Acts 1:1-11

What on earth is the church? It's an urgent question because the church is marginalised and, in the face of that, we can try to be all sorts of things. Who and what we are and what we are meant to be and do is laid down for us. And nowhere is that communicated with such clarity and power as in the book of Acts. As John Stott has said, "Thank God for the Acts of the Apostles!"

1. The Unfinished Story...
The book of Acts is the second part of Luke's work (v.1). Both go together and each is incomplete without the other. In terms of the NT, they are very significant and account for 26% of the total.

But why is he writing? Back in Lk. 1:1-4 he told Theophilus it was so that "you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught". This second volume continues that work by focussing on what Jesus continues to do after his death and resurrection: the gospel of Luke was about what Jesus "began to do and to teach", the implication being that this second part will carry the story on.

But what is the story about? Luke's great theme is God's plan of salvation for his world, a plan foretold in the OT and, in the events Luke is writing about, now coming to fulfilment. He tells us here that the subject on which Jesus spoke to his disciples after his death and resurrection was "the kingdom of God" (v.3).

That reign has come to pass in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here Luke stresses the resurrection, saying that Jesus gave his disciples during these 40 days "many convincing proofs that he was alive". The resurrection was certain and forms the ground of all that is to follow.

But those events do not stand alone. There is more to be done in terms of the saving reign of God. Jesus is returning to heaven but there is more to follow. That is hinted at in these opening verses where we read that Jesus gave "instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen".

Those who had been with him would have a part to play and the Holy Spirit is going to be significant in the outworking of that role. The rest of this opening passage takes us into the roles of the apostles and the Spirit and the situation they will be facing.

2. The roles of the Apostles and the Spirit
So what is it that Jesus wants his apostles to do? Initially, nothing; they were to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift the Father had promised them.

Before we look at that gift, notice here the note of fulfilment: God the Father has promised something, in the OT, and this is now the time for his promise to come to pass. These are momentous times!

Jesus says that the Father's gift to them is going to be the Holy Spirit himself. They will be baptised with the Spirit in just a few days time. John baptised with water, a baptism of repentance but this is going to be something far greater. They will be incorporated into God's family in the deepest possible sense, with God himself coming upon them and dwelling within them.

This raises a question in the minds of the disciples. They associated the coming of the Spirit with God's promise to restore his people (as the OT suggested) and ask Jesus if that is to be now (v.6). His answer forms, in a sense, the whole theme of this book of Acts.

First he tells them they're not going to be privy to God's schedule. That isn't to be their concern. And it isn't to be our concern either. The church has not been commissioned to spent it's time speculating about how and when God will act or when Jesus will return. Nothing could be clearer than that!

What will impact them is the coming of the Spirit. This great event will change everything and will be the defining moment in the life not just of these apostles but the whole church for the whole of time.

Jesus says 3 things about their role, the Spirit's role and the scope of their work.

i) They will be his witnesses - they were to be living examples of the reality of the kingdom, of the saving reign of God. But they had a particular function to fulfil. They were eyewitnesses of great events and were to bear witness to them. They had been with Jesus, they had seen the miracles and heard the teaching; they had witnessed his death and had known for sure that he had risen from the dead.

Everything that was to follow in terms of their ministry was to flow from this foundation point.

We cannot be witnesses in the same way today but the whole life and ministry of the church is to be built on this foundation. As we too live under the saving reign of God, we can proclaim hope to the world and call for repentance and faith precisely because these things really took place all those years ago.

ii) In the power of the Spirit - But no group of men, however much they have seen and heard, are going to be equipped for such a task in their own strength. We are talking about God's action to rescue men and women from sin, to push back the kingdom of darkness and to blaze his glory in this world.

Such a task would be unthinkable for unaided humanity. But Jesus here promises that such help as we need will be given: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you". Notice that he is given not primarily for the sake of the church but for the sake of the church's task. Of course, it is the most marvellous blessing to have God's Spirit dwell in us but here the emphasis is clearly on what he empowers us to do.

iii) Not only do the apostles need to know that the Spirit will empower them for the task, they need to know the scope of that task. They were thinking still in terms of national Israel but Jesus corrects them and tells them here that their task of being witnesses to this saving plan of God is to extend throughout the whole world: "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world".

The task of the church today remains the same. The gospel is for all people, of all nations. Mission is about the gospel at home and abroad. We need to have a large vision that takes up this great commission.

3. Closure
Having laid out the task and the means for it, this opening passage closes with an account of the ascension of Jesus. This isn't something incidental but follows on precisely from what Jesus has just been saying.

There are parallels here with the story of Elijah going up to heaven in the OT and Elisha being commissioned to carry on his work. This is no mere prophet, this is the Messiah himself yet his work is being entrusted to the men who have been with him and they will know his Spirit coming upon them.

The ascension of Jesus also brings about a sense of closure in the story. They are to be witnesses of what they have seen and heard. They are not going to be witnesses to new things but to what has happened. Jesus has ascended to the highest place, he is now seated in power; their task, our task, is to proclaim him as the exalted King and only Saviour of mankind.

But we need to listen to the words of the angels in this scene. The apostles stood gazing up into the sky but God's word to them through his angels was not to do that. Jesus has gone and will return one day; they now need to live and minister in the time in-between. Yes, one day the kingdom will be fully realised, when Jesus returns. But until then, there is work to be done.

John Stott's comments on this are very challenging and form an appropriate conclusion:

There was something fundamentally anomalous about their gazing up into the sky when they had been commissioned to go to the ends of the earth. It was not the sky which was to be their preoccupation. Their calling was to be witnesses not stargazers. The vision they were to cultivate was not upwards in nostalgia to the heaven which had received Jesus, but outwards in compassion to a lost world which needed him. It is the same for us. Curiosity about heaven and its occupants, speculation about prophecy and its fulfilment, an obsession with 'times and seasons' - these are aberrations which distract us from our God-given mission. Christ will come personally, visibly, gloriously. Of that we have been assured. Other details can wait. Meanwhile, we have work to do in the power of the Spirit.

Ruth 4:13-22

We come in this passage to the end of the book of Ruth. The book begins in tragedy and it ends in joy and hope. Someone has described it as "a bright colour print developed from its gloomy negative". Here in this final passage, we see that print mounted and framed for the glory of God.

1. God at Work! (v.13)
Having seen Boaz act to be able to marry Ruth in vv.1-12, v.13 tells us that they came together as man and wife, conceived and had a son. A happy family!

What is especially important to note is how the author of Ruth records that for us: "the LORD enabled her to conceive". This is only the second time in the whole book that we read of the LORD's direct action in the lives of his people, the other time being in 1:6 where he had provided food for the people of Judah.

If these words were not there, the original readers and we too would have had no difficulty in acknowledging that the Lord had given this child. All through the book it's clear that the Lord is always at work, often behind the scenes. His presence in the lives of his people is never-failing. So when we read of the LORD's direct working, we're clearly meant to take notice. It is telling us something significant about him.

In 1:6, the LORD acts in grace to preserve life. In 4:13, he again acts in grace, both to give life and to preserve a family line. He is the only giver and sustainer of all life. Everything we have comes from him, every blessing is a gift of his grace. He holds all things in his hands. And in Jesus he is the one who alone can give true life, life in all its fullness. Without him, we ultimately have nothing; with him, we have everything.

2. A Happy Ending (vv.14-17)
Boaz and Ruth have a son. But notice how in vv.14-17, the focus switches back to Naomi and Ruth and Boaz quietly leave the stage. This has been Naomi's story and now we're seeing how that story ends.

Of course Ruth and Boaz have been significant people in the story but their actions, which have brought them security and happiness, have been for the sake of Naomi. Their own blessing has been experienced as a consequence of their desire to bless others:

- Ruth in accompanying Naomi back has come to faith in the Lord and has found rest and happiness in the home of another husband;

- Boaz, in helping Ruth and Naomi, has been blessed with a loving wife.

Aren't they both great examples to us of what we should be? It's interesting that they name their son Obed, meaning 'servant'. No doubt it was how they saw themselves and what they wanted for their son too. For there is no higher calling than to be a servant and to live for the sake of God and of others.

The focus, then, is on Naomi. Her story has been told and here we have its conclusion. In 1:3-5, she lost family and future; now she has a family again and a future. And all because her life has been bracketed by the grace of the covenant Lord.

She had come back home empty and poured out her bitter complaint to the ladies of Bethlehem; here, those same ladies reappear to give God the glory for changing Naomi's night into day.

The way that has happened may again seem strange to us. Boaz and Ruth have had the baby yet all the focus is on Naomi and it is she who is said to now have a son. What's going on?

Commentators are divided as to the exact details but, whether Naomi is the legal Mum, a foster Mum, or simply one proud Gran, the fact is that this boy is carrying on the family line; what seemed to have been lost in the deaths of Elimelech, Mahlon and Kilion has been redeemed in the birth of Ruth's son. Naomi thought she could have no more sons (1:11,12) but God has been at work!

And so the women pray that this young boy will renew Naomi's life and sustain her in her old age. The phrase 'renew your life' is very interesting; the same word is used by Naomi to describe how the Lord brought her back empty (1:21). It shows us just what a reversal of fortunes there has been for Naomi! And having begun with famine, the story will end with sustenance.

