Taking A Risk

2. Taking A Risk "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T. S. Eliot • Life with God is meant to be a grand adventure, one filled with passion, joy, and purpose • But that doesn't mean it's devoid of taking risks • The word risk is often associated with danger, but it can also be considered a chance or opportunity During the American Civil War, Major General McClellan approached a river for the first time. He muttered, "I wish I knew how deep it was." A young captain spirited his horse to the middle of the river and proclaimed, "That's how deep it is, General!" The captain would become a famous brigadier general himself: General George A. Custer.

3. How Risk Adverse Are You? When it comes to taking risks, which category most closely defines you? • Leaping before I look • Carefully counting the costs • A nervous, not-in-this-lifetime, Nellie • Foolhardy, then full of regret • Focused on the moment, rather than behind or ahead • Other: ____________________

4. How Risk Adverse Are You? • What's the biggest risk you ever took? How did things work out for you? • What do you think holds most people back from taking risks? What about you?

5. In what ways is faith in God like the decision between the red pill and blue pill? • Neo doesn't like the idea that he's not in control of his life, yet he's one of the few who dares to be different. What do you think this is saying about who we have become? • If possible, discuss a time when you were willing to give up control in an area of your life. How did that feel?

6. "X" Marks the Spot • Embedded in the middle of Oxford's bustling Broad Street is a simple stone cross • Every year thousands of foreign tourists gazing up at the spires of Oxford's skyline and local pedestrians preoccupied with everyday errands walk over this historic marker without realizing they are treading on sacred ground

7. "X" Marks the Spot • The unpretentious "X" marks the spot where in 1555 Anglican Bishops Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake for their Christian beliefs and entered eternity in a blaze of courage and glory. "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man!" the dying Latimer cried out. "We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out." • It was a moment of such significance in English history that Oxford does not want to forget.

8. If I had my way, there would be a large stone "X" embedded in the middle of the road that runs between Moab & Bethlehem to mark the spot where Naomi stops to send her daughters-in-law back to Moab • Here is the collision that takes place between the weight of evidence Naomi has mounted against God, and the choices Orpah and (especially) Ruth make

9. Naomi’s Emptiness • She lost her home …living as stranger in foreign land • She lost her wealth during the famine in Israel • She lost her husband … lacks provision/ protection • She lost her sons … her family now faces annihilation

10. God’s Persistent Love • “O love that will not let me go ...” wrote the hymn writer George Matheson • Yet there are times when we may be tempted to wish that God would let us go • There are moments in life when God's pursuit of us seems like that of a persistent mosquito, constantly buzzing around our heads and causing us pain, and we are utterly powerless to shake him off • Certainly, Naomi was thinking of God in those terms in the second half of Ruth 1 • Having departed from the Promised Land with a husband and two sons to go to the greener fields of Moab, she had been left utterly bereft of support by their death • Moab was no longer a viable place for her to live; she had no choice but to return home • There was food at last in BethIehem, and perhaps she too, widow that she was, might yet be able to eke out the rest of her miserable existence there.

11. Making A Case for Moab What should Naomi do about her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth? • At first, they all set out to go back to Judah together. But was the choice Naomi was making, to go home to Bethlehem, the right choice for them as well? • This was the dilemma Naomi faced on the road out of Moab. What should Orpah and Naomi do? Should they stay or should they go? • While Bethlehem had once been Naomi's home, it was never theirs. Her people were not their people. And if Orpah and Ruth came with her, it would mean: • Two more mouths to feed on a fixed and limited budget • Two more bodies to clothe and house • All the while dependent on the charity of family members

12. Ruth 1:7-10 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” Why did Naomi urge her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab? How did they respond? Put yourself in Naomi’s shoes and try to imagine what she was feeling. How would you describe her desire to see Ruth and Orpah return home? Why do you think Naomi told the girls to go back home? Should Naomi have encouraged her daughters-in-law to return with her so they could be with believers?

