WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:08.000 I want to share with you from this beautiful story how God's providence unfolds. 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:13.179 So that in the mind and the wisdom of God, his decree, it's there. 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:15.839 It's all known to God. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.420 And he has the joy of unfolding it, one fold after the other, as it opens up before his people. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:25.480 And that's my simple message for you today. 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:31.359 I just want you to see in this beautiful story from the book of Ruth, how God's good providence unfolds. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:37.899 And that from that, you'll be strengthened and encouraged that this same God, his same providence is good for you. 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:47.500 And I want to draw your thoughts and your imagination to my favorite protagonist, because I see him almost like a Ruth type of a character. 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:53.040 And it comes from my favorite novel by C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy. 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:54.179 You know that one? 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:59.640 Every Christian should read The Horse and His Boy at least one time in their life, maybe once a year. 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:02.439 Well, the protagonist's name is Shasta. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.079 And his story begins as an orphaned baby. 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:08.680 He's this baby on a ship in the ocean. 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:10.040 Everyone else died. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:14.299 And there's this little vessel now, this little boat that the baby is placed on. 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:18.400 And there's that boat with the baby on it and far away from the shore. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:28.920 And if it hadn't been for the lion getting into the water and pushing that little boat all the way to where a fisherman was working at night, that baby would have perished. 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:33.760 Well, then, as that boy grows up, he gets placed on this adventure. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:38.740 And turn after turn, it's near brushes with death. 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:42.840 He is chased on this magnificent horse. 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:49.439 And there's a wild cat whose claws are like blades chasing after them. 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:52.060 At another point, it's dark and cold. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.000 And he has to take refuge among the tombstones. 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.140 And these jackals start to surround him. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.520 And he thinks he's going to get devoured in the middle of the night. 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:06.019 But there's a great, mighty beast that drives the jackals away. 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:08.900 Well, I don't want to spoil the story. 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.060 But through every one of those moments, it was Aslan. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:18.780 It was the great lion who both chased him and drove away the enemies who pushed that boat to shore. 00:02:19.740 --> 00:02:28.340 And so Shasta, looking back on this whole adventure he's been part of, he sees Aslan, the great lion, with him at every point in the story. 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:31.060 He had been downcast. 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:33.520 He had been about to quit. 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:41.439 And when he thought his finish line had been crossed and he was done, he's asked to be the one now to take one final message. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.280 The only message that could save the people of Narnia. 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:52.500 And in Lewis's words, when he heard that he had to go do this one other mission next, Shasta's heart fainted at these words. 00:02:52.500 --> 00:03:00.840 For he felt he had no strength left and he writhed inside at what seemed the cruelty and unfairness of the demand. 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:09.879 He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed, your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one. 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:12.560 Have you felt that before? 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:23.759 It might seem that the life of a Christian as a traveler, a sojourner, a pilgrim in this present evil age is full of those same emotions that Shasta went through. 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:31.819 Fear, exhaustion, confusion, comfort, protection, doubt, depression, and hope being restored. 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:38.579 Well, I want to show you in this passage two different pictures of the believer. 00:03:38.859 --> 00:03:42.019 The first one is what I'm calling the depressed believer. 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:44.959 A believer who is depressed. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:46.139 And that's Naomi. 00:03:46.299 --> 00:03:49.819 And the second one is the determined laborer. 00:03:50.519 --> 00:03:58.780 And then I want to show you how God, his providence unfolds for both of them through the character Boaz, a historical man named Boaz. 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:01.460 Because Boaz is a type. 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:07.759 He is the profile of the man of Bethlehem that would be fulfilled and exceeded by Jesus Christ. 00:04:08.420 --> 00:04:11.800 So first, Naomi, the downcast believer. 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:16.199 How did God's good providence unfold for the downcast believer? 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:20.680 I should define the term we're using first, providence. 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:25.340 In An Orthodox Catechism, question 27, it defines providence this way. 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:37.419 The Bible teaches that providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures. 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:50.659 And he so rules them that the leaf of a blade, the rain of the drought and the drought, the fruitful and the lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty. 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:58.280 All things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but from his heavenly fatherly hand. 00:04:58.920 --> 00:04:59.800 That's providence. 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:05.760 So how did God's providence unfold for Naomi, the downcast believer? 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:12.920 First, I feel like I need to show to you why I've come to the conclusion that I think Naomi was a believer in the first place. 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:18.020 First reason is because she confesses that God is almighty. 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:20.300 She recognizes the sovereignty of God. 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:22.199 She does recognize his providence. 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:24.680 Now look at chapter 1, verse 20. 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:27.259 Naomi says, 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:30.400 Do not call me Naomi. 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:32.920 Naomi, we saw last time, it means pleasantness. 00:05:33.780 --> 00:05:34.620 Don't call me pleasant. 00:05:35.379 --> 00:05:36.920 Instead, she says, call me Mara. 00:05:37.780 --> 00:05:38.920 Mara means bitter. 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:40.580 She used to be pleasant. 