Book of Ruth, chapter 1. And
as I usually do, I take a verse and use that verse for a title
to the message. Most of the time, that's the
way I try to begin the message. So the title for the message
I'm taking from the words found in verse 14. And they lifted
up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law
Kissed her goodbye, but Ruth claved unto her. And that word clave there means
to cleave, to lay hold of, to get a grip on. She had a grip
on Naomi, Ruth did, probably hugging her, and wouldn't let
go. I'm not leaving you. Wherever you go, that's where
I'm going. So Ruth claved. unto Naomi. And what I see here
is a good description of saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what saving faith does. Saving faith lays hold of the
Lord Jesus Christ and will not let go. Will not let go. Saving faith is a hand that reaches
out, the arms that embrace, the feet that run to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Saving faith has a death grip
cleaving a death grip on the gospel of Christ, and saving
faith is not a shame to the gospel of Christ. It's the power of
God and the salvation to everyone that believes. Saving faith,
as it's taught in the Word of God, will persevere, will persevere,
will continue. Saving faith doesn't quit. Saving
faith continues. Saving faith will persevere until
the Lord is pleased to take us home And then we won't be walking
by faith anymore, will we? We'll see Him face to face. Faith
will end in sight. Love will keep on going. Hope
will end in reality. Faith will end in sight. Love
will keep on going. It's said in Hebrews verse 13,
chapter 11 verse 13, where it says, describing all those in
that hall of faith that we read about in Hebrews 11, Faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. It said of all those old patriarchs, these all died in
faith. And that's true of every believer.
They die believing, laying hold, and cleaving unto the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, the study of Bible characters
is one of the most profitable studies and instructive It's
very instructive teaching in the Bible and the Word of God.
All the different characters we see in the Bible. And there
are a lot of characters. And some of them are real characters
too, aren't they? You remember in Romans 15 when
we're going through 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings and the book
of Nehemiah and the book of Ezra. Whatsoever things are written
aforetime are written for our learning, that we, through patience
and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. All the word
of God, to him give all the prophets witness, beginning at Moses and
all the prophets, the Lord expounded unto them in all things concerning,
what? Himself. Himself. All the word
of God is about Christ, pointing us to Christ. Now I like to study
the lives of God's people in Scripture as the Holy Spirit
reveals them unto us just as they really are. Just as they
really are. It's not like the biographies
and autobiographies of famous men of history. They usually
leave out the bad part or the sordid parts in their lives and
they just write about the flowery good things. The Word of God
is not like that. The Word of God reveals unto
us those who were saved by the grace of God, reveals unto us
just as they really are, with all their faults, with all their
sins, with all their trials, and how the Lord dealt with each
of them in sovereign mercy and sovereign grace. Seeing the hand
of God in the lives of God's people that he tells us about,
We can understand something of the hand of God in our own life.
We see something about the providence of God in our own life. Now,
I'm going to shock you here, but this is true. Everything
that has happened to you in your life so far was all, and what
will come in the days ahead, has all been determined and decreed
by Almighty God. All of your past, it just didn't
happen this way, that way, or this way. It happened that way
because God brought it to pass. Now, I can look at my life and
the things that happened in my life, even in my young life,
things that were very hurtful, things that were very emotional
to me, and all those things were working for my eternal good to
bring me to one point in my life where I met God's servant who
had God's message and God used that to call me to himself, to
call me out of darkness unto his marvelous light. And it's
all by his good and sovereign providence. In the life of Ruth,
all those things that she went through, emotional experience
of losing a husband, and then her sister-in-law leaving, and
her cleaving to Naomi when Naomi said, uh-uh, go back. You go
back. You know, those things were hard for her and she said,
I'm not leaving you. All this was ordered of God to
bring Ruth to meet Boaz. And from that union came King
David. And from King David came the
greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see how all that
was working together for good to them who love God, to them
who are called according to his purpose. So everything that's
happened in your life so far, And that will happen in the future,
is all been ordained of God. And it's for your eternal good.
Your eternal good. Maybe days of heartache and sorrow,
but it's for your eternal good. The Lord has certainly sent a
severe trial into the life of this family. And Lamelech was
blessed, and Naomi were blessed with two sons, and the two sons
I've been taken away by the decree of God. Elimelech died, and then
the two sons died, Malon and Chilion. I think of that old
priest of God that we studied in 1 Samuel, old Eli in the temple. Remember, he had two boys also.
They were also killed. Who killed them? The Lord killed
them. Who killed Elimelech? God did. Who killed Malon and Chilion. God did. The Lord killeth and
the Lord maketh alive. The Lord doeth all these things.