13. Ruth 1:8 “But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly(hesed) with you, as you have dealt(hesed) with the dead and with me.’” Remembering our discussion about the concept of hesed, answer the following question about hesed as it is used in Ruth 1:8. How had Orpah and Ruth demonstrated hesedto Naomi? Does Naomi’s prayer for the LORD to grant hesedto Orpah and Ruth mean that God’s blessings are rewards for good works? Explain your answer. What do Orpah’s and Ruth’s acts of hesedtell us about their faith?

14. Ruth 1:9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest(menuchah), each of you in the house of her husband!” Ruth 1:9 introduces the notion of menuchah. The word denotes not just a physical resting place but the security, permanence, and peace that result from when one’s needs are met. • Joshua 21:43-45 – “Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest(menuchah) on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” Where is Israel’s menuchahlocated? What is its source?

15. Ruth 1:9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest(menuchah), each of you in the house of her husband!” Psalm 132:13-16 – For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. Who dwells in the resting place (menuchah)? What is the relationship between this menuchahand Christian worship?

16. Ruth 1:9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest(menuchah), each of you in the house of her husband!” Isaiah 11:10 -- “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” Who is the Root of Jesse? To whom does He offer rest?

17. Ruth 1:9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest(menuchah), each of you in the house of her husband!” What changes could you make to make your home a menuchah? -- Note that 1 Tim. 2:2 exhorts us to live “a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” How does Naomi’s prayer for menuchahfor her daughters-in-law point forward to the church’s rest in Christ? Reflect on menuchahas it is used in Ruth 1:9. Where did Naomi see Orpah and Ruth finding their rest? In what ways have you made your home a menuchah, a place of peace and rest, a haven from the storms of this world? Why could Orpah and Ruth not find their rest with Naomi?

18. Releasing the Duty-Bound • Naomi goes against cultural conventions and her own self-interest when she relinquishes two able-bodied young women who are duty-bound to her by marriage and whose departure will reduce her family to one • In the ancient Hebrew culture, a woman was bound to her husband’s family even after death • A widow could return to her family only if her purchase price was repaid to her husband’s heirs • Given the circumstances, it appears to be the only compassionate thing to do • Naomi is a realist; she cherishes no illusion that Bethlehem means a fresh start for her or for them

19. Ruth 1:10 Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” What is Orpah’s and Ruth’s reaction to Naomi’s request that they go back home to Moab?

20. Ruth 1:11-14 Emptiness Rejected: Orpah Returns to Moab

21. Useless Trivia • If Oprah Winfrey's name looks similar to Orpah's, it's because Oprah was supposed to be named for her • Apparently the birth certificate arrived with a typo -- Oprah says her mother didn't know how to spell Orpah • Had it arrived as intended, Oprah's company would be called "Hapro Productions" rather than "Harpo Productions Oprah = Orpah??

22. Ruth 1:11-14 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. What do you think about Naomi’s relationship to God? What was Naomi’s experience and understanding of God at this point in her spiritual journey? What is Naomi’s view of what God is doing? What is her attitude toward God? In what way was Naomi’s situation “more bitter” than that of her daughters-in-law? If you were in Naomi’s situation, how would your faith in God be affected? What messages might keep playing in your mind? What was Naomi’s purpose in asking these questions here? What was Naomi doing from a legal point of view in urging her daughters-in-law to return to Moab? Does this advice make sense? Is Naomi is giving bad advice?

23. Ruth 1:14 Ruth 1:11-14 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. The author of Ruth never explicitly condemns Orpah for her return to Moab. On the contrary, he portrays her in a positive light. ------------------------------------------------------------------ In what way did Orpah make the “right” choice? In what way did Orpah make the “wrong” choice? Evaluate Orpah’s decision in terms of the Hebrew concept of hesed. Why do you think Orpah gave way to Naomi’s arguments and returned to Moab? Although this is a matter of dispute, some scholars have proposed that Orpah’s name is related to the Hebrew word denoting the back of the neck. If this is true, how does Orpah’s name illustrate her choice to return to Moab? When people hear the Word of God, why do some come to faith in Christ and others do not?

