Tag: Ruth

September 8th 2019: Owen Jones

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Owen Jones-Sept19‘But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”’ (Ruth 1:16-17)

Mother-in law and daughter-in-law relationships are not the easiest of relationships to sustain. In this story of Ruth and Naomi some people may ask was it right for Naomi and her husband to leave Bethlehem to go to Moab. There was money in Moab – but when they got there, there was trouble. Providence is a great and glorious doctrine of scripture. Naomi lost her husband and two sons. How did Naomi feel? Have you ever received visitors after a bereavement who mean well but their pearls of wisdom only add to your misery? Naomi tried to persuade her daughters-in-law to go back to their home (v8) but they wept at the thought of this (v14). Orpah returned, Ruth was encouraged to go back. It is a very touching situation.

The text shows these two women stuck together, becoming part of the family history of Jesus. Things happen for a reason. God has only one purpose – His will. This morning we will develop two themes: (1) what one woman expresses and (2) what one woman experiences. Naomi expresses what she feels and Ruth experiences coming to faith.

  • Naomi expresses how she feels (verses 16-17). She had mixed feelings. Our first heroine never lost the sense of Yahweh’s loving kindness, yet she bares her soul. In all she has gone through God shows His loving kindness (Psalm 63:1, 1 John 4:10-11). Even in her grieving Naomi felt that love towards her. Later Boaz told Ruth he knew all about the love she showed Naomi, she was the talk of the town (Ruth 2:11). You may be going through the most difficult time of your life. Thank God His loving kindness is felt, known and experienced.

There is a paradox here. Naomi bares her soul. As we read the story we see how Naomi felt. She wept aloud (Ecclesiastes 3:4). There is a sense of loss. She felt God was her enemy (v13) that God was out to get her. Is it possible that a child of the Covenant could feel this? Well, here’s an example. She had suffered not only the loss of her husband but also her two sons. The future looked bleak. She was penniless, aging, feeling betrayed. Yet at the same time she knew the loving kindness of God. Do you sometimes feel that everything is against you, yet you still come to church, read the Bible? Can you have mixed feelings when going through the valley of the shadow? Yes! David prayed, in a sense of desolation (Psalm 22:1). This was David’s lament. Someone else prayed such a prayer on the cross, but it began ‘My God’. He still had faith!

As the British abroad we have a traditional picture of never complaining, having a stiff upper lip. As a Christian is there ever that aspect of calling on God, ‘Why?’ Do you weep aloud? Do you feel your trouble is worse than others? Face this situation bravely, spiritually, honestly.

  • Ruth experiences coming to faith (Ruth 1:16-17). Here is spiritual conversion, Old Testament style. She is speaking as a young woman that’s come to know or coming to know God. Such an experience can take place when there is trouble. Ruth saw something in the life of her mother-in-law; Naomi loves Ruth even though she was a Moabitess. Though Naomi was widowed and penniless, she possessed something Ruth wanted – faith. At funerals every one of us is presented with our destiny, where earthy life culminates. This woman comes to the Lord in the depth of misery. Naomi tells her to go back but Ruth is drawn from Moab, from gods to the loving God her mother-in-law enjoyed. Do you know what it is to find God, to find Christ, to come to Calvary by faith?

Ruth was to become a proselyte – a rebel becoming a Jew. The glory is when you become a Christian you belong to the people of God, you become part of the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). This is what happened to Ruth. Ruth and Naomi belonged to the same family, they walked together (v17). In Roch, will you leave the world and cleave to Christ? Will you cease to walk in darkness and come to the light of Christ? Perhaps tragedy has crossed your path recently or years ago and you still can’t get over it, yet you still know something of the loving kindness of God? Have you ever felt like Naomi felt, knowing the loving kindness of God yet things happen you don’t understand? Yet God is graciously refining you gold in a furnace, ultimately for His glory and your well-being.

September 28th 2017: Harvest Service – Andy Millership

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Ruth 3

Boaz was a farmer, a straight forward man. This passage refers to him as a kinsman redeemer. What does it mean? A kinsman is a relative. In the culture of the time there was a provision from God for His people; God instructed His people that if a woman lost her husband and had no son to look after her, a relative had this responsibility – making sure the inheritance was carried on. There was always someone there.

Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, had lost her husband and two sons. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, had decided to stay with Naomi and offer the support she could give. Ruth’s husband has also died. Not only was one widow looking for someone to take care of her, but two widows sought help. Naomi thought of Boaz for Ruth. There may have been others, but Boaz was first to come to her mind. In chapter 2 Boaz helps Ruth out. Ruth worked her way around the edge of the harvest field. Boaz told his workers to let her have more.

Naomi has decided that Boaz is the man who needs to take on the responsibility of being a husband for Ruth. She tells Ruth to go to the threshing floor, to be sensible and virtuous. Ruth does as she is told, letting Boaz be her kinsman redeemer. Naomi’s plans are carried through when they marry.

What qualities did Boaz need to be a kinsman redeemer?

  1. He had to be related by blood to those people he would redeem. In verse 2 we are told he was a member of the family.
  2. He had to be able to pay the price of redemption. Boaz wasn’t short of a few bob, he was quite well off. He had a number of fields and could afford to look after them
  3. He had to be willing to redeem her. We read in verse 11 that he was willing. There were people younger and more qualified than him but he was willing.
  4. He had to be free himself. He couldn’t be in the service of another man. He had his own place, with his own workers. He more than made the grade. Naomi was right – what an ideal man he was!

What has this to do with us? Why are we here? To praise God for His provision, to worship Him. Anything more? More than anything it’s the desire and prayer of many people that each one here would come to know what it is that is so wonderful about our Saviour Jesus Christ. We need Him. Without Him anyone who stands alone is in a terrible, vulnerable, hopeless situation. Some may be insulted by this. It’s not an insult – it’s the truth. Even if you feel it’s OK to be in church, or you’re a kind, good, friendly person who does wonderful things – it’s not enough. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All. Every single one of us gathered here. Every single person who has ever drawn breath, bar one, has sinned. We have offended God who is just and holy because we are not yet pure and holy. God demands a price. It is not one we can afford. There is nothing we can do that will pay that price. We need someone who can step into the breach – a kinsman redeemer who can take responsibility for us. There is only the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

  1. If He is to be our kinsman Redeemer he has to be related by blood to those He will redeem. What an awesome thing that is! He stood at the beginning and every thing that has been made came from Him. It’s an unimaginable thing that He should set aside His majesty so He could redeem us. He became like us. What humiliation – to take on a frail, weak body so He could be one of us, part of our family. He made the necessary sacrifice.
  2. He had to live His life on this earth as a man, suffering. He had to live without one slip. Because of His perfection, His sacrifice met the price of our redemption. He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet He was without sin. How often do we sin? How long is there between our sins? All of His life Jesus was without sin. Every moment of every day, when the Pharisees were looking to trip Him up, not once did He do anything wrong.
  3. Amazingly, He had to be willing to redeem. If you think you’re not for God, then you’re against Him. If you don’t accept everything about God then you are His enemy. Yet Christ was willing to redeem. How could that ever be? Jesus Christ laid down His life for His enemies. Amazing! He died so willingly for me and for you.
  4. He had to be free Himself. He was all His life, ‘Yet without sin.’ Perfect. He was the perfect sacrifice. Even though He died, He rose again. Death can’t keep Him, He’s perfect. He can’t be kept in the grave.

He met all the criteria as our kinsman redeemer. It points to a life-changing reality. Boaz was the ideal kinsman redeemer for Ruth. Ruth knew this. She had had to ask Boaz to take responsibility for her. She asked him to redeem her. Do we recognise our need? Without Jesus we can’t be saved. You have to go to Him and ask Him for forgiveness. Think of what He has done for you – given up the glory of heaven and born as a weak, feeble human being, suffering alone. Then He went to the cross and was killed for you. If you go to Him He will never turn you down – He is our perfect kinsman redeemer. Ask Him to save you. He will say yes. Then you will know what it is to be cared for by one who loves you.

September 24th 2017: John Funnell

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John Funnell - Sept 17Ruth 1:1-22

The world is changing, and there is all sorts of political unrest. It is much the same as it was during Ruth’s life. She lived during the period of Judges, when Israel had no king. As a people they were fighting to survive against foreign influences, foreign gods and foreign invasion.

You will see the word “Moab” a lot in the earlier verses of our reading. “Moab”, is essentially a word for “Foreign”. Foreign means. “Bad”, “Bad”, “Bad”, “Bad”! But not in a racist way – the entire book is about how Ruth, a foreigner, is welcomed into God’s family. ‘Foreign’ here means ‘away from God and His promises.’ You can almost replace the word ‘Moab’ with ‘away from God.’

