The Kindness of the Lord

Introduction

Ruth 1:6–22 ESV

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

Last week I mentioned that from 1993 to 2023 we’ve seen practically all of the Disney animated movies as we raised four children. But there were also some other movies along the way. In the early 2000s my oldest and I would have a father/son movie outing each year to see the next Lord of the Rings movie. There’s a scene in the second movie, The Two Towers, that comes to mind when I read this part of our story in the book of Ruth.

In this particular scene, the hobbits Frodo and Sam have been captured by Faramir. Faramir is the younger son of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. And Faramir is going to take Frodo and Sam back with him to Gondor. Of course, that’s not where Frodo and Sam want to go. They are on a mission, a journey, to Mordor to destroy the ring in the volcanic lava of Mount Doom. They’ve already been through a lot by this point, and now they are captured by Faramir and his men.

On the way to Gondor they come under attack by the Nazgul Nine. They are these dark riders who serve the evil Sauron, and they are after the ring in Frodo’s possession. Faramir and his men are able to drive the Nazgul away. After this encounter, the weight of the burden Frodo and Sam are bearing presses down heavily upon them. In a moment of despair and hopelessness Sam says to Frodo,

This is like one of those great stories. One of those stories where you don’t want to see the end because so much bad has happened. How can the end be good?

You don’t want to see the end. How can the end be any good after so much bad has happened? That same sense of despair runs thick through this second scene in Ruth. 

Remember that the theme for our series is God Behind the Seen. The hand of God working behind the things we see. The sovereign control of God at work even in the harsh and tragic events of life. The providence of God working for his glory and the good of his people right in front of our eyes. When we looked at scene 1 last week, we noted that this story is taking place when the judges ruled. And that time period is defined by the statement in Judges 21:25, 

Judges 21:25 ESV

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We saw that Elimelech’s decision to leave the promised land for the country of Moab resulted in tragedy. When Naomi left Bethlehem with her family, her stomach was empty. By the time we get to verse six, her stomach is full, but there’s a famine in her soul.

That’s the story of Scene 2. So much tragedy has taken place, so much bad has happened that human logic says this can’t turn out well. We really need to recognize the truth in that statement from Naomi’s perspective. She is a widow. Not only that, but she’s an old widow; an old widow with no children or grandchildren. In order to get a sense of the hopelessness of Naomi’s situation you have imagine yourself with no way or means to take care of yourself, to provide for yourself, and no one to help you. You feel all alone. 

It is in this context that I want us to see The Kindness of The Lord. There are two aspect’s of the Lord’s kindness that we’ll talk about. First, the kindness of the Lord is uncommon. Secondly, the kindness of the Lord is greater than our pain. Maybe we can put it this way. The kindness of the Lord meets us in our pain.

An Uncommon Kindness

When we look at the text the first thing that strikes us is the fact that this is not a happy scene. Intense despair and sadness runs throughout. There is plenty of crying. These three women are beginning their trek to Bethlehem. Naomi is going home, but it’s a new life and commitment for Orpah and Ruth. And as they are traveling Naomi stops walking and begins to implore her daughters-in-law to leave her. Three times in vv. 7-12 she tells them to turn back, to leave her. She says to them in vv. 8-9,

Ruth 1:8–9 ESV

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.

When they protest and say in v. 10, “No, we’re going to return with you to your people,” Naomi replies at the beginning of v. 11, “Turn back.” Then, at the beginning of v. 12 she says it again, “Turn back.” She is looking out for the interest of Orpah and Ruth. Bethlehem of Judah is not their home. Naomi has experienced tragedy as a result of leaving her homeland. They ought to go back to their mother’s house, not their mother-in-law’s house. She tells them that the sensible thing for them to do is to go back home. And Naomi is no stranger to the Lord’s kindness. She even prays a blessing over them that the Lord would be kind to them just as they had been to their dead husbands and to her. This kindness that she’s talking about in her prayer does not simply mean being nice to someone.

