Lechem Panim #24 "Fleeing An Empty House" (Ruth 1) Pastor Cameron Ury

I am so blessed to be starting as new series with you today on what has become one of my favorite books of the Bible; the book of Ruth, one of the most Christmas-oriented books of all the Bible. You may be surprised to hear me say that, but, it’s true. As you may know, it is a book about a woman who had the courage to leave her own country and go to a land where she knew she would be despised because of her ethnicity. A woman who knew she would never be loved by a man because of who she was. But God had other plans for her life and demonstrates, by bringing a man into her life, not only what the greatest quality of romance looks like, but also how God (as humanity’s husband) longs to have a relationship with us that is every bit as passionate; ever bit as redemptive. As she comes under the wings of the protection of this man, she in fact will discover that she has come under the wings of God. And as this man will make provision for her every need, so also God will make provision for our greatest need; the need for a Savior.

God & Israel— And so as we begin our study in the book of Ruth, It is important for you to see this not only as a picture of romance between a man and a woman, but a picture of the kind of relationship God desires to have with you and me; a relationship where, no matter what the circumstance, He will take care of us, He will provide for us, and He will redeem us. Even in the midst of tragedy, you can rely on God to meet your every need.

Background— Now the book of Ruth reads more like an exciting novel rather than a mere history book. In fact, the book is written almost like a play, with various scenes in mind. We don’t know who wrote the book of Ruth; it could have been the prophet Samuel, as he seems to fit the scene pretty well. But we don’t know. What we do know is that because this story makes reference to King David, it was written many years afterwards either during his reign or later. But before that it was transmitted orally for years, being passed down from generation to generation before finally being written down. So as you also listen today, I want you to imagine this story being told among David’s family. Imagine David, when he was a boy, sitting on Great Granny Ruth’s lap to hear it for the first time. Go ahead and look with me at Ruth chapter 1...

Ruth 1:1 (ESV)— 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

The Time of The Judges-- Now although Ruth was written during the time of David, the events of this book actually take place during the latter half of the book of Judges, being a mere three generations from David. And remember the time of the judges is a very tumultuous time. Israel kept sinning against God by worshipping other gods; so God would then allow Israel to be oppressed by an enemy so they would turn to Him in repentance; and sure enough the people of Israel would cry out to God; and then God would send a judge or liberator to free His people from that enemy. And we remember some of these judges, the most famous of them probably being Samson. However, after Israel would be liberated, they would fall into sin again. And the cycle would repeat over and over again.

Famine as part of God’s judgment?— Now I mention this because I want you to see this famine not as a random meteorological event, but rather one that is strongly connected to this cycle of disobedience in the book of Judges. The book of Judges ends with a tragic one-line description of the heart of the problem in Israel; the problem that continued to bring God’s judgment upon them...

Judges 21:25 (ESV)— 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

That sounds increasingly like our culture, doesn’t it? And it’s interesting; our story begins with a famine; a physical famine that reflects the spiritual famine in Israel; and is likely the cause of it; being yet another part of the ongoing consequences of Israel’s continually rebelling against God. Now it says in…

Ruth 1:2a— 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah.   

The House is Empty-- Now catch the irony of this famine. Elimelech’s family is from where? Bethlehem. They are from the Ephrathite clan in Bethlehem. And what does Bethlehem mean? “House of bread/food”. So the irony is that here you have a family who is leaving Bethlehem, the “house of bread”, because the house is empty; there is no bread. So, because they have no bread, it says in…

