• More Stories,  Scripture,  Stories and Songs

    Your Redeemer Will Keep You—Part 4

    June 22, 2019

    This post is the fourth and final part of a presentation I had the opportunity to give on Ruth 1 at a women’s Bible study at my church. If you’d like to catch up, this link will take you to Part 1. The last post left Naomi destitute, but, despite her best efforts, not alone! After trying to send her daughters-in-law home before her journey back to Bethlehem, Ruth has pledged to remain with her. This post brings the series to an end, focusing on their return to Bethlehem in last few verses of the chapter.

    As we saw at the end of the last post, Naomi’s despair has not lifted in Ruth’s enduring company on their journey. But despite her hardship and attitude, we still see many indications that God has not forgotten her, and is working for her good.

    Chapter 1, verse 19 tells us that “The whole town stirred” when Ruth, a widow, a woman, an immigrant, a poverty-stricken outcast, came into Bethlehem. And this is where we see another whisper of the coming redemption through Christ. Matthew borrowed this same phrase in Matthew 21:10 to describe Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem days before his crucifixion— “the whole town was stirred.” For Matthew’s audience, it was a clear indication that Jesus was the fulfillment of the same promises given to Naomi and Ruth, fulfilled through the line of David. Through Matthews words, we can connect Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection with promises made to Abraham, and with the story of Naomi and Ruth. We see that God’s redeeming love and covenant-keeping faithfulness was in action even then to bring about the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant through Christ—generations before Jesus’ birth. Not only that, but we are given a beautiful picture of Christ’s work on the cross here in dual use of this phrase. 

    Ruth had every reason to expect that she would be met with suspicion and disdain and mistreatment. And yet (spoiler alert!) she was instead lifted up to be part of the royal lineage of the coming king, and the Messiah. This is the gospel, isn’t it? We, like Ruth, have every reason to expect and even deserve judgement and wrath for sin, when we cling to Yahweh we are instead met with favor. Why is this? Because Jesus, who had every reason not just to expect, but deserved glory and honor for ever and ever, willingly suffered and took the wrath that we deserved. Jesus, God incarnate, a sinless man with impeccable lineage, rode into the city with honor, and an ecstatic, hopeful greeting— “the whole town was stirred.” And within days he was dead, murdered on a cross. 

    But we see that poor Naomi was still unaware of God’s hand over her life. When she arrived back in Bethlehem she told her old friends that she was “empty,” and “bitter.” She identified herself by her distance from God, and did not seem to have any faith left that God could or would save her.

    Maybe this is your story. Maybe you feel so far from God that you cannot imagine that he would come to redeem and restore you. Do you believe that God could still love you, despite your own sin and distance from God?

    If you’re struggling to believe that God could love you because of sin, this book is for you. Watch what the narrator does when Naomi tries to name herself according to her sin: The narrator does not let us believe her words. He ignores Naomi’s attempt to take “Mara” as her identity, but persists in calling her Naomi. He calls her by her given name. The narrator knows more of the story than Naomi, and he knew, even though she didn’t, that God was intending to restore her, keep her, and fill her. 

    So at the end of Chapter 1, Naomi and Ruth at last come to Bethlehem, the last verse in the chapter tells us, at the time of harvest. It’s as if the narrator is foreshadowing what was to come. They came when there was an abundance in store for Bethlehem. Naomi’s physical redemption, the filling of her empty belly, was there, ripe and rippling in the fields—a hopeful hint that the filling was about to begin. First her belly, next her womb, and finally the throne of Israel.

    This sign to Naomi and Ruth should give us hope, too. Let me speak clearly here: If you feel that you are too far from God. If you feel that your suffering is a sign of God’s unfaithfulness or even hatred for you, if you think you have sinned too much to be loved by God, take hope. Because Naomi’s redeemer is our redeemer. Have you lost the battle against anger at your spouse or children? Does your singleness or infertility feel like a curse from an unloving God? Have you been enslaved to sexual sin and feel irredeemable? Have you experienced so much hurt at the hand of others that you want to distance yourself from a God who seems to be unjust? Do you wonder if you even want to be redeemed? Friend:Take hope, and believe.

    Naomi’s Redeemer, who called her by name, is our redeemer. The fulfillment that Ruth foreshadowed came to earth to redeem sinners just like you, just like me. From where we stand in history, we have seen God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises through the birth, life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and his ascension to his throne in heaven. Our hope is not in an unnamed or unfulfilled promise, but in Jesus, at whose name every knee will bow when he returns. And in Christ, no emptiness or weakness or rebellion in our own life can drive us far enough away that Christ cannot or will not redeem us. As Romans 5:8 says “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”[1]

    You may not see God’s goodness, or his faithfulness, or his steadfast love right now. But take hope. 