The Hebrew word translated as “kindness” is “hesed.” It’s normally translated as “steadfast love,” or “lovingkindness.” And it’s a particular feature of how God interacts with his people.

This is the repeated refrain in each verse of Psalm 136.

Psalm 136:1–3 ESV

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

This kindness is an action. It refers to an act performed for the benefit of a person in real and desperate need, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment. It refers to a voluntary act of extraordinary mercy or generosity, a “going beyond the call of duty.” Naomi is saying to Orpah and Ruth, “May the Lord show the same type of commitment to you that you have shown to me.” It’s uncommon first because it stands in stark contrast to the way people are conducting themselves back home in Judah. She’s returning to a deeply self-centered society. While she prays for this for her daughters-in-law, Naomi doesn’t see that kindness of the Lord at work on her behalf.

Here’s the tragedy in this. Here’s the point of connection for us in this disaster. So often we are tempted to think that the noble thing to do is go it alone when we’re struggling. Indeed, some of us find that our natural response when we are in the valley is to shrink back to a corner by ourselves. “I have to get through this thing on my own. This is my problem. No one can understand. No one can help me.”

In those moments we relate to the words of that spiritual, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Nobody knows my sorrow Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Glory, Hallelujah

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Nobody knows but Jesus Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Glory, Hallelujah

Jesus knows our trouble. Jesus knows our sorrow. Jesus is our burden bearer and he is our heavy load sharer. But can I tell you this? The way he often bears our troubles and sorrows is through the presence of other people! This is why the apostle Paul comes along in Galatians 6.2 and says to Christians,

Galatians 6:2 ESV

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

The bearing of one another’s burdens, the Bible says, is the fulfilling of the law of Christ. It is an outworking of his love expressed in and through his people. So, when you’re going through it, take care not to cut yourself off from the way the Lord desires to carry you through by the presence of others who love you.

Naomi has a real concern for her daughters-in-law. It’s logical to send them away. But what she actually needs is their presence (community). What she needs now is not to send them away and bear the burden alone. The kindness that she’s praying for the Lord to show them is a kindness that is uncommon. It’s a kindness that is uncommon, most significantly, because it is willing to sacrificially enter into the sufferings of others.

Are you dealing with sorrow right now? Are you struggling with loneliness right now? Are the situations at work, home, in school weighing you down? Why do you think that God has placed you in the church? Ultimately it’s that you may fulfill your purpose, which is to glorify God and enjoy him fully forever. One of the ways that this gets worked out in our lives is when we recognize God’s kindness to us in putting his people into his community to bear one another’s burdens and sorrows. There ought not be any lone ranger Christians. Christians trying to go it alone. Trying to make it by themselves. Wearing a mask to hide the hurt, or giving up the fellowship all together. 

The Lord in his word calls us out of the priority of individualism that has stood for generations as one of the highest ideals of our society. I stay in my place, you stay in yours. That is not the portrait of the Christian life laid out for us in God’s word. It doesn’t matter what we think the logical response is, the faithful response is a willingness to have others come along side of us in our time of need.

Naomi doesn’t stop her reasoning with Orpah and Ruth. Their initial response is to show this kindness to Naomi. Their response to her first insistence that they leave her is say in v. 10, “No, we will return with you to your people.””

But then Naomi really lays it on heavy. Stop, and think about what you’re saying…

Ruth 1:11–13 ESV

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.”

There’s no hope for me, and to align with me is to doom yourselves to the same hopeless fate. You’re still young. You still have a chance at a good life. What she’s saying makes so much sense. They weep loudly together again in v. 14, then Orpah realizes her mother-in-law is making sense and decides to go home. Orpah’s response does not serve so much as statement against her character. It serves more to heighten Ruth’s heroism. Ruth is the heroine of this entire passage. Naomi is the main character, but Ruth is the one who looks like Jesus. Remember, part of the definition of the kindness in view here is “going beyond the call of duty.” It’s an act of kindness because you have the right to decide not to do it. Orpah returned, but Ruth gives up her justifiable right to go back to her mother, and the Bible says that she clung to Naomi. Ruth says to her in v. 16-17, “Do not plead with me to abandon you. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people are my people. Your God is my God. Where you die. I die. So help me God, nothing but death will separate us.” 

