We're continuing our series in the book of Ruth. We're going to turn to Ruth chapter 1. We're going to read verses 1-18 and we're going to focus on verses 7-18. We looked at verses 1-6 last week. This morning we're going to read 1-18 and focus on verses 7-18. Ruth chapter 1, we'll start our reading at verse 1 and read to verse 18. This is the word of our God. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi. And the names of his two sons were Malon and Kilion. They were Ephrathrites from Bethlehem and Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Malon and Kilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 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. But Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, No, we will return with you to your people. But Naomi said, turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your 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? Know, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.' Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you. When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more." That's as far as we're reading in Ruth chapter one. As always, I would encourage you to keep your Bibles open. We'll look at these verses together. Well, dear people of God, earlier this week I heard a story of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus. Maybe some of you have heard of him. Jack Nicklaus. The story of Jack Nicklaus goes like this. At the start of every new golf season, Jack Nicklaus would go back to the man who first taught him how to play golf. With a club in his hand, he would look at his old mentor and say, all right, teach me how to golf. His mentor would then show him how to hold the club, how to swing the club, where to position your feet, and so on. His mentor took him back to the basics. In our Christian life, it's also helpful to go back to the basics on a regular basis. You might think that you're too old or too far progressed in your sanctification to do that, but we always need to be falling back on the truths of God's word, reminding ourselves that the Lord provides, reminding ourselves of God's love, Reminding ourselves that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Reminding ourselves that Christ rose from the dead so that we would one day live with him forever in glory. It's important to go back to the basics. Because the basics provide a sturdy foundation for our lives. We still live in a world affected by sin. And when the earthquakes of life come upon us, our lives need a sturdy, unbreakable foundation. We actually see that play out in both a positive and a negative way here in Ruth 1, 7-18. So let's look at these verses together this morning. We're going to begin by looking at Naomi's return to Israel, and this is where we'll spend the majority of our time. Remember what prompted this journey. We read in verse 6 that Naomi had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited His people and given them food. Remember, this was during the time of the judges. So despite the sins of Naomi's family and the sins of the people of Israel, the Lord has shown himself to be faithful once again. And after hearing the message of the Lord's provision, Naomi begins her journey home. But she doesn't begin this journey alone. with her are her two Moabite daughters-in-law. And this is actually kind of interesting. Because Ruth and Orpah were only connected to Naomi through their marriages to Malon and Kilion. And so given that all three of these women had lost their husbands, it would actually make a whole lot of sense for Naomi to return to Israel, but for Ruth and Orpah to remain in Moab. But here, Ruth and Orpah set off with their mother-in-law to a land that they've never been to before, and a land that they've never seen before. Then, as they travel along the road, Naomi says to them in verses eight and nine, go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them and they lifted up their voices and wept. Naomi tells them to go back home. She tells them to go back to where they rightfully belong. And as their conversation continues into verse 13, we actually read that Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to do this three different times. Return, turn back, turn back. It's all the same Hebrew word, the Hebrew word shuv. She's saying, go back to Moab. Your future is there. Your life is there. That is where you belong. And in some respects, this is commendable. It would make sense for Ruth and Orpah to find shelter, to find security, to find safety, and to find their future in the land of Moab. They were native Moabites. Moab was their home, and as far as we can tell, it's the only home that they've ever known. And so, Naomi clearly loved her daughters-in-law, and she clearly wanted the best for them. But if we dig a little bit deeper, we actually see a significant and substantial problem in Naomi's words. Remember, Israel was a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Israel was the place where the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, had set his love and set his name. It was the promised land and the inheritance of God's redeemed covenant people. And Israel was commissioned by God to be a blessing to the nations. The Lord called Israel out of slavery in Egypt and he settled them in the promised land so that all the nations of the world could be blessed through Abraham's descendants. You see, the nations of the world were supposed to look at Israel, they were supposed to see what was going on in Israel, and then in response to that, they were supposed to be drawn to participate in and become a part of that covenant community. But here, Naomi is telling Ruth and Orpah to go back to Moab. She's telling them to