Remember when Samuel finally came to Eli and told him that
God's going to kill your two boys? Because they were priests
of God, but they did some terrible, wicked things there in a temple.
And it was revealed to Samuel that God was going to kill those
two boys. Remember what old Eli said? It's the Lord. Let him
do what seemed good in his sight. And that's to be our attitude.
It's the Lord's will. Bow to his sovereign will. Now
we see in our story here that Naomi is left a widow. She's left a widow in a pagan
land with her two daughters-in-law. Here's three widows in one household,
poor, destitute, and alone. That's pretty, pretty Sad state
affairs, isn't it? That's where we pick up the story
this evening. We're going to look at these three women and
see how each of them represent different aspects in regard to
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that Naomi, her name
being sweet and pleasant, certainly is typical of the believer, one
who has been taught of God, one who has believed God and acted
upon her faith, God-given faith, to embrace God and embrace the
gospel of God. After a time of great trial,
she's determined to go back to leave the land of Moab, the land
of idolatry, and she's determined by the grace of God to go back
to the house of bread, back to Bethlehem, back to her people,
back to where she could worship God. Naomi, her name is sweet
and pleasant. And then the other girl we run
into, her name is Oprah. You remember her name means one
who is stiff-necked, self-willed, self-centered. She started the
journey back with Naomi, but at last returned to her people
and to her gods. Orphra represents those who profess
faith in Christ for a while but do not persevere in the faith.
When the trial comes and when the heartache comes, they quit. They quit. Saving faith doesn't
quit. You remember we read in John
chapter 6 when the Lord said, when many of those who were following
him for the loaves and fishes and for the miracles that he
did, And they said to him, when the Lord said, no man can come
to me except the Father which sent me draw him. And they said,
this is a hard saying. This is a hard saying. And many
of them, most of those 5,000 that he fed, they turned and
they walked away from him. And then the Lord said to those
12, will you also go away? I love what Peter said, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Ain't nowhere else to go. Thou
hast the word of the eternal life. We believe that, we are
sure that you might be, no, we believe and we're sure you're
that Christ. You're the Christ of God. So saving faith perseveres and
believes. Ruth, we know, Her name means
a faithful companion, and she turned out to be that, didn't
she? Faithful and true, someone said. Faithful and true. She
was chosen by God's sovereign electing grace and made an object
of his saving mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what made
the difference between those two girls? The grace of God,
the sovereign grace of God. It's not an end up will. of him
that run it, but of God that shows mercy. Her decision to
return to Bethlehem with Naomi was more than an act of love
for Naomi. It was an act of love and faith
in Naomi's God, in the God of God, in the true and living God. You see, saving faith believes
the Christ of God, not another, not one, a Jesus who wants to
and can't, who tried and failed. Saving faith believes the Christ
of God, the sovereign Christ, the true Christ. It cannot fail.
This is eternal life, that they might know thee the only true
God, Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Ruth, we know, represents
the true believer in Christ. True faith endures trials, perseveres
to the end. True faith, the faith of God's
elect, cannot be destroyed. It perseveres. And one day true
faith, that the just shall live by faith, one day true faith
will end in perfect sight. When we see the Lord Jesus Christ
face to face. And true faith will persevere
through trials. Through trials. If you want to
turn, you can, but if not, I'll just read it to you. This is
familiar scripture over in 1 Peter chapter 1. He talks about that
we're kept by the power of God, verse 5, 1 Peter 1, 5. We're
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to
be revealed in the last time, wherein you greatly rejoice.
So now for a season, if need be, if need be, you're in heaviness
to manifold temptation, that the trial of your faith, it's
precious, more precious than gold that perishes. Though it
be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not
seen you love, in whom though now you seem not yet believing,
you rejoice with joy unspeakable, full of glory, receiving the
end of your faith, what is it? Even a salvation of your soul."
Isn't that precious? Precious trials. Trials do not
produce faith, but trials reveal whether faith is genuine or not. Naomi was a remarkable woman
of faith. Look at verse 6 and 7. Then she
arose with her daughters-in-law after her sons were dead, her
husbands were dead, her husband was dead, her sons were dead.
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the
country of Moab, for she'd heard in the country of Moab. Now notice,
underscore that word, she heard. in the country of Moab, how that
the Lord had visited his people, giving them bread, and she went
forth out of the place where she was, her two daughters-in-law
with her, and they went on their way to return unto the land of
Judah. Now, why did she go back? She
heard there was bread. She heard there was food. She
heard there was plenty. and she acted upon her faith.