00:05:40.580 --> 00:05:42.120 Now she feels bitter. 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.300 Now notice the term she uses. 00:05:44.840 --> 00:05:46.120 For the almighty. 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:50.980 The Hebrew word is Elohim, the almighty creator God. 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:52.459 So he's sovereign. 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:53.240 He rules. 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:56.680 He has dealt very bitterly with me. 00:05:57.720 --> 00:05:59.100 Now look at verse 21. 00:05:59.379 --> 00:05:59.840 She says, 00:06:00.340 --> 00:06:05.300 The almighty, Elohim again, has brought calamity upon me. 00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:08.360 She's a believer and she recognized God is sovereign. 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:11.639 He has power and his providence is over all his creation. 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:26.360 She feels that all of her losses that she experienced in the land of Moab have wounded her so deeply that it's unimaginable how God could possibly restore all that she had lost. 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:32.319 How could God possibly bless her to the point that it would exceed all the suffering she's already gone through? 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:38.240 By going to Moab, we saw she was leaving the place where God promised to dwell. 00:06:38.460 --> 00:06:41.500 And through God as king, they would enjoy blessings. 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:48.339 By going to Moab physically, her family had removed themselves from the refuge that God had promised to provide. 00:06:49.379 --> 00:06:58.459 And she had, in fact, now seen God's unfolding providence in the worst possible way from all of those things she loved. 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:01.959 Husband, children, her sons being stripped away from her. 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:04.759 And now in poverty as a widow. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:09.819 Away from God's presence, there is no refuge. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:11.939 I do think Naomi was a believer. 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:15.779 But I think why she was downcast was even more complex than that. 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:21.659 She was not downcast because she was worldly, necessarily, I don't think. 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:25.799 I think she was in question of God's trustworthiness. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:35.060 She was having a hard time understanding how can this God who promises to show covenant faithfulness leave me feeling so empty to the point that I am bitter. 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:41.740 And the reason I say that is because of the other two terms she gives to God in verse 21. 00:07:42.280 --> 00:07:43.280 Look at verse 21. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:45.019 She says, I went away full. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:49.879 So when she left God's land, went into Moab, she was full. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.480 And now she uses a different name for God. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:54.720 She says, the Lord. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:56.439 This is not Elohim Almighty. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:57.379 This is the Lord. 00:07:57.620 --> 00:07:58.520 This is Jehovah. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.740 This is the covenant name for God. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:03.259 It was the Lord who brought me back empty. 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:06.040 Where is his faithfulness to his promise? 00:08:06.960 --> 00:08:15.340 She says, why call me Naomi when the Lord, there it is again, Jehovah, the covenant Lord, has testified against me. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:16.939 That's my conclusion. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.100 Naomi was a believer. 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:21.540 And she was extremely downcast. 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:25.340 She was not the only believer to be downcast. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:32.639 Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, God who comforts the downcast. 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:33.779 That's who God is. 00:08:34.180 --> 00:08:37.899 He is the one who comforts his own people when they are downcast. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:42.240 He has comforted us, Paul wrote, by the coming of Titus. 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:45.500 So here's Paul in the life of the church, downcast. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:51.600 Questions, doubts, rolling through his mind, waves of deep, heavy emotion. 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:54.399 And God comforts him by sending Titus. 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:56.840 I think that's significant as well. 00:08:57.179 --> 00:08:59.620 But first, I don't want to pass over this too lightly. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:09.240 David Murray, he's a current pastor and he's been a professor of the Old Testament at Puritan Reformed Seminary. 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.100 He wrote a book called Christians Get Depressed Too. 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:15.679 And he says, this is his quote, 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:21.379 The psalms treat depression more realistically than many of today's popular books. 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:27.500 David and other psalmists often found themselves deeply depressed for various reasons. 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:33.059 They did not, however, apologize for what they were feeling, nor did they confess it as sin. 00:09:33.579 --> 00:09:38.279 It was a legitimate part of their relationship with God. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:43.719 The psalmists interacted with God through the context of their depression. 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:45.879 Christians get depressed too. 00:09:47.060 --> 00:09:52.399 But Naomi saw that God has providence over her life and she was feeling empty. 00:09:53.420 --> 00:09:59.060 She was maybe wondering, is there anything God could possibly do now to pull me out of this, 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:04.100 to lift my sight, to cause me to once again to look up with hope? 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:07.160 What could God possibly do? 00:10:09.060 --> 00:10:12.540 Our 1689 confession tackles that same question. 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:15.659 I'm a believer and yet I'm suffering. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.339 I have these deep, heavy emotions. 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:21.379 Does God let his people suffer? 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:22.919 Here's how our confession answers it. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:29.319 The Bible teaches that our most wise, righteous, and gracious God does oftentimes 00:10:29.319 --> 00:10:35.679 leave his children for a season to endure manifold temptations 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:38.459 and corruptions of their own hearts. 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:39.100 Why? 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:46.680 It's to discipline, to refine, and to sanctify them for their own good. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:52.139 It's to show them that within your indwelling flesh, even though you're united to Christ, 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:57.379 there's still a great war waging on that you need to fight against. 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:03.160 There are deceitfulness and corruptions that need to be surrendered to the Lord once again. 