2 Peter 1:5-7 - Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
Romans 15:4 - For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
4 evidences of a person who is diligent at growing in biblical love
Judges 21:25 - In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
“Moab is a pagan land with foreign gods (Ruth 1:15, Judges 10:6). Going to Moab was playing with fire. God had called his people to be separate from the surrounding lands” (John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, Crossway, 2010, p. 31).
Ruth 1:16-17 - But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
Ruth 1:20-21 - She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
I. Ruth Loved God by Committing Herself to Him (Chapter 1)
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Romans 4:3 - For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
A. In the face of unspeakable grief – vv. 5-16
B. Although others were becoming bitter – v. 15, 20-22
Ruth 1:15 - Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
Ruth 1:20-22 - She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
1 John 4:19-21 - We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
II. Ruth Loved God by Trusting His Word (Chapter 2)
Ruth 2:2 - And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
A. With a willingness to exert effort to demonstrate her love – vv. 1-2
B. With humility in light of God’s blessings – vv. 10-11
Ruth 2:10-11 - Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.
C. Looking to the Lord for security – v. 12
Ruth 2:12 - May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.
Ruth 2:17-18 - So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.
III. Ruth Loved God by Taking Appropriate Risks (Chapter 3)
A. By listening to someone whom God was growing alongside her – vv. 1-5
B. By trusting the Lord to work in circumstances outside her control – vv. 6-18
IV. Ruth Loved God by Shining a Spotlight on Redemption (Chapter 4)
A. The integrity of Boaz’s redemption – v. 9
Ruth 4:13 - So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
Ruth 4:14-15 - Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Ruth 4:16-17 - Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!”
Ruth 4:17b - So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
B. The Great Redeemer to whom all this points – vv. 16-17
This year we have been studying the theme of Hope for Everyday Life. This study has already led us through the book of 1 Peter and in a few weeks we will begin a study of the book of 2 Peter.
This summer though we have turned our attention to this passage of Scripture from the book of 2 Peter.
2 Peter 1:5–7 - Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
As we study these verses we have been focusing on The Fruit of Biblical Love.
The theme of love is not a new suggestion from the Apostle Peter the author of 1 and 2 Peter.
- If you remember back to 1 Peter 4 we read this.
- 1 Peter 4:8 - Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
- Peter has been telling us that love must be one of the priorities in our life.
So if Peter has told us that we need to be adding love to our fruits that we are growing in the question, I have for you is …
- How are you doing in adding love to your priorities?
Please turn with me to the book of Ruth in the Old Testament. That is page 199 of the front section of the Bible under the chair in front of you/
Our series this summer is call Hope for Fruitful Service
- We have been looking at each of the 7 fruits from 2 Peter 1:5-7 and then finding an example from a person we can learn from in the Bible.
- These examples are relevant to our growth as we consider these truths because God gave us these examples throughout the Bible so that we can learn from them.
- - Romans 15:4 - For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Today, we are going to do an overview of the book of Ruth and consider, 4 evidences of person who is diligent at growing in biblical love.
In order for us to be able to best use our time together today, we need to have a basic understanding of the book of Ruth.
- Some of you in this room may know all about the book of Ruth.
- Some of you in this room may still be learning about where and how the timeline of the Bible works together.
- Wherever you fit on that scale, this is going to be a useful use of our time together this morning as we review the theme of Ruth and where Ruth fits in the Bible timeline.
Here is a quick summary of the book of Ruth.
- All of this occurs during the time of the Judges…that was a fascinating time in the history of Israel…
- it was 1370 – 1040 BC…
- which I realize some might say…so?...
- I’m not suggesting that in order to understand the Bible, you have to know an endless string of dates…that’s probably not reasonable…
- but…(did you sense that a “but” was coming?)…there are some dates that are very important…
- and the time of the Judges was sandwiched between 2 very important events…
- here’s a Bible quiz…what book of the Bible do you think we would go to to read about…the Exodus?...so that was 1440 BC…
- the reign of King David, Israel’s second king, started about 1000 BC…
- Now, we have to be careful – because if we take too much time describing the time of the Judges…we won’t have much left to discuss Peter’s point about working diligently to grow in biblical or how Ruth’s story illustrates that so well…
- but here’s 2 ideas that are central to understanding that period of time…
- it was cyclical…and I’m trying to make this as short and simple as possible…
- but the cycles were characterized by sin (worshipping false gods), bondage (by some foreign nation), deliverance through a judge (a fascinating group of people that the Lord raised up), and peace (shalom) for a period of time until the people responded not with thanksgiving and obedience, but idolatry and faithlessness (at which point the cycle started all over again…)…
- the second idea is encapsulated in the final verse of the book…if you’re in Ruth, you should be able to look over to the way Judges ends and see it…
- § Judges 21:25 - In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
- They were in need of a Redeemer.
