Go with me back to Ruth chapter
1. I have been glancing at the book
of Ruth for a few weeks now and I finally
felt led to bring a message from it. And I'm hoping that I feel led
to go all the way through the book. Sometimes I intend, I'll
start a book and I intend to go through it, but the Lord doesn't
open it up to me and we don't. But I'm sincerely hoping that
we do go through this book and if so, we may try to do that
on Wednesday nights for a while. That'd be a pleasant thing to
come to if the Lord would open it up to us. But I think this is a special
book to all of God's people. I've never met a child of God
who didn't think that the book of Ruth was absolutely precious. Just so sweet and so precious.
It's filled with so much hope. So much hope. It is such a clear
and beautiful picture of the story of our gospel. It's just
so clear the story of our salvation. It's rags to riches. That's what
it is. And that's what we are. We are
rags to riches. Ruth in this story, I know that
most everyone is familiar with the story, it's four chapters
and we kind of know, you think of the whole book as the whole
story, as opposed to many places you think of individual chapters
or certain portions of verses, you think of the whole book when
you think of Ruth. But Ruth, especially is a picture
of God's people. She is a representation of God's
people. As we look at her in this story,
Boaz in this story, who is not mentioned until chapter two,
but Boaz is a picture of Christ, the kinsman redeemer. Naomi,
this woman, Naomi, who we just heard read about, she's going
to end up picturing two things for us. Eventually she's going
to represent God's Holy Spirit that points the child of God
to Christ. You get to that man and don't
you leave that man. But initially I want us to see
her as God's preacher. A preacher of the gospel who
brings the message of God's Holy Spirit, pointing men to Christ. There is a nearer kinsman at
the end of the story who represents the law, the holy law of God. And then there's a man named
Elimelech right here at the beginning and his two sons. And they could
represent a few things for us. I've seen them and pictured them
representing a few things for us. But the one I want to consider
tonight is they represent our sin. That's what they represent,
our sin. We're going to see that immediately.
Look with me right here at verse one, Ruth one, verse one says,
now it 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 his wife, Naomi, and the name of his two sons,
Mahlon and Kileon. Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they came into the country
of Moab and continued there. Now they were in, they started
in Bethlehem, Judah. The name Bethlehem means house
of bread. And the name Judah means praised. It means the Lord be praised. So they were from, they were
of the house of bread, the place where the Lord was praised, but
they left there and they moved and they went to a city called
Moab. The country of Moab, the people
of Moab were named after the man Moab. And the man Moab was the incestual
son of Lot, you know, Abraham and Lot. And if you know Lot's
horrible story, Moab was the incestual son of Lot. He and
his descendants were the people of shame. The Moabites were the
people of shame. The Moabites were, were sworn
enemies. Let it be known. We are the sworn
enemies of Israel. God's people. Absolute, absolute
enemies. All right. Now let's just focus
on Naomi for just a second. She lived in, her life was in
the place where the Lord was praised. But she had to leave
that place and she was brought to a place where the Lord was
hated. She was brought to a place that
was enmity against God. That's what Moab was. She was
brought to a place that was absolute enmity against God. Now, what
brought her there? What brought her there? Her husband
brought her there. It says that a certain man went
to Moab and he brought his family there. And this man represents
her own sin. Our sin. Now that is us by nature. That's us by nature. In her flesh,
she was bound to her husband. She went because her husband
brought her there. And in our flesh, we are bound
to our sin. You know, the apostle Paul said
in Romans seven, why do I do what I do? He said, I don't want
to, but he said, it's the sin that's dwelling in me. It's causing
me to do this. And we, in our flesh, are absolutely
bound to sin. Man naturally thinks that he
can control his sin. Well, I'm gonna get control of
that and sin's not gonna reign over me. Well, that's not exactly
how it works. Our sin reigns over us in the
flesh. And our sin has brought us down
out of the place of God's favor, and into the place of condemnation. That's what sin has done for
us. It says they went there because
there was a famine in Bethlehem, Judah. That's why they went to
Moab. There was a famine in Bethlehem,
Judah. Now who sent the famine? The Lord sent the famine. The
Lord did that. The Lord does all these things. Who sins all these things? The Lord does that. Didn't he
