From Singleness To Solidarity
Sermon
When Trouble Comes!
Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Last Third)
The book of Ruth is one of the world's most beautiful stories of human solidarity in the face of trouble.
Apart from the book of Esther it is the only other book in the Bible to be named after a woman. Therefore it should not be a surprise that the major characters of the book are two women, Naomi and Ruth. A major theme of the book is their common struggle to survive in the midst of a hostile and troubled environment.
The stage was set for their common struggle when a food famine occurred in the city of Bethlehem. This was somewhat of a paradoxical event, for the word "Bethlehem" means "house of bread" in the Hebrew language. Surely, of all places, no one expected a food shortage to occur in the "house of bread." Nevertheless, the famine in Bethlehem is a reminder that no place or person is exempt from trouble. Into every life some rain will fall.
As a result of the food crisis in Bethlehem, Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, and moved into the country of Moab and settled there (Ruth 1:1-2). They evidently thought that they would fare better there. But they soon learned that they could not run away from trouble. Shortly after they arrived in Moab, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left as a single parent with two sons in a foreign land.
Nevertheless, Naomi and her two sons remained in the foreign land of Moab. Even though they were Hebrews, each of her sons married a foreign wife from Moab. One of the wives was Orpah, which means in Hebrew "she who turns back." The other was named Ruth, which in Hebrew means "companion."
But Naomi's two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, were not very healthy men, as indicated by their names. In fact, Hebrew names were not selected before a child was born, but at birth. Then they often reflected some of the circumstances surrounding the condition of the child at birth. In Hebrew "Mahlon" means "sickly one" and Chilion means "wasting away." So after ten short years of marriage it is no surprise that Mahlon and Chilion both died and left their wives, Orpah and Ruth, without children.
Now the story presents us with three single women who are trying to survive in a time of trouble. Therefore, one of the questions raised by this biblical story is: "How do single women survive in a time of trouble?"
Furthermore, their singleness was complicated and compounded by several other factors. Not only were they single women, but also they were single, widowed women. Not only were they single, widowed women, but also they were single, widowed women who had no children, especially male heirs who were prized during that time. Not only were they single, widowed women who had no children, but also they were poor, single, widowed women without children. Furthermore, they were not only poor, widowed, single women without children, but they were living in a male dominated culture in which women had no rights and were both the property and responsibility of men. To be sure, they are representative of all the socially, economically, politically, and spiritually oppressed women of their day and time, as well as ours.
They represent all single women who have been wounded and rejected by the tragic circumstances of life. They represent all single women who have lost loved ones by death, divorce, or separation and feel they have to face the future alone. They represent all single women who are single not by choice but by circumstances. They represent all people who stand on the brink of some uncertain future.
So what are these three single women going to do in the midst of their troubled situation? Well, note that before they do anything they are greeted by a gracious word from the Lord. Naomi heard that the Lord had considered his people and had given them food (verse 6). We are not told how she heard about it. But somehow, even though she was in a foreign land, she must have kept in touch with her people back home in Bethlehem. This is a reminder to us that God has a liberating word for us in every situation. However, it is our responsibility to hear that word and respond to it by cooperating with God.
In response to the word that she had heard from God, Naomi cooperated by making the decision to return home alone to Bethlehem. As a matter of fact, she suggested to Orpah and Ruth that perhaps the best way for them to deal with their common crisis was for all three of them to go their separate ways.
Orpah agreed. Indeed, she was bound by her name, which means in Hebrew "she who turns back." So she departed to bear her singleness all alone and was never to be heard from again.
But Ruth made the decision to bear her singleness in solidarity with the singleness of Naomi. In one of the most beautiful statements of human solidarity in the Bible, she says to Naomi:
Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die --
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!
-- vv. 16-17
So Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem together. In response to the word of God that food was available in Bethlehem, they organized their singleness. Instead of saying "to each her own," they pooled their resources and got them all together in the name of God. Thus, they became one of the first single women's support groups in the Bible. Hand in hand, over the hills and mountains, and down through the valleys, they eventually made it back to Bethlehem and overcame the threat of famine. By the grace of God they were sustained on their journey because they shared their singleness in solidarity with God and each other.
A familiar African fable tells about a group of people on earth who wanted to know the difference between heaven and hell. A tour was arranged so they could see for themselves. In hell they saw all of the people sitting across from each other at long tables. There was plenty of food on the tables. However the people in hell were starving and frail because their arms were taped with splints so that they could not bend their elbows and get the food from the tables to their mouths.
When the people on the tour arrived in heaven they were surprised to see some of the same conditions. The people in heaven also sat at long tables across from each other. They also had their arms taped with splints so that they could not bend their elbows to get food from the tables to their mouths. However, there were two major differences. First, the people in heaven were healthy and well fed. Second, they were healthy and well fed because each person overcame the problem of not being able to feed himself by picking up food and feeding the person across the table. Like Naomi and Ruth, their decision to share their singleness in solidarity saved them from starvation.
By the grace of God:
If there is a problem, we can solve it together!
If there is a burden, we can lift it together!
If there is a mountain, we can climb it together!
If there is a stone, we can move it together!
If there is a challenge, we can meet it together!