That’s what you call clinging to someone. The same word is used here that’s used in Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh.” It’s about sacrificing, indeed, turning away from that which is rightfully yours to do or possess for the benefit of someone else. That type of kindness is inseparable from the Christian life. It’s about sacrifice. And sacrifice isn’t sacrifice unless you’re giving up something of value, whether that be your time, your talent, or your treasure.

You see who Ruth is a picture of here in this text. There is almost no clearer picture of Christ than we see in this text. The Bible tells us in Phil 2.6-8 that though he was in very nature God, Jesus Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! And in Hebrews 2.14-15, we’re told, Since the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Ruth is displaying for us a picture of the one who left his rightful glory to bind himself to us in our nature that he might bring many sons and daughters to glory. There’s no greater kindness than that.

John 15:13 ESV

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Ruth is displaying a “lay down my life because of love” kind of kindness. And we’re challenged to live into that type of kindness. Not only is that kindness uncommon, it has to be greater than our pain.

A Kindness Greater than Our Pain

How do we see that in our text (that the Lord’s kindness is greater than our pain)? Ruth has just finished giving us this picture of Christ by displaying such kindness and devotion and loyalty to Naomi. How does Naomi respond to that expression of loyalty and kindness? 

Ruth 1:18–19 ESV

And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. 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?”

Verse 18 says that Naomi just stopped talking to Ruth about it. It’s not hard to imagine that there was nothing but silence for the rest of the trip. And when they get back to the city and the women are excited that Naomi has returned, does she say anything about Ruth? Does she say anything about God’s kindness toward her in providing Ruth? No. When the women ask, “Is this Naomi?”

Ruth 1:20–21 ESV

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

Naomi’s name means, “Pleasant,” or “Pleasantness.” She says, “I have a new name, and it reflects what going on in my heart. Call me ‘Mara.” Mara means, bitter. What she says is, “I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty.” But we can see that’s not truly the case. Naomi is not empty. Ruth is right there by her side. The narrator lets us know that the Lord has been kind to Naomi. He gives Ruth special emphasis in verse 22, “Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab…”

Why doesn’t Naomi see it? Why doesn’t Naomi see the Lord’s kindness in Ruth’s devotion to her? It’s because she’s human. It’s because she’s just like you and I. Tragedy can bring bitterness and anger. She doesn’t see it because of two things that are all to common for human beings when tragedy strikes, turning inward and anger toward God. We turn completely inward, and we blame God. Look at some of her statements…v. 12 (I’m too old to have hope), v.13 (it’s much more bitter for me than for you because the Lord is against me), vv.20-21 (the Almighty has made me bitter. The Lord has testified against me. The Almighty has ruined my life.). Isn’t that a natural response? When I’m so focused on me, and angry with God,  I can’t see his hand working things out. In fact, when we’re this way, what God might be doing doesn’t even matter. All that matters is how badly I feel. 

Anger in itself is not sin. There is not one of us here who would desire to be in a circumstance like Naomi’s. However, many have been. Many women have buried husbands and children. Many men have buried wives and children. And everyone eventually suffers devastating losses in life. And we understandably get angry because we know that these things ought not be. But there is a difference in being angry because of a circumstance and directing that anger toward God. To be angry with God is to accuse Him of doing something wrong. He can handle our anger, but understand that it’s accusing Him of being unjust. There is never a time when the Lord is unjust, unwise, evil in his dealings. How quickly we can move from being upset about the circumstance to blaming and accusing God in anger. You may not say it, but you just might think it. How can you see the Lord’s kindness when you’re consumed with yourself and full of anger and bitterness towards him? Paul says that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (Romans 2).

