All right, well, let me pray. Father, we come before you and grateful, O Lord, that we are here this morning and that we get to hear more of you, O Lord, and from you. Lord, I just pray that you would give me clarity, Lord, as I speak, and that you would guide this message, Lord, to each one of our hearts, Lord, so that we may trust you more and see more of your hand upon and in our lives, oh Lord, that you are a faithful and good God. We love you and we ask this in the name of Christ, our Redeemer, amen. Well, we're gonna end up, we're gonna finish Ruth chapter one this morning. So Ruth chapter one is where we're at. verses 19 through 22. It fits nicely that I get to finish chapter one before we begin a stretch of the new members' classes that will take up the Bible study hour. Just thank the Lord for that. Ruth chapter one, verses 19 through 22. So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them. And the women said, is this Naomi? She said to them, do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me? So Naomi returned and with her Ruth, the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab, And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. Well, what a chapter it has been this far. Moving slower through this chapter as I would like. And then after I think about it and pause, I think, well, there's so much more I wanted to cover. But I trust that the Lord is using this study as much as for me, as for you to see more of who he is. and the reality of who we are. We're not really that much different than the characters found in this book. They're human beings like we're human beings. And the one sure thing we do know, though, is that God, he's the same. He's unchanged and unchanging. He's filled with compassion and loving kindness. His mercies are new every morning. He is a God that is ready and willing to forgive, and he does so freely by his grace, the grace of God in Christ Jesus. I'm amazed every time I think about it, because if it was not for the grace of God, then Gentiles like Ruth, like you, like me, We would be far off. We would be, as it said, outside the camp. We would be of those that would be the most devastating status or position or state of a human being is that we would be without hope and without God in this world. But saints, that is not us this morning who are in Christ. And we can sing. We can sing these wonderful words. The hymn, Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God, he to rescue me from danger interposed his precious blood. Oh, to grace, how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. That's the song we can sing, and we can say praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His infinite wisdom, in His knowledge, He has chosen us before the foundations of the earth. Before the earth was established, He has chosen us and he directs our every step so that the end of our story on this earth, this pilgrimage that we're on, it will bring him glory and it will point to the one great redeemer and sustainer, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will look back on this life and say as David did in Psalm 124, if the Lord had not been on our side, when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, then we would have been swallowed alive. Floods would have engulfed us. The torrent would have overwhelmed us. Raging waters would have swept over us if the Lord had not been on our side. That's going to be our end story. As we look back and see how the Lord carried us through, how he continues to carry us and guide us into the promised land, the all-preserving God has and continues to keep us. We must believe that. We must trust that. That doesn't exclude us from the hard providences in life, though. It does include his promises, though, that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We know, and some of us have experienced this very truth, another hymn, that behind the frowning providence lies a smiling face. A smiling face because He loves you. He really loves you. And last Sunday we covered the beautiful commitment and oath of Ruth, which only pointed to the greater promise that was made with an oath. Christ, our Redeemer, who said it in His own way, where you go, I will go and be with you. I am with you to the end of the age. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am, where I lodge, where my home is, your home will be also. Peter says it rightly, we have in Christ these precious, these magnificent promises to lay hold of, to take hold of so that by them we may become partakers of his divine nature. The commitment of Ruth, it wasn't her decision, her commitment wasn't one made on a whim or some attractive lure to it. No flashing lights, no smoke in the air. There wasn't a sales pitch of wealth, health, and prosperity. from Naomi. The commitment wasn't the combo deal where you can have Chemish, the God of the Moabites, and Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, the only one true God, as we discussed last Sunday. It was a leaving behind all, all family, all friends. It was leaving behind the comfort, the security, yes, even her own life to be a disciple, a follower of Yahweh. But