Heroes Of The Bible: Ruth Series

Heroes of the Bible: Ruth

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 8/15/2021

NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ

For those of you just tuning in, we’ve spent the past few weeks drawing inspiration and encouragement from some of the greatest Heroes of the Bible. What comes to mind when you hear the word hero? A guy who flies around in a red cape? A superstar athlete? Someone who runs into a burning building to save lives? A soldier on the front lines fighting for freedom?

While those are all examples of various types of heroes, Scripture presents a very different picture of what makes a hero. David wrote, “The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!” (Psalm 16:3 NLT). The Heroes of the Bible didn’t wear flashy costumes, possess superpowers, or drive high-tech armored vehicles. Instead, they accomplished amazing things by God’s power and for God’s glory! They were godly heroes. Through obedience and faith in their all-powerful Creator, they performed jaw-dropping miracles, conquered mighty armies, and ruled nations. They defeated giants, toppled towering city walls, and proclaimed the good news of God’s salvation, even in the face of death. These were some pretty super heroes!

So far, we’ve been inspired by the heroics of Noah—the hero who built an ark, Abraham—the hero whose faith founded a nation, Jacob—the hero who wrestled God, Moses—the hero who led a nation out of slavery, and, most recently, Samson—an anti-hero who struggled with rage, romances, and revenge. Despite Samson’s shortcomings, though, God still managed to use him to protect the Israelites and punish their pagan enemies, the Philistines—and if God could use Samson, he can certainly use you. The next hero we’re going to meet is Ruth.

NEXT SLIDE: RUTH

At the end of The Dark Knight Rises, when Batman prepares to sacrifice himself to save Gotham City from a nuclear explosion, Commissioner Jim Gordon wonders about Batman’s real identity, asking, “Shouldn’t the people know the hero who saved them?” Recalling a simple act of kindness Jim showed him in the wake of his parents’ murder many years ago, Batman replies, “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.”

When people think about the heroes of the Bible, Ruth’s name doesn’t usually come to mind. Ruth didn’t conquer armies, part seas, or slay giants. In fact, the story of Ruth reads more like a romantic comedy than a comicbook. But, as Batman points out, even simple, reassuring acts of kindness can make someone a hero.

That’s the kind of hero we discover in Ruth—a godly woman who was every bit the hero that renowned figures like Noah, Abraham, and Moses were.

In the first chapter of Ruth’s self-titled book of the Bible, we learn that a severe famine swept across the land. So, a man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons left their home town of Bethlehem and settled in the country of Moab. The two boys eventually grew up and married two Moabite women—Orpah and Ruth. Within a short span of time, though, all the men in the family died. Having lost their husbands all three women were devastated. But none more so than Naomi. She not only lost her husband, but her sons as well. In the wake of this tragedy, Naomi makes a decision that changed the course of not only her life, but Ruth’s as well. Picking up there, I’d like to highlight three aspects of Ruth’s story that make her a true hero and an example for us all. The first is Ruth’s loyalty.

• RUTH’S LOYALTY

With no husband or sons, Naomi was in danger of going hungry or homeless. So, she decides to move back home to her hometown of Bethlehem. Both Ruth and Orpah offer to accompany Naomi on her journey, but Naomi discourages them, saying, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage” (Ruth 1:8-9 NLT). Then she kisses each of them goodbye, and sends them on their way.

The girls protest, but Naomi argues that they’d have no future with her. They’d just be three old spinsters living in a shack together. They’d never make ends meet. She tells them that they’d be better off returning home, meeting another man, getting married again and moving on with their lives. Then they all starting sobbing!

Finally, Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye and headed home. But not Ruth. The Bible says Ruth “clung tightly to Naomi.” This brave young woman saw Naomi’s heartache and the hardship ahead of her, and made one of the most beautiful pledges in the Bible, saying, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” (Ruth 1:16-17 NLT).