RUTH 1

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled (an approximate 400 year period of time), that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

2 The name of the man was Elimelech (my God is king), the name of his wife was Naomi (pleasant), and the names of his two sons were Mahlon (sickly; unhealthy) and Chilion (pining one or puny)-Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.

• When the judges ruled- That 400 year period of time that was marked by every man doing that which was right in his own eyes. Self rule and self absorption is always a recipe for disaster that will result in a life of famine.
• Famine- The text does not specify whether or not this famine was God’s judgment, but typically, whenever you read of a famine in the land, it speaks of judgment. This famine could be a response to the spiritual condition of the country. The problem in Israel was not the lack of bread. The problem was the lack of obedience to Jehovah.
• Pastor Allan Carr writes this: Often, as we pass through this life, God will orchestrate these famine experiences for us as well. It may take the form of a financial famine, when there is more month than money. It may take the place of a physical famine where health and well being become elusive. There may be a spiritual famine when the heavens become brass and the Lord seems very far away. Whatever form it takes, it is a famine in your life. God's intention during those times of life is not to drive you away from Him, but it is to draw you nearer to Him. He may be trying to correct you, Rev. 3:19; or He may be trying to perfect you, 2 Cor. 12:9. How you react to your famine experience determines whether it becomes a time of blessing in your life or a time of devastation.
• As the story unfolds, we will learn that Elimelech had a close relative name Boaz. He chose to stay in Bethlehem and seemed to do quite well in spite of the famine. Ps 37:19 They (the upright) shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. The grass of compromise is not greener saints.
• Bethlehem, Judah. Bethlehem (“house of bread”) lies in the territory given to the tribe of Judah (praise) about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem eventually received the title, “city of David” (Luke 2:4, 11). This was the city where Jesus Christ, The Eternal One, was born in fulfillment of Micah 5.2.
• If you look at your Bible maps, you will see that the journey from Bethlehem to Moab was about 50 miles to the far side of the Dead Sea.
• Moab was inhabited by people who worshiped pagan gods. The Moabites were the descendants of a man named Moab who was the son of an incestuous relationship between Lot and on of his daughters, Gen. 19:30-38. They were a proud people noted for their lawlessness, immorality and brutal violence. They attacked and opposed Israel, seeking to destroy the people of God, during Israel's wilderness wanderings, Num. 23-25; Deut. 23:3-6. In Psalm 60:8, God says this, "Moab is my washpot..." This phrase means that they were a despised thing, compared to a vessel containing water to be used by slaves to wash the feet of a conquering hero.
• It is to this despised and wicked nation that Elimelech moves his family. Here we see a picture of a man moving his family to a bad environment simply because of a hard situation where God had them.
• Mahlon/Chilion- Many times the children were named to coincide with events going on in the lives of the parents or the nation. They were not healthy children, which was indicative of the times that they were living.

·      Elimelech- Elimelech, according to Jewish chronology was the brother of Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah. This implies he was a great man of his time. Great men at their best are still men…he is going to make a very bad decision.

• Whatever the instinct for survival might have suggested, and whatever the economic considerations might have promised, Elimelech’s decision was by Biblical standards a wrong action.
• To leave Israel to go to Moab was to violate the clear commandment of the Lord, Josh. 23:7, 12. Yet, Elimelech chose the forbidden path to Moab over contentment in the things of the Lord. To leave one's inheritance as Elimelech did was equivalent to denying the faith of Jehovah. It was a total turning from God to the world. You see, for Elimelech and his family, this move to Moab involved total separation from the things of God. They could not worship at the Temple, they could not bring their offerings, they could keep the feasts that were commanded by the Law. They were totally isolated from everything that stood for God.
• Beloved, it is possible for any one of us to be sitting here in a church service, but living a lifestyle that reflects that we are dwelling in Moab. Going to Moab doesn't always involve an actual, physical move saints, it is an attitude of the heart. Whatever is a treasure in your heart will eventually become a reality in your life….guard your heart beloved, with all diligence. If you want to destroy your family, devastate you life and doom those you love, just wander off to your Moab and stay there.

