We're here to worship God. We're going to begin by singing to his praise in Psalm 139a.
! So the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 139, you'll find that on page 180 in your psalm books.
We're going to sing from the beginning down to the verse marked 10. These are words that remind us of
God's awareness of everything about us. Psalm 139a on page 180. At the beginning,
O Lord, you have examined me. You know me through and through. My sitting, rising, all my thoughts
afar are known to you. Verses 1 to 10 of Psalm 139a to God's praise.
You have examined me. You know me through and through. My sitting, rising, all my thoughts afar are known to you.
My going and I'm lying down, I've been before you. Before I speak a word, O Lord,
our heart is well known to you. You have me in behind before. You lay on me in your hand. Such
The story is too wonderful, too high to understand.
Where can I draw your spirit dream, or from your presence go?
If to the heavens you are there, or in the depths below.
If I should take the wings of dawn, and dwell beyond the sea.
There also you will be my guide, your right and holding me.
Let's bow our heads as we call on God's name in prayer.
Let us pray together.
Lord, we praise you this morning for your knowledge of us, of all things.
There's everything, everything about us is known to you.
And Lord, that can be a great comfort to us at times.
It can also be something that unsettles us also.
Lord, even as the psalmist penned these words, it's not clear.
Whether he was comforted by that fact, or whether he was wanting to escape from you.
But he knew that wherever he went, Lord, you would be there.
And Lord, even when our circumstances are bleak, when we're in dark and difficult situations, Lord,
you're aware.
You are with us.
You know us.
We thank you, Lord, for that.
And we thank you that you're here today.
You're always there where your people meet to worship you.
We thank you for every individual that has come here today.
We're a large group of people, and yet we're all different.
And we're all known to you.
Everything about our circumstances, everything that's going on in our lives, Lord,
you are intimately aware of these things.
And we pray today, Lord, that you would meet us according to our need.
Whether we're young or whether we're old, bless the children with us, we pray.
And we desire, Lord, and long for your blessing on their young lives.
Every single one of them is loved by you with a love that is even greater than the love of their own parents.
And Lord, we pray for them today as they go out to Sunday school shortly.
We pray for those who teach them.
We pray for those who look after them and crash.
And we ask, Lord, that you would be part of their lives.
And even as they grow up, that they would grow up loving and following and deciding to serve the Lord Jesus.
Be with the teenagers here as well, Lord, at a different stage in their lives
when there are so many temptations and so many things that could draw them away from you and away from your word.
Lord, guard them and keep them, we pray.
And draw them ever closer to yourself.
May we all, Lord, regardless of age, young or old, may we be brought closer to you today.
Be pleased to bless us.
Speak to us through the Bible.
And forgive us for all our sins.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Okay, I want to speak to the young folk for a moment.
And I can see that you're dotted about all over the place.
Today, I brought in an Advent calendar.
So put up your hand if you have an Advent calendar.
Let me see some hands go up.
I bet you some adults have one of these as well.
So, yeah, okay.
Quite a few of you have an Advent calendar.
An Advent calendar is a strange thing because the less that's left of it, the better.
Because the less that's left of it, then the closer we are to Christmas.
But, you know, it would be really strange if you got an Advent calendar and it didn't have any doors open by this stage in the month.
If you had an Advent calendar and you didn't actually bother to eat the chocolates.
That would be really odd.
Because you would get...
I knew somebody who had one like that last year, year before.
Halfway through December, there was still no doors that had been opened on the Advent calendar.
And I don't get that.
Because you get no benefit from the Advent calendar unless you open the doors.
And, you know, people are like that with Jesus as well.
Particularly at Christmas time.
Christmas, we should be remembering Jesus.
That he...
His birth into the world.
It was an amazing event.
And the fact that he came to save us.
And yet there are people who celebrate Christmas and they forget about Jesus.
Now, if you forget about your Advent calendar for a day or two and you miss a few chocolates, that's not going to do you any harm.
It might actually do you some good to not eat so much chocolate.
But, you know, if we forget about Jesus, that will not be good for us at all.
So, I want you, if you have one of these, I want every single day that you open a door to have a chocolate.
I want you to remember Jesus.
And I want you to remember that Jesus came to save us from our sins.
So, every day when you have your chocolate, thank the Lord for Jesus.
He came to save you.
And I hope and pray that you will grow up to trust and follow him.
We'll do the Lord's Prayer together now as a congregation.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
I'm going to sing again now.