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:08.319 You need to be made low by God stripping away these things that have brought you comfort 00:11:08.319 --> 00:11:11.279 and make you even more dependent upon him. 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:14.939 That's the lesson that the Lord needed to teach Naomi. 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:17.079 She can trust him. 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:17.899 He is wise. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.100 See, back to the story of Narnia. 00:11:21.719 --> 00:11:23.419 The boy felt that same emotion. 00:11:23.699 --> 00:11:26.759 He had seen the princess who he was running away with. 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:30.279 She was also chased by that ferocious wild cat. 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:35.399 And at one point, that cat leaped up and scratched her on her back, 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.220 and it left the marks across her back. 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:41.639 And so when they finally came to the conclusion of the story at the end, 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:44.360 he has a chance to talk to Aslan, the great lion. 00:11:45.179 --> 00:11:47.059 And the boy asked Aslan, 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:51.759 why did you allow her to get scratched and hurt that way? 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:53.139 And we feel that. 00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:56.439 There are loved ones that we, it breaks our heart to see them suffer. 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:57.759 And how could God allow that? 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.000 Listen to how Aslan and Lewis's words responds. 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:09.179 Child, said the lion, I am telling you your story, not hers. 00:12:09.779 --> 00:12:12.939 No one is told any story but their own. 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:17.899 And there may be a time if you're comforting a loved one who's been so deeply wounded, 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.559 that might be the answer that you need to hear. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:21.939 Trust the Lord. 00:12:22.419 --> 00:12:25.139 He deals with you, and he will deal with them. 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:27.339 And the Lord is not silent. 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:30.179 Aslan then spoke to the princeless, and he said to her, 00:12:30.859 --> 00:12:33.099 It was I who wounded you, said Aslan. 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:37.319 I am the only lion you met in all your journeys. 00:12:37.979 --> 00:12:39.859 Do you know why I tore you? 00:12:41.119 --> 00:12:42.619 No, sir, says the princess. 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:47.959 The scratches on your back, tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood, 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:52.460 were equal to the stripes laid on the back of your stepmother's slave. 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:56.900 The princess had lied, and that slave had been unjustly punished because of her sin. 00:12:57.720 --> 00:13:00.660 You need to know what it felt like. 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:05.740 And the Christian is brought to the place where we see our sin for what it is, 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:08.539 how hurtful our sin is of others. 00:13:08.819 --> 00:13:11.659 But our God is faithful, and he is patient. 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:14.319 And when you do experience suffering, 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:18.959 may it just remind you of how much sin he's forgiven in you, 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.779 and how much destruction our sin has caused others. 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:25.379 This reminds me of a pastor, John Flavel. 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:29.019 He was a Puritan minister at the time where the Puritans were being shut down. 00:13:29.419 --> 00:13:32.379 They had to go flee into the fields and preach in the open air 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:35.959 because it was illegal to be proclaiming the gospel straight from the Bible. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.559 He lost five immediate family members. 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:41.659 And when the crowds were coming out, 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:43.539 and they're trying to arrest Puritan ministers, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.240 it was John Flavel's face that they put on an epitaph, 00:13:47.299 --> 00:13:48.539 on a picture to say, 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:49.799 This is who we need to take down. 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:53.259 And here's what John Flavel said about the providence of God, 00:13:53.319 --> 00:13:55.000 even through that suffering and hardship. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:57.819 And remember, he's a minister. 00:13:57.979 --> 00:13:59.719 He knew the Bible and Hebrew and Greek, 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:00.979 and he loved the Word of God. 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:01.879 He said, 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:06.000 The providence of God are like Hebrew words. 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:09.479 They can only be properly read backwards. 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:11.959 What a comfort that is. 00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:14.419 Now look at verse 18. 00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:16.579 Chapter 1, verse 18. 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:20.000 When Naomi saw what will lift her eyes. 00:14:20.660 --> 00:14:23.180 Remember, Paul had Titus come and join their church, 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:24.240 and they were so encouraged. 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:25.440 Verse 18. 00:14:25.560 --> 00:14:30.220 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:31.540 she said no more. 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:33.300 Now look at verse 22. 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:36.540 Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem 00:14:36.540 --> 00:14:39.560 at the beginning of barley harvest. 00:14:40.180 --> 00:14:42.800 See how God often uses others in our lives. 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:44.839 We're in this present evil age, 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:46.379 awaiting the age to come together. 00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:49.019 And God uses the faith of others, 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:50.159 the faith in action. 00:14:50.819 --> 00:14:52.500 God had converted Ruth. 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:55.379 And when Naomi, the downcast believer, 00:14:55.479 --> 00:14:56.439 was at her lowest point, 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:59.399 God brings along Ruth to comfort her. 00:14:59.839 --> 00:15:02.079 And Naomi saw this faith in action. 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:05.079 And then they returned together to Bethlehem, 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:08.199 taking refuge in God's presence once again together. 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:11.120 And it was the beginning of barley harvest. 00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:12.080 There's a little hint. 00:15:12.400 --> 00:15:15.100 Remember, why did they have to leave Bethlehem to begin with? 00:15:15.640 --> 00:15:17.420 It's because they had turned away from God. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:19.620 They had turned to idols as a nation. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:22.000 And as a result, the Lord withheld the rain. 00:15:22.660 --> 00:15:24.540 And they had famine in the land. 00:15:24.680 --> 00:15:25.560 There's no harvest. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:26.460 There's no food. 00:15:26.740 --> 00:15:28.200 There's no abundance or surplus. 