And Father, as we even reflect back a week ago when we look at those empty placeholders where the juice was there and we celebrated the Lord's Supper together, and we reflected upon your work in Abraham's life, that pinnacle experience where you commanded him to offer up his only son, and they're staying his hand, you identify to him the ram that he would offer. and that Abraham's faith had matured to the point where he was willing to offer full obedience to you, how you matured his faith. We think upon this morning, as we reflected upon that earlier experience, how Abraham, being justified by faith, and that we too, as we enter into your gracious dealings to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord, we pray that you would please open up to our understanding something of the unfolding of that, even as we look, as we consider the days of old, oh Lord, as we look at the life of Naomi this evening. We ask for your help, Spirit of God, That you would make the history that you have recorded, that you would make that real to us. That it would stick in our minds, that the lessons would come back to us. Even months from now, God, to the end that you would get all praise and glory for your kindness to us. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. And as I said before, what insights you may gain from this evening's meditation. I give full credit to Pastor Bill Hughes. I was in touch with him a week or so ago. He sends your greeting and he gave me full license copyright free of all the notes that he had provided in his sermon. Delighted that our older brother is still being very useful in his own church. And so this evening as we're going to focus primarily on God's dealings with Naomi and draw some practical insights for ourselves. I should remind you that Naomi is a real person. And those of us who know the Lord Jesus will one day have the opportunity to meet her personally in heaven. And so with that sense of reality why her life is a matter of public record, We want to approach her story as we would a beloved sister in this congregation. Dealing both honestly with some of her shortcomings as well as a great degree, with a great degree of tenderness and discretion. And the overarching view of at least this part of this little book as we said last time is that we're dealing with the annals of the poor. In the Exodus, the book of Joshua and 1 Samuel, we see that God is at work in the halls of government. He's dealing on the battlefields of history. It is also equally true that God advances his purposes in the lives of unknown people living in many obscure places of the world. And with that sense of realism as we come to this book, no one could have predicted how God would have used this woman, Naomi, and this woman, Ruth, in the lives of each of us going down to this time in history to bring about his fulfillment of redemption through the son of God to this lost world. And yet he did that. God is at work in the small things as well as in the big things. He's dealing with the large chapters of history, but he's also at work in the footnotes as well. And you just do not know how God is going to work, even in the nobodies of the kingdom. And that's really the point, isn't it? There really are no little people in the kingdom of God. I referred to Dr. Francis Schaeffer, his message entitled No Little People. If you can get a copy of that book, it would be of benefit to you. Secondly, God uses sometimes tragic events in our lives to accomplish his purposes. In the day of adversity, consider, Job says, God has made one as well as the other. In the matter of which your life and my life are made, God is at work. If you would consider the words of Isaiah chapter 45 with me, I am the Lord and there is no other. There is no God besides me. I will gird you though you have not known me. that they may know that from the rising of the sun to its setting, there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. And I, the Lord, do all these things. And so as we consider God's sovereignty in each of our lives, we want to open up to your hand that Roman numeral one, the historical setting. First, just a review of the national apostasy that took place during this time. The setting of the book is during the period of the judges which occurred after the conquest of Canaan under Joshua and prior to the ascendancy of Israel's first king, King Saul. It is a time of tremendous instability, as you know, spiritually, economically, and politically, as God brought chastisements upon his people for their unfaithfulness. If you would turn with me to Judges chapter two, we see a summary statement in chapter two of what was taking place during this time. All that generation, all Joshua's generation, also were gathered to their fathers, beginning at verse 10. And there arose another generation after them that did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which he had done for Israel. And then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals. And they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods. from among the gods of the peoples who are around them, and bowed themselves down to them, and thus they provoked the Lord to anger. Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, and the Lord had spoken. As the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had swore to them, so they were very severely distressed. Time and again God brought pity, God had pity upon his people as he cried out to them in their distresses and sent deliverers to rescue them from their oppressors. And we can see something of the thinking of the age in this time, as we look at the end of the Book of Judges, chapter 21, verse 25. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Our day is also one of that moral relativism, where everyone does what they think seems to be right. Dark though our days may be, God is yet still at work. And this book is a reminder for us that we need to pray that he would bring revival in our day. And of course, as the years have gone by, we can see a tremendous revival that took place under Samuel as all the nation of Israel was gathered to him, as we read later on. But not only was this a time of instability, as we've mentioned before, but there was no central leader in Israel during this time. As we look at 1 Samuel 3 verse 1, that the word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no widespread revelation. God had not abandoned his covenant people at this point in time, and yet there was a withdrawal of fresh revelation. of God's word to them, at least in part because they had not trusted and obeyed in the commands that he had given to them through Moses and Joshua. And so we're reminded again that when a nation or a church withdraws from God, it is a both sad and sobering situation, and yet even more sobering when God withdraws from them. We're reminded of our Lord's words in Revelation chapter 2, remember therefore where you have fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. So we see something of a national apostasy, and the book of Ruth historically takes place pretty much in the middle of that time period. And so we move on to part B, Elimelech's disastrous choice. We're going to review what we had said earlier. In chapter one, we discovered that during this period of famine, Elimelech, Naomi's wife, decided to leave the town of his inheritance in Bethlehem, Judah, and sojourn in the land of Moab. a godless nation on the east side of the Jordan, enemies of the people of God. And this decision was made in direct disobedience to what God had said regarding this people. And so we learn in, as we learn in our first study, that Elimelech failed to consider not only the Word of God, but the providence of God is well. His name meant my God is king, my God is sovereign. And imagine growing up in his home as he did, whenever his parents would call his name, Elimelech, go take care of the animals. Elimelech, go water the animals. Elimelech, what are you doing? Get ready for the meal, get ready for the Sabbath day. Every time they would say his name, he would be reminded, my God is king, my God is sovereign. And sadly, as he grew into adulthood, he failed to recognize the providence of God, even in his own name. He failed to consider the name of the town of his inheritance, Bethlehem, which means house of bread. Had this man taken to heart the care Jehovah had promised to his people and provide for them in that land, he would have stayed and known the blessing that others experienced as well. And so Elimelech took his wife and his two sons to Moab, and dwelt there for, as we know, a period of about 10 years, and died there, and was followed in death by his two sons. His two sons, Malon and Kilion. Both took Moabite women as their wives, whom God expressly forbade them to marry. We don't know what role Elimelech and Naomi really played in this decision, and yet it does seem unthinkable that in a family that takes the word of God seriously, that these marriages would have been prohibited. And so as we've considered the historical setting here, we need to focus then upon Naomi's tragedy realized. So as we're looking at chapter one back in the book of Ruth, we're going to focus on some details there that would help us to appreciate something of God's having dealings with Naomi during this period of time. First, letter A, Naomi departs Bethlehem with Elimelech. We do not exactly know what role she had played in this decision. It could have been that after a time of dealing with the frustration of farming during famine and caring for their animals, Elimelech may have walked into the house one day and said, that's it, we're going to Moab, we're moving on. We just don't know whether Naomi agreed with this decision or whether she had protested. Nevertheless, Naomi describes her departure as going out full. Perhaps Naomi is not merely describing her material status, as it may have been with the family, as much as her self-sufficiency and her pride. There they are, a young couple in the prime of life, full of their own ideas, their own aspirations, their own hopes of what their lives would be like. And I'm not saying that any of that's wrong. But in this case, it was a departure that was in direct disobedience to the Lord's expressed commands. I went out full. And this is how Naomi judged herself. Don't worry about me, she may have told her family. We'll be OK. We'll be back in a little while. And we're reminded of the verse of Proverbs 27 verse 1. We're also reminded of what the Apostle James says in chapter 4. Come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city to spend a year, buy and sell and make a profit, whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Naomi and Elimelech went out full, perhaps self-assured that all would be well and they would, at a time of their choosing, return to Bethlehem. And so we move on to part B here. Naomi loses her husband and two sons in death. As we've already noted, Naomi is bereft of her husbands and two adult sons in a relatively short space of time. How grievous it is then that we set out early in life with hopes and aspirations of what our lives will be like. promising ourselves the best that life can offer, and perhaps in Naomi's case, upon losing her husband, she took all the more comfort in placing her hopes in her two sons. God had determined for her to return to Bethlehem, and yet it appears that she did not improve this deep trial of losing her husband. And so another would soon follow after that, as Matthew Henry observed, that wherever we go, we cannot outrun death, whose fatal arrows fly in all places. Secondly, that we cannot expect to prosper when we go out of the way of our duty. He that will save his life by any indirect course shall lose it. So uncertain and transient are all our enjoyments here. It is therefore our wisdom to make sure of those comforts that will be made sure and of which death cannot rob us. The Lord Jesus said the same thing, right? