Letting Patience Have Its Perfect Work

I've often pondered over the words found in James 1 verses 2 through 4. Maybe you have, too. And so if you would, would you please turn there with me? James 1 verses 2 through 4. Here we read James 1 through 4. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Well, I suspect that at least once or twice in our lives we've struggled at times to grasp the meaning of this passage.

What does James mean, count it all joy when you fall into various trials? Well, we know joy is a cheerful, glad feeling. But trials are the opposite, aren't they? They tend to give us the opposite feeling. Trials are things like sickness and poverty, grief or bereavement, suffering, persecution or injustice. Many other, well, trying things occur to us and make life difficult. How can a trial be a joy? And does anyone really enjoy testing? I can look at the young people, and I'm sure that's not a favorite thing of theirs.

But what about testing? Do we enjoy testing? That means approving of what we know and can do. Testing of our faith or convictions is also not always very pleasant. And if anything, testing can make us feel even a little more irritable with ourselves, perhaps, and very impatient as well. And though becoming perfect and complete is definitely something we desire to be and we strive to be, how exactly do we do that based on what James says here?

And of course, we can poll our lexicon and Bible dictionaries, which are great tools for analyzing the meaning of original words. We can gain clear understanding of James' original meaning. And I'm going to put some of these words on the screen here in a slide. But here's some of the words from those same verses I just read. Now, some of you love to write everything down. Go ahead if you want to. But just simple words we're going to look at.

Joy, for example, means cheerfulness or gladness. It's the word cara. Trials. Pirasmos means putting to proof. Faith is pistas, meaning conviction, belief, or loyalty. Patience is chufónome, cheerful, enduring. Perfect is telios, meaning fully developed, mature. Complete is holocleos, whole, having all of its parts. Now, don't those words make those verses more clear to you?

Well, they can, but it takes a lot of study. We can leave this up for a little longer if some of you want to write those down. That's fine. And so these words can help us. And by the way, I'm not making fun of lexicons and Bible dictionaries. I use them all the time. And I encourage all of us to do likewise in our study. Now, we could also go to different Bible translations to help us look at how other translators have looked at the Greek words and the various meanings and shades of understanding.

And those different translations can aid our understanding as well. I'm just going to give you one example. The new international version, the NIV, it translates to these same sets of verses this way. Instead of count, it says, consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, instead of patience. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature rather than perfect, mature and complete, not lacking anything. So the NIV includes some of these other synonyms, other meanings I had on the screen here for you.

And so, again, that helps having different translations. But other readers and interpreters often will take the same verses and different words and make the wording different. It makes us wonder, well, does anybody really get the gist of what these verses are about?

We have to be careful, because there are some translations that are rather loose. They're rather free-wheeling with the word choices they use, and even bleed in personal doctrines and things that may not be actually there in Scripture. The point is, different readers and interpreters have different ways of expressing these words of James and, of course, other Scriptures in the Bible. So can we really know what James means here?

Can we really know what James means here? And the answer is, yes. I think definitely yes. We can know. But words are just words. Words are just words. We also need pictures. Don't you find that helpful?

I'm trying to install something in the house, and I have the wording, what the instructions printed in China, and I just don't get it, because someones don't understand how to construct an American English sentence very well. So I have to go to YouTube, and there's a picture. Now I get it. Now I get it. Well, pictures help. Yes, language is verbal. It's on paper in black and white, but we're also very much a visual-orientated people. God made us that way. We use our eyes. We use the word pictures in our minds. Whereas James tells us to let patience have its perfect work, other places in Scripture show us how it's done.

Other places in Scripture show us how it's done. It does that through examples of people of God, through examples of people of God, both men and women, young and old, who persevered in their belief and obedience to God. And by holding true to God, they deepened their understanding of God and His ways. And they strengthened their relationship with God. And what happened? They became stronger, more mature, and complete spiritually. We have those examples, word pictures, if you will, in Scripture.

