Homework: Complaint Department
During this week listen closely to what people complain
about and the words they used to express their
discontent. Specifically note:
 What seems to be the most common complaint?
 What do these comments tell you about what is
important to people?
 Do people tend to complain about events they can
control? Why or why not?
 What do the complaints expose about their view of
God?
 What do the observations teach you about yourself
and your complaining?
Naomi’s Emptiness
• She lost her home
…living as stranger
in foreign land
• She lost her
wealth during the
famine in Israel
• She lost her
husband … lacks
provision/
protection
• She lost her sons
… her family now
faces annihilation
Ruth’s Commitment
Life and Death. She further binds herself to do this with an oath
of self-imprecation. If she reneges on her promise, she invites
the Lord-Naomi's God-to stretch out his hand to strike her down.
Here is an astonishing act of surrender and self-sacrifice. Ruth
was laying down her entire life to serve Naomi.
Burial in Israel. She is even willing to die and be buried in Naomi's
land – the land of Naomi's God, not the gods of the Moabites.
Given the intimate connection between land and deity in the
ancient Near East, and the importance of proper burial for a restful
afterlife, this was the ultimate commitment in the ancient world.
God. In so doing, she is also committing her life to Naomi's God,
whom she calls as a witness by his personal name, the Lord (YHWH).
Naomi. She is committing her life to Naomi, body and soul, for better or
for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.
New Home. Ruth was not merely relocating her home to go somewhere
geographically less pleasant, as if someone were willing to move from sunny
Southern California to the unbearable heat of Death Valley. That would be
noble self-sacrifice; this is far more.
Each of Ruth’s statements ratchets up her level of her commitment
Ruth 1:19-21
19So
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?” 20She
said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me
Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with
me. 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
LORD has testified against me and the Almighty
has brought calamity upon me?”
What were the townswomen saying to one another?
TheHow
name
Naomi
means
“pleasant”
or “stirred”
“lovely.” Why
did
Why
do you
think
thereceived
whole
town
was
by the
was
Naomi
in Bethlehem?
Naomi
change
her
name
to Mara
when(i.e.,
she returned
of
Naomi
and
Ruth?
• Doarrival
you think
this is
a question
of concern
they are to
unsure
Bethlehem?
Was
this woman
stir one who
of excitement,
shock,
orwas
something
whether
the
stood before
them
Naomi)?else?
or
• Is this an exclamation of astonished and joyful recognition (i.e,
Where did Naomi get the name “Mara”?
“Can this really be Naomi!?”)
Ruth 1:19-21
19So
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?” 20She
said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me
Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with
me. 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
LORD has testified against me and the Almighty
has brought calamity upon me?”
Has
ever
been
acomplaint
time
you
feel20-21.
you
want
Think
about
Naomi’s
verses
What
do
Whothere
does
Naomi
blame
for when
her in
situation
inlike
Ruth
1:21?
to
change
your
to ‘Bitter’,
justoflike
these
words
reveal
about
the state
herNaomi?
heart and soul?
Whose
fault
is
itname
really?
About
awareness
of God
these dark days?
In whather
ways
had Naomi
beenduring
emptied?
Had she been left completely empty?
Ruth 1:19-21
19So
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?” 20She
said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me
Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with
me. 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
LORD has testified against me and the Almighty
has brought calamity upon me?”
InNaomi
what ways
calls God
is she
“Almighty”
limiting God
(El Shaddai)
in verse 21?
twice in this
passage. If God is “Almighty” in Naomi’s mind, how has
In what ways might she be giving God more “credit” than
she applied that word in a negative way toward God?
He deserves for the events in her life?
God is Great … but not Good
• Naomi’s circumstances influenced her to develop a
hardened understanding of divine sovereignty
• She looked at her situation and said in effect, “This
bitterness is the only reality I know or can be known; this
is “truth,” and by it I will redefine my concept of God
• God may be able to do with her as He pleases (and who
can argue?), but His pleasure lacks empathy and kindness
• With such distorted (i.e., circumstance-dependent)
theology and a crushed spirit, she never prayed
• Instead, she despaired, resigning herself to the inevitable
machinations of a cruel deity
• However, the book of Ruth does not tell us that God was
angry with Naomi – she was mistaken to measure God’s
goodness by her level of happiness or her immediate
circumstances
We are also Guilty of Questioning God’s Goodness
 We often do this, do we not?
• Suffering: Eternity Makes A Difference (by Paul Tripp) …
– We judge God’s love and faithfulness by how many of
our desires have been met
– When our desires do not materialize, our words are
telling
– Angry, accusing words reveal the idols of our hearts –
so do selfish prayers couched in pious and deferential
language
– Too often, it is not God’s will that we want, but our
own will made possible by God
• Had not Naomi made God the servant of her agenda?
