2746. The Nature And Purpose Of Divine Chastenings

No. 2746-47:457. A Sermon Delivered On A Thursday Evening, In The Autumn Of 1859, By C H. Spurgeon, At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.

A Sermon Intended For Reading On Lord’s Day, September 29, 1901

When we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be condemned with the world. {1Co 11:32}

1. There had been great irregularities in the Corinthian church with regard to the Lord’s supper. They had made that solemn festival a scene of gluttony. Each person had brought his own provisions with him, and while the rich were feasting on dainties, the poor often had scarcely anything to eat. The apostle Paul tells them that, on that occasion, they did not come together for a feast of carnal things; he says, “In eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others: and one is hungry, and another is drunk. What? Do you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.”

2. Now, on account of these irregularities, God was pleased to visit the church at Corinth with many severe afflictions. A great many of the members were struck with sickness, and some were even taken away by death. Little did the church at Corinth understand the reason for this plague, this visitation of God on their members; but the apostle explains it to them. He says, “For this reason” — note the thirtieth verse, — “many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” There is a constant judgment going on in the Church of God. If we would judge ourselves, and walk orderly and worthily in God’s sight, then we shall not be judged, — the plagues will not happen to us. But when we are judged, what are we to say with regard to that? Is that a proof that God hates his Church, and that he has cast his people away? And especially, too, if any die as the result of their iniquities, is that a proof that they perish eternally? “Oh no” says Paul, “they are judged now, in this world, — they are chastened by the Lord now, so that they should not be condemned with the world.”

3. What a great mystery is Providence, even to us who believe in a future state! We throw down the gauntlet of defiance to the infidel. We declare, and with the best reason on our side, that it is utterly impossible for men to understand how there can be any justice in the workings of God in this world, or how there can be any justice in God at all, if there is not a time to come in which the great mysteries of this life shall all be set right. We defy any man, who does not believe in the immortality of the soul, to account for the fact that the most godly are those who suffer the most, and that, often, those who have the greatest happiness in this world are the men who least deserve it, and are the most wicked. If there is not a future state of rewards and punishments, if the just man shall not reap the full reward of all his sufferings and griefs, and if the wicked shall not receive punishment for all his sins, how can God be just, and how can the Judge of all the earth do right?

4. There is also another mistake into which we may very readily fall. It is very easy for us to judge the characters of men by their position in this world, and so to judge in a way entirely apart from the facts. Some will have it that, if a man is very prosperous, it stands to reason that he must have been good. “Surely God would not have rewarded him,” they say, “unless there had been something worthy about him.” This is what is inculcated on our children. How often does the protective father pat his child on the head, and, pointing to an alderman, who is becoming extremely wealthy, tell his son that he must be a good boy, and then he, too, will become as great. Or, taking him by the house of some very rich man, how often does the father tell his child that, if he shall be good, — which is, I suppose, just a brief, pithy expression meaning if he shall be obedient, and keep the laws of God, — then he shall be rich. And so, in fact, it is thought impossible to make a child understand that a man may be rich, and yet wicked, — that he may be happy in this world, and have much of visible blessedness, and yet, after all, be a stranger to God, and be the very opposite of good. We, I trust, in our more mature years, are free enough from such a mistake as that.

5. Indeed, friends, we must never judge men’s inward condition by their outward position. A rich man may be gracious, and a poor man may be wicked; and we may turn the truth in the other direction, and declare that many are the poor who have grace within, and many are the rich who are only fattening for God’s slaughtering day at last. It is a well-known fact, which has, doubtless, led to both the errors which I have mentioned, — the error of thinking that God is unrighteous, and also the error of judging men by their outward state, — I say it is doubtless a fact that many of the true children of God are extremely troubled in this world, while, very often, the wicked escape. Why is this? Our text explains it. It declares that “we are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be condemned with the world.”

6. I. THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE CHASTENED BY THE LORD, — THEY ARE MORE CHASTENED THAN ANY OTHER MEN.