go back to a land filled with the Lord's enemies, a land filled with idolatry, a land saturated with paganism. She's telling them to go back to the land of darkness, to return to the place that is outside the covenant community of God, where her husband died. She's telling her daughters-in-law to stay away from the only place where true life and blessing can possibly be found. Essentially, she's saying to them, there's no future for you in Israel. There's no life for you in Israel. The promised land is a dead end. You see, Naomi is doing some serious anti-evangelism here. She's telling Ruth and Orpah that entering into the covenant community of God isn't worth it for them. She's telling her daughters-in-law, women who she clearly loved and women who clearly loved her, that Israel will offer them nothing. In fact, she even pronounces a blessing upon them if they return in verse 9. May the Lord bless you as you return to a land of paganism and idolatry. May the Lord bless you as you turn to a life of sin and wickedness. You see, this is the exact opposite of what the Lord had said to His people. Naomi builds on that in verse 11 and into the beginning of verse 13. She says, Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may become your 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? She's given them all kinds of reasons why they shouldn't go back to Israel. She says, look, I'm too old to have a husband. I can't have kids, and so who are you going to marry? What she's suggesting is that there are no potential husbands for them in Israel. For Naomi, there aren't any men in Israel who could marry Ruth and Orpah. There might be plenty of fish in the Sea of Moab, but not in the Sea of Israel. Now it's true that Ruth and Orpah were foreigners, and marrying foreigners was strictly forbidden by God in order to keep the land of Canaan pure and undefiled. But remember, that didn't seem to be an issue for Naomi's family before. Malon and Kilion married these Moabite women. So it appears as though Naomi wasn't concerned about that. But then in verse 13, we really get to the heart of what's going on here. Second part of verse 13. Naomi says, know my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. You see, what Naomi is saying here is that she has nothing to offer her daughters-in-law and Israel has nothing to offer her daughters-in-law. Because Naomi is convinced that the Lord is against her. She's convinced that the Lord has become her enemy. Her hope is gone. Her faith is shattered. It's hanging by a thread. There's barely any, if any, trust in the Lord here. She isn't looking to the Lord for blessings. She isn't trusting in the Lord's promises. She doesn't believe that the Lord can provide for her or for her daughter's-in-law. And so she tells them to go home to Moab. But like we've already seen in Ruth 1, there's some serious irony here. Naomi says that the hand of the Lord has gone out against her. But she's literally on her way back to the promised land because the Lord had visited his people by giving them food. The Lord had once again showed himself faithful, but Naomi is still convinced that the Lord doesn't have her best interests in mind. She's still convinced that the Lord is out to get her. She's forgetting that it was the sin of her family that put them in Moab in the first place. She's forgetting that it was the sin of Israel that caused the Lord to discipline them with a famine in the first place. She's forgetting the faithfulness of God who delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the promised land of Canaan. Naomi has completely lost the roadmap. She's completely forgetting the basics of who God is and what he's done for his people, because this is what sin does. Sin blinds us to our own sin. Sin causes us to forget the grace and promises of God. Sin keeps us from going back to the basics of God's love and providence. Sin corrupts and distorts what we believe and know to be true. Sin tempts us to think that the Lord is out to get us and that his hand of blessing has been removed from us. Sin even causes us to blame the Lord for our misfortunes. But maybe we're being too harsh on Naomi. It's clear that these women were in a very, very trying and difficult situation. They were widows who were spinning their wheels. No husbands, and in that day and age, that would mean no protection, no food, no income. All three of these women were exposed and helpless. Couple that with the death of their husbands and all the grief and sorrow that comes with that. We're not exactly looking at a happy situation here. Again, the book of Ruth starts in the dust, in the darkness. So maybe we're being a bit too harsh. Then again, maybe not. Because think about what Naomi's solution is. rooted in her own anger, bitterness, and dissatisfaction with the Lord. Naomi's solution for Ruth and Orpah to restart their lives and find some peace and solace and blessing is for them to go not to the Lord, not to the land of blessing, but to Moab, to the land of idolatry and darkness. You see, what Naomi is doing here is essentially telling Ruth and Orpah to go back to the idols of this world to find peace and blessing. She's telling Ruth and Orpah that they need to put their stock and their trust in their homeland, in their family, in their potential second husband, in their earthly future, and in their earthly home. There's absolutely no indication here whatsoever that Naomi even thought for a second that the Lord could provide for her, watch over her, and then bless Ruth and Orpah in Israel. And that's a serious problem. But it's a serious problem that prompts an important question for all of us to ask ourselves. Again, it's easy to point fingers. But we saw last time that we are much