Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn this afternoon, noon to a well known portion, the book of Ruth. We've often looked at this, but I believe we can always learn fresh lessons from God's word because tells us, you know, forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. And I like to think that when we get home to glory, we're going to see this blessed book and we're going to learn all that God had for us. We only learn a little.
Here, but we'll learn all He had for us and the wonderful revelation of truth.
And love that He has given to us in His word. Now let's look to this book. I'd like also, first of all, to read the last verse of the book of Judges.
In those days there was number king in Israel. Every man did that which was right.
In his own eyes 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 soldier, and in the country of Moab he and his wife and his two sons. In the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of their his two sons Mallum and Jillian.
Hebrithites of Bethlehem, Judah.
And they came into the country of mauve and continued there, and alone, like Naomi's husband, died.
And she was left and her two sons. Then they took them wives of the women of Maude.
The name of the one was Oprah and the name of the other Ruth, and they dwelled there about 10 years. And Madeleine and Chilean died also, both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
With the Lord's help, I'd like to go through the book and learn some of the little lessons I believe God has for us in this precious book.
The reason I read the verse in the end of Judges is to see the time that this letter, this book was written, and what a difficult time it was for any who desired to please the Lord. But I think it corresponds very much to the day in which we live. It says here every man did that which was right in his own eyes. We're seeing that more and more that people don't have.
Standards that are formed by the Word of God.
They do set their own standards, say I have as much right as another to think what is right and wrong, and I'm just going to do as I please. I'm not going to shut out God entirely, but I'm going to plan my own life as I see best. That was the time in which this family lived. The book of Judges takes up particularly God's dealings with the nation of Israel, for they were in a special place of favor, and I believe we are brethren.
To be in a place of special favor, living in a land where we have the Word of God, the open Bible. Many of us brought up in homes where the Bible is read, where the Lord is known. And we are greatly privileged. And so were the people that we read about in the book of Judges and also this family in the book of Ruth. And so they were a very privileged people. But even with our privileges, we can be very indifferent.
We can be very self assertive and we can plan our own lives as we see best for ourselves without turning to the Lord.
There is a verse in Jeremiah 10 that says, oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. They're not one of us in this room, young role who has the knowledge that is needed to direct our pathway a right in a world like this. But isn't it wonderful that we have one that we can turn to?
Our faithful, unchangeable friend, the Lord Jesus.
The one who loved us and gave himself for us, and he cares for us. And if there's one who's not saved here, he cares for you too. He wants you to be blessed. It's the will of God that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth He desires. The blessing of all in Christ died for all. But we ourselves, perhaps I could say again, are specially privileged. So they were in the book of Judges.
But they departed from the Lord. But God was faithful as he always is, and he raised up judges, deliverers for them. And if you read through the book, you'll see how over and over again when they got away, the moment they turned to the Lord, then he raised up a deliverer. He came in. And if there's any of us in a special time of trouble, let me tell you that God cares. And if you know him as your Father, you can turn to him as we've been having in our.
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And turn to him as your father and know that he is concerned may not always be an easy way back. Because we do reap what we sow, You know, we sow wild oats, we reap wild oats and we may have to reap, but isn't that lovely? But even if we have done things like that, while we reap, the Lord will be right beside us. If you like the father who had to punish his child.
And went and sat beside him and loved him.
And sought so with God our Father, that even though we might and we do make mistakes, He doesn't forsake us. Well, the reason I read this book and I must take up too much time to speak of this, but just to get the setting of this chapter and this book.
God picks out one little family in the midst of all this. And I think this is most interesting to me, perhaps to me, especially because I like to read the Bible in this way, that when I read about people, I think of them as people just like myself, people who have feelings like I do.
People who feel things, who feel pain or feel difficulties of feel reproach, you feel misunderstanding. They were normal people and this was a normal family. Perhaps a little special in the way that it was a favored family, because we can see by the names that are mentioned here that there was something special about this family. I was brought up in a special family. I don't mean that anything as to ourselves.
Personally, but I mean that I was in a favored family where the Bible was read, where my parents loved me, where they sought my good, they sought my blessing. And in that way I was especially favored. And so after giving us the book of Judges and God's dealing with Israel as a nation, we then come to this book where we have this family picked out.
