WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.280 Glyne Baptist Church for a good few years and Maeve, even before we got married, before I knew 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:10.859 you all, was coming along here. I'm part of the church family so it's lovely to be back, a bit of 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:17.559 a homecoming in a sense and we do bring greetings from Cork Baptist Church. So I'm the pastor over 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:24.420 in Cork Baptist Church in the city centre and we do pray for you on a regular basis. So we pray for 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:29.539 the different churches on a Sunday morning and we keep Cary Glyne Baptist Church in our prayers 00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:36.879 and we're going to spend some time looking at part of the book of Ruth. So this can be found 00:00:36.879 --> 00:00:45.960 in your church Bible on page 267 if you're using the Red Church Bible. So it's 267 and the book of 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:51.219 Ruth is in the Old Testament so if you're using something other than a Red Church Bible feel free 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:57.060 to look it up in the index and find that there. So we're in Ruth and it's chapter 1. 00:00:59.539 --> 00:01:02.879 So it's Ruth chapter 1 on page 267. 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:20.200 So we'll read the first 18 verses and we'll just focus on verses 8 to 18. So let's read 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.640 from Ruth chapter 1 and verse 1. 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:29.659 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:35.980 Judah together with his wife and two sons went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man's 00:01:35.980 --> 00:01:41.920 name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi and the names of his two sons were Malon and Kilion. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:47.340 They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah and they went to Moab and lived there. 00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:55.020 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband died and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, 00:01:55.159 --> 00:02:02.120 one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about 10 years both Malon and Kilion 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:11.719 also died and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. When Naomi heard in Moab that the 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:17.319 Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:23.079 return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living 00:02:23.079 --> 00:02:30.259 and she set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:36.159 two daughters-in-law, go back each of you to your mother's home. May the Lord show you kindness 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:44.280 as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:52.219 find rest in the home of another husband. Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:58.620 said to her, we will go back with you to your people. But Naomi said, return home my daughters, 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:03.039 why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:10.159 Return home my daughters, I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me, 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:15.199 even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons, would you wait until they grew up? 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:23.900 Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters, it is more bitter for me than for you, 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:33.319 because the Lord's hand has turned against me. At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:42.319 mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth clung to her. Look, said Naomi, your sister-in-law is going back to her 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:51.159 people and her gods go back with her. But Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or to turn 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:59.139 back from you. Where you go, I will go and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people 00:03:59.139 --> 00:04:11.599 and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:23.199 be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:30.399 to go with her, she stopped urging her. Let's take a moment to pray and to ask for God's help 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:37.139 as we look at his word. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for your word to us this morning. 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:43.740 Thank you that you promise to work through your word on our hearts and on our lives by the power 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:50.219 of your Holy Spirit. And so, Father, we ask that this morning you would help us not just to hear 00:04:50.220 --> 00:04:59.360 what you are saying to us, but Lord, to respond, to act accordingly, to become more like Christ and 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:04.240 to have our eyes lifted to see our Saviour again. Amen. 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:11.420 I want to encourage you to keep Ruth chapter 1 open in front of you as we look at it together. 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:17.900 And the question we want to ask this morning as we look at this is what will carry us through? 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:24.959 What will carry us through? So, you could ask that question in many different areas of life. So, 00:05:25.019 --> 00:05:30.339 we've had a number of students coming to Corp Baptist in the last few weeks as the semester 00:05:30.339 --> 00:05:37.560 has started. Some of them are from very exotic places like Antigua, the Netherlands, Dublin even. 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:44.620 And as they move to be with us, a question for them might be what is going to carry them through? 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:51.959 They're away from family, away from friends, away from all that is familiar. Others have been displaced 00:05:51.959 --> 00:06:00.199 in our world this morning by conflict, far more serious displacement. And the question for them, 00:06:00.459 --> 00:06:06.540 for those who are believers, is this, what is going to carry them through when their lives have been 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:13.060 turned upside down? For some of us this morning, perhaps, it is as we looked at the future. 