Your God Will Be My God

7/17/11 Sermon by Minister Michael Johnson

Chinese translation by Ray Huang is attached below.

Your God Will Be My God; Ruth 1: 16 - 18

When you think of your basic needs in life what are they? What comes to mind first? My top two are food and water. In fact, when addressing the critical needs of a Third World country, you would start with identifying food that could be grown in the climate and how to obtain and maintain clean water sources. Without such basic needs as food and water, it is difficult to think about much else. Imagine what life might be like if you did not know where your next meal was coming from. How would you feel? Certainly not secure. I know many people who rely on homeless shelters or food banks and it is not a secure feeling to wonder if the shelter is full or if the food bank is empty.

Women in Biblical times faced a similar harsh life of seeking out basic needs if they were unmarried, widowed or without a son. The reason for this is because the society in Biblical times was structured around patriarchs. This means that men were the only ones who could earn money in order to provide for their families. Women did not have careers or jobs that they could do outside the home for money. Because of this, women were vulnerable if they were on their own. However, women who were widowed could be cared for through a special Leverite marriage. The gist of a Leverite marriage is that if a woman’s husband died, her husband’s brother was to marry her. We can’t imagine doing that today, but times were much different then.

Let’s look at the Book of Ruth. The story begins with a famine in the land of Judah. We are introduced to Elimelech who has a wife, Naomi, and two sons. Because of the famine, food was obviously scarce, so Elimelech and his family moved to Moab. They were considered resident foreigners. This means they were going to be in Moab for a period of time but would eventually return to their home country, in this case, when the famine was over. Unfortunately, Elimelech died. Since Naomi no longer had her husband and their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, no longer had their father, Naomi decided it would be best to just settle down where they were, in Moab, and not return to Judah. You have to imagine this was the best option for them. Naomi’s sons probably had friends and connections in Moab so it would have been easier for them to find jobs and provide for their mother. Eventually, Mahlon and Kilion married. Their wives were named Orpah and Ruth. After ten years, Mahlon and Kilion also died. Now you have three women, Naomi, Orpah and Ruth, who have no men to provide for them. What were they to do?

Well, Naomi had heard that the famine had ended back in Judah. She decided her best bet was to return to Judah and seek a place to live there. Now remember, she won’t be able to provide for herself and will be at the mercy of others to help her. Her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, decide to go with her. Along the way Naomi advises them to stop and return to Moab where they will have a better chance of marrying again and establishing a new life. When they refuse, Naomi responds, “Go back home, my daughters! There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me! I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands!” Think about this. Naomi has been a part of these women’s lives for ten years. Now they are all widows and have no way to provide food, shelter or clothing for each other. Naomi knows their life will be grim and in order for them to survive, she thinks it’s better for her daughters-in-law if they separate. You see, even if Orpah and Ruth remarry, they are not required by law to take care of Naomi. She may have thought she’d be a burden to them and wanted to relieve them of any obligation they felt. The scene is a sad, heart-wrenching one. We read, “Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her. So Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law back home!” But Ruth replied, “Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God. Wherever you die, I will die–and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you!”

This is moving and powerful. Ruth expresses her immense love for her mother-in-law. She is willing to take the risk of leaving Moab, the place she has always known, and uprooting to a new land where she will be an outsider and will have no means to take care of herself. Not only did Ruth love Naomi, but she trusts her. She believes in Naomi’s God and is determined to never leave her side. What we see here is God’s design of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. So many times mothers-in-law are the subjects of ridicule and scorn on television or in movies. There’s even a ridiculous, over-the-top movie called Monster-In Law. This goes to show how far our society has drifted from God’s design of healthy relationships. Naomi and Ruth are perfect examples of the kind of selfless love we are called to exhibit. As we look back at the story, we see that Ruth essentially “wins the argument” because they return to Judah together.

When they settle in Judah in the town of Bethlehem, Ruth asks Naomi if she can be permitted to glean grain in the field. To glean a field means to follow behind the harvesters and collect grain that the harvesters drop. Essentially, Rut wanted to collect the leftovers from the harvest, which would provide enough grain to at least make bread. Now there were many fields in Bethlehem, but Ruth began gleaning grain in a field belonging to a man named Boaz. Now Boaz had been out of Bethlehem for a while, but he returned at about the same time Ruth was gleaning in the field. When he got to the field to talk to the harvesters he laid eyes on Ruth and everything else faded into the background. Boaz turned to the servant over all the harvesters and asked, “Who is that woman?” The servant answered, “She’s the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab.” Now, Boaz knows exactly who Naomi is. Do you know why? It’s because he is a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s late husband!

After finding out who Ruth is and where she is from, Boaz goes to her and asks her to stay in his field to glean and not go to another field. He knew that she would be safe in his field, especially since he gave instructions to the male harvesters to leave her alone. He gives her special permission and privilege. We can see Boaz’s special treatment of Ruth here in that not only was she allowed to glean the leftovers, but Boaz also instructed his harvesters to drop whole ears of grain for her and to allow her to keep them. At one point, he invites her over to come out of the sun and eat with them. Boaz is showing his favor and is making his interest in her blatantly obvious. When Ruth returns to Naomi, she recounts her day. When Naomi hears that Ruth has been in Boaz’s field, she praises the Lord and tells Ruth that Boaz is a relative of her late husband. She asks the Lord to reward him and refers to Boaz as their guardian.

Naomi is not only pleased that Boaz has given them barley, but she is looking ahead to the future. You see, Naomi’s family line ended when her sons passed away for neither of them had sons of their own. She knows that Ruth has found favor with Boaz and is hopeful that the family line can continue. To Naomi this is about survival, the continuation of her family line and even being able to keep the land that once belonged to her late husband. But what is happening is far bigger than Naomi could imagine.