her decision also wasn't based on some blessings or promises that awaited her. She believed in the God that she heard of, and she had faith. She was given faith. And therefore, there was a determination that was sure and right in Ruth, one that Naomi even felt and saw. Hence, in verse 18, where we left off, she said no more. Naomi ceased to speak. No more. That's it. Saints, is the faith of Ruth our resolve in this life as well? Is your commitment to follow Christ a forsaking all else? I pulled up the song by Fanny Crosby. Take the world, but give me Jesus. All his joys are but a name, but his love abides forever through eternal years the same. Take the world, but give me Jesus, sweetest comfort of my soul. With the Savior watching over me, I can sing though thunders roll. Take the world, but give me Jesus. In this cross, my trust shall be till with clear, brighter vision, face to face, my Lord, I see. And the refrain, oh, the height and depth of mercy, oh, the length and breadth of love, oh, the fullness of redemption, pledge of endless life above. May this be our hope in life and death. I want to be more like Jesus. I want to be with Jesus. Maybe so. Moving on, we see that the author didn't even comment in verse 19, or in between 18 and 19, any more about their journey to Bethlehem. He simply writes, so they both went until they came to Bethlehem. It was his way of saying, case closed. No more talking. Ruth is going to Bethlehem with Naomi. We are then fast forwarded to when they have entered into Bethlehem And we are told that all the city was stirred because of them. And the women said, is that Naomi? I want us to consider before we take a dive into that, that in those days, I know that in our minds, we have this picture of a city named Bethlehem. But I want us to consider that the population in a small city like Bethlehem was not that great in number. Nor did the city cover a large area of land. Just for your own reference, it was quite interesting when I was sitting in seminary and one of the professors was saying, you know, Jericho was only about 10 acres. Wow, really? I didn't know that. And the population then would be comparable to that. But there were other places that were larger, Hazor, which was like the like the garrison, the main area for the Canaanites. And then Solomon took it over and built other things there. And that was around 200 acres, they say. Nineveh, they say, was about 1,800 acres. I say this because often, in our minds, we have this conception of, okay, there's the city that were large, and in this case, that Naomi and Ruth were just walking into the city with many people. But it really wasn't so. One couldn't just walk into a city like Bethlehem and go unnoticed. I remember traveling in Romania and in the villages, in the way country where my dad was born and my father-in-law was born, although in different villages, very, very tiny. And when they were growing up, it was probably 300 people, if that. And I looked it up in 2011, it's like 700 people, but tiny, tiny. So although there weren't many in the city of Bethlehem, the author is still employing a figure of speech here. He's saying the entire city, all the city was stirred because of them. It probably wasn't the entire city bar none, like without any exceptions, but that the majority were there. Actually, what he is trying to get us to see, to feel, as we read, is that there is stirring among the people of the city, especially among the women. That word there, a stirring, is understood as like an uproar or a murmur or a discomfort, which means to make uneasy or embarrassed. Commentators will remark that this word has a variety of meanings. this stirring, this uproar. It's the same word that was used actually when in 1st Samuel chapter 4 verse 5, when the ark of the covenant of the Lord returned back to camp. It is said that all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth resounded. And we know given the context that if the ark is returning back to the Israelites, there is great rejoicing. Great rejoicing. It is also used in Deuteronomy 7.23, where the Lord promises to remove the nations from before the Israelites and throw them into great confusion. That's the same word, confusion, stirring, confusion, until they are destroyed. In Psalm 55.3, it's described as a distraction. In Micah 2.12, it's used of the fold and the pasture, the animals that are making noise that will murmur or be noisy with the people. Well, here in our text, it seems that there was a mixed commotion of some sort. There had to be a sense of shock or astonishment along with a joyous vibe going on that was being spread among the people. All of this is portrayed in the one question, is this Naomi? She was the talk of the town. This is something that we should make note of, that nobody just, what was just a number in Bethlehem. Everybody knows each other and looks out for one another. You have the saying, it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it's hard to hide in a small town, in a small village. So there's Naomi with Ruth entering Bethlehem. And you can just imagine with me, one of the women turns to another and asks