After her husbands and sons were dead, she was determined, that
is Naomi, to return back to the promised land that God had given
to them, back to the house of bread, that's what Bethlehem
means, and somehow by the good providence of God, she heard
the good news of God visiting and God giving them bread typical
of that bread of life, the Lord Jesus. Remember we read last
week Where the Lord said, I am the bread of life. He that cometh
to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. Lord, evermore give us that bread.
Like that woman at the well said, Lord, give me that water. I want
that living water. Now, a couple things here, and
then we'll move on. Because the Lord loved Naomi. Now, how long had the Lord loved
Naomi? with an everlasting love. God
has always loved Naomi. And he would not let her stay
in Moab. And if it takes the killing of
her husband and her two sons, that's what God's gonna do to
get her back to the house of bread. Because the Lord has eternally
loved and chosen Naomi to be his own, he would not let her
stay in the land of idolatry. But to get her back to Judah,
the promised land, the Lord sent severe trials into her life,
and they were severe. Remember our Lord said to those
disciples before the eve of the cross, in this life you shall
have tribulation, You know something about that? Be of good cheer. I have overcome. Thank God for
those pains and needful trials that gently woo us and gently
force us to return to the Lord when we are tempted to forsake
the truth and tempted to turn back to our idols of false religion. Thank God He sends those trials
to sweetly force us unto the Lord. The second thing we see
here, she heard the good news. She heard a good report. A good
news. The gospel is good news, isn't
it? When she heard that God, what God had done for His people
in Judah, she arose and headed home. This is the way the Lord
blesses and calls out His elect with the good news of the gospel,
with the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm
thankful that the Lord sent me a gospel preacher that didn't
care about offending my flesh, but rather cared about not offending
God and telling me the truth how God saves sinners. You see,
it's pleased God by the foolishest of preaching to call out his
people. They come by hearing and hearing by the word of the
Lord. She heard the good news. And God's elect somehow, God
will get the gospel to them however and whatever it takes. It took
me to move 2,000 miles from out there in the Rocky Mountains
all the way to Eastern Kentucky. Why Eastern Kentucky? God had
a gospel preacher there. And I had to hear the Gospel. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is good news. You know what's good news too?
Sinners in need. Sinners in need of bread. Hungry
sinners. Thirsty sinners. The Lord came
to seek and to save sinners, didn't he? This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation, that the Lord Jesus Christ came
to save sinners. And I have to tell Paul to move
out of the way because I'm the Chief One. He said he was the
Chief. But I think I am. The gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is always good news, how Christ, the bread
of life, has come to visit and to save his people from their
sins. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation, that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law. Notice, the Lord visited, it
says in verse 6, the Lord visited His people in giving them bread. God has visited us. He gave us
Christ, the bread of life. Salvation is not the Lord trying
to give bread, not trying to give bread, nor offering them
bread. The Lord is not trying to give
bread, nor is the Lord trying to offer bread, nor telling us
about a plan how we make our own bread. He said, I'm the bread
of life. The Lord has visited his people
in giving them bread, and Christ, God Almighty, has visited this
earth in the person of God, dear son, the God-man mediator who
is the bread of life." Isn't that amazing? He gave his life
that we might have salvation in him. Verse 7, it says that
she went forth out of the place where she was. No, Naomi went
out. When the Lord is pleased to visit
his people in grace and giving them faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ and love for the true and living God, you cannot stay
in the land of idolatry. Naomi couldn't stay there any
longer. And when God teaches us the truth, that salvation is all of Christ
and in Christ, dependent upon Him, accomplished by Him, purposed
by Him, we must come out of the land of false religion and embrace
the true and living God. We can't go back to that. False
gospel where God's not honored and God's not magnified. Once
you hear the truth and believe the truth, you've got to have
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else but the truth. So
help me God, that's all I want to hear is the truth. You remember
Paul when he wrote to those Thessalonians and said, We thank God for you. We know your election is of God
because the gospel came unto you, not in word only, but also
in power, and the Holy Ghost, and much assurance, and how you
turn to God from your idols that serve the living and true God.
