Ruth 1:1-22
AN EXAMPLE OF A STEADFAST LIFE
Intro: There are many stories in the Bible that serve as
an encouragement to our hearts. The story of Ruth is
no exception. Many look at this little book, which was
written during the time if the judges, and see nothing
more than a love story. However, while there is a love
story of sorts in this book, that is the most shallow
interpretation. The bigger picture is that of a lost sinner
who, through divine guidance and providence, is
brought into a relationship with Jehovah and is made to
be an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are taught
in this book that God is not just the Savior of Israel, but
that He is the Savior of the entire human race!
I wish there was time this evening to preach this
entire book tonight, but there isn't. What I would like to
do is to look into the verses we have read this evening
and pull out a little snapshot of the heart of this woman
named Ruth. In these verses, and throughout this book
as well, we see in Ruth a tremendous example of a
steadfast life. She teaches us about remaining faithful
even when others around us do not. As we have time
this evening, let's look into these verses and examine
this Example Of A Steadfast Life.
I. V. 1-7 RUTH'S CONDITION
A. V. 4 Her Ancestry - Ruth was a member of a
condemned nation. She and her people were
sinful and had been judged and condemned by
the Lord. Her's was a desperate and lost
condition.
(Ill. In this, Ruth is a picture of each of person
who is outside of a relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. We were helpless and condemned
before God. That condemnation fell upon us
because of the sin of Adam, Rom. 5:12, and we
were all abiding under the wrath of God, John
3:36. The fact is, we were nothing but lost and
undone sinners, Rom. 3:23.)
B. V. 5 Her Adversity - This verse tells us that
Ruth's husband and his brother both have died.
These young women are left widows with no
means of support and with no hope for the
future. They faced a terrible trial. It seemed that
there only hope was to return to the home of
their father and hope another man would
eventually marry them.
(Ill. Again, in her condition, we can see a picture
of humanity. The Bible tells us that life will be
filled with troubles and afflictions, Job 14:1. This
is especially true in the lives of the lost - Pro.
13:15.)
C. V. 6-7 Her Ambition - Naomi has heard that the
famine that caused her family to leave
Bethlehem to begin with has ended and that
there is bread in the land. So, she rises up to go
home, and her two daughter-in-laws rise up to go
with her.
(Ill. This is purely conjecture, but it seems that
Ruth and Orpah had seen or heard something
from the lives of the backslidden Israelites that
spoke to their hearts. It may be that even while
they were in a condemned land that they
continued to speak of Jehovah. Maybe it is the
fact that these girls have married into an Israelite
family. Whatever the case it is worthy to note
that both of these young women, in the
beginning, made the decision to follow Naomi
back to Israel.)
(Ill. That is precisely how the new life begins! A
conscious decision is made to leave the old life
behind and to go with Jesus into a new life in
Him. I wonder have you made that decision in
your life? That is the starting point. That is
where new life begins. We must be sure that we
have indeed decided to follow Jesus.)
I. Ruth's Condition
II. V. 8-15 RUTH'S CHALLENGE
A. V. 8-9 An Expectation - As they begin their
journey, Naomi encourages both of these girls to
return to the home of their mothers. She prays
that the Lord will bless them, but she intends to
send them away. Such is the condition of
Naomi's heart that she would try to keep these
women from going with her into the promised
land of blessing.
(Ill. Basically, this boils down to a challenge to
the commitment made by these women. They
are challenged to give up their resolve to follow
Naomi and they are tempted to turn back to a life
of heathenism and wickedness. Hey folks, in
case you haven't noticed, life is filled with
challenges. Satan would love nothing better
than to get you side-tracked and mess up your
Christian life. He will confront you with challenge
after challenge to get you to turn your back on
the Lord. How you respond to these challenges
reveals a great deal about the level of your
commitment. In these verses, we get an
opportunity to see Ruth's heart put on display.)
B. V. 10-13 An Explanation - Naomi tries to
persuade these women to go home because she
has no more sons to marry the women and give
them children under the law of the Levirate
Marriage. And, even if she remarried and had
children, these girls couldn't be expected to wait
until these new sons were grown.
(Ill. This is just another attempt to get these girls
to go back to their families. You see, if you do
not respond to one of Satan's challenges, he will
try another. His ambition is to get you to fail and
to discredit the Lord Jesus through your life.)
