Ruth 4 Bible Study (Boaz Redeems & Marries Ruth/The Genealogy of David) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Our study in this book, especially in the the last chapter, has most likely left the unfamiliar reader in suspense with how this story is gonna end. Running back home to her mother-in-law Naomi, trying to explain the best way she could about the conversation she had with Boaz, about their potential marriage. And Boaz at the same time headed the other direction into the city to try to make this marriage happen. And we joined Ruth, and we joined Naomi in the suspense, and wondering what is going to happen. Is this actually going to play out?

And we'll discover that shortly. If you read this chapter already, you've probably realized the theme of it because you see similar words resurfacing over and over again. Redeemer. Redemption. Bought to buy.

That is what this chapter is pointing to. The experience and the realities of redemption. And as much as this is a true story historically about true people, it has great practical implications for our lives as we walk with Jesus, we are going to see obvious traces of the redeemer of all redeemers and the redemption of all redemptions. And so we come now to Ruth chapter four beginning in verse one and we read, now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there and behold the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, turn aside friends, sit down here.

And he turned aside and sat down. And he took 10 men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here. So they sat down. A notable characteristic of this man, Boaz, and I'm assuming, I know there's new people here every week, but I'm assuming that most of you in here understand the background of what's happening here. Boaz wants to marry this woman Ruth, but there is a closer relative who has the right to claim her and her property as a widow.

He wants to figure out if this person is going to assume that or is he going to take his place. And what I love about this characteristic of Boaz here, as an example of a man of God, is that he is quick to obey God. Notice immediately when he realizes he's presented with the idea of being a potential mate, a redeemer, he does not waste a waking moment. He heads towards the city gate. Now why is that significant?

Because the city gate was the the courthouse of bible times for civil matters, for business transactions. This is where you came to do some things legally. And so he heads there right away and he does not wait. He sees the one that is closer to Ruth. He pulls him down and he says, sit down here.

He finds 10 elders. He says, you sit down over here. We have something to solve. And that is an important quality that is notable not just to us, but to others in Boaz's day. You know why?

Go back to verse 18 of chapter three. Look what Naomi says about Boaz. She replied to Ruth, wait my daughter until you learn how the matter turns out for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. One of the marks of a true man or woman of God is their unrivaled allegiance to obedience to him above all other things. One's passion for obedience to God can be recognized in many ways, but here's one of the strongest ways.

That when there is a command set up from God according to his word, there is no refusal to unnecessarily delay the execution of that command. There's no hesitation. And in Boaz's case, all other things including his own rest became secondary because he wanted to obey God. He wanted to obey God. And that's important because that's a quality that the bible highlights about all men and women of God.

Do you remember the story of Abraham when he was commissioned to sacrifice his son Isaac? You remember that, right? Playing with his son, experiencing the miraculous provision of God and providing this boy. And all for a sudden, there is one day where God calls from the heavens to Abraham and says, Abraham, I want you to give up your boy. I want you to sacrifice him.

I'm gonna show you where and I'm asking you to give up what I promised you for twenty something years. Now how would you react after pleading and begging God and waiting on the Lord for this miracle only for God all for a sudden to say, now it's time to give him up. You wanna know how Abraham responded to the news? In Genesis 22 verse three, it says here, So Abraham rose early in the morning. He rose early in the morning.

Saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac and he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. No hesitation. He set his alarm as early as possible. He woke up and he said, it's time to go. We have to obey God.

And then he walks for a three day journey to think about it and he has no hesitation to turn back. He keeps moving forward. And that is the pulse of somebody who truly loves God and fears God. And doesn't that make the story of Abraham so much more impactful? Don't we see the the truth of his faith and his love for God?

Because in that same chapter later on, God declares over Abraham, you truly fear me, don't you? Now muster up all the ingredients in that story and you realize that one of the truths of a person who truly fears God, a reverential awe of God, is that when he says it and there's no unnecessary delay, you move forward. You say, I obey. But Boaz here is much more than an example of what godliness and leadership looks like. You know why?

Because his actions here are a sparkle to the beauty of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. How? Like Boaz, Christ initiates and eagerly longed to rescue us. And in heaven's perfect timing, he enters into this world, takes on flesh and dies a gruesome death in order to redeem for himself a bride. He wasn't reluctant.

He wasn't hesitant. He wasn't thinking of different options. He wasn't contemplating of creating a new world and wiping us all out. He says, I want this bride and I'm gonna do everything to get her. But you know what's amazing?

We all quote John three sixteen About how Jesus enters into this world as what? As an expression of his love for humanity and many people don't realize that it's not just his expression of love for you and me. You hear John three sixteen, but how many of us have heard John fourteen thirty one? What did Jesus say? But I do as the father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the father.

