Could I say that as we consider the story of Ruth in this opening chapter, we witness a very important choice that was made by two individuals. Those two individuals were the daughters-in-law of Naomi. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. We saw in one of the messages the decisions that are recorded that were momentous. In the case of Orpah, she made a backward choice. In the case of Ruth, a blessed choice. And I do believe that these two are representative of the kinds of spiritual choices that are made by people throughout the ages. And as we focused on the choice made by Ruth the Moabiteess, we concentrated last time upon The dedication to be recognized. The dedication to be recognized in the words of Ruth to Naomi. They're found in verses 16 and 17. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me." There were many people at that particular time who traded their opportunities in the land of blessing and privilege and promise for the empty dreams and the broken promises of the land of Moab. In actual fact, Moab was where the real famine was, even though there may have been outwardly bread that was available. And Naomi learned that lesson to her bitter cost. And obviously that's the kind of condemnation under which this sinful world of ours is laboring. There are many who are under that impression, that misapprehension today. There are people who have strayed far away from God, far away from His people, far away from the fields that are full of covenant provision. But as we think of them, we think that the story of Naomi ought to be encouraging to them, because it's the story of the whole Bible. It's the story of the grace of God to those who were afar off, but who are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Those who are outside the covenant, who are brought in to enjoy those covenant promises. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 13 and the verses thereafter. Naomi, with her family, strayed far from God, far from the covenant blessings, from the covenant promises, from the covenant opportunities. And she found bitterness in her soul as a result of that. And we will find that as well. That the more distance we put between ourselves and the blessings and the privileges of God's covenant, the more it will be that pleasantness and sweetness will give way to bitterness in our lives. The Gospel calls us to come to the God of the covenant, not to go away from Him. Naomi strayed from the Lord God, from Jehovah, the God of Israel, and she found emptiness. And as you look through the Bible, And the ways in which God deals with men and women, you'll find that this one thing stands out time and time again. In order for somebody to enjoy the blessing of God, they have to be emptied. Emptied of themselves and brought to a place where the Lord can bless them. Naomi left the covenant land to go into the pagan idolatry of Moab. But then the Lord began to work. And as the Lord worked, He worked in Ruth. We saw in our last message the dedication that's to be recognized. She really was like Jephthah in that she said, I have opened my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back. I'm not going back to Moab because there's nothing for me there. And that's the way it is for the believer in regards to the things of the world. You may go back to the world and the husks that the swine would eat, but you're going to find that it's not satisfying to your soul, because as a Christian, you're spoiled for the world. If you can go back to the world and stay there, you're not a Christian. But if you can stray from God and find bitterness and sadness in that straying, There is a way back to God from the dark paths of sin. Ruth found that all things changed for her when she came to make this decision, this great choice. That, of course, was the result of God's work in her heart. Naomi, where you go, that's where I'm going. Your people, they're going to be my people. And most importantly, your God is going to be my God. So with Ruth, she found a new pathway, a path that led away from Moab and everything within it, and that led to a new life in Judah. Not only did she find a new pathway, she found a new place. She committed herself to Naomi and to the place where she would be. And we made the point last time, we make it again, that God's people ought to love the church, the house of God and the place of worship. Because you're going to find the Lord in the company of His own. As one put it, it is in the company of the sheep that we find the shepherd. A new place. And of course, there was also a new people. Thy people shall be my people. There's something wrong if you don't have a love in your heart for God's people. You profess to be a child of God. You ought to rejoice in the fellowship of the children of God. Ruth also found, as well as a new place and a new people and a new pathway, a new possession. She belonged now to the Lord, and the Lord belonged to her. That's why she could say, Thy God shall be my God. Remember, she had been an idolater. Remember, she had been someone living in paganism. And now she says, I'm not going to be worshipping that way anymore. Thy God shall be My God, there is only one true and living God, and if you're not