7. They are chastened every morning, and they are plagued all the day long. Why is this? God must be right in acting like this, what is his reason? I will give you a few reasons. First, the righteous are more chastened than other men because their sins are worse than those of others; secondly, they are more chastened than other men, so that God may make them an example of his hatred against sin; and then, also, they receive extraordinary chastening because of God’s extraordinary value of them, and his determination to wean them from their sins, and cure them of their iniquities.

8. I say, in the first place, that God chastens his people more than others, and we may find a reason for this in the fact that their sins are worse than those of other men. I do not mean that they are outwardly worse, — I will defend the character of the people of God from any such aspersion as that. I do not mean that the people of God are worse sinners than others, as judged by the law, — weighed in the scales of the justice which will try all men. It is in another respect that they are worse, — not in the light of the law, but in the light of the gospel.

9. They are worse, partly because the righteous have more light than other men. In proportion to the light against which we sin, is the greatness of our iniquity. A sin which a Hottentot might commit, and which God would wink at because of his ignorance, he would never tolerate in his own children, because his children know better. They have spiritual discernment; they are not so foolish as to put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Their conscience has been enlightened; besides, they have the Word of God, and the indwelling of the Spirit; and when they sin, they sin against greater light and knowledge than other men have. Hence it is that their sins stand in the very first position with regard to guilt; and what wonder, therefore, that God should severely chasten them?

10. On this thought I will not lay greater stress, but pass on to observe that the sins of the righteous are worse than those of other men from the fact of the greater mercy which they have received. It is impossible for any man to sin so grievously against God as the man who is God’s favourite. He who lies nearest to our bosom is capable of grieving us the most. Why is it that the sin of Judas was so great? It was because Judas was a disciple, and he had been a friend of Christ. Jesus might have said to him, “It was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he who hated me who magnified himself against me; then I would have hidden myself from him: but it was you, a man my equal, my guide, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company.” Christ feels a blow from an enemy, but a stab from his friend is “the unkindest cut of all.” What! when Christ has chosen us out of the world, and has redeemed us with his precious blood; when God has taken us into his family, when he has wrapped the righteousness of Christ around us, like a robe, and has promised us an eternal dwelling-place at his right hand; shall we sin, do you think, and shall not our sin be considered to be a heinous offence indeed, because of the love at which we kicked, and the great mercy over which we stumbled? A husband feels an unkind word from his wife far more than from anyone else, because he loves her better than he loves others, and therefore she has the greater power to grieve him; and Christ cares little for all the railing of a wicked world, but if his Church speaks slightingly of him, — if she offends him, — then he is cut even to the heart. If we take anyone into our friendship, we entertain at once a jealousy of him. If he speaks evil behind our back, we say, “If you had been an enemy, I would never have noticed it. You might have said just what you liked, and I should never have rebuked you; but you professed to be my friend, and if you say anything against me, I cannot bear it; this wounds me deeply, and therefore I must rebuke you for it.”

11. One good old writer says, “When the Lord takes a man into his private room, and shares his secrets with him, he at once becomes jealous of him, he will not permit him to sin so deeply as others. ‘Oh!’ he says, ‘have I made you my friend, have I walked with you, have I permitted you to lean your head on my bosom, and will you go away, and break my laws, and rebel against One who has been so loving towards you as to admit you into the secret place of his tabernacle?’ Then, surely, your sin is great indeed, and I ‘will chasten you for it.’ ” Beloved, if you will set your sins in this light, you will at once perceive that it is no wonder that God chastens you. Ah, brethren! when we think of the great mercy of God towards us, — of his overflowing kindness, both in providence and grace, — when we meditate on the fond affection which has cradled us from our youth up, and the strong protection that has guarded us from all harm, surely we must think that offences against God, committed by us, are worse than the sins of other men, who have never tasted such mercies as those which we daily receive. This, also, is another proof of the greatness of the sin of God’s people as compared with the sin of others, and is a reason for his chastising them.