3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.

• They had escaped the famine, but other troubles overtook them.  In every land trial will be our lot. CHS

4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah (stubborn), and the name of the other Ruth (friendship). And they dwelt there about ten years.

5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

• No reason for the death of these three men in her life is given.
• Now Naomi and her two daughter-in-laws, Orpah and Ruth, were childless widows. To be a childless widow meant that you had no one to support you.  It would be very difficult for a woman from that day to be without the protection of a man around her, without the protection of a family around her, without the protection of her own people.  This was a desperate situation.  
• Beloved,dwelling in Moab will rob you of your peace, of your joy, of your praise, of your usefulness to the Lord.

6 ¶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.

7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

• Somehow, word spread in Moab with the good news that God was blessing back in Israel. This sparked a desire in her heart to go home. Maybe she remembered what it was like to be close to the things of God. Maybe she remembered the sacrifices and the worship. Maybe she missed the sweet fellowship she had enjoyed with the people of God. Whatever the thoughts were that went through her head, she finally woke up in Moab and wanted to go home. This is what happened to the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:17
• How important was this decision of Naomi to return to Bethlehem? It determined that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The power of making a godly decision can influence generations to come.

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

• This would seem to be the wisest thing to do as Orpah and Ruth still had stronger family ties in Moab than they did with Naomi. It would logically be the best way to be remarried.

9 "The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

• Finding rest is a term that will be used in the book of Ruth to describe getting married.
• Ruth 3:1 ¶ Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security (rest KJV) for you, that it may be well with you?

10 And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people."

11 But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12 "Turn back, my daughters, go-for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

13 "would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands?

• Verse 11-13 alludes to the ancient custom sanctioned by the law of Moses (De 25:5), which required a younger son to marry the widow of his deceased brother.

·      Deut 25:5  "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband's brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.

No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!"

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

• Her gods- More than likely, this refers to Chemosh the chief Moabite deity who required child sacrifice (2 Kin. 3:27).

16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."

• Your God, my God- This testimony evidenced Ruth’s conversion from worshiping Chemosh to Jehovah of Israel (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9, 10).
• 1Th 1:8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
• Many say they will join the Lord's people who have not thought of the trials of true religion: they had better count the cost. CHS
• Ruth was raised in Moab, an idol worshipping country. By making this statement, Ruth was forsaking her old way of living and abandoning everything to live for Jehovah, The true and Living God. She was adopting an entirely different way of life. Genuine Christianity is about an unreserved, unconditional  commitment to The Lord Jesus Christ.

18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

• The trip from Moab to Bethlehem would have taken between 7-10 days. It would have required them to cross the river Jordan and to climb the 2000 plus feet in elevation required to reach Bethlehem. It would have been easy to stop short of the city, but they continued until they were where they were supposed to be!
• Returning to Bethlehem is a type of repentance and returning to fellowship with The Lord. Like the prodigal son mentioned earlier, don't stop until you have come all the way back!

20 But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

·      Being away from Bethlehem had been bitter, rather than pleasant, because she had lost her husband and two sons to death.

·      But I want us to note a few things beloved. As far as the inspiration of Scripture, these are the first words that Naomi speaks to the women of her hometown…..she is not just bitter, she is full of bitterness and blaming it all on God.

·      In writing to a church, Paul writes these words,Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. What is bitterness inevitably linked with? Rage, anger and evil speaking.

·      Pastor Geoff Thomas said this to his congregation in his commentary on this passage: You know the New Testament warnings about this spirit. Hebrews 12:15 See to it that . . .  no bitter root grows up to cause trouble. What does bitterness do? It is not just that it makes you sulk, but it causes trouble. A bitter member means trouble for the pastor and congregation.

