It started in a minute. Thanks. All right, we're gonna get started. Good morning. Take your Bibles
and turn to the book of Ruth. Ruth. I wanna begin looking at
the book of Ruth with you. Now, like all scripture, This
book is about our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. And the
very subject of this book is about redemption. And the basic
definition of the word redeem, it means to buy something back
at the specified price. It's to purchase something back
again at the specified price. And this book We're in this book,
we're given a beautiful picture of redemption, of redemption
under or as required by the law. And the duty of redemption was
that if a family, a close family member came into poverty and
would lose their inheritance, their land, and it had to be
sold away, their near kinsmen who had the money, who had the
ability to pay, they would come and purchase that land back. And if necessary, raise up a
family to inherit that land and continue that inheritance for
that family. It was done by the near kinsman
or a close relative, a close relative. And Boaz, we won't
really see much of him today, but Boaz is that near kinsman
in this book. He's the close relative who does
the duty of the near kinsman redeemer. He recovers all that
was lost by his family member Elimelech. And he raised up a
holy seed to inherit, to receive that land of Elimelech. And so it continued on as required
by the law. And this pictures very beautifully
what our Lord Jesus Christ did for his people. We lost everything. We came into utter ruin and have
nothing. nothing, but Christ came and
faithfully, mercifully, in perfect righteousness purchased and he
restored that which we lost with the purchase price of his own
blood. Bearing the payment that we owed,
he bore it all for his people and restored that which we lost
and gave us an inheritance, a glorious inheritance in him. And so we're going to look at
this book of Ruth here, but today I want to look at the first few
verses in which we see very clearly a picture of man's fall and ruin
and how that our God faithfully recovers his people by the hearing
of faith. by the hearing of faith, by the
hearing of what our Savior, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ,
did for us. I've titled this message, She
Arose in Faith. She Arose in Faith, and it's
a reference to the faith that we see the Lord gives to Naomi. and how she believed. And that's
a picture of you and I, brethren, who are given faith by the Spirit
of God, given life to believe our Savior, to believe our Lord,
to look to Him and to be drawn to Him and follow Him and stay
upon Him all the days of our life, which He's given to us
because He sustains it. So we begin here in verses one
and two. Now came to pass in the days
when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land. And
a certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn in the country
of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the name of
the man was Elimelech. And the name of the wife, Naomi. I'm just going to call her Naomi
to make it easy. and the name of his two sons,
Malan and Chilean, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. And they
came into the country of Moab and continued there. The name
of Elimelech means, my God is King. My God is King. And Elimelech had an understanding
of God, who is King. meaning God is sovereign. He's
sovereign. He does as he pleases and he's
the good sovereign ruler over all his creation. But though
we had this understanding, we see Elimelech did something very
foolish. Very foolish. He rebelled against
his God. We read that it came to pass
that there was a famine in the land. It came to pass that there
was a famine in the land. So providentially, a famine came
into the land. Is God sovereign? Is he not the
king? Therefore, we know that this
famine was brought into the land according to the will and purpose
of God. And we experience things providentially
that are adverse and contrary to our flesh and that seem to
create some difficulties for us. But our God is faithful and
wise and just, and he knows exactly what he's doing. And so the Lord
brings this famine into the land. And Elimelech, he put his hand,
to make things right. He put his hand to try and fix,
to try and protect himself, to try and deliver himself, to try
and make it easier for himself and for his family. He did what
he thought was right, but it wasn't according to his knowledge
of the Lord, who's king. He didn't trust the Lord. He
trusted his own wisdom. So we're told that he went to
sojourn in the land of Moab. he moved his family away from
the gospel. He picked up and took his family
away from the gospel, away from the hearing and the seeing of
the service of the Lord and the gathering of the Lord's people.
He picked them up and he moved them away from the gospel. Now,
he only intended to stay there for a short time. He intended
it for it to be a brief moment, not very long at all. That's
what it means that he went to sojourn, just a brief stay. Instead, we're told at the end
of verse two, at the very end there, they came into the country
of Moab and continued there. They settled down. They put their
stakes in the ground and drew them deep and deeper and deeper. And they got settled and content
there in the land of Moab. And that shows us that he didn't
trust the Lord. He wasn't living like, my God
is king. He didn't believe the Lord. He
took matters into his own hand and thought that he would effect
an outcome that would be better for him and his family. He was leaning on his own wisdom
and not trusting the Lord. Turn over to Proverbs chapter
3. Proverbs 3, and we'll look at
verses 5 through 7. Solomon writes, trust in the
Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes,
fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Alimelech thought it wise
to take himself and his family out from under the gospel, out
from under where the Lord was blessing his people, where he
gathered and fed his people, so that he took his family and
he took his substance apart from where the Lord was gathering
his people, and he brought it out to an idolatrous land, a
people that didn't love the Lord, a people that didn't believe
the Lord. And Elimelech, he brings his
wife and his sons into bondage and sin and death and Moab with
him. Not only did he go, but he brought
his wife and his sons into that same bondage and death apart
from where the Lord's people gathered to hear the word of
the Lord. And we're told Elimelech died.
