WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.759 And our chapter opens this morning with Naomi's intent to find rest for Ruth. Chapter 3, verse 1, 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:19.519 ! My daughter, should I not seek rest for you? And the chapter ends with her saying, 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.480 ! Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:31.600 but will settle the matter today. The rest in view in this chapter is the rest of marriage, 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:41.280 the security of a home for Ruth, and the raising up of an heir for Naomi to carry on the family name. 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:46.640 That has been what we've been looking for since the disaster and the pain and the heartache of 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:53.760 chapter 1, the discovery of this man, this worthy man, Boaz, in chapter 2. And so, we're getting 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:59.759 down to business now in chapter 3, and we're certainly doing that. But the rest that is in 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:08.079 view here is a microcosm of the broader biblical picture of rest that is held out to us in the 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:19.039 pages there. Peace, contentment, and a wholeness. That's what the Bible story really is taking us to. 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:25.440 That is the picture at the end of history for those who have found their rest in the Lord Jesus. 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:32.080 The language in this chapter is of fullness. It's really the language of the story. Naomi, 00:01:32.080 --> 00:01:40.880 you'll remember, left Bethlehem full. She went to Moab. She returned from Moab empty. And really, 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:48.560 she is searching for fullness. She is searching for rest. And that search is something that we share. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:53.439 If we're honest with ourselves, that is the longing, the desire of all of our hearts. We live in a 00:01:53.439 --> 00:02:00.319 restless, always-on, never-stopping world. And the vision of the good life that we've been told will 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:08.400 deliver involves us getting involved in that restlessness, being busy about chasing peace 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:13.680 and contentment through the new, the bigger, and the better. That's the promise that our 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:21.120 world holds out to us. There is rest if you find these things, whether these things are success or 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:27.840 financial reward or a relationship or whatever it is. But the goal of these things that are held out to us 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:39.920 is rest, fullness, peace, contentment, wholeness. The problem is the way that the world says that we 00:02:39.920 --> 00:02:48.400 can find those things just leaves us anxious and distracted and dissatisfied and restless. 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:55.199 We're constantly comparing ourselves to others, and in the end, we end up lonely, isolated. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:01.919 There must be a better way. There must be a better way. This is the thing that our hearts long for. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:07.519 It is something that is real in our experience, except it always eludes us when we follow the 00:03:07.519 --> 00:03:12.639 stories that the world holds out to us. There must be a better way. There is a better way. And this 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:18.560 ancient story shows us that there is. But because it's this story, if you've been with us over these 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:25.840 weeks, you'll know that the line is not straight. It is a narrow path. It is a complex tale. And so, 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:31.439 in seeking rest this morning, as we go through the chapter, I want us to see, first of all, 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:37.599 Naomi's initiative. Naomi's initiative. It's there in verses 1 to 5. Last time, as soon as Ruth, at the 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:47.360 end of chapter 2, declared that Boaz was a close relative, Naomi's eyes lit up. Naomi saw an opportunity 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:54.400 to secure the Redeemer, to secure the one, the Goel in the original, that these two women so desperately 00:03:54.400 --> 00:04:01.680 needed. She'd heard about Boaz's generosity. She'd experienced his kindness for herself. You remember 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:08.080 all the grain that she was provided with, the food that she was given? She knew what kind of man this was. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:14.960 She saw her chance. Verse 2, she hatched a plan. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:21.280 floor. Wash, therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak, and go down to the threshing floor. 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:25.840 But do not make yourself known to the man until he is finished eating and drinking. 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:32.400 Once all the crops were gathered, the men would winnow the barley. And once that was done, 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:38.159 they would have a party to celebrate the end of harvest. It was a men-only affair, 00:04:38.159 --> 00:04:44.239 except that was in the Canaanite and other fertility religions of the day. In that case, 00:04:44.239 --> 00:04:48.560 women would be there, but they'd be there for one thing. They'd be there to serve the men. They'd be 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:55.359 there for sex. So we've got men eating and drinking and celebrating. There are no women, except some cases 00:04:55.359 --> 00:05:02.159 there are called girls. Would you send your daughter into that situation? Fathers, would you do that? Of course, 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:09.760 she wouldn't. It sounds ridiculous. We have to say this is a high-risk plan. And there are lots of 00:05:09.760 --> 00:05:15.360 commentators who want to say that Naomi is acting improperly here. Old habits die hard, they say. 