24. Ruth 1:14-18 Emptiness Embraced: Ruth Clings to God

25. Ruth 1:14 “Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung(dabaq) to her.“ • Genesis 2:24– “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast(dabaq)to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. How is the situation in Gen 2:24 different from that in Ruth 1:14b? How is it similar?

26. Ruth 1:14 “Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung(dabaq) to her.“ Deuteronomy 13:4– “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast(dabaq) to him.” What did Moses urge the people of Israel to do? What light does this text shed on Ruth’s decision to stay with Naomi?

27. Ruth 1:14 “Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung(dabaq) to her.“ Proverbs 18:24– “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer(dabaq)than a brother.” How is this verse an appropriate mirror to the “partnership” of Ruth and Naomi? Who is the friend described in Proverbs 18:24?

28. Ruth 1:15-18 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

29. Ruth 1:15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” What new argument does Orpah’s choice give to Naomi that she levels at Ruth? What is suggested by Orpah’s return “to her people and to her gods?” By describing Orpah’s actions in theological terms – a going back to her people and to her gods – what does Naomi cause Ruth to see? To what else besides family would the young widows have returned? Despite Naomi’s urgings, at its core, this choice is not about geography, family loyalty, or the future.This decision is about God.

30. Ruth 1:8-15 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

32. Ruth 1:16-18 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. Ruth’s decision to stay by Naomi’s side meant walking away from her past. When have you made a break with some aspect of your past? Describe how easy or hard that step was. What were the results of that decision? What does Naomi say that finally forces Ruth to break her silence and speak for the very first time? In the ancient world, a proper funeral and burial were considered absolutely essential. What risk was Ruth taking by pledging to be buried with Naomi? Naomi must have done something right for Ruth to be so committed to her and to God. What do you think some of those “right things” might have been? What do you notice about the depth of Ruth’s faith? Explain how Ruth’s vows are examples of hesed. Ruth’s beautiful promise is often recited at weddings. Do you think this is an appropriate use of this text? Why or why not?

33. Ruth’s Commitment Life and Death. She further binds herself to do this with an oath of self-imprecation. If she reneges on her promise, she invites the Lord-Naomi's God-to stretch out his hand to strike her down. Here is an astonishing act of surrender and self-sacrifice. Ruth was laying down her entire life to serve Naomi. Burial in Israel. She is even willing to die and be buried in Naomi's land – the land of Naomi's God, not the gods of the Moabites. Given the intimate connection between land and deity in the ancient Near East, and the importance of proper burial for a restful afterlife, this was the ultimate commitment in the ancient world. God. In so doing, she is also committing her life to Naomi's God, whom she calls as a witness by his personal name, the Lord (YHWH). Naomi. She is committing her life to Naomi, body and soul, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. New Home. Ruth was not merely relocating her home to go somewhere geographically less pleasant, as if someone were willing to move from sunny Southern California to the unbearable heat of Death Valley. That would be noble self-sacrifice; this is far more. Each of Ruth’s statements ratchets up her level of her commitment

34. Ruth 1:18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. Having listened to one of the most emotionally moving speeches in the whole Bible, in which Ruth pledged herself completely to Naomi, how does Naomi respond? Isn't Naomi's silence an astonishing response to her daughter-in-law's words? Our own response to Ruth's words is instinctively to frame them and hang them on the wall. We quote the words in marriage ceremonies and are choked up by their implications, so profoundly touching do they seem to us. Why do you think Naomi reacts in silence? Literally, the Hebrew says, "When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.” No "Thank you" graced Naomi's lips. There was no "I'll be really glad for some company on this difficult road."

