Sermon Transcript:

Today, we begin a new series called Hope Among the Fragments, working our way passage by passage through the book of Ruth. In a way, this is a continuation of our study of Judges because the book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges. As you will recall, the book of Judges records Israel’s spiral into deeper and deeper darkness. As the book ends, we are left with the question of how God will work through all that chaos and mess to keep his promise to bring salvation and holiness to the world through such a broken people.

We get part of the answer in the book of Ruth. Throughout Judges, God has been working, protecting his promise, even through broken people and even during the deep spiritual rebellion of his people. In the book of Ruth, we are going to see even more clearly how God was at work, graciously working toward the blessing, despite the weakness of his people. Ruth is a beautiful story of love and redemption. After reading Judges, it is like a breath of fresh air, a glimpse of the sun on a grey day.

This is a book of great encouragement and blessing because it shows us vividly the heart of God for his people. It is filled with grace and mercy and love. In the same way that we may see the moon and stars reflected in a puddle on a clear evening, we see Christ and his gospel in this Old Testament book.

The book is named after Ruth, but it is really the story of a woman called Naomi. God is going to bless her, and through her all Israel and the whole world, but although there is a happy ending, it doesn’t start out that way. We begin with Naomi in some difficult circumstances and as we look at chapter 1 today, I want us to see that

Our joy shrinks when we forget who God is and that he is in control. To doubt His goodness and sovereignty invites unnecessary sorrow.

I have called this message "Grace in the Gloom" because when we meet Naomi, she can only see the darkness, but God is at work. I know many of you are dealing with difficult circumstances as well, and I want to encourage you: God is at work for his glory and your good. 

Know that whatever is happening to you, child of God, comes from the hand of your Father who loves you. God’s providence is like a tapestry woven from a million threads. We cannot make sense of any single thread, and looking at it from underneath it is chaotic, but when they are knit together and viewed from above, it is something beautiful to see.

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

The book begins with a famine in Bethlehem, so this man Elimelech and his wife Naomi move to the country of Moab with their children. The word “Bethlehem” means “house of bread,” yet there is no bread there. God had promised Israel that if she was faithful and repented of her sin, the land would be blessed, but if she remained unfaithful, the land would be judged. We know from the book of Judges they were often unfaithful, and famine was one way God disciplined them.

So, the book begins with a subtle reminder that Israel was not faithful. The author doesn’t comment on Elimelech’s decision to go to Moab, but remember, the Moabites were enemies of Israel. They were among those who oppressed the people during the time of Judges, and they were worshippers of Canaanite gods. This family left the promised land to seek satisfaction among the enemies of their people and their God.

3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Not only do they move to Moab, but their sons take Moabite wives. They are intermingling with the people, which God had commanded them not to do. In fact, Deuteronomy 23:3 says,  

3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever

The author does not comment on any of this, but the picture we get is not one of exemplary faith. They left the land God gave them and promised to bless if they were faithful and began building a life elsewhere.

 But life in Moab isn’t easy either. Within ten years, she loses her husband and her two sons. She is left there alone with her son’s wives. Keep in mind, this is a patriarchal society, so without husbands, these women are in a vulnerable situation, especially Naomi, who is older. Without family connections, Naomi faces an uncertain return to her homeland, depending entirely on God’s providence as she returns.

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”

Clearly, these women have come to care for one another. Naomi hears that the famine is over in Israel and decides she should return home. The two women, Orpah and Ruth, are planning to go with her, but Naomi stops them and urges them to stay in Moab and find husbands. Our culture emphasizes the individual, but ancient Near Eastern culture was more communal.

Today, a woman is considered successful based on her individual accomplishments, education, a career, and so forth, but in ancient Israel, the glory of a woman was connected to the success and reputation of her family and clan. To be a childless widow was to be cut off from contributing to the continuation of the clan and the inheritance of the family, which had social, economic, and even political consequences. It is a testimony to the love Naomi must have shown them that, even considering this, they want to continue with her.

11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?

She is a woman who knows what it is like to try and build a life as a foreigner in another place and to be a woman without a husband. She has lived too long to be idealistic or feed their romantic notions. She is realistic and tries to give them logical advice. Under Jewish law, if a man died, a brother would take his wife to continue his line, but all Naomi’s sons are dead. Even if she were able to get pregnant right away and have a son, they would be too old by the time he could fulfill this role.

Some commentators say that Naomi was discouraging them because it would bring her shame for the people in Bethlehem to see that her sons took Moabite wives. It is possible that she knows that, but given their affection for each other, it seems to me that she is trying to think of their best interests.

But this highlights something about Naomi, which is that she is so absorbed with her immediate circumstances that she is robbed of joy and peace. We see this in what she says next,

“No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

Naomi’s response is “woe is me.” She is so absorbed with the strands she cannot see the tapestry. She knows enough truth to recognize that God is in control. In this, her theology is better than most today, who try to defend God by making him smaller. She knows that God has orchestrated these things. Although she has a profound misunderstanding of what God is doing, she is at least content to let God be God.

