Ruth 1 and the verse 22, and there we read, So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabites, her daughter-in-law with her, which returned out of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. With the Word of God open before us, we'll bow together in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that we can bring our burdens on to the Lord in prayer, that we can leave them in Thy tender and effective control, that no one but the Lord Jesus is worthy of our confidence and can deal with all of those issues that afflict us in life. We thank Thee not only for the sorrows that Thou dost deal with, but for the joys that Thou dost confer upon us. And if there be one that has missed out on Thy joy, we pray, Lord, that Thou wilt restore them to the joy of Thy salvation. May they be built up again in God. Come and answer. our prayer and send Thy voice into our hearts this morning, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. On the 7th of February, 1812, an unusual thing happened to the Mississippi River. An earthquake hit the state of Missouri and had a strange effect upon the river. For a short period of time, the river's direction was interrupted, and incredibly, it actually flowed backwards. There have been many who have found themselves going backwards in their Christian life. We read a number of them in the Word of God, the Bible itself. For example, in 2 Timothy 4 and 10, we read about a man, Demas, who forsook the Lord in his way and his word and went after the world. Peter, we know, in a rather spectacular fashion, backslid, Mark 14, 71. We have Mark in Acts 15 to verse 34, who went no longer with the apostle at that particular time. And if we dip back into the Old Testament, we turn up a classic example, and that's Jonah, the runaway prophet in Jonah 1, verses 2 and 3, who went down and further down, and even yet further down in his career away from God at that point in his experience. So instead of this cleaving to the Lord, there was actually a leaving off the Lord. Robert Robinson expressed it well in his great hymn, Come, Thy Fount of Every Blessing, when he penned the lines, Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Many could describe their spiritual condition in the words of Kirkpatrick's hymn, I've wandered far, away from God. As we come into the book of Ruth, this is exactly the case with Naomi here, and yet now she is saying, though I've wandered far away from God, Lord, I'm coming home. The paths of sin too long I've trod, Lord, now I'm coming home. As we look at Naomi, we get some idea of the kind of bitter experience it is to be away from God. Yet we also have, as we consider her position here, we have a beautiful example of forgiveness. Tracing our steps through the words that we have in Ruth chapter 1, we are given a wonderful view of this blessed experience of what it is to come back to God. In the final verse, verse 22 of Ruth chapter 1, it's summed up all so simply. Yet so profoundly, so Naomi returned. And her message today is simply entitled, It's Time to Come Home. This is exactly what the Lord prescribes for all of those who have wandered away from Him to come home. In Hosea 6 and 1, for example, he cries, come and let us return unto the Lord. In Malachi 3 and 7, return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Towards the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, chapter 2, the verse 5, remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works. We began with a paraphrase today which said, in part, come, let us to the Lord our God with contrite hearts return. Our God is gracious, nor will leave the desolate to mourn. Long hath the night of sorrow reigned. The dawn shall bring us light, God shall arise, and we shall be with gladness in his sight. So, this morning, we're going to underline some of the prominent facts about Naomi's return. Notice, to begin with, the town to which she returned. The town to which she returned. We read in Ruth 1, the verse 19, "'So they two went until they were come to Bethlehem.'" Now, I track back to the beginning of the chapter. Verses 1 and 2 of chapter 1, where did he come from originally? Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naumim, and the name of his two sons, Malon and Kilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they came into the country of Moab and continued there. So, they left Bethlehem in a time of famine, and they went down into the land of the enemy, the land of Moab, and now Naomi is coming back. Ten long years have passed since Naomi had left Bethlehem, Judah. Ten years later, she is coming home. Naomi coming back to Bethlehem is a picture of the believer who has got away from God, but he was coming back to Him. The business man was asked how he had become so successful. He replied, good decisions. The questioner came back in again and he said, but how did you learn to make those good decisions? The crusty old businessman said, experience. One more question followed. Well, how did you gain that experience? He answered, bad decisions. Naomi had made a bad decision. when she left with her husband, Bethlehem, and left much of the worship of her God behind. And she made another bad decision, and another bad decision. A whole catalog and succession of bad decisions were made by her and made within the family, but now the first good decision that she has made for years in this whole sorry seigum is that she is going back to Bethlehem. And the first good decision, if you're away from God that you will ever make, is I'm coming back to Him. Bethlehem was the place of God's praise. It was in the land of Judah, the land of Judah, that name Judah means praise, and it was a place where God was glorified, where God was honored, where God was, as the name suggests, praised. The place where he was extolled, the place where he was exalted. So, Naomi here is going back to the place where God could be and would be honored in her life. A believer away from God is not bringing glory unto the God of his or her salvation. When you're away