This time we're singing from Psalm 146 in the Scottish Psalter.
You'll find that on page 446.
Page 446.
Psalm 146.
And at verse 5, the top of the page,
singing to the end of the psalm.
Psalm 146 at verse 5.
Oh, happy is that man and blessed,
whom Jacob's God doth aid,
whose hope upon the Lord doth rest,
and on his God is stayed.
Psalm 146.
We're singing verses 5 to 10 to God's praise.
O happy is that man and blessed,
whom Jacob's God doth aid,
whose hope upon the Lord doth rest,
and on his God is stayed.
Who made the earth and heavens high,
who made the swelling deep,
and all the cliffs within the sea,
who took the heaven of the Lord doth.
Who made the righteous judgment and saviour,
for those so blessed that he,
who to the hungry giveth food,
God sets the listeners free.
The Lord doth give the blind their sight,
that the legend doth raise.
The Lord doth fear the wise,
that walk in a bright place.
Let stranger's shield the widow's sting,
they o'er flat self-esteem,
but yet by him the wicked's clay,
turned up sight and shall be.
The Lord shall reign forevermore,
like God, O Zion, he.
Praise to all generations,
Praise to the Lord give thee.
We're going to read God's word now,
from the Old Testament,
in the book of Ruth.
So we're going to Bethlehem this morning,
but not for the birth of Jesus,
but for the story of one of his ancestors,
Ruth, from whom the Messiah was descended.
So we're going to read the first chapter of Ruth.
The first chapter of Ruth,
maybe on page 267 in your Bibles.
We'll read the whole of this chapter together.
So let's hear God's word.
Ruth chapter one.
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 name of the man was Elimelech,
and the name of his wife, Naomi,
and the name of his two sons
were Malon and Kilion.
They were Ephratites from Bethlehem in Judah.
They went into the country of Moab
and remained there.
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,
and she was left with her two sons.
These took Moabite wives.
The name of one was Orpah
and the name of the other Ruth.
They lived there about ten years,
and both Malon and Kilion died,
so that the woman was left
without her two sons and her husband.
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law
to return from the country of Moab,
for she had heard in the fields of Moab
that the Lord had visited his people
and given them food.
So she set out from the place where she was
with her two daughters-in-law,
and they went on the way
to return to the land of Judah.
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.
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.
And they said to her,
No, we will return with you to your people.
But Naomi said,
Turn back, my daughters.
Why will you go with me?
Have I yet sons in my womb
that they may become your husbands?
Turn back, my daughters.
Go your way.
For I am too old to have a husband.
If I should say I have hope,
even if I should have a husband this night
and should bear sons,
would you therefore wait till they were grown?
Would you therefore refrain from marrying?
No, my daughters,
for it is exceedingly bitter to me
for your sake,
that the hand of the Lord
has gone out against me.
Then they lifted up their voices and wept again.
And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law,
but Ruth clung to her.
And she said,
See, your sister-in-law has gone back
to her people and her gods.
We turn after your sister-in-law.
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.
And when Naomi saw that she was determined
to go with her,
she said,
No more.
So the two of them went on
until they came to Bethlehem.
And when they came to Bethlehem,
the whole town was stirred because of them.
And the woman said,
Is this Naomi?
She said to them,
Don't 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.
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.
Amen.
This is the word of the Lord,
and we trust and we pray
that he will follow it with his blessing.
Let's just bow our heads once more
in a word of prayer.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Lord, we thank you for your word,
the Bible,
that is just so honest
and shares with us
the struggles
that your people have.
Most of us would
be fearful of using
the kind of words
that Naomi used
when she said
that the Almighty
has dealt very bitterly with me.
But not only did she say that and more,
but the Bible reports it for us,
and it doesn't condemn her for it.
Lord, her pain is evident,
and her pain is understandable.
After she had lost so much
that was precious to her
in the world.
And Lord, we want to pray today
for those who have pain
in their hearts
and those who are struggling
this morning.
We thank you, Lord,
that while we can feel powerless
to help people very often,
we can pray to a God
who is able.
And so we ask you today, Lord,
that you would come alongside
those who are struggling.
The Bible tells us
that those that are broken
in their hearts
and grieved in their minds,
God heals,
and their painful wounds
he tenderly abides.
So, Lord, we ask that you
would deal tenderly
with all who face
challenging situations
in their own lives,
in their own homes,
in their own hearts,
in their own families today.
