Ruth Sermon 4: The Pledge

Ruth – The Pledge

Ruth 1:15-22

Ruth 1:15–22 ESV

15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 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. 17 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.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. 19 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?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 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?” 22 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.

1. Introduction – When we left off last week, Naomi had just made 2 appeals for Orpah and Ruth to return to Moab.

a. Her argument was based around the levirate marriage law. Naomi was old, had no husband, and was past her child-bearing years.

i. She had no other son or sons to give in marriage – so Orpah and Ruth should leave Naomi and return home with hopes of finding a new husband and starting a family.

1. The argument was persuasive enough for Orpah to return home…but as we read last week, Ruth clung even tighter to Naomi.

b. And today, as the story of Naomi and Ruth continues, we are going to come across some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture.

i. They are passionate and eloquent. They are words of devotion, but they are also words of faith.

1. There are really 2 separate sections we’ll look at today.

a. First, we’ll look at Ruth’s words. What did she say? Why did she say them?

i. What do we learn about Ruth from her first speech?

b. After we study Ruth, we’ll study Naomi’s response and the return to Bethlehem.

i. What happened? What did Naomi say? Hear God’s Word. Ruth 1:15-22.

2. Ruth’s Speech – First, this morning, let’s examine what Ruth said, why she said it and what we learn from it.

a. But before we do that, we have to look at Naomi’s last-ditch effort to send Ruth away.

i. Naomi said, “Orpha has left – gone back to her people, to her gods…go back with her.

1. Doesn’t it strike you as odd that an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a child of God – a member of YHWH’s covenant community…

a. Doesn’t it seem odd that she would be OK with sending someone back to worship other gods?

i. Gives us a glimpse of what was going through Naomi’s had at this time.

2. Because here’s Naomi – Orpah has already heeded her words and now she is convincing Ruth to follow after her.

a. But as we saw when we read the passage…Ruth isn’t having any of it.

b. Naomi said – go back to your people…go back to your gods…but Ruth’s commitment to Naomi…and as we’ll see in a bit – her commitment to God – was too strong to be persuaded otherwise.

i. Look at Ruth’s words – they are incredible – they have huge implications for her life.

1. Her words, as one commentator said – are almost inconceivable in the ancient world.

a. Ruth begins – where you go, I will go – where you lodge, I will lodge.

i. She is stating her commitment to Naomi. An earlier marriage had brought them together and now the hardships of life have given them even more common ground.

1. They had both lost their husbands – they were family, and Ruth was going to stick it out.

ii. But Ruth’s commitment to Naomi went further than family ties. Because Ruth continues.

1. Your people will be my people – your God will be my God.

a. What’s the significance of these 2 statements?

iii. Your people will be my people – well, Ruth already had a people. She had friends, she had family. She had a nationality – she was a Moabite.

1. And she could have returned to her people…but there was no guarantee her people would welcome her back.

a. The Moabites and Israelites didn’t have the best relationship throughout their history. We touched on that in week 1 of this study.

i. So even if Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon and Chilion where nominal in their commitment to YHWH – that could have been enough to ostracize Ruth from her family and friends.

iv. It’s not hard to imagine this – since such a reaction has happened throughout history – and still happens today – when a son or a daughter marries outside the family’s religion or ethnicity.

1. But Ruth says to Naomi – your people will be my people – in other words, Ruth wants to change her identity.

a. The ancient Jewish writings and commentary on this passage says, “I wish to become a proselyte. Ruth wants to become a Jew. And that’s almost inconceivable in the ancient world.

v. The ancient world had no method or mechanism for a change of citizenship.

1. Religion and peoplehood defined one’s ethnic identity. So a Moabite was a Moabite no matter where he or she lived.

a. An Israelite was always an Israelite – no matter where they lived. And we see this playing out in Ruth’s story – she is always referred to as Ruth – the Moabitess.

vi. However – from her declaration…and from Ruth’s point of view – she is becoming an Israelite.

1. She is joined with Naomi – not only on a personal level because of their family ties and common ground – but she is tying herself to Naomi’s national identity…and to Naomi’s God.

c. Ruth is leaving her former life behind…everything she once knew…and she is stepping out into a new world.

i. But why is she doing this? Why is she leaving her country behind? Her family? Her friends? Her nationality? Her religion? Why? There’s a one-word answer…faith.

