SERIES: “WOW! WHOSE YOUNG DAUGHTER IS THAT?
(PART 2) LOVE IS MORE THAN KISSING.”
1. Ruth 1: 1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me - even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons - 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her to leave.
2. Ruth 2: 4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Whose Young Woman Is That?”
INTRO: SERIES – Wow! Whose Young Daughter Is That: PT2 – Love Is More Than Kissing
SERIES: An Intro (God Can Change Your Story); Love Is More Than Kissing; Behold A Woman Lay At His Feet (Marriage Before Sex); Running After The Younger Men; Characteristics Of A Good Spouse; Here Comes The Bride; When The Honeymoon Is Over; How The Devil Attacks Christian Marriages; What Do You Do When You Realize You’ve Married The Wrong Person; The Bitterness Of An Angry Life (From Bitterness To Blessings); The Support Of In-Laws; You Can Begin Again (About Divorce Or Death); Life Without A Spouse – Let Bitterness Go (The Naomi Syndrome), Etc.
INTRO: SOME JOKES / STATISTICS ABOUT MARRIED COUPLES
1. Illustration: Little Boy: Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.
2. Illustration: Now You Come Home Drunk
3. Illustration: In Liberia, a teacher asked his kids: “1+1=?” A kid raised his hand and said: “1+1=4”. A man passing by heard the answer and said: “This government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will kill us all. Every thing has gone up. Transportation, food, gas, clothes, drinks, homes, etc. Even 1+1 that used to be 2 has gone up to 4.”
SOME NOTABLE COUPLES OF THE BIBLE – EVERY MARRIAGE HAS ISSUES?
1. Adam & Eve: Genesis 3 - The man chooses to join his wife in sin.
2. Abraham & Sarah: Genesis 11-25 – Leave everything to follow God – no children.
3. Isaac & Rebekah: Genesis 25 - Inheritors of promise; difficult conception; sibling rivalry.
4. Jacob & Rachel: Genesis 29 - Jacob worked 14 years to get Rachel.
5. Hannah & Elkanah: 1 Samuel 1 - He has 2 wives – Penninah has children and Hannah none.
6. Moses & Zipporah: Exodus 2 – Hated by in-laws because of her color.
7. Nabal & Abigail: 1 Samuel 25 – She is intelligent, beautiful, witty. He’s idiot, evil & crooked.
8. Job & Mrs Job: Job 1-2 – Richest family, but lost everything in one day.
9. Shunemite Woman & Husband: 2 Kings 4 – A kind rich woman & old husband; no kids.
10. Joseph & Mary: Luke 1 – Engaged to be married; Mary pregnant and not Joseph – Scandal.
IN FAMILIES OR MARRIAGES - KINDS OF SUFFERING FAMILIES GO THROUGH
The Unseen Future: Example: Elimelech ("God is my king") marries Naomi ("sweet one"). A marriage made in heaven. "God is my King" & "sweet one" have 2 kids – Mahlon ("sickly") and Chilion (“wasting away"). Why were 2 sickly kids born to such wonderful couple? Why did famine come? Why do natural disasters occur? Why does anyone face an illness? Why does any hard worker lose his / her job? Why do kids die? Why are we disappointed though committed?
SOURCES SUFFERING WHO’S RESPONSIBLE WHO’S AFFECTED NEEDED RESPONSE
Avoidable Physical / Natural Disaster Those Who Ignored The Fact Or To Take Precaution Most Of Those Exposed To The Cause Prevent, If Possible, Prepare If Cannot Prevent
Unavoidable Physical / Natural Disaster God, Satan Most Of Those Present On-going Trust In God’s Faithfulness
Your Sin Sinner And Others Who Allowed The Sin Probably Many Including Those Who Sinned Active Resistance To Sinful Behavior And Sinner
My Sin I Am Me And Others Repent, Confess, Accept Consequences
TIMELINE: KENNEDY TRAGEDIES – ASSASSINATIONS, ACCIDENTS, ETC.
1. 1941: Rosemary Kennedy, eldest daughter of Joseph & Rose Kennedy, mentally ill - lobotomy.
2. 1944: Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., 29 year-old oldest Kennedy son, dies in plane crash in WWII.
3. 1948: Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish dies in a plane crash in France at age 28. Her husband, William John Robert Cavendish, died in World War II.
4. 1963: Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, 2nd son of President Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, dies two days after he was born 6 weeks premature.
5. 1963: Pres. John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. He was 46.
6. 1964: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, youngest Kennedy child, escapes death in a plane crash that claims an aide, Edward Moss.
7. 1968: Robert F. Kennedy assassinated. 42-year old just won CA's Dem. Pres. primary election.
8. 1969: Edward M. Kennedy, drives off a bridge coming from a party. Mary Jo Kopechne, an aide in the car with him, dies.
9. 1973: Edward M. Kennedy, the senator's son, loses right leg to cancer.
10. 1973: Joseph P. Kennedy II, the son of Robert and Ethel, is the driver in a car accident that leaves one passenger permanently paralyzed.