more like a limeleck than we tend to think. And so maybe we're a lot more like Naomi than we tend to think. When life gets difficult, when you experience grief or sorrow, when your sins are exposed, when you're dealing with sickness or pain, where do you go? Where do you go for rest? Where do you go for peace? Where do you go for help in your time of need? Because the devil tempts us to think and tempts us to run to the idols of this world. He tempts us to find peace, to find release from stress, or even to find spiritual rest in things like the bottle, or things like pornography, or in casual, no-strings-attached sex, or in binge-watching TV shows or movies, or in wasting hours playing video games, or in our money, or in our status in society, maybe even in sports or fantasy fiction as some kind of escape. You see, the devil tempts us to think that reading the Bible, looking to the Lord, going to church, or getting on our hands and knees in prayer isn't going to help us at all. He tempts us to think that the Lord has nothing for us, that the Lord can't help us. He even tempts us to think that the Lord is out to get us. He causes us to doubt the love and providence of God, and he throws snares in our path so that we fall into sin. And we get trapped in those snares all the time. Instead of looking to the Lord, we use sin and the idols of this world to find spiritual rest and refreshment. You see, this is a call for us to examine our lives and to consider where we go when things get difficult. Do you look to the idols of this world like Naomi tells Ruth and Orpah to do? Or do you look to the Lord? Do you trust in the Lord's providence? Do you look to the Lord for help in your time of need? Or do you go somewhere else? Remember, Naomi is saying all of this as she's on her way back to Israel after she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited His people and given them food. And she still failed to see the Lord's hand of blessing. And then she gives some pretty bad advice to her daughters-in-law. But you see, the call and the warning here is even more urgent for us because we are New Testament believers. We live in the shadow of the cross. Remember what we discussed last week. The Lord has given us bread from heaven. The Lord in his grace and providence has given us Jesus. And so should we not trust him for help and for strength in our time of need? Should we not look to the Lord for help, for life, for relief, for rest, for strength, for blessing, for hope, for mercy, for sustenance in all things and at all times? And so when things get tough, when stress is high, when pain is unbearable, and when sorrow shatters your heart, go back to the basics. Remember the Lord's love. Remember the Lord's provision. Go to the cross. Look into the empty tomb. See the love of your God and Savior, and then let your heart and your soul look to the Lord, look to God, look to the one who saves you, and to the one who gives you blessing, and to the one and the only one who can give you life and peace. You see, the theme of the Lord's providence is a dominant theme, if not the most predominant theme in the book of Ruth. This whole story is about the love and providence of God that he shows to sinful, rebellious, and fickle people. And the big message here, already in chapter one, is that we are called to look to the Lord for everything that we need. Because if we have already seen the salvation of our God in the cross and the empty tomb of our Lord Jesus, if our biggest need has already been met, And should we not look to the Lord at all times and for all things? Why would we go anywhere else? And really, that takes us to our second point this morning, because as our text continues, we see Ruth's response to Naomi. Again, Naomi keeps telling Ruth and Orpah to return home, return, return, shoo, shoo, shoo. Finally, in verse 14, Orpah is convinced. They weep, they say goodbye, and Orpah returns to Moab. And we never read of Orpah again. She completely disappears from the pages of scripture. Orpah returns to Moab, and she is completely forgotten. Why? Because she looked for peace and life in the wrong place. She looked for refuge and a future outside the covenant community of God, and as we saw last week, you won't find it there. You won't find peace and blessing outside the kingdom of God. It simply can't be done. But look at what Ruth does at the end of verse 14. Just five very simple words in English, but Ruth clung to her. Ruth clung to her. This is the language of devotion and love. This is the language of respect and humility. Ruth absolutely refuses to let Naomi go. She clings to her. What she says is even more special. Look at verses 16 to 17. You see, Ruth is committing herself entirely to Naomi. She's gonna go wherever Naomi goes. She's gonna stay wherever Naomi stays. She's gonna become part of the covenant people of God. Naomi's God will be her God and she's even going to die where Naomi dies. Ruth is so committed to trusting in the Lord and showing loyalty to her mother-in-law that nothing is going to stop her or stand in her way. She even pronounces a curse on herself at the end of verse 17. May the Lord do to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you. I had a seminary professor who basically summarizes the story this way. He says, Naomi is telling Ruth and Orpah to return, to return, to return. But it gets to the point where Ruth has had enough and she simply looks at Naomi and says, stop it. No more. I'm staying with you no matter what and you can't do anything to stop me. It shows us two very special things. First, it shows us Ruth's remarkable determination and loyalty. This is something that's gonna pop up a few times in the coming weeks as we continue through this