Let's read the first two verses of Ruth 1. It says, now it came to pass, and of course, as I mentioned last week, that's according to the providence of God. This is not happenstance. It's not just something that, as people say, fate or kismet. But it came to pass because God brought it to pass. You understand that?

It came to pass in the days when the judges ruled. That was an evil day. Of course, all days on this earth are evil days when it comes to the world and its understanding, its religion. But as we read in last week, that last verse of the book of Judges, everybody did that which is right in their own eyes. That's a good description of this evil world.

But in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land, a famine in the land of promise, a famine in Israel. And of course, that's one of God's providential physical punishments because of the rebellion and the disobedience, even the idolatry of the people.

And he told him that. You remember, to understand the old covenant, you have to understand that the land that they occupied was the product of pure promise given to Abraham 400 years before they were under that covenant. And so their obtaining the land was not conditioned on their power, their goodness, Their obedience, none of that. If it were, they wouldn't have gotten the land.

You remember what happened when they came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. The first thing they did was build a golden calf. And they wandered in the wilderness until that generation died. Then God brought them over. in the land through a miracle. So their possession of the land was a gift, but when they got in the land, their prosperity in that land was conditioned on their obedience. And you can read that in the book of Deuteronomy.

And of course they failed. Every generation just about. There were a few times of national obedience where the leaders and the majority of the people followed the rules of the covenant of Moses, the law of Moses. But now that's not salvation now. That was just their prosperity in that land. And when they disobeyed, they either were taken into captivity or they had famine, things like that. So this is the issue here. A famine in the land. That means disobedience of the people. But remember what that old covenant was for. It was never a way of salvation. It was a way of showing them their sinfulness and the impossibility of salvation by their works. And through the pictures and types of the ceremonial law, drive them to Christ. Christ said, Moses wrote of me. Remember that.

So here they are in a land of promise, but there's a famine. And it says, and a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab. He went from the house of bread to the house of idolatry. Remember that Bethlehem, Judah, that's Bethlehem. Where Christ, and that's significant. he and his wife and his two sons." And it says in verse two, and the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi, and the name of his two sons, Malon and Kilion. And he says, Ephrathites, that's Bethlehem Ephratah. Ephrathites, that was their ilk, so to speak, of Bethlehem Judah, and they came into the country of Moab and they continued there.

They came and they stayed. So as we saw in lesson one, here they are from the land of promise that God had given the Israelites and where this is where God promised to bless them within this land of promise. But because of their disobedience and because of the rebellion, God sent them famine. And even with the famine in the land, what were they to do? Somebody asked me one time and said, well, what else could they do? They were to stay where they were commanded to stay by God and wait on the Lord. They were to repent of their rebellion and their idolatry.

And not lean, as the Bible says, lean not to your own understanding, your own ways. You do what God says to do, regardless. Depend upon the Lord. Don't seek help from idolaters, from the wicked. So that's what they were to do. And we're gonna see here later on, they'll get some good news from home, all right? So even with that famine, they were to stay right where they were to stay and repent, turn to God, turn back to God and forsake their idols and their ways.

But now rather than waiting on the Lord, which is always an act of faith, wait on the Lord, lean not to your own understanding, but rather than doing that and depending upon the Lord to save them from the famine, Elimelech, disobeyed God and took his family to Moab, God's washpot. That's what Moab is called, that wicked, idolatrous land. Now you understand all of this is well within the sovereign providence of God. God's in control, he never lost control, he never does.

But here, Limelech took Naomi and his two sons, and they went into the land of idolatry, and it's significant, they continued there, they stayed right there. They didn't get down there and see how bad it was, and Limelech said, hey, we need to get out of here. No, they continued right there, they settled there.

And I've got in your lesson, this is a clear picture of our ruin by our fall into sin by Adam. It's what happened to us. The reason that we are all spiritually dead and depraved, the reason that we're all sinners. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Why is that?

I've got this verse cited in your lesson. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, that's Adam, and death by sin, And so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned, or all sinned in Adam, Romans 5, 12. We fell in Adam. And Adam in the Garden of Eden had fellowship with God, perfect fellowship with God, created, he was upright, he was a man, a godly man with no sin, but then he sinned. And people try to explain all that, I can't, and there's no use trying. We just know that Adam was a creature, which means he was mutable, he could change, and he changed for the worse. Now again, all that was well within the providence of God.

The plan of salvation had already been devised before the world was even created in Christ, and that's salvation from sin. But this is why man cannot find salvation by his works, or even his decisions. You know, people today, they say, well, you make the right decision, you can be saved. And they don't think that's works. But it's a subtle way of making salvation by works. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them.