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:30.540 They had to go anywhere just to survive. 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.180 And now it's the beginning of barley harvest. 00:15:33.300 --> 00:15:34.879 And God is blessing his people again. 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:38.100 There's a hint of how God is restoring now to Naomi. 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:42.500 That she can trust him and hope in him once again. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:48.140 It's as though the Lord says through each event in this beautiful story 00:15:48.140 --> 00:15:53.020 that his good providence will unfold for Naomi. 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:57.040 Naomi, I am the one who dried up the rain. 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:01.200 I am the one who took your family to the place where Ruth was. 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:09.160 I am the one who taught Ruth about my salvation as a covenant-keeping Lord through your son, 00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:11.500 her first husband, and through your family. 00:16:12.140 --> 00:16:18.820 The Lord says to Naomi, I am the one who brought your sons and your husbands sooner to glory with me. 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:23.000 I am the one who gave Ruth a new heart. 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:24.780 And it gave her a faith. 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:33.140 And I called her to return with you to my land to take refuge where my wings protect my people. 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:38.460 I am the one who will decide when it is your time to leave this earth, Naomi. 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:42.060 And I am the one who is not through with you yet. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.000 I need to sanctify your soul further, Naomi. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:48.720 I need to prepare you for glory and for eternity with me. 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:54.180 And I am the one who will give you strength for yet another day. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:57.280 Yes, I am the one who fills the empty. 00:16:57.660 --> 00:16:58.720 No one else can do it. 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:03.620 Dear daughter, the Lord says, I see that you are downcast. 00:17:04.120 --> 00:17:05.740 Find refuge in me. 00:17:05.860 --> 00:17:08.480 Take refuge in my good providence. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:12.000 I will unfold it for you one step at a time. 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:13.880 Trust me yet again today. 00:17:16.360 --> 00:17:21.860 And I know that among our group, there are believers who feel or have felt, 00:17:22.120 --> 00:17:25.220 maybe for long seasons, extremely downcast. 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:30.660 And in thinking of Naomi and this beautiful story, my prayer has been for you this week 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:36.660 that when you are struggling to see God's good providence in your life, 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:40.640 that you too will take refuge in the Lord. 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:43.059 He is your covenant-keeping Lord. 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:46.380 In those moments, don't flee from him. 00:17:46.579 --> 00:17:47.720 Don't run to temptation. 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:52.299 Stay near to your Lord and let him fill you. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:53.960 Let him strengthen you. 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:56.120 You belong to his family. 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:00.579 I pray that this church can be a spiritual family. 00:18:00.860 --> 00:18:05.500 Just like Ruth brought that great encouragement to Naomi when she saw her, 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:09.140 she stopped arguing and followed where the Lord was calling her. 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:11.000 I pray that we can do that for one another. 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:14.680 And I'll share that each of you have done that for me. 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:17.539 I see the Lord working in your lives. 00:18:17.620 --> 00:18:20.420 I see his faith in action in you. 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:22.579 And what an encouragement that is. 00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:25.919 For as many days and months and years as the Lord will give us, 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:29.679 may we always be that spiritual family that builds one another up. 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.339 And the prayer is that Psalm chapter 3. 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:37.240 In that dark moment or that heaviness that you feel, 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:39.919 may you cry aloud to the Lord. 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.220 And he will answer you from his holy hill, from his kingdom in heaven. 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:45.519 He hears you. 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:48.339 You can confess like the psalmist, 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:52.059 you, O Lord, you are a shield about me. 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:53.359 He is your refuge. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:57.039 And you are the lifter of my head. 00:18:58.539 --> 00:19:01.019 Well, that's Naomi, the downcast believer. 00:19:02.879 --> 00:19:06.459 Let's focus next on Ruth, the determined laborer. 00:19:06.579 --> 00:19:08.500 Look at chapter 1, verse 18. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:11.619 Naomi saw that Ruth was, what's the word? 00:19:13.879 --> 00:19:14.359 Determined. 00:19:14.459 --> 00:19:15.599 So she's determined. 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:18.399 That means the Lord has called her. 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:20.039 And his calling is effectual. 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:22.940 She will go back to the refuge of the Lord. 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:24.819 Now look at chapter 2, verse 7. 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:28.279 This is the servant who's in charge of the laborers. 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:31.559 Notice the reputation Naomi's already got. 00:19:32.379 --> 00:19:33.500 Chapter 2, verse 7. 00:19:34.159 --> 00:19:36.399 Here's what Ruth said. 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:40.279 Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:45.159 So she came and she has continued from early morning until now, 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:47.000 except for a short rest. 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:50.019 If there's one word that describes Ruth, that she's a worker. 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:51.859 She is here to labor. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:53.259 She's determined. 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:54.400 And she's a worker. 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:56.759 I should explain. 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:57.839 What is it to glean? 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.720 You know, God, even before there were kings in Israel, 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:03.880 there was still the law where God would be ruling over his people. 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:06.859 And when Moses gave the law, he took care of the poor. 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:10.099 And to be a reaper means that you are going through. 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:12.039 You're hired by the owner of the land. 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:12.920 You're reaping. 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:13.839 You're cutting the barley. 