Ruth's Choice

Another example of obedience from the Old Testament, a little book of Ruth. It has but four chapters, the name of a lady who was a Moabitess, as you know, and yet I want to underscore with what has been the tone of the ministry, decisions and choices that bring consequences, how wonderful when they're for God's blessing and His glory. Now I'll try to be brief.

The last verse of the book of Judges, and I'm reading here in chapter 1 of Ruth right away, verse 25, in those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Now Ruth 1 and 1. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife Nehomai, and the name of his two sons Malan and Chilian, Ephraites of Bethlehem Judah. And they came into the country of Moab and continued there. And Elimelech, Nehomai's husband, died.

She was left and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, the name of the other Ruth.

And they dwelt there about ten years. Malan and Chilian died also, both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

Wherefore, she went forth out of the place where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her. Now notice verse 8, And Nehomai said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go return each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

The Lord grant you that he may give you fine rest. We'll drop down. Verse 11.

Of course, the end of verse 9, they kissed and they wept there together. Verse 11, And Nehomai said, Turn again, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Again, verse 12.

Turn again, my daughters. Go your way. Notice verse 14.

The three of them there in the road. And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpha kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth claimed unto her.

And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people and under her gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee.

For whether thou goest, I will go. 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 from me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left off speaking unto her.

Now for time's sake, I won't read any more because I want to try to be brief. I've been thinking about Ruth for several weeks, and while in the earlier verses of this little book, there's another individual that is in the foreground, and that's a widow. Her name is Nehemiah.

When you think of choices and decisions, and this remarkable book that brings Ruth eventually to become the bride of a kinsman redeemer, and the closing verses of the book reminds us or tells us that she would become the great-great-grandmother of David, who eventually would king over Israel. Remarkable the circumstances in the government of God that he created, and I think of four things just to briefly pass along, brought convictions in a young woman's heart who had now experienced widowhood. It resulted obviously in a conversion.

We don't have the word there especially, but the very language of verse 16 and verse 17, and if you would look ahead in chapter 2, when Boaz finally relates to her as she is found leaning in his field, he says, the Lord bless thee, you've come under the wings of the God of Israel, and who you have come to trust. So obviously there was a definite turnaround in her life, and we term it conversion. In other words, to put it in New Testament language, it's when we were brought to know our Lord Jesus Christ, and that's the way to know God.

And then when you think of the dear soul as she speaks to Nehemiah, it resulted in a commitment that unfolds that the balance of our life showed continuous as to her desires to honor God. Now it's interesting while we see Elimenek and Nehemiah, we are not told the reason that they decided to leave Bethlehem, Judea, and to go over into the land of Moab. There are many times there's famines seen there in the Old Testament circumstances, and with two boys whose names mean sickly and pining, they were grown young men.

Father was thinking of the family, and perhaps it was to be just for a little while, the word in verse 1 was to sojourn there, but the end of verse 2 you find him continuing there, and when you get down to the end of verse 4, they have dwelt 10 years after the two daughter-in-laws were then widows as well. Whatever that decision or choice was made, it was reverse of the nation. When Joshua led the nation into the promised land, God had said, every foot that you put your soul on, your feet on, every foot of land you claim, possess it, and God went before them.

There are enemies in the land, we've been reminded of that as well, and relating to our experience as Christians, but when we recognize here was a company, and that a husband and wife reversed the direction that the the nation, the people had come in deliverance to possess the land, possibly just for some personal reason, it resulted in a wrong choice with consequences. Elimenek did not live very long over there in Moab. Very soon, here's two young men and thinking about their future, and of course there was Ruth and Orpha, and soon they were married young men.

Obviously, it was an unequal yoke. They turned to girls that knew nothing of the true God, idol worshipers in Moab, but in the time of course of a few years, all of a sudden, three widows, there they are, and when you think of the book of Ruth in a general way, it was the restoration of a Nehemiah, and I'm of the opinion that she was conversing these matters over, possibly in some degree with her daughter-in-laws. She heard in some way there's bread now in Israel, the land the Lord has visited, and it affected the desire of a dear soul.

