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I know, Friday Funnies and Sermon Summaries don't usually come on the same day, but let me explain... It's been a rough week. First of all, I broke up with Rob last Thursday. Long story short, I saw little ahead but consistent frustration between our disabilities. Secondly, my youngest child, Jasmine came down with her bf for an overnight visit. First time she'd been "home" since moving to Maine in late Aug/early Sept. That was Sunday afternoon to midday Monday. It's at least a 4 hr. trip one way. Then on Tuesday, my cat* died at the Emergency Vet's Office. Wednesday was a complete "down day". No interactions if possible, and no blog. Then yesterday, I finally got over to visit an older friend who lost her husband back in October. So here I am on Friday morning, "blogging my heart out", as it were...
Few of you, if any, have experienced a true harvest famine as they were having in Judah when Elimilech and Naomi left for "greener pastures" in Moab. Maybe an "off year" in the garden or vineyard occasionally, but not enough to leave. What we have all experienced is famine of our hearts. We have relationships that seem so good in the beginning, but something happens (or multiple things), and it all falls apart. Or maybe it's a lack of fulfillment in a career... the past couple of years, we've experienced a "famine of connection" in the midst of the pandemic... Somehow, we feel an "emptiness" that needs to be filled. And there are any number of things we may choose from for this purpose. Alcohol, drugs, lewd pictures and/or behaviors, even work. But the truth is, our only true hope comes from God. We come from God, and therefore, He is our only true source of "completeness" or fulfillment. He is the only one Who knows what we are truly supposed to look and be like.*
Over the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look into the story of Ruth to find hope as we launch into a new year that holds uncertainty for us*. But as the song says, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow..." Let's explore Ruth's story together, shall we??
Ruth 1:16-22
New International Version
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[a]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[b] because the Almighty[c] has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted[d] me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
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Most of us know and love this story for Ruth's dedication and loyalty to Naomi. But let's not allow our familiarity dim our view to God's bigger message here. Really, multiple messages...
First of all, this story has none of the "spectacular" elements or events that happen in many of the other Bible stories. No burning bush, no parting of water, no fire from heaven, etc... Just God's quiet, unobtrusive presence in the everyday lives of HIs people. And not all of them were even Jewish!! The Hebrew word describing a part of God's nature in this story is "hesed." It is indicative of God's steadfast, faithful, and loyal love for us. It's not conditional on emotion or behavior. It is simply present in the desire for the best interests of the others on whom the love is lavished. Acting at all times for their good.
This is proven in the story by it's vagueness of time in the opening. If you look it up and start from verse one, it simply says, "In the days when the Judges ruled..." That's quite a span to choose from!!* It's authenticity comes from the names mentioned; most importantly, Ruth's herself. If you look at Jesus' genealogy in Matthew, you find her to be one of the only women mentioned on either side. Israel wanted a king, and God gave them (and eventually us) the most Perfect one there could ever be. And through a foreign woman*, no less!! Which leads us to the next major message in our passage...
These women, Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth were alone in a male-dominated society. It was amazing enough that Naomi was even able to find wives for her sons in a foreign region in that day; and now here they were, the 3 of them, "against the world", effectively speaking!! All three were destitute and grieving the losses of their husbands. A single woman in those days had few, if any, resources. It didn't matter if she were young and unmarried, or widowed as in the case of our friends here. The men were in charge of everything but cooking, cleaning, and kids. Therefore, they were considered "second-class" citizens, at best. It was only by the grace of God they were able to survive. We see from this story that Naomi and Ruth are blessed by their decision to return to Judah. Orpah stayed where she was and is never heard from again.
This underscores the importance of faith in our lives. Ruth saw God's power at work in Naomi's life and was inspired to follow her and her God literally, anywhere. Just look at her words to Naomi, "Where you go, I will go. Your God will be my God..." She was willing to risk everything she had as well as her entire future on this woman!! Orpah "played it safe" and we never hear her name again in recorded history. God reveals himself to us in our deepest, darkest moments if we allow Him in and let Him lead us*.
There are 3 responses to circumstances that bear pointing out in this story. And, yes, it requires a touch of repetition, but bear with me...
Elimelech -- Naomi's husband saw the situation of the famine and did the best he could for his family in that moment. No leading from God in any direction, he just went where the food was. This shows God's provision in everyday life.
Orpah -- Her decision was just "common sense" for the time she was living in. She technically had a choice, but lacked the faith to make a different one. Those who lack faith are not blessed. She most likely died alone and poor*.
Ruth -- Steadfast, faithful, and loyal... now where have we heard those words before?? She made a verbal covenant with Naomi to follow her anywhere, potentially dooming her future.
Our lives are rampant at times with scarcity, frailty, hunger, loss, and emptiness. And as stated above, it doesn't matter what those look like in our lives; financial, physical, or emotional lack can never be satisfied by human means. No amount of money, or health, or human connection or reputation or success can ever fill our hearts to the same levels of deep-down peace, and love, and fulfillment that only come from God.
