Good morning. It's my joy to bring God's Word to you again today. A reminder that we're in a series on the book of Ruth,
and we are going to be starting here again in Ruth chapter 1, finishing the chapter at verses 19 through 22.
I was reminded this week as I spoke with several of you, you shared with me how challenging it is at times to listen to the story of Ruth.
Because as we've talked about, it's a book about suffering, and so for many of us, it brings up memories that are hard and sometimes difficult,
perhaps memories that we would rather not think about if we didn't have to.
And it also got me thinking that some of us grew up in families where hard things were never talked about.
And I was reminded that here, as God's family, we have to talk about hard things.
We have to talk about suffering and the things that happen to us in this world because that is the reality of life.
It's the reality of life in a world that has been broken by sin.
That we live in a place that is bleeding and broken because of the results of our rebellion against God.
And so we want to talk about hard things, not because we enjoy them, but because we know, remember,
we've talked about that God, as a loving Father, longs for us to be wise.
He longs for us to be wise and prepared for the things that will face us as we walk as his children in this world.
And so if you're suffering right now, remember that this book is for you.
It's a reminder of how God thinks about suffering.
And it's a reminder of his steadfast love to us in the midst of it.
And if you're not suffering, remember that if you live in this world long enough, you will one day.
And if you're not suffering right now, all you need to do is look around the room, people beside you and in front of you and behind you.
And you will see people that are suffering right now.
And so as God's people together, as one community, as one family, we want to be able to talk about hard things.
Because God has given us the opportunity to do that in his word.
And so again, we're in Ruth chapter 1, starting at verse 19.
Remember that God tells us that his word is more precious than gold.
Even the finest gold.
And that it is sweeter than honey.
Even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.
And so we're going to go there right now.
We're in Ruth chapter 1, starting at verse 19.
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 women said,
Is this Naomi?
She said to them,
Do not 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.
Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Dear Father in heaven,
We thank you that you are a good and loving Heavenly Father.
And so you haven't left us alone as orphans in a merciless universe.
But you've come and you've spoken to us
in words and ways that we can actually understand.
And so we ask that you would come and help us this morning.
That you would clear our minds.
That you would open our eyes.
That you would unstop our ears.
And that you would soften our hearts.
That we could see and hear and believe and understand
everything that is written about you in your word.
We ask this in the name of your Son.
Amen.
If you remember several years ago in February of 2015,
if you were watching popular culture even a little bit,
you are familiar with what is now known as the dress.
And if you remember the dress,
it was an image that showed up on the internet of this one dress from Europe
that was unlike any other picture of any other dress.
Because depending on who you were,
you saw one of two different things.
When some people looked at the dress,
they saw a dress that was blue and black.
And when other people looked at the very same picture,
they saw a dress that was white and gold.
And so it became this internet fascination
as people tweeted and retweeted and posted
about which of the two they could actually see.
And there was debate about
which was the true color of the dress.
And why was it that people were so confused?
About 70% of people would see,
I believe it was the blue and the black,
30% the white or the gold.
I might have that backwards.
You might have to flip that number.
But it wasn't even half and half.
And so it was even more confusing
why some people would see one and some the other.
The story highlights an issue
that we're going to see in this passage as well,
that we can look at the very same thing.
Two people can look at the same event,
the same situation, the same facts,
and come up with a very, very different interpretation.
We can look at the same situation
and come up with a very, very different interpretation.
And if you follow the story of the dress,
which became its own hashtag,
if you want to look it up,
you can just search hashtag the dress.
And scientists tried to figure out
why it was that people saw such different things.
And I don't think it's completely conclusive even now,
but part of it is that this picture was unique
because it was challenging to understand the circumstances.
Was the picture taken outside or inside?
Was it taken in natural light or fluorescent light?
And because it wasn't clear,
different people's minds answered that question
in different ways.
And based on the assumptions,
based on the interpretations that were made,
your mind, without even realizing it,
came to a conclusion.
Took incomplete data and came to a complete conclusion.
We're going to see the same issue happening with Naomi.
Naomi has a set of very challenging circumstances
in front of her.
And she's not completely sure what's going on.
In fact, we might even say she's decided
based on incomplete information what is going on.
