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strangers on th e earth : to own this world as a scene through which we are passing in the name of the King, to the hour of the Kingdom, and th e coming of the King in His glory. When sp irit ual fam ine and d eath have set in, and the Christian gets m arried to th e things of th is life, completely tak en up w ith them , he ceases to become either a pil grim or a stranger, he goes into the purchase of real estate, he settles down to live in th is world, he roots himself into all its ways and claims. Dwell ers on th e earth , not citizens of heaven. 6 . There arose in Naomi’s h ea rt a desire to re tu rn to th e land of God. R u th 1:6. She wanted to go back because she was by b irth an Israelite, and in the bond of th e covenant people; when the root of th e divine relationship is in th e h ea rt; where regeneration, spiritual birth, has been a reality, sooner or later the h eart tires of th e un reality of the flesh, its deceptions and betrayals, and yearns, as did th e prodigal, for home, for the home-land of the soul. 7. -She complains th a t th e Lord has dealt b itterly w ith her. R u th 1:20. This seems to be th e eternal refrain of those who fail by th e way. charg ing God w ith folly, and pu ttin g on Him th e responsibility of sorrow, and the harvest of pain. It is not the tru th . The tru th is, we sow what we reap. He who sows to the flesh, will of th e flesh reap corruption; he who sows to unbelief, will reap severance from God’s m ind and spirit, will be in a state of c o n s ta n t, disunion an,d dis order, always runn ing against th e will of God instead of w ith it, and thus always provoking judgm ent instead of grace. 8 . She went out full, bu t th e Lord brought her back empty. R u th 1:21. She had had th e sense of God’s favor. She had her husband and sons, and th e blessing of God’s Providence, His watch-care and love. In face of all th at, when th e te st came and it pinched h er, she went out from Him. But He determ ined to bring h er back, and to do th a t He was forced to cut her loose from the things th a t held her in Moab. He cut her loose by cut ting off the ties th a t held her. Again and again God finds it necessary to tak e away the things th a t bind His children in th e land of Moab. Some times it is a husband, or a wife or child. Sometimes it is fortune or fame,
1. There was a fam ine in th e land. R u th 1:1. See Judges 21:25. The prophet Amos speaks of a famine which is n either a fam ine of bread. nor a th irst for SELECTED - h e a r i n g th e COMMENTS w o r d s o i th< By K eith L. Brooks L o r d . Amos w ater, b u t of 8:11. Such a fam ine seems to be in Christian lands today. When minis ters of th e gospel tu rn th e ir pulpits into platform s for th e discûssion of political questions; when th e essay takes th e place of th e sermon, and audiences are trea ted to a geograph ical and ho rtic u ltu ral analysis !upo;n th e islands of th e sea, or a series of disquisitions upon L iteratu re, upon A rt «and Science; when apologies are made Tor th e Bible; when all m iracles are ■explained upon ratio n al grounds, or rejected as myths, or tolerated as poetry; when th e study of Browning ifl exalted over P aul or John ; when, in sho rt, "Timely Topics” and m at te rs of "m odern and immediate in ter est” are considered superior To th e old gospel, to; doctrinal preaching, and ;to a thu s saiih the Lord, it is not h ard to realize th a t a sp iritu al fam ine has in deed begun, nor difficult to understand th e apathy, indifference, unspirituality, and downright unbelief in th e Church today. 2. They went down into Moab, the enemy’s country. R u th 1:1. This is always th e resu lt of sp irit ual famine in th e individual life. Ju st as soon as th e soul ceases to feed on God and His Word, it gôes out into th e stran g e r country, and seeks its re sources in regions not owned of God, nor owning Him. 3. Naomi’s husband died. R uth 1:3. The statem en t Is sequential and log ical. A fter sp iritual fam ine comes, in evitably, sp iritual death. 4. H er sons took wives of the women of Moab. R u th 1:4. The moment the sp iritu al life runs low, th e demands of th e flesh are roused. The moment the joys of heaven are insufficient, th e joys of earth grow intensely tempting. Where th ere is no communion in th e spirit, th e re is al ways, and immediately, union w ith the flesh. 5. They sojourned in Moab. Ruth 1:4. We are called to be pilgrim s and
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