He died, verse 3. And Elimelech, back in Ruth 1,
verse 3, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. And she was left and her
two sons. But we see that it wasn't just
Elimelech who sinned, but he brought his sons into the same
rebellion, the same bondage of sin. And so they did foolishly. not leaning on the Lord, they
did foolishly as their father had done. Verse 4, they took
them wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah,
and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelled there about
ten years. And we find out that Elimelech's
posterity also died. They died in that bondage and
rebellion. Verse 5, Melan and Chilean died
also both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and
her husband. And so here we have a picture. We have a picture of Adam. This
is exactly what our father, Adam, did when he rebelled against
God, when he sinned against God. And we speak of Adam because
Adam, we find just by reading the scriptures, that he was a
federal head and a seminal head, meaning that he is that central
representative in whom we're represented. We were represented
as a human race by Adam. We were all in Adam when Adam
was in the garden. And he's our seminal head in
that he's the fountain of seed. We all descend from Adam. We all are born of Adam's seed. And Elimelech, his sin was to
go into Moab. And he himself was put into bondage
and did foolishly. But it wasn't just for him. It
affected his wife. his seed, his two sons in him,
so that they were brought into sin and death. And what Elimelech
lost, and what he lost, they lost. And the ruin that came
to him, they were ruined also. So it is with Adam's sin and
rebelling against God. He plunged himself and his whole
race in him into sin and rebellion, into darkness, into bondage,
into spiritual death and depravity. Everything that Adam had was
lost. It was all lost. The inheritance
that God had given to him was lost. And Adam was utterly ruined. And so when Adam began to have
children, when his seed began to be born, they had the same
corrupt, ruined nature as their father. As Adam was spiritually
dead, they came forth spiritually dead. As Adam was corrupt, they
were corrupted. And so they were born. We are
born into spiritual bondage and into sin and corruption and depravity. And we cannot deliver ourselves.
We can't change that. We're depraved. We're born. in
sin. And Romans 5.12, Paul wraps it
up in a nutshell, saying exactly what I'm saying here. As by one
man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. There was no
sin for man to worry about. There was nothing evil, nothing
ruined. But once he sinned, it entered.
It came. Now it entered into man, into
his heart, and into his body, and mind, and thoughts. And he
was ruined. He was ruined. And so death followed
after. And so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned. Not only did we sin in Adam and
were ruined in Adam, but we ourselves, when we come forth, sin ourselves,
just like we see Melon and Chilean. that they sinned like their father.
They rebelled against the wisdom and the light of the Lord. And
so it is in Adam, we died spiritually, we come forth sinners ourselves,
corrupt, defiled, depraved, spiritually dead, unable to do a good work,
unable to to see our ruin and to turn to the Lord, unable to
do anything that is good and pleasing to the Lord. And so
man cannot save himself. We see Elimelech, what happened? He died. Elimelech died in his
sin. And Elimelech's sons died in
their sin. They never came out. They never
turned anything around. They died in their sin. But God
is able and willing to save sinners, to save his chosen elect sinners
whom he chose in the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation
of the earth. And that's what we see here with
Naomi. He doesn't leave her in her ruin
and her sin. He saves her through the preaching
of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel.
Let's look at that now. The ascending of the gospel,
the ascending forth of the good news, that this good report,
this word of hope, of salvation, of deliverance by the living
God goes forth out into the dark wilderness. And that's how the
Lord recovers his people. He uses that word to give his
people life, to bring life to us. by His Spirit, making that
word effectual in our hearts, giving us life and faith to hear
and believe the word. And that's what the Lord does.
He sends that word, that good word, those good tidings to Naomi
and her two daughters-in-law. Let's look at verse 6. Then Naomi arose with her daughters-in-law,
that she might return from the country of Moab. For she had
heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited
his people in giving them bread. Naomi lost everything with her
husband. She lost everything in her husband.
