Relationships
that Last
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. A
four year old girl came home from pre-school and told her mother that the
teacher
had read them the story of Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs. This was the first time
the little girl had ever heard the story
and she was excited to tell her mother about the
young girl who was forced to live in the
woods with the dwarfs. She explained how
Snow White ate a poisonous apple and fell
into a deep sleep that could only be
awakened by a kiss from Prince Charming.
One day the prince came riding
through the woods on his noble steed and
saw beautiful Snow White. He immediately
kissed her and she awoke. At this point the
mother interrupted the little girl and said,
“and they rode off on his horse and lived
happily ever after, right?” The little girl
quickly said, “no, they got married.” (1001 Great Stories, 278-9)
B. The
idea of any human relationship without difficulty is a fairy tale.
1. This is true in family relationships,
friendships, church relationships and business
associations.
2. The key to success in any relationship
is to see difficulties and problems as a
means of building lasting relationships
rather than allowing them to destroy
relationships.
C.
Let’s look at a familiar story from the pages of the Old Testament where
hardships
strengthened a relationship and paved the
way for blessing the nation of Israel and
ultimately the entire world. It is one of the greatest stories of love and
devotion in the
Bible.
I. THE STORY OF RUTH AND NAOMI
A. This story comes from one of only two
books in the Bible that bears the name of a
woman.
1. Ruth lived during a difficult time in
Israel’s history. The first verse of the book tells
us she lived during the time of the
judges.
a. It was the time following the
conquest of Canaan when Israel was ruled by a
succession of judges.
b. The book of Judges comes
immediately before the book of Ruth. The last
verse of Judges (21:25) says, “In
those days there was no king in Israel;
everyone did what was right in
his own eyes.”
c. Against this chaotic setting we
find a story characterized by love, loyalty,
devotion and faithfulness.
B. The story of Ruth.
1.
In the land of Judah there was a woman named Naomi and her husband
Elimelech. Elimelech’s name meant,
“God is king.” I am partial to the name,
Naomi, for it was my mother’s name.
Naomi meant “pleasant.” As the story
unfolds, however, we find that her
life went from being pleasant to bitter.
2. Naomi and Elimelech lived in Bethlehem.
Eph-ra-tha was the ancient name for
the region surrounding
Bethlehem.
3. This couple had two boys. One was named
Mahlon (meaning ‘”sickly”) and the
other Chileon.
4. For this family the pleasantness of
one day turned into the headship of another
day. A famine arose in Bethlehem
(this is ironic since Bethlehem means, “house
of bread”) forcing Naomi and
Elimelech to move to the land of Moab.
a. Distressing situations sometimes
prompt us to make unwise choices.
b. Moab was located east of the Dead
Sea. The Moabites were
enemies of the Israelites.
Judges 3 tells us how King Eglon of Moab enslaved
the Israelites for eighteen
years until they were delivered by a judge named
Ehud.
c. The Moabites began through Lot’s
incestuous relations with his daughters
(Gen. 9:37). On one occasion
Moabite women had seduced thousands of
Israelite men causing God to
strike down these men (Num. 25). What was
Elimelech thinking?
c. Some Jewish Rabbis believed that
Elimelech was a wealthy man who did not
want to share his wealth with
others during a time of famine and moved his
family to Moab where he made a
treaty with King Eglon thus bringing a curse
on his family.
5. In Moab the sons of Elimelech and
Naomi married Moabite women. One was
named Orpah and the other Ruth.
Again we must ask, “Why did these two
parents allow their sons to marry
pagan women? This was a violation of God’s
law (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Elimelech
died, the sons lived another ten years and
then they died leaving Naomi and her
daughters-in-law in a penniless, pitiful
position. In verses 20-21 Naomi said, “Do
not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for
the Almighty has dealt very bitterly
with me. 21 I went out full, but the Lord has
brought me back empty.”
a. There were no sons to carry on
the family name or provide for their mothers or
grandmother.
b. The only solution seemed to be
for Naomi to send her daughters –in-law back
to their families and for her to
return to Bethlehem where she had heard God
had provided food.
6. When an Israelite husband died, his
brother or near relative was to marry the
widow and continue the brother's
name (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). In vers 11
Naomi said she had no sons to marry
Ruth and Orpah. Naomi was too old to
bear any sons and even if she had a
son it is unlikely Orpah or Ruth could have
waiting until a son was old enough
to marry. The best solution seemed to be for
them to return to whatever family
they had.
7. Notice verse 14 - “And they lifted up
their voices and wept again; and Orpah
kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth
clung to her.”
