Sermon Cloud

I am told the American playwright Tennessee Williams once told a story of Jacob Brodzky, a shy Russian Jew who's only ambition in life was to marry Lila, his childhood sweetheart. Jacob's father owned a bookstore and wanted Jacob to go to college. A few months after Jacob began classes, his father became ill and died. Jacob returned home, buried his father, and married Lila. Then the couple moved into the apartment above the bookstore, and Jacob took over as the owner.

    Now Jacob and Lila were 2 completely different people. He loved books and loved selling them but, but this lifestyle it cramped her. She wanted more adventure in life, and she found it, she thought, when she met an agent who praised her beautiful singing voice and enticed her to tour Europe. Jacob was devastated. At their parting, he reached into his pocket and handed her the key to the front door of the bookstore.

'You had better keep this," he told her, 'because you will want it some day. Your love is not so much less than mine that you can get away from it. You will come back sometime, and I will be waiting." She kissed him and left. To escape the pain he felt, Jacob withdrew into his bookstore and to escape his sorrows, he turned to excessive reading, just as someone else might turn to excessive drinking. He spoke little, did little, and could most times be found at the large desk near the rear of the shop, immersed in his books while he waited for his love to return.

Nearly 15 years later, at Christmastime, she did return. But when Jacob set eyes on her, he merely took her for an ordinary customer. 'Do you want a book?" he asked.

She was startled by his not recognizing her. But she gained possession of herself and replied, 'I want a book, but I've forgotten the name of it."

Then she told him a story of childhood sweethearts. A story of a newly married couple who lived in an apartment above a bookstore. A story of a young, ambitious wife who left to seek a career, who enjoyed great success but could never relinquish the key her husband gave her when they parted. She told him the story she thought would bring him to himself. But his face showed no recognition. Gradually she realized that he had lost touch with his heart's desire, that he no longer knew the purpose of his waiting and grieving, that now all he remembered was the waiting and grieving itself. 'You remember it; you must remember it,the story of Lila and Jacob?"

After a long, bewildered pause, he said, 'There is something familiar about the story, I think I have read it somewhere. It comes to me that it is something by Tolstoi." Dropping the key, she fled the shop. And Jacob returned to his desk, to his reading, unaware that his love had come and gone.

When the good news of God's provision for his people reached Naomi we read that she danced for joy and sang songs to the Lord for his goodness...no thats not what it says she did. Her response is alot like Jacob Brodzky's. She hardly responds. Why? It was famine that started all of her problems in the first place. Isn't this good news? She was in a emotional stupor. When someone is in a stupor - it means they are insensible - they are in a state of mental numbness. Circumstances have caused the person to 'check out' emotionally and when this happens - they can't see any good that does come their way. That was the case with Jacob Brodzky. 15 years of sadness and emptiness due to the absense of his wife drove him to such an emotional stupor that when she finally came home he was completely unaware of who she was. This is how we find Naomi.

Naomi's Emotional Stupor vs 6-13  
Now in Naomi's defense - she was at the lowest point any woman in those days could go - her situation was desperate. God's dark providence had brought her to a desperate situation. She is not only a widow, but she is also childless which was a double whammy for women in those days. If we could put it in today's terms, to be a widow and to be childless in those days would mean foreclosure, bankruptcy, homelessness, unemployment, no food, no resources, total destitution, today.
Now most widows in her circumstances had a few options available to them. 1. A widow could return to her parent's house. But Naomi's parents are likely dead by then. 2. There was the possiblity of remarriage, but again, her age was beyond child-bearing years. 3. Finally, she could support herself if she knew some sort of trade but the vast majority of women in those days did not have trade skills and it appears that Naomi was part of that majority. She's an old woman with no where to go, and she has no one to care for her...or was there????
And her response to the news that God has brought an end to the famine reminds me of a homeless person walking to the soup kitchen - at least I won't starve while sleeping in the park tonight. Though it meant God was at work and that it was a sign of his love for his people, Naomi couldn't see it as this. It offered her no hope that her situation would improve.
This explains why in vs 8 she tells her two daughters-in-law to go home to their parents. "May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
You two have a chance at a new life - my life is over. You have somewhere to go - I have no where to go. Save yourselves - go home.
Then we are told "she kissed them and they wept aloud.." and then they said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
Now this was a very kind jesture - and this proves that Naomi does have someone in her life that loves her.
Naomi thinks this is a kind but foolish jesture - no its more than foolish, its crazy - why would you want to follow an old, destitute woman back to a foreign land? There is nothing there for me, which means there is certainly nothing there for you? "It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!”
It's almost like Naomi is saying - because God's hand has gone out against me, you might find more suffering in your life if you stand too close to me. Parents often say to their kids - be careful who you hand out with - dont get caught up with the wrong crowd - it might get you in trouble. That's what naomi is saying - God is against me and he will be against you if you associate yourself with me. Go home girls - find new husbands - start new lives. My path is a dead end road.

IN vs. 8 Naomi uses the word "hesed" translated "kindness". It means more than kindness - like many Hebrew words there is no word for word correlation. Hesed means: loyalty, faithfulness, covenantal love and obligation - it has the idea of a binding relationship between relatives, hosts, allies, friends and rulers and calls for fidelity towards those relationships - they are never to be broken or severed. And it is in the context of hesed that God's grace comes to us - though we don't deserve his favor and kindness, he is faithful to pour it out even when we are unable to see it!

It is hesed that the Lord has apparently taken away from Naomi and her family - form her perspective he has done her wrong by breaking his covenantal obligations. She expected hesed from the hand of the Lord - instead she received many blows - his hand has gone out, not in her favor but against her.

Was God angry with Naomi and her family? Had he really withdrawn his hesed love from her? Or had she come to a place where she just couldnt see it anymore? Let's find out. Vs 14 Ruth does somehting amazing.


