1. Hesed: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
Ruth
Hesed: A Covenant Love Relationship With God

2. Hesed: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
“Hesed” is somewhat like the word “agape” in the New Testament meaning “unconditional love.”

3. Hesed: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
The word “hesed” is occurs in the Old Testament at least 246 times and is sometimes translated as mercy, kindness, favor, loving-kindness, steadfast love and unfailing love.
In Ruth “hesed” only occurs three times (1:8, 2:20; 3:10) and is translated as “kindness” or “kindly.”

5. Ruth 1:1-5 “In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.”

6. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself

7. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
His name, Elimelech, means, “God is King,” but he seems to make no effort to seek God.

8. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
Who were the Moabites?
The Moabites were descendants of Lot and his oldest daughter.
Lot was the nephew of Abraham.
The story is found in Genesis 19.
The Moabites became an enemy of Israel and worshiped false gods.

10. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
What lessons do we learn from of Elimelech?
When we are suffering we should not try to trust in ourselves by doing what is right in our own eyes.
Instead we should repent of any sin and put our trust in God.
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

11. Ruth 1:6 “When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud

12. Ruth 1: 10 and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people
Ruth 1: 10 and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people." 11 But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me-- even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons-- 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"

13. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope

14. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
“Naomi” which means “sweetness”
“Mara” which means “bitter.”

15. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
So what lessons do we learn from Naomi?
We must not allow difficulties and tragedies to destroy our faith in God.
We must not allow bitterness can exaggerate our sense of hopelessness.
We also learn that God is willing to restore those who have lost faith.

16. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
III. Orpah Fled Suffering by Returning To the Familiar
Ruth 1: “At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her. 15 "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."

17. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
III. Orpah Fled Suffering by Returning To the Familiar
So what lessons do we learn from Orpah?
The easy way out may have a bad long-term effect.
The god you choose will have an eternal effect.
She traded God for things that seemed safe and familiar.
Mark 8:36 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

18. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
IV. Ruth Conquered Suffering By Trusting In God Ruth 1:16-18 “But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

19. Ruth: A Covenant Love Relationship With God
I. Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
II. Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
III. Orpah Fled Suffering by Returning To the Familiar
IV. Ruth Conquered Suffering By Trusting In God
Her name “Ruth” means “friendship.”

20. IV. Ruth Conquered Suffering By Trusting In God
So what lessons do we learn from the example of Ruth?
God is often at work even when we do not realize it.
A tiny bit of faith in God will transform a person’s life.
God’s plan for your life will likely be more amazing than anything you ever dreamed of.
1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…”
The best way to conquer suffering is to trust God.

21. Ruth 1:19-22 “So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem
Ruth 1: “So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?" 20 "Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.”

22. The lessons of this story:
Elimelech Increased Suffering By Trusting In Himself
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
The proper way to control suffering is with God’s guidance and wisdom.

23. The lessons of this story:
Naomi Wallowed In Suffering By Giving up all Hope
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Philippians 4: “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,…”

24. The lessons of this story:
Orpah Fled Suffering by Returning To the Familiar
Don’t run from suffering and begin to hope in false gods, other saviors, simplistic short cuts or an easy way out.
Mark 4:19, [Orpah allowed] “…the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
Philippians 3:13, “…Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead… press on toward the goal…”

25. The lessons of this story:
Ruth Conquered Suffering By Trusting In God
Job 13:15, Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;...”
James 1: 2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

26. The lessons of this story:
Ruth Conquered Suffering By Trusting In God
1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

27. The lessons of this story: Jesus put it this way in Mark 12: 30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”