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:17.019 And you're collecting it and tying it up in sheets in these bundles. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:19.659 Now, the gleaning is what the poor people would do. 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:23.740 They would go and take those little bits that were missed or maybe on the corners, the edges, 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:29.000 and they would gather those one by one by one and just gather up a little bit like the scraps that were remaining. 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:30.439 That's what it means to glean. 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:34.079 So Ruth, widowed, foreigner. 00:20:34.379 --> 00:20:36.679 She's as low as you could be in this society. 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:42.740 And she is out there gleaning, just basically collecting, you know, the scraps that might be left. 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:46.480 Now, I want to show you two things with Ruth. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:51.920 Number one, how powerfully God converted Ruth's desires. 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:55.100 See, we saw last time how Ruth had turned. 00:20:55.320 --> 00:21:02.860 She had forsaken Moab, worldliness, idolatry, the darkness, and she had turned now to the land that God promised to bless. 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:04.299 So she converted. 00:21:04.679 --> 00:21:07.659 She had turned away from sin, turned to the Lord. 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:14.059 But now God has powerfully put a desire, a longing deep inside her soul. 00:21:15.179 --> 00:21:17.659 She is after not physical comfort. 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:20.579 That's what Orpah, the other stepdaughter, wanted. 00:21:20.699 --> 00:21:26.539 She wanted a husband, a land, a comfortable place among the polytheistic gods of Moab. 00:21:26.959 --> 00:21:28.799 But Ruth wanted something else. 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:30.979 She did not want physical comfort. 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:33.099 She wanted spiritual blessing. 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:34.740 And here's why I say that. 00:21:35.460 --> 00:21:37.180 Look at chapter 1, verse 15. 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:44.339 Naomi is going to use a phrase here in chapter 1, verse 15. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:47.980 She's going to refer to two things, a people and a God. 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:52.059 Now, she's referring to Orpah, the other sister-in-law who went back to Moab. 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:59.220 She said, see, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:02.779 Return after your sister-in-law. 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:05.559 Now, look at Ruth's response. 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:12.859 She takes that phrase, your people and your God, and she goes all in and she goes big with it. 00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:17.439 This is how committed I am to not being part of Moab's people and those gods, 00:22:17.619 --> 00:22:20.879 to being committed to the true God and his covenant people. 00:22:21.199 --> 00:22:22.119 Look at verse 16. 00:22:22.719 --> 00:22:23.219 Ruth said, 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:42.720 Ruth desired to take refuge with the covenant-keeping God. 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:44.220 Why do I say that? 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:51.140 That phrase, people and God, that's the language God uses when he's making a divine covenant. 00:22:51.140 --> 00:22:56.800 With Abraham, God said, you and your descendants will be my people and I will be your God. 00:22:57.220 --> 00:23:00.400 At Mount Sinai with Moses, the people of Israel delivered out of Egypt. 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:02.840 Even every time we read the law, the Ten Commandments, 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:05.720 you will be my people and I will be your God. 00:23:05.780 --> 00:23:11.060 It's a covenant relationship between God the Creator and the people he is putting his love on. 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:13.880 And that's what Ruth has to be part of. 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:15.640 God converted her desires. 00:23:16.080 --> 00:23:16.980 Look at verse 17. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:17.539 Ruth says, 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:21.620 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:28.960 May the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you. 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:32.759 Ruth reminds me of that princess in Narnia. 00:23:34.180 --> 00:23:38.140 Yes, after she understands the goodness and the kindness and the might of the lion, 00:23:39.579 --> 00:23:40.700 she says to Aslan, 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:53.640 That's the converted desire in Ruth's heart. 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:56.019 She has to be near the Lord. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.299 She wants to be near him. 00:23:57.299 --> 00:24:03.259 And it's like Ruth could pray like we do from an Orthodox catechism question number nine. 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.639 The eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:24:07.139 --> 00:24:11.339 who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:15.619 who still upholds them and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence. 00:24:16.159 --> 00:24:19.839 He is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. 00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:21.799 And can you say this too? 00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:29.460 I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need, body and soul, 00:24:29.899 --> 00:24:31.940 and he will turn to my good. 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:35.960 Whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world, 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.980 he is able to do this because he is the Almighty God. 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:44.659 He desires to do this because he is a faithful father. 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:48.099 Well, Ruth was that determined laborer. 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:49.819 God converted her desires. 00:24:49.819 --> 00:24:53.960 And God also provided for her as she labored. 00:24:54.539 --> 00:25:01.220 See, the providence of God is not one that contradicts the means that God has put in place 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:03.720 to carry out his will in this world. 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:05.119 Look at verse three. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.000 I want to show you what I mean. 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:07.099 Chapter two, verse three. 00:25:07.899 --> 00:25:13.819 Ruth says that we're told that she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:21.399 And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 00:25:23.379 --> 00:25:24.339 See that phrase? 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:27.740 She says she happened to come to the part of the field. 00:25:28.539 --> 00:25:30.359 The word happened in the Hebrew. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.279 It's really like he's saying a happenstance happened. 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:37.920 You know, and this is a book that's all about God's providence. 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:45.200 And he's saying now it just so happened that Ruth, as she was gleaning, was now in the part of the field that belonged to Boaz. 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:49.000 And that's the first time we hear this great name, Boaz. 00:25:49.779 --> 00:25:51.799 And what's the detail we're reminded of here? 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:54.759 He is from the clan of Elimelech. 00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:55.500 Who was Elimelech? 