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Ruth 4 Tonight we come to the FOURTH and FINAL ACT of a real life drama --- this Romance of Redemption --- that took place in Israel during the Period of the Judges. Chapter 1 – Bethlehemjudah - Moab - Bethlehem Chapter 2 - In the fields of Boaz in Bethlehem
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Ruth 4 Tonight we come to the FOURTH and FINAL ACT of a real life drama --- this Romance of Redemption --- that took place in Israel during the Period of the Judges. Chapter 1 – Bethlehemjudah - Moab - Bethlehem Chapter 2 - In the fields of Boaz in Bethlehem Chapter 3 - In the threshing house of Boaz At every turn --- in the midst of every possible human emotion --- on every page of this short book of Scripture We discover the True and Living God --- present and active --- in every life and every circumstance…… because That’s who He is --- Emmanuel – God with us.
LAST WEEK we learned about the Old Testament concept of NEAR KINSMAN = HebrewGA-AL In the KJV translated: redeem 50, redeemer 18 CRUCIAL INSIGHT: The Ga-al had the right to REDEEM….. the right to bring life out of death to restore life to that which was dead. That RIGHT OF REDEMPTIONcould only be exercised by way of RELATIONSHIP….. We know that ALL of the Old Testament Law points to Jesus.
According to the Law the Ga-almust be related by blood --- able to pay the price --- willing to redeem! In the person of the Ga-al…..we have foreshadowed for us the NECESSITY of the INCARNATION. For Jesus to be our redeemer He must first become out Near Kinsman.THUS we read John 1:1-2; 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God….. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
QUOTE: F.B. Meyer - Jesus is our near Kinsman by His assumption of our nature. He is the nearest and dearest Friend of our race, who stooped to die for our redemption. And the fact that He carried our nature in Himself to heaven, and wears it there, is an indissoluble bond between us. Sit still! do not fret! He will never fail, as He will certainly never forsake! CHAPTER 3 ended with Ruth at the threshing floor of Boaz…. A man in whose fields she had been gleaning. He also happened to be a NEAR KINSMAN --- a Ga-al.
ThereRuth presents herself to Boaz as 1.) A humble servant v.8 I am Ruth, your maidservant…. 2.)Everything she did there in the threshing floor of Boaz was the culturally relevant way to say, "I am a widow, take me as your wife." She is saying to Boaz, "I respect you, I trust you, and I put my future in your hands.” Boaz is STOKED! He’s in love with Ruth…. Ruth is in love with him. He wants to marry Ruth…. Ruth wants to marry him.
BUT THERE IS A HUGE OBSTACLE that stands in the way of their love for one another. 12And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Though Boaz was a recognized goel towards Ruth, there was another goelcloser in relation to her deceased father-in-law Elimelech. So, Boaz could not exercise his right as kinsman-redeemer unless this closer kinsman-redeemer relinquished his rights towards Ruth.
13Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. We noted that this was a GREAT PICTURE of what REAL FAITH looks like! This was the perfect opportunity to let their feelingsdetermine their actions!
They could have said, “Forget the Law. I love you and that’s all that matters. Let’s not take the chance on anyone else!” THEY REALIZED that gaining a blessing by ungodly means was no blessing at all! For Boaz it would be God's willGod's way. He knows that if it is really of the LORD, than it will be able to be done orderly and in a proper way.
He ASSURES her that if it was the Lord’s will for him to marry her and fulfill the obligation of the Kinsman Redeemer --- that HE WOULD DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY to make sure that she would become Mrs. Boaz! 18Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.” Throughout the chapter we saw Ruth LISTENING --- OBEYING --- BELIEVING --- The chapter ends with Ruth WAITING!
EVERYTHING pertaining to her REST / PEACE / SECURITYwas out of her hands. From here on Boaz will be the man of action. The work of redemption is totally His work! All Ruth could do now was WAIT! GREAT APPLICATION FOR OUR LIVES EVERYTHING pertaining to OUR spiritual REST / PEACE / SECURITYis out of our hands. Redemption is His work in its entirety!
