Okay, Ruth.
The book of Ruth is just after the time of Judges.
Like I said last week, it's an everyday story of country folk.
It describes for us what life was like for just an ordinary family in the days of Judges,
in the days of Gideon's Israel.
And so that's where we are this morning.
And we're looking at the turning point.
It's quite early on in the story, but we're in the crossroads in the book of Ruth.
London is a city, isn't it, full of immigrants.
And many people have come to this city in search of a better life.
It's often why people leave one culture and they go to another.
To go to one where they speak another language and they settle down permanently there,
people are in search of a better life.
There's tens of thousands of people like that, aren't there, in London today.
There are tens of hundreds of women,
and like these women we're going to be looking at this morning.
Naomi and Orpah and Ruth.
Tens of hundreds of widows in our city today who've suffered unbearable loss.
If we had to make a movie of the book of Ruth, we'd probably call it three funerals and a wedding.
You don't get to the wedding until the end of chapter four, but there are three funerals.
Naomi's husband Elimelech has died.
Elimelech and Naomi, they'd left the land of promise.
The promised land in search of a better life, of a fresh start.
Times were tough during the days of the judges.
There was a famine in the land, we're told, and they left instead of staying put where God had promised to bless them.
Instead of sitting on the premises and standing on the promises, they upped and they left.
They walked away from God's land.
They were looking for a better standard of living.
They were probably pretty well off.
They were Ephrathites.
They were a wealthy family in Israel.
They were from one of the leading clans.
They were descendants of Caleb, one of the great heroes of Israel.
But times were tough.
And so off they go in search of a better life.
And it all goes pear-shaped for them.
But now God is dealing with them.
And God is bringing them back.
And Naomi is turning around.
And she's coming back to where she belongs.
She's only been 40 or 50 miles down the road.
But spiritually, she's been a long way off.
She's been in the far country.
The apostle Paul says,
Anywhere outside of the people of Israel.
Anyone outside of Israel.
That's us.
We are Gentiles.
Most of us here.
Paul says,
We are foreigners to God's promises and covenants.
And so Naomi and Elimelech,
they chose to go out of Israel to walk away from God's promises.
To go to the Gentile countries.
And not any old country.
To Moab.
Of all the places to go.
There are Gentile places.
And then there are Gentile places.
And Moab was particularly singled out in the book of Deuteronomy.
It was a bad place for God's people to be.
They were God's enemies.
It isn't just like us deciding that there's somewhere else you'd rather live.
It's not like thinking,
Well, I'd like to move to Vancouver Island.
Or I'd like to go to New York.
No, it's like somebody from Ukraine going to live in Russia.
It's like going to Syria.
And living under ISIS.
The Midianites were dreadful people.
They worshipped Chemosh.
Required human sacrifice.
And so this lady, Naomi,
she is the prodigal daughter of the Old Testament.
She's gone into the far country.
Far, far away.
And God's hand had been upon her.
And she confesses.
Do you remember last week?
We saw God is turning her around.
He's dealing with her.
He's cutting her.
And it's a bitter experience.
That she's passing through.
And he turns her around.
And now she's going back.
And she brings with her,
her two daughters-in-law.
Oprah and Ruth.
Oprah and Ruth,
they'd never been to Israel.
But the author tells us now
they are returning to Israel.
And in fact, that's the big emphasis.
You can't see it so clearly in the English.
But 12 times,
the word turn,
turn,
keeps coming up.
And so what we're going to look at this morning,
Jonathan Edwards would have called
the narrative of a surprising conversion.
Because that's what you've got here.
You've got the conversion of an outsider.
You've got the conversion of a Moabitess.
The conversion of Ruth.
And so I want to talk about Ruth's faith.
And Orpah's failure.
And then I want to talk first of all about the Naomi factor.
The Naomi factor.
Because it's obvious, isn't it,
that this lady, Naomi,
has had a huge influence on those two girls.
So there are, aren't there,
awful mother-in-law jokes.
And mother-in-law stories.
And some people would do anything
to get away from their mother-in-law.
And the bond between a mother-in-law
and a daughter-in-law
isn't always the strongest.