00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:56.899 That was Naomi's husband. 00:25:56.900 --> 00:26:02.220 And last time we saw Elimelech, Naomi's husband, it means God is king. 00:26:02.940 --> 00:26:03.720 God is king. 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:06.380 And when he left to Moab, Elimelech dies. 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.600 God is no longer king. 00:26:08.100 --> 00:26:14.480 So Samuel, as he's writing this origin tale for the great King David, pointing the way to Jesus Christ, the king of kings, 00:26:14.840 --> 00:26:16.400 he wants you to make those connections. 00:26:17.080 --> 00:26:22.780 Boaz is a man under whose rule God is king. 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:26.000 So his field, his dominion, Ruth is now here. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.680 It just happened by happenstance. 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.119 Ruth is now here and God is king. 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:32.619 He rules over the place where she is gleaning. 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:36.900 But you see, she was the one going out early, laboring hard. 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:39.700 And God then directed the circumstances. 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:41.799 It happened that she was right there. 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:45.339 See, that's God's beautiful providence working through means. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:48.559 And the question in the 1689 comes up. 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:52.920 Does God's providence eliminate the need for other means? 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:56.360 Can we just say, well, God will save all the nations. 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:58.740 We can just sit here and do whatever we feel like doing. 00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:00.200 Well, guess what? 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:06.900 The Bible teaches that God in his ordinary providence makes use of means. 00:27:07.360 --> 00:27:09.400 Yet he is free to work without them. 00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:10.460 Yes, he can do miracles. 00:27:10.860 --> 00:27:14.560 He is free to work above them or even against the means he's ordained. 00:27:15.140 --> 00:27:16.980 That's how great his providence is. 00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:21.240 But God provided for Ruth as she labored. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:26.980 And as we labor within the Lord's kingdom, he is the one who will do the miracle and bring the harvest. 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:28.759 We trust him with that. 00:27:29.339 --> 00:27:35.799 So I know as a church plant, every single one of you, I believe you are a determined laborer. 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:38.620 And I praise God for your partnership and gospel ministry. 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:41.900 I also pray that God will protect you and preserve you. 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:44.339 That he will multiply your strength and energy. 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:53.619 So my prayer for you as a determined laborer in God's kingdom, like Ruth, is that you will also continue to take refuge in the Lord. 00:27:54.159 --> 00:27:56.500 Trust that as you labor, he will provide. 00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:59.959 He will work through the means that he is ordained. 00:28:00.919 --> 00:28:03.259 And you will get to also see his good providence. 00:28:03.399 --> 00:28:07.359 It just happened that because we did this, the Lord chose to do this. 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:09.179 And as this happened, the Lord opened up this. 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:10.339 Isn't that so beautiful? 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:13.720 We see his good providence unfold even as we labor. 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:21.539 Well, they came to Bethlehem and the whole town was astir. 00:28:22.419 --> 00:28:26.039 You see how powerful the Lord is using this lady, Ruth? 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:31.059 The poorest of the poor, a woman that's been orphaned from Moab, the enemies. 00:28:31.919 --> 00:28:33.159 And God is bringing her now. 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:36.059 And people are trying to understand why is she with Naomi? 00:28:36.059 --> 00:28:39.500 Look at verse 19, chapter 1, verse 19. 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:43.119 When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was astir because of them. 00:28:44.619 --> 00:28:45.839 Isn't that an encouragement? 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:51.500 That as we put the faith that God is giving us into action, we labor, we see his providence unfold. 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:56.500 The Lord blesses and he causes that to have an effect on others as well. 00:28:56.500 --> 00:29:01.140 So Psalm 37, verse 4 can be our prayer and our encouragement. 00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:07.059 May we once again delight ourselves in the Lord who alone can satisfy our desires. 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:10.299 Well, this brings us now to Boaz. 00:29:11.259 --> 00:29:16.500 If Naomi was the downcast believer and Ruth was the determined laborer, 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:21.119 Boaz is a desired comforter. 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:23.559 Look at chapter 2, verse 2. 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:25.480 He was desired. 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:31.099 After him in whose sight I shall find favor, says Ruth. 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:35.720 She is looking for someone who could show favor and just be merciful. 00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:39.380 Let me have a little extra to glean so that Naomi and me can survive. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.860 She was desiring someone that would show such kindness. 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:44.819 Now look at chapter 2, verse 13. 00:29:45.539 --> 00:29:46.079 Ruth said, 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:58.799 So Boaz was the desired comforter. 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:03.359 And all the words that come out of Boaz's mouth bring exactly that. 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:06.839 They bring comfort to those the Lord draws to him. 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:10.419 All right. 00:30:10.459 --> 00:30:12.099 I want to show you two things about Boaz. 00:30:12.219 --> 00:30:16.039 First, how I'm going to call him the Bethlehem man. 00:30:16.679 --> 00:30:18.379 The Bethlehem man's profile. 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:26.099 Then second, I want to show you how this profile is met and fulfilled and exceeded by the greater Bethlehem man. 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:30.159 So the Bethlehem man's profile. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.639 I want to paint this picture of Boaz with 11 observations. 00:30:35.639 --> 00:30:36.759 I'm going to go kind of quick. 00:30:36.879 --> 00:30:38.079 So put your finger on the scripture. 00:30:38.219 --> 00:30:38.859 Try to keep up. 00:30:38.959 --> 00:30:39.059 Ready? 00:30:39.639 --> 00:30:40.240 Number one. 00:30:41.379 --> 00:30:42.959 God is his king, as we saw. 00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:44.199 Chapter 2, verse 1. 00:30:44.279 --> 00:30:46.099 He was a man of the clan of Elimelech. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:48.079 And that's exactly what it means. 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:53.639 So the Bethlehem man is a man whose king is the Lord himself. 00:30:54.079 --> 00:30:54.519 Number two. 00:30:55.679 --> 00:30:58.019 His reputation is solid. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:30:59.619 Same verse. 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:00.699 Chapter 2, verse 1. 