12. Besides, my friends, the sins of God’s people are worse than those of other men from the ruinous effect of their example. When a worldling is seen drunk, there is sin, of course; but when a church member is seen reeling in the streets, how much worse it is! The world makes this a grand excuse for itself. It is under the shadow of the imperfections of the Church that wicked men find shelter from the scorching heat of their conscience. If they can detect their minister in sin, if they can discover a deacon or an elder indulging in iniquity, if they can quote a justification from the lips of a church member, how content and pleased the wicked are! They did, as it were, only walk in their transgressions before; but when they find a church member in the same path, then they run greedily in the way of iniquity. I say, brethren, our sins deserve twice the afflictions of other men if we rebel, because they do more mischief; and often, you know, judges have to estimate transgressions, not merely by their guilt, but by the influence of the example of the criminal; and so, God will chasten his people all the more heavily because, if they sin, they do so much damage to the morals of mankind, and bring so much dishonour on the name of the Lord their God. For all these reasons I am sure I am right in saying that the sins of God’s people are, in God’s esteem, worse than the sins of other men; and perhaps this is one reason why he always chastens them, even when he lets the wicked go unpunished for a while. This is not, however, the grand reason; I come to another.

13. Why does God chasten his people while he permits so many others to go unpunished? I take it that another reason is, that he may give an obvious and striking example of his hatred for sin. When God chastens an ordinary man for iniquity, his justice is seen; but when he lays his rod on his own child, then at once you discover how much he hates iniquity. When Brutus condemned traitors, Rome could see his justice; but when his two sons are brought up, and accused of the crime, and he says, “Lictors, do your duty; strip and beat them”; and after they have been scourged, when he tells them to take them away, and treat them as common malefactors, then all Rome is startled with the inflexibility of the justice of Brutus. So, when God strikes his own children, when he lays the rod on those who are very dear to him, when he makes them public examples, then even the world itself cannot withhold its admiration for the justice of God. When David — the man after God’s own heart — was struck so severely for one sin, God’s justice was more fully revealed than in the punishment of a hundred ordinary men. There were many men, throughout Jerusalem, ten times worse than David; but they escaped scot-free. Not so David, because David was much loved by God, and therefore he must be chastened, so that the whole world might see that God hates sin, even when it nestles in the hearts of his own beloved children. Never was there such a proof of God’s hatred for iniquity as when he put his own Son to death; and next to that, the chastisement of his own well-beloved children is the most forcible proof of his hatred for iniquity. I take it, that this is a second reason why the righteous are chastened so much.

14. But then the best reason is, because of the high value which God places on his people. Our text says, “We are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be condemned with the world.” God has a great esteem for his people, and he will not let them perish; but he knows very well that, if he allowed them to go unchastened, they would soon destroy themselves, and lose their interest in his love. He can never permit this, for that would be contrary to his oath, and contrary to his covenant. Therefore he chastens them; so, whenever you are a chastened child of God, you may draw comfort from it. Samuel Rutherford, in writing to Lady Kenmure, who was in deep affliction, having first lost her two children, and then her husband and mother, says, “Your ladyship must certainly be a special favourite of heaven; for if you were not, surely the Lord would not take all these pains to prepare you for heaven. If he did not love you very much, he would not be so jealous of your love. For I take it,” he says, “this is the reason why he takes away those who were dear to you, — because he would have every atom of your love, and therefore would not permit anything to be spared on which your heart was set.”