But here there is a strong bond of affection,
isn't there,
between Naomi and her two Moabitess daughters-in-law,
Oprah and Ruth.
In one sense, that's totally understandable.
They've been through a lot together.
They've suffered terrible bereavement together and loss.
And that's obviously drawn them together.
There's obviously a great deal of affection
between Naomi and her daughters-in-law.
But it goes deeper than that, I think.
Because these girls are not only
attached to Naomi,
but it seems to me,
as you look at these verses,
they are attracted to Naomi's God.
And I think that's something
that comes out really strongly.
It's surprising, that.
Because when people go through bitter experiences,
when they go through tough times,
very often it puts them off.
Sometimes it is then,
and from then,
that people walk away from God.
Why is he allowed this to happen to me?
But it seems here
that there's something that's happening
which is actually drawing
these two girls,
these two Moabitesses.
These two Gentiles,
girls,
were being drawn
to the God of Israel.
What is it?
Well, I want to argue with you,
and it's almost counterintuitive.
I want to suggest to you
that what's so attractive
to these Moabitess girls
is not so much Naomi's togetherness,
but Naomi's brokenness.
Look what she says to them
in verse 13.
She says,
this is more bitter for me
than for you,
because the Lord's hand
was against me.
Naomi's saying,
this is a tough time for me.
I've not got it all together.
It's not good for you
to be with me.
Go back to your own family.
Go back to your own friends,
to your own home.
It's not a good time
to be with me.
God is dealing with me,
and it's tough.
I came out full,
but now I'm going back
very much empty.
There's not much of a future
for you girls with me.
And there's a sense, isn't it,
where you would think,
well, that would put them off.
But they want to go with her.
They are compelled
by her honesty
and her openness.
And so if I can apply it to you,
sometimes in our foolishness,
we imagine that as Christians,
we have to keep up appearances.
That we have to keep up a good show,
not to let the side down.
And so often,
we pretend that we are not
what we are not.
I was speaking with somebody
who their dad is
towards the end of his life,
and he's been very,
very difficult to live with
for his wife,
for my friend's mother.
And she says,
it's been a really,
really hard time
for the family.
She says,
apart from when his brother,
who is not a Christian,
calls,
and at that point,
he pretends to be
the most gentle,
most accepting,
kindest man of all.
And we think,
well,
that's ridiculous,
don't we?
But I see that in my own life too.
That we can pretend
to be what we're not.
Of course,
God sees through that,
isn't it?
He is the one
from whom no secrets are hid,
all hearts open before him.
We can't fool him,
but we can fool other people.
To a certain degree,
but people see through it,
don't they?
That's why often people say to me,
the problem is with churches,
it's just a bunch of hypocrites.
Because they see hypocrisy.
And not only one of the reasons
why it doesn't work,
it's because it's phony.
There's a lot of phoniness
around in churches.
But there's something worse
than phoniness.
It's actually kind of
counterproductive.
In a sense,
if you are trying to pretend,
if you are trying to act,
you are misrepresenting
the God of the Bible.
You are basically
misleading people
into thinking that
the God of the Bible,
well, he is the good people's God
and he is the together people's God.
So people say that to me,
like they say to you,
I'm not good enough.
You don't know me,
I'm not that sort of person.
I could never come to church.
And people get that impression
from us,
don't they?
Because we're so high and mighty,
they couldn't possibly
come among us.
Because our God
is the good people's God.
But he isn't,
is he?
He is the God
who is gracious
and forgiving
and full of mercy
and full of forgiveness
and kindness.
He's the God of sinners.
And he dwells
with the contrite
and with the brokenhearted.
You see,
what was it
that brought
Orpah and Ruth
back to Israel?
It is what they saw
in Naomi.
And what they saw
in Naomi
was her brokenness,
not her togetherness.
And so if my people,
God says,
who are called by my name,
humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face
and turn from
their wicked ways,
then I will turn from heaven
and forgive them
and heal their land.
And so what will God
use to reach Ealing?
What will God use
to reach London?
Not a proud,
strutting,
triumphless church.
