Steadfast Love Addresses a Great Need
Ruth 1:1-6 ·June 30, 2024· Joel Passmore
Part of: Ruth
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We really enjoyed our trip. We looked at a lot of scenery. We probably looked at as many maps as we did scenery on our trip. You do a lot of map looking where we were. We went out west to Yellowstone and Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Park. So we were looking at maps a whole lot, trying to figure out where we were, where we were going. Sometimes we were going exactly where we wanted to go. Sometimes we would end up wandering around a little bit.
But sometimes, you know, some great things happen when you wander. Sometimes not. We were, one day we were hiking around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton. We purchased a one-way boat trip across the lake. And our plan was to go up to the lookout and then to hike back around the lake, back to our car in the visitor center. Along the way back, we started to run out of water, one by one. We weren't really in any real danger. I don't think anyone was really worried about anything.
There were lots of people around. We weren't that far from water. But boy, we got thirsty. I think I was the first one around to water, which is not good. But I was so thirsty. We knew where the visitor center was. It was about a mile or two ahead. We knew where our car was and our supplies were. But what we were looking for was something else. We were searching for a moose. We really wanted to see a moose. My wife really wanted to see a moose. At points, I thought about hiring someone to dress up in a moose costume so that we could see one and go back to the car.
We were determined to find one. And so we deliberately bought the one-way ticket so that we could walk a certain way and hopefully see a moose. We heard that there were moose around. There was a path on the map that we were headed towards. It's a path that was labeled around a place called Moose Pond. You thought, okay, this is the place to go. But we could not find that path as we were walking. You look at the map and you think, how could we miss it?
But we couldn't find it. We were walking and walking. And we saw people coming off another path that hit ours. And we asked them. No one could give us clear directions. Our phones weren't working. The map we had wasn't detailed enough. Three out of the four of us were running out of water or were out of water. So I finally sat down just to rest in some shade. I was thirsty. I really wanted my wife to see a moose. I didn't want to give up. But we just could not figure out which way to go.
Nikki shared her water with the rest of us. The girls really had to go to the bathroom. We finally decided that we were just going to keep going and abandon the trek to Moose Pond and just go back to the visitor center. And what would you think that we saw right when we got back to the visitor center? A moose.
Right there. A stone's throw from where we had gotten on the boat. Hours and hours earlier. One of my favorite hymns has a line in it that says, Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. And I love that line because it helps me to be honest with myself and with God about how I wander all the time. In big ways and small ways. There's so many reasons why we wander from God. But I think it all comes down to this. We're searching for something.
Something that we want or that we need and we just, we kind of don't believe that he'll give us. And I think you could admit with me that even though we will still do it again, we know that all that wandering, it only makes things worse. It never really helps.
So today we're going to begin a short seven week series on the book of Ruth. It's a wonderful book. And it all begins with a family that's in need, a family that's wandering. Wandering from God. In search of something. But here's the good news. God is a rescuer. He goes after the wanderer. After the people who have searched for things and have gone away from him. He goes after them. He goes after people like us who have gone astray. So turn with me to the book of Ruth.
It's in your bulletin. It'll be up on the screen behind me. Let's pay attention to the word of God. He's going to speak to us through it. He's going to change us through it. Because this is what he's promised to do. It's holy. It's given to us with a purpose from a God that we can trust. So let's come to him now. Ruth 1, verses 1 through 6.
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. He and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech. And the name of his wife, Naomi. And the names of his two sons were Milan and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem and Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died. She was left with her two sons.
These took Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah. The name of the other, Ruth. They lived there about ten years. And both Milan and Chilion died. So that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
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.
Pray with me. Lord God, thank you for your word. And thank you for your spirit, which makes our hearts alive and soft and able to receive your holy word. And be changed by it. To learn.
Thank you for opening up our ears to listen. And Lord, I pray that as we journey through the book of Ruth, we would be challenged. But also encouraged and strengthened. By what we see here. And by the God behind it all. Lord, we worship you today. You are good. We pray this in your name.