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:22.000 She's not trusting the Lord's timing. The same Naomi that we saw in chapter 1 has re-emerged. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:27.840 She's taking matters into her own hands. She wants to get what she wants in her time, in her ways. And 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:33.919 she's even putting Ruth into danger in order to get it. Verse 4, when he lies down, observe the place 00:05:33.919 --> 00:05:38.560 where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:47.679 This language is all highly suggestive. Go into the dark in this situation. Uncover his feet and lie 00:05:47.679 --> 00:05:53.519 down there. Uncovering Boaz's feet could mean uncovering his legs, or it could mean, in the original, 00:05:53.519 --> 00:06:02.879 uncovering his genitals. So, the plan sounds highly dodgy. It is X-rated, to say the least. But strange 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:12.079 as all that is, and it is, we need to say a few things here. First, we saw last time how Naomi's 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:19.439 heart had been transformed. At the end of chapter 2, her bitterness toward God that we saw in chapter 1 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:26.319 was gone, and she was restored to trusting him again. Back in chapter 1, you'll remember Ruth, 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:34.319 on that very dramatic episode on the road with Orpah and Ruth, Naomi said, go back to your own 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:38.319 people, to your own land, because you'll find a husband there and you can get rest there. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:42.959 She held out rest to them in Moab. That's completely changed now. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:50.719 She's seeking it now among the people of God. She's seeking it now with this worthy man who we've seen 00:06:50.719 --> 00:06:56.240 through chapter 2 that his character is exemplary and he is a faithful Israelite. That's where she 00:06:56.240 --> 00:07:02.799 wants her to find rest. That reflects, that attitude reflects this transformation. She's now acting in 00:07:02.799 --> 00:07:10.959 faith. Second, we must see that in telling Ruth to wash and anoint herself and to dress with the cloak, 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:18.319 to dress in a particular way, that is not to be seductive. She is telling her to prepare herself 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:26.240 as a bride. So, throughout the Bible, those are the steps that a woman takes to prepare for her husband. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.719 So, what she's doing is prepare yourself in such a way that will signal to Boaz that he can take you as 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:39.840 his bride and he can raise up a replacement for Elimelech and the family line will continue. This 00:07:39.840 --> 00:07:47.520 is a marriage proposal. But thirdly, we need to see that it is more than that, because the whole 00:07:47.520 --> 00:07:53.200 scenario has echoes of an earlier story in the Bible, does it not? The story of Judah and Tamar. 00:07:54.320 --> 00:07:59.120 Judah, you'll remember, failed to legitimately provide an heir to continue the family line. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:07.280 So, Tamar deceived him by dressing as a prostitute in order that the line would continue. And here we 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:11.759 have lots of the same overtones. We're to read this and we're thinking, I've heard this sort of thing 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:17.680 before. And we're supposed to think, hang on, I've heard this sort of thing before and it didn't go 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:27.040 well. I've seen how this goes. There's deception in the dark. There is sexual sin. Oh no. But the point 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:34.240 is that Naomi is suggesting a proper way to pursue these ends, not an improper way. It is to propose 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:42.320 marriage and to have a son the right way. The way that the author writes here is supposed to be full 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:50.000 of allusion and overtones that are supposed to make us identify with what we've read before to make us in 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:58.080 some ways feel uncomfortable. It feels devious. Go at night when he can't see you. It is hazardous, 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:04.799 no doubt. What if one of the other men gets hold of her and she gets assaulted? What if Boaz is appalled 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:12.639 by her presence when he wakens up and the whole thing backfires? But rogue as it all sounds, and it does, 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:21.120 it does. Naomi's goal is to win a godly husband for Ruth with whom she will find rest, and she does all 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:31.759 that she does in faith. Now, there are a number of things to say here. The first is this. This is not 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:41.519 a strategy that any of you should adopt for finding a spouse. Mothers, while there's nothing wrong with 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:48.240 encouraging your daughter to wash, wear perfume, and dress nicely, the Naomi five steps to getting 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:55.679 a husband plan is not one that you should follow. Do not send your daughters into testosterone-fueled, 00:09:55.679 --> 00:10:00.000 all-male environments, and expect it to go well. Don't do that in the dead of night. This is not a 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:06.639 plan to follow. I hope that's clear. But that said, I want to commend to you Naomi's example in two ways. 