One of the great paradoxes of life is that - in order for new life to appear, then what formerly existed must be changed in some way or the other, or it must be completely destroyed. Jesus gave an example of this when he said that in order for a tree to grow, then the seed must first be buried and die, then and only then can the new life come. But you have heard it said that “...everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.”
Please forgive me if I sound insensitive, because that is exactly what I don’t want to be. My aim is not to appear trite or glib or uncaring of the deep sense of grief that you have to contend with at this time. I am not pretending as if the experience of death is a simple routine event which requires little attention; where if you close your eyes for long enough, it will go away - NO - the death of your mother, grandmother, sister, friend is real and has left immeasurable hurts. So since the pain is real; since the loss is not made up; since the loneliness you are experiencing is legitimate then you can feel comfortable in mourning, then you can permit yourself to feel your sorrow - for when you cry, you do not cry alone - but Christ cries alongside you in solidarity. And then, there is a precious promise that your grief will continue for a while but then you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
In the midst of life changing experiences over which we have no control, there is a tendency to despair and think there is no hope. We feel now that there is no way we can get over the dark clouds before us. But now is when we must realize that things are not always as they appear to be. So the obvious must not be mistaken for reality. This is where, then, we find some comfort, that death is not the end. The Christian’s understanding of reality is that he is on a journey through this world and so he does not become too preoccupied with the things of this world which are merely physical and fleeting. He is a citizen in the Kingdom of God - so when he dies, he simply changes the sphere of his existence. He leaves behind the corruption and limitations of this world to enjoy the purity and in-exhaustive supply of God’s presence. So death becomes a welcome inevitability - “O death where is thy sting?” In the face of the dreaded, the Christian can ask almost in defiance - “O grave where is thy victory?”
The story of Ruth is about this paradox. It tells about the tragedy and seeming defeat of Naomi and Ruth. It is a story which could crush anyone’s spirit. These two ladies were living in a time characterized by Moral Decline in their land; Natural Disaster - Famine; and deep Personal Tragedy - the loss of husband and children. So great was their loss that Naomi changed her name from Naomi (pleasant/sweetness) to Mara (bitter). But somewhere in the description of their adversity, Ruth breaks in and makes a pronouncement which betrays her deep-seated desire and her determination. She says to Naomi,
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
When you are at the end of you tether, do what Ruth did. She did two things:
I. TAKE A RISK.
In most endeavors, risk taking is a variable, if not inevitable. So, if you are looking to make profits, you must be willing to venture something - money, time, creativity etc. But what was it that Ruth was risking?
a. She risked the possibility of Rejection. After all, she was a Moabitess who was tagging along with Naomi. Suppose they did not want her in their community? Suppose she was set upon? What would she do? Where would she go? Armed only with unanswered questions, she determined to give it a try.
b. She also risked Poverty. The Jewish people were under no obligation to provide for her. Sure they should take of Naomi, for she was a Jewish widow. But Ruth, she could make no such demands. Would she face the starvation from which she was running? Her fate was unsure.
c. Still she risked one other thing. She risked Stagnation. Her life could now succumb to the needs, wishes and desires of her mother-in-law. Would she have to live her life in Naomi’s shadow? Would she live to regret this decision to follow her?
Yet she risked all of these because of a faith which she had found from her association with Naomi. She learned to trust the God of Israel. And, that confidence which she developed in Yahweh, reached out and kept her afloat in the difficult days. She learned that uncertainty with God, was better than certainty without Him. She learned that faith in God is not an escape, rather it is the guarantee of his presence in the time of trouble. She took the risk. She risked trusting God.
i. And her faith produced wisdom. Wisdom to know that she needed others - so she stuck with her mother-in-law.
ii. Her faith produced knowledge. Knowledge of the one and true God - so she left the god’s of Moab and clung to the God of Israel.
iii. Her faith produced Hope. Hope that recognized that even though some things were out of her hands - God remained in Control. So she took heart that God would take care of her. Like Job who said “...even though you slay me, yet will I serve you...” Like the Hebrew boys who in the face of death declared, “...our God will deliver, yet even if he does not, we will not bow...” My friend, this risk is a guaranteed one, for His word assures us, “...the one who trusts in Him will not be ashamed.” (The Trusting Heart.)
II. EMBRACE A NEW MORALITY. She vowed, “...your God (will be) my God...”
Her mother-in-law’s Religion rang with an element of truthfulness that she was willing to embrace it with her whole heart. The reason it was tempting, is that it offered more than a bag of beliefs, a set of do’s and don’ts. This new faith offered relationship. What she missed by the loss of her husband and father-n-law, it offered a substitute. So she now devotes to this new way of life. What is the character of this new religion?
a. It is more than contemplation it is service. For her, religion was not just something that used up the mouth. It is something that drove her heart and used up her hands. We must be willing to roll up our sleeves and do the work of the Lord. “Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, they do rest from their labours and their work do follow them.”
b. This newfound religion is more than withdrawal into private; it is bearing the cross in the midst of the agony of the world. For the world is the theater of God’s glory.
c. This newfound religion is more than personal piety; it is bearing out the disparities between the world and the Church. This was the very purpose of the Incarnation, that Christ died among his enemies to demonstrate his love and his triumphant power over sin, death and hell.
We do well then, who remain behind, to embrace the faith that she found to be her comfort in distress, her provision in need and her hope of eternal life. We do well then, if we would accept this faith for ourselves but not keep it to ourselves; but instead to live it out before men to remind them that life with its hardships and heartaches; its troubles and treacherous road; its pain and purposelessness - all takes on new meaning with Christ. For we are going on to a City, which has a foundation, whose architect and builder is God. So our hope is not in the permanence of this life but in the certainty of the life to come. “For if it were only in this world that we had hope, we would be of all men most miserable.”
“Come ye that love the Lord and let your joys be known, join in the song of sweet accord and thus surround the throne. We’re marching to Zion – the beautiful city of God...”
