Such Love!

16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Ruth 1:16-18

The story of Ruth is a beautiful story appropriate for any time of year – but particularly appropriate for harvest.

It is a story that is like a shaft of sunlight on a dark threatening day – about an “asylum seeker” coming to the home country of her mother-in-law after the death of her husband.

Throughout the story Ruth is referred to as “the Moabitess” – she is constantly labelled as an outsider – but she is received by her new people. Ruth marries her kinsman on her late husband’s side and becomes one of those in the line from which Jesus is descended.

The words of our text, which are in fact famous in all literature, show us Ruth’s devotion. These words mark the turning point in the story of Naomi who has become very bitter.

This transforming love reminds us of the far greater love of Ruth’s most famous descendant – Christ. The events happen at the wheat and barley harvest time in the countryside around Bethlehem.

Ruth’s love is a love that transforms the darkness

a. The darkness of those awful times – the times of the Judges

b. The darkness of family sorrow Elimelech, Naomi’s husband Her two sons also

c. The darkness of personal sorrow Her own husband the departure of her sister Orpah

d. The darkness of farewells

Let’s take a closer look at her words:

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Love that will not let go

Love that shares ALL of life

&

Love unto death

A. Love that will not let go

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,

It was a love out of the ordinary

A love unselfish and unfading

A love that will not say “Goodbye”

There are a few examples of such love in Scripture – Ruth, and Jonathan and David, but the greatest of all is CHRIST’S

Greater love has no man than this …. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep

A love that never fails.

We may fail Him – He never fails!

B. Love that shares ALL of life

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Ruth’s commitment was absolute :

In direction

In home

In family

In faith

That is what marked out this outsider. She is entering the unknown,

A new culture

A new people

A new faith

The Love of Christ embraces ALL of our life

Direction hopes and ambition

Home possessions, security

Family all the relationships

& especially –

Faith

This is…

The way of the cross

The homeless Christ with nowhere to lay His head

The Christ who left family for his followers

The way of faith is IN HIM ALONE

We need to reckon up our love for Him

Regarding its direction

Home

Family

Faith

C. Love – even unto death.

Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.

Ruth does not offer part of her life – but ALL of it – life to the end ALL of it.

Of course she cannot offer as the Lord Jesus offers – hers is magnificent but it is only a faint echo of His

Whose death was the climax of His love for us

“where we die” in the place

and carrying the weight of sin upon Him

and defeating death!

“buried” to carry my sins far away

but gloriously

Rising He justified

SUCH LOVE!

Of course we have been looking at the beginning of Ruth’s story – there is so much more.

It is so with the Christian’s pilgrimage

The clouds roll back and the sun shines!