I've entitled this sermon, Letting Patience Have Its Perfect Work. So when we think of illustrations and examples in Scripture, especially of those who have suffered and endured great trials of faith, some of the trials that we are going through or have gone through ourselves, we do find various examples from throughout the Scripture. So today we are going to be looking at some of those examples and see what we can draw from them to help us let patience have its perfect work in us.

I'm going to begin first in the New Testament. If you come with me, let's turn to Hebrews 11. We find this list, and I'm sure we're all aware of it, in Hebrews 11, that provides a quick listing of examples, remembrances of men and women who suffered greatly and yet held true to God.

In some ways we might call these people our heroes, our heroes that have led the way and provide us a light, a guide of what we might do. And of course, in Hebrews 11, you can look at that, and you're going to see very many names here that are familiar to us. They include Abel and Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. You see Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others. And of course, any of these people would make an excellent Bible study at home, looking up their names and remembering ourselves what happened in their lives.

In the words of Hebrews 11.13, really can be applied to all these faithful people in those ancient times, and I'm confident to many others since that time. We read Hebrews 11.13, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers in pilgrims on the earth.

They're looking forward to someplace better than this present earth, where we all, if you're followers of God, we just don't quite feel at home a lot of times here. Now, their suffering was very real. We should never look at these as some sort of action movie, as some sort of comic book or cartoon. This is not make-believe, and that takes work because we see a lot of make-believe. We hear and see a lot of fake things out there nowadays. This is very real, what we read about here. Their suffering was real, verses 35 through 40. Let's look a bit. Women received their dead, raised to life again.

I'm sure I got that right. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two, were tempted. They were slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheepskin and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented. In this interesting phrase, of whom the world was not worthy.

The world was not worthy of these wonderful people of God. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. Now, every time I read through that list, I admit it's not really a pleasant thing to read. I really don't like to dwell upon the possibilities of what I and we might face one day, but recognize that some of these things, some things like this, are happening in the world while I speak.

One day, due to our faithfulness in God, we too might have to face some of these very same terrible trials. But yet, what we also find here is they endured. They made it through. They didn't let anything stop them. Of course, we should recognize that suffering like they did then, or as we do now, such as from the ravages of old age, cancer and disease, or the moral afflictions of our country, injustice, prejudice, hatred. If we suffer like that, and while being faithful to God, we can and will endure whatever comes our way. And when we do, God will bring us to eternal life upon the return of Jesus Christ.

We will receive eternal life if we endure to the end. And that doesn't mean just sitting around. It means living by the will of God. Let's finish reading here in verse 39. In all these continuing, in all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, their faith proved how good they were with God, they did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Of course, I mean to say, of course, what we're talking about here is pointing to what we're going to be learning about tomorrow on Pentecost. We'll learn more about this on Pentecost services tomorrow. God has called us, along with many others before us, to be first fruits of His spiritual harvest. And that's part of what we have to look forward to tomorrow as we observe the Pentecost, learning more about that wonderful blessing. And so all who follow God must endure. That is part of our calling that's expected.

Let's read Jesus' words over in Matthew 5, verses 10 through 12. This is part of what Christ told us at the very beginning of His ministry, Matthew 5, verses 10 through 12.

Jesus said, Matthew 5, 10 through 12, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. And so Jesus taught, and James, we notice, is teaching us, just as he was taught, that we are to rejoice in our suffering for righteousness' sake. Jesus taught it. James is teaching it. We're still teaching it.

And of course, we turn to Christ often in His accounts as far as an example, because Jesus Christ said the perfect example is suffering for righteousness' sake. So the point is here, God's desire is that we remember that others like us have faithfully endured through trials. Others have faithfully endured through trials, and we're going to do it the same way. That means we too can, and we will be with them in the Kingdom of God. It's a very positive message, something positive to think about.

Now, let's look at another example. I'd like to turn to talk about King David. King David is an individual whose life and words are very much alive through Scripture. We have so many of David's thoughts kept for us here in Scripture, preserved for us in Scripture. David is an individual whose life and words help us to remember and to know that we can have patience. We can have patience. We can let patience work in us so that we can become perfect. I don't know if I told you this. I apologize. Let's be turning to Psalm 27. There are many places we could go today, but let's go to Psalm 27.