Everything was ruined and destroyed. Even the fruit that they had,
the fruit of their womb, even that proved to be fruit unto
death. They died. They died just like
their father. There was nothing good about
them. And so Naomi, when you look at
it, they didn't say, mom, let's go back. to the land of Israel. They didn't provide anything
good for her. They didn't do anything useful
for her in terms of spiritual life. The fruit we bring forth
cannot save us. The fruit we bring forth does
not affect anything for us with God. It gives us no merit, no
grace, nothing to bring righteousness to ourselves. So her fruit, just
like Elimelech, died there in that land and did nothing good
for Naomi in bringing her back to the Lord. And so Naomi was
poor and destitute. She finds herself, there she
is in a land, poor and destitute, but she's continuing to live
in it. She's staying there. She's not going back. There she
continues in that wilderness land of Moab among a people that
cared nothing for her. She continued in that misery.
But then, one day. According to the providence of
God, which He brought to pass, someone came and declared to
Naomi that the Lord had visited His people in giving them bread. She heard the good news. She
heard the good news. Someone brought it to her. Someone
told her, hey, did you hear? The Lord's giving bread to His
people in His land. And hearing this good word, she
was given faith. She believed the report. She
believed what she heard. And she thought, Lord, you're
giving bread to your people. She heard that word, and it delighted
her heart. It rejoiced her to hear this. How do I know that she believed
this report? Because she arose with her daughters-in-law
that she might return from the country of Moab. Based on what
she heard in the country of Moab, there out in the wilderness,
she heard this word, how that the Lord had visited his people
and giving them bread. She heard that good word, that
gospel word, those good tidings that God was feeding his people. that he was taking care of them
and providing for them richly and giving them bread. And she
didn't ignore the word. She wasn't like, oh, that's nice.
That's good. I'm glad that works for you. That's good. Like so
many people do when they hear the good news of salvation provided
freely by the Lord in the Son, Jesus Christ. She didn't ignore
the word and continue in her rebellion. She didn't stay there,
Moab, wishing, I wish things would get better for me. I wish
things would change for me. She heard the good news, and
she went where the Lord's bread was being given. She took herself
and turned to her daughters-in-law and said, let's go. Bread's being
given. The Lord's giving bread to his
people in his land where he's gathered his people. And so you
think about it, Moab, they had food. Moab had food. There was
no report of there being a famine in Moab. They had food. And Moab
had religion. They had plenty of religion,
lots of people and opportunities for them to get by. But she wanted
the bread that the Lord was giving to his people. She wanted the
people's bread that the Lord was blessing his people with.
She didn't care about the bread in Moab. She didn't care about
the religion in Moab. She wanted the bread that the
Lord was giving his people. And so Naomi now looks around,
and now she sees this is death and decay. This is miserable.
I have nothing here. I'm ruined here. I've lost everything
here in this place, in this land. She saw clearly once she heard
the good news. Once she heard the good news.
Then she knew, I am ruined. I'm a filthy sinner. I'm vile. I've got nothing, nothing here. But I hear this wonderful good
news that the Lord is giving his people bread. He's feeding
them. He's their God. He's the true
and living God. And he's fellowshipping with
his people and blessing them with the bread. And so being
granted repentance by the Lord, Being granted repentance, she
turned from all her works and ways and everything she knew
there in Moab, having new eyes, a new creature, alive by the
Lord. Having heard the word, she began
to seek the Lord and say, I'm going. I'm going where the good
news is. I'm going where the bread is.
