1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,800 Do you ever go on a walk around your neighborhood and ponder 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:08,840 these questions? Who makes the birds sing? 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:15,280 Who feeds the flowers? If you live in a farm, who cares 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,680 for the cows? Or anyone can relate? 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,120 Who pours down all the pollen every spring? 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,440 That blanket of yellow covering your car? 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,440 Who sends the rain? Who withholds it? 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,120 Who governs the dry grass? Who gives life? 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,920 Who takes life away? If you're not a Christian, have 10 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,560 you ever wondered, is there anyone running this show? 11 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:50,760 That is my life, friends. If you're not a believer, do you 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,560 believe that the world is a mechanical machine just 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,120 operating on its own accord? Or could it be that there is 14 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,000 someone working behind the scenes around the clock? 15 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:11,920 That someone is God, your Creator, who constantly cares 16 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,680 for his creation. Theologians refer to this 17 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:20,680 doctrine as Providence. We confess God's Providence in 18 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:22,720 the Heidelberg Catechism earlier in the service. 19 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,920 Turn back there in your bulletin. 20 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:30,080 This is what we believe about God. 21 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:39,200 God's Providence is His almighty and ever present power, whereby, 22 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,440 as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all 23 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:51,880 creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and 24 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:58,160 drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health 25 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:05,640 and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come 26 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:10,840 to us not by chance, but by His fatherly hand. 27 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:19,520 Friend, that means that every moment, every minute, everything 28 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:26,280 in your life comes to you, not by chance, but by God's hands. 29 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,880 This is the sweet doctrine of God's Providence. 30 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,000 But sometimes Providence isn't so sweet. 31 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,080 Today we begin a sermon series through the book of Ruth. 32 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:43,800 Turn your Bible to the book of Ruth. 33 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,440 If you didn't bring a Bible, maybe you don't own one. 34 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,400 Just raise a hand. Somebody will be glad to bring 35 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:49,520 you a Bible. Right now. 36 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,240 Ruth is near the beginning of the Bible. 37 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,360 It's just after Judges. If you're not familiar with the 38 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,000 Bible, the big numbers in the Bible, those are the chapters. 39 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,920 The little numbers, those are the verses will be in Ruth 40 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,280 chapter 1. Ruth chapter 1. 41 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:14,080 Ruth is a story of bitter Providence in the Old Testament. 42 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,880 God saved sometimes by powerful displays of signs and wonders, 43 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,400 like in the Exodus. But Ruth is not one of those 44 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,160 stories. Ruth is a story of God's hidden 45 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,520 work in the ordinary mess of our lives. 46 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,320 Grab a microscope and zoom into the book of Ruth with me. 47 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,680 There's the whole world. Zoom in now the nation of 48 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,040 Israel, zoom in again. There's the tribe of Judah one 49 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,840 more time. There's the little town of 50 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:53,000 Bethlehem. And there in the little town of 51 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:58,160 Bethlehem, there's a single seemingly insignificant family 52 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,560 facing a bitter Providence. As I read Ruth chapter 1, hear 53 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:10,640 the word of the Lord. In the days when the judges 54 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,280 ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem and 55 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,640 Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife 56 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,839 and his two sons. The name of the man was 57 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,920 Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his 58 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,880 two sons were Malan and Killian. They were Ephrathites from 59 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,040 Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of 60 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:38,840 Moab and remained there, but Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, 61 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:42,160 died and she was left with her two sons. 62 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,160 These took Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpa, 63 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,920 and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about 10 years, 64 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:56,560 and both Malan and Killian died, so that the woman was left 65 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,240 without her two sons and her husband. 66 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,800 Then she arose with her daughters in law to return from 67 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,560 the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that 68 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,000 the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 69 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,960 So she set out from the place where she was with her two 70 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,840 daughters in law, and they went on the way to return to the land 71 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:21,000 of Judah. But Naomi said to her two 72 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,080 daughters in law, go return each of you to your mother's house. 