David, if you remember his history—I'm not going to rehearse the entire history of David. It's very interesting. David, you remember, faced a great diversity of trials in his life. It seems they started it when he was just young. But through all his trials in life, he trusted God through every one of them. We remember that as a young shepherd, David placed his confidence in God. He did that, and he was able to fight with bears and lions. I wouldn't be so brave. Probably. I'd fight. No, I shouldn't say never, right? Maybe I could. Maybe you could, too. But David had the confidence that God would fight with bears and lions to protect his sheep, to protect his flock. It was that same confidence that helped him to vanquish Goliath.

He also trusted God, and not in men, when he endured the torturous years of exile of being hunted down by Saul's army, hiding out in caves in the desert.

Even in old age, though grief-stricken over his own sins against God, and also grief-stricken with his son's rebellions against him, he still held true to God. It's amazing that in his latter years, through all the up-people going on around him, he continued to prepare materials that would be used to build God's temple. That's a very physical reminder of his faith and commitment to God. But David's imagery in Psalm 27, when we look at this—we're going to go through this—we're going to see what really conveys to us what I consider to be as vigorous, wholehearted, and absolute trust in God. It's a sort of trust and faith in God he had through all these many challenges in life. These words, when we study them, I find them very hard for them not to inspire us, not to encourage us, to encourage us to trust God, to let God help us through trials so that we can become more mature spiritually. Let's look at, starting here, verses 1 through 3, Psalm 27. And as we read this, I'm going to read it in a way that I think we'll be able to catch the energy and the zeal of his words here, this emotion he has here.

What is he confident in? God's help. God's commitment to him. God's faithfulness to him. Let's continue on, verses 4 through 5. Notice focus in life.

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle he shall hide me. He shall set me up high upon a rock, high up where his enemies and those who are against him cannot reach. And it's interesting to note, not only is God the focus of David's life here, he also makes very clear that his relationship, in our relationship with God, must be foremost always. And not just when we're suffering in trials. That's the thing that can happen. When times are bad, our prayers can be very serious. If times get easy, we can become a little lax. That's something we all have to work to be sure we're careful of. We must keep God foremost in our lives all the time, and not just when we're suffering from trials. Continuing on, he says, He's trusting God.

He's doing his part to protect David, to provide for him, and David is going to return to God what God enjoys so much. Sacrifice of prayers. Sacrifice of devotion and praise.

Continuing in verse 7, Here, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, have mercy also upon me and answer me. He's wanting to make sure God will keep talking to him, having that relationship. When you said, Seek my face, my heart said to you, Your face, Lord, I will seek. It's as if you didn't even think about it. God called me. I'm going to follow God. Very much what we did in our commitment to God at baptism.

He continues on, Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. Never get so mad at me that you give up on me. You have been my help. Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God, of my salvation. When my mother and my father forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.

And it's very interesting, as David continues to develop and express his relationship with God, he's developing this idea as we clearly understand, that God is his father and he is a child before God. We get more of this urgency in his tone in verses 7-10 here, wanting to be sure that God would never reject him or abandon him.

Parents do that sometimes with their children. We've heard terrible things about it. Sometimes children turn their backs on parents. It happens. David is making very clear the relationship he wants with God as his father. He makes clear that he will trust God as a child, should trust his parents. He's wanting to make sure that God will love him as parents, should love their child. Then he says, asking for God's guidance, he says, Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. He seems he's afflicted with a lot of gossip, people saying things that were wicked and wrong about him. Verse 13, he says, I would have lost heart, I've given up hope, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord and the land of the living. David is absolutely confident that God will deliver him from all his enemies, that God will deliver him from all his trials. We get no sense that David is doubting, no sense that he's worried that God is going to go asleep, like he was teased about some of the false gods and idols we read elsewhere in the scripture. Then finally, verse 14, Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

David concludes this psalm with a depth of heart and meaning that I'm confident he felt very deeply and sincerely. David's faith in God is such that he simply has to urge everyone else, anyone that will hear this psalm, that will read this psalm, he has to urge them to do what he has done, to wait on God and do his will.