3. A Bigger Picture (vv.18-22)
There is so much to rejoice in here! But the book ends with a bigger picture. The portrait of God's grace to one family is placed on the wider canvas of his dealings with the nation of Israel. We see that in the closing genealogy.

Genealogies were, and are, very important. They serve to connect us to the past. They show us where we fit in. They remind us that we're not the first people. But genealogies in the Bible have another dimension too. They remind us of God's large-scale purposes.

This list begins with Perez and ends with David. It may not include every generation in between. But what it does is to connect the days of David with the days of the founding fathers of the nation - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez...and it puts Boaz and David in significant positions.

By doing that, it reminds the people that God's promises to Abraham are still valid in the time of David and are being worked out through him. Genealogies say to us 'God is at work and God can be trusted'.

What were those promises to Abraham? God promised him land and descendants, kings among them. What is it that Boaz has secured through his faithfulness? Land and descendants, one of whom is King David. God is at work in and through his people as they live for his glory.

But the canvas of God's grace is larger still. Turn to Matthew 1 and you'll see this genealogy continued and completed with the birth of Jesus, in Bethlehem, just like Obed. And what did he come to do? He came as the true & perfect servant of God to bring many sons to glory and to secure for them a future in the new heavens and new earth.

Conclusion
This whole book has been about human frailty and emptiness, about the very human need for rest and security, about fullness and a future. All to be found under the LORD's wings of refuge, in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, this world is still a place of deep tragedy, of appalling emptiness. What hope is there for such a world? "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich".

It's what Christmas is all about; it's what life is meant to be all about. Make it yours today, if it's never been yours, by coming to shelter under his wings through true faith in Jesus.

Ruth 4:1-12

One writer has given chapter 4 the heading 'The Peaceable Community'. Here we see human life within God's covenant of grace being lived out as it should be. It isn't perfect but it is a remarkable demonstration of what God can do in and through his people, even in days of great moral and spiritual decline. Again, there is much for us to learn here for our own lives.

1. At the Gate (v.1)
The first thing we see is Boaz going to the town gate. As a convenient meeting spot, this was the place where the town leaders gathered to discuss and to make any decisions that needed to be made. Boaz is not going to go about getting Ruth as his wife by any underhand means. He is going to go by the book; he's going to do it right. He is a man of integrity, even when he knows it might not work out as he wants it to.

How often do we cut corners because we fear that our wish may not come true unless we do? We need to learn from Boaz that God can be trusted at all times. Jacob was a deceiver and had to be dealt with by God; let's not have to learn the hard way but always look to honour God by acting with integrity.

And in this verse there is another clear indication that God is at work and will honour his servants who want to live by the right way. Just as he sits down to wait for this other kinsman, he comes along. The word in the Hebrew there is the same one that was used in 2:4. It isn't by chance that the man came along just then; it was God at work. Boaz was not mistaken in thinking to trust God and neither will we be.

2. Boaz: Innocent and Wise
Boaz is not deceitful but nor is he naive or gullible. We see that in the way he handles the situation with the other kinsman.

What Boaz does is to first raise an issue which is new to us but is clearly one that is well known in the situation. He mentions the fact that Naomi has some land to sell that belonged to Elimelech. This man has first refusal: does he want to buy it and keep it within the family?

The man's first response is to say that he will redeem it. It is an attractive proposition. And that's when we see Boaz's nouse: just when the man thinks he's got a bargain, Boaz mentions Ruth. If he's willing to redeem the land then he ought to be willing to take on Ruth as well, to preserve the family name of the dead man (Elimelech through Mahlon).

Now, the man isn't willing to do this because, he says, "I might endanger my own estate" (v.6). If he married Ruth and they had a child, that child would be classed as being of Elimelech's family and the land bought would be his and his family's, not this kinsman's. So at this stage he backs out and leaves the way open for Boaz.

Boaz has not tricked him, he's been upfront, but he has been careful in the way he presented the situation to him. He has cleared up the issue of whether the man wants to act for the family or not. He doesn't but Boaz will. Boaz has acted "as innocent as a dove and as wise as a serpent". That is a potent combination for good and we too need the same qualities.

3. Boaz: A Model of Grace
The way is clear for Boaz to act. We may view the other man harshly for not taking on both the land and Ruth but in the story there is no condemnation of him. He has, in a sense, taken the ordinary road; Boaz is taking the road less-travelled, the "more excellent way" of true love and in doing so is a shining example to us of what it means to be Christian.

It's clear that Boaz has a double concern here and that double concern is a reflection of the ministry of the Lord Jesus.

i) The Dead Man's Name (v.10). In Israel, for a family name to die out was a terrible tragedy and amounted to personal annihilation. Boaz acted to preserve the family names of Elimelech and Mahlon.

In doing that, he points us to the love and ministry of Jesus who sacrificed himself in our place so that our names might appear in the Lamb's book of life. If it was not for Jesus and his atoning love, we would have no hope, no future. We would be consigned to the waste-bin of history, consigned to hell itself. But such is his love for us that he came and bled and died for us. And in him we are eternally safe!

ii) Ruth's Integration into Israel The second aspect of what Boaz did was to secure the personal futures of Ruth and Naomi. But notice in particular how that is described by the people in v.11 - "the woman who is coming into your home".

Naomi has prayed that Ruth might find rest in the home of another husband. She needs protection, she needs love, and she needs to be integrated into the people of God (notice she is still being spoken of as the Moabitess). Boaz is doing just that for her.

It is what Jesus has done for us. He has saved us, he has brought us into his rest, he has loved us and he has given us a place in the family of God. How richly we have been blessed!

Boaz, as one who is redeemed and reconciled, acts to redeem and reconcile. In doing so, he is fulfilling what we see Paul write of in the NT - see 2 Cor 5:18-21. Those who are reconciled should act to bring about reconciliation.

Are there ways today that you can do that? Are there people who need to be loved and embraced and welcomed? Then we must do so, for Jesus' sake. The other kinsman-redeemer refused to act because it would be too costly - but we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 8:9).

4. A Community of Peace & Prayer (vv.11,12)
The passage closes with the elders and the people at the gate witnessing the event. What is happening here has significance not only for Ruth and Boaz but for the whole community so it is right that they are present to witness it. Marriage is between two people but is also a public union with a significance for the community. That's why we solemnise marriages in a public context. Our marriages are important not for us only but for the whole church, for the whole society. We need to see them in that light and work on them in that light.

And those who gathered at the gate also prayed for Ruth and Boaz. That's how it should be in a community that wants to honour God. That's how to become a community of peace.

In fact, prayer is key throughout the whole book - look at 1:8,9; 2:4; 2:12; 2:20; 3:10. What this tells us is that "every aspect of life...is lived in the faith that God is there and God cares". Prayer should be at the centre of all we do too, as a response to what God has done and in anticipation of what God will do.

The people pray for Ruth, that the LORD will use her in building up of the nation - if only they knew how God would answer that prayer! They want the best for her & are unafraid to pray for it.

And for Boaz they pray for further renown in Ephrathah and in Bethlehem. People who act and live as Boaz did deserve to be honoured among the people of God - not with awards but with esteem and affection. In the NT, we often see Paul and others in their letters commending certain people to the churches as being worthy of being received by them.

A worthy man, showing the grace of the Lord Jesus. A community of peace, praying for each other. And all in the days when the Judges judged! That is what we should aspire to be. May God grant us grace to do so. Amen.

Ruth 3:1-18

1. Match-making! (vv.1-5)
At the close of ch.2 we saw the rekindling of Naomi's faith as she saw the LORD's kindness in Boaz's dealings with Ruth. In ch.3, we see that her faith in God is active and purposeful. But whereas before, it was Ruth who took the initiative, suggesting that she go and glean in the fields, here it is Naomi who takes the initiative and suggests to Ruth what she should do. Faith acts, faith works (James 2:14ff; Eph. 2:8-10). And that is what Naomi does here.

The way she acts is to match-make! In those days, marriages were arranged between families, as they are in some cultures today. Naomi is going to do all she can to help bring Ruth and Boaz together, primarily for Ruth's sake but she will also share in the blessing.

Now, we may feel that to take the initiative is being too pushy in terms of God's will and that of course is a possibility. We must always be ready to be governed by his word and to accept his overruling.

But, for many of us, our greater danger is to fail to act at all. We are often paralysed by fear that we are going outside God's will. And in that paralysis we fail to do what we should do. The Lord has provided the structure for our living in this world, he has given us infallible and sufficient direction in his word and he calls us to do good, to put our faith to work. And to leave the overruling to him.

Naomi had gone through a long dark night and now, in the sunshine of faith in the covenant Lord, she was beginning to act in faith. Is our faith adventurous? Are we ready to do good?

In terms of her initiative, notice the role she plays in answering her own prayers. Back in 1:9, she prayed for Ruth and Orpah, that they would find rest in the home of another husband. Here she speaks with Ruth about how she might help that to be so.

To pray for others is very necessary. But sometimes, perhaps even often, we need to be ready to be part of the Lord's answer to our prayers. If we pray for others to be saved, we must be ready to share the gospel with them. If we pray that someone may be comforted or encouraged, we must be ready and willing to be the channels for such blessing.

