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The following is a condensed version of a Prophetic Message delivered by Pastor/Prophetess Sandra Diehl Moore to Prophetic Revival Center.
THE STORY OF NAOMI
RUTH 1:1-5… “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 Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.” And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband."
Naomi really felt like she had been dealt a bitter hand. During that time under the Old Covenant if you transgressed the law in any way it would shorten your life. God said, “If you will obey Me, if you will keep My commandments your life is going to be long.” Evidently somewhere along the line Naomi’s husband and two sons transgressed the Law of God and they died.
THE TESTING OF RUTH
“Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. (7) Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. (8) And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.”
Naomi is encouraging her daughters-in-law to actually go back to their home. She was sending them forth in love. She said, “The Lord deal kindly with you because you have dealt kindly with me.” God stopped me there. He said, “If you will be kind and if you will deal kindly with people and do the right thing it is going to come back to you.” In other words, what you sow you are going to reap. I want to sow good things. I want to sow the blessings of God that makes rich and adds no sorrow. I don’t want to sow contention, division, strife and things that are unlike God. For whatsoever you sow, you shall reap.
He that comes and gives a cup of cold water to the Prophet shall receive a Prophet’s reward. God will not forget your labor of love. He will not forget your heart of kindness. He sits high and He looks low. He knows every motive of your heart. If your motive is wrong and you are trying to play games with God, He knows that, but if your heart is pure and your motive is pure He is going to bless you and He is going to give you the blessing of what you sow. It will come back to you, but if you sow the wrong thing the wrong thing is coming back to you.
RUTH 1:9)…. “The LORD grant you that ye may find rest…” “…Each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.” She is blessing them, because they have been a blessing to her.
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN ORPAH & RUTH
Ruth 1:10)… “And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.”
Now, she’s telling them again. She didn’t stop at one time, but she is encouraging them again.
RUTH 1:11)… “And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? (12) Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; (13) Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me, (14)… “And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. (15)… “And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16And Ruth said, Entreat me, (16)… “ And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: “
What Ruth was saying when she said, “Entreat me…” is: “Don’t be against me.” Ruth was saying, “I am not your enemy. I promise you Naomi; if I go with you I’m not going to be a hindrance to you. I’m not going to be an upset to you. I’m not going to be a drain on you. If I go, I am going to help you.”
“Whiter thou goest, I will go.” Ruth was saying to Naomi, “Wherever you go, I’m going to go. I’m willing to sacrifice my family. I’m willing to give up everything just to follow you. I am willing to sacrifice whatever needs to be sacrificed.”
Naomi really didn’t want them to go back because if they went back it may mean that they would serve another god. That is exactly what happened to Orpah. She went back and she ended up serving another god, but Ruth said, “I know your God. I see your God in you and I’m going to follow you wherever you go. Wherever you go, I am going to go with you. If you go to another country I am going to go with you. I am willing to give up home, lands, and relationships with my friends and with my family. I am willing to come out of my comfort zone. I am willing to go to another country that I am not comfortable in just to be with you because I love you. She showed her love, not only for Naomi, but also for God….. Jehovah God.
Ruth was very loyal. She said, “I will go wherever you go.” Then she said, “Where you lodge I will lodge.” In other words, she said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a mansion or if you just have a plain little house, or even if you had to do like Jacob did and find a pillow of rocks to lay his head on. Wherever you go I am going to go!” Ruth knew how important right relationships are. She knew that her future destiny and her inheritance were locked up inside of Naomi.
“Where you lodge I will lodge. Where you go, I will go. Thy people will be my people.” In other words, I will conform to them. I will go. I will leave my people and go to a strange land and a strange people. I will be concerned for their welfare I will go because the people that you love I am going to conform to. I will be able to adjust and maneuver and I will humble myself. It is not about me. It is all about what God sent me to do. When I humble myself and I don’t try to exalt myself, God will exalt me in due season and I will receive my inheritance. Ruth had a revelation that was beyond her years and her circumstance.
Ruth 1:17)… “Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”
Ruth said, “I’m willing to go with you to the end of life. I’m willing to be buried in the same grave so that bone can touch bone. The Lord do so to me and more also if but death part thee and me!”
