Running on Empty

In 1977, Jackson Browne, a German-born, American musician, released what may be his best known song - “Running on Empty.” The lyrics seem to auto-biographically talk about Browne and his frenzied journey toward adult-hood. Rather than being full of life and fuel for the future- he’s “running on empty” - little to no connection, no direction, no clarity on what the future holds.

Do you ever feel like you’re running on empty? I do.

lacking energy, strength or resources to move forward well or make wise choices

lacking direction - making sort of blind guesses

lacking connection - so that the voice in your head is the only voice you hear

always running - and always running behind - not enough time in the day.

One of the final lines in Jackson Browne’s song says:

“You know I don’t even know what I’m hoping to find.”

Today, we’re beginning a new study in the book of Ruth. Over the next couple of months, we’ll walk with the individuals in the book as we learn about the Divine Romance that God has in store for them and us.

I mention the song Running on Empty, because as we look at the introduction to the book of Ruth today, we can see emptiness in so many places - in their circumstances, plans, and outlook.

Before we dive into the emptiness that we see here, I think it’s important to get a few definitions out of the way. You see, in this brief section, there are a lot of names and places and the narrator is intentional about telling us these names and places. These names don’t mean much to us, but I think they are significant to the story.

Ruth 1:1–5 ESV

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 names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites 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 the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

So we have some locations:

Bethlehem - we know this as the place where Jesus was born. It’s in the region of Judah - toward the southern end of Israel. It’s just a few miles outside of Jerusalem. In Hebrew, Bethlehem means “house of bread.”

Moab - is in modern Jordan, on the eastern side of the Jordan river and the Dead sea. That region gets its name from Moab, the son of Job by his eldest daughter.

Ephrathah or Ephrathites - the region in which Bethlehem is found was called Ephrathah in early times. The people there are called Ephrathites - rather than Bethlehemites. This is not to be confused with the people of Ephraim - one of Josephs’ sons.

We have some people:

Elimelech - whose name means “God his King” - husband and father.

Naomi - whose name means “pleasant” - Elimelech’s wife.

Mahlon - eldest son of Elimelech and Naomi - his name means “sickly”

Chilion - the younger son, whose name means “the pining one”

Orpah - the Moabite wife of one of the sons - likely Mahlon - it is unclear what her name means

Ruth - whose name means “to be refreshed” - the wife of the younger son.

I bring up these names and meanings because I think they are important under the surface of the story. They are subtle clues into the story that we may not fully grasp without a better knowledge of Hebrew.

So, as we dive into the story, we find this family - husband, wife and two sons in Bethlehem. We don’t know much about their lives early on, but what we do get to see is that by the time we are introduced to them, we learn about…

The emptiness of their circumstances (1-2a)

Let’s look again at verses 1-2.

Ruth 1:1–2 (ESV)

The time of the judges was a difficult period in Israel’s history. It was a time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). There was no king in Israel. As Elimelech’s name suggests, God was supposed to be their king, but people followed their own ways. After God brought them into the promised land, the people began to wander away. In a sense, there was a cultural emptiness or depravity. The hope and optimism of the promised land had devolved into a cultural morass that was far from God’s intended purpose.

(consider a personal story or current cultural parallel)

Beyond a cultural emptiness, there was an environmental emptiness. As people whose needs were met truly by the fruit of the land, they were dependent on the produce from local farms and vineyards. A famine had deprived the house of bread of grain.

In our day and age, we don’t see or feel this as much as they might have. Sure, when an avian flu or poultry disease affects local flocks, we see the price of eggs and chicken go up temporarily, but the variety and abundance of our food from multiple sources allows the supply chain to adapt. We may have had to pay a bit more for chocolate bunnies because of the theft of coco beans and other challenges there, but we still found chocolate on the shelves.

For Elimelech and Naomi, they were hopeless, empty, out of options. They decided to go for a trip to find food elsewhere.

Was this the right move? I don’t know. We don’t really get a theological insight or commentary into God’s view of their actions. I think many of us might do something similar - moving elsewhere to meet the needs of our families when work or resources dry up.

sovereignty of God - we sometimes hope that the decisions we are making are the right ones. No matter what, we can trust in God’s sovereignty. He will accomplish what he means to in and through our lives.