this question, is that Naomi? Could that really be? You know, the Naomi that left 10 some years ago with her husband, the Limelech, and their two young boys? And one woman says, yeah, it could be. Boy, they were just a loving family, weren't they? Really cared for their children. But they left this community. They left the promised land. And they went to Moab. Yes, says another, and we watched them as they left, wondering if we would ever see them again. You can imagine that this conversation is going on as they see this woman there. And another one may chime in, and she says, but look at that woman. That can't possibly be Naomi. I mean, she looks much older. She looks like a woman that had a grievous and burdensome, a difficult life. Were things that bad in Moab? While all of this commotion is happening, you know, you can imagine that Naomi's mind is suddenly flooded with memories. She's entering into Bethlehem, the place where she left. the streets that she used to walk down with her husband, Elimelech, going to go get, I don't know, some matzah bread at the marketplace, and where the children were playing in the street, their two boys with other children, and there are memories, memories that were made, the home that she probably lived in, the days of where she was eagerly awaiting, and the children, for Elimelech to come home from the fields and for the children to run and grab his legs and making him unable to walk. As the memories probably continue to rush in, reminiscing back to those days for Naomi, you can imagine one woman stepping closer, taking a closer look at her and saying, this is Naomi. This is Shirley. This is Naomi. And Naomi is suddenly, she's brought back, she's brought back to reality. After the hearing of her name, Naomi, which means pleasant, which means lovely, and she retorts back, don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara. And she says, because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. He has afflicted me. You see, I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty, she says. Why do you call me Naomi? Says the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me. Those are some quite strong statements there by Naomi. The very words that she speaks as she enters into Bethlehem and is meeting her Her village friends, her friends, it could be maybe even relatives there. And this is what she says, don't call me that. She immediately begins with a name change. She doesn't want to be called, she doesn't want to think about pleasant or lovely. She's convinced that her life has been anything but pleasant, anything but lovely. Her life doesn't coincide, it doesn't line up with her name. So she proceeds with another name that will align with the way of life, the way that her life has been unfolding. She tells the women to call her Maro, which means bitter. This is not the first time that she had used that word. You remember back in verse 13 that she had used this very word when she when she presents those airtight arguments as to why the two daughter-in-laws should not should not follow her to Israel back to Bethlehem. But they should both go go back home, go back to your people, go back to your gods, go back to your family in Moab. And she says, because it's harder. for me than it is for you, or it's more bitter for me. That's the same word. It's more bitter for me than it is for you. In each instance, verse 13 or here in verse 20, we're given the reason why things are more bitter for her and why she is desiring the name change. It's a thesis statement that she's holding tight to, that she's playing back in her mind, and she's saying, In verse 13, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me. Not the hand of the Lord has gone forth for her. in regards to his guidance, in regards to his care, in regards to his leading gentle hand. No, it was the hand of the Lord has gone out against me as if I was his enemy. That's how she's saying it in verse 13. In verse 20, the reason she gives is this, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. Notice the emphasis on bitterly, very bitterly with me. Even in verse 21, she elaborates some more, and we'll get there, but that's just an extension. That's like producing the evidence of why she's even saying that the Lord has dealt bitterly with her. But for now, let's see this first statement she makes in verse 20. I think it's very applicable to each and every one of us here. The very statement she makes, there's much to learn from this passage. This thesis statement of hers is pointing to the Almighty as the cause of her bitterness. She doesn't use the name of God, Yahweh, here. She's using the name, not a name, but a title of God. She's saying, she's saying, Shaddai, which means the Almighty in our English Bibles. That's how it's translated. The meaning of Shaddai in reality, it's very hard. Theologians have a very difficult time to land on a sure definition. What does Shaddai really mean? One commentator attempted to simplify the meaning really by extracting, you know, as you go through scripture and you read where Shaddai is used, the Almighty is used, and you can, you know, take out of there, what