Dive into the timeless tale of Ruth in this captivating episode with Adrian Rogers. Discover how the story of a pagan woman from Moab who found her place in Bethlehem translates into a message of hope and redemption for us today. As we explore Ruth’s life and decisions, we see a beautiful portrayal of the church and Christ’s love for us, as well as the profound truth that our decisions shape our destiny.
Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Book of Ruth is a wonderful book. It is a love story, but it is a true love story. It is not a romance novel. It is true. And we all love love. We all love love stories. I heard of some girls who were in the college dorm at the Christian College, and they were praying in their vespers, and they were praying, Lord, give us pure hearts. Lord, give us clean hearts. Lord, give us sweethearts. And all the girls said, Amen. We love a love story. And this is a love story, but it is a unique story, the book of Ruth. It’s one of two books in the Bible that bear the names of women, the book of Ruth and the book of Esther. But this book is unique because it is devoted primarily to a woman whose name was Ruth. As we’re going to see, Ruth is a picture in the Old Testament of the church. And she marries a man named Boaz, who is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s some of the most beautiful teaching in the Bible about the redemption that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. But you’re going to love the story of Ruth, and there is so much to learn about this story. Because you see, Ruth was a pagan. She was from Moab. Spiritually, she was from the wrong side of the tracks. And she comes to Israel, to Bethlehem, and she meets Boaz, very rich, very strong, very kind, very good. And Boaz, as we’re going to see, was a bachelor. And so it’s a Cinderella story. The maid from Moab. MEETS THE BACHELOR FROM BETHLEHEM, AND THEY GET MARRIED. IT’S A LOVE STORY, A WONDERFUL STORY, AN INTRIGUING STORY WITH PLOTS AND SUBPLOTS. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, AS YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FATHERS OF OUR COUNTRY, WAS ALSO THE AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE. AND WHEN IN FRANCE HE WAS A MEMBER OF A LITERARY SOCIETY, AND THEY WERE GIVING DIFFERENT READINGS AND SO FORTH. AND BEN FRANKLIN, WITHOUT LETTING THIS AGNOSTIC LITERARY SOCIETY KNOW WHERE HE HAD GOTTEN IT, shared with them the story, the love story of Ruth. They were astounded. They said to him, Dr. Franklin, that is beyond a doubt the most beautiful romance love story we’ve ever heard. Would you give us leave please that we might have it published? and give it broad distribution. He said, it is already published and it already has broad distribution. It is found in the Bible, that book that you profess to despise. This wonderful story of Ruth that is found here in the Bible. THE BOOK OF RUTH WAS WRITTEN IN DARK DAYS. IT WAS WRITTEN, AS WE’RE GOING TO SEE, IN THE TIME OF THE JUDGES. AND YOU KNOW IT FOLLOWS THE BOOK OF JUDGES. AND THE LAST CHAPTER IN THAT BOOK OF JUDGES, THE LAST VERSE SAYS, IN THOSE DAYS THERE WAS NO KING IN ISRAEL. And every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Therefore, it was a day of anarchy. It was a day of apostasy. It was a day of apathy. It was a day when sin was rampant. And it was a dark, dark day. And right in the midst of that dark, dark day… God gives us this wonderful four-chaptered book of Ruth, which reminds us that God is still alive. He is still on the throne. I believe we’re living in a dark day, but I refuse to despair as long as there’s a God in the glory. And books like the book of Ruth tell us that no matter how dark the day, there’s always the star of hope in that dark sky. And God is the one who pulls back the curtains of night and pins those curtains with that star of hope. and opens the gates of our lives and floods it with His light and with His glory. And if you are discouraged today, let me tell you there’s hope for you. And if you will do what Ruth did and yield your heart to the Lord, He will make your life a love story. And you can be the part of a dramatic and a wonderful love story, just like Ruth’s life was a part of a dramatic and wonderful love story. Now, this is bright hope. Bright Hope for Dark Days. And in chapter 1, we’re going to be talking about the choices that people make. Because you’re going to see the choice that a man named Elimelech made, which was a bad choice. And then you’re going to see the choice that Ruth made, which was a wonderful choice. And our life, very frankly, our lives are the sum total of our choices. And so we’re going to think under this heading, it is decision that determines destiny. And we’re going to learn some things about decision making today and the importance of decisions because we make decisions every day whether we like it or not, or whether we agree or not, you will be making some decisions. Now, look if you will in chapter 1 and verse 1, Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, now this is very interesting because the name Bethlehem means house of bread. You remember it’s where Jesus, the bread of life, was born. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech. And that name Elimelech literally means, my God is king. And so here’s a man that evidently had a godly heritage. He lived in the little town of Bethlehem. He had so much going for him. And the name of the man was Elimelech. And the name of his wife, Naomi, which means pleasantness. And the name of his two sons, Malan and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. They came into the country of Moab and continued there. Now… what had happened is this. There is a famine in the house of bread. And rather than trusting God and doing what God would have him do, here was a man who goes into a pagan country. The Moabites had been enemies of Israel. They had invaded the land and kept the Israelites under subjection for some 18 years. They were pagan, barbarous, cruel. They were born out of an incestuous relationship of a lot with his daughter. It was a… terrible place. And here’s a man of God who makes a choice and he goes over there. There are three things about choices, and the very first of these three things is the principle of willing choice. The principle of willing choice. God gives us a will. And with that will, we make choices. We’re not automatons. We’re not machines. We’re not forced. God made us moral creatures. And when God made us moral creatures, God gave us a choice. Now, you are free to choose. God says in the book of Deuteronomy, I’ve set before you this day life and death, blessing and cursing. CHOOSE LIFE THAT YOU MAY LIVE. GOD SAYS IT’S HERE. YOU CAN GO TO THE RIGHT, YOU CAN GO TO THE LEFT, YOU CAN RECEIVE ME OR YOU CAN REJECT ME, YOU CAN HONOR ME OR YOU CAN DESPISE ME, YOU CAN ACCEPT ME OR YOU CAN REJECT ME. IT’S THERE. THERE’S THE PRINCIPLE OF CHOICE. AND WE LIKE CHOICE. DID YOU KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GET A SOFT DRINK, YOU CAN GET PEPSI? You can get a Coke. You can get 7-Up. You can get something else. You can get caffeine-free or with caffeine. You can get sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened. You can get big, large, medium. We just like choices. Americans like choice. There is a store in New York City that has 2,500 different kinds of light bulbs. Now a lot of these choices are inconsequential. THE NECKTIE THAT YOU CHOSE THIS MORNING. IT REALLY DOESN’T MAKE ALL THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE. OR THE EARRINGS THAT YOU’RE WEARING, DEAR LADY. DOESN’T REALLY MAKE ALL THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE. BUT SOME CHOICES ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AND SOME CHOICES ARE LIFE-CHANGING. AND HERE IS A MAN NAMED ELIMALECH WHO MAKES A CHOICE. SO WE’RE TALKING NOW ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF WILLING CHOICE. YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE. NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? BUT NOW LISTEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY. WHY ARE YOU FREE TO CHOOSE? You’re not free not to choose. You will make a decision. You say, no, I won’t. Oh, yes, you will. You say, I beg to differ. I will not. Oh, yes, you will. If you don’t decide for Christ, you will decide against Christ, but you will decide. There’s no way that you can be neutral. Jesus Christ said, he that is not with me is against me. He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. You will choose him or refuse him, but your refusal to choose him is a choice. There’s no way that you can be neutral. There’s no way that you can say, I will not choose. I choose not to choose because when you chose not to choose, you just chose. It’s a choice. It’s so simple that we’re free to choose, but we’re not free not to choose. I was in Pensacola, Florida one time walking down the streets and there were two young ladies there and I just stopped them and engaged them in a conversation. Never seen them before and haven’t seen them since. And I began to witness to them and tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ. As I finished my witness, I asked one of the young ladies, would you like to pray and ask Christ Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior? She said, I would. And we prayed and she very sweetly and wonderfully prayed and asked Christ to come into her heart. And then I asked the other young lady, I said, would you like to pray and ask Christ? And she said, well, I’m not ready. I said, well, let