The man's name was Elimelech, and that name means God is king.
God is king. I like to think of the time when that little boy was born.
And his parents looked at him and they saw their child and they said God is king. They wanted their boy to be brought up acknowledging the claims of God, and they named him. God is king. And he was also born in a wonderful place, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. I hardly need to say, because we all recognize that that was the place where our blessed.
Was born and thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, though thou be little among the Princess of Judah, yet out of these shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel. Wasn't this a favored place? And without any ************ because we need to be humble if God has been good to us. But it's a great privilege to be brought up in a Christian home where the Lord's claims are acknowledged when we gather to know other name.
But the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a great privilege. He was born in Bethlehem, Judah.
Perhaps his parents were very happy when he got married. His wife's name was Naomi, which means pleasant. I take it that means it was a happy marriage, and you know it is. There's a great joy that we as parents have on our children. Marry someone who is the Lord, who wants to please the Lord, and who is what we might call a nice person, a pleasant person.
Because it's a very lovely thing that God cares.
About the partner that we have a prudent wife is from the Lord. You might say, well, I just choose from myself. Oh, you and I can't choose the right for ourselves. We need the Lord to help us. The Lord bless this marriage with two boys.
The names of these boys were Malin and Chilean, and so here were these this little family. Things were going well now up to this point, but there was a famine in the land.
Well, famines had come before in Israel's history. There was a famine in the life of Abraham, and when Abraham was faced with his famine, he decided to go down into Egypt to escape the famine. He went away from the difficulty and he went down into the land of Egypt. And I won't go into it, but he got into a lot of difficulties down there.
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Denied his proper relationship to his wife and had to be rebuked by the king of Egypt.
It was a sort of a sad situation. He brought back Hagar, who brought problems into his house. Let me say this, if there ever comes a difficulty in the assembly, don't run away. You'll only run into difficulty. The best thing is to face it in the fear of God. Seek the Lord's help, seek the guidance and direction of His Word, and don't turn aside because of.
Difficulties. Abraham got into difficulties here. This family went down into more of well, we know where Moab came from. Moab was from the descendants of Lot and Lot was a self seeking man, a true believer, but a self seeking man and he, a nation had been following him. So they went down there, didn't quite go as far as going to Egypt, but they went.
Perhaps I could compare him to a worldly Christian. And usually when we get discouraged, we become worldly. And that's exactly what happened here. They went down there to Moab. Well, you know what happened down there because it tells us in the part that I read that the Lord began to speak to this family and things didn't go quite as well as they had hoped they would.
First, it tells us that LM Elect died and she was left alone with the two boys that God had given to her. Well, this should have caused an exercise. You know, brethren, shall I say nothing happens by chance. You have a problem rises in your life and mine. I'm not standing here to say, well, you must have done something wrong or it wouldn't have happened because.
The Lord does deal with us, and some of the things that He allows in our lives are not necessarily disciplined, but we always ought to be exercised as to why problems come into our life. And I believe if they had been exercised right at the very beginning here, the Lord wouldn't have to continue and speak a little louder.
You know God speaks gently the first time, but if we don't listen then he has to speak louder.
And after the death of after the death of Elimelech, then the two boys and their mother were left alone. And it tells us here they took wives of the women of Moab. Well, you know, that was also contrary to the word of God, because according to the Mosaic law, they were not to marry among the nations around about them and for us.
The Bible says, and I say this to any young person who's contemplating marriage.
Bible says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and so it tells us this very plainly, and a Christian should never marry an unbeliever. That is an unequal yoke. That is what the Word of God tells us not to enter into such a relationship.
Well, we see here that after a while.
They, both Malin and Chilean died. The Lord spoke still louder again and the woman was left alone and now she just has her two daughters in law. Thankfully they were nice girls and I'm not saying that there aren't nice girls, but they aren't proper relationship for you. If they're not saved, they don't know the Lord.
But you know, God is the God of all grace, and this is what I think we can see here.
Interwoven we see the ways of God, the government of God, but we also see the grace of God, the grace of God coming in and in spite of the fact that it was wrong for them to gone down into more of it was wrong for them to marry those of the posterity of Moab. But we see the grace of God coming in and the first little glimpse here is.
And I think it's so sweet what it says here. It says here in the.