·      Bitterness seeps into the basement of our lives like run-off from a broken sewer pipe. Every form of ugliness begins to float to the surface of those murky waters: prejudice and profanity, suspicion and hate, cruelty and cynicism. There is no torment like the inner torment of bitterness, which is the by-product of an unforgiving spirit. It refuses to be soothed, it refuses to be healed, it refuses to forget. There is no prison more damaging than the bars of bitterness that will not let the battle end” (Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Multnomah, 1983, p.248).

·      Remember beloved, a little bit of bitterness is still bitterness, just as much as a little drop of poison is still poison.

·      Naomi changes her name from Naomi, which means sweet, to mara, which means bitter. But I want to draw your attention to another passage of Scripture where a name is changed from bitter to sweet. It is when Moses and the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt. They were now distanced from their enemies and had gone three days without water. Their thirst had reached the level of pain and desperation. In Exodus 15 a scout cries out, "Water!" and they come to find a great spring of water, enough to water everyone and their animals. But as soon as someone dips into the water it becomes clear that this water is completely undrinkable, this water is bitter and they name the water "mara." In their desperation and painful thirst the people come to Moses and they beseech him to cry out to God. God hears the prayers of His servant, Moses. "After Moses’ prayer the Lord showed him a tree and he threw the tree into the mara (bitter) waters and they became sweet."

·      My dear brothers and sisters, there is only one tree that can turn all your bitterness sweet, and that is the tree of Mount Calvary. Take that bitter situation or relationship or circumstance or attitude and place it at the feet of Jesus tonight beloved.

21 "I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

• Naomi now begins to tell how the Lord worked to bring her home. Note that she admits that it was her decision to leave Bethlehem (I went out full), but God in His providence arranged for her the opportunity to return home.
• It is a sweet thing to be able to trace the hand of God in our affliction, for nothing can come from that hand towards one of his children but that which is good and right. CHS

·      Beloved, please allow me to walk on a spiritual tightrope and make a statement that will fly right in the face of the American “make believe gospel” that Jesus came to put a perpetual smile on your face, make you happy, healthy and wealthy. God in His divine providence has a benevolent design for the bitterness that He allows to come to pass in your life.

• Ps 119:67 ¶ Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
• Ps 119:71 ¶ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
• Ps 119:75 ¶ I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

o   Jas 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him (complain? Blame others? Lash out in anger? Drink or party your problems away?) pray.

§  For those who have been saved for any length of time and have read the book of Ruth, at this point in the story, you are chilling out, no worries at all. In a few flips of the pages of Scripture, the kinsman redeemer, Boaz is going to arrive on the scene…no need to sweat, right?

§  Beloved, some of your lives are in chapter 1 of the book of Ruth….don’t give in and don’t quit….Jesus is The One Who writes the script of providence and your life and times are in His hands.

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

·      Harvest time was not only hard work but a time of celebration that the Lord had blessed the crops again. Mentioning the harvest sets the stage for what happens in the rest of this account. Pastor Bob Caldwell

·      The time of barley harvest was also the time of Passover. A time to shed the blood of the lamb and commemorate the deliverance of God's people from sin. A time when the body of Christ remembers the love of God for us demonstrated by the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.

In closing tonight, as we consider the commitment Ruth made to Naomi, it paints a picture for us of the commitment we should be willing to make to the Lord Jesus Christ.

• We should be willing to cut all ties with the old life and enter into a new land of blessing before the Lord.
• We must be willing to commit to His Lordship for our lives.
• There should be a commitment to a new lifestyle based on the Word and will of God.
• We should also consider ourselves dead to the old life and alive in a new relationship to the Lord Jesus, Who dominates every area of our lives.
• Then, we should be willing to commit to the Lord and His will without any restrictions. Our commitment to Jesus Christ must be complete. It must be absolute and it must be final!

·      So I invite all and any of you who have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord to come forward tonight after the service and publically call upon the Name of Christ for salvation.