WEBVTT 00:00:10.654 --> 00:00:11.016 All right. 00:00:11.016 --> 00:00:15.689 Well, thank you, pastors, for that wonderful report. 00:00:15.689 --> 00:00:16.772 That was very encouraging. 00:00:16.772 --> 00:00:20.167 Good evening, beloved. 00:00:20.167 --> 00:00:23.189 It is a joy to share God's word with you this evening. 00:00:23.189 --> 00:00:28.571 Let me begin by thanking those of you who have been praying for me and my family. 00:00:28.571 --> 00:00:41.076 Your prayers have been a huge encouragement and I have no doubt that, by God's grace, we are where we are today in answer to your prayers, and so thank you. 00:00:41.076 --> 00:00:43.962 Let me pray quickly. 00:00:43.962 --> 00:01:03.965 Oh Lord, our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth, from the rising of the sun to its going down, your name is worthy to be praised. 00:01:03.965 --> 00:01:20.347 And so, father, as we look to your word this evening, we ask that you would help us understand your word better, help us understand you better, so that we could have more reasons to praise you and worship you. 00:01:20.347 --> 00:01:24.448 We ask that you would encourage our hearts this evening. 00:01:24.448 --> 00:01:27.286 Bring glory to your name, god. 00:01:27.286 --> 00:01:31.289 We ask In Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:58.725 All right, we are continuing our Route 66 series, and today we have arrived at what should be Route 8, since Ruth is the eighth book in our series so far, and so I have the task of giving you a big picture perspective of the book of Ruth, which means that, to my own disappointment, I am not going to be able to do a verse by verse sermon. 00:01:58.725 --> 00:02:01.947 I understand that that's not the goal. 00:02:01.947 --> 00:02:03.561 I understand that that's not the goal. 00:02:03.561 --> 00:02:08.705 However, I will attempt to touch on some of the major themes in this book. 00:02:08.705 --> 00:02:14.270 Lord Willing, let me begin by providing a little bit of historical background. 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:18.052 I'll be giving some more as we go along, but just for starters. 00:02:18.052 --> 00:02:22.176 First of all, there is no mention of the author in the book of Ruth. 00:02:22.176 --> 00:02:31.233 Jewish tradition suggests that it may have been written by the prophet Samuel, which is possible, since it was Samuel who anointed David to be king. 00:02:31.233 --> 00:02:33.443 And David is mentioned at the end of this book. 00:02:33.443 --> 00:02:38.800 But in the end, we really don't know as to when this book was written. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:50.834 Again, since David is mentioned, some suggest that it may have been written during his reign, which dates from about 1011 to about 971 BC, according to chapter 1 and verse 1,. 00:02:50.834 --> 00:03:01.564 We do know that the story of Ruth took place during the days of the judges, which means that the events in this book happened somewhere between 1380 to about 1050 BC. 00:03:03.206 --> 00:03:09.700 Now, one of the ironies of this book is that Ruth presents a glaring contrast with the book of Judges. 00:03:09.700 --> 00:03:15.032 Judges records one of the darkest periods in the history of the people of Israel. 00:03:15.032 --> 00:03:21.663 It portrays a people who sought to govern themselves so that everyone wanted to do what was right in their own eyes. 00:03:21.663 --> 00:03:33.670 A people who fell into gross idolatry and constant rebellion against God and bringing upon themselves God's judgment, which God executed by handing them over to their enemies. 00:03:33.670 --> 00:03:41.070 The people would then cry out to God for mercy, and God would rescue them over and over again. 00:03:41.070 --> 00:04:04.926 But in the midst of all of that, the book of Ruth focuses its attention not on the whole nation of Israel, but on a remnant few, particularly one family, a family who suffered much loss at the beginning of the story but providentially experienced the faithfulness of God through an unexpected character. 00:04:04.926 --> 00:04:25.487 It's a beautiful story of God's faithfulness, but even more than that, it communicates God's redemptive plan through one of the greatest love stories in all of scripture, a love story that points to the greatest love story of all time, the story of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed his. 00:04:25.487 --> 00:04:34.819 And so, in that sense, ruth is God's answer to one of the darkest periods in Jewish history. 00:04:34.819 --> 00:04:42.494 It is God's answer to a nation that was enslaved to sin and deserved to be cut off with no hope for the future. 00:04:42.494 --> 00:04:54.862 Ruth is a message of hope and redemption for a people who are undeserving, and therefore Ruth doesn't just speak to the people of that day, but it speaks to us as well. 00:04:56.966 --> 00:04:59.331 Now there are five major scenes in this book. 00:04:59.331 --> 00:05:03.283 We have scene number one, and that's where calamity comes upon the family of Naomi. 00:05:03.283 --> 00:05:10.634 Not only did her family have to escape a famine, but her husband and her two sons both die. 00:05:10.634 --> 00:05:20.882 We see that in the first five verses of chapter one, and that immediately follows with Ruth's testimony and Naomi's return back to Bethlehem. 00:05:20.882 --> 00:05:25.894 We see that in verse six of chapter 1, and that goes on to the end of the chapter. 00:05:25.894 --> 00:05:31.889 And then scene 3 is where Ruth meets Boaz and is allowed to glean in his field. 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:33.721 That's all of chapter 2. 00:05:33.721 --> 00:05:41.002 And then scene 4 is where we see Ruth at the threshing floor with Boaz and something very interesting happens there. 00:05:41.002 --> 00:05:43.208 That's the entirety of chapter three. 00:05:43.208 --> 00:05:51.110 And then finally, scene five, and that's where Boaz redeems Ruth and Naomi is blessed with a new family. 