Rise, let us go from here. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Amen. But Christ all the enter also enter in this world to show the world his love for the father. We don't think about that.

Christ going to the cross is not just the expression of his extent of his love towards us. It was also the expression of his extent of willing to obey God as the God man. And why is that important for us? Because we look to the cross and we realize Jesus did that for me. Yes.

But he also went to the cross to show us how we should obey the father. That to every what extent he calls us to obey him, we should willfully joyfully submit ourselves to that decision, into his will. Don't forget this Christian, that loves and preaches the grace of God because we should. That's what makes our faith unique. But don't forget this, Jesus didn't just say believe in me, he said follow me.

And that's where a lot of people's Christianity stops and believe in me, and they don't follow him. Jesus said here, I do this so that the world would know not just my love for them, sinners, but my love for the father. Do you want your life to look like that? Do you want your life, your obedience, your submission, your sacrifice to show the world that you love the father? That's a question that we should examine.

But notice something else. Another mark of God's providence in these first two verses. Boaz makes a decision to go to the gate and to do all that he can to make this happen, but we get another hint that God is working in the background. That's what Ruth is all about. God working in the background.

It's not like other books where you see the miraculous hand of God, the supernatural intervention of God. We don't see any visitation of an angel here. We don't see any mark of a miracle. Everything about this story is God intervening with his invisible hand. And here we see Boaz goes to the gate and then look at verse one, the second part.

And behold, it's like, check this out. Look what happens. The Redeemer, the man that he wanted to meet out of all the days and out of all the times during that day, he shows up. He passes by the gate. I wanna encourage you tonight.

Please be encouraged by this point I'm about to deliver. There's so many Christians that are disappointed in their walk with Christ because they don't think God is as obvious as they would like him to be. They want they want the testimony to share. They they want their decisions in life to come with a bang. They want people to hear and be amazed at how God stepped in and did something wonderful.

Right? And we should all aspire to that, but don't limit God's work to his obvious work. See, the beauty about Ruth, the beauty about this story again is that God is is is writing the story through natural means. Real people, real events, day to day activity. Everything about this book up to this point has been people moving, people going to work every day, family, legal things.

It's all normal. And what we want, right? For many people in the seasons of this life Let's let's go to the context of this book and marriage. What we want is that grand story. We want like what Abraham's servant delivered.

When Abraham said, go find a wife for my son. And he goes and he prays and God miraculously answers and it becomes this awesome story. And that's like, I I want that kind of a story. In my life decisions, I want the obvious hand of God to be made known. You know how this is going to come together?

Through a legal decision, through some bargain. It's not very climactic. It's not very exciting. It's very plain. But here's my point, is it any less of God?

It's not. Is it any less of God being glorified? Is there any less of God advancing through this couple that's about to come back? No. Don't limit God's activity to the obvious in your life.

When you pray for God's will, don't limit it to to the things that you want to see. Because what happens is you have many people when God leads them in a certain direction get disappointed. This is not the way I thought it would be. This is not how I planned it. This is not how I want to share it with my Christian friends.

That's because you've limited God's work to the obvious. And it's often in providential work. When you go through it, you don't realize it. It's only when you look back and you put the pieces together and you realize, how did I get here? And you and you you rehearse your life.

You rehearse the years, the months, the weeks, and you say, that was God. That was God. And here that is the case. Boaz shows up to the city gate wanting to implement this immediately and who shows? Behold, the Redeemer.

Just out of all the days, out of all the minutes, out of all the hours of that day, the closest relative to Ruth shows up on the scene he goes, get over here. We gotta talk. Be encouraged. So what happens? Verse three.

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 would tell you of it and say, buy it in the presence of those sitting here in the presence of the elders of my people. If you redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you. And he said, I will redeem it.

And I wonder if Boaz's heart sank in that moment. It's like, you are gonna redeem it, We all know that Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, Ruth wanted to marry Boaz, but there is a greater desire that's on display here on Boaz's part, and that's his desire to obey the will of God. Boaz submits himself to the the law of how this whole redemption thing works. And we have strong evidence to believe that had this man pressed his desire to redeem Ruth or to redeem the land at least, he didn't know about Ruth yet, that Boaz wouldn't have put up an unfair fight. He would have he would have let it happen.

But the point I wanna draw out of this is that we're learning here that redemption was bound by the requirement of a law. No matter how passionately in love Boaz was with Ruth, no matter how limitlessly gracious he was toward her, his desire was submitted to the means that God provided of how somebody is redeemed. Now this is important. Why? Because the law here for you to redeem a widow in your family was that you had to be the closest relative and you had to be willing.

