A Study Through Ruth - Chapter 1

The book of Ruth is a small but powerful book highlighting the providence of God, the power of love, and also foreshadowing the selfless savior, Jesus Christ, who will redeem mankind. Today, we tackle chapter 1!

Transcript

 Well, hello once again and thank you for listening to Cultivating Growth. We are at the beginning of a new month, and that means a new topic for this month. And so over the next four weeks, we're gonna spend time in the pages of the Old Testament, specifically in the little bitty tiny book of Ruth. Uh, four chapters we'll spend, uh.

Week each chapter. The third week, we'll cover chapters three and four, and then we'll have a guest in add that fourth week to continue our discussion of the Book of Ruth. It is a beautiful book. It is very character driven, it is very relationship driven, but I'm really looking forward to it because there are loads of principles in place.

Loads of application and most certainly, God is at the forefront of all of it. So I'm looking forward to this talk. Looking forward to our conversation. Let's get right to it. Ruth, chapter one.

Jeremy, we are beginning. Ruth chapter one. This week, and as I was reading through this chapter, and really the whole book, it's not very long. It's just four chapters. You can read through it rather quickly. I, I realized, again, I've had this realization before, but when you come across a book like Ruth, where as you mentioned in the intro, it's, it's a book that's very character driven.

It's a book that is essentially focused on just one story. You know, there's time that passes and there's things that happen, but it's kind of just you're following one storyline essentially as you go. It's really meant to be read in one sitting. And, and I think, you know, we may struggle even as we talk through this week to week to just stay in the chapter that we're in because it is such a narrative, uh, based story.

And really as these characters go through the different experiences that they're going to go through, it, it builds to a climax in chapter four in a lot of ways. There, there's so much illusion to Jesus and his story and parallels that we can make to that, and it's a story about love and relationship and all of these, you know, beautiful characteristics that, that we see with each of these characters.

But as we begin chapter one. You know, we, we, it's important to make mention, we don't wanna spend a whole lot of time talking about the history of this book, but, uh, we are told at the outset of this that this is taking place during the time of the judges. And as we know, that was a very tumultuous time for the people of Israel.

They're going through that cyclical, uh, experience where they are leaning on God, following God and then turning away from God, and he's bringing about punishment and the whole cycle just repeats itself. That's the time period of the Israelites history in which this book is set. And we're told that at the very outset of this book, and so that's kind of at the backdrop, even though that doesn't necessarily play into the story itself, historically, I think it is at least worthwhile to know where this story falls in Israel's history, because that is the backdrop.

They all, they're experiencing that they're being affected by that in a lot of different ways. And so just to the very outset, it's worth mentioning that as the historical context. Yeah, I mean, there's no question about it really. Even the first five verses is, is really the background of what the book is.

Yeah. I, and the book really kind of begins there in verse six after kind of the background is set. Certainly you, you made mention there in verse one that we, we get the timeframe that it's. During the time of the judges, but when you think about the first five verses, I mean, there's a lot that happens. I mean, 10 years pass, uh, and there's a lot of things that, that are, are coming and going, if you will.

Yeah. Yeah. But that really is the setup to the book. We made mention of it, you know, multiple times. I mean, it is a. Character book. I mean the main characters you have Ruth, for sure. Naomi. Mm-hmm. And then Boaz, and there are certainly other people that come and go, but it's also a relationship book. It is Naomi and Ruth's relationship.

Mm-hmm. It is Ruth and Boaz's relationship. But you know, kind of as I mentioned at the outset. It, what, what sits above all of that I is God and his working. Mm-hmm. That he's working in the life of, of Ruth, his providence certainly comes into play. Mm-hmm. We'll probably talk about that a lot more next week.

Mm-hmm. And, and, you know, hi, his, you know, his working even with Naomi and, and you know, the understanding of that. You get to the end of the book, you get a larger picture of God's handiwork. Yeah. If you will, as the book kind of closes. And so I, I do think it's interesting that although it is a relationship book.

Man, there's a lot of God here. Oh yeah. You made mention, uh, Boaz and Jesus, and the shadows and types and, and parallels. You know, even with that, it, it makes it a really powerful book with a lot of different moving pieces. Mm-hmm. And, and sometimes you, you might not think that's the case because you're right.

It's one story. Mm-hmm. And it's meant to be read. At one sitting and you would think, well that's pretty straightforward. It's a story, it's a love story of these two people and they get married and they live happily ever after. And there's a part of it that that exactly what happens. But there's so much other stuff that's happening in this little of book and I'm really excited to get into it.

Yeah, well let, let's talk a little bit about those first five verses. 'cause you mentioned, you know, a lot happens. Those few short verses. Obviously some time passes, 10 years pass, but also it sets up the sadness and the grief that specifically Naomi and Ruth and obviously Opa are, are feeling as they go throughout this story.

