RUTH

I. Introduction

A, Ruth begins morally where the book of judges ends, in departure from God,

1. Our story finds Ruth in the lowerst place but leaves her in the place of highest honor

a. Consider the contrast for just a moment
b. We find Ruth in Moab (Ps. 60:8) God's washpot. She is a Gentile, poor and widowed She is reduced to gleaning in fields for for food.
c. But there was no more honorable position than that to which Ruth was raised by virtue of her marriage to Boaz.

B. This change in Ruths" standing furnishes a beautifully illustration of the grace of God toward us.

1. We are in a low place - the place of sinners

a. We have violated God's ordanances times without number.
b. Like sheep we have turned away from God's will to do our own.

2. But upon hearing the Good News of salvation that is in Christi Jesus we can be elevated to the highest and most exalted position

a. John 1:12 Ä He gave us the right to be a Son of God
b. Romans 8:17 Ä He made us heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ

II. The Departure from Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1)

A. Our story begins in Bethlehem at the time of a famine

1. The strange thing about a famine in Bethlehem is the very name means "House of Bread"

a, It is fittingly the birthplace of Him who is the Bread of God" come down from heaven to give life unto the World.
b. Its seems a strange contradiction to have a famine in Bethlehem. If there is no bread there where can it be found?
c If there is a famine in Bethlehem it is the fault of the people of God.
d. God has promised to bless and care for the land if the people care for Him, to love and serve Him (Deut. 11) ( II Chr. 7:13 - 14)

2. The famine was from God because of the disobedience of His people.

a. God's visitations in chastisement are not for the punishment of our sins but rather they are to lead us to repentance and recovery.
b. God use the judgements to make us feel our own weakness and helplessness and then to seek deliverance and mercy from Him.

B. Elimelech made a serious mistake in leaving God's land, by doing so he was seeking to escape the rod of God's wholesome discipline

1. When God's disciplining hand comes upon us we should humble ourselves and seek the purpose of it.

2. Isn't all of this a picture of what happens in the life of a Christian?

a. Our spiritual experience with Jesus is a land of milk and honey.
b. If we turn away and seek satisfaction in this world, then God shuts up heaven and there is no rain
c. No peace - no joy - guilt and dissatisfaction
d. The refreaging moving of the Spirit gone from the heart, the Bible becomes dead, prayer is hollow, and the joyous testimony is gone.
e. It is far worse to have this spiritual famine than a physical famine
f. Amos 8:11 - speaks of a famine not of bread, but of hearing the Word of God.

III. Natural Way Out

A. Instead of seeking God's face, and seking His deliverance from this famine - Elimelech found another way.

1. Elimelech way out was to go to the land of Moab

a. The heathen, Gentile country seemed to have no famine
b. When you depart from God the World system seems to be very alluring. So many pleasures are there. At least on the surface that's the way it is.

2. Notice when he departed it was to be a brief sojourn

a. Notice what happened (Ruth 1:1,2,4)
b. Elimelach never came back, neither did his two sons
c. Only Naomi made it back and her comment upon her return is extremely interesting (Ruth 1:21)

B. Why do believers leave the land of Bethlehem?

1. Elimelech left not because Moab was so attractive but because Bethlehem was so dry
2. Most often it is the same in the case of a believer.

a. Jesus is not real anymore - Don't get anything out of the message
b. Now they feel they must have some fun out of life, something to occupy their time.
c. It now seems there is nothing among the saints to attract them for everything seems so dry and dead
d. But whose fault is it? Is it the church, other Christians? We put blame on them.
e. But could it not be that it is you who is dry and because of it you find fault with other

3. Instead of facing the fact that I am dry, I blame other Christians and head for Moab.

a. We think that we will find something there that will substitute for what we have lost
b. When this happens we have involved ourselves in a whole range of new problems.
c. We may get caught up in a series of moral collapses. What happens then? A mountain of guilt crushes down upon our shoulders
d. Now we are sure there is no way that we will ever get back to Bethlehem.
e. Like Elimelech we are quite sure we must die here.

4. Remeber it all starts by telling ourselves that these excursions to Moab are only going to be for for a short time Ä just a sojourn.

a. Just a little lowering of the standards in order that we can enjoy what the world has to offer.
b. Maybe for you that short time is a long time

IV. God's Way Back

A. If you are the far country - God will take means to bring you back

1. Naomi was not long in Moab before God began to work to bring her back.

a. God loves us so much He will bring us back if we are truly His.
b. Our way back may be hard and bitter - if that is what it takes to do it - God will bring it to pass

B. God Used two things to bring her to repentence !

1. He laid His hand of discipline upon her family

a. God took her husband - that wasn't quite wnough to awaken her soul
b. Then God took her two sons, this left her alone in a country to which she did not belong

2. God had indeed caused life in Moab to be bitter for her.

a. Call me not Naomi (Pleasant) call be Mara (bitter)

However, let me say emphatically that these experiences are not to be rcgarded as punishments. They are always and all the time restorative in their intention, rather than punitive. Whatever a man may suffer, no matter how grievous or calamitous, it is never to be regarded as a punishment for sin, for the simple reason it can never be sever enough to be so regarded. The only adequate punishment for sin ia what Jesus bore in His body on the tree for us. There and there only do we see the due reward for our sin. What comes to us is designed to bring us back to the God who lovea us, by provoking us to repent of our wrong choices and by making the far country less attractive for us to remain there. As cowper said - behind a frowning providence - He hides a smiling face.

b. Please do not misinterpret God's dealings
c. It is a natural thing to feel that God is against us when we have a quilty conscience
d. Whatever our adversity means it cannont mean He is imputing unto us our treapasses. They were already imputed to Christ on the Cross. ( II Cor, 5:19)
e. It is simply the love of God intent on restaining us and carrying out His will for out lives'.

2. Second thing to bring Naomi back to Bethlehem was the news of revival back home (Ruth 1:6)

a. What a picture of revival this is.
b. Such news coming to Naomi in her condition was great Indeed. It was the means to turn her back home

3. Under the influence of God's discipline and the good news of what God was doing back home, Naomi repented of ever having left Bethlehem in first place

a. Her comment about God having dealt bitterly was not a complaint but a humble recognition that God was just and that she had learned her lesson
b. Our repentence is the recognition that God is right in afflicting us and we have no complaints
c. It is our acknowledgement that God is right in His dealings with us and that we have been wrong in our dealing with Him.

4. At the Cross of Jesus we can afford to be wrong because

Pardon there is multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul finds liberty,
At Calvary.'