You had to be willing. You know, it's amazing you have many people ask, why did Jesus have to come into this world and die? Why do you have to take on flesh? Why didn't you have to learn how to walk? Why do you have to learn how to eat and talk?

Why didn't he have to be under the supervision of earthly parents? Why did he have to do this? And why do you have to do that? And why do you have to live a life of obedience? And why didn't he have to die torturous death?

And why go into the tomb? Why all that? Why not be God? Snap your fingers, erase our sins, and let's just move on. Do you know why?

Because redemption was bound by a law. The desire to redeem humanity could not just be a random act. It had to go through the requirement of God's demands for us to be redeemed. Everything that Jesus did submitted to the requirement of God's holiness. And he could not compromise God's desire and commands for the sake of us being saved.

It had to happen. Boaz could not just come here and say, I want Ruth and just because I want her I'm gonna make it happen. No. You have to go through the protocol. Jesus did the same thing.

He came and he paid a high price for you and I. He didn't make it easier. He didn't break God's law as some would say today. No, he submitted to it. He surrendered to it for the sake of redeeming us.

You know what's so amazing here? You're gonna see Jesus in a very clear way because you're gonna see Jesus, hopefully by the grace of God, throughout this study in the old testament. What was one of the requirements to redeeming somebody according to the law in this case? You had to be what? Relative.

Right? You had to be related to the or as Boaz had no business being here at this point, but he was a relative. Do you realize that Jesus had to become our relative? Do you realize that Jesus had to become our relative to redeem us? See, in our mind when we sing Jesus my redeemer or Jesus is my redeemer, we always see it in the view of just the act of redeeming.

Not realizing that there's a biblical definition of a redeemer. When you heard redeemer, if you were a Jew and you heard redeemer, you understood it in the context of the law of redemption like we're seeing it here. Jesus had to become our relative to save us. Saying, what are you talking about? Well, you gotta go to the New Testament to see it.

Look at Hebrews chapter chapter two verse fourteen and fifteen. This is talking about Christ and look what it says here about Christ. In Hebrews two fourteen, since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, that's you and me, because we are flesh and blood, He, Christ himself, likewise partook of the same things. That through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Do you see this?

Because we are flesh and blood, in order for redemption to actually be a possibility, Christ partakes of flesh and blood himself. He comes into the world and makes himself part of the family of fallen humanity, though he himself was perfect. He clothed himself with flesh. And in that place, he has the rightful position to redeem us and be our redemptive representative before God. And so Christ here steps into our world, becomes one of us, relates himself to us, so that he can rightfully represent us and redeem us.

So the same way Boaz had to be a relative, Christ became our relative. Relative in the sense of being a human as you and I as you and I are. So what happens? He says, I will redeem it. Then Boaz, verse five, said, the day 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.

So he just pulls out this like surprise card. He goes, you know, Naomi, that mother-in-law, she's too old for you to marry her, but she has a lot of land. Her husband died, she has a lot of land. You can claim that land. And the man's like, no hesitation.

I'll redeem it. That sounds good to me. Then he goes, oh, by the way, the moment you take the land, you gotta take the daughter-in-law. And notice what he does too, he repeats something about who she is. Right?

What does he repeat more than once? The Moabite. The Moabite. Now, either he's trying to really identify who Ruth is, or he's trying to highlight the stigma that would come to his reputation if he takes her as a wife. The Moabite, by the way.

Ruth the Moabite. You gotta take Ruth the Moabite. And the man says in verse six, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it. The first part of the agreement when Ruth wasn't involved was like an obvious yes, because all that would do is just make him more prosperous, benefit him personally, but then the moment there was a price tag attached to it, the moment that there was a responsibility attached to it, the moment there was a sacrifice highlighted with it, he backs out.

Why? Because according to the law, the whole point of this whole redemption thing, that if you're a woman, your husband dies, that the closest relative is supposed to marry you, what's the reason for that? Well, the reason is for that person who died, for his name not to die, and that his descendants would have property and assurance and safety for the future, and that all that that man who died owned would continue down. And so the closest relative had the op had the privilege and the duty of marrying that widow, supplying children, and all the land of that widow's husband was supposed to go down to her offspring. Does that make sense?

So what does that mean for this guy here? Well, okay. If I take Ruth, I marry her, I give her children, all that she owns is going down to her children. I'm not keeping it. So what's the benefit to me?

How does this bless me? And that's the point. You know, this man, who is unknown, we don't know his name, proves an ugly picture of many people. That obedience to God seems very attractive when we know the personal benefit that comes from it. But the moment we see the price tag, we back out, don't we?