would be the meanings, the common meanings of it, and he says this, Shaddai dispenses blessings, promises great destinies, assigns fates to the wicked and the righteous. As cosmic ruler, he also oversees the maintenance of justice, meting out terrible punishments. People appeal to him for legal vindication and rescue, end quote. I think what it, and I say that just because we don't know what Shaddai means. It's all-inclusive, we can say, and probably depicts the mighty rule of God. Maybe we can even say the sovereignty of God at work. One of Job's friends says it well, though, when he uses the word, the title Shaddai. He says, can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty of Shaddai? What Naomi is really implying here is who can resist the Almighty? Who can resist Him? Who can stay His hand when it has gone forth against you? He has dealt very bitterly with me, says Naomi. Therefore, call me Marah. She uses that name in the sentence twice, Marah. As a Hebrew pun, it goes something like this. Call me Marah. for the Almighty has marred me. Or, call me bitter because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. You see the usage of that word. But that word marra, it appears in quite a few events in the Old Testament. The very first time it appears is when Esau realized what he had done and he wept bitterly. He wept bitterly. But I think the one that probably we know best, and I want to go over, is the one mentioned in Exodus 15. Because this is what Naomi should have been thinking of and what should have triggered in her mind when she says the word Marah, bitter. In Exodus 15, this is right after they had just left Egypt, and they had just crossed over the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptian armies, Pharaoh and his men, they were pursuing them. They all drowned. They sang a song of victory there. They praised the Lord. they said, sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted, the horse and his rider he has hurled into the sea. Well there they are on the other side and there's no going back now. Why would you go back after the water has been split open for you to walk on dry ground and then close back up and your enemies have Vanished. Why would you want to go back? The Lord is with you. You would want to go forward and follow this God and wherever he may lead you to the promised land. So they began the travel. They're going into the wilderness on their way to the promised land. They went for three days and found no water. Let's pick up on verse 23 and read there. Exodus 15, 23. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, What shall we drink? You hear that often. This is just the beginning of the wilderness journey, and here they are, right? Complaining and grumbling to Moses again. Then he cried out to the Lord, Moses did, and the Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There he made for them a statute and regulation, and there he tested them. And he said, listen to what God said, if you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians, for I, the Lord, am your healer." I love that text. It's an event that should have caused Naomi to pause and remember it. What took place there? A grumbling people, discontent and bitter against the Lord and Moses, even before crossing the Red Sea. What was their comment? What was their complaint? Their accusations against Moses. Their complaint, they said, is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have brought us out into the wilderness to die? I mean, wow. They said, we told you to leave us alone, to leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians. But God had a different plan, didn't he? But there at Marah, the Lord demonstrated something to the people of Israel. And he demonstrated this, that he is a faithful and good God, full of mercy and grace. In the midst of their grumbling, he answers them by turning the bitter water sweet. While they are grumbling, so in spite of their grumbling, in spite of their complaining, the Lord answers in his grace and mercy. He's faithful. And through all of this, the Lord was testing them. Do you trust me? Do you believe that I am Lord, your God? Will you listen to my voice? Will you do what is right in my sight? Will you obey my commandments? Will you keep my statutes? He says, then you will see who I am. You will experience it with your own hand for I am the Lord, your healer. And that's beautiful, because we can take that, and we don't have time to take that, into how the Lord, our Healer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who heals and forgives all of our iniquities. He is the Lord, our Healer, isn't He? But it gets better in Exodus 15. What happens right after that incident is a demonstration of the kindness of God, hands down. This is my favorite part of the story. because it's revealing to the people of Israel that He will provide, that He is always good, that He can be trusted, that they are His people and He is their God. What do we read there in verse 27? It says, Then they came to Elam, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters. Just around the corner. what was waiting for them. Not