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:19.560 And we're not sure about how the future is going to unfold. And again, it's this question, 00:06:19.760 --> 00:06:28.820 what will carry us through? For others, again, it is facing the loss of a loved one, 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:39.740 facing deep-rooted, profound grief. And when we experience that, the question is, what will carry 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:46.980 us through? And the reason we want to ask this question is because this is something of what is 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:54.519 being experienced by these ladies in Ruth chapter 1, and especially Naomi. In verse 9 of chapter 1, 00:06:54.519 --> 00:07:00.299 the second half of the verse, Naomi kissed her daughter's-in-law goodbye, and they wept aloud. 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:08.539 And in those few verses, you realize that these women who have left Moab and are on the way to 00:07:08.539 --> 00:07:14.379 Bethlehem, they're in the middle of nowhere, in a sense. They are facing uncertain futures. 00:07:15.159 --> 00:07:22.379 They don't know how things are going to unfold. They have experienced profound upheaval in their lives. 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:30.339 They have left their home of more than 10 years. In the case of Orpah and Ruth, it's their whole lives. 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:38.860 And they have experienced profound grief. In verse 5, both Malon and Kilian also died, 00:07:38.980 --> 00:07:46.319 and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. And so for Ruth and Orpah, they have 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:52.279 lost their husbands. For Naomi, she's lost her two sons and her husband. And the question for them 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:57.319 is what will carry them through, and that's what we want to consider this morning together. 00:07:58.139 --> 00:08:04.319 And as we consider that, we're just going to ask, what have they lost, and what will they find? 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:09.979 So what have they lost, and what will they find? So let's think first of all about what they have lost. 00:08:10.059 --> 00:08:13.039 And we see this in verse 3, what they have lost. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:19.939 In verse 3, Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, and she was left with her two sons. 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:24.140 In verse 5, both Malon and Kilian also died. 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:30.000 So for each of these women, they have lost their husbands. And as we've said, for Naomi, 00:08:30.140 --> 00:08:34.320 she's lost her sons. And these are people who are dear to them. 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:43.840 These are loved ones who they've lived their lives with, whose lives have been shaped together, 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:51.500 and they have grown together. And as they have lost their husbands, it will bring to mind the memories 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:58.140 of their lives together, the conversations that they've had, the happy times, the sad times, 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:04.080 the regrets, the things they wish they had said and didn't. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.340 And so for each of these women, they're experiencing profound grief. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.699 As they have lost their husbands, they have also lost their home. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:19.960 In verse 6, when Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:23.120 she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:30.060 But in doing so, that means they're leaving Moab where they had lived for a long time. 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:34.820 In verse 7, with her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living. 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:42.200 And so now they have all the upheaval of moving from one place to another. 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:46.240 And as we meet them on the road, they are between places. 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:50.620 And so not only have they lost their husbands, they've lost their homes. 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:58.860 Not only have they lost their husbands in their homes, they also have another loss. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.240 In verse 11, when Naomi says, 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:03.820 Return home, my daughters, why would you come with me? 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:07.080 Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:11.320 What she has in mind there is something that's unusual to us. 00:10:11.419 --> 00:10:13.620 It's something called leveret marriage. 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:18.240 But the practice back then was that if a woman lost her husband, 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:24.960 somebody who was closely related to him would marry her in order to raise up children 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:28.120 to keep the family line going. 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:34.680 It was a way to provide for, to care for the woman who had lost her husband 00:10:34.680 --> 00:10:40.500 in a society where there was no social welfare, no child benefit, none of these provisions. 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:50.240 But as Naomi says this, she says there's no hope for blessing or provision through this means. 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:52.100 And she elaborates on that in verse 12. 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:53.440 Return home, my daughters. 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:58.000 I'm too old to have another husband, even if I thought there was still hope for me. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:02.960 Even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons, 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:04.740 would you wait until they grew up? 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:07.340 Would you remain unmarried for them? 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:08.500 No, my daughters. 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:14.840 And so you realize that Naomi has lost hope. 00:11:16.419 --> 00:11:18.740 There's no hope for me, she says. 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:25.059 And not only that, but they now are faced with the prospect of losing each other. 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:28.720 In verse 11, Naomi says to her two daughters-in-law, 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:30.960 go back, each of you, to your mother's home. 