Ruth 1:2b— They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 

Moabite-- Now this is actually a reversal of the Exodus; because you have Israelites going back into the land of their enemies from the promised land. It was a horrific, embarrassing thing. Not only Moab was in a barren desert area east of Israel and across the Dead Sea, but it was a country that for many reasons had been cursed by God. You will remember that Lot (after he left Sodom and Gomorrah) was made to be drunk and was seduced by his own two daughters into laying with them so that they might have offspring to carry on their father’s name; the worst kind of relationship there is. And so Moab was born out of that incestuous relationship (Genesis 19:37). In fact the similarity in Hebrew between Mo’abi (“Moabite”) and me’abi (“from my father”) is no coincidence. And after Israel had come out of Egypt after 400 years of bondage, you will remember Moab set themselves against Israel, seducing some of their men into idolatry and their king (Balak) even hired a man named Balaam to curse them. And yet you will remember he had a hard time doing it; and he eventually got a talking to from his donkey (Numbers 22-25). But because of all this, they invited God’s curse in Deuteronomy 23, where He declares that the Moabites were to be cut off from the assembly of His people the scripture says for 10 generations, which some argue is the Bible’s way of saying forever. And they continued to remain a thorn in Israel’s side. As we come to the time of the Judges we find that Israel is oppressed by Moab with at least 18 years of direct oppression. That was before King Saul came around and conquered them, leaving Israel to enjoy peaceful relations with them during David’s reign until they return to trouble Israel again in 2 Kings chapter 3. And then because of their unbelievable corruption and wickedness, their idolatry, their rejection of God, and their having been the consistent troublers of Israel, God speaks against them again through His prophets in Isaiah 15-16, Jeremiah 48, Ezekiel 25:8-11, and Amos 2:1. And in the Isaiah passage God declares that they will have three more years. And sure enough (as we know from history) three years later in 715 B.C. (300 years after David) a Syrian king by the name of Sargon came in to Moab and absolutely destroyed that nation, leaving only a small and feeble remnant.

Cut Off-- And so here, it would seem that the Moabites could never be accepted by God. However, when we come to Isaiah 56, we discover remarkably that God lovingly opens up the way into the assembly of His people to any foreigner who is willing to live obediently before Him. And what this shows us is that the curse was only affective as long as the people persisted in their sin. God will not turn away forever anyone who is willing to enter into a relationship with Him. And this is ultimately why Ruth will be allowed to become a part of God’s people, which we will talk about later. But for now, all we need to know is that Naomi and her family have come to settle in Moab. And it says…

Ruth 1:3-4a— 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. 

The Problem of Marrying Outside Israel-- And we know from 4:10 that [Ruth’s husband was Mahlon (4:10).] Now this is a problem because God wanted Israel to remain separate from the surrounding nations, not taking on their ways or intermarrying with them. And [marriage to Moabites was discouraged because of their commitment to other gods (such as Molech {and Chemosh}), the Balaam debacle, Israel’s debauchery with Moabite women in the wilderness, and the 10-generation Moabite male exclusion from the assembly of the Lord (Numbers 22–25; Deut. 23:3–7; Ezra 9:2, 12; 10:44; Neh. 13:25).] But these men married Moabite women anyway and the scriptures say that...

Ruth 1:4b-5--They lived there {(in Moab)} about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

All the Males Die-- So here you have Naomi’s family going to Moab in hope of preserving their lives. It is a desperate move; and sadly, it doesn’t help; because while in Moab, sadly all the males in the family who could provide for Naomi die. We don’t know how Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, though it was likely from old age. Her sons Mahlon and Chilion died likely due to poor health, because Mahlon means “unhealthy” and Chilion means “puny”. And so (as Biblical names often describe the nature of a person), that is likely how they were and why they died. But I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a spouse and then (amidst that grief) to, on top of that, lose your own children. I don’t know if there is a greater pain in all the world.

No Life Insurance or Welfare— And to lose a spouse in any culture is devastating in many ways. But because we in the United States have life insurance, this is not always as financially devastating as it would be to somebody in other places in the world today and especially in the ancient world. When we lose a spouse, we are paid a lump sum in order to help compensate for our financial need. And even if your spouse doesn’t have life insurance, we still have the nice soft cushion of a welfare system that ensures that we at least get the things we need. But in most ancient cultures (such as Moab) there was no life insurance policy; there was no welfare system like we have today. You know what your insurance policy was called? Kids. Your insurance was your children. You had as many children as God allowed you; and your children (when you could no longer take care of yourself) would take care of you in your old age. So we see that Naomi no longer has any means of support; all her security and means of provision are gone. 

​When All Crumbles-- What do you do when the world seems to crumble underneath you. I don’t know if you have ever gone through an experience like that. A single family member’s death can sure make you feel this way. And in the midst of that, it can be hard to see God. We might wonder where God is in all of this. Is He still there? Does He still care about me? Am I forgotten? The story of Ruth begins in grief. But thankfully, it doesn’t end there. Even though Naomi feels forsaken, God is about to lift her up in a remarkable way and show her (in and through Ruth her daughter-in-law) that He still loves her, that He is still going to be her provider, and that He still has a plan and purpose for her life. And that is God’s message to us as well. No matter the valley, God (whether you recognize it or not) is walking it with you. And if we continue to keep our hands in His, He will lead us through. Are you trusting in Him today? If you do, you will find Him to be worthy of your trust. Let’s do so. Amen.