1. She is planting her flag with Israel’s God – and she is leaving everything else behind.

a. How is this faith? Well, let’s spend some time thinking about what faith is.

d. There’s 2 parts to faith – hearing…and acting upon what is heard. There is intellectual assent to information…and there is acting accordingly.

i. Growing up in Moab – Ruth would have hard about the mighty ats that Israel’s God performed on their behalf.

1. She would have heard about the rescue from Egypt, defeating nations that were much larger than them.

a. Ruth probably knew the story of King Balak of Moab hiring Balaam to curse the Israelites…but all he did was speaking blessings on them.

i. Ruth would know that the Israelites drove out the nations who were living in the Promised Land.

1. For at least 10 years, Ruth was married to an Israelites…lived in a Israelite home…maybe even followed Israelite customs and laws.

ii. So for Ruth, no longer were those stories of God’s mighty acts played out in the realm of theory…

1. She would have hard first hand, from her husband, from her in-laws…how God’s mighty acts helped shape a people and nation.

a. Ruth heard about the might acts that YHWH had performed, and she came to the conclusion that…forsaking all others, she was going to follow Israel’s God.

i. She was going to leave behind Chemosh, the Moabite god, and she was going to obey YHWH – she was putting her faith in him.

iii. Here’s Ruth – she has experienced the alternative of NOT being in the covenant community of YHWH – and she is now choosing to make a dramatic change in her life in order to follow YHWH.

1. And because she has experienced the alternative of being outside the covenant community – she won’t take for granted God’s love and faithfulness – like maybe some natural born Israelites did.

a. Ruth heard about God’s mighty acts – and she decided that Israel’s God – Naomi’s god – was going to be her God as well.

i. And she doesn’t stake her claim when life is going swimmingly – her life is in upheaval – she is in dire circumstances…

1. But even though her life has been turned upside down…what she has heard and learned about YHWH, shapes her decision.

iv. She has heard about a God who saves and rescues and delivers…a God who does the impossible.

1. And Ruth, in her incredible pledge – is choosing to follow the self-revealing God of Israel.

e. Faith in God – Ruth’s faith, your faith – isn’t a leap into the dark…into the unknown.

i. Faith is knowing the mighty acts of God in the past…and trusting that the God who worked everything out for the good of his people in the past…will do so again in the future.

1. Ruth knew the history God and his people…and just as Ruth did…we too can recount and know the beautiful history between God and his church.

a. Knowing that the promises of God reached their pinnacle in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

ii. And think about what God did for us in Jesus…he atoned for our sins. God provided the sacrifice that appeased his wrath.

1. Through faith in Jesus’ saving death and resurrection, we can be adopted into God’s family.

a. Jesus is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession – pleading our case to God.

i. God has given us his Spirit so that we might be conformed into Christ’s likeness.

1. Those promises are available to anyone who comes to God by faith in Jesus.

2. And not to be overlooked is how God has moved and worked throughout your own personal history…throughout the history of this church.

a. Think of God’s mighty provisions and mighty acts on your behalf.

i. Bringing you to a place of faith in the first place. Once you were far from God, but he called you and beckon you to himself in order to save you from your sins and have a relationship with you.

3. God called you out of darkness into his glorious light.

a. Perhaps God provided miraculously for you in the past – housing, food, or clothing when you didn’t know where it was going to come from.

i. Maybe a job offer came out of nowhere…maybe he healed you from an illness…

1. Maybe he miraculously or unexpectedly provided a child for you.

f. And in this church – God has seen us through difficult and trying times in the past…and what we have to believe is that the God who has done it before will do it again.

i. And if God has done all that – what are the situations of our lives but opportunities for God to advance his good purpose?

1. Clearly, throughout history – throughout your history – God has demonstrated his commitment to his people.

a. And now – the situations of our lives are the stage on which God continues to prove his love and faithfulness.

g. And since God has worked for the good of his people in the past – since he is currently working all things together for good…since he will work all things out in the future according to his good purpose…

i. We need not despair in life…but we trust in God to provide.

1. Ruth seemed to understand this reality – what she knew to be true of God trumped any circumstance she was in.

a. What incredible words of faith…what an incredible model to follow.

3. Naomi’s Response – So how did Naomi respond? This is an amazing pledge…a pledge of commitment to Naomi personally…Ruth isn’t leaving her.

a. A pledge of commitment to Naomi’s people…she wants to leave her past behind and start a new life.

i. And this is a pledge of commitment to YHWH – she’s heard all that he’s done for his people…and she is leaving all other gods behind to trust and worship him.