73 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:30,000 May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the 74 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,160 dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find 75 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,200 rest each of you in the House of her husband. 76 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:43,280 Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 77 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,400 And they said to her, no, we will return with you to your 78 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,680 people. But Naomi said, Turn back my 79 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,320 daughters, Why will you go with me? 80 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,040 Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may become your husband's? 81 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,200 Turn back, my daughters, Go your way, for I am too old to have a 82 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,200 husband. If I should say I have hope, 83 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,200 even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons. 84 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:12,840 Would you therefore wait till they were grown? 85 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,480 Would you therefore refrain from marrying? 86 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,880 No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for 87 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:25,440 your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. 88 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:32,000 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again, and Orpa kissed 89 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:39,360 her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her and she said, See, 90 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,840 your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods 91 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:49,240 return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, do not urge me to 92 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,280 leave you or to return from following you, For where you go 93 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:56,600 I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. 94 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:01,400 Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 95 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:06,360 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. 96 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:12,440 May the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death 97 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:19,600 departs me from you. And when Naomi saw that she was 98 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,640 determined to go with her, she said no more. 99 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,400 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. 100 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,560 And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred 101 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,720 because of them. And the women said, Is this 102 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:41,240 Naomi? She said to them, Do not call me 103 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:47,560 Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly 104 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,800 with me. I went away full and the Lord 105 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:54,760 has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord 106 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,200 has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity 107 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:04,800 upon me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the 108 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,440 Moabite, her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the 109 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:14,480 country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of 110 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:22,320 barley harvest. When God sends you a bitter 111 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,960 Providence, there are only two responses. 112 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:32,799 Turn to the Lord. Turn away from the Lord. 113 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:41,400 Those are the two responses. How will you respond today if 114 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,919 you're not a believer? My prayer for you is that you do 115 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:49,120 what may seem illogical and even impossible, that you would turn 116 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:56,840 from your sin, from this world to God in faith in Jesus Christ. 117 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:03,400 If you're in Christ, my prayer for you is that you'd return to 118 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,440 the Lord in every bitter Providence. 119 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,320 There's three scenes in chapter 1. 120 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,840 We'll walk through each. The first scene is a bitter 121 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:19,640 Providence versus 1 to 5A bitter Providence. 122 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:27,440 In verses 1 to 5, we see just how quickly life can come 123 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:31,560 undone. First there's a famine, then a 124 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:34,920 family sojourn, followed by three funerals. 125 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:39,360 What is happening to this little family in Israel? 126 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,680 Why? We're going to walk slowly 127 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,720 through verses 1 to 5 because the context is crucial. 128 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,160 In verse one, we get The Who, what, when, where, and most 129 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,040 importantly, the why. Look at verse one. 130 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:02,480 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the 131 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:08,440 land. In the Bible, Ruth follows 132 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,560 Judges. Ruth takes place in the days of 133 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:14,920 Judges. This is not just a chronological 134 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,440 marker. This is a theological evaluation 135 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,480 of the times. In Judges, Israel lived in the 136 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,400 promised land. Israel is the Lord's bride. 137 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,400 But in Judges, they've not been faithful to their husband. 138 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:31,600 You're not familiar with the book of Judges? 