Emptiness: An Honor Problem
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Introduction
Introduction
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 Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 3 And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
21 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?
Examples of emptiness:
“I have nothing left to give.”
“I’m spent”
Runner who finishes a race and then collapses at the finish line.
What is emptiness?
Emptiness occurs when your emotional or physical reserves run dry.
You get up in the morning, you look at what your kids needs and you consider what you have to offer them, and you feel empty.
You come home from work, you consider what your spouse or extended family need against what resources you have left in your soul and you realize you have nothing left to offer them, and you feel empty.
“I don’t like myself, and frankly, I don’t see why anyone else would like me either.”
Your dad didn’t do things you believe he should have—so you’re empty.
Your father did things you believe he should not have—and you’re empty.
You’re not a father—and this makes you feel empty.
You are a father, but your kids have gone astray—and this makes you feel empty.
When you’re empty, it is easy to think thoughts like this…
You don’t measure up.
You wonder if you will ever have what it takes to make it.
You’ve come to the middle of your life, and you wonder if you have anything to show for it.
And so words like this take root on the landscape of your thinking…
Dry. Wilderness. Desert.
Alone. Rejected. Unloved.
Cold. Numb. Void.
Lost.
Don’t measure up.
I am depleted.
No courage.
No strength.
And if not addressed, these feelings of emptiness can turn darker…
I’m worthless.
I’m not good.
I’m not valuable.
Life is meaningless.
Life is dark.
Life is empty.
So, when emptiness persists, you arrive at the belief that you have…
No power
No vision
No direction
No ability
No money
No friends
No love
No joy
No happiness
You’re empty.
In the OT, I discovered two primary kinds of human emptiness.
Empty - I have nothing
(reqam - empty hands or empty resources)
Empty - I am nothing
(hebel - breath, idol, vapor)
Both words are translated as: vanity, vain, void, empty.
But as I studied the Bible looking for examples of human emptiness, I discovered something.
Everyone experiences emptiness (for different reasons). | Ruth 1:21
Everyone experiences emptiness (for different reasons). | Ruth 1:21
Consider some of these examples.
Jacob at the loss of Joseph.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
When Israel realized they had royally messed up and missed the victory God would have given them.
1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
Saul had no more strength after realizing he had entirely disregarded God.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
Saul is physically, emotionally, and spiritually empty.
David. Losing Ziklag.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
David. No more power to weep.
Heman the Ezrahite
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Sennacherib returned empty to Assyria.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
The Bible called this “shame of face”. In other words, he had no honor.
Jeremiah wrote about the emotional emptiness of the people of Jerusalem over the seige of Nebuchadnezzar’s army.
3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: They came to the pits, and found no water; They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
Daniel because of seeing who God is compared to who man is.
8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
Ezra, realizing a failed legacy in Jerusalem.
1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
The church in Revelation that has only a little strength, and yet they remain faithful to stand for God.
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Jesus emptied himself.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
These Bible examples can lead us to a few conclusions about emptiness.
Moments of emptiness can be experienced by any or all of us.
John the Baptist, as he sat in prison, had some serious questions.
Elijah, after a long walk and 40 days without eating, struggled with questions.
I wonder how Eve felt after sinning with Adam.
Or I wonder how Adam felt after one of his sons murdered his other son.
In an of itself, emptiness is not a sin.
You might be empty because of some sin in your life.
But emptiness all by itself is not necessarily a sin.
Emptiness becomes detrimental when you allow it to persist.
All of us have probably experienced a flat tire at some point in our life.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with getting a flat tire.
And having a flat tire will not ruin a tire.
But if you drive on it while it’s flat, it will ruin the tire.
Or if you let it sit empty for a long period of time, it will ruin the tire.
That prepares us to consider the next thought I discovered about emptiness in Scripture.
Emptiness is not bad, but seeking to fill your emptiness at the wrong well is bad.
Filling your emptiness at the wrong well will never fill the void that you crave to fill. | Ruth 1:2
Filling your emptiness at the wrong well will never fill the void that you crave to fill. | Ruth 1:2
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
Elimelech tried filling himself at the wrong well.
It was a well that wouldn’t satisfy in the end.
We try all kinds of things to fill our emptiness.
Shopping.
Binge watching.
Spending.
Trips. Vacations.
New relationships.
Books. Movies.
Hobbies.
Food.
Sports.
New positions.
New car.
New clothes.
New furniture.
New job.
Or maybe we leave the more therapeutic remedies for more serious attempts to relieve our emptiness.
Alcohol.
Other substances.
Whatever.
Anything to cover up and hide the emptiness.
Whatever might have a shot of …
filling the void
giving brief sweet-relief
providing a chance at happiness.
The Bible is clear that we can go to the wrong sources to fill up our emptiness.
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the people shall labour in the very fire, And the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
It is not God’s plan for your life …
that you spend your life in weariness …
trying to fill up the emptiness.
Mental health is a huge topic for several younger generations.
“One of the biggest issues facing the next generation is a sharp decline in mental health. Here’s the strange part: We’re fully aware of the mental health crisis, and what’s causing it, but our phones are too good to give up. The rewards of the internet outweigh the risks for us.” ~Dillon Smith (GenZ)
https://careynieuwhof.com/7-habits-of-generation-z-that-your-church-might-be-ignoring/
This is where Solomon was at.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
I have searched the world looking for meaning.
I have searched the world looking for something to fill the void in my life.
I’m trying to find something to fill my emptiness.
I have found nothing.
Maybe you’re like Solomon:
You’ve tried everything this world has to offer to fill up your emptiness.
You’ve tried marriage.
You’ve tried education.
You’ve tried hard work.
You’ve tried loyalty to family.
You’ve tried children.
You’ve tried to eliminate negativity.
You’ve tried me-time.
You’ve tried solitude and clearing your mind.
Do you know those are the wrong sources?
They’ll fill you up for a moment.
To be empty is not necessarily bad.
All gas tanks, no matter how full, eventually run empty.
All batteries, no matter how long lasting, eventually run dry.
Refrigerators and freezers run empty.
To fill your emptiness the wrong way is bad.
Emptiness, the kind that lasts and lasts, is really a sourcing problem.
Where is your source?
Manufacturing companies will only put up with a sourcing problem for so long.
And if you can’t deliver, I will go somewhere else for the supplies.
The problem is that we have tried hosts a insufficient sources to fill our emptiness, like Solomon, and they have all come up short.
And yet, we continue to return to those unsatisfying wells to fill our emptiness.
God offers the only well that completely satisfies human emptiness.
God offers the only well that completely satisfies human emptiness.
God has a great track record of filling emptiness!
On day one, the earth was empty and without form.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
On day 1, He made light and space.
On day 2, He made water and sky.
On day 3, He made the dry land.
At creation, God was saying:
Light and space, be filled. Sun, moon, stars.
Sky and seas, be filled. Birds and fish.
Land, be filled. Animals and people.
Gen 1:22 - “fill”; Gen 1:28 - “replenish”; Same word.
What am I saying? I’m saying that …
Our redeemer God knows how to fill emptiness.
Paul found that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
Abraham and Sarah discovered that God knows how to fill human emptiness.
Isaiah found out that God knows how to fill human emptiness.
29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.
If you’re empty, stop trying all of the wells of human craving.
And turn to the Redeemer God who can satisfy your human emptiness!
Returning to Ruth.
The question is not whether or not you will run empty.
Things running empty is all normal.
The question is where are you going to be refilled?
Elimelech took his family to Moab to get refilled during a famine.
He lost an awful lot.
Naomi lost everything—her husband, her sons, her wealth.
When she decided to return to Bethlehem, she was empty in many ways.
Naomi felt like this emptiness would be the end of her.
21 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?
But then something amazing happened.
She met a redeemer named Boaz.
[[Tell story up to Ruth going home.]]
Ruth didn’t go home empty.
17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
For deep emotional emptiness, your only source is God the Redeemer.
Our redeemer God offers the only well that completely satisfies.
One day, Jesus came to a well in Samaria.
A woman came alone looking for water.
She was weary with emptiness.
She had tried marriage.
She had tried divorce.
She had tried love of all kinds.
But she was empty.
And Jesus knew it.
Jesus offered her his water.
She wondered how he could get water for her since he didn’t have a pitcher.
He told her how he had the water in himself.
If she would drink of this water, she would discover a water that gives true life.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Our redeemer God offers the only well that completely satisfies.
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, And filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Summary
Summary
As I studied what the Bible teaches about human emptiness, I discovered three truths.
Everyone experiences emptiness.
Filling your emptiness at the wrong well will never fill the void that you crave to fill.
God offers the only well that completely satisfies human emptiness.
Invitation
Invitation