    Paul says in Romans 8:24 that it is in this hope that we were saved:[2]The hope for our redemption—the adoption as sons, and the redemption of our bodies. The hope that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”[3]As someone said, “the one who is writing your story loves you.”[4]

    I’m reminded of this every time I celebrate my two living children’s birthdays, both in March. It was not a given that I would have children to laugh and play in my home—it still isn’t. I will never know my two children lost in miscarriage here on earth, and my living children are one breath away from death, as are all of us. Not only that, but I know that not all stories of loss or unmet desire go hand in hand with answered prayers on earth. Some of us will never see the answers to our prayers before heaven, and it is good and right to mourn that. But when we do get to heaven, we will see clearly that God’s way was the way of blessing—somehow, someway—after all. In my case, my living children are simultaneous reminders to me of both the pain of loss, and of God’s goodness and love amidst the brokenness of this world. The blessing of life and the sorrow of death mingle together, and I am convinced of the hope we have in Christ even in sorrow, even if we do not see the relief we hope for on earth. We can trust God in our pain.

    Paul says in Romans 8:32 that “if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”[5]

    Did you hear that? He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. 

    Let’s close with Romans 8:35–39. Here, as if in answer to Naomi’s doubts, and our own, about the faithfulness and love of God, Paul encourages God’s family that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross purchased an unbreakable bond with God the Creator, and an impermeable love.His words remind us that our Redeemer will keep us. The author of Ruth 1 meant to show us that God is a covenant-keeping God. This side of the cross we can see that Jesus died to redeem us, and no one can snatch us out of us hand. He will love his children no matter what.  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[6]

    Let’s rest here for a moment. Read this once more, slowly. I’d encourage you to pause for a few seconds between each phrase, resting and praying that confidence and joy in God’s redemption through Christ, as we’ve seen here in Ruth 1, would soak into your souls. 

    “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?                    Shall tribulation          or distress,      or persecution,                        or famine or                nakedness,                   or danger,                   or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

    For I am sure              that neither death        nor life,          nor angels       nor rulers,       nor things present nor things to come,          nor powers,                         nor height                   nor depth,                    nor anything else                   in all creation,            will be able to separate us                  from the love of God             in Christ Jesus            our Lord.”[7]

    [1]Rom 5:6–8

    [2]Rom 8:24

    [3]8:28

    [4]Perhaps Nancy Guthrie?

    [5]8:32

    [6]Rom 8:35–39

    [7]Rom 8:35–39

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  • More Stories,  Scholarship,  Scripture

    Your Redeemer Will Keep You—Part 3

    June 19, 2019

    This post is the third part of a presentation I had the opportunity to give on Ruth 1 at a women’s Bible study at my church. If you’d like to catch up, this link will take you to Part 1. The last post left Naomi destitute, but, despite her best efforts, not alone! After trying to send her daughters-in-law home before her journey back to Bethlehem, Ruth has pledged to remain with her. This post reflects on Ruth’s remarkable decision, and what it means for Naomi, and God’s covenant promises.

    This point of the story gives us is one reason, among many, to be grateful for the word of God. Here, we can see the stories of how God worked in the lives of those who came before us. We have a great cloud of witnesses who each bore the weight of sin and suffering, and yet ran with endurance.[1] Naomi could not see what was happening, as we often cannot.

    But looking back through the lens of scripture and history, we can see that God was at work in Naomi’s story, even when she couldn’t see it. He did not let Naomi go alone. Despite her best efforts to leave Ruth, she stayed by her side, remaining faithful to the covenant she had made with Naomi’s family. I can only imagine that Naomi was not ready for or expecting this from Ruth—after so many losses, the text seems to indicate that she had no expectation to have anything but loss and grief follow her. 

    Do we see what is happening here in verses 16–17? We are beginning to see God filling Naomi’s emptiness. God is bringing Naomi and Ruth out of exile. Naomi may not realize it, but this is a movement of grace in her life. Not only is he bringing Naomi home to a belly-filling harvest, he is deftly bringing about the fulfillment of the promises he gave to Abraham, through Naomi’s exile, suffering, and return. And this seems to be the author’s aim in chapter one—to show his audience that God’s love never fails. His covenant-keeping faithfulness is constant; it is our vision that is faulty. 