me explain it again. I explained salvation. I thought maybe she didn’t understand because she obviously seemed under conviction. And then I asked her again, I said, would you like to pray and receive Christ? She said, no, sir. I’m not ready to do that. I said, well, young lady, don’t you realize that if you do not say yes to Christ, you’re saying no to Christ, that you’re rejecting him, that you are saying, I don’t want you, Lord Jesus. Oh, she said, I would never say that. But I said, that’s what you’re saying. And I talked to her about that and I said, now, don’t reject the Lord Jesus Christ. I’ve explained how to be saved. Why don’t you pray? She said, I just can’t do that. I said, would you reject Him? She said, oh, no, no, no, no. I’m not rejecting Him. I’m just not ready to receive Him. I said, okay. I said, I’ve got to go. I felt like I didn’t want to push it anymore. I said to her, Well, I’ve got to go. Will you shake hands with me? Oh, she said, yes. I said, fine. I said, if you take Christ in heaven, take my right hand. If you take Satan in hell, take my left hand. She said, what? I said, you said you’d shake. And I said, if you take Christ in heaven, take my right hand. If you take the devil in hell, take my left hand. She put her hands behind her. She said, I’m not going to take either one. But I said, young lady, you are. When you say no to Jesus, you say yes to Satan. There’s no way that you can be neutral. What I’m trying to say is this, you are free to choose, but you’re not free not to choose. Now listen very carefully. And you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice. You’re free to choose. You’re not free not to choose. You’re not free to choose the consequences of your choice. Now you can climb up to a 10-story building, open the window and step out. You’re free to do that. But then after that, your choice chooses for you. You see what I mean? You’re not free to choose the consequences. You’re going to go down. You are not going to break the law of gravity. You’re going to demonstrate it. Because your choice then begins to choose for you. And you’re not free to choose the consequences of your choice. We have a lot of people today talk about free love. They say, I’m free to do whatever I want to do. But you’re not free to choose the consequences. That sexually transmitted disease, that broken life, that affront to Almighty God, that little precious baby that might be conceived, perhaps put to death. THOSE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES. YOU’RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THOSE CONSEQUENCES. THOSE COME, YOU MAY MAKE THE FREE CHOICE, BUT THE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW ARE STILL THERE. YOU’RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CHOICE. SOMETIMES PEOPLE CONCEIVE AND THEY SAY, WE’VE DECIDED NOT TO HAVE THIS BABY. WRONG. THE ONLY CHOICE NOW YOU HAVE IS WHETHER YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A LIVE BABY OR A DEAD BABY. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY. You see, you’re not free to choose the consequences of your choice. People don’t understand that there are consequences that come with these things, and you cannot choose the consequences. Now, let me say this about a choice also. One big choice takes care of a lot of little choices. Have you ever decided to go out to dinner with your wife, and you get in the car, and you haven’t decided where you’re going to go? Where do you want to go? What do you want, Chinese, Mexican? You’re driving a car all over, all around like this, everywhere you’re going. Turning this corner and that corner. You both are talking. Well, let’s don’t go, and so forth. And you’re just, every corner, you don’t know which way you’re going to turn. You have to decide if you’re going to turn right, left, or go straight. But if you’ve already decided where you’re going to go, you don’t have to make a decision at every corner, do you? Because the big decision, well, that’s not really a big decision as the big decisions of life go, but one decision there takes care of a lot of other decisions. I travel. I go to hotel rooms. You know, they’re dirty movies in hotels. I don’t have to decide whether I’m going to watch them. I’ve already decided. I’ve already decided that I’m going to give my life to Jesus. I’m going to honor Him. I’m not going to set some wicked, dirty, filthy thing in front of my mind. I’ve just simply made a decision. So each night that I’m there, I don’t have to keep making a lot of little decisions. Should I or should I not? You see, you’re free to choose. You’re not free not to choose. You’re not free to choose the consequences of your choice. And a few big decisions take care of a lot of little decisions. Here was a man, Elimelech, who