So this is not a great week to have all the kids in here. Because I want to give a little intro to the book of Ruth. I'm hoping this is not too long of a sermon today. But it's important to get an introduction to the book. So this is a true narrative of real history. I want to say that first of all. These things really happened about 3,000 years ago. These things happened. And it was divinely given to us by a holy God. So that, let's just start off with that.
This is real history given to us divinely that we can trust. And having said that it's real history, inspired, I also want to say it is a remarkable piece of literature. Some people have called it the most beautiful short story ever written. Now that is not to say that it's not true or that it's fabricated or something. It's just the way that it's written is very artful, very compelling. And it's true. There's three main characters here. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.
All three play really important roles. But it is named after Ruth because she is the heroine of the story. This is astounding. It should astound all of us because she is not an Israelite. Here is a book in the Hebrew Scriptures. Our Old Testament is named after a Gentile. She's from Moab. This is the only narrative book in the Bible named after someone in that story who is not a Hebrew.
Her words in this book are few and powerful. But the things that she does, her actions speak even louder than her words. Now the book of Ruth, it does not involve political leaders. There's no kings here. There's no generals. There's also no big religious figures. There's no priests. There's no prophets. It is filled with ordinary people. People like you and me. Ordinary people in their ordinary lives. With needs that are very common and hardships that are very relatable.
This is a very down-to-earth book. And in Ruth, there are no divine appearances. God doesn't show up and start speaking. No one walks into the room and says, The Lord says this and starts speaking to everyone. But He is present. And He is working. And to know that, you just have to listen to what the characters of the book themselves are saying. They testify to God's work. They point to His work and say, He did this. He is working here. In fact, in Ruth, God is working through these ordinary people.
He accomplishes something amazing for the individuals here in this story, for their family, and something beyond even them. And something redemptive and something powerful gets accomplished through their ordinary but very remarkable acts of faithfulness and love. Which brings me to the final thing to mention about this book. This book is a love story. It's about committed love. But I know what you're thinking, and it's not a love story between a man and a woman.
It's not a romance. That's in here. But it's not the main thing. The main love story in this book is the sacrificial love from a daughter-in-law towards her bereaved and isolated mother-in-law. Now, that is the main love story of the book, which is pretty remarkable.
This book is about hesed, a Hebrew word. That's it. That's the Hebrew on the top, and that's how we say it on the bottom. This is a Hebrew word that means mercy, kindness, faithfulness. In the Psalms, hesed is translated steadfast love. It's translated that way 123 times in the Psalms. And it always describes how God acts towards his people. Steadfast love. Unfailing love. Though she is not an Israelite, Ruth gives us an amazing, sustained example of hesed.
Of steadfast love towards her mother-in-law, Naomi. And through her, through Ruth, God shows steadfast love to Naomi, Naomi's family, and to all his people.
So the title for this sermon series is this, The Shape of Steadfast Love. Because this book is about that. It points us towards, it's one of the most thorough examples of somebody practicing steadfast love. That we have in the Bible. My hopeful prayer is two-fold. That, first of all, that Ruth points us to Jesus. Because Jesus is the one through whom God shows steadfast love to us. So Ruth can point us to God's steadfast love. That's one hope that I have.
And the other hope that I have is that Ruth teaches us to practice steadfast love. So points us towards God's love and teaches us to practice steadfast love. Because this is a very practical book. A very practical book. If you'll sit with it and apply it to your life, there are so many ways in which it'll challenge you about how to love somebody else. Now to have a need for love, a lot of things can happen for someone to really need steadfast love to be practiced towards them.
That's the main point of today's passage. Verses one through six. Steadfast love addresses a great need. We see three things in this passage. Three things just in the first five verses. That Naomi and her family endure that make them in great need of steadfast love to be shown towards them.
What happens in verses one through five is a series of tragic ironies. Hardships that just wash over this family one by one. And I think that we, I wanted to pause on these first six verses to set up this book. Because it helps us to think about what we've been through. But also, friends, think about what other people have gone through. Think about these, the things that we're going to look at today. And think about other people in your life. The people that are around you.
