Where Would You Turn? (Ruth 1:1–22)
The book of Ruth opens in the days of the judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”—and famine drives Elimelech’s family from Bethlehem to Moab. There, tragedy piles on tragedy: Elimelech dies, his sons marry Moabite wives and then die themselves, leaving Naomi and her daughters-in-law as widows. When Naomi decides to return home, she urges Ruth and Orpah to go back to their own people and gods. Orpah does. Ruth, astonishingly, does not—she clings to Naomi and to Naomi’s God, in one of Scripture’s most striking accounts of God converting an outsider’s heart.
Introduction
“O come, O come, Emmanuel!” The season of Advent is the season in which we focus on the arrival or coming of the Lord Jesus. “But he already came.” Yes, he did. He is also coming again. And the Lord in his Word directs our faith to this Second Coming. One of the best ways to anticipate his Second Coming is to celebrate his First Coming. The Christian season of Advent, then, not only focuses our hearts backward, but forward. And that’s what we want to do this year, turning to the little Old Testament book of Ruth.
“But how can we celebrate the incarnation, the arrival of the Son of God in human flesh, by turning to the Old Testament?” How many of you have studied your family name or your family tree? You know that every little detail of your past is precious to you, don’t you? Well, when we turn to the Old Testament what we are reading is the family tree of Jesus. To study Ruth is to study the hand of God in orchestrating human history, and this family in particular, to prepare the way for Israel’s Savior.
Here in chapter 1 we are introduced to the story and to two of its main characters: Naomi and Ruth.
In verses 1–5 we read of the family of Elimelech. They experienced famine in the Promised Land. Where would they turn for help? Where Would You Turn? We read of their going from Bethlehem to Moab.
Then in verses 6–18 we read of widowed Naomi and her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. The famine was over. Would they return to the land? Would Naomi go but her daughters-in-law stay behind? Where Would You Turn? So we read of a journey from Moab back to Bethlehem.
Finally, in verses 19–22 we read of Naomi and Ruth arriving in Bethlehem. As Naomi returned to the land, she did not return alone—Ruth returned with her. It’s really a beautiful story.
The key to understanding Old Testament stories is often just one word. In this chapter that’s true as the one word I’ve just been using is the key: “return” or shub (Sinclair B. Ferguson, Faithful God: An Exposition of the Book of Ruth, 25–26). It’s used twelve times within verses 6–22 (vv. 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15 [twice], 16, 21, 22 [twice]) and we’ll come back to it later in the sermon.
A Sorrowful Condition
In verses 1–5 and 19–21, I want you to see a sorrowful condition.
National sorrow
There was national sorrow. Look at the first verse: In the days when the judges ruled. What do you think of when you hear “judges?” You think of great saviors, don’t you? But look at the verse that is just previous to Ruth 1:1. To find it you have to go back to the book of Judges 21:25. We read those infamous words: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what we right in his own eyes.” Where was the Lord? He was ruling the universe, but his people were disobedient. They did what was right in their eyes, not the Lord’s.
And what did the Lord say in his law to Israel would happen to them if they were disobedient? He said a lot, but one of things he said would happen would be famine. Look with me at Deuteronomy 28:15:
“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”
One of these curses is famine. Look at verses 17–18:
“Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.”
Look at verses 22–23:
“The Lord will strike you…with drought and with blight…And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.”
And so we read in our story, there was a famine in the land (v. 1). The land was promised to be a land flowing with milk and honey, and the city from which this family came, Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” are now barren because Israel was unfaithful to the Lord.
Familial sorrow
And that sorrow extended to families. So we read here of a man of Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and his two sons who left the Promised Land, who left the house of bread, and went to sojourn in the country of Moab (v. 1). “He had to or else they would starve to death.” They very well may have under the curse of the Lord. But they went to Moab.
Moab! He was the product of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his eldest daughter (Gen. 19:30–38).
Moab! This was the nation king Balak ruled, who hired Balaam to curse Israel on their way out of Egypt.
Moab! This is where seductive women came from and ensnared Israel’s men into ungodly relationships at Baal Peor (Num. 25:1).
Moab! The last time we read of them in the story of Scripture as back in the book of Judges—and they were oppressing Israel! (Judg. 3)
And Elimelech, whose name means, “my God is king,” died (v. 3). His legacy of God supposedly being his king was not a shining example as he not only leaves the land of his King for this place but his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion (v. 2), took Moabite wives (v. 3). This phrase “took” is not the normal word used for taking a wife in marriage, and in fact highlights the sinful nature of these marriages (Duguid, 134 n5).
So there is sorrow in the land because a famine has come upon them all for their disobedience.
Then there’s the sorrow of Naomi becoming a widow.
Then there’s the sorrow of her sons’ disobedience in marrying Gentile wives by force.