From the Cross Jesus said – IT IS FINISHED!! Today you are either resting in Him, or you are trying to earn your own salvation! Boaz from Bethlehem was both able to redeem & willing to redeem; We have a “greater than Boaz” who was also from Bethlehem….Jesus Jesus is our near kinsman Jesus is both willing & able to redeem!
CHAPTER 4 1Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; KEY INSIGHT: The gate of the city was a combination of City Council chamber – political matters raised / dealt with Courtroom – legal and civic matters were settled War Room - war strategies/battle plans were drawn the gates of hell shall not prevail against it = the strategies of hell. So as THE CURTAIN GOES UP for this FOURTH and FINAL ACT --- this is the backdrop!
and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, ◙ friend, sit down here.” Literally - in the Hebrew, when Boaz greets the nearer kinsman, he says "Mr. So-and-so." The person who penned the Book of Ruth never identifies the name of the nearer kinsman (we’ll find out why in moment) So he came aside and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3Then he said to the close relative,
“Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if ◙ you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’”And he said, “I will redeem it.”
SOUNDS GREAT!! REAL ESTATE is ALWAYS a GREAT investment! Have you ever noticed that there’s ALWAYS the PRINT in financial transactions! Like the guys voice at the end of a car dealer advertisement Growing up -- The Toys on back of Cereal boxes! Picture of the model plane/car FILLS the whole back of the cereal box. You send in your 50 cents + 500 box tops. The long awaited day arrives and you open the box and the model is about 2 inches in size! FINE PRINT “actual size….)
Now Boaz is going to give this relative (who stands between him and Ruth) the fine print. 5Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. REMEMBER - the kinsman-redeemer had the responsibility to protect NOT JUST the persons and property of the larger family
He also had the responsibility to protect the posterity of the larger family – And the duties went together. The goel couldn’t just take the real estate responsibility withoutmarrying the widow of his relative and fathering a son to maintain the family name in Israel. 6And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
REMEMBER - You had to have > the RIGHT to redeem (by way of blood relationship) > the ABILITY to redeem > and the DESIRE to redeem. This man had the RIGHT to redeem the land and Ruth the MEANS to redeem the land and Ruth BUT - He did not haveany DESIRE to redeem the land AND Ruth. Redeeming Ruth was the deal breaker for this guy.
When you look at his response we see that he essentially said There is benefit to ME in redeeming the land. But there is ZERO benefit to ME in redeeming Ruth 1.) I don’t think my wife will buy into this 2.) “When the boy I give her grows up the land I redeemed will be hisinheritance…. not my mine!” 3.) “The boy would carry Ruth’s dead husbands name…. not mine!” 4.)That son would also be entitled to part ofmy ownreal-estate as well!
BUT all of that WAS the RESPONSIBILITY of the Goel --- the Kinsman Redeemer. Paul Harvey – And NOW we know the REST of the story as to WHY this relative of Baoz and Naomi is called“Mr. So and So” The writer of Ruth never identifies the name of the nearer kinsman, because he is not worthy of honor - he declined to fulfill his obligations as nearer kinsman to Ruth. His name is FORGOTTEN in Israel because he had no desire to REDEEM RUTH.
7Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.8Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife,
to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.” CRUCIAL QUESTION: WHY did Boaz redeem the field? NOT because he wanted the field He wanted a bride CRUCIAL QUESTION: WHY did Jesus REDEEM the world
Mt.13:44 NLT“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. CRUCIAL: When our Redeemer purchased the world, he wasn’t in the market for another Planet! He can SPEAK them into existence… He can create them out of NOTHING. No, He wanted the treasure which was buried in the world…He wanted A BRIDE….. He wanted You! PLEASE NOTE with me the CONTRAST between Mr So and so and OUR Kinsman Redeemer.
Mr so and so’sname was FORGOTTEN – because he wasn’t willing to pay the rice to redeem the field so that Ruth could be redeemed. BUT Jesus became man so that He could BECOME our Kinsman Redeemer --- Having joined Himself to our humanity He had the RIGHT to redeem us. He had the MEANS to pay to the price for our redemption And was WILLING to redeem us. SO willing to redeem us that He was willing to VEIL the glory of His divinity in tent of humanity.