Now, the word here, wait, is kava. It's spelled Q-A-V-A. Excuse me, that's wrong. Q-A-W-A, it's pronounced as a vah. Q-A-W-A, kava. It means to hope in, actually. And it means, in other words, to wait for and hope.

It's not waiting for God to save you from your problems, like we might sit on the stage here kicking our heels, just waiting around for God to come around and help us. It's not that kind of waiting. This waiting requires that we keep close to God, that we maintain our faith and diligence in our relationship in God. It requires that we keep doing God's will. Perhaps, even if we think it's not doing us any good, we keep doing God's will. Because God is faithful. God is faithful. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

And so, David's psalm in total reminds us that many things that impact our lives, our hopes, and our aspirations are not only beyond David's control, they're also beyond our control. We can't control what happens to us. Much of the time, sometimes, it seems, most of the times, life is out of our hands. In that we know, David's making sure we know, that without God's intervention, we are absolutely helpless. And if you've never felt helpless yet, God will help us feel that way, so that we can have our faith strengthened in Him. The point here, after our view of David's psalm, is that David is urging us to be faithful. And I would even add, brave, valiant, and courageous, as we wait, to open God and do God's will. We must never waver in persevering and following the ways of God. And when we trust God, He will perfect and strengthen us. He'll perfect and strengthen our hearts, our minds, and certainly our convictions.

In doing so, God is interested in making us more like Him.

The next place for us to look for a word picture of letting patients have its perfect work.

Let's turn to the book of Job. Now, I realize we had a sermon on Job some months ago. I gave it.

And I know it. Didn't forget. When we're talking about patience and perseverance, Job's name gets connected with it. So, I want to go back and remind us of some of what Job learned and how he learned this life-saving lesson. Life-saving as far as salvation goes, he learned it from God. We remember, of course, that God allowed Job to undergo and to suffer a lot of terrible things. Job didn't know it. He didn't know why he was going through these things. He just knew it was happening, and he was desperate to understand. He thought God had broken off his relationship with him. He was concerned that God had turned his back on him, and he didn't understand why. He thought that was wrong of God to turn his back on him. That kind of forms the crux of his problem he felt he had with God. But it did not mean he stopped trusting God. He just had some serious questions for God he wanted answered. Well, Job 1, 2, 3 again just reminds us that Job was extremely happy, it seems. He was as happy as a human being could be. He had seven sons and three daughters. We'd say he had many arrows in his quiver. He was happy. He had great possessions of livestock, as you can read there. And, of course, he had a huge household, meaning he had many servants. He had a big place, a big spread, as we might say in Texas. And he was very blessed. And it says in verse 3 that he was the greatest of all the people of the East. And some commentary suggests he might even have been a chieftain or king of sorts.

God loved Job very much. And God knew of Job's loyalty and faithfulness to him. And, again, Job apparently never learned that God allowed Satan to prove that Job was and would remain faithful to God. God knew he could handle it. That's why he allowed the test. And, of course, we know continuing on in chapter 1, verses 6-20, Job lost all his property. He lost all his children. And then he lost his health. He was struck, we're told, let's see, chapter 2, verses 7-8. I always read this and I cringe. He lost his health, Job 2, verse 7-8. He was struck with painful boils from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a broken piece of pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. A very unpleasant word picture to imagine. But, again, this was his trial. This was his great affliction. Something else Job lost, which is very painful to him, and sometimes we may not fully appreciate it, Job also lost his reputation. He lost his name, you might say, among the people. One's reputation name is one of our most valuable possessions. Perhaps more valuable than dollars in our bank account, or the car we drive. Let's read about that loss in Job 30, verses 8-11. This, too, is part of his affliction. Job 30, verses 8-11. I'm going to break into the thought. It's rather lengthy discourse he gives on how people have turned on him. In verse 8, he's breaking into the thought. He's describing the most despised people in their society of the time, the lowliest of the low, are now ridiculing him. He's even below them, it seems. Job says in verse 8, These people were sons of fools. They are, yes, sons of vile men. They were scourged from the land. And now I am their taunting song. Yes, I am their byword. They're a target of ridicule. They abhor me. Now they seem to be speaking not just to them, but maybe even more people, many people he knew. They abhor me. They keep far from me. They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

