5 Until's in the book of Ruth

I'd like to read a few verses from the little book of Ruth. Joshua judges Ruth. The book of Ruth, and we're going to read first of all in chapter one.

The book of Ruth, chapter one, reading verse 19. So the two went until they came to Bethlehem, Judah. And it came to pass when they were come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about them.

And they said, or the woman said, is this Nehemiah? Now chapter two. Ruth chapter two, verse seven. And she said, I pray thee, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.

So she came and hath continued even from morning until now that she tarried a little in the house. She had a coffee break. Chapter three, verse 14.

And she lay at his feet until the morning and she rose up before one could know another. For he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. Now the last verse of the chapter, chapter three.

Then said she, sit still my daughter until they know how the matter will fall. For the man will not be in rest until he has finished the thing this day. The Lord has promised to bless you.

Reading from his good word. Now what we're going to consider very simply this afternoon, we're going to consider some of the untells of the little book of Ruth. We have read four verses and we're going to notice five things, five untells in the little book of Ruth.

The first one we're going to consider in chapter one is this. We're going to think of the untell of companionship. That's the first thing we're going to consider.

I bet it perhaps should give you the five. The second thing we're going to consider from Ruth chapter one is this. We're going to think of the untell of conversion and we're going to notice conversion in a twofold way.

We're going to notice the conversion of a sinner and then we'll notice the conversion of a backslider. Then we'll come to chapter two and we're going to notice the untell of consistency. She hath continued from morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.

The untell of consistency. Then we'll consider the untell of communion. She lay at his feet until the morning.

We'll think of the untell of communion. And then of course, finally, we'll touch the untell of completeness. The man will not be at rest until he has finished the work this day.

Let's think of those five things very quickly. The untell of companionship. Our brother Murray today read from 2 Kings chapter two.

And I'm thinking of Genesis chapter 22 and I'm thinking of Ruth chapter one when I think of the untell of companionship. Let's think of those three chapters very quickly. What is Genesis chapter 22? It's a father and a son.

You remember Abraham and Isaac? Listen today to Genesis 22. And both of them went together. Now here's a father and a son.

There's a unity. There's a oneness. There's a togetherness.

There's a harmony. And they're going to the place of sacrifice. But it's the togetherness of a father and a son.

I just noticed this when Murray was reading. I was glad he turned to 2 Kings 2. Not now a father and a son. But it's a master and a servant.

And it all depends what college you went to. I say Elijah and Elisha. But did you notice the togetherness? Now notice four things from 2 Kings chapter four.

First of all it says they went down. Secondly it says they stood. Thirdly it says they went over.

Fourthly it says they went on. Now notice the places they touch. They touch Jericho.

And they touch Jordan. And they touch Bethel the house of God. But I want to emphasize this afternoon.

Whether it be a father or a son. Whether it be a master or a servant. There's a oneness.

There's a togetherness. There's a unity marking them. Now let's come to Ruth chapter one.

Here's a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. And it says that they both went on. I want you to notice today from Ruth chapter one that here's a young woman that's tested in a threefold way.

The first thing I want to notice the test is this. There's a pool for home. You remember what Nehemiah said to those two daughter-in-laws? You return to the house of your husband.

You return to your mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. There was a pool for home.

And remember Orpah passed that test. And remember Ruth passed that test. The pool for home.

We will return with thee. So they passed the pool for home. The second test I want you to notice is this.

There's the perplexities of life. You remember what Nehemiah said? She said this. I am too old to have a husband.

If I should have a husband tonight and bear children, would ye tarry until they were grown? And she brings before Orpah and Ruth the perplexities of life. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and returns to her country, returns to her people, returns to her gods. But it says that Ruth clave unto her.

But you know there's another test. Not only is there the pool for home, not only is there the perplexities of life, but there's the pattern of others. You remember what Nehemiah said to Ruth? She said this.

Thy daughter-in-law has returned unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law. Have it listen to what it says about Ruth.

I want you to notice the choice she makes. I'm not going to follow the pattern of Orpah. I'm going to return with thee.

I'm going to follow the pattern that thou has given me. I love to think of the words of Ruth. Listen this afternoon to them.

Where thou goest, I will go. The path that your feet moves in, that's the path my feet are going to move in. Where thou goest, I will go.

Secondly, where thou lodgest, I will lodge. The place where you rest at night, the place where you sleep at night, that's the place where I'll lodge. Thy people shall be my people.

The people you keep company with, the people you fellowship with, I'll fellowship with. And then she says those lovely words. Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.

The God that you worship, the God that you adore, the God that you praise, the God that you serve is the God that I'm going to serve. And then we read those lovely words. When Nehemiah saw that Ruth was steadfastly minded, she left off speaking unto her.

So remember in Ruth chapter 1, the untell of companionship. Nehemiah and Ruth, they go together and they return to Bethlehem, Judah, the house of bread and the house of praise. I'll need to speak about untells later on, time's about gone.

Secondly, the untell of restoration. I want to stop this afternoon and I want to speak to each brother today and I want to speak to each sister today and I want to speak to myself today. Is there not a need for restoration in your life? Is there not a need for restoration in my life? I remember listening to Sandy Higgins.

He once said this, failure with God is never final. Well, I say that again, failure with God is never final. And I tell you, I don't know about you this afternoon, but I tell you I'm thankful for that this afternoon, that failure with God is never final.

Now in the Bible, you read about the conversion of a sinner. And I could see that in Ruth chapter one, listen to two verses from the Bible, except you be converted and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. Listen to another verse in the Bible, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sin might be blotted out.

So remember, there's the untell of conversion in regard to the sinner. But I want to make it very clear this afternoon, there is the untell of conversion in regard to the saint. Listen to what the Lord said to Peter, when thou art converted, when you retrace your steps, when you turn again, strengthen your brethren.

And I wonder if I'm speaking to one today. And you need to be restored. You need to be converted.

Let me ask you a question. When a person backslides, what do they do? Let me ask you another question. What is a backslider? I think I hear someone say, a backslider is a person that's away from the meeting.

And you're absolutely wrong. You read Jeremiah, and you read more about backsliding in Jeremiah than any other book in the Bible. And you read Jeremiah, and you'll discover this, and I want you to notice the order.

They forsook the Lord. That's the first thing. Then they forsook the law.

That's the second thing. And then they forsook the land. That's the third thing.

So they got away from the Lord. But they lost an appetite for the Word of God, and then they forsook the land. I left Scotland in 1965.

Before I left Scotland, my father and I visited a young Christian sister that was keeping company with an unsaved young man. And my father and I sat down and spoke to that young sister. And we brought before her the folly of the path in which she was moving in.

I'll never forget her words. That young sister turned to my father and me and said something like this, don't you think I have any intentions of leaving the assembly? And I believe the young sister was genuine that night. I went back to Scotland about two years after, and I asked about the young sister.

Listen to what I heard. She never comes to the assembly. Now, the night we visited her, she was away from the Lord.

She lost an appetite for the Word of God, and she left the assembly of God's people. Ever notice the little word again in the Bible before I sit down? The little word again. You turn to Genesis 14, listen to what you read.

Abraham brought all the stuff and brought again his brother Lot, the recovery of a brother. You go to Judges chapter 16, you read a verse like this, and the hair of his head that was shaven, it began to grow again, the recovery of a Nazarite. You go to 2 Chronicles chapter 19, and you read a verse like this, Jehoshaphat went out again among the people, the recovery of a king.

When I come to Ruth chapter 1, I went out full, but the Lord has brought me home again empty, the recovery of a sister. Failure with God is never final. Our God is a God of recovery.