Gtcotr/ss021515
The
Bible is a love story. It is a book authored by God and filled with great and
tragic stories of grace, covenant and love.
·
Adam
and Eve
·
Isaac
and Rebekah – Genesis 24
·
Jacob
and Rachael
·
Rahab
and Salmon
·
David
and Bathsheba
·
David
and Abigail
·
David
and Jonathan
·
Samson
and Delilah
·
King
Solomon and his Beautiful Dark Skinned Woman
·
Amnon
and Tamar
·
Hosea
and Gomer
·
Esther
and the King
·
Balaam
and his money
·
Jezebel
and her control
·
Absalom
and himself
·
Joseph
and Mary
·
Jesus
and the Church
This
morning we are going to observe love in various expressions as we follow the
life of a good woman whose name is Ruth. Before we turn to the book which bears
her name, let’s read a few verses from Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything there is
a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
8 A time to love, And a time
to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
11 ¶ He has made everything
beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no
one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is
better for man than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
13 and also that every man
should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor — it is
the gift of God.
Ruth’s
love for Naomi is representative of the last day’s love of the Church for the
Children of Israel. The parallel is seen in the spiritual reflections of the
natural facts surrounding this great love story and its conclusions. It is easy
to imagine Naomi as representative of the Jewish people having lost their God
and without heir; and Ruth as a reflection of the New Testament Church, having
no right to grace but yet embraced by Naomi’s Redeemer Kinsman, bringing
salvation to the whole house and plan of God. This story is an amazing
revelation of grace, covenant and love.
·
Grace is
unmerited favor and ability
o Unearned
o Undeserved
·
Covenant
is a binding pledge
o Unilateral Covenant
and Bilateral Covenant
o Unconditional and
Conditional Covenants
·
Love is
the unselfish giving of yourself to another
o At times the
opposite of love is hatred
o At other times the
opposite of love is indifference
o But most times the
opposite of love is selfishness
When
these three elements are in place, whether the aim is friendship, family
relationships or marriage – a love story is in the making.
Ruth
was a fortunate woman to have presumably known the love of a spouse in her
youth. What an adventure it must have been to have been chosen by one of the
sons of Naomi. After such a tragedy which left her a widow and without father
in law or brother in law and as yet no child after 10 years of marriage – it
must have seemed like her life was doomed. In fact those were the very words of
her mother in law: “afflicted by God”.
It
is evident from Ruth’s life that she lived an honorable life in respect to her
covenant and demonstrated an unselfish giving of herself to that covenant.
Ruth
was also fortunate to have experienced a new and renewed love later in life at
a time when others would have counted her out. The grace of her life, her
ability to make covenant and give herself unselfishly opened that door for her.
Boaz, like Christ in our lives, was her redeemer.
However,
even though Ruth experienced the grace, the covenant and the love of spousal
relationships and lived as an example to many who have met with tragic
circumstances and yet rebounded to not only survive but to also thrive in life,
she had another relationship and perhaps another purpose bigger and more powerfully
impacting than either of her two marriages. Ruth was a woman chosen by God and
used by God I believe because of her willingness and her demonstration of
grace, covenant and love.
As
I catch us up on the story which occurred during the time of the Judges,
perhaps 1150 to 1200 years BC, turn with me to the Book of Ruth, Chapter 1. We
will read there in a moment.
(The
Bible account of the grace, covenant and love of God from Ruth:)
Ruth 1
16 But Ruth said:
"Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after
you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your
people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything
but death parts you and me."
Conclusion:
·
God’s
grace is sufficient for you
o both favor and
ability to do and be whatever you need to do and be
·
We have a
covenant with God
o both unilateral and
bilateral
o both unconditional
and conditional
·
God loves
so much that He gave His Only Son for you
o Through Jesus you
can know the grace, the covenant and the love of God.
o Let me tell you how
to know Him …