said, My God is King. BUT HE MADE A VERY UNGODLY CHOICE AND HE CHOSE TO DO SOMETHING HE OUGHT NOT TO HAVE CHOSEN TO DO. NOW, UM, WE’RE TALKING HERE ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF CHOICE, THE PRINCIPLE OF WILLING CHOICE. NOW LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF A WICKED CHOICE. HERE WAS A MAN WHO MADE A VERY UNWISE, LITERALLY, A WICKED CHOICE. HE GOT OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD, He went over into the land of Moab and there he meant to sojourn there. He stayed there for 10 years. He just thought he was going to take a little side trip into Moab. But he went into Moab and Moab got him and he met tragedy there in Moab because he did not trust the Lord. He made a wicked choice. Now, what was the reason for that choice? What was the cause of his choice? May I submit to you that first of all that he had the wrong motive in his choice. Do you know what his motive was? It was physical. He went there for bread. Rather than spiritual, he’s not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. There was a famine in the land of Israel and therefore he hightailed it over to Moab. to get some food, to get some bread. What motivated his life was what buttered his bread. There are a lot of people just like that. You make your decision. You may call yourself a child of God, but you are motivated primarily by the material and the physical rather than the spiritual. You say, what’s wrong with that? There’s much wrong with that. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Now many of us seek things first and try to tag God on. We worship things and use God when we’re to worship God and use things. And we wonder, why it doesn’t work for me? Well, I’ll tell you something about God. God never has and God never will work in second place. He’s not going to be some moonlighting God, part-time God with a duplex for a throne. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. But here was a man seeking things and bread first. Some of you are businessmen. But when it comes to business decisions, you just have one bottom line, and it’s not necessarily the things of God. What would you think of a pastor who was serving happily and fruitfully in a church, received a call from another church, and went to another church because they offered him a bigger salary? What would you think of a pastor like that? You’d say, well, good riddance. If that’s the way he is, if that’s what motivates him, if he would go from point A to point B simply because somebody said, I’m going to give you some more money if you will come, you would say, that man is a materialist. And you’d be right. I wouldn’t have any respect for him, and neither should you. Let me ask you another question. What would you think of a businessman who leaves one city and goes to another city? simply for money. Oh, you say, that’s different. Why? Why? It takes just as much of the blood of Jesus to save that businessman as it does that pastor. He is operating by sight and not by faith. That’s the wrong method. How easy it is to walk by sight. We want to see it, something we can understand, and we just simply say, well, you know, a man’s got to live. No, he’s got to die. And after he dies, he’s got to face God. We don’t necessarily have to live. And things may not look like they’re going to work out for us. Do you know what faith is? Faith is believing God in spite of appearances and obeying God in spite of consequences. That’s faith. NOT OPERATING BY SIGHT, BUT BY FAITH. HE HAD THE WRONG MOTIVE. HE HAD THE WRONG METHOD. AND HE ENDED UP SERVING THE WRONG MASTER. HE GOT OVER INTO MOAB. HE LEFT THE COVENANT BLESSINGS OF ISRAEL. And got over there with the ungodly pagans and found himself in the devil’s camp. He became a dirty double-crosser of the God of Israel. And that’s what we do sometimes when we make the wrong decisions. We disgrace and dishonor our God and say, God, I cannot trust you. I’m going over to the enemy camp. I’m going over to the other side. That’s what he did. The consequences were devastating. When he got over there, we’re going to find out that he died over there. Can you imagine a man of God dying in Moab? And his sons took wives of the Moabites. And then those sons died. Look, if you will, in… Verse 3, And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died, and she was left and her two sons. Now there she is in a pagan land, a widow with two boys. And they took them wives of the women of Moab. That was contrary to the word of God. And the name of the one was Orpha, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. And Malon and Chilion died also, both of them. And the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. There is a woman there, Naomi, whose name means pleasantness, but her life is not