C. Ruth’s commitment to her mother-in-law
is demonstrated by the familiar words of
Ruth 1:15-17, “Then she said, “Behold,
your sister-in-law has gone back to her
people and her gods; return after your
sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge
me to leave you or turn back 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. 17 Where you die, I will
die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do
to me, and worse, if anything but death
parts you and me.”
D. The
American statesman William Jennings Bryan, commented: “We cannot hope
to contribute to literature a sentence
so exquisite and so thrilling as that into which
Ruth poured the full measure of a noble
heart, but we can imitate her in devotion—
the brightest jewel in her crown.”
II. RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST
A. Ruth demonstrated the type of commitment
that holds relationships together.
1. It was genuine, not superficial.
Notice verse 14 where Orpah kissed Naomi but
Ruth clung to her. Orpah
demonstrated affection. Ruth demonstrated loyalty.
2. A young man was dating a young lady
and sent her a text message. “I love you
so much I would climb the highest
mountain for you. I love you so much I would
swim the deepest ocean just to hold
your hand. I love you so much I would crawl
across the continent under a blazing
sun just to look upon your sweet face. I’ll
see you tonight if it doesn’t
rain.”
3. A young lady gave her boyfriend a
picture in a frame. On the back was this
inscription, “'My dearest Tom, I
love you with all my heart. I love you more and
more each day. I will love you
forever and ever. I am yours for eternity.” It was
signed 'Diane.' And it contained a
P.S.: 'If we ever break up, I want this picture
back.”
B. Ruth demonstrated a willingness to
change. Many relationships fail because we
are waiting for the other person to
change. You may never change another person
but you can change yourself. Notice what
Ruth changed.
1. Location – she was willing to leave
her home in Moab to accompany Naomi in
her return to Bethlehem. Ruth was willing to leave the familiar for the
unfamiliar.
She was willing to leave her
homeland to become a foreigner among people who
would have considered her a foreigner.
2. Family – she was willing to leave any
family ties she might have had in Moab to
care for Naomi. This is a reminder
of God’s plan for a man to “leave father and
mother and cleave to his wife”
(Genesis 2:24).
3. Religion – she was willing to leave
the false gods of the Moabites to follow the
God of Israel.
4.
This verse sounds like a “until death do we part” type of commitment. This is
why
we often hear these verses quoted at
weddings. Ruth was so serious about her
commitment she said, “Thus may the
Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but
death parts you and me.” She didn't
just make this vow to Naomi. She also made
this vow to God.
C. Commitment is a key to any lasting
relationship.
1. George Burns and Jack Benny were
friends for over 50 years. When Jack Benny died Burns said, “Jack never walked
out on me when I sang a song and I never walked out on him when he played the
violin.”
2. Are you aware that commitment to marriage
and family is an indicator of stability and success in every other area of
life? Zig Ziglar, a nationally known sales consultant and motivational speaker wrote,
“The evidence is convincing that the better our relationships are at home, the
more effective we are in our careers. If we're having difficulty with a loved
one, that difficulty will be translated into reduced performance on the job. In
studying the millionaires in America (U.S. News and World Report), a picture of
the "typical" millionaire is an individual who has worked eight to
ten hours a day for thirty years and is still married to his or her high school
or college sweetheart. A New York executive search firm, in a study of 1365
corporate vice presidents, discovered that 87% were still married to their one
and only spouse and that 92% were raised in two-parent families. The evidence
is overwhelming that the family is the strength and foundation of society.”
D. God’s way is always best. As this
commitment “for better or worse, in sickness and
health until death do us part,” is
demonstrated in marriage it will likely be seen in
other aspects of life as well.
CONCLUSION:
A.
When Ruth returned with Naomi to Bethlehem she eventually met and married a
relative of Naomi named Boaz. Ruth and Boaz
became the parents of Obed who was
the father of Jesse whose son was David.
Ruth’s commitment and faithfulness led
her to be a part of the ancestry of Jesus. Her
commitment was rewarded.
B. Relationships
that last are the result of commitment in good times and bad times.
Aren’t you thankful that God’s commitment to
us is not dependent upon our
goodness? “But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
C. Are
you a person who honors the commitments you make?
1. The commitments to your friends?
2. The commitments to your job?
3. The commitments to your marriage and
family?
4. The commitment to God?
D. May
we help you to honor God by committing your life to Him through faith,
repentance, confession and baptism today?
Do you need to renew that commitment?
If so, we will be glad to assist you as we
stand and sing.