Uh, there, there's this grief that is felt by each of these women as all of them lose. Their husbands and seemingly in a pretty short period of time that that transpires and, and obviously given the time period in which all of this is transpiring for a woman to lose her husband. And when we see the devastation of that, even today, the, the sadness and the grief that comes with that.

Certainly back in this day, not only was the sadness and grief of losing your spouse present, but now also some uncertainty about what your future might look like and your ability to provide for yourself, feed yourself. I mean, these kinds of questions hung large in the air as they're dealing with the grief of losing their spouses, and that is going to then kind of set up really what we're going to see specifically then as we move forward with Naomi and Ruth as, as they navigate not only that.

But then have to navigate, well, what's the rest of our life going to look like? And each of them struggle with that. And, and I think that is an important context to keep in mind because the decisions that each of them are making as they move forward, uh, not only are being driven. By what's the rest of my life going to look like, but in the backdrop, still dealing with the grief of losing those that are closest to them.

And so it really, it really helps us better understand Ruth and Naomi specifically and just what they're having to deal with as they face some life changing decisions in front of them. Yeah. A lot of times when we study Ruth chapter one, we primarily will kind of hone in on kind of verses 16 and 17 and, and, you know, in the midst of that, yeah.

There, there is a beautiful interaction that will take place between Ruth and Naomi that we'll talk about here in a moment. But Ruth chapter one, it it literally from the very beginning to the last verse of this chapter. It's a pretty downer chapter. Yeah, it, I mean it is, it is. And it ends in a very downer even place.

There is a lot of difficulty ahead and there is a lot of sadness that this chapter is about. I mean, not just that they lose their husbands and, and they have that uncertainty moving forward, but even in those first five verses, we find out that they leave Judah. To travel to Moab because there's a famine in the land, so there's already generalized difficulty with living and providing for yourself.

And now when you go about. What will be two widows. Mm-hmm. They, they find themselves in a very difficult spot. And I think Naomi knows that. And, and I think, you know, we'll get into the conversation that she's gonna have with her two daughters-in-law, OPA and Ruth. She understands the difficulty ahead.

Mm-hmm. And when she. Asks them, it, it, it, it would be better for you basically to go home and, and try to find husbands for yourself. It, I don't see that in any way as her lightning, her own load. No, it, it is her understanding their situation and going forward for her. Is bleak. Okay? And, and, and she says, listen, it's going to be very, very difficult for me.

And if you stay, it's going to be very, very difficult for you. The only option that there is to ease that difficulty is for you basically to go home and find a husband. You're still young enough to do that. And so she entres pu, she entres truth a Ruth to. To go home and, and to, and to find a husband. And now it's up to these two women to make that decision.

And you know, we, we rightfully so, we celebrate the decision that Ruth makes and we'll talk about what she says to Naomi and that that famous declaration in verses 16 and 17. But, but also, you know, we need to make sure, I don't, we can't, we can't blame Ora for making the decision that she makes, you know, both Ruth and Ora, they're, they're not Israelites, they're not Jews.

They're from Moab. And so to follow Naomi back to their homeland of Israel, that's taking them into a foreign land. Th this is a, a people and a place and a culture that they're not gonna be familiar with. They're not going to have close contacts there. They're not gonna have family to rely upon there.

Outside of Naomi, I mean, it, it is asking a lot. And so when. Naomi tells these two women, Hey, go home and, and find, you know, husbands for yourself. She is looking out for the best interest of Ruth and Ora here and, and or PPA makes a decision that is totally understandable to do just that. No one should blame her for the decision that she makes to do that.

That makes total sense for her. What, what Ruth does. On the surface is the decision. That doesn't make a lot of sense. It, it doesn't make a lot of sense to follow Naomi to a foreign land and be around foreign people and a foreign culture that you're not familiar with, where she has no family, that that doesn't make a lot of sense.

And, and so I think, you know, let, let's give Ora some credit here. She makes a decision that I think most would have made, and, and Ruth is the one that is really stepping out in faith as she chooses to follow Naomi back to their land. Yeah, I mean, and listen, we'll read 16 to 17, you know, just a moment. But I, I'm always struck by verse 18 a after Ruth will make this declaration, um, a, a confession almost.

Mm-hmm. Of, of her stance to Naomi and her stance to Jehovah. You know, you have there in verse 18 when she, that, you know, is Naomi, she sees that she was determined to go with her. She stopped speaking about it. And so that, that first always struck me that, you know, I think at, at first, Naomi would.