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:56.228 And so those five scenes pretty much cover this entire book. 00:05:57.971 --> 00:06:14.488 Now, as I seek to give you this big picture perspective of the book of Ruth, I want to draw your attention to four areas of focus, or four key points, if you will, to help us get a sense of what the book is about, and in the process, we will actually get a glimpse of these five scenes that I just mentioned. 00:06:14.488 --> 00:06:22.793 Number one we're going to look at how God's faithfulness to Naomi comes through an unexpected individual. 00:06:22.793 --> 00:06:25.112 God's faithfulness to Naomi comes through an unexpected individual. 00:06:25.112 --> 00:06:27.002 God's faithfulness to Naomi comes through an unexpected individual. 00:06:27.002 --> 00:06:31.435 Secondly, we're going to look at the Christ-like character of Boaz. 00:06:31.435 --> 00:06:35.370 The Christ-like character of Boaz, and we'll spend a significant amount of time there. 00:06:35.370 --> 00:06:40.446 Thirdly, the restoration of Naomi and the providence of God. 00:06:40.446 --> 00:06:43.413 The restoration of Naomi and the providence of God. 00:06:43.413 --> 00:06:50.067 And then, finally and briefly, we will discuss the gospel message illustrated through Boaz. 00:06:50.067 --> 00:06:59.072 The gospel message illustrated through Boaz, and so God's faithfulness to Naomi comes through an unexpected individual. 00:07:01.742 --> 00:07:06.333 As I've noted already, the story begins with one of the saddest portions of scripture in the whole Bible. 00:07:06.333 --> 00:07:13.853 Similarly to the book of Job, a family is struck with one calamity after another after another. 00:07:13.853 --> 00:07:18.009 The scene begins in Bethlehem of Judah. 00:07:18.009 --> 00:07:27.785 Naomi and her husband Elimelech are forced to leave Bethlehem along with their two sons, malon and Kilion, because of a famine that had struck the land. 00:07:27.785 --> 00:07:32.593 Bethlehem, by the way means house of bread. 00:07:32.593 --> 00:07:40.442 And so, ironically, naomi and her family leave Bethlehem, the house of bread, because there was no bread. 00:07:40.442 --> 00:07:51.192 A place that should have been a place of blessing and a place that represented God's provision, became a place that was cursed and a place where there was no sustenance. 00:07:51.192 --> 00:07:53.942 And where did they go? 00:07:53.942 --> 00:07:56.651 Well, we are told that they moved to Moab. 00:07:57.172 --> 00:08:02.286 Of all places, moab would have been enemy territory for the Jews. 00:08:02.286 --> 00:08:07.423 If you remember, the Moabites were the descendants of Lot, abraham's nephew. 00:08:07.423 --> 00:08:13.704 Lot had a son through one of his daughter's immoral acts, who would eventually become the nation of Moab. 00:08:13.704 --> 00:08:20.963 And so, first of all, we see that this nation was birthed through sin, particularly the sin of incest. 00:08:20.963 --> 00:08:28.535 The Moabites would become an idolatrous nation whose supreme deity was Chemosh, a war god. 00:08:28.535 --> 00:08:35.423 They would sacrifice their children on the altar of Chemosh with the hopes that he would give them victory over their enemies. 00:08:35.423 --> 00:08:43.163 And so their idolatry and detestable practices inevitably made them enemies of the God of Israel. 00:08:44.586 --> 00:08:49.695 Isaiah 15, isaiah, chapter 16, jeremiah 48 and verses 8 through 13,. 00:08:49.695 --> 00:08:59.033 Ezekiel 25 and verses 10 through 11, and Amos, chapter 2 and verses 1 through 3, all pronounced curses on Moab. 00:08:59.033 --> 00:09:03.269 This was a nation destined for God's judgment. 00:09:03.269 --> 00:09:08.150 Furthermore, in Judges, chapter 3, and verses 12 through 14,. 00:09:08.150 --> 00:09:18.994 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of God, and God used Moab to punish Israel and allowed Moab to oppress them for 18 years. 00:09:18.994 --> 00:09:27.691 Other wars recorded between these two nations are in 2 Kings, chapter 3, and 2 Kings, chapter 24, in verses 1-3. 00:09:27.691 --> 00:09:38.254 And so these two nations were bitter rivals, which means that Naomi and her family may have been heading towards unfriendly territory. 00:09:38.254 --> 00:09:53.470 Now, the fact that the book of Ruth seems to be silent about any conflict between these two nations suggests that things may have been a little bit more peaceful during this time, which may be the reason why Naomi was willing to take that risk. 00:09:53.470 --> 00:10:03.208 But nevertheless, there are still some hints of hostility between these two nations in the book of Ruth, and I will try to point those out for you as we go along. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:09.585 Now, unfortunately, things go from bad to worse for Naomi. 00:10:09.585 --> 00:10:23.886 Like I said, shortly after her arrival at Moab Elimelech, her husband died and if that's not bad enough, 10 years later her two sons, malon and Kilion, both die after they had taken Moabite women to be their wives. 00:10:23.886 --> 00:10:29.663 Naomi, of course, is devastated, and understandably so. 00:10:29.663 --> 00:10:40.788 Away from home, no husband and no heir to the family line, she is left to be a widow with two daughters-in-law who were also widowed. 00:10:40.788 --> 00:10:48.001 She might have thought that coming to Moab was a greater curse than living in Judah in the midst of a famine. 00:10:48.001 --> 00:11:01.601 Now, after all this bad news, naomi did get a glimpse of hope when she heard rumors that God had visited his people with food, and so she packed her bags and initially heads towards Judah with her daughters-in-law. 00:11:01.601 --> 00:11:05.226 But it wasn't long before she thought twice about them coming with her. 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:10.394 One commentator says this about widows in the ancient Near East. 00:11:10.394 --> 00:11:20.825 He says, quote widows in the ancient Near East had lost all social status and generally were also without political or economic status. 00:11:20.825 --> 00:11:24.734 They could be equated to the homeless in our society. 00:11:24.734 --> 00:11:30.583 Status they could be equated to the homeless in our society. 