from God, instead of living a life that is glorifying to the Lord, your life is grieving to Him. Instead of living a life by which God is honored, God is being dishonored by that life. How tragic it is to see people, men and women and young people in our province and around the world today who once honored God and glorified God by the lives they live, now living a life that displeases and dishonors Him. But it's a wonderful testimony to the grace and to the mercy of God that we can come home to Him and bring honor and bring glory to His name again. Going back to Bethlehem, the place of praise, Bethlehem was also a place of God's presence. You'll see in verse 6 how Naomi heard some news. She heard how the Lord had visited His people. That word visited is a tremendous one. It means that God had paid attention to them. looked about for them, observed them, and attended to his people. That's what the word visited involves, all of this. It's a wonderful thing. Sometimes we sing the hymn, amid the trials that I meet, amid the thorns that pierce my feet, one thought remains supremely sweet, thy thinkest, Lord, Of me the cares of life come thronging fast. Upon my soul their shadows cast. Their gloom reminds my heart at last. Thy thinkest, Lord, of me. So Naomi is coming back to the place where God's presence was real, coming back to where she could be in God's presence and she could soak in God's presence, to the arium that God had such an affection for that he had come in and visited the place. And of course, he was to visit Bethlehem in a most wonderful fashion in days to come because it was to hear that he would later send his son, Micah 5 and 2, Luke chapter 2, in Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus was born. Now, I have no doubt that all of us need to cry today, Lord, pay attention to me. Lord, look about for me. Lord, observe me and attend to me. Send thy Son to my heart. Give me a fresh view of Jesus Christ. pleading like this, longing for the Lord's presence in your life. Bethlehem, the place of God's praise, of God's presence, also the place of God's provision. Bethlehem means the house of bread. Significantly, Naomi had heard that God, verse 6 again, had visited his people in Bethlehem in giving them bread. bread in the house of bread, provision upon provision for His people." So, here was a place, Bethlehem, where God and I was coming in and meeting the needs of all of His people. It was a place where God was at work in the lives of His people. It was the place of God's provision. When we wander away from God, we're not living a life of spiritual blessing, but one of spiritual barrenness. There was a time when God was working in our lives. A time when God was flooding our experience with His blessing. But away from God, those blessings dry up and barrenness replaces them. The blessing of God is no longer experienced. We leave off private devotion. We close the Bible and it remains closed. We shut off the avenue of prayer. We cease to attend God's house and our blessings shut down around us. You know something? Those are the times when the devil comes in, and those who will feel God, the devil attacks, and he'll say, you'll never see God at work again in your life. God has written you off, but the devil has never told the truth. When the backslider comes home, as Naomi does here, he will find a forgiving God who will once again make himself known in their life and bring provision back to them. The place of praise, the place of His presence, the place of God's provision. Bethlehem, again, was the place of God's people. It was a place where God's people dwelt. The place where they assembled and gathered together. A place of kindred spirits and like-minded souls. No doubt you can think of someone or some people that used to be in this church and assembled with God's people here. They never missed. Their seat was never empty. But now they're out of fellowship with God and they've wandered away. The young man was in a backslidden state. He followed the powers of the world. He neglected the house of God and the word of God. But during that time, he called in with a deacon from the church. It was a watchmaker by trade, and he asked this watchmaker deacon to fix his watch. What's the problem with it, asked the deacon. It's lost time lately, said that young man. The deacon looked at him. as maybe only a deacon or a member of session can do on occasions, with a steady and a concentrated gaze, and he said to the young man, haven't you lost time recently? Those few words were used of God to bring that young backslider to repentance, and he sought the Lord and began serving Him again. Ask Naomi this same question. as she makes her way up out of the land of Moab and goes towards Bethlehem. Haven't you, Naomi, lost time recently? And she'll be sure to answer you something like this, I've wasted many precious years. Now I'm coming home. I now repent in bitter tears. Lord, I'm coming home. And praise God in this chapter, we can see her. coming home, back to Bethlehem, back to the place of God's praise, God's presence, His provision, and His people, the town to which she returned. But then think, secondly, of the testimony with which she returned, the testimony with which she returned. You'll find it in verses 19 through to 21 of Ruth chapter 1. Verse 19, looking for her testimony here. So they too went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass when they were come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about them. And they said, is this Naomi? And she said unto them, call me not Naomi, call me Mara. For the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me now omen, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?" Can you envisage the scene when she came to the borders of Bethlehem, ten years away, that made an awesome change? And we are told here in verse 19, all the city was moved about them. They said, is this Naomi? That word moved means groaned, literally to make a great noise, to murmur, to roar, to be in a stir, to be discomforted, shot