Do you ever read Romance novels?
I don’t – believe me! I’m not particularly interested in that kind of literature. I’m a “facts” man. I like non-fiction. I like theology. I like pastoral administrative type books too. I like the kind of books that put most people to sleep.
But I found a romantic story that I actually liked. It’s a simple story with a sad beginning but a happy ending. This romance isn’t what you would find in a typical New York Times Best Sellers list – but it ought to be there. I want to preach a series of messages from this romantic story… it is the story of Ruth.
Ruth’s story begins with despair, but ends with delight. Along the way there is tragedy, sadness, resolve, faith, hope, redemption, and joy. It’s a romantic story that only God could have made come true. Yes, there is a love interest… but as we shall see in these four messages that behind the scenes is the high, noble, faithful love of God who romances every hopeful heart.
So, even though you may be like me, and not like Romance stories, I’d like to ask you to turn in your Bibles to the Book of Ruth. You will discover that there is something for everyone in this beautiful story of God’s grace.
Scene 1 – The move to Moab (vv. 1-2)
We learn from verse 1 that the events of this book occurred during the time of the Judges. This was a dark time in Israel’s history. The last verse of the book of Judges says it all… “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judg 21:25)
Israel was in a constant spiral of disobedience, slavery, crying out to God, finding deliverance from a judge, a period of peace, then falling back into disobedience again…
We learn that there was a famine in the land of Israel. It is highly likely that it was as a result of God’s discipline for Israel’s spiritual disobedience:
Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you. (Deut 11:16-17)
We learn that a family moves from Bethlehem about 50 miles east, on the other side of the Dead Sea for refuge from this terrible famine in the land of Israel.
Their names:
Husband: Elimelech
Wife: Naomi
Sons: Mahlon and Chilion
Scene 2 – The loss of husbands (vv. 3-5)
Elimelech died in the land of Moab. Naomi was left with her two sons.
The two sons married Moabite women: Orpah and Ruth.
Then after about 10 years, both sons died as well, leaving Naomi and her daughters-in-law all widows (v. 4-5).
We need to not breeze over this too quickly. We need to remember that at this time it was not a very good thing to be left widowed. Women were generally looked down on by society.
We now live in an age that is an increasingly technology driven society.
Ruth and Naomi lived in an agricultural society. Success depended not on the stock value of the latest “.com” company, but on whether or not crops where going to succeed. Men were the ones who handled the bulk of the hard laboring farming business. If a woman lost her husband, she had little if any means of providing for herself.
What was left for these grief-stricken women? They had come to the end of themselves…
Scene 3 – The choice – to stay or to go (vv. 6-18)
Naomi decided to go back to her homeland because she had heard that the Lord had blessed Israel again. This would seem to indicate that God was restoring Israel under the guidance of a judge after a time of spiritual apostasy.
She knew that it would be a long, lonely trip with no guarantees. Therefore, she tried everything she could to get her widowed daughter-in-laws to stay behind in Moab.
· To go back to their families (v. 8)
· To go get remarried (v. 9)
They couldn’t wait for Naomi to give birth to sons and wait on them to grow up and marry them. This was the custom of levirate marriage, whereby a brother of the husband who died childless would marry the widow, so that the deceased would have an heir. (vv. 11-13)
· To go back to their gods (v. 15)
The primary national god of Moab was Chemosh. It turns out that Orpah decides to go back to her family and her gods, but Ruth decides to stay with Naomi.
· In short, Naomi wanted her daughter-in-laws to remain where they would be comfortable, where they were familiar, where they were most likely to find acceptance and protection.
This is where she says what has become one of the most familiar and beautiful passages in all the Bible, vv. 16-17.
Ruth was a foreigner to the promises of Israel. She was a Moabite Gentile, not an Israelite. Yet, she wanted with all her heart to go with Naomi to the Land of Promise to serve God. In a time when Israel as a nation forsook the Lord and turned to idols, here a Gentile woman turns from her idols to serve the living and true God.
We don’t know how Ruth learned of God. She probably became familiar with His name through the testimony of her deceased husband over their 10 year marriage, or from her friendship with Naomi.
Scene 4 – The Arrival in Bethlehem (vv. 19-22)
Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Transition: What can we learn from this first chapter? So far our Romance story is quite sad, but there are some profound truths that we can glean from it.