00:11:30.583 --> 00:11:33.489 Typically, they had no male protector and were dependent on society for survival. 00:11:33.489 --> 00:11:34.892 Close quote. 00:11:34.932 --> 00:11:42.051 And so here you have three widows who had no male protector, and there's no mention of any political status. 00:11:42.051 --> 00:11:49.971 And besides the land that belonged to Elimelech, naomi's husband, it's very likely that they did not have any economic status as well. 00:11:49.971 --> 00:11:59.269 In fact, according to Numbers 27, a widow could not inherit her husband's property which was often a big part of his inheritance. 00:11:59.269 --> 00:12:06.909 If her husband died, his inheritance would be given to his sons, who would in turn take care of his widowed mother. 00:12:06.909 --> 00:12:18.451 But if he had no sons, as is the case here with Naomi, with both of them being dead, then her husband's inheritance would be given to his closest kin. 00:12:18.451 --> 00:12:33.345 Bottom line is that, without a husband and without any sons, the bottom line is that, without a husband and without any sons, these three women were truly dependent on society for survival. 00:12:33.384 --> 00:12:51.279 And so often widows would remarry because they needed someone to care and provide for them, but also because there was no greater curse in Jewish thinking than for your family line to be cut off forever. 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:58.899 And so Naomi, concerned for her daughters-in-law, pleads with them to return to Moab. 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:04.198 Perhaps she thought that it might have been easier for them to find husbands in Moab than in Israel. 00:13:04.198 --> 00:13:08.947 She does appeal to the fact that she is too old to have children and therefore unable to provide husbands for them. 00:13:08.947 --> 00:13:18.663 She may have also thought that, since they are more by women, they may face discrimination and persecution in Israel, and how are they going to defend themselves without a male protector? 00:13:18.663 --> 00:13:24.611 And so all of this may have been in her thinking as she was trying to convince them to go back home. 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:34.403 As we know, naomi was successful in persuading Orpah. 00:13:34.403 --> 00:13:36.750 But as for Ruth, we are told in verse 14 that she clung to Naomi. 00:13:36.750 --> 00:13:43.048 And so Naomi says in verse 15, behold, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. 00:13:43.048 --> 00:13:49.082 Return after your sister-in-law, in other words, go and do likewise. 00:13:49.082 --> 00:13:54.134 Go back to your people and to your gods, just like your sister-in-law. 00:13:56.201 --> 00:14:09.332 And despite Naomi's persistence and seeing her sister-in-law heading back home to her people and to her gods, ruth responds with some of the most profound statements in all of scripture. 00:14:09.332 --> 00:14:14.304 Listen to what she says in verse 16. 00:14:14.304 --> 00:14:24.993 Listen, do not press me to forsake you in turning back from following you, for where you go, I will go and where you lodge, I will lodge. 00:14:24.993 --> 00:14:30.854 Your people shall be my people and your God my God. 00:14:30.854 --> 00:14:34.831 Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. 00:14:34.831 --> 00:14:43.216 Thus may Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me. 00:14:43.216 --> 00:14:49.413 This was a profound testimony of Ruth's faith in the God of Israel. 00:14:49.413 --> 00:15:00.019 You see, unlike Orpah, her sister-in-law, ruth had counted the cost of leaving her own country, despite the troubles and oppositions that she might face. 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:13.249 Why was she willing to go Well, not just to be with Naomi, but even more than that, because Chemosh was no longer her God. 00:15:13.249 --> 00:15:26.070 Yahweh was her God now, and for her, getting to know the God of Israel through her mother-in-law and through her people was worth the risk. 00:15:26.070 --> 00:15:38.852 She gave up her country for Naomi's country, her people for Naomi's people, her traditions for Naomi's traditions, her gods for Naomi's God. 00:15:38.852 --> 00:15:45.600 And she even says I want to die where you die and be buried where you are buried. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:52.740 That was a huge statement. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:58.638 If you think about it, you remember that Joseph wanted his bones to be carried away from Egypt and into the promised land. 00:15:58.638 --> 00:16:05.298 The writer of Hebrews picks up on that in Hebrews chapter 11, in verse 22, and says that this was an act of faith on the part of Joseph. 00:16:05.298 --> 00:16:15.089 You see, egypt represented a place that was cursed and alienated from the true and living God and his covenant promises to his people. 00:16:15.089 --> 00:16:27.956 And Joseph wanted nothing to do with such a nation, to the extent that he didn't even want his bones to be in any way associated with a cursed nation like Egypt. 00:16:27.956 --> 00:16:47.678 And here's Ruth, who was born in Moab, making a huge statement that, despite the fact that this was her own country, she didn't even want her bones to be buried in a cursed nation like Moab. 00:16:49.386 --> 00:16:53.177 Her heart was now set on Israel. 00:16:53.177 --> 00:17:05.574 She had come to believe that the true God was Yahweh and that his blessings and his promises were with the people of Israel and not with Moab. 00:17:05.574 --> 00:17:12.597 And if that wasn't enough, she even seals her testimony with an oath. 00:17:12.597 --> 00:17:15.833 Look at what she says in verse 17. 00:17:15.833 --> 00:17:18.267 She says Look at what she says in verse 17. 00:17:18.267 --> 00:17:21.174 She says Thus may Yahweh do to me and more. 00:17:21.174 --> 00:17:35.913 If anything but death separates you and me, naomi, may God's severest punishment be given to me if I ever forsake you. 00:17:35.913 --> 00:17:38.491 That's essentially what she was saying. 00:17:38.491 --> 00:17:45.167 What a daughter-in-law and what a gift she became to Naomi. 