Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

Introduction

Recap series

we have looked at different characters that are in the lineage of Jesus found in Matthew 1

Matthew 1:1–5 CSB

1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, 4 Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse,

finding ourselves in v5, we are going to slow down a little

not hit the person and move on, but look at the book of Ruth in its entirety

The Book of Ruth is very important in connection with the coming of Jesus Christ into this world. Without this little book, we could not connect the house of David with the tribe of Judah.

J. Vernon McGee

This is the only book in the Old Testament canon named after a non-Israelite.

Daniel I. Block

Define a couple of terms

Sovereignty - the power and authority of God over his creation

Providence - God purposefully working through all things, the good and the bad, to bring about his purpose and glory

“In His sovereign design, God ordains sorrowful tragedy to set the stage for surprising triumph.”

David Platt

We will see this play out in this first chapter

how they would have read, all at once

we will separate out into four messages

it is ok, to feel and wrestle with the weight of this little book, especially this first chapter

Ruth 1 CSB

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. 3 Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband. 6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food. 7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah. 8 Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly. 10 They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, 13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.” 14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth replied: Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me. 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her. 19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival and the local women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi came back from the territory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

PRAY!

Is God enough or is He simply the means to an end. We follow and love as long as he does as we wish and we have understanding. God uses all things for our good and his glory, even in our wandering and bitterness.

Doing What We Have to do to Survive

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, countless families were forced to abandon their homes in search of a better life. One such family piled their belongings into a worn-out truck and traveled west, hoping to find work and sustenance in California. They faced immense challenges, including hunger and discrimination, but their unwavering resolve to survive kept them moving forward. This resilience highlights the human spirit when pushed to its limits, reminding us that survival often requires us to adapt and endure.

I think this is the type of attitude that comes to mind when we here this phrase, doing what we have to do to survive

I mean, what father would not simply move his family to someplace they could get the most basic thing that they need, food

Ruth 1:1–5 CSB

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. 3 Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.

Retell this portion of the story

emphasis on sadness of what has happened to Naomi

When we read this vs when the Hebrews would have read it

leaving the promise land to go to Moab

Bethlehem to Moab

who is Moab…

incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughter

women of Moab lured men of Israel to intermarry with them causing 24,000 to die

would not allow Israelites to walk through their land after leaving Egypt

attempted to have Balaam curse the Israelites

Bethlehem = place of bread

widows with no sons

we read and think of course this good husband is taking care of his family

going out searching for food

Proverbs 14:12 CSB

12 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.

God gave a way to the people of Israel

follow his commands and he will care for you

in this land flowing with milk and honey

his desire was for them to be his people and to be there God

book of Ruth comes time during Judges

Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.”

do not intermarry with other peoples

or you will follow their gods

We chase after what we perceive that we need at the first sounds of our stomach grumbling

Elimelech was in a famine

but we have no idea what it means to really be hungry

How quickly do we take matters into our own hand

People who at the fish and loaves chased after Jesus

He told them that it was only because their stomach’s were full

Doing What We Have to do for Others

The nobility of Mother Theresa serving the poorest of poor in Calcutta

“Not all of us can do great things. Bet we can do small things with great love.” Mother Theresa

As true as that is, I am afraid that many do things for others because it helps them too

I am not sure if this is where Naomi is or not

I can see both in this situation

Ruth 1:6–18 CSB

6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food. 7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah. 8 Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly. 10 They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, 13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.” 14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.”

Retell the story

They are still chasing after food

I get the sense that Naomi is not happy with God in this moment, but at least she might get something to eat

she most likely feels like she will have better luck begging her own people than the people of Moab

She has nothing to offer her daughter in laws

she cannot give them another husband

she has no way of providing for them

they would be destined for a life of begging

She has no way of knowing what God had in store

some of us know the story, so we know where this is headed

we are looking at the lineage of Jesus, so we have a clue what is to come even if we do not know the story

but to the reader or hearer when written, this is very dramatic, only to one upped by Ruth’s response

Ruth tells her no… This is more than I will be with you…

Ruth 1:6–18 CSB

16 But Ruth replied: Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

your people = I am leaving my family and people

I no longer consider myself a Moabite

I no longer follow those gods

I will live where you live

I will be buried where you’re buried

Naomi would not talk to her anymore

Ruth 1:6–18 CSB

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.

determined = hardened, strong, bold

an awkward walk back to Bethlehem

When we get into hard times it is easy to seem as if we are doing things for others but really they are self serving

What We do Not See

Instead of brokenness, Naomi had bitterness.

Warren W. Wiersbe

broken -  having given up all hope; despairing: 

can be good if when we are broken we turn to God

bitter -  angry, hurt, or resentful because of one's bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment

Ruth 1:19–22 CSB

19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival and the local women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” 22 So Naomi came back from the territory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Retell portion of the story

Awkward silence through the dead sea area over the mountains to Bethlehem

people excited to see her coming back into town

it had been over ten years

but things have changed

she has lost her husband

she has lost her sons

and there is a Moabite woman following her

Call me Mara (bitter)

Naomi means pleasent

God did all these things to me

He is against me

two different ways she references God four times

two - almighty - the one who is all powerful and can do anything

he has made me bitter

he has afflicted me

two - The Lord (Jehovah) - the covenantal God

brought me back empty

he took everything away from me

I have nothing

opposed me

the one that is supposed to be for me is against me

the one that supposedly wants what is best for me gives me the opposite

Sometimes in the middle of grief and heartache we do not always see the full picture

Naomi has suffered deep loss and the pain is real

pain can cause us to miss other things that are happening

I once was in a car wreck, totally destroyed Heather’s car

I could make it sound cool, it was a chevy nova, but it was an 87 nova, those were not cool, but she loved that car

when the wreck happened i was so mad I got out of the car and started yelling. A witness who stopped asked if I was ok, I said sure and felt fine. She asked, are you sure, your nose is bleeding

turned out I broke my nose and had things wrong with a knee elbow and wrist

emotion of the moment did not allow me to see the whole picture

She was not alone,

Ruth is walking with her as she tells her people that she is empty

I cannot imagine how that made Ruth feel… Hello, I am right here!

The barley harvest was starting

God has provided for his people

she is so trapped in her bitterness that she cannot see the good

she definitely cannot see what it is that God is doing in the grand scheme of things

this moabite woman following behind her will be the instrument that God uses to provide for her

this moabite woman will be in the lineage of Christ

and the great grandmother of the great King David

Naomi won’t live to see that… is that ok

This can sound like look at the bright side of things like a pep talk

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

break down the verse a little

the good is that we are being shaped into the image of his son, Jesus

after Romans 7:24 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

after Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,”

Before Romans 8:37–39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

sandwiched between I am wretched, but now there is no condemnation and nothing can separate me from Him

is ALL THINGS WORK FOR THE GOOD.

can we live with that, or do we demand that all things are good

if they are not good, are we taking matters into our own hands to make sure we only have good

if that is you, the Jesus is your assistant, not your Lord

I want to leave you with this… as we are not going to skip forward to read the ending

is he worthy

is he worthy to follow if we do not have comfort or success

if we are called to go to hard places and share the gospel, or if our kids are called to go to those places with no guarantee of their safety

is he worthy of us living in obedience so that others may hear and live not knowing what tomorrow will bring for us

is he worthy even if we lose all that we hold dear?

HE IS!