- Not just a short temporary fix, but an actual long term Redeemer that could help them stop the cycles that they had been living through as a nation.
- They needed someone who could help them be able to live their lives in peace and in joy in a way that they desired.
The book of Ruth is a beautiful example of this very thing.
- Johan Wolfgang Goethe (the great German philosopher and writer in the 1700’s) said of the book of Ruth – “the loveliest, complete work on a small scale”.
so here’s the basic storyline…
- there’s Naomi…who was a Jewish woman who lived in the town of Bethlehem…which is a fascinating little detail which means “house of bread”…btw, we all know who was later born in the little town of Bethlehem…(speaking of the need for a Redeemer and a king)…she had a husband named Elimelech and two sons named Mahlon and Chilion…you don’t necessarily need to remember their names because, sadly, all three of them pass away very early in the book…
- what happened was (don’t you love that phrase?)…God allowed a famine in Israel…so Elimelech decided to take his family to the country of Moab…
- that was very odd…because Moab was an enemy of Israel…that nation started when Lot had an incestuous relationship with one of his daughters…(the yuck factor is off the charts)…
- the Bible is silent on whether that was a sinful decision or not…and we should just pause and think about how hard it would be to be the head of household so to speak, and not be able to feed your family…but John Piper made an interesting comment…“Moab is a pagan land with foreign gods (Ruth 1:15, Judges 10:6). Going to Moab was playing with fire. God had called his people to be separate from the surrounding lands” (John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, Crossway, 2010, p. 31).
- by verse 3 of the book, Elimelech died…and then the two sons married Moabitess women…Orpah and Ruth…
- then both sons died…
- then Naomi heard that the famine was over in Bethlehem…and she decided to return…
- so she told her two daughter in laws to go make to their families, and amazingly…to their gods…
- in other words…Jehovah (the god of Israel), had let her down…had not provided for her…and they might as well go back and worship someone else…
- please step back for a moment and think about how the book of Ruth fits into the overall sweep of Scripture…
- Naomi was as an individual…what Israel was as a nation…
- Orpah took Naomi up on her suggestion…and we never hear from her again…
- but Ruth, the Moabitess woman makes an incredible statement of faith…Ruth 1:16–17 - But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
- we’ll talk about this in a minute…but that’s…love…that’s what Peter was talking about…
- so they go back to Bethlehem…and the women from the town say…Is this Naomi…
- and she famously responds with…
- Ruth 1:20–21 - She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. “I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
- that sounds like something that a typical Jewish person during the time of the Judges would say…she didn’t have a king…Jehovah had let her down…so she was just doing that which was right in her own eyes…
- it also illustrates how bitterness affects one’s patterns of thinking…I went out full (it was during a famine)…and the Lord brought me back empty?...
- how would you have liked to be Ruth in that moment…
- and more importantly…how would you treat a person who by her own admission was living in full-on bitterness, so much so that she chose that as her own name…the word that defined her very identity?...
- the answer is…at least for a person who listened to what Peter said…[although I realize he came after the time of the Judges…the answer is…you try to treat a person like that with love]…
- so her love is shown by going out to glean in the fields in order to find food not just for her, but for her bitter mother-in-law…
- her love is rewarded by a man who turns out to be her kinsman redeemer…related to her deceased husband in a way that he could actually pay to redeem his property…and make Ruth his wife…
- and finally rewarded with a little baby…whose identity we’ll discuss a little later on…
With all of that background information laid out let us look at 3 characteristics of love being evidenced in the life of Ruth …
I. Ruth Loved God by Committing Herself to Him – Chapter 1
- The love that we see Ruth demonstrate is nothing short of amazing.
- It certainly is a natural response we would expect and so it stands out.
- Galatians 5:22–23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
How do you grow in these fruits of the Spirit?
- It first starts when you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord
- And then you begin to live your life as you follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life.
