Lessons from Ruth

Mwemba Mwemba

Midland SDA Church

October 20, 2012

A. Good morning and Happy Sabbath!! – I want to take time to thank God for allowing us to be here this morning and to be in a position to serve and worship him. It is a blessing we often times take for granted here in America

B. Lets pray together………….

C. My family and I are immigrants to the United States and as I understand most folks here this morning have ancestors who migrated to the United States – so this country is made up of immigrants – people originally from other countries - the idea if migrating is not new. I thought this morning we take a look at a family that moved to another country in search of a better life.  May I ask that we keep our Bibles open to Ruth Chapter 1 it’s a very short chapter - The book of Ruth tells of a family from who migrated from Bethlehem in Judah to Moab because of what the Bible calls famine. In today’s terms I’d imagine that there was stagnation in the economy of Moab. Unemployment was high, inflation was high, it was not raining. Times were hard.

D. This family (husband, wife called Naomi and their 2 sons) decided it was time to move to Moab in search of a better life for themselves.

1. The Bible tells us that while there the husband died. Naomi suddenly become a widow and was left with her 2 sons. Ruth 1:4 says, the sons decided to get married to Moabite girls – one was called Ruth the other was called Orpah and after 10 years both sons died. Noami was left without a husband and without sons – in a foreign land. With zero social support I must add.

2. Share story of the family who have lost spouse and all 4 children……

E. I cannot imagine what it is to lose a spouse. Only those who have been through it can tell you what it feels like. In those days, widows were ignored and taken advantage of. They were almost always poverty stricken and were looked down upon. God’s law provided that the nearest relative of the dead husband should take care of the widow, but remember this was in foreign land and Naomi had no relatives in Moab. She also did not know if her relatives in Israel were still alive.

F. Ruth chapter 1: 6 tells us that it was during this difficult time that she heard that the economy of Israel had picked up, people were working again and it was raining – “God had come to the aid of the people of Israel by providing food”.

G. With this news Naomi and her daughters-in-law decided to head to Israel, but as they started off, Naomi said to the girls, I want both of you to go back to your mothers homes – no reason for you to come with me. In fact why don’t you go find yourselves men to marry as I do not have any more sons.

H. The bible says she then she kissed then goodbye and they wept aloud – but they insisted on staying with Naomi. You don’t want to be with me as God has gone against me. Aren’t we all like that sometimes when things seem dark. As a matter of fact verse 20 says Naomi did not want to be called by her name anymore. Call me Mara because God has made my life bitter and has brought misfortune upon me. [There's a lesson here. When we have decided that God is against us, we usually exaggerate our hopelessness. We become so bitter we can't see any rays of light. We can understand how she felt, but it was God who broke the famine and opened the way for her to go back home (1:6).  But Naomi was so bitter with God's hard providence that she could not see his mercy at work in her life.]

I. Orpah one of the girls kissed her mother-in-law goodbye and left, but Ruth clung to her.

J. In verse 16 and 17: 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”Ruth affirms she wants to go with her mother-in-law.

K. In reading these versus in Ruth, we see a number of lessons. Here are a few we can draw for ourselves this morning:

1. Don’t allow bitterness and disappointment to blind you to your opportunities. Like Naomi, when things are not going well, we tend to find someone to blame – especially God. We often times wonder where God is when we are going through painful experiences. We push away especially those who believe in God. We almost want to take revenge by hurting those around us. When we hurt, the people that often times take the heat are our spouses, our children and yet God sometimes puts them in our lives because he works through them. We have all heard of a man who lost his job, decided he could no longer support his family, went home feeling very bitter, picked his gun and shot all members of his family and himself. The lesson here is that when we face bitter times lets be careful not overlook the love, the strength and the resources that he only provides in your present relationships.