We pray, Lord,
for those whose turmoil
may be in their minds,
those who are cast down,
those who feel
that are in a dark place.
Lord, may you shine
your light of hope
into that darkness
and transform their situations,
we pray.
Bless your word.
Bless the gospel today
as it is preached
up and down our land
and to the ends of the earth.
We pray, Lord,
for the preaching
of your word here
and in the other churches
in the town
and throughout this presbytery.
We thank you, Lord,
that we have a promise
that your word
will not return to you empty.
It will accomplish
your purposes.
And, Lord,
we pray that you would purpose
that it would do us good today,
that your word
would be the means
of drawing us
closer to yourself.
And we pray, Lord,
that you would send workers
into your harvest field.
You've asked us
to pray that prayer,
to pray for laborers, Lord.
And you know
that the need is great
within this presbytery,
within our presbytery
in the north
and sky in Westeros.
Lord,
we ask that you
would be calling men
into ministry
and calling others
to serve you
in different ways
and that you, Lord,
would provide
for the need is great.
Bless this congregation.
Be with its minister,
its office bearers.
Be with all those
who are members
and adherents of it, Lord.
Bless the children
who've just gone out
to Sunday school
and creche.
And, Lord,
we pray that you would be
at work in their young lives.
Help calm them
in all the responsibilities
that he bears.
Be with himself
and Joan
and with the family
and uphold them, Lord,
and equip them
for the work, we pray.
And bless the congregation
in all its efforts
to reach out to others.
For the Christmas outreach
next Saturday
and the family service
on Sunday,
we ask, Lord,
that you would be in it
and that you would be
using these means
to draw people
to yourself.
So bless us now
as we turn to your word,
as we continue to sing it
and as we shortly
will study it.
We ask, Lord,
that you would bring
this book alive to us
and bring us alive to it.
And may your Holy Spirit
be our teacher
and our guide today
and make us willing students
of your word,
ready to learn from it
and to be changed by it.
And all of these things
we ask, Lord,
we ask with the cleansing
and the forgiveness
of our sins.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to sing
once more this time
from Psalm 55
in Sing Psalms.
You'll find that
on page 71.
Sing Psalms 55
on page 71.
And we're going to sing
from the beginning
down to the verse
marked 8.
Page 71.
O God,
please listen to my prayer.
Do not ignore my plea.
My anxious thoughts
make me distraught.
O hear
and answer me.
Psalm 55.
We're going to sing
verses 1 to 8
to God's praise.
O God, please listen to my prayer.
Do not ignore my plea.
O God, please listen to my prayer.
My anxious thoughts
make me distraught.
O hear and answer me.
I'm troubled by the voice of hope.
By their malicious fear
For they bring suffering to me
The hatred I must bear
Within the anguish lifts my heart
It's ever shot the near
I tremble out of dead and fire
I know the wealth I fear
Though that I lie not on the wings
Then I would fly away
And be at rest
I'd live from here
And in the desert stay
Then would I do
My hiding place
Forever you see my fight
But from the raging of the storm
And from the tempest might
As we seek God's help
Can we turn back in our Bibles
To the passage that we read together
In the book of Ruth
And we're in chapter 1 today
We're looking at most of this chapter
But we can read again a verse 21
Ruth chapter 1
And at verse 21
Naomi is speaking
And she says this
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
I went away full
And the Lord has brought me back empty
If this first chapter of the book of Ruth
Were to be made into a film
It might be called
Three Funerals
And a Famine
It is a chapter filled with hardship
And with pain
It's a story of a family going through
An incredibly challenging
And sad experience
But it also reminds us
That God is interested
In our families
The book that comes before it
The book of Judges
Gives us an insight into
The life of the Israelites
In broad brush strokes
You could say
But then when we come into Ruth
It's as if the camera zooms
Right in
To focus on one household
And one family
And this particular family
Is a family that is struggling
A family that is hurting
And if the camera were to zoom in
