Bible Study - Second Nature (3) - Ruth - Ruth 1:8-17 - October 29, 2017

Bible Study – Second Nature (3) – Ruth – October 29, 2017

This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “Second Nature: Choosing 

CHRIST-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World.”

Our focus scripture is Ruth 1:8-17.

CHRIST-centered living chooses commitment, not convenience.

When I look at Israel as a whole in the Old Testament, I think of us, as Christians, living life upon earth. We all have our ups and downs as we grow Spiritually and build our personal, loving, intimate relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS. These ups and downs, as we journey through life, help us to get to know GOD, HIS love, HIS care, HIS guidance and not for us to just get to know about GOD. GOD’S desire is for us to experience HIM. Does that mean that our journey with HIM will be easy? No! But it does mean HE will be with us every step of the way. Our life upon earth is all about building the right, personal, trusting relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS.

In our lesson this week, we witness the relationship GOD desires for each of us to have with HIM. That is a life committed to obediently serving HIM, as HE leads us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

We have studied the Israelites being led to the Promised Land, refusing to trust GOD to help them conquer the land HE had given them. When the Israelites heard that their twenty year olds and upward would not enter the Promised Land and all the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years, they repented for their lack of faith in GOD. Then, they decided to go take the land and as recorded in Numbers 14:39-45:

39 When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief.

Moses reported to the Israelites GOD’S punishment upon them for their lack of faith in GOD because they were afraid to enter the Promised Land HE had given to them. The Israelites “were overcome with grief” which led them to reconsider their action not to enter the land GOD had given to them. So they changed their minds. GOD’S desire is for hearts that trust HIM and that are committed to HIM and HIS ability to provide.

40 They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, "Let's go to the place the Lord promised, for we were wrong."

41 But Moses responded, "Why are you going against the Lord's command? It won't succeed.

42 Don't go, because the Lord is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies.

43 The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The Lord won't be with you, since you have turned from following Him."

44 But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the Lord's covenant and Moses did not leave the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that [part of the] hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah.

Moses warned them that it was too late for them. GOD would not be with them. Thus, the Israelites were defeated.

Now fast forward forty years, once the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they witnessed the leadership of GOD by walking across the Jordon River on a dry bed. They witnessed GOD giving them victory over Jericho when they trusted HIM with the blowing of trumpets and shouting. When GOD leads we must be obedient to HIS leadership.

GOD warned them to destroy all the idols and pagan gods in the Promised Land and not to worship any of them.

However, the Israelites struggled with worshiping The LORD versus worshiping the gods of the Canaanites. They would turn away from worshiping The One True GOD and worship the false gods in Canaan. They would repent and GOD would restore their relationship. I think of their relationship as a wheel. Round and round they would go – worship the One True GOD, fall away and then worship some false god. GOD would punish them and they would repent and return to their One True GOD. Spiritually, they were hot and then cold. GOD has scripture for such a relationship as we read in Revelation 3:15-16:

15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.

Straddling the spiritual fence makes GOD sick. When you mix hot and cold, the net result is lukewarm.

During the period of judges, the Israelites would focus on GOD but once the judges died they would revert back to worshiping gods.

The Book of Ruth is a record during the period of judges. During this period, GOD was at work in Israel’s next door neighbor, Moab. We get to see the hand of GOD bringing together the lineage of the future Messiah, JESUS, through the union of Boaz and Ruth. The need for food was the driving force which relocated Elimelech, Naomi and their family.  Let’s explore!

Elimelech (e-lim’-e-lech) and his wife, Naomi, left Bethlehem and went to Moab in search of food. They took their two sons – Mahlon and Chilion with them to Moab. Ruth’s husband died. Her two sons married Moabite women – Orpah and Ruth. Then her two sons died. Thus, some of the background for our study is recorded in our background scripture as we read on ----

Let’s read Ruth 1:1-7: Background

Naomi's Family in Moab

1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to live in the land of Moab for a while.

2 The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the land of Moab and [settled] there.

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

4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah (Or’ pa) and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about 10 years,

5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband.

Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi

6 She and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to His people's [need] by providing them food.

7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.

Let’s read Ruth 1:8-10:

8 She said to them, "Each of you go back to your mother's home. May the Lord show faithful love to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.

9 May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the house of your [new] husband." She kissed them, and they wept loudly.

10 "No," they said to her. "We will go with you to your people."

Let’s read Ruth 1:11-15:

11 But Naomi replied, "Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands?

12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was [still] hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,

13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, [my life] is much too bitter for you [to share], because the Lord's hand has turned against me."

From Naomi’s point-of-view the LORD had turned against her but had HE? GOD was re-positioning her and Ruth to accomplish HIS will and purpose as we will read at the end of our study. This is the beauty of us getting to know the rest of the story and the beauty of GOD’S Word.

14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law."

Let’s read Ruth 1:16-17-22:

16 But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do this to me, and even more, if anything but death separates you and me.

That is commitment and the commitment GOD desires for us and HIM and for our wife or husband when we marry.

Some people think getting married in a church provides assurance of an everlasting marriage, “until death do us part.” Each person being a Christian provides a basis but it takes commitment to each other and their marriage relationship for it to last. Marriage takes work and commitment to each other. 

Satan will offer alternatives. I have no tolerance for abuse from either partner.

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.

Ruth was determined and committed to go with Naomi. This is the commitment our LORD desires from each of us as we travel through life committed to obediently serve HIM.

19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival and [the local women] exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"

20 "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara," she answered, "for the Almighty has made me very bitter.

Naomi was bitter toward the LORD. Many of us get bitter with the LORD but HE tells us that HE will never forsake us or leave us. Our part is to trust even when the path of life gets very hard.

21 I left full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has pronounced [judgment] on me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

22 So Naomi came back from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

As we journey with our LORD, HIS timing is always perfect.

Psalm 30:5:

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

Now for the rest of the story:

As we study the book of Ruth, we discover the main reason Ruth clung to Naomi and GOD relocated her, as recorded in Ruth 4:13-17:

13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the women said to Naomi, "Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name be famous in Israel.

15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."

So Ruth married Boaz and they had a child. What was so great about that other than making Naomi happy? Let’s explore!

GOD’S plan was for Boaz and Ruth to be in the lineage of JESUS. Ruth gave birth to Obed and that event turned Naomi’s bitterness to joy. But there was more to come as we read on ----

Often, we do not see the complete picture for our lives against the backdrop of GOD’S complete plan. We look at our circumstances and think that GOD is against us. Yet, HE is only re-positioning us to accomplish HIS will and purpose in our lives and the lives of our future child or children. That is the reason every life is important and counts in GOD’S plans. I have listened to a number of people give their testimony of being so grateful that their mother did not abort him or her.

The Good News is that GOD understands when we think ill of HIM because of life’s circumstances. In the words of Dr. Vance Havner, “we must practice in the dark what we learn in the light.” Easy to write or say and difficult when we find ourselves in the dark. As the words of the old gospel song go “trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in JESUS, but to trust and obey.” Lyrics by John H Sammis, 1887.

Being a child of GOD through faith in JESUS is not easy but rewarding as we build our relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Please do not cut your Spiritual journey short by getting angry with GOD over the circumstances in your life but trust HIM to guide you through them to the Promised Land that HE has prepared for you. 

Remember the words of the song of years ago “trust and obey.” GOD loves you with an everlasting love.

Now, let’s consider part of the lineage of JESUS which relates to our study, as recorded in Matthew 1:5-6:

5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse,

6 and Jesse fathered King David. Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah's wife,

When we think GOD has handed us lemons, HE is planning to make us lemon aid. It is such a blessing to see GOD’S plans unfold in lives. When we study GOD’S Word we have the opportunity to see HIS hand working in the lives of people. Our lives are still a “work in progress.” Keep on pressing forward because HE has a plan and purpose for you and your life. “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in JESUS, except to trust and obey.” Prayers 

for all who are struggling. “Joy comes in the morning.” Blessings!!!