So let's turn now to the book
of Ruth and the first chapter in the book of Ruth and we'll
read verses 16 and 17. The book of Ruth chapter 1 and
reading verses 16 and 17. And Ruth said, entreat me not
to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. Whither
thou goest, I will go. Where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die,
and there will I be buried. The Lord's do so to me, and more
also, if aught but death part thee and me." One thing is very clear in this
book of Ruth and that is that God was in it and God was with
Ruth and God called Ruth and God directed Ruth and it was
by the power of the Holy Spirit of God and it will be good for
us today as we consider this life of Ruth or at least this
occasion in Ruth's life and to look in our own hearts and to
see whether we have similar convictions, similar leadings that this woman
did. Because it is clear that religion
wasn't just something which she added on. It wasn't just something
which she picked up when it suited her. It's very clear in the life
of Ruth that her religion was her life and that she was very
concerned to do that which was right and to follow the right
way. So we have here really a glorious
example of those who do fear God, those to whom God has spoken,
God has directed, God has constrained. And it is of course a wonderful
account to realise in the Lord's providence that Ruth who was
a Moabitess, and you may know that in these days, in these
years, in this time, it was generally speaking only the children of
Israel who were the favoured people, those who were called
by God. There were only a very few exceptions outside of the
children of Israel. We can be thankful there were
exceptions, and Ruth was one of them. But we need to consider
what was involved in calling Ruth. It involved Elimelech and
Nehemiah leaving Bethlehem Judah, the place of their nativity where
they had been brought up. And they were to leave there.
And that wasn't something which was in accordance with God's
will, because the children of Israel would remain together
in that place where they were able to gather for worship and
be blessed without having to find themselves in lands where
idols were worshipped. And so we find that Elimelech
and Omeir, they left Bethlehem and went down into Moab. And we cannot think naturally
that was a good thing to do. But in God's purpose, in God's
providence we see how God allowed this to happen. Now, of course,
sadly, as we read, Elimelech, he soon died. So he didn't prosper
very much, did he, from going down into Moab. We've got to
realise in our lives today, we have to be careful not to find
ourselves in a situation where we don't prosper and perhaps
die in that situation. Well, Naomi was left then with
her two sons. And her two sons then married,
Orpah and Ruth. They lived together for 10 years.
Quite a time, and it's interesting, it didn't appear to have any
children in that time. And then, they died. So, Naomi
was left with Ruth and Orpah. We're not told for how long they
continued in this situation, but they did continue until Naomi
decided that she should return to her own land. She should return
to that place where God was known, where God was worshipped. She
was living in a land where idols were worshipped. And it would
be very easy to be taken up with all that kind of situation when
you're living in a different environment. It's very easy to
be taken up with that environment. And it's quite hard to stand
out and be separate and to carry on with those things which are
right. And I can tell you that is true.
If you wander off and are found in a different environment, it's
hard to stand firm to the things which are true. There's much
opposition and Debo would encourage you to get involved in other
things. Well, we see how that Naomi had
been shown that she wanted to return to her own land the land
where the true God was worshipped. What a blessing it is when there's
that concern to be found in a place where the true God is worshipped. And we're told she arose that
she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in
the country of Moab how the Lord had visited his people in giving
them bread. There had been a famine. And
now the Lord had returned and granted them that there was bread
in Bethlehem and so she decided to go back. Wherefore she went
forth out of the place where she was and her two daughters-in-law
and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And we
see that here was a situation where initially Naomi went and
her two daughters appeared to start on the journey. Having
started on that journey, then Naomi looked and she spoke and
she questioned them. And she asked them and she advised
them to not continue going with her. And she said, return each
to her mother's house and the Lord deal kindly with you as
you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant you
that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.
Then she kissed them, they lifted up their voice and wept. So we
see that they were all sad about the situation. And they said,
surely we will return with thee unto thy people. It appeared
initially that Orpah and Ruth still wanted to continue with
Ruth. There must have been something
very attractive about Naomi in her life. She must have set a
wonderful example to her two daughters-in-law. She must have
clearly testified of the God that she worshipped, the true
God. And that's a good example for us today. to realise that
we in our lives should always endeavour to set a really good
example to those that we mix with and to not be ashamed that
we worship the true God, the living God. Naomi clearly had
given a good testimony and a good witness to her daughters-in-law
that she worshipped the true God. Naomi said, turn again my
daughters, why will you go with me? And then she said, would
you have any more children? There wasn't any likelihood of
it. And even if she did, would they wait for those sons? Will
you tarry till they be grown? Would you stay for them from
having husbands? Nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your
sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. Lifted
up their voices and wept. Now we see there's a change.
