Introduction:
1. “If God is so loving, why do bad things happen to good people?” A. Have you ever heard someone say this? B. It is commonly thought that God causes humans to suffer. C. The Bible, however, gives us reasons to believe otherwise.
2. Nestled within the book of Ruth is the story of Naomi, a story which illustrates what really causes suffering. A. After leaving Judah for Moab, Naomi’s husband and two sons died there. B. When Naomi returned to Judah 10 years later, she felt that God had troubled her.
3. In this lesson, we aim to expose this story and see what truly causes humans to suffer.
Discussion
I. Suffering is caused by man’s imperfect decisions (1:1-5). A. During the time of the Judges, Elimelech left Israel and went …show more content…
We can see how mankind causes its own problems. a. How often do people make poor decisions and blame God? b. How often do people blame others for their poor decisions? c. Understandably, sometimes fate plays a role; but it is usually mankind that creates its own problems, not God.
II. Suffering is caused by man’s poor attitude (1:13, 19-21). A. When Naomi returned to Judah from Moab, the people received her happily. 1. Naomi, however, said that God had dealt bitterly with her. 2. In fact, she changed her name from Naomi to Mara. a. Naomi means “kindness” or “pleasant”. b. Mara means “bitterness”. c. This name change reflected her thoughts about her situation. B. Naomi stated that she went out full, but God brought her home empty. 1. We can certainly sympathize with Naomi. a. She left her home in Judah to go to a foreign land. b. While there, her husband and two sons died. c. How would you feel in this situation? 2. However, her situation did not mean that God caused her sufferings. a. We have already seen how Elimelech left Judah on his own accord. b. Elimelech and Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women on their own accord. c. Naomi and her family chose to live in Moab for ten
1. “If God is so loving, why do bad things happen to good people?” A. Have you ever heard someone say this? B. It is commonly thought that God causes humans to suffer. C. The Bible, however, gives us reasons to believe otherwise.
2. Nestled within the book of Ruth is the story of Naomi, a story which illustrates what really causes suffering. A. After leaving Judah for Moab, Naomi’s husband and two sons died there. B. When Naomi returned to Judah 10 years later, she felt that God had troubled her.
3. In this lesson, we aim to expose this story and see what truly causes humans to suffer.
Discussion
I. Suffering is caused by man’s imperfect decisions (1:1-5). A. During the time of the Judges, Elimelech left Israel and went …show more content…
We can see how mankind causes its own problems. a. How often do people make poor decisions and blame God? b. How often do people blame others for their poor decisions? c. Understandably, sometimes fate plays a role; but it is usually mankind that creates its own problems, not God.
II. Suffering is caused by man’s poor attitude (1:13, 19-21). A. When Naomi returned to Judah from Moab, the people received her happily. 1. Naomi, however, said that God had dealt bitterly with her. 2. In fact, she changed her name from Naomi to Mara. a. Naomi means “kindness” or “pleasant”. b. Mara means “bitterness”. c. This name change reflected her thoughts about her situation. B. Naomi stated that she went out full, but God brought her home empty. 1. We can certainly sympathize with Naomi. a. She left her home in Judah to go to a foreign land. b. While there, her husband and two sons died. c. How would you feel in this situation? 2. However, her situation did not mean that God caused her sufferings. a. We have already seen how Elimelech left Judah on his own accord. b. Elimelech and Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women on their own accord. c. Naomi and her family chose to live in Moab for ten