Ruth 1:6-22

Two Widows Journey to Bethlehem

Ruth is a poignant story of faithless disobedience, that leads to death, sorrow, bitterness, and then loyalty and finally redemption. It's my prayer that you will realize that if an inconspicuous Moabite peasant woman could achieve royalty for her descendants in Israel, then anyone can gain Salvation. The story of Ruth contains secrets to the Kingdom of Heaven that point directly to the work our Savior, Jesus Christ, would one day accomplish for us all on Calvary. Ultimately God will reward Ruth's faith and obedience by making her the great grandmother of King David and a place in the genealogy of Jesus that Matthew records in his Gospel.

1. Review of Last Study

1. Elimelech, the father

1. Means “God is King” 

2. He shows no faith in God's ability to provide for family's needs 

2. Naomi, the mother

1. Mean “Favor with God & man” 

2. Follows her husband to Moab with their son's

3. Mahlon, eldest son

1. Means “Unhealthy”

4. Chilion, 

1. Mwan “Pinning, Withering and Whining”

5. Elimelech dies, youngest son

1. Leaves his wife and sons to fend for themselves in strange land

6. Naomi's sons disregard God's decree and marry pagan Moabite women 

1. Unhealthy (Malhaon) 

1. Marries Ruth, 

1. Means “Beautiful and Pleasant”

2. Withereing (Chilion) 

1. Marries Orpha, 

1. Means “Stiff necked & Stubborn”

3. Jewish tradition says that Naomi’s sons died because they disobeyed God

7. We left off with three widowed women living in a land that was unkind

8. Elimelech took his family to Moab to find bread, and instead they found graves 

Todays Study 

Ruth 6:1-22

2 Widows Journey to Bethlehem

2. Bereaved of her husband and two sons, Naomi now gives thought of returning home.

1. Naomi receives news that God has again blessed the land of Judah,

2. Bethlehem, the “House of Bread” has food in it's pantry again

3. With her daughter-in-laws in tow she heads for Judah and Bethlehem

3. Naomi starts thinking of the future for her daughter-in-laws

1. She sees no future for them and encourages them to return to their family

1. She has no sons to offer them

2. She is too old to have a husband

3. If she did marry and have sons, would they wait until they were old enough?

4. It grieves her to see them suffer because of God's chastisement of her

2. At first they both insist upon going, 

1. Orpah was not as committed, 

1. She fell away before the seed took root like in the parable of the sower in (Luke 8:4-15) (read the parable)

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke 8:13)

2. Weeping Orpah kisses naomi and returns home to her family

3. Orpah was tempted with her old life and decided to return to it in Moab

4. She ultimately rejects God and returns to the idols and obscurity

5. Throughout the Scriptures, she will never be heard from again

2. Ruth chooses wisely, 

1. she clings to her mother-in-law who tries once again to dissuade her from following, Look at the statement of faith from Ruth

1. To go wherever Naomi goes

2. To live wherever Naomi lives

3. To make the people of Naomi her people

4. To make the God of Naomi her God

5. To die and be buried where Naomi is buried

6. To let nothing but death come between them

2. In making such a choice, Ruth has becomes a proselyte (convert) to Judaism

3. Naomi relents when she sees the commitment in Ruth

4. Their arrival in Bethlehem

1. Their arrival sparks excitement in the city

2. Naomi believes she should be called Mara (Bitter)

1. No longer Naomi ("Pleasant"), but Mara ("Bitter")

2. For she feels the Lord has dealt bitterly with her

3. She left Judah full, and has returned empty

4. She believes the Lord has testified against her, and has afflicted her

5. They arrived at the beginning of the barley harvest

1. The stage is set for the events in the next chapter

2. Which portends a new beginning in the lives of Naomi and Ruth

6. This story illustrates the importance of making choices

1. Choices come with consequences, sometimes good, sometimes bad

2. Elimelech and his sons made choices

1. What may have appeared to be a good business decision

2. Ultimately left a wife and mother a widow and motherless in a strange land

3. Orpah and Ruth made a choice

1. Orpah choose to stay with her family and the false gods of Moloch, and human

2. Ruth choose to stick it out and take a chance on the real God and Salvation

1. To leave family and false religion, for the true God and His people

2. Her decision will provide both temporal and eternal blessings Mark 10:29-30

Sometimes the choice is not between right and wrong, but between good and better.  Yet any choice we make will be the right one if made with these words of Jesus in mind:

In the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus told his disciples;

"But seek first the kingdom of God  and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." 

Matthew 6:33 

"Ruth's Noble Choice" to follow Naomi and her God illustrates the truth of Jesus' words!