The Cross and the Eternal Glory # 34

What We Have Come To

Now I am going to turn you this evening to the little book which goes by the name of Ruth. And in chapter two, at verses 11 and 12 we have this:

"And Boaz answered and said unto her (this is, to Ruth), 'It hath been fully showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother; and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord, the God of Israel, under Whose wings thou art come to take refuge".

Now, only two fragments of two words in those two verses: "art come, thou art come." And I want to say a little this evening about what we have come to. I could wish that you were familiar with the whole of this story of which we have in this tiny book; it would help me a lot if I could be sure of the background of knowledge, but AI am not going to traverse anew the story. You will probably, if you do not already know it, pick it up from what I do say. But I think it might be helpful to those who are not acquainted with it, if I just read again that wonderful passage containing the great decision which this young woman made, Ruth the Moabitess. We have it in chapter one, verses 16 and 17.

"And Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me,and more also, if aught but death part thee and me".

That really does give me the background for what I want to say this evening in connection with what we have come to.

I begin by pointing out how unsuspecting was Ruth of all that to which she was coming by her great decision. How unsuspected was the greatness and the values bound up with that decision. I think it very possible that Ruth did not know of the ban, which rested by God's edict upon her nation, her people, and herself as included therein. For some very good reasons God had pronounced a ban upon the Moabites, and said that a Moabite should not come into the house of the Lord forever. It is probable that Ruth did not know of that ban, that edict, any more than those who are outside of Christ are alive to, or aware of, what a position they are in as under judgment. It is probable that if there are any people here tonight outside of Christ, they would be either amazed or offended if they were told that they lie under the judgment of God. And yet, the Scriptures declare it to be so, that outside of Christ, all are in condemnation. But whether she knew it or not, and whether any such here tonight know it or not, there is the fact.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 35)