00:17:45.167 --> 00:17:51.905 And even more than that, what an unlikely individual for God to use to bless Naomi. 00:17:51.905 --> 00:18:07.555 A Moabite woman, an enemy of Israel, a widow with no social, political or economic status, was used by God to restore what Naomi had lost. 00:18:07.555 --> 00:18:21.519 She truly became greater than seven sons to Naomi, as the women of Bethlehem later on testify, and so Naomi had nothing more to say. 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:24.605 Ruth's testimony was compelling enough. 00:18:24.605 --> 00:18:35.573 They both head towards Bethlehem, which was about a 40-mile journey from Moab, and, in God's providence, naomi's arrival could not have come at a better time. 00:18:37.234 --> 00:18:39.358 This first chapter begins with a famine. 00:18:39.358 --> 00:18:48.057 It begins with bad news, but look at the very last verse of chapter 1. 00:18:48.057 --> 00:18:52.785 , verse 22. 00:18:52.785 --> 00:18:56.585 So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the fields of Moab. 00:18:56.585 --> 00:19:03.458 Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. 00:19:03.458 --> 00:19:10.978 Bethlehem, the house of bread now had plenty. 00:19:13.807 --> 00:19:21.930 I remember my wife used to make these delicious chicken sandwiches, and what made them so good to me was the Portuguese bread that she would use. 00:19:21.930 --> 00:19:29.093 She would always buy them from this place, where they were literally baked there every day, and so you would get them fresh out of the oven. 00:19:29.093 --> 00:19:43.999 Usually she would be the one to go buy them, but one time she sent me, and when I arrived at the place I realized that my wife had neglected to tell me that if I don't arrive by a certain time, I'm going to have to stand behind a huge line. 00:19:43.999 --> 00:19:49.536 It must have been what looked like about 100 people ahead of me that day. 00:19:49.536 --> 00:20:00.777 I decided to stay on the line because I didn't want to disappoint my wife, but the bigger reason was that I was really craving those delicious chicken sandwiches. 00:20:00.777 --> 00:20:13.790 Well, unfortunately for me, my efforts were in vain because Providence was not on my side, they had sold out by the time. 00:20:13.790 --> 00:20:20.732 I was near the front of the line and we were told that they were not going to make any more for the rest of the day because they had completely ran out of dough. 00:20:20.732 --> 00:20:22.375 That's how many they had sold. 00:20:22.375 --> 00:20:35.157 And so when I arrived at home empty-handed, my wife did not fail to tell me that if I want some of her delicious chicken sandwiches, I'm going to have to go back tomorrow morning at 7 am when they open. 00:20:35.157 --> 00:20:40.291 Well, you better believe that I rose up early the next day. 00:20:40.291 --> 00:20:45.269 I was not going to go another day without her delicious chicken sandwiches. 00:20:47.434 --> 00:21:00.740 Well, unlike me, providence was definitely on Naomi's side, and she arrived to Bethlehem, the house of bread, just in time to take advantage of the land's fresh produce. 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:07.632 You see, the book of Ruth is not primarily about a widow and her daughter-in-law. 00:21:07.632 --> 00:21:15.712 It is primarily about God's providential care over his people and his covenant promise that he will provide a redeemer. 00:21:15.712 --> 00:21:18.258 That he will provide a redeemer. 00:21:18.258 --> 00:21:24.470 This becomes even more evident as the story unfolds. 00:21:24.470 --> 00:21:32.970 Now, speaking of a redeemer, let's now turn our attention to the Christ-like character of Boaz. 00:21:32.990 --> 00:21:41.367 In chapter 2, ruth meets a man by the name of Boaz, and we are told that he happened to be Naomi's husband's kinsman. 00:21:41.367 --> 00:21:44.634 Ruth had asked her mother-in-law permission to glean in the fields. 00:21:44.634 --> 00:21:55.715 Naomi lets her go, and we are told in verse 3 that it just so happened that of all the fields that Naomi could have went to, she ends up going into the fields of Boaz. 00:21:55.715 --> 00:21:59.773 Again, keep in mind that she is a foreigner, she is not familiar with the land. 00:21:59.773 --> 00:22:10.450 Now Boaz sees her gleaning in his field and questions the man that he had left in charge of the reapers and says to him in verse 5, whose young woman is this? 00:22:10.450 --> 00:22:21.227 The man tells him that she is a Moabite woman who came with Naomi from Moab and that she pleaded with him to please allow her to glean after the reapers. 00:22:23.371 --> 00:22:27.900 In verses 8 through 9, boaz basically does the unexpected. 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:38.093 He doesn't just tell Ruth to continue gleaning in his field that was surprising enough but he even tells her not to glean anywhere else. 00:22:38.093 --> 00:22:45.605 Furthermore, he instructs her to stay with the other women that were gleaning and to follow them. 00:22:45.605 --> 00:22:52.134 This was an important detail because Ruth, being a Moabite, could have been accused of wrongdoing if found alone. 00:22:52.134 --> 00:23:03.590 And so he tells her to follow the women wherever they go so that no one may be suspicious of her, and this was very likely the same reason why he told her not to glean anywhere else. 00:23:03.590 --> 00:23:15.189 He wanted her to glean in his field so that she can be under his protection and care, which is why he also commanded all of the men not to touch her, not to do her any harm. 00:23:15.189 --> 00:23:27.315 Again, the fact that Boaz had to take some extreme measures to protect Ruth indicates that there was still some hostility between Israelites and Moabites. 00:23:29.118 --> 00:23:31.029 Note that Ruth's response also reflect this. 00:23:31.029 --> 00:23:41.778 We see that she was shocked and overwhelmed with his kindness in verse 10 and says why have I found favor in your sight, even though I am a foreigner? 