Because you are called to practice steadfast love towards someone in your life. Probably multiple people. We're going to talk about that more later as the book goes on. But these things will help us to think of other people. And think of, oh, that's someone that needs steadfast love. Maybe I'm the one called to bring that to them in the name of Jesus. Okay. So that was a real quick setup for the book of Ruth and for today. Here are the three things that we learned from verses one through five.
About the way, the three things that can happen that can lead us and lead someone to need steadfast love. The first is this. Difficult times. Difficult times. The setting of the book is this. In the days when the judges ruled.
This is after the Israelites entered the promised land. But before Saul, the first king, was coronated. So that time period. The book of Judges gives several episodes from this time period. And if you've read it, you know it is a dark and chaotic time in Israel's history. It is a hard book to read. Two times in Judges we read this. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Now keep that up as I keep talking here.
That sums it up well. It was a time of lawlessness, of violence, of apostasy and turning away from the Lord. Third, shameful things were done in the promised land. The twelve tribes were just kind of loosely associated. They weren't really united yet. They fought with each other constantly. There were inter-tribal wars happening all the time. The only thing that they seemed to agree on is that they didn't want much to do with God anymore. Because idol worship was rampant across the whole nation.
As soon as they got to the promised land, they started worshiping false gods. They were constantly getting invaded from nations around them, getting subjugated. They would cry out to God for help. And God, because he's merciful, would send in a judge. Basically a military hero to come liberate them from the subjugators. Rescue them. Those judges ruled, but there was no real accountability, no real authority. As soon as they were rescued, they would go right back to doing what was right in their own eyes.
It happens over and over again. That's the whole thing about judges. It's just cycle after cycle of bad things happening, something bad, even worse happening. They cry out to God. He sends a rescuer. They say thank you. And then soon they go back to doing the same thing over and over again. It happens.
It was like the Wild West in America. Have you ever read about the West before it was really settled? I mean, it's like that, but a hundred thousand times worse. Every man for himself. It was a hard time to live. And then to make matters worse, Ruth 1 tells us there was a famine in the land. Now, given what was going on, a famine was not surprising. But this is another element of hardship for Naomi and for her family. Now, I think that we can connect with Naomi and her family about this.
I'm not going to pretend that we have it as bad as they do. But it's not a stretch to say that we live in a world where everyone does what is right in his own eyes. The notion of individual liberty has been taken to its logical extreme. Everyone wants to define for themselves what is true and what is right. And everyone wants to define for themselves what reality is. It's no longer follow your dreams. It's live your truth. Have you heard this phrase, live your truth?
Your truth. Meanwhile, there's no authority, no accountability. The period of the judges teaches us what happens when individual liberty comes without objective morality. So it's no wonder that we also live in a time of strife, of tribalism, of violence, of mistrust, of unrest. These are hard times. When everyone does what is right in their own eyes, people, all people inevitably suffer. That's what happens. Human suffering happens when everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
That's the bitter fruit of being untethered from God. And then comes other widespread hardships. I mean, Naomi experienced a famine, but for us it's been what? The pandemic, a rise in anxiety and mental illness, even economic pressures like inflation, things that come over an entire area, and just add on to the hardship. Times like this are difficult, and we, like Naomi and her family, might be tempted to find an escape. Because that's what Naomi's husband does.
And that's the second thing that puts someone in need of steadfast love, is bad decisions. So difficult times and bad decisions. Still in verse 1, A man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. Bethlehem means house of bread. Oh, the irony that this family feels like they have to leave the house of bread to find food.
Now, since there was a famine, it might seem understandable, and that might be your first reaction, and that was mine too. It might seem understandable, and even reasonable, that he left. But remember, God had just brought them there, to that very place. And when he brought them there, he told them, look, if you'll be faithful to me, you'll be safe. There will be so much food, you'll have it all the time. There won't even be any poverty, if you'll be faithful to me.