only did they have unlimited amount of spring water, but they had food as well. So they camped there all night. They must have thought, they should have thought, why did we grumble and complain? Being there should have only increased their faith that the Lord is with them. Naomi knew that event. She knew what took place there, but she let her circumstances drown out the reality of who God is and what God is doing. That He is faithful, and that even in the most difficult circumstances, He provides. Just as He provided for the Israelites on multiple occasions throughout the wilderness journey, so He provided for Naomi. He is their healer, her healer, your healer, my healer. She hasn't seen that yet. She really digs her heels in the ground and wants to be called Mara because God has dealt very bitterly or angry with her. In other words, she's saying that God inflicted this calamity, this disaster upon her. She is angry, she's bitter, she's resentful toward God for the way her life has turned out. This is not what she imagined. Well, what in particular is she talking about? What is it that God has done to her for her to react in this way? Well, she brings her charge against God in verse 21. I'm going to try to move a little bit quicker here. She says, I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. What does she mean by that? Well, at first glance, you may not see it, but notice the word order and the subjects in that sentence. I think both the NASB and the ESB do a good job in bringing this forth in the English translation. But in the Hebrew Bible, it's quite plain. I'll read it in the way that it's written in Hebrew, and you notice the placement. Notice the placement of the subjects in the sentence. It reads like this. I, fool, went away, but empty brought me back Yahweh. At two opposite ends, there's Naomi and there's Yahweh. She's bringing some of her own insight on the matter, isn't she? I went with plenty. I left with plenty. I was full. But it was God who brought me back like this, empty. In which way did she go out full? Well, it cannot possibly mean that she left with having a lot of food. Maybe she left because she had no food. She left because there was a famine. So it can't be that. I mean, from the beginning, it was because of the lack of food, because of the famine that Elimelech said, let's go. Let's go to Moab. Let's go to the greener pasture. Let's go find something that will sustain us. I mean, we hear it's good in Moab. Look around us here. So it's not that she left because she had food. Her leaving must be understood in the context of family. The Limelech family left as they were, a family. Yes, they didn't have food, but at least they had each other. She left Bethlehem with what really mattered to her, her husband, in whom she found security, and her two sons, the joys of her life. Her husband was one that was taking lead She found just a comfort in that, a security in that, and her sons, excuse me, the next generation to carry the family, to carry the family line, the family name, and also care for Naomi when she's old. But all of that is gone. It's gone. They are gone. She presents herself in Bethlehem Empty. No husband, no children. This is how Yahweh has decided to bring me back. Notice, she doesn't deny the fact, though, that God is doing this. Her theology in that sense is still intact there. She still sees that she's not giving her circumstances over to chance. She's not saying that somehow this and that happened and here I am. No, she recognizes who's in charge, who's the ruler. But notice that she doesn't really bring up, and she won't. She won't bring up the very fact that they're the ones that decided to leave Jerusalem, to leave Bethlehem, to leave the promised land in search of something outside of God's promised and dwelling place and God's people. Remember what prompted her return, though. There in verse 6, we studied this. God has visited his people by giving them food. It was God, and she recognized it as such. But in the meantime, he stripped her family from her, and hence, he has brought me back empty." I just want to pause for a moment here, because I think that what is in the text that is not clearly depicted, but it's a very interesting aspect. It's kind of like the big elephant in the room. Nobody's talking about it, but It's right there, and that is Ruth. She's right there. She's right there next to Naomi the whole time this is happening, the whole time Naomi's speaking. She hasn't left. Remember in verse 19 how the author was very clear that they both went to Bethlehem until they came to Bethlehem, and when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them. But then the question that was asked was, now, is this Naomi? And hey, Naomi, who is that with you? None of that. Ruth is not even brought up. And then as Naomi is interacting with the women of the city, Ruth is standing there hearing all that Naomi's saying, especially when she says, the Lord has brought me back empty. I don't know what Ruth was thinking at this point, but I do know that Naomi was probably not thinking at this point. First, she wasn't the only one that had lost a husband. Ruth