through with sadness when they saw her. They could tell by looking at her that she'd been suffering, They could tell as we would freeze that she'd been through the mill. They could tell she was battered and bruised, hardly recognizable, so they said, is this Naomi? Is it really you? Ten years in Moab that made her scarcely recognizable. Notice how she answers in verse 20, and she said unto them, call me not. Naomi. Call me Mara." As you'll see in the margin of your Bible, the name Naomi means pleasant. Mara means bitter. The opposite, what a contrast. Once a sweet, pleasant, now a sour and a bitter life. And she said, that's what 10 years of backsliding and drifting away from God has done to me. They've changed my experience from pleasantness to bitterness, and she's testifying in this line to the results and the consequences of leaving God, the former joys being replaced by bitterness. But notice as we flesh out this testimony of her somewhat, she testified of how God had brought her back. Verse 21, She says, "'The Lord hath brought me home again.'" Isn't that a tremendous line? "'The Lord hath brought me home again.'" She had been confronted by God. He had dealt with her sin. God had stood in her path, and now he was leading her home again. The Bible says, does it not, in Numbers 32, the verse 23, be sure your sin will find you out. And one thing that is as certain as grass is green and water is wet and ice is cold and fire is hot, God will bring his wayward children home. The New York Times carried an article entitled, In Toronto, U.S. Fugitives Can Run But Can't Hide. The story that I told on that occasion was that of Joyce Carolyn Stephens. She was wanted in Texas on charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping, but she was hiding a fugitive in Canada like thousands of other fugitives from the United States. But she was found arrested by the Metropolitan Toronto Police Fugitive Squad. And that special squad had been set up in November of 1993, and since its creation, they had arrested more than 200 fugitives by the time they got on the trail of Carolyn Stevens, people who had fled into Canada to escape the arm of American law, and of course, most of them American native citizens. The fugitive squad sent out the message to all of those runners, you can run, but you can't die. Jonah found that out. He found out in his life that he could run and run and run, but he couldn't hide. Naomi discovered that, that when she left God, he would not leave her. Somehow, somewhere, God will confront his child that is away from home. You can be certain God will bring you home. The Lord, she says, has brought me home again. So she testified. of how the Lord had brought her back. She testified also of how God had broken her down. Naomi knew and acknowledges in verse 13 that God's hand had been against her. The hand of the Lord has gone out against me. She knew that he had dealt in chastisement against her. Verse 20, the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. She knew God had not endorsed her backsliding, not for a moment, but rather, instead of blessing, had afflicted her. Verse 21, "'I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. The Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me.'" She had gone out of Bethlehem, in from the land of Judah, gone out as a full person. wonderful blessings surrounding every part of her life, but she was coming home again ten years later and coming home empty. Down to Moab she had gone with a husband and two sons. She was coming home today a childless widow. You know something? God knows how to get our attention. He knows how to break us down so that he might bring us back. preacher used to have a humorous way of putting it, but he got his point across. He would say, if you live for God down here, he will take you to heaven and crown you. But if you don't live for God, he will crown you down here and then take you to heaven. And you'll know what usage he was making of the word crown you in that context. David said, in Psalm 23 and three, he restored my soul, and when he said it, he had in mind a rebellious and a stubborn sheep. A shepherd was known at times to take his rod and break the front legs of this stubborn, straying sheep. He taught the sheep a lesson, never wandered off again. There may be some of us who can testify that God has brought us home. We can understand Naomi's words here. The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. The Almighty hath afflicted me. In verse 21, the Lord hath testified against me. We know what she means. We have felt it ourselves, or we need to feel it. What we have in verse 21 is quite a statement. God has testified against me." The Lord testified against her unbelief. He testified against her disobedience. He testified against her running away. He testified against her plan to cover up her sins. The question is, how did God do this? How did He testify against Naomi? By converting Ruth. Ruth's conversion. was a testimony against Naomi. You can read through this chapter and all subsequent ones in the book, and you don't find Ruth saying bitter things against God or feeling sorry for herself. She believed in all of her suffering, God has a purpose in what He is doing. Naomi, on the other hand, returns to Bethlehem, a bitter and empty woman. She rebelled against the discipline of God. Instead of admitting her sins, seeing the purpose behind God's punishment, she believed God was treating her unfairly. She blamed God for the trials in her life. Her bitterness showed in her face. Her bitterness sounded through her words. She wasn't even thankful that Ruth had chosen to remain with him so that she didn't need to be alone. But Ruth was grateful. Thankful she had found a new home. Thankful she could make a new start. Grateful she could trust the living God. Confident God was preparing all things for them. And through Ruth, God testified against Naomi. It often happens like this. A new Christian, full of the joy of Jesus Christ, comes in and shows up those who are encrusted through