Sermon Tone Analysis

This book is going to teach us a lot about what it means to live life and have relationship within a broken and fallen world.

We are not immune to pain.

Nor are we immune to making wrong decisions.

The book of Ruth is the classic love story of the Bible.

The story exalts virtuous womanhood and strong manhood

Ruth 1:1 (ESV)

1 “In the days when the judges ruled...”

This is what we call “context”

This true story starts out identifying that these events began during one of the darkest times of Israel.

Turn back a page in your bible.

Judges 21:25 (ESV)

25 In those days there was no king in Israel.

Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

This is setting up the theme and mood for the opening part of this story.

What do you guys think this is hinting is about to happen?

Tragedy

Ruth 1:1 (ESV)

1 “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land...”

For Israel, God’s treatment of their land was and indicator of their faithfulness to their covenant with Him.

What does it mean if Israel is experiencing a famine?

If God is allowing famine, then it indicates His displeasure with them and their behavior.

An Israelite would have been familiar with these scriptures.

The people should know that, for them, famine is a physical manifestation of their spiritual condition!

For Christians, we are given the same promise materially...

We aren’t promised that if we do good or are delighting in God completely we will be rich or successful.

This was a promise for Israel.

Not us...

But we experience this in different ways… When we are drifting spiritually we tend to have famines of God’s presence and joy.

Have any of you leaders experienced this?

For the Israelites, this would mean the people need to turn from their idolatry and evil and turn back to pursuing God.

Same for us… These spiritual famines can be indicators of our need to turn our ships around and move back towards God.

Ruth 1:1 (ESV)

1” In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah...”

New character… A man of Bethlehem in Judah… Not only is he an Israelite, but he’s from a very very important tribe of Israel.

The tribe that the patriarch Israel indicated would be the kingly tribe.

Now we are going to see how this, seemingly important man will respond to famine.

Remember, for the Israelites, famine would mean the people need to turn from their idolatry and evil and turn back to pursuing God.

So, based on this fact, what should be the next thing for this man?

A: This dude should be throwing a revival church service!

Let’s see what he does.

Okay… Okay… This sort of makes sense right...

If there is a famine in one place… Perhaps another place wont have one… Let’s just go somewhere else...

Does this appear to be a bad thing?

No.

But it is...

This man is leaving a town called “house of bread”, along with his ancestral land, familial security, and most importantly, the presence of God found in the Arc of the Covenant.

Remember, the famine is an indicator that God is displeased with Israel.

And everyone is doing “what is right in their own eyes.”

Is the problem with the weather or the location of their home?

No, it’s with the people’s hearts.

This man is literally trying to find physical solution to a spiritual problem.

And he chooses to go into exile.

Leaving land given to him by God for a rental in a God forsaken land.

Psalm 60:8 (ESV)

8 “Moab is my washbasin...”

Something we need to know about the culture of the Bible is that the people of that time understood that their “god” was territorial.

Moab had their tribal “gods”.

Egypt had their tribal “gods”.

When you went throughout different regions you’d discover that there is a hierarchy among these “gods”.

The capitol might have a stronger “god” while the small town over on Caney Fork might have a weaker god.

Each community was supposed to be under the protection of their “god”.

So, if this man is an Israelite living under the protection of Yahweh God, do you think he will find that protection away from where Yahweh said he would be?

No

Here, we have an Israelite, who is supposed to live under the protection of YHWH choosing to leave said protection and forsake his devotion to YHWH just to find the dream life!

And he doesn’t just go by himself.

He takes his whole family with him.

He is supposed to be the protector, provider, and spiritual leader of his home and instead of doing what is best for them all (leading them in repentance and pursuit of YHWH) he decides to skip town with them and live in hotel rooms, taking odd jobs, and looking for other gods to provide.

Warning to you boys who want to be family men, have a wife one day, and enjoy the benefits of a family and marriage: The job of a husband and a father is an incredible privilege and responsibility.

Your teen years need to be spent falling deeper in love with God and growing in holiness as a Christian so you don’t make terrible choices like this guy we are meeting!

Let me speak to the ladies too.

You don’t want to set your eyes out to find the most wealthy guy who has a nice big truck and is out trying to make a name for himself!

If the guys you are interested in now are all about making a name for themselves now in sports, or showing off their big trucks, and always seem to be going on to the next big thing… What do you think they will end up doing when they get married!

Ladies, if you want to get married one day and start a family, your goal as a teenager should be learning to fall in love with Jesus more and more and becoming more discerning about the men who try to woo you!

Ruth 1:2 (ESV)

2 The name of the man was Elimelech..

A bit of Irony.

This guy’s name literally means “my God is King”.

And yet he is behaving like the rest of the people alive in the time of the judges… Doing what seems right in his own eyes.

Ruth 1:2 (ESV)

2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi...

His wife’s name, Naomi, means “pleasant,” which evokes Ps 16:6: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”

In contrast, she and her husband were dissatisfied with the boundary lines assigned them by God.

Ruth 1:2 (ESV)

2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion.”

Mahlon means sickly..

Chilion means dying...

Possibly, their names became the words for sickly and dying because of this story’s popularity and importance.

But, for us it is foreshadowing what was going to happen.

So, in their abandonment of God, abandoning the land He gave to them, and abandoning their kin… The writer indicates that they “remained there”.

This sojourning became a permanent part of their life.

It is mirroring the desire of the Israelites after Moses rescued them from captivity.

They begged him to take them back so that they could have what they used to have while also being slaves of Egypt again.

And there you have it.

Death enters into the picture.

If you were Naomi, Mahlon, or Chilion… what would you want to do next?

You would think at this point, Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion would have went back to Bethlehem for the protection and safety of their family.

So, now, these two sons of Elimelech follow in their father’s footsteps and marry against the Law.

But even deeper than their own rebellion, these men are now pulling these two women into their sin and rebellion.

They are currently on a destructive path due to their pride and sin.

Now Ruth and Orpah have the potential to be effected.