139 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,160 Maybe just look one page to the left in your Bible. 140 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:41,720 The last verse of Judges is a summary of the entire book. 141 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,680 In those days there was no king in Israel. 142 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:51,360 Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 143 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:59,360 In other words, these were days of a downward spiral of 144 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,240 disobedience. These were days where God's 145 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:07,040 people turned away from the Lord. 146 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:14,400 So the result in verse one, look at verse one, there was a famine 147 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,120 in the land. Many of us have never lived 148 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:23,280 through famine. Kids, Can you imagine a famine? 149 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:27,720 You come down for breakfast. Mom, what's for breakfast? 150 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:31,720 Nothing. What do you? 151 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,480 What do you mean nothing? There's nothing for breakfast. 152 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,200 What about lunch? Nothing. 153 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:40,880 Dinner. We have nothing. 154 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:44,800 It's hard to even picture what that's like. 155 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:50,000 In a subsistent aggregarian economy, famine function like a 156 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,560 death sentence. And do you see the irony here? 157 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:59,160 There's no bread in Bethlehem. Bethlehem's name means House of 158 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,960 Bread. That land flowing with milk and 159 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,800 honey has run dry. Israel's moved into the promised 160 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,480 land, and when they moved into the promised land, they signed a 161 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:16,600 renter's agreement with God. If you're renting, what do you 162 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,400 think your landlord's going to do if you quit paying your rent 163 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,760 month after month after month, They're going to kick you out. 164 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,160 But Israel's covenant with God was not based on finances. 165 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:33,440 It was based on faithfulness. In Deuteronomy 28 and 29, God 166 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,400 laid out the covenant stipulations. 167 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,360 There were blessings for obedience. 168 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,480 There were curses for disobedience, curses like 169 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:50,720 famine, curses like infertility, meaning the famine they face was 170 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,840 not random, nor was it just an outworking of the curse on the 171 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:56,960 ground. From Genesis chapter 3, the 172 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:05,720 famine was retribution. Facing famine, one family flees, 173 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:10,960 verse one, and a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to 174 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:17,480 sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two 175 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,200 sons. It seems reasonable enough, 176 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,160 doesn't it? But if the famine was a result 177 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,960 of unfaithfulness, the right response would have been 178 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:31,920 repentance, turning to the Lord, not leaving the promised land. 179 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:36,560 Now leaving the promised land was never prohibited, but the 180 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:40,800 departure was only ever described as a judgement from 181 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,400 God. So Elimelech, whose name means 182 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:50,000 my God is king, does what's right in his own eyes, and he 183 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:57,640 heads east to Moab. He departs the one place where 184 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,200 God's promised to bring blessing. 185 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:08,080 Elimelech leads his family away from the Lord in verse three. 186 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,680 He dies. His wife Naomi is left with two 187 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:18,000 sons. But like father, like son. 188 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:23,040 Look at verse 4. These took Moabite wives. 189 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,720 The name of the one was Orpa and the name of the other Ruth. 190 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,560 These two boys from Bethlehem, Mary Moabites. 191 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,720 What's so bad about that? Remember back to the Book of 192 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,680 Numbers. The king of Moab hired Balaam, a 193 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,240 sorcerer, to curse Israel into oblivion. 194 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:49,200 And when he didn't succeed, he then sent Moabite women into 195 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,680 Israel's camp to seduce them into apostasy. 196 00:14:53,680 --> 00:15:00,560 So Deuteronomy 23 three forbids the entrance of Moabites into 197 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,680 the Lord's assembly to the 10th generation. 198 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:15,320 After 10 years and no children. In verse 5, Naomi's two sons 199 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:23,080 also die. Famine, funerals, infertility. 200 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,400 This is the backdrop of the book of Ruth. 201 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:33,240 And God in his mysterious Providence was behind it all. 202 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:41,880 Why? Live long enough and you'll 203 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:48,160 taste your own share of bitter Providence, overwhelming, 204 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:55,840 unexplainable, seemingly hopeless troubles. 205 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:03,480 And you'll ask, why isn't that the question we so often wonder? 