2. The Match Almost Made (vv.6-15)
How does Ruth react to Naomi's plan? She goes along with it. There are many who would not have but we've come to expect worthy behaviour from Ruth and she doesn't disappoint us. She gets dressed up (nb: in a way that has marriage overtones) and she sets off for the threshing-floor.

After all the celebrations, and when all are asleep, Ruth lays down at Boaz's feet and when he wakes and is shocked to see her, she asks him to spread the corner of his garment over her.

Now, to our 21st century western eyes, this is all pretty strange, even in a leap year! What is happening is that Ruth is asking Boaz to marry her, to do the part of the kinsman-redeemer (the near relative with responsibility for the wider family).

Again, there are some very important points for us to make here:

Ruth's request is couched in terms that we meet elsewhere in the OT. In Ezekiel 16:8, the same terms are used to describe the Lord's dealings with Israel, how he saw her and showed love to her.

What Ruth is asking Boaz to do is entirely in line with what the Lord has already done for his people. And that is a settled biblical principle for how we are to act towards each other. For example, look at Eph. 5:1,2,25 & Col 3:13.

That is what Ruth is looking for from Boaz. What will his response be?

His response is to commend Ruth, to agree to what she says and then to highlight the one problem that stands in his way. Let's look at those.

i) He commends Ruth - In v.10, he asks God to bless Ruth. The reason? "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier". What does he mean? At first glance, it looks like he's thinking of himself: she has chosen him and not any of the young men she could have chosen. But I think what Boaz has in mind here is Ruth's kindness to Naomi, which is why he speaks of her previous kindness (cf. 2:11).

He knows the score - Ruth is a young eligible woman and there are plenty of young men in Bethlehem who would no doubt be interested in her. But she has chosen, for Naomi's sake, to approach Boaz. What genuine faith there is in her heart - and what a blessed man he is to have the prospect of such a wife!

She puts Naomi before herself; he is impressed by such selfless behaviour. What would we do - insist on our right to have the hunkiest guy? And what sort of person would interest us - good looking or good living?

ii) He agrees to do as she asks - but there is a problem to solve first. There is a relative who is nearer than Boaz and he must have first refusal.

That information does 2 things in the story: it creates tension in terms of what will happen next, and it shows quite categorically that anything Boaz does is out of a heart full of generosity and grace.

He is under no compulsion to act, except the compulsion of love for God and love for others. In displaying such warm and open generosity, Boaz points us to the Lord Jesus who came to this world to be our Saviour, not because he was forced into it but because he loved us. There was no compulsion upon God to plan to rescue us except the compulsion of his own nature of love and grace.

What a great God to worship and serve - and a real example to follow. To love - not because we're forced to do so or because we think it's expected of us but simply because we want to. There will be many opportunities to do that in this new week. Are we looking for them?

This tender scene between Boaz and Ruth ends with Boaz concerned to avoid even the appearance of evil (v.14) and also to send Ruth back home with a tangible expression of his gracious intentions towards her and Naomi.

3. An Emptiness Filled (vv.16-18)
So Ruth goes back to Naomi with her bundle of barley, able to report that all has gone well. And as she tells Naomi what Boaz said, there is another beautiful indication that the darkness is lifting for Naomi. Back in 1:21, she told the folk in Bethlehem that she though she had gone away full, she had come back empty. Boaz has sent Ruth back, laden with barley, because he doesn't want her to go back to Naomi 'empty'.

God is at work, in and through his people. It is a beautiful story. And as we trust him and live for him, it can be the story of our lives too.

Ruth 2:17-23

In our last study, we saw how Ruth was blessed by the gracious treatment of Boaz. Her night has begun to turn to day. But she is only one half of the duo that the story has been about. What about Naomi? Will her long night's journey also come into the day?

1. The Blessing Begins to Overflow (vv.17,18)
The first indication that it will is given in vv.17,18. Ruth worked in the fields until evening, a very long day but necessary for their survival. When she threshed what she had gleaned there, it came to an ephah - the equivalent of a month's supply for her and Naomi together. They won't be going hungry after all!

And on top of that, she is able to give Naomi a ready-made meal from the leftovers of her lunch, so generously provided by Boaz. Here again we see Ruth's loyal, affectionate care for Naomi; she wants to share her blessings and so to become a channel of blessing. That should be our desire too.

The blessing that has begun to shower upon Ruth's barren ground is overflowing into the parched ground of Naomi's life. But there is more to come!

2. The Journey Into Healing (vv.19,20)
Naomi is obviously impressed by the amount that Ruth has brought home and offers a blessing upon the man who had taken notice of her (v.19). She knows only too well that the poor and the alien had a hard time gleaning in the fields; to come home so laden means that Ruth has been treated with real kindness.

The second half of v.19 is very carefully written. Here we have Ruth explaining to Naomi about how she came to be so blessed: she tells her that she has been working in the fields of a man by the name of...Boaz!

Now, to her his name is significant - he has just helped her so kindly. But for Naomi, the mention of his name is something else again; there is a larger picture beginning to unfold and that picture involves Naomi's long journey into healing and hope.

As soon as Ruth mentions the name of Boaz, Naomi exclaims a blessing from the LORD on him (v.20). In effect she is repeating what she had said in v.19. But she goes on to bless not Boaz but the LORD himself. In particular, she cites his unceasing kindness to the dead and the living.

We'll see shortly how the Lord is showing that kindness to both the dead and the living. But for now let's just notice with great joy that Naomi is beginning to be renewed in her faith in the God of the covenant. Whereas so recently she had said that he had been treating her as an enemy (1:20,21), now she rejoices in his covenant love and mercy.

The word she uses is a very significant one. It is the Hebrew word hesed that we met before in 1:8 where Naomi prayed for Orpah and Ruth, a prayer that is beginning to be answered but not as she imagined it might.

It is a word that combines the warmth of God's fellowship with the security of his faithfulness. Through the kindness of Boaz to Ruth, Naomi has begun to experience again that warmth and that security. The shroud upon her life is being lifted by the God of grace. And she blesses him for it!

Of course, in that one moment, the long years of pain and sorrow are not erased; the past was not going to be rewritten, nor the dead raised to this life again. But what Naomi has begun to know is a resurrection in her faith. Her life that had seemed to be over when she came back to Bethlehem (remember, she came back empty – 1:21) seems now to be starting over again. And the cause of it is, simply and wonderfully, the covenant grace of God.

We may never find ourselves in such a state as Naomi was but we may find our faith gets battered by life in this world. We, too, can feel ourselves empty and in great pain. What is our hope in such situations? Only this: that he who called us is faithful and he will perfect that which concerns us. He can be trusted - period.


3. God's Grace Shown Through Others (v.20b)
But just how does God manifest his grace to us? What channels does he use to direct healing and blessing into our lives? They are many, to be sure, but perhaps we can say that principal among them are his own people, living and acting in grace.

What is it about the mention of Baoz that so lights up Naomi's heart? Just this: "That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers" (v.20b).

What's one of those?! They were close relatives who had the responsibility of redeeming a relative who had sold themselves into slavery to avoid poverty or who had sold their land. And they had the duty, if they were near enough relatives, to raise-up children for a dead brother (see Dt 25:5-10).

The role of the kinsman-redeemer was tied to issues that were central to life in Israel: the family name and the family land. His role was to protect those. Naomi doesn't say what she has in mind here but her joy is that the LORD has brought into their lives, at just the right time, a man with all the potential for rescuing them from their plight. The rest of the book will be taken up with how he does so.

In many ways, Boaz is a shadow of the true redeemer who was to come and we'll come back to that another time. But he is also a clear example to us of how the LORD often works to bring his grace to others: through his people, living lives that show the teaching about our Saviour to be truly beautiful.

Is this something that we are aware of ourselves and thank the Lord for - that his grace is shown to us through others? And are we looking for ways to be such channels of blessing to others?

Conclusion
There is still a long way to go in the story before everything is resolved. Verse 21 reminds us, again, of Ruth's ethnic origin. She remains a vulnerable person on account of her ancestry. And Naomi too is aware of just how vulnerable she is (v.22).

But there is now a glimmer of light for these ladies through the ancestry of Elimelech. In fact, that glimmer is becoming a slow and steady light; the sun is not yet at its zenith but it is clearly and visibly above the horizon. In v.21, Ruth tells Naomi what Boaz has said to her about staying in his fields with his girls. He is making sure, through his kindness, that they aren't troubled by famine a second time, that they won't lose out on the LORD's blessing.

And so the chapter closes with Ruth doing the wise thing, staying close to Boaz's girls for the rest of the harvest and sharing a home with Naomi.

But we're also told that the barley and wheat harvests finish. Another turning point has been reached. What next for these two ladies? The LORD has been so gracious to them; he has reaffirmed his love for them in the clearest of ways. Does he have other plans for them, plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them a future and a hope?

All the indications are that he truly has. And it seems that Boaz is going to play a significant part in those plans…. but we mustn’t run ahead of the story. We need to savour each small but sure indication of the mercy of God. In our own lives and in the life of the church, we must learn to cherish every intimation of grace without wanting to dash off to open the next gift. This life and the life to come will yield sufficient time to explore fully the contours and delights of that grace.

Ruth 2:4-16

The writer of the book of Ruth has presented the story in terms of chance and luck. In 2:3, Ruth just happens to find herself in Boaz's field, a relative of Naomi's and a possible help to them. But what seems like 'Lady Luck' at work is actually the one true God who is over all things and who delights to bless his children and to overrule in their lives.