She doesn't know the whole story.
She doesn't know exactly what's happening,
why it's happening,
but she has decided to come to a conclusion.
We see in the past,
we know that she had left her homeland.
She left the land of Israel to go to the land of Moab
because there had been a famine.
And while there,
she had lost not only her husband,
but her two sons.
And so we saw in our first week,
in verses 1 through 6,
that even when tragedy strikes,
God is still in charge.
And then we saw last week in verses 6 through 18
that when tragedy strikes,
it's the responsibility of God's people
to come alongside each other.
But here the question is a little bit different.
It's not the question of whether God's in charge.
And it's not the question of whether or how
we should come along those who are suffering.
But instead it's the question of whether God is good.
Whether he's loving.
Whether he's still with us in the midst of suffering
or he's abandoned us.
And so it's not a question about his control,
about what he can do.
In fact, Naomi's going to refer to him here in verse 21
as the Almighty.
She knows that God has all the power.
The question is,
why has he not used it
in a different way?
She comes back to the town of Bethlehem in verse 19.
Remember we saw in our very first week in Ruth
that Naomi had heard that the famine
that had caused her to leave her homeland was over.
And she was heading back with her daughters-in-law
in hopes that there would actually be a place
for food there in her homeland.
And as she comes back,
remember we know that she's been gone for over 10 years.
Because we found out in verse 4
that after the marriage of her sons,
they lived in Moab 10 years before their death.
And so we can understand the surprise and the shock
of other women in the town in verse 18 and 19.
As she comes back, they say,
is this actually Naomi?
It's been over a decade since they've seen her.
And they're experiencing the same reality that she is,
that when she left,
she had a husband.
And when she came back,
she did not.
And so is this the same person
with such a dramatic change in circumstances?
Is this Naomi?
We talked a couple weeks ago
about the importance of names.
Remember the name of Elimelech meant,
my God is king.
The name of Naomi
means pleasant.
It's another irony of names
in the midst of this story.
And she says,
do not call me Naomi,
so do not call me pleasant.
Call me Mara.
Because she no longer feels pleasant,
instead she feels
the meaning of Mara.
You might see a note in your Bible there
that it means bitter.
And so because of the circumstances in her life,
she who was pleasant
is now bitter.
Her response
to the events
is one of bitterness.
And we find out why
in that same verse,
in verse 20.
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 don't call me pleasant.
Call me bitter.
Because once I was full,
but now I'm empty.
Have you ever felt like
you have gone from
full
to empty?
It might be
a photo album
emptiness.
For some of us,
when we look back
at photo albums,
we see pictures of
people who are
no longer with us.
Maybe it's pictures
that are not even
in photo albums,
but frames in our house
that remind us
of what once was,
but isn't anymore.
Maybe it's not pictures
of people who were
once with us,
maybe it's pictures
of people that are.
Maybe you're a parent,
and you look back
at pictures of your children
when they were young,
and you see smiles
on their faces,
and you see them
playing so well together,
and you wonder,
where did those smiles go?
And why can't they
get along anymore?
Why two decades,
three decades later,
have things changed
so much?
Maybe you have
pictures together
of you as a family,
and you used to spend
time in holidays,
and you see those,
and then you think,
why now?
Why now do I only
receive an email
sometimes?
And even then,
it's not always
a kind one.
Maybe it's not
a photo album
emptiness.
Maybe you once
had work that you
felt was purposeful
and powerful.
people called you
with questions,
and they wanted
answers,
but your phone
doesn't ring anymore.
Maybe it's a
financial fullness.
Maybe when things
broke in your house,
there was a time
when you would
just fix it.
You would just
buy a new one.
You wouldn't ask
any questions
because it wasn't
a problem.
But now you wonder
how you're going
to scrape together
the money that you
need for the
problems that you
have.
Maybe it's your body.
You used to be able
to do all sorts of
things and all kinds
of energy you had.
And now you wonder,
where did all that
energy go?
Where am I going
to get the energy
that I need for the
tasks that are ahead
of me?
Wherever you are
in life,
I think many of us
can resonate
with Naomi here.
There's places
where we have felt
full that we are
now empty.