Do we not do the same?
Cut the Widow Some Slack!
• Don’t you have a heart? Naomi had experienced
an inordinate amount of death, disappointment,
and grief since she left Bethlehem
• Can’t we make concessions about her words in
Ruth 1? Were her grief and predicament so
devastating that Naomi distraughtly and almost
unconsciously uttered statements that she did
not mean and would not otherwise have said in
less challenging circumstances?
• Note: Hebrew narrative typically develops
characters through dialogue … we discover what
is in the heart of the character by what he or she
reportedly says
No Excuse to Sin!
• Even if Naomi’s words are more emotionally charged
than rationally measured … she can’t be excused from
sinning with her tongue
• God’s people should exercise self-control in any
circumstance and seek to honor Him at all times and
in all places
• If self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit, the Bible
does not put limits on it so that God’s people may
blaspheme during the grimmest and most shattering
moments
• “No temptation has seized you except what is
common to man” (1 Cor 10:13) – this comes from Paul
who could list his own dreadful instances of suffering
• God will not test His people beyond that they can
bear and maintain in the midst of affliction
Ruth 1:19-21
19So
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?” 20She
said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me
Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with
me. 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
LORD has testified against me and the Almighty
has brought calamity upon me?”
Naomi notes that God has “testified against” her. How does
Naomi’s negative view of God’s role in the events of her life
contradict what the Bible teaches about God’s character?
No Charge Against God’s Elect!
• Naomi thought YHWH was, in effect, testifying against her
in a court of law – He had allegedly turned against her
• According to Rom 8:33, no one, not even God Himself, will
bring charges against God’s elect sons and daughters
• Jesus Christ intercedes on behalf of those who are united
to Him by faith
• Christians may experience effects of living in fallen world;
they may undergo refining discipline of a loving Father
• But nothing can reverse the justification that God has
declared on the strength of:
– Christ’s active obedience (His perfect keeping of the
law, called righteousness, that is imputed to believers)
– Christ’s passive obedience (His suffering and death that
represent the imputation of believers’ sins and their
punishment for sin to Him)
 God does not abandon us to our sin or the effects of other
people’s choices … Naomi’s situation looked bleak, but God’s
finest moment in her life was about to begin
Ruth 1:19-21
19So
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?” 20She
said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me
Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with
me. 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought
me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
LORD has testified against me and the Almighty
has brought calamity upon me?”
Why did Naomi make no mention of Ruth in her words to the
women of Bethlehem?
Why did the women seem to take no notice of Ruth?
Do we Christians ever act like Naomi or the women of Bethlehem?
Choosing the Path of Ruth
• Choosing the way of Ruth not only means identifying with Israel's
God … it also means identifying with the stubborn, recalcitrant,
and frequently offensive flock that he calls His own
• Ruth found no warm welcome either from Naomi or from the
women of Bethlehem, yet she committed herself to Naomi and
her kin
• So too we may often find the Lord's people to be a disappointing
bunch, exhibiting fewer of the fruits of the Spirit than we would
like – the new Israel may have far too much in common with the
old Israel for our taste
• Yet flawed as the people of God are, if the Lord is to be our God
then His people must be our people, too. We will each add our
own sins and flaws to the mix, of course, yet the impact that
Ruth's faithful service had on Naomi and Bethlehem should not be
missed.
• One person who is totally committed to the Lord and to the
community of His people, even a young believer, may make a
lasting difference to the life of the flock
Ruth 1:22
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 Hebrew
What
author
is going
refers
construction
on in
toBethlehem
Ruth in
as verse
“the
when
Moabite”
22 makes
they arrive?
in
it clear
versethat
22
and does
Why
both
is
Naomi
that
soimportant?
and
againRuth
in later
“return”
partsto
ofBethlehem.
the narrative.
Why is
How
can
Ruth’s
God’s
Ruth,
grace
racial
a Moabite
(once
identity
again)
woman
important?
demonstrated
who has never
here?
been to
Does racism
Israel,
“return”
exist
to in
Bethlehem?
the Christian church?
Does it exist at Redeemer?
THE BARLEY HARVEST
• The barley fields of Boaz are setting of chapter 2 of book of Ruth
• Barley was the first of the crops sown the previous winter to be
harvested (see Exodus 9:31)
• Bread made from this grain was an essential food of the
inhabitants of the ancient Near East, particularly the poor (see 2
Kings 4:42 and John 6:9)
• Barley was also used as feed for horses (see 1 Kings 4:28)
• The ancient Egyptians are known to have brewed barley beer in
large quantities; it is likely that the Israelites were introduced to
this drink during their time in Egypt
• Fermented beverages are mentioned many times in the Bible and
it is clear these are different from wine (Deut 14:6; Luke 1:14).