That's for a lot of people. We're so quick to accept the excitement of serving God. The romance of being a a consecrated vessel for the Lord. A voice in our generation. Right?

We wanna stand out and we wanna be we wanna be right and what we really mean is I wanna be famous. I want people to applaud me. I want people to invite me to hear my testimony, hear the kind of insights I have from the bible. People to to buy my CDs. And then persecution comes.

And then people that love you look at you and say, you're a freak. You're a weirdo being so serious with this Jesus thing. And now we begin to feel the cost of it. And like this unnamed man, we go, hold on here. This sounded really good when you first presented it, but now I'm I'm starting to see this is gonna cost me something, so go ahead.

You can take it. I'm not gonna take it. And what was this man worried about? Lest I impair my own inheritance. I don't wanna muddy how this will affect me.

See if I bring Ruth in, she has kids and I have my own kids from a different woman, this is gonna get real weird and I might have to I just don't wanna get involved with this, so I'm backing I'm backing out. You know what's amazing? The very thing that this person wanted to preserve and maintain was lost. In what sense? We never know his name.

We don't know about his lineage. We don't know what he's done. He's just like Orpah in chapter one. She just disappears when she chooses to go down her own path and saying, I don't know if I wanna I don't know if I wanna obey this God with the uncertainty of whether I'm gonna be married or not. I'm just gonna back out and she just disappears into the horizon.

And this person here is doing the same thing. Boaz on the other hand, he takes on the cause, he takes on the responsibility and what happens to his name? Well, you go to Matthew chapter one and he becomes a memorial. He becomes a marble. He becomes a stamp in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine that? And so this person here thought he was gonna lose by taking on what God had commanded him to do, when in fact, he loses. You always lose when you disobey. You always lose when you try to keep your life. You always lose when you think it's too much of a risk to live your future for Christ.

You will always lose and you will always win like Boaz when you choose to pay the high price no matter what it is. Boaz says, you don't want it? I'll take it. And you know what's amazing here? Is that this is a picture of Christ's redemption for us.

In another way, how? See this whole thing about Boaz talking to this man and the 10 elders, it's very serious, it's very tense, it's gonna be very costly for Boaz. And where's Ruth? Sitting at home with her mother-in-law in anticipation wondering when is this gonna take place, if this is gonna take place. This costed Ruth nothing.

The only thing that Ruth gave was her need and her expression for the desire of a redeemer. That's the only thing she contributed to this whole moment. And what's happening here? Who's paying the high price? Who's gonna sacrifice?

Moaz. So it is with Christ. Salvation is free for you. Right brother? Salvation is free for you.

Right sister? But God paid a very high price. He did. And God didn't send into this world one of his mightiest angels. He didn't send into this world one of the mightiest prophets.

He didn't send into this world a mountain of gold and silver to redeem you. He sends his precious son. The one whom he had eternal fellowship with. The one that before anything else existed, he was perfectly content and filled with love, with community within himself. The one who never even had a glimpse of the sensation of what it's like to be separated from the father.

This is who was given to us to redeem us. And what did it cost you? The only thing that you contributed to your salvation was the sin that made it necessary. That's Jonathan Edwards. I did not come up with that.

And this is true for Ruth as well. And like Boaz, we don't know if this redeemer realized that she was a Moabitess, and he's like, I don't want that part of my lineage. I don't want my name attached to that. But Boaz didn't care. The Moabites had a history of originating from a relationship from incense.

And then you had what? You had a false god that was worshiped throughout the years. Who knows what Ruth did in her past life practicing worship before these false gods, the lifestyle that she was submitted to, who who knows what she lived. But it didn't matter to Boaz. He wanted to redeem her regardless.

He want to embrace her. And we know for certain that this is the heart of Christ because Boaz is found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Ruth is found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. If you want the references, Matthew one five. What does that mean?

What does that tell us? It tells us many things and I'll tell you one of the things it does say. That when we come to that genealogy and we read those lists of name, that the things that we skip over usually. Right? We want the Psalm 23 and the John three sixteen.

No. The genealogy itself has a sermon for you and I. And when you read those names and you come to Ruth and you realize her background, you realize what she has done, her people have done to the people of God, you say, Christ in his sovereignty, Christ in his perfect wisdom chose to go through Ruth? That might not mean nothing to you. Right?

