Introduction: Previously we saw the arrival at Bethlehem.  The trip from Moab to Bethlehem would have taken between seven to ten days. It would have required them to cross the river Jordan and to climb the two thousand plus feet in elevation required to reach Bethlehem. Ruth and Naomi departed Moab and arrived back at Bethlehem.  They arrived at the place of God’s praise.   We saw the power of a positive praise life.  As the song said, “It is amazing what praising can do”.  We have a simple command from the Lord in regards to praise.

                                                Psalm 150:6

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

      We also saw that they arrived at the place of God’s presence.

                                                Ruth 1:6

“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.”

      We drew attention to the name of Lord has all the letters capitalized.  This shows that this is not a “generic” name of the Lord.  When I read this as I was studying I saw the name LORD in capital letters.  This denotes the word “Jehovah” or the “all sufficient one” was taking care of His people.  There was a Jewish commentator in the middle Ages said this about the name of Jehovah.  “All the names of God which occur in the Scripture are derived from His works except one and that is Jehovah: and this called the plain name, because it teaches plainly and unequivocally of the substance of God.”  Time does not allow us to explore this truth further.  I could sidetrack and that is not my intention. 

      They had arrived to The City Of God's Provision.  I love to read and see how God provides.

                                                Philippians 4:19

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” 

                                                Psalm 41:1-3

“Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” 

      God is not broke.  He takes care of His people.  It may be in the way we think but God will not allow Himself to beholding to no man.

      They had arrived to The City Of God's People - Naomi returned to a place of kindred spirits and like-minded people.  In Moab she was different.  In Bethlehem, she belonged.  So it is with the wayward child of God.  Can you think of those who have wandered away from the place where God meets with His people?

      When a person that says he or she is saved and does not seem upset when he or she is missing from church, I wonder about them.  When we are working and walking among the world, we should be different.  I am not saying that women dress like Muslim women or the men grow beards like the Amish.  But our attitude is different.

      In the case of Naomi, she was out of place in Moab.  No only was she out of place, she was out of fellowship with the Lord.  That was worst than out of place.

      Today we want to look the next part of this passage. 

II.  THE ATTITUDE EXHIBITED AT BETHLEHEM

                                                Vs. 19-21

“So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

      The entire city came out to greet her.  Why?  We are not sure.  It may have been because her dead husband was a wealthy man.  But one thing is for sure; she comes back with a Moabitess woman who is her daughter-in-law.  That would have caused uproar.  Prejudice knows no time frame. 

      The attitude that we find here is one of bitterness.  Her husband may have taken her to Moab but nothing kept her there after his death.  There are several unknowns in this passage.  We do not know how long they lived in Moab when her husband died.  We don’t know when her sons married or how long they were married. 

      But her attitude was not one of gratitude to the Lord for bring her home or allowing her to come home.  She could have been the fourth tombstone in Moab.  When a child of God returns home, he or she ought to thank God for forgiveness.

                              1^st John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

      We want to explore this attitude and how bitterness affects us both physically and spiritually.

A. What is bitterness?  The dictionary defines this way.  It is the feeling or the showing of intense animosity.  This feeling starts small and takes root.  Do you realize that cancer starts as a single cell organism? 

         B. What does bitterness do?  Once it takes it infects the body both physically and spiritually.  There is a direct correlation between bitterness and unforgiveness.  One of the most devastating human emotions can be the feelings of bitterness.  It can creep in to our lives.  Sometimes we do not even know how much it consumes our thought life and feelings.  Before we know it, we are captured in the claws of the sin of unforgiveness.

            Perhaps it starts with hurt feelings over what was said, another’s actions, or even a lack of response.  We mull it over, and over.  It festers in our gut.  Our spirit can be crushed.  We can get hard feelings about the person that we feel offended us. Perhaps those hurt want to get “even” at the other person.  Before long, hurt feelings can lead to a host of other actions, including slander against the offending person, or avoidance of that person. The offender may not even recognize the hurt accomplished.  They may not even have a clue as to how one is reacting to their remarks or actions; yet the offendee’s bitterness digs deeper and deeper into their life.

            When you get totally rid of a cancer, you have to take out the root.  The same is true about bitterness.  You have to deal with the root.

                              Hebrews 12:15

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”

            It is not wrong to feel hurt but how you deal with that hurt all the difference in your life in regards whether or not you have bitterness.

                  C. What are the stages of bitterness?

                        1. You have an oversensitive to a verbal remark, action, or lack of action.

    2. Then you have hurt feelings.  Remember I said that it is okay to have hurt feelings but what you do with them makes a difference.

                        3. You then have a repulsive feeling toward a person at the thought or sight of him.

             4. You retaining wounds and frequently talking about them.  You open the wounds often.  That is really healthy, isn’t it?  As in the words of our children- Not.

                        5. There is the alienation of the person.

                        6. You have verbal slander against the person.

                        7. You are showing a lack of obedience to the Word of God.

                                                Matthew 5:44,45

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

                  Matthew 6:14-15

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

             8. You have become like the one you despise.  Brother Earls said that bitterness is the only poison that destroys its own container.