I. We can find God’s Providence behind the circumstances of life.
Definition of “Providence”: The continual care that God exercises over the universe He has created. It expresses His constant power exerted in and over all His works to fulfill His ultimate will. It is the opposite of "chance," "fortune," and "luck."
· God had divinely brought famine upon the land of Israel (v. 1)
· God had divinely allowed the women to lose their spouses to death (vv. 3-5)
· Naomi, which means “Pleasant,” changed her name to Mara, meaning “Bitter” (v. 20)
· She recognized that the circumstances were of God (v. 13, 21)
The opening of our story is very painful. But behind the pain, we see the providential workings of Almighty God causing things to happen in such a way so as to fulfill His higher purposes. It is no different for us today.
When we are going through pain, tragedy, sadness, and disappointment, we can often be quick to blame God, rather than thank Him for the fact that He is carrying us through it all.
(“Why don’t you just curse God and die?” said Job’s wife…)
Sometimes, God’s providential hand moves in directions that sting in the moment.
A. We must be reminded of the personality of God
Everywhere in the Bible, God is consistently depicted as:
Good Loving Righteous Merciful Powerful
O-present O-potent O-scient Compassionate Holy
“Oh yeah?” they say, “Then, where is God…?”
· The loss of a loved one,
· The loss of financial security,
· The bankruptcy of a business,
· The rift within a family,
· The closing of a church’s doors
· The death of a child…
These are the kinds of things that I believe cause many people to think that there isn’t a God, or if there is a God, He obviously doesn’t care.
I’m reminded of Job, who lost all of his children in a terrible windstorm:
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (Job 1:20-22)
Is God really good, loving, righteous, holy, omnipotent…etc. ? Yes! And again, Yes!
The reason His character comes into question is because “circumstances” have taken the rightful place of God in many people’s minds.
Circumstances are not in control of our lives, but rather Almighty God is in control over all circumstances, which He providentially allows in our lives. Don’t turn those around!
God’s providence is always couched in His goodness.
B. We must be reminded of the perspective of God
Illustration: The Tapestry of Life
I remember once a lady handed me a small handmade tapestry. I remember forcing a pleasant smile onto my face despite the fact that I thought the piece was really ugly! There are loose strings hanging out, knots, discontinued trails, zig-zags of various colored string, and no discernable pattern of beauty... After an awkward moment passed because I didn’t know what to say, she kindly turned the tapestry around. I was looking at the backside! Now, the front was gorgeous! It was intricately designed and an obvious work of a talented person, who knew exactly what they were doing.
Ahhh, Such is life… it is full of loose strings, knots, discontinuities, interrupted patterns, and oftentimes with no discernable pattern to it. But God sees the front side of the tapestry of our lives. He is the Almighty God, who knows exactly what He’s doing, intricately putting together a beautiful piece of work in our lives by His providence.
One day, we too will see the tapestry from the right side and everything will make much more sense to us. But for right now, we must be content with only seeing the backside.
Remember, God was provident over the famine in the land of Israel – AND over the barley harvest, which we learn about in v. 22. This would be only the very beginning of great blessings God would shower on Ruth and Naomi.
· God is also provident over the loss of your spouse,
· He is provident over your health,
· He is provident over your marriage,
· He is provident over your kids,
· He is provident over your financial affairs,
· He is provident over the future of our church.
Behind this Providence, there is a Person – and He loves you with an everlasting love.
Because of God’s character, and because of His heavenly view of our lives, He knows that in order to give us what is best for our own good and His glory, He has to divinely turn circumstances in such a way that bring the greatest blessing to us – and sometimes these circumstances are painful for the moment. But the end result is always rewarding.
· Should we therefore be afraid of God?
No. Surely, we ought to tremble at the thought of His glorious power and holiness. But we should never be afraid of God because we know that as a result of His glorious power and holiness, He will always providentially lead us in ways that are best for us.
Even if the circumstances of life may hurt – they are within the scope of God’s good providence to lead us closer to Him.
Illustration: Smoke signals
The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small uninhabited island. He cried out to God to save him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a rough hut and put his few possessions in it. But then one day, after hunting for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; he was stung with grief.
Early the next day, though, a ship drew near the island and rescued him.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked the crew.
“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
Though it may not seem so now, our present difficulties may be instrumental to our future happiness.
A heart full of hope is going to realize the goodness of God behind the circumstances of life. A heart full of resentment will never appreciate God’s bigger plans for us.