Because you grew up in the church and you're clean and you're you're just perfect. And you just, you know, I gotta accept Jesus because I just the right thing to do. You know what that would mean a lot to? Somebody who is like Ruth that would read the genealogy of Jesus Christ and say, if Christ is willing to join himself to such a person, then surely he's willing to allow me to join himself to me. If Christ is willing to go through Ruth to enter into this world, then surely he's willing to receive me into his spiritual family.

And yes, that is true. Again, I'm sure most of us in here grew up in the church, so we sit there and go, that that's a nice thought. That would mean a lot to the prostitute. That would mean a lot to the person who's served a false god for his life, for his whole life. That would mean a lot to the person who has dealt drugs and maybe killed people by his drug dealing.

That would mean a lot to those who have a filthy past and realize that there there is no way that a holy God would want anything to do with me except to judge me for all eternity. That would mean a lot to them. And so Christ, in his wisdom says, I wanna make a statement in my genealogy. Look who I chose to go through and look who I'm willing to bring in if they just believe that truth. So what happens?

The man says, take it for yourself. I cannot redeem it. Verse seven. Now this was the custom in former times in Israel exchanging. To confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other and this was the matter of a testing in Israel.

So when the redeemer said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Kilion and Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I bought to be my wife. To perpetuate the name of the dead and in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.

You can tell Boaz is excited. And he realizes that this was passed down to him and he explodes and prays and in two occasions he says, you're witnesses. All those 10 elders are there sitting wondering what's happening, how is this happening. He goes, you're witnesses. It's a done deal.

I'm going to purchase all this land and he separates Ruth. He separates Ruth in her own category, and I'm going to marry Ruth the Moabite. What is he trying to say? He's trying to declare his love for this woman publicly. This is a public event.

This is something that people are observing and hearing and recording, and he wants to make sure that his love, that his allegiance to the word of God, that his desire for this individual is testified by others as, yes, you do. You do fear God and you do love this woman and you will have what you say you want. And Jesus did the same. Jesus did the same. His his love wasn't made privately.

It was declared publicly. It was declared on a cross two thousand years ago as a memorial for all eternity, as a reference point. Even in our calendar, we measure our time based on the event of his life. And all the world cannot deny that a man did live by the name of Jesus of Nazareth and he died on a cross. Now how you interpret that is up to you, but according to this word, it is the emblem of his love.

You're witnesses. You're witnesses. Every time you hear the gospel, I don't care if you've heard it a thousand times and you haven't received it yet, every time you hear it, you're being placed as a witness of his love for you. You won't be able to deny it. People have have these philosophical questions about God and why this and why that, and why did he create a hell, and why is he judging people and this.

And I just say, what more do you want God to do? To send his son to die a death on your behalf? What more do you want him to do? Like are you not impressed? Do you want something else other than that?

You're a witness. You're a witness to what he's done and you will stand before the Lord and the cross will speak either for you or against you concerning his love for you. Then we come here in verse 11 and we read here, then all the people so there are more witnesses. So I guess Boaz and this man, I mean their transaction here, their business deal, whatever you wanna call it, is is creating a scene. And in verse 11, we're told, Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses.

Now they're getting excited. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together have built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah 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 will give you by this young woman. They're just now it's becoming a celebration.

So you have Boaz, this redeemer, 10 elders, and then there's a crowd and the moment Boaz declares his responsibility and his claim on Ruth, they just explode in celebration. And I think there's a beautiful picture there of the community of faith. This is a very public thing. This is something that is a joined effort, so to speak. At least a joined experience.

And you know what you see here? You see two people who fear God coming together and the very appropriate response to such news. Right? Both Boaz and Ruth were worthy individuals. They had a reputation in their community, and once people found out they're coming together, everybody was like, yes.

They praise God, they bless God and they prayed for them. You don't get the same reaction from many people today. You get different reactions from different people concerning how others come into relationship and you see how they respond, and sometimes it's not the prettiest response. And in this case here, you see a community effort to say, look, if this is God's doing, we say, let God's will be advanced through it. Let's go let God's will be glorified through it.

Let God's name be glorified through it. And they pray and they ask God's blessing on it. And what's amazing here is that, this is all about the glory of God. And here's their prayer. The greatest prayer that they can think of is that like Rachel and Leah, they would build the nation of Israel.

That Ruth would be among those two women who are the who are really the the start up of the nation of Israel. Say, may may God bless your offspring like how it all started from the beginning. You know what's amazing? They pray for that blessing and from heaven's vantage point, there is another blessing that God is gonna add on that one. To them, they want the nation of Israel to be blessed and in God's mind through their offspring, God is not just gonna build up the nation of Israel, he's gonna bless and build up the church of Jesus Christ.

That from all nations and all ages, God is gonna build up a bride from this wedding. It's a profound thought. It's an amazing thought. God has something much greater here than just two couples having nice children. So what happens?

