You might be saying, “So what!” people move from one city to another all the time! That is correct, but anytime we find something in the Word of God, it is there for a reason.
WHAT IS THE REASON GOD PUT THIS FAMILY IN THE SCRIPTURES? God placed them in the holy scriptures that we might learn from their mistake.
WHAT WAS THEIR MISTAKE?
They were a family with a problem, that looked in the wrong places for the solution to their problem.
This family makes us think of the psalmist in Psalm 121. In this Psalm he tells us about the heathen of that day.
They would erect their idols on the top of the mountains. When they had problems, they would head to the mountains to pray to these idols for the help they needed.
In Psalm 121, the psalmist makes a sarcastic reference to their going there.
Look at verse 1, we read, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” But actually this is not a statement, it is a question.
David is saying, “When I have problems shall I also lift up my eyes unto the hills for the solution to my problems?” Of course, the answer to that questions is absolutely not!
Look at verse 2, he says, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” In other words, “No, I will not turn to the idols of this world for the help I need,” He says that his help, “…Cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
Notice, after saying His help, “…cometh from the Lord…”, he also said of the Lord, “…which made heaven and earth.”
In other words, David is saying that he did not make the God he served. God made David. In fact, He made everything in the heavens and earth.
Then, in the remaining verses, he tells us WHY HE TURNED TO THE LIVING GOD FOR HIS HELP.
Look at Psalm 121:3-8, he says, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
David did not make the mistake that many are making today, nor did he make the mistake this family made in the Old Testament. THIS FAMILY WENT TO THE WRONG PLACE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THEY FACED!
Look again at Ruth 1:1, “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.”
Did you get that? When there was a famine, this family moved from the land of God, to live in the land of the wicked Moabites.
WHO WERE THE MOABITES? Remember Lot who dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah? The Moabites were his descendants.
WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS MOVE? Rather than trust the Lord to take care of them during this famine, they decided it would be better if they turned to the wicked Moabites.
THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY START TO BACKSLIDE, THEY TURN TO THE WRONG PLACES FOR THE SOLUTIONS TO THEIR PROBLEMS. Such as:
• When a person backslides, they begin to turn to the world for COMPANIONSHIP.
• When a person backslides, they begin to turn to the world for the CONTENTMENT they seek.
• When a person backslides, they begin to turn to the world for the HAPPINESS they seek.
This family was facing a famine in the land of Bethlehemjudah, and rather than trust God, they put their trust in the wicked Moabites.
As we look at this family today, notice the attention that is placed on two women.
• NAOMI - she is the perfect picture of backslider
• RUTH - she is the perfect picture of a new convert
But in chapter 1, Naomi is the star attraction. Let’s look at-
I. NAOMI’S NEW HOME
Look at Ruth 1:2 "...And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there."
We see so many of the people of God today, living among the modern day Moabites.
When the people of God drift from God, we find them in places we should not find them.
• You will find some in front of their television sets, watching the same things that the heathen watch
• You will find some in the movie theaters, watching the same things that the heathen watch
• You will find some reading the sleazy tabloids that the lost world reads
• You will find some in the video stores, renting the same things the heathen rent
• You will find some in the bookstores, buying the same things the heathen read
• You will find some in the shopping malls, shopping on the Lord’s day
Naomi and her family had moved to the wrong place to find the solution to their problems. But notice, they did not just move there and realize they made a mistake and move back. The Bible says they moved there and remained there.
The Bible states, "...And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there."
Illus: Listen, someone said, “If we are not nourished by the Bread from heaven, we will stuff ourselves with crumbs from the world.”
Because Elimelech and his family were not turning to the Lord for the nourishment they needed, we find them turning to the world. But notice something we discover about them being there -
A. THEY CONTINUED THERE BECAUSE THEY WERE COMFORTABLE IN THAT PLACE
Most likely, when they first arrived, they could tell it was different from the land of Israel. But notice, the Bible says this about them; once they arrived, they, “…continued there."
It is dangerous to go to such a place, but it is far worse to go and remain there. Why? Because we can be contaminated by the evil that we allow to surround our life.
Illus: For example, you can walk into a dark room and you can not see at all. But did you know that if you continue to stay there, your eyes will get acclimated to the darkness, and soon your eyes will adjust to the darkness so you can see.
I am sure that when they first arrived, they were shocked with the contrast of life-styles.
• Some who have moved to live with the modern day Moabites can remember how strange it felt when they first started missing church on Sunday, but as they continued to do this it no longer bothered them
• Some who have moved to live with the modern day Moabites can remember how strange it felt when they first started missing church on Wednesday, but as they continued to do this it no longer bothered them
• Some who have moved to live with the modern day Moabites can remember how strange it felt when they first started missing Sunday School, but as they continued to do this it no longer bothered them
• Some can remember how strange it felt when they first took God’s tithes and began to spend them on something they wanted to buy for themselves, but as they continued to do this it no longer bothered them
• Some can remember how strange it felt when they quit reading their Bible and praying, and started spending their time doing other things. And now they can do this and it does not bother them in the slightest!
They have gotten used to the sin that surrounds their life now.
This is why we say that Naomi is the perfect picture of a backslider. This family from Bethlehem not only went to where the heathen lived, but the Bible says they CONTINUED TO DWELL AMONG THEM.
Why? They continued to dwell there among them because in their backslidden condition, they became COMFORTABLE with the Moabites. But also-
B. THEY CONTINUED THERE BECAUSE THE MOABITES WERE COMFORTABLE WITH THEM
The world is never comfortable around a Christian that is living for God.
