Ruth 1: The Expedition

Introduction

Open your Bibles to Ruth Chapter ... 1 Ruth Chapter 1.

Tonight we embark an a journey through one of my favorite books in the Bible. If you where to ask me what my favorite book in the Bible is, I would tell you all of it. But, if you asked me to list my top 5 most love books, Ruth would be 2nd or 3rd on that list. It’s a story of redemption. In this story we see that God works all things after his will, he judges Isreal with a famine for their wickedness and uses the hardship in the life of a woman named Naomi to bring Ruth home to be the great grandmother of David.

It is interesting we call it, the book of Ruth, when the story is about Naomi. Its Naomi that is sent out to Moab to get a daughter in-law that would give her a son, named Obed.

Authorship of this book is most often attributed to Samuel. Their is debate about why this book was written. The most reasonable explanation, I think, is that this book was written to answer an objection to David as king of Isreal. The Lord said in Deut 23:2-3.

Deuteronomy 23:2–3 ESV

2 “No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord. 3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,

It is quite possible that Samuel expected objections to David’s legitimacy as king because there was a Moabite in his lineage. That would explain several features in the story, including the centrality of Naomi in the narrative. One thing we know for sure is that the story is here for us today because God wanted to use it to edify the saints and display his glory.

Before we get into the text lets go the the Lord in prayer.

Judgement and Death

Ruth 1:1–5 ESV

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 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. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Exposition

days when the judges ruled there was a famine

the whole family went to sojourn in the country of Moab

They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

No passion for the inheritance that God has provided.

“They lived there about ten years.” the is clearly ment to show us that they stay beyond the end of the famine.

The early death of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion.

God is judging these men that thought little of the inheritance God had given them.

At the same time what happen with Ruth and Boaz would never have come about without the death of Mahlon and Chilion.

Application

Gods wonderful decree

The wicked punished

The people of God protected.

Naomi went through the the famine, the loss of her husband, the loss of her sons,

Ruth was born to a nation and family at enmity with God.

Transition

Ruth shows her loyalty in the next part of the story.

Loyalty

Ruth 1:6–14 ESV

6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 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? 12 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, 13 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.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Exposition

return to the land of Judah

God uses calamity for good again.

May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

No, we will return with you to your people.

They both said they would go,

But when the prospect of never having a husband become clear, that commit wavers in Orpah.

Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Application

The continuing out working of God’s Decree.

The people of God have counted the cost,

Ruth does not have hope for a husband, she is an alien, she is literally one that the Lord told Israel not to marry.

There is only one game in town.

Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:68, ESV)

Transition

Ruth’s confession seems to be like Peter’s. Naomi tells Ruth go back get your self a good husband, have a good life. But Ruth says being part of the people of God means more to me then anything else. Verse 15-18

Identity

Ruth 1:15–18 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.

Exposition

See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.

Ruth does not consider them people as hers anymore. She is not attracted by the idea of her people and her god.

The Apostle says that this identity change belongs to all those people of God, “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Co 6:9–11, ESV)

Ruth didn’t know Jesus, she didn’t know the plan of salvation, but she did know who the real God was, and she wanted nothing but that. Like Rahab, she had faith.

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.

Ruth had a new identity,

Application

This is what faith looks like, faith is the evidence of a new identity in the person. The sin I once loved, those people that I used to hang out with, that lifestyle that I once lived in, does not define me anymore.

I am not who I should be, I am not who I want to be, but, because God has given me a new heart, I am not who I used to be.

Transition

The depth of the suffering of Naomi, is seeing in the next part of the story. Verse 19-22

The Return

Ruth 1:19–22 ESV

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.

Exposition

We come to the end of chapter 1 and Naomi has now come full circle.

Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara

“the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me”

“ Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

There was bitterness, but the redeemer was just around the corner.

In eternity Naomi wont be saying, “Almighty has brought calamity upon me” but rather that Almighty has fought for me.

Conclusion

King David wrote “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps 23:4, ESV)

As we go through this story we will see the Naomi is comforted by a redeemer. Even though we go through the valley and shadow of death, we have a redeemer and he is not far from us. Naomi could not see all the Lord was doing, she had no idea that she was sent on an expedition to personally escort the great great great, grandmother of Jesus back home. Naomi could not see that through what God was doing, 30 generations later the redeemer would come. But we can. We can take heart. We can see that God has always been on the side of his people even if his people is a Moabite girl, that no one else would have expected.

Benediction

Go to night with the word of Paul in Ephesians 3:20–21

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.