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these will be added to you. And so what do you and I put our hopes in? Our plans, our careers, our retirement accounts, the future prosperity of this country? So perfect, perhaps, do we think that our own plans are that we don't trouble ourselves all that much to take our relationship with God all that seriously. Do you take pains to determine God's will as you make your plans. As we consider Ecclesiastes 7, in the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider, surely God has appointed one as well as the other. And so that man cannot find out, can find out nothing that will come after him. And consider with me that God has an infinite number of means to dash or to fulfill what hopes and plans you or I may have made for ourselves. It is the sovereign pleasure of God that you enjoy the unnumbered kindnesses that you enjoy even this day. And so, are you of such a mind and heart that you will humbly submit yourself to God and express heartfelt thanks to Him? When we consider Alemlek's life there, there in Moab, And we don't know, as his life was passing from him, if he was saying to himself and to his wife, if only, if only I had gotten serious with God earlier in life. And yet we just don't know what the end of Elimelech was. We see Naomi not only deeply grieving the loss, hear of those that she so loved but also without any means of outward support there she is destitute in a land far from home such deep trials she experienced would have utterly shattered any woman in her time or ours. And yet, as we'll see, she is not forgotten God. And so as we've looked at the historical setting, Naomi's tragedy realized, we want to move on to the tragedy, to the chastening improved. And when I say improved, that's an old Puritan phrase that just basically tells us that she's taking advantage, the best advantage that she can, the best use of it. And so as we consider on in Roman numeral three part A, Naomi clung to God in the midst of her trial. In contrast to Elimelech's forgetting God's words and works, Naomi remembered them. Where Elimelech strayed from the realized presence of God, there Naomi came back to it. Thirdly, where Elimelech failed to attain the fullest blessings of God, she found them once again. And in verse six, Naomi learns Jehovah has visited his people with bread. How she learned about this, we do not know. Perhaps there may have been a merchant or some traveler moving from the land through Moab from Judah. And she learns of this news that God has visited his people with bread. And it is like the voice of God to her. She immediately realizes that Bethlehem is the voice of God, is where she belongs. And 10 years have been a long time for someone to be away from a place of famine. And apparently God had been teaching Naomi many lessons during this time, painful ones to be sure. Naomi realized that God is speaking to her in providence and makes this resolve that she is going to return home. And it's interesting, the Hebrew verb for return appears 12 times in these verses 6 through 22. While this word is commonly used of a person changing a course of action or physically returning to a place, it also describes a spiritual renewal. In the Old Testament, it's used for a person who repents and turns back to God. And so the repetition here likely indicates that Naomi is not merely returning to the land of promise, but is also turning back to Jehovah. If you would consider with me, Pardon me, I'm not used to speaking this long. Like Naomi, we need to heed the voice of God. It seems that God had been speaking to her all this time. Like Naomi, we must hear God speaking. As Mary to the servants at the marriage feast in John chapter two, where she says, whatever he says, do it. Whatever Jesus said, do it. We need to have that same response. So first, you must ascertain that it is God that is speaking to you. First, consider the scriptures. Second, the advice of godly friends who know you well. Third, consider the providence of God. and how he may be speaking to you through that. Also consider how he is working upon your heart. Use your God-given reason in all these things. Because there are many spirits that are abroad and not every spirit is from God. We also must address our remaining corruption and our own sinful inclinations as well. And it is likely that Naomi at this point is trusting in the Lord and is praying earnestly about this decision that's before her. And so as we look at her improvement of this, looking at part B, we can see that Ruth is profoundly impacted by Naomi's faith in Jehovah. Naomi may have lost her husband, but she has not lost her faith. She may have lost her sons, but she has not lost her God. If you would look back to chapter 1 at verses 8 and 9. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return, each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you as he has dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband. And so she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. If you look down to verse 13, For it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord had gone out against me. Verse 21, I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?" Whatever may be said of Naomi at this point, she is very conscious of God dealing with her personally. She has faith to acknowledge God's hand in all that she has experienced. If you look down to verse 13 as well, it's found there as well. In verse 20, do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. It is very plain that Naomi at this point has humbled herself before her God and recognizes that all that has happened to her are the judgments of God. Not only are those judgments from God, but