Ruth 02: The Road To Redemption

Transcription

1 Ruth 02: The Road To Redemption Ruth 1:6-18 Introduction In our first lesson on Ruth o we learned that her story begins amidst famine, failure, and fatalities. That was the low point in the story. o Beginning with our text, this morning, the first rays of light start to break through the darkness. As Naomi makes the decision o to return to Bethlehem, Ruth refuses to be persuaded to go back to her old life. Interestingly enough, o last Sunday was the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was a religious celebration o that memorialized the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Pentecost originally celebrated the time o when God wrote his law on tablets of stone. However, we celebrate Pentecost o as the day when God wrote his law in our hearts. Either way, Pentecost is a celebration of conversion. o The giving of the law was a way of entering into covenant with God. In a sense, Israel was converted at Mnt. Sinai. o In Jewish circles, the story of Ruth was regarded as a story about conversion and it was traditionally read o during the Feast Pentecost to remind the Jews o of their commitment to God. Today s text ends with o the most iconic passage in Ruth and one of the most memorable passages of the whole Bible. This beautiful and poetic passage o came to symbolize the conversion experience of Ruth. This is where we see her

2 o rejecting the idol gods of her youth and pledging herself to the One True God of Israel. The Good News 6 Then she [Naomi]arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. 7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. Our story begins with Naomi o hearing the good news that God s grace has brought an end to the famine in Bethlehem. How typical of a conversion experience! o The gospel is the good news that God has not forgotten his people. o Though they are lost in their sins, God has made a way for them to return to him. This is the glorious light of hope o that breaks through the dark clouds of Naomi s life. Even though the famine o was judgment for sin, God has shown mercy, allowed the rains to come o and restored the house of bread. There is now bread in Bethlehem again. o When Naomi heard that there was a chance to rise from the ruins, to return to what she had left behind, o she acted in faith. o With an uncertain future before her, she arose and turned towards home. Our lesson this morning is, in many ways, o a continuation of last week. Failure doesn t have to be final o but in order to move from judgment to mercy you must be willing to arise o and turn towards home. It may be a long journey. o But the longest journey begins with the smallest step.

3 o You will remain in Moab until you take the first step toward home. The good news is o that there is mercy and grace in the house of the Lord. There is hope. o There is a reason to return. Naomi has lost everything in Moab, o but that doesn t stop her from returning to Bethlehem. o Your failure may have cost you everything. It may have robbed you of your peace and joy, but that doesn t mean o that it is too late for redemption. The old adage says there is no need o to close the barn door after the horses have gotten out. o But faith says, close it anyway. Because a single act of obedience is all it takes to start a journey o from ruin to redemption. o It is never too late to start that journey. As long as you have breath in your body, there s still time for mercy to work. o You may be surprised at how much is still in the barn if you will just close the door! To go to Judah, Naomi went out of Moab. o This illustrates the principle of separation. There cannot be a returning without a separation. If Heaven would be gained, o the world must be shunned; if you would eat at the Father s table, o you have to leave the pigpen. Scripture commands us o to come out from the world, and Naomi did just that, for she went forth out o of the place where she was. Don t stay where you are! There are too many people today o that think you can gain the blessings of Bethlehem while staying in Moab. o It is a view that says that you can be converted

4 and still stay in the world. o But nothing could be further from the truth. The road to redemption is a road that takes you o out of where your sin has left you. o If you are going to go to Bethlehem, you will have to come out of Moab. o The scripture says, in 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. A Godly Influence Last week we talked about o Elimelech s influence over his family. His bad choice affected them o and they, ultimately, paid a dear price for his choice. o However, we see the reversal of that now. When Naomi determines to return to Bethlehem, her daughters-in-law o determined to go with her. Just as your sin affects so many, o so does your return to the grace of God. When you choose to live right, it affects those you love. o They may not immediately follow you in your choice but you can rest assured, they see what you are doing and they are impacted by your decision. However, while we celebrate the fact o that Orpah and Ruth wanted to go with Naomi, the hard truth of the matter is that it posed a real problem for Naomi. When she returned to Bethlehem, o she might be able to find someone who would be willing to have pity on an old widow. o She might be able to find a family member or an old acquaintance who wouldn t mind too much to have one more mouth around the table, perhaps for a little help

5 o with the household chores. But it was going to be exponentially harder o to survive, as a widow, if she was accompanied by her two daughters-in-law. o That was two more mouths to feed and that would surely be enough to close many doors o that might otherwise be open to her. So Naomi, instead of rejoicing o in her godly influence determines to persuade her followers to turn back to Moab. The First Appeal 8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. Naomi s first appeal for her daughters-in-law to return o contains a unique turn of phrase. She encourages them to go back o to their mother s house. This not the normal way o to describe one s childhood home. The most common description in the Bible is your father s house o not your mother s house. o The phrase mother s house appears only three other places in scripture. In each of those instances o the phrase is found in the context of love and marriage. Naomi s language was not an accident. o She was intentionally releasing her daughters-in-law to remarry. o This is further confirmed in her admonition, in the very next verse, that they should go find rest o in the homes of their future husbands. Basically what Naomi is saying o is that the only way these daughters of Moab could ever hope to find peace and security in their lives

