title same line
2009. 7. 5 Sunday Worship Where Mother Goes (同行)
Text: Ruth 1:1 - 18
Although the book of Ruth is a historical record, I think it is very interesting because it has a story-like story structure due to its dramatic composition.
No matter how successful you are, adversity will come at least once in your life.
When we, as Christians, face difficult difficulties, when we are faced with difficult adversities,
We must act according to God's will through deep meditation and prayer.
When suffering comes, some people worship God with greater faith and rely only on God. On the other hand, some people, on the other hand, lose their faith and give up their faith and depend on the world.
Have you ever had any experience of relying on the world because of difficulties?
Abraham in the book of Genesis also went to Egypt during a famine. During the seven years of famine, Jacob also hears that Egypt is rich in food, and sends his children to Egypt in search of grain.
Also in the text, the Elimelech family moved to Moab with their families because of a famine. But, “Wow, this is… … !”
Even though she has no wealth, a woman named Naomi has lost her husband and two sons from a foreign land she has come to live. After 10 years of experiencing the greatest pain that a human being can endure in the land of Moab, Naomi decides to give up everything and return to her homeland.
But on the way back, the scene of the conversation between them is more dramatic and adds to our interest.
For the two daughters-in-law who suddenly lost their husbands, I advise them to find their own way and go their own way, because their elderly mother-in-law will not be of any help, and if they have children with them, the mother-in-law will only be a burden. Against this background, the decision of the three women is clearly shown in the text.
In the past, there was a TV variety program called ‘The Door of Choice’.
The performer challenges several games, and one of them was to pass the ‘door of choice’. In front of the two doors, the performer makes a careful choice and rushes to break the door made of styrofoam, and when he enters, cushions are placed behind him and cheerful celebratory music awaits. Image management becomes difficult. Regardless of whether it is a man or a woman, the style is wrinkled as much as possible. Even a pretty face is ruined in an instant.
‘Will our lives be like this? … ’ I thought.
Recalling that program, I quietly re-examined the choices of the three characters in today's text.
It's really hard to decide which path to take at the crossroads of life.
Because there are many things that change your life 180 degrees by that decision.
Each of the three women in the text made a certain decision.
Looking at the results of their decisions, we would like to share the grace of the Word.
Of the three women's decisions, the first is that of Naomi mother-in-law.
A famine broke out in Bethlehem, and she moved to Moab, where she lost her husband and two sons. There are two daughters-in-law left, but she wants to go back to Bethlehem by herself, sending her daughters-in-law back to where they came from.
It wasn't just her hometown that she wanted to return to.
Thinking that she was a cursed life that did not receive blessings from God, the last choice she made was to return to Bethlehem, where God's people live.
If Moab symbolizes the 'world' without God, Bethlehem can be seen as the 'place of God' where God's people live.
Her choice was right. Ultimately, through chapters 2 and 3, we can see that God was preparing Boaz for Naomi, who returned to God's bosom.
There are times in life when we feel like we have wandered and lost everything.
I have family and friends, but nevertheless, there are times when I get caught up in a feeling of loneliness, saying, 'I am alone'. When that happens, we often see people taking extreme actions.
We must no longer wander on the weary journey of life and return to God.
If you return to God, you will surely meet God's provision.
God is waiting for all of God's children to end their lonely wanderings and return to God's arms. Not just waiting, but waiting with a plan for you. This is the passage that reminds us of that fact.
The second is the decision of Orpah, the eldest daughter-in-law. On the way to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, the mother-in-law is more considerate of daughters-in-law than her own, encouraging each of them to go their own way and kissing them goodbye. At that, the two daughters-in-law wept loudly.
At her mother-in-law's reassurance, she literally went back to the home of her family and relatives in Moab, saying 'お言葉に甘えて' (according to the word's favor).
Of course, the Bible no longer records Orpah, but it can be assumed that Orpah returned to Moab and remarried because he was still young.
She made a decision not to put God in her heart. I followed the rational thinking of ordinary people. Her decision was the worst.
Why that decision was the worst can be seen from the prophetic words of Isaiah 15:1. 'A warning about Moab, in one night the Al of Moab will be destroyed and become a desolation, and in one night Gir of Moab shall be destroyed and become a desolation,' prophesied the prophet Isaiah.
The third is Ruth's decision. Ruth decides to go to Bethlehem with her poor old mother-in-law.
It is difficult to find a child who wants to make a tribute to his elderly and sick parents without any possessions.
This is the current state of affairs.
An elderly mother-in-law is a burden to Ruth. From that point of view, perhaps Ruth is a woman who pursues an ideal, a person who is ignorant in calculations, or one of those who are extremely filial. Did Ruth know the Ten Commandments to honor your parents?