worshipping Him, you're worshipping the wrong God. But then there was a new prospect, a future of blessing. Having left Moab for good, she was going to go on until death parted her and Naomi. There was a dedication to God and His people that was going to continue A lifelong commitment to serving the Lord. And that would ultimately end up in glory itself. So we have here not only the decisions that are recorded and the dedication to be recognized where Ruth had a change of family by God's grace, a change of faith, a change of friends and of fellowship, and a change of future. She had no idea what blessings lay ahead of her. But this was also something that applied to her mother-in-law. And so in the closing verses of chapter 1, I'd like us to notice the destination that was reached. From verse 19, the Bible says, So they too went until they came. to Bethlehem. And at the end of verse 22 it says, And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. The focus at this point of the chapter is not just on Ruth, but on Naomi. And if Ruth is typical as she is of a repenting sinner, then Naomi speaks to us of a returning saint. I think she is fairly typical of a backslider who is restored to the fellowship of the Lord. And as such, she is an encouragement to people like that. I want to speak today on three things concerning Naomi. First of all, I want you to note where Naomi had come from. And here we're talking about the past. Look at verse 21. Here's her testimony. I went out full. and the Lord hath brought me home again empty." She's looking back to what happened in the earlier part of chapter 1 of Ruth. It's recorded, I went out. I went out full. You could say satisfied. But the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Where Naomi had come from, the past is in view. Now, how complicit she had been in the move to Moab, it's hard for me to say. However, it is interesting to note the wording here, I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again. She didn't say the Lord took me out. She said I went out. Backsliding and drifting spiritually, friends, is your own fault. The Lord doesn't lead you to Moab. The Lord doesn't lead you away from the place of blessing. Naomi and her husband Elimelech together made a decision to go down to Moab. It was a decision made apparently not by faith, but by sight, to leave the covenant community and to go to a place of idolatry. Here's what happened in the past. She was guided by circumstances and by outward events, by the fact that there was a famine And what she judged to be a bad situation, and her husband, what was to be a bad situation for their family, and said, well, we're going this other way. But that wasn't the Lord. She doesn't say here, the Lord took me out full, and the Lord brought me home again empty. No, the Lord had nothing to do with her going out. Even though He was ruling over it by providence, and we've already made that known in a former message how the providence of God was at work here, the overruling sovereignty of God is seen, even in the fact that Ruth came into the family of God, into Naomi's family, and the whole course of human history was changed. But the fact remains that that was a disastrous move. Go back to chapter 1, verse 3. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. And she was left and her two sons. Verse 5. And Malon and Cileon died also, both of them. And the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Verse 13. At the end of the verse she says, It grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. She is openly speaking of this as a disastrous move that resulted in the chastisement of God. And is it not remarkable that she goes on from there in verses 20 and 21 to speak further about this hand of chastening. She says in verse 20, the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. Verse 21, the Lord hath brought me home again empty. The Lord hath testified against me. The Almighty hath afflicted me. All of these are indications that she had been in a backslidden condition. The Lord hath dealt bitterly with me. The Lord hath testified against me. The Lord hath afflicted me. Friends, a backslider is not in a good place. When a true believer gets away from the path of obedience, and it can happen, and it does happen, it never turns out well. Never does. Whenever you look for plenty in Moab, you find only the bitterness of sin and death, as we've already spoken of. Naomi spoke of the fact that she came back empty. Verse 21, I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. This is something that the Lord does. In order for a man to enjoy once again the blessings of the Lord, he needs to be emptied. He needs to be emptied of self, of his self-importance, of his own pride, because that's what drives a wedge between someone and God. And Naomi admits this. She's reflecting on the way by which the Lord has taken her. God emptied me. I left Bethlehem with a fullness and I'm coming back with absolutely nothing. She's had to learn that only by being emptied could she enjoy the blessing of God. in Bethlehem. And that emptiness in her soul was going to be the way to a greater discovery and experience of the blessing of God and the nearness of God. And so it