Two people, Orpah and Ruth. One, faced with, both of them
given the opportunity to go back, as it were, into their old country,
back into their old ways, back to their old friends, back to
their old families, back to worship the false gods. One of them decided
to go that way. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law.
and went back. But Ruth claimed unto her. And
she said, behold, thy sister-in-law has gone back unto her people
and unto her gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law. Well, there was plenty of encouragement,
wasn't there? From Naomi for Ruth to go back into Moab and
to be there and to remain there. She had her sister-in-law also
going back What was the response of Ruth? Well, we see the wonderful
response that she gave. And we can clearly see that it
must have been only by the Spirit of God. She says, entreat me
not. This word entreat really means
be not against me. She didn't want Nehemiah to be
against her. So she said, entreat me not to leave thee. or to return from following after
thee. Whither thou goest, I will go.
Where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die,
and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more
also, if aught but death part thee and me." I wonder this morning if we were
placed in a position like this, how we would respond? How would
we respond? Would we respond in a way like
this? That we would desire to follow
the true steps of a godly person? Would we be willing to follow
a person like this? Or we might say, more poignantly,
are we willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, there will be many temptations
to go back, perhaps, to not follow the Lord. And yet, I wonder if
you and I can look into our hearts and find an evidence within us
of which We desire to follow the Lord in this way. Whither
thou goest, I will go. That means wherever the Lord
goes. Wherever the Lord directs us,
we will go. Whither thou goest, I will go. Whither thou lodgest, I will
lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. It's very clear, isn't it, that
the true God had been set forth by Naomi in her life. And that was what was attractive
to Ruth. It was the God that Naomi worshipped. It was the God that Naomi was
following. That was what was attractive
to Ruth. And that was what influenced
her and inclined her to leave behind or the situation of the
world. We might say, to take up her
cross and to follow a despised and crucified man. In essence,
that's what it was. Now, we should not underestimate
what she had to do. She was leaving behind all her
friends. She was going into this country. But the great blessing was, she
knew that where she was going, the Lord was there. The Lord
was there. And that's where she wanted to
be, found in that land. With thy ghost I will go, with
thy lodges I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. Well, today I wonder if we are
truly desiring to be where the true God is. where the true God
is. There are many places where there
is not the true God. Many places where there is just
acting out, as it were, religion. But to be found in a place where
the true God was worshipped. The true God was worshipped in
Bethlehem. It was a place of favour. It was a place of blessing. She had never been there. She heard from Naomi. Naomi clearly
told her the situation and therefore she was willing to trust the
Lord and to trust that that place that Naomi would direct her to
would be a good place and a right place. Whether thou goest, I
will go. Whether thou lodgest, I will
lodge. Yes, she wanted to be with Naomi
I wonder today whether you and I want to be with the people
of God, whether we want to be with the Church of God, whether
we want to be with the living Church of God, or whether we want to be continuing
in the world. Will we continue to want to do
those things and to please ourselves and to enjoy, as we're told,
the pleasures of sin, for a season, or has God graciously given us
that love, that love to the people of God, and that love to Himself? Because one of the evidences
of the life of God in our soul is that we have a love to the
people of God, and it's a very amazing thing this, that the
Lord draws His people together. Draw these people together. You can be miles away from home,
you can be in a foreign land, and you can meet another Christian
person you've never met before in your life, know nothing really
about, but the wonder of it is there's a drawing influence one
to another. You might say, well what is that?
Well I can tell you what it is. It's the Lord Jesus Christ who's
in the lives of both those people. And therefore there is that attraction. And I know this, I've experienced
it a number of times in other countries. And it's an amazing
thing to feel this. It is indeed the wonderful evidence
that we possess the life of God in our soul. It's not something
which is of nature. And so, as we think that with
a broader situation, do you know what it is to feel a drawing
of love to the people of God? We might say there's a hymn that
says, they're my best friends, my kindred dwell, their God,
my Saviour reigns. Our best friends should be the
people of God. It's the same thing if you and
I have our best friends who are not the people of God. It's a
very sad thing. There's something surely wrong
with our religion if that is so. But may it be so that our
best friends indeed are the people of God and we're happy to be
in their company. Why are you happy to be in their
company? Because they speak about the things of God, or at least
I hope they do. I hope there's that speaking about the things
of God. Because that's what draws the people together. And it's
not, therefore, going with worldly company and only speaking about
the things of the world. Because they don't want to speak
about the things of God, do they? They have no interest in them.