End of the sixth verse. She had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Someone brought down this good message. Someone told how God was blessing his people. And so, you know, sometimes, as I say, we do get discouraged. There are famines of different kinds.
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Famines of food, famines of health.
Famines in the assembly when there isn't all the fresh and happy ministry that we'd love to have and we get discouraged. But we see here that she heard, she didn't have to come back. She heard in the country of Maude how that God had visited his people and giving them bread. Someone must have cared about them. Someone must have sent the message that they heard down there what God had done for his people.
And so this concerned her and she, the Bible says, He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. And we see now the result of this goodly message got down to them. With her heart so sore after having lost her husband and two sons, now she gets a note of cheer.
God had visited his people in giving them bread and so.
She decides that whatever the cost, she is going to go back.
And you know, if you and I have gone the wrong way, and everyone of us do at times, why? Let's remember that there is a way back. There is a way back. And it's beautiful to see here that she starts on the way back. She didn't know how she was going to be received. Maybe she could expect the kind of a scolding when she got back that she shouldn't have done, shouldn't have gone there and all that. But she decided to go back.
You have to leave everything with the Lord.
Take the first step in obedience is so important as the Bible says, seems to do evil, learn to do well. She wasn't going to stay there any longer and so she starts out, but immediately she sees that there are problems. It's not easy. The way back when they went today's journey without the Lord Jesus in the 2nd chapter of Luke. It took three days.
Before they found him. And, you know, when we go away, maybe it's comparatively easy. It's a slippery path. But coming back is not always so easy. And the enemy tells you, oh, it's all right, It's too late now. No use. It wasn't too late. The wonderful story that comes in here in this beautiful book of Ruth.
Set apart by the Spirit of God to give us the history of this little family.
And God's dealings with them in grace, they set out and it says here.
In the sixth verse then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Mog. The seventh verse Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her, and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. Now she starts out.
But turns her back upon mold and she starts out.
And the Lord touched the hearts of these two girls so that they came along with her and they started out on the journey. But Naomi.
Knowing that it was not going to be easy for these girls, she loses heart and isn't as sad. But she says in the eighth verse. And he only saith unto her, Two daughters in law, go, return each to your mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead, and with me the Lord grants you that she may find rest each of you in the House of her husband.
Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. I say again, these were what we would say were nice girls, and they didn't like to leave their mother-in-law destitute. But we also see another thing. A Christian out of communion doesn't always give good advice.
Have we ever found that when we were discouraged, we gave somebody else bad advice? You know, we don't live unto ourselves. We don't die unto ourselves. What we do and the way we live and those things that we say affect other people perhaps more than we thought or we intended. And so here she's giving.
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Bad, bad advice to them. She's retelling them to return to their own land.
And we know that as we read on, we'll see that they were idle worshippers in the past. They didn't know the true God of Israel. So sadly had the household of Lot departed that they were their worshippers of strange gods. But she thought about the natural side of life. She said that you'll find rest in the House of your husband, in other words.
What she thought was the important thing in life was a good, happy relationship, husband and wife, and a home. Well, that's a normal thing, but it isn't the most important. It shouldn't be first on our list, dear young people. And we were older too, we know. And what should be first on our list is that in all things, he might have the preeminence that we give the Lord Jesus.
His rightful place.
But she thought of their husband having a husband and a home was everything. And the 10th verse. And they said unto her, I'll read the rest of the chapter here. Surely we will return with the unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters, why will you go with me? Are there yet more sons in my womb that they may be your husband's? Turn again, my daughter's. Go your way, for I am.
To have an husband, if I should say I have hope, if I should have an husband also tonight, and should also bear sons, would you tarry for them until they were born? Would you stay for them from having a husband's name? My daughters for agree with me much that for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice and wept again. An Orpa kissed her mother.
The mother-in-law about Ruth Clave under her.
And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has gone back unto her people, and unto 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 wither thou ghost, I will go, and where thou largest 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 I thought. But death part thee and me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left, speaking unto her.
So they too 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? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty have dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me?
Seeing the Lord hath testified against me in the Almighty hath afflicted me, so Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite as her daughter-in-law with her.