This really makes me excited because we see how our Lord’s plans are not carried out independent of His people. He is accomplishing His will and yet He blesses us at the same time. I have spoken about His sovereignty on many occasions, and this demonstrates our Lord’s ability not only to play out His final plan, but also to care for the people in this narrative. Think about the characters here. We have Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi. What could each gain? Boaz could gain a wife who he put much effort into wooing and gaining. Ruth could gain a husband and guardian, beyond the most wonderful mother-in-law relationship. Naomi could gain protection and security as well as peace of mind that Ruth will be just fine. But that’s not all. Naomi could potentially gain a grandson who would be the heir to the land and property of her late husband. This means the land, and most importantly the family line, would stay in place. God was sovereign over all this. He answered all their prayers by having Ruth in the right place, at the right time, and Boaz returning to his field at the right place, at the right time. But just when you think Naomi and Ruth’s problems are solved, the plot thickens. It’s not just that Ruth and Boaz have eyes for each other, but there is another relative who has first choice on whether to marry her or not. This is because of a redemption option that we touched on earlier regarding the Leverite marriage. Since Naomi’s sons have died, it is up to Elimelech’s brother, or a family member, to make sure her family line does not end. Boaz is second in line, so he has to defer to the man ahead of him. All it would take to upset this love story is for this unnamed man to want to marry Ruth.

While I continue to reiterate God’s sovereignty, I want to stress again that the people in this story are experiencing it in real time. They do not know what the outcome will be. You don’t think Naomi is too concerned about her family line when she has nothing to eat, do you, or that her family land will go to someone else, when she doesn’t even have shelter? She has faith that God will take care of her, but she has no idea when or how. So many times when we read stories like this, we skip to the end and don’t allow ourselves to imagine the stress and desperation these real life people felt. If we skip that, we miss out on the faith that overwhelmed any sense of hopelessness. Think about how Boaz felt going to his relative to see if he wanted to marry Ruth first. Think about how Ruth felt knowing Boaz was about to have that conversation. Think about how Naomi felt knowing she was so close to having everything in her life restored and her precious daughter-in-law happy and taken care of. Being people of faith, you can imagine this time was full of intensity and prayer.

So Boaz goes to him and guess what, he is interested in marrying Ruth. How Boaz’s heart must have sunk. Or did it? Did he have faith that God was going to work it out? He said to his relative that if he wanted to marry Ruth, he also had to take in and care for Naomi. To our knowledge, Boaz hasn’t met Naomi yet, but he does know that she is the widow of his relative and that Ruth loves her very much. In this legal exchange, he is making sure that both Ruth and Naomi will have provision. Look how God is taking care of Naomi here. First, she goes with her sons to Moab and is taken care of by them there. During that time, she serves as a major influence on Ruth. Then, when she tries to convince her daughters-in-law to leave her behind, Ruth is so immensely devoted to her, and to her God that she stays with Naomi, later bringing her barley and wheat. Then, when it looks like Boaz is about to lose Ruth to his relative, it’s the mention of Naomi that keeps the deal from happening. We learn that this man’s inheritance would be voided if he were to take her in. What a relief!

As we look back at Naomi’s life, we see she went from wife to widow to mother to nothing. She needs a redeemer to restore her to safety. It’s here that we are introduced to the Kinsman Redeemer. What is a kinsman redeemer? A kinsman is a relative, or someone you are kin to. A redeemer is a person who restores something back to right status. In this situation, Boaz, a distant relative, is returning them back to the status of being provided for and secured. He is taking what is problematic, the fact that both Naomi’s and Ruth’s husbands died so they have no one to care for them, and restoring them. A redeemer is also someone who fulfills a promise. In this society, as mentioned, a relative, generally a sibling would carry out the duty of husband if his brother’s wife is widowed. So Boaz is also carrying out this promise by exercising his redemption option of marrying Ruth. So when you look at Boaz, he is the man who is a relative that will redeem the family. Or, as we would call him, the kinsman redeemer.

God is guiding this whole narrative, as He does every situation in this world and throughout time. However, you will notice it is done with subtlety. In the story of Balaam a couple of weeks ago, we saw God’s hand directly, through Balaam’s dreams, his donkey and the Angel. In the story of Ruth, God’s hand is ever-present, but the text does not say anything to the effect of, “The Lord moved Ruth’s heart to stay with Naomi,” or “The Lord opened the door for Boaz to marry Ruth.” We do know the Lord was with them because Naomi refers to Him as her Lord early in the story. He is sovereign in her life and, beyond that, He is sovereign over all the earth. Before Ruth even meets Boaz, the Holy Spirit moves her heart to believe in Him as the one true God. She abandons the false gods of her people the Moabites. In this way Ruth has already been blessed. She has come under the salvation offered by our Father in Heaven. It is not by accident she follows Naomi. To the reader it may initially seem to be an act of loyalty, but in the grander scope of God’s plan, we realize that His plan is so much more. We are privy to the future implications because we can keep reading to see what happens: the child of Boaz and Ruth will continue the line of David, which continues the genealogical line of Jesus Christ. Now you can see that God is moving not only in the shorter term to bless this family but in a much larger sense to preserve the line of the coming Messiah. Isn’t it interesting that this all takes place in the little town of Bethlehem, the same place where Jesus was going to be born?

What is the application for today? It is simply to trust. When you are facing difficulty, whether it is financial strain, emotional distress or physical discomfort, trust Him. Trust Him to redeem you. Know that His good and perfect plan will be accomplished in and through you. Let this promise from Isaiah 43 wash over you and bring comfort: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” And this from Jeremiah 29:11-13: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart.” Let us pray.