00:23:41.778 --> 00:23:47.354 And so she clearly recognized that this was not supposed to be the norm. 00:23:47.354 --> 00:24:01.258 Boaz replied that it's because he had heard about everything she had done for Naomi and how she sacrificed so much to come with her to Bethlehem, and so Boaz already had some information concerning Ruth. 00:24:01.258 --> 00:24:08.627 We're not told how he was informed, but nevertheless he knew enough to have an idea as to what type of person she was. 00:24:10.592 --> 00:24:33.393 Later on, after mealtime, boaz gave some further commands to his young man and told him to let her glean among the sheaves, and normally the reapers would glean first and after the sheaves are done, whatever was left would be for the poor to glean, but Boaz allows her to glean not from the leftovers but from the best of the harvest. 00:24:33.393 --> 00:24:43.217 He even goes further than that and commanded all of his men to purposely pull out for her the grains from the bundles and to leave it for her to glean. 00:24:43.217 --> 00:24:47.756 In other words, he wanted to make things easier for her. 00:24:47.756 --> 00:24:54.176 And so we see that Boaz demonstrated great kindness to Ruth. 00:24:54.176 --> 00:25:00.678 He gave her all the provisions she needed and even protected her, despite the fact that she was a Moabite. 00:25:02.065 --> 00:25:08.538 Boaz was a kind man, a man who was very generous and looked after those who were poor and needy. 00:25:08.538 --> 00:25:21.688 You would have known what God said through Moses in Deuteronomy 24 and verse 19, where it says when you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheave in the field, you shall not go back to get it. 00:25:21.688 --> 00:25:31.096 It shall be for the sojourner, for the orphan and for the widow, in order that Yahweh, your God, may bless you in all the works of your hands. 00:25:31.096 --> 00:25:48.038 You see, unlike the nation of Israel, the book of Ruth portrays Boaz as a man who sought to be obedient to God's commands, which led him to love people, even those, like in the case of Ruth, who was supposed to be his enemy. 00:25:48.038 --> 00:26:06.357 And doesn't this remind us of our Savior, perfectly obedient to his Father's commands, showing great kindness and generosity to the undeserving, loving those who are poor in spirit and destitute of any righteousness? 00:26:06.357 --> 00:26:33.577 Like Ruth, we were accursed people and enemies of God, but when the kindness of our great God and Savior appeared to us, he saved us, not because of any righteous thing that we have done, but because of his mercy, and now he is our protector, provider and sustainer. 00:26:33.577 --> 00:26:37.474 Everything he does is for our good. 00:26:37.474 --> 00:26:41.765 Everything he does is for our good. 00:26:41.765 --> 00:26:48.505 No-transcript. 00:26:49.598 --> 00:26:54.788 Now, ruth was very excited to get back home to her mother-in-law to bring to her what she had gleaned. 00:26:54.788 --> 00:27:03.410 When she arrived at home, naomi was astonished at how much she brought and asked her in verse 19, where did you glean today? 00:27:03.410 --> 00:27:14.407 Ruth, of course, tells her that she had gleaned in the fields of Boaz, and immediately Naomi remembered that Boaz was one of her kinsmen redeemers. 00:27:14.407 --> 00:27:28.855 In the very next chapter, naomi had a plan, and it wasn't your ordinary plan, definitely not something I would recommend to any single woman out there. 00:27:28.855 --> 00:27:31.241 People might think you're a bit weird. 00:27:31.241 --> 00:27:40.449 And so let's take a look at Naomi's incredible plan. 00:27:45.214 --> 00:27:47.638 So Naomi expressed her desire for Ruth to find a husband and recommends Boaz. 00:27:47.638 --> 00:27:53.048 She tells her to wash herself, get dressed and go to the threshing floor tonight, and there she will find Boaz winnowing barley. 00:27:53.048 --> 00:27:59.425 She tells her to wait for him to lie down, and then she gives her this instruction in verse 4. 00:27:59.425 --> 00:28:08.824 Listen to what she says, but when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. 00:28:08.824 --> 00:28:17.271 Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. 00:28:17.271 --> 00:28:26.635 That doesn't sound very proper, and he will tell you what to do, all right. 00:28:26.635 --> 00:28:47.428 Well, the plan does seem very strange from just a mere glance, and was very risky for Ruth, because if someone found her lying next to a man at night, she could have been accused of some type of sexual sin which was punishable by death, and so her life could have been in serious danger. 00:28:49.675 --> 00:28:54.067 But let me note a couple of things before we try to unpack what's going on here. 00:28:54.067 --> 00:29:06.454 First of all, based on the character of Ruth, which we've seen glimpses of already, there's no reason to think that there was any impropriety in what Naomi was instructing Ruth to do. 00:29:06.454 --> 00:29:14.849 If there was, then Ruth would not have agreed to do such a thing and might have felt offended that Naomi would even suggest it. 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:26.386 Secondly, we also know that there was no sinful intent because of the way Boaz responded after Ruth had done what her mother-in-law commanded. 00:29:26.386 --> 00:29:30.285 Look at verses 8 through 11 of chapter 3. 00:29:31.656 --> 00:29:36.057 In verse 8, ruth laid at the feet of Boaz and he was startled and questioned who she was. 00:29:36.057 --> 00:29:44.818 She identified herself and tells him, to quote spread his wings over her because he was a redeemer. 00:29:44.818 --> 00:29:48.143 Now, no need to be concerned here. 00:29:48.143 --> 00:29:56.378 To spread your wings or skirt or, as the NIV puts it, to spread your garment over me, was a sign of protection. 00:29:56.378 --> 00:29:59.484 The Hebrew word there is kanaf. 00:29:59.484 --> 00:30:19.349 It is often used in scripture to refer to God spreading his wings over his people as a symbol of refuge or protection over them, like in Psalm 91, in verse 4, for example, where it says he shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings, kanaf, you shall take refuge. 00:30:19.349 --> 00:30:26.143 But in this instance it meant more than just protection. 00:30:26.143 --> 00:30:33.525 Boaz was already protecting Ruth and so it doesn't make much sense for her to ask him to do what he was already doing. 00:30:33.525 --> 00:30:37.782 So what is Ruth asking him to do? 00:30:39.236 --> 00:30:40.962 Let's look at Boaz' response in verse 10. 00:30:40.962 --> 00:30:50.022 His response, I think, reveals to us the answer he says May you be blessed by the Lord. 00:30:50.022 --> 00:30:50.986 My daughter. 00:30:50.986 --> 00:31:01.385 Now he calls her my daughter, not just because it was a more affectionate way of addressing someone, but also because Ruth was a lot younger than her. 00:31:01.385 --> 00:31:04.723 Boaz was a lot older than her. 00:31:04.723 --> 00:31:14.877 Some rabbinic writings suggest that Ruth may have been in her early 40s, while Boaz was somewhere in his late 70s, possibly even early 80s. 00:31:17.363 --> 00:31:17.884 He goes on. 00:31:17.884 --> 00:31:23.923 He says you have made this last kindness greater than the first, and that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 00:31:23.923 --> 00:31:25.567 And so notice two things here. 00:31:25.567 --> 00:31:35.747 First of all, note that Boaz calls this an act of kindness, indicating that Boaz did not see anything improper in what Ruth was doing. 00:31:35.747 --> 00:31:46.164 Secondly, he says you have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after young men. 00:31:46.164 --> 00:31:58.923 The word there for after is a Hebrew word that can mean to chase or to pursue someone, and so Boaz knew exactly what she was doing. 00:31:58.923 --> 00:32:02.523 She was pursuing a husband. 00:32:05.076 --> 00:32:34.430 Boaz, being of a much older generation than Ruth, was probably not going to ask her for marriage, and so what Ruth was symbolically saying, by uncovering his feet and asking him to spread his garment over her, was I want you to marry me by becoming my redeemer, and so what we have here is a miracle of all miracles, a woman actually proposing to a man. 00:32:34.430 --> 00:32:45.618 Boaz concludes in verse 11 by saying and now, my daughter, do not fear, I will do for you all that you ask for. 00:32:45.618 --> 00:32:50.048 All my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 00:32:50.048 --> 00:32:54.182 So that was a very long way of saying I do. 00:32:54.182 --> 00:32:55.926 I will marry you. 00:32:58.596 --> 00:33:11.327 Now it's clear that what attracted Ruth to Boaz was his kindness, his protection, his generous heart, his care for those who are less privileged, his love for people, even for outsiders. 00:33:11.327 --> 00:33:21.657 And she was also attracted to the fact that, through Boaz, she could provide her mother-in-law the greatest blessing she could ever receive, which was to preserve her family line. 00:33:21.657 --> 00:33:28.509 But there was something even more honorable about the character of Ruth. 00:33:28.509 --> 00:33:36.960 In verse 12, boaz tells her that, yes, it is true that he is a redeemer, but he is not the next in line. 00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:40.086 There was someone else who was nearer. 00:33:40.086 --> 00:33:55.226 And so Boaz could have said I want this woman and I'm going to do everything possible to have her, even if I have to lie my way to get her. 00:33:55.226 --> 00:33:58.400 That's not what he did. 00:34:00.296 --> 00:34:04.926 You see, boaz was a man of integrity and a very humble man. 00:34:04.926 --> 00:34:12.041 He was not looking after his own interests, he was looking after the interests of Ruth and Naomi. 00:34:12.041 --> 00:34:26.469 He was a man that would have said I want God to bless you, and if he wants to bless you through me, then praise the Lord, but if he wants to bless you through another, even if that means I can't have you, then so be it. 00:34:26.469 --> 00:34:31.762 I will be content with whatever way the Lord wills to bless you. 00:34:31.762 --> 00:34:33.588 That was Boaz. 00:34:33.588 --> 00:34:37.306 He was not a selfish man, but selfless. 00:34:37.306 --> 00:34:44.347 And isn't this precisely what we are told about our Lord Jesus Christ? 00:34:44.347 --> 00:34:52.949 He himself said I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many. 00:34:52.949 --> 00:35:04.387 He did not count equality with God as something to hold on to, paul says but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond slave and coming in the likeness of man. 00:35:04.387 --> 00:35:11.849 There has never been anyone more selfless than our Savior Amen. 00:35:11.849 --> 00:35:18.936 More selfless than our Savior Amen. 00:35:18.956 --> 00:35:23.385 Now, this law of the kinsman-redeemer was instituted by God back in Leviticus, 25 and verse 25. 00:35:23.385 --> 00:35:28.101 But in Deuteronomy, 25 and verse 5 through 10 is where this law is used in the context of marriage. 00:35:28.101 --> 00:35:30.507 This was called Leverite marriage. 00:35:30.507 --> 00:35:39.775 Simply put, this was the process of bringing up children in the name of a deceased relative, so that his family and property line would not be lost. 00:35:39.775 --> 00:35:52.945 Normally, the kinsman redeemer who accepted to marry his brother's wife would have to purchase the land that belonged to the deceased, and so often it would come at a great cost to him. 00:35:52.945 --> 00:36:18.101 If the kinsman redeemer did not want to marry his brother's wife and the elders are not able to persuade him, then his brother's wife was to go up to him in the presence of all the elders and take off his sandal and spit in his face, indicating that he is a disgrace and should be ashamed of himself for not being willing to preserve his brother's inheritance. 00:36:18.101 --> 00:36:25.664 And so here in Ruth we have a real historical example of how this law was performed. 00:36:26.846 --> 00:36:27.626 In chapter 4,. 00:36:27.626 --> 00:36:38.583 The very next day, boaz sees the kinsman redeemer and tells him that Naomi has returned from Moab and he inquires of him to purchase the field that belonged to Elimelech. 