2. We must put the needs of others before our own. Naomi had lost her husband a both children, literally her family in a foreign land. It does not seem apparent, but even in her desperate situation Naomi had a selfless attitude – she encouraged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab. Even if she knew her future did not seem promising. Friends sometimes when we are in such dire situations, all we want to do is share what we are going through with whoever is willing to listen – [Share how co-worker would spend time on the phone talking about what she was going through]. Like Naomi, when we act selflessly, others are encouraged to follow our example. Instead of trying to find a true friend who will give you all the attention you are seeking, seek to become one – one who will encourage and be a listener. The lesson here is that no matter what you are going through there is someone who needs your friendship and support. Ask God to reveal them to you and then take on the challenge of being a true friend. Proverbs 18:24[A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.]

3. Support each other no matter what the circumstances: As friends, family, spouses, we should commit to support each other through thick and thin. In verse 16 & 17, Ruth is making a serious commitment to stick with Naomi. She now believed in Naomi’s God, was prepared to die with her – serious commitment. [Talk about commitment to marriage these days. Most of us find someone to marry, make the proposal, wirte prenups, say the marriage vows and walla we’re married – we keep our marriage vows for a few days to say the least. Until I came to the US I had not prenuptial agreement was foreign to me….It seems to suggest to me that I am not really committed to you. - I wonder what Hope would have said to me if I had suggested we write-up and sign such a document..

4. Show love by adjusting to others situation: In verse 16 and 17, Ruth is committing to change her whole lifestyle. She is prepared to leave her friends, and family she has known all her life. This is an extreme case where Ruth was prepared to go to a foreign land with Naomi, but have you heard of folks in Michigan not willing to migrate to Ohio as a commitment to their friendship. [Share my life lesson about friendships before getting married and the change afterwards]. A little lesson for those recently married and those considering marriage. Be prepared to change certain elements of your lifestyle. Encourage each other and be prepared to go beyond your comfort zone Ruth was prepared to die and we are not even prepared to lose an hour at work for others.

5. Look out for God working in your life in what appears to be your very difficult situation. God's providence or blessing is sometimes very hard and we may be blinded by our situation. From a human stand point, God had dealt bitterly with Naomi—at least in the short run it could only feel like bitterness. Perhaps someone will say: it was all owing to the sin of going to Moab and her sons marrying foreign wives. Maybe so but not necessarily. Psalms 34:19 says, "A righteous man may have many troubles; but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament promises that believers will escape affliction in this life. But suppose Naomi's calamity was owing to her disobedience. That makes the story encouraging because it shows that God is willing and able even to turn his judgments into joys. If Ruth was brought into the family by sin, it is astonishing that she is made the grandmother of David and ancestor of Jesus Christ.

L. My encouragement to you this morning is that is if you feel like Naomi, down trodden with misfortune and difficult circumstances. If you feel discouraged and burdened by problems that are not going away. If you think that the sin of your past means there is no hope for your future. If you think that God has cursed you and you feel bitter and angry, I want to draw your attention to the circumstances Naomi went through to prove that God will come through for you in ways you can least expect. Embrace those around you and be an example of encouragement to others like Ruth and God will bless you more you can imagine. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 15:4[ For everything that was written in the past [including the book of Ruth] was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.]

M. Friends there are enough troubles in this world, but let’s not be discouraged, rather lets be a source of encouragement for others. Our position should be to remain faithful….. Listen to what God says in Psalms 34:19 [The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;].

N. We often wish we could escape troubles – the pain of the loss of a loved one, sorrow, failure of a marriage, loss of a job, failing health or even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear us down. God promises to be close to the broken hearted, He promises to be the source of power, He promises to be the source of courage and wisdom. He promises to be by our side and only he chooses to deliver us from these problems. My prayer and encouragement is that you not get frustrated with God. Naomi was discouraged and the reality is that indeed the burdens of life can wear us down, but I want to encourage you to listen to Christ our friend who sticks closer than a brother when he says… “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. As we leave here this morning, my prayer is that you seek him and allow him to be by your side through the challenges you are going through.

O. Amen.

P. Benediction: To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.