    We can see that God is working to fulfill his promises to Abraham for Naomi and even for us without even spoiling the story by telling what comes in the next few chapters—it’s all here in Chapter 1. All we have to do is watch Ruth. 

    The first hint that we should connect this story with God’s promise of a coming, is Ruth’s decision to stay with Naomi.

    There are at least three signals here in these verses:

    1. She is leaving her home.
    2. She is choosing a family—one that she did not have to choose, who could offer her nothing in return.
    3. She is pledging to stay with and love Naomi forever, to death.

    Who else might we know that does this? 

    Ruth’s actions were actions of emptying herself of every hope she could claim by returning to her family. She was foreshadowing for Naomi, and telling us, of a Redeemer whom she had not yet seen—one who would empty himself to make good all the promises of God to Abraham and his descendants. A redeemer who would bring his people from exile, and, as the heir to Abraham, rule for all eternity. 

    But Ruth probably didn’t realize that this is what she was doing. So what was she tryingto do here? What was she actually choosing? Naomi? I doubt it. Naomi had nothing to offer Ruth. Ruth had every reason to expect that it would be better for her to say a tearful goodbye to Naomi and go home. As a Moabite, she had no reason to expect a warm welcome from Naomi’s family and friends in Bethlehem. Moabites were descendants of Abraham’s relative Lot, in fact, they were the descendants of an incestuous encounter between Lot and his daughter-in-law. There was generations-deep bad blood between the Israelites and the Moabites—violence, persecution, idolatry. The law in Deuteronomy prohibited Moabites from worshipping with Israelites. Numbers 25 tells of violent deaths at the hands Moabites (and violent revenge), and plagues on the people in consequence for men marrying or having other sexual relationships with Moabite women. With this context, Ruth certainly could not expect protection, marriage, and children. So what could Ruth have been thinking? What could Ruth possibly gain by staying with Naomi? There was only one gain. YAHWEH. He was her only gain in choosing to remain with Naomi. “Your God will be my God,” she says. What does that say about Him? If, like Ruth, we were given the choice between God along with physical and economic insecurity, or physical safety, provision, and family without him, what would we choose? Oh, that we would have faith like Ruth’s. 

    So Ruth, forsaking everything, followed YAHWEH and remained with Naomi on the long journey back to the land of promise. She did not leave Naomi to suffer alone, but shared the burden of her friend’s suffering. Like the coming Christ, at great personal cost, she cared for her chosen family with tender affection and loyalty.

    Despite this, Naomi continued on in her despair, as if nothing profound or important had just happened. The pair resumed their journey to Bethlehem, the town full of prophetic potential. And when they arrived, in verses 19–22, we see that Naomi is, as I titled the next section, Kept by the Redeemer. 

    Are you getting tired of the despair yet? Me too. So keep reading! I’ll post the next section soon.

    [1]Heb 12:1

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  • Grief,  More Stories,  Stories and Songs,  Uncategorized

    Your Redeemer Will Keep You—Part 2

    June 17, 2019

    This post is the second part of a presentation I had the opportunity to give on Ruth 1 at a women’s Bible study at my church. If you’d like to catch up, this link will take you to Part 1. The last post left Naomi destitute and alone, after her husband and two sons had died in Moab, far away from her home, Bethlehem. Finally, after famine and loss, she has reached a breaking point. The section below covers Ruth 1:6–13, from Naomi’s breaking point to where we see the Redeemer break through.

    The Breaking Point (1:6–13)

    It’s surprising, actually, that her breaking point didn’t come sooner, considering her plight. Being a single woman, abandoned, in a way, through the death of her husband and sons, she decides to return to the land which seems to have been abandoned by the God who had promised much and, in Naomi’s mind, failed to follow through. Her womb was empty, and she had no hope of producing an heir who would be able to provide for her physical needs and be a sign of the continuing covenant with God.

    The narrator slows the story down here so that this point really soaks into the readers—we can just feel the tension rising in the story, can’t we? If you look at the passage, you can see that he pulls out a different literary tool in this section than he’s used to this point, and describes the whole conversation between Naomi and her daughters-in-law in detail.