On your family today
Might it be a similar picture
Difficulties
Trials
Struggles
Pain
But what this book reminds us of
Is that God knows
What's going on
As you read through this chapter
He ensures that
The name of every person
In this family
Is recorded then
A reminder that
God knows each of us by name
God knows us intimately
And God knows whatever struggles
Or hurts
Or pains
Or trials
That you might be experiencing today
And this book of Ruth
Also reminds us of this fact
That the Bible
Always deals
With reality
There's no sugar coating here
No airbrushing
Of the fact that
Life is incredibly tough
There are times when it's painful
There are times when it's really sad
And yet even in the midst
Of these sad circumstances
In Ruth chapter 1
God is at work here
God's at work
And the heartwarming
Aspect of this story
Is that Ruth
This complete outsider
A Moabite
From among the enemies
Of God's people
She comes
To be
Attached to the people of God
And more than that
She comes to trust
The Lord
And even more than that
The Lord Jesus himself
Is descended
From her
You don't need to read
Very far
Into the genealogy
At the beginning
Of the New Testament
In Matthew chapter 1
To find the name
Of this outsider
Ruth
Amongst the ancestors
Of Jesus
So God's great plan
Of salvation
For the world
His plan for the coming
Of the Messiah
It's being worked out
Right here
In this chapter
Among the mess
And the misery
Ruth
Is one of only two women
Who have a book
Of the Bible
Named after them
The other is
Esther
And they're two
Very different people
Esther was a queen
Who lived in a palace
Ruth was a peasant
Who lived
In poverty
Massively different
Circumstances
Opposite ends
Of the social spectrum
And yet God cared
For both of them
So today
We're just going to study
This first chapter
In the book of Ruth
You need to go home
And read the rest
Of the story
You may already
Be familiar with it
Maybe you're not
But in this first chapter
The focus is actually
More on Naomi
Than it is on Ruth
So we'll spend a little
Of our time
Talking about Ruth
But most of our time
Will be focused
On Naomi
So I want to look at this
Under four headings
This morning
First of all
The problem
This famine
That caused them
To have to leave
Their homes
The problem
And then the parting
There are several
Partings
Bereavements
In this chapter
And then thirdly
The pledge
We'll look at Ruth
As she pledges
Herself to Naomi
And to her people
And to her God
The pledge
And then finally
The poverty
From the verse
That we took
As our text
Where Naomi
Talks about
Going out full
And coming back
Empty
So we'll break it up
Into these four sections
And we'll work our way
Through the chapter
The problem
The parting
The pledge
And the poverty
So let's begin
With the problem
What is the problem here
Well verse 1
Sets the scene
For us
By telling us
That this took place
In the days
When the judges ruled
And that immediately
Alerts us to the fact
That these were dark
And difficult days
In Israel
We know that
Because you only have
To look across the page
To the end
Of the book of Judges
To find out
What these days
Were like
The closing verse
Of the book of Judges
Says in those days
There was no king
In Israel
Everyone did
What was right
In his own eyes
There was no leadership
And the people
Had drifted away
From the faith
And then the next thing
You find out
In Ruth chapter 1
It's also something
That should surprise us
That is that
There was famine
In Bethlehem
Because the very name
Bethlehem
It means house of bread
And it was given
Part of the reason
It was given that name
Was it was a fertile place
So it was unusual
To have famine
In Bethlehem
And then we meet
The family
In verse 2
All of them are named
And we're told
That they decide
To go to Moab
For a while
Verse 1 uses
The word soldier
Which just means
A short trip
But clearly
The situation changes
Because by the end
Of verse 2
We're told that
They remained there
So the plan
Has changed
They're going to go
For a time
Because there's famine
But they end up
Staying there
Now going to Moab
Is a strange choice
Of place
To go
Because Moab
Was enemy territory
The Moabites
Were enemies
Of the people
Of God
If you read
Through the book
Of Judges
You'll find that
Moab
Had attacked
And subdued Israel
Ruled over them
For 18 years
So it's an odd
Place
To go
It's even worth
Bearing in mind