I'm going to be fed by my God. And so it is that our God sent
his son. His Son is called the Living
Bread which came down from Heaven. Christ is the Living Bread that
God has sent down from Heaven to save His people from their
sins, to put away our ruin, to put away our misery, to pay the
debt that we owe, to make us righteous and accepted by our
God. He did this by willingly going
to the cross. bearing the sin of His people,
bearing the punishment of His people, and put it away. He died
there on the cross, a sacrifice unto the Father to put away our
sin, to atone for our sin and to make us righteous, and He
was buried putting that sin away. And we died in Him so that our
former husband has nothing to say to us, no other claim upon
us. We're delivered from all that we ruined and destroyed
in ourselves. Christ was buried and he rose
again, brethren, for our justification. His resurrection declares God
is satisfied. He's pleased. Christ has well
done for his people. We are free and delivered from
that death and ruin and misery. Look around you, look at all
your works, those that are righteous and religious and those that
are not religious, because none of our works are righteous. They're
all, what we think is righteousness is all filth. It's all dung,
it's all vile, it's all refuse, it's all garbage and cannot save. All our works are dead. They're
like making melon and chilean. They just die. and they do not
save us. Are you gonna stay in your filthy,
vile religion? Are you gonna stay a Moab any
longer? Are you gonna stay a Moab? Or
have you heard the good news? The true and living God says
to us, look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there is none
else. None else. He's provided his
son. He's provided salvation in his son Jesus Christ. Naomi
heard the word. She saw her sin and she repented
of her dead works because God, the Spirit, gave her life and
gave her this faith. gave her this repentance to turn
from dead works unto the living God. Turn from your working in
religion and resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trusting Him, rejoicing
in Him, believing Him, believing the word, the bread of your Lord. And so this is how the Lord saves
his people. This is how he brings his people
to faith. He brings them the word, and
he comes with power by his spirit to give them life and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter in 1 Peter 1, verse 23
through 25, he says, being born again. We're born again, brethren, you
that believe Christ are born again, are regenerated by his
spirit, giving you life. Nothing we did, the Lord gives
us life, and then we're turned and believe his salvation. We're
born again, not of corruptible seed, not of anything of Adam,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and
all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away. That's what happened to
Elimelech and his sons. Just like a flower or grass,
they withered and died in their rebellion. But the word of the
Lord endureth forever. It was made a comfort to Naomi. She believed the word that the
Lord had sent. And just like that child of God,
that child of grace, so it continues to this day that you that are
the Lord's, that hear his word and believe him are comforted
by that same word. And you rejoice. And this is
the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Our God
sends his word to comfort hearts of his people to deliver them
from death and sin and misery and Moab. Naomi was given life
by the Spirit of God and she arose and she went in faith. She didn't sit there, she didn't
stay in Moab, she arose and she went in faith believing that
God would give her this bread. You see that? She believed I'm
gonna go there. And she believed that God would
give her that same bread. She trusted the word of the Lord.
She believed the report, but that wasn't enough just to hear
the report and say, that's great, good to hear. No, she believed,
that's my bread. Lord, I need to be fed with that
bread that you're giving your people. Do you believe that Christ
is salvation? that He is the salvation that
God has provided for His people. He only is salvation. There's
not other ways. There's not another religion.
There's not another path to the Father. There's one way, one
truth, one life, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. We come through
Him and Him alone. Are you a sinner? Or are you
Are you a sinner that can save yourself, or are you a sinner
who cannot save themselves? Because the Lord, he makes his
people to know that we're sinners and that we cannot save ourselves
so that Moab's bread does not satisfy. We're not pleased with
Moab's bread. We want the bread of the Lord.
Do you believe that he is able and willing to save you? because
he says in his word that he's willing and able to save all
that come to him hungry. seeking his righteousness, who
have no righteousness of themselves. He is able and gives the bread
of forgiveness to all who come to him seeking that bread of
forgiveness, because we have none ourselves. Christ said,
if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. He gives life and light. and
hope to the sinner, because he himself is salvation. Our Lord
is salvation. And all that believe him are
commanded to look, look to the Lord, go to him, flee to him,
trust him, believe him, follow him for salvation, trusting that
your God cleanses you from sin by the Lord Jesus Christ, just
as he promises in his word. Peter said to Cornelius in Acts
10.43, to him, give all the prophets witness that through his name,
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission, forgiveness
of sins. You that believe, believe him. You that believe him, trust him,
follow him, look to him. Don't be turned out of the way.
Don't sit there in your dead works religion. Look to Christ.
Is that your hope? That he'll receive you and forgive
you and wash you of your sins? Because the faith that the Lord
gives looks to Christ believing him. Just like we see with Naomi.
She rose up. And she went. She went back to
the land where the Lord was feeding his people. And that's the faith
that our God gives, what he reveals in his people, that hope, that
confidence, that trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what
he does for those whom he loves, whom he loved from eternity,
whom he chose and put in Christ. We come to Christ, the living
bread, which came down from heaven, believing he'll feed my hungry
soul, too. He'll feed me. Lord, feed me. And all who come to Christ, believing
him, trusting him, shall be fed with the living bread from heaven,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's close in prayer,
brethren. Our gracious Lord, we thank you,
Father, for your grace and mercy in sending your Son. Lord, by
your word, by your power and your grace, we see and know our
misery and our shame and our filth and Adam and the sins that
we ourselves commit. Lord, but we thank you that you've
made us to hear the good news that you have provided the bread
you've given your son who lay down his life and accomplished
our salvation. Lord, let us not be complacent.
Let us not be content in this death. But Lord, raise us up
with the faith that you give to your people and cause us to
follow Christ, believing him. It's in the name of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray this, amen.