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:14.319 The first is this. When we meet her here in chapter 3, what we see is someone who has replaced victimhood 00:10:14.319 --> 00:10:20.879 with faith. Only a few days ago, you'll remember, Naomi was locked in a cycle of bitterness at the 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:27.199 providence of God. She didn't like what God had done in her life, and she was casting herself as a 00:10:27.199 --> 00:10:34.319 victim. Remember 1 verse 20, Do not call me Naomi, which means pleasant. I'm not pleasant. Call me Mara, 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:45.379 because, meaning bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. She's saying, 00:10:45.379 --> 00:10:52.140 I used to be happy, but God has picked on me. God has made my life terrible. God is being mean to me. 00:10:54.379 --> 00:11:00.960 But then in chapter 2, we saw that she had her eyes open to God's grace, and she exalted Him by 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:07.220 blessing Boaz. And now here, what we see is that she's making plans that serve this God. Now, Naomi, 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:12.820 as we've said all the way through, she has experienced terrible loss. And sometimes we will 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:19.259 experience terrible loss. Our lives will be marked by struggle and difficulty and pain and hardship. 00:11:20.060 --> 00:11:28.120 But when you are in Christ by faith, that is your identity, and you're not allowed to adopt the 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:36.299 identity of a victim. You may have been hurt by another person's behavior, but victim is not who 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:42.940 you are. And what that means is, like Naomi, in this chapter, you can refuse to get stuck in the 00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:49.639 victim cycle that paralyzes so many of us when we choose that identity. And instead, we can trust God, 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:56.220 a God who is sovereign over even our suffering, even our worst days, a God who is in control. 00:11:56.220 --> 00:12:02.519 So, she's replaced victimhood with faith. Second thing I want us to see is that she has expressed 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:10.700 that faith with initiative. It is possible to take matters into our own hands in life rather than 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:15.600 waiting on the Lord. It is possible for us to get out ahead of the Lord and be impatient with the way 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:22.700 things are. But it is also possible to live with a kind of spiritual paralysis where we just do nothing. 00:12:22.700 --> 00:12:31.340 It is where we lean on a shovel and pray for a ditch. We have got the resources, but we do not do anything 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:36.140 about it. The Lord has provided for us, but we do not do anything because we have set the terms of what 00:12:36.140 --> 00:12:42.780 we think it would look like for Him to lead us in life. Naomi here is seeking a righteous thing, 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:48.460 and she is doing that for Ruth, and she is doing it for the family line, and she is doing it for the 00:12:48.460 --> 00:12:53.680 kingdom of God. She has made clear from chapter 1 that she knows that God is in control of her life 00:12:53.680 --> 00:12:58.360 and everybody else's life, and she is doing all that she is doing here, submitted to Him, 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:04.100 and presumably, therefore, trusting Him for the outcome. Later on in the story, when Ruth returns 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:10.700 and she says, how did you fare? She is really saying in that situation, well, how did the plan go? 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:22.780 Has God answered? Has God been involved in this? This kind of faith-fueled, trust-imbued, hope-driven 00:13:22.780 --> 00:13:33.320 initiative is what makes plans in life. It pursues someone for marriage. It raises a family in faith. 00:13:33.540 --> 00:13:38.660 It leads a household. It starts a business. It gets involved in public service for the good of others. 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:46.819 It trusts God and gets after it in life. She left her victimhood behind. She replaced it with faith, 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:52.740 and that faith is a faith that takes initiative to get things done in the world. Yes, Naomi's plan 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:59.339 sounds strange to our ears. It's supposed to. That's the way the poetry of this chapter has been put 00:13:59.339 --> 00:14:08.639 together. But Naomi's plan flows from faith. It is aimed at the good, and it is submitted to God. 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:16.199 And what that means, verse 5, Ruth is prepared to go for it. All that you say, I will do. 00:14:18.079 --> 00:14:23.079 She meets her mother-in-law's plan with faith of her own. She arrives at the threshing floor, 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:28.240 verse 7. The party has come to an end. Can you see the boys are heading off to sleep? Boaz, 00:14:28.319 --> 00:14:34.339 with a glad heart, lies down beside the grain for the night. Ruth silently tiptoes in beside him and 00:14:34.340 --> 00:14:41.680 uncovers his feet. In verse 8, the man was startled and turned over. I bet he was. 00:14:43.180 --> 00:14:48.480 And behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:58.280 Who are you? Now, of course, he knew who Ruth was. They'd exchanged fellowship at the table only a 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:03.240 couple of days ago or a previous day. Who knows? He knows who she is. He can't see. It's pitch dark. 00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:13.519 Fright? Maybe. Shock? No doubt. Boaz couldn't believe his eyes because he couldn't see anything 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:19.279 except the outline of this woman lying at his feet. Then we hear point number two. If we've had 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:28.039 Naomi's initiative point number two, Ruth's invitation. Ruth's invitation. Who are you? Who are you? I don't 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:35.100 know how he said it. And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:42.679 for you are a redeemer. Ruth tells Boaz, I'm not here for nefarious reasons. 