(Ill. How do you react to the challenges you face? Many people react to challenges by turning away
from the Lord. You can see it happening in their
lives. However, like Job, the challenges of life
should drive us closer to the Lord - Job 1:20-21.)
(Ill. Let's examine the responses of these two
women.)
C. V. 14a An Evacuation - When Orpah heard this
speech, she kissed her mother-in-law and turned
around and went home.
(Ill. I am afraid that there are a lot of people
around who are just like Orpah. They face the
challenges of life by defecting and going back to
do their own thing. Please don't let this be the
way you react to life's challenges. The problem
with Orpah was that her heart was still filled
with love for the old gods and the old people.
She was still a Moabite. Her heart had never
been changed!)
D. V. 14b-15 An Examination - After Orpah leaves,
Ruth clings to Naomi. She is determined to stay
with her mother-in-law. This allows us a glimpse
into her heart. She shows us, by here actions
that which is the best response in a time of
challenge. The heart Ruth reveals to us is one
of absolute devotion and commitment. You see,
instead of driving us away from our
commitments, the challenges of life should
cause us to cleave to Him more strongly. In her
commitment, Ruth demonstrates the fact that her
heart had been changed and she was willing to
follow a new Lord into a new land to live a new
life.)
I. Ruth's Condition
II. Ruth's Challenge
III. V. 16-22 RUTH'S COMMITMENT
A. V. 16 She Commits To A New Land - She is
willing to follow Naomi where ever she goes. She
is willing to leave Moab behind forever and to
follow Naomi to Israel.
B. V. 16 She Commits To A New Leadership -
She is willing to submit to Naomi and to allow
Naomi to guide her life. (Ill. This is seen in the
various times that Naomi gives Ruth advise
concerning the manners and customs of Israel.)
C. V. 16 She Commits To A New Lifestyle - She
is willing to give up all the old ways of Moab and
to conform her life to the way people live in
Israel. She is ready to make a dramatic change
in her life.
D. V. 16 She Commits To A New Lineage - Ruth
is willing to cut all ties with Moab. She wants to
be a part of the nation which she has married
into. She is ready to claim a new lineage.
E. V. 16 She Commits To A New Lord - This is
perhaps the greatest statement Ruth makes.
She is willing to give up the gods of Moab and
follow the true and living God of Israel. This
statement is her declaration of faith in Jehovah
God.
F. V. 17 She Commits With No Limits - She tells
Naomi that she is willing to commit to this new
plan for life for as long as she lives. She even
invokes the curse of God upon her life if she lets
anything but death come between her and the
commitment she has made.
(Ill. As we consider the commitment Ruth made
to Naomi, it paints a picture for us of the
commitment we should be willing to make to the
Lord Jesus Christ.
- • We should be willing to cut all ties with
the old life and enter into a new land of
blessing before the Lord.
- • We must be willing to commit to His
leadership for our lives.
- • There should be a commitment to a new
lifestyle based on the Word and will of
God.
- • We should also consider ourselves dead
to the old life and alive in a new
relationship to the Lord Jesus. Our
lineage has changed!
- • Obviously, this all means that there must
be a new Lord, a new master Who
dominates every area of our lives.
- • Then, we should be willing to commit to
the Lord and His will without any
restrictions. Our commitment to Jesus
Christ must be complete. It must be
absolute and it must be final!
- • Does this describe the life you live? Or
have there been areas where you can
see you commitment slacking off? Can
you honestly say that no matter what
happens in life, you are 100%, absolutely
and completely dedicated to serving
Jesus, both now and forever?
Conc: Ruth lived a consistent and steadfast life. She
was brought into Israel, married an Israelite man named
Boaz and became a part of the covenant people of the
Lord. She became the great-grandmother to King
David and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of
this came to pass in her life because she was unwilling
to change her mind, change her devotion or to change
her direction. She kept on going in the face of adversity
and she did not give up. Can the same be said about
you this evening? Are you living a life that is steadfast
and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, 1 Cor. 15:58? Or has your devotion to the Lord
tended to fluctuate with the changing tides of life? You
know, you need God today, but you don't serve Him
tomorrow. Where is your heart tonight? Are you more
like Orpah who chose the easy path? Or, are you like
Ruth who persevered through her difficulties to win the
ultimate victory of faith? Are there issues that you need
to get settled with the Lord this evening? If so, this altar
is open for your use. Please use it as the Lord leads.