But my friends, what a wonderful thing it is. It is as though
our heart burns within us, isn't it? On that glorious day when
those two walked on that Emmaus road, and the Lord came and spoke
to them. And he spoke to them about all
the things concerning himself. And they testified and they went
back and met the disciples and they told them this, they said,
did not our heart burn within us? While he spoke to us by the
way, well that's another evidence really of the great and glorious
life of God in our souls when we have an experience, a testimony
to be able to declare that our heart burns within us. That means
That was within us, that rising up, something really special,
because we were united to the Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn't
something that you and I produced ourselves. It's that which God
does. He did it for those two on that
lamaze road. He does it for his people and it is an evidence
of the life of God in our souls. So may we look at our own hearts
today and try and find something like that, an experience When
the things of God were touched upon, as it were, our heart rejoiced
because of what was being said, of what was being spoken. Now
these things do not exist in the things of this world, the
things in time, but they do exist in the things of God and it is
a very clear testimony that the Lord is there, the Lord is here. The Lord was on that road, wasn't
he? That amazed road. And my friends, what a blessing,
the Lord is with you and me. As we journey on, we have the
evidence of it in our hearts, the blessing of it. Well, here
we have this testimony of Ruth, and she says, With thy ghost
I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy people shall
be my people, and thy God my God. I wonder today, can we put
our hands up and say yes, that's my desire. That's what I want. I want to say, just like that,
thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God. To be worshipped in the true,
the living God, and to dwell and to be found with the true,
living Church of God. Those people that we find we
have a living union to, a living communion to, and sometimes Naturally
speaking, we wouldn't be seen with people like it. And perhaps
naturally, we would never be with people like it. But when
the Lord attracts, when the Lord draws, you know, there's something
which super abounds and goes over and above all natural things. And we're happy to be in the
Lord's people's company. Happy to be in the Lord's people's
company. Well, where are you happy today? Let's ask the question. Where are you happy today? Are
you happy to be in the company of the Lord's people? Those who
speak about Christ? Those who speak about the things
that the Lord has done for them? Or are you happy to be in the
world? Happy to be amongst those who
do not speak about the things of God, even if they do in a
very superficial way. You see, real religion is not
superficial. is not superficial, and it doesn't
brush off when Sunday comes to an end. Real religion is 24 hours
a day and seven days a week. And it would be a blessing if
your religion is like that, so that you are concerned, day in
and day out, to be found living ever nearer to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Well, here was Ruth, you see,
faced with the choice of going back into Maya or going down
into Bethlehem. And it seems that there was really
no difficulty with her decision. There was really no alternative.
She only had one view and that was to go and to find and to
be with the people of God. Well today I wonder if you and
I have one view. or if we're tottering and not
sure what to do. When we think, well, I'm not
sure. A blessing, if God comes and
wonderfully influences us, so that we see there is something
attractive in the people of God and something much more attractive
in the God who they worship. And that Omai would have worshipped
the true God. And Ruth and Orpah would have
been those who witnessed what she did. No doubt what she read,
if she was able to read anything of the Bible, of course in those
days there were only the books of Moses and perhaps one or two
more, but there wasn't very much available. She may not have had
the Bible as such, or the scrolls to read in those days. She may
have, and remember there was no temple there to go and hear
it being read. So she may have been very destitute of such privileges,
but she would have been able to have prayed and she would
have been able to have remembered those times in Bethlehem when
she did worship the true God and did hear the word of God
read. So no doubt she had been able
to live that life and to give a good testimony to Ruth and
Orpah of those things which she knew of the true God. And we
see this is the solemn position, isn't it? They had a good effect
upon Ruth, but they hadn't had a good effect upon Orpah, although
it appeared so initially. It appeared so initially that
Orpah was willing to return to, or go back to, or sorry, go to
Bethlehem. But in reality, she wasn't willing
to. because she didn't possess the
true life of God in her soul. So we see, do we not, this morning
that real religion is very separating, real religion is very dividing.
But you and I need to be found on the right side. You want to
be found on the side that Ruth was, willing to be with the people
of God, wanting to be with the people of God. Thy people shall
be my people, she says. We don't want anyone else. They
shall be my people. A very positive statement, isn't
it? Very clear. Wasn't any shitty shadowing.
Wasn't any doubt. And, thy God, my God. Thy God, my God. Who is our God
today? Who is your God today? Who do
you worship today? You know, in the days of Paul,
he was in Athens. He tells us he saw a monument to the unknown
God. He didn't know who they worshipped. Do you know today who you worship?