But a broken church.
Not a bunch of Pharisees
who are trying to occupy
the high moral ground
and looking down their nose
on everyone else
as if we were special.
We're just sinners,
aren't we,
who've been forgiven
for goodness sake.
There's no difference
between the people in here
and the people out there
other than we've found
a saviour.
A saviour who's full
of compassion
and kindness,
who shed his blood
to rescue us.
And that is what
God will use.
And so as a church,
we don't need
better PR
to make ourselves
look good
to a watching world.
There's a great competition
amongst ministers
about who's got
the best church website.
And so if you go on
to various churches,
it's like a kind of
arms race
amongst church websites,
isn't it?
People are arguing
with their deacons,
can I have more money
for the website?
And you look at the photos
on the website.
Does that result
in really reaching people?
Our website's very good,
by the way.
Joanna, thank you.
And loads of churches
are at it, aren't they?
But we need to come
in brokenness
before a holy God
and confess
our sin
and our guilt
so that something
of his kindness
that we experience
might be seen
to others.
And that's so attractive.
So why then,
if that is the case,
why does Naomi,
if you look in verse 8,
why does she try
to persuade
her daughters-in-law
to go back
to their pagan gods?
Those pagan gods.
That's what it sounds like,
isn't it?
She's obviously
very concerned for them.
She prays for them,
in fact.
Verse 8,
she prays,
May the Lord,
may the Lord
deal kindly
with you
as you have dealt
kindly
with the dead
and with me.
She's concerned for them.
She's concerned
for them spiritually.
The word kindness
is the key there.
It's the key word
in the book of Ruth.
It's the word chesed,
which means covenant love
or steadfast love.
It's the word
for God's kindness
to his people,
God's kindness
to sinners.
It's the word
that is ultimately
fulfilled in Jesus.
So in the start
of John's Gospel,
we're told that the word,
that is the Lord Jesus,
he was made flesh
and he dwelt amongst us
and he was full of grace
and truth.
They're synonymous words.
Grace and truth,
it's not like he had
grace in him
and he had truth in him
and we must be sure
that we've got that balance
of grace and truth.
It's not that at all.
Grace and truth
are the same thing.
They describe
what this word means,
chesed,
covenant love.
God is faithful
to his covenant.
God will keep
his word
to his people
even though
it will cost him
dearly.
It will cost him
his own dear son.
And that is the word
that's issued here.
It's used here.
That is the attitude
of heart
that Naomi has
towards her daughters-in-law.
That's why she's
urging them
to go back to Moab
of all places.
Well, I think
the only way
I can understand it
is that she's wanting
them to count the cost.
they're not going
to take no
for an answer.
They are determined
to follow her back
into the land of Israel.
But it's not a good time
in Israel.
It's the time
of the judges.
And so she's
basically saying
to them
what you often
find in the Gospels.
Do you remember
there was
this yuppie guy?
He was a really
young guy.
He was rich.
He was good looking.
He had everything.
He had all the money.
Everybody knew
who he was.
He was a pillar
of society.
He had all the perks
of being upwardly mobile
in society.
And he comes to Jesus
and he says to Jesus,
good master,
what must I do
to inherit eternal life?
And he brings his CV
along with him
and he says,
I've done this
and I've done that.
Ever since I was a kid
I've kept the law.
And Jesus says to him,
go and sell what you have
and give it to the poor.
And because the man
was very rich,
he turns around
and he goes back
to Moab.
The gospel says
he went away sad.
Not because he was wealthy.
Not because he had riches.
But because those riches
had him.
He was an idolatry.
He was a worshipper
of other gods.
He was worshipping his wealth
and his status.
And Jesus says,
if you're really serious
about this,
if you really want
to come after me,
if you really want
to follow me,
then deal with that issue.
Go and sell what you have
and give it to the poor.
If you want to gain
your life,
Jesus says,
you've got to lose your life.
Do you understand
that principle?
That's what repentance
is all about.
If you want life
from Jesus,
you've got to give
your life away
in order to get it back.
It's what Peter said
to the lame man
at the gate
of the temple.