Because, why? Because he, God, in Job's estimate, has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me. They have cast off restraint before me. And so he's under attack verbally. It kind of reminds me of what we read about David, people saying things about him. In all appearances, it seems that God has cursed him. So Job, if you remember, now has become an easy target for everybody in society. Because obviously God hates him, so we can hate him too. But that's not the way God works. People are wrong about that. So his loss of reputation, I just want to point here, obviously is another painful aspect of the suffering he went through. And of course, we know what it's like to people wrongly accuse us of things. We know that is part of our affliction at times too. Now, though Job would accuse God of wronging him, even of being unjust, Job never stopped trusting God. That's a very important point. And he revealed his unwavering faith in God and in the resurrection with his words in Job 19, verse 25-26. If you turn with me to those words, it's very important to read that. Job 19, verse 25-26. Again, this is evidence of his commitment, his continued faithfulness to God. Job 19, 25-26, Job writes, speaks, written, I shall see God. Now, I'd like to add a note here that this line in particular, the second line of verse 26, is one of the most highly debated lines in Scripture. The Hebrew is very obscure, and people go back and forth with what it means. According to Expositor's Bible commentary, this final line of verse 26, the Hebrew can mean two things. It can either mean, in the flesh, meaning that in my flesh I shall see God, or it can also mean, apart from my flesh, I shall see God. So it could be referring to a physical resurrection, to a physical body, or a resurrection to a spiritual body. But isn't it interesting? Just me thinking, isn't it interesting that that's one of the most debated lines in Scripture, in confusion, because of the ambiguity of the Hebrew? The good news is, either way, we'll find out which is right one day. I hope, I pray. Either way, Job believed and fully expected to see God via a resurrection. He had faith, even in his misery. Now God allowed Job to suffer a long time, but then he fulfilled Job's wish and faced Job. Job wanted to meet God and have a conversation. He wanted to confront God about, why are you doing this to me? That's not the way it went. Of course, God was very loving and patient with Job. He did mate with Job, face to face, as it were, from the midst of a storm. From the midst of a terrible storm. And then, after God patiently and lovingly, because he could have just zotted Job with a lightning bolt, of course, he was very patient and loving with Job, and he revealed to Job his sovereignty. He showed Job that he was sovereign over the entire universe, and that Job had no idea what God created. No idea what forces God had sent into motion that God was still controlling and fully aware of. And he revealed to Job who and what God is and what God does.

And Job came to see that all he had, his very existence, all those good things, even his terrible hardship, even his terrible hardship and his misery, came from God and was all good and according to God's righteous and merciful will and judgment. He came to see even his affliction from God, allowed by God, was good. And so then, let's look at Job 42. Job's response, he recognizes these things. It is a commitment of his faith.

In revealing how he has matured spiritually, he understands what he did not understand before. Job 42, verses 1-6, he's famous lines. Job repented, to put it simply. He repented. And then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do everything. That's quite a statement. You can do everything. And that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. You can do whatever you will. Verse 3, you asked, who is this who hides counsel without knowledge? And Job admits, therefore I have uttered what I did not understand. I uttered things that were too wonderful. I did not understand things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen. Please. Hope we use that in our prayers to God. Please, and let me speak. You said I will question you and you shall answer me. Job says, I have heard of you by the hearing of the year, but now my eye sees you.

He understands what he didn't know before. Therefore I abhor myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.