6 is by finding themselves new husbands that can provide for them. This is more likely to happen for them o if they remain in Moab and return to their mother s house than if they travel to Bethlehem o with their mother-in-law, who has no house! o That s the contrast that Naomi is putting in place. The First Refusal 10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. But Naomi s daughters-in-law o were not easily persuaded. Instead they declare their determination o to return with Naomi to her people. The statement is truly remarkable, o for it demonstrates that after all the grief these two young women have shared o with their mother-in-law, they are more attached to her than to their own people. o They will not return to their mothers houses. Their loyalty to Naomi is, at this point, greater than their desire to remarry o and return to a normal life. So Naomi tries again o to convince her daughter s-in-law to turn back. This time she confronts them with the prospect of how difficult it may be o for them to remarry in Bethlehem. The Second Appeal 11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; 13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. To make her point Naomi refers

7 o to a clause in the law of Moses that declares that if a man dies without leaving a son, o his widow is forbidden to marry outside the family. o Instead, her husband s brother takes her as his wife and performs the duty of a husband. The first son that she bears to him is then accounted to the dead brother. This way the dead man s legacy, lineage, and, most importantly for this context, o his widow, are given protection o in a dangerous world. The law was intended to o Preserve the family lineage. So, according to the law, o if Ruth and Orpah return to Bethlehem with Naomi, their prospects of ever marrying again are very slim. o First of all, Naomi has no other sons. Secondly, she believes that she is too old to remarry. o Beyond that she tells her daughters-in-law that, even if she remarried immediately and quickly became pregnant, o that they, themselves, would be old women o before any son of hers was old enough to marry them. She does her best to convince them o that it would be utterly foolish for them to return with her. o If they did, they would likely never marry again but, if they stay in Moab, o where they will not be bound by the law of Moses, o they could remarry again without problem. Interestingly enough, o there is some foreshadowing going on here. Ruth s story is a story of romance and as impossible as it seems to Naomi, it is this very law that enables Ruth

8 to ultimately marry the man of her dreams o and be grafted into the lineage of King David and Jesus. However, Naomi is focused o on the virtual impossibility that this law would ever work in their favor. She is determined to turn them back to Moab, so she can return to Bethlehem alone. In order to further emphasize o the folly of following her, Naomi reminds her daughters-in-law that the hand of the Lord is against her. o The divine hand that had struck Egypt with plagues and destroyed a generation of Israelites o in the desert was now stretched out against her. At this point we clearly see o that Naomi views the death of her husband and sons as the judgment of God and she is warning her daughters-in-law that they are probably better off o without her because if they travel with her o they are not likely to walk in the mercy of God. o Oh, but she couldn t have been any more wrong. o Psalm 30:5 says of the Lord For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: o weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. God s judgment is certain o but his wrath does not have to be final. He always provides an opportunity for repentance. Naomi doesn t realize it yet, o but when she heard the good news, that there was bread in Bethlehem, o that was her invitation back to the grace and mercy of God. If she had missed that, o she may have never known

9 anything else but the judgment of God, o but because she responded to the good news and changed her direction she was now walking o into the blessings of God, not His judgment. Orpah Returns 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. At first blush it appears o that Naomi s argument has, once again, fallen on deaf ears. o For a second time, the three women raise their voices in tears. But this time Naomi s arguments have, o at least in part, accomplished what she desired. As they finish weeping together, o Orpah kisses her mother-in-law goodbye and turns back to Moab. o However, Ruth remains firm in her devotion to her mother-in-law. The whole purpose of this narrative o is to bring Ruth to the forefront of this story. This is the point where Ruth begins to distinguish herself. o Orpah makes the easy and safe choice but Ruth is determined to live out the consequences o of the choice she made when she married a Hebrew boy. o She will not abandon here mother-in-law, no matter what that means for her future. The Final Appeal 15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. As Orpah walks away, o Naomi tries one more time to discourage Ruth. o She points at Orpah, walking down the familiar road that leads back home

10 and encourages Ruth to go with her. o But her interpretation of Orpah s action is remarkable and it goes a long way o to set up the vitally important decision that Ruth is about to make. Naomi tells Ruth that Orpah o is going back to her people and to her gods. This is significant. o Though Naomi actions are somewhat selfish, she s just trying to rid herself of the burden of another mouth to feed, she inadvertently brings the choice that Ruth is faced with o into the stark clarity of truth. o Naomi boils it down to a choice between the gods of her people and the God of Abraham. Hearing Naomi s command o to return to Moab for the third time and watching her sister-in-law head down the road, o Ruth stood between a rock and a hard place, she was about to make the choice of her life and it was a choice that would define o the rest of her days. o Ruth rises to that challenge and pledges herself to the God of the Hebrews! Ruth s Decleration 16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. This is the first time, in this story, o that we actually hear from Ruth and her words are among the most memorable in all of Scripture. Few passages in the Bible o match this one for sheer poetic beauty, and the extraordinary courage