Do you know whether you do worship the true God or not? These are very important questions,
aren't they? They're very important questions because our eternal
life depends upon whether we do worship the true God or not. So, are we worshipping the true
God this morning? You see, we all come here this
morning. We've gathered here, haven't we, in this place. I
look upon you, I've no real idea what's going on in your mind.
Neither has anybody else. You know, God looks into your
mind and He sees exactly what you're thinking this morning
as you're sitting here and listening to the things being spoken. God knows whether you are receiving
them or whether you're rejecting them. We fall in one or two categories. We either receive them or we
reject them. And the great blessing will be
if the Spirit of God enables us to come and to receive these
truths and produce in our hearts that real evidence that we are
like Ruth, that we are a true believer, that we do want to
follow the right way. We want to be found with the
people of God. We want to be found worshipping the true God. And you know, Ruth went on in
a very positive way. Clearly, She wanted to spend
all her life in this way. She didn't want to just say,
well, I'll give it a trial and see how it works out. She said,
where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The
Lord do so to me and more also, if aught but death, part thee
and me. She wanted to be found in that
country, worshipping God. She wanted to be found lodging
there, You know Ruth was a young girl by comparison and Naomi
was an older woman and naturally speaking, Naomi would die first
and Ruth would be by herself in a strange land. But you know
she was confident that the Lord God was there. She was confident
that God's people would be there and therefore she was confident
also that she would not be alone. She would not be spiritually
alone, because she would be with the people of God. So even if
Naomi was to die, she says, when I die, it's when I die, and there
will I be buried. She wanted to continue her life
in that way, in that place. So, as we think of these things
this morning, how do we view our condition? How do we view
ourselves? We want to follow the example
of Ruth. Do you find Ruth's example this
morning attractive? Do you come and echo the words
that Ruth said here? Entreat me not to leave thee,
or to turn from following thee. When thou goest, I will go. When
thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people.
and thy God, my God? Can you echo those words this
morning? Or will you go home and forget
about them and have no influence upon you? You see, this is the
testimony of a true child of God. My friends, you and I need to
follow the testimony of a true child of God. And so taking it
in a more direct way, to be a true follower of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ. And that means to follow a despised
and crucified man. That means to follow someone
who has been reviled, someone who has been rejected, about
to be willing and desirous to follow such a person. And why should we desire to follow
such a person? Well, surely it is because, as
the hymn writer says, my hope is built on nothing less than
Jesus, blood and righteousness. It's as no doubt Naomi had spoken
to Ruth and spoken about the true God and what it meant. Remember those sacrifices which
had to be offered up and the wonder of it and the shed blood. No doubt she would have been
spoken to about the days of Abraham. No doubt she would have been
spoken about the Passover, that wonderful occasion. No doubt
she would have been told on that wonderful day of atonement when
the high priest went into the holy place on the annual occasion,
not without blood. No doubt she would have been
told about the value of that shed blood. So as we see Ruth
now being attracted by those things which would have been
set before her, so today as we look at our situation, we are
attracted attracted rather to the Lord Jesus Christ because
of what he's done, because of his great and glorious work of
salvation, because we see ourselves perhaps like Ruth was in a foreign
land. Yes, we were serving idols. We
were worshipping the unknown God. And then the time came when,
as it was in the life of Ruth, her spiritual eyes were opened
to behold something attractive with a true God. And so may our
eyes have been opened to realise our condition, which is, of course,
in a foreign land and dead, in trespasses, in sins, and blind
and ignorant, with no hope in ourselves. Then if the Lord has
come and shone His light into our hearts, and reveals to ourselves
what we are really like, what we really possess, how evil we
are, how sinful we are. And we've had to come and cry
out, there's no hope for myself, I'm lost, I'm ruined, I'm destitute. What must I do to be saved? and
then to be directed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then as we are directed to
the Lord Jesus Christ, to have an understanding of what He did
to redeem our souls. What He did to redeem our souls. What a wonderful thing it is
to remember the wonder of that which the Lord did to redeem
our souls. We sang together in that middle
hymn these words which were powerful to us. May we prove the power
of prayer to strengthen faith and sweeten care. And also to
realise that the Lord came and blessed us and blessed us indeed
to teach our faint desires to rise and bring all heaven before
our eyes." Yes, the faintness of our desires sometimes. But
when the Spirit of God comes, as it were, and strengthens those
desires, so that we look out of ourselves, we look to the
Lord Jesus Christ, and then as the Spirit of God directs us,