As she thought, as you come to the end of the chapter, she says to, as she comes now to Bethlehem, and they say, is this Nehemiah? I went out full, I came back empty. Now we know when we come to likeness into our experience in our day, whatsoever is written in the four times concerning events of old are for our learning, and that's why as we think of what we've heard concerning Daniel and Abraham, I'm glad our brother mentioned above all the one that's absolutely perfect in every move that he made, our Lord Jesus. But here's Nehemiah thinking, what is there here for me? And the true daughter-in-laws say, we will go with thee, and I pondered for several days wondering, and I've thought this over the years, but just of late, three times, Nehemiah says to those daughter-in-laws, turn again, go back to your gods.

What stirred Ruth to refuse what that suggestion entailed? I'm thinking that this is what's beneficial to we that are in the gathering here, saved many years, we look back with joy not only to that occasion of our baptism, but reception into the fellowship, and for any measure we're thanking God, we're found with saints gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. I'm wondering if Nehemiah was thinking, here's her two daughter-in-laws, and they wept together, but I'm going to suggest this, perhaps she wanted those girls to make their own choice, on convictions, whether they would go with her. Nehemiah understood that there was not to be a mobile bite into the land, under the 10th generation, under the law, but how good, dear brethren and sisters, our God is a God of mercy, and a God of recovery.

And so when the choice comes, Orpha kissed her mother-in-law and turned back. Ruth's word was this, entreat me not to leave thee, imploring upon Nehemiah, let it be, I'm going with you. Those wonderful words of verse 16 and 17, when she says, where thou goest I will go, she has decided she was going to cast her lot, no matter what the circumstances would bring.

And you can follow through in the book, she becomes a faithful gleaner, and she's noticed by not only the other reaper, the man over the reapers, but finally Boaz comes, who's the damsel, and they have to recognize and acknowledge, here is a devoted young woman, a widow, but she's doing this out of love to someone else, the one that had been the means of turning her thoughts to the true God. What a choice, what blessing. When she speaks, and she says, thy people shall be my people, thy God, my God, where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried.

You know, Nehemiah recognized right there, Ruth has made her choice to go with my God. I'm going back empty, but obviously the desire and the conviction in Nehemiah's heart had affected this young woman. So how wonderful we think of how God works, and as has been mentioned, whether young or old today, only one life will soon be passed.

Sometimes folks linger. Yesterday was a funeral, of course, one that was relative in the family, 59 years of age, but regardless friend, how brother, and how long we have here, we might all be gone at any moment as far as a rapture. None of us know what lies around the corner as far as our earthly sojourn, if the Lord be not come.

Nevertheless, that it might be that renewed desire, the choice, I want to spend the rest of my days to the best of my ability, be kept in happy fellowship with our God. I remember the first occasion, first prayer meeting I was in as a new saved individual, but the second one or so, the third, the late Mr. Lakin, he was a one of the customers in Oliver Smith's dairy route, year 1913, 14 was saved by his grace. He got up and he was almost crying.

He says prayer meetings has went from about 18 or 20. He says, I counted 80 the other evening. You know, there's a trend.

We're losing out on values and really commitment. So many hours of the week, we're accountable to God for them all, but I don't really think of the time and how things moved. And the first occasion as now in the fellowship, I'm speaking to myself, that I rose up and spoke, took a little part in prayer, a sister now with the Lord for many years.

She was a sister-in-law to the late Mr. Oliver Smith. Before we left the building, she says, Robert, do it again. So we want to encourage, with this I close, because here's a soul as you follow the book.

Nehemiah and her desires to get back to God and the land left the results of blessing in the heart of a Ruth who showed the manifestation of a desire of proving God who never let her down while she labored faithfully in all the events that happened. Nevertheless, for our encouragement that we might covet that commitment in her life as to our earthly journey. Romans 14, no man, no brother, sister liveth unto himself.

Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. We thank God for salvation. We thank God for the promise the Lord will never leave us.

We thank God for the promise that he that shall come, the Savior, leaving the glory, stepping into the air, he that shall come will come and shall not tarry. All that we might be renewed this afternoon with what's to follow, God willing, endeavoring to make the right choices, to see the blessings of God in life amidst our wayward and shortcomings. How good is the God we adore.