206 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:10,840 Why is this my lot? Why is this happening to me? 207 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:21,800 In verses one to five, we learn that sometimes our suffering is 208 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,280 due to our sin. It's not a sin to lose your job, 209 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,000 but if you lie at work, you may get fired for it. 210 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,200 It's not a sin to have a broken relationship with your child, 211 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:39,400 but if you neglect your child over and over again, you might 212 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:45,000 lose that relationship. Now, to be clear, if you're 213 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,800 suffering today, it doesn't mean you've sinned. 214 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:55,960 But if you've sinned, sin always comes with suffering. 215 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,120 And Ruth, the author, has given us the covenantal context we 216 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,560 need to see the sin and its consequences. 217 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:10,560 Yet even in Ruth, the exact correlation between sin and 218 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,599 suffering is beyond our pay grade. 219 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:15,560 The formula is hidden from human eyes. 220 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,880 We can at least say that some of their suffering was due to their 221 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,960 sin. But God is too mysterious, He's 222 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,240 too wise, for us to fully comprehend his ways. 223 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:30,760 He's hidden his blueprints. So beware of simplistic 224 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:36,560 solutions to suffering and sin. For who has known the mind of 225 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:41,920 the Lord when you're suffering? You may be tempted to think back 226 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:46,200 and see, is this suffering due to some sin in my past? 227 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:50,720 That's often not helpful. Job's friends were confident, 228 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:56,680 certain, absolutely sure that the reason he suffered was 229 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,000 because of secret sin. It was in fact, the opposite. 230 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:07,640 He suffered for righteousness, and God never told him that. 231 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,240 He never knew why. On this side of eternity, 232 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,800 believer, you may never know why. 233 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:24,520 It's always helpful, though, before sinning, to look ahead 234 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:29,720 and see what suffering awaits. Sin always comes with a cost. 235 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:36,840 Sin always brings suffering. What suffering has your sin cost 236 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,800 you? We need to learn to think 237 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,440 soberly about sin and its consequences. 238 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:52,440 In verses 1 to 5, we also learn that sometimes our response to 239 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:58,480 our suffering is sinful. Divine trials. 240 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:02,320 Dr. Elimelech and his family away from the Lord. 241 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:07,040 They exile themselves from God's presence. 242 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,280 See the progression of sin in response to suffering. 243 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,000 Verse one. They went to sojourn in the 244 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,080 country of Moab. Verse 2. 245 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,320 They remained there. Verse 4. 246 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:30,560 They lived there about 10 years. When you choose sin, you are 247 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,040 choosing A trajectory for your life. 248 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:39,240 You're choosing a path. When you look back at times of 249 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,480 suffering, how have you responded? 250 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,840 Did your trials lead you away from the Lord? 251 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:48,360 Did you take matters into your own hands? 252 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:54,280 Did you justify just a little sin and then a little more, or 253 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,120 did you turn to the Lord? Did you walk by faith? 254 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:04,960 Brothers and sisters, you are stewards of your suffering. 255 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:14,400 None of us desire suffering. Each of us will suffer. 256 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,640 We will receive bitter Providence from God's hand, and 257 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:23,800 He has good reasons for it, though we won't often understand 258 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,320 them. How will we respond? 259 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,360 Will we turn to the Lord or turn from Him? 260 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,160 In verses 6 to 18, Naomi responds. 261 00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:45,400 Scene 2 a surprising repentance. Verses 6 to 18, a surprising 262 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,560 repentance. In verses 6 to 18, Naomi 263 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:54,480 responds to bitter Providence. She repents. 264 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:59,120 But Naomi's repentance isn't the most surprising of the story. 265 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:05,080 Look at verses 6:00 and 7:00. Then she arose with her 266 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:09,200 daughters in law to return from the country of Moab, For she had 267 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:13,360 heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people 268 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,240 and given them food. So she set out from the place 269 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,600 where she was with her two daughters in law, and they went 270 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,040 on the way to return to the land of Judah. 271 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:30,040 The scene changes. Naomi begins the journey back to 272 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:32,160 Bethlehem. She returns. 273 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,440 See that word verse 6? Return. 274 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,640 See it again verse 7. They went on the way to return 275 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,000 to the land of Judah. The Hebrew word for return 276 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,680 happens to be the same for the Hebrew word for repentance. 277 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,960 Why does the author use this word? 278 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,280 Because the author presents Naomi's return home as more than 279 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:03,920 a physical return. Naomi's return to Bethlehem is a 280 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:09,440 return to the Lord. In other words, it's repentance. 