• Listen, if you as a Christian feel COMFORTABLE with the world, SOMETHING IS WRONG!
• But also, if the lost world feels COMFORTABLE with you as a Christian, SOMETHING IS WRONG!
Their GOING THERE and their STAYING THERE tells us something about this family.
Listen, when we serve the Lord, the world will find fault with us. This is why Christians suffer persecutions, because we refuse to live as they live. And the Christian life we live before them is a slap in the face, spiritually speaking.
Illus: The Lord lived a perfect life, but they followed Him wherever He went trying to find fault with Him. They listened to every word He spoke, not because they were hungry for the Word of God, but to see if they could find something they could use against Him.
As Christians live close to the Lord, the lost world sees our life as a slap in the face to them spiritually. And they are always going to find fault with us.
Illus: Take for example the problems that some people are facing in the workplace concerning family pictures on their desks. What is so wrong with having a picture of your family on your desk? NOT A THING!
In fact, it is healthy for a man to have a picture of his family out in the open. It constantly says to him and all that are around him I'M MARRIED! A picture of the family helps to keep a good perspective on things.
But, the homosexuals and the Sodomites, find it offensive. They are fighting against people having pictures of their families on their desks in public buildings.
WHY DO THEY FIND THIS OFFENSIVE? Because that picture is saying to them that Bible-believing Christians recognize that the family setting consists of a man and a woman. A picture of man and woman on a work desk offends them
You see when we live right, we become a spiritual slap in the face to the wicked. They will tell Bible-believers:
• You should not be trying to cram your values down our throat, yet they are trying to cram their lack of values down ours.
• You should be more tolerant, but yet they are the least tolerant.
Illus: Suppose a man or woman comes to church as the Lord has commanded them to do. But their marriage partner who is not saved will not come with them. But when they get home from the church, their spouse does not say, “Honey, was the church service a blessing to you?” No, they do not say that, but instead they are as mad as a wet hen. Why? Because when that Christian husband or wife went to church, it was a spiritual slap in the face to the lost partner. It was saying to them, “You ought to be doing the same thing.”
As Christians, we should not feel COMFORTABLE AROUND THE LOST WORLD, and the lost world should not feel COMFORTABLE AROUND US!
They continued there because they felt comfortable, and they were so backslidden on God, that the Moabites felt comfortable around them. But notice something else-
C. THEY CONTINUED THERE BECAUSE THE MOABITES HAD SOMETHING TO OFFER THEM
Remember, they left the land of Israel because of a famine. They came to the land of Moab because they felt that Moab had something to offer them that the land of Israel could not.
Listen, the world could never offer more than God can. But we must not forget that the Bible tells us that Satan is a deceiver. That is, he is the biggest deceiver that ever walked on this earth, and he has always made people think he had more to offer than God.
Illus: Remember, he is such a deceiver that he was able to deceive one-third of the angels in heaven, and they followed him in that rebellion against God, before he got kicked out.
The devil has been very successful in convincing people that-
(1) THEY HAVE TO LOOK TO THE WORLD FOR PROSPERITY
But according to the Word of God, it is God who gives wealth. Look at Deut. 18:8, we read, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…”
It is true that some have obtained wealth through illegal gain, but I am talking about the fact that God can give wealth to a godly man or woman. He can open doors for them, He can give insight in how to be successful.
Yet the devil has convinced many that if they want to be wealthy they had better follow him, but that is not true. We do not need to look to the devil for wealth.
Look at Psalm 1:3, we read, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Satan has convinced people that -
(2) THEY HAVE TO LOOK TO THE WORLD FOR PROTECTION
Many have moved in among the modern day Moabites because they feel PROTECTION around these heathen. That is, they certainly outnumber Christians, and we always feel there is “SAFETY IN NUMBERS!”
However, that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that the majority today are on that “Broad way” that leads to hell. If you are going to follow the crowd, do not find any comfort following that large crowd because they will lead you to hell.
It is God who gives us the PROTECTION we need. Remember what Satan said about God, concerning Job?
He said to God in Job 1:10 “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
In other words he is saying, “God you are the one who has PROSPERED HIM, you are the one who has PROTECTED HIM.”
God gives us PROSPERITY and PROTECTION, but the devil has been very successful in convincing many that -
(3) THEY HAVE TO LOOK TO THE WORLD FOR PROVISION
But it is God who provides for us. There are so many scriptures in the Bible that teach this. But let’s look at a few.
• Look at Matt. 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
• Look at Psalm 37:3-5, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily THOU SHALT BE FED. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
I'm not one of those prosperity preachers that you can hear on television, where all you have to do is, “Name it and Claim it.” But the Bible does teach us:
• GOD CAN PROSPER US
• GOD CAN PROTECT US
• GOD CAN PROVIDE FOR US
We have looked at THEIR NEW HOME.
Conclusion:
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN YOU ARE BACKSLIDDEN? The life of Naomi shows us how we can know.
• When we continue to live among the modern day Moabites
• When we feel comfortable living among the modern day Moabites
• When the modern day Moabites feel comfortable with us as a Believer
• When we feel that the modern day Moabites have something to offer us
Then, we have become backslidden and need to return to God.
Can a Christian walk away from God and not expect any repercussions from it? They should not, because in the next sermon we are going to see that God deals severely with the backslider.
I. NAOMI’S NEW HOME (Sermon # 1)