Notice what Naomi says in our passage above. "I left full and came back empty..." That sounds backwards to the original situation of the Famine, doesn't it?? But if we look at her losses during her time away, it becomes strikingly clear. She left with security for the future and returned with uncertainty and potential poverty for the rest of her life. It's no wonder she was bitter with God for taking her family!! Many of us can relate to that on some level. But what's important here is God's final message for us in this part of the story. And that is this...
God's entire job in restoring us to himself consists in emptying us of everything that isn't Him in order to fill us with HIs love, healing, restoration, redemption, and life!! As uncomfortable as it may be at times, we need to actually take time and "sit in" our brokenness* until we can see God's hand at work in our lives and allow Him to lead us to a place of peace and love so that we can see a better future in Him. St. Augustine is quoted as saying, "If a vessel is to be filled, it must first be empty. So cast all evil away from you that you may be filled to the brim."
People in Jesus' time continually wanted to see Him, "fill the baskets", and so do we at times. We want to see the "spectacular." But that's not what He did. Numerous times, He showed us that it was better to be empty. Think of the wineskins, the Wise Young Ruler, the perfume*, etc... all examples of emptiness that were either blessed by their efforts or cursed by rejection of giving up control. Or at least that's how the man felt. It's also how many of us feel when we have something in our lives that we are holding back from God. Something that is effectively "holding us captive" to our illusions of control or our "common sense" solutions. The truth is, God is too gracious, too kind, and ultimately, too loving to allow us to stay trapped in our own ideas. Look at Matt. 16:24-25, following Him requires "taking up His Cross." It requires self-sacrifice as He sacrificed Himself for us, even to the point of laying aside His Glory* to come down to our level as the One Perfect Sacrifice to essentially save us from ourselves*. All we need to do is follow the advice given in Matt. 7:7-12 -- Ask, seek, knock... He's there to respond every time!!
-- God Bless!!
Footnotes --
My cat -- she was technically my oldest child, Carissa's cat. We had to re-home her with me a year ago when my ex-husband moved home to live with his dad in Maine. Carissa turned out to be allergic, and there were other pets in other places.
Only God knows what we should look like... Read CS Lewis, "Mere Christianity", soooo good!!
New Year that holds uncertainty -- a few days ago, on MeWe, I saw a meme that showed a used car salesman saying, "At this point, a brand new year seems a bit risky. Can I interest you in a certified, pre-owned year??" LOL
The time span of the Judges was approximately 300 yrs. if counted from Joshua's death to the reign of Saul. Cited from Casket Empty Old Testament Study Guide for OT Survey by Dr. Carol Kaminski.
Jesus' line through a foreign woman -- talk about "upsetting the balance"!! Not only was it against Jewish Law to intermarry with outsiders, but God blesses a woman, nay, multiple women to bring us all a Savior!! This unequivocally destroys any arguments against Jesus ONLY being sent to the Jews!! He literally came from mixed blood!! I've "discussed" this with people on MeWe before...
Allow Him to lead us -- We are not "pre-destined" on any specific path. It's just a fact that He exists "outside of time" and has simply already seen us do everything. Think of Him as the Good Year Blimp above a huge parade. He can see it all at the same time. That "tricky" little verse in Eph. 2:10 that speaks of works for us to do is saying exactly that. It's not us who are created for the specific work. It's the work created for us to do. As indicated above, He has simply already seen us doing it. That's also how we are "chosen" for Salvation as covered by John 6:44. The Father calls us because He already knows who will respond and who won't. Those who won't, He leaves alone. Simple as that...
Orpah most likely died alone and poor -- this is a reasonable conclusion due to the fact that her family was willing to marry her off to a foreigner for the chance at a better life than they could provide. They could not have known her husband would die so quickly after their marriage. (although we don't know the actual time-frame) The point lies in the fact that marriage, up until quite recently, actually; was based mainly in social status, and therefore, a "good marriage" rested in the prospects of future prosperity for both families. "Recently" as in 100 yrs or so +/-...
"Sit in our brokenness" -- See blog post #3 in the Psalms series.
New Wine into Old Wineskins is a parable of Jesus. It is found at Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22 and Luke 5:33-39. The Rich Young Ruler can be found in either Matt 19 or Mark 10, and the perfume in Mark 14, Luke 7, or John 12.
Laying aside His Glory -- Phil. 2 proves that Jesus was and is a part of God, sent down to provide our sacrifice. What part of that confuses some believers?? The "properties" of God, if you will, are that of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is relatable to us as having fathers, being children, and being friends with others. We have different roles in one life. When you're filling your role in one aspect, you're not filling it in another. That doesn't mean you stop being you. It just means you're focused in one area for a time. It really not that hard a concept...
God is saving us from ourselves -- An unlikely, but strikingly good source for insight into the divine comes from the show, Lucifer. It gets a bit "interesting" at times with its graphic nature, but well worth the perspectives it provides!! Give it a shot!!
Music -- no rights here --
Bonus song -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPW9xYEyijQ
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