The Blessed Life of a God-fearing Mother | Andy Brown

In this powerful exploration of the Book of Ruth, we're invited to discover what it truly means to live a life that fears the Lord. Through Ruth's journey, we see how God weaves His amazing grace into the tapestry of our lives, even in moments of bitterness and uncertainty. The story reminds us that God's plan to save sinners extends beyond cultural and social boundaries, offering hope to all who seek Him. As we reflect on Ruth's unwavering faith and Boaz's role as a redeemer, we're challenged to surrender our lives fully to God, trusting that His plans are far greater than our own. This message encourages us to leave room for God in our planning, stay on track when life takes unexpected turns, and recognize that He is at work even in our most challenging circumstances. By embracing these truths, we can live a blessed life that shines with joy and points others to Christ.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Wasn't that precious during Tom's prayer to hear that little newborn baby crying? Think about nothing sweeter on Mother's Day in particular. I heard that baby crying, and I thought, that baby's hungry. You know, mothers in particular, they carry a burden. And today, of course, we are talking about Mother's Day, and unlike anyone else in the world, they carry the burden of making sure that their children are raised right, making sure that the children turn out okay. And oftentimes there's so much pressure that's associated with parenting. But my goal today in this message is to take the pressure off of the parents, and instead take that pressure and turn it into joy and peace. What I want to talk to you today, I want to take you through two passages of Scripture. One is in Proverbs 31. If you have your Bible, please, would you join me in Proverbs 31? And when I think about Mother's Day in particular, these this passage, of course, comes to my mind. And I particularly love Proverbs chapter 31, because in Proverbs 31, there is, it's the word of a king when he remembers what his mother taught him. And I love what his mother says. It says, uh, she says first, she says, What are you doing, my son? And how many sons have heard their mama say that to them? Where are you, boy? What are you doing? All of us have heard that. What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, the son of my womb? And then he says, and then she says this, by the way, son, uh, don't give your strength over to women. Don't have alcohol. All of these things, encouraging a son in the right way that they should go. And in Proverbs chapter 31, particularly at verse 28, I'm going to show you, I would imagine, that this is the goal that every mother has in here. Every mother has, every mother feels this burden. This is the desire that you have. Listen, it says that her children rise up and call her blessed. Every mother desires something, and that desire is for their children to rise up and call them blessed. Well, how do we do that? Well, let's keep reading the Bible. There's a formula here for how we can have our children rise up and call us blessed. It says in verse 29, Many women have done exceedingly or excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. And so there's the formula right there for ensuring that our children will rise up and call us blessed. It's for a woman, a mother, to fear the Lord. Now I want to define a couple of terms for you. What does it mean to live a blessed life? Well, a blessed life is a life that shines with joy. It's a life that points others to the way. It's a life that's on display for everyone to say, see, that life is the life that I want. That's a blessed life. And it only comes, listen, through receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. After all, if you're going to have a life that shines, you have to first give your life to the light that is, that is, that shines to all men. In other words, Jesus, remember what the Bible says in John 1? The Bible says in him was life, and that life was a light. And so if we're going to have this blessed life, then we have to give our lives first to Jesus Christ and let his glory shine in and through us. Remember what he says? He says, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. He says, I'm giving you my joy, I'm giving you myself. Jesus died on the cross, not so that he could give his life for us, and he did that, but he also died on the cross so that he could give his life to us. And so by the power of the Holy Spirit, we get to live this life now that shines with joy, that shows others the way and gives glory to God. Now, how do we do that? Well, there's a formula. It's to fear the Lord. And what do you think about when I say fear the Lord? The Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But what does it mean for us to fear the Lord? And it's not a term of dread. Instead, what it means is that we're to live every moment of our lives with this awe-inspired awareness of his presence. That's what it means to fear the Lord. It's to see every circumstance that you have as being ordained by God, orchestrated by God. It's every circumstance you're looking for his presence. God, I don't understand, but what are you doing? I trust you. Fearing the Lord means that you're living every moment with this aw-filled awareness of God, honoring, trusting, and obeying Him in all things. So what I want to talk to you today about, and especially on Mother's Day, is I want to talk to you about the blessed life of a God-fearing mother. And we're going to do something today, and I'm very excited. We're going to go to the book of Ruth. And so would you mind going backwards from Proverbs 31 all the way back to Ruth? And my goal today is I want to take you through this passage. And what I really want to do is I want to just read the Bible and let the Bible have its effect on you. And we're going to use Ruth as an example to show how she lived a life that was aware of God's presence. She lived a life that feared the Lord. And so here's our goal today. I'm going to be your pilot, all right? I'm going to be your guide. And some of you don't like flying, but just imagine, okay? We're going to go together, and it's going to be, we're going to fly, it's going to be a low-flying trip overneath or over the book of Ruth. We're going to go very fast, but I'm going to point out some truths so that we can learn what a life that fears the Lord looks like. All right, you ready? Ruth chapter 1. Begin reading with me at verse 1. In the days when the judges ruled. Now let's stop