11. 1984: David A. Kennedy, son of Robert, dies of a drug overdose. He was 28.
12. 1986: Patrick Kennedy, teenage son of Sen. Edward Kennedy, treated for cocaine addiction.
13. 1991: William Kennedy Smith, son of Jean Kennedy Smith, accused of raping woman, acquitted.
14. 1997: Michael Kennedy, the 39 year old son of Robert, dies in a skiing accident in Colorado.
15. 1999: John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, die in plane crash near Martha's Vineyard. Kennedy was flying the plane.
16. 2002: Michael Skakel, nephew of Ethel Kennedy, found guilty of 1975 gruesome murder of 15 year-old Martha Moxley. Skakel was 15.
17. 2009: Sen. Edward Kennedy died - cancer. Sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, died 2 weeks after.
18. 2011: Kara Kennedy, 51 aged daughter of Sen. Edward Kennedy, dies of heart attack.
19. 2012: Mary Richardson Kennedy, 52-year-old ex-wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., die of suicide.
BIBLE VERSES ON TRAGEDIES
1. Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
2. James 4:13-14 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
3. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
PROBLEMS RUTH & ORPAH FACED – SETTING & PEOPLE AROUND HER.
Problems From Natural Forces:
1. There Was A Famine: (Ruth 1:1): …There was a famine". Some things just happen.
2. Troubles Strike Indiscriminately. No one, including believers, is immune from problems.
3. Elimelech Chose To Disobey God’s Command – Do not mingle with the idol worshippers.
4. He Meant Well But – His moving aggravated the situation of the family.
5. Elimelech Remained There For 10 Years. That was a state of continuing disobedience.
6. Then 3 Members Of A Family Died. We marry hoping for the best – things go wrong.
TWO INDIVIDUALS INHERITED THE SAME PROBLEM – THE DIFFERENCE?
1. Ruth & Orpah’s Genealogy - Moab: Compromised Separation. Deut. 23:3 “An Ammonite & Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord, even to their 10th generation”.
2. Ruth & Orpah Married In Backslidden Family. Regression from God. “Went to Moab” (1:1).
3. Ruth & Orpah - Widows Without Inheritance. Men died. Property went to someone else.
4. Ruth & Orpah Poor & Attached To A Destitute Mother-In-Law & Bad Advisor.
5. Ruth & Orpah Could Have No Family Connection In Israel. Would be lonely strangers.
6. Ruth & Orpah Would Be Foreigners In Israel. Open to ridicule and attack – defenseless.
7. Ruth & Orpah Would Be Outcasts. Open to rape & abuse. No man to stand for them.
8. Ruth & Orpah Could Choose An Easy Life With Idols. Go back to their parents.
9. Ruth & Orpah Would Live In Era Of Uncertainty - No law & order when judges ruled.
WHO WILL GET THE BLESSING?
God Knew He Would One Day Send His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. He handpicked those in the Royal Line. God used Elimelech & Naomi’s tragedy to bring a Moabitess into Jesus’ ancestry. One of these 2 ladies - Orpah or Ruth, would be elevated. Which one would prove worthy? It could have gone either way. Either the Book of Orpah or the Book of Ruth. Both went through same experience but only one was blessed. - difference lies in the choices they both made. The book opens with a famine & closes with a great feast; begins with a funeral, and ends with a wedding.
RUTH AND ORPAH REVEAL 2 TYPES OF COMMITMENT
I. ORPAH’S SHALLOW COMMITMENT
Ruth 1:9 "And They Lifted Up Their Voice And Wept.... They Kissed Each Other…"
Emotions Attach Us & Cause Us To Do Many Things: Some Get Emotional, But Never Make A Decision & Commitment! Both Orpah and Ruth had an affection for Naomi. Affection alone won't carry the day. The hour of testing came. Orpah & Ruth started toward the Promised Land with Naomi. Many start toward heaven or marriage but don't finish. Emotions are not enough.
1. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
3. Proverbs 16:32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
4. Luke 14:28 For which of you desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Any Relationship, Marriage, Friendship, Family, Dating Must Be Of The Same. Observe, take note, calculate, scrutinize, then act but slowly and with prayers. Joshua 6: The city of Jericho was secure and shut off. Joshua is praying outside the city gates. Nehemiah 1: Jerusalem is in ruins. Nehemiah is praying and seeking God for directions. Matthew 7: Jesus spoke about the 2 builders: on sand and on rock.
Kiss In Any Form Is Supposed To Be A Mark Of Sincerity. Whether a kiss of friends, relatives, lovers… Judas gave a kiss. Orpah gave a kiss. But kiss must be followed by actions. Orpah kissed & left. Judas kissed & betrayed. So kissing is not enough. Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Emotion alone has insufficient power to finish the race. It takes an act of the will. They reached the border of Moab. Would they leave family all? The moment of ultimate testing came. Ruth 1:14 "Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye" and turned her back on the God of Israel and went back into the world of sin and idolatry.