00:31:00.899 --> 00:31:03.299 He is described as a worthy man. 00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:04.819 Number three. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:08.179 Boaz is strong and effectual. 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:10.839 We're told his name was Boaz. 00:31:11.059 --> 00:31:16.000 And Boaz in the Hebrew means strong, swift, slayer. 00:31:16.639 --> 00:31:17.679 That's a great name. 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:20.319 You picture Boaz going out into battle. 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:23.259 When he strikes, he will slay. 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:25.039 And it will be swift and strong. 00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:26.980 You could say he is effectual. 00:31:28.139 --> 00:31:30.399 That's who the Bethlehem man is. 00:31:31.339 --> 00:31:31.859 Number four. 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:39.819 The dominion, the field, the rule over which Boaz was in charge was abundant and generous. 00:31:40.460 --> 00:31:42.079 Look at chapter 2, verse 4. 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:45.779 Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. 00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:49.119 Bethlehem means house of bread, a place of abundance. 00:31:49.399 --> 00:31:50.399 That's significant. 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:55.859 From Boaz in Bethlehem, blessings will flow and overflow. 00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:57.279 Number five. 00:31:57.460 --> 00:32:03.220 Boaz pronounces God's blessing on those who labor in his field. 00:32:03.220 --> 00:32:04.620 Look at verse 4. 00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:09.240 His laborers, to them he said, into the reapers. 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:10.680 How does he greet them? 00:32:11.259 --> 00:32:13.180 The Lord be with you. 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:14.980 Here's a man from Bethlehem. 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:17.900 He goes around blessing everyone that God brings into his path. 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:19.339 Number six. 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:21.480 His people also bless him. 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:24.180 Look at chapter 2, verse 4. 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:26.819 They answered back, the Lord bless you. 00:32:27.679 --> 00:32:30.599 So if you're around Boaz, there's blessings flowing back and forth. 00:32:31.859 --> 00:32:32.439 Number seven. 00:32:32.579 --> 00:32:35.099 Boaz pays attention to his beloved. 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:36.659 Look at verse 5. 00:32:37.259 --> 00:32:42.939 Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this? 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:44.779 See, Boaz takes note. 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:50.159 He pays attention and he sees Ruth, who will become his beloved wife one day. 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:51.460 Number eight. 00:32:52.140 --> 00:32:55.300 The man of Bethlehem keeps his beloved close by. 00:32:56.060 --> 00:32:56.920 Look at verse 8. 00:32:57.360 --> 00:32:59.740 Boaz said to Ruth, keep close. 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:01.259 Number nine. 00:33:01.340 --> 00:33:02.440 He protects his beloved. 00:33:03.100 --> 00:33:03.820 Look at verse 9. 00:33:03.940 --> 00:33:06.000 I charge the young men not to touch you. 00:33:06.320 --> 00:33:11.720 And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink the water that the young men have drawn. 00:33:12.380 --> 00:33:13.880 So he keeps her close. 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:14.560 He protects. 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:15.600 He provides for her. 00:33:15.800 --> 00:33:16.300 There's food. 00:33:16.420 --> 00:33:16.940 There's water. 00:33:17.300 --> 00:33:18.340 You will not be harmed. 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:21.179 You stay here and you'll enjoy my blessings. 00:33:21.939 --> 00:33:22.419 Number 10. 00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:27.879 The man of Bethlehem evokes humble gratitude within the heart of his beloved. 00:33:28.579 --> 00:33:32.259 Notice humility and gratitude in Ruth's response to him. 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:33.559 Look at verse 10. 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:38.619 Ruth fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:44.439 Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? 00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:46.319 She's humble and grateful. 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:50.939 And the number 11, our last one for Boaz, is that he encourages his beloved, 00:33:51.639 --> 00:33:56.419 not with his own goodness and his own provision, but with God's providence. 00:33:56.659 --> 00:33:57.500 Look at verse 11. 00:33:58.259 --> 00:33:59.279 Boaz answered her, 00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:05.680 All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:12.119 and how you left your father and mother in your native land and came to a people that you did not know. 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:13.000 Verse 12. 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:16.279 The Lord repay you for what you have done, 00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:19.900 and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:24.019 under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:26.039 So Boaz says to Ruth, 00:34:26.719 --> 00:34:29.320 You have come to take refuge in the Lord. 00:34:30.139 --> 00:34:32.519 May you be able to watch, just watch, 00:34:32.860 --> 00:34:38.579 and see how his ever-unfolding providence for you will continue to be so good. 00:34:38.579 --> 00:34:46.500 Well, Boaz represents protection and provision. 00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:52.159 And it's paving the trail for King David, the man who battled, who was a swift slayer, 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:54.840 but also the man of peace, which was Solomon. 00:34:55.239 --> 00:34:59.199 So David Solomon, the one-two punch, setting up that full type for Christ. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:02.119 What I mean is this. 00:35:02.799 --> 00:35:07.419 If you come under the rule of Boaz, like Ruth did, 00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:10.339 that's a taste of what God would do through David and Solomon. 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:13.239 All the nations would come to Jerusalem. 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:18.399 They would enjoy the peace and abundance that the king from Bethlehem had provided. 00:35:18.699 --> 00:35:20.899 But it was not about David and Solomon. 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:26.539 That was really pointing to the greater man from Bethlehem, Jesus Christ himself. 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:34.480 I want to walk through those same 11 points in this profile of this man from Bethlehem. 00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:38.860 And I want you to think of Jesus Christ fulfilling and exceeding each one. 00:35:39.599 --> 00:35:41.759 How is Jesus the greater Bethlehem man? 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:44.599 Number one, God is his king. 00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:47.159 Jesus prayed in Matthew 6, 10, 00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:52.820 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:55.820 Jesus Christ is a worthy man. 00:35:55.820 --> 00:36:02.500 In Revelation 4, verse 11, we're told he is worthy to receive honor and glory and power 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:07.740 because he created all things and by his will they exist and were created. 00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:09.940 Jesus Christ is the worthy man. 00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:14.280 Number three, Jesus is strong, swift. 00:36:14.900 --> 00:36:15.860 He is effectual. 00:36:16.600 --> 00:36:19.559 In John chapter 10, verses 14 and 15, Jesus said, 00:36:19.559 --> 00:36:23.279 I laid down my life to save my own. 00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:26.360 And my own know me. 