pleasant now. There she is in a pagan land. She is a widow. Her husband, Elimelech, is dead. And her two sons are dead. And there she is with her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. You see, the reason that Elimelech left Bethlehem was for a livelihood and what he found was a grave. Now we need to understand this, that you cannot run from God. Don’t you think that if you get somewhere else that you’re going to somehow get out of the will of God and get into the place of blessing? So many of the times we’re praying, God bless us, God bless us, God bless me, God bless me, God bless me. Well, I want to ask you a question. Are you in the place of blessing? Ruth was not in the place of blessing. Orpha was not in the place of blessing. Naomi was not in the place of blessing. They were over there in the pagan land, and there’s no blessing there away from God. Hey, folks, if you want God to bless you, find a place of blessing where God can bless you. Get back where you need to be so God can bless you. Here, they’re going for life, and they find death. There’s an old… Fable about a rich merchant of Baghdad who had a servant who came to him. The servant was ashen-faced and frightened and trembling. And the servant said to his master, Master, give me one of your best horses. I must flee Baghdad. And the master said to the servant, Why do you need to go from Baghdad? He said, Well, Master, he said, Today in the marketplace… He said, a sinister figure jostled me in the marketplace. And when I turned to look in his face, it was death. I was looking into the face of death. I must flee for my life. And the rich merchant of Baghdad gave to his servant one of his finest horses. He said, flee, where are you going? He said, I’m going to Samarra. And the servant left. Later on, the rich merchant thought he would go down to the marketplace and see, according to the fable, what was there. And he saw this hooded figure, this bony figure who is death. And he pulled death around and looked in death’s face and said to death, death, did you frighten my servant? Why did you jostle my servant? Why did you alarm my servant? Death said, I didn’t mean to frighten him. I didn’t mean to alarm him. He surprised me. I didn’t expect to see him here. I have an appointment with him tonight in Samara. You can’t run away. Here was a man running from death and he ran to death and found his grave right there in the land of Moab rather than staying where God had put him and where God had planted him. He couldn’t trust God, and he found death, and he found disappointment. And his wife, Naomi, now changes her name from Naomi to Myra, which means bitterness. And she blames her bitterness on God. And there are many people saying, well, if there’s a God, why are all these things happening to me? Part of them may be just simply the result of a choice that you’ve made. Now what I’ve talked about is this, the principle of a willing choice. I’ve talked to you about the problems of a wicked choice. But I’m just moving toward the third thing and the most important thing. And that is the power of a wise choice. Ruth, in this book, makes a choice. She chooses for God. And she makes a very wonderful choice that not only transformed her life and changed her life, but in a real sense has touched your life and my life. Because we’re going to see not only does she become a beautiful picture of redemption and salvation, as we’re going to see later on when we get into the other parts of this book, but she, Ruth, became an ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. And King David was one of her descendants. What a wonderful story. I mean, she is a Moabite. Now, you think you have it bad. You think that things are going bad for you. You think there’s no hope for you. Well, I want you to think about Ruth for a little bit. I want you to understand the condition of Ruth’s life. First of all, she had a cursed life. She was under a curse. Folks, there’s a curse upon us. The Bible speaks of us in Ephesians 2 as aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. That we have a curse upon us. And the Bible says, cursed is every man that abideth not in all things of the law to do them. And the law said to Ruth, stay out. But we’re going to see that grace said, come on in. And so she had a cursed life. Not only did she have a cursed life, she had a crushed life. She knew sorrow. She was a young woman. Her husband died. She watered that grave with her tears. She’s there in the land of dearth and dirt and degradation. She knew sorrow. Do you know sorrow? Do you have a broken heart? Well, the book of Ruth is for you. You can become part of a love story. Not only was she cursed and crushed, she was condemned. I mean, she was condemned to death. She had no way. A condemned life