Where Moab
Came from
The Moabites
Were descended
From Lot
From that
Incestuous
Encounter
He had
With his own
Daughter
When he got
Drunk
And one of
The children
Born
Was called
Moab
The Moabites
Came from there
And they were
Long term
Enemies
Of the people
Of God
And it's just
A reminder to us
That sin
Has long
Lasting
Consequences
Decades
And decades
Later
The Moabites
Were a thorn
In the side
Of God's
People
We meet
Elimelech
He's the head
Of this home
His name
Means my God
As king
Although
Some will
Suggest that
He's not
Really living
Up to his
Name
If he's
Leaving Bethlehem
The house
Of bread
Where God
Has blessed
Them
To go
To enemy
Territory
To Moab
Well maybe
That's the case
The passage
Doesn't say
So it doesn't
Say that he
Was wrong
To go
Should Elimelech
Have stayed
In Bethlehem
Even when
There was famine
Would you
Have
It is hard
To study this
Chapter and
Study this book
Without forming
A view
Over whether
He was wrong
To go
Or not
But more
Important
Than what
We think
Of his
Decision
Is how
We respond
When trials
And difficulties
And challenging
Circumstances
Face us
There are three
Main options
That are open
To you
When life
Gets difficult
Escape
Try and run
From it
Endure
Simply put up
With it in some
Stoic kind
Of way
Or embrace
It
See it as
Part of God's
Plan for your
Life
Now
Embrace might
Be too strong
A word
I used it
Obviously
Because the
Other two
Were ease
But just
Simply
Accepting
This is what
God has
For me
Just now
That is how
We should
Deal
With our
Trials
But I'm not
Saying it's
Easy to do
So
It wasn't
Easy for Elimelech
He took the
Other option
He went
For the
Escape
Route
But that's
The problem
That he
Faced
There was
Famine
And he
Had a
Family
Who were
Hungry
So that's
Our first
Point today
The problem
Life was
Incredibly
Difficult
For this
Family
But we're
Going to
Look secondly
At the
Parting
Life
Wasn't
Going to
Get
Easier
By taking
The escape
Route
The very
Next thing
We're told
After we
Read that
They go to
Moab
Is that
Elimelech
Died
How tough
Was that
They're in a
New place
Unfamiliar
Territory
And the
Head of the
Home is
Gone
Now
There must
Have been
Some good
Times in
Moab as
Well because
They celebrated
Two weddings
While they
Were there
The two
Boys
Marlon
And
Killian
Found
Wives
And got
Married
But clearly
The good
Times were
Short lived
Within ten
Years
It had all
Fallen
Apart
And I've
Called the
Second point
The parting
Because there
Are repeated
Partings
If you look
At verse
Five
It says
The woman
Was left
Without
Her two
Sons
And her
Husband
It's just
A few
Verses
And everything
Changed
Everything
Changed
First there's
One widow
Then there's
Two widows
And then there's
Three widows
And you know
It's easy to
Suggest
Maybe even
Tempting
To conclude
That they
Must have
Been wrong
To go
If it all
Went
So
Pearship
But we
Need to
Be careful
We need
To be careful
In forming
That kind
Of view
Because
The bible
Doesn't say
So
What we
Can say
With certainty
Is that
Naomi
Believed
That this
Was
God's
Chastisement
For something
Wrong
In her
Life
So you'll
Notice
That in a
Few verses
So say
At the end
Of verse
Thirteen
She says
It's exceedingly
Bitter for
Me
For your
Sake
That the
Hand of
The lord
Has gone
Out against
Me
God's
Against
Her
She says
And then
Look at
Verse
Twenty
One
Middle of
The
Verse
Towards the
End of
The
Verse
Why call
Me
Naomi
When
The lord
Has
Testified
Against
Me
The lord
Has testified
Against
Me
She's
Saying
God
Has
Some
Evidence
Against
Me
And that's
Why she
Believes
Everything's
Gone
So
Pearship
Why she's
Had so
Much
Trouble
Now
Maybe
She's
Right
Maybe
She's
Right
But even
If she
Is
Even
If
This
Is
And
This
Is
Just
Her
View
Okay
This
Is
Not
Scripture
That's
Saying
This
Is
A
Chastisement
From
God
This
Is
Just
Naomi's
!
Conclusion
!
But even
If she's
Right
That this
Is
A
Chastisement
From
God
For
Some
Wrongdoing
In
Her
Life
We
Can't
Be
Sure
What
Wrong
What
It
Is
That
She
Did
Wrong
Was
It
The
Fact
That
The
Family
Left
Bethlehem
When
They
Ought
Not
To
And
Went
To
An
Enemy
Country
Was
It
The
Fact
That
She
Allowed
Her
Sons
To
Marry
Heath
And
Wives
From
Moab
Was
It
Something
Else
All
Together
Or
Was
It
None
Of
These
Was
She
Just
Misled
In
Thinking
That
This
Was
A
Punishment
Or
A
Chastisement
Of
Some
Sort
We
Don't
Know
There's
Lots
Of
Things
We
Don't
Know
What
We
Do
Know
Is
That
We
Are
Looking
At
A
Woman
In
Turmoil
!
