God is Greater than My Sorrow

Today’s Message: God is Greater than My Sorrow (Naomi’s Story)

• Main Idea: God’s redeeming love sustains us in times of sorrow.

Naomi and Ruth (The Book of Ruth)

• Naomi — The “female Job” of the Bible. Lost everything, suffered greatly.
• Despite the pain, God is still at work in their lives, often times behind the scenes, to sustain them in their time of sorrow.
• Famine to Fullness — Ruth and Naomi’s sorrow turns into joy by the end of the story.

Ruth Chapter 1

• Famine forces Naomi’s family to flee to Moab. Her husband and sons die, leaving her with only her (Moabite) daughters-in-law.
• Ruth famously pledges to stay with Naomi when she decides to return to Israel.
• Naomi hits rock bottom upon her return.

Naomi’s Sorrow at the End of Chapter 1:

• Don’t call me Naomi ( which means “pleasant”). Call me Mara (which means “bitter”).

The Tension Between What We Know and How Life Feels

• What we know: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)
• What Life Can Feel Like: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2, NIV)

Psalms of Lament (like Psalm 13) are the most common genre of Psalms in the Bible. People who know God and love God still wrestle with why God would allow such terrible things to happen to good people.

• The rest of the Book of Ruth demonstrates how God is hard at work in our lives to give us the strength and comfort we need in times of sorrow.

Ruth Chapter 2

• Ruth and Naomi solve the immediate crisis (food) by sending Ruth to glean in the fields.
• She meets Boaz, who offers her a warm welcome, a prayerful blessing, and a generous amount of food. Ruth recognizes this as an act of grace (“favor“, 2:10).
• Naomi identifies Boaz as their family’s redeemer (someone who pays a high price to rescue their family from trouble).
• Boaz’s “kindness” (2:20) is the same word as God’s steadfast love (Exodus 34:6).
• Key Principle: God sustains us in the valley by sending us the right people, at the right time, to bless us on our journey.

Ruth Chapter 3

• Ruth and Naomi try to solve their long-term problem by getting Boaz to formally redeem them (through marriage).
• Boaz agrees, as long as a family member closer to Naomi does not object.

Ruth Chapter 4

• Boaz and Ruth are married at the town gate and blessed by the elders.
• God blesses Boaz and Ruth with a son, Obed, who is legally the heir of Naomi.
• Obed becomes the grandfather of King David.
• God reverses the fortunes of these two widows who lost everything.

Unexpected Blessings

• Naomi and Ruth’s suffering ended up leading to King David (Ruth’s great-grandson), and eventually Jesus.
• God is at work even in our darkest moments to bring unexpected blessings to light.
• The woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy (Matthew 1) prove this point — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. God was at work in the brokenness of their lives to bring our savior Jesus into the world.

Closing Passage: Psalm 13:5-6

Study & Reflection:

1. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. What does this passage teach us about the role other men and women of faith play in our lives?
2. What are some of the ways that Ruth and Boaz reflect the main principle(s) from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12?
3. Who are some of the people God has placed in your life that have helped you through difficult seasons?
4. In the book of Ruth, Boaz is described as demonstrating several of God’s character traits or actions (e.g. grace, kindness, and redemption). What are some specific ways you can demonstrate God’s heart to the people he has put in your life?
5. One of the more popular commentaries on the book of Ruth is titled “The Gospel of Ruth.” In what way(s) does Ruth point ahead to the Gospel message of Jesus and the cross?
6. Naomi and Ruth’s painful experience of grief eventually led to King David (and much later, Jesus). In hindsight, have you ever seen God bring about an unexpected blessing from a time of sorrow?
7. Bryan mentioned that Psalms of lament (like Psalm 13) are the most common type of Psalm in the Bible. Why do you think God is so intentional about inviting us to pour out our raw emotions to him in prayer? After thinking about that question, read 1 Peter 5:7.
8. What has helped you navigate grief, sorrow, or painful experiences as a Christian? How can we do a better job of being there for our brothers and sisters who are experiencing grief?

Helpful Resources:

• “Helping Someone Deal with Grief” from Focus on the Family: tinyurl.com/SWGrief
• “The Stages of Grief as a Christian: Finding Healing and Faith” from True Hope Christian Counseling. tinyurl.com/SWStagesOfGrief