And so that's
where the dress
becomes so important.
How do we
interpret
going from
full to
empty
when we don't
have all the
information?
how are we
going to
interpret
going from
full to
empty?
We see the
answer that
Naomi has
here.
Remember I
noted last week
that she could
have had a
career as a
lawyer.
She does the
same thing
in verse
21.
You notice
the nouns
and the verbs
here.
I went
away
full.
But the
Lord
brought me
back empty.
I went
away full
but the
Lord brought
me back
empty.
So the
fullness
Naomi is
giving to
herself
but the
emptiness
to the
Lord.
And there's
a sense
in which
she's right
in the
sense that
God is
sovereign over
everything.
He controls
the whole
world.
But she
goes beyond
that because
she uses
legal language
here.
the Lord
has testified
against me
and the
Almighty has
brought calamity
on me.
And so it
seems as if
Naomi is
giving an
indirect accusation
against God
here.
That somehow
he has brought
her to court.
He's testified
against her
and he's
decided that
she has been
found wanting.
That he's
going to bring
suffering into
her life
perhaps because
of some
way that she's
failed.
Something she's
done that
is wrong.
She believes
that God
is against
her.
There was a
time when
God was
perhaps for
her but
now he's
dealt her
this hand and
he's dealt
it to her
in such a
way that she
can't even
address him.
You notice
that she
doesn't cry
out to God.
She doesn't
even say
what the
psalmist
says in
Psalm 13.
She doesn't
say how
long oh
Lord.
She doesn't
say why
God.
She speaks
about him
in the
third
person that
he has
done this
to her.
It sounds
in a sense
that either
she believes
that God
has given
her what
she doesn't
deserve or
he has
given her
what she
does deserve
but she
doesn't
know why.
There was
a courtroom
there was
a scene
in which
she was
tried but
she wasn't
even there
to defend
herself.
She wasn't
there to
know what
her crime
was.
So she
fills in
the blanks.
She
fills in
the blanks
for the
information
that she
doesn't
know.
And we
do the
same thing
as well
do we
not?
Perhaps
we've
experienced
suffering
and we
believe that
like Naomi
God is
actually
against us.
That we
have some
secret sin
that we're
unaware of
he's
opposed us
for it.
And it's
important at
this point
to differentiate
between different
types of
suffering.
There is
suffering in
this world
that is the
result of
sin.
There are
times where
we suffer
direct
consequences
for things
that we
have done.
There's
times we
suffer for
things that
other people
have done.
And then
there's times
we suffer
just from
the general
sin and
brokenness
that is in
this world.
And there's
no indication
here in this
passage that
Naomi has
done anything
wrong.
There's no
indication that
she has
sinned in
some way to
bring this
on her.
But instead
this is a
child of
God who
is struggling
to understand,
struggling to
interpret what
is going on
in her world.
And so
perhaps some
of us have
decided that,
that God's
against us.
There are
some of us
who have
decided perhaps
this means
that God
doesn't exist
anymore.
Or that if
he does,
he's not worth
worshiping.
He's not worth
coming to church
for.
That if God
has taken us
from full
to empty,
then why
should we
sing his
praises?
perhaps some
of us
have decided
that God
is sovereign
and so we're
not allowed
to grieve.
We're Romans
828 kind of
people.
We say God
works all
things together
for good.
And so I'm
not going to
try to interpret
this.
I'm just going
to move on.
And there's
some truth to
that.
That's true.
But we also
need to balance
Romans 828
with Psalms
like Psalm 13
where the
psalmist cries
out and says,
how long,
O Lord?
How long
are you going
to forget
me?
That it's
right to
cry out to
God and
tell him
that we're
in pain.
We need
to balance
Romans 828
with Psalm
88,
which is the
psalm of lament
where the
psalmist cries
out to God
and it's the
one psalm of
lament that
doesn't end
with crying
out praises.
Instead it
ends with
friends forgetting
and abandoning.
There's all
kinds of
different ways
that we
respond to
suffering.
So don't
hear what I'm
not saying.
God is
sovereign and
in control
and we
take comfort
in that.
But it's
also good
and right
to cry
out to
him,
to argue
with him,
to ask
him why.