As Christians, didn't we sometimes pretend that we didn't know Jesus because we liked Moab and the world was better for Jesus, who laid down his life for me to wash away our sins?
Are you sure you chose Jesus, not Moab?
In any case, her judgment seemed, on the surface, to be reckless and foolish. But whether these seemingly foolish and reckless decisions are really reckless or not, the results tell. The consequences of choosing her mother-in-law's people and her mother-in-law's god, Jehovah God, were tremendous.
God, who was pleased with Ruth's beautiful choice, prepared Boaz, a good-natured and wealthy woman, for Ruth, a foreign woman. What is even more surprising is the fact that Ruth, a Gentile woman, became a covenant people and received the wonderful blessing of continuing the lineage of the Davidic family where the Messiah would be born. This is confirmed by the genealogy listed at the end of chapter 4 of the book of Ruth.
What is surprising is that the law prohibits marriage to Canaanite women and prohibits Moabites and Ammonites from entering the general assembly of Israel.
But we should not be confused that this is to preserve the purity of the people of Israel's faith in Jehovah God, and not to grant salvation to the Gentiles.
It is truly exciting to start a new life in an unfamiliar, foreign land.
However, under the premise that when the people there are kind and warm, and when the security of living is to a certain extent, it makes you want to take on a challenge.
It is not uncommon for Ruth to follow her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, a foreign land that is not her own.
It cannot be a special choice.
I had the opportunity to hear the stories of some Korean women who recently married in Japan.
Those women now have to live with the Japanese on Japanese soil.
They find it difficult to survive unless they learn Japanese culture, especially Japanese.
There were quite a few people who suffered from depression because they were lonely and even their husbands lacked understanding and consideration.
When I heard that it was really, really, really, really, really hard to adapt to the Japanese soil, it really didn’t seem like anyone else’s business, and my heart ached.
Verse 10 says, “We will return with you to your people.”
The two daughters-in-law are weeping and talking to Naomi.
On the surface, it seems that Ruth and Orpah's words were all true.
However, in this world, there are many humanoids like Orpah who, when faced with any adversity or difficulty, endure it for a while. But they don't last very long because they love the world. They change their minds easily and give up.
But in what sense did Ruth in the text decide to follow her mother-in-law to a foreign land?
There is nothing left for mother-in-law Naomi.
Nevertheless, daughter-in-law Ruth decides to accompany her mother-in-law.
He must have had many family, relatives and friends in the land of Moab... … .
What was Ruth thinking about making that decision?
A good example of making a wise choice at the crossroads of life can be found in Genesis 24:58.
Abraham sends his servant to go to the city for four days to find a wife for Isaac and orders him to bring a man who will be his daughter-in-law. The servant meets Rebekah and tells the truth to her family, who gladly agrees to take her. However, when the day for Rebekah's departure was dawning, her mother and brother asked her to leave after staying for a few days out of human regret. When asked, "Would you like to leave with this person now?" she boldly replied "Yes, I will." You can see the firm determination.
Because of this daring decision, she became the hero of the blessing of continuing the family line of faith.
How does Ruth respond when her mother-in-law Naomi tells her two daughters-in-law to go their own way?
If we look at verses 16 and 17 of the text,
'And Ruth said, "Do not compel me to turn away from you and not follow you. Wherever you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." will you be
Where you die, I will also die and be buried there. If I leave you except to die, the Lord will punish me and send me more.’
What this verse means is that Ruth's decision to accompany her mother-in-law does not mean that she chooses to follow her mother-in-law because of blood ties in marriage.
Ruth’s confession makes it clear that it was not blood that Ruth decided to be together, but the ‘nation’ of her mother-in-law and Jehovah God, the ‘god’ that her mother-in-law served.
Who are you with now?
Who do you want to accompany for the rest of your life?
family? money? Relationships around you?
What will you rely on for the rest of your life?
It is convenient to go to Moab. Living the way the world thinks can seem convenient and good. Returning to Bethlehem seemed to be a self-proclaimed road to suffering.
Similarly, for Christians, the path to following Jesus Christ may seem at first glance to be a path that requires only suffering, patience, and self-control.
However, the Bible says in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” I'm arguing that it's never going to happen.
Our Lord is very eager to walk with you.
So, reluctantly, I stretch out my hand. Do you have the courage to take that hand and walk the path of the Lord together?
From the perspective of judging with the eyes of the flesh, we must now shift our gaze to the perspective of looking at the eternal kingdom with the eyes of the spirit.
In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that all the members of Akashi Church who decide to walk with the Lord every day and to the end will become the protagonists of the blessings like Ruth.