Dream Again: Sermons from the Book of Ruth

Dr. Patrick Mead

Series: The Book of Ruth

To Dream Again
Ruth 1:6-22

This is a series we're calling Everyday God. The last time we left our story here in the book of Ruth, it ended with devastation. Naomi lost her husband, Elimelech. He died. Ten years later, her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, died, and all she had left were her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. They really didn't have much to offer her, and vice versa. Nevertheless, as we watch this story unfold, we're going to begin to see God use devastation as a doorway for Naomi to dream again.

Naomi is not only going to dream again, but her dreams are going to be better and higher than any dreams she has ever had before. She's not even aware of this. Right now she's in shattered dreams. Right now she's broken. So as we look at this passage today, how do we move on when our dreams are shattered? How do we move forward? How do we really dream again when we feel like we're at a dead end and there's no way out?

How do we move forward through the doorway of devastation? When God is at work in your life, devastation does not have to be a dead end; devastation can become a doorway through which God can enable you to experience great and mighty things in your life. How do we do that? How do we move forward through the doorway of devastation?

Well, I want to point out some theological truths from the passage we're looking at that I believe will help us to dream again. When we find ourselves at a dead end, when we find our dreams and everything we hope for aren't coming about, how do we move forward through the doorway of devastation? If we're going to dream again, if we're going to move through that doorway of devastation…

1. We must realize God is active in everyday life. We pick up the story in verse 6. It says, "Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord…" Yahweh is the name she's using. Yahweh is always used in the context of a people who are in a covenant relationship with God. Naomi is in a covenant relationship with God, and she heard that Yahweh was once again visiting the people of Israel, and it says he was giving them food.

We read in verse 7, "So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah." Naomi hears while she's out in the fields of Moab, "Listen, Yahweh is visiting. The Lord is visiting the people again." What this means is the famine that moved them out of the house of bread, Bethlehem, was now over.

The Hebrew word we translate visited… When it's used in the context of God visiting his people, it's used in two different ways. It's used when God visits his people in judgment, and that's exactly what he was doing. Several years before, he visited the people of Israel, and he did so in judgment and discipline because they had turned their backs on God and they were being unfaithful to God.

It happened during the time of Judges, and everybody was doing what was right in their own eyes. Well, not everybody. There's always a small remnant, but the majority of the people were doing evil in the sight of the Lord, and they were serving the Baals, the false gods. So what does God do? He visits them in judgment.

But not here. Now he's visiting his people once again, not with more judgment, but with blessings. He's bringing them food. Naomi hears about this. She hears that God is visiting Israel, that God is visiting the house of bread, Bethlehem. So what does she do? She moves. She takes her two daughters-in-law and makes her way to Judah.

Now what we have taking place in verse 6… I don't like to use this word, but I think it describes what's happening. It's more than just divine intervention. It is divine intervention, but sometimes when we think about divine intervention we like to think of it in terms of, let's say, Acts, chapter 9. That's where Saul meets Jesus and becomes Paul. He's born again, and he sees the risen Savior. That's divine intervention, right?

Well, this is divine intervention but not in a spectacular way. It's God visiting his people and just removing the famine and allowing them to have food again. On a grander scale, it's divine intervention in the life of Israel, that God is once again visiting his people and blessing them, but on an individual level, as he's intervening in the life of Israel, he's also intervening and actively involved in the life of Naomi.

What we're seeing in verse 6 is God at work. He's moving Naomi in such a way that she is going to be able to dream again. She's not even aware of it yet, but God is up to something new. One commentator said verse 6 shows us that God is putting the pieces of Naomi's life back together. She's not aware of it, but God is doing a new thing. God is positioning her, because he's going to take her from a point of brokenness, and he's going to enable her to dream again and to experience better and higher dreams.

Now on one level, when we look at it, you say, "Well, Naomi is doing the right thing. It's the right thing to return to the Lord. It's the right thing to go back to Bethlehem, the place where her husband should have never left in the first place. He should have just trusted God at the house of bread, in Bethlehem. He should have just trusted God that he would provide in the midst of famine, but he took things into his own hands."

So in one sense we say, "Well, she's making a good choice," and rightly so, because we see human responsibility here, but we see also the sovereignty of God. Some people have a hard time with human responsibility and the sovereignty of God. We see her making a choice, but what we don't see is the sovereign hand of God orchestrating her life in such a way that he's guiding her steps.