That is extended in v.4 where we read that "Just then, Boaz arrived". Not only has Ruth 'happened' on the right field but she's done so at the right time! God is at work and it's a joy to see.

But what is that going to mean for Ruth and Naomi? We saw in v.1 that Boaz seems eminently suited to help them - a worthy man, a rich man, a relative. But will he? There can be no guarantees. What follows in these verses is clear evidence that here is just the kind of man they need to help them.

1. Boaz - a man of God (v.4)
The first thing we notice about Boaz is that he is a man with God very much in his mind. As he arrives, he greets his workers with a blessing, "The LORD be with you!"

Some would see this simply as a conventional greeting but the evidence points in another direction. This is not just a custom, it is real and living for this man (and for his men too). Boaz is a man who is aware of the presence of God in this world and is clearly seeking to live his life in the light of that.

Years ago, a book was written, 'The Practice of the Presence of God'. In it, the writer tried to show how to live life in the light of God's presence in his world, whatever you might be doing. Boaz did so and we can too; not by a form of words but by an attitude of mind.

Treating life in that way means we don't separate our daily lives from what we might call our 'Christian' lives. All of life is sacred and can be lived for God.
That is shown here by the fact that the words used by Boaz are very similar to those pronounced by the priest upon the worshippers at the temple (“The Lord bless you and keep you...”). As someone has said, "the blessing which is appropriate for worship is appropriate also for the work place". (Atkinson p.64).

Don't we also see here that the hard and perhaps tedious work of harvesting can be transformed by just such a desire to know and honour God?

2. Boaz - a man of concern for others (vv.5-13)
So, Boaz was a God-conscious man who blessed others. But will the blessing extend to Ruth and Naomi?

As he greets his men, he sees this stranger and asks about her and who she works for. His foreman's answer is very full and reminds us of Ruth's ethnic origins - "she is the Moabitess who came back from Moab". Some have suggested that there is a sense of disdain in his words. Whether that is so or not, it does highlight for us again the possible troubles that Ruth faces. She may find it hard to gain acceptance in this society, even though they are God's people. How will Boaz treat her?

In vv.8,9 we can see that Boaz isn't the kind of man to exploit the vulnerability of others, nor is he a bigot. He treats this stranger with genuine kindness and is very protective towards her ("I've told the men not to touch you" v.9).

Isn't this something that should flow from our own sense of thankfulness to God for all he's given to us? Boaz and his men are grateful to God for the harvest, no doubt. And Boaz reflects that kindness to others too, regardless of their ethnic origin. He is a wall-breaker not a wall-maker. What sort of people are we?

But it also seems that Boaz is reacting to what he knows of Ruth, both in terms of her own kindness to Naomi and her new commitment to the one true God.

It seems clear that Boaz wants to reward Ruth for her kindness to Naomi and that desire affects both his doing and his praying (vv.11,12). This isn't saying to us 'Do good in the hope that you'll get treated well in return (by God or others)' but it is illustrating that God is no man's debtor and delights to bless those who choose to walk in his ways. Here, he is doing so for Ruth through Boaz (cf. Lk. 6:38).

Then it is also clear that Boaz responds to the fact that Ruth has become a believer in the one true God, "under whose wings you have come to take refuge" (v.12). What he does is something Paul writes about in Gal 6:10 - do good to all, especially those of the family of faith. He understands that as she has sought refuge in the LORD, so that refuge is to be (partly) met through the LORD's people, of which he is one.

Boaz – a man of God and, so, a man concerned for others.

3. Boaz -a man of grace (vv.14-17)
But there is one other thing to notice about Boaz here. He is a man of grace; he keeps the law and he goes beyond the law.

We see that in his generosity towards Ruth at the mealtime - he tells her to join them and then heaps up her plate! He is saying to this 'foreigner', 'You're welcome in God's family and at our table'.

Here is something pertinent to our own life & witness: How good are we at welcoming others, those who have come to faith and those who are perhaps beginning to seek the Lord? Boaz is a model for us of the kind of warm and open-hearted response that the Lord would have us show to others.

And then we have a lot to learn from the way Boaz handles God's law. Under the law, landowners were meant to leave the edges of the field untouched and not go over them a second time, to leave some crops for the poor and the alien. We've already seen just how ready Boaz is to help Ruth but here he goes well beyond what the law required: he tells his men to deliberately pull out stalks and leave them for her.

Here is a man set on doing what God says and more besides. So often our reaction is to do as little as we can get away with. But Boaz models a different way, a better way. He doesn't ask 'How can I minimise the demands of the law?' but rather 'Is there more that I can do?'

Here is a man who has drunk deeply from the wells of grace and whose life overflows to others. Here is a man who understands that LAW = Love At Work.

The great challenge, then, for us here is this: what are we like? Are we truly God-conscious people, kind-hearted and welcoming to others and looking for ways to do good and to go beyond what is required of us, simply because we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good? If Boaz could be just such a person, living on the other side of Calvary, surely we can be too, knowing just how costly God's grace is?

But you might object and say, 'It all seems so idyllic; life isn't like that'. No, it isn't like that now but it wasn't like that then either. Boaz lived during the days of the Judges - days of great moral and spiritual collapse. But he stood firm and loved God and his fellow man.

Are we ready to do the same?

Ruth 2:1-3

We believe that God is sovereign and we have it explicitly stated in our confessions of faith. But what does that really mean? Does it mean he can do without us and that he can work miracles?

Of course the answer to those questions is 'Yes'. God is sovereign. He can do all things and he can do them alone. But is that his usual way of working? And what does it mean for us to have faith in a sovereign God?

Those questions are taken up and answered in this passage as we follow Naomi and Ruth back in Bethlehem. They have come back from Moab in great need, mentally, emotionally, physically and perhaps spiritually too. A lot hangs on what happens next.

1. A Man Called Boaz (v.1)
What happens next is that we, the readers, are given extra details. We're introduced to a man by the name of Boaz. And what we're told about him is intriguing in terms of the story: he is a relative of Naomi's, on Elimelech's side; he is rich and he is a man of standing.

Here then is someone eminently suitable for helping Naomi and Ruth. God works through families; his covenant with his people was founded in family life - so will this relative help them? After all, he has the means to do so. But riches don't guarantee a generous spirit. Yet he is a worthy man, a man of integrity. Surely he will be significant in their lives? We are yet to see!

The writer of Ruth clearly wants to alert us to this possibility. No doubt Naomi knew of him - but he wasn't in her mind. But we're being put on notice: God is at work. It may be behind the scenes, but he is at work all the same, even before we are.

Things we have forgotten (Naomi) or may be ignorant of (Ruth) may turn out to be truly significant in the Lord's hands. No detail, small or otherwise, is unimportant to him. Here is the God to trust with all the details of your life!

So the question has been raised here: will this man affect the lives of these women? Are they really 'on their own'? Read on!

2. A Woman Called Ruth (v.2)
The scene then switches back to Naomi and Ruth. Their situation is depressing and desperate: no food & no obvious means of support. How will they survive? Does trust in God mean sitting & waiting for a food parcel to drop out of the sky?

What we see is Ruth taking the initiative and making plans to go out and glean in the fields (picking up the leftovers). But the initiative that she takes is entirely in keeping with the structure of life that the Lord had laid down for his people. In Lev 19:9,10 the people were explicitly instructed NOT to harvest every last scrap nor to go through the fields a second time. Why not? They were to "leave them for the poor and the alien".

Faith in a sovereign God does not mean a passive resignation to whatever will be. Rather, we have a part to play. Paul expresses it this way in Phil 2:12,13 - "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, to will and to act according to his good purpose".

Ruth is doing something that we may at times be slow to do: she is putting herself in the way of God's blessing. She is swimming with the current of God's purposes of grace. The Lord calls us to be his fellow workers, to live responsible lives and to make decisions that are in accord with his word.

Did they pray before Ruth went out? Very likely. It's right to do so. But what seems clear is that Ruth didn't wait for a specific word from God, she acted on the word he had already given.

And that is our responsibility too: to know and then to do God's word. Faith in a sovereign God means we listen to and obey his word. He has given us a part to play, a job to do, a role to fulfil. We must make sure that our faith is active and working.

It's all too possible to speak of trusting God's sovereignty in a fatalistic sense: que sera sera. But that isn't the biblical picture. So we need to make sure it isn't ours either. Faith in God is not static because it is about a dynamic, responsive relationship.

Are there areas of your life where you need to be active, to take the initiative in line with what God has said in his word and how he has ordered things? We don't need extra instructions to do good & live wisely within his structures. In scripture we have all we need as the Spirit helps us to understand and apply it.

3. A God Called Sovereign (v.3)
But doesn't this give too big a part to us and minimise God's sovereignty, robbing him of his glory?

In these verses, Ruth recognises that others have a part to play. She hopes to find favour in someone's eyes. We're reminded that she is a Maobitess. God's word explicitly speaks of receiving the alien and providing for them - but that doesn't guarantee that people will do so! She is aware enough of this to express her hope of being treated kindly.

So is she - and are we - at the mercy of others?

Verse 3 is very interesting. It tells us that "As it turned out" she found herself in Boaz's field. That's the writer's ironic way of saying to us, "God is at work here!". What looks like luck in the eyes of an unbelieving world is, to the eye of faith, the overruling providence of a wise and gracious God.

