Keith Battle - The Lessons of Ruth

I want to use the subject of today’s lessons from Ruth again. This will not be exhaustive; this is more of a teaser. The first thing that jumped out at me, which I think has practical implications, is that verse 1 gives us the timing of this story. It says it was in those days, in the days when judges ruled in Israel. That’s a very important point because if you go back, if you have a physical copy of the Bible, and look at the verse right before Ruth chapter 1, verse 1, that verse is in the book right before it, called the book of Judges. If you look at Judges chapter 21, verse 25, it provides the timing of the story of Ruth. It says, «In those days, Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.» I want you to hear that: «In those days, Israel had no king,» and so all the people did what was right in their own eyes. That is the context and the period of time in which this story takes place—it occurs during a time when people are doing their own thing, doing whatever seems right in their own eyes. That’s the time of the book of Ruth. It is important to understand that.

The first thing it makes me think of is: what is it like to live a kingless life, a life without authority, a life without a king, a life in a culture where we do whatever we want, whatever feels good? It’s «to each his own,» «have it your way,» «don’t knock my thing, and I won’t knock yours.» This is called moral relativism, where people just do whatever they want to do. That is what is going on in Israel.

Now here’s the deal: it’s not that Israel didn’t have a king; God was their king. He was the King of Kings, and rightly so. However, they didn’t have a democracy, and they didn’t have a theocracy, which is what God intended for them. God had delivered them time after time—He loved them, provided for them, and made ways for them over and over again. But though God was in a position to be king, was prepared to be king, and was willing to be their king, their philosophy was, «We have no king; we do whatever we want, whatever seems right to us.»

I wonder— and I don’t want to get too deep into your business—are you living a kingless life? You know what that means: it means you run the show in your life; you are your own boss. You use God —we talk about, «God, use me.» Many people ask God to use them, but you use God when you live a kingless life; you live a kingdom life. You use God; it’s like you hire God—He’s like a part-time staff member who doesn’t get paid but is there for protection and provision as needed. He’s not there to be providential and in control; He’s just there to watch your back, look out for you, and make a way for you. It’s like asking Him for this job, that job, or anything else. That’s not a king.

Now, that doesn’t mean you’re not saved or that you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, but there’s a big difference between Him being your Savior and Him being your Lord. Who’s your king? Because see, when you have a king, we can sing, «He’s my king,» and say, «He’s my king,» but His kingship shows up in your decisions and behavior. If He’s truly my king, then I don’t get to do whatever I want. If He’s truly my king, then I tend to acquiesce my will and submit my will, my flesh, my desires, and my wishes to Him because He’s king.

I’m asking you today: have you lived the kingdom life, and what is it like to do that? This is very significant because you have to understand that when the Bible says there was a severe famine that hit the land, the man who moved his family—y’all—his name is Elimelech. Do you know what Elimelech means? The name Elimelech means «God is king.» So here he is, and his name means «God is king,» but he’s living in an environment, in a context, where they say, «We have no king.» His name should have reminded them that they live under a theocracy, that God is their king, their ruler, and sovereign over them, but it didn’t work. He had that name, but he wasn’t living in a culture like that, and it seemed to be impacting his behavior and decision-making.

Because when famine hit the land in verse 1, there is not one single indication that he sought God about moving. He is about to relocate his whole family from a place called Bethlehem. To understand the book of Ruth, you’ve got to understand the meanings of terms in the book; it’s very rich in this literary form. So, the word Bethlehem means «the house of bread.»