The Orpah Syndrome reflects Why People Walk Away From Relationships
1. Lack Of Marital Bliss – Ruth 1:4-5: Sick Husband - She probably spent her entire married life nursing a sick husband. That probably did not fit her definition of a satisfying marriage. For that matter, no one enters a relationship expecting to give without receiving.
2. Lack Of Maternal Joy: No Child - Most ancient cultures viewed children as the highest blessing of marriage. But Orpah had not experienced the joy of motherhood. Like many frustrated couples who cannot have children, she had little hope of ever experiencing the joy of motherhood.
3. Lack Of Material Security – Ruth 1:19: Loss of Fortune - Naomi and Elimelech were financially comfortable. Orpah certainly knew that fact going into her marriage to Chilion. But when all the men died (Ruth 1:5) the widows would have been forced to sell their possessions to survive. Poverty was not her expectation in marriage.
4. Companionship & Comfort – Promise Of Excitement: 1:9 "Husband". Naomi meant that her daughters in-law might find new husbands. Orpah saw this as a new beginning.
Men & Women Justify Leaving Relationships Because, "I have a right to be happy." "Even God wants them to be happy". "everyone is doing it". Look, Except in cases of abuse, unfaithfulness and neglect, God sanctioned marriage "till death do us part." For Orpah, Walking Away Seems A Convenient Option – 1:14-15: She embraced and cried: "I Love You But..." Attitude. In the end, it typifies those who walk away to pursue happiness elsewhere. While the record is silent about the rest of her life, she probably didn't find happiness either.
Illustration: Bassa Parable – Man Wants Spotless Woman – Snake Changes To Woman
II. RUTH’S DEEP COMMITMENT
The Commitment Ruth Made Is The Kind Demanded By Christ. She Pledged Her Commitment Without Reservation - 1:16-17
1. It Is Costly – Ruth 1:16 She sacrificed greatly to stay in that relationship. She gave up:
? Her Future / Freedom: "Entreat me not to leave you" Ruth, about 25 years old, was willing to sacrifice her freedom to care for Naomi. She thought she would never remarry or have children. But as a widow, she committed to care for her aging, widowed, mother-in-law.
? Her Familiarity (National Identity): "Wherever you go, I will go… I will lodge". She was willing to sacrifice her national identity & homeland - leaving the land where she was born and raised [1:4, Moab] for a land with strange customs. How would she be received?
? Her Family & Friends: "Your people shall be my people." She was willing to sacrifice a close relationship with family. She was leaving behind mother, father [Ruth 1-2], family, friends.
? Her Faith: "Your God shall be my God". Willing to sacrifice her worship of the idol Chemosh.
2. It Is Long-Term: "Where you die, I will die." That is a till-death-do-us-part commitment. She didn't approach relationships with the attitude that if things get tough or don't work out the way I want, I will leave. No! She had that if-things-don't-work-out-I'll-work-harder attitude. This certainly implies faithfulness - the glue that holds relationships together when adversity comes.
3. It Is Sacred / Spiritual: "The Lord do so to me". She didn't just make this vow to Naomi. She also made this vow to God. By invoking the name of God, she made her pledge of commitment complete. She made a physical, emotional, spiritual vow. There were no reservations.
GOD ESTABLISHED MARRIAGE AS A COVENANT, NOT A CONTRACT
1. A covenant is based on trust between parties. A contract is based on distrust.
2. A covenant is based on unlimited responsibility. A contract is based on limited liability.
3. Covenant can’t be broken if new circumstances occur. Contract can be voided by mutual consent.
CONCLUSION: SO HOW DO YOU SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR SOMEONE?
1. You Show Love By Sticking With Someone Through Tough Times. Ruth said she would stick with Naomi through thick or thin. No matter what happened, Ruth would stay by Naomi’s side. Proverbs 18:24 “Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” E.g. Gen 30 v/s Ruth 4 – Leah (did duty) & Rachel blessed – Elders prayed Ruth blessed.
2. You Show Love By Adjusting To Others. Ruth 1:16 “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
3. You Show Love By Reaching Beyond Your Comfort Zones. Ruth 1:17: “Where you die, I will die.”
4. You Show Love By Offering Encouraging Words. Ruth 1:16 "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go." Ruth was telling her – you’re not in this alone. Where ever you go – whatever happens to you – I’ll be there.
5. You Show Love By Putting Their Needs Above Your Needs. Ruth 1:18:“When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.” Naomi did not stop talking to Ruth completely. But when she saw how determined Ruth was, she stopped persuading her.
FINAL WORDS
All Relationships, Whether With God, Our Spouses, family members or friends require faithfulness, commitment, sacrifice, respect, etc. Those being loved and those doing the loving have an obligation to be honest, faithful, loyal, not to stick by us when we do wrong, but to correct us and encourage us. Bad things do happen in marriages. Everyone does not love the same way – with flowers. Summary: Pray the Holy Spirit to help us to see before we enter; endure after we enter; and feel God’s absolute voice before we leave.
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
Whether In Relationship With God, Spouse, Family, Friends, Co-Workers, Exhibit Faithfulness, Commitment, Sacrifice, Respect.
