Ruth 1 A Tale of Three Women: Different choices / Different outcomes

Mothers are amazing.

Your mother’s greatest attribute. What you think of when you think of your mother.

Women play a significant role in scripture.

In honor of mother’s day and women in general, I would like to quickly tell the story of three women. Not all of the them are mothers – at least not initially. But as we look at these three women, we see three choices and three outcomes of those choices.

Turn to Ruth 1 as we pray.

A Tale of Three Women

Different choices / different outcomes

Ruth 1

I. Three Women: Naomi - Broken yet she returned to God

A. Moved away from God’s blessing *

(NKJV) 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. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, … And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. … 4, … And they dwelt there about ten years.

1. Judges - A time of little true following of God – chaos often reigned

2. Famine in the land – indication of spiritual problems in the nation

3. Left the place that God had promised blessing – moving away from it almost always lead to trouble

a. No bread – what do you do? / Moved to a greener pasture

b. Elimilech – God is king – He wasn’t – no mention of searching / left

4. Progressively settled there

a. Note: Sojourn as resident alien (temporary arrangement not intended to move citizenship) v. 1/ remained (was there – place of existence) v.3 / settled down (sat down – permanent resident – not v.4

5. Sons took heathen wives

2 … and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion … 4 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.

B. Endured unbelievable trouble * *

1. Difficult times

(NKJV) Ruth 1 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. … 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

a. Mahlon – little sick one - Chillion – annihilation / pinning

b. Death of her husband - Death of her two sons

c. Will find she is still looking for bread

d. never find what she sought outside of the place God intended

2. Became embittered

a. From pleasant to bitter (Naomi vs. Mara)

(NKJV) Ruth 1 19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, … Why do you call me Naomi, …

b. Felt abandoned / punished by God – normal reaction but not God but self

(NKJV) Ruth 1 13 … the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!” … 20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

C. Returned to God by faith (even a little)

(NKJV) Ruth 1 6 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.

1. Arose - Finally acted in an appropriate manner

2. Return - word used 12-15 times in Heb. – question is where do you return.

3. Return to place of blessing (Bethlehem house of bread – search but not find – return to house of bread)

4. Return to the place of promise –

5. Return to God – some level of hope

6. She did it just barely– but good enough –trouble begins to lead to blessing when trust in Him

II. Three Women: Orpah - A choice to remain far off

A. Associated with Godly people *

(NKJV) Ruth 1 4 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.

1. Though not from God’s people - She married into them

2. Saw them daily - for better or worse – at first the failures

3. But saw the move back to God

4. Initially followed

(NKJV) Ruth 1 7 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. … 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. … 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

a. Cared about Naomi / Influenced by Naomi / Desired to be with her

B. Ultimately had to choose for herself *

1. Given kindly but wrong advice

(NKJV) Ruth 1 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

a. Naomi Wanted her to find rest / redemption

b. Never find it anywhere but in God

2. Faced with chance of abandoning “good” life

(NKJV) Ruth 1 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown?

a. Faced with possible poverty and destitution

b. Must choose by faith / even though there is unresolved risk

C. Chose to stay in the world

(NKJV) Ruth 1 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

1. Returned to the lost world

2. Without faith in God how can you endure?

III. Three Women: Ruth - A life responding to God

A. Endured the same circumstances

(NKJV) Ruth 1 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

1. Nothing different about Ruth – same situation

2. A pagan from a foreign world

B. Responded to God *

1. Refused to return

(NKJV) Ruth 1 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. … 16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you;

2. No matter how difficult – the choice can be made

(NKJV) Ruth 1 16 … 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. 17 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.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

a. Turned from past

b. Turned to God’s people

c. Turned to God

d. Note that the turn is to the LORD Yaheweh – covenant language

C. Found God’s blessing * * *

1. Impacted Her own circumstances

(NKJV) Ruth 4 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

a. Found a godly home

b. Well taken care of

2. Impacted others

(NKJV) Ruth 4 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, … 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

3. Impacted the world

(NKJV) Ruth 4 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

17 … And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the (grand)father of David.

a. David – Israel as a nation

b. Stand in the line of Christ - world

1) included with only three other women in the Geneology of Christ listed Matt

4. Revealed the existence of a kinsman redeemer

(NKJV) Ruth 4 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative (a kinsman redeemer);

a. The intent of the story

b. God was at work in all three ladies’ lives

c. Draw them to Himself / At work always in their lives / Provides the redemption we need regardless of our past choices / Choose to respond to Him now