Hard
For
Her
To
Think
Straight
Maybe
You
Know
What
That's
Like
When
You
Go
Through
Circumstances
Like
This
You
Can't
Think
Straight
The
Following
Verses
They
Show
Us
That
Naomi
Is
All
Over
The
Place
Because
She
Decides
To
Go
Back
To
Bethlehem
With
Her
Two
Daughters
In
Law
And
Then
At
Some
Point
On
The
Way
She
Decides
No
Maybe
They
Should
Go
They
Should
Go
!
She
Tells
Them
To
Go
Back
And
She
Is
At
One
Point
Praying
That
The
Lord
Will
Bless
Them
And
Then
In
Another
Moment
She
Telling
Them
Go
Back
To
Your
Own
Gods
This
Is
A
Woman
Who
Is
Deeply
Confused
Notice
Her
Prayer
Or
At
Least
It's
A
Desire
For
God's
Blessing
Verses
8
And
9
Naomi
said
To
Her
Two
Daughters
Go
Return
Each
Of
To
She
Is
Asking
God's
Blessing
On
Them
One
Moment
And
Then
Not
Long
After
That
She
Is
Telling
Them
Go
Back
To
Your
Own
Gods
Verse
15
She
Said
See
Your
Sister
In
Law
Is
Going
Back
To
Her
People
And
To
Her
Gods
Return
After
Your
Sister
In
Law
If
You
Want
To
Be
Whether
You
Want
To
Be
Sympathetic
With
Naomi
Or
You
Want
To
Criticize
Naomi
You
Could
Find
A
Verse
To
Support
Your
Argument
And
What
We
Actually
See
From
This
Is
This
Is
A
Woman
Who
Is
In
Torment
Who
Is
In
Turmoil
!
And
No
Wonder
Berement
Is
Painful
And
One
After
Another
After
Another
Incredibly
So
Naomi
Has
Been
Parted
From
Three
People
Who
Were
Precious
To
Her
In
Just
One
Decade
Of
Disaster
And
Now
We
See
Her
And
She's
All
Over
The
Place
So
That's
Our
Second
Point
To
The
Parting
The
Parting
There
Were
Several
Partings
Here
So
We
Looked
At
The
Problem
We
Looked
At
The
Parting
I
Want
To
Come
Now
And
Think
About
The
Pledge
The
Pledge
From
Verse
!
Takes
Its
Name
And
Ruth
Refuses
To
Stay
In
Moab
Even
Though
Her
Sister
In
Law
Orpah
Has
Decided
To
Go
Back
And
She
Makes
This
Impassioned
Plea
To
Naomi
That
She
Really
Must
Go
With
Her
You'll
See
It
In
Verse
16
And
17
And
As
You
Read
These
Verses
You'll
See
That
This
Is
A
Professional
!
Faith!
She's
Come
To
Trust
The
Lord!
Let
Me
Read
16
And
17
But
Ruth
Said
Do
Not
Urge
Me
To
Leave
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
This
Is
It's
More
Than
Just
A
Commitment
To
Israelite
Religion
In
Verse
17
She
Calls
God
The
Lord
The
Hebrew
Name
Yahweh
Which
Is
Covenant
People
The name
That
The
Covenant
People
Would
Use
This
Is
Her
Showing
Her
Allegiance
To
The
Lord
And
You
Have
To
Ask
How
Did
That
Happen
Here
Is
A
Woman
Brought
Up
Steeped
In
Idolatry
The
Moabites
Worshipped
Chemosh
One
Of
The
Worst
Idols
One
Who
Accepted
Human
Sacrifice
That's
How
This
Woman
Was
Brought
Up
Steeped
In
Idolatry
How
Is
It
That
She
Come
To
Trust
The
Lord
Well
Conversion
Is
Always
A
Work
Of
God
Alone
Can
Do
Circumstances
You
Might
Think
That
The
Loss
Of
Her
Husband
Might
Have
Had
The
Opposite
Effect
Might
Have
Driven
Her
Away
From
Any
Thought
She
Might
Be
Having
About
God
And
Yet
It's
Quite
Possible
That
It
Was
Standing
At
The
Graveside
Of
Her
Husband
That
Ruth
Realized
There
Must
Be
More
To
Life
Than
This
You
Know
It's
Not
Uncommon
For
Beream
To
Bring
Us
Face
To
Face
With
The
Realization
That
We
Need
God
Ruth
Lost
Her
Husband
She
Lost
Her
Father
In
Law
She
Lost
Her