He says,
silver and gold
have I none.
I can't give you that
if that's what you're here for.
But what I have,
I give you
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Get up and walk.
You see,
I've got to tell you
this morning,
there's a great cost
to becoming a Christian.
I don't think we
emphasize that,
particularly in my preaching enough.
There's a cost
to following Jesus
and Naomi is
wanting her daughters-in-law
to count the cost.
And she rubs
their noses in it.
She is
very almost cruel
to be kind to them.
Look at verse 11.
Why would you
come with me?
She says,
am I going to have
any more sons
to become your husbands?
It's the only hope
in that culture
at that time.
The only hope
of survival.
These girls
had to find a husband
to get married.
It's very politically
incorrect
from our perspective.
But in that culture
at that time,
that was the reality.
That the only hope
of survival
was to raise sons
to get married.
And she says,
there's no hope
of that happening now.
If you follow
me to Israel,
who is going to marry
a Moabitess
in Israel?
You think America's
got problems
with racial tensions.
It's got nothing
compared to what
it's going to be like
for you girls in Israel.
If you follow me there,
a Moabitess,
she drives it home
to them.
It's almost comical.
She says,
look,
even if I get back
there,
and I've got twin boys,
and you're going
to wait around
for them to grow up
so that you can
marry them,
is that really
going to happen?
I'm past
childbearing age.
And by the time
I grow up,
by the time
those kids grow up,
you'll be past
childbearing age.
So it's a touch
of reality.
Do you see
what she's doing?
It sounds cruel,
but these
are harsh times,
and she's being
cruel in order
to be kind
to them.
And we need
to realize
that we need
to count the cost.
And here are
these two girls,
and maybe you
in this congregation
this morning,
you're at the
crossroads,
and you're wondering,
am I really
going to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ,
or will I
follow what I
want and my
own dreams?
And you've
got to make
the decision.
Are you going
to go back
to Moab
and go back
to where life
is just a little
bit easier,
where you can
pursue what
you want?
Or are you
going to abandon
all that
to follow Jesus
and abandon
all your own
plans for the
future and take
control of your
life?
Let him take
control of your
life.
And that's the
decision that these
girls faced,
the turning
point,
the crossroads.
So what
happens?
Well, we know
what happens.
Orpah goes
back.
Orpah's
failure.
You know,
Oprah,
Oprah was
meant to be
called Orpah,
but the
registrar
spelt it
wrong.
So Oprah
Winfrey was
meant to be
called Orpah
Winfrey.
Because of
that spelling
mistake,
she's become
known as
Oprah.
Why would
any mother
want to
call her
Orpah?
Because Orpah
went back.
It's a tragedy.
Orpah was
the almost
Christian
of the Old
Testament.
Do you
remember,
in the New
Testament,
Paul is on
trial for his
life.
He's in front
of King
Agrippa.
And King
Agrippa
listens to him
and King
Agrippa
says,
you almost
persuade me
to be a
Christian.
You're trying
to persuade me
to become a
Christian and
you're almost
there,
Paul.
That's what
Orpah was.
King
Agrippa says
to Paul,
do you think
that in such a
short time you
can persuade me
to become a
Christian?
That's what
Agrippa said
to Paul.
Do you think
that in such a
short time you
can persuade me
to be a
Christian?
Paul's answer
is magnificent.
Paul says,
I don't care
if it's a
short time
or a
long time,
I want you
and everyone
else to be
exactly like
me except
for these
chains.
Paul says,
of course I'm
trying to make
you a
Christian.
Of course I
want you to
come with me.
Of course I
want you to
come under
the shelter
of the
wings of
the God
of Israel.
I want you
to experience
his covenant
love and
his kindness.
I want you
to have a
future amongst
his people.
Of course I
want to
persuade you.
I don't want
to pull the
wool over
your eyes.
So it's
not going to
be easy,
is it,
to be a
Christian in
the coming
years.
But of
course,
of course I
want you to
be persuaded
to come to
Jesus.
The Christian
faith is a
public faith.
We can't
keep it to
ourselves.