NAOMI & RUTH’S JOURNEY TO RESTORATION
Ruth1:18)… “ When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”
When she saw! In other words, she really is saying, “When she saw her commitment. When she saw her dedication. When she saw her heart. When she saw her real true motive, then she gave her permission to come with her. Naomi gave her permission to go with her because she knew that she wasn’t going to be a drain and a strain. She knew that her heart was truly to love Naomi. Which meant, to pour into Naomi, not to pull out of her and drain her. When she saw, she gave her permission to go with her and the two of them went.
Ruth 2:1… “And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.”
“What is a kinsman redeemer?” It means the next of kin and therefore, the one to buy back a relative’s property and marry his widow.
Ruth 2:11) And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. (12) The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. (13) Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.”
If you read the step-by-step account of this story, you will see that as Ruth submitted and heeded to the instruction of the older woman Naomi, everything and more was added to her. Naomi granted her the right and the claim of the Kinsman Redeemer. Boaz sees that Ruth is willing to walk by faith and not by sight. He sees that Ruth has followed after Naomi. He sees the sacrifices that she has made and so now, God is honoring her. God is getting ready to really bless her exceedingly, abundantly above all that she could ask or think of. She had the right motive. She was willing. She gave up everything. So now, God is going to give back to her.
Boaz is now recognizing Ruth’s claim to kinsman redemption. Chapter 4, Ruth begins to wait for this Kinsman Redeemer. Look at this….
Ruth 4:13)… “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age:”
What is a restorer? Restore means to repay. It means to get back the things that you have lost.
He not only was a restorer, but He was a nourisher. A nourisher is one who provides sustenance. He provides what is needed to sustain you in your everyday life.
This son that was born, was in the very lineage of Jesus.
Ruth 4:15… “for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.”
I love that…..Not only did Ruth receive her inheritance and was blessed of God, but Naomi in her older age had everything restored to her that she had lost. The blessing of Ruth came because of her faithful obedience and her loyalty. In the end because of Ruth’s obedience to Naomi, not only was she rewarded and blessed, but also her Mentor - Naomi was blessed because of her love, loyalty and willingness to take Ruth with her.
If you would like an audio of this message in its entirety please click the button below.
THE STORY OF NAOMI
RUTH 1:1-5… “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 Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.” And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband."
Naomi really felt like she had been dealt a bitter hand. During that time under the Old Covenant if you transgressed the law in any way it would shorten your life. God said, “If you will obey Me, if you will keep My commandments your life is going to be long.” Evidently somewhere along the line Naomi’s husband and two sons transgressed the Law of God and they died.
THE TESTING OF RUTH
“Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. (7) Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. (8) And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.”
Naomi is encouraging her daughters-in-law to actually go back to their home. She was sending them forth in love. She said, “The Lord deal kindly with you because you have dealt kindly with me.” God stopped me there. He said, “If you will be kind and if you will deal kindly with people and do the right thing it is going to come back to you.” In other words, what you sow you are going to reap. I want to sow good things. I want to sow the blessings of God that makes rich and adds no sorrow. I don’t want to sow contention, division, strife and things that are unlike God. For whatsoever you sow, you shall reap.
He that comes and gives a cup of cold water to the Prophet shall receive a Prophet’s reward. God will not forget your labor of love. He will not forget your heart of kindness. He sits high and He looks low. He knows every motive of your heart. If your motive is wrong and you are trying to play games with God, He knows that, but if your heart is pure and your motive is pure He is going to bless you and He is going to give you the blessing of what you sow. It will come back to you, but if you sow the wrong thing the wrong thing is coming back to you.
RUTH 1:9)…. “The LORD grant you that ye may find rest…” “…Each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.” She is blessing them, because they have been a blessing to her.
THE CONTRAST BETWEEN ORPAH & RUTH
Ruth 1:10)… “And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.”
Now, she’s telling them again. She didn’t stop at one time, but she is encouraging them again.
RUTH 1:11)… “And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? (12) Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; (13) Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me, (14)… “And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. (15)… “And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16And Ruth said, Entreat me, (16)… “ And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: “
What Ruth was saying when she said, “Entreat me…” is: “Don’t be against me.” Ruth was saying, “I am not your enemy. I promise you Naomi; if I go with you I’m not going to be a hindrance to you. I’m not going to be an upset to you. I’m not going to be a drain on you. If I go, I am going to help you.”