One of the key lessons for us here is what Prov 3:5,6 tells us. We are to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, in all our doing. And as we do so, he will direct our paths. Ruth didn't get a specific word or 'feeling' to go to Boaz's field; she just went and God ordered things.

Yes, we've got our part to play; and, yes, others may hinder or help. They are responsible before God too. But over it all is the gracious, sovereign hand of God! What looks like an accident, a chance thing, is in reality God's overruling providence. Ruth doesn't know which field is which; she doesn't know about Boaz. But God does and he directs her paths.

What we do matters but, as we do it, remember that God is at work, overruling and furthering his purposes for us. You are secure in his sovereign grace. Doesn't that make you want to trust him and to live for him? Even when we make bad choices - and that might involve things we simply cannot undo - he is still able to redeem the situation, he is still in control. You can trust him.

4. Conclusion
So here, for Ruth and Naomi, as one writer has said, we see "a crack in a seemingly impenetrable wall...the beginning of a possible path from death to life, from bitterness to joy". And it's all because they're in the hands of a sovereign God.

Are we ready to trust this same God as we go about our daily life? Will we live out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that he is at work within us? The sovereignty of God doesn't preclude our actions; rather it call them forth. A secure and biblical doctrine of God's sovereignty has both of those components in place.

Are they in place in your life today?

Ruth 1:19-22

There are some journeys you make with expectation; some with apprehension. Who could doubt that this journey for Naomi & Ruth was one of real apprehension. They could not know what sort of future lay before them, either socially or economically.

They journeyed on together, coupled by a common history, but also now by a common faith. It is this faith in God that is enabling them to return to Bethlehem. Yet as we've seen, and will see again in these verses, for Naomi such a faith is not a case of bright, cloudless skies. There are real issues for her to work through. It's probably good to have a companion at such times.

1. A Town Astir (v.19)
In this scene, we see Naomi & Ruth reaching Bethlehem. They have arrived at last, after a journey fraught with danger; and who knows what lies in store for them?

The first thing they encounter in their new life is a town that is thrown into a real stir because of them. Maybe they hoped to just arrive quietly but that couldn't be. We suggested before that Elimelech and Naomi may have been a prominent family in the town and certainly their arrival causes quite a commotion.

Those who welcome them back are really excited to see them. The word that is used here speaks of "joyous shouting and happy animated conversations". Clearly there's real love for Naomi in the town; people are glad to see her; here is a community that cares, standing in stark contrast to Judges and communities that kill.

No blame, no recriminations; just a real and heartfelt joy at seeing Naomi again. That’s how it ought to be with us when someone comes back – back to church, back to the Lord. Yes, there may well be issues to work through and we ought to be ready to help in that where we can, but the foremost reaction should be joy and gladness.

2. A Woman Empty (vv.21,22)
But the people, though excited, can hardly believe that this is Naomi: "Can this really be Naomi?" Perhaps it's because she's been gone so long. It could be that they never expected to see her again, having perhaps heard that Mahlon and Kilion had married Moabite women. Or maybe it's the physical impact on her of a triple grief; that kind of experience can often make a person look so much older and broken. Whatever the reason, their welcome is genuinely warm.

Naomi must have been thankful for such a welcome yet her reply opens up the agony of faith that she has and is going through.

i) Not Naomi but Mara Notice first of all what she says about her name. They had asked “Can this really be Naomi?” and she replies as if to say 'No, not any more'; “call me Mara”. You see, Naomi means 'pleasant' but her life is now bitter, hence 'Mara'.

This isn't a genuine change of name; this is her way of expressing just how bitter life has become for her. But it also shows that there is little if any expectation in her mind that things are either on the up or are going to change. Life is over for her now; there is nowhere else to go, nothing else to do.

She seems to have forgotten the incident from Israel's history where they came to waters that were bitter, that were mara. The Israelites grumbled and God in his grace had Moses throw a piece of wood in the waters and they became sweet. But that's just a story from long ago, isn’t it. Things like that don't happen to people like Naomi, do they?

This is how she feels and she is commendably honest about it. It’s right and helpful for Naomi to say how she feels; there is no point in her hiding the pain; it wouldn’t help. We might be loathe to say so but perhaps there are also times when we also feel and think like that. We fail to take encouragement from the scriptures as we should because ...well, to be blunt, that was then and this is now.

But God doesn't change! And the rest of this book is going to show that to us in very wonderful ways. The great thing is that we can also prove it in our own experience of life.

ii) The Almighty's Doing Although it wouldn't be right to say that Naomi grumbled like the people of Israel, her next words show that she attributes what has happened to her to God: "the Almighty has made my life very bitter...the LORD has brought me back empty...The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has testified against me". Those are strong and striking words and we need to consider them carefully.

Naomi doesn’t lack a doctrine of the sovereignty of God; she readily acknowledges here that he is in control of all things. But her grasp of the reality of his sovereign control doesn't yield her any comfort because it is a skewed understanding of his sovereignty.

We see her grasp of God's sovereignty in her use of the name 'Shaddai' for God (translated in NIV as 'the Almighty'). It was a name that was regularly used of him in the early books of the Bible and stressed his absolute sovereignty. He is the one who can bring blessing or cursing. He is the one who can save or judge. And what he does, he does in utter fairness and justice.

For Naomi, what has happened to her has been caused by the Almighty. With a justice she may be at a loss to comprehend, this God has dealt bitterly with her. He has brought disaster on her and there is nothing for her to do but to bear it. In v.21 she says that he has “testified against” her. That is a legal term that conjures up images of court proceedings. He, the Almighty, has tried her and she has been found wanting.

Do you ever think of God in those terms too? He's in absolute control and whatever happens comes from him, so you've just got to get on with accepting that this is how things will be? That somehow he has judged you and you must just accept your fate? Is his utter sovereignty something we’ve just got to accept with a resigned shrug of the shoulders? Is it a cold control?

There is of course some truth in what Naomi says here but it isn't the full picture. God is in control; nothing happens by chance, as this book will show us. But we must be careful to draw the right conclusions concerning him and his dealings with us.

Precisely what Naomi is affirming here should also be the source of hope for the future. Because he is in control of all things, he can change the bitter and make it sweet. That was the lesson of Marah!

And that is also something which is latent in the words that Naomi uses here. In other places where the phrase “has brought misfortune upon me” is used, it turns out to be the start of a larger and greater blessing.

Can we trust God for our future? Can he make something good out of our present mess? The gospel shows us without doubt that he can. However guilty we are, however much we have contributed to the mess and the squalor, he is greater than all things and with sovereign, covenant love he can overturn and remake.

3. A Future Unfolding (v.22)
For Naomi, that is all still future. In her mind, there seems to be so little future. The reality she must face is this: she went away full - a complete family, full of hopes for the future; and she has come back empty – bereaved, with no family and no prospects.

But there are already signs that the LORD is at work to bring rich blessing into the poverty of Naomi's life. What are those signs?

- She's come back widowed and bereft of her boys, yet she has Ruth with her. This Moabite girl, with a new faith in the one true God, is dedicated to her. All is not lost
- They've arrived back at harvest time. The same LORD who had punished his people in famine is now blessing them with feasting.

Things are on the change. The signs may be small but they are still signs. We can often be slow to spot them but faith is always on the lookout and ready to see what God in his grace is doing. Her story is not yet done and neither is yours.

Ruth 1:8-13

Naomi has made the momentous decision to return home to Judah. In Moab she lost everything but, hearing of the LORD's grace to his people, she is going back.

But we saw last time that she isn't going alone. Although she has been the focus of attention, her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, are also in the picture. It seems that they have every intention of going to Judah with her.

Listening to, or reading, the story, that fact raises a number of questions: how will they fare as widows in a foreign land, especially being Moabite women? "They are caught by ethnic divisions...by gender divisions...by religious divisions and by the mystery of the way God deals with us" (Goldingay p.200/1).

It may well be that the tension of such divisions has been weighing heavily on Naomi's mind because in these verses she speaks to persuade the women to go back to their own people. Her arguments for them doing so give us an insight into her own heart and state of mind as she returns to Judah.

1. Concern for Others
One of the most notable aspects of these verses, and indeed of the whole book, is the concern for others that the characters display.

You see it in Orpah and Ruth's intention to go to Judah with Naomi. For them to do so would be to leave their own people, as they show in v.10. It isn't "so much a change of physical location as a change of social orientation" (Sakenfeld p.26). Families joined by marriage often go their own way after bereavement. But these girls wanted to 'go the extra mile'.

And that same concern for others is seen here in Naomi. You see it the arguments she uses to persuade them to go back. She is obviously concerned for their future happiness above any concern for own welfare and the help that they may give her.

Her desire for them is expressed very tenderly: she wants them to go back to their mothers' homes (a phrase that conjures up pictures of marriage) and there for them to “find rest in the home of another husband”.

That word “rest” speaks of a settled security and of relief from weariness. Their lives have been anything but settled in recent times and they must be very weary of sadness. Having them go back with her might have given Naomi greater security (although that is not certain); it certainly would have been company for her, but her concern is for them.