281 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,680 We can easily miss the significance of this word here 282 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,480 because the Hebrew word for return is not always translated 283 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:21,440 as return in English. It's also translated in chapter 284 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:28,120 1 as turn back verses 11 and 12 and gone back verse 15 and also 285 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:33,640 brought back verse 21. In Hebrew, repetition is a key 286 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:38,040 way to emphasize the significance of an idea and how 287 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,600 important is the idea of repentance as the word appears 288 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:50,680 12 times in chapter, 112 times in 22 verses verse 6, verse 7, 289 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,800 verse 8, verse 10, verse 11, verse 12, two times in verse 15, 290 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,280 verse 16, verse 21, two times in verse 22. 291 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,920 Repentance is the melody of chapter 1. 292 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:12,520 The prodigal is returning home. What leads Naomi home? 293 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,520 Not simply her destitution. Verse 6. 294 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:25,120 She heard the Lord has visited his people and given them food. 295 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,080 What's changed? The good fortunes of Israel. 296 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,080 It's not good luck. It's not random chance. 297 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:35,760 This is divine Providence, divine intervention. 298 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:42,280 God visited his people. God gave them food. 299 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:47,840 It seems that rebellious Israel has also repented. 300 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:50,240 Remember, we're in the days of Judges. 301 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:56,840 In Judges, God promised peace and prosperity in response to 302 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:00,880 repentance. It is God's kindness to Israel 303 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,680 that leads Naomi to the road of repentance. 304 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,720 For the Christian, all of life is repentance. 305 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:18,600 Repentance is the way home. Are you believer walking in the 306 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,840 way of repentance today? When you're learning how to 307 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:27,960 walk, which I'm sure many of you have forgotten, eventually you 308 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:30,720 ditch your parents. You don't want them to hold your 309 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:32,920 hands. You can do it fine on your own. 310 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,560 When you're learning to ride a bike, eventually you ditch the 311 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,440 training wheels. Just two wheels here. 312 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,520 When you're learning to drive a car, which some of you maybe 313 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:47,720 are, eventually you ditch the parent in the passenger seat. 314 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:52,480 You need them no longer. But in this life, the Christian 315 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,480 never ditches the need for repentance. 316 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:03,440 We walk the way of repentance all the way home, which means 317 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:09,880 that each of us needs to regularly and personally repent. 318 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:16,200 Two motivations of repentance. 1A. 319 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:20,120 Sorrow for sin 2 The kindness of God. 320 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,280 In that sense, repentance is bittersweet. 321 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,480 Sin is bitter, but God's mercy in Christ is sweet. 322 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:32,080 Sin is the reason we need to repent, but God's kindness is 323 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:37,120 what brings us to repentance. 2 Practices of repentance. 324 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:43,640 Turning from sin and turning to God, we leave behind Moab and we 325 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,520 make a beeline for Bethlehem. Another way to say this is we 326 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,720 put sin to death and we bring godliness to life. 327 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:59,280 We kill sin, and we cultivate godliness to postures to discern 328 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:04,840 in repentance are between godly grief and worldly sorrow. 329 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:10,480 As Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 7 verse 10, godly grief produces 330 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:14,240 a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, 331 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,560 whereas worldly grief produces death. 332 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,080 Some questions to ask as you consider which one do you 333 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,320 display? Are you sorry because you got 334 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:30,840 caught or are you sorry because you grieved God? 335 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,880 Are you sorry for the consequences of sin or are you 336 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:41,920 sorry because you sinned? Do you hate what's happened 337 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:47,400 because of your sin, or do you hate your sin itself? 338 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,160 We need to discern the difference between godly grief 339 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,280 and worldly sorrow because it will help us see when we care 340 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,520 more about saving face than seeking God. 341 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:08,040 Two challenges 2. Repentance, blindness, and 342 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:12,760 excuses. A physically blind man never 343 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:18,720 denies his disability, but a spiritually blind man can't even 344 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:24,320 see that he's blind. How can you tell if you're 345 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,200 spiritually blind? If you can't see a need for 346 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,800 repentance, it's likely that you can't see yourself clearly. 