We call this activity the providence of God, that God is actively working in our lives. If we are going to come to that point where we move from devastation, whatever it may be, and we move through that doorway of devastation so we can dream again, we must realize God is active in every aspect of our lives. He's not just active in the spectacular. I'm here to tell you that God is very active in the everyday, mundane activities of your life, of my life.

That means he's active in the good experiences of life, he's active in the bad experiences of life, and he's active in those ugly experiences of life. I think it's so important that we understand the sovereignty of God in our lives and his activity in every aspect of our lives if we're going to move forward, because when we understand the providence of God in our lives, it's then we can truly understand that God does work all things together for the good of those who love him.

How can he do that? How can God work all things together for the good? And I mean all things. How can he do it? Well, he's actively involved in every aspect of our lives. We need to understand that. Listen, child of God. You find yourself devastated? You find yourself with shattered dreams and your hopes are all gone? Know this: God is actively involved in every aspect of your life.

You feel like you're at a dead end. You feel like all your hope is gone. I'm here to tell you you may not see God at work in your life, but he's working. Naomi couldn't see God working, but God was at work in her life. Listen. I have been there, where you're going, "God, where are you? I don't see your leadership. I don't see your guidance. God, I'm not hearing from you."

You may be in that situation now, and you may think God is not there. He is there. He may be silent, but I'm here to tell you he's guiding your steps. He is active in every aspect of your life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That's why it's so important we realize this, and that's why we can honestly say that because God is active in our lives, we may be experiencing devastation, but it's not a dead end; it's a doorway. It's a doorway for God to do great and mighty things.

We need to realize God is active in everyday life. He's involved in our lives. There's a second thing we need to understand. These are theological truths. The first truth is God is sovereign. God is in control. How do you dream again? You have to understand God's sovereignty. You have to understand he's in control. You must understand that though you make the plans in your head and in your heart, God is the one who determines your step. He does.

2. Adversity renews, tests, and grows faith. I want us to look at the three ladies we have in our story. We have Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. What we learn from Naomi is that adversity renews faith. Naomi is a picture of a renewed faith. When I say "renewed faith…" I believe Naomi left with her husband Elimelech because she was doing what a good wife should do, following the leadership, believing he's doing right, but I believe her husband led the whole family down a pathway of destruction.

It says in verse 7, "So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah." That very word return shows she has a renewed faith. Her faith is being strengthened. Her faith is being renewed, and she's now saying, "I have to go back."

The very fact that she heard in the fields of Moab tells me, first, that she was still connected with the people at home and, second, most likely, she was still connected with the Lord. She knew that at this point in her life the best thing to do was to go back to Bethlehem. We see also a renewed faith in verses 8 and 9.

"But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!' Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept."

They wept. What Naomi does is she prays a double blessing for her two daughters-in-law. The first thing she says is, "Lord, listen. They have been faithful to the dead. They have been faithful to my family." Orpah and Ruth had been faithful. They had been loyal. So she says, "Lord…" Remember, she's using the name Yahweh. That means she recognizes she's in a covenant relationship with God.

She says, "Yahweh, would you show your kindness? Would you deal kindly with these two widows?" That word kindly is the Hebrew word checed. It's one of those Hebrew words that you really can't use one English word to translate it. When you find that word, especially as it relates to the Lord, you'll find it translated steadfast love, which means covenant love. Steadfast love means God is always faithful to his covenant and to his covenant people. You'll find it translated love, grace, favor, and kindness.

So basically what she's doing is saying, "God, listen. They have shown kindness to me. They have shown kindness to my family. They have been faithful to me. They have been faithful to my family. Therefore, Lord, Yahweh, would you be faithful to them? Would you reward them and honor them for their faithfulness?" Naomi believed that God, Yahweh, was the one true God, the only God, and she believed God can work beyond the borders of Israel. She believed God could take care of these two ladies, so she prays, "God, be faithful to them."

Then she gets very specific in verse 9. "The Lord grant that you may find rest…" In other words, "Go back to your country, go back to your home, and may God provide a new family for you. May God restore your dreams. May you find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband." We see her faith. "God, bless them, provide for them, and restore the dreams they lost when Mahlon and Chilion died."

Then it says she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. "And they said to her, 'No, we will return with you to your people.'" "We want to go with you, Naomi. We'll go to your people. We'll follow you." Now Naomi is going to pick up her argument again. She blessed them and said, "Go back. God is going to take care of you." They said, "No, we're going with you."