15. As for the wicked, let them have what they please, — let them set their hearts on their riches, it is their only treasure, — let them give their love to their lusts and to their carnal pleasures. God does not want their love — the love of the wicked is not pleasant to him, — he does not want their praises; what have they to do with loving and praising him while they are revelling in their iniquities? But with regard to the righteous, God loves them, — he wants their love, and he will have it, and he will chasten them until he gets it. He will make them even as a weaned child, taking away the breasts of this world from their lips, and putting bitterness into their mouths, until they begin to loathe this world, and long for a better one, — long to leave their present state, and to be with him who is their All-in-all. Besides, with regard to the wicked, God says of them, “Let them go on sinning, let them fill up the measure of their iniquities.” A reprobate may be many years in sin before he is discovered or punished. You have known and seen, recently, in the commercial embezzlements of our time, how long a wicked and ungodly man may go on in sin. Year after year he is embezzling money, yet he is not found out. There are a thousand opportunities for discovery; but, somehow or other, his wickedness is masked, and it seems as though Providence itself helped him to conceal his iniquity; but if you are a child of God, do not try it, for you will be found out the first time, note that; an heir of heaven can never go on in villainy for long. God will immediately set him up as an object of scorn before men, — and why? Because the Lord loves us, and he does not want us to fill up the measure of our iniquity. He desires to stop us at once in our sin, and therefore you will find this is a fact verified in your observation, if a child of God commits only a small act of dishonesty, it is certain to be found out, but an ungodly man may heap up his iniquities, and yet go unpunished for many, many days.

16. Indeed, I will go further than that; many a man has pursued a life of fornication and uncleanness, and has never, at least as far as we can see, been punished or chastened. His life seems to have been a continued round of gaiety; he has gone from mirth to mirth, and from merriment to debauchery. He has been the envy of his fellow men, for the strength of his body, and for the vigour of his health. He has even come to die, and has gone to his grave softly, without pain in his death, or a pang in his last hour, — and why is this? Simply because the Lord said, “Leave him alone; he is joined to idols; let him go.” God did not care to cast stumbling-blocks in his path; he was running his downward way, and God left him alone. “There,” he says, “let him work his own damnation; let him run the downward road; I will not stop him.” And, like the swine possessed with demons, that man has run violently down a steep place into the sea of damnation, and has never discovered his lost state until he has perished in the fiery waters of hell.

17. But you will not find the child of God going on like that. David grossly sinned once, but it was not long before he was chastened for it. Another man might have lived for years in adultery, and yet not been punished. Not so with the believer; he must be chastened at once. God will keep his people free from the growth of iniquity. As soon as the first weed springs up, he lays the hoe to its roots; but as for the wicked, their sins may grow until they are great. “Leave them alone,” says God; “in the day of harvest, I will say to the reapers, ‘Gather them into bundles, and burn them.’ ” So, you see, it is God’s love for his children, his anxious desire that they may not perish, which often brings them into chastisement on account of sin which, otherwise, they might have escaped. If then we are often chastened, and severely vexed, if we are God’s children, let us see the loving reason for it, and conclude that “we are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be condemned with the world.”

18. II. And now, having explained the Lord’s chastisement of his people, I shall occupy only a very few minutes in showing that GOD, BY CHASTENING US LIKE THIS, SPARES US FROM BEING CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD, dwelling simply on the fact that, though the righteous are chastened here, they never can be condemned in the next world.

19. We are often charged with preaching immoral doctrine when we say that the righteous man can never be condemned, — that he who believes in Christ can never be punished on account of his sins. Whatever charge may be brought against us, we are not ashamed to repeat our statement, for so it is written, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The sufferings which God’s people feel here are not punishments, but chastisements. If I have ever used the word “punishment” in relationship to believers, it must be understood in its restrictive sense.

20. God has punished Christ, once and for all, for all the sins which the elect have committed, or ever can commit; and it is not consistent with the justice of God to punish the same offence twice in two different people. The sufferings of the righteous here are not punitive, they are corrective; they are intended to be chastenings. It is not the sword of the judge, it is the rod of the father, which falls on the believer. The father may sometimes give his child a sterner and more severe punishment for an offence than even a judge might award. A judge might dismiss a child with a censure for some fault; but the father, when he gets him home, will see him well whipped for it; and so, very often, the chastisement of God, in this world, may even seem to be heavier than if it were punitive. Yet we may always remember this for our comfort, — that God is not condemning us with the world. When he is striking us, he is not using the rod with which he will break in pieces the wicked; he is not terrifying us with the awful thunders which shall one day make all hell quake with fright. He is only putting on an expression of anger, so that he may cleanse our hearts; and is only using the rod with the hand of love, so that he may purge us of that folly which is bound up in the hearts of his people.