       D. What are some of the characteristics of a bitter person?

             1. A bitter person cares very little for the person he is bitter against.  He or she would not care if the person in whom they are bitter dropped dead.

             2. He is very touchy.

             3. He or she can be ungrateful.

             4. He or she gives empty flattery and harsh criticism.

             5. He or she holds grudges and finds it difficult to forgive.

             6. He or she displays stubbornness or a grouchy attitude.

             7. He or she will help no one or complains sometimes when asked to help with the problem.

             8. He or she experiences mood extremes-highs and lows.

         E. What does bitterness produce?  It produces sin in the life of the bitter person.  It shows that the forgiveness that God gives is not evident in his or her life.  God is love.  His Word is plain about this subject of forgiveness.

                                             1^st John 2:9 

               “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.”

                                             1^st John 2:11 

               “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

                                             1^st John 3:15 

               “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

                                             1^st John 4:20 

               “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

         F. How can we see unforgiveness in a bitter person?  We can see it in statements like this:  “I can forgive but I cannot forget.”  This just means that I won’t forgive.  The Lord forgives and forgets.  If we are supposed to be like Him, why is it that we cannot forgive and forget?  We enjoy this feeling of “superiority” against that person.  In reality the real person that is hurt is you and I.

         G. What is the key to preventing or release of bitterness?  It is forgiveness that is the key to prevent or release us of bitterness.  Let me give a few additional thoughts on this part of the subject and then we will return to Naomi.

                           Forgiveness costs you, because it bears the penalty of the other's sin against you. Forgiveness is an activity of the will. We cannot wait for a feeling before we forgive.  If we wait for a feeling, then we may be waiting for a long time or it may never come.  Forgiveness is directly opposite of our human nature.  Only the Lord can give us this grace.  Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you back if you hurt me.  Forgiveness is quiet and does not make known to others. 

                                             Proverbs 25:9

               “Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another”

                           When we forgive, we do not bring it up again. 

                                             Isaiah 43:25

                     “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

                                             Psalm 103:12

               “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

                           When we forgive, we are showing the grace of God is alive in our hearts.  When we have bitterness, it reveals the possibility that the grace of God never took place in our heart.  Forgiveness is the drawing out the sting of the bee.   

                           We need to discover the economy of pardon instead of the expense of resentment: forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, and the waste of a hurt spirit.

         H. What is my part in forgiveness? Even though, at this time, you may be unconscious of any unforgiveness, realize God looks upon your heart.  We need to pray what is found in Psalm 139:23-24.

               “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

                           In other words we are asking the Lord to show us any hurtful ways.

   I. How do we see this in Naomi’s life?  She wants to change her name.  Her name meant “pleasant”.  She wanted to change it to Mara.  This meant bitter.  Now is not a good testimony for the Lord, is it?  She blames the Lord for her problems and loss.  She left time full and returned home empty.  The Lord will fill you up, but the plan of the devil is to empty you out! 

Conclusion:  We have seen the high cost of bitterness.  Do you realize that nowhere in this book is she called “Mara”?  God is going to show His forgiveness and His blessing when we return to Him.

      Let me put one more practical spin on this topic that has been presented in this lesson.  There are some steps to removing bitterness from your life.  Removing bitterness is similar to being set free from prison.  Only this prison is of your own making.  But the steps are not probation but a pardon from the Lord if we will put them in place.

1. Thank God for the people and/or circumstances that has hurt you.

                                                1^st Thessalonians 5:16

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

                                                Ephesians 5:20

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

                                                Philippians 4:6

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

      That word “careful” means anxious.  Anxiety is worrying and one of the kissing cousins to worry is bitterness.  We can see the people in the Bible in the same account that had the very same circumstances happen to them.  They are Job and his wife.  They have lost every thing they own and that included their ten children.  What was Job’s response to this?

                                                Job 1:20-22

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

      His wife’s response was basically grief that was working toward bitterness.

                                                Job 2:7-10

“So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

2. Choose to fully forgive each individual who has wronged you.  This may mean you will have to go to that person and ask for forgiveness.  You don’t have to go into great details with that person.  But you ask for forgiveness and don’t expect them to understand the whole situation.  Just remember it is your sin in which you are dealing and not their sin.  It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them even though when you come, they may get under conviction and get right with each other.

3. Remove all personal guilt by identifying and confessing any wrong responses on your part.  This is your bitterness, unforgiveness, anger and lack of love for them.

4. Make an investment in the lives of those who have wronged you by returning good for evil.

                                                Romans 12:19-21

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

      It may be an investment of time in prayer for them or preparing them some food.  But the investment will do you greater good them it will them because you are being set free from bitterness.

5. By faith, praise God for His forgiveness and for releasing you from that prison of bitterness.  After all, 1^st John chapter one and verse nine is still in the book and is still as true today as the day John penned it down under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

      Next time we will be finishing this passage in this first chapter of Ruth.  We will be looking at the anticipation in Bethlehem.  It is no coincidence that they have returned when they did.  This will be real exciting in the timing of their return to Bethlehem.