they also are just. Verse 21, Naomi is recognizing that she is a woman who's been full of herself. One of the traits of this woman that we'll see, there is a sense of a controlling, she's a controlling kind of person, and that may have been even a stronger characteristic prior to this time. She may have been more so before this, and it is very much like God to empty people. of such traits, of their own fullness before he can fill them with his own blessing. And children, if you'll look back and think about the life of Moses that we studied in VBS, God had to empty Moses before he had his meeting with him in the burning bush. God made Moses a nobody in the backside of the Midian desert for 40 years before he would later use him to redeem his people. And it was also a similar experience to Jonah as well. So isn't that why we, at times, may have such soul-rending and soul-searching experiences? Is the Lord doing that with you? Is the Lord allowing it so that he may empty you, that he may fill you with a greater blessing in your life in days to come? God is doing this to Naomi in order for her to receive his blessings, as we shall see. And so even in this first chapter, we begin to see the fruit of God's dealings with Naomi. We will consider Ruth's words on this occasion if you look at verses 16 and 17. But Ruth said, entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Not only think of what Ruth is saying, but think of who she's saying it to. She's saying this to Naomi, and this reveals to us that Naomi is not a broken reed, as Pastor Hughes would say. Ruth has been alongside her in this shattering experience. She is witnessing firsthand what an Israelite widow can lean upon. What else may be said, pardon me, what else would Ruth say? Why else would she say, I want your God to be my God? I want to worship the God whom you worship. I've seen you and the God whom you worship, and I want to worship him as well. Chimash, the Moabite God, has nothing to offer in comparison to this God. And such was Naomi's testimony, consistent life, had a profound working upon Ruth's heart. And so although her husband had no apparent spiritual interest and her two sons were gone, this Israelite does not hold a grudge against her two daughters-in-law. She has earned both their love and their respect. And keep in mind, this is not an easy thing to be happening in her time as well as ours. In verse 14, it's apparent that both of these Moabite women deeply loved Naomi. and why Ruth would not bear to part from her or her God. And so, therefore, listen to the voice of God in his word. We have far more than Naomi did at that time. We have the whole canon of scripture. We have the gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the teaching, the apostles to help us and to guide us. And there is no substitute for obedience to the word of God. If you would turn with me to Psalm 77, please. Psalm 77, here Asaph, writes these words. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song. I call to remembrance my song in the night. I meditate within my heart and my spirit makes diligent search. In Asa's time of adversity, he meditated upon what God had said, upon what God had done. for his people. He meditated upon the former days. He considered how God took his people, in verse 20, by the hand of his servants, Aaron and Moses, and he did not abandon them. And that's what we're doing this evening, aren't we? We're considering the days of old, where God had worked in the heart of one of his servants. Are you depressed today? Are you under some affliction today? I will think upon the days of old. I will think of the times when God caressed me and journeyed to me by his Spirit. Am I in trouble, or has he allowed me to go into it? I will think on the days of old. I was in trouble before, and he brought me out of it. I will think upon the days of old. If he had been with me in six troubles, will he abandon me in the seventh? If I had to walk and go through the waters as they crashed over me and the Lord was with me in that, will he abandon me if I have to walk through the fires? If he carried me on for so many years in whatever trials, will he desert me now that I am older? I will think on the days of old. And Pastor Hughes brings to mind the words of John Newton's hymn. His love in time past forbids me to think. He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink. Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through. Have you considered God's dealings with you in your time of trouble of how he had helped you in so many trials before? It's one of the benefits of keeping a spiritual journal. And as we consider the book of Ruth and Naomi's story in particular, you can see with me that there are certain parallels here with our Lord's parable of the prodigal son. In my father's house, there was bread to spare. I will think of the days of old. Naomi's story has some parallels there. She was thinking in the same way. In my father's house, there is provision. And so note the contrast here when we look at Elimelech. Where Elimelech disregarded the word of God, Naomi listened to it. Where Elimelech strayed from the presence of God, she returned to it. So we've considered something of a historical setting, we've looked at something of the tragedy that Naomi had realized, the chastening that she is improving by the grace of God, and now we need to consider, fourthly, Naomi's destiny restored, part A. Naomi resolves to return to Bethlehem. In chapter one, if you would look with me again at verse seven. Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to the return to the land of Judah. And verse 19, now the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. The second half of verse 22, now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Naomi is not going to allow the past, nor the present, to rob her of the future. All the disasters of past, all the distresses of the present, of being virtually homeless and destitute, are not going to prevent this woman from going on with God in the future. And so this is a danger that you and I must recognize. We may come to a point in their lives where we may feel as though everything is lost forever. How many believers may go through a wilderness experience and in the end become bitter and resentful? Perhaps they become resigned to the status quo, to things as they are. A limeleck may have been the biggest factor in Naomi's trials and may have been led astray by the influence of her husband in a backslidden state. And this can often happen, how someone in a backslidden state has an impact upon all the people around them. And yet we must never allow ourselves to stay where we are, but to return to our Father's house. And this is what happened to Elijah as well. There was a point in Elijah's life where he just said, God, let me lay down and die. And yet God didn't answer that prayer, did he? Because there was much more to be done. And so if you find yourself in such a situation, there is forgiveness with God. There is restoration in Jesus Christ, as we've been learning. There is an opportunity to start again. Please turn with me to Jeremiah's prophecy, chapter 18. Jeremiah chapter 18. Probably a familiar passage. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, arise and go down to the potter's house. And there I will cause you to hear my words. And then I went down says the prophet to the potter's house. And there he was making something at the wheel and the vessel which he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. And so he made it again into another vessel as it seemed good for the potter to make. And notice verse four, you would expect that the potter would have taken another piece of clay, this other one scattered all over the floor in pieces, and that he would start anew. And what does the potter do? He picks up the same pieces of clay and carefully puts them back together on the wheel. And he makes, again, something useful out of that same clay into a new vessel. Verse six, O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter, says the Lord? Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. And we consider the context of this passage. It's all the more real to us. The nation of Israel at this time had failed so miserably. And yet hear what God says to them. God is constantly at work doing this. Children, remember Moses. What we've learned about him. He had made such a mess of his life. He had to run away to the backside of the desert to depart from everything and everyone that he loved. And there he was alone, a nobody, a failure by all accounts. But God has not been finished with him. God made him again as the potter seemed good to him. David, again, made a terrible mess of his life with that incident with Bathsheba. And yet God made him again into a vessel that he could use. Jacob, Jonah, Elijah, all of these, as you go through your Old Testament and the New Testament, consider Peter, who had denied the Lord and the disciples who had abandoned him at his greatest hour of trial. And yet the Lord Jesus graciously restored each of these. And the potter made a vessel again that seemed good to him. And so this really informs us of what God is doing in Naomi's life. Here we have this woman, Naomi. Naomi, she's coming back to the place God wants her to be. Think for a moment if Naomi had resigned herself to things as they were, there in Moab. living a non-spiritual, non-Christian lifestyle, how different this book would be. You would have never heard of Ruth, would you? This book never would have been written if she had resigned herself to things as they are. And so recognize with me your danger and mine. We can lapse into resignation and despair, but remember that God is the God of the second chance. And so where are you this evening? Perhaps as God has been speaking to Naomi, so now God is speaking to you. Perhaps for a time. Perhaps even for years you've been living in some backwater spiritually and God is calling you back to himself. Come back. Come back to Bethlehem. Come back to the house of bread. Come back to the bread of life, the Lord Jesus, who can restore you and nourish your hope and bind up your wounds and restore you to himself and care for you all the days of his life. And so here we have Naomi's resolve to return. We move on to part B, the hard work of returning. The hard work of returning. It won't be easy for Naomi to do this, of course. It would be costly for Naomi and painful to come back. And isn't that true? It is always harder to come back to repent than it is to backslide in the first place. Consider the prodigal. Every step going back to his father's house must have been one of agony. And it may be an experience that you may have had. What will he think? What will they all say? What would my older brother say in that situation? And isn't it a mercy of God that he met his father on the way back before he met his brother? He never would have come back, would he, if he had met his brother first. And yet this is the gracious working of God. Verse 19. So now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And as it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was excited because of them. And the woman said, is this Naomi? The gossips were there. Is this Naomi? Is this really the one who used to live here so long ago? What a humiliating experience. And it was all very open and very public and the men were there and everyone was agog with the gossip of what was going on. 10 years have gone by and they're astonished at the change that has taken place in this woman. And those 10 years of Moab have taken their toll. Is this Naomi? And you can understand, she's going to say, call me Mara, do not call me Pleasant, do not call me Naomi. So if only she knew, even at this time, we know how the chapter is gonna continue, don't we? We know the blessings that she's going to realize, but right now she doesn't. She doesn't understand that for the first time in many years, she's moving from the place of chastisement to the place of great blessing. If only she knew that. From Hebrews 12 and verse 11, again, a familiar passage. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful, and nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who've been trained by it. So as we look at the hard work of returning, eventually we come finally to part C here, the early harvest of God's blessings. The sorrows of the past cannot be removed. The memories will never be erased. But Naomi has moved from the place of chastisement to the place of blessing. And some blessings can never be recovered, and yet there's still some that can be attained, as we'll see. Later on, when Naomi cradles this little boy in her arms, she'll experience some of those blessings. Not yet, though. but in the days to come. And for you and for me, we can trust to see the mercies of God off in the future, perhaps not now, but off in the future, in the months and the years that follow, and ultimately in our eternal home at the Lord Jesus coming. And so where Elimelech failed to experience the fullest blessings of God, Naomi realized them. Verse 22, Naomi returned and Ruth Amoabitis, And now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. I understand that's the first of the crops in the harvest that's going to come in with others to follow. And so consider God's kindness, even in the final verse of chapter one, the providence of God, God meeting her immediately at her point of need. as she moves from the place of chastisement to the place of blessing. God's harvest is dawning upon her. She is sown in tears over 10 years, and now she is about to reap in joy if she could only realize that Ruth, this Moabitess that's on her arm, as she comes into Bethlehem, She's actually bringing her sheaves with her, isn't she? She's bringing the first harvest with her. What a blessing and a comfort she will turn out to be. So if you would turn in your book of Ruth to chapter four, We can see some of this realized later on, beginning at verse 13. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when he went into her, the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. And then the women, the same women probably said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative and may his name be famous in Israel. And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons has born him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name saying there is a son born, not to Ruth, but to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Can you imagine how she must have felt at that time? What blessings she is realizing now. And so in closing, if you would turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 28, as our time is almost gone. A final point to draw out in this passage. Deuteronomy 28, remember the blessings that Moses announced to the children of Israel prior to their entrance into the promised land. Verse one, now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments, which I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed be when you come in, and blessed be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and he will bless you and the land which the Lord your God is giving you." Under this covenant, this is the heritage that Naomi was part of. But look at verse two. The blessings of God are not realized by seeking those blessings for their own sake, is it? It's to those who seek God in faith and obedience. These things will overtake them. He will command his blessings to those who do his word. And the spiritual blessings work the same way that we focus more upon under the new covenant. In Hebrews 11 verse six, we're reminded, but without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. And so in closing, remember the contrast that we saw here. with a limeleck, again with the spirit of the age, he had decided with his own eyes what was going to be good, what was right in his own sight. Naomi, she returned listening to the voice of God. Where do we find a limeleck? Some nameless grave on the plain of Moab and on the garbage heap of eternity. And now we consider Naomi's destiny restored as well, being a source of blessing for all the church in every age. And we have the privilege of being able to recount her story even this evening. She is among those spirits of just men made perfect. And so where are you on your journey? Who do you most resemble as you consider your own life journey? Do you know anything of the return to Jehovah that Naomi experienced, to the blessing of returning to the God of her salvation? And we're reminded to come back to Bethlehem, come back to the house of bread, come back to the bread of life, our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let's pray. Lord, our minds go back to that passage in Hebrews 12 that being under your chastening hand is certainly not a pleasant one, and yet We have come, many of us have come to know you in a way that we never would have known you other than that you had laid your hand of chastening upon us in times past. And even now, oh Lord. And we look back and we think that although we don't enjoy the pain, we would not trade some of those blessings for anything this world would have to offer, because we've come to know you in a deeper and a truer way. And Lord, as we consider ourselves, we pray that you would please sustain us, encourage our hearts, Lord, that we would think upon the days of old, even as Naomi did, even as Asaph did, of your former dealings with your people, of your former dealings with us personally, with us as a church, Lord, that you've sustained us through the years. And we pray that you would encourage our hearts in the days ahead. We pray this in our Savior Jesus' name.