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:50.719 I'm not there to compromise you in any way. I'm here to propose. I'm here to propose. That's the 00:15:50.719 --> 00:15:55.120 intent of the whole process, the washing, the anointing, the dressing. And now that is given 00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:02.239 verbal expression with this invitation. Would you like to spread your wings over your servant, 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:09.319 for you are a redeemer. The spreading his wings is covenantal language. We saw it back in chapter 2, 00:16:09.320 --> 00:16:16.780 verse 12. Boaz used the same word to describe Ruth's trust in the covenant God, the one under whose 00:16:16.780 --> 00:16:25.080 covenant blessing she has come to rest in her putting faith in the God of Israel. And here she's saying, 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:33.760 can I now come under your covenant blessing? I'm inviting you to do that. Take up your lever at 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:43.059 marriage responsibilities. Be my redeemer. Embrace the covenant of marriage and so provide for her and for her 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:53.139 mother-in-law's line. If Naomi's faith led her to take initiative, Ruth still needed to embrace the plan, 00:16:53.319 --> 00:17:00.279 right? And let's be honest, she was the one who was taking all the risks. It's all very well being the person 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:04.639 sitting back here saying, here's the plan. It's a completely different story when you're the one that 00:17:04.639 --> 00:17:10.000 has to go and follow it. And you're the one who, in order to do the righteous thing, has to risk 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.879 everything. Do you see that? Ruth is risking everything. Her reputation, her physical safety, 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:21.660 her moral integrity. They're all at stake here. And the outcome, do you notice, the outcome rests on the 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:33.120 gap between verses 9 and 10. Have a look. Verse 9, who are you? I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings 00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:41.960 over your servant, for you are a redeemer. How long is the gap? She's just invited. She's proposed 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:50.660 marriage. She's invited him to be her kinsman redeemer. Does he jump in straight away? Is there a 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:59.680 long pause? We don't know. It all hangs on the gap. What is clear is that Ruth had sufficient faith to 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:06.160 embrace the risks, to do the hard, to do the uncertain thing because it was right, and to trust 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:18.500 the Lord with the outcome. When did you last take a risk for the Lord? Lots of us would love to see 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:24.000 certain things happen in our lives or in the world. We'd like to do things for God and for the gospel 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:27.940 again. We'd like to start a business, plant a church, start a Christian school, create a charitable 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:33.559 enterprise. The list could be as long as your arm. But we never do it because we aren't willing to take 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:41.240 the risk. We aren't willing to make the sacrifices in order to take the risks in order to see it happen. 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:50.680 And so, those things don't ever come to pass. Ruth went to the threshing floor. Verse 6, 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:56.700 she did exactly as Naomi had commanded her. She made the risky invitation, and she trusted the Lord. 00:18:56.700 --> 00:19:07.299 Well, however long the pause between 9 and 10, while Boaz rubbed his eyes and got his bearings, 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:12.600 here's what he does with the invitation. May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:19.500 You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:25.940 whether poor or rich. He sees there's nothing inappropriate about her intentions, and he blesses 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:33.460 her. Huh, what a relief. As you read the story, at this point, your blood pressure's supposed to be 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:39.680 up. Your heart's supposed to be racing. How's it going to go? Thank goodness for that. This could 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:46.680 have gone one of many ways, and it didn't. It has gone a good way, it seems. She has added to the 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:51.320 kindness of gleaning for her mother-in-law by choosing a qualified man. She could have chosen 00:19:51.320 --> 00:19:56.120 a younger man to restart her life with. She could have stayed in Moab, remember? That was the offer 00:19:56.120 --> 00:20:01.519 held out to her in chapter 1. But no, she's committed herself to Naomi, so she wants to ensure 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:07.660 that she marries a man who will provide Naomi with an heir. And so, verse 11, like the rest of the 