say that all through his word? I'm the Lord and I'm doing this. He tells his people, don't be
dismayed. Don't be confounded. Don't scratch
your head. I'm doing this. I'm the one doing
this. He said, the Lord has told his
people that times just like that would come times of famine, times
of war, times of trouble, times of sorrow. He said it would come
and he said it was all at his hand. Everything that comes,
he said, it's all at my hand. And he has promised his people
that through it, he will never leave them and never forsake
them, never ever. That has always been his promise
to his people, always. David said, I have been young
and now I'm old. And he said, I've never seen
the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread, never. But through the sin of unbelief,
and I'm going to tell you, that is our great problem. That's
where all of this started with Adam and Eve. And this where
all of this started unbelief. I know that's what God said,
but through the great sin of not
looking to Christ, the sin of looking to self and trusting
in the works of the flesh. Through that sin, Naomi was led
out of Bethlehem Judah into the land of Moab. And that's exactly
what happened to mankind when he sinned in the garden, in the
garden of Eden. He was led out of the favor of
God into the condemnation of God into the sin of the world,
bondage to that sin of unbelief, bondage to the sin of not looking
to Christ, but looking to self and trusting in the works of
the flesh that forced man out of God's presence and God's favor
into a life and into a world of sin. That's what separated
God and man. The bondage of sin. Verse three
says, and Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. And that's what
happened to man because of his sin. He died. Death came. And all it produced was death.
Verse three says, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died and she
was left and her two sons, And 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
10 years. And Mahlon and Kylion died also
both of them. And the woman was left of her
two sons and her husband." That bondage brought death and it
produced death. Those two boys were the fruit
of her womb. You know, that's what she produced
and they died too. She was subject to sin and she
was a producer of sin. Romans 6, 23 says, the wages
of sin is death. That's what it brings. Romans
5, 12 says, by one man, sin entered the world and death by sin. And
so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. Just
ruined, everything was ruined. Naomi's story is such a sad story. It's just such a sad story, but
that's the story of every man and woman born into this world.
Every child of Adam has been ruined by sin. Now, I just told
you that Naomi was gonna represent God's preacher, and here's the
reason why. God's preachers are men who have
been ruined by sin. That's what God's preachers are.
If you want to know, if you want to get to the core of what a
preacher of the gospel is, he is a man who has been absolutely
ruined by sin. Just plumb ruined by sin. Bondage to sin in their flesh,
has led them away naturally from the place of God's favor and
has made it so that the only thing that they can produce in
their flesh is death. Sin and death. Here's what it
means. Here's where I'm going with that. They are no different
from anybody else. They're in the same condition
as everybody else, but it has pleased the Lord. by his providence
and his predestination to call all of his people out of their
bondage through the message of good news. And that's what Naomi
was for a young woman named Ruth. She was a messenger of good news.
Verse three says, Elimelech, Naomi's husband died and she
was left and her two sons and 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
10 years and my lawn and Kylie on died also both of them. And
the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Verse six
says, then she 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. What a thing to hear. What a
thing to hear. That's what made me want to go
to Ruth, that one verse. She heard how the Lord had visited
His people in giving them bread. What hope, what glory for a ruined
sinner who's lost everything, lost everything, been separated
from God and known nothing but death and produced nothing but
death. to hear that God has visited
His people at a moment of just deep despair and need, at a moment
when you think that you are left in the ruin of your emptiness,
just to hear that the Lord has been so kind to visit His people
in giving them bread. It says, she arose with her daughters-in-law,
that she might return from the country of Moab to go back to
the glorious land of Bethlehem, Judah. And she says she heard
that while she was in Moab, while she was there in that state,
the place that brought death to her. And from that place,
this is what the message of good news cried. It cried, return
to the Lord your God. Return to the Lord your God.
