A story of loveA story of love:Of a woman for her

Mother-in-law,

Of a man and woman,

And of love and faithlove and faith in the True and Living God.

1September 5, 2010

Ruth 1 1 Now it came to pass in the days when the in the days when the judges ruledjudges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourn in the country of MoabMoab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2

Origin of the Moabites?

Abraham's nephew LotLot and Lot's oldest daughterdaughter.

She and her sister got him drunkdrunk and seducedseduced him.

MoabMoab was the son born to Lot and the older sister.

AmmonAmmon was born to Lot and the younger sister.

Elimelech leftleft the Promised Land of blessing to gogo to a sinful and idolatrous land.

3

WhyWhy was there famine in Israel?

God's judgmentjudgment for their sin.In the time of the Judges, eacheach person was doing

what was right in his own eyeshis own eyes,,

Not what God saidGod said was right.

Rather than run, he should have repented.

So often in times of troubletrouble, people make every changechange but the one they needneed to make.

4

They will move, change jobs, change churches;

Men will change wives, wives change husbands,

They need to change their mindsminds;

Quit going their own waytheir own way, and

Go with GodGo with God..

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

5

3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

6

He went there to liveto live, but soon died.

Never leave the place where Godwhere God has set you.

There is no blessingno blessing when we are out of God's Place; God's WillGod's Will.Physical place Spiritual place

The two sons, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women:

RuthRuth and OrpahOrpah

7

They were distant cousinscousins, but not from the lineage of AbrahamAbraham.

They were notnot God's chosen people, but GentilesGentiles.

They were worshippers of false godsfalse gods.

God's children should never marrynever marry or even have closeclose relationships with unbelieversunbelievers.

After ten years, Mahlon and Chilion died.

God had not blessednot blessed their marriages with children.

8

Naomi is alone in a strange land with her Moabite daughters-in-law.

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might returnreturn from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited His peopleLord had visited His people in giving them bread.

9

Elimelech had chosen to leavechosen to leave the Land of Promise and gogo to a strange land.

He did what was right in his own eyeshis own eyes.

God did not visit himnot visit him in that strange land.

God visitedGod visited His peopleHis people in thein the Promised LandPromised Land.

Naomi rose up "that she might returnreturn from the country of Moab."

10

ReturnReturn is a key word in Ruth. Hebrew forms of this word are used several times in this first chapter. Here is an apt illustration of repentancerepentance. Naomi reversed the directionreversed the direction she and her husband had taken. She turnedturned away from Moab and the errors of the past. She turnedturned her back on the tragic graves of her loved ones and headed backheaded back to Judah, her homeland.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she went forth out of the place where she wasshe was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to returnreturn unto the land of Judah.

11

Repentance requires Repentance requires changechange..A totaltotal change of life.

LoveLove what you once hated.

Hate what you Hate what you once lovedonce loved..BreakBreak old habits and formform new habits.

People get in placesplaces that they need to get out ofout of.

12

Like Elimelech, they go their own waytheir own way, and

end up deadend up dead..

Worship is boring

They won't hear the Word of God.

No longer capable of love, they end up lonely and unhappy.

They need to get upget up and get outget out of that place of deathplace of death.

13

Elimelech thoughtthought that he could better his situation by leaving the Promised Land,

And going to MoabMoab, land of idolatry.He and his sons died theredied there.

Deuteronomy 30 (TLB) 19 "I (God) call Heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose lifechoose life; that you and your children might live!

Better to have stayedstayed where God had set His people, and draw nigh to Him in repentancein repentance.

14

God would have blessed and supplied therethere.

God would never blessnever bless Elimelech and his family in Moab.

It was the wrong placewrong place with the wrong peoplewrong people.

He needed to returnreturn to the Land of Promise,

Dwelling with the people of Godpeople of God.

When we go our own wayour own way, we will always end upend up in the wrong placewrong place with the wrong peoplewrong people.

15

Will notWill not be upon us.

We must returnreturn, with all hastehaste, to the

place of blessingplace of blessing.

16

Romans 12 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God.

God's WillGod's Will is good, and acceptable, and perfect.

WhyWhy do we try to improve upon it?

1 Thessalonians 5 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks: for this is the Will of GodWill of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

17

Live in the center of God's Will;

It is the place of blessing.

This worldworld, with its pleasures and its stuff, is notis not the placeplace of God's blessing.

18

Proverbs 14 12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Elimelech thoughtthought he was doing what was best for his family, in going to Moab.

He and his sons died theredied there, without God's blessingswithout God's blessings.