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:36.980 In verse 11, she says, return, my daughters. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.759 In verse 12, she says, return home, my daughters. 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:45.340 So these women who have lived a significant amount of their adult lives together, 00:11:45.700 --> 00:11:49.720 10 plus years, and now faced with the prospect of losing each other. 00:11:49.720 --> 00:12:03.580 For Ruth and Orpah, the choice now is, do they go with Naomi and lose their family and friends back in Moab, 00:12:03.660 --> 00:12:07.220 or do they go back to Moab and lose Naomi? 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:14.240 And for all intents and purposes, this is essentially like them having a death. 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:17.580 It's like an American wake. 00:12:17.779 --> 00:12:24.600 Back in the 1800s, you may be familiar with the idea of an American wake when Irish people emigrated to America. 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:28.399 No Zoom, no Skype, no phones. 00:12:29.680 --> 00:12:32.519 And so they realized that this was goodbye. 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:36.560 It was as though they were saying goodbye. 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:39.080 They were saying goodbye to their loved one forever. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:41.600 They would never see them again. 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:45.680 And so they would have a wake as though it was a funeral for that person. 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:50.059 And for Naomi and Ruth and Orpah, that is what they are faced with. 00:12:52.339 --> 00:12:55.479 And so these women, they have lost much. 00:12:55.599 --> 00:12:56.859 They have lost their husbands. 00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:58.699 They have lost their homes. 00:12:58.839 --> 00:13:00.679 They have lost hope. 00:13:03.459 --> 00:13:06.279 And they have the prospect now of losing each other. 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.839 And some of you know what that is like, to have lost so much. 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:15.980 It's been about 10 years now since my dad died. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:17.680 He died in September 2013. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:23.980 And when we lost him, there's nothing that can prepare you for that. 00:13:24.180 --> 00:13:28.360 There's nothing that can prepare you for losing your parents. 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.139 And so there was a suddenness to that. 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:38.340 And yet at the same time, we had been losing him for years. 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:40.080 Because he had dementia. 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:45.000 And I remember once when myself and Maeve, just before we got married, 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.480 Dad came down to visit us in Cork. 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:50.259 And he turned to me in the car. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:54.019 And he said, did you hear Peter has moved to Cork? 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:59.660 And I realized in that moment, he doesn't realize who I am anymore. 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:04.440 And so it was like losing him before we lost him. 00:14:04.540 --> 00:14:07.680 And for some of you, you know what that is like, to lose a loved one. 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:12.139 And for some of you, you have layers of loss in your life. 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:17.779 It may be losing a loved one, losing a home like Naomi and Ruth and Orpah. 00:14:17.839 --> 00:14:18.979 Moving country. 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:25.720 For some of you, it may feel like you have lost hope as you look to the future. 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:28.560 Like Ruth and Naomi and Orpah. 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:32.980 And sometimes those layers are for us as individuals. 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:39.300 And sometimes those layers of loss come for us as church families. 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:45.519 Where it feels like wave after wave of loss crashes in upon us. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:52.019 Even one of these types of losses is significant. 00:14:52.219 --> 00:14:54.919 To experience them all can be overwhelming. 00:14:55.219 --> 00:14:58.799 And so it's not surprising that these women cry. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:05.059 In verse 9, she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud. 00:15:05.319 --> 00:15:08.240 In verse 14, at this they wept aloud again. 00:15:08.359 --> 00:15:13.479 And this is not the kind of polite dabbing the corners of your eyes, crying. 00:15:13.719 --> 00:15:18.779 This is the kind of weeping that you will hear before you see them on the road. 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:23.859 And you will give them space for this sacred moment of grief. 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:27.940 It's not surprising that they cry. 00:15:28.060 --> 00:15:33.000 And it is not surprising that Naomi is struggling with God. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.120 In verse 13, she says, 00:15:36.340 --> 00:15:41.539 It is more bitter for me than for you because the Lord's hand has turned against me. 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:46.980 And you realize that Naomi has a big view of God. 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:55.139 She doesn't think that all that has happened in her life is the result of chance and randomness. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.039 She's a big view of God. 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:02.100 If you have a small view of God in a moment like this or no view of God, 00:16:02.180 --> 00:16:06.360 what that view of God does is it leans into your ear and whispers, 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:07.580 It's all meaningless. 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:09.860 It was for nothing. 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:15.240 But Naomi is a big view of God. 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:19.680 Not a pocket-sized God that she brings out on a Sunday morning. 00:16:20.560 --> 00:16:22.680 She knows that the Lord gives. 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:27.419 And she knows that the Lord takes away. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:34.019 And she's right in seeing God like that. 00:16:34.100 --> 00:16:37.899 But it is a hard question to ask. 00:16:38.060 --> 00:16:39.940 Why then has this happened? 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:48.000 It is hard to live in a life, live in a world where life can sometimes feel overwhelmed by grief. 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:53.320 And as she wrestles with God, she has lost sight of something. 00:16:54.580 --> 00:17:00.760 She still knows he's a big God, but she has lost sight of what he is like. 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:07.019 Verse 13, it is more bitter for me than for you because the Lord's hand has turned against me. 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:11.400 In that moment, Naomi thinks that God is against her. 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:16.960 And isn't it striking that that's how she's thinking about God relating to her? 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.519 Because she has already said back in verse 8, 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:21.900 May the Lord show you kindness. 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:25.920 Verse 9, may the Lord grant that each of you will find rest. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:30.259 She's able to say to these ladies in their moments of grief and loss, 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:34.220 that the Lord, may he show you kindness and rest. 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:36.180 But she can't say that to herself. 00:17:36.300 --> 00:17:38.480 She says, the Lord has turned against me. 00:17:41.620 --> 00:17:47.800 And I wonder, have you ever felt that in the moments of loss that you have experienced? 00:17:47.800 --> 00:17:49.900 That God has turned against you. 00:17:51.340 --> 00:17:55.000 And it doesn't even need to be profound loss. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:59.799 I remember when our boys were younger and we would be up at 3 o'clock in the morning 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:02.500 and 4 o'clock in the morning and 5 o'clock in the morning 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:06.220 and I'd be thinking, I've worked to do tomorrow, God. 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:11.240 I mean, don't you realize I have to get up in three hours' time? 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:15.440 Thinking that somehow God was against me in those moments, 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:19.140 not appreciating that this is the reality of life in this world. 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:24.619 It's a hard place to be and that's where Naomi is. 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.779 She has lost much. 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:29.740 She's lost her husband. 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:32.180 She's lost her home, her hope. 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:38.319 And has the prospect of losing these women who are dear to her as well. 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:42.359 And so we've reflected on what they've lost. 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:45.700 Let's reflect a little on what does she find. 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:50.980 What does Naomi find to carry her through? 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:58.160 In verse 14, Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:04.240 And you can't really blame her, can you, for going back to Moab. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:09.180 But look at what Ruth does. 00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:11.299 Ruth clings to Naomi. 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:14.859 And in verse 15, Naomi says, 00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:17.980 Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:18.839 Go with her. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.460 And what we have now is one of those moments 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:25.480 like you experience every time you walk into an Irish home 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:27.220 and they ask you, Do you want a cup of tea? 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:28.500 And you say, No. 00:19:28.819 --> 00:19:30.019 And you're thinking to yourself, 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.039 I'm not sure, do they really want a cup of tea? 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:33.940 And so you ask them again, Do you want a cup of tea? 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:34.579 And they say, No. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:35.839 And then the third time, 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:37.779 You'll have a cup of tea. 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:38.500 Okay, I will. 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:41.200 So, and there's this ballet of tension 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:42.660 as you're trying to figure out 00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.519 where the other person stands with relationship to tea. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.240 And for Naomi and Ruth, 00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:48.539 what's going on is, 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:50.640 Ruth, go back, go back. 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:53.599 And we're wondering, is Ruth just being polite? 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:55.660 Is Ruth just saying, 00:19:55.779 --> 00:19:57.380 No, Naomi, I'll go with you. 00:19:57.380 --> 00:20:02.040 And is she going to crack under the pressure to return home? 00:20:04.260 --> 00:20:06.180 Will she or won't she? 00:20:07.060 --> 00:20:09.180 This is Ruth's opportunity now. 00:20:09.300 --> 00:20:11.640 Nobody would blame her for leaving Naomi 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:14.760 and going back to Moab. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:18.360 But look at Ruth's response. 00:20:19.860 --> 00:20:21.200 Verse 16. 00:20:22.320 --> 00:20:23.000 Ruth replied, 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.980 Don't urge me to leave you 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:27.839 or to turn back from you. 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:33.640 Where you go, I will go. 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:35.259 And where you stay, I will stay. 00:20:37.539 --> 00:20:40.539 Ruth, in these verses, in these words, 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:43.960 is expressing a commitment to Naomi. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.880 It's the kind of commitment 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.100 that is saying to Naomi, 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:52.220 Look, you may want me to return. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:55.220 And Naomi is being very kind. 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:57.480 Naomi is putting a brave face on it. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.079 You may want me to return, 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.620 but you need me to be with you. 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:06.180 You need somebody with you now. 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.240 Ruth recognizes that Naomi needs somebody. 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:10.859 And so Ruth says to her, 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:13.519 I'm sticking with you. 00:21:15.579 --> 00:21:16.920 I'm going to stay with you. 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:18.079 Where you go, I will go. 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:19.640 And where you stay, I will stay. 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:22.620 Ruth is expressing the kind of commitment to Naomi 00:21:22.620 --> 00:21:25.660 that gives to her what she needs, 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.059 even if it's not what she wants. 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:33.380 It's the kind of commitment that sticks with you. 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.319 And very often, that's just what we need, isn't it? 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:38.819 In our moments of loss. 00:21:40.159 --> 00:21:43.059 For just somebody to be with us. 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:50.759 It's the kind of commitment, 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.319 even though it's between Ruth and Naomi, 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:55.839 that grows community. 00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:58.599 Verse 16, 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:00.879 Your people will be my people. 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:04.460 Even though they're alone on the road, 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:06.960 Ruth recognizes that they are going to be 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.000 heading back into a community. 00:22:12.340 --> 00:22:13.819 And it's the kind of commitment 00:22:13.819 --> 00:22:16.600 that is rooted in this shared faith. 00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:18.539 Your God, my God. 00:22:20.840 --> 00:22:24.740 And as Ruth says this to Naomi, 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:26.220 it's remarkable. 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:27.840 It's profound because, 00:22:28.600 --> 00:22:29.600 humanly speaking, 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:31.860 there's nothing in it for Ruth. 00:22:31.859 --> 00:22:36.000 It's at great cost to Ruth 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.679 that she says this to Naomi. 00:22:39.659 --> 00:22:40.759 And in fact, 00:22:41.639 --> 00:22:44.399 she's willing to pay any cost, 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:45.039 in a sense, 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:46.679 when she says in verse 17, 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:48.299 Where you die, I will die, 00:22:48.979 --> 00:22:50.699 and there I will be buried. 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:53.559 Not even death 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:55.959 will separate us, Naomi. 00:22:55.960 --> 00:23:00.759 These are incredible words 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:01.600 of commitment 00:23:01.600 --> 00:23:03.680 at great cost. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:05.600 And they're incredible 00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:06.920 because in our culture, 00:23:07.059 --> 00:23:08.779 commitment is not always rewarded. 00:23:09.600 --> 00:23:10.960 It's not always admired. 00:23:11.100 --> 00:23:12.019 It's not always honored. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:13.299 Your internet provider 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:15.200 will charge you more 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:17.259 the longer you stay with them. 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:19.220 They want you to shop around. 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:25.039 And that's the reality 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.720 in other areas of life as well. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:28.860 And yet, 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:30.220 what we see here 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:31.500 is this beautiful 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:33.299 commitment of Ruth 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:34.319 to Naomi. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.140 It's nearly like a marriage vow, 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:36.740 isn't it? 00:23:37.120 --> 00:23:38.960 Till death do us part. 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:43.519 And what you realize is 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:47.640 that this is going to carry Naomi through. 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:50.220 You don't yet see it, 00:23:50.300 --> 00:23:51.640 but as the book unfolds, 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:53.200 it's Ruth's commitment to Naomi 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:54.560 that carries her through. 00:23:55.860 --> 00:23:58.420 The commitment of just this one lady 00:23:58.420 --> 00:23:59.660 to this other lady 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:01.340 will carry her through. 00:24:05.380 --> 00:24:07.180 And one of the joys 00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:08.200 of coming back 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:09.960 to Carigalline Baptist Church 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:11.860 is that I see this, 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:14.100 and I'm sure you see it as well, 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.820 as we come back 00:24:15.820 --> 00:24:16.800 from time to time 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:18.720 the same people 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:20.480 committed to one another 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.299 from different backgrounds, 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:23.480 different nationalities, 00:24:23.639 --> 00:24:25.159 different ages of life. 