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:15.320 townsfolk, Boaz can see she is a woman of noble character. She has repeatedly shown her commitment to 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:25.359 the God of Israel, so he promises to do as she asks. And then we see point number three, Boaz's 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:34.799 integrity. Naomi's initiative, Ruth's invitation, Boaz's integrity. So, like Ruth, his desire is to 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:40.059 do what is right before the God of the covenant. We need to remember at this point that Boaz isn't 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:44.559 obligated to act as the kinsman redeemer because he wasn't closely enough related to Elimelech, 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:52.179 nor was he obligated to Ruth because she was a Moabite. But he is prepared, he says, to take up this 00:20:52.179 --> 00:20:58.220 costly role because even though she appealed to him in this weird situation in the darkness of the 00:20:58.220 --> 00:21:04.559 threshing floor, he can see that Ruth is a woman of profound godliness. So, there we are, 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:12.179 the credits roll. Can you feel the love tonight plays, or I will always love you, or something 00:21:12.179 --> 00:21:20.119 like that. That's a lovely love story. And off we go. That's not how it goes. This book is at it again. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:26.299 There's a twist. There's a spanner in the works. If you're a romantic, you're getting very frustrated. 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:35.599 We were nearly there. We nearly had the conclusion that we wanted. Actually, it's Boaz's integrity that 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:41.740 could prove to be the fly in the ointment. Verse 11, I will do for you all that you ask, 00:21:41.819 --> 00:21:47.079 for all my fellow townsmen know that you're a worthy woman. And now it is true that I'm a redeemer, 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:55.519 yet there is a redeemer who's nearer than I. Oh, the whole thing, it feels it's about to unravel. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:22:00.400 Oh, this isn't in the script. We've seen him. He looks so great in chapter 2. Here he is, 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:06.259 random, weird plan. They've got together. It looks like it's all going to come together. And 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:14.160 if Boaz is going to be the right guy, actually, in the end, he needs to do the right thing. 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:20.099 And if he's going to keep the law, there is actually someone better qualified than him to be 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:27.459 the redeemer for Naomi. So, he is willing to risk losing Ruth to someone else rather than go against 00:22:27.459 --> 00:22:37.299 God's law. It's incredible, actually. So, we need to park our romantic tendencies at this point, 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:43.059 because what we need to see is that in an age when Israel were neck deep in rebellion against God, 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:49.379 here is at least one man who is faithful. In the days when the judges ruled, here is one man who is 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:55.440 faithful, a true Israelite, a faithful son of the covenant God. So, he makes a plan to do the right 00:22:55.440 --> 00:23:01.900 thing. And with Ruth's physical protection and her own integrity in mind, verse 13, he tells her how 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:07.000 best to make her escape from the threshing floor, and he sends her off with a huge gift, verse 15. 00:23:07.280 --> 00:23:13.580 Bring the garment you are wearing, hold it out. So, she held it, and he measured out six measures of 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:21.399 barley and put it on her. He provided her food to eat. But in doing this, he was also providing a 00:23:21.399 --> 00:23:28.119 message for Naomi, as she was going to return to Naomi and say, this here is the… well, he's giving 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:35.879 her a message of abundance. So, do you see she asked the question, how did you fare? Ruth comes back, 00:23:35.919 --> 00:23:41.619 how did you fare? How did you get on? It's literally, who are you? That's the question she asks. 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:47.099 She's asking, are you, tell me, still Ruth the Moabite, or are you Mrs. Boaz? 00:23:49.219 --> 00:23:54.759 Presumably, they could have agreed marriage and consummated that night. She's asking, did the plan 00:23:54.759 --> 00:24:00.139 work? And Ruth tells her what happens. Verse 17, these six measures of barley he gave to me, 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:04.639 for he said to me, you must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:12.720 Boaz's integrity extends not just to providing for their material needs, not just food for their 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:19.980 bellies, but this huge load of grain. It is a message of abundance for Naomi. Despite this glitch 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:26.280 in the plan, God has been gracious. Naomi thought that she had returned from Moab empty, but the message 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:33.379 from Boaz was that she would remain empty no more. Here is a willing Redeemer who is prepared to bring 00:24:33.379 --> 00:24:42.460 them to a place of fullness. But we're reading, and we're left in suspense. We've got to wait to see if 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:46.859 the other guy is going to step in, this closer Redeemer. Is he going to step in and redeem these 00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:52.980 women? Will it be Boaz, or will it be the unnamed closer relative? And the way it's written, 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:58.200 our author is deliberately drawing our attention to this sense of unfinished business, this sense of 00:24:58.200 --> 00:25:04.079 incompleteness. That is really important in the story. So when Ruth tells Naomi about the measures 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:09.400 of barley, she says, he gave me six. There's actually no mention in the original of measures. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:16.819 That word has been provided. He gave me six. And that's significant because six is a number in the 00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:24.299 Bible that speaks of incompleteness. Seven is the number of completion. And her only receiving six 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:31.679 is supposed to emphasize this lack. She has not yet reached the rest that bookends the chapter, 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:42.519 rest that comes on the seventh Sabbath day. And of course, this also explains why all of this plan 00:25:42.519 --> 00:25:50.099 goes on during the night. One commentator puts it like this, symbolically, the whole old covenant 00:25:50.099 --> 00:25:56.400 period before Christ happens during the night. In the creation of the world, there was evening, 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:03.980 and then there was morning. Then there was a first day. Evening came before morning. In both the Old 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:08.240 and New Testament, the coming of Christ into the world is portrayed as the coming of the Son 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:14.220 of righteousness, who rises with healing in His wings. Christ also rises from the tomb on resurrection 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:21.339 morning just as the sun comes up. Everything else happens during the night. That is why Nicodemus came 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:26.380 to Jesus during the night. The reason the text highlights the time of day is because Nicodemus 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:33.339 is in the dark, and Jesus has to illuminate him. In this story, this story, the bride is going to have 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:39.659 to wait until the daytime for the marriage. If we picture the Old Testament situation, the Messiah 00:26:39.659 --> 00:26:50.179 is coming in the future, but you have to wait. And this is where Boaz is pointing all of us. 00:26:52.259 --> 00:26:57.339 He is pointing us to the one who is the greater Redeemer than Boaz. 00:26:57.339 --> 00:27:04.740 He is pointing us to the one who is a faithful Israelite, a true Son of the covenant God, 00:27:04.799 --> 00:27:11.959 who in His great kindness and compassion provides for and protects those on whom He has set His love. 00:27:13.699 --> 00:27:23.559 Our Redeemer is the Lord Jesus, the one who is generous, gracious, kind, and through His life of 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:29.759 perfect obedience to God's love. Through His integrity, through His atoning death for our sin 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:35.559 and His resurrection for our redemption, we have a Redeemer who has done all that is required to bring 00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:42.059 us back to the Father, to grant us forgiveness, and to give us eternal life. Here's the question. 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:45.000 Have you found the rest that He offers? 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:54.819 Have you found the answer to the restlessness that harasses your soul in the course of this short 00:27:54.819 --> 00:28:03.059 life that we live? The Lord Jesus Christ, our kinsman Redeemer, says, 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:13.539 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Rest for your soul. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:22.659 Rest from all the striving. Rest from all the striving after the promises of rest that we follow in our 00:28:22.659 --> 00:28:30.460 culture. We spend ourselves day in and day out trying to find rest through all of the things that 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:35.139 our culture is holding out and saying, Follow this promise. Follow this promise. You're heavy, 00:28:35.299 --> 00:28:40.359 you're weary and heavy laden. Here it is. Here's your rest. And none of it delivers because it can't. 00:28:40.359 --> 00:28:47.779 It can't bear the weight of our soul. Only one person can do that. The one who went to the cross 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:53.539 for our sins, who rose for our redemption, and who can say, If you come, I will give you rest for your 00:28:53.539 --> 00:29:04.079 soul. And to those of us who have done that, although we are waiting for the fullness of that redemption, 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:11.619 the dawning of resurrection light, we do possess it now. Through our union with Christ, we have been 00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:17.920 redeemed. We are a new creation. So, yes, we're waiting. We're waiting for the fullness of it all, 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:23.700 and it's up there in the future someday. But while we wait, we can be confident that that future is 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:29.800 bright and that the light of that future shines back into the present. We don't have to strive 00:29:29.800 --> 00:29:36.140 after these things that the world offers us because we have already in our possession something much 00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:46.440 better. And we have an even greater assurance of that than Naomi and Ruth did because we know the 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:55.300 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, so that you, 00:29:55.299 --> 00:30:06.180 by His poverty, might become rich. So, in your restlessness, whatever the reason, it's to Him that 00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:16.879 we must go. Wait on Him. Look to Him and hope in Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray.