Ira Baptist Church
January 25

      • Psalms 34.1-4ESV

      • Psalms 34.5-8ESV

      • Psalms 34.9-10ESV

  • Bless The Lord

      • 1 Peter 5.6-8ESV

      • 1 Peter 5.9-10ESV

      • 1 Peter 5.11ESV

      • Isaiah 40.28-30ESV

      • Isaiah 40.31ESV

  • Day by Day
  • The Lord is My Salvation
  • One interesting facet of the book of Ruth is that it is may be one of the most dialogue-filled books of the Bible. That is, mor than 70% of the verses in this book are conversation.
    I think the Lord really wants us, His people, to see the reality of this story. We can sense the vulnerability, the pain, the directness of the words and interactions here.
    It goes without saying that this is no fairytale - all the accounts in the Bible are written as true accounts, true stories of God’s people.
    But it should be mentioned that it is not just that the Lord gives us true stories in His Word, he also gives us “real” stories.
    Much like the Psalms of Asaph, a couple of which we studied last year in our series. God allows the reality of the bitterness and complaints of His people to sit and soak for a while.
    What we find here is, very understandably, Naomi - the Matriarch, the future Grandmother of King David, in a state of sadness.
    Two times in this chapter,
    Ruth 1:13 ESV
    No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
    Ruth 1:20 ESV
    She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
    Isaiah 42:3 ESV
    a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
    c.f. Matthew 12 - this is Jesus.

    Have you ever felt that the Lord has dealt bitterly with you? Watch for His hand of blessing even in a season of bitterness.

    Through Bitterness, Returning

    Proverbs 16:9 ESV
    The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
    Humans make plans and set goals, but it is the Lord who ultimately ordains their paths and progress.
    Have you ever faced a situation like that? Maybe you are there now! One where you say, “If I had to choose - there is no way I would have chosen this path, this plan, even this outcome.”
    And yet many of you, I know - because you live out this testimony - many of you would say, “but I’m glad the Lord has led me. I see his hand in it.”
    1 Peter 5:10 ESV
    And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

    Through Bitterness, Refining

    Two Prayers:
    Ruth 1:8 ESV
    But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
    Ruth 1:9 ESV
    The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
    Now, at first glance, why the urging of Naomi for her Daughters in law to stay behind?
    Does she want them to suffer alone?
    Does she want to suffer alone?
    No, she wants them to have a chance at bearing children.
    This brings up one of the big themes in the book of ruth, and that is the theme of a Kinsman Redeemer. The word wont come up by name until Chapter 2 verse 20, but the idea is here.
    What is a Kinsman Redeemer?
    Levirate Marriage
    Brother dies before his first child is born
    His brother legally marries his wife
    Why?
    The Importance of Children in general. Seen as a blessing from the Lord, a direct gift from him, a heritage and a treasure.
    Psalm 127:3 ESV
    Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
    Interesting
    The importance of family and passing on the family name, tribe.
    Deuteronomy 25:6 ESV
    And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
    The importance of the inheritance - land. Which was more than possession and wealth, it was a direct tie to being part of God’s chosen people and realizing His promise to them.
    Numbers 36:7 ESV
    The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
    Now, what does this mean for Naomi? Elimelech would have had some share of land in Bethlehem, however small it may have been. That would have been divided to his two sons after his death, and if they were still alive, Naomi would have been cared for until her death by her sons on the family property.
    But Naomi was returning with no husband, and no sons. No heirs. She was returning to an empty prospect.
    And therefore, she had nothing to promise her daughters-in-law. She had no other sons to give them in marriage, and she had no inheritance to pass down without a rightful heir.
    So Naomi, though in a season of bitterness, was doing her best.
    Ruth 1:14 ESV
    Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
    There is refining work that God does in his people.
    John 15:2 ESV
    Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
    Psalm 51:7 ESV
    Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

    Through Bitterness, Fulness

    While God is doing his pruning work, there is preparation for growth - after all, what is pruning for? Not to diminish the health of the thing pruned, but to increase it and make it flourish in the long run.
    Two areas where we see fulness and growth despite Naomi’s bitterness.
    Ruth
    Ruth 1:16–17 ESV
    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.”
    Genesis 22:18 ESV
    and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
    Ruth 1:16–17 ESV
    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.”
    Fulness in Relationships:
    To Naomi
    Imagine the bond
    What kind of love was shown?
    Strengthened through extreme trial
    Expressed in the most profound language
    To Yahweh
    Ruth ultimately builds up her promise to the statement “your God will be my God”
    Hedges her statement on covenant language, “May THE LORD do so to me if anything but death parts me from you.”
    SO this is how they go, from Moab back to Bethlehem.
    Now note, this spark of promise - a newly defined allegiance and love from Ruth - wasn’t enough to totally lift Naomi’s mood.
    Notice their reception.
    The whole town “hummed” Buzzed” was “stirred” at their coming.
    A mix of excitement at hear coming, but surprise at her appearance.
    What would 10 years of trial and grief to do a person?
    Comparison - what presidents look like at the start vs. the end of their terms.
    Names, being very important in that day, come into play here.
    Naomi says
    Ruth 1:20–21 ESV
    She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
    Now, we can pause for a minute here and ask - is Naomi speaking truthfully?
    Is Naomi speaking right?
    In one sense, we do know that the Lord God is sovereign over all things, both good and bad from our perspective.
    Isaiah 45:7 ESV
    I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
    1 Peter 1:6–7 ESV
    In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
    Ruth 1:22 ESV
    So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

      • Ruth 1:13ESV

      • Ruth 1:20ESV

      • Isaiah 42:3ESV

      • Proverbs 16:9ESV

      • 1 Peter 5:10ESV

      • Ruth 1:8ESV

      • Ruth 1:9ESV

      • Psalm 127:3ESV

      • Deuteronomy 25:6ESV

      • Numbers 36:7ESV

      • Ruth 1:14ESV

      • John 15:2ESV

      • Psalm 51:7ESV

      • Ruth 1:16–17ESV

      • Genesis 22:18ESV

      • Ruth 1:16–17ESV

      • Ruth 1:20–21ESV

      • Isaiah 45:7ESV

      • 1 Peter 1:6–7ESV

      • Ruth 1:22ESV

  • Doxology
Ira Baptist Church
1 member