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:28.799 But every time we show up 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:29.799 on a Sunday morning 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.460 or at a home group 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:32.480 or pop over 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:33.339 for a cup of coffee, 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:33.919 we're saying, 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:35.359 I'm with you. 00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:36.720 I'm here. 00:24:36.899 --> 00:24:38.339 I'm not going anywhere, 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:40.259 even if it costs me. 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:41.980 And we say that 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:42.819 to one another 00:24:42.819 --> 00:24:46.619 because we have this shared faith. 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:48.159 Your God is my God. 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:50.759 Your people are my people. 00:24:54.639 --> 00:24:56.539 We express that commitment 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:57.379 to one another 00:24:57.379 --> 00:25:00.500 because it reflects God's commitment 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:01.740 to us. 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:07.259 When we were living over in the States, 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:09.319 I'm sure I've told some of you before, 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:11.000 we were involved in a car accident. 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:12.920 Everybody was fine, 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:14.240 but what we experienced 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:15.240 in those moments 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:16.380 was expressions 00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:17.740 of God's people's 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:20.059 commitment to us. 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:21.940 So as the ambulance arrived, 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:22.640 one of the ladies 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.799 working in the ambulance 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:25.079 was obviously a believer. 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:26.180 She came up to me 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:27.279 and she said to me, 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.579 we've been praying, 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:30.279 I've been praying 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.220 as we got to the scene 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:34.299 that everything will be okay. 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:36.099 And later on, 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:37.440 after we left the hospital, 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:38.240 a friend of ours 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:40.200 left his Valentine's Day dinner 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:41.779 to come and be with us 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:42.639 in the hospital. 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:44.519 He was committed to us. 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.480 He was with us. 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:46.779 And when we got home 00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:47.740 to where we were staying, 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:48.879 an Indian couple 00:25:48.879 --> 00:25:50.460 who were good friends of ours 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.519 cooked us dinner. 00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:53.519 And what they were expressing to us 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.819 was we're with you. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:55.700 We're committed. 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:58.960 And then an older man 00:25:58.960 --> 00:25:59.519 and his wife 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:00.779 brought us out for dinner 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:01.700 afterwards 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:03.420 to hear, 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:04.059 to listen. 00:26:04.299 --> 00:26:05.100 How are we doing? 00:26:05.559 --> 00:26:07.140 What they were expressing to us 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:07.700 was commitment. 00:26:09.360 --> 00:26:10.319 We're with you. 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:11.120 Where you go, 00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:12.039 we will go. 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:16.240 I remember after my dad died, 00:26:16.340 --> 00:26:18.000 one man in particular 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:21.220 intentionally meeting up with me 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.940 just to see how I was doing. 00:26:23.080 --> 00:26:24.019 And what I realized 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:25.259 in that moment was 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:27.079 he is with me. 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:29.119 He's with me in the midst of this. 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:32.900 And you know, 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:34.000 when we experience 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:36.000 the commitment of God's people, 00:26:36.119 --> 00:26:37.259 it can carry us 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:38.200 through. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:41.720 And that's what Naomi 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:43.019 is experiencing 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:44.339 from Ruth here. 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:46.440 It's really, 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:47.619 really significant. 00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:49.319 Really, 00:26:49.319 --> 00:26:50.420 really profound. 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:54.300 and largely because 00:26:54.300 --> 00:26:56.779 it reflects God's commitment 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:57.440 to us. 00:26:59.820 --> 00:27:01.300 We follow a Savior 00:27:01.300 --> 00:27:02.620 who is utterly committed 00:27:02.620 --> 00:27:03.380 to us, 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:05.960 who will 00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:08.100 do for us 00:27:08.100 --> 00:27:09.340 what we need, 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:11.400 even if sometimes 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:12.920 it's not what we want. 