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:30.739 So when the shepherd calls the one he laid his life down for, 00:36:30.980 --> 00:36:32.619 they will hear his call. 00:36:33.139 --> 00:36:34.039 He purchased them. 00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:35.340 They are his. 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:38.960 Jesus, number four, 00:36:39.719 --> 00:36:42.659 has a dominion that is abundant. 00:36:42.659 --> 00:36:45.899 Jesus is the bread of heaven. 00:36:45.899 --> 00:36:48.399 John chapter 6, verse 32, Jesus says, 00:36:49.339 --> 00:36:51.079 Amen, amen. 00:36:51.339 --> 00:36:52.399 Believe this from God. 00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:56.440 The Father gives you the bread from heaven, 00:36:56.519 --> 00:37:00.139 which is Jesus Christ himself, the man of Bethlehem, the house of bread. 00:37:00.739 --> 00:37:01.319 Number five, 00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:07.160 our Lord Jesus Christ pronounces God's blessings to those who labor in his field. 00:37:08.340 --> 00:37:12.960 In Luke 10, verse 2, we read that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:19.500 Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:21.440 And then in Luke 24, 51, 00:37:22.300 --> 00:37:25.420 as Jesus in his glorified, resurrected body, 00:37:26.059 --> 00:37:28.640 ascending back to the right hand of the Father in heaven, 00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:29.859 we're told this, 00:37:30.299 --> 00:37:32.279 while he blessed them, 00:37:32.839 --> 00:37:34.279 he parted from them 00:37:34.279 --> 00:37:36.759 and was carried up into heaven. 00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:39.099 Number six, 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:42.859 his people also bless him. 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:47.039 Jesus Christ fulfills what Zechariah 168 prophesied, 00:37:47.460 --> 00:37:49.199 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, 00:37:49.400 --> 00:37:52.460 for he has visited and redeemed his people. 00:37:52.940 --> 00:37:56.199 And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us 00:37:56.199 --> 00:37:58.239 in the house of his servant David. 00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:00.179 In Ephesians 1, 3, 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:01.059 blessed, 00:38:01.259 --> 00:38:03.420 he has blessed us in Christ 00:38:03.420 --> 00:38:06.420 with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 00:38:07.119 --> 00:38:07.839 Number seven, 00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:10.199 Jesus Christ pays attention to his beloved. 00:38:10.799 --> 00:38:12.460 Revelation 2, verse 9, 00:38:13.019 --> 00:38:15.879 the Lord speaks to the church in the city of Smyrna, 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:16.339 and he says, 00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:18.639 I know your tribulation, 00:38:19.079 --> 00:38:19.879 your poverty, 00:38:20.139 --> 00:38:23.199 but your blessing is in the heavenly place. 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:26.259 Verse number eight, 00:38:26.339 --> 00:38:29.939 he says that Jesus keeps his beloved close by. 00:38:30.439 --> 00:38:32.759 Listen to the words of our Lord in John chapter six, 00:38:33.179 --> 00:38:35.839 whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood 00:38:35.839 --> 00:38:37.619 abides in me, 00:38:37.779 --> 00:38:39.299 and I in him. 00:38:39.859 --> 00:38:41.439 If you are part of this new covenant 00:38:41.439 --> 00:38:43.059 through the work of Jesus Christ, 00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:44.699 he keeps you close to him. 00:38:45.259 --> 00:38:45.899 Number nine, 00:38:45.900 --> 00:38:47.519 Jesus protects his beloved. 00:38:48.160 --> 00:38:49.160 Hebrews 6, 18, 00:38:49.660 --> 00:38:51.280 we who have fled for refuge 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:53.059 might find strong encouragement 00:38:53.059 --> 00:38:55.639 and hold fast to the hope set before us. 00:38:55.940 --> 00:38:57.840 So we hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:38:57.960 --> 00:38:59.880 He is our refuge for the church today. 00:39:00.940 --> 00:39:01.639 Number 10, 00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:04.500 Jesus evokes humble gratitude 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:07.380 within the heart of his beloved. 00:39:08.340 --> 00:39:09.579 What should be the response? 00:39:09.579 --> 00:39:10.740 What will be the response 00:39:10.739 --> 00:39:12.599 of everyone who truly has tasted 00:39:12.599 --> 00:39:14.239 the kindness of Jesus? 00:39:14.779 --> 00:39:14.959 Well, 00:39:14.979 --> 00:39:15.799 it's like that leper 00:39:15.799 --> 00:39:17.500 that Jesus healed in Luke 17. 00:39:18.179 --> 00:39:19.759 He saw that he was healed, 00:39:19.979 --> 00:39:21.599 and instead of going to the temple, 00:39:21.699 --> 00:39:22.959 he returned back to the one 00:39:22.959 --> 00:39:23.699 who healed him, 00:39:23.759 --> 00:39:24.399 to Jesus, 00:39:24.979 --> 00:39:26.799 praising God with a loud voice, 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:28.779 and he fell on his face 00:39:28.779 --> 00:39:30.039 at Jesus' feet, 00:39:30.119 --> 00:39:32.079 just like Ruth fell at the feet of Boaz. 00:39:33.559 --> 00:39:34.539 And he said, 00:39:35.439 --> 00:39:36.659 praise be to God. 00:39:37.719 --> 00:39:39.119 And then the author gives us the note, 00:39:39.239 --> 00:39:40.399 and he was a Samaritan, 00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:41.800 just like Ruth was a foreigner. 00:39:42.320 --> 00:39:42.720 Humble, 00:39:43.180 --> 00:39:44.820 grateful response to the Savior. 00:39:45.519 --> 00:39:46.139 And the last one, 00:39:46.180 --> 00:39:46.700 number 11, 00:39:46.840 --> 00:39:48.820 Jesus Christ encourages his beloved 00:39:48.820 --> 00:39:50.780 with God's providence. 00:39:51.200 --> 00:39:52.039 In John 14, 00:39:52.119 --> 00:39:52.360 1, 00:39:52.820 --> 00:39:53.559 Jesus says, 00:39:54.160 --> 00:39:55.460 believe in God, 00:39:56.180 --> 00:39:57.559 believe also in me. 00:39:57.920 --> 00:39:58.800 And in Luke 22, 00:39:58.900 --> 00:39:59.240 20, 00:39:59.660 --> 00:40:00.340 Jesus says, 00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:01.780 you can believe in God 00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:04.260 because of the covenant promise. 00:40:04.440 --> 00:40:06.400 This same God who is faithful 00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:08.160 to keeping his covenants, 00:40:08.159 --> 00:40:10.619 as he unfolds his good providence 00:40:10.619 --> 00:40:11.899 for every soul. 00:40:12.899 --> 00:40:15.659 I now bring that covenant faithfulness 00:40:15.659 --> 00:40:17.579 to you through my blood. 00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:20.219 The new covenant in my blood 00:40:20.219 --> 00:40:22.339 poured out for you. 00:40:22.819 --> 00:40:24.719 That's why you can believe in God 00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:25.779 and his goodness. 00:40:26.579 --> 00:40:27.420 Let's pray. 00:40:27.420 --> 00:40:30.920 O Lord, 00:40:31.039 --> 00:40:32.639 teach us to be patient 00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:34.200 when things go against us 00:40:34.200 --> 00:40:36.740 and thankful when things go well. 00:40:37.260 --> 00:40:38.820 Give us good confidence 00:40:38.820 --> 00:40:41.000 in our faithful God and Father 00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:43.139 that nothing will separate us 00:40:43.139 --> 00:40:44.059 from his love 00:40:44.059 --> 00:40:46.000 now or in the future. 00:40:46.720 --> 00:40:47.159 Keep us, 00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:47.420 Lord, 00:40:47.480 --> 00:40:49.099 once again in your good hands 00:40:49.099 --> 00:40:50.460 that you will be glorified 00:40:50.460 --> 00:40:51.079 in our lives, 00:40:51.159 --> 00:40:51.480 we pray. 00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:52.139 Amen. 00:40:52.139 --> 00:40:52.280 Amen. 00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:52.320 Amen. 00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:52.340 Amen. 00:40:52.340 --> 00:40:52.360 Amen. 00:40:52.360 --> 00:40:52.380 Amen. 00:40:52.380 --> 00:40:52.400 Amen. 00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:52.420 Amen.