1. In modern Christian terms we could save that Ruth is now saved. Placed her faith in God.

a. So how does Naomi respond…look at the end of v.18…silence.

b. There isn’t a “Thank you” or “I’d love to have your company on the trip.” No celebration for Ruth’s statement of faith.

i. After Ruth made her confession to Naomi…Naomi stopped talking to her.

1. We hear Ruth’s words and we turn them into a cross-stitch and hang them on the wall.

a. We quote these words at wedding ceremonies and we get choked up by their implications. These words hit us at a deep level…

i. Yet Naomi seems to brush them off.

ii. She had nothing to say to this outpouring of commitment.

1. She was trapped in a state of bitterness. Is this assessment too harsh on Naomi?

a. Does it read too much into her silence?

c. Well, consider what Naomi said when she returned to Bethlehem.

i. I want actually want to look at her statement backwards. She still thinks God is out to get her. Even after the trip from Moab to Bethlehem…after Ruth’s pledge…she is still trapped in this line of thinking.

1. Why call me Naomi – when the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.

a. Again, she acknowledges God’s sovereignty – his control…but not his goodness.

i. Look at the previous phrase – I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty.

1. No doubt, Naomi has experienced hardships and horrific lose in her life.

a. He husband died; 2 sons died – she had to provide for herself as a widow.

2. But empty? Did God really bring her back empty handed? NO! She had Ruth. Ruth, who made an amazing profession of faith and commitment.

a. Planted her flag with Naomi, with YHWH and with YHWH’s people.

i. But Naomi, in the state he is in currently, is unable to see the gift that God had given her.

d. And finally look at what Naomi calls herself. Don’t call me Naomi – anyone know what the name Naomi means?

i. Naomi means pleasant, beautiful or good. But instead of wanting to be called pleasant of good or beautiful – instead of Naomi – she now wants to be referred to as Mara.

1. Now Mara is the Hebrew word for bitter…and it is actually an important word…an important place in Israel’s history.

e. Remember, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

i. And the defining moment of that deliverance was crossing the Red Sea.

1. God caused a wind to blow and the waters parted…and Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground.

a. As the reached the other side…and as Egypt’s army was rushing towards them, the sea closed back up…drowning the army.

ii. However, the jubilation and excitement didn’t last very long. Because only days later, Israel found themselves in the desert…and they started doing what they did best…belly ache.

1. It’s hot, we have no food, did God bring us out here to die instead of dying at the hands of the Egyptians?

a. They were 3 days removed from the event at the Red Sea – a defining moment in their history – God doing incredible things to rescue them…

i. But they were already complaining – and when they did come to place with water – they complained about the quality of the water.

1. Do you remember what they said the water was??? It was…bitter…so they named the place Marah.

f. So that’s the background to Naomi’s new name…Call me bitter – like the bitter water our ancestors encountered.

i. However, Naomi has a selective memory – what happened at Marah? Did God make the people drink the bitter water?

1. Did he leave them suffer dehydration? NO – God heard the cries of his people – and he provided for them.

a. God told Moses to throw a log into the stream…and when he did, the Bible tells us that the water became sweet.

i. In the midst of their complaining…in the midst of their bitterness, God provided sweet relief for his people.

ii. And the very next scene in Exodus, after the events of Marah, God brought his people to Elim – where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees…an oasis in the desert – provision for his covenant people.

1. And that’s what Naomi didn’t remember. The bitterness at Marah only lasted for a time.

a. Then God miraculous stepped in and provided for his people.

i. I’m pretty sure logs don’t usually after the taste of water for the better.

1. But at Marah it did.

a. God brought sweetness out of the bitterness…Right at Marah, God changed the temperament.

iii. In her self-pity and blindness – Naomi failed to see God’s grace and deliverance. She failed to remember God providing for his people during hardships.

1. And what about you? Can you relate to Naomi in her bitterness and resentment towards God?

a. Do your present hard circumstances blind you to what God had done in the past?

i. Do they cause you to lose hope for the future?

2. If that’s the case, I would invite you to spend some time recounting God’s goodness and faithfulness.

a. Read some stories of God’s deliverance in the OT.

i. Read the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection in the Gospels.

3. Look back over the course of your own life – and see how God showed himself faithful to you even through hard times.

a. Your life is the stage on which God’s goodness and faithfulness plays out.

g. God is faithful – and we are told of his faithfulness in v.22 – because he provided a barely harvest for his people.

i. And the barley harvest was the means by which God would redeem and restore Naomi.