Settling for Superficial

"Never Going Back: Settling for Superficial" Ruth 1:1-22 Ryan Fregoso January 17, 2021 I'll admit, these last couple of weeks have been a bit rough for me personally, and of course, for us nationally in our country. It is good to be back. You noticed that I haven't been here in a couple of weeks, right? For the most part, I have left the reason for my absence a bit quiet. Yes. I came down with COVID. Gratefully, my family was spared. But I tell you what, even though I experienced some mild symptoms that are, admittedly, still lingering a bit, what was most difficult was the isolation from my loved ones. I know that I am not the only one who has suffered from isolation from family and friends because of this virus. I also recognize that there are many people who feel isolated because of the unrest in our country. Frankly, these are two of the most recognizable dark clouds in our country today. Politically, we see unrest with the left vs. the right. We see Trump supporters vs. "mainstream media" and "big tech." We see the racial tension in our country - and yes, this is politically motivated, at least in part - just look at how each party responds. Finally, just a few days ago, the US President is impeached, for the second time with 10 Republicans voting "yes" for impeachment. The country is divided. These are the times when we see who our true friends are. These are the times when we see who will really be there for you, when you are in need. As we continue this morning our series "Never Going Back," I hope that we can address this and be encouraged through it. If you're joining us for the first time, in this series we're exploring some issues that can cause us to get trapped in the past and not move forward in the way that God desires. One of the things that trap us is settling for superficial relationships. We will do this today by looking at the book of Ruth, specifically chapter 1. So, if you have your Bibles, now may be a good time to find the book. It follows the book of Judges in the Old Testament, towards the beginning of the Bible in between Judges and 1 Samuel. We will begin this morning by reading the first chapter, then I want to provide a brief overview of the rest of the book. Let's read together chapter one. 1 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. 2 THE NAME OF THE MAN WAS ELIMELECH AND THE NAME OF HIS WIFE NAOMI, AND THE NAMES OF HIS TWO SONS WERE MAH-LON AND CHIL-ION. THEY WERE EPH-RA-THITES FROM BETHLEHEM IN JUDAH. THEY WENT INTO THE COUNTRY OF MOAB AND REMAINED THERE. 3 BUT ELIMELECH, THE HUSBAND OF NAOMI, DIED, AND SHE WAS LEFT WITH HER TWO SONS. 4 THESE TOOK MOABITE WIVES; THE NAME OF THE ONE WAS ORPAH AND THE NAME OF THE OTHER RUTH. THEY LIVED THERE ABOUT TEN YEARS, 5 AND BOTH MAH-LON AND CHIL-ION DIED, SO THAT THE WOMAN WAS LEFT WITHOUT HER TWO SONS AND HER HUSBAND. A few observations before we get into the rest of the chapter. 1. Judges 21:25 and Ruth 1:1 give us the setting. a. Judges 21:25 (the final verse of the book) reveals that during the time of the Judges, everyone did what was right in their own lives. b. Verse one, here, reveals that this takes place during that time. 2. Naomi was plagued with trials. a. Immediately, Elimelech, Naomi and their sons are forced to leave home because of a famine. i. They go to Moab, who is not known to be an ally of Israel. ii. In fact, their very existence reveals a bit of a stain in Israel's history (see Genesis 19:30-38). iii. Later, Isaiah uses two whole chapters (15-16) to speak and oracle against them. Jeremiah 48 is similar. b. All this to say, that this famine had to have been bad for them to leave the comfort of their own home and people, to go to Moab. i. The language here is interesting too. The term "REMAINED THERE" in verse 2 implies that they planned to stay there indefinitely. 1. When we came to Tucson, I thought it was a stop in the journey in my career, but here we are, ten years later. 2. God had other plans, and we will see that with Naomi here as well. c. If the famine and move wasn't enough, verse 3 reveals that Elimelech dies, then verse 5 reveals that after 10 years in Moab, her sons died. Leaving her without her husband, sons and without any grandchildren. As we move forward in this chapter, allow me to present the main idea for today: Let's see what that looks like as we pick up in verse 6. 6 THEN SHE AROSE WITH HER DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW TO RETURN FROM THE COUNTRY OF MOAB, FOR SHE HAD HEARD IN THE FIELDS OF MOAB THAT THE LORD HAD VISITED HIS PEOPLE AND GIVEN THEM FOOD. 7 SO SHE SET OUT FROM THE PLACE WHERE SHE WAS WITH HER TWO DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW, AND THEY WENT ON THE WAY TO RETURN TO THE LAND OF JUDAH. 8 BUT NAOMI SAID TO HER TWO DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW, "GO, RETURN EACH OF YOU TO HER MOTHER'S HOUSE. MAY THE LORD DEAL KINDLY WITH YOU, AS YOU HAVE DEALT WITH THE DEAD AND WITH ME. 9 THE LORD GRANT THAT YOU MAY FIND REST, EACH OF YOU IN THE HOUSE OF HER HUSBAND!" THEN SHE KISSED THEM, AND THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICES AND WEPT. 10 AND THEY SAID TO HER, "NO, WE WILL RETURN WITH YOU TO YOUR PEOPLE." 11 BUT NAOMI SAID, "TURN BACK, MY DAUGHTERS; WHY WILL YOU GO WITH ME? HAVE I YET SONS IN MY WOMB THAT THEY MAY BECOME YOUR HUSBANDS? 