You've got to be born again. And the Bible says, I've got several verses down there, how the only way, the only way of salvation is through the work of Christ and the choices of God. That's the only way. God must choose us. Because by nature, we won't choose Him. And He must give us life, spiritual life and spiritual desires, a new heart, in order for us to choose Him. Because we won't. There's none righteous, there's none that doeth good, there's none that seeketh after God, no not one.

So all of that there. So there you have it, there's a good picture of all of us in our sinfulness, in our fallenness. Elimelech, Naomi, their two sons in Moab. Well, look at verses three and five, three through five. It says, and Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died.

Well, isn't that the consequence of sin? And since she was left and her two sons, so there she is destitute, and says, and they took to them wives of the women of Moab, they intermarried with idolaters. That was forbidden for a Jew, an Israelite, to intermarry with Gentiles and idolaters, but they did it. And again, this is mind boggling, isn't it?

Because that was well within the plan of God too, we're gonna see. as you go through the book of Ruth. So they took to them wives of the women of Moab, the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other, Ruth. And there we get to Ruth. And they dwelled there about 10 years. They were married to these women about 10 years, and look what happened, verse five. And Mallon and Killian died also, both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. So there's Naomi, desolate. Well, Elimelech, Mallon, and Killian died.

That's the natural consequence, the justice of God against sin, death. You remember, death is the just punishment for sin. And think about it this way. Here she is without hope in a land of wickedness and idolatry. Isn't that us by nature, spiritually speaking? I've got here, like Naomi's physical condition in the land of sin and idolatry, we are all by nature. And when I say by nature, I always explain, that means as we are naturally born, fallen in Adam, we're spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, without hope of salvation in ourselves.

That verse in Ephesians chapter two and verse one says, and you hath he quickened, who were what? Dead in trespasses and sins. That's the picture here. Without hope. And if left to ourselves, we'd stay right there. That's what people need to understand today.

They don't know the extent of sin and depravity. And when we say that a sinner is totally depraved, we're not saying that everybody is a raven lunatic. out here trying to kill each other and trying to rob banks and all of that. We're saying that they have no spiritual capacity to choose the right things according to God's word, especially in the realm of salvation. All they can do is choose the things that will give them some glory, false gospels. And so if left to ourselves, we'd stay there. and die in our sins and perish under condemnation.

Well, you know, this spiritual debt, the Lord made that clear to Adam in the garden. You remember when he put Adam and Eve in the garden and the two trees, the tree of life, and then the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And he pointed to that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said, Adam, you can eat of every tree of this garden except one. And what was that, that tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

I believe it was God asserting that he alone has the right to determine what's good and what's evil. And you can see that, can't you? Because over here in Judges, every man did that which was right in his own eyes. In other words, he was deciding what's right and what's wrong. And that's what Adam did when he followed his wife. He took sides with his wife, but he was asserting his own right to determine, well, that's gotta be good. No, God says it's not good. And that's what happened in judges. They did what was right in their own eyes. But what was right in their own eyes was evil in God's sight. Now, isn't that the way it is today, especially in false religion? What's right in their eyes is evil in God's sight.

That's why the Lord says in Luke 16, that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination unto God. And that's what happens when God saves us and opens our eyes, that which was highly esteemed in us, we now see as an abomination just like God sees it. And Paul wrote about that in Philippians chapter three. And he said, that which I thought recommended me unto God, now I see is rubbish, dung, evil.

That's called repentance. And that's when we're brought to Christ. We're brought to Christ and then we see. So, but God told Adam, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. or literally dying thou shalt die. And I put in here the process of physical death for Adam and all of his posterity began the second Adam disobeyed God.

Somebody said, well, he didn't die immediately. Well, he began to die. He lived 930 some years, but he died. And everybody since him has died. And if the Lord doesn't come back, More people are going to die. I think we'll all die because we go through that change. This corruptible must put on incorruption. So there'll be a death there. But Adam, he also died spiritually immediately there.

He lost his capacity to fellowship and be accepted with God. How do you know that? Because he and his wife hid from God. And they realized they were naked, which is an emblem in the scripture for not having a righteousness by which we can be accepted and have fellowship with God. And so they sewed fig leaves together. They went their own way.

That's what false religion is. I've always wondered that maybe one day we might be driving through a town and you'll see a sign on a church that says, Fig Leaf Baptist Church. Because that's what it is. Or Fig Leaf Methodist Church. Because as long as you believe that salvation is by your works, or even your decision, that's the equivalent of trying to hide your nakedness, your exposure to the wrath of God, by your works for your decisions, fig leaf aprons. And so what did God do? Remember, he took those fig leaves off, he slew an animal, he brought about death, blood, because without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins. God's judgment has to be satisfied, his justice, and he made them coats of skin. So that's an emblem of redemption. It's an emblem of justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ.