And we get the sense that with that, Job was content. He was at peace with God. He knew that God was in control, and God was righteous, and what was going on was according to God's will. That was good enough for him. No more to be said about it in Job's mind. But as we know, the book concludes with God's gracious blessing upon Job. It's not that Job earned this blessing. God gave it to him. After all of his terrible suffering, while yet remaining faithful to God, Job arises from his misery, a far wiser and more reverent man towards God. God richly blesses him with greater riches than he had ever had before, with greater esteem of family and friends, and with even more beautiful children. For God's children are always a blessing, and he made sure that Job was blessed with children.

The point we can take from this example of patients Job learned, Job's example reminds us that no matter what happens to us, no matter what happens to us, no matter how much we suffer, we must persevere in trusting God while we wait God's resolution for our problems. Waiting like David said, keep waiting on the Lord. Let God resolve our problems. And whether in this age or in the next, we must never doubt that God will bless us for our faithfulness to him. It's a huge lesson. God will bless us now or later, but God will bless us for our faithfulness. Finally, I'd like for us to consider a final example of patients suffering, in this case, the patient suffering of Naomi in the book of Ruth. Let's turn back to the book of Ruth. We're going to spend some time there. I'm going to spend a little more time in Ruth. I find it appropriate to go to Ruth. The book of Ruth is traditionally read in synagogues on the Feast of Weeks in Pentecost. Ruth is right behind Judges. I'm looking for it. It's right behind Judges. There you go.

What we'll find is that Naomi's example reminds us that the rewards for being faithful to God can take a long time to appear. And they often appear in ways we might never expect. God's resolution of our grief and our afflictions may take a long time to appear to come and in ways we might never expect.

Now, the book of Ruth begins, interestingly. I know we typically spend a lot of time talking about Ruth and Boaz and its spiritually rich meaning, with reference to marriage and reflecting the relationship between Boaz being a type of Christ and Ruth, the church. We see that. There's also references to the kinsmen, Redeemer, which has connections to what Christ has done for us as our kinsmen in redeeming us from death. But I want to focus on Naomi.

The book begins with what we might call a litany of Naomi's dashed hopes and hardship. Let's read what it says, Ruth 1, verses 1-5. Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that's the time setting, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Benjamin, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elemilech. The name of his wife was Naomi. And the names of his two sons were Maklon and Killion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem and Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. Then, Elemilech and Naomi's husband died. And she was left and her two sons.

Now they took wives of the women of Moab. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the other, Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Maklon and Killion also died.

So the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Now we may oftentimes just kind of gloss over that, but today I want to focus. What we see here is that Naomi's hopes have been crushed and turned to ashes. Several times over, it seems. Hoping to escape hardship of famine and death, Naomi had fled her home with her family for what they hoped would be a better life in a foreign land, the land of Moab. When her husband unexpectedly died, she became a widow with two sons to support.

Her hopes would have revived when her sons married, and she surely hoped for grandchildren. What mom and dad of married children don't hope for grandchildren. But her two sons also died rather suddenly, it seems, and without children. So now Naomi was alone with her daughters-in-law, and we can imagine she was very sorrowful with ruined expectations. She was afflicted. But when Naomi hears news that the famine and death in them had ended, that God was providing bread to the people, she made a determination to go back home, to return to her home. She wanted her sons' wives to return to her parents. We know the story. But she likely knew the hardships that they would face. You see, they would be widows and foreigners in Israel.

You might say they didn't have a very good social welfare system. They would have it hard as widows and foreigners in Israel.

So then, it seems, she changed her mind and encouraged them to return back to their families to stay in their own land, their own culture. But contrary to Naomi's wish, Ruth stayed with her. Orpah turned back, but Ruth remained by her side. We see this famous pledge she made, and we just have to read it. Verse 16-17, verse 1, Ruth told Naomi, In treat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you. For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. And your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Perhaps part of her wanting to go with Naomi was because she believed in God. She had learned of God. She wanted to remain with God. Where you die, I will die. And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, she uses God's name as part of her pledge. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.

And if she wore a hat, she would have pulled her hat down snug, and she would have started walking. I don't know. That's not in this word picture. It's in mine.