book. Ruth knew that her mother-in-law needed to be cared for and provided for, and Ruth was determined to make sure that that happened. It's a remarkable expression of love and devotion. But secondly, and you might have guessed it, this reveals some more irony. Because Ruth was a foreigner. Ruth was born and raised in Moab. She had never once set foot in Israel. She had no clue what was going to happen to her, what was waiting for her on the other side. But she knew somehow, and for some reason, that Israel is where she needed to be. And at the same time that all of that is going on in Ruth's head, Naomi, the native Israelite, sees no future in Israel for Ruth whatsoever. Ironically, the native Israelite sees Israel as a dead end, but the foreign Moabite sees Israel as a land of opportunity and blessing. So you kind of have to ask, what's going on here? How is this possible? How is it that a Gentile is showing more faith in the God of Israel than an Israelite is? Why is Ruth so determined to go to Israel? What has prompted this loyalty and hope in her heart and mind? Well, from the text, there can only be one explanation. Think about what happened between the death of Elimelech, Mallon, and Killion, and these widows packing up and going to Israel. The answer is found in verse six. Naomi had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. And when Naomi heard that message, there is no doubt whatsoever that she shared that message with Ruth and Orpah. And so Ruth had heard the message of the Lord's provision. Ruth had heard the good news of the Lord's blessing, and it prompted a faithful response in her heart. You see, this is the gospel reaching the ears and the souls of the Gentiles. This is the good news of the gospel reaching and impacting the hearts of those who were born outside the covenant community of God. This is God, the faithful King, who is fulfilling Israel's mission, both through them, and here in Ruth 1, in spite of them. The Lord is calling Naomi to return home. And he's calling Ruth to turn to him. Because this is what the gospel does. This is what the message of the Lord's salvation and providence does. It calls people from every tribe and language and people and nation to come to the Lord Jesus Christ for life and for blessing. Because we find true, pure, eternal rest in Christ alone. Because Christ, the true bread from heaven, came down to redeem sinners like us and to bring us back into fellowship with God. He laid down His life so that ours would be spared and saved. He rose from the dead so that we could be brought through the gates of glory and into eternal fellowship with God. Christ died so that all those who believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. And however minimal Ruth's understanding of that message was, when she heard that the Lord had visited his people by giving them food, it prompted something in her heart that compelled her and made her determined to follow that God, to serve that God, to commit herself to Naomi, to go to the Promised Land, and to look to the God of Israel for life and blessing. You see, Ruth's response, Ruth's actions here, are a faith-filled response to the message of God's providence. That can be the only explanation for what we read here in Ruth 1. Prompted by the message of God's amazing grace, Ruth responds in faith and trust. In verse 18, Naomi finally realizes that there's nothing she can do to keep Ruth from going with her. And so she allows Ruth to go. And I love that little detail. She said no more. It must have been a pretty quiet walk back to Judah. Ruth clung to Naomi. And as the story of Ruth unfolds, we're going to see how the Lord will use Ruth to provide for Naomi. But for now, the take-home point from these verses is what we see in the actions of Ruth. Her posture is the posture of faith and trust. And when we hear the message of God's provision, when we hear the message of the cross, it creates a sense of hope and trust in the hearts of God's people. It should bring joy and hope to our souls because it's the message of salvation. It's the message of God's love. It's the message of God's amazing grace that came to us full force in the personal work of Jesus Christ. And we need to think about that message. We need to go back to the basics in times of difficulty. Because when things get tough, if we go back to the basics, we'll be encouraged to look to the Lord in faith, with trust, and with hope that our God will provide. And so heed the advice of Proverbs 3, five to eight. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Let's pray together. Lord and Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for your grace and your mercy. We are so thankful for the message of the Gospel that it reminds us of your great love for us. Love that manifested itself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We thank you for the love of our Savior, who willingly laid down his life so that we could be saved. Father, when things get rocky, when things get difficult, when we truly feel the effects of living in a world that is still affected by sin, We pray that you help us, that by your spirit you remind us of your love and your providence, that you remind us of your goodness, that for those who love the Lord, all things work together for good. May we see the big picture. May we look to you for hope. May we look to you in faith. May we look to you with trust, knowing and believing that you have our best interests in mind, that you love us, that you care for us, and that you are watching over us. who you bless us in this, give us strength to do so. May we look to our Savior, may we look to you for all that we need, for body and for soul. We pray all of this in Jesus' most precious name. Amen.