because her husband, who was to be her provider and her protector, was dead. There was no social security. There was no way for widows to be taken care of apart from the goodness of God. And just as her husband died and her hopes died when her husband died, we, through the death of Adam, are condemned to BY ONE MAN’S DISOBEDIENCE, MANY ARE MADE SINNERS. THERE’S SUCH A PARALLEL THERE BETWEEN RUTH. BUT AGAINST THIS DARK is the diamond of God’s grace as we’re going to see next time that we come together. But don’t say there’s no hope for you. Don’t say it’s too late for me or too dark for me or too difficult for me or whatever, too degrading for me. God will make a way for you, the same God that made a way for Ruth, because against all of that, Ruth made a decision. YOU KNOW, HER LIFE THEN BECAME A NEW LIFE, A NEW LIFE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE LORD JESUS SAYS? THE LORD JESUS SAYS, BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW, ALL THINGS NEW. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID? THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST JESUS, HE IS A NEW CREATURE. I WANT YOU TO SEE SEVEN NEW THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO RUTH RIGHT HERE. LET’S BEGIN READING NOW IN VERSE SEVEN, WHEREFORE SHE WENT FORTH OUT OF THE PLACE WHERE SHE WAS, THAT IS, NAOMI AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW, THAT WOULD BE RUTH AND ORPHAH, AND THEY WENT ON THE WAY TO RETURN TO THE LAND OF JUDAH. Now, Naomi has heard that there is bread in Bethlehem, and she’s going home. She’s going back to the place of blessing. And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant ye that ye may find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. They said, No, Naomi, we’re going to go with you. But now notice what she said, and this is sad. Verse 11, And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters, why will ye go with me? Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. And if I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons, would ye tarry for them until they were grown? That is, you can’t have any more sons from my womb. Even if I could have children, they would just be babies. You couldn’t wait for them. Verse 13, Would ye stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. And like many backsliders, she is blaming God for it. Now notice verse 14, And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpha kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her. Now, I’ve been pastoring long enough to know that you have those who get emotionally moved, but never go through with a decision for the Lord Jesus. And then you have those who get a hold of God and will not let go. Now, there’s a difference here between… Ruth and Ophah, that is a line of demarcation that goes for all eternity. But now listen to what Naomi said in verse 15, and that’s the reason why I said it is so sad. And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is going back unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law. Can you imagine this? Naomi is so backslidden that she would tell her two daughters-in-law to go back to your people, back to your land, and back to your pagan gods. What a disgrace. And Orpah turned and went back. And friend, that’s the last we’ve heard of her. But resolute Ruth makes a decision, a wonderful decision, and it was a decision for Almighty God And what a wonderful decision it was. And remember we said that when you come to God, He makes all things new. Notice what Ruth had. Look in verse 16. She had a new determination. She says, entreat me not to leave thee, nor from following after thee. Now, what she’s saying is this, Naomi, where you go, I will go. It is a decision. Don’t tell me not to follow you. I wonder, would you make a new determination today? I mean, would you say with every inch, every ounce, every nerve and fiber and sinew, I am going with you. She has, in verse 16, a new determination. And that new determination leads to a new direction. Look again in verse 16. For whither thou goest, I will go. Do you know what a Christian is? He’s a follower of Jesus. Wherever he leads, I will follow. Have you said that to the Lord Jesus Christ? A new direction. You see, when Jesus calls disciples, he says what? Come and follow me. And then there was a new dependence. In verse 16, she says, where thou lodgest, I will lodge. That is, I’m coming into your household. I’m coming under your shelter. I’m coming for your provision. I’m coming to live with you. I’m coming… Naomi, to look to you for my provision. Where you lodge, that’s where I’m going to lodge. Have you ever said that to Jesus? A new determination, entreat me not to leave thee. A new direction, wherever you go, I’m going. A new dependence, wherever you