II. We can find God’s Provision when we hope in Him.
I was struck by the devoted resolution of Ruth, who chose to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem rather than stay in Moab where she would be most comfortable.
Let’s look at those verses once again… (READ vv. 15-17)
· Orpah went back home – Ruth followed. This is like every person today, choosing between their own will and God’s will.
· Why did Ruth display such an unswerving devotion to her mother-in-law?
1) Because she knew something about the love of God who would always accept her.
2) More importantly, God receives who He calls!
The book of Ruth is a beautiful depiction of the human side of calling out to God. But we must always remember that in our lost, sinful condition, it is not within our heart to call on God – we want our own way, our own comforts, our own choosings, our own “gods.”
No, God must first do a work within us to cry out for Him.
· Most of you sitting here may be thinking, “I chose God – I chose to love Jesus.”
· That is true indeed – or at least I hope it is.
But I would want to remind you that you chose God because He chose you…
· We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
· "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
There was to be a potentially dangerous, uncertain future for Naomi and Ruth. But they had hopeful hearts. And as we see, God opened the door for them to come back to Israel at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Many things would happen in the way of God’s provision for Ruth and Naomi as our Romantic story unfolds. But it is because they had hopeful hearts in God.
And that’s what God wants out of you and me. Because when we have hopeful hearts, He is faithful to show His provision for us.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Conclusion
It is most often that we find the beginning of God’s grace when we’ve come to the end of ourselves.
Ruth came to the point where she understood that God was there for her when she came to the end of herself. (He was always there… but she probably didn’t really know it.)
She could no longer rely upon:
· Her husband
· Her family
· Her familiar surroundings
· Her “gods”
· Her youth
· Her material wealth – if she had any
· Or even herself…
All she could do is rely upon God.
And that was the very best decision she could ever make. (It is also the very best decision we can make too.)
By God’s good, providential hand, He knew that it would take this series of unfolding sad events in Ruth’s life for her to come to the realization that life is so much more than the temporal pursuits we often go after.
God has something so much better in store for those who place their hope in Him!
· Challenge: “What is it going to take for you to come to the end of yourself so that you will find the beginning of God?”
Is it going to take a tragedy?
Is it going to take a heart attack?
Is it going to take the loss of a loved one?
Does the rug have to be pulled out from under you for you to come to the end of yourself? – Perhaps so – but not necessarily so!
· You don’t need to wait for your health to fail to find God
· You don’t need to wait for a loved one to die to find God
· You don’t need to wait to get old before you find God…
· Challenge: Come to the end of yourself today!
Don’t wait for tragedy to strike before you become sober and seeking for God. Seek His face today.
Illustration: I’ll wait till later…
I’m reminded of the oft-used excuse that “I’ll just wait until I’m older, maybe even on my death bed, then I’ll get serious about a relationship with God.” The sad fact of the matter is that that just doesn’t usually happen.
If you put of knowing God now, it’s highly likely you won’t have a soft enough heart later on down the road to call on Him then. Besides, we never know when we may draw our last breath…
· Challenge: Strive to live a life of surrender
As long as we are depending on ourselves, or our spouses, our stocks, our popularity, our wealth… God is not likely to do much with us at all.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (Matt 16:24)
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. (Phil 3:7-8)
· You can’t enter heaven – until you come to an end of yourself and trust solely in Jesus!
There’s a lot of people who are so faithful in going to church. They’re religious people, but they don’t have Jesus in their lives. Why? Because they are “doing church/religion” by themselves. They haven’t come to the end of themselves.
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37)
· Our church isn’t going to thrive – It’s going to eventually die – until we come to an end of ourselves!
· I can’t run this church – It’s not mine to run – I must come to the end of myself!
· You can’t discover what God really wants for your life – until you come to the end of yourself!
Some of you may be at a point in your life where you are discontent with where you are at, spiritually. Maybe there is someone here who is tired of the status quo, and you are looking to break out of the mold and are thirsty for God…
· Are you learning from God’s providentially-driven circumstances, or are you fighting against it to the bitter end? God wants you through the good times and the bad, the easy and the hard, to come to an end of yourself so that you may find the beginning of God and His grace.
Do you want it? Do you want it? Do you want it? Do you want it?
Cry out to God with me! Let’s come to the end of ourselves, so that we might find the beginning of God!