lost her husband as well. Second, it was miles down the road that Ruth made a most wonderful commitment with an oath. It was more than a loving-kindness from a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law. It was a picture of the loving-kindness, the Hessenness of God for Naomi. Far from empty. Naomi had a Ruth in her life. I wouldn't consider that as being or coming back empty. You see, the author is trying to subtly bring that out, even as he concludes in verse 22 with the statement, So Naomi returned, and with her was who? I want to remind you, he says, Ruth. Who? The Moabites. Who? The daughter-in-law of Naomi. They returned to Bethlehem. from the land of Moab. There is one last statement that I want to tackle before I move to application. In verse 21, Naomi's last statement there. It reads like this, Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me? And this statement she concludes as how she began. Why do you call me Naomi? Why do you call me pleasant? Why do you call me lovely? And she continues on, it was Yahweh, Yahweh that has testified against me and has found me guilty, hence the affliction and difficulties I have endured. One commentator summarizes her statement as such, quote, significantly, it portrays her as a defendant in illegal action who has already been found guilty and punished. For example, her misfortune, that's her punishment. But who knows neither the charges nor the testimony against her." Naomi is bitter with God. It was bitterness that grew over the years and has taken root in her heart. It may have started when they had to leave Bethlehem. better towards God as to why. Why is it that he didn't provide food? Why is it that we have famine? Why is it that we have to go to Moab to find food? I have two little boys and I have to go elsewhere to find food. And then her husband dies. And then her sons die. Bitterness upon bitterness. She recognizes but resents the sovereignty of God. The hard providences that have marked her life. How often must she have thought to herself, if only I would have, or if only God would have. If I wouldn't have left to Moab, if we would have just come back sooner from Moab, then Elimelech would still be here. Our sons would be here. They wouldn't have gotten married. I wouldn't have to worry about two other widows. But even if she would have thought in that way, she would quickly go back to the lie she was believing. It all boils down to this, she thinks. The Lord didn't help me. He didn't provide. He didn't prevent the death of my loved ones. He was against me. So there's Naomi back in Bethlehem, but this is only because Moab didn't work out. She probably sees Moab as such a loss, and the dark years of her life, nothing good came from all of this. Saints, we can relate in one way or another to Naomi. Her heart, her attitude, her theology, her discontentment, her dreams and aspirations, her resentment, her bitterness. I want to ask you something this morning. Are you bitter this morning? Are you angry or discontent with the life that the Lord has given you and the hand he has dealt you, the lot you have been given? Are you bitter with God because of the husband or wife he has given you or the husband and wife he hasn't given you? with the children he has blessed you with, with your job, with your health, or the health of a loved one, with the loss of a loved one. Are you bitter towards God? Think about Naomi and ask the question, did God bring all of this upon her? Yes, he did. Does Naomi have a good reason to be bitter towards God? No, she doesn't. These are truths that cannot be reversed. He brings or allows, however you want to phrase it, difficulties and hardships, trials and tribulations, losses and hurts into our lives because He loves us. I don't want to quickly move on from Just what I said. I want you and me to think about that for a moment. He allows these things. He brings these things in our lives, these difficulties, these hard providences, because He loves you. And He doesn't want you to remain the way that you are. He takes away things that have captured your heart, my heart, and has drawn us away from a life of full devotion and faith to Him. One commentator adds, he says, he sometimes takes away things that were good in themselves because he wants to use our lives as a powerful testimony of the sufficiency of his relentless grace in the midst of our weakness and loss. How true. This is because he loves us. He's not out to afflict us or deal very bitterly with us. If we are His children, we're told something, that He loves us and that everything we are going through or may come our way, He is aware of, He knows. Remember, He doesn't sleep, He doesn't slumber. He protects you from the sun, from the moon. He watches your going in and coming in and going out. so that your foot will not slip. And it is so that we may be purified to be more like Christ and in return to know Him more. He tests our faith to see what is it that you're made of? What is it that I'm made of? But be it the hard providences or good providences, they all come from the good, and loving and caring hands of the Father, and we must see it as such. I don't