Ruth's Hesed Love - evidence of God's Hesed Love vs 14-18

In vs 14-15 we read that Orpah, after much weeping, she kisses Naomi and departs. But we are told in vs 14 "Ruth clung to her."
Naomi tries to convince her to follow Orpah's example - but Ruth in vs 16-17 makes the most amazing statement to Naomi.
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.
IN other words - don't waste your breath! Stop saying this to me - for it isn't going to happen. "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ^{17} Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

What was Ruth doing here?
She is making a covenant and swearing her hesed love to Naomi with an oath. Now the word hesed is not used in relation to Ruth's actions here, but she demonstrates hesed in her actions and her confession. The word "clung" in the Hebrew is the word used in Genesis 2:24 - "a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife..."

The imagery here is meant to convey what is going on in Ruth's heart - specifically what God is doing in Ruth and through Ruth. By clinging to Naomi she is abandoning her own Moabite family and their gods. This is more than a commitment to Naomi, this is a commitment to Naomi's God.

End of 16 the NIV supplies "will be" but in the Hebrew, there is no verb. Literally it reads: your people, my people, your God my God. If we must supply a verb I believe it should be the verb "are". Don't tell me to go back to my people and my god's when as of this moment your people ARE my people, and your God IS my God. Ruth has made it known she is a worshiper of Yahweh and she would rather go back with Naomi to Israel and die there than take the easy road by going back to her parents and their gods.   


APPLICATION

During our 2.5 years in Florida while I was studying at RTS, we barely scraped by financially. Though we were receiving support from our home church and from family and friends - I often felt that somehow God was letting us down by allowing us to be stretched so tight. I was to some degree in an emotional stupor - I could not see God's blessings - I could not see what I had - only what I didn't have. OH! How terrible I felt after talking to a fellow seminarian who shared that he had no idea where rent money was coming from that week, how he was going to pay for food, and that despite it all he knew his heavenly Father loved him and would supply all of his needs. My friend was very much aware of God's hesed for him and his family. I was not. He had less of a reason to be aware of it, I had more of a reason - but ironically our perspectives were reversed. But through my friend my grace awareness became heightened allowing me to see God's hesed had not been taken away from us at all. In fact In may ways it was a matter of perspective. It was not until I became aware of his trials that I could see how immensly good and gracious God was to me. And we all face this from time to time don't we? We are afterall human beings - ficle and easily devastated by the stuff of life. But let this be an ecouragement to us this morning. Naomi's bitterness towards God does not move God to withdraw his hesed from her. His love for her remains true even when she cannot see it - and the same is true for us.

Now, based on all Naomi has said about her God why would Ruth want to make Naomi's God her God? Ruth sees something Naomi cannot see, at least at this point. The god of the Moabites was Chemosh. Chemosh was not a particularly nice god. He required the Moabites to engage in human sacrifice from time to time. It's no doubt that Ruth, marrying into a Jewish family came to know a thing or two about their God. If so, then by way of comparison between Chemosh and the Lord - it is probable that Ruth could see light shining through the dark clouds of divine providence. Despite all that Naomi has suffered - she sees not that only is God a good, loving and gracious God, but that he loves Naomi and is with her even in her pain.

What is the evidence? In our passage alone there are two manifrstations of God's hesed for Naomi. First - the end of the famine in Bethlehem - God has come to the aid of his people. She does not see this as a signal of the end of her own sufferings. IN her own words in vs 21 "I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty." She cannot see that this is God's invitation to her to come home and for her emptiness to be filled.
Second - Ruth herself is evidence. When Naomi says I came back empty - its almost a slap in the face for Ruth. Have you ever tried to love someone who constantly insists no one loves them? But Ruth takes it - she loves Naomi.  Not only will Ruth become the breadwinner in the following verses, Ruth will become the means through which God redeems the family of Elimelech. When Ruth gives birth to Obed the women encourage Naomi and say Naomi, you have a son! Birthed by your daughter-in-law who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons." Naomi was not as empty as she thought. IN the end she becomes keenly aware of God's grace, love, faithfulness and goodness to her. But she did not have the priviledge of seeing further into the future. Naomi's son becomes the grandfather of King David through whose line our Lord Jesus Christ came. If only Naomi could have seen all that God was doing in history - how her circumstances were going to play a role in God's ongoing plan to bless and redeem all the nations of the earth. Did she have any way of knowing this? No. But we have the priviledge of learning from this, seeing how God works in history, because we do know how it all turned out. We now see just how blessed Naomi was.

CLOSER: What can we learn from all of this? Several things. Because there is suffering in life we should 1. see Ruth as a great example of how to respond to suffering. Ruth demonstrated hesed to Naomi - even when she did not immediately appreciate it. In Romans 12 Paul says:

And in Gal 6:2 to "Carry each other’s burdens". Our "Ruth-like" commitment to one another is basic evidence of our faith. Jesus said all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.
2. when we experience tragedy, suffering and heartache, we can be assured that no matter how difficult, tragic or severe it might be - God's hesed is always and forever with those who have confessed with Ruth - your people, my people, your God, my God.

If the people of God are your people and Jesus is your God - then you can be certain that his love will never fail. What then of the tragedies? Romans 8:28 says "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Well, isn't that a pat answer! If you are tempted to respond this way - look at Naomi's situation! Look how it turned out! Wasn't this true for her? Then brothers and sisters it is just as true for you! It matters not how hard your situation is - none of them can separate you from him and his love. Consider what Paul says in Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If your trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ - then You are his forever - because Jesus has made you a child of God. So when the clouds of divine providence cover your life - know this - the Son is always shining - his grace, love and mercy is always with you.