Intro

[[[ Luke Skywalker. Tony Stark. Marty McFly. Rocky Balboa. ]]]

The names alone are enough to conjure up images of epic adventures or intimate personal tales. These are people whose lives we have enjoyed a glimpse into. We’ve laughed with them, cried with them, been angry with them, or shocked with them.

[[[I COULD SIMPLY ]]] state the facts; that people somehow find the resolve to overcome problems and circumstances they are faced with; that power can corrupt even the most noble intentions; that in the end good triumphs and evil loses. But somehow it’s both more fun and more impactful to see that story play out over [[[ 2 hours ]]]. [[[ Or 6 hours ]]]. [[[ Or 16 hours ]]]. [[[ Or, like, a full day ]]].

[[[ THAT’S THE POWER ]]] of story. Just talk to anyone who has ever read the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings books and watch the smile wash over their faces as they think about time spent with Frodo and Sam or Harry, Ron and Hermionie.

This is why Jesus taught in stories. And we see them peppered throughout the Gospels. The Good Samaritan, the Talents, The Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, the Workers in the Vineyard…

Speaking of which, today we will start a series in the Old Testament book of Ruth. A book considered to be the finest literary narrative work in the entire Bible. A story as well-rounded and satsifying to read as any other. Considered even by some Bible ciritics to be an outstanding novella in it’s own right. It is a story that — on it’s face, at least — seems to be an intimate story about how one woman’s faithfulness leads to a most satisfying conclusion. It would appear to be much more Marty McFly than Tony Stark. Ruth is not going to save the world… right? Actually, as we draw to the conclusion — spoiler alert for the end of Chapter 4 — we might come to find out she is maybe a little closer to Tony Stark or Luke Skywalker than she appears on the surface.

If you haven’t yet, please turn with meto Ruth Chapter 1 and let’s read that together.

Passage

(1) In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him.

(2) The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.

(3) Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. (4) The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth.

But about ten years later, (5)both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

[[[ LET’S PRAY ]]]

Prayer

The first thing I want to draw attention to, is how Ruth stands apart from the other stories we’ve talked about this morning. These movies, books, and even the parables of Jesus all share one thing in common. They are work of fiction. These are not real events that have happened in a historical sense. The author of Ruth — and yes, like Hebrews, we also do not know who the author of this book was — in any case Ruth’s author, whoever it was, bookends the story with markers that place it firmly in reality. This is not a parable or a fable… this is, like many books in the Old Testament, a historical book. It records the real history of real people.

Let’s make our first trip to [[[ TANGENT TOWN ]]] of the new series. I just want to briefly talk about Historical Books in the Bible. We just finished reading Hebrews, this is called an “Espitle”. These are books of instruction given to the church. These are meant to explicity give direction for how the church is to be run. Historical books are a totally different story. They record not what should be, but rather simply what was. Not everything we read in this type of book is something we should strive to emulate. You would certainly recognize this was true if you read a book like Judges…

Speaking of which, let’s take another look at verse 1.

1 In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him.

Specifically the [[[ FIRST PHRASE ]]]. This phrase is a prime example of why Ruth is such a wonderful piece of literature in its own right. This type of econimical storytelling sets such a robust stage for what follows. See, this is not merely a time in history. This is a setting, a culture, a complete world in which this story occurs.

[[[ THINK OF IT ]]] this way. If someone set a story by [[[saying]]], “It was America in the second week of the year 2021…”

What would that tell you? You would know:

• The coronavirus has been ravaging the nation and the world for a year.
• The preceeding spring and summer were marked by both protests and violent, deadly riots.
• The economy and mental health are reeling.
• The election has just occured and is one of the most contested in the country’s history.
• There is a presidental transition looming that millions are applauding and about which millions are enraged.
• The US Capitol Building has just been stormed resulting in 5 deaths.

This sentence would do so much more than simply set a time and place, right?

[[[ SO THEN ]]] the question becomes; what was it like in the days when the Judges ruled?