We read here in verse 13. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went into her and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Then the woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer and may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nurturer 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. Listen, I can't keep up with the prophetic shadows here.

It's like unreal. I'm trying to take a breath. Okay? This is unbelievable. I mean, here we see that description of this boy that's being birthed is going to be a Redeemer himself.

Right? Why is why is this boy that's born to Ruth going to be significant? Because now he is the lifeline to continue the name that was lost to Naomi and to Ruth. The family name is going to live on. So the people realize and they go, this baby is your redeemer.

And not just your redeemer, this baby is going to be restored to your life. Was there not another baby born in Bethlehem who would be a redeemer and a restorer of lives? And so Naomi here I mean, we know that Ruth is giving birth to this child, but Naomi herself is being blessed by this. There there's a blessing here for her and her life is gonna be restored by the child that was born in Bethlehem. And this is so encouraging because look at the difference between how people responding to Naomi here in comparison to when we're introduced to her and when she steps first into Bethlehem.

Go back to chapter one, look at verse 20. Naomi shows up on the scene and the people of the town go, Is this Naomi? Like we haven't seen her in years and now she shows up beaten, bruised, mourning. And Naomi says in verse 20 of chapter one, she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty.

Why call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me and the almighty has brought calamity upon me? That's how we're introduced to Naomi. Chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, you get a different version of Naomi. God changes stories. He changes season.

One night you're weeping, the next day you're rejoicing. For season of life you're in darkness and all for a sudden it seems like all heaven opens up to you. And what's so amazing here is that as much as God is the one who orchestrated the chapters of this woman's life to be changed throughout this short period, Naomi had a a role to play in it. She did have a role to play in it. Of course, she did.

Why? Because there are at least two reasons how Naomi came to this point where people can praise God over her and she herself can experience the blessings of God. And I think the first reason is because Naomi chose to return to the Lord in the first place. Naomi was in Moab. You ain't supposed to be in Moab if you're an Israelite.

You're not supposed to leave the land of promise unless God speaks you say, leave the land of promise. She leaves from the leadership of her husband. She's in a foreign land, disobeying God, not trusting God. Her life is shattered. She reached rock bottom and what do you do when you reach rock bottom?

I hope you don't stay there. She picks up her bags and says, I'm going back to where I belong. I'm going back to where I shouldn't have left in the first place. And she heads back to her homeland and she goes back home to Bethlehem. And as she comes back, it's not just a physical relocation, it's a spiritual one.

She sets herself up back in the will of God. She goes, I've been outside of the will of God for many years. It's time to come back to the will of God. And she says, whatever it is, I will obey. With uncertainty, without fear being embarrassed by how people You've been gone for this long and now you're showing up again.

You you you betrayed the Lord and now you're coming back. She didn't care. All she knew was, I've done it my way for so long. It's time to do it God's way. And she heads back home.

She heads back home not knowing what chapter four was gonna bring. She just goes back and obeys God again. Doesn't matter how long it's been, you do the same. You do the same. Man, our minds are so incredible.

Our reasoning is so incredibly foolish. I've talked to people who have been so outside of the will of God for so long that they think this is just the way it's supposed to be, I'll just stay here. And it's just like, what are you thinking? You really think that that's the best solution to your dilemma? It's been so long brother since I've been to church.

It's been so long since I prayed. I I just think it's just too late. I'm like, as long as you have breath, it's never late. Make your way back to the will of God. Some people listen and some people don't, but she chose to do that not knowing how God was gonna write her future.

But secondly, it wasn't just Naomi's obedience. Her rededication to to the will of God. It was Ruth's obedience as well. Now this is profound. Yet, Naomi heads back, but she was also blessed by another's decision.

And that was Ruth to saying, I'm going with you. I'm gonna obey God too. I don't know the whole detail about who this God is and what he demands of me but I want this God. I know he's a true living God. I'm making my way back to this place.

And so she heads with her. She heads back with her. See, Naomi experiencing this blessing could not have been possible had not Ruth been with her. So what if Ruth chose to be like Orpah and say, you know, it was nice knowing you as my mother-in-law but I'm going back to my people and my God and their ways and may the name of your God be with you and headed towards the other direction. What if she had done that?

What if she had come back but she decided to sulk like Naomi and to sit in the dark of their home or their tent or whatever they owned and they said, I can't believe God let us be like this, and I can't believe that we're stuck like this. And and she just complained and she changed her name to Bitter Point Two, like imagine. What would it that have done? Instead, she just says, this is the true and living God. I'm poor.