12 TURN BACK, MY DAUGHTERS; GO YOUR WAY, FOR I AM TOO OLD TO HAVE A HUSBAND. IF I SHOULD SAY I HAVE HOPE, EVEN IF I SHOULD HAVE A HUSBAND THIS NIGHT AND SHOULD BEAR SONS, 13 WOULD YOU THEREFORE WAIT TILL THEY WERE GROWN? WOULD YOU THEREFORE REFRAIN FROM MARRYING? NO, MY DAUGHTERS, FOR IT IS EXCEEDINGLY BITTER TO ME FOR YOUR SAKE THAT THE HAND OF THE LORD HAS GONE OUT AGAINST ME." 14 THEN THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICES AND WEPT AGAIN. AND ORPAH KISSED HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, BUT RUTH CLUNG TO HER. 15 AND SHE SAID, "SEE, YOUR SISTER-IN-LAW HAS GONE BACK TO HER PEOPLE AND TO HER GODS; RETURN AFTER YOUR SISTER-IN-LAW." 16 BUT RUTH SAID, "DO NOT URGE ME TO LEAVE YOU OR TO RETURN FROM FOLLOWING YOU. FOR WHERE YOU GO I WILL GO, AND WHERE YOU LODGE I WILL LODGE. YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND YOUR GOD MY GOD. 17 WHERE YOU DIE I WILL DIE, AND THERE WILL I BE BURIED. MAY THE LORD DO SO TO ME AND MORE ALSO IF ANYTHING BUT DEATH PARTS ME FROM YOU." 18 AND WHEN NAOMI SAW THAT SHE WAS DETERMINED TO GO WITH HER, SHE SAID NO MORE. With this section as the backdrop, let's explore this a bit more by discussing: HOW TO DEVELOP A SACRIFICIAL RELATIONSHIP In the context of Church community, it must start here: 1. Have faith. a. When Naomi heard that the Lord had provided His people food. She trusted and knew that the Lord would provide. b. We also see from this narrative that our circumstances are temporary. The circumstances that we mentioned earlier to open our time. They are temporary. i. Later in our book, we see that Ruth, because of her faithfulness, was able to find a husband. 1. This husband, Boaz, acted as the kinsmen redeemer, which we will explore a bit later. ii. Naomi ended up with a grandchild. 1. Chapter 4:17 introduces us to this child, Obed, father of Jesse, father of Kind David. c. Next, we see that even though our circumstances are temporary ... 2. Sacrificial Relationships are not temporary. a. One can argue that Orpah stayed only out of obligation, until she was given permission to leave. b. This is not a dig on Orpah at all, as she really was under no obligation to stay. She was not under Law. In fact, the word KINDLY used in verse 8 is the same word used in the Hebrew to describe love, loyalty, mercy, and favor. Naomi used this term to describe how her daughter-in-law's dealt with her, and in turn requested that the Lord would deal with them in the same manner. i. But, nonetheless, Orpah left. ii. Maybe she knew that being a Moabite in Bethlehem was not going to be comfortable. iii. Maybe she was unwilling to adapt to Naomi's culture, or even more, her God. iv. She decided to return to comfortable. c. But, there was something special about the relationship that Ruth and Naomi had. I love what we see in verse 14. The text says that Ruth clung to Naomi. This is the same word used to describe the union between Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24. This alludes to the fact that Ruth and Naomi were connected. While Orpah could only stay loyal for so long, Ruth demonstrated her love by clinging to Naomi. i. Another aspect to this does require reading into the text a little bit (I know Pat warned about this last week). Notice how the loyalty of Ruth was not restricted to Naomi, but also to her people, and most importantly, her God. ii. We can deduct, that there had to have been something special in the life of Naomi that caused Ruth to "convert" to her faith. d. You see, when we build authentic relationships, overtime it may lead to deeper and more meaningful relationships, namely Kingdom Relationships. i. Sometimes these relationships are not always comfortable. ii. Sometimes you may feel alone while you are on this journey. But when we look to the Kingdom, we can overcome these differences. 3. Sacrificial relationships require moving forward. a. Orpah returned to her land and her people. b. Naomi returned to her land and her people. c. But Ruth, she made the decision to change her direction. d. Naomi complained about her circumstances. e. Ruth embraced hers. 4. Don't blame God for your circumstances. a. Remember, we talked about this earlier. During the time of the Judges, the people did what was right in their own eyes. The New Testament equivalent to this passage is found in Romans 1 and 2. b. I came across a great quote this week: Sometimes God's best way to add to your life is to subtract from it. Certain things have to end so better things can begin. Every loss isn't a loss. I am sure everyone here was excited to see 2020 end, but 7 days into the new year, people were asking for a refund. In these times, it is difficult to see God at work, but we must trust that the Lord has a purpose, and He is not fooled or surprised by what is happening. We will see this as we conclude the chapter, and as the rest of the story unfolds in the following chapters. Let's read: 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?" 20 SHE SAID TO THEM, "DO NOT CALL ME NAOMI; CALL ME MARA, FOR THE ALMIGHTY HAS DEALT VERY BITTERLY WITH ME. 21 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?" 