will be with you when you return from backsliding. Naomi strayed from the God of the covenant and it brought a real emptiness to her soul. Let me just say this, it's a good thing when God empties a soul of self. You think of the sinner who thinks himself to be something that he's not. Before he's ever going to be saved, the Lord's going to have to empty him of his own self-righteousness, of his self-dependence, of his pride in himself. That's necessary before he can know the blessing of the Lord. And Naomi, as a returning saint, confessed that this is what God had done in her. The Lord hath brought me home again empty. This was the grace of God at work. God has to do this in the saving of the sinner. We recall the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18 verse 3. He brought a little child unto him and he set him in the midst and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Sometimes you can be too big for God to bless. You need to become like the child, emptied of everything of self. And I think what is true of the sinner is also true in the using of a believer in service. God has to empty that one of self. Think of that hymn. Channels only, blessed Master, but with all thy wondrous power flowing through us, thou canst use us every day and every hour. It says in one of those verses, emptied that thou mightest fill me. A clean vessel in thy hand, with no power, but as thou givest graciously with each command. Channels only. We need to be emptied of self. This is where Naomi had come from in the past. From a position of straying and backsliding where the Lord brought her to an emptiness in herself so that he might fill her with the fullness of God. But where Naomi had come from in the past gives way to where Naomi had come to in the present. Here's the grace of God at work and we see in verses 19 and 20 They too, that's Naomi and Ruth, went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them. And they said, is this Naomi? Is this Naomi? She had changed so much. That she was unrecognizable as the same person. I know that there's a lot of changes that come on people in 10 years. Sometimes it doesn't take 10 years for big changes. You wanted to look at some of your pictures from a few years ago and you think to yourself, is that me? Is this Naomi? It's been ten years since she's been in Bethlehem. She was recognized by the people, but they weren't quite sure if it was her. Now, I know that people can change a lot in ten years, but is there not perhaps an indication here of the consequences of straying from the Lord? Is it not the case that backsliding can leave its mark on the life? Is this Naomi? Is this really the person who left 10 years ago? Oh, how she's changed. But again, she had acknowledged God's hand of chastening in those verses I've already quoted, verse 13, verse 20 and verse 21. She talked about the Lord's hand being against her, about the chastening hand of the Lord being upon her life. Now, it was a good thing. that Naomi could trace the hand of the Lord in her life. That was a good thing. I'll tell you what's a really bad thing when you can go off into deep dyed sin and the Lord doesn't do anything about it. That's not a good sign. You see, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 that the Lord chastens all those that are his. Those who are his true children are going to feel the chastening hand of God upon their life. And Naomi could, while she was feeling bitter about things, she was feeling disappointed about things, she was sad, she was grieved. In fact, she uses the term, it grieveth me much, verse 13, for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. This is a woman who is in a sad condition, yet at the same time, she could rejoice that the hand of God was still upon her life. The Lord was still working in Naomi. That's always something to be thankful for. The psalmist could pray. Be not silent unto me, lest, if thou be silent unto me, I be like those that go down into the pit." Oh, the awfulness of a silent God. It's good when God continues to speak to you. And in Psalm 37, we read that wonderful text about the providence of God in a believer's life. Psalm 37, 23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Oh, it's a great thing to know that the hand of the Lord is upon us, that he's ordering our way, that he doesn't leave us alone. Providence is ruling over all. And if we can see the hand of God in all of our afflictions, it will enable us to bear up under them. That's how it was with Job. Job was able to acknowledge that it was the hand of the Lord upon his life that caused so much affliction and trouble to him. Job 23, from verse 10, he said, But he knoweth the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Verse 14, For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me. And many such things are with him. The Lord is working on my life. Moulding me. The Lord is shaping me. The Lord is trying and testing me so that I will come forth as pure gold. Now see the change in Naomi's name that she suggested. This is really interesting. Whenever they said, is this Naomi? She answered in verse 20, Call me not Naomi, which means sweet or pleasant. Call me Mara, which means bitter. For