Attempted to talk her out of. Yeah, yeah. You know, this decision, but there is a determination within Naomi that there is a loyalty or within Ruth that there's a loyalty, certainly, that she feels to Naomi. And now a loyalty and faith that is building within her and Jehovah. Yeah. That you will see as we continue to talk about this book over the next few weeks, you'll see that faith and loyalty to Jehovah mm-hmm.

Grow, yeah. Inside of Ruth. But this, the, the culmination of it most certainly is starting with Naomi and, and she in some capacity has introduced Ruth. Uh, you know, certainly to the God of Israel, to Jehovah, and, and she now is making a decision based upon certainly her loyalty to Naomi, but also her building, her growing loyalty and faith in God.

Yeah. That, that's not to be overlooked. To in, in verses 16 and 17 when Ruth is making this declaration. You know, she says, wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge Your people will be my people and your God, my God. I mean there, there is essentially a conversion that is taking place here.

Ruth was not raised to know Jehovah. Ruth was raised in whatever the religious culture of the Moabites would've been at that time, but, but clearly as she has been around Naomi and her family prior to her husband's death, she has been introduced to the God of Israel, and there is now this declaration, not just to Naomi, to be with her and to stay with her.

But also to God. And, and that is a, a powerful statement for someone, again, relatively speaking, new to the Jewish culture, to make such a declaration like this. And then to kind of follow through with that as we see her do and, and her faith begins to grow, uh, that that conversion is not to be overlooked.

It, it's a powerful transformation in the life of Ruth. In, in pretty much every aspect from her home and her family to her God, and, and she is fully giving herself to the Jewish culture, and that includes the God of Israel. Yeah, you're exactly right. I mean, sometimes I think we miss in verses 16 to 17, you know.

Wherever you go, I will go wherever you lodge, I will lodge your God way. My God, where you die, I will die. But that next phrase, the Lord do so to me and more also if anything, but, but death part you in me. That's at the very end. And when I read that, what, what comes across to me is Ruth putting herself fully in the hands mm-hmm.

Of Jehovah. Mm-hmm. This is the decision that I've made and I have made a decision that puts me. Hm. Good or bad in this life? Yeah. Puts me in your hands fully. Mm-hmm. And, and unknowing what the future? Looks like, right? I mean, we've already talked about their immediate future has some difficulty in store.

There's no question about that, but there is really a powerful moment here where Ruth is saying, yeah, I'm gonna stick it out with Naomi. Yeah, I'm gonna stick it out with Jehovah. I'm putting myself. Fully in the hands of him and allow him to deal with me as he sees, as he sees fit. And listen, not to give the end of the story away, but we'll talk about it.

That's exactly what does it happens. Sure. Is God deals with her as he sees fit. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and that's really the rest of the story. I think it's, it's worth noting. I mean, there, there's no backup plan here. No, no. You know, there, there's no escape route. Nope. That that roof leaves open. This is a. A declaration that is a lifelong commitment to Naomi and to God and, and there is no backup plan for her.

She is all in with what she has to say. And then as the chapter kind of concludes, we see, again, you mentioned at the outset, it's kind of a kind of a downer chapter, and it ends that way because Naomi gives voice to the grief that she is feeling. She gives voice to kind of what has happened to her. Uh, she says there in verse number 20, don't call me Naomi.

Call me Mara, for the Almighty, has dealt very bitterly with me. She, she's still a grieving widow, but she's also grieving the loss of her sons mm-hmm. As well. Yep. And because of her age, she knows the rest of her life is going to be very difficult. And, and all of that is weighing on her and she's kind of giving voice to it at, at the end of this chapter.

And that's kind of where we're left. You know, as chapter one comes to an end. Yeah. I mean, it is there in verse 21, I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty and, and that really is her reality, that they were in Moab for some time escaping the famine, and now they're back in Judah, in Bethlehem specifically.

And people are aware of who she is, but she comes back grieving. Mm-hmm. And she comes back. With difficulty ahead and, and like we've said, that's, that's what chapter, that's where chapter one ends, and even next week when we get into chapter two, it, it is all about the difficult life that they have in front of them.

Yeah. Yeah. And, um, there is a realness. You know, to this chapter. And there's a realness to listen. People have difficulty in their life and things that we have to, we have to deal with, and sadness and grief that comes upon us. But man, the powerful principle here is man, just put yourself in the hands of God and let him deal with you as he sees fit.

And that's most certainly what Ruth is doing here. Absolutely. Well, let's finish up today with the Ru, the words of Ruth. In verses 16 and 17, we referenced them quite a bit already, but let's just end the episode reading what Ruth had to say, verse 16, and treat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you for wherever you go.

I will go. And wherever 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. The Lord do so to me and more also if anything, but death pardons you and me.

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast, whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.