I thought it would be beneficial to spend some time this summer in a little book called Ruth. The whole story is about the power of God's loving kindness to rescue people from trouble, to give them hope and a future. In the story, Ruth's loving kindness changes everything. So also, that of Boaz. But its clear these individuals were being faithful to serve God interests, ahead of their own. When others turned their backs on real needs, they persevered. They lived out the loving-kindness of God.
You know sometimes we don't think God "needs us." I might agree with that, except God doesn't operate that way. Whenever God wants to do something extraordinary, he raises up a person. To the church Christ says, "You are my body, my hands, my feet. You are my co-laborers, my partners, my ambassadors, instruments of my righteousness." People are God's method! The Church! God is ready to do great things, but it will be through people like you and me.
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed at the thought of being used of God. There are so many needs, right? But what if you spent a year walking with just one other person? Not 10. Not 50. Not 100. Just one. Given a church this size, hundreds of lives could be changed at once. The size of any church could easily double every year. Loving-kindness is the game changer.
I think it goes without saying, that we live in ruthless world. The backdrop of Ruth is that it occurred "during the time of the Judges" (Ruth 1:1). The Judges were men and women God raised up to deliver His people from time of trouble. The one thing that was true of Israel during the time of the Judges is true of our time as well: "everyone did as they saw fit." (Judges 21:25).
You might imagine that ruthlessness describes monstrous human beings--the kind that rape and steal, mutilate and kill. But no. The ruthless are ordinary people who go about their lives, doing as they see fit, looking daily to their own interests. The ruthless are too self-important, too busy, too overcommitted (and exhausted) to be bothered by such things as mercy or compassion.
Today, ruthlessness is the norm; Loving kindness is the exception. Self-interest is the norm; Other-first is divine. You can't judge a ruthless person by their tears. A ruthless person will weep w/you, but they'll never walk w/you, not in a personally costly way. "Oh wow, you have lots of problems. Good luck? I'll pray for you? See you next Sunday? Gotta run!" But God, through his loving-kindness, wants to change all that!
A worthy topic for churches today is empathy. Empathy is our ability to understand and truly share the feelings of another human being. Churches are known for doing programs. But empathy isn't a program. You can't mass manage empathy. Empathy requires you enter someone's reality, get face to face, understand and feel their story, and begin to walk with them. The story of Ruth is itself exercise in empathy.
Naomi... Filled With Delight
The story begins with a typical young family. There's the husband and father, Elimelek. There's the wife and mother, Noami, whose name means "pleasant, lovely, delightful." Their family lived in Bethlehem. Together they had two sons named Mahlon and Kilion. (Yes, they kind of sound like star trek names, or perhaps an antacid). Naomi would have been a typical mother. She would have loved her husband, and adored watching her boys grow up. She would have done Facebook posts, "Can't stop looking into Mahlon's eyes. He gives me heartburn. Can't believe how fast Kilion is growing up. Why'd we name him Kilion? Who names their child Kilion?" Noami was living the FULL life of a mother! She would have been filled w/hopes, dreams, aspiration
Naomi... Feeling Distress
Now Ruth 1:1 tells us "there was a famine in the land" and that Elimelek and Naomi went "to live for a while in the country of Moab." (Ruth 1:1) The fact that they chose Moab probably says something about the severity of the famine. There was a great level of hostility between the Moabites and Israelites. For a time, the Moabites had even oppressed the Israelites. Their distress compelled them to act on behalf of their family, and risk everything, so they moved. New place. New beginning. Rebuilding their lives. They were making it work. Physical hardship is one thing, but nothing could prepare Naomi for what was about to happen.
Naomi... Feeling Destitute
Ruth 1:3 tells us that "Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left there with two sons." Losing a husband would be a difficult circumstance to endure. But Naomi had two sons, and two sons were a pretty good insurance policy! They could marry, they could have kids and grandkids. Their families could run the homestead and see that everyone was well-fed, and provided for.
At Naomi's insistence, both sons married Moabite women. One was named Orpah, and the other was named Ruth. You can bet the pressure was on for them to get their families started! They didn't say, "Show me the Money" back then. They said, "Show me the grandkids!" But after ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died. Naomi found herself widowed, without husband, without her two sons, without grandkids!
There's distress, but then there's that sense of destitution. It's one thing to go to bed hungry. It's another to have the whole bottom fall out of your world. What is it like to grieve the loss of your husband? The loss of one son, and then another son? What's it like for all of your relational support crumble around you?
Naomi... Feeling Despair
When your destitute, its hard to think clearly. Naomi felt a compulsion to act. Life in Moab was no longer sustainable. She'd heard that "the Lord had come to the aid of his people (back in Judah) by providing food for them." So she made a plan with her daughters-in-law to return to Judah. But she wasn't at peace with their plan.
She started feeling guilty about taking her daughters-in-law away from their mothers. "Go back to your mothers" she insisted, "May the LORD show you kindness as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husbands."
She then kissed the goodbye and they all wept aloud. When the daughters-in-law insisted they return with Naomi she again pleaded with them, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me--even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons--would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters..." (Ruth 1:10-13a)
How might we describe despair? Despair is the complete loss or absence of hope. When a person is destitute, their behavior is often erratic. "I'd try this, I'll try that, I'll go here, I'll call there." The destitute person hasn't yet lost hope. They feel there are still possibilities out there. They may even turn to crime, as a kind of shortcut. 95% of the people who call the church for help, or seek help at area agencies, are destitute.
But the person filled with despair, cannot imagine a single scenario that could better their situation. "Just leave me to die. I'm too old. Why try? Why hope?"
Naomi... Feeling Defeat
You probably can't imagine falling to a lower level than despair, but there is. In Ruth 1:13b Naomi says, "It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has turned against me!" Now comes the theological crisis, where our circumstances warp the truth about God's goodness and power. "God is dead. God doesn't exist. A God doesn't care. God isn't good. A good God wouldn't allow this. God isn't great. God isn't in control. God has it out for me. I have sinned. I'm getting what I deserve. God hates me. I should probably hate myself, hurt myself, harm myself."
Just to show you the intensity of Naomi's feelings, in Ruth 1:20 she insists that people stop calling her Naomi, which meant "pleasant, lovely, full of delight." But says, "call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."
Every single person we meet along the way falls into one of these seasons. Some feel delight. Things are so amazing, and wonderful, and hopeful. There's no clouds on the horizon. No thunder and lightening. A lot to times when things are good people don't need God. I'm blessed!
Some feel distress. Their hungry, but no problem, they've got a plan. "I'll move. I'll get a new job. I'll shuffle the deck. I'll start a family. I'll make a fresh start."
Some feel destitute. "Wow, life is harder than I imagine, things aren't going well, I'm not as resilient as I thought, this hole is deeper than I imagined, I never thought this could happen to me..."
Some feel despair. "Why get out of bed today? Why try? Why hope? Nobody cares. Nobody could or should love me. I'm a sad, old, pathetic human being. I'm all alone."
Some feel defeat. "Even God hates me!"
The people we meet along the way run the gambit from full of delight to full of bitterness. This morning, some of you find yourself falling between these extremes.
Here is what I am going to say. Ruth 1:14 says, "Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her." We've gotten pretty good at kissing people good bye. Is there is nothing more ruthless than kissing a person goodbye in the midst of their pain? Orpah even wept. But it was Ruth who clung to Naomi. Ruth didn't judge Naomi, she didn't lecture, or vent, or duck or dodge. Nor did she just weep. She vowed to walk with Naomi.
Who are you walking with this morning? Before people can believe in God, they often need to feel the loving-kindness of his embrace--that's where we come in!