So what we see here is a tale of a man called Elimelek who takes his family away from God (which is bad) and away from their identity at the same time in history when God’s people are battling for it. Elimelek takes his family away from his people because of a famine. Essentially, he goes away from God for profit, for worldly gains. And such a decision brings complications.

We are told in these verses that in God’s land there are lots of men, but away from God, the men die. In God’s land there are women getting married and having children, but away from God, women (Naomi, Ruth and Orpah) with no husbands or children. Elimelek went away from God, left His identity and as a result he suffered the consequences for it! Death!

Naomi becomes desperate so she thought best to go back home, back to God which is? …good! As she embarks on her journey we then read ten verses of goodbye. It is like a train station goodbye. Naomi in verse 8 tells her daughters to go, and blesses them in the name of God. The daughters wished to come with Naomi so in verse 11 she reiterates further why they should go from her.

“Stay with your people and find husbands.”

It would appear Naomi has learned her lesson on leaving her own kin to go to the foreign land. A lesson that cost her all the men in her life!

She obviously did not want her Moabite daughters in law to suffer the same.

V13 the Lord’s hand has turned against me – Naomi says before graciously sending them away in tears.

A touching moment……or is it? If we look at the context we see Naomi is in the mire! We know from Deuteronomy, Israel had provisions for their widows.

Naomi, would have also known the shame that was ahead of her as a returning Jew, who left her people at a time of great need (famine) to go to land of a sworn enemy, Moab for profit.

So, I propose, with the context in mind, that this loving “train station” goodbye is not what it seems. I believe Naomi was in fact preparing for her homecoming! She was concerned that returning with two foreign Moabite women would cause her even more shame? “Naomi’s back and she allowed her Jewish sons to marry Moabites!”

Could this be why Naomi was sending her daughters in law, Ruth and Orpah away? Not in love, but to ease her return back to God? This knowledge changes this dialogue into an argument!Naomi’s tone changes from v6 to a desire to feed her family, to (v12) palming them off on other men!

Naomi is not pleading with her daughters-in-law to come to the God who provides for His people. No! She is clearly trying to persuade both Ruth and Orpah of the many material benefits they will have if they stay in Moab (v9) a new home and a husband!

On Ruth’s insistence to stay, Naomi’s reply in verse 15 becomes a rather coarse and short reply. Naomi clearly does not want her daughters in law, the baggage of her past shameful choices to come back with her.

But as we read Ruth remains honourable and faithful and insists (v16) that She wants Naomi’s God to be her God too! V18 ends the discourse…..“Naomi stopped urging her”. What you have here is a car ride home with a loved one just after an argument.

So how does this argument between two women, thousands of years ago help us today? We are all like Naomi. We have all disobeyed God, gone to foreign lands and done terrible things. And going away from God is always…..bad!

When we realise what we have done is wrong, we then have a desire to repent, so say sorry to God and come back to Him. Often with big ideas of how to make things right by ourselves, we often try to hide our shame, our daughters of Moab, from Him.

But God sees all and knows all and on the cross as He hung naked between two criminals, He took the shame for you, that you deserve for you wrong doing and in His resurrection He beat it!  And if you give Jesus your shame, He can turn those things that once damned you into greater blessings. He can turn a foreign daughter of Moab, Ruth, into a grandmother of Christ Himself!

Do not think that you can’t come to God until you have sorted yourself out. Do not think you have to wait to be an adult before accepting Jesus into your life. Do not try to hide your Moabite daughters’ in-law from Him as you prayerfully return!

He will accept you today for how you are – warts and all! Give yourself over to Him completely and He can turn your problems into wonders of grace for His Glory!

This is the Gospel! The good news! That God saves sinners! Of which I am chief!

Ruth in faith came with Naomi – and that faith lead to God’s embrace. As you will see if you read the rest of the book, Ruth is welcomed in and marries Boaz and her identity changes.

She has a child called Obed, who was the Father of Jesse, the Father of David!

Ruth the Moabite – the Moabite! – becomes a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ our Lord as a result of her faith! Imagine what God could have done if Naomi let Orpah came too!

Do not be like Naomi is here and let your past and present sin hinder your relationship with God today. Do not wait until your life is good enough for God, before coming back to Him, because it will never be good enough without Him.

Bring your shame (your daughters of Moab) to the cross and see God Bless you.

Come to Jesus today and ‘instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.’ (Isaiah 61:7)

Amen