Which returned out of the country of Moab and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Well, here we see that she suggests to them that they go back to their people and to their gods, and that hope of natural things would not be with them and if they stayed with her. But she then goes on when they wept. Then she begins to talk about the Lord's dealings with her, and it's nice that she brings in something here.
At the end of the 13th verse.
It grieveth me much for your sakes, that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.
Now she recognizes, I think for the first time, that the hand of the Lord was over all these things. And I say this for myself as well As for everyone here. Do we see the Lord's hand in things that happen in our lives? Do we recognize that He's behind all the scenes, moving all the scenes, that He is behind that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose?
Now she realizes that.
The Lord was dealing with her. Well, we find a sad situation here with OPA. OPA turns and goes back to her people and to her gods. Yes, that's the end of anything that we read about Oprah. Not a sad ending. And I hope there's not a person here brought up, perhaps in a Christian home.
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And heard the way of salvation.
But you're still not saved.
And what a sad thing it should be brought up in a Christian home with all its privileges.
And it should turn your back upon them. Remember what it says when they sprinkle the blood on the lentil and the two side posts of their homes in the land of Egypt. It says a lamb for in house. God delights to bless in households. But he added this warning. He said if you go out and turn your back on the home where the blood has been sprinkled, you'll be exposed to judgment.
Well, what a sad thing. Turn your back upon the home where you're so privileged brought up.
Where the blood soda spreek is on the Lindell and the two side pulse. But you say I want the world and you turn a sign. And that's what it seems to me that it was happening here. She turned her back. She returned to her people and to her gods, but that God had begun to work in the heart of Ruth. And here we see, oh, isn't this wonderful brethren, we all make mistakes, I say, but the grace of God comes in here.
There are two things that run through the whole scripture. The grace of God.
And the government of God without one of us that would be saved if it wasn't for God's sovereign grace. We're not saved because we were better than somebody else, only that his grace has reached out. Whether we're in a Christian home or otherwise, it's all of grace. And so here we find that.
Ruth was brought to put her trust in the God of Israel. And when Orpa turned back, Ruth turned around and said, now I'm going with you back to that lamb. Yes. Back to that land of famine, back to that land where they felt things weren't so acceptable to them. Yes. And I want to say this to you, dear young people, and to all of us. We don't. We're not.
To expect an easy path as Christians, we must through much tribulation and enter into the Kingdom of God. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. I didn't say, and the Bible doesn't say, choosing rather to have a good time with the people of God, but choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. No, I don't say that we don't have lots of good times with the people of God.
But when you make your choice.
You don't make your choice because it's all the good times that we have. It's because you need a savior and you're going to accept the Lord Jesus, she said. I'm not looking for a home. I'm not looking for a husband. What I want is to be where the true God is known. His presence is valued, she said.
Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Oh, what a lovely decision that she made and I hope each one of us.
Will those of us who know the Lord as our Savior will decide that we will identify ourselves with the people of God who seek to walk amid much weakness in the truth, and that we'll seek to go on and make our friendships and our people will be among them? Well, this is what the decision that Ruth made here, and she said it's a lifetime decision.
In the 17th verse where thou diest.
Will I die and there will I be buried is not just a decision, you say in natural things? Well, give it a try for a little while and see if it works. That's not the way in spiritual things we present ourselves, we give our lives to the Lord that we should not live the rest of our time to the will of the flesh, not to the will of God.
The love of Christ constraineth us that we should not live unto ourselves.
But unto him who died for us and rose again, so we come to the final nineteenth verse. They too went until they came to Bethlehem. They went all the way. They went right back to the point of departure. And that's the true restoration is to go back to the point of departure. When was the time that we said, I'm going to choose my own way?
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That's the important thing, is to come to that point and say now I want to choose.
The way that's pleasing to the Lord. And this is where we find these two now. And they come and it says.
The 19th verse. So they too 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? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, but Meryl, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Because I don't deserve to be called pleasant. It didn't sound like Saul did it. Saul said I have sinned yet, yet honor me now, I pray thee in the presence of my people. He said yes I did wrong, but I don't want to lose any prestige or position because of this. I just want to come back as if nothing had happened now.
She comes back and she says.
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again. Empty, in other words.