Yes, God is sovereign. There is nothing that happens to us that is outside of his control. Lamentations 3:37-38 says,

"Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?"

Job in his misery said,

10 …Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:10).

Naomi understood God’s sovereignty, but she did not understand God’s character. She is so focused on her troubles that she does not see them as God’s gracious work to bring about a greater blessing. This perspective is a familiar one, as trials can often make God feel distant. She has forgotten the promises of God. She has forgotten the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery but rose to power in Egypt, and of Job, who lost everything but remained faithful and was eventually restored. Naomi’s perspective is clouded by her immediate pain, preventing her from seeing the broader narrative of redemption and hope that God is orchestrating.

How often do we, like Naomi, forget this even though God has told us so many times to trust him that he is doing a good work? Even though we have seen this demonstrated repeatedly in the life of those who do trust him? When difficulties come we are tempted to shrink our perspective. We zoom in on the negative. We become like accountants who only calculate the debits and not the credits.

The greatest blessing ever poured out on the world came through the greatest evil act ever perpetrated, the crucifixion of Jesus. God is not only sovereign, but he is also good; we can trust him. Friends, trust in the promises, for Romans 8:28 says,

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Naomi is forgetting this and thus she is robbed of joy and peace and her entire perspective is shifted to worldly concerns of comfort and prosperity. She thinks because she is suffering God has cursed her, not realizing that God is working through her circumstances to bring about a magnificent blessing far bigger than her temporary comfort. So she discourages the women from coming with her.

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, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

Naomi clearly loves these women, but because of her own self-absorption with worldly things, her love was more focused on their earthly well-being rather than their spiritual welfare. She had no right to discourage their commitment, especially after they both expressed their desire to stay with her. When Orpah decided to return to her people and their gods, Naomi should have been devastated, realizing the grave impact of her advice. Instead of urging Ruth to follow Orpah's example, Naomi should have tried to reverse the damage and lead them both to serve the one true God.

Sadly, we see this kind of thing all the time, where parents prioritize their children’s worldly success over their spiritual growth. When giving advice on work, education, sports, and other social engagements, do we prioritize what is good for their souls or what we think will help them get ahead in the world? Naomi may have been well-intentioned, but she allowed her concern for their immediate circumstances to overshadow clear thinking about what was good for their souls. She ended up being a stumbling block rather than a guide, urging them towards worldly security instead of eternal salvation.

16 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. 17 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.”

This is one of the most beautiful and magnificent testimonies in the Bible. She confesses her love for Naomi and her desire to stay with her until death, and confesses faith in God and a determination to live among God’s covenant people. This statement, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” is an astounding thing for her to say.

We need to understand how radical this is. Ruth is declaring a transformation of identity at a time when that was almost inconceivable. We tend to think in terms of citizenship and national identity, but that way of thinking is relatively modern. The idea of a nation-state, as we understand it, doesn’t exist until the middle of the 17th century. The idea of a people or ethnicity was connected to tribal affiliations, and each group had its own gods. Religion and ethnicity were tightly connected. We still have echoes of this. If someone tells you they are a Jew, it isn’t immediately clear if they are telling about their heritage or what they believe.

A Moabite was always a Moabite and a Jew a Jew regardless of where they lived. Throughout this book, Ruth is called a “Moabitess.”, but what she is saying to Naomi is that she is joining herself to Naomi not just as a companion, but by joining her people. She is taking on a new identity. From Ruth’s perspective, she is becoming an Israelite. Why does she do this?

I believe it involves more than just her affection for Naomi. In chapter two, Boaz says that she has taken refuge under the wings of God. I take this to mean that Ruth has put her faith in Yahweh. She too has experienced loss and difficulty but is not ashamed to put her faith in God and be counted among his people. What an amazing testimony to the grace of God!

Think about how amazing this is. She is from Moab, a people opposed to the Jews at every turn. Her people worshiped the god Chemosh, who led them into all sorts of unspeakable immorality and even accepted human sacrifices.

Nothing in her circumstances would seem to encourage her to love God. The followers of God she knew didn’t seem to be too concerned about his law. She lost her husband as a young woman; her father-in -law and brother-in-law both died, leaving her without any support or protection. It certainly doesn’t look like the worshippers of Yahweh are especially blessed. There is no prosperity preaching going on here. Naomi obviously loves her, but even she is a hindrance, urging her to return to her family and the gods of Moab.

It is a miracle of grace that Ruth comes to God despite these obstacles. But that shouldn’t surprise us, because it is truly a miracle of grace for any sinner to repent and to come to faith in God. It is by the power of sovereign grace that we and anyone else are saved. Jesus says in John 3:8,

8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

God extends grace to the heart, transforming its desires. He doesn’t simply invite the sinner but opens their eyes, like he did for Lydia, so they come willingly to him for life. It is the voice of God that calls us from darkness to light. Jesus says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” All this is to the praise of the glory of his grace. If salvation were left to our strength to accomplish or even to complete, we would never come…

“But God”, Paul says in Ephesians 2:4-5,

being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

Far from discouraging evangelism, the sovereignty of God should be the foundation of our confidence in doing it. It is knowing that, despite our weaknesses even as believers, that we worship a God who is mighty to save that gives us hope in sharing the gospel. God was pleased that Ruth should hear of him through Elimelech and Naomi, despite their inconsistencies and imperfections. I pray God would be pleased to cause many to hear and believe despite mine, and yours.