Brother
In
Law
And
Yet
It's
To
God
That
She
Turns
In
The
Middle
Of
Her
Pain
It's
To
God
That
She
Turns
And
Here
She
Is
Professing
Her
Faith
And
There's
Nothing
More
Wonderful
Than
Hearing
Someone
Say
That
For
The
First
Time
I'm
Trusting
The
Lord
I'm
Trusting
The
Lord
But
I want
You
To
Notice
And
That
Is
That
In
The
Same
Sentence
That
Ruth
Commits
Herself
To
The
Lord
She
Also
Commits
Herself
To
The
Lord's
People
Verse
16
At
The
End
Your
People
Shall
Be
My
People
And
Your
God
My
God
And
That's
The
Biblical
Pattern
From
Beginning
To
End
Of
The
Bible
That
God's
People
Are
Meant
To
Be
Together
We
Are
Sheep
In
A
Flock
We
Are
Soldiers
In
An
Army
We
Are
Stones
In
A
Building
God's
People
Are
Meant
To
Be
Together
And
That's
Why
It's
Sad
When
Anybody
Who
Professes
To
Be
A
Christian
Excludes
Themselves
Or
Stays
Away
From
The
Fellowship
Of
God's
People
Ruth's
Pledge
Of
Commitment
To
The
Lord
Also
Included
A
Commitment
To
The
Lord's
People
So
That's
Our
Third
Point
The
Pledge
The
Pledge
We've
Looked
At
The
Problem
We've
Looked
At
The
Parting
We've
Looked
At
The
Pledge
Fourthly
And
Finally
!
The
So I'm
Taking
That
Word
Poverty
From
Naomi's
Statement
On
Returning
To
Bethlehem
The
One
We
Read
At
The
Start
Verse
21
Which
Says
I
Went
I
Went
Away
Full
And
The
Lord
Has
Brought
Me
Back
Empty
She
Feels
Impoverished
And
She
Feels
It's
God
That
Has
Impoverished
Her
And
It
Becomes
Very
Clear
That
The
Hardship
That
Naomi
Has
Experienced
In
Moab
Has
Taken
Its
Toll
On
Her
Even
On
Her
Appearance
Because
Look at
What
The
Women
Of
The
Town
Say
When
She
Returns
Verse
19
Middle
Of
The
Verse
When
They
Came
To
Bethlehem
The
Whole
Town
Was
Stirred
Because
Of
Them
And
The
Woman
Said
Is
This
Naomi
Is
This
Naomi
It's
As
If
They're
Not
Even
Certain
If
This
Is
The
Same
Woman
Who
Left
There
Just
Ten
Years
Earlier
And
It's
Not
It's
Not
The
Same
Woman
In
Many
Ways
That
Had
Left
There
A
Decade
Previous
To
That
Because
Hardship
Changes
Us
Look at
What
She
Says
Verse
20
She
Says
Don't
Call
Me
Naomi
Because
Her
Name
Meant
Pleasant
Don't
Call
Don't
Call
Me
Pleasant
She
Says
Call
Me
Mara
That
Name
Means
Bitter
Or
Bitterness
And
She
Explains
Why
For
The
Lord
Has
Dealt
Very
Bitterly
With
Me
And
Then
Later
The
Almighty
Has
Brought
Calamity
Upon
Me
Naomi
Felt
Utterly
Empty
Maybe
You can
Follow
That
Today
In
A
Gathering
This
Science
Maybe
That's
How
You
Feel
Today
Utterly
Empty
But
The
Wonderful
Thing
As
You
Continue
To
Read
Through
This
Book
And
Read
It
When
You
Go
Home
God
Is
Just
About
To
Change
All
Of
That
God
Is
Just
About
To
Fill
Naomi
With
Reasons
To
Rejoice
You
Know
Sometimes
We
Have
To
Be
Emptied
Before
We
Can
Be
Filled
I'd
Like
To
Quote
Some
Verses
To
You
From
A
Poem
Called
Treasures
They
Go
Like
This
One
By
One
He
Took
Them
From
Me
All
The
Things
I
Treasure
Most
Until
I
Was
Left
Empty
Handed
Every
Glittering
Toy
Was
Lost
And
I
Walked
Earth's
Highways
Grieving
In
My
Rags
And
Poverty
Till
I
Heard
His
Voice
Inviting
Lift
Those
Empty
Hands
To
Me
So
I
Held
My
Hands
Towards
Heaven
And
He
Filled
Them
With
A
Store
Of
His
Own
Transcendent
Riches
Till
They
Could
Contain
!