So whether
you're in the
school playground
or anyone
else for that
matter,
whether you're
in parliament
or anyone
else,
you cannot
keep it to
yourself because
to do so
would be to
deny you what
it is.
And so my
job is to
persuade you to
follow Jesus
Christ, but
there is a
cost.
And we
want you to
count that
cost.
Somebody's
put it like
this, the
choice before
Orpah was
Yahweh plus
nothing or
everything minus
Yahweh.
And that's the
choice that
confronts every
one of us.
I'd rather
have Jesus
been new.
I'd rather
have Jesus
than silver
or gold.
But Orpah
goes back.
Orpah
chooses
Moab.
She chooses
the lifestyle
she's comfortable
with.
She chooses
to stay in
charge.
She chooses
the immediate,
the temporal,
the visible.
And she
chooses a life
in Moab.
And we're told
in verse 14,
she kisses
her mother-in-law
goodbye.
When that
rich young
ruler came
to Jesus
and Jesus
saw him
go away
because he
was sad,
do you think
Jesus cared?
Of course
he did.
It tells us
Jesus loved
him.
It's a
poignant
moment, and
here's a
poignant
moment.
Orpah
goes off
into the
darkness,
and it
breaks
Naomi's
heart.
If it
wasn't
broken,
enough
already
by then.
And Orpah
goes back,
and then
this is the
amazing part
of the
story.
It's so
surprising,
is that
Ruth,
she decides
to follow.
And it's
a profession
of faith.
That's what
it is.
It's Ruth's
faith.
Have you
heard these
words before?
Do these
words ring
a bell
to you?
Where Ruth
says this,
for where
you go,
I will
go, and
where you
lodge, I
will
lodge.
And here
it is,
your people
shall be
my people,
and your
God, my
God.
The bell
that should
be ringing
is this,
I will be
your God,
and you
will be
my people.
God says
to Abraham,
it's the
theme tune
of the
Bible.
That is the
heart of the
Bible, the
heart of the
covenant.
That's what
Paul says in
Galatians,
was the
gospel that
was preached
to Abraham.
And now
here comes
this
Moabitess,
this girl
from the
middle of
nowhere, and
she takes
the words
of the
covenant on
her own
lips, and
she says,
your God
will be my
God.
And your
people will
be my
people.
And she
wants to
come in
amongst the
covenant
people of
God.
And she
wants to
know the
kindness of
God, and
she wants
to experience
the covenant
of God.
she wants
to shelter
under the
Lord's
wings, and
she embraces
the covenant.
And so
we're told in
the next two
chapters how
she comes to
take refuge.
You see, she
knew what she
was doing.
This isn't
sentimentality in
Ruth 1.
This isn't
desperation.
She's seen,
hasn't she, in
the flesh and
blood example
of Naomi.
Naomi.
Naomi has been
an instrument in
the Redeemer's
hands.
She's seen a
flesh and
blood instrument
of God's
kindness to
others.
That's what
she's been to
these girls.
And that's
what Ruth is
experiencing.
And she's
seen the
kindness of
God and how
it's been
played out,
that it's
overflowing in
her life.
And Ruth
has seen the
character of
God.
As you
think,
Donald McLeod,
has got a
line in one
of his books
where he
says this,
there is
nothing
un-Jesus-ness
about God.
There is
nothing un-Jesus-like
about God.
Do you know
what Jesus
says?
If you've
seen me,
you've seen
the Father.
Do you want
to know what
God is like,
Ruth?
He's nothing
like Chemosh,
or any
of the other
pagan gods
you've
experienced
back there
in Moab.
Do you want
to know what
God is like,
Ruth?
Look at
Naomi.
Look at
her flesh
and her
blood example.
Look at
Naomi's
kindness,
look at her
faithfulness,
look at her
tenderness,
and you get a
glimpse there of
what Naomi's
God is like.
And so you want
to know what
God is like this
morning?
You look at
Jesus.
The word who
was made
flesh and
dwelt amongst
us, and we
beheld his
glory, the
glory of the
one and only,
full of grace
and truth.
And that Jesus
said, that if I
thirst, that I
should come to
him.