35. Missionary to Moab? • Part of Naomi's difficulty, of course, was that she wasn't a very good member of the covenant community herself. • There was no distinctive holiness about her; on the contrary, she herself was sinfully on the run from the land of obedience. • Those who are consciously living a life of disobedience to God are not typically eager to defend and explain their faith to others! • Yet isn’t it striking (and encouraging to us all) that even though at that moment she wasn’t looking out for Ruth's spiritual interests, or even for God herself, nonetheless God was still able to use her, in spite of her attitude, as a means to draw Ruth to himself? • Fortunately, God’s mission to rescue sinner is not limited by our flaws, failings, and foibles! God will call to himself those whom he chooses, sometimes through the most bizarre messengers and unlikely combinations of circumstances. It is his work from beginning to end.

36. Application: How are we like Naomi? • Like Naomi, we naturally tend to lack a fundamental concern for the Moabites all around us • Naomi, it appears, had little concern for the spiritual condition of her Moabite daughters-in-law • She had found them functionally adequate, and she wished them well in their new lives back in Moab, but she had no deep concern for their souls • If she is aware of the implications of her request, however, she is asking the Lord to grant them exactly what she and Elimelech never found: rest outside the covenant community • Perhaps Naomi simply assumed that Orpah and Ruth wouldn't be interested in Israel's God – they were Moabites, after all; they had their god and she had hers • Who are the Moabites we see day after day, the people all around us who we so quickly assume are not going to be interested in the gospel? • Perhaps if we sought to testify to them of God's goodness to us in Jesus Christ, we might discover more interest in the gospel than we ever imagined. Our problem is that all too often we have as little real care for our friends and neighbors as Naomi had for hers.

37. Application: How are we like Orpah and Ruth? • Like Orpah and Ruth, there is nothing kosher about us when we were born • On the contrary, we were outsiders to the gospel, outsiders to grace, by nature objects of God's wrath, even if we grew up in a Christian home • By nature, we were dead in our transgressions and sins (Eph. 2:1). We all need a new birth – to be born of the Spirit, as Jesus told Nicodemus – in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). • Like Orpah and Ruth, as natural-born outsiders, we cannot simply slide into the kingdom. We are all faced with a crucial choice at some point in our lives, a dividing of the ways.

38. Application: How are we like Orpah? • We can continue to seek our security and significance in the world's way, as Orpah did. We can seek to find meaning and value in our career, our family, our health, or our wealth. • Up to a point, Orpah's approach to life may work, granting us everything we ask of it. Who knows what happened to Orpah when she went home? Perhaps she met her Mr. Right, had a pack of children, and lived happily ever after in Moab. • So too, for many people life works out relatively well, giving them in reasonable measure the things that they have sought.

39. Application: How are we like Orpah? • But in the process of pursuing the Moabite option, Orpah missed out on the one thing of true value in life: a living relationship with the Lord, the one true God. • She chose with her eyes, just as Naomi and Elimelech had earlier, opting for the way of the world instead of the way of faith. • Whether she found what she was looking for in Moab or not really doesn't matter. Either way, she missed the pearl of great price. She failed to find friendship with Israel's God, the only God that there is. The saddest part of Orpah's story is that she probably never even knew what she was missing.

40. Application: How can we be like Ruth? • Alternatively, we can follow Ruth's pattern and choose the daunting path that can be taken only by faith, by throwing oneself on the mercy and favor of Israel's God • As outsiders, we have nothing to offer him except our emptiness -- Ruth embraced that emptiness and trusted that Naomi's God would be her God also • This road necessarily passes through the way of the cross, the way of dying to self and to our own interests

41. Application: How can we be like Ruth? • In one sense, the gospel road is the easiest path in the world, for we bring to it nothing except our own need • In another sense, though, it is the hardest path, for the cross is a continual stumbling block to anyone who wants to bring anything to contribute to one's own salvation. • The way of the cross means constantly dying to self-interest, putting the needs and desires of others first, whether or not their response is one of gratitude and thanks. It means pouring out our lives for others, even in the face of their bitterness of spirit.

42. Homework: Complaint Department During this next week listen closely to what people complain about and the words they used to express their discontent. Specifically note: • What seems to be the most common complaint? • What do these comments tell you about what is important to people? • Do people tend to complain about events they can control? Why or why not? • What do the complaints expose about their view of God? • What do the observations teach you about yourself and your complaining?