Then there’s the sorrow of living like this for ten long years because of the famine.
There’s the sorrow of ten long years of barrenness with no children and grandchildren.
And there’s the sorrow of Naomi not only being a widow, but a childless mother, outliving and burying her own sons (v. 5).
All this added up to Naomi’s sorrowful confession after she and Ruth made it back to Bethlehem. While the whole town was stirred at their arrival (v. 19), Naomi laments, saying,“Do not call me Naomi”—which is “pleasant”—“call me Mara”—which is “bitter,” like the waters of Marah in Exodus 15. Why does she say this?
“For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (vv. 21–22)
What a sorrowful condition!
A Surprise Conversion
But into the darkness shines light! Into weakness comes strength! When all seems impossible then we find that with God all things are possible! When there is sorrow with us, there is hope with God! How so? Notice the second main point here is a surprise conversion.
What do we read here? Then she—that is, Naomi—arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab. There’s the first use of that word translated “return.” It’s used in the Old Testament for conversion, for turning from sin to the Savior. And all seems hopeful in verse 6 as Naomi turns from Moab to go back to the Promised Land. Why? For she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.
She hears the good news, but notice, it’s just about the food that she hears and for which she wants to return. Like the crowds in Jesus’ day, she is attracted to the miraculous working of the Lord because it can fill her belly. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah (v. 7). “That’s the surprise,” you’re thinking? No. It’s not Naomi’s conversion that is so surprising.
The surprise comes in the midst of the threefold conversation in verses 8–18.
As Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth are traveling, for some reason Naomi turns to the other two and says, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house” (v. 8). Notice that Naomi sees their return in merely humanistic terms: “go back to your families, and oh, here’s a pious blessing for the journey”: “May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead—your husbands—and with me.” The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” (vv. 8–9). But this was no monologue. We read that both Orpah and Ruth said to Naomi, “No, we will return with you to your people” (v. 10).
Then comes dialog two. Naomi again initiates it: “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?” (v. 11) Notice again the merely horizontal, humanistic focus on houses and husbands:
“Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me” (vv. 12–13).
Naomi recognizes the Lord, but only as the one who is against her. So they all cried and while Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, implying “goodbye,” we read, but Ruth clung to her (v. 14).
What? That’s strange! That’s surprising! Children, have you ever clung to your mom’s or dad’s leg when they were trying to leave for work? That’s what Ruth is doing here. In fact, that word “clung” (davaq) is the word that was used of the marriage relationship between Adam and Eve in the beginning in Genesis 2:24. And it gets transferred to the relationship between the Lord and his people, as his people are called upon in the book of Deuteronomy to cling to the Lord (e.g., Deut. 10:20; 13:4).
Why is Ruth clinging to Naomi? I mean, up to this point all she’s seen of the Lord has been his frowning, harsh providence in the lives of her extended family. In other words, humanly speaking, there has been nothing presented to her to make the Lord God of Israel look attractive to her! This should clue us in that something very, very surprising is going on here beyond what we’d ever expect. Something divine is occurring.
And we see that explicitly in the third dialog. Again, Naomi is dumfounded and urges Ruth to leave: “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law” (v. 15). Naomi doesn’t even try to evangelize Ruth! She breaks every rule in the personal evangelism playbook, in fact, and tells her to return to her families’ gods! But God is at work here!
Finally, Ruth speaks: “Do not urge me to leave you or to returnfrom following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge” (v. 16). Here is where most scholars focus, “Ah, isn’t this a wonderful story of love and commitment?” Yes it is. But there’s a reason why. Keep reading: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried” (vv. 16–17). “I identify with the people of the Lord, the Lord himself, and the Lord’s land. Body and soul, in life and in death I belong to the Lord!” (HC, Q&A 1)
Ruth covenants with Naomi, even as the Lord covenants with his people: “May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (v. 17). In fact, that phrase, “your God my God,” is Ruth’s personalization of what is known as the covenant formula. In the Old Testament over and over again we read the Lord saying to his people this—for example, Leviticus 26:12—“I…will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
Do you see how surprising this conversion is? While the Israelite matron, Naomi, is “returning,” but merely to the land, it is the Moabitess, the Gentile, the outsider, she who was “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,” she who was a “stranger[…] to the covenants of promise,” and she who had “no hope and [who was] without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12) who was returning to the Lord.
The real surprise is why, and that comes in chapter 4, so I’ll save it for now…no peaking!
Conclusion
You see, it would take a Gentile to turn to the Lord in order that the Lord might return to his own people, and to us!
For now, though, we can just revel in the irony of God converting a Gentile! What a gracious God! Our God loves to save outcasts. He loves to save the unlikely person. Is that you today? Amen.