The Testimony of
Ruth 14-18 The Committed Believer, an Israelite at Heart
V14 but Ruth
clung to her.
Naomi was trying to cover up; Orpah had given up, but Ruth
was prepared to stand up! She refused to listen to her mother-in-law’s pleas or
follow her sister-in-law’s bad example. Why? Because she had come to trust in the God of Israel (Ru 2:12 "The
LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come for refuge."). She had experienced
trials and disappointments, but instead of blaming God...
The Testimony of
Ruth 14-18 The Committed Believer, an Israelite at Heart
V14 but Ruth
clung to her.
Naomi was trying to cover up; Orpah had given up, but Ruth
was prepared to stand up! She refused to listen to her mother-in-law’s pleas or
follow her sister-in-law’s bad example. Why? Because she had come to trust in the God of Israel (Ru 2:12 "The
LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come for refuge."). She had experienced
trials and disappointments, but instead of blaming God, she had trusted Him and
was not ashamed to confess her faith. In spite of the bad example of her
disobedient in-laws Ruth had come to know the true and living God; and she
wanted to be with His people and dwell in His land.[1]
v 15 Naomi says if
you are smart you would follow your sister back to Moab
Pr 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the
way of death.
Ruth’s statement in Ruth 1:16–17 is one of the most
magnificent confessions found anywhere in Scripture. First, she confessed her
love for Naomi and her desire to stay with her mother-in-law even unto death.
Then she confessed her faith in the true and living God and her decision to
worship Him alone. She was willing to forsake father and mother (2:11) in order
to cleave to Naomi and the God of her people. Ruth was steadfastly “determined
to accompany Naomi (1:18) and live in Bethlehem with God’s covenant people.[1]
1.
V16 She is a
surrendered person
2.
She is a
separated person
o
From
her pagan people
Your people shall be my people,
o
From
her pagan gods, a step of faith
And your God, my God.
1Th 1:9
V17 She is a serving
person
o
Making a vow
that cannot be reversed, saying goodbye to Moab and cutting all ties
Lu 9:62
Deut 23 a vow to God, God would strike you dead under the Old Covenant
V18 When
you read the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 4, you find the names of five
women, four of whom have very questionable credentials: Tamar committed incest
with her father-in-law (Gen. 38:3); Rahab was a Gentile harlot (Josh. 2:5);
Ruth was an outcast Gentile Moabitess (Ruth 1:5); and “the wife of Uriah was
an adulteress (2 Sam. 11:6). How did they ever become a part of the family of
the Messiah? Through the sovereign grace and mercy of God! God is
“long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV). (Mary is the fifth woman in the
genealogy, and she was included because of God’s grace and her faith. See Luke
1:26–56.)
V20 Naomi’s
Bitterness
We can’t control the circumstances
of life, but we can control how we respond to them. That’s what faith is all
about, daring to believe that God is working everything for our good even when
we don’t feel like it or see it happening. “In everything give thanks (1 Thes.
5:18) isn’t always easy to obey, but obeying this command is the best antidote
against a bitter and critical spirit. The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison
said, “Nine-tenths of our unhappiness is selfishness, and is an insult cast in
the face of God. Because Naomi was imprisoned by selfishness, she was bitter
against God.
Naomi accused the
Lord of dealing very bitterly with her
Trials can make you bitter or better
She was a woman with empty hands, an empty home, and an
empty heart. Because she didn’t surrender to the Lord and accept His loving
chastening, she did not experience “the peaceful fruit of righteousness
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present,
but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Lessons
- Living out of the will of God will make
you miserable – Example of disobedience
John 10:10 Thief comes to steal kill and
destroy
- Count the cost of Living for God or the
world - Orpah was never heard of again
Lu 14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him.
And He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not
hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and
his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "And whoever does not bear
his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which of you,
intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether
he has enough to finish it -- 29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation,
and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
- Ruth provides an example of real Faith
–she was like Abraham,
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the
place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing
where he was going.