In all three women, this trait is clearly seen and is something for us to learn from. But we don’t simply learn it from them; the greatest example of concern for others is our Lord Jesus Christ dying in our place. Paul’s words in Phil. 2 and 2 Cor. 8:9 show us powerfully what it means to put others above ourselves.

2. Praying for God's blessing
Someone might ask 'Why if she was so concerned for them did she not encourage them to leave Moab and its false gods and go with her to Judah and to the Lord's people?'

Naomi is obviously aware of the problems of going back and, humanly speaking, perhaps sees the problems as being too great for Orpah and Ruth. To go with her will require a step of faith but that must be theirs and not hers on their behalf.

But notice that she does what she can for them (a very important principle). She commits them to the Lord and to his kindness. Her prayer in vv.8,9 is very revealing and very instructive to us.

Naomi's life has been devastated. Her own assessment of it is in vv.11-13. But the hard experiences of life haven't made her hardhearted towards others. She is full of concern for Orpah and Ruth. But more importantly still, it hasn't overturned her view of the Lord. She prays here that he will “deal kindly” with them and in doing so she uses a word that is at the heart of the Lord's covenant with his people.

She prays that the Lord will show them 'hesed', a word that is often translated as 'loving kindness' or 'loyal love'. It is a word that has a real depth of meaning and is a key to this whole book. One study into its use suggests it has the following aspects:

- the "action is essential to the survival or basic well-being of the recipient";
- "the needed action is one that only the person doing the act is in a position to provide"
- it "takes place or is requested within the context of an existing, established and positive relationship between the persons involved" (Sakenfeld p.24)

Naomi has experienced something of such kindness from these girls (“as you have shown to your dead and to me”); now she prays they would know its highest realisation. No prayer could be higher in its aspiration for others, nor in its estimation of God.

Often we feel powerless to help others. Their needs are far too great for us to meet. But what we can do is to pray for them and in particular we can pray that God will show them his grace and mercy, the ‘hesed’ he displayed in Jesus. In urging them to go home, Naomi doesn't abandon them to Chemosh but commits them to God.

When we pray for others, committing them to the mercy and kindness of God, we may have in mind what we hope for by way of an answer. Naomi's hope is that they will “find rest in the home of another husband”. If you know the story, then Eph 3:20 may well come to your mind! But that's running ahead.

3. Bitterness of heart (vv.11-13)
Naomi is concerned for others above herself. She prays that others will know God's rich blessing on their lives. And yet in vv.11-13 we see that her view of her own life and her own experience of the Lord is not so straightforward.

In these verses she closes her argument as to why they should go back to Moab. If they stick with her, they've got no chance of another marriage; they'll have no hope of achieving the rest that she has prayed for. It all sounds so reasonable.

But there is another, darker aspect to her thinking here. She describes her experiences in this way: “the LORD's hand has gone out against me”. The key thing to know is that that phrase is used of God dealing with his enemies. Naomi seems to feel that is what she has become and is expressing her pain and frustration at that.

It may well be that, like Job, she doesn't know why this has all happened to her. Or maybe she silently feels she’s getting what she deserves for having gone to Moab (did she have a choice?) and must simply resign herself to the Lord's ongoing chastisement. Maybe she doesn't want them to go back with her partly because she feels that this is something she must bear alone.

Naomi's perspective is shaped by the bitter experiences of life. She hasn't renounced her faith but she is subdued in it. It has lost its vitality and joy. For her, life in God's family is now hard and bitter and will perhaps always be like that (cf. v.21). She is broken-hearted and crushed in spirit.

Maybe you feel the same way today. You know that God is good, that he is a God of mercy and you hope others will know that. But, for yourself, the experience of such blessing is a thing of the past; it’s no longer a living reality. You feel that somehow the Lord's hand has gone out against you and that his lot for you in this life in only pain and sorrow.

That seems to have been Naomi's perspective but it isn't the book's perspective - the story isn't over yet! I won't elaborate on that now but let me just say in closing that this book and the Bible as a whole give us a different perspective (cf. Job - end better than the beginning; and esp. Jesus – ‘Eli, Eli…’ & raised to life again).

If you can relate to Naomi this morning, let me just close by saying that your story isn’t over yet either. It is possible to find the rest and the relief that Naomi asked for Orpah and Ruth; we find it in the Lord who is “close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Ps 34:18).

May he help us to grasp that hope for ourselves, even as we pray for others. Amen.

Ruth 1:14-18

1. Separate Ways (v.14)
Naomi has been very persuasive in encouraging the girls to return home. And she has been very graphic in terms of the hopelessness of her own situation; her life is very bitter indeed. At this, both Orpah and Ruth weep. They weep for Naomi, in the tragedy of her situation. And perhaps they weep too for themselves; having lost their husbands, they're now losing the last connection with them.

The bond here is very strong but Orpah accepts what Naomi has said and begins to make the journey back to Moab. Ruth, however, doesn't. Although she too can no doubt see what Naomi is saying and can feel the weight of her arguments, she has made a decision: she is staying with Naomi and, we’re told, “clings” to her.

That word is the one that is used of a man leaving his father and mother and 'clinging' to his wife. It expresses "firm loyalty and deep affection" and it entails "leaving membership in one group...to join another" (Hubbard p.115). It has significant implications for Ruth and we'll see it developed in her speech.

We'll see shortly what lies behind Ruth's action but first we need to think of Orpah one last time. Over the years, she has suffered by way of comparison with Ruth (some have even suggested that she was a relative of Goliath's!). But it is right to see that Ruth's extraordinary action does not condemn Orpah's more ordinary choice. She obeys Naomi and heads for home. The arguments to her are reasonable and sensible.

But for Ruth, though they may be reasonable and sensible, there is something deeper at work here. This is the pivotal point in her life and her speech here tells us what she is doing and why. We may understand Orpah but must emulate Ruth.

2. All Change! (vv.15-17)
Naomi tries again to persuade her to go back, with Orpah as an example (peer pressure!). She urges her to go back with Orpah "to her people and her gods".

Naomi is in no doubt what it means to stay with her. To leave Moab means leaving behind the comfort and security of a known way of life. To leave her country means to leave her gods (in line with what other religions thought).

But Ruth has thought all this through and is ready to make her choice. Her speech leaves us in no doubt about that. What she says takes us to the heart of a real relationship with the living God. Ruth commits herself to Naomi and to Naomi's God. She makes a deliberate choice for a different God and a different way of life. Let's look at how she describes that commitment:

She is committed to Naomi: "where you go, I will go; where you stay I will stay". The strength of her commitment to Naomi is very clear and very powerful. She isn't saying that she will go with her for some of the way but all the way and for ever: "where you die, I will die".

And in committing herself to Naomi, she commits herself to Naomi's people: "your people will be my people". That's very risky. She doesn't know what kind of reception she will get in Judah. It is possible, maybe even probable, that she will be treated badly (although God's law required otherwise).

But this commitment to Naomi and her people is only part of the story. As she commits herself to Naomi and her people, so she commits herself to Naomi's God: "your God will be my God". Here is true faith in action: she is ready to leave everything behind to throw her lot in with the Lord and his people. In the Gospels, Jesus often speaks of leaving home and family for his sake. Here is someone doing just that.

For Ruth to make such a commitment is both difficult and momentous. That is the nature of faith. True faith in the one true God is not an 'easy come, easy go' kind of thing. The depth of her commitment is seen in her saying “May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely…” – that is a very strong figure of speech, calling down a curse upon yourself if you fail to do as you have said. This is strong stuff from Ruth; this is the stuff of faith.

For some folk, faith is vague and indistinct; it is something hard to describe and to define. In the Bible, true faith in the true God is something definite and real. Ruth knows who she is trusting in (in v.17 she speaks of “the LORD”; the God of Israel).

When the call is given for all to turn and to trust in Jesus, it isn't a fictional Jesus we speak of; it isn't a Jesus of myth or of vague tradition. It is the Jesus of the Bible who hung on a cross in our place, bearing our sin and shame. It is the Jesus who is God come in the flesh. It is the resurrected Lord Jesus, the coming King and Judge. He it is you must believe in to be saved!

Ruth hasn't 'got religion', as some might think; she's come into a new and living relationship with the one true God! And this is something that is for ever, as she makes quite plain.

To trust in the God who has loved us in Jesus is life changing in the fullest sense. It means a whole new life, committed to him and to his people. Old ways and old gods must go; new life must blossom by his grace in true commitment to him.

Is that a commitment you're ready to make?

3. God At Work!
What is it that has brought Ruth to this strong commitment to the Lord and his people? One writer suggested that "Naomi's consistent living must have so impressed her daughter-in-law to cause her to abandon her homeland and her gods" (Huey p.524). It is certainly possible that Ruth has seen Naomi's trust in the Lord during the years of grief and loss.

But it is also possible that the Lord is working despite Naomi's weakness, when her own faith is suppressed and static. And maybe it's right to see it as a combination of the two. There were times perhaps when Naomi's faith shone brightly in Moab; and times when it sank into bleak despair, as seems to be the case here.

Both scenarios give us encouragement. The first encourages us to that consistent living which commends the Lord to others as they see our trust in him even during the worst of times. And the second reminds us that even where we fail to be all that we should be, the Lord is still able to act and show his grace to others.

