Message for Sunday March 11/01
Ruth, the woman who went on an adventure
My wife has told me that as a child or even as an adult she never dreamed that one day she would be living in the United States. Her family, her friends, her life was there in El Salvador. When I proposed to her in December of 1999 she knew that if she accepted, her life would be totally different. She knew that if we married; we one day would go to the U.S. that one day she would have to leave everything & everyone behind that she was familiar with and start a new life over again. She knew that if we married, she would start on a whole new adventure.
There is a lady mentioned in the Bible that was like my wife. She too made a commitment to someone. Because of this commitment, her life too was changed. And she ended up going on an adventure. This woman by the name of Ruth was from Moab. One day she met a foreigner from the land of Israel. They ended up getting married. Unfortunately, her husband ended up dying even before they could have children. Her mother in law, a woman by the name of Naomi decided to go back to her native land - to Bethlehem in Judah. Naomi urges Ruth & her other Moabite daughter in law Oprah to return to their families. Oprah chooses to return to her people & her gods. Many people are like Oprah. They prefer to stay with what is familiar. They have no heart for adventure. But Ruth was different. Let’s read what Ruth told Naomi in 1:16.
Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, "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.
With these words, Ruth took a risk & made a commitment. Ruth believed that somehow, somewhere she could have a better life with Naomi than she could in her own country. Maybe Naomi always talked about her home town. How she missed her family & friends. How beautiful the land was. Naomi probably talked to her about Jehovah God too. Naomi may have shared with Ruth the history of Israel; how God called Moses to lead the people out of slavery into Egypt. She may have told her about how God knocked down the walls of Jericho. How God has been their constant supplier & friend. Ruth saw something different in her mother in law that she did not see even among her own family. Naomi cared for Ruth very much. Now Naomi was all alone. Her husband had died there in Moab. Her two sons also had died. She was all alone. And she was determined to return to Bethlehem. So Ruth made a commitment to her mother in law & they went back to Bethlehem together.
When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town welcomed them with open arms. They cried, “Naomi’s back!” Do you know what Naomi’s name means? In Hebrew it means, “Pleasant” Yes, Naomi was a pleasant person to know. Everybody loved her & her husband. But now she was telling everyone to call her Mara which means bitter. She says in verse 20, “Don’t call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” Yes, Naomi was glad to be back home but she felt alone & lost. When her husband lead them out of the promise land, they lost out on the blessings & protection of the Lord. The same happens to us when we walk away from God. We try to go our own way & we get lost. Remember the story of the prodigal son? He left his home to go on an adventure too. But he ended up losing everything to. It was only when he returned to his father’s arms that he was rewarded again. If you have walked away from God I urge to return home again. God is waiting for us with open arms. He is waiting to bless us again.
Naomi & Ruth returned to Bethlehem in time for the harvest. When Naomi’s family left to go to Moab they sold all that they had & moved. So when Naomi returned she was poor. She had no property. Ruth immediately went to work harvesting grain in a field. Back then the Jewish nation didn’t have government welfare. If a person wanted to eat they had to work. Leviticus 23:22 says "’When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” This is what Ruth was doing. She was following along behind the other workers in a field picking up the grain that they had missed. I’ll bet Ruth did not think that her adventure would turn out like this - having to work for a living.
Now along comes the hero of the story. Boaz the land owner where Ruth was working. Boaz sees Ruth & falls in love. To make a short story shorter. Boaz & Ruth get married, & Boaz gets back the land & property for Naomi. So Naomi is blessed again. Ruth & Boaz become the great grandparents of King David.
What is the meaning of the story of Ruth? There are many. Some theologians look at Boaz as a type of the Messiah who comes & saves a family from ruin. Others take the story & relate it to the prodigal son as I did this morning. About those who leave behind the blessings of God for the material things of the world & end up losing everything. It’s only by returning to God that we are blessed again.
But I want us to focus on Ruth. There are only two books in the Bible that are named for women. This one & the book of Esther. Next week we will look at Esther the woman who saved a nation. Ruth is special because of who she was & what she did. Ruth did not abandon Naomi like her sister in law did. Ruth was a pagan, a non Jew. But she declares in verse 16 her commitment to Jehovah God. And taking a step of faith she followed her mother in law into the unknown. Because she took a risk, because she stepped out in faith; God blessed her. We need more women in the church today like Ruth. Women willing to make a commitment & take a step of faith into the unknown. What can we learn from Ruth?
A. Honor the family- Oprah the other daughter in law of Naomi left. But Ruth stayed. In today’s families we have too many people who leave & not enough people who stay. Families are breaking up & falling apart. Ruth believed in keeping the family together.
B. Making a commitment- Ruth not only made a commitment to Naomi, she made a commitment to God. We need both men & women today who can make commitments to God. And follow through with those commitments.
C. Walking in Faith- Ruth did not know any thing at all about where they were going. She had to trust in Naomi & in God for her future. And because of her steps of faith she was rewarded. We need more people who are willing to walk in faith. It’s when we walk in faith that God blesses us.
D. Working hard - Ruth was not afraid to work. Ruth & Naomi did not sit around waiting for handouts. She had the strength & the determination to work. Because of her hard work, she received even more abundance of food & help from Boaz. It was her strength of character that drew Boaz to fall in love with her. The same strength of character is in my wife Argentina. That’s why I fell in love with her. We need more people who are willing to work & not depend on the government to take care of them.
So Ruth & Boaz get married & have a baby. At the end of the book in chapter 4:14 we read, “The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Because of Ruth’s step of faith & commitment, she has become a blessing. To Naomi, to Boaz, to the kingdom of Israel, & to the whole world. Her great grandson becomes king; whose descendants later give birth to the Messiah, King Jesus.
Do you want to be blessed? Do you want God working in your life? Do you want to be blessing to others? Then do what Ruth did. Honor God & your family; make a commitment; take a step of faith; work hard. Take a risk & God will bless you for it.