Now notice how that's said. Oftentimes that's quoted, how
you turn from your idols. It doesn't say that. It says
how you turn to God from your idols. We've been turned to God,
and when we turn to God in saving faith, we turn our back on our
idols. About all of our religious baggage, we turn away from that,
as Paul said, count it but done. How you turn to God from your
idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son
from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered
us, oh, he delivered us from the wrath to come, the wrath
to come. She left all her friends in Moab. How long she lived there, I don't
know. We know at least 10 years. But
how long before Elimelech died, we don't know. But she left all
of her friends, all of her belongings that she could not pack with
her. She left all of her friends, no cost was too great for her
to leave all that behind. and set her face toward the house
of bread, Bethlehem. Bethlehem of Judah. And that's
what saving faith does. Looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the author and finisher of our faith. Remember, Paul
in Philippians 3 said, forgetting those things which are behind,
reaching forth unto those things which are before, we press toward
the mark of the high calling of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now something else we see, Naomi
and her two daughters-in-law started out for Judah as it says
there in verse 8 and following. Naomi started out for Judah and
her two daughters-in-law evidently one time both of them started
back with her. Naomi by the Lord's good providence
urged and instructed both Orpha and Ruth to return to their home
and back to their gods. Naomi said, go return. Go return, look at what it says
in verse 9, the Lord grants you, look, let's read verse 8, and
Naomi said to her two daughters, go return to each to your mother's
house, and the Lord deal kindly with you as you've dealt with
the dead, my sons, and with me, and the Lord grants you that
you might find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband. She kissed them, and they lifted
up their voice, and they wept. They all wept together. A sad,
sad parting. And they said to her, both of
them at one time, said, surely we'll return with you, with the
undenied people. And Naomi said, turn again, my
daughters. Why will you go with me? I don't
have any more sons than they. And if I did have a son, the
time they You had to wait for them to grow up? It would be too late. Naomi said,
go home, return. May the Lord deal kindly with
you. May the Lord grant you to find rest. She kissed them goodbye
and they all wept together. Why did she discourage them?
What was her purpose in doing so? Didn't she want them to leave
the idols for the true living God? I'm sure she did. Perhaps
she wanted to see If they just merely wanted to follow Naomi
or wanted to follow the true and living God that Naomi worshipped,
maybe she put a little bit of a roadblock in their way to see
what their true motive was, their true love was. Those who follow
Christ because of someone else or something else other than
Christ himself follow him for the wrong reason, with the wrong
motive, and sooner or later, Later, it will end in departing
from the Lord. Those who follow Christ for the
loaves and fishes that we read about soon departed when the
way became difficult. Difficult. They had that theory
of the man who said, me first. We're going to see that in our
study. Don't turn to this. Let me just read it to you. We're
going to see that in Luke chapter 8, but in Excuse me, Matthew chapter 8,
but in Luke chapter 9, if I can find the verses I want here,
in Luke chapter 9, verse 57, it came to pass that as they
went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I'll follow
thee wherever you go, that's where I'm going to follow. And
the Lord put a roadblock in the way. He said this, the foxes
have holes, The birds of the air have nests, but the son of
man hath nowhere to lay his head." He's following me. Well, it's
not going to be easy. It's not going to be a bed of
roses. And he said to another, follow me. But he said, Lord,
suffer me first to go and bury my father. This man was interested
in me first. And the Lord said unto him, let
the dead bury the dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of
God. But go thou and preach the kingdom
of God. And another also said unto him,
Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first. You see, they had
the religion of me first and Christ later. Let me first go
bid them farewell, which are at my home, my house. And the
Lord said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plow and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven. So it's not,
following Christ is not me first. Following Christ is, is forsaking
all and looking to Him and following the Lord Jesus Christ. At first,
they both said, we'll go with you. Surely, we'll go with you.
Those that make a profession of faith to satisfy someone else
or an emotional experience to prove will prove in time to make
useless converts. My dear pastor used to always
say this, that which is born in the storm dies in the calm. That which is born in the storm
of emotion, or tradition, or the pressure of someone putting
on you, that which is born in the storm dies in the calm. Funerals
and deathbeds are very poor reasons, or sickness, very poor reasons
to become religious. And most of the time when irreligious
people get sick, have you ever noticed how all of a sudden they
get real religious? I've seen it so many times. But
when the sickness is gone, their profession is gone. When the
pain of a loved one is gone, the profession of their faith
is soon over. I've seen this happen more than
one time. That which is born in the storm dies in the calm. Again, Naomi instructed them
to leave. Why will you go with me? Verse
11, 12, 13, and 14. And then it gives them reason
why they should leave. A very practical reason, I cannot
provide any more husbands for you. And then she says in verse
13, why would you tarry for them until they're grown? Would you
stay for them, having husbands? Nay, my daughters, it grieveth
me much, or I have much bitterness for your sake, that the hand
of the Lord... And notice what she says here.