No
More
God
Had
A
Plan
For
Naomi
And
For
Ruth
And
He's
Working
Out
His
Plan
Right
Here
Even
Through
The
Hardships
That
Naomi
Experienced
You
Know
Now
Would
Not
Be
A
Time
To
Go
And
Visit
Her
And
Quote
To
Her
The
Scripture
That
Says
God
Works
All
Things
For
The
Good
Of
Those
Who
Love
Him
There
Are
Times
When
It's
Not
Appropriate
To
Quote
A
Verse
Like
That
But
It
May
Be
That
Somewhere
Down
The
Line
She
Would
Come
To
Understand
That
For
Ourself
You
See
Trying
To
Work
Out
Why
The
World
Is
The
Way
It
Is
Why
So
Much
Bad
Stuff
Happens
Why
God
Allows
Suffering
And
So
On
These
Questions
Will
Just
Tie
Us
In
Knots
Sometimes
You
Need
To
Just
Trust
God
Rather
Than
Question
Him
Or
By
All
Means
Bring
Your
Tormile
To
Him
Pour
Out
Your
Heart
To
Tell
Him
How
You
Feel
Tell
Him
What
You're
Struggling
With
But
Always
Remember
That
God
Doesn't
Owe
Us
An
Explanation
He's
God
And
We're
Not
God
I
Heard
A
Heard
A
Story
Not
That
Long
Ago
But
Maybe
You've
Heard
It
Or
A
Version
Of
It
But
A
Dad
He
Was
He
Was
Working
From
Home
And
He
Was
Looking
After
His
Son
And
His
Son
Was
Demanding
Attention
And
Board
And
Wanting
To
Be
Entertained
And
Dad
Didn't
Have
Time
To
Entertain
!
Him
He
Had
Work
To
Do
And
So
He
Tored
a page out of a magazine that had a map of the world on it. And he tore the map into pieces and
gave it to his son. And he said, you put that back together the way it should be. And when you're done,
come and show it to me. And he didn't think the boy would be able to do it because he'd never
really seen a map of the world before. But before long, the boy came back, dad, he said,
I've pieced it all together and he'd stuck it with tape. And his dad was shocked.
And he said to him, how did you do that? You don't even know what the map of the world looks like.
And the boy said, yes, but there was a picture of a man on the back. And he said, I recognized him.
And so by looking at him, I was able to put it all back together. He knew the man behind the picture
and that helped to put it together. And friends, if you know the one who is behind the jumbled mess
that may be your life today, that helps. That helps. It might not enable you to make sense of everything,
but how reassuring to know that he's there behind it all. Notice one final thing just as we finish.
Naomi said she was empty and we have no reason to doubt that she was. Her hands were empty. Her heart was empty.
Her head. Her home. But just notice this glimmer of hope in the closing words of the chapter
where it says, they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
There will be food at least. There will be food at the very minimum should be fed.
But we know because we know the rest of the story that there were further blessings to follow.
God was about to do something new in Naomi's life.
God was about to do something new in Jerusalem as well. Amen.
Let us pray.
Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it just tells us the story as it is, with all its pain.
It doesn't seek to make people out to be better than they are.
It doesn't edit comments that are made about you that we might be uncomfortable with.
We thank you, Lord, that it tells us how people dealt with the troubles that came into their lives.
But we thank you also, Lord, that it reminds us there is a God who is in control,
even when everything seems out of control.
So bless us today. Be with us, each one of us.
We're known to you, Lord. Meet us as you see our need today.
We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
I'm going to finish singing in the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 126.
You'll find that on page 419.
Page 419.
Psalm 126. We're going to sing the whole of this psalm to God's praise.
When Zion's bondage, God turned back.
As men not dreamed were we, then filled with laughter was our mouth, our tongue with melody.
Psalm 126. The whole of this psalm to God's praise.
When Zion's bondage, God turned back.
As men not dreamed were we, then filled with laughter was our mouth, our tongue with melody.
We hung the hill and said the Lord, great things for them have brought.
The Lord hath done great things for us, when joy to us is brought.
That streams of water in the south, brother, voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy
who in precious
seed
enjoyed
for the
morn
in darkness
bringing
back this
seed
rejoicing
shall return
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. Amen
Amen
Thank you.