I'm a foreigner. I don't understand the street names. I don't understand what you do in this place called the synagogue. I don't understand the Torah thing, but I just know what I know and I'm gonna obey. What's my duty?

Well, you're poor, you're a foreigner, and you can't provide for yourself. So go to the fields and clean. Well, I'll do that. And she goes back and she does that. And she obeys God.

And from that place, she meets Boaz. Boaz marries her. They have a son. Naomi is blessed. Israel will be blessed by King David, and the world today will be blessed through Jesus Christ.

Yeah. One decision to go to a field and to glean from it. Don't underestimate how your zeal, your passion, your consistency for Christ will not only bless you, but bless those around you. We are so selfish. It's all about us.

Right? It's all about us. My disobedience affects me. No, it doesn't. It doesn't just affect you.

It affects those around you. My obedience will bless me. It will bless you, but it will also bless those that come into contact with you. So Naomi here is benefiting. She's gleaning from Ruth's faithfulness to God.

And so what happens here? Verse 15, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to them. They give credit to Ruth as much as they are praising Naomi for experiencing the goodness of God. So we come here to verse 18 to 22, and we are given a genealogy. Now these are the generations of Perez.

Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Amminadab. Amminadab fathered Nahshon fathered Salmon. Salmon fathered Boaz.

Boaz fathered Obed. Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. This is what this is all about. See, the story that you and I just studied for these past four weeks is much more than what God can do for an individual who needed a husband. It's much more than what God can do in providing a son for somebody whose family name was near extinction.

What was God's grander plan here? Go back to verse one of chapter one. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. Why is that important? Because there's a book before this one called Judges and look at the last verse of that book.

In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Ruth is more than God providing a woman a husband and providing a mother-in-law with a child so that her descendants could could live on. God was preserving a nation that was headed towards annihilation. That's what this story is about.

And you know what's so amazing? If you want a an umbrella theme of this book, it is this, that whether you are an individual, whether the people of God as a whole, no matter how hopeless and grim and disappointing it looks, God's providential plan will prevail. God's providential plan will prevail. I look out into this world and I see it and I realize it and I can sometimes feel it choking me as I meditate at how destitute it looks out there. I'm not concerned about the world.

I'm concerned about the state of this, the spirituality of American Christianity. And it looks disappointing sometimes. I mean, just spiritual leaders are falling like flies. And we think like, what is gonna happen? And I look at a book like this and I realize that there is some place somewhere God is doing something.

He's preparing something. He's writing a story. He has a remnant and he's gonna deliver. This is not ending here. This is not the final chapter.

I know you know that, but you probably believe that more for America than you do for your own life. And that's why God zooms in to a family. A shattered family, a broken family, a hopeless looking family. And isn't God a masterful artist? I mean in one short story, he blesses Boaz, Ruth, Naomi, the nation of Israel and the entire human race with Jesus Christ.

And in this place here tonight, God can bless all of us in different ways, and he will get maximum glory. And that's the point of Ruth in essence is that God is at work. In the days when men were doing what was right in their own eyes and there was no king, God was preparing a king. God was preparing somebody who would usher in King David, and through King David, King Jesus. But here's an application.

How do you ensure how do you ensure that in this life, you can position yourself for God to write your story, and for God to lead you and to direct you, and make sure that this is not the final chapter, make sure that your disobedience is not the final say of the rest of your existence on earth, do what Ruth and Naomi did. Come back to the will of God and stay in the will of God. No matter what it looks like, no matter how uncertain, no matter how risky it may seem, that's the safest place to be in this life. The safest place to be. Look, no matter what kind of fears and anxieties you have, what no matter what kind of attacks, no matter what kind of tests and trials you're experiencing, let me let me just help you with your thought process.

Let me just help you with getting to that place where you're secure and you feel safe. No matter what you're facing, just answer this one question. Are you convinced that you are submerged in the will of God? Are you totally convinced within yourself that you love God with all your heart and that nothing means more to you than serving him? If you can confidently say yes to that, it doesn't matter what's happening.

If you can't, you have every reason to fear. You have every reason to be anxious. You have every reason to be concerned because the safest place to be is in the will of God. The most secure place to be is to know that your heart testifies, I just want to live for him and I just wanna obey him. No matter what it means for me and my personal benefit, it doesn't matter.

My joy, like Abraham, is to rise up early to say, Lord, is this what you're asking me? I'll do it. If that's your heart posture, you have no right to fear. There's no need to fear. God will make it his holy obligation to lead you and to write your story no matter what the chapter looks like today.