She could have said, well you know why I left, There was a family. Do you blame me? There wasn't food here and I left for that reason, though she didn't say that. She said there was no good reason for me to leave. I went out full and she doesn't take credit to herself for coming back. She says the Lord hath brought me home again.
Empty, she said. In other words, I didn't gain anything in the path of self will.
Didn't gain anything it was just a loss but the Lord came in in grace and oh how wonderful. We don't want to just talk about the government of God. We want to talk about the grace of God she had with her this girl Ruth whom God was to use. Isn't it blessed? Isn't it wonderful rather than how when we do seek to acknowledge the Lord's claims how he comes in far beyond anything that we.
There is not one of us that could say, well, I am blessed because I have been such a good Christian. It's all his grace and his goodness. And she said I went out full. I went out when I had plenty. It was the Lord that dealt with me in allowing this to happen in my life and he's brought me back again.
And here she comes back and bows beneath the Lord's claim, and.
What happens? It says here she came back in the beginning of barley harvest. She came back at the very beginning of the time when God in His goodness was blessing His people. He gives us occasions. Perhaps some of us feel such an occasion as this is like.
The beginning of a barley harvest that we can spend these couple of days together and have our souls fed and have the rich joy of Christian fellowship with one another. That's when she came back in the beginning of Harley barley harvest. Well, as I say now, the story as it were turns, if I can use the expression Naomi is restored.
Ruth has been brought back as the fruit of His grace.
And now Naomi, she starts, as it were, from another viewpoint. She was giving bad advice at one time, but from this point on, she doesn't give bad advice. She gives good advice every time she advises her daughter-in-law, she advises her to do what's right and pleasing to the Lord. You know, we need to be careful when we give advice.
I say this for myself as well as anyone else. We do have to be awfully careful.
Because people do listen to our advice sometimes and it can be good or it can be, it can be poor advice. But if we're walking with the Lord, be be careful. And we find Ruth and Naomi rather is very careful. Now it says here in the 2nd chapter. And they only had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
Isn't this lovely? And it says here a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth. And we have a kinsman Redeemer. We've been talking a little bit about him this morning, that one who came down became a man born in a Manger in order that he might redeem us. What grace we know him. He's a mighty man of wealth.
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When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, some of them were doubting as they gathered in that upper room in the 28th chapter of Matthew.
And it says, And Jesus came and said unto them, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Is there someone here who's having some problems and you're full of doubts? Isn't it wonderful to know the person who has it worse as to you, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, and then.
Closing his message to them, he says. And lo, I am with you always.
Even unto the end of the world. Amen. Yes. He'll never leave you nor forsake you. He's always there. Sometimes we're like the two on the road to Emmaus, not realizing he's right beside us. But we are. Our eyes are, shall I say, blinded to the nearness. He's standing right there. Well, and she gives her good advice.
And she goes out now and she gleaned, she says, go, my daughter.
And she goes and gleans in the field. She is directed to the Lord at this point, it seems to me.
That she didn't really know that she was going to get into the field of Boaz. She just sought to be directed of the Lord. And there sometimes the Lord doesn't show us the future. He just says that where you take one step to please me and I'll give you light for the next step.
Thy word is a lamp. To my feet that means just one step and a light to my path. That's all the way. As I often illustrated, lights in my car, I suppose, shine a few 100 feet. But I've driven for miles and those lights didn't just light me for a few 100 feet. They lighted me all the way. As long as I kept going with the light before me, I got light for the next mile. For the next mile. That's what God does.
He says you take that one step and I'll give you light for all the way and that's what he was doing here. And you see this with Ruth. She goes out now she get her hat was that was she was she wasn't planning so to speak. She was just looking to the Lord in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. So she got into the field of Boaz.
And we find that.
Malaz takes notice of her there, and the Lord takes notice. Other people may not take notice, but the Lord does. Isn't that comforting? Lord knows the desire of your heart. Sometimes someone else might misunderstand, but the Lord never, never misunderstands us. He knows that the desire and so known to the first things.
He says in the eighth verse, this is the first time that Boaz speaks to Ruth then says.
Under Ruth Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them. Have not I charge the young men that they shall not touch thee, that they may.
And when are the thirst go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn?