That's the only way we can be saved. So our only hope of salvation. So here we have it. We have a picture of our fall in the first two verses, and then we have a picture of our state, even God's elect. in our sin and our depravity in the next three verses. Right there, death. And basically, without Christ, that's all you got to look forward to.

I think I mentioned this the other day, because I heard somebody say it on the internet. You know, this false preacher named Joe Osteen. He wrote this book called Your Best Life Now. And the preacher said, well, the only way this can be your best life now is if you're going to hell. And that's right, because it's not gonna be a better life after death. The only better life after death is in Christ. Without Him, there's nothing better. That's the whole theme of the book of Hebrews, Christ is better, isn't it?

Well, look at verse six. Verse six, it says, this is Naomi. Then she arose with her daughter's in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab," In other words, she had heard this while she was living in Moab, how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

Isn't that something? Now this is God's providence. How did she hear about this in Moab? God, God's providence. This was one of God's people. And he got the message to her. And his sovereign mercy, and he sent a message, a message of good news. Hey, there's bread in Israel. There's bread in the promised land. The Lord had visited his people. What does it mean he visited them? It means he took care of them. That's what that means. It doesn't mean just showing up at their door. That visitation, God visits his people. He loves his people, he takes care of his people.

Now, I'll get to something here in a minute, I want you to notice here. And even when she dwelt in Moab, she heard this message. Well, what message does this remind you of? It reminds me of the gospel, the gospel message. And God in his good providence and sovereign mercy gets that message to his people while they're living in a land of sin and idolatry.

I've had people, especially among the primitive Baptists who don't believe that God's people have to hear the gospel. in order to be converted, which is not biblical. They'd say, well, what about these people in the Mideast or Africa or in Greenland? Listen, if Christ's sheep are there, in his providence, in his mercy, he's gonna find them and he's gonna get the message to them.

Mark it down. Because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And what is that message? There's bread in Christ. There's salvation in Christ. And that's what this is a picture of, a picture of God's divine providence for his glory, sending the good news of his gospel of grace in Christ to his chosen people. Even when they're in Moab. even when they're in the land of idolatry and sin and death, evil, He sends the Holy Spirit with the gospel, which is the power of God and the salvation preached by His servants in some way. It's communicated to them now. It's not just by looking up in the sky and seeing the sun. It's the gospel message, truth, communicated to them.

Now, not all primitive badness believe that. I'm just using that because I had some challenging, in fact, I had some, I preached out in, out there on I-75, I can't think of the name of the town. One time, and there was three men there, and they were primitive badness. They come and said, we believe like you do.

The gospel is the power of God and the salvation. But he sends his spirit with the gospel, preached by his servants, communicated, declaring the righteousness of God accomplished in the obedience unto death of Christ, who alone as our representative obeyed the law unto life to redeem us by his blood. And by his death, he satisfied justice and took away our sins. That's the good news from home. Because our home is with the Lord even though we strayed like the prodigal son when we fell in Adam and lived in our sins.

So look at verse seven. Wherefore, or for this reason, she went forth, Naomi, 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. Now we're gonna find out that one of those daughters went back to Moab which tells us that not everybody that hears the gospel believes it. Look at verse 7. 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."

Now, understand that Naomi's returning to the physical land of promise could not save her or any sinner spiritually or eternally. Salvation was not in that land or in that covenant law. Salvation's always been in Christ. always, but her being an Israelite, a physical Israelite living in the land of promise, it's not the equivalent of salvation from sin, but this is a picture. Remember her returning to the land of promise is a picture of God turning His people back to Himself in Christ to the land of the living spiritual and eternal salvation.

And in order to do that, they must be born again from above. They must be given spiritual life, a new heart, a new mind, new spirit, all of that. And we have to understand, I've got this in your lesson. There is a general calling of the gospel, which if left to ourselves, nobody would receive, nobody would believe it.

I've got some scriptures there, but I always quote 1 Corinthians 2.14, that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. And we learn later that the gospel message preached to some people is the savor of death unto death. They don't believe it.

But there's an effectual, invincible, irresistible calling in which the Holy Spirit works His power to convince us of sin and of righteousness and of judgment and bring us back. He doesn't do it, somebody asked me one time, said, well, does God bring us to himself against our will? No, he changes our will. He makes us willing in the day of his power. He gives us a new will.

And he makes the gospel, the power of God and the salvation, not because of the preacher, but because of the Holy Spirit, who applies in power the blessings of Christ to all for whom Christ died and arose again. And what did Christ say? He said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And how do they come to him? He tells us over there in the rest of those verses in John six, that he teaches them, and he brings them to himself. And this is the picture we see in Naomi's response to the good news. She heard it and she returned. And when God's people hear the message of Christ in the gospel and are given the gift of faith and turned back to Him in repentance, that's the Holy Spirit doing His work, applying the resurrected life of Christ to His people. as they hear that good news from home and believe it. Okay.