Well, the backstory goes basically like this: There was a generation of people and leaders who has seen all that God had done in bringing them out of captivity. In securing their lives, their freedom, and establishing peace. This group kept watch over the children and grandchildren they brought forth, ensuring that they too respected the God that brought them there and the sacrifices that were made to that end. But when those people died, the new generation — who did not know about about the hardships from which God had delivered them — was now in charge. A generation who did not know oppression and trial, but knew only peace and prosperity took that peace and prosperity for granted. They thought that this was simply how things were. Let the good times roll, as they say. Now they lived in a flourishing country with corrupt leaders and — as we read in Judges 21:25 — Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

This relativism always leads to undesirable outcomes. There needs to be a common moral law to which we all appeal. This is critical. Absolutely critical. It cannot simply be a cultural or political legal codex. Why? Because these laws are only adhered to insofar as they impact my life. How often do you find yourself repenting of an unsignalled lane change? Or prostrating yourself before the Lord after crossing the street away from a designated crosswalk? Anyone? Why? Because the fine is the only reason we would be concerned about this action. We don’t see any moral quagmire here. The legal codes that we dare not violate are those grounded in a moral code. We don’t kill people. We don’t steal. Why? Because it would be wrong. And not because it would violate the Canadian Criminal Code, but because it would violate our conscience!

Relativism says, “if it works for you, go for it!”. And we have a great many historical examples of how that works out.

Ok, so, that’s the setting in which the story of Ruth picks up. And in this context things go from [[[ BAD TO WORSE ]]], as now a severe famine comes upon the land. [[[ AND SO ]]], faced with these mounting obstacles and — as we will learn later in this book — having no family to work with or lean on, a man took his wife and two sons to the neighbouring country of Moab. Looking for a better opportunity.

2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.

This is one of the [[[ GREAT IRONIES ]]] of history. The name Bethlehem literally means “house of bread” and yet, here it is, so struck by famine that people need to flee in search of food. [[[ SIMPSONS IRONY ]]]

[[[ BUT ]]] it’s worth noting that Elimelech is not making a morally neutral choice in this instance. See, where you or I could easily relocate to Alberta, or America, or Mexico and there would be no necessary moral component to that choice, this was not the case with Elimelech. God has brought his people to Canaan. This was the Promised Land set aside for them and so leaving it was tantamount to forsaking God’s plan. Indeed, Elimelech had — in the midst of great spiritual, economic, political, and social unrest — lost his trust in God’s provision and sought to go it alone. If I am honest with you, his story and his choice are a sympathetic one to me. I get it. I understand why someone in such a scenario would decide that he might be better off without God’s promise. But another tragic irony emerges here. Elimelech seeks to flee from those who are forsaking God and doing what was right in their own eyes by… forsaking God and doing what was right in his own eyes. [[[ SIMPSONS IRONY ]]]

I could get into the reasons why Moab was a particularly curious choice for an Israelite to relocate his family, but honestly, it’s not all that important to the story. But then, if Elimilech had chosen anywhere other than Moab, his son would never have met and merried Ruth at all. It’s almost as if — and here me out here — God has his hand on this. It’s almost as if God knew how these people would freely choose, and had every intention of bringing something beautiful out of something broken. It’s almost as if God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him.

3-5a Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died.

[[[ YOU KNOW ]]], growing up my family was neither good at — nor big on — apologies. “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you” were rarely hear utterances in my house. Because this is how it was for me, I sort of assumed everyone was this way. And honestly, it kinda seemed awesome. I’m serious! It was rarely acknowledged when someone wronged me, but at the same time I rarely ever had to admit when I was wrong. This was an easily worthwhile trade-off to me. We just sort of learned to “walk it off”.

But then I met my lovely wife, [[[ PICTURED HERE ]]]. And apologies really matter to her. And I have to fight off 25 years of training and try to apologize when I’ve hurt her in some way. Here is a dramatization of me when I realize it’s time to say sorry. [[[ THIS IS THE WORST ]]]

[[[ ANYWAY ]]], I’d like to think I’m getting better at that. Maybe by the time I’m 50 and I’ve spent as many years learning to apologize as I did learning to NOT apologize, I’ll be better at this critical skill.

