Ruth: Determined To Be Faithful Series

WOMEN OF WONDER - Ruth: Determined to be Faithful

May 19, 2019

Ruth 1:16-18 (p. 182)

Introduction:

[An old man and old woman were sitting on their back porch as the sun set…It was a beautiful evening and the old man was overcome with emotion and looked at his wife and said, “I’m proud of you.” She said, “What?” He said, “I said I’m proud of you!” (louder) She responded “WHAT?!!” He shouts “I’M PROUD OF YOU” and she shouts back “I’M TIRED OF YOU TOO!!!”]

The truth is every relationship has “I’m tired of you moments.” But, loyalty is the characteristic of never giving up, never quitting, no matter how tough things get…And let me tell you…It’s a rare and precious commodity in today’s world.

Alexander and Leola Vance made a life together for 64 years. They met while building barges together for the military in 1941. Alexander was 20, Leola was 16…

Leola would later say, “I liked his personality and the twinkle in his eye.” Alexander said, “I liked everything about her.” They married December 19, 1941.

Alexander worked for Alma products for 40 years…retiring as General Foreman about 20 years ago…Leola stayed at home caring for their children and was a homemaker.

In February because of advanced Parkinson’s Disease, Alexander had to move into a nursing home. Earlier this month Leola was diagnosed with Alzheimers and began complaining that her head hurt…she had an aneurism…both now were in the nursing home.

Their son Phil said, “It was almost like a race. They always said they wanted to go together.”

Alexander Vance died at 9:45 am on a Wednesday…and that evening as family members sang hymns around Leola’s bedside she stopped breathing just before midnight…Alexander and Leola died 14 hours apart after 64 years of marriage…Their son Phil said, “That’s a beautiful love story.”

That’s why Ruth’s story in the Bible makes her a Woman of Wonder. She is loyalty personified. In the midst of death, grief, anxiety, fear and loneliness true love surfaces.

The story of Ruth begins with despair and ends with pure delight.

Romans 15:14 says this about the Old Testament: “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of Scripture we might have hope.”

The story of Ruth is a story of endurance, encouragement and hope…It teaches us God has a plan for our heartbreak.

How do we handle life when it seems

I. THE LORD’S HAND HAS TURNED AGAINST US?

RUTH 1:1-13 (p. 182)

A man named Elimelek has taken his family from Bethlehem to Moab because of a famine…His wife’s name is Naomi…and they have 2 sons…Mahlon and Kilion…These 2 sons marry Moabite women…one named Orpah, the other Ruth. But then tragedy strikes…Elimelek dies…10 years later…both Naomi’s sons die…Verse 5 powerfully states her heartbreak…“Naomi was left without her two sons and husband.”

A widow in a strange land would have no protection, no provider…They’d come to Moab because of famine, but now Naomi, Ruth and Orpah are widows…Naomi is heading back home and she tells her daughter in laws “Return home…why would you go with me…I’ve got no more sons…I have no future prospects…It’s more bitter for me than for you…because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.”

It’s hard to imagine burying your husband and 2 sons in a 10 year period. Ruth and Orpah are still fairly young…They have a chance to start over…Naomi, in her pain, says, “It’s too late for me.”

[I stood at a funeral service last Monday night with a 52 year old widow and her 2 daughters…13 and 23…Malcolm was a dear friend, loved Jesus passionately so there was no doubt about his destination…But his widow wonders…Where do I go now? What about my future here…my partner is gone…There’s a big hole and right now it feels bottomless.]

What hope is there for her…what hope does Naomi have, or maybe you are at the same place and it seems “the Lord’s hand has turned against you…

Here is our hope…

II. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR OUR FUTURE

RUTH 1:14-22 (p. 182)

Naomi told her two daughter in laws…There’s no reason for you to come with me…I have no more sons…I’m too old to give you husbands…even if I got married and got pregnant tonight…would you wait for them to grow up?

You can feel the pain and hopelessness in those words…clearly she loves Orpah and Ruth…and clearly they love her…but it seems hopeless.

But our God specializes in the hopeless doesn’t He? When we can’t see around the corner…He stands there with a powerful plan…filled with grace.

It’s why Romans 8:28 is such a beloved verse…“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”