    So perhaps this is her biggest problem—she has no heir. Her line will end with her death. In scripture, this problem was not unique to Naomi. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, an old woman like Naomi, laughed at the prophecy that she would become pregnant and have a son. In this section, Naomi is acting a lot like Sarah! It was true that her body was too old to bear another son, and it was true that her daughters-in-law would not be able to give her an heir even if she did have another son. And so, like Sarah, she took matters into her own hands. Unlike Sarah, however, her move was not to finagle a way to work things out. Instead, she simply gave up, assuming that God would not continue working when the odds were seemingly stacked against him. 

    She did what she probably believed to be the kindest and reasonable thing, under the circumstances. She sent her daughters-in-law, her only hopes for an heir, back to their Moabite families. 

    This is an incredibly bleak point of the story. Naomi is utterly hopeless; vulnerable at every point. She is a woman, alone in a foreign land, facing the options of staying there, or returning to a home that she has not seen in over ten years with the meagre hope of finding pity among her distant family in a place rife with violence, perhaps especially against women. To be a woman, alone or even a group of women, would have been fraught with risk, and terribly frightening. So here is Naomi, drowning in sorrow and bitterness, empty of hope that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who brought them out of slavery through the parted waters of the Red Sea into the Promised Land, might yet have good things—the fulfillment of promises—waiting for her. 

    Can you see yourself here? There are so many circumstances that might lead us to this point. 

    What do you feel when you read that one third of the homeless population in Minneapolis are children? What happens when see or experience abuse? We lose loved ones to death. We fail at our jobs and people look down at us. Spouses leave us, and children reject us and everything we have tried to teach them to love. Sometimes even things as simple as reading the headlines in our newsfeeds or momentary rejection from someone we respect can cause us to despair. Can any of us read about the abuse in some of the Sovereign Grace, Southern Baptist, or Catholic churches and not feel a little twinge of despair? Can we read about the murder of babies in the womb, or terrorist groups, or the persecuted church, or injustice in our streets without wondering what God could possibly have in mind?  Do these cause you to spiral into despair and doubt? 

    Naomi felt not only grief, but physical deprivation, and hunger. She felt displacement and loneliness. She felt grief and loss, and the disappointment of shattered hopes and dreams. Has your faith ever faltered or failed in the face of your own suffering?

    Mine has. I remember several times in my life where I could, at least in some ways, relate to Naomi. I remember the last week of March during my freshman year of college, when I spent the week jumping at every phone call, waiting to hear who had died. I lost five peers in four years of high school, two of my classmates just two months before graduation, and all but one in the last week of March. I was jumpy the next March, scared to believe that another loss wasn’t just around the corner. I would imagine Naomi felt like this too. I also remember a few years ago, after my second miscarriage (the first of which occurred in the last week of March), I felt utterly betrayed by my body and even by God. I remember opening my Bible and just looking at it—letting my eyes skim the pages. I don’t say read, because I wasn’t really reading—I was just looking, devoid of feeling or understanding. To use Naomi’s word, I felt utterly, completely “empty”—when I read, when I prayed… My vision of the good things in my life was crowded out by hurt, and loss, and grief. I knew I was blind, and hoped my vision would return, but despite my desire for hope and joy, I was just simply…numb, empty. Can you relate?

    Maybe, when I felt like that I should have spent more time reading Ruth. Because it is here, in verses 16–17, the climax of the chapter, God shows Naomi his faithfulness in the deepest, darkest of places. We, looking back, can see God working where Naomi saw only doom and gloom. One of her daughters-in-laws, Ruth, refuses to go home.

    Instead, she pledges to remain with her, live with her, worship with her, and die with her. In Ruth 1:16–17, we see the part of the story I’ve titled The Redeemer Breaks Through. Ruth’s words here are beautiful, and often quoted. She gives Naomi a strong declaration of love and intent. She says in 1:16–17: “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

    Right under Naomi’s nose, before her bitter, sorrowful eyes, Ruth was demonstrating the faithfulness and love of God to Naomi. She had not been abandoned, she was not alone. Like a ray of light through a cloud, like a laser beam sent to break up the crusty cataracts on her doubt-clouded eyes, God had provided Ruth to show Naomi his steadfast love for her and his faithful, covenant-keeping intentions. 

    But Naomi doesn’t see clearly just yet. Despite Ruth’s act of immense self-sacrifice and deep love, Naomi remains focused on the bitterness of her circumstances, and, the narrator tells us that she simply “said no more.” She remains chained to her grief and bitterness at the God she believed failed her in every way.

    This, however, is simply not true. The next section, as we will see, will show us how God was continuing to work through Ruth in Naomi’s story, and the story of Israel, and even our stories. We will see the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah.

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