347 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,200 You're spiritually blind if you don't regularly confess your 348 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,000 sins. It's likely that you don't 349 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:47,360 realize that you sin regularly. But sometimes we see our sin or 350 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:50,520 it's presented to us by brother or sister in the church. 351 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:56,800 But in response we excuse it. Or we hide our sin with vague 352 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:01,240 language like I messed up or I'm struggling. 353 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,520 How should we talk about our sin? 354 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,320 Here's what the Westminster Confession of Faith says. 355 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:15,280 It is every man's duty to endeavor to repent of his 356 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:22,160 particular sins particularly. In other words, we should use 357 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:27,240 specific words and biblical categories to describe our sin. 358 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:35,960 Brother, sister, repent today. If God's exposed sin in your 359 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:40,640 heart, if your conscience is birding you right now, do not 360 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:42,720 delay. Turn from the sin which is 361 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,560 making you miserable. Turn to the God who gives you 362 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,280 more grace. Turn home. 363 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:53,880 It's time to come home. That's what Naomi does. 364 00:28:55,040 --> 00:29:01,080 She returns home. But first she tries to persuade 365 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:06,040 her daughters in law, Orpa and Ruth, to go back to Moab in 366 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,920 verses 8 to 18. Naomi tells her daughters in law 367 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:14,480 three times to turn back. Look at verses 8 to 10. 368 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:17,800 The first time Naomi says to turn back. 369 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,240 She prays that the Lord would deal kindly with them, just as 370 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,800 they've dealt kindly with her and with her family. 371 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,840 She kisses them to depart, but they both weep and refuse. 372 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,640 In verses 11 to 14, Naomi says to turn back a second time. 373 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,800 She explains the great cost if they follow her. 374 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,640 Naomi's a widow. She's too old to have another 375 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,960 husband. She cannot guarantee them 376 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,960 husbands either, or children. Or even hope. 377 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,960 Naomi cannot promise them provision. 378 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,280 They both weep again, but this time there's a parting of ways. 379 00:29:53,240 --> 00:30:01,000 Verse 14 and Orpa kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to 380 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:05,000 her. Orpa makes the rational 381 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,840 decision. She returns home, back to Moab, 382 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:11,480 back to her family, back to her gods. 383 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,760 In verse 14, Orpa exits the scene. 384 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:23,640 Naomi is left alone with Ruth. Ruth clings to Naomi. 385 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,320 She doesn't turn back. She stays put. 386 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,880 The word the author chooses here, cling, is a covenantal 387 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:32,840 term. It's the same term used in 388 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,640 Genesis 224 to describe the responsibility a man has to 389 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:43,160 cling to his wife in marriage. It's also the word used 390 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:47,160 throughout Deuteronomy to describe Israel's responsibility 391 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:54,320 to cling to the Lord. The author here implicitly shows 392 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:59,920 us a glimpse of Ruth's devotion not just to Naomi, but to the 393 00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:05,800 Lord himself. In verses 15 to 18, Ruth makes 394 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:09,160 her devotion explicit for the third time. 395 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:14,480 Naomi tells Ruth to turn back. Naomi says your sister-in-law 396 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:18,120 turned back to her people and to her God. 397 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:21,960 Turn back like her. So Ruth must make a choice here. 398 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,480 It's not just a choice between her own mother and her 399 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:30,040 mother-in-law or between Moab and Israel, but between the gods 400 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,880 of Moab and the one true God of Israel. 401 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:42,440 Here Ruth's declaration in verse 16, Do not urge me to leave you 402 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:48,640 or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and 403 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:53,640 where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people 404 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:58,680 and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and 405 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:03,960 there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me and 406 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,120 more. Also, if anything but death 407 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:13,240 departs me from you. Naomi has nothing left to say. 408 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,640 Silence. Do you see what's happened to 409 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:24,960 Ruth here? This is the surprising 410 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,080 repentance of the chapter. This is Ruth's conversion. 411 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,400 This is her declaration of faith. 412 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:37,400 See the faith of this Moabite. Ruth commits herself irrevocably 413 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,400 to Naomi. She departs Moab for the 414 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,360 Promised Land. She forsakes her gods for the 415 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,280 one true God. She determines never to go back. 416 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,960 Her resolve is total, extending even to death and she confirms 417 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:54,480 her commitment commitment with an oath to her new found Lord. 418 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,000 That is the faith of this Moabite. 