How does grief and pain play out in the plan of God? Should we come down hard on Naomi because she’s not “spiritual” enough to get over her deep depression and despair? How long is long enough for her to grieve? Yes, accusing God of evil is actually sin. Make no mistake about it. Yet the kindness of the Lord is so incredible because it is precisely for sinners. His kindness is greater than our pain because it’s greater than our sin. His kindness shines brightest when it comes to us in our sin and despair. I love the hymn, Grace Greater than Our Sin. The second verse says “Sin and despair like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss. Grace that is greater, yes grace untold, points to the refuge, the mighty cross. Grace, grace, God’s grace that will pardon and cleanse within...Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Do we have eyes to even see the Lord’s kindness in tragedy? Naomi knew that the Lord was sovereign and in control. She interpreted the tragedy of her life as God being out to get her. His hand is against her. She went out full (even though she was hungry), and he caused her to return empty. He has done her harm. He does not care for her. Her prayer for her daughters-in-law was that the Lord would be kind to them, devoted to them, in the way that they were devoted to their husbands and to her. But she clearly felt that the Lord was not devoted to her in that way. 

How confident are we in the middle of tragedy that God is still working behind what we see? And that he is still working for his glory and our good? This is the message of Romans 8 played out in real life (all things…).

Sometimes our response to hardship, even as Christians, can look like unbelief. We can pull back like Naomi, and basically say, “I don’t want anything to do with you God.” In spite of Naomi’s bitterness, God is not out to get her as she’s accusing. The Lord has not abandoned Naomi in her bitterness. Even though she is blind to his kindness, it doesn’t mean that his kindness isn’t there for her. Nor has he removed it, or grown tired of her despair. He is patient with her and he intends good for her, as he does for all of his people.

There is another sin here, and it’s unstated. But it runs in the background of this entire book. It’s the sin of God’s people. What enhances Naomi’s hopelessness is that she knows God’s people are doing what’s right in their own eyes. She’s a widow and has no hope. But as a part of the community of God’s people she should have every hope because God’s people should be living by his word. And his word tells them over and over and over again how they are to care for the fatherless and the widow and the foreigner in their land. But she can’t imagine taking her Moabite daughters-in-law back there, nor can she imagine anything good for herself. Because God’s people don’t care for the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner in Judah. They are centered on themselves. It has always been the case that faithfulness among God’s people works itself out in mercy and justice for the widow, the orphan, and those in need. So, there’s enough sin here to go around.

Thank God His kindness is greater than all of it. Individual sins and corporate sins. God’s providence is working in Naomi’s life for her good. His kindness is at work among his people to show us our faults and bring us to repentance and restoration. Ruth’s kindness to Naomi was not based on how Naomi treated her. It was a sacrificial kindness based on Ruth’s love for the Lord and Naomi. The Lord’s kindness to to us is not determined by our sin or lack there of. It is determined by his love. We’ll see this worked out in the next chapter as Ruth’s commitment to Naomi grows. But how are you dealing with the temptation to base your kindness to others on their kindness to you? Do you know that the Lord’s kindness is greater than your pain? Do you know that the Lord’s kindness is also greater than the sins that have been committed against you and caused you pain? Live in light of the love and grace of God poured out on us in Jesus Christ.

You see, despite what it looks like right now in this story, despite what Sam said to Frodo in The Two Towers, you do want to see the end of the story. This story is no tragedy. And if Christ is our Lord, our circumstance does not end in tragedy either. It ends in glory because that’s the promise of God. We can reflect the Lord’s kindness because we have the Lord’s promise. May he be pleased to give us the grace we need to live it.

May your struggles keep you near the cross And may your troubles show that you need God And may your battles end the way they should And may your bad days prove that God is good And may your whole life prove that God is good