right there. What does that tell us? Well, there's a theme in the book of Judges. The book of Judges, the theme is that there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. It's sort of like where we are now. We live in sort of the age of the judges, where there's no king and everyone's just doing what's right in their own eyes. And so this is the circumstance that we have. Everyone's doing what they think's right. Now notice there's a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. Now let's stop again. You say, Pastor, if you keep stopping, we're not going to make it. Just trust me, all right? Just trust me. What does Bethlehem mean? Bethlehem means house of bread. And so in the house of bread, there's no bread. And there's a famine in the land. And so this fellow he decides that he's going to take his family and go to Moab. Now, where's Moab? Moab is outside of the people of God. The Moabites, historically, were the enemies of God. And so this fellow, and we'll name him in just a minute, he decides to take his family out of the promised land into another land. It's like the reversal of the Exodus. Now let's keep reading. He and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech. Everybody say Elimelech. Very good. And the name of his wife was, say it with me, Naomi. And the names of their two sons were, now here we're going to have fun. Ready? Malon, Chileon. See, you're doing so good. They were Ephraithes from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But, look at verse 3. Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died. And she was left with her two sons. And so these two sons took Moabite wives. And by the way, remember, according to Levitical law, that's forbidden. They're not supposed to intermarry with the nations around them. And Moses says the reason for that is it's not so much about the people around them, it's about the hearts of the people of God. The fear is that if you intermarry, then you'll end up giving yourself over to their gods. And so Moses says this is forbidden. Now let's keep reading. These took Moabite wives, and here we're going to talk back to each other. Ready? The name of the one was Orpa. Say that. And the name of the other was Ruth. Very good. They lived there about ten years. And both Malon and Chileon died. And so the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Now, she also has these two wives, remember, Orpa, or she has these two daughter-in-laws, rather, named Orpah and Ruth. And here's the first truth for us to write down as we're looking at some characteristics that reveal what it means to live a life that fears the Lord. Number one, honor God regardless of your circumstances. If we're going to live a life that truly fears God, then first, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of our convenience, we have to live a life that honors God. Now, some people stayed in Bethlehem, as we're going to see as the story unfolds. God eventually brought land brought bread to the land and the house of bread. And also, it was forbidden for these two sons to intermarry. They chose to not fear God. Instead, they chose to live a life of convenience. But always a different way. And the reason this is here is to remember that regardless of our circumstances, regardless of convenience, we have to live our life saying, here I stand, I can do no other. As my pastor used to say back home, you obey God and you leave the consequences of that obedience to him. Now he'd also take an opportunity and he'd say another thing. Before we go down here, we should say, Lord, is this your will for me? Lord, is this what you want me to do? Lord, I want to follow you regardless. And remember, God will never lead you into a place of disobedience. He will never lead you to disregard what he says. Now that doesn't mean that he won't lead us into difficult places, as we're going to see in just a moment. But what that does mean is that we have to be resolute, regardless of our circumstances, to have as our first priority his presence, to live every day in awe of him, to live every day with an awareness that he is God. And that awareness that he is God reflects in a life of obedience lived for him. And so I just wonder as we're going through this text and even getting started, and I realize I have to hurry up, but I just wonder how many of us are really honoring God regardless of our circumstances. Or how many of us, right now, in your circumstance, you're living a life of compromise. Friends, remember, God never calls us to compromise, he calls us to obey Him and leave the rest to Him. Let's keep going. Then she arose, this is verse 6, with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. Now that's important. She's in Moab and she's working the fields, and she hears God has come. Ten years later, she hears that God has visited his people. Now, there again, we're learning the difference between who his people are and who his people aren't. Now let's keep reading. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. Now look at verse 8. Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, go return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find, everybody say this word, rest. Say that back. Now you're going to hear that several times. That's important. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each one of you, in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices, and they wept. And they said to her, No, we will return with you to your people. But Naomi said, Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? And then she says, Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husband? Turn back, my daughters, go your way. I'm too old to have a husband, and if I should say, I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they're grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter for me, for your sake, that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. Then they lifted up their voices and they wept again. Now here's a key. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And here's the second truth that we must remember if we're gonna live this life that fears the Lord. Number two, we must recognize that God has a plan to save sinners. Here is Ruth, and we're gonna see her all through this story as someone who is unworthy, as someone who is outside of the promises of God, but who is brought near by a redeemer. And friends, let me go ahead and tell you, that's me. That's you. All of us were born outside of the promises of God because of our sin. All of us have gone astray. We have each chosen our own way, but God came seeking and saving lost ones, just like he did here in this story. And we need to see people the way that Francis Schaefer used to see people. Some of you know that name. Francis Schaefer was the C. S. Lewis of America, except he lived in Switzerland. It gets a little complicated, but Francis Schaefer was a Presbyterian apologist. And Francis Schaefer used to say, before I see people as saved or lost, those two categories that we like to paint people, good or bad, saved or lost, Francis Schaefer said, I've learned to see people as made in the image of God. And you know what that means? It means if they're made by the in the image of God, then they have the capacity of having a relationship with Him. Maybe you're here as a mother this morning and you have a wayward son or a wayward daughter. Remember this God saves sinners. The grace that saved you is the same grace that can reach whosoever. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you know what that tells me? And I can't work this out in all kinds of ways, but that tells me that as long as there is breath, there's hope. So maybe there uh there's a mother out there who is struggling with a son or a daughter who's wayward. They won't listen to you anymore. You have one who will listen to you on their behalf. His name is Jesus Christ. Never grow weary of bringing your children to the throne of grace, asking God to have his way in their hearts. Remember this as we're fearing the Lord. God saves sinners. Look at the Bible here at verse 15. And she said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and look at this phrase, to her gods. This was the fear that Moses had. Return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, Don't urge me to leave you or to return from following you. And here's a key verse in the whole book of Ruth. For where you go, I'll go, and where you lodge, I'll lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God will be mine. And where you die, I'm gonna die. And there I'll be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you. And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said, No more. Now let's keep reading. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem, the house of bread, remember. And when they came to the house of bread, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, Is this Naomi? Then she said to them, Now notice the change in disposition from Naomi here. Don't call me Naomi, call me bitter. Notice again, we're going back to uh chapter 1 and verse 13. The hand of the Lord has gone against me, he's given me nothing but bitterness. And then she says, I'm just gonna take my name, Naomi, and I'm gonna change it. Call me bitter. And that leads us to a third point that we can say this morning. Number three, as we're learning to fear the Lord, remember that God is at work even through your bitterness. I wish that I could tell you that parenting or that life in general was free from occasions where the water is not as sweet, where the bread is not as plentiful. But you and I know that we live in a real world with real consequences of choices, real challenges that come our way, challenges of our own making, challenges sometimes that we have nothing to do with. But if we're learning to fear the Lord, here's an opportunity for us. God is at work, even in the midst of it. You say, did he cause it? Well, I can't say whether or not he calls it or not. I don't have that kind of knowledge. And the Bible hides those things from us, but here's what I can say: God weaves a tapestry that reveals amazing grace. God takes the circumstances of our lives, and as the grand weaver, he comes and he weaves the tapestries, all the threads of our life, the bright-colored threads, the dark-colored threads, the gray-colored threads, and he weaves them all together to reveal the tapestry of amazing grace. How does he do it? In only ways that he can. Just as he paints the sunset, he paints the sunrise, he gives your life clouds, he gives your life rain, he gives our lives sunshines, rainbows, not unicorns, but you understand. He gives our life these opportunities to remember that whatever our circumstances, even in the middle of our bitterness, even in those things that we would disregard, we're able to trace God's hand through the storm. And we're able to say, Lord, I don't understand. I wish things were different, but I trust you. I'm remembering that you are at work for my good and your glory, even in the middle of these difficult circumstances. Look at verse 21. She says, I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi? For the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me. Now, verse 22, Naomi returned, and Ruth, there again, the Moabite, she doesn't belong, her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Now let's go into chapter 2. Let's go into chapter 2. Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was, all right, you say it with me. What's his name? Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him, in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. And so she went out and she gleaned. Now let's stop the story right there, and let's write down a fourth truth for us to, as we're learning to fear the Lord. Number four, as we're learning to fear the Lord, leave room for God in our planning. Leave room for God in your plans. Whatever plans you have, hold them lightly. Remember that the ultimate plan of your life is for you to look just like Jesus. Remember, true success in the life of your children is not how much money they have, not how much prestige they have, not how many people they know, not how many friends they have. True success in the life of your children is looking more and more like Jesus Christ. And let me just say this. As we're planning, as I know some of you are type A personalities and you want your children A, B, C, D, E, F, G. I had a good friend of mine, all six of her children went to the military academy. She had all of her children, she had a park, a parking spot reserved for her with the Commandant at West Point Military Academy, and instead of the drill sergeant running the children, she would run the children. She had her plan entirely left, dress, right, dress. And the encouragement that I want to give for you parents is this leave room for God in your planning. And you know what that will do? That will allow your children the freedom to live adventurously. That will give your children the opportunity to take risks. I encourage my staff all the time. I encourage my children. You'll