00:36:38.583 --> 00:36:58.420 Initially he agreed to redeem it, but as soon as Boaz mentions that he will have to acquire Ruth the Moabite, he immediately retracts from his decision, very likely because he did not want a Moabite woman to put a stain on his family tree. 00:36:58.420 --> 00:37:09.677 And so, in accordance with the law, he takes off his sandal in the presence of all the elders, and Boaz redeems Ruth and everything that belonged to Elimelech, naomi's husband. 00:37:09.677 --> 00:37:16.498 He marries her and the Lord gives them a son, thus preserving the family line of Naomi. 00:37:16.498 --> 00:37:27.786 We can only imagine the emotions that Naomi was experiencing at this time, but, as we've seen, things were not always that rosy for Naomi. 00:37:27.786 --> 00:37:35.347 And that leads us to our next point, the restoration of Naomi and the providence of God. 00:37:35.347 --> 00:37:43.956 I mentioned earlier that chapter one ends with some good news In God's providence. 00:37:44.016 --> 00:38:03.715 Naomi arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest harvest, but what I did not mention was that at that time Naomi was not in a good place spiritually speaking. 00:38:03.715 --> 00:38:08.302 She could not see what God was doing, because she had allowed the loss of her husband and her two sons to bring her to a place of hopelessness. 00:38:08.302 --> 00:38:12.568 Look at how she expressed herself back in chapter 1. 00:38:12.568 --> 00:38:18.855 In verse 13. 00:38:18.855 --> 00:38:22.900 You remember that she kept insisting that Ruth and Orpah should return back to Moab. 00:38:22.900 --> 00:38:36.144 And in verse 13, she gives them what seems to be her most persuasive argument by saying that quote the hand of Yahweh has gone forth against me, which was enough to persuade Orpah to go back home. 00:38:38.556 --> 00:38:44.443 And then, in verse 20 of chapter 1, when she arrived in Bethlehem, she kind of lets it all out. 00:38:44.443 --> 00:38:50.822 She said this to the women who recognized her when she arrived, and I want you to notice the play on words here. 00:38:50.822 --> 00:38:56.181 So the women said in verse 19, is this Naomi? 00:38:56.181 --> 00:39:04.766 Naomi responded Do not call me Naomi, which means pleasant. 00:39:04.766 --> 00:39:14.445 Call me Mara, which means bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 00:39:14.445 --> 00:39:21.724 I went out full, but Yahweh has caused me to return empty. 00:39:21.724 --> 00:39:24.983 Why do you call me Naomi? 00:39:24.983 --> 00:39:28.083 Why do you call me pleasant? 00:39:28.083 --> 00:39:35.826 Yahweh has answered against me and the Almighty has brought calamity against me. 00:39:39.115 --> 00:39:42.503 Can you hear the hopelessness in these words? 00:39:42.503 --> 00:39:51.884 Far from Job's initial response after he had lost everything the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 00:39:51.884 --> 00:39:53.907 Blessed be the name of the Lord. 00:39:53.907 --> 00:39:59.523 She almost sounds more like Job's wife, just hopeless. 00:39:59.523 --> 00:40:06.237 You see, from her perspective, god had abandoned her. 00:40:06.237 --> 00:40:08.702 God was no longer on her side. 00:40:08.702 --> 00:40:10.947 In fact, god was against her. 00:40:10.947 --> 00:40:12.108 She thought. 00:40:12.108 --> 00:40:17.436 No longer on her side. 00:40:17.436 --> 00:40:18.416 In fact, god was against her, she thought. 00:40:18.416 --> 00:40:19.438 And yet she could not be farther from the truth. 00:40:19.438 --> 00:40:25.769 Despite her bitterness and losing her hope in God, god remained faithful to her. 00:40:27.375 --> 00:40:36.338 2 Timothy 2 and verse 13 says if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. 00:40:36.338 --> 00:40:46.119 By God's grace, naomi's faith was restored and she was able to rejoice and even worship God for his faithfulness. 00:40:46.119 --> 00:40:49.043 How do I know that? 00:40:49.043 --> 00:40:52.650 Well, go back to chapter 4 and verse 16. 00:40:52.650 --> 00:40:55.621 Look at what it says there. 00:40:55.621 --> 00:40:56.784 Chapter 4 and verse 16. 00:40:58.914 --> 00:41:03.074 This is shortly after the baby was born. 00:41:03.074 --> 00:41:09.186 It says there the Naomi took the child and put him on her bosom and became his nurse. 00:41:09.186 --> 00:41:18.018 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying a son has been born to Naomi. 00:41:18.018 --> 00:41:18.798 Now stop right there. 00:41:18.798 --> 00:41:30.923 Notice, brothers and sisters, it was not Naomi who gave him a name, it wasn't Ruth who gave him a name, and it wasn't even Boaz who gave him a name. 00:41:30.923 --> 00:41:39.525 It was the women who lived next to Naomi, who saw her every day and knew her struggles. 00:41:39.525 --> 00:41:42.670 And what did they name him? 00:41:42.670 --> 00:41:45.478 It says so. 00:41:45.478 --> 00:41:55.835 They named him Obed, which means worshiper, worshiper, you see. 00:41:55.835 --> 00:42:16.715 I believe the neighbor women named him worshiper because they saw that God had restored Naomi from a bitter, hopeless woman to a woman who worshiped Yahweh, because he remained faithful when she was faithless, remained faithful when she was faithless. 00:42:19.315 --> 00:42:23.407 Like Naomi, we too need soul restoration because we are not always faithful. 00:42:23.407 --> 00:42:28.246 We are like sheep, constantly going astray. 00:42:28.246 --> 00:42:37.577 But the good shepherd is always willing to leave the 99 and go after that one wayward sheep. 00:42:37.577 --> 00:42:48.802 The psalmist says the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want he makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. 00:42:48.802 --> 00:43:06.128 And so when I am faithless, when you are faithless, the good shepherd remains faithful because he has sworn by himself that he will finish the good work that he has begun in us. 00:43:06.128 --> 00:43:07.976 Amen. 00:43:07.976 --> 00:43:16.521 Back to verse 16 of chapter 4, it ends with these words so they named him Obed. 00:43:16.521 --> 00:43:21.806 He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 00:43:24.257 --> 00:43:32.467 As we know, the New Testament lists only five women in the genealogy of Jesus, and in verse 5 of Matthew, chapter 1, he mentions two of those women. 