Many scholars think these are references to barley beer.
• The ESV uses the word “strong drink” in the story of Hannah, the
mother of Samuel (see 1 Samuel 1:15) and parts of the book of
Proverbs (see Proverbs 31:4 and 6).
THE BARLEY HARVEST
• Barley harvest celebrated by religious festival known as First Fruits
• Leviticus 23:9-14 details the regulations governing this festival:
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of
Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give
you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits
of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before
the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the
Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave
the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish
as a burnt offering to the LORD. And the grain offering with it
shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food
offering to the LORD with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering
with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither
bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you
have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever
throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
What
On
what
were
did
day
the
First
the
were
festival
Fruits
people
they
teach
ofto
to
First
do
do
Israel
at
Fruits
it?the
about
celebrate
beginning
the inof
the barley
Old
What
Messiah
Testament
were
who
harvest?
they
was
Israel?
forbidden
to come?to do?
First Fruits
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 -- “But in fact Christ has
been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of
those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man
came death, by a man has come also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each
in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his
coming those who belong to Christ.”
How does this passage explain the significance of
First Fruits in the New Testament era?
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
• Scenario: Bob is a fifty-five year old member of your
church. He and his wife, Sally, raised three children, all
college graduates with honors. The children are now
living, working, and raising their own families in other
parts of the country. When the children were younger and
at home Bob and Sally never missed any of their school
functions (Bob coached their Little League teams, Sally was
a den-mother, and so on). The couple team-taught a teen
Sunday School class for the past eight years.
• Nine months ago Sally died suddenly of a stroke and Bob understandably
hasn't been the same since. He continues to attend church regularly but
sits by himself, often cries as the hymns are sung, and leaves quickly once
the service ends. He asked for a break from his Sunday School teaching
the week after the funeral, and hasn't shown any desire to resume since.
• You approach him after the service one Sunday, affirm your love and
express your desire to help Bob. He breaks down and begins to sob,
saying, "I just can't live without Sally. I need her. We did everything
together. Why does God seem so distant from me?"
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
What insights from Ruth chapter one should
affect the way we view and seek to help Bob?
• We're introduced to several truths in the first chapter of Ruth that help
us understand how best to help Bob. The first (perhaps not in
importance but in approach) is that it's okay to grieve. Death is not
'normal,' contrary to popuIar opinion. Death is the tragic consequence
of Adam's sin (and ours) in God's world. We live in a sin-cursed world
where people (including God's people) get sick and even die
prematurely (from our perspective, that is). Naomi grieved intensely
for a period of time. Bob is certainly not wrong for grieving.
• Secondly, God is sovereign. He is in control of everything that happens
in His universe, including what happens to families like Naomi's, and
Bob's. The loss of her spouse and children certainly took Naomi by
surprise, but it didn't surprise God. As the book of Ruth will vividly
illustrate, God works all things together for His glory and the ultimate
good of His people. As we seek to help Bob, we must minister that
truth to him very gently, not as a flippant cliche, but as a hope-giving
rock for his soul.
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
What insights from Ruth chapter one should
affect the way we view and seek to help Bob?
• Thirdly, God specializes in bringing good things out of difficult
circumstances. That's the story of the Bible and we certainly see it in Ruth.
Granted, we may not know precisely what those good things will be for
Bob (Naomi certainly didn't know at the end of chapter one), but the
mere fact of the matter offers great hope when the loss is still raw.
Romans 8:29 indicates that the primary, good outcome of "alI things"
(from 8:28) is the formation of a peopIe that resemble God's Son.
• Fourthly, God's provisions may come in unexpected and easily overlooked
packages. Naomi didn't recognize at first the great blessing God had given
her in the person of Ruth. God has assuredly placed grace-provisions in
Bob's life, too, and it's our privilege to help him begin to identify them.
• Finally, God has a purpose for the surviving spouse. Bob may be thinking,
"I can't live without my Sally." But Bob needs to reminded that the wise
God who took his wife from this world had left him here, indicating He
had a purpose for him now as a single man.
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
In light of these biblical principles from the book
of Ruth, what can the church do to help Bob?
• Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families." By God's design the church is a
family, a network of relationships created by Christ's atoning work and sealed by
the Holy Spirit. Bob's church has a wonderful opportunity to live out its identity
in its response to this brother in need. How?
• For starters, the church family ought to look for ways to provide Bob (and others
like Bob) with expressions of fellowship. Sit down next to Bob in church. Express
your appreciation for him. Let him know his tears, should they come, are
welcome. Invite him to join your family for the Sunday noon meal.