- - 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Now this is good news, because in this story there are 2 main characters.
- The first is Naomi, who is described by her bitterness.
- The one we want to be like is Ruth, who is described by her love.
You may be sitting here today and thinking that you know is like Naomi, there is constant bitterness.
- Maybe a spouse
- A parent
- A boss
- A co-worker
- A neighbor
- A teacher
And you may be thinking, Pastor Johnny do you know how hard it is to love a person who is bitter about everything.
- I mean they always find a raincloud on a sunny day.
- Everything that I do is some how twisted to be spiteful in their perspective.
- They complain about me and the people I love to anyone who will listen, and probably to everything that can’t even listen.
Or maybe you have someone in your life that right now it is hard to love them, and it might not be because of their bitterness, but it is still hard to love them.
- I want to pause a moment and encourage you with the thought that even though it is not a natural step to love them, you can love them with the help of Holy Spirit.
- As you grow in your walk with the Lord, He will strengthen you.
- Now you cannot expect to love those who are difficult to love if you have not first accepted the free gift of salvation that has been given to you through your Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament people were brought into a saving relationship with Jesus based on their faith.
- Romans 4:3 - For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
- That is exactly what Ruth did.
- While all the Jewish people, who were set apart to God, a nation designated to be the visible representation of an invisible God, were busy running after every other God.
- While all the Jewish people who should have been devoted solely to God were busy doing whatever was right in their own eyes.
Friend, you might be sitting here thinking, I cannot possibly trust God like that right now.
- Pastor Johnny do you know what all I am going through right now.
- My life is too hard to trust God.
- He has taken too much from me.
- He has allowed me to be in the midst of way more than I could ever handle.
Let me remind you that the example of Ruth was not exactly having a great season of life either, and yet she chose to love God…
In the Face of Unspeakable Grief – (5-16)
- Look at Ruth 1:5
- 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.
- 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.
- 7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
- 8 And 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.
- 9 “May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
- 10 And they said to her, “No, but we will surely return with you to your people.”
- 11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
- 12 “Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,
- 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.”
- 14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
- 15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
- 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
Ruth had just lost her husband, her brother – in – law, her father – in – law, and now her sister – in – law, and yet she says to Naomi
- Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God!
We are not sure how Ruth had gotten to this place where she was pledging her allegiance to God, but here is the amazing thing, without God it would have never happened.
- Maybe her husband talked to her about it
- Maybe her father -in- law?
- Maybe bitter Naomi.
We are not sure all the specifics of the transformation, but it is obvious that it is there.
Regardless of where you may be in life and how much you may be suffering…
- Because of the free gift of Christ as offered at the cross and upon His resurrection
- You too can be changed to be this devoted to God
- And who knows how that may end up impacting others, like Ruth’s transformation impacted so many more.
Ruth had the excuse of her own unspeakable grief to overcome, but she also had changed …
Although Others Were Becoming Bitter – (15, 20 -22)
- Ruth 1: 15, Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
- - Ruth 1:20-22 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
- - 21 “I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
- - 22 So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Could you imagine what every day had to be like living with someone who was so bitter that they recommended that their name be changed to bitter?
- However, Ruth still chose to love God and to follow Him.
I John 4:19-21, “We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Ruth chose to love God not because others around her were making it easy.
Likewise, we must choose to love God because He loves us.
- Then when that love is properly in place, we can love others, even if they are difficult to love.
II. Ruth Loved God by Trusting His Word – Chapter 2
Love is more than a fluttering feeling that you get when you are in the presence of someone who cares for you.
Love is more than the feeling you get when someone does something amazing for you.
Love has been described as an action verb.
Ruth 2:2 - And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
- Ruth was referring to the principle that was practiced in the Old Testament of gleaning.
- The owners of a field would instruct their reapers to allow those who were poor to follow behind them and pick up anything they may have dropped behind them.
- 2 takeaways from this part of the story.
- This only works if the landowner is willing to allow the poor people to follow this principle.
- Ruth was going to glean in the field not just for herself, but ultimately for her bitter mother-in-law.
With a Willingness to Exert Effort to Demonstrate Her Love – (1-2)
An amazing thing happens in this verse.
- While Naomi stays in and continues to ferment in her bitterness.
- Ruth demonstrates her love for her mother-in-law by going out to the field to provide for her.