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:15.800 a Savior 00:27:15.800 --> 00:27:16.880 who says to us, 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:17.700 I am with you 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:18.660 always, 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:20.779 even to the end 00:27:20.779 --> 00:27:21.720 of the age. 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:22.759 a Savior 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:23.960 who saves us 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:24.779 as individuals 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:25.819 but brings us 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:26.980 into a community. 00:27:29.180 --> 00:27:30.480 He is so committed 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:31.200 to us 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.680 and a Savior 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:33.740 who is committed 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:34.200 to us 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:35.940 at great cost. 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:38.620 Isn't it interesting 00:27:38.620 --> 00:27:39.559 as Ruth says 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:40.240 to Naomi, 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:43.319 even death 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:44.660 will not part us? 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:46.599 And we could 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:47.700 very well say 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:48.400 that that's what 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:49.660 Jesus says to us. 00:27:49.779 --> 00:27:50.559 Even death 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:51.680 will not part us. 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:52.740 And we know 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:54.000 that for sure 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.620 because Jesus 00:27:55.620 --> 00:27:57.500 went to his death 00:27:57.500 --> 00:27:58.839 in order 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:00.140 to make us 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:01.000 his own. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:04.240 That is the level 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:05.059 of commitment 00:28:05.059 --> 00:28:05.779 that Jesus 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:06.839 has to you 00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:07.319 and I. 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:09.140 That is what 00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:09.759 Mary 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:11.059 experienced 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:11.859 on that first 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:12.779 Easter morning 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:13.500 as she was 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:14.160 weeping 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:14.960 at the tomb 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:15.660 not unlike 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:16.220 how Ruth 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:16.599 and Orpah 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:17.180 and Naomi 00:28:17.180 --> 00:28:17.940 are weeping 00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:18.900 and suddenly 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:19.900 she realizes 00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:20.700 that not only 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.240 is Jesus 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:22.200 committed to her 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:23.059 in life, 00:28:23.460 --> 00:28:24.140 he is committed 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:24.799 to her 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:26.359 even through death 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:27.519 as he says 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:28.200 her name, 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:28.879 Mary, 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:30.019 and she turns 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:31.140 to see him. 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:32.359 She realizes 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:33.319 she has a Savior 00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:34.420 who is committed 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:36.740 to overcoming death. 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:42.059 and that carries 00:28:42.059 --> 00:28:43.059 her through 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:43.819 and that will 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:44.940 carry us through. 00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:50.700 And you know 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:51.299 there is coming 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:51.879 a day 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:54.140 when our Savior 00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:54.700 Jesus 00:28:54.700 --> 00:28:55.879 will wipe away 00:28:55.879 --> 00:28:56.539 our tears, 00:28:57.059 --> 00:28:58.220 when there will be 00:28:58.220 --> 00:28:59.160 no more suffering 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:00.259 and no more grief, 00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:02.079 where we will 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:03.019 no longer be 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:04.160 between one place 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:04.799 and another, 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.139 when we will 00:29:07.139 --> 00:29:07.919 be home 00:29:07.919 --> 00:29:10.299 with him 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:11.319 forever. 00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:15.099 And we're not 00:29:15.099 --> 00:29:15.799 there yet. 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:19.299 But what will 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:20.500 carry us there, 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:21.639 what will get us 00:29:21.639 --> 00:29:22.019 there, 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:23.159 is his 00:29:23.159 --> 00:29:24.099 commitment 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:24.819 to us. 