Naomi is not a good example of how you witness to people. She's basically saying, "No, go back to your gods. You follow your gods. Don't follow my God." That's not a good way to witness. But she has a faith, and she demonstrates that faith. She continues her argument in verse 11. "But Naomi said, 'Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me?'" "Logically, this isn't a good idea." She goes on. "Let me give you the reason."

"Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?" "Think about this. First of all, I'm not married, and I don't have any sons in my womb. I'm not going to have children in the near future. Even if I do, are you going to wait?" That's basically what she says. "Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown?"

In other words, "Listen, there's no hope for you." Actually there is, but Naomi doesn't know it. "Don't go with me. You have a greater opportunity to dream again if you'll go and stay in Moab. Go back to your mother's house. Go find you a husband. Go have children. Don't come with me." Naomi thinks, "I'm in a bad situation." I believe she's demonstrating faith, but I believe she's also very honest about how she feels.

We often think about the Christian life that everybody is happy-go-lucky. "Oh hey…" Yeah, going through a hard time and we're all smiling and rejoicing. That's not real. I want you to see how real Naomi is about her circumstances. She said in verse 13, "…would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter…"

She's describing her situation. "It's bitter to me. For your sake, don't come with me. Things aren't going too well for me. If you come with me, odds are you're not going to be any better off. It's bitter." "…for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me." Do you know what she's saying? "I recognize God's activity in my life, and I recognize that he's with us in the good, the bad, and the ugly, and the situation I find myself in God has allowed me to come, and it's a bitter situation."

I believe she's honest, but she's also demonstrating her faith here, because she understands God is active, and she feels like there's really no hope for her. She just wants to make it through the day. "Then if you two come, well, here's the problem. Really, the future doesn't look good. Don't come with me." See, her faith is renewed. She's understanding that God is in control here. She's going back where her family should have stayed in the first place.

Can I give you a lesson that we can learn from Naomi in verse 13? One of the ways we can overcome becoming bitter when we find ourselves in those bad and ugly times that God allows us to go through… You're going to need a good theology, especially as it relates to the sovereignty of God. She understood, "Listen, I'm bitter. It's a hard time, but I understand God is in control and God has allowed me to go through this. He's working in my life."

I find many Christians struggle with adversity and with the things in their lives because their God is too small. Our God, Yahweh, is sovereign. So we see a picture of a renewed faith. Here's what adversity does, and you need to remember this. Adversity renews our faith. You're going through a hard time? You think you're at a dead end? Listen. God is in control and he's renewing you. He's strengthening you.

Here's another thing I want you to see that adversity does. Adversity tests our faith. Orpah gives us a picture of a rejected faith. Listen to how the ladies respond. Verse 14 says, "Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, 'See, your sister-in-law [Orpah] has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.'"

Both of them had a choice. "Do we go with Naomi, or do we stay in Moab and return to our mothers' houses, to our people, and to our many gods?" On paper, Orpah made a logical decision. Common sense says, "Go to the place that will give you more opportunities to dream again." On paper, Moab was that place. On paper, going back to her mother's house and to her people and to her many gods gave her more opportunity to have that family she so desired, to have those children she so desired.

Guess what Orpah did? She made a decision. She turned her back on the God of Israel and on the people of Israel, and she went back to her people and to her many gods. She was an apostate. She saw the grass was greener, and her decision wasn't made by faith; her decision was made by sight. Her very name… Orpah means the back of the neck.

By the way, do you know that's where Oprah got her name? Really. They misspelled it and it came out Oprah. They named her Orpah. Somebody misspelled it and it was Oprah. She's living up to her name. Oprah is living up to Orpah, the back of the neck. You turn your back on God. It means to be stubborn and stiff-necked. Oprah did that. She has turned her back on the God of the Bible.

Orpah turned her back on the God of the Bible. She's a picture of a rejected faith. See, here's what adversity does. It comes to test to see if our faith is real. It comes to test to see if it's genuine. Peter talked about this in 1 Peter 1:5-7. "Even though you're facing trials at this time of many different kinds, the testing of your faith, it comes to see if it's genuine." She didn't have one.

Adversity comes to test your faith, but we also see with Ruth that adversity comes to grow your faith, because in contrast to the rejected faith of Orpah, we have the real faith, the saving faith, of Ruth. Now Ruth spent those years with Naomi, and I can only speculate, but I believe Naomi had a faith, and she watched her and allowed her faith to influence her decision.

