Tuesday, July 13, 2010
God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part I - The Worst of Times, Part 32 of 32
TEXT: "Naomi said, 'Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.' But Ruth said, 'Entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will fie, and there will I be buried. The Lord to so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.' When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, 'Is this Naomi?' So she said to them, 'Do not call me 'Naomi'; call me 'Mara' for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?' So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law was with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech; his name was Boaz" (Ruth 1:15-2:1).
IDEA: Christians live believing that there is more to their story than they see.
PURPOSE: To help listeners live in hope even in bad times.
Did you ever watch "chapters" in the movies when you were growing up? Each episode in the serial finished with the hero being in grave danger, but the next chapter showed how he escaped. We lived with the suspense all week, knowing that the hero probably couldn't be killed off, but we had no idea how he could escape.
Sometimes Christians are accused of looking for "happy endings" to even the worst situations. Do you think there is any truth in that accusation?
Do you believe that it is wishful thinking when Christians live in hope that there is more to their story than their current experience?
I. The writer of the story of Ruth wants to assure us that there might be a "rest of the story," although we don't have any idea at this point of what it might be.
Ruth 1:22 tells us, "So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest."
What do you make of the comment about "the barley harvest"? Is it merely a comment about the time of year?
Ruth 2:1 tells us "Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech; his name was Boaz."
This introduces us to a character whose actual appearance will come later.
Why do you think the writer gives only the barest details about Boaz?
Why do you think the author mentions him at all?
His introduction provides the audience with a bit of information that Ruth and Naomi don't know about.
What don't we know about the future? What do we hope for? Is our "hope" merely wishful thinking?
II. We can expect that with God there will always be a "rest of the story" even when we don't know what it could be.
Can we always see clearly how God might work in difficult circumstances?
Is that any comfort to people experiencing a difficult chapter in their lives?