want to minimize our own responsibilities. I don't want to minimize the fact that we often fail, and that we fall, we sin, we disobey. But as children of God, that is why we are disciplined by God. We're disciplined by Him, Hebrews 12, and that's a sign of sonship. That's a sign of belonging to Him and being His son, His daughter, and not illegitimate children. But even in His disciplining us, however difficult that may be, it is for our good and we need it. We need it in order to share, as the writer to the Hebrews says, share in His holiness. Even in that same chapter, it's very apropos. Hebrews 12, verse 15, we see a warning for the church as a whole to not come short or miss the grace of God. He says, don't come short of the grace of God. Don't miss out on what God is doing by giving you His grace that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, the mercy and the grace of God. Don't miss out on that. And for our lives, To not allow the root of bitterness, he says, to spring up. There it is, the root of bitterness to spring up. Don't allow that because you'll be missing out. You'll be missing out on the grace of God. What he's saying is here that the bitterness in the heart can lead to a departing from God. A turning away from the gospel. The result of a bitter root growing up will cause trouble, he says, and it will defile you. Bitterness is serious. Saints see more of His love, more of the love of God in the little things than in the big things. You know, when you are bitter, essentially what you're saying is, I'm not happy with the way things are going, God. I have my plans. I have my ambitions. I have my ways. It's not happening that way. So your way is not the right way, essentially is what you're saying. I have a better way, and I'm bitter towards the way that things are going. Saints, we can't have that attitude. Our attitude needs to be one of looking at the goodness of God in all circumstances, if you are his children. We need to go back to who God is, the truth about His faithfulness towards His children. This is faith. And we need to pray for eyes to see His hand at work, to not miss the roots in our lives. Naomi doesn't see it yet, but as a recap, God's purposes in our lives are not how we would have planned it, but the way He planned it. And even in our mess ups and even in our failures, think about it with me very quickly. Naomi and her family left Bethlehem. They went to Moab because there was a girl there that they had no clue about. But that was chosen by God to come and be with his people and for him to be her God. He will draw her near, with or without Naomi. But at the same time, Naomi needed exactly what she got, because Naomi needed to mature into faith as well. And therefore, they left, and Naomi needed to be drawn in. She needed to see more of God, more of the God she serves. Well, the sons married, didn't they? And Ruth is getting closer. The sons and the husband had to die. They had to die in order for both Naomi and Ruth to be with no covering, to be with no provision, to be with no security in the land of Moab. Because if the husband, if Elimelech, if the son still would have been alive, they would have settled in Moab. They probably would have just lived their lives out there and nothing else would have happened. But God had a different plan, didn't He? Through the hardships, through the hard providences, He had another plan. Ruth's husband had to die in order for a Boaz to come around. And when a Boaz came around, Obed came, and with Obed, David, and Jesus Christ. This is what the author is moving towards in this story. Even by how he ends the first chapter, he doesn't end it on a somber note. He ends it with great hope. Great hope. What does he say there? There's a provision. There's a hand of providence. He's on the move again. He never stopped really. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. That's good news. That's very good news. Wait for it. Watch for it. They came to Bethlehem. at the barley harvest. There was a time of gathering when there was a time of nothing. This, saints, is their, is Ruth's, is Naomi's elam. Just around the corner, the Lord will provide. He is your healer. Amen. Father, we come before you. And Lord, we recognize And we acknowledge that oftentimes in this life, we don't know how to react to hard providences. But Lord, would you teach us as you have this morning to turn to you and to know that you love us, that you care for us, that we're to cast all of our cares upon you because you care for us. Lord, we know what happens in the end, Lord. We're given these stories in your word about these saints who had difficulties, Lord, and were privileged to see the end of their lives. Lord, the trajectory that you were taking them on, and Lord, and seeing it, that it was good. And it was according to your great purpose. But Lord, even if we don't see it in this life, the end of our story, your hand of providence at work. Lord, give us faith to believe that one day we shall see it, and that we shall see our Savior face to face. That is our desire, that is our hope. So mold us and make us more like Him. In Christ's name we pray, amen.