Is the first time that Boaz speaks to Ruth and he tells her that thine eyes be on the field, that they do reap. That is the importance of being where the Lord is, to be in his presence, to be where he is in the midst. What a great privilege. Well here she was and he said did it not to go to another field. And he told her two things. There was protection for her and there was.
Food for her provided says when thou art a thirst, go and drink of that which the young men have drawn. Then he tells the young men to let fall handfuls of purpose for her. While he was thinking about her, he was going to provide for her in every way.
And I would just like to say when thou art a thirst drink of that which the young man have drawn.
I'm facing the bookroom back there and there's a lot of ministry back there which God's young men have drawn.
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I'm sure I couldn't write anything like some of the volumes that those dear brothers who have been.
Use of the Lord to give us precious ministry from the word of God. He said when you're a thirst, go and drink. And I just like to make this suggestion to when you read ministry, read it first for your own soul. If you've enjoyed it, then out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. That means you've taken it in and digested it and then it flows out to others.
So when you read Ministry, it's always good.
Sometimes we can go to ministry to find something that we want to know a little bit more about just for knowledge or to tell somebody else. But it's best when you read the word and when you and when you read the ministry to read it for food for your own soul. And then it'll flow out in blessing to others because it'll flow out of your belly. It'll be something you've made your own. I just mentioned that by the way, and so.
That was the first time he spoke, and then it says in the 20 tenth verse. Then she fell on herself and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I I'm a stranger? She said, why? And every one of us can ask ourselves that question. Why?
Did the Lord save me?
Why?
It's grace and grace alone. It wasn't that he looked over a big crowd of people and said there's a nice person there.
Now it's just his wonderful grace. Why through all eternity, I believe we're going to say, why did he pick me out? I can just praise him for all eternity. Maybe picked me out to be in such a place because we were indeed strangers. And then Boaz answered and said, I knew all about you. I knew all about you. Yes, he knew all about her when he picked up that.
Sinful woman that came in and washed his feet, he said. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. He knew all about her.
When Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus, Why when?
When someone was sent to him to ask him to tell him that the Lord had chosen him, oh, he said, I've heard by many of that man he just came down here to persecute people. He said he's a vessel specially chosen of me to bear my name. Did the Lord know about him? Of course he did. And the Lord knows all about you.
And me, He saved us in his grace. And then he goes on to say.
In the 12Th verse the Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel.
Under whose wings thou had come to trust. Yes, he said. He said a full reward is going to be given, because anything you do for the Lord will be rewarded in that day. Even a thought upon His name, even a cup of cold water. We do things for other people and sometimes they forget. I forget kindnesses that people have done to me sometimes, that the Lord will never forget anything He has a book of.
Well, it tells us then that he invited her to the meal table and he said at meal time you can come and sit beside the reapers. And I want to say to any here who know the Lord is Savior who are desiring to go on and please him. He's the one that invites you. People say, why don't you invite people to come and break bread? It's not our table, it's the Lord's table, but he invites you to.
At meal time come. And so she came, and he noticed that she was there too. And the Lord notices whether we are there. He says, Let me hear thy voice, let me see thy face, for thy voice is sweet, and thy countenance is comely. Isn't it good to come to the Lord's table, because we're invited by him?
And to know that he wants us there, I believe that's the force of that verse that says.
The joy of the Lord is your strength, brethren. It's not our joy in the Lord, but His joy in having us there. That's the thought that gives us strength. Perhaps I can use an illustration. Maybe you heard me use it before. But just so we get the thought in the verse, supposing someone asked you over to their house for an evening.
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And it turns out to be a very stormy evening, and you look at each other and husband and wife and say.
Oh, I wonder if they would mind. It's such a bad night. Maybe we won't go tonight some other time. And when you're talking, the phone rings and the other parties on the phone, they say please come. We know it's a bad night, but we'll be so disappointed. We've been looking forward to this evening together. And you get a little fresh supply of strength and you say we've got to go, we've got to go. Why?
All they want us there. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
And so that was really the force of that passage in Nehemiah. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Well, it tells us here that she sat at the table and then the rest of the day she spent gleaning in the field. Nice little word for us about the Lords day. It seems she spent the rest of the day leaning in the field. So we have that privilege and she comes home and shears it with her daughter-in-law. There's one little interesting point that I just like to point out, and that is it says in the.