So she makes a decision, even though her mother-in-law is saying, "Don't go with me." I mean the pressure is on. "Don't go with me. There is no hope. I'm going to be blessed just to make it through the day. I don't have a husband. I don't have two sons. Who's going to take care of me? I'm going to be on welfare. Really, you don't want to go with me." Then you have the sister-in-law who actually says, "Hey, I'm not going."

But here's what Ruth does. She clings to Naomi. She clings. Ruth comes to the forefront of our story. This is where her life changes. It changes forever, and it changes for the good. This is where Ruth's faith finally becomes real. "You have a choice. Are you going to turn back to your many gods, or are you going to turn to the one true God, the God of Israel, and place your faith in him?"

No longer would she struggle with God, but now she's going to trust in God. Think about this. Here's real faith. You have Moab with your people, your mother's house, and the possibility of having a family again, and then of course you have, well, you have Israel and a mother-in-law saying, "Hey, it's bitter for me. There's really no hope."

Here's what faith does. We're going to see how deep her faith is. A real faith clings to God. She puts her life into God's hand, her future into God's hand. There were no guarantees. There was nothing on paper that said, "Oh, by the way, here's my plan for your life. You don't know it, but you're going to meet a guy named Boaz. He's going to redeem you, and you're going to be blessed." There was nothing like that. Ruth chose to put her life in the hands of God and to move forward with him into the unknown. Here's her faith. Verse 16:

"But Ruth said, '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.' And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more."

She couldn't stop her. Here is how a person, especially a Gentile, was saved under the old covenant. You say, "How?" By faith. Read Hebrews, chapter 11. By faith in what? By faith in the God of Israel, by becoming a part of the people of Israel (if you were a male, that meant circumcision), and by placing your faith in the promise of God's forgiveness. That's what she did.

"I'm going with you. Your God is going to be my God. Your people are going to be my people, and I will cling to you. I will stick with you." With great determination she persevered to the very end. How are we saved under the new covenant? By faith. Faith in what? Faith in the fulfillment of God's promises: Jesus Christ, the death, burial, and resurrection.

Here's what real faith looks like. Do you want to know what saving faith looks like? It turns to God. It clings to God. It stays with God. It sticks with God. It continues with God with great determination. Another thing we need to understand is (because this is in the context of adversity, we need to have a God-centered understanding of adversity) that adversity is used by God.

The God who's in control and who's active in everyday life uses adversity to renew, to test, and to grow our faith, to see if it is real. Do you want to dream again? Know that God is in control and understand that though you're facing devastation, though you're facing adversity, God uses that in the life of his people. Here's the last thing I want you to see. This is a theological truth. It's kind of a paradox.

3. Brokenness is the unexpected pathway to blessings. Verse 19: "So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, 'Is this Naomi?' She said to them, 'Do not call me Naomi…'" Which means pleasant. "…call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty…" El Shaddai is the name she's using here. "…has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi [pleasant], when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?"

All of the ladies are talking. "Can this be Naomi? Where is her husband? Where are her kids?" She says, "Don't call me pleasant; call me bitter. Call me broken. Why? Because when my family left here we were full. The reason we left is because we wanted to remain full. We took things in our own hands. We left here full, but God has emptied me." She says, "The Almighty…" She uses the name El Shaddai.

I'm here to tell you that very declaration of the Almighty is a demonstration of her faith. I know she's being honest. Many people think she's so bitter, but she's not. She's being very honest. All of us struggle at times, and we have bitterness we deal with when we're facing adversity. She's saying, "Listen, God has dealt with me. He's in control of my life, and he has broken me. How? Well, he has emptied me. I left here full. I come back empty."

This is how God works. We don't like it, but it's true. God uses brokenness and emptiness as the pathway to joy, as the pathway to blessings. How many of you have ever prayed, "God, break me"? That's a dangerous prayer, because he will, but it is a good prayer. God empties his people. God breaks his people. Why? So he can fill them up again with his grace and his goodness. That's what he does.

To show you that, look at verse 22: "So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest." The fact that when they show up in Bethlehem it's the start of the harvest… Do you know what that means? Naomi doesn't know what it means yet. I'll tell you what it means.

God is about to bless Naomi, God is about to bless Ruth, and he is about to bless them far beyond what they ever think or imagine. They don't even know what is ahead. All they know is devastation has become a doorway, and they're moving where they think they should move. They don't understand what we understand, that God is doing something great in their lives and the unexpected pathway to get them there was brokenness, emptiness.