An Intense (And Harsh) Introduction – Ruth, Part 1 Series

“An Intense (and harsh) Introduction” – Ruth, Part 1

Ruth Sermon Series, Part 1

Ruth 1:1-10

Introduction

- Author of Ruth is unknown; some suggest prophet Samuel (11th century BC)

-- However, there is no significant proof to give it solely to Samuel

-- Many suggest it was around 5th century BC (due to intermarriage issues)

-- So, logical analysis (sake of clarity) gives it a date of 4th – 6th century BC

-- The main characters are Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz – each with unique stories

- Location: Here is the layout of our story, geographically

-- Moab was located just southeast of the Dead Sea

-- On the other side of the Dead Sea was the land of Judah (Hebron & Gaza)

-- And to the North would’ve been the lands of Reuben and Benjamin (Jerusalem)

- Ruth is an incredible story of redemption and of obeying God

-- It is a story of love, a story of romance, BUT a story of great personal cost

-- Story of incredible providence on display by God: (spoiler)

-- Boaz and Ruth have a son, Obed, whose the father of Jesse, father of David

- All of the characters in this book face crisis of some sort in their lives

-- IMP: This allows us to see them as human, personable, and relatable to us

- Get this: For us, there can be no division on how God uses His word

-- We are fortunate to read stories like this in order to gain strength from them

- Book of Ruth sits between (and contrasts) two key books:

-- Judges: reflects what happens when a nation rebels and turns away from God

-- Ruth: shows what happens when God’s people live in covenant with Him

-- 1 Samuel: demonstrates the fall of King Saul and David's rise to the throne

- There are no miracles in this book, and it’s named after a Gentile (only 2)

-- Aud. Part: The other Gentile book is … any guesses? LUKE!

-- For you and I in 2022 … it is a unique book to study and take apart

- There are two key Hebrew words which we will see in great detail:

1. “chesed” which means God’s kindness or love, close to concept of grace

2. “go’el” which means redeemer, someone who literally saves

- So, with all that said, let’s dive in and seek God’s face today!

- Read Ruth 1:1-10 / Pray

Point 1 – In the early days, famine overtakes God’s land

- We begin with the location of the story (v1)

-- 8 miles North of Jerusalem, 3 West of Bethel, and 12 Southwest of Shiloh

-- It is important to note what is going on here, which is why it’s written

- Some additional background for us:

- RE: Ruth and Judges take place within the same general time period

-- It is a time between Israel’s conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and …

-- A time when a united (and Law-abiding) kingdom begins under King Saul

-- It is, in a word, a very schizophrenic time period for the inhabitants

-- Consider: Change is hard … this is change on a global, dramatic level

- (Again): Judges shows us what happens when a nation rebels from God

-- EX: God sends a famine to the land for their disobedience (removes blessing)

- But what really happens in Judges is: The unthinkable becomes the norm!

-- APP: People turn their back on God and create policies/programs they like

-- Choosing to disobey and do what they wanted is accepted as standard procedure

-- FREE: We should probably read Judges ourselves and see ourselves in it

- When people rebel against God’s teaching, they decide they are morally superior

-- Paul warned of the VERY same thing happening, centuries later to Timothy

-- 2 Timothy 4:3, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”

- However, something happens from these books that we can learn from

-- FACT: God is still God, and He will always remain true to Himself

-- 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”

-- Greek: “pistos”, to be reliable and faithful

- So in the land, there is a tremendous famine that has them seek life elsewhere

-- Elimelek (v2) moves his family to the land of Moab

-- But what we know is: running from where God told you to be is not wise!

- Even though they are trying for a better life … they’ve done something wrong

-- APP: They have left God’s Promised Land (Judah) for something else