lodge, I will lodge. And a new desire, thy people shall be my people. I want to be with your people. I don’t want to be with the pagans. I don’t want to be the heathen. I don’t want to be in this land of death and degradation and debauchery and defilement and idol worship. I want to be with the people of God. One of the marks that we’ve been saved, we want to be with God’s people. I can’t understand why a man says he loves the Lord Jesus and doesn’t love the people of God. The Bible says we’re not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. When a man gets saved, he desires the fellowship of the people of God. And there’s a new devotion. She says in verse 16, Ruth says, and thy God shall be my God. I’m turning from my idols. You cannot serve God and mammon. And friend, you’ve got to let go of this world and give your heart to Jesus Christ. She knew that she had to follow the God of Israel. There is a new devotion and a new dedication, she says in verse 17, where you die, I will die. Now, what does that mean? She said, look, Naomi, I am going with you all the way I’m not going to get there and if things get bad over here in Bethlehem, I’m not going to turn around and go back to Moab. This is a lifetime commitment. I am with you and where you die, I will die. And then she says, there’s a new destiny. Where you’re buried, there I’m going to be buried. I mean, I’m with you. You see, even death, even death will not separate us. Isn’t that what Paul says in Romans 8? For I am persuaded neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is one of the sweetest declarations of faith in all of the Bible. And treat me not to leave thee, nor return from falling after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. And where you die, I’ll die. And where you’re buried, I’ll be buried. She made a decision. It was her decision to make. Elimelech made a decision, a bad one. Ruth, out of a dark background, made a wonderful decision. And it counts for all eternity. There were some people who came to our house when I was a teenage boy. and invited our folks to a revival meeting. I was out there with my dad cleaning the front yard. I saw my dad go over and speak to those people and nod his head. And so my dad said, we’re going to church tonight. We were not a church-going family. We went in church, Northwood Baptist Church there, and I was sitting about 12 rows back. My dad was sitting right next to the aisle and I’m sitting next to him. And the preacher was preaching. And then he gave an invitation for people to come forward and give their hearts to Jesus Christ. My dad stepped out. I was amazed. I didn’t even think he was listening. My dad went out. It was like a dagger of conviction in my own heart. I knew I needed to be saved. I knew I needed God. I didn’t know anything about sexual immorality or dope and I thank God I never have and never will by God’s grace. I knew what it was to tell a lie and get in fights and I knew what it was to skip school and be disrespectful to my parents and cheat and all those things that boys ought not to do. Take God’s name in vain. I knew I needed to be saved. And I went down there. I got up, followed my dad down the aisle. They said, we’re glad Adrian has come. And I’m sure they were, because I’d terrorize that neighborhood. We’re glad Adrian has come. And they sent me down there and dealt with me. And there on that front row, I gave all I knew of me to all I knew of Jesus. I’ve learned a whole lot about both since then. I’ve done far more repenting after I got saved than I ever did when I got saved, because I’ve learned more and more about me. But I gave all I knew of me to all I knew of Jesus and made a decision there as a teenage boy. Many, many years passed since that time, and I went back to that church where I’d gone forward. It was no longer an auditorium. They’d changed it into a little dining hall. But I said, can I be alone here? And they let me be alone, and I went to the front and found as best I could where that pew would have been at that time and got on my knees and thanked God that by His grace, I WAS ABLE TO SAY TO THE LORD, NOT IN THESE WORDS, BUT I MEANT IT, ENTREAT ME NOT TO LEAVE THEE, NOR TO RETURN FROM FOLLOWING AFTER THEE. FOR WHERE YOU GO, LORD, THAT’S WHERE I WANT TO GO. AND WHERE YOU LIVE, LORD, THAT’S WHERE I WANT TO LIVE. AND LORD, YOUR GOD WILL BE MY GOD, YOUR PEOPLE MY PEOPLE. AND AS A RESULT OF THAT DECISION, I’M STANDING HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF THAT. IT IS DECISION that determines destiny. You’re free to choose. You’re not free not to choose. You’re not free to choose the consequences of your choice. And when you make a big choice, you make a lot of other choices right along with it.
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