Ruth 1
Someday when my children are old enough to understand
the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:
I loved you enough to ask where you are going, with whom,
and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and
buy a bike for yourself even though I could afford to buy one
for you.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your
new best friend was a jerk.
I loved you enough to make you pay for the toy you had
taken and tell the clerk’ ” I stole this yesterday, and I want to
pay for it.”
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you
cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and
tears in my eyes. Children should know that their parents
aren’t perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for
your actions even when the penalties were so harsh, they
almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew
you would hate me for it. … Those were the most difficult
battles of all. I am glad I won them, because in the end, you
won too . And someday when your children are old enough
to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell
them.
We love you moms!! Thank you for all you do.
Today our message comes from the book of Ruth. Inasmuch as
Ruth is a wonderful woman, we won’t be focusing our attention on
her this morning. Today we are going to examine the life of
Naomi. There are several lessons we can learn from her story.
Ruth 1:1-5
Due to the famine, Elimelech decided to move his wife and 2 sons
to Moab to try to find food. This was not uncommon in that day.
Remember when Abraham left his home to go to Egypt to find
food during a famine.
Naomi submitted to her husband’s leadership
Elimelech led his family to food, but shortly after arriving in Moab
he died, leaving a widow to care for her 2 sons.
Both sons married Moabite women.
10 years later, they both died leaving Naomi alone in Moab with
only two daughters-in-law.
Ruth 1:6-18
Naomi taught her daughters-in-law about the one true God.
Naomi obviously taught Ruth and Orpah about God.
She must have constantly talked about the Lord in her daily life.
She must have told Ruth and Orpah that God had provided food
for her people in Judah because the three of them set out
together towards Bethlehem.
She must have told them the story of how God had provided
manna from heaven for Israel while they were in the wilderness
and how He led them with a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud.
It’s evident by Ruth’s response in Ruth 1:16-17 “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.
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.’”
Naomi’s life impacted Ruth in such a way that she didn’t want to
go back to her old way of life. She saw how Naomi responded to
the death of her husband and two sons. She saw the hope that
was still alive in her. It was this and more that inspired her to
follow Naomi all the way back to Bethlehem to a new life, a new
God and a new future.
Naomi proved that mom’s aren’t always perfect
She gives them Bad Advice.
She told her daughters-in-law to return to their mother’s house
That would mean turning back to their customs and their gods.
Turning back to the foreign gods would mean turning from the one
true God. This is not Naomi’s finest moment.
She also urged them twice to turn back because she didn’t see
any way that she could give them another son.
Her grief caused her to blame God rather than see her situation
as a temporary trial. Again, Naomi is not perfect.
The lesson here is that even when we make mistakes, we
should learn from them and strive to do better.
Mom’s we know you aren’t perfect, but we love you anyway.
If you’ve made a mistake, ask for forgiveness and move one.
There is only one who is perfect, our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
This is one thing I love about the Bible, God doesn’t expect
people to be perfect, just obedient. He uses imperfect people
to accomplish His perfect plan. Aren’t you grateful for that
this morning?
The next lesson we learn from this passage is that:
Naomi models a life of prayer
She prays for her daughters-in-law
1:8-9 Naomi prays that God will deal kindly with Orpah and Ruth
She also prays for them to find new husbands.
She prays for Boaz
2:19 “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked?
Blessed be the man who took notice of you.”
2:20 “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not
forsaken the living or the dead!”
Godly moms pray for and with their children.
I’m thankful that I have a mom who has been faithful to pray for
me over the years. If you are thankful for your mom, make sure to
tell her or thank God for her if she is no longer on earth.
Ruth 1:19-22
Naomi has difficulty seeing past her circumstances
Naomi refused to be called by her name, she asks to be called
Mara which means bitter. She claims the Lord has dealt bitterly
with her, but in reality she is the one who is bitter.
She also says she went away full but the Lord brought her back
empty, but in reality she just feels empty.
She actually has land she inherited from Elimelech and Ruth, her
daughter-in-law. Imagine how that must have made Ruth feel
after following her that whole journey from Moab to Bethlehem.
Unfortunately, we don’t have time to discuss all 4 chapters this
morning, but I do want to take some time to talk about the
importance of the story of Naomi and Ruth.
God used trials in Naomi’s life to accomplish His greater purpose.
Naomi lost her husband and 2 sons, but through Ruth God gave
her another son. And not just any son.
Ruth 4:13 …the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Obed who was the father of Jesse who was the father of David.
Jesus came from the house and line of David.
Ch. 4 v.14-15 “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the
Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may
his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of
life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who
loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to
him.”
Here’s the amazing part about God. He is always at work and
even though we don’t always know the reason behind events that
take place in our life, He is using them to accomplish His greater
purpose.
Ruth just happened to glean in the field of her kinsman redeemer,
Boaz. And the one who was a closer redeemer just happened to
decide not to redeem her. All of that was part of God’s great plan.
It worked out exactly how God wanted it to.
That is the hope we have in this life. That God is doing something
greater than we can see right now. And one day He might reveal it
to us so that we might see that great and glorious power of the
Lord Almighty.
APPLICATION
There are two things we should put into action as a result of this
text.
Be Steadfast in Prayer
Moms, we are thankful for the prayers you voiced throughout our
lives.
We all ought to follow the example of Naomi and pray constantly
for our families and our brothers.
We also should
Consider our Difficulties as Seasons of Growth
We aren’t growing when things are going great. We grow through
adversity.
We learn to depend on God when our circumstances are difficult.
He never leaves us or forsakes us. In fact, He comforts and walks
through the trials with us.