Naomi didn't know, interestingly, though, when you think about it, Naomi at this time did not know that Ruth's determination to stay with her would become an incredibly great blessing for her. She thought, quite possibly, Ruth is being obstinate. She won't do what I say. Fine. Follow me. She didn't recognize this was going to be part of a great blessing for her. She couldn't see that. In fact, let's look at verses 19 through 21. No, but Naomi said about herself. This is her own description of herself. Verse 19, Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem, and it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them. And all the women said, is this Naomi? But she said to them, here's how she describes herself, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi? Since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me. Naomi means pleasant, or he might even say blessed. Mara means bitter.

Naomi only saw the loss that God had allowed to her. She was empty. She was widowed, childless, poor, and without hope. And although Naomi doesn't seem to be accusing God of injustice, like Job did, she reveals her belief that she must have caused God's displeasure because of the obvious calamity she has experienced over these recent years. And like Job was, she was for now extremely bitter and unhappy. But we know the rest of the story. God is going to be very gracious to her. So she thought she was accursed.

While she thought she was accursed and terribly afflicted, God was actually closely involved in bringing about a blessing in Naomi's life. Isn't that interesting? Now we know the rest part of the story. Ruth goes out to glean grain in the fields. She actually asked her mother-in-law for permission because she's the older lady, and Naomi says, Go! And so she goes out to glean grain, pick up the bits and pieces from off the ground, and she just happened, mind you, to find herself in the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi's husband. Of all the fields she could have gone to. Let's look at Ruth 2, verses 3-4.

Ruth left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless you. And so we get a sight here, an indication that he was a godly person. And we learn elsewhere that Boaz was very wealthy, and indeed he was a man who feared God. And then he goes out of his way to be a benefactor to Ruth and Naomi. He even directs Ruth to glean only in his field, his field, and to stay close to his women, the idea that they'll help keep her safe. And he even commanded his young men not to touch her. As a foreign woman, a young lady, young men, she might have been easily abused by these young men. Such treatment of a foreigner was extremely unusual. We get a sense of that if you look in verse 10 through 12. Look how Ruth reacts. So Ruth fell on her face, bowed to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner? And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully reported to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother in the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work in a full reward, be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. She has sought God, and God has taken care of her. And Boaz recognizes something special going on in her life. He blessed Ruth for her self-sacrificing loyalty to Naomi, and her willing obedience to the God of Israel.

Now, back to Naomi. Later, when Ruth shows Naomi this huge amount of grain, obviously they have been giving her extra grain while she was gleaning, she shows Naomi all this grain she's gleaning pretty good for one day. She tells her how she just only gleaned in the field of Boaz. Naomi immediately recognized that this had to be the work of God. Look at verse 20 now. Then Naomi said to a daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living and the dead. Apparently, referring to her dead husband and sons, her family. Naomi said to her, This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.

What Naomi seems to, we read between the lines, and what she seems to understand, she suddenly realizes, this is not just happenstance. Things like this just don't happen. God is involved. It seems she suddenly recognizes God has not cursed her. God has not changed his relationship with her somehow. God was surely accomplishing something good in their lives. Now, with renewed vigor, Naomi trusted God to see them through. Specifically, God will allow Boaz, their close relative, which is actually translated in other places, as kinsmen redeemer. It's the word go'al, G-A-A-L. If you want to do a wonderful Bible study, study the kinsmen redeemer in the book of Ruth. Your knowledge will be greatly enriched. That's not a homework assignment, but something you might want to do. What she's praying for now is that Boaz will fulfill the role as Ruth's kinsmen redeemer. He would be the one to fulfill the duty of preserving the name of the dead by marrying Ruth. That's how exposers, Bible commentary explains it. If you want to learn more, I'll give you a reference you can study on your own. This is a marriage law that's described in Deuteronomy 25 verses 5-6. In a few other verses there. But Deuteronomy 25-5-6, you can look that up. Continuing on. So then, out of love and concern for Ruth's future well-being, Naomi gets really busy. She gets busy helping Ruth do all she can to secure a home for herself. How is a woman back in that time going to secure a home for herself and security and safety? Marriage. You either stay with dad, more or less, or you get married. Or stay in dad's family.