00:43:32.467 --> 00:43:35.097 Both of them were foreigners. 00:43:35.097 --> 00:43:38.384 One of them was a harlot by the name of Rahab. 00:43:38.384 --> 00:43:45.561 The other one was Ruth who, as we've seen, was once a cursed idolatrous Moabite woman. 00:43:45.561 --> 00:43:55.992 Rahab, by the way, was the mother of Boaz, which gives us more insight into why Boaz was very welcoming to Ruth. 00:43:55.992 --> 00:44:10.889 How gracious is our God right that he would include in the genealogy of Jesus not just those within the covenant community of Israel, but even cursed Gentiles like you and me. 00:44:13.396 --> 00:44:19.762 I mentioned the word providence a couple of times, and it was Wayne Grudem who defined providence this way. 00:44:19.762 --> 00:44:21.105 Listen to what he says. 00:44:21.105 --> 00:44:36.358 He says, quote Providence is the doctrine that God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he number one keeps them existing and maintaining their properties with which he created them. 00:44:36.358 --> 00:44:44.918 Two cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do. 00:44:44.918 --> 00:45:16.858 And so God, like a master conductor, orchestrated all of his creation by directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do, in order to fulfill his good purpose, which was, on the one hand, to bless Naomi and her family and, on the other hand, to bless all of his people from every generation. 00:45:18.782 --> 00:45:31.557 You see, while the whole nation of Israel was living one of its darkest periods in their history, god was at work, fulfilling his eternal plan in the midst of their rebellion. 00:45:31.557 --> 00:45:47.496 It's as if God were saying to them through the book of Ruth you are going to continue on in your rebellion, you're going to continue in your defiance of me, but despite the fact that you deserve for me to wipe you off the face of the earth. 00:45:47.496 --> 00:45:55.789 I will provide a redeemer who will purchase you back to me from your slavery to sin. 00:45:55.789 --> 00:46:06.750 And so it was God's purpose all along to bring a famine to Bethlehem so that Naomi could end up in Moab and so that Ruth could become her daughter-in-law. 00:46:06.750 --> 00:46:14.697 And it was his purpose to bring her back to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest so that Ruth can meet Boaz. 00:46:14.697 --> 00:46:42.389 It was God who brought both of them together, removing all obstacles, including the kinsman redeemer who was next in line, so that, through Boaz, god might give to Naomi a son who would not just save her family line, but whose lineage would lead to the one through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, including the remnant from among that wicked and perverse generation. 00:46:42.389 --> 00:46:49.182 There are no mistakes in God's plan, brothers and sisters. 00:46:49.182 --> 00:46:57.286 Everything is working out precisely as he has ordained it for his glory and for our salvation. 00:47:00.476 --> 00:47:05.704 In closing, we have seen how Boaz in many ways was an Old Testament type of Jesus. 00:47:05.704 --> 00:47:17.938 His character was often a reflection of the character of our Savior, and so it's no marvel that his deeds were also a reflection of the gospel. 00:47:17.938 --> 00:47:25.978 Briefly, let me give you three ways that the gospel message was illustrated through Boaz. 00:47:25.978 --> 00:47:34.250 First, the gospel message is seen in a great price, a great price. 00:47:34.250 --> 00:47:44.010 Boaz saw the need of Ruth and paid a great price to redeem her by purchasing the land that belonged to Elimelech. 00:47:44.010 --> 00:47:47.244 And note that he did it willingly. 00:47:47.244 --> 00:47:49.722 He was not forced to do anything. 00:47:49.722 --> 00:47:54.387 He was motivated by his love for Ruth and Naomi. 00:47:54.387 --> 00:48:11.449 Our greater Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ, looked upon our miserable condition and with eyes of compassion he saw our need, that we were without hope and without God in this world. 00:48:11.449 --> 00:48:12.956 That we were without hope and without God in this world. 00:48:12.956 --> 00:48:18.083 Motivated by his love for us, he willingly paid the ultimate price. 00:48:18.083 --> 00:48:33.914 He redeemed us, peter says, not with corruptible things like gold and silver, but with his precious blood, as a lamb without blemish. 00:48:37.635 --> 00:48:39.338 Secondly, the gospel message is seen in a better future, a better future. 00:48:39.358 --> 00:48:47.581 And so there was a great price that was paid so that we could have hope and be brought back to God and, as a result, we could have a better future. 00:48:49.784 --> 00:48:57.659 When Boaz preserved the family line of Naomi by providing a son, her hopes for a better future was restored. 00:48:57.659 --> 00:49:09.344 No longer did she have to worry about her family being cut off forever, she could die in peace, knowing that her family line would continue for many generations. 00:49:09.344 --> 00:49:23.545 God has given us his one and only son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish, will not be cut off, but have everlasting life. 00:49:23.545 --> 00:49:34.789 Through him, we have hope for a better future, and not a temporal hope, but one that is eternal and never-ending. 00:49:34.789 --> 00:49:44.228 And lastly, the gospel message is seen in a great inheritance, a great inheritance. 00:49:44.228 --> 00:49:54.284 So there was a great price that was paid so that we could have a better future, and what awaits us in that better future is a great inheritance. 00:49:54.284 --> 00:50:03.309 Boaz purchased the land that belonged to Elimelech so that his descendants can possess it as their inheritance. 00:50:03.309 --> 00:50:15.800 Jesus has purchased for us an inheritance reserved for us in heaven, which is incorruptible, undefiled and shall never fade away. 00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:28.775 One day we will glean in his heavenly fields and reap unspeakable joy, amen.