“Whiter thou goest, I will go.” Ruth was saying to Naomi, “Wherever you go, I’m going to go. I’m willing to sacrifice my family. I’m willing to give up everything just to follow you. I am willing to sacrifice whatever needs to be sacrificed.”
Naomi really didn’t want them to go back because if they went back it may mean that they would serve another god. That is exactly what happened to Orpah. She went back and she ended up serving another god, but Ruth said, “I know your God. I see your God in you and I’m going to follow you wherever you go. Wherever you go, I am going to go with you. If you go to another country I am going to go with you. I am willing to give up home, lands, and relationships with my friends and with my family. I am willing to come out of my comfort zone. I am willing to go to another country that I am not comfortable in just to be with you because I love you. She showed her love, not only for Naomi, but also for God….. Jehovah God.
Ruth was very loyal. She said, “I will go wherever you go.” Then she said, “Where you lodge I will lodge.” In other words, she said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a mansion or if you just have a plain little house, or even if you had to do like Jacob did and find a pillow of rocks to lay his head on. Wherever you go I am going to go!” Ruth knew how important right relationships are. She knew that her future destiny and her inheritance were locked up inside of Naomi.
“Where you lodge I will lodge. Where you go, I will go. Thy people will be my people.” In other words, I will conform to them. I will go. I will leave my people and go to a strange land and a strange people. I will be concerned for their welfare I will go because the people that you love I am going to conform to. I will be able to adjust and maneuver and I will humble myself. It is not about me. It is all about what God sent me to do. When I humble myself and I don’t try to exalt myself, God will exalt me in due season and I will receive my inheritance. Ruth had a revelation that was beyond her years and her circumstance.
Ruth 1:17)… “Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”
Ruth said, “I’m willing to go with you to the end of life. I’m willing to be buried in the same grave so that bone can touch bone. The Lord do so to me and more also if but death part thee and me!”
NAOMI & RUTH’S JOURNEY TO RESTORATION
Ruth1:18)… “ When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”
When she saw! In other words, she really is saying, “When she saw her commitment. When she saw her dedication. When she saw her heart. When she saw her real true motive, then she gave her permission to come with her. Naomi gave her permission to go with her because she knew that she wasn’t going to be a drain and a strain. She knew that her heart was truly to love Naomi. Which meant, to pour into Naomi, not to pull out of her and drain her. When she saw, she gave her permission to go with her and the two of them went.
Ruth 2:1… “And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.”
“What is a kinsman redeemer?” It means the next of kin and therefore, the one to buy back a relative’s property and marry his widow.
Ruth 2:11) And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. (12) The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. (13) Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.”
If you read the step-by-step account of this story, you will see that as Ruth submitted and heeded to the instruction of the older woman Naomi, everything and more was added to her. Naomi granted her the right and the claim of the Kinsman Redeemer. Boaz sees that Ruth is willing to walk by faith and not by sight. He sees that Ruth has followed after Naomi. He sees the sacrifices that she has made and so now, God is honoring her. God is getting ready to really bless her exceedingly, abundantly above all that she could ask or think of. She had the right motive. She was willing. She gave up everything. So now, God is going to give back to her.
Boaz is now recognizing Ruth’s claim to kinsman redemption. Chapter 4, Ruth begins to wait for this Kinsman Redeemer. Look at this….
Ruth 4:13)… “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age:”
What is a restorer? Restore means to repay. It means to get back the things that you have lost.
He not only was a restorer, but He was a nourisher. A nourisher is one who provides sustenance. He provides what is needed to sustain you in your everyday life.
This son that was born, was in the very lineage of Jesus.
Ruth 4:15… “for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.”
I love that…..Not only did Ruth receive her inheritance and was blessed of God, but Naomi in her older age had everything restored to her that she had lost. The blessing of Ruth came because of her faithful obedience and her loyalty. In the end because of Ruth’s obedience to Naomi, not only was she rewarded and blessed, but also her Mentor - Naomi was blessed because of her love, loyalty and willingness to take Ruth with her.
If you would like an audio of this message in its entirety please click the button below.