If you won't, you'll be scattered, and the land will fail to produce for you. That's what he told them. But then he said something else. He said, if you return to me, look at Deuteronomy 39, if you return to me, the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground. That's the first section of Deuteronomy 30. It's talking about, if you've been scattered and you repent, then I will bless you.
I will bless you in your land. If you'll return to me. These were the terms of the promised land. So now look at Ruth 1, 1-5, and what do you see? Rather than listen to Deuteronomy 30, and to seek the Lord, this man takes his family out of the promised land. There's nothing more for us here.
This is the fend for yourself mentality of the time applied to his family. Elimelech means my God is king, but he doesn't believe his own name anymore.
And worse still, he takes his family to Moab. That is enemy territory. If you don't know the history, let me tell you, the Moabites didn't let Israel pass through on their way to the promised land. Instead, their king hired a prophet to call down curses on Israel.
Moab had even enslaved Israel in the period of the judges. I mean, it had not been that long earlier. Moab had literally enslaved Israel. Well, Elimelech took sanctuary with his oppressors rather than repent and wait on God.
Now, how long was this trip? Verse 1 says it was a sojourn, but then verse 2 says that they remained there. What started out as a grocery store trip turns into a stay. They've settled in. They've changed their mailing address. They've sent out the we've moved cards to all their family and friends. They've learned the quickest way around everywhere. They learned where the hardware store is, where the post office is. They've unpacked. They've hung things on the walls.
They are getting comfortable. So comfortable that Milan and Chilion took Moabite wives. Now, a Jew hearing this story would have been mouth open. They did what?
God had prohibited people from marrying foreigners for one reason. They would be led into false worship. And that's exactly what happened specifically with Moab in Numbers 25. It was recent history.
The steps away from the Lord are adding up in this family. Finally, in verse 4, they lived there about 10 years. 10 years. 10 years out of the land that God called them to. 10 years away from their people and away from their Lord. 10 years of not observing the feasts that God told them to observe or bringing forward offerings. 10 years of hearing more about the Moabite God, Chemosh, instead of the covenant, the true and the living God, Yahweh.
Now, we can all, I won't ask for a show of hands, but we can all relate to making bad decisions instead of waiting on God. Right? Sometimes a whole series of bad decisions. Because one bad decision can kind of become an excuse for the next one and so on. And maybe that's what happened with this family. We start thinking, I've got to do something. God's not doing anything. I've got to take matters into my own hands. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
If that means going my own way, then so be it. God will just have to forgive me. When we give up on going to God with our needs, things always get worse. Like, when a search for relief leads to overeating or over-drinking. When a search for pleasure leads to dark places online. When a search for meaning leads to over-work. When a search for approval leads to people-pleasing.
If you get to the point where you think the only thing left to do is something God says not to do, don't do it. If you get to the point where you think the only thing left to do is something that God says not to do, stop. Don't do it. Go to God and wait on Him.
Only He can give you what you need and He always will. In His own time. It never does any good to leave Him behind. I want to read again from Lamentations 3. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
So difficult times and bad decisions leave us in need of steadfast love. But there's one more thing. Personal tragedy. Oh, the tragedy that happens to poor Naomi. Sometime in Moab, Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died. We don't know how. We don't know why. But really the focus of the story isn't on him. It's on Naomi. This is a terrible loss. Widowhood is grievous. But she's spared from the worst outcome because she was left with her two sons. At least they can provide for her.
They can give her a future as she grows older. At least she has them. But then sometime later, the unthinkable happens. Both Milan and Chilion died. This is an absolute nightmare. A worst case scenario. Not just because of losing both sons after her husband. But because now she's left without an earthly protector. Without an advocate.
Without a provider. She has no prospects and no heir. Because during those ten years in Moab, there's one thing that never happened. Milan and Chilion never had children.
Naomi means pleasant one. But life has been anything but pleasant for her. Maybe this is why the author doesn't even use her name. When he says the woman was left. Without her two sons and her husband.