it might be so. We don't learn everything at
once. Generally speaking, we're slow learners. Generally speaking,
we have to learn things again and again. We don't just naturally
receive the truth of the things of God. It may seem to you very
mysterious, perhaps. It may seem difficult to, as
it were, come to a knowledge of, to hold on to. Well, my friends,
pray to God, pray to the Spirit of God that He will reveal these
things to you. And the revelation of them really
centres in this. It will bring you to that central
object, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in viewing the Lord Jesus
Christ, to come to an understanding of what he had to do, he had
to do, he had to suffer, and he had to die, and he had to
shed his blood in order that our sins might be taken away. Right throughout scripture, from
the very early days when the Lord God himself made that covering
for Adam and Eve. There was the evidence of blood
being shed. Animals slain and blood being
shed. It was God's ordained way to
show that blood had to be shed. Death occurred to remove sin. There was no other way. And it's
good when the Spirit of God directs us then to see the wonder of
God himself the only begotten Son of God, taking on Himself,
our human nature, our human form, so that He might stand, as it
were, in our place, and that He might bear the punishment
due to us in our place. And instead of us dying a death
which would not have satisfied anything, the Lord Jesus Christ
died. He gave His life so that you
and I might have life. And the evidence of that life
being given was his shed blood. Well, thy people shall be my
people and thy God my God. My friends, today, is this the
God that you and I are desiring to follow? This Lord Jesus Christ. Because He's the God that we
see in other people's lives. We have the evidence of it and
that attracts us. And we're drawn to it, and we
desire this God to be my God. She says, and thy people shall
be my people, and thy God my God. There was here a wonderful
confidence. And you know today, you and I,
may we be blessed with that humble confidence in our God. You see,
we have the Word of God, the glorious Word of God, which explains
to us from Genesis to Revelation, the great and glorious plan of
salvation. And may we each receive that
living faith, living faith, small as it may be, to lay hold of
the promise of God and be able to say, Lord, Thou hast said. And my friends, what God has
said, rely upon. Rely upon it. It's true. It won't vanish away. If God
has given you a word, if God has spoken a word into your heart,
my friends, don't let it go. Hold it fast and don't despise
anything that God's done. Don't think that's not very much.
Whatever God's done for you is a great deal. Lay hold upon it. Hold it fast. Rejoice in it. Bless God for it. Because, my
friends, that which God has done will enable you to be just like
Ruth was here and to say in this way, yes, thy people shall be
my people and thy God my God. This is the God I desire to worship
and I desire to follow Him throughout my life until I die, whatever
the cost. Whatever the cost. You know,
it's a great blessing to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
a great blessing. And I can tell you this, the
Lord Jesus Christ is a wonderful master. He's a wonderful friend. He's
one that sticks closer than a brother. One that you can come to in every
time of need. He will not leave you. He has
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Therefore we
may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what
man should do unto me. Sometimes we fear what people
are going to say, what people are going to think. You don't
have to worry about that. You don't have to worry about
what God thinks, what God says. That's the great question. That's
the important thing. as we meditate on the life of
Ruth or this occasion, this wonderful occasion when she was able to
testify so clearly that she desired to walk this way. And so may
you and I, my friends today, have that same inward desire
in our hearts, wherever the opposition may be, and no doubt there will
be, Naturally, it would have been opposition to Ruth, but
you see, she was given that grace. Amazing grace, wasn't it? To
leave everything and to follow Naomi. And so may you and I today
be given amazing grace to leave everything and to follow the
Lord Jesus Christ. My friends, you and I will never
regret following the Lord Jesus Christ. He is A friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. And my friends, to realise that
if we are united to Him, it is an eternal unity. We shall never be parted. And
when we leave this earth, it will be to go with, to be with
Him throughout eternity. Yes, forever with the Lord. What a blessed thought it is.
And may we indeed rejoice in such a consideration forever
with the Lord. And may we therefore be concerned
that our lives on this earth may testify and give the evidence
that we are amongst those who really desire to follow and to
be with this crucified man, this man who was so willing to suffer,
to bleed and to die, to give his life, that I, unworthy sinner
as I am, might live and live eternally. Oh, may we then bless
God for the truth of his word and hear what Ruth said. Entreat
me. Religion is personal, it's to
you and to me. You and I stand before God as
individuals. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return for
following after thee. But whither thou goest, I will
go. Whither thou lodgest, I will
lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die,
and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more
also, if ought but death, part thee and me. Amen.