Whether it was the right move or not, Elimelech and Naomi took action and made plans. The writer of this story helps us see a bit of the…

The emptiness of their plans (2-5)

Elimelech and Naomi made plans for their young family for…

A new home (2b-3)

Where the first verse communicates that they were going to sojourn - or travel for a time (literally means live as dependent aliens in a foreign land) - it seems that this traveling turned into settling - remaining. Essentially they had set up a new home in Moab. But their hope-filled plans for their new home were met with what the Bible Project guys call “tragedy and death.”

Ruth 1:2–3 (ESV)

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.

As someone who has moved several times - (7 times in California, before I moved to Maryland at the age of 10), there is a great deal of hope and optimism that comes with plans for a new home. I remember as a 9-10 year old looking forward to moving from California to Maryland. I didn’t fully know what to expect. I knew that this area got some snow - and so I would draw pictures of snowy Washington DC. I imagined running around and playing in the snow. It wasn’t long after I moved here that I realized a couple of things - 1) we don’t get as much snow as I had hoped (though that first year was a great year with about 2’ of snow over Valentine’s weekend); 2) making new friends in a new place is difficult. I vaguely remember telling my parents that I hated Maryland early on in or time here. I have since learned to love it here (even if we don’t get as much snow as I had hoped) and I do love the people here. In fact, I can’t imagine moving back to California.

I would guess that upon the death of her husband, Naomi was beginning to hate Moab. The greener grass of Moab was now filled with personal weeds. Her means of sustenance was now an unknown. For a widow in that day, she was short on options.

So her plans had to change. Those changes involved plans for…

A new family (4-5)

In order to provide for the household, it would be up to the boys to get that done. Eventually, those boys would need children, which means, they would need wives.

Ruth 1:4 ESV

These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,

The time marker of 10 years is a little unclear. Was that 10 years from when the family left Judah or was it 10 years that the boys lived with their wives. I imagine these guys would have been in their 20s or early 30s. Naomi would have been in her 40s or 50s. Ruth and Orpah may have been in their late teens or early twenties.

How ever long it was, Naomi now had a new family. Her boys could work and provide for the household. The daughters-in-law could help around the house and bring children into the world. Children would eventually bring the necessary provision.

And yet the hope of this new family plan also encountered a problem… (Ruth 1:5a)

Ruth 1:5 (ESV)

and both Mahlon and Chilion died...

Mahlon and Chilion must have been aptly named - sickly and pining. Their health finally gave out.

I wonder how often we are a bit like Naomi and her family. How often do we make plans for a new home or map out our family trajectory, only to find those plans change? How often do our desires and dreams die, leaving only the gloom of survival?

For some in our day the new family might look like divorce. Giving up on a covenantal commitment and starting over. While divorce is not the end of the world it’s also not the ideal. God certainly hates divorce.

So, Naomi is left with no husband and no sons. Her means of survival in this foreign land are dashed. In many ways, we see…

The emptiness of their outlook (5b)

Ruth 1:5 (ESV)

the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

It’s not uncommon for women to outlive their husbands - especially in their day. Men were often older when they married. Even today, women tend to outlive men. It has been uncommon in almost every culture for children to die before their parents.

For Naomi, her sons provided the prospect of a means of survival. They were supposed to care for her into her old age. They were supposed to provide.

I know some of you have felt that pain. Maybe the outlook for you was not as bleak as it was for Naomi, but the pain is real.

So she is alone, widowed, and likely destitute.

We’ll look at this a bit more in coming weeks, but eventually Naomi and Ruth make their way back to Judah. In spite of the famine, Naomi at least felt like she had a full life with her family. And yet her commentary on the whole situation is bitterness.

Ruth 1:20–21 ESV

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?”

Was she right to feel this way? Was she right to put this on God the way she did? She is certainly not alone. As we saw a few weeks ago, the Psalms are replete with examples of people lamenting their current situation.

In his debate with his counselors, Job expresses some sentiments that might resonate with Naomi - and maybe even with some of us.

Job 17:6–16 (NLT)

“God has made a mockery of me among the people;

they spit in my face.

My eyes are swollen with weeping,

and I am but a shadow of my former self.

The virtuous are horrified when they see me.

The innocent rise up against the ungodly.

The righteous keep moving forward,

and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

“As for all of you, come back with a better argument,

though I still won’t find a wise man among you.