Here Naomi
seems to have
already decided.
Perhaps we
respond like
Naomi in
that we're
bitter.
Bitterness
is deciding
that what
has happened
to us
is unjust.
We don't
deserve it.
And that is
going to be
the focus
of the rest
of our
life.
You can
spot a
bitter person
from a
mile away
not just
because they
lack joy
but because
their bitterness
has become
the thing
that is most
true about
them.
When you
meet them
they're quick
to tell you
about every
bad thing
that's happened
to them.
when they
walk around
all they
can repeat
to themselves
is what's
been done
to them.
Every
unjust
thing that's
happened
and we
see that
becomes
this self
focus.
Naomi
shows this
to us.
She can't
see anything
else that's
going on
around her
because this
bitterness
has consumed
her completely.
It's all
about me
for Naomi
in this
moment.
and it
would be
tempting
to just
criticize her
for that.
And yet
any of us
who have
suffered
something
like this
know how
challenging
it is
in the
moment
to focus
on anything
else.
Maybe
for some
of us
it's not
an
interpretation
but a
lack
of
interpretation.
We've
decided
we're
never
going to
look at
photo albums
again.
so that
we don't
have to
think
about it
and we
don't
have to
face it.
Maybe
we bury
ourselves
in
activities.
We keep
ourselves
so busy
that we
don't have
to think
about it.
We don't
have to
contemplate
going from
full
to empty.
Maybe
for some
of us
we found
ways
to numb
it.
It's
easier
to
have
another
drink,
to take
a drug,
worse
than it
is to
face
the
pain
of
this
world.
And so
this question
of interpretation
stands before
all of us.
When tragedy
strikes,
how are we
going to
make sense
of it?
How do we
interpret
what feels
like at times
swirling
waters
around us?
Remember
we asked
before,
is God
still the
king?
is he
still in
charge?
When the
land of
bread has
no bread
and God
is my
king,
is dead.
We saw
yes,
God is
still the
king,
he's still
in charge.
But here
is God
still good?
Is he
against me?
Has he
forgotten
me?
Is he a
king that's
still in
charge,
but a
king that
is distant
and removed
and far
away?
And so
maybe that's
our response,
that's our
interpretation,
it's anger
at God.
We've
decided that
it wasn't
fair,
it's not
the way
our life
was supposed
to go,
and so
we have
this belief
that God
owes us
something,
and he
hasn't
delivered.
I believe
the dress
was actually
blue and
black.
that there
were some
people who
saw the
correct
interpretation
and some
who saw
the wrong
one,
based on
what they
filled in
with the
data.
One
interesting
thing that
I read
was that
people who
are night
owls and
people who
are early
morning people
have a
tendency to
see it
differently.
Early
risers have
a tendency
to see it
as white
and gold,
and people
who stay
up late
at night
have a
tendency to
see it
as blue
and black,
because those
people have
trained their
eyes to
different types
of light.
So if you
get up early
in the morning
you're more
likely to
assume that
light is
natural light,
and if you
stay up at
night you're
more likely
to assume
it's not.
And based
on what your
mind assumes
you're going
to fill in
that data.
And so
the question
is what's
true and
what's false?
false.
Let's look
again at
Naomi's
statements
here in
this passage.
What's
true and
what's
false?
What's
true is
verse 20.
God is
almighty.
God is
in charge
and in
control of
all things.
Naomi gets
one thing
right,
and the
one thing
she gets
right is
that God
is in
control of
everything.
He is
the almighty.
But she
gets a lot
wrong as
well.
She says
here that
God is
against her,
that he
has dealt
bitterly with
her, and
that he
has brought
her back
empty.
And yet
what else
does Naomi
have?
Remember
we saw
in verse
six that
coincidentally,
or maybe
not so
coincidentally,
just as she
needed to
return,
that's when
the famine
ended in
Israel.
And even
though she
told her
daughters-in-law
to go
back,
God
provided
Ruth for
her.
That God
in his
never stopping,
never giving
up, always
and forever
love,
had provided
Ruth to
show that
same love
to her.
And so
when she
comes back,
she's not
coming back
by herself.
