alone, today we are beginning a series that will have has journey through the book of Ruth. Naomi and Ruth experienced some uncertainity in their lives, and let’s take a look at how their journey back to Bethlehem can inspire us on our own paths of faith.

Ruth 1:1-2 NLT

1 In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.

In the days when the judges ruled

This was an interesting time in the nation of Israel. In the book of Judges 21:25 NLT we read this: 25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Kind of reminds you of what is going on in today’s world: people doing what the feel is right in their own eyes and moral confusion that makes life challenging.

When famine struck, Elimelech out of concern for his family moves them from Bethlehem to Moab. Seems reasonable, however, God had strictly forbidden his people to live in Moab. Moabites worshipped a false God by the name of Chemosh that demanded child sacrifice.

Another interesting thing is Elimelech’s name. It means my God is King. His name signifies his allegiance to God, starkly contrasting with his decision to move to Moab. I feel this challenges us to rethink how our actions align with our beliefs. Do we trust God, obey Him, or do we move to Moab?

I see other parallels from Elimelech and today. We are bombarded by media and culture as to what is best for us, for our lives, for our families. You need to have this or you need to do that. When times get tough, Moab looks tempting doesn’t it. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Ruth 1:3-5 NLT

3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. 4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

When Elimelech dies Naomi chooses to stay in Moab with her sons. Her sons marry Moabite women - something God had forbidden. Do we sometimes choose to stay in our own Moab? Do we let our past define us?

Your past may try to pin you down, but grace lifts you up.

6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.

8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.

10 “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? 12 No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? 13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has raised his fist against me.”

14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. 15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”

22 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Ruth’s statement, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” demonstrates that true commitment to God and others can radically alter our life’s trajectory and legacy. Ruth is one of five women listed in the genealogy of Jesus. What a change in one’s life trajectory - from Moab to Bethlehem - your past may try to pin you down, but grace lifts you up.

Every decision shapes our life’s trajectory. Sometimes we need to leave the wrong place to get to the right place. What action will we choose to take to align with the truth that ‘your past may try to pin you down, but grace lifts you up’?

To Do

This week, let’s identify one area of your life where you feel stuck, and write down a specific step we can take to leave that “Moab” situation behind. Perhaps it’s cutting back on spending, setting a boundary with someone, or seeking support for addiction.

If you ignore areas of in our lives where we feel stuck, you risk becoming overwhelmed by stress and losing connection with your loved ones as you divert your energy to keep up appearances.

Jesus shared this parable in Luke.

Luke 15:11-32 NLT

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”

Your past my try to pin you down, but grace lifts you up. Remember, God is waiting to embrace you with grace on the road back home.