21. I have said that a Christian man shall never, in the world to come, be condemned for his sin, and it is assuredly true, for the first reason, that God cannot punish twice for one offence; it is also true, for the second reason, that God cannot condemn those whom he has justified. That would be to reverse what he has once done, and so to prove himself a mutable being. He cannot first give us the witness of forgiveness, and afterwards the witness of damnation for guilt. It is not possible for him first to kiss us with the kiss of his love, and then afterwards to cast us into hell. God will not play fast and loose with his children, first justifying them through his grace, and then afterwards condemning them through their sin. I say, that would be to contradict himself.

22. God cannot, in the third place, condemn his children, because they are his children, and he is their Father. Having taken men into such a relationship to himself as to make himself their Father, God has in that very act put it beyond his own power utterly to condemn and cast them out. He is omnipotent, he can do anything as far as his power is concerned; but he cannot betray the instincts of his heart. Now, no father can forget his child; it is not possible; and it is not possible for God, after he has once forgiven, and has sealed that forgiveness in the glorious privilege of adoption, — it is not possible for him to answer the cry of “Abba, Father,” with the sentence, “Depart, you cursed!”

23. And, again, it is impossible for God to condemn those whom he has justified, for the reason that, if he did so, all his promises and the whole tenor of the covenant would be violated. It was to save from their sins all those who believe in him that Jesus died. If, then, these are not saved, every one of them, his death must be in vain. If those whose sins he carried shall be at last cast into hell, then Christ’s project of redemption has never been fully carried out. To suppose a universal atonement, is to suppose that the intention of God has been partly frustrated, — that Christ has attempted to do something greater than he will really accomplish. But here is our solid resting-place, — that the covenant stands secure, and that, in Christ, every stipulation of it is firm, and through him every single article of it shall be carried out. Now, the complete salvation of all the elect is one part of it; and, therefore, chastened though they may be in this world, that is no contradiction of the fact that they shall “not be condemned with the world” hereafter.

24. I am going to close my discourse with a picture. The last great day is coming. Do you see, over there, the gathering storm? Do you see the black clouds as, one after another, they accumulate? For whom is that tempest coming? Can you take a glimpse into the treasure-house of God, and see his hailstones and coals of fire? Can you find his lightnings, as they are stored up for the day of wrath? For whom are these reserved? You shall hear eventually.

25. Look over there in another direction, the very opposite. What does that deluge of descending rain mean? What does the rolling of that awful thunder mean? I see, in the centre of that storm, a cross. What does all that terrible display of tempest and of hurricane mean? Why, over there, there is no sound as yet of storm; it is gathering, but it has not burst. It still gathers; but, as yet, not a drop of rain descends. The lightnings are bound up in bundles, and are not yet released; why is it that, over there, all is the stillness of a storehouse, and a mighty preparation for war, while, over there, that war is going on, and all the bolts of God are launched? It means this. God has severed his people from the world. Over there, his wrath is spending itself, — the black clouds are letting out their floods, thunder is sounding out, and lightning is flashing, — where? On the head of the mighty Saviour, the dying Jesus.

26. The wrath must be spent somewhere; and so, in all its fury, it is revealing itself around Christ; and those pilgrims, who are just caught by a few drops that skirt the terrible tempest, are those for whom that tempest is being endured by their glorious Substitute. Those tried and afflicted ones, scared by the lightnings, and alarmed by the rumbling of the tempest, — these are the men who have a share in the substitution of Christ. I say the afflictions of God’s people are like the tricklings on the skirts of that great tempest, — they are the few drops on the edge of the storm which spent itself on Christ. These men, who in this world suffer afflictions, — righteously endure them, and patiently suffer them, for Christ’s sake, — are those who shall have no storm in the future, — for see, the storm is gone now. All is cleared away; and, instead, the sun shines out in its glory above their heads; angels are descending, and on angelic wings they are borne upward to a temple, and to mansions prepared for them in the presence of their Father.