never know what it's like to hit a home run unless you swing the bat. We'll never know what it's like to reach the lost unless we try, church. It's an opportunity for us to, it's okay for us to fail. It's for all right for us to try new things. Because we want to leave room for God in our plans. Because here's what we realize we have to take risks. And in that risk, it's really no risk at all, as long as we are leaving room for God to have his way in our life. And so here is here is Naomi. Here is Ruth. Ruth is saying, Hey, I heard about this man named Boaz. Let's just see what'll happen. And she does. Let's continue reading. Verse 3. So she sent out, went and gleaned in the fields after the reapers. And look at this providential language in the ESV at verse 3. And she just happened to come to the part of the field which belonged to Boaz. I wonder how in the world she did that. There's no happenstance. God's directing her path, even though she can't see it. And he's doing the same for you. And behold, look at verse 4. Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered, The Lord be with you. Now look at verse 5. I love this. This is Isaac, this is that Isaac and Rebekah moment. For those of you who remember your Bible story, this is Isaac and Rebekah. Boaz said to his young men who were in charge of the reapers, Who is that lady out there? Boy, I love it. He sees her and his eye is drawn to her providentially. He says, Whoa! Somebody's new in my field. Who is it? And then listen to what they say. The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, She is the young Moabite woman. Again, she doesn't belong here. Who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. Now that just makes sense. She's a Moabite from Moab, but the Bible's telling us this to show us. She doesn't belong here. But by grace, she has been brought near. Her story is our story. It's our story, friends. Learning a life of fearing the Lord is recognizing God saves sinners. We don't deserve to be here, but he pulls us in. And even today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. There's a God who will forgive you of your sins, no matter how far you've gone, no matter what you've done. He is more ready to save you and make you his own than you are even willing to call to him. But you have to by faith believe in him. She doesn't belong, but here she is. And she said, Please let me glean, this is verse 7, and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came, and she continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest. Verse 8. Then Boaz said to Ruth, Listen, my daughter, don't glean in another field. Leave this one, but keep close to my young men. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. And then look at verse 10. There's no entitlement in Ruth. Instead, there's surrender. Look at what she says. She fell down on her face, bowing to the ground, and she said to him, Why have I found favor in your eyes? That you should take notice of me. Look at this, since I'm a foreigner. In other words, she says, I know your people. I know your ways. I know that I don't belong here. I know that I don't deserve to be here. And this is when she meets Grace. She's remember Boaz, as we're going to learn, Boaz is her redeemer. She needs her redeemer. Not because she thinks she deserves whatever he can give. She just knows she needs it. And that's my story again, and that's your story again. God accepts us, not on the basis of what we can offer him, but he accepts us on the basis of what he himself has done on our behalf. And let me just say this: you know this. What he's done for you is completely enough. All that you've done for me, Boaz answered her, verse 11, all that you've done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been told to me, how you left your father and mother and your native land to come to a people that you didn't know, the Lord repay you for what you've done, and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel. Look at this language, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. And then she said, If I found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me, spoken kindly to your servant, though I'm not one of your servants. Now, pay attention to that verse, that word too, servant, because that's going to come up just a little later. Notice what happens next. And at mealtime, Boaz said to her, Come here, eat some bread, and dip the morsel in the wine, sat beside the reapers, and passed her the roasted grain. Now look at this. She goes from being in the field to sitting at the redeemer's table, and then she ate until she was satisfied and she had some left over. When we read that, we should read the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Jesus Christ will redeem you, and he will give you more than you deserve. Let's skip over. Let's look at verse 20. Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. Naomi also said, The man is a close relative of ours. He's one of your redeemers. Ruth the Moabite said, Besides, he said to me, You shall keep close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest. Now skip to chapter three. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young men you were with? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now here she's fixing to take a risk. Verse 3 wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on a cloak, go down to the threshing floor. Don't make yourself known to the man until he's finished eating and drinking. And when he lies down, observe the place where he lies, then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he'll tell you what to do. And she replied, All that you've said, I'm gonna do. Now let's look at verse six. So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. She came softly and uncovered his feet, and she lay down. And at midnight. The man was startled. Turned over, and behold, a woman was laying at his feet. And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I'm Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. In other words, you know what she's doing here? She's placing herself entirely at his disposal. She's living the sixth characteristic or the fifth characteristic of us for right to write down as we're thinking through what a life of fearing the Lord looks like. It looks like a surrendered life. It looks like a life of absolute and total surrender, where we realize that in order for us to receive what the Redeemer has to offer, we have to lay ourselves bare at his feet. We have to cling to him, long for him, believe in him, humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God so that he can exalt us in due time. And so here she is. She is living this life of complete surrender, nothing to give, everything to gain from him. And if we're going to live a life that's totally in the fear of the Lord with the awareness of his presence, then we too, we must lay ourselves at the feet of our Redeemer. And here's what he says. If you come to me, I'll never cast you out. If you come to me, I'll never cast you out. What did Jesus tell us? He said, Bring all of your burdens to me. He said, You ask me anything in my name, and I'll do it for you. You have this wonderful opportunity to live in light of this Savior, but you must surrender your whole life to him. And then look at what happens in the passage, verse 10. And he said, May you be blessed by the Lord. My daughter, you have made the last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, don't fear, I'm going to do everything that you ask. For all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And that verse right there is why we can draw clues to Proverbs 31. And now look at the plot twist. Here it comes, verse 12. And now it's true that I'm a redeemer, yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight and in the morning. If he will redeem you, good, let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning. Here's the sixth thing for us to write down as we're living this life that fears the Lord. Number six, stay on track when there's twist. And you can understand and just guarantee, mark this down, there will be twists along the way. There will be opportunities for you. Now I didn't see that coming. But remember, a life of fearing the Lord lives in light of the presence of God, realizing that He's at work even when you don't understand. And when there is a twist in your life, a life that fears the Lord will stay on track. We're reading this story, and none of us want whoever this other guy to be the Redeemer. God has a plan, He has a purpose. Keep your nose down and stay on track. Now, chapter four. Boy, we had six points, three chapters. Some of y'all didn't think we were going to make it. We're going to make it. Let's go. Boaz had gone to the gate, he sat down. Behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, Turn aside, friends, sit down. And he turned aside and he sat down and he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And so they sat down. And then he said to the redeemer, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I'd tell you of it today, and say, Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you'll not, tell me that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and then me after you. Now here's the twist. You ready? All of us who are watching this love story unfold, all of a sudden there's another man in the picture. And he said, I will redeem it. And then Boaz said, The day you buy the field from the hand, oh, by the way, the day you buy the land, you also get the girl. He says, You buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. And then the Redeemer said, This I cannot redeem it myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take the right of my redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it. And now Boaz is back in the picture. Her redeemer who has looked at her in the field, who has seen her not as a piece of property to possess, but a person to love, here he is back in the picture. Now let's skip to the story. Look at verse 9. Boaz said to the elders and the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belong to Elimelech and all that belong to Chileon and Malon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Malon, I have bought to be my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among the brothers from the gate of the native place. You are witnesses this day. And all the people said, We are witnesses this day. May the Lord take the woman. And here we understand why this story is even here. And some of you already know, but let's not bear the lead for those that don't. Listen, this is why this story is here. May this woman be like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel, and may you act worthily in Ephrata and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord would give you by this young woman. Now look at verse 13. Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went into her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. She became a mother. Then the woman said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer. Then may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life, a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap, and she became his nurse. And the woman of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi, and they named him servant. They named him Obed. Now here's the reason the story matters. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Literally, this woman named Ruth, who was from a people that were not a people, her children literally rose up and called her blessed, so that her great-grandson would be the greatest king in the history of Israel. And then one day later on, another greater one born of woman would come. Another one greater who was born of woman would come. The 33rd or 34th or 35th, forgive my math. Great grand grandmother of Jesus Christ is this Moabite woman named Ruth. And that leads us to the final thing to say about living a life that fears the Lord. Listen, trust that God's plans are bigger than yours. And you right now, with the life that you live, all the little details of your life, we don't know how they all fit together, but God does. And God has a plan, He has a purpose. And that plan and that purpose, again, is for you to have a relationship with Him. It's for you to not live your life any old way, but for you to live your life completely sold out to Him. His plan for you to live this blessed life is for you to walk in the fear of the Lord in every circumstance that you have. You may not be able to see it now, but you can trust that God, his plans, are bigger for your life than you could ever imagine. And my hope for you, my prayer for you is that you will surrender to him. That this God who has ordained an eternity for you, you would recognize that his plans are bigger than yours. And you would in these moments that you would turn to him and say, All to Jesus, I surrender. All to him I freely give. You see, eternity, dear friends, begins in a moment. Eternity begins in a moment, and it can begin for you today if you by faith trust in Jesus Christ.