That's what I want to do every time I come in here After being
out in Moab I Want to hear in here return
to the Lord your God I want to hear some news from Bethlehem
Judah Some glorious news turn with me over to Jeremiah chapter
3 you can hold your place here and turn over to Jeremiah 3 and Jeremiah 3, verse 12, it says, go and proclaim these words toward
the north and say, return thou backsliding Israel, saith the
Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I
am merciful, saith the Lord. And I will not keep anger forever. He said, you come back to me.
You come right back to me because I'm merciful and I won't be angry
with you. You just come back to me. Verse
14 says, turn old backsliding children, saith the Lord, for
I'm married to you. And I will take you one of a
city and two of a family and I will bring you to Zion." That's
good news, isn't it? He said, you were married to
sin, but not anymore. I'm gonna redeem you from that. You're married to me now. More importantly, I'm married
to you. Psalm 116 verse five says, gracious
is the Lord and righteous, yea, our God is merciful. Gracious
in giving, merciful in forgiving. Forgiving through the blood.
He went on down to say, he said, you dealt treacherously in departing
from me. You dealt treacherously. in departing
from me, but he said, I'm going to bring you again. I'm going
to bring you back again. I'm going to lead you. I'm going
to feed you. I'm going to fill you with Christ,
the living bread, Christ, the living bread. That is the glorious
news of the gospel. And that's, that's the glorious
news that was given to Naomi. because she was in a place of
desperate need. So she rose up with her daughter's
in law and she told them, this is what I've heard. This is what I've heard. And she said, this is where I'm
going because this is what I need. And it has been said before,
and it's so true. It's honestly so true that True
gospel preaching is one beggar telling another beggar where
he found bread. That's what true gospel preaching
is. One beggar telling another beggar
where he found bread. And that's what Naomi did. She
told her daughter-in-law, she said, God has blessed his people
in giving them heavenly bread. Life is in the place where the
Lord is praised, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's my message
tonight. That's the message for us. God has blessed his people
in giving them Christ. The heavenly bread, the Lord
has provided, the Lord has preserved. The Lord has sustained his people
through the offering of the sacrifice of Christ. And Naomi represents
a true messenger here. She represents a true preacher
because she told her daughter in laws. She said, I have nothing
in me to offer you. Don't look to me. Don't look
to me. I'm just an empty vessel. I'm
just an empty vessel. Verse go back to Ruth and look
at verse six. It says. Then she 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. Wherefore, she went forth out
of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with
her, and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's
house. 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, and they lifted up their voice and wept.
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto
thy people. And Naomi said, turn again, my
daughters, why will you go with me? Are there yet any more sons
in my womb that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters,
go your way, for I'm too old to have a husband. If I should
say I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight,
and should also bear sons, would you tarry for them till they
were 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.' And they lifted up their voice and wept again,
and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her." This
message that points men and women to Christ, the bread of life,
The bread of life alone, only Christ alone, this message that
cries, not unto us, not unto us, but unto His name alone,
give glory. To some, it's a message of death
unto death. And don't we cry, Lord, please
don't let that be me. Please don't let that be me.