Now there will be no one to care for her. No one to continue the family name. A family from Bethlehem is facing extinction. Far away from the promised land. In the land of their enemies. In just five verses, a desperate scene has been set.
Naomi's life has reached an absolute low point. She is in a valley. And there seems to be no way out. And many of you can identify with Naomi. You've been in the valley.
You've been suffering. You've faced a bleak future. And I know that if you can't identify with her and with that, you know someone. Someone close to you can identify.
And that matters too. Friends, the need for steadfast love is all around us. All around us. And it's in all of us. Because the world is difficult. And set against its creator. We are born God's enemies. So of course, when we try to fend for ourselves, we end up moving away from him.
When personal tragedy hits, it just reveals how lost we really are. Every one of us is in need of steadfast love. Of rescue. And of help. We need someone outside the brokenness. To come in. To step in. And to make a way out for us. And to carry us out of the brokenness and out of the valley that we're in. Only someone from outside can do it. And that's exactly what God does. And we see just the beginning glimmer of it in verse 6. Because hope emerges.
Naomi gets news from far away. From her homeland. And it is good news. The best news she's heard in a long, long time. Verse 6 makes a point to twice say that she's still in Moab. But God isn't hindered by distance. He doesn't care that it's enemy territory. He sends her a divine telegraph to make sure that she hears. How did she hear? Who told her? We don't know. But God made a way. God got through to her. Help has come. God has provided. The Lord has visited His people and given them food.
Can you just imagine Naomi when she hears that news? Maybe the first good news that she's heard in 10 years. This might seem small, but it is significant. This verse is what sets in motion the story's movement from despair to hope. From emptiness to fullness. Because this is divine intervention from a faithful God. Divine intervention from a faithful God. This is what it takes to rescue and redeem the disaster of a world gone haywire. Of our own bad decisions.
Of the tragedies that hit us. God has to intervene. And this is what He does and this is what He's done. He does it even though things haven't changed that much in Israel. There's still hard-heartedness and idolatry happening in Israel, but God has provided anyway. He is merciful to sinners. All we need to do to receive it is to return. To return to Him. And that's what Naomi does. She arose with her daughters-in-law to return. She arose with her daughters-in-law to return.
She says, I'm done with this place. I've done with the choices. I'm done with the hardship. This has not worked out for me. I'm going home. This is not just a return to the promised land. It's a return to her covenant Lord. She's like the prodigal son in Luke 15. Waking up and saying, wait a minute, what am I doing here? I'm going home. Life is better with my father. And that's where I'm going now. Friends, how do you today need to arise and come back to your creator?
In a small way or a big way? What far country do you need to return from? How do you need to turn around in repentance and obedience and look again to your heavenly Father? I'm calling to you. Come to Him now. Because I am here to give you good news. The Lord has visited His people and given them food. He has visited His people and given them food. It's happened through His Son, Jesus. The bread of life.
Christ died for us. Come to Him. Come home. He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. He is our Provider. He is the one that shows us steadfast love. Return to Him. And taste and see that He's good. Let's pray.
Lord, there are so many hard things that happened to Naomi and her family in this first part of Ruth. So many things that remind us of the hardships we endure, the mistakes we make, and the situations that friends and loved ones and neighbors around us are in. But Lord, we thank You that it ends with a note that points forward to what You will do. The showing of steadfast love to this family. You are the one, Lord, who shows mercy and kindness and faithfulness.
You are the one that embodies chesed, steadfast, unfailing love towards us. And You have shown it to us, God, through Your Son, Jesus. It's Him that we worship today. It's Him that we need. Lord, will You take our hand through the book of Ruth. Help us to see Your steadfast love as we look at Ruth. As we look at the book of Ruth and the person of Ruth specifically. And teach us, Lord, what it means to practice steadfast love to those who need it.
Lord, we need You. And we thank You that You provide for us today and every day. And we pray this, Jesus, in Your name.