She said, the hand of the Lord's against me. That's what she thought,
but the hand of the Lord was for her, not against her. No, Naomi, it's working for you. It's working for you. Notice
what she says in verse 20 of chapter 1. And we'll look at
this next week. She said unto them, Call me not
Naomi, pleasant and sweet. Call me Myra, bitter. For the
Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me. And the Lord was dealing
with her in mercy. but she perceived it as bitterness. And trials often appear that
way. Paul writes about it this way,
for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more and exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Our light affliction, their light compared to eternal glory, their
light compared to our afflictions, their light compared to what
the Lord, how he was afflicted for us. In verse 14, they lifted
up their voices and wept again. And Orpha kissed her mother-in-law. She kissed her goodbye. She said,
I'm going back to my people, back to my gods, back to my idols. But Ruth clave unto her. And she said, behold, thy sister-in-law
has gone back unto her people, unto her gods. Return thou after
thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, there ain't no
way, Hosea. He treat me not to leave thee, or return from following
after thee. For whether thou goest, I'll
go. Where you lodge, I'll lodge. Thy people, my people, thy God,
my God. Where you die, that's where I'm
going to die. And there I'll be buried, and
the Lord do so to me, and more also with aught but death, part
thee and me." Oh, man, she was cleaving to Ruth, wasn't she?
Or cleaving to Naomi. Ophrah said goodbye and returned
home. Ophrah was easily persuaded to
go back, back to her family, back to her God, back to her
idols. Ophrah kissed her mother-in-law and said goodbye. and went back to her idol. She had great affection for her
mother-in-law, but she had greater love for her family and her idols.
Orphra is typical of many who profess faith in Christ for a
while, but when trials are sent, they find a greater love for
the world of the ungodly than for the Lord Jesus Christ and
salvation in him. Remember the Apostle Paul said
of one of his traveling companions, when things got rough, when they
started getting persecuted for the gospel, You remember a young
man by the name of Demas has forsaken me, having loved this
present world. When 18 got tough, Demas left
and went back home. But Ruth clave unto her. Ruth would not let Naomi go.
Ruth could not be persuaded to go back, no matter the cost. That's the saving faith of God's
elect. As Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Ruth's
determination was not just to follow Naomi, but rather to seek
salvation in the God that Naomi loved and worshipped. That is
a sovereign gift of God that made her to differ. What was
the difference between Ophrah and Ruth? Who made you to differ
from another? What do you have that you did
not receive? It's the sovereign grace of God.
the sovereign grace of God that made the difference that day. It's the sovereign grace of God.
One was granted faith of God's elect, and the other was not.
He'll have mercy on whom he will. Like Peter, when the Lord asked
the disciples, will you also go away? I love his answer. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
has the words of eternal life. We believe. We believe. How do we believe? We believe
according to the working of His mighty power. We believe by the
gift of God's faith, God giving us faith in Christ. We believe
and we're sure thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God. Nothing but faith in, gratitude
to, and love for the Lord Jesus Christ will constrain sinners
to follow Him through thick and thin, to forsake all and follow
the Lord. The Lord's my shepherd, I shall
not want. His sheep hear His voice and
they follow Him and He gives them to them eternal life. We
read in 2 Corinthians 5, it's the love of Christ that constrains
us. It's the love of Christ that constrains us. It's not fear
of punishment. It's not even promise of reward. It's the love
of God shed abroad in our hearts. It's only by the sovereign grace
of God that He has made us to differ. were it not for his divine
providence, his sovereign good and divine providence, we'd never
believe the gospel. I never would have believed the
gospel. You never would have believed the gospel. No man would
have believed the gospel because we're so dead and so depraved
and so ungodly. It takes the power of Almighty
God to raise up a dead sinner. You had the Quicken who were
dead. were it not for the grace of God, His divine, irresistible
grace that calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light, we
would have no real, lasting, saving interest in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Always determined and dependent
by Him. It's God who commands the light
to shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, It's been a
long time since we studied Genesis 32, but in Genesis 32, Jacob
met the Lord. Jacob, that cheap supplanter.
And God met Jacob and changed his name to Israel, Prince of
God. Now, I love what Jacob said when
the Lord said, Jacob, let me go. He said, I won't let you
go until you bless me. That's the same thing Ruth said.
Faith has a death grip on Christ and will not let go. You're a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people
that you should show forth the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light. That's 1 Peter 2.9. I'm not making that up. That's the Word of God. That's
the Word of truth. Saving faith, the faith of God's
elect has a death grip on the Lord Jesus Christ and will not
let go.