We worship a God who delights in showing mercy, and he often shows mercy to people in the least likely places. I am ashamed to confess that there are people following Jesus today that I had given up on. I had grown weary of praying for their salvation, thinking nothing would come of it, but God didn’t give up on them. We cannot tell who will answer the call. There is no pit too deep and no darkness too black for him to reach. There is no sin stronger than the love of Jesus, and there is no penalty that costs more than his blood is worth. Titus 3:3–6 reminds us

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior

It was God who is at work in Ruth’s heart, and although Naomi can’t see it right now, he is going to work through her to bring unimaginable blessing. When Naomi finally saw Ruth’s determined resolve, their journey together continued. Although Naomi’s heart was weighed down with sorrow, God’s redemptive plan was quietly at work. Verse 18 says,

18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. 19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

Ruth goes with her to Bethlehem, and they are the talk of the town, but again we see Naomi is so filled with self-pity that she is forfeiting the joy and peace of trusting God and the blessing of knowing he is working through her something good.

When they greet her with exclamations that you might hear when you have been gone for a long time she uses that as a chance to try and get them to feel sorry for her. They say “is this Naomi”, which means pleasantness, and she says, “don’t call me ‘pleasant’; call me Mara”, which means bitterness. She has become a spiritual Eeyore moping around looking for sympathy. Do you ever get that way?

She says,

21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

Here the complaint is made plain. My troubles are not my fault; they are God’s fault. The deck is stacked against me. I was satisfied, and now because of how God has chosen to deal with me, I am empty. At the bottom of her discontent is a lack of faith and trust in God. She has forgotten that God, who is a loving, merciful God, is in control. She has forgotten his promises to those who are faithful to him.

Aren’t we often like this? God has set a banquet of blessings before us, and we complain about the crumbs. We are like wealthy children, dressed in designer clothes, complaining there is hole in our sock, knowing we have drawers filled with more in our father’s house. We should be ashamed of ourselves to complain about lacking anything when we have been given the fullness of Jesus Christ.

What is the fullness Naomi had? A husband? A son? Comfort in the world? Has God forgotten her? First, God has raised up Ruth to be with her, which itself is proof that God has not forgotten her. She is not alone. More importantly, the very events that Naomi is mourning are those that will be used to bring about not only blessing for her, but for us, and all the world.

Naomi is mourning that she and her husband have no heir, and she has no grandchildren. But it is her husband’s death causes her to return to Bethlehem. The death of one son leaves Ruth widowed, and the death of the other opens the door for another relative to fulfill the role of redeemer and ensure the line continues. By the end of the book, we will learn that thanks to Ruth, the line will continue .

In fact, in 4:17, the child born to Ruth and Boaz is called a son born to Naomi. We are told in 4:15 that Ruth is better than seven sons because she produced what Naomi’s sons were unable to produce, an heir. The child’s name is Obed, and he is the father of Jesse, who is the father of king David, and it is a son of David who will reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Believer, God’s sovereign love directs every event in our lives, even the hard and painful ones, and His purpose is never to leave us in sorrow but to bring us to joy in Christ. This is the very heart of the gospel. Jesus entered our world of sin, sorrow, and emptiness to take away our sin, to remove our sorrow, and to fill us with the true life that can never be taken from us. He lived without sin, died in our place on the cross, and rose again to give us a new inheritance that we can never lose. Through Him, we have a fullness that surpasses anything the world could offer. In good times and bad times, if we keep his goodness and sovereignty before us we can truly sing the words of Psalm 4:7,

7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound

Brothers and sisters, this is our source of joy, that we find our satisfaction in God and not the temporary joys of the world. We need not understand everything that is happening to trust him. We know he loves us and that he is for us rather than against us. We know this because he sent his son to die in our place so that we could be rescued from sin and death and brought to him. What more could he give?

The chapter began with a famine. It ends as a harvest is about to be gathered. Verse 22,

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

These women do not know it yet, but God is about to do something remarkable. I am confident, brothers and sisters, that regardless of what you are dealing with, I can say the same thing for you, knowing that the heart of man has not yet imagined what God has prepared for those who love him and that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

If you have put your trust in Jesus, then as you leave here today remember this: If there were any other circumstances that would have been better for you than those you currently have, God would have put you there. God knows what he is doing, and he has not abandoned you. He will complete the good work he began in you. If we knew everything God knows, we would want for ourselves exactly what he gives us. May we encourage one another and strengthen one another in the coming weeks to remember these things.