11 and spirituality it expresses. o It is one of the literary gems of scripture. It has often been set to music and sung at weddings o to show the couple s professed commitment to each other in marriage. Ruth begins with a plea o for Naomi not to try any more to change Ruth s mind. o In her heart the decision has been made and the issue is settled. o In order to demonstrate that she makes three significant declarations of commitment. Where you go I will go. o Where you lodge I will lodge. That s the first declaration of Ruth and it is a pledge of commitment to Naomi. o She expresses her resolve to follow Naomi no matter where the path leads. o Be it a rough path or a smooth path, a hard road or an easy road, Ruth is determined to stick with Naomi. The second declaration is the critical one, though. o Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. o In other words, don t tell me to return to my people or my gods again o because I disavow them. o Your people ARE my people and your God WILL BE my God! Ruth was making a dramatic decision o in the most important area of her life. She was making the break from the idolatry of Moab o to the one true God. o It was her greatest decision. It would define the rest of her life. Her final commitment declares that her choice is final. o Where you die, I will die. Where you are buried, that s where I will be buried too. o This statement declares that Ruth s resolve is not just a momentary flight of fancy.

12 This decision is permanent. o She is committing her whole life to this. Scholars say that the mention of burial is significant. o Her desire to be buried in Israel is a statement that her commitment extends beyond this life into eternity. o She is committing herself to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the rest of her life and beyond. Ruth abandons everything she has ever known o and pledges herself, completely and fully, to the God of the Hebrews and to the fate of Naomi. As we have already said, o Ruth s choice is often regarded as one of the clearest examples of conversion in the Old Testament. This is where she converts o from the idolatry of Moab to the worship of the one true God. o From this day, forward, She will no longer be a daughter of Moab. Instead she will be a child of God! She ends her statement o with a very strong oath where she calls on the God that she has just committed her life to o as a witness to her words. o Basically she says, let God witness these words and judge me if I do not keep them. The Oath 18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. Close The firmness of Ruth s resolve o finally stopped Naomi s insistence that she return to Moab. o Naomi could see that Ruth had made her mind up and it was not going to change. o So she quit appealing to Ruth to return to Moab.

13 There are several good lessons here. o First of all, you don t have to remain in Moab. Your mistake doesn t have to be the end of your story. The good news is that God s mercy is still real. o Second, to return to Bethlehem, you have to leave Moab. o This is the simple truth. If you would change your way and escape the judgment of God, then you must go back to the altar, back to where you parted ways o with the blessings of God. o Every journey back begins with a departure from Moab. Finally, the strongest lesson in today s text o is the proper response to temptation. Every time that you make a decision to do right, o to return to God, to follow after Him, your enemy is going to do to you o what Naomi did to Ruth and Orpah. The devil is going to constantly o encourage you to go back. He s going to throw every obstacle imaginable in your path. o He will make seem as if the easier course is to remain in sin, to keep things as they already are and that you are only going to make things worse for yourself o by following after God. In our story, Orpah succumbed to that temptation. o She started out with Naomi and Ruth but over time, the constant invitation o to return to her former life wore her resolve down and, ultimately, she turned back. Too many people are like Orpah, o they start well but they lose their way along the way.

14 Ruth, however, shows us o How to overcome the temptation to go back to Moab. o With each effort to get her to return, she strengthens her resolve to continue on the road to Bethlehem, until finally she makes a declaration so strong that Naomi leaves her alone. This is how you should respond o when the Devil starts trying to get you to turn back to your old life, to go back to Moab, to pledge yourself back to the old idols o that you were once committed to, you have to answer him with a firm statement of conviction. o I WILL NOT GO BACK! My mind is made up! Someone once said o that, when it comes to temptation, the devil treats anything less than a complete and absolute No o as an invitation to continue testing your resolve. That s exactly what we saw unfold o between Ruth, Orpah, and Naomi. Until Ruth finally put her foot down and firmly refused, Naomi remained convinced that she might possibly persuade her o to turn back. Temptation has to be met with resolve, o anything less is an invitation for the enemy to continue to tempt you. You can t flirt with sin, o because, ultimately, you will lose. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You have to shut down temptation o the same way that Ruth shut down Naomi s insistent pleas. The road from Ruin to Redemption

15 o begins with a profound desire for change. But change, for the sake of change alone, o will never fully move you from ruin to redemption. o Orpah wanted a change too, but ultimately she turned back. o Indeed, the road to redemption reached its climax when Ruth committed herself, o all of herself, even beyond the grave, to God. This is the choice that forever changes her life. o This is the choice that will transform her impossible situation into a beautiful story o of undying love and divine provision. This decision is the only reason o why we are even discussing Ruth today. Orpah is lost to history. Naomi s story remains tragic. But Ruth is compelled into the very lineage of Jesus Christ o all because of the decision she made on that fateful day in Moab. Today, you can make that same decision.