maybe trials or things that have gone wrong and are tempted now to blame God and what has happened, and that new Christian shows them up, testifies against them as to what they should be like. God in His providence is working in your life today whether you realize it or not. He has prepared blessing for you if you will but only trust. What is your testimony today? Are you bitter? Are you angry at God? Are you blaming other people? The Umi was bitter while Ruth believed in God and quietly trusted Him. What is God's testimony? about us today, the time to which she returned, the testimony with which she returned. God had broken her down and God had brought her back. Finally, the time at which she returned. the time at which He returned." I'm sure you remarked it when we read it. You'll find it in the final verse of our Bible reading, Ruth 1, the verse 22, "'So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite, Moabites, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in," here's the reference to time, "'in the beginning of barley harvest.' So Naomi return some of the most beautiful words in the Bible, and praise God, you can come back home. But it's very interesting, she returned in the beginning of the barley harvest. I don't feel that's a throwaway statement, that the Holy Spirit just pushed in here to fill up space. This was the time, the beginning of barley harvest, when the first grain was harvested in the land. It was during the month of Avib, which means green ears. It was a time when certain feasts were observed in the land. In fact, in Leviticus 23, we are told the beginning of the barley harvest took place at Passover time. That was the time each year. when the priest would take the blood of the sacrifice and carry it into the holy place to make atonement for sin. So when she came back, there was the application of the blood It's as if the Holy Spirit is putting in a little reminder here that when a backslider comes home, they will find that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's dear Son, still cleanses them from all sin. Praise God, there is forgiveness for that returning child. I'm thrilled with the wording of texts such as 1 John 1 and 9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Comes back, beginning of barley harvest, time of the Passover, time when the application of the blood was foremost in the mind. A group of six college students were traveling from New York to Florida. As her bus passed down through the state of New Jersey, a man dressed in a plea and ill-fitting suit got on board and he sat down in front of that group of students. For a long time, he never moved, never spoke, only sat there chewing his lips, staring out the window. Students eventually introduced themselves, tried to be friendly to him, and as they began to talk, they learned this man's story. He had been in a New York prison for the past four years, was now on his way home. For the past four years, he had had no contact with his wife and children. When he first went into prison, he had written to his wife that four years ago and told her only that he was going to be away for a long time, and if she couldn't stand it, she could forget him and marry somebody else. As far as he knew, she had done that. But he told the students how the week before, when he was sure that release was coming up, he had written to her and asked, pleaded for forgiveness. He told her the whole story and expressed his desire to come home. There was a big oak tree on their place near the highway, and he had asked his wife that if she would take him back, to hang a white handkerchief on the tree. And if, coming along in a bus, he saw the white handkerchief on the train, he would get off the bus and come home. If there wasn't one there, even though that she had moved on in life, didn't want him any longer, he would go on in his way. By this time, when the story had been told, the bus was about 20 miles from his home. The students find themselves caught up in the man's anticipation. They were all looking out the windows of the bus, waiting for a view of the oak tree. And the closer they got, the quieter they became as the bus drew near his home. Suddenly the students were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying and dancing in the aisle of the bus. There was not just one handkerchief. The tree was covered in hundreds of handkerchiefs, blowing in the wind, all like a banner saying, come on home. Yes, we may come home. God is waiting. God is welcoming. and will forgive all our sin. His blood will cleanse from all of our unrighteousness. Long my heart has sighed for thee. Long has evil reigned within. Jesus sweetly speaks to me. I will cleanse you from all sin. I am trusting, Lord, in Thee. Blessed Lamb of Calvary, humbling at Thy cross I bow. Cleanse me, Jesus. Cleanse me now." There was the application of the blood. That was the time, but also there was the blessing of God. You may be thinking, I'm a wanderer. I'm a backslider. I've lost out with God. God will never bless me again. I've blown it." Not so. When a child of God comes home, it will always be barley time. I said the beginning of the barley harvest was in the Jewish month of Abib, which means green ears, sprouting forth, new development. A bib corresponds to our April, that springtime, the time when new life is blooming, and it can be springtime for you. You can come home, start over again with a new life, living for Christ again. Lord, to my heart, Bring back the springtime. Take away the cold and dark of sin. Oh, return to me, sweet Holy Spirit. May I warm and tender be again. It's time. It's high time to come home. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for dealing with Naomi, working in her life, bringing her home, and restoring her to the joy of salvation and to the blessings that God alone provides. Lead others to do the same. Bring them in the same path. And all that have wandered, may they be brought back by Thy grace. Live for Christ afresh. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.