Anyway, why do I share this story? Because it is so much easier to just keep doing what you’re doing. There is little resistance encountered if you just stay in your rut. Or — to put it in a less negative way — to stay in your groove.

To neither apologize nor be apologized to. There is no rough edge there to rub up against. But two rough edges rubbed together will eventually produce two smooth edges. One of my favourite Bible verses is Proverbs 27:17.

As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.

[[[ SO, EVEN AFTER ]]] her husband died, Naomi stayed. [[[ EVEN AFTER ]]] her sons married Moabite women, Naomi stayed. [[[ EVEN WHEN ]]] it becaume evident that her sons and their wives would produce no heirs, Naomi stayed. [[[ EVEN WHEN ]]] both her sons died, Naomi stayed.

[[[ WHY? ]]] Because it’s the path of least resistance. We’re already here, we’ll just stay here. I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to admit I was wrong.

I would wager that one of the biggest obstacles we encounter that disuade us from doing what we ought to is in fact our pride. And as we’ll see next time, it was not until absolutely everything was stripped away from Naomi that she finally relented and went back home.

Speaking of going home, let’s wrap this up…

5b This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

This was a devastating prospect at this point in history. Women were — broadly speaking — uneducated and possessed no employable skills. And this story — the book of Ruth, told from a woman’s perspective, will highlight the fallout in good time. [[[ BUT FOR NOW ]]] we know that Naomi is essentially unemployable. She is too old to be remarried. She has no sons to care for her. And should her daughters-in-law re-marry, she will not be taken in by their families. She has no brothers, nor did Elimelech. And any network she had in Bethlehem has likely evaporated in the decade-plus that she has been away. She’ll have no way to provide for herself and there was no government welfare program. She would be at the mercy of the community to meet her needs. A dark, bleak future awaited her.

So… what do we make of all this? This isn’t exactly ending on a high note, as it were.

The takeaway is this: our lives are defined by choices. Some we make, and some are made for us. You chose to apply for a new job, to marry, to move, to have kids, or go back to school. You didn’t choose to have someone you love die from cancer, or for a car accident to destroy your livelihood, or for your spouse to leave you.

But Conrad — you dashing doomsayer — I hear you say, as Christians isn’t Jesus supposed to be with us always?

To which I reply, of course! But… and this is a HUGE BUT… just because you are working to live a life anchored in God’s will and doing your best to submit to Him, doesn’t mean things will only go well for you. If you want evidence look no further than the hundreds, maybe thousands of martyrs who have died for their faith.

No matter what path we may be on, whether is it good or bad, one that we chose for ourselves or one that was chosen for us we need to continue to pursue Jesus. Like the Boss himself wrote in his aptly titled 1984 song, [[[ “No Surrender” ]]]:

We made a promise. We swore we’d always remember. No retreat, baby, no surrender.

A friend of mine once asked, [[[ WHERE IS YOUR NEXT STEP TAKING YOU ]]]? No matter where you are or how you found yourself there, you cannot give up. No retreat. No surrender. Elimelech and Naomi both found themselves in a terrible situation through no fault of their own. And yet, from that broken mess, God brought something beautiful. Because of the dedication of Naomi’s daught-in-law — Ruth, the heroine of our story — both Naomi and Elimelech… and even their sons who died prematurely are now permanently recorded in history. And not just recorded in history, a primary part in the chain that would bring about such a fundamental change in the story of humanity that we would change the way dates were kept based on it. If Elimelech, Mahlon, and Kilion had not died Naomi would have stayed in Moab. And if Naomi has stayed in Moab Ruth would never have met Boaz. And if Ruth had never met Boaz, King David would never have been born. And if King David had never been born, the prophesied Messiah could not have come from his line.

It’s okay to grieve the pain. It’s okay to feel the pain. It’s even okay to embrace the pain for a short time. But we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. We have to keep moving forward, because Jesus has a plan for us. Jesus has a plan for you. He has not abandoned you, He was there. He has always been there.