4. In Silence (v.18)
This scene ends with Naomi silenced by Ruth's speech. Some have suggested that you can even detect an awkward silence between them. Whether that's so or not, it is right to notice that "Ruth's presence is as much a reminder of tragedy as it is a source of potential comfort”. Ruth’s presence with Naomi raises questions and issues for Naomi: “Is Ruth to be primarily a reminder of the past or will she become a source of hope for the future? The stage is set for the next phase of the story" (Sakenfeld p.35).

But questions about the future don't preclude faith in the present. Indeed, true faith in the one true God is the only way to truly cope with those questions and uncertainties. These two women, one old in faith (in every sense), one new in it, are going into they know not what, but the God of the Covenant is with them.

And maybe they would have been happy to borrow some words from the Apostle Paul: “we know whom we have believed and we are convinced that he is able to guard what we have entrusted to him for that day.”

Have you done the same?

Ruth 1:5b-7

1. A Woman Bereft (v.5b)
Imagine you're hearing this story for the first time. You may have been surprised to hear that they had gone to Moab and were wondering what would happen next. What happens is deep tragedy.

First, Elimelech dies and Naomi is widowed. Her life then goes from bad to worse. Her boys grow up and marry Moabite girls. And then they too both die and she is left alone.

Verse 5 is very graphic in the original: her name is not used; she is simply “the woman”. Having lost both her husband and her 2 sons she has in effect lost her identity.

When Stephen Saunders, a British military attaché, was murdered in Athens, his wife Heather said this: "Stephen was my life and our lives were so deeply entwined that today I stand before you half the person I was yesterday morning...Not only have they killed my husband, they have destroyed me and my family". The same kind of desolating bitterness had visited Naomi in the fields of Moab.

Knowing how things ultimately turn out, we must make the effort to sit where Naomi is and share something of her pain. I have only seen widowhood from the sidelines; I know that some of you know it from the inside – you know the tears, the deep pain and the silent anguish and despair. That’s where we find Naomi; bereft of her family and also away from people and, maybe, from her God.

Whether we have experienced such loss ourselves or not, we can perhaps readily imagine the questions that must have run through Naomi’s tortured mind: where is God in all this? Is this punishment for coming to Moab? Is it the end of my faith?

This life can be desperately hard. Being a Christian is no safeguard against that. What matters most is how we react to such times. The rest of this book will explore that and will show us that the Lord is still there. Its answers are not slick but they are real. They show us that, not only is he there, he is active despite all indications to the contrary and he works his purposes of grace out, in and through his people.

2. A Crucial Decision
This is perhaps the most crucial time in the whole of Naomi's life. What she does next will determine the road that she takes for the rest of her days. Will she throw in her lot with the Moabites and turn her back on the one true God?

Verse 6 tells us that she made the momentous decision to go back home to Judah. The NIV translates the verse back to front; it begins by telling us that she and her daughters in law got up to return “from the fields of Moab”.

“Fields of Moab” is a way of saying the ‘country’ or ‘region’ of Moab but it is a very evocative phrase. They came to the fields of Moab because they were full and now this family is empty.

But now, in that very place of deep tragedy, the decision has been made to return. That is never an easy decision to reach. Going back is not a guaranteed option nor is it going to be without its own difficulties.

The past can be a place of hurt and failure; it has memories that are too strong to ignore and too painful to face up to. I once saw an advert for a telephone company that asked: 'What's the difference between the past and the future? You can't change the past'. The implication was that you can change the future. Don't we often feel that way, that we are shackled to our past and cannot escape it?

Yet here we see Naomi starting out to go back. Back, perhaps, to recriminations and blame. Back to very painful memories of her husband and children. Back to poverty and hardship. So what is it that is taking her back?

3. The Visit of the God of Grace
Verse 6 tells us that the people of Bethlehem, along with the rest of Judah, now have food. The town has started to live up to its name again! So is this a case of Naomi 'changing lanes' and going with the flow? Is she being guided simply by pragmatism?

This verse tells us why the land of Judah now has food and why Naomi is on her way back there: God has visited his people and has given then food.

We aren't told how it was they heard in Moab what was going on in Judah. Someone has suggested that she had kept the lines of communication open; that may be crucial to going back. But we're not told that was the case.

What we are told is that she interpreted the reality of food as a divine blessing upon the people. It was this she was responding to. The phrase translated as “had come to the aid of his people” is a very evocative phrase. It literally reads, “the LORD had visited his people”.

In the OT such visits could lead either to judgement or to blessing. In those days of chaos there was much for God to judge. But as we read the book of Judges, and here too, we see that the Lord who judges his people is also the God who blesses them with his grace by giving them food (nb: alliteration in original strikes a joyous note). He does both because he is faithful to his covenant.

Interestingly, this is the first report in the book of the Lord's direct action. The only other such report is in 4:13 referring to Ruth having conceived. Both are actions of grace and they frame this story for us. Naomi's life was framed by the grace of God and ours are too.

This giving of food marked the end of the famine; it also marks the beginning of the end of Naomi's long, bitter exile. In hearing the news, she gets ready to go back. That would seem to show that she hasn't given up on the Lord because she knows he doesn't give up on his people. There is still some faith beating in her soul.

As the God of the covenant, YHWH has promised to supply all our needs. Just how he will do so for Naomi (and Ruth) we are yet to see but it's a truth for us to take to heart. All our needs, both physical and spiritual, are provided for in the Lord Jesus.

4. On the Way
So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law set out for Bethlehem. Verse 7 makes it plain that they were only just beginning the journey; there was still a long way to go. Naomi appears to have lost 3 and gained 2 but that's an issue the journey will unfold for us.

They started out. Who knows what the future will hold and what thoughts, fears and concerns are in their minds as they left Moab? The key thing, though, is that they got up and started out. They started out because God is gracious and faithful to his covenant. And he does not change.

This morning, going back may seem impossible to you but what is impossible with man is possible with God. We may not be able to turn back the clock on some events; Naomi wasn't going to get her husband and sons back. But the advert I saw was wrong: it’s true that we can't change the past but, with God, we're not shackled to it.

It is possible to come back to God, to a living walk with him, to a life of faith and trust. It is possible to ask him to take your hand and lead you home. And it’s possible because of Jesus’ death for our sins and because the Lord is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love.

So why not start the journey right now?

Ruth 1:1-5a

1. The days of the judges (v.1a)
The Book of Ruth begins by telling us just when it is set: "In the days when the judges ruled". So what were those days like? It was a time of moral anarchy and spiritual apostasy. The book of Judges is shocking reading, especially when we find our own hearts mirrored there.

The refrain that recurs towards the end of the book gives us a summary of what life was like: "In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" (17:6; 21:25). As you look around today, there are many parallels both outside and inside the church. What was a criticism of the time of the judges has been elevated to a virtue today and the ruling philosophy in society: do what you want.

But the book of Judges shows just what a terrible harvest is reaped from such an approach to life. There is mass slaughter and the people of Israel turning upon each other. There is repeated failure to honour the LORD and to walk in his ways.

In v.1 we're clearly expected to read Ruth against that background. But the link is even stronger than that. Read ch.17-21 of Judges and you'll notice Bethlehem gets mentioned quite a bit. In 17,18 a young Levite from there gets work as a private priest to a man named Micah (17:5ff). He's then taken on by the tribe of Dan and helps to establish a worship centre that will be a stumbling-block to the people in their relationship with the LORD.

Then in ch.19-21 a Levite from Ephraim took a girl from Bethlehem as his concubine. After she is raped by men from Gibeah, there is mass murder within the people of Israel, tribe against tribe, and Benjamite men having to get foreign wives for themselves to preserve their family line.

Now, the book of Ruth is like a brilliant gem that is found in the midst of a squalid mess. Here we have people within Israel acting as they should and even a non-Israelite too. Here we have true community and the right God-honouring way of preserving your family line.

And the story gets its points across very beautifully as the story is told with craft and care. One interesting contrast with Judges is that in Judges, the LORD often speaks and acts directly. In Ruth he is only ever spoken of and only twice is he said to have acted directly. His ways are sometimes hidden but they are nevertheless effective.

But that doesn't mean that everything in this story is sweetness and light. Just as the beauty of a pearl grows out of unwanted grit and dirt, so too this gem of a book grows out of real hardship, hard choices and a pain almost beyond our imagining.

What we see in this story is the grace of God at work in the lives of ordinary people. In the whirlpool of the Judges period, here we find ordinary Israelites living out the reality of life with God and with each other. They set us an example and act as a powerful encouragement to us that we too can do the same. You see, it is possible to live significantly in the midst of the most terrible apostasy and darkness. You don't need to be a big-time player on the stage of life; here are quite insignificant people whose lives, in God's hands, count and count greatly.

2. To Moab or Not? (vv.1b,2)
The first scene brought before us in the book is heavily ironic. In scripture, names are often extremely significant; well, here we see that there is famine in the land and that it extends to the town whose name means 'House of Bread'. Something is clearly wrong. And caught-up in this desperate situation is a man and his family and his name joyously declares 'My God is King'. There is no bread in the House of Bread and not much sign of God being King (at least not in the way you might hope if he was your God).

If you're a man in that situation, what do you do? The famine is not worldwide; other countries still have food - Moab is one of them and it's close by. Should you go there? It seems to be a straightforward choice: death in Bethlehem or life in Moab. And there are precedents in scripture for just such a choice - didn't Abraham go down to Egypt during a time of famine? And what about Joseph - might their going to Moab be a way of the Lord acting to save the whole nation?

