Life of Ruth Lesson 3 “The Confrontation”
Anybody can talk of faith and trusting in the Lord when the sun is shining and the gentle breezes are blowing. When there’s plenty of food to go around, when there’s money in the bank and everyone and everything is well. But the real tests and challenges to our Christianity come when life changes, and when uncertainty becomes the new normal, it is then that our faith is not only tried, but revealed. Naomi understood all too well that God’s hand of judgment had been upon her family. It began with the death of her husband. Next, the obvious hand of judgment with respect to neither Mahlon nor Chilion being able to produce children. And finally, the death of her only sons. Matthew Henry wrote, “When God judges He will overcome and if one affliction prevails not to awaken us to the sight and sense of our sin another shall. God will call our sin to remembrance. And if He does hedge up our way with thorns, it is that He may oblige us to say, I will return to my Father.” Now that the choice to stay in Moab or leave was exclusively up to her, Naomi determined to leave Moab at once and head to the place she knew they should not have left; she was headed home to Bethlehem. What a very unique and unusual thing for a lone woman to do back in those days.
Consider with me that Naomi must have had a tremendous impact on her daughters-in-law for they apparently loved her dearly. Surely this woman of God stood out from the crowd in downtown Moab. Her influence, her testimony, her carriage, the way she dressed-all of these things struck Ruth and Orpah. They had known her for approximately 10 years when she announced she was leaving Moab for good, and upon hearing this, Ruth and Orpah packed their bags and determined to go with her.
Along the way however, and not too far down the road, Naomi turned and looked at them and spoke; “Girls, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I have to let you know my heart. I have nothing left to offer you, not the least of which is any more sons. You’ve been so very kind, but this is where we need to part… ” She commended them for being such good wives to her sons but asked them to do the sensible thing and consider going back home to their mothers’ houses. She had no idea what lie before her: where she would live, how she would survive, and what the reception would be like back in Judah. It just really seemed that, practically speaking, Naomi couldn’t picture fending for herself and the girls. So, as girls are inclined to do, both of them started crying to break their hearts, and they started pleading with her to take them along. Naomi countered that it would be pointless. So she prayed over them and insisted they part and that she should go on alone. She said the hand of the Lord was against her. That life was going to be painful and difficult for her for the rest of her life. (Mind you, this is what Naomi predicted for herself. Remember that the next time you are very distressed about some situation; you cannot know what’s ahead when you are in God’s hands). In truth, what she was challenging them to do was to count the cost. She didn’t want them to come to the land of Israel for her sake alone. There was a much bigger issue at hand. For them to go to Bethlehem would mean leaving their pagan culture. And that they must decide for themselves. Orpah decided she’d be better off among her people, her gods, and the life she was accustomed to. So, in due course Orpah, wiping away the last few tears with a hanky tucked into her robe pocket, kissed Naomi, turned and set her face toward her mother’s house. Her choice was to go back to Moab. She was presented with the truth that there is only one true God and Naomi was headed back to the place where he would receive the most glory from her life. Orpah saw godliness in action through Naomi’s testimony yet, she still chose to turn back. Naomi and Ruth watched her as she hurriedly walked away.
Ruth turned to Naomi, an expression of incredulity mingled with determination crossing her face. She threw herself on the woman who was so much more to her than her own mother. “No, No! I’m going with you!” She begged her mother-in- law to say no more against her going. She will travel with her, she will live with her and most importantly she will trust in her God. What a powerful tribute to Naomi’s testimony! Matthew Henry on the scene: “Thy God shall be my God, and farewell to all the gods of Moab, which are all vanity and a lie. I will adore the God of Israel, the only living and true God, trust in Him alone, serve Him, and in everything be ruled by Him.” It was a priceless moment. The kind you want to press between the pages of a book. Like the heart attitude of a true convert, we often find ourselves reaching for the book, opening its pages to that memory we pressed there so long ago-the day we chose Christ over everything and everyone else. We want to remember it just as it was, to see it and touch it all over again.
The Bible tells us Ruth clave to her mother-in-law. The word means as if to be glued to, so Mr. Strong tells us. So consider what was involved as Ruth counted the cost:
1. She was leaving her native land.
2. She was leaving any relatives-including her mother-and any friends.
3. It meant-as far as she knew-a life of widowhood and childlessness.
4. It meant going into a foreign land with new customs and a new language.
5. It meant a lifelong commitment because Ruth said she would stay even if Naomi died there. In other words, she was determined never to return to Moab.
6. But the most powerful commitment as, “Your God will be my God.”
Naomi had just said the hand of the Lord was against her, but that didn’t deter Ruth. She still chose Naomi’s God to be her God. Through God’s perfect leadership and timing in drawing her, Ruth had come to trust in the Lord in spite of Naomi’s current dismal outlook on life. Now let’s take a moment here to reflect on our own lives. Ever feel like you are far from where you should have stayed in the first place? You say, well, people and situations have complicated my life to the place where I just feel like giving up. But are you closer to the Lord for doing so? Are you happier? Are God’s continued blessings just overflowing in your life? Sometimes we blame life but, in actuality, we allow people and situations to commandeer our lives; to take our eyes off the Lord and focus them on the current upheaval. Let me encourage you. Be it the most heartbreaking trial, betrayal, confusion, or the fear of what lies ahead-these are the times we must humble ourselves and worship God. Jesus Christ-front and center. He knows what he has allowed into our lives and for what reasons. In spite of the heartache, trust him. And when we feel ourselves drifting- especially then, we hold fast and hope in the Anchor of our souls, Who steadies us as we fasten our eyes on the infallibility of the promises he has given us throughout his word.
Next Lesson: “The Journey Home”