the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me." Don't be calling me pleasant. Don't be calling me sweet. Call me bitter. I was thinking of the contrast that there is with this in the book of Exodus, in chapter 15, where we read at the end of that chapter from verse 23, And when they, that's the children of Israel, came to Marah, And the word there is a similar word to what Naomi uses. It signifies bitterness. When they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord. And the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them. And I think the lesson that's there of the Lord in answer to prayer, showing Him a tree that cast into the waters, made the waters sweet, speaks to us of the experience of a believer on the basis of the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, it is the cross that makes all things sweet to the believer. Your life has been bitter hitherto, but through the cross, through the tree, the Lord makes the water sweet. But isn't it interesting that here, where bitter was made sweet, through backsliding and going away from God, the sweet was made bitter. Naomi, which means sweet or pleasant, she says, call me Mara. Oh, the bitterness. of straying from God's pathway of obedience, you will find it to be so in your life. I'm telling you, nothing good can come of straying from God if you're a professing Christian. But again, what backsliding to the child of God does is illustrated here because the world and everything that is within it cannot satisfy. I went out full. The Lord has brought me home again empty. What did she find in Moab? Nothing. Nothing but death and debauchery. And yet there's mercy here. Because in verse 22 of Ruth chapter 1, the Bible records, So Naomi returned. That's a sweet word. Naomi returned. And Ruth, the Moabiteess, her daughter-in-law with her, which returned out of the country of Moab. It's gloriously possible to be restored to the place of blessing. God will forgive the returning soul who has strayed. And there are so many scriptures that bear this out. I think of the prophet Hosea, chapter 14, verse 4. God says, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from Him. I will heal their backsliding. Again, we think of the words of Jeremiah in chapter 3 of his prophecy. And there are three verses there that I want to mention. Jeremiah 3 verse 12, verse 14 and verse 22. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 12. Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." Return, backsliding Israel, saith the Lord. Verse 14, Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you. And I will take you, one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion." And again in verse 22 of that chapter, "...return ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." And then we have the response there, "...behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God." This is what the Lord says to those who stray. Return. Turn, O backsliding children. Return you backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings. Am I speaking to somebody like that today? The Lord knows your heart. Oh, you're here in church. You're here in the house of God. You're worshipping with everybody else. But is there a straying that has taken place in your heart? You're not where you used to be. In fact, you're far from where you used to be. Thank God for the words of Scripture. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is the God of the fresh start. Thank the Lord for that. But notice it was the Lord that brought Naomi home again. This is something that we need to note. She said, I went out full and the Lord The Lord hath brought me home again. She didn't bring herself home again. The Lord brought her home again. He brought her back to the house of bread. That's what Bethlehem means. Bethlehem. House of bread. And not only did he bring her back to the house of bread, he brought somebody else with her. She was not alone. God brought Ruth the Moabite, the Moabites too. This is a work of sovereign grace. By the way, Ruth chapter 1 verse 22 is the first mention of this term, Ruth the Moabiteess. And as we pointed out in the introductory message, that's found five times in all in this book. In chapter 1 verse 22, in chapter 2 verse 2, and again in verse 21. It's found also in chapter 4 and verse 5 and in verse 10. Five times, Ruth the Moabiteess. Now why is that of any consequence? Well, it's because God is reminding us and reminding her of her past situation. It's always good for us to remember where the grace of God found us. The hymn writer said, I was lost, but Jesus found me, found the sheep that went astray. The scripture in the Old Testament speaks about looking on to the hole of the pit from which you were digged and the rock from which you were hewn. It's always good to look back and see where it is that the Lord brought you from. And Ruth the Moabite is a description that reminds us that she was a pagan, that she was an idolater. She was not one who walked with God, but the Lord has saved her. The Lord has brought her into covenant blessings. But yet he still describes her five times as Ruth, the Moabiteess. Five in the Bible is the number of grace. So the grace of God is here. It's remarkable how God is pointing her to her past situation. And of course, the Lord did that as well with Rahab. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 31, the scripture records, by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with peace. You might look at that and say, well, why did the Lord have to bring that up? Why did the Lord have to say that about Rahab? Surely the Lord didn't need to say that. Couldn't He just have said Rahab? Why did He have to say Rahab the harlot? Well, to show us how the sovereign grace of God can reach to the guttermost as well as to the uttermost. That's why. To remind us of where it was that He brought her from. Now, she was no longer a harlot. When the Lord saved her, her life changed. That's what happens when people get saved. Harlots become clean. Drunkards stop drinking. Those who are truly the Lord's, their lives are changed. That happened with Rahab. But still, isn't it interesting? And we find it as well in the book of James, by the way. In chapter 2 of James, verse 25, that the Bible says, likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way. She showed forth the evidence of her true faith by the works of her life. But nevertheless, notice it again, Rahab the harlot. Ruth, the Moabiteess. Oh, it's good to recall where the grace of God found you. And Naomi is now in the place of blessing and Ruth is there to share in it. Someone wrote, if the presence of Ruth testifies to how far away from God Naomi went, it also testifies to how near to Naomi God came. The Lord still had his hand upon her. So that even through her, the Lord brought Ruth into the covenant blessing. But then there's this, where Naomi was going to, the prospect. Where Naomi came from, the past. Where Naomi came to, the present. But look at where Naomi was going to, the prospect. In verse 22, at the end of that verse, the scripture says, And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. And then chapter 2 verse 1, Aunt Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. The future was bright for Naomi and for Ruth. I do not believe Naomi or Ruth appreciated all that was going to happen in the future. But there's no doubt great blessings lay ahead for both of them. I want you to notice the timing of the return. This is significant. And they came to Bethlehem, that's the house of bread, in the beginning, not halfway through or not at the end, but in the beginning of barley harvest. Not only was it the beginning of the barley harvest, that means the harvest was yet to be brought in, But in Israel, if you study it out, you'll find that this was the first of the harvests of the year. They were in a position, Naomi and Ruth, to enjoy all the blessings that were yet to follow. She came back to Bethlehem in time for all of the blessings of those harvests that were yet to come. And friends, when you come to Christ, that's just the beginning. It's all this and heaven too. Ephesians 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. You could say in heavenly things in Christ. Because the word places is in italics. He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, in heavenly things, in all that has to do with heaven. That's what happens when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ. All the spiritual blessings are yours in Him. And I believe that there's comfort here for those who have wasted many precious years in sin. Naomi returned in time for all the blessings that we're yet to follow. You know, God can enable you to make up for lost time. That's really what that verse signifies in Joel chapter 2 verse 25. I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten. The years that the Palmer worm has destroyed. I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten. What does that mean? Some people think, well, how could God turn the clock back? He doesn't turn the clock back. So how come all those wasted years you're telling me that they can be made up for? Yes, they can. Because God could give you such a bumper harvest in one year as to make up for all the wasted harvests that have gone before. That's what that verse signifies. I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten. People sometimes say to me, well, brother, I wish I'd gotten saved earlier in life. I wish I'd come to the Lord earlier than I did. I think of all those years wasted in sin and debauchery. I wish I'd come earlier. Well, the fact of the matter is the Lord is able to make up for all the wasted time if you'll commit your life to Him and serve Him with all of your heart. See, the blessings of salvation are all going to follow for us when we first come to Christ. Think about the great eternity that's yet to come. We're going to be led from fountain to fountain. Oh, the blessings that the Lord has laid up are beyond comprehension. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him. But yet God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit. There are things of which we can read in Scripture that the Lord is yet going to bless us with. May the Lord give us those blessings. May we know that joy of returning to the house of bread. and knowing the help of the Lord and the blessing of God in the days to come. May God grant it for His name's sake. Amen.