If there is a race, we can run it together!
If there is a river, we can cross it together!
Apart from the book of Esther it is the only other book in the Bible to be named after a woman. Therefore it should not be a surprise that the major characters of the book are two women, Naomi and Ruth. A major theme of the book is their common struggle to survive in the midst of a hostile and troubled environment.
The stage was set for their common struggle when a food famine occurred in the city of Bethlehem. This was somewhat of a paradoxical event, for the word "Bethlehem" means "house of bread" in the Hebrew language. Surely, of all places, no one expected a food shortage to occur in the "house of bread." Nevertheless, the famine in Bethlehem is a reminder that no place or person is exempt from trouble. Into every life some rain will fall.
As a result of the food crisis in Bethlehem, Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, and moved into the country of Moab and settled there (Ruth 1:1-2). They evidently thought that they would fare better there. But they soon learned that they could not run away from trouble. Shortly after they arrived in Moab, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left as a single parent with two sons in a foreign land.
Nevertheless, Naomi and her two sons remained in the foreign land of Moab. Even though they were Hebrews, each of her sons married a foreign wife from Moab. One of the wives was Orpah, which means in Hebrew "she who turns back." The other was named Ruth, which in Hebrew means "companion."
But Naomi's two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, were not very healthy men, as indicated by their names. In fact, Hebrew names were not selected before a child was born, but at birth. Then they often reflected some of the circumstances surrounding the condition of the child at birth. In Hebrew "Mahlon" means "sickly one" and Chilion means "wasting away." So after ten short years of marriage it is no surprise that Mahlon and Chilion both died and left their wives, Orpah and Ruth, without children.
Now the story presents us with three single women who are trying to survive in a time of trouble. Therefore, one of the questions raised by this biblical story is: "How do single women survive in a time of trouble?"
Furthermore, their singleness was complicated and compounded by several other factors. Not only were they single women, but also they were single, widowed women. Not only were they single, widowed women, but also they were single, widowed women who had no children, especially male heirs who were prized during that time. Not only were they single, widowed women who had no children, but also they were poor, single, widowed women without children. Furthermore, they were not only poor, widowed, single women without children, but they were living in a male dominated culture in which women had no rights and were both the property and responsibility of men. To be sure, they are representative of all the socially, economically, politically, and spiritually oppressed women of their day and time, as well as ours.
They represent all single women who have been wounded and rejected by the tragic circumstances of life. They represent all single women who have lost loved ones by death, divorce, or separation and feel they have to face the future alone. They represent all single women who are single not by choice but by circumstances. They represent all people who stand on the brink of some uncertain future.
So what are these three single women going to do in the midst of their troubled situation? Well, note that before they do anything they are greeted by a gracious word from the Lord. Naomi heard that the Lord had considered his people and had given them food (verse 6). We are not told how she heard about it. But somehow, even though she was in a foreign land, she must have kept in touch with her people back home in Bethlehem. This is a reminder to us that God has a liberating word for us in every situation. However, it is our responsibility to hear that word and respond to it by cooperating with God.
In response to the word that she had heard from God, Naomi cooperated by making the decision to return home alone to Bethlehem. As a matter of fact, she suggested to Orpah and Ruth that perhaps the best way for them to deal with their common crisis was for all three of them to go their separate ways.
Orpah agreed. Indeed, she was bound by her name, which means in Hebrew "she who turns back." So she departed to bear her singleness all alone and was never to be heard from again.
But Ruth made the decision to bear her singleness in solidarity with the singleness of Naomi. In one of the most beautiful statements of human solidarity in the Bible, she says to Naomi:
Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die --
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!
-- vv. 16-17
So Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem together. In response to the word of God that food was available in Bethlehem, they organized their singleness. Instead of saying "to each her own," they pooled their resources and got them all together in the name of God. Thus, they became one of the first single women's support groups in the Bible. Hand in hand, over the hills and mountains, and down through the valleys, they eventually made it back to Bethlehem and overcame the threat of famine. By the grace of God they were sustained on their journey because they shared their singleness in solidarity with God and each other.
A familiar African fable tells about a group of people on earth who wanted to know the difference between heaven and hell. A tour was arranged so they could see for themselves. In hell they saw all of the people sitting across from each other at long tables. There was plenty of food on the tables. However the people in hell were starving and frail because their arms were taped with splints so that they could not bend their elbows and get the food from the tables to their mouths.
When the people on the tour arrived in heaven they were surprised to see some of the same conditions. The people in heaven also sat at long tables across from each other. They also had their arms taped with splints so that they could not bend their elbows to get food from the tables to their mouths. However, there were two major differences. First, the people in heaven were healthy and well fed. Second, they were healthy and well fed because each person overcame the problem of not being able to feed himself by picking up food and feeding the person across the table. Like Naomi and Ruth, their decision to share their singleness in solidarity saved them from starvation.
By the grace of God:
If there is a problem, we can solve it together!
If there is a burden, we can lift it together!
If there is a mountain, we can climb it together!
If there is a stone, we can move it together!
If there is a challenge, we can meet it together!
If there is a race, we can run it together!
If there is a river, we can cross it together!