18th verse. No, the 12Th verse. So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an Eiffel barley. And she took it up and went into the city. And her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her what she had reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto her.
Where hast thou gleaned today?
Well, I just want to point out one little thing. She didn't bring home the chaff. She didn't bring home the chaff. Sometimes we do that. We go to a meeting, there's a little bit of chaff. There are few things said that maybe perhaps in the meeting or perhaps afterwards, and that's what we bring home instead of bringing home the good things that were said. And so she left the chaff right there, but she brought home what was good, what you could share.
That helped her mother-in-law who hadn't been able to go, probably quite old at that time. So how lovely this is to see. She brought it home and she shared and we can share the good things that we enjoy too when we come around the Lord. And well, I won't go on and read all the details of the rest of the story, but I just like to point out a few things in the rest of the story.
When?
It tells us here that.
The the in the 3rd chapter in the.
The 1St 2 verses. And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now it's not Boaz our of our kindred, but whose maidens thou wast. Behold, he winneth barley tonight in the threshing floor. Wash thyself, therefore anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor.
But make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Well, here we she is advised by her mother-in-law to go where he was, where he was threshing out the barley and the wheat. And you know the Lord is doing that with our lives. It says in the Psalms, thou winnowest my pathway. It's 139 some perhaps I could turn to it because that's the reading in the margin. I'd like to just call attention to that verse.
Psalm 139.
You've got a margin in your Bible. I think you'll see the word it says.
Verse 3 Thou winnowest by path, and my lying down, and heart acquainted with all my ways. Now that is, the Lord is winnowing our pathway. He's picking out that which is for himself. And shall I say lay the rest aside. And that's what the Lord is doing with us Now in our pathway. Sometimes there's quite a bit of chat, but He's picking out that which is good, that which is pleasing to him.
And now she was told.
To wash yourself. I just like to apply these things practically. The Scripture speaks of the washing of water by the word. It says anoint thee. We need to enjoy the place of relationship into which we have been brought. And then she was to lay at his feet until the morning. And that's our place, brethren.
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We, we to come. He's winnowing our pathway.
To take our place at His feet. We're to enjoy the position in which He has brought us. And He said, he'll tell you what to do. And he told her what to do. And she went back before it was morning to her mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law saw the effect that they had upon her. But we haven't got time to go into all the details. But that's the way if you and I are seeking to go on for the Lord, our place now is to lay.
Until the morning and to walk in the enjoyment of the place that we have been brought into.
He's we've been anointed who hath anointed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts. The Bible tells us. And then Mary is commended because she's laid. She sat at Jesus feet and heard his words. Well, the story goes on to the completion in the last chapter and we know that the time had come and that.
Boaz was going to take Ruth to be his wife, and that's the prospect before us, brethren, We're waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus.
What a glorious day it will be when it says the marriage of the Lamb is coming, and his wife hath made herself ready. Now there's a a glorious time coming, and that's what Ruth was waiting for. Perhaps you might wonder why the near kinsman is brought in there, but it's the near the near kinsman.
It's just a little picture of the law, and the law could never bring us into a place and what the law could not do, and that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.
He's brought us into a wonderful place. And so she becomes the bride of Boaz. And there was great rejoicing. And the whole, shall I say, the company and the family all rejoiced. And brethren, there's a a day of rejoicing ahead for us. Just read of it for yourself in that 19th chapter of Revelation. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the.
And his wife hath made herself ready. Well, may these few little personal lessons that we can learn from this lovely book of Ruth. Just think of this little family introduced. Set yourself as it were, in that position. Just think of all that they went through, and how God came in, and how in spite of failures in their lives, that He still came in, and what a rich and happy ending there was.
But what of joy it is that we have?
The rest of our time, the rest of our time that we should not live unto ourselves. None of us can change yesterday, but we have perhaps a little time left. If the Lord doesn't come. May we enjoy something of what we find in this book. If there's anyone who's got a way you restore my soul, does any of us who are not giving the Lord Jesus his rightful place, may we realize the precious privilege?
Of honoring Him, being where He is, being in His fields, being at His table, sitting at His feet, enjoying what grace has done for us. Oh, how abundantly He has blessed us. It's going to take all eternity to tell out His praise. But on earth the song begins. In heaven, more sweet and loud.