22 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 SAT THE BEGINNING OF BARLEY HARVEST. Sometimes it's difficult preaching on just one part of a story. As I don't want to leave anything out from the bigger picture of the whole book. Here, we see that Naomi has really come full circle. She left Bethlehem to Moab at the beginning of this chapter, but at the end of the chapter, she returns. Notice the name change here. She tells her kinsmen to call her "Mara," which means "bitter." In contrast, Naomi means "delight." This story paints the picture of the emptiness that Naomi felt. Frankly, if the story ended here, that would be understandable. But God. Two of the most powerful words in the Bible. But God had other plans. God brought Naomi back for a purpose. Not just because they had food again, but because God had a plan for her in His story of redemption. You see, when things around us are hard, and seem to be falling apart, know that He has you just where He wants you to be. Eventually, Ruth marries a man named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi. He is later identified as the "redeemer," the goel. Sometimes translated the "kinsman redeemer." The kinsman redeemer played an important role, including the responsibility to buy back the family land that had been forfeited, and to carry on the family name by marrying a childless widow. Do you see it? God, through Boaz, will restore all that made Naomi, Mara. This uncovers a big theological truth from this book. 1. God is Israel's redeemer. He is Creator. He is Deliverer. He is the Owner of the promised land. He is Defender. He is King. 2. Jesus, in Hebrews 2:11, is identified as the Kinsman Redeemer. Better stated, Stephanie Van Eyk says this: Boaz foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate kinsman redeemer who will redeem a bride for himself-the church. Another area worth uncovering is the theme of sacrificial love. Ruth really did give up everything by staying with Naomi. We cannot ignore that this faithfulness and love is rewarded by God. We see this later when we read of Boaz and Ruth's offspring. They bore a son named Obed. Obed bore a son named Jesse. Jesse bore a son named David. This significant connection is written in the genealogy of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 5. It all started with an act of love. Old Testament Studies professor, Robert Chisholm Jr. says this: "The sacrificial love displayed in the book foreshadows Christ's supreme act of sacrificial love." * You see, Jesus displayed love like no one else could, but we see a small taste of that in Ruth. First John 3:16 reminds us, "BY THIS WE KNOW LOVE, THAT HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US, AND WE OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BROTHERS" To say it another way, Chisholm says this: * "People may experience tragedy and feel rejected by God, but followers of Christ should reach out to them in sacrificial love, even though such love may seem risky and unappreciated." I want to finish today and share a few truths that we can take away this morning: 1. Even when you don't see it, God is still there. a. This is huge. This is something every American needs to hear. b. God turned a bitter woman into one who delights, and He can do that with us as well. 2. God answers prayer. a. It's subtle but seen all throughout the book. i. We see examples spread throughout of blessings, beginning with "may the Lord." 1. We see this with Naomi and her daughters. 2. Naomi and Ruth. 3. Boaz and Ruth. 4. And of course, with the redemption itself. 3. God is sovereign. a. Throughout this entire book, we see the "interplay of God's purpose and human decisions," as one summary had put it. To put it another way, God is always at work. 4. Sacrificial relationships are rewarded. a. Earlier, we determined that: b. Ruth did not know what was ahead of her in Bethlehem, but she revealed that she was willing to follow Naomi. Based on the conversation on the way from Moab, there is no indication that Ruth went to Bethlehem expecting to find a husband, she went for Naomi. c. And for that she was rewarded. Naomi was rewarded. Boaz was rewarded. Settling for superficial relationships will leave you like Orpah. Good for a while, but when things are uncomfortable, you will leave and go back to the old ways. In a way, these types of relationships are much like the relationships that we have with God through Christ. Are we sacrificing time for those sacrificial relationships? * The other day, when I was struggling to get this sermon written, all I hear in the background is Gabrielle crying. I decided to take a quick break, and just spent 15-20 minutes sitting with her. She needed attention. She needed love. All it cost me was 15-20 minutes. Are we sacrificing our resources for these sacrificial relationships? * When our family was quarantined last couple of weeks. Many people reached out to us. Many people brought us food or gifts or dropped of some groceries that were left off the delivery order. "Do you need anything?" they would ask daily. Even some friends from New York sent us dinner. The problem in our culture today is that too many relationships are superficial. They are not real. There is no connection. * How much do you really know about your friends? What do they struggle with? What causes them pain and hurt? What can you do to minister to them? How can you show them that you care for them? That you love them? * Talk to them. Be willing to be vulnerable, so your relationships are less superficial, and more sacrificial. These are two simple examples, there are many others. In life, I've heard, you only have a few real friends. Many others are simply acquaintances. Are you a true friend? Or are you simply an acquaintance? Let's pray. 2