THE CROSS is the REASON why Jesus became man. And BECAUSE of that He is given the Name that is above all names… that at the Name of Jesus, EVERY knee will bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the father! 11And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. A very HUMAN moment! No doubt, the crowd cheered!
The men thought Ruth was beautiful The women thought Boaz was handsome. Everybody could see that this more than duty… more than economics…. Everybody could see thatthis was an act of REDEEMING LOVE!! The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; What a HUGE blessing to desire of the Lord for this couple.
Rachel and Leah had thirteen children between them They were the "mothers" of the whole nation of Israel. and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.12May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.” The story of his birth is in Genesis 38:27-30. It is not a simple story – But in v.18 of Ruth 4we discover that despite how messy the circumstances were that surrounding his birth --- Perez becomes the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Boaz!
13So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. There’s a PERSPECTIVE on conception and birth that has been lost on America. Over the past 35 years there have been 50 million babies who were not considered to be gifts from the Lord. 14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
15And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” It is so important that we see such an emphasis placed on Naomi’s blessings. The book begins with Naomi and her family leaving Bethlehem Judah --- the house of bread and the place of praise. It ENDS with the record of God’s REDEEMING GRACE! FACT: God is willing to forgive backsliders and restore them to favor.
REMEMBER: All of this GREAT WORK of God BEGAN with Naomi returning to the LORD Look at allthat God can do through one poor woman getting right with Him. REMEMBER how Naomi had said at the beginning of the story -- the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me . . . the LORD has brought me home again empty . . . the LORD has testified against me (Ruth 1:20-21). She had been the cause of her own bitterness and emptiness --- but the God she accused of being ungracious REMAINED FAITHFUL…. GRACIOUS.
We can certainly do the same thing. But the Lord has given us this beautiful book of Ruth so that we can LEARN Learn that God’s plan is perfect Learn that He is gracious EVEN when we walk away from it. Learn that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)
WOULD YOU NOTE WITH ME: Naomi’s blessing came after Ruth’s wedding A great picture of how Israel will be restored and blessed after Christ and His Bride, the Church are united! 16Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.18Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19Hezron begot Ram,
and Ram begot Amminadab; 20Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; 21Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David. CLOSING OBSERVATIONS 1.) The Romance of Redemption ends with a genealogy in whichwe see that Jew and Gentile unite to share in the ancestry of King David --- through whom came Jesus the Christ.
2.) The seemingly ordinary events in the book of Ruth travels, marriages, deaths, harvesting, eating, sleeping, purchasing land Are NOT so ordinary. You might think that you have a very ORDINARY life. I hope that after studying this Book of Ruth that you will never view your life in that way again. 3.) The Contrast from Chapter 1 to Chapter 4
From tears tojoy From distress to rest From emptiness to fullness From fear to peace From a funeral to a wedding Life once bitter--- tasted sweet again! Bethlehem --- the place of bread --- has indeed become a place of satisfaction & nourishment for her soul.
4.) Happily Ever After Only in Gods plan of redemption do we live happily ever after! It doesn’t mean there aren’t hardships along the way…but in the end, truly Happily ever after! When Ruth put herself at the feet of her Redeemer --- entrusted herself to him --- he took over and changed everything! The difference? – Naomi - Humbly turning back to the Lordthe Word of God. Ruth – Fully committing her life to the LORD! Naomi --- Ruth --- Boaz being obedient to the Word of God
QUOTE: Jonathan Edwards – God is both the purchaser and the price; for Christ, who is God, purchased these blessings by offering Himself as the price of our salvation Jesus redeemedus He was related by blood - The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He was able to pay the price He was willing to pay it He paid it; because He lovesus
ILLUSTRATION: An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck. Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor.
Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. Those marred hands had settled the issue. Among them is the One whose nail-pierced hands remind us that He has rescued us --- redeemed us from sin.