27. But see those men and women; they are dancing merrily. Though all overhead is black, not a drop of rain has fallen yet. See how they are marrying and giving in marriage, for not a bolt has yet been launched. Who are these? Alas! poor wretches, these are the men for whom the Judge is treasuring up wrath for the day of wrath. For them he is reserving fire and brimstone, hot coals of juniper, and terrible destruction. They look askance on those pilgrims slightly wetted with the storm; they mock those poor converted ones, trembling as they hear the rolling thunder. They say, “We hear no tempest; it is all a delusion, there is no storm.” Indeed, sinners; but the day is coming when you shall discover your mistake. You have your portion here; but believers are happier, since they are all saved for the great hereafter. You have no pain in your death; — it is so that you may have all the severer pains in hell. You have few afflictions here; — it is so that they may be doubled for you in the future. You go merrily through this world, you carry the lamp of joy with you; — it is so that your blackness may be all the more terrible, and your darkness all the more awful, when you are excluded from earthly joys, and confined for ever in the outer darkness, where there will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

28. It is pleasant to pass through a country after a storm has spent itself, — to smell the freshness of the vegetation after the rain has passed away, and to notice the drops after they have been turned to diamonds in the sunlight; that is the position of a Christian. He is going through a land where the storm has spent itself; or if there are a few drops, the written page of the covenant cheers him on, and tells him this is not for his destruction. But how terrible it is to witness the approach of a tempest, — to see the preparation for the storm, to see the birds of heaven as they flutter their wings, to see the cattle as they lay their heads low in terror, to discern the face of the black sky, the sun which does not shine, and the heavens which give no light! How terrible to stand on the verge of a horrible hurricane, — such as occurs, sometimes, in the tropics, — to know that we cannot tell how soon the wind may come in fury, tearing up trees from their roots, forcing rocks from their pedestals, and hurling down all the dwelling-places of man! And yet, sinner, this is just your position. There are no hot drops as yet fallen, but a shower of fire is coming. There are no terrible winds blowing on you, but God’s tempest shall surely come. As yet, the flood waters are dammed up by mercy, but the flood-gates shall soon be opened; the lightning bolts of God are still in his storehouse; but, lo! judgment comes, and how awful shall be that moment when God, robed in vengeance, shall come out in fury! Where, where, where, oh sinner, will you hide your head, or where will you flee? Oh, that the hand of Mercy may now lead you to Christ! He is freely preached to you, and you know your need of him. Believe in him, cast yourself on him, and then the fury shall be spent, and you need not dread to go into eternity, for no storm awaits you there, but quiet, and calm, and rest, and peace for ever.

Exposition By C. H. Spurgeon {Ru 1}

1. 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 sojourn, in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

That was a bad move on their part. Better poverty with the people of God, than plenty outside of the covenanted land.

2. And the name of the man was Elimelech, —

“Elimelech” means, “my God is King.” A man with such a name as that ought not to have left the kingdom where his God was King; but some people are not worthy of the names they bear.

2. And the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and remained there.

That is generally what happens; those who go into the country of Moab remain there. If Christians go away from their separated life, they are very apt to continue in that condition. It may be easy to say, “I will step aside from the Christian path for just a little while”; but it is not so easy to return to it. Usually something or other hampers; the bird-lime {a} catches the birds of Paradise, and holds them firmly.

3, 4. And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took wives from the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there for about ten years.

Which was about ten years too long. Probably they did not intend to remain so long when they went there, they only meant to be in Moab for a little while, just as Christian people, when they fall into worldly conformity, only plan to do it once, “just for the sake of the girls, to bring them out a little.” But it happens to them as it is written here: “and they lived there for about ten years.”

