Drought and famine in the Promised Land.

1

The Israelites had begun to worship Baalworship Baal, trusting in

him instead of God.

GodGod withheld the rain and faminefamine was the result.Baal had no power.

9-12-10

A man named ElimelechElimelech took his wife, NaomiNaomi, and his two sons, MahlonMahlon and ChilionChilion,

And movedmoved from BethlehemBethlehem in Judah across the Dead Sea to MoabMoab.

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Elimelech soon dieddied in Moab.

Mahlon and Chilion both married Moabite womenMoabite women,

And dieddied childless ten years later.

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Ruth 1:6 Then Naomi arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might returnreturn from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited His peopleLord had visited His people in giving them bread. 7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place she went forth out of the place where she waswhere she was, and her two daughters-in- law with her; and they went on the way to returnreturn unto the land of Judah.

We talked about this last weeklast week: it is a picture of repentancepicture of repentance.

Return fromfrom the land of sin.Return untounto the Land of Promise.

8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

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Naomi was making it easymaking it easy for them to choosechoose to stay in Moab with their familieswith their families.

She loved them and they loved her.She loved them and they loved her.

There must be a free-will choicefree-will choice to serve the Lord.

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Nobody trulytruly comes to knowknow and lovelove and serveserve the Lord

at sword point.

To love the Lord with one's wholewhole heart, mind, soul, and strength is a choice freely madefreely made,

Or it's not reallynot really a choice made at all.

They had dealt kindlykindly with their husbands.

Hesed -- Merciful kindness.

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Ephesians 4 31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 2 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

"Let all bitternessbitterness be put away from you."

According to Strong's Greek Dictionary, bitterness is poisonbitterness is poison.

"Let all wrathwrath be put away from you."Fierce indignation; passionate; highly emotional

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"Let all angeranger be put away from you."Burning, lasting desire to punish; vengeance.

"Let all clamorclamor be put away from you."Anger expressed in outcry; crying, screaming.

"Let all evil speakingevil speaking be put away from you."Hurtful words, insults, smears, defamation

"Let all malicemalice be put away from you."Intense ill will; wishing evil to others.

If these commands were obeyedobeyed from the heart by husbands and wives,

It would helphelp all troubled marriages.

If the followingfollowing were obeyed it would healheal them all.

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2 And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

"Be ye kindkind one to another."Gracious, easy, useful, good

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"Be tender-heartedtender-hearted one to another."

Compassionate, sympathetic, showingshowing pity

"Forgiving one another -- even aseven as God, for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

In kindness, freely, generously grant forgiveness.

Forgiveness grudgingly grantedgrudgingly granted is

no forgiveness at allno forgiveness at all.

"But what if?"

10

Matthew 5 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Living our lives in this mannerin this manner would not only heal marriages, but all relationshipsall relationships.

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Kind and tender-hearted

Easy-going and forgiving

Only through submissionsubmission to God's Holy Spirit can people have these traitsthese traits.

9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. 10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

12

They had become familyfamily in the ten years.

Family loveFamily love is strong.

11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also tonight, and should also bear sons; 13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

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Having a husband in that time and place was vastly more important than it is today.

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Women had few rights, and most of them were to be granted through a husband.

We need to see the lengths to which God is goingGod is going to give these women an opportunityan opportunity to choose Him.

She had every opportunity to make a different different choicechoice, and she chose the Lord.

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15

Orpah kissed Ruth goodbye,

And returned to her family.

15 And Naomi said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister-in-law.

16

Naomi encouraged Ruth to return to her city, her family, and her gods.

To serve the True and Living God must be --

Whole

Considering the costcost, and being willingwilling to suffer the lossloss of all

things, to gain Christgain Christ.