So that's the question you have to answer at the end of this Bible study. Where am I in the will of God today? Is my heart convinced? Is my heart sold out? Is my heart like Ruth, willing to say, where you go, I go.

Where you stay, I stay. Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God. If you can't make that declaration over your life, I don't envy you. I don't care what you have. I don't care what you own.

I don't care what experience. I don't care how popular you are. To be in the will of God, to be in his presence is where fullness of joy resides. And so here's my point of delivery, much as said of Christ. We glorify that, we rejoice in that.

But let's talk about your life. Where are you today? In a day where everybody's doing right in their own eyes, are you doing the same? In a day where people champion and praise and are finding more joy, apparently, in things outside of Christ, are you doing the same? Or are you willing to be like Ruth and say, God, I don't know what tomorrow brings.

All I know is that today, I wanna love you. You make that decision tonight, and I say I'm excited for what God has for your life. I can't wait to see the story that he'll write for you. I can't wait to see how he'll be glorified. I can't wait to see his providential maneuvering in your existence where he brings people and removes people and opens doors and closes doors.

There's nothing more thrilling in this life than to witness what God will do through a human vessel that completely surrenders. Do you know why there's so much boring in Christianity today? I have a reason. Because so many of them are not completely surrendered. There's not much stories these days because people aren't completely surrendered.

They're living day by day debating whether they should live for God or not. And God's like, I can't work with this. I need somebody that's gonna say, where you go, I go. Where you stay, I stay. Your God shall be my God.

Your people my I need someone like that so I can write the story. But here we are, we have rivals with God. Our entertainment rivals against God. Our money rivals with God. Our own personal dreams rival against God.

And I wonder in a day where everybody was doing right in their own eyes, God looked down and he saw a Moabitess and he said, here's a person that is completely sold out. I can bring the king through her. You think God does it differently today? Yeah. Jesus came.

I know that. I'm talking about his ultimate plan in this life. Do you think he's doing the same today? You better believe he's doing the same today. His ways haven't changed.

He doesn't have a different standard. He's still looking in a generation where everybody's saying, I wanna do what I wanna do. And he's trying to find at least one family, one person within a family that says, where you go, I go. And where you stay, I say. A lot of people go to church but not a lot of people can say that.

That's what God is looking for. And that's what this bible study is about. Not to stuff your head with more information. God knows that we have so many of that today. We have our radio programs, we have our books, we have our seminaries.

We need sold out people that want God to be real in their lives and not just a subject to study. May God bring us there as we continue in the old testament. Let's pray. But we thank you for the book of Ruth. What a gem.

What a treasure to us, Lord. We realize that you are the greatest author that has ever lived. That the way you are able to pull insights out of these verses, Lord, and show us things that are deeper to to the just the surface level is incredible. Lord, we glorify you in your wisdom and for your power and for your might. Lord, we ask that these truths would be embedded in our hearts and we would see the prophetic truth.

We would see the practical commands, Lord, found in these pages and we would apply them to ourselves. Lord, in this place, you have those who are completely sold out, and perhaps there are those in this place who are not, and whose hearts could not even get excited about these truths because their love is found in another place. Only you know that, Lord, and we have no right to cast judgment. But, Lord, we pray that your word would serve its purpose as it did in Jeremiah's day, that it would be like a fire that would consume us from the inside out, That you would reignite a passion for the will of God. Lord, a passion to obey you at any cost.

Lord, to to not be hesitant, to not be calculating, but to be reckless in wisdom, yes, but reckless in abandonment to your will. Say, God, whatever it is, I give it to you. Lord, may there be a fresh faith that would be a result of this bible study imparted into each of us, Lord. Lord, regardless of what the world looks like, we choose to to reflect this book and say, God almighty, if you're looking for a people, if you're looking for a person, please write my story for your glory. Write my story for your glory, Lord.

Whatever that looks like, as long as you know and I know that you will have your way. But we ask that that would be true of every person in this place. And for those who are outside of where they're supposed to be, for those who have veered off, Lord, in their affections, in their plans, in their desires, in their private practices, let them know like Naomi, it doesn't matter how long it's been, doesn't matter what you've done, the moment you come back, God picks up the pen and writes the story again. May that be true for all of us tonight. To walk out of this place to know I'm in his will.

Lord, help us realize that one of the signs of being in your will is that we are afraid to be outside of it. But we glorify you in light of this wonderful book. Thank you for the redeemer in Jesus Christ. Thank you for his salvation. Thank you for the price he paid.

Thank you for his sacrifice. Thank you for his willingness to accept us no matter what our background is. Thank you, Lord, that he related himself to us so that he can stand and represent us. We bless you now in light of these truths. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen and amen. Amen.