When Darkness Rules, be a RUTH!!

I love love when we do book studies here at Hope Community. I think reading through the scriptures is invaluable, not chopping, and cutting and pasting.

The book of Ruth is read at Jewish festivals namely the Shavout.

According to the Talmud (Jewish tradition), the prophet Samuel wrote the book of Ruth. The text itself says nothing of the author, but whoever wrote it was a skilled storyteller. It has been called the most beautiful short story ever written. These were dark days, full of suffering brought about by the Israelites’ apostasy and immorality. Part of the judgments God brought upon His sinful people included famine and war.

The book of Judges tells the story of a very dark time in the history of Israel. God was mocked, the legacy of Moses’ faith was abandoned, and the people of God appeared to have left the fear of God. Yet even in the darkness, God was at work. As He often does, He brought light and hope from the most unexpected place.

The days when the Judges ruled were actually dark days for Israel; the period was characterized by the phrase everyone did what was right in his own eyes

Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

I randomly opened the bible to the back end of Judges, just to prove the point of darkness that ruled the land, and I read of Gibeah’s Crime found in Judges 19:22-30 and hear of worthless fellows (now if you are reading through the bible with us in the ESV “these kind of fellows” are mentioned quite often) but these are truly worthless.

They ask an old man for his visitor that had just come into his house so they could “know” him. He says no way but offer his virgin daughter to be violated and says to them “do what seems good to you.” Instead, they pick his concubine “mistress or 2nd wife”, and violate her until morning, and in the morning, she throws herself at the door, and she doesn’t answer, and he puts her on a donkey, took a knife and cut her limb by limb into twelve different pieces, and spread her throughout Israel.

Its sound like a story that you would receive on your social media of choice page.

But it is not the year 2022, but rather in the time of the Judges.

So, what do you do?

When darkness invades, and things get worse, and people fall away.

And hearts are hurt, and ministries are broken, and nothing is like it was.

When darkness rules…

When the stories around you are horrific,

And the workers at your office are calloused and corrupt,

When the students at your school are not just bad, but anti-God!!

When our culture screams I “Don’t want to hear about Jesus” becomes our Anthem…

Ruth 1:14-18

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 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. 17 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.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

If you are going to be a light (and God has called us to be a light) a Ruth in the midst of Judges

Where are you Going?

Yet, even in Naomi’s bitterness and sadness, she still retained her faith in the Lord of Hosts. This faith was observed by Ruth and began to grow within her. Ruth embraced Naomi’s God, the God of Israel, as her own God with these famous words:

Ruth was drawn to the God of Naomi. We can be drawn, but will we be committed?

It’s interesting as a Pastor its often very easy to see someone who is drawn to the Lord, its almost you can see the visibility of a softened heart. I love it!!

But just because they are drawn doesn’t mean they are committed.

The pull was so strong that she rejected her people and their gods and chose to honor Naomi and follow her God. So, we see that in the midst of her sadness, Naomi remembered her God, so much so that Ruth was willing to give her life to follow this God. As Ruth arose from the ashes of a miserable life in Moab, God caused the power of life-giving faith to flourish in her. This young woman entrusted her life to Naomi’s God. In all of this, Ruth demonstrated that the faith that lived in Naomi now burned brightly within her.

In darkness came light.

In despair came hope.

In faithlessness came blessing.

In our world today, things are dark indeed—but the God of Naomi and Ruth still lives and reigns. He still brings hope from the ashes of life. Be a Ruth in the midst of Judges.

This was a noble – even outstanding – friend-to-friend commitment.

But Ruth’s commitment to Naomi went even further:

Imagine if we said these things to the Lord.

For where you go I will go (it’s a progression, God I’m following)

and where you lodge I will lodge (it a position, I’m staying in the house of the Lord)

Your people shall be my people, and your God my God (it’s a partnership)

Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried (it’s a lifelong commitment)

May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

This was more than change of address. Ruth was willing to forsake the Moabite gods she grew up with and embrace the God of Israel. She was deciding to follow the LORD. This Gentile woman, once far from God, had drawn near to Him.

Your God, my God: Ten years of Naomi’s compromise in Moab never made Ruth confess her allegiance to the God of Israel. Yet as soon as Naomi stood and said, “I’m going back to the God of Israel, I’ll put my fate in His hands” Ruth stood with her. If you think you will persuade your friends or relatives to Jesus by your compromise, you are mistaken. Perhaps you are sincere, but you are mistaken. Only a bold stand for Jesus will really do it.

“Ah! You will never win any soul to the right by a compromise with the wrong. It is decision for Christ and his truth that has the greatest power in the family, and the greatest power in the world, too.” (Spurgeon)

The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me: Ruth had little knowledge of the true God, the God of Israel – but she knew He was a God of fairness and justice, so He could be called upon to hold Ruth accountable to this promise.

Where are you going? Does your commitment still ring true?

It’s interesting this happens in marriage and friendships…

A fading if you would, and then asking yourself how did we get there?

The same is true in our relationship with Christ…HE WANTS YOU BACK!

What are you Clinging To?

Our attachments are distracting us from the Kingdom call that is placed on our lives. God has a kingdom call on you, yet you are not clinging to it. I would love to say that this only happens to our young people, it’s easy to pounce on them that friend is no good for you, that relationship is gonna lead straight to the pit of Hell, spending to much time on the game…

But the truth is, I see an adult generation screwing this up royally, and it can happen to the best of us. Because we become what we cling to, good or bad.

Both, have been evident in my life. My clinging to good. My clinging to no good.

I have never seen so many people that I have loved and admired cling to something else…

Besides Christ. People that I would go to their house for Bible Study.

People that we in ministry positions that I know and love and no longer are.

It’s in the clinging, it doesn’t even have to be necessarily bad (I’m gonna do meth)

Clinging to a thinking, or theology, or ideology, culture world view, people group, relationship, that doesn’t directly line up with God’s word. And they are gone!!

Ruth knew whom she had to cling to.

https://images.ctfassets.net/cnu0m8re1exe/5xW5AHg7YOp8QNQjra7Hsn/06e2050ccd2b57a3482f5c500f522fcf/koala.jpg

When I think of clinging, I think of a Koala Bear, perhaps its because of my youngest when she was so very tiny and young would wrap herself around Ted’s leg and would cling on for life. Where you go daddy “I’m going.” I’m clinging.

And so does the koala bear, scientist have discovered that Koala cling to trees to cool themselves off especially during the hottest parts of summer when their lives are the most at risk. It turns out that, as temperatures climb, koalas move to cooler trees and put more of their bodies in contact with the trees. Koala bears pant to keep cool, letting evaporated moisture from their mouths carry heat away from their bodies. When the team modeled koala bear heat transfer, they found the tree-dwellers save half the water they would have used panting if they hug trees instead.

And we too save our lives in Christ when we cling!!

As a Koyla would cling to that tree

And Maylen would cling to her dad’s leg

And Ruth would cling to Naomi

Adults this is generationally important. (kids or no kids)

Ruth clings to Naomi…What happened to Orpah?

She raised sons that were hostile and savage.

The interesting end of Orpah’s mother of Goliath. You might have heard of him.

Goliath ---- the enemy of Israel (The People of God)

Ruth’s first son was named Obed, who was the father of Jessie,

who was the father of King David. Where you go and who you cling to Matter.