Naomi loves Ruth. Naomi wants Ruth to be married. So Naomi gets busy helping her be prepared to do all she can to see if she might be married to Boaz. Look at Ruth now, chapter 3 verse 1. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Security means a safety, a home, a place to rest. Naomi tells Ruth, the nice little custom they had, Put on your best clothes, look good, then go lie down at his feet at night.

That was a custom. It's not our custom. But it was a custom back then. It seems odd to our time and culture. By the way, there's no hanky-panky going on. There are some Bible critics out there that say, Oh, they're doing this and that. Absolutely ridiculous. And that's a defense to God and to these people in what they did here. This is a custom that would indicate to Boaz that Ruth wanted him to marry her as the next of kin. It was a custom to indicate to Boaz that Ruth wanted him to marry her as the next of kin. There's no hanky-panky. They are God-fearing people.

And all the other details and suspense of what happened, you can read that on your own. Ultimately, Naomi's hopes for Ruth and Boaz are fulfilled when a nearer close relative declines to act as Ruth's kinsmen redeemer and marry her. So Boaz, then, is free to marry her, and he does. And he does.

So let's turn to Ruth 4. The happy conclusion.

Let's pay attention once more to Naomi.

It begins with Naomi. More or less ends with Naomi. We read Ruth 4, verse 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And when he went into her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative. And may his name be famous in Israel. And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. They're referring to the baby. They're referring to the baby that Naomi now has as part of her life, too. Verse 16. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. A better translation might be guardian. It also means guardian. This grandmother became this baby's guardian.

Also, the neighbor women gave him a name. So they had their own name for him. And they said, there is a son born to Naomi. They recognized this is a very special child for Naomi. They called him Obed, and it means servant or serving.

He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

It seems he was David's grandfather, from what we read here. Naomi had to endure a series of great trials and terrible hardships in her life. Apparently, this extended span of some years, it's hard to know how long, but many years. She thought her life would only be endless bitterness. She thought her life was done. It was all dried up and empty. Yet, though afflicted, she had never given up on God.

And in all God's due time, and according to His will and His plan, God unexpectedly blessed Naomi. In a very wonderful way. God generously restored to Naomi comfort and joy through the strength of Boaz, Ruth's kinsmen redeemer, and through their grandson, which many days redeemed her and gave her joy, gave her life back, that grandson Obed. Naomi was no longer empty. She was no longer childless, no longer poor, no longer without hope. She was no longer Mara. Bitter but Naomi. A very wonderful end to the very wonderful account of these people, Godly people. The point I'd like to make here as we end on Naomi, that final image of Naomi holding her precious grandson upon her chest. I think that should be a very beautiful and touching reminder that God will bless all those who are faithful and who wait in hope on Him. What better picture of God's blessing than a new baby, a new life, in the arms of a person who thought she had no hope left.

So those are all the examples I have to share with you today. There are many more for all of us to study upon and delve into in our studies. But these examples of faithful men and women of old are just a few of the many you'll find preserved for us in Scripture. They're there for our encouragement. They're there for our means of finding comfort. As God does knowingly allow us to practice faithfulness while we must endure our own diverse trials and afflictions in life. There's a beautiful purpose to it all. Though God may allow us to suffer terribly and even far longer than we would really prefer, God does it so that we might, through patient endurance, learn from Him, grow, mature, and become complete spiritually. It's all really astounding when you think about it, isn't it? That God and Jesus Christ who created and sustained this vast universe, and scientists just keep finding more and more out there. They don't find an end, and I don't think they ever will. God and Christ created, sustained this vast universe, yet they care so much about us that they are intimately involved in helping us become like they are. They've got a lot they're doing, but they still look upon little old us. It's very amazing. I say that to comfort and encourage us with what we've read here today. Our part is to remain steadfast with God, keep His commandments and ways, and let patience have its perfect work in us.