And that no one
else can satisfy,
so I should come
to him.
And Jesus said
that if I am
weak, I should
come to him,
that no one
else can be my
strength,
that I should
come to him.
There is
nothing un-Jesus
like about
God.
And you can
trust yourself,
can't you, to a
God like that?
The Jesus who
said that if I
fear, I should
come to him.
That no one
else can be my
shield, I should
come to him.
And Jesus said
that if I'm
lost, he will
come to me.
And so Ruth
does that.
She comes and
she shelters
under his
wings.
And she's
gloriously
converted.
The Westminster
Confession says
that it is out
of a sense of
the mercy of
God that we
are brought to
repentance.
That is so,
so helpful.
Paul, so
sometimes people
come to me and
say, actually, we
need a little bit
more of the
holiness of God
and we need a
bit more of the
fear of God put
into us.
Lay the law
down a bit.
If you make
people feel really
guilty, then
they'll repent.
But that isn't
the way.
The Westminster
Divines were
right.
It is out of a
sense of the
mercy of God,
not just emotion,
but out of a
sense of the
mercy of God,
then we
repent.
And Ruth
saw in
Naomi the
mercy of God.
She saw
Naomi's heart
of kindness.
It's
interesting,
isn't it?
The book is
called Ruth,
but the first
chapter is all
about Naomi.
Because God
used Naomi in
all that she
suffered to
bring Ruth to
himself.
I think it's
really helpful to
ask yourself,
how would Naomi
have felt in
Ruth chapter
one?
She must have
asked herself
countless times
in her darkest
moments, as many
of you ask
yourself, Lord,
why?
Why do I have
to go through
this?
Why is this
happening to
me?
And part of
the answer,
well never of
the full answer,
but part of
the answer,
God's great
purpose in
Naomi's life
was not to
punish her for
her sin,
but to reach
out to bring
Ruth the
Moabitess into
the kingdom.
The Apostle
Paul put it
perfectly.
In 2
Corinthians he
says,
where death
is at work
in us,
but life in
you.
And so we
want to see
our friends
and our
relatives come
to life in
Christ,
don't we?
We want the
people whom we
love and live
amongst to
have eternal
life, which
is to know
God and
Jesus Christ
whom he has
sent.
Do you want
that?
Well you
very may well
have to
suffer.
And you
may well
have to die
a thousand
deaths for
that to
happen, but
it's worth
it, isn't
it?
God used
Naomi's
suffering to
bring Ruth
into the
kingdom.
And that
is the way
God's works.
And so
maybe this
morning you
are very much
like Naomi
and you
are aware
of great
regrets in
your life.
And you
are more
aware this
morning of
your failures
than your
successes.
And you
are more
conscious of
your sinfulness
than your
giftedness.
And you
think to
yourself,
God could
never use
me.
And if
you'd said
to Naomi
back then
on the
road to
Moab in
Bethlehem,
if you
told her
that God
would use
her in
a way
that would
have people
talking about
her in
the UK
3,000 years
later,
she would
have thought
you were
stark,
raving mad.
And if
you told
her there
and then
that in
her suffering
and through
her tears
God was
going to
use her
to bring
the saviour
of the
world,
she would
never have
believed you.
But that's
exactly what
he did.
In the
worst of
times when
it could
not have
been worse
morally or
spiritually in
the time of
the judges,
that is what
God did.
He brought
a Moabitess.
He brought a
foreigner,
the worst
sort of
foreigner,
and he
brought her
into his
kingdom
amongst his
people and
he saved
her and
she became
the great
grandmother of
David.
That's a
surprise at
the end of
the book,
isn't it?
King David
was of
course the
ancestor of
the Lord
Jesus,
great David's
greatest son,
the saviour,
the redeemer.
And God
did that
3,000 years
ago in a
very,
very ordinary
family,
living in a
tough and
difficult place
with broken
hearts.
But if God
did that
then,
he's the
same God,
isn't he?
And he can
do that now.
And he can
do that
through you,
through me,
and through
this church,
despite all
our faults
and all our
feelings.
Let's pray.