5. And both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

That seemed to be her great grief — that she was left. She would have been content to go with them, but she was left to mourn their loss.

6. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, so that she might return from the country of Moab:

It is often the case that, when our idols are broken, we turn back to our God. It is frequently the case that the loss of earthly good leads us to return to our first Husband, for we feel that then it was better with us than it is now. Naomi also had another inducement to return: —

6. For she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

Have any of you professors gone a long way off from God? I wish you knew what plenty there is in the Great Father’s house, and what a blessed feast there is for these who live with him. There is no famine in that land; there is plenty of gladness, plenty of comfort, plenty of everything that is joyful, to be found there. You need not go to Moab, and to her false gods, to find pleasure and satisfaction.

7-9. Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house; may the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them: and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

Separation was painful for them, for they loved their mother-in-law, a most unselfish person who, even though it was a comfort to her to enjoy their company, thought it would be for their good, in a temporal sense, that they should remain in their own country.

10-14. And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” And Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters: why will you go with me? Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons; Would you wait for them until they were grown? would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me greatly for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.” And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clung to her.

What a difference there often is between two people who are under religious impressions at the same time! The one would like to follow Jesus, but the price is too much to pay; so there is a kiss somewhat like that of Judas, and Orpah goes back to her people, and to her idols. But how different was the other case! Ruth was, as it were, glued to Naomi; she “clung to her,” Stuck to her, and could not be made to go back with her sister.

15-17. And she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and to her gods: return after your sister-in-law.” And Ruth said, “Do not entreat me to leave you, or to return from following after you: for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge: your people shall be my people, and your God my God: where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”

That was bravely spoken, and she meant it, too.

18. When she saw that she was steadfastly-minded to go with her, then she stopped speaking to her.

That is a striking expression, “When she saw that she was steadfastly-minded to go with her.” Oh you dear young friends who want to be Christians, how glad we are when we see that you are steadfastly-minded to go with the people of God! There are so many who are quickly hot and quickly cold, — soon excited towards good things, and almost as speedily their ardour cools, and they go back into the world. Ask the Lord to make you steadfastly-minded. This is one of the best frames of mind for any of us to be in.

19. So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them, and they said, “Is this Naomi?”

They seemed all come out to have a look at these two strangers, and especially at Naomi, for she was so different from what she had been when she went away. “And they said, ‘Is this Naomi?’ ” Some said, “Is this Naomi?” questioning. Others said it with surprise as an incredible thing, “This Naomi! How can she be the same woman?” It was very rude of them to turn out, just like people, without sympathy, do on Ramsgate pier, to see the sick passengers land. No one seems to have said, “Come into our house to lodge,” but all questioned, “Is this Naomi?”

20. And she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi, —

“Do not call me pleasant.”

20. Call me Mara:

That is, “bitter.”

20. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

It was a pity for Naomi to say that; yet I fear that many of us have done the same. We have not borne such sweet testimony to the Lord as we might have done, but have sorrowfully moaned, as this poor woman did: —

21. I went out full, —

Why, then, did you go out?

21. And the LORD has brought me home again empty:

Ah! but he has brought you home again. Oh, if she would only have noticed the mercy there was in it all, she might still have spoken like Naomi; but now she speaks like Mara, — bitterness. Her husband and her two boys — all her heart’s delight — were with her when she went out; and now that they are gone, she says: —

21. Why then do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

Yet it is a sweet thing to be able to trace the hand of God in our affliction, for nothing can come from that hand towards one of his children but what is good and right. If you will think of those hands of which the Lord says, “I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands,” you may rest assured that nothing can come from those hands but what infinite wisdom directs, and infinite love has ordained.

22. So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley harvest.

That is, at the time of the passover; let us hope that they received a blessing in observing the ordinances of that time, and so that they would be helped to get back to the only right and happy state of heart.

{a} Bird-lime: A glutinous substance spread on twigs, by which birds may be caught and held firm. OED.