My days are over.

My hopes have disappeared.

My heart’s desires are broken.

These men say that night is day;

they claim that the darkness is light.

What if I go to the grave

and make my bed in darkness?

What if I call the grave my father,

and the maggot my mother or my sister?

Where then is my hope?

Can anyone find it?

No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.

We will rest together in the dust!”

Reflecting a bit on the emptiness of their circumstances, plans and outlook urges us to consider...

The emptiness of our present situation

We live in one of the most prosperous times in history. We live in one of the most prosperous nations in history. We have little want for anything, generally speaking. We can go where we’d like, do what we’d like to do, eat food from any number cultures, wear almost anything. Grocery stores are stocked with more variety than we know what to do with. We generally live in amazing times.

Even in his prosperity, for some of us, money runs out before the next paycheck hits the bank. We may be dealing with persistent health challenges and undiagnosed disease. Some of us deal with the constant drip of conflict - maybe at home, at the office, in the classroom, among so-called friends.

While things may not be without their challenges, we generally live in a really good time.

And yet that time is still empty.

So we look for hope and solutions in a variety of places - only to find them empty as well. We look for hope in…

Humanity - only to find that humanity mired in sin. The solutions that our society offers to deal with emptiness ends up reading like the vapor of Ecclesiastes. The promised fulfillment of sexual freedom often results in guilt and shame. Gender detached from biology promises freedom and more fulfillment, but in many cases ends up like a train wreck in a pile of hurt and pain - not to mention the extreme expense of undoing what God did naturally. Freedom of expression begins to sound like a run-on stream of expletives that really says nothing and lacks thought.

We look for hope in…

Politics - We assume that everything will be better if one party would win. We assume that our political party - whichever one we align ourselves to - has all the right answers - forgetting that they are filled with sinful humans too. Instead of engaging in healthy conversations, we snip and fight and write people off as extreme.

We look for hope in...

Economics - In this we assume the a little bit more will make life so much better only to find that the little extra can help us get a little more - failing to remember the biblical truth that 1 Timothy 6:6 “…godliness with contentment is great gain.”

So where can we find our hope?

Ultimately, as I mentioned briefly last week, our hope truly found in Christ alone, in God alone. Jesus understands the emptiness of our present situation. One of the interesting things about the book of Ruth is that while God is mentioned several times, it’s always the characters in the story - it’s rarely the narrator - whomever that is - and yet as we will see over the next several weeks, God’s presence is behind the scenes at all times. His Providence is evident in the famine, in the deaths, in the provision of hope back in Bethlehem. He is behind the scenes orchestrating this divine romance in order to communicate a bigger and broader story.

The same is true in our lives. Jesus takes on our humanity and works to redeem it - paying for the eternal consequence of our sin - offering us the hope of eternal life. He brings us a purpose and a mission to fulfill. A mission that is more lasting than money, or fame, or achievement.

Jesus teaches us how to live in any political environment. In fact we often see that God’s people thrive in some of the most oppressive countries around the world.

Jesus teaches us how to live generously within our means with one another.

Conclusion: When we can admit our emptiness, then we are ready to be filled by God - his presence, his salvation, his plan, his redemption. It seems like this season of emptiness in Naomi’s life was necessary so that God could fill her with His purposeful plan.

Let’s pray.

Benediction

Galatians 1:3–5 ESV

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Questions for reflection and discussion

Read: Ruth 1:1-5.

When does this book take place?

What do you know about the time in which Naomi and her family live?

Why did they move to Moab?

How have you responded in a time of famine (financial, moral, political, cultural)?

When have you experienced plans that had to be changed drastically?

Have you experienced seasons of loss? How did you deal with them?

What role does God play in our loss/pain?

Why is coming to grips or acknowledging our emptiness important?

Kids Connection Questions

Topic: Spiritual Gifts - the Body of Christ

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

What is the body of Christ?

How do spiritual gifts play a role in the body of Christ?

Who gets spiritual gifts?

Why do they receive them?

Where do you feel you fit in the body of Christ?

Sources:

Atkinson, David. The Message of Ruth. The Bible Speaks Today Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983.

Barry, John D., David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder, eds. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.

Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Vol. 6. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Reed, John W. “Ruth.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Committed. “Be” Commentary Series. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993.