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Sermons PREACHED BY JOHN GAINES |
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Can Your Mother-in-Law Teach You Anything?
1. I don't know if there is such a day as Mothers-in-law Day. If there isn't, there should be. The question asked by the title of this lesson is rhetorical . . . there are many things we can learn from our mothers-in-law.
2. Some of the best teaching is always done by example. I've been blessed with two fine Christian women as mothers-in-law during my life. Mary Goff taught me by her example the power of persistence. The word "impossible" isn't in that lady's vocabulary. Whether it meant graduating from high school when in her 40s, almost single-handedly raising money for a senior citizens center, a fire station, and a city park in the little Tennessee town where she lives, or recovering to walk again after breaking her neck in a fall down a stairway, she refused to let any obstacle hold her back. Now as age and infirmity take their toll, she rarely leaves her home . . . except to go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Hazel Holden is newer to the role of being my mother-in-law. I've come to appreciate her for the steel beneath the velvet. Underneath a quiet and meek demeanor, she has a reservoir of great strength. Her life has had its share of challenges and she has met them with kindness and resolve.
3. This morning, however, I want to point you to another example of a mother-in-law. Perhaps the best known mother-in-law in the Bible is the Old Testament woman, Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth.
I. LEARNING FROM NAOMI'S AFFLICTION
A. The book of Ruth begins with a sketch of Naomi's life.
1. Famine [Ruth 1:1a (NKJV) Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.]
2. Sojourning [Ruth 1:1-2 (NKJV) Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.] Naomi lived in Moab for ten years . . . but she finally decided that she would return home to Judah.
3. Widowhood [Ruth 1:3a (NKJV) Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. . . .]
4. Single parenthood [Ruth 1:3b (NKJV) . . . and she was left, and her two sons.]
5. Death of both sons [Ruth 1:4-5 (NKJV) Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.] The New American Standard describes here as "bereft of her two children and her husband" [Ruth 1:5]
B. The name Naomi means "pleasant" but she had more than her share of unpleasantness in her life.
II. LEARNING FROM NAOMI'S INFLUENCE
A. Something about Naomi made a powerful impression on her daughter-in-law Ruth. When Naomi decided to go back to Bethlehem, Ruth was determined to go with her. This led to Ruth's impassioned plea recorded in Ruth 1:16-17 (NKJV) But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever 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 will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
B. Ruth was willing to give up her people so she could be with Naomi.
1. Willing to leave her homeland.
2. Willing to become part of another people -- this decision eventually incorporated Ruth into the ancestry of Jesus [Matthew 1:5].
3. Willing to worship the God of Israel.
4. Ruth's commitment to her mother-in-law was intended to last for life.
III. LEARNING FROM NAOMI'S WEAKNESS
A. Naomi experienced doubts about God's providing for her.
1. She told her daughters-in-law that . . . the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!" [Ruth 1:13 (NKJV)]
2. Naomi demonstrated that she felt bitterness for her life. After returning to Bethlehem, she told the people who recognized her, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 "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?" [Ruth 1:20-21 (NKJV)]
B. God does not CAUSE bad things to happen.
1. We are not told the cause of the famine which originally caused Naomi and her husband to leave Judah.
2. Furthermore, Naomi's husband Elimelech made the decision to leave home and go to Moab. Perhaps much of the calamity which had befallen Naomi would have been avoided if they had stayed home.
3. All people make choices in their lives and sometimes those choices turn out not to be wise ones. It is not fair to blame God for our mistakes or for the evil deeds of others.
C. Naomi's attitude is a very human emotion and she expressed it honestly. In spite of her resentment at the course her life had taken, she still believed in God and served Him.
IV. APPLYING WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM NAOMI
A. Faith does not isolate us from the harsh realities of life. Faith does insulate us so that those afflictions can be endured. In the end, Ruth and Naomi are blessed. Ruth married Boaz and became the mother of Obed. . . grandfather of King David and ancestor of Jesus Christ. Naomi was the child's nurse [Ruth 4:16]. The women of Bethlehem reminded Naomi of her blessing -- Ruth 4:14-15 (NKJV) 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! 15 "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." .
CONCLUSION
Copyright ©2001 by John Gaines. May be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided this notice accompanies any use.
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