419 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:04,720 When God made his covenant with his people, he said, Exodus 3, 420 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:10,200 Exodus 6, I will be your God and you shall be my people. 421 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:15,320 After being told to turn back three times, Ruth says to Naomi, 422 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:20,840 Your people shall be my people, your God, my God. 423 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:28,480 Ruth, a Moabite, an enemy of God and his people, becomes a 424 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,440 friend. Her declaration of faith is the 425 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:36,680 climax of this chapter because her faith makes no worldly sense 426 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,560 whatsoever. The original audience would have 427 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:44,480 been shocked that a Moabite repented and returned to the 428 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:48,800 Lord, and they would have been encouraged to follow in her 429 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:55,040 footsteps. Friends, today you have the same 430 00:33:55,040 --> 00:34:01,880 choice as Orpah and Ruth. Will you turn to God or will you 431 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:06,880 turn from God? Will you walk with God or will 432 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:11,679 you walk away from God? Each of us must repent of our 433 00:34:11,679 --> 00:34:15,000 own sins, for none of us is good according to God. 434 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:19,719 We've rebelled against God, we've disobeyed His commands, 435 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,400 we've fallen short of his glory, we've broken His covenant, and 436 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:32,760 so we've received His judgement. Death in this life, judgement 437 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:37,120 forever. But friend, do you see the 438 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:40,199 steadfast love on display in the book of Ruth? 439 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:44,440 That God, through a bitter Providence, would save a Sinner? 440 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,480 A woman who once lived in Moab now dwells in heaven. 441 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:54,239 That is the kindness of God. Friend, would you let the 442 00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:59,800 steadfast love of God on display in Jesus Christ lead you to 443 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,920 repentance 2000 years ago? He came for our salvation. 444 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:08,320 God sent His only Son to save sinners. 445 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:13,960 The only man who never needed to repent of his own sins died on 446 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,640 the cross to save us from our sins. 447 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:23,200 And on the cross, He bore God's judgment for sinners. 448 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:26,320 And three days later, he rose from the grave. 449 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:30,880 And the tomb is empty because he's seated at the right hand of 450 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:35,360 God the Father. And he will return to judge the 451 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,480 living and the dead. And you must respond. 452 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:43,360 How will you respond? Will you follow in Ruth's 453 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:46,160 footsteps? Would you return to the Lord? 454 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:49,960 Would you run home? Would you repent? 455 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:52,360 Would you let her faith be your faith? 456 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:54,920 Would you let her people be your people? 457 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,240 Would you let her God be your God? 458 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:03,040 That's the choice you must make today. 459 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:06,720 There's great cost of following Jesus Christ. 460 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,200 In some sense, that's what Naomi was trying to persuade Ruth of. 461 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:15,360 There is great cost to following the Lord. 462 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:18,160 Are you sure you want to follow the Lord? 463 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:22,880 But friend, there's more to gain than anything you'll lose in 464 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,640 this life. For if you gain God, you gain 465 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:29,840 everything. Brothers and sisters, there's 466 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:33,160 great cost to following Jesus Christ. 467 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:38,560 But God gives us one another to bear the burdens together. 468 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:42,640 God does not allow us to drink bitter Providence alone. 469 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,560 He doesn't allow us to suffer alone. 470 00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:50,240 He gives us companions who will cling to us on our journey home. 471 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:56,440 Following Christ looks like clinging to God and clinging to 472 00:36:56,440 --> 00:37:02,080 his people. Are you truly clinging to God if 473 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:05,200 you're not clinging to his people? 474 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:10,400 The Christian weeps. The church weeps with those who 475 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,880 weep. The Christian carries burdens. 476 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,400 The church bears one another's burdens. 477 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:24,080 The Christian and the church face bitter Providence together. 478 00:37:24,720 --> 00:37:30,280 The Christian and the church walk in the way of repentance 479 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,760 together. There's one final scene to 480 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,560 consider in chapter 1. The story began in Bethlehem. 481 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:46,720 It's to Bethlehem we return. 3rd And finally, a foretaste of 482 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:49,640 deliverance. Verses 19 to 22. 483 00:37:50,840 --> 00:38:01,080 Look at verses 19 to 22. We see a foretaste of 484 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:05,920 deliverance, but for Naomi, it doesn't feel like deliverance. 485 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:10,160 At least 10 years have passed since Naomi's been in Bethlehem. 486 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:12,920 She departed with her husband and her two sons. 487 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,480 She returns with Ruth in verse 19. 488 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:20,200 The whole town was stirred. The women said, Is this Naomi? 