• In addition, give Bob opportunity to talk. Take him out for a cup of coffee and
listen. Let him talk about Sally. Let him express his feelings, even his frustrations
without chastening him. Don't be too quick to answer the why question
(remember the trouble Job's friends got themselves into by doing that). Granted,
in time he will need to do more than talk, but your listening will open the door
for truth-sharing.
• At some point you will want to talk with Bob about his Sunday School teaching.
Help him think through some questions, like: Do I still have a heart for teaching
teens? How can my God-given gifts best minister to the Body as a single man? It is
so important to help hurting people see that God still has a ministry to
accomplish both in and through them in His church.
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
Suppose you offer to meet with Bob for
counseling and he agrees ... What would you
want to accomplish in the first session?
• In the first counseling session with any person, several objectives
are essential:
– We need to gather data (by listening and observing)
– Establish Christ-like involvement as a servant
– Begin to discern what problems the person is experiencing
(from the standpoint of feelings, thinking, and behavior)
– Give hope by using God's sufficient Word
What passages of Scripture might you share with him that
• That's what we'll want to do with Bob, to listen intently, to ask
would give him hope?
open-ended questions that will help us discern what he needs
Weus,
cantoturn
to passages selfless
like Romans
Romans
from
demonstrate
love15:13,
for him
in his8:28-29,
season of
1 Corinthians
10:13,
Ephesiansthe
1:3-4,
and 1 Peter truths
1:3-9 toofgive
loss,
and to begin
ministering
hope-giving
the
hope to hurting people like Bob in the initial session.
Scriptures.
Scripture Passages
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in
hope.”
Romans 8:28-29 – “And we know that for those who love God all things
work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not
common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the
way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Scripture Passages
Ephesians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
1 Peter 1:3-9 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven
for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though
now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various
trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than
gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you
have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you
believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with
glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
What practical homework assignment(s) might
you give Bob to help him?
• This will depend largely on what happens during the first session. The
purpose of homework is to begin applying biblical principles to particular
needs in the counselee's life in order to help him please Christ and be
God's kind of person (2 Cor. 5:9). The goal is not to remove problems, but
to help him respond to problems in God honoring ways (James 1:2-4). In
order to help Bob regain a sense of God's purpose for his life, we might
assign the following:
 Ruth. Read the book of Ruth this week, one chapter a day. Each time you
read write down: a) Something you learned about God; b) Something you
learned about God's plan for His people. Be prepared to discuss these
insights at our next appointment.
 Memory verse. Write Romans 15:13 on a 3x5 card, read it before every meal,
and be prepared to quote it word perfect at our next appointment. Also, be
prepared to share how this verse affected you this week.
 Journal. Keep a daily journal this week, including what times you got up and
went to bed, how you spent your days, when you ate your meals, what
activities you performed, idle times (include what you were thinking and
wanting), etc.
Case Study: Bob, a recent widower
Suppose you meet weekly with Bob to pray with
him and provide biblical encouragement and
counsel, yet in the fifth session he is still saying, "I
must have Sally back. I just can't live without her."
What biblical truth might you share with Bob to
help him think differently?
•Bob needs help grasping the truth that God has a purpose for the surviving
spouse, that God intends to use him now (at least for a season) as a single
man. As the question indicates, this is a fifth session topic, not a first
session topic, and as the scenario states, the discussion is taking place nine
months after his wife died. This truth needs to be administered gently.
What homework might you give Bob at this point to transform
his thinking?
• As far as homework goes, you can suggest a
book to go through together. Perhaps, a book
like Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by
Jerry Bridges. You could then assign a chapter
Ruth 1:6-10
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return
(shub) from the country of Moab, for she had heard in
the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people
and given
One them
of thefood.”
major themes in Ruth
So Chapter
she set out
where she was
1 isfrom
the the
ideaplace
of “returning”
or with her
two daughters-in-law,
and in
they
went onLet’s
the way to
“going back” (shub
Hebrew).
return (shub) to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to
quickly
highlight its“Go,
use in
this (shub)
chapter.
her two
daughters-in-law,
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. And they said to her, “No, we will return
(shub) with you to your people.”
Ruth 1:11-14
But Naomi said, “Turn back (shub), my daughters;
why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb
that they may become your husbands? Turn back
(shub), 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? Would
you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters,
for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the
hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”
Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
Ruth 1:15-18
And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone
back (shub) to her people and to her gods; return
(shub) after your sister-in-law.”
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or
to return (shub) 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.
Ruth 1:19-22
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
Let’s
onme
this
last section
of Ruth
1,
them,
“Dofocus
not call
Naomi;
call me Mara,
for the
Almighty
has dealt
very
bitterly
with …
me. I went away
beginning
with
verses
19-21
full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why
call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me
and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
So Naomi returned (shub), and Ruth the Moabite
her daughter-in-law with her, who returned (shub) from
the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at
the beginning of barley harvest.