When the Bottom Falls Out

Famine in the Land

The first thing I want to say is how much I appreciate having a pastor who knows technology and listens to the Lord. Our tech crew has done and continues to do an amazing job to ensure that we can worship together even in the midst of these trying times. Please continue to pray for each other, our community, and our leaders that God gives them wisdom and courage.

For those of you who are reading along with us in THE STORY we find ourselves in Chapter 9. CH 9 is about Ruth and that is where we are gonna camp out today. We’ve seen the dream that God has asked Abraham and us to come along with Him on. Last week we talked about Gideon and how God called him to help his people. Before we dive into this weeks sermon I just want to state this: Sometimes God will wait to answer our prayers or deliver us until there is no where else we can point to except Him. He’s not going to share His glory with us or anything else.

The title of today’s sermon is When the Bottom Falls Out. Kinda sounds a little like what is going on today. Let me assure you....God is control. This is not a surprise to Him. He knew about this from the foundation of the world. Just like this huge event doesn’t surprise Him the seemingly small things that go on in our day to day lives don’t surprise Him either.

Have you ever had something going on in your life and you think this isn’t worth God’s time. This isn’t big enough for God to deal with. I’m all alone on this one. Or even worse…I’m too far gone for God to help me. I haven’t been good enough or done enough and God can’t help me. Let me give you a little bit of hop today a little light at the end of the tunnel. There is nothing too big or too small for God to handle. There is nothing you can do or not do to cause God to love you any less. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. And for some of us that number is becoming easier to count as the years go by. But he knows and cares and wants to make Himself known to you in tangible ways.

This book of the Bible is called Ruth but really for me it’s as much about Naomi, Ruth’s mother in law, as it is Ruth. So let me set this up for you..

Elimelech takes his wife Naomi and his two sons and moves from Bethlehem to Moab. He did this because there was a severe famine in the land. Now this is during the time of the judges before any kings of Israel. And there was this recurring pattern during the time of judges. God’s people would start living their own way, doing whatever they wanted, and ignored God, conditions would deteriorate and eventually God would raise someone up to handle the problem, like Gideon, and the people would turn back to God. Then wash, rinse, repeat. Same cycle over and over again. Kinda sounds like us now. Some calamity happens we turn back to God and when things get back to normal we go right back to doing our own thing. No wonder we stay stuck in this cycle. This is true for our personal lives as well as our world.

So I want to start in and see what happens to Naomi first.

New Living Translation Chapter 1

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.

So in the span of 10 years naomi loses her husband and her two sons.. She has no one left to take care of here. The BOTTOM HAS FALLEN OUT.

So what does Naomi do…Let’s continue in verse 6

New Living Translation Chapter 1

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.

Naomi is at the point where the bottom has fallen out. She’s probably exhausted still grieving her losses and even says to her daughter in laws to go away back to their families and that The Lord himself has raised his fist against me.

Isn’t it crazy that at our weakest moments, in our times of trouble, distress, when the bottom falls out instead of being surrounded by people who love us and care about us we isolate ourselves. We push people away. Let me tell you that the enemy wants you isolated. He wants you all alone and thinking no one cares and no one loves you. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Ruth refuses to leave Naomi’s side. We all have that stubborn person we know that will stick with us and not abandon us even when we try to chase them off. Listen to what Ruth tells Naomi:

Ruth 1:16-18

New Living Translation Chapter 1

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

Ruth said nope. I’m not leaving you alone. I’m sticking with you. These two women had no idea what God was up to. No clue. But God is always working always loving us and always wanting the best for us. Even when the bottom falls out.

Now watch God go to work. Ruth goes out to gather grain from the fields and she ends up in the field of this guy named Boaz who is a relative of her late father in law. Naomi says that this is one of their family redeemers. This is a custom that the closest relative had the obligation to redeem fields or buy back family members from slavery. Also to raise up a child for a deceased relative in order to maintain the connection between the family and the relatives property.

Boaz is not the closest relative but makes sure Ruth knows that one way or the other she will be redeemed. The other guy who remains nameless in the account initially agrees to redeem the land but when he finds out it’s a package deal with Ruth he refuses. Boaz wastes no time and redeems the land and Ruth.

Ruth and Boaz marry and have a son named Obed. Now check this out....Naomi who said that God had turned his fist against her is now a recipient in His grace and mercy. She is fed, taken care of, and is now a grandmother. Listen to what the other women said to Naomi in

New Living Translation Chapter 4

14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the LORD, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

You see even when things seemed bleak, when the bottom fell out, when depression set in God was working. God was moving things around working things out. Yes even when we think we are at the farthest point from God or as Naomi said His fist has turned against us He is moving on our behalf.

Paul says this in

New Living Translation Chapter 8

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

And the prophet Isaiah says this in Chapter 61:1-3. The subtitle of the chapter is Good News for the Oppressed. That would be those who are at the point right now where the bottom is falling out or has fallen out. Those who wonder where is God. Why is He letting this happen.

New Living Translation Chapter 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,

for the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

and to proclaim that captives will be released

and prisoners will be freed.

2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn

that the time of the LORD’s favor has come,

and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

3 To all who mourn in Israel,

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

My prayer for all of you watching this is that your faith will be strengthened. We all have a Redeemer and his name is Jesus. For those of us that have a relationship with Jesus we can take heart in His comfort and His peace when the bottom falls out. Jesus has given those of us who have placed our lives in Him a gift and a promise. He said in

New Living Translation Chapter 14

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid

This doesn’t mean that we’ve always got it together. If you would like prayer there is a place on the app livestream that you can request prayer. If you are watching on FB and need prayer just post a comment and we will pray with you.

There are those of you watching right now who don’t have this hope. You have yet to make the decision to follow Jesus to accept Him as your savior and redeemer. This is a scary time and you may be in situation where the bottom is falling out. There is hope in Jesus. There is hope in knowing that God is moving and working all things for the good of those who love Him. God wants to trade you a crown of beauty for the ashes in your life. If you are watching on the app right now there is a place you can raise your hand and accept Jesus as your savior. He is the light and hope of the whole world. If you are watching on FB let us know in the comments and someone will chat with you. Now is the time.