And God provides for Ruth because of her love.
- Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s husband, owns the land.
- He shows great kindness to Ruth.
- He invited her to stay in the field.
- He told his servants not to chase her away or touch her.
- He even provided her with water as she was working.
How does Ruth respond to this kindness?
With Humilty in Light of God’s Blessings – (10-11)
- Ruth 2:10–11 - Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.
It is a principle that we do not love because of what we will gain by loving others.
- We love because God first loved us.
- However, in a world full of selfishness, it will certainly be noticeable when love is practiced.
Boaz had noticed her kindness and as a result he was being kind to her.
- Instead of taking pride her great kindness she had shown.
- You know Boaz, you are right, I really am a pretty good daughter-in-law
- Or, Psshhh, It’s just the way I am.
How could she show such humility? By…
Looking to the Lord for Security (12)
Notice what Boaz said to Ruth in verse 12…
- - Ruth 2:12 - “May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
What is the opposite of love?
- You might quickly think that it is hate, and while hate is surely anti-love…
- The opposite of love is selfishness.
When I fight to exalt myself I cease to love others.
- I need more things to make me feel more important or to feed my idols of ease, comfort, and value.
- I need to be exalted above all others, so I live to give a constant example of how I am better than any other person.
- Comparison is the enemy of Compassion.
Never forget this truth, The more secure I am in my Savior the more I will love others.
Checkpoint!
- How are you doing in growing in biblical love?
- Are you loving even the ones who are hard to love, because God first loved you?
- Are you loving even in the midst of the hard things of life, because of the change that God has worked in your life?
Illustration needed of someone who loved well even in the middle of their suffering.
Lunch time came around and Ruth was still busy gleaning in the field.
- Boaz asked her to come eat lunch with his workers.
- Boaz also tells his workers to not just leave accidental grain behind, but to start dropping grain on purpose.
- Ruth 2:17–18 - So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.
Ruth brought home to Naomi so many incredible things from that day.
- An ephah of barley would have been over half a bushel or about 3- -40 pounds of barley.
- Did you notice she also saved her leftover lunch and brought it to Naomi?
As we read on in the book of Ruth you will notice that these acts of love and the faith demonstrated by Ruth begin to have an impact on Naomi’s faith.
III. Ruth Loved God by Taking Appropriate Risks – Chapter 3
By listening to someone whom God was growing alongside her (1-5)
Ruth 3:1-5, Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?
2 “Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.
3 “Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 “It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”
5 She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”
Naomi, the bitter one, makes a suggestion that Ruth go and present herself to Boaz as an invitation to become her Kinsman Redeemer.
- Why would Ruth listen to Naomi?
- Maybe it is because as Naomi is watching the way God is working through the love of Ruth she is beginning to soften.
What take away is there in this for you?
- Remember at the beginning we talked about those in your life that might be hard to love because of their bitterness or something else.
- Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to use your faithful example of love to convict and change the heart of even the bitterest person.
- Illustration?
By trusting the Lord to work in circumstances outside her control (6-18)
Ruth 3:6-18, So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.” 10 Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 “Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. 12 “Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13 “Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.” 14 So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Again he said, “Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 She said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18 Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.”
Explain this better!
So, Ruth does as Naomi told her and presents herself to Boaz for him to become her kinsman – redeemer.
- And Boaz informs her that there is a closer relative that he would need to present the opportunity to first before he could offer it to her.
- And Ruth chooses to wait and to trust God.
- And in the end…
IV. Ruth Loved God by Shining a Spotlight on Redemption – Chapter 4
This book is so beautiful because in the end it highlights the…
The Integrity of Boaz’s Redemption (9)
Boaz was sure to follow all the technicalities of the process.
- The closer relative says no to Boaz.
- And then things go on from there.
- - Ruth 4:13 - So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
- A son was born to them in Bethlehem
- - Ruth 4:14–15 - Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. “May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
- The women tell Naomi that because of Ruth’s love she ended up being better than having seven sons.
When people observe you would they recognize the ways that you love others?
Observe the total change that happened in Naomi’s life as a result of this love?
- Ruth 4:16–17 - Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!”
- Ruth 4:17b - So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Look who comes from the line of Ruth?
The Great Redeemer to whom all this points (16-17)
- How this all points to Christ.
- Ancestor of David
- Our ultimate Redeemer.
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