To some, it's a message of death unto death. But to some, it's
a message of life unto life. Some, after hearing it, they
say, it's time for me to go. But some, being made willing
by the Spirit, will say, to whom else can we go? Thou hast the
words of life. Verse 14 says, They lifted up
their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law,
but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law
is gone back unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou
after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, entreat me not
to leave thee, or to return from following after thee, for whither
thou goest, I will go, and 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 ought but death, part thee and me. Don't you pray that that's the
cry of your heart? Don't you love in Romans chapter
eight, where it says, the spirit helpeth our infirmities. And
I sincerely do thank the Lord for this. Because I, you know,
like I'm telling you, God's preachers are men who have been ruined
by sin. And sometimes I know we all get into this place where
we just feel so insufficient, so inadequate. Lord, I just don't
even know how to pray right now. I just don't, you know, I want
to be connected to you and connected to your word, but my flesh and
my sin is just such a hindrance to me. But Romans eight says
the spirit helpeth our infirmities as we Continue in all of our
weakness and all of our lack and all of our infirmities, the
spirit help with our infirmities for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the spirit itself make it intercessions
for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered. Don't you
wish you just had that just burning groaning to the Lord that well,
you do. God's Spirit is doing that for
you. And that right there is what God's Holy Spirit groans
in us. For us, he's doing it for us
and he's doing it to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. Verse
16, Ruth said, entreat me not to leave thee or to return from
following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will
go, and 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." That's our cry
to Christ our Savior. We cry, Lord, our only hope is
total, complete union with you. That's my only hope. Our life is in you. Our death
is in you. Our all is in you. And in this, for a brief moment
here, we see Naomi as a picture of Christ. What Ruth is saying
to Naomi, we see her as a picture of Christ, our Savior and our
substitute. Verse 18 says, when she saw that
she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking
unto her. So they too went until they came
to Bethlehem. And it came to pass when they
were come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about them. And they said, is this Naomi?
And she said unto them, call me not Naomi. That means pleasant. Don't call me pleasant. She said,
call me Mara. That means bitter. Now you want
to hear the gospel speaking as Christ, a picture of Christ.
She said for the almighty hath dealt very bitterly. The whole city was moved at the
coming of this one who was from there, of there, with one who
was not. And they were so moved at the
coming in. And they said, is this Naomi? And she said, don't
call me Naomi. You call me Mara. For the Almighty
hath dealt very bitterly with me. That is the very hope of
the gospel. That God afflicted Christ in
our stead, though he was rich, he went out full. Yet he willingly became poor. He emptied himself. He went out
full and he emptied himself. The only pleasant one to God,
the only one who was pleasant to God, this is my beloved son
in whom I'm well pleased. The only one who was pleasant
made himself to be dealt with very bitterly, stricken, smitten,
afflicted of God. And it was all so that he could
bring his sinful, sinful people back home to the house of bread.
Ruth was not from there. That was not her natural city,
but she was accepted for Naomi's sake. She was accepted with Naomi. She was welcomed in through the
sufferings of Naomi because Naomi went out and suffered. And that's
the only hope that any sinner has of being welcomed into the
land of the living. If somebody really wants to know
what is the only hope of actually being accepted in to the house
of bread, here it is. It's gonna have to be with Christ.
It's going to have to be for Christ's sake. It's going to
have to be because of the sufferings of Christ who went out and got
me and brought me back home. If a sinner is accepted in Christ,
then that center is accepted into a glorious hope. If we are
accepted with him, then we're accepted into a very glorious
hope. See if you enjoy verse 22, it
says, so Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law
with her, which returned out of the country of Moab and they
came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. What a time
to come. They were hungry. She heard that
there was bread over there. And when they got there, they
realized it's just the beginning of the harvest. Are you hungry? Well, there's plenty. There is
plenty. They came to the right place
at the right time. Our Lord said, every soul who
hungers and thirsts after righteousness himself is going to be filled.
He said, open your mouth wide and I will fill it. That's the
message of Christ that the Holy Spirit reveals through a messenger
of God's Word. And every sinner who truly hears
that message and has been made to receive it as life unto life. Every sinner who hears that and
says, that's my life. That's my hope of life. Every
one of them will cry, Lord, bring me to you. Come get me just like
you did Ruth. Come get me and bring me to you. That's what I am going to title
this message. Bring me to you. Bring me to you. And if the Lord
is willing, I pray the Lord will let us continue with this. But
if he's willing, if we go to chapter two next week, I believe
I'm going to title that message. Now, there was a man. Bring me
to you. Oh, now there was a man. And
may the Lord make that a blessing to us. All right. Hmm.