We see
even more
hints here
as well,
because it
tells us
in verse
22,
so Naomi
returned,
and Ruth,
the Moabite,
her daughter-in-law,
with her,
who returned
from the
country of
Moab.
Remember
Ruth?
She was a
Moabite,
not an
Israelite.
and yet
she returned
with Naomi.
And Naomi
has two
problems,
one that
she is
defenseless,
but another
that she's
without food.
And how
does this
chapter
end?
And they
came to
Bethlehem,
the house
of bread,
at the
beginning
of barley
harvest.
of all
the times
that Naomi
could have
come back,
a woman
without
resources
for food,
she comes
back by
God the
Almighty's
providence
in a time
when food
is plentiful.
And as we'll
see in the
next chapter,
this is the
time and the
opportunity
when widows
would be able
to glean
and gather
food from
the fields
without charge.
And so Naomi
has experienced
tremendous
tragedy,
but she
is not
completely
empty.
And God
is not
against her.
In fact,
it is God
in the midst
of all of
this who is
providing and
guiding and
leading Naomi.
And in the
midst of her
self-focus,
and in the
midst of her
bitterness,
God meets
her not
with the
curse she
expects.
He meets
her not
with a
word of
rebuke
for her
unbelief.
He meets
her not
with turning
his face
away from
her.
But God
meets Naomi
in the midst
of her
suffering
with his
grace.
Because God
is not
against her,
but for
her.
he hasn't
given up
on her,
but he's
remembered
her.
Even
when she
can't
see it.
When I was
growing up,
my,
remember I
started a couple
weeks ago by
asking,
why do your
parents tell
you stories?
stories.
When I was
growing up,
my dad would
tell us stories
about his
time as a
Boy Scout.
And the
one that
stuck with me
maybe the
most is he
shared with us
about the
time when he
had to get
his lifeguard
merit badge,
his water
merit badge.
And he
learned about
the reality
of trying
to rescue
someone who's
drowning.
And he
told us that
when someone
is drowning,
their perception
of reality
is skewed.
And that
when you try
to rescue
them,
they'll push
you away.
In their
flailing,
in their
desperation,
they're
tempted to
believe that
the lifeguard
is not for
them,
but against
them.
And so if
you want to
be an
effective
lifeguard,
you actually
have to
approach from
behind so
that someone
who's drowning
can't see
you.
Because
otherwise,
what may
happen is
that both
you and
them will
go down.
Because they're
not going to
help you in
the midst of
that.
Because
overwhelmed by
the threat
that's in
front of them
and the
struggle that's
right before
them, in
the middle
of them,
they're
surrounded by
water.
That's all
they can see.
they can't
understand that
this person
who's come
to them is
trying to
help them.
Brothers and
sisters,
when it
feels like we
are drowning
in life,
it is our
temptation to
push God
away from
us.
But God,
in the middle
of all of it,
showing us
his grace,
is actually
the one
coming to
help us
reach the
top.
God is
the one
who is
coming to
rescue,
even when
it seems
like it's
the opposite.
And so we
began with
this question,
is God
still good
in the midst
of suffering?
is he still
for us?
One pastor
asks this
very question
and he
answers it
this way.
He says,
we don't
know why
God allows
these things
to happen,
but we
know why
not.
We know
it's not
because he's
given up on
us.
And we
know it's
not because
he doesn't
love us.
And the
reason we
know is
that when
we doubt,
we can
look and
see that
he put
his very
son on
the cross
to die
the death
that we
deserved
and to
endure more
suffering
than he
will ever
ask us
to do.
And so
when we're
drowning,
when it
feels like
everything around
us is sinking,
we can
know and
believe and
trust that
it is God
who is
helping us
come to
the top.
Please pray
with me.
Dear
Father in
heaven,
we thank
you that
in the
midst of
our
temptation
to
bitterness
and our
temptation
to despair,
fear,
that you
don't hold
it against
us,
and that
even when
we take
our eyes
off of
you,
you never
take your
eyes off
of us.
We ask
that you'd
remind us
of it,
you'd
encourage
us,
and you'd
enable us
more and
more to
see you
and to
praise you
and to
know you,
even in
the midst
of difficult
circumstances.
We ask
all these
things in
the name
of your
son.
Amen.