Whilst the text is not explicitly condemnatory, we are invited to reflect and to soberly assess our own situations in the light of what Elimelech does here.

- He took his family to Moab and they survived the famine but the choice of Moab is far from straightforward. Moab was born as a result of the sordid, faithless action of Lot's daughters; as a people they were longstanding enemies of Israel (remember Balak?). In Num. 25 the men of Israel got involved in immorality with Moabite women; in Deut 23:3 we read no Moabite is to be allowed into the assembly of the LORD. Should an Israelite go to Moab of all places?

- And why is there famine in the land? This is the promised land after all. Hadn't the LORD promised to bless his people there? Yes, but he had also promised to curse them if they turned from him and his covenant (just as they did 'in the days of the Judges'). So is going to Moab running away from his discipline rather than submitting to it? The right attitude is spoken of in Ps. 33:18,19.

- And the family's actions would have a significance for the whole town. The fact that they are called “Ephrathites” shows that they were probably a long-standing family in the town, known by everyone. Their example would be seen as important and could easily have led others to make a similar move.

His actions speak of genuine desperation; even the most spiritually-calloused Israelite would have thought twice about going to Moab. But whilst we can sympathise with his plight, we need to learn hard lessons from his response to it. When we face difficult situations and hard choices, there are many things to weigh up. It's never simply about our needs, however pressing they may seem.

Before taking what seems the obvious way, we need to ask questions of ourselves and of the situation. Will this route supply my need but dull my sense of spiritual priorities? Will this way take me too far into a place where the world will try to squeeze me into its mould? Are there genuine biblical precedents or am I only seeing what I want to see? What will the impact be on others - will I cause them to stumble?

Moab was attractive because of the food but on other counts not so. They only went for a while (v.1) but we're told that they ended up staying there (v.2). Those little time details in the text are very telling and are a great warning to us - the way out is often relatively easy; the way back is far, far harder. "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" sang Gordon Lightfoot; when that's true spiritually, it's a fearful thing.

3. A Family Lost (vv.3,4)
The choice is made; the die is cast. And then the cast of this story starts to die. Elimelech is taken. The details are very sparse but the impact on Naomi would be very great indeed; we'll think more about her situation next time.

But even though the loss of Elimelech is great, at least there are two sons left. The text twice tells us about the "two sons" (vv.2,3) and it would seem for a moment that the family's future security lies within those references - isn't that how the Lord works? Cain and Abel; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau - surely salvation for this family wil arise through one of these boys? That's God's way isn't it?

But no. Elimelech dies and instead of one of the boys taking the initiative to move the family back into the promised land and under the covenant-shelter of the Lord, they both marry Moabite women. Their lot, their future, has been well and truly wedded to Moab and its gods.

And then, ten years after arriving in Moab, both Mahlon and Kilion also die. They went to Moab for seed and their seed is lost. They went to preserve their future and now the future is dead. The only hope for the remnants of this family can be with the LORD - yet they have forsaken him. So there can be no happy ending.

That would be true if everything depended on our faithfulness to the Lord but, mercifully, it doesn't. When we are faithless, he remains faithful because he cannot deny himself. And so, even if we didn't know this story, we ought to be on the alert for what the God of grace will do. Be alert in your own situation and in others' lives too for what he will do in mercy and kindness. Wrong choices yield a bitter harvest (as Naomi will painfully acknowledge) but this story is about the far greater, far sweeter, purposes of God.

Exodus 7:14 – 10:29 Nine Plagues

Having briefly introduced the plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt, we’re going to consider them more fully this week. It’s possible to take them one by one or in groups of three (they seem structured that way) but it strikes me that perhaps the best way to handle them and to benefit from them is to look at them together, with the exception of the final plague which we’ll consider separately – its account is more lengthy and heralds the final release of Israel from Egypt.

1. God, the Sovereign Lord
The plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt are the clearest statement of his absolute sovereignty and his utter resolve that he will indeed act to deal with sin and redeem his fallen creation. Those points are made in a host of ways in these great acts of judgement.

i) Creation moving in tandem with the Creator in his acts of judgement upon Egypt. We saw last week how the plagues were acts of uncreation, of giving to Pharaoh the fruit of his rebellion against the Lord. We ought to note in line with that the absolute control the Lord has over the creation and that the creation which is longing for its own release from bondage is, so to speak, his partner in moving that great project along.

This is perhaps underlined by the fact that, whilst the magicians of Egypt can replicate some of the plagues (the first two) they are powerless to go any further than that. The Lord is supreme.

ii) Judgement upon the gods of Egypt. In line with that, we should note that it isn’t just the magicians who are defeated but the gods of Egypt too. Many of these plagues deliberately involve aspects of creation over which Egypt’s gods were said to have power or aspects of creation that Egypt considered to be gods. But those gods are idols, worthless things with no true power. The LORD, he is God and he is God alone!

iii) That supreme control is further underscored by the continued emphasis upon the extent of the plagues – everything is affected (with some important exceptions that we’ll come to later). The whole of Egypt is condemned and judged; nothing is beyond the scope of the Lord.

iv) The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh’s contribution to this dramatic reversal for his nation is truly culpable. He moves between sheer obstinacy and moments of pleading for mercy yet he never truly repents, he never takes to heart the clear message he is being given by the Lord.

And yet, while he is culpable and responsible, the text makes great play upon the fact that his heart is in the hands of the Lord (cf. Prov. 21:1). What happens, happens because the Lord purposes it to happen; he is acting in salvation and judgement with sovereign control over all that is taking place – such is his commitment to his own character and to the healing and rescue of his creation.

Now, how should all this impact us? Perhaps the most direct impact it is to have is to move us with a sense of the grandeur of God, of his majestic strength, his mighty wisdom, his inscrutable ways. In short, to lead us to worship and revere the God who is far greater than we give him credit for being, to bow before him in awe and adoration.

Here is not a God you can box up and say you have comprehended; this God, who moves in such power and for purposes of salvation, is far beyond us. We are so tiny in comparison with him. It is good to be humbled by a fresh vision of who he is and what he does.

This sequence of events should also inspire a sense of confidence within our hearts – here is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, acting to rescue, acting in fulfilment of his promises. Such passages evoke not simply awe in us but awaken trust and stimulate faith. He is worthy of our trust; we can venture for him – as William Carey so helpfully put it, “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

2. God, the Particular Lord
One of the peculiar and puzzling aspects of the plagues is that fact that some of them are also experienced by the people of Israel whilst others are not (they experience the suffering caused by the first 3 plagues – blood, frogs and gnats – and also the locusts).

Given what we have seen of the absolute sovereignty of the Lord, the question has to be asked, ‘Why he does not spare his people from all the effects of every plague?’ If he could spare them some, then why not spare them all? If it isn’t a case of ‘could not’, why would he not do so?

The only answer that seems reasonable is that the Lord chose to allow his people to experience something of what the Egyptians were suffering as a result of Pharaoh’s sin in refusing to let them go. And such experiences would no doubt speak powerfully to them of the true nature of sin and its bitter harvest, as well as humbling their hearts (they were not all that different to the Egyptians).

Can we not also say the same about our experiences of the sufferings of this life? If the Lord can spare us all sickness and disaster, why does he not? In his own time, he certainly will do so – there will be no sorrow in the new heavens and earth – but in these interim times, suffering is indeed a reminder to us of the broken state of this world.

It keeps us humble; it keeps us trusting; it keeps us looking forward to the return of Jesus. And it fosters within us a sense of compassion toward those who are still far from the Lord.

3. Plagues: A call to repent
Clearly, the ten plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt to make Pharaoh release his people (and so to further his saving purposes for the world) were a unique event. All through the OT, the people of Israel looked back to the time when the Lord acted in such power on their behalf and took great encouragement from that.

And yet, we can also see in the scriptures deliberate allusions to the plagues that show them as setting a pattern for the Lord’s dealings with the world. In particular, I think we can see this happening in the book of Revelation.

There, the apostle John sees visions of great cataclysms coming upon the world following the ascension of Jesus to his place of authority at the right hand of God.

Those events recall the plagues in Egypt but with an important qualifier in terms of the earlier events: they do not afflict the whole earth; a great stress is laid on the fact that only a third of the earth is to be afflicted. That limitation is ultimately removed when the great final acts of judgement are unveiled.

What does this linkage with the plagues of Egypt say to us? It clearly shows the continuity of the purposes of God, that what took place in Egypt was one phase of the great work of rescue that is ultimately seen as fulfilled in the book of Revelation.

But what I want to particularly mention in terms of the use of plague imagery in Revelation is the emphasis on the opportunity to repent that the plagues present – an opportunity squandered by Pharaoh, to the tragic loss of his people; and an opportunity that is also allowed to slip away by those described in John’s vision (see Rev. 9:20ff).

We live in a world of suffering and decay, a world in which the Lord speaks powerfully through his word and also through his actions in history. I want to ask you this morning: have you heard that voice, calling you to repent? Have you taken the opportunity his grace is giving you to turn back to him, now, before the ultimate tragedy befalls you?

Look around and see what is happening. See the distress and the decay; take note of the hardness and hostility which arouses God’s anger; and humble your heart to receive salvation from Jesus, the Lamb of God who died to take away sin.