489 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:24,800 But Naomi corrects them. Verse 20 Do not call me Naomi, 490 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:29,200 call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 491 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:35,120 She says I went away full and the Lord has brought me back 492 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,800 empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord 493 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,120 has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity 494 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:48,520 upon me? Naomi, whose name means pleasant 495 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:52,960 tasks to be called Mara, which means bitter. 496 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:57,760 That is her perspective of God's managing of her life. 497 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,520 It's bitter. This is the second time Naomi's 498 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:05,280 expressed this perspective in verse 13. 499 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,920 Look there, she said. It is exceedingly bitter to me 500 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,280 that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. 501 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:17,400 Here again she says the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 502 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,640 And in one sense she's absolutely right. 503 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:26,000 From a famine to three funerals, she's been driven to despair. 504 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,800 If God Almighty is against her, who could possibly help her? 505 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:40,200 But is Naomi right when she says the Lord has brought her back 506 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:43,480 empty? Empty. 507 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:48,360 Did she not return with a loyal daughter-in-law who's forsaken 508 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:52,560 everything to cling to her? Don't you see? 509 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:58,160 In Naomi's suffering she cannot see God's provision, which is 510 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:03,680 standing within arm's reach. In Ruth, she can't see. 511 00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:08,640 God's hidden hand of Providence working for her good. 512 00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:16,360 Behind the scenes in chapter 1, there are three conflicts. 513 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:21,680 The first is the famine, which has just been resolved, verse 514 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,160 22. They're back in Bethlehem at the 515 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:28,360 beginning of barley harvest. They're baking bread in the 516 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:32,440 House of bread. Again, this is a foretaste of 517 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:34,880 more deliverance. It's a sample. 518 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:39,760 Have you ever been to Costco at 11 AM? 519 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,840 That's my family's favorite time to go to Costco, 11:00 AM. 520 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:47,120 Because at 11 AM, they start serving samples. 521 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:51,800 Just a taste, just enough to whet your appetite. 522 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:53,760 They'll point you down the aisle where you can get more. 523 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:59,480 The bread in Bethlehem is a foretaste of deliverance because 524 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,080 there is more deliverance to come in this story. 525 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:07,480 The second conflict in Chapter 1, Ruth's infertility, will be 526 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:08,960 resolved at the end of the story. 527 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,560 The third conflict, which is more behind the scenes in the 528 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:16,200 book of Ruth, that there's no king in Israel, will also be 529 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:20,440 resolved through Ruth in a few generations. 530 00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:23,840 Naomi's tasted A bitter Providence. 531 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:29,440 She thinks God is punishing her. She does not know that God is 532 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:32,320 really restoring her family through Ruth. 533 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,720 She thinks that God is against her. 534 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:41,000 She does not know that God is really rescuing a people through 535 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:44,880 her. She doesn't realize that God's 536 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:49,480 purposes and plans are so often hidden in the moment, but become 537 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:54,880 evident over time. She doesn't realize that the 538 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:59,120 little town of Bethlehem will be the birth place of the King of 539 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:03,080 Israel, David. She does not realize that 540 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:07,680 Bethlehem will be the birth place of the King of Kings, 541 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:13,120 Jesus Christ. She doesn't realize it yet. 542 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:20,160 Brothers and sisters, do you realize what great deliverance 543 00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:25,880 God is working for you and through you, even in the most 544 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:30,880 mundane details, even in bitter Providence? 545 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:36,360 Do you realize that Christ's resurrection, which we celebrate 546 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:41,000 today, is a foretaste of further deliverance? 547 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:45,400 What great deliverance awaits you if you've trusted in Jesus 548 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:49,440 Christ? Do you realize that every moment 549 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:55,680 and every minute and everything in your life comes to you not by 550 00:42:55,680 --> 00:43:02,120 chance, but by God's hand, even the bitter Providence? 551 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:09,920 Friend, let every bitter Providence return you to the 552 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:11,600 Lord. Let's pray. 553 00:43:21,140 --> 00:43:29,580 Father, we declare that whatever you ordain is right, even the 554 00:43:29,580 --> 00:43:32,700 bitter Providence that you send our way. 555 00:43:34,700 --> 00:43:41,480 Would you help our church by the Spirit to return to the Lord in 556 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:51,200 repentance again and again and again, all the way home in Jesus 557 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:52,760 name, Amen.