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:28.960 And so let's 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:30.019 pray and 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:32.500 ask him to 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:33.159 help us 00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:34.700 to hear that. 00:29:34.840 --> 00:29:35.120 Father, 00:29:35.600 --> 00:29:37.160 thank you so much 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:37.759 for Jesus. 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:41.420 Thank you that 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:42.160 he is committed 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:42.940 to us. 00:29:44.800 --> 00:29:45.279 Lord, 00:29:45.340 --> 00:29:46.460 that he is with us 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:47.960 by his Spirit 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:50.640 and that not even 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:51.560 death can 00:29:51.560 --> 00:29:52.540 separate us 00:29:52.540 --> 00:29:53.200 from him. 00:29:53.300 --> 00:29:53.940 We have seen 00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:54.560 that clearly. 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:55.340 He has gone 00:29:55.340 --> 00:29:56.060 to the cross 00:29:56.060 --> 00:29:56.640 for us 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:57.400 in our place. 00:29:59.080 --> 00:29:59.460 And Lord, 00:29:59.580 --> 00:30:00.220 though it looked 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:00.660 like 00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:02.500 all was lost, 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:04.920 Father, 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:05.440 we think of 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:05.960 that first 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:07.019 Easter morning 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:09.040 as he speaks 00:30:09.040 --> 00:30:10.000 Mary's name. 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:11.640 And we know 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:12.140 there will be 00:30:12.140 --> 00:30:12.620 a day when 00:30:12.620 --> 00:30:13.080 he speaks 00:30:13.080 --> 00:30:13.840 our name. 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:15.660 And we will 00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:16.380 know that it 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:16.840 is his 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:17.580 commitment that 00:30:17.580 --> 00:30:18.060 has carried 00:30:18.060 --> 00:30:18.700 us through. 00:30:19.540 --> 00:30:19.860 Father, 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:20.540 we long 00:30:20.540 --> 00:30:21.040 for that 00:30:21.040 --> 00:30:21.440 day. 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:24.960 Father, 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:25.740 we cry out 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:26.140 for that 00:30:26.140 --> 00:30:26.519 day. 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:28.660 Father, 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:29.320 in the meantime, 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:30.040 we pray that 00:30:30.040 --> 00:30:30.640 you'd help us 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:31.500 to reflect to 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:32.019 one another 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:32.799 that commitment 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:33.420 that Christ 00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:34.400 has for us. 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:37.240 Lord, 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:37.700 that we would 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:38.460 be with 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:39.099 one another, 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:39.619 that we would 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:40.200 be for 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:40.839 one another. 00:30:42.879 --> 00:30:43.299 Lord, 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:43.839 even if it 00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:44.920 is at cost 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:45.819 to ourselves. 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:47.680 And so, 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:47.879 Lord, 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:48.420 we pray you'd 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:48.960 help us 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:49.539 to reflect 00:30:49.539 --> 00:30:50.139 our Saviour 00:30:50.139 --> 00:30:50.579 more and 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:50.879 more. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:51.960 Amen. 00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:56.480 We're going 00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:56.920 to sing 00:30:56.920 --> 00:30:57.680 in response 00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:58.019 to what 00:30:58.019 --> 00:30:58.420 we've been 00:30:58.420 --> 00:30:59.139 thinking about. 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:00.180 It's a hymn, 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:00.779 a song that 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:01.599 reflects on God 00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:02.299 commitment. 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:02.919 It used 00:31:02.919 --> 00:31:03.419 the word 00:31:03.419 --> 00:31:04.779 faithfulness, 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:05.779 the idea 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:06.059 of God 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:06.719 being faithful 00:31:06.719 --> 00:31:07.259 to us, 00:31:07.299 --> 00:31:07.659 just to 00:31:07.659 --> 00:31:08.179 remember 00:31:08.179 --> 00:31:08.859 and reflect 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:09.859 on how 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:10.399 God is 00:31:10.399 --> 00:31:10.839 utterly 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:11.339 committed 00:31:11.339 --> 00:31:12.139 to his 00:31:12.139 --> 00:31:12.480 people. 00:31:12.599 --> 00:31:12.919 So let's 00:31:12.919 --> 00:31:13.500 stand and 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:13.799 sing 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:15.019 in response. 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:18.220 Thank you. 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:18.599 Thank you.