WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.859 Let's read together from Ruth chapter 3. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.939 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:38.640 Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do. 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.140 And she replied, All that you say I will do. 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:47.140 So he went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:50.740 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:53.480 he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. 00:00:54.260 --> 00:00:58.159 Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:04.299 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.500 He said, Who are you? 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:09.079 And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.939 Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:16.799 And he said, May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.159 You have made this last kindness greater than the first, 00:01:20.539 --> 00:01:23.739 in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 00:01:24.379 --> 00:01:26.019 And now, my daughter, do not fear. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:31.619 I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:34.099 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. 00:01:35.119 --> 00:01:37.519 Yet, there is a redeemer nearer than I. 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:41.640 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good, let him do that. 00:01:42.179 --> 00:01:46.420 But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.640 Lie down until the morning. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:55.140 So, she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:59.540 And he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:02.920 And he said, Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out. 00:02:03.379 --> 00:02:08.099 So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:09.659 Then she went into the city. 00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:13.900 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, How did you fare, my daughter? 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:20.020 Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, These six measures of barley he gave to me. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:24.259 For he said to me, You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:28.800 She replied, Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:32.240 For the man will not rest, but settle the matter today. 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:34.319 This is God's holy word. 00:02:34.420 --> 00:02:37.159 We've been preaching through the book of Ruth for a couple of weeks now. 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:41.240 And if you've been here for the last couple of weeks, even if you haven't, 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.920 maybe you know the book of Ruth a little bit, you'll maybe remember that we spoke about that 00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:49.480 and how in our Bibles, the book of Ruth comes right after the book of Judges. 00:02:49.580 --> 00:02:53.400 And that's important to the book of Ruth, because the book of Judges gives us the context 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.700 in which the book of Ruth is set. 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:59.780 And you'll maybe remember we said that this was a time of lawlessness, of recklessness, 00:03:00.200 --> 00:03:04.060 of violence, spiritual chaos reigned. 00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:10.620 And yet into that darkness, that horrible time comes this beautiful, redemptive story 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:16.460 that we're going to read through tonight of courage, kindness, and redemption. 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:21.740 But there's another fascinating detail about the structure of the Bible. 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:28.080 And in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Ruth actually follows the book of Proverbs. 00:03:28.659 --> 00:03:31.819 So Proverbs is God's book of wisdom for life. 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:39.479 And in it, in the book of Proverbs, we're introduced to lady wisdom, the personification of what wisdom is. 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:47.599 It ends with this woman, it's called an eshet hayl, which we translate as a woman of character, 00:03:47.699 --> 00:03:48.719 a woman of excellence. 00:03:49.519 --> 00:03:54.280 And the only other place in the Old Testament that we see this exact same phrase is here in Ruth. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.919 And we're going to look at that tonight in verse 11. 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.319 It's translated in our ESV as a worthy woman. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:07.340 So it's like Proverbs is giving us a portrait of what this ideal woman, this woman of excellence, 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:09.079 looks like, this woman of wisdom. 00:04:09.459 --> 00:04:14.359 And then if we read Ruth, we see this woman, this woman of wisdom personified. 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:15.439 She comes to life. 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:16.620 And we're going to see it. 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:18.800 We've seen it throughout the book of Ruth so far. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.539 And we're going to see it tonight in Ruth's actions. 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:29.439 We're going to see Ruth as wisdom embodied, not because she's powerful, not because she's impressive 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:34.960 by worldly standards, although she is an impressive woman, but because she entrusts herself completely 00:04:34.960 --> 00:04:37.420 to the one who can provide for her. 00:04:37.780 --> 00:04:44.500 The one who gives her her daily bread, the one who offers her protection, the one who can 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:46.080 secure her entire future. 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:52.219 You'll remember Ruth and Naomi, they know that they're in dire straits, that she knows that 00:04:52.219 --> 00:04:53.199 she can't save herself. 00:04:54.060 --> 00:05:00.120 Both Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, who've come back from Moab to Bethlehem, they're helpless 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:03.500 to change the situation they're in by themselves. 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:07.199 They need someone willing to act on their behalf. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:13.560 And in Boaz, who we met last week in chapter two, they see someone who can provide, who 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:16.699 can protect, who can offer them rest. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:22.079 And as we go to the threshing floor tonight to meet this interaction between Boaz and Ruth, 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:29.199 the question that's hovering over this chapter for all of us in the room is this, are you willing 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:35.719 to submit yourself to the one who can save you from your danger, from your poverty? 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:44.600 Because Ruth finds someone under whose wing she can take rest. 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:51.460 And in the turbulence of life, in the joys and the disappointments, whose wings are we looking 00:05:51.460 --> 00:05:55.220 to rest under for tonight and for all of eternity? 00:05:56.380 --> 00:06:00.200 So we're going to look through this book, this chapter of the book, in three parts. 00:06:00.300 --> 00:06:03.920 In the first part, we've entitled Ruth Risks It All. 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:07.480 So we open with Naomi hatching a plan. 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.640 Remember, Naomi has left Bethlehem. 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:12.319 She's gone to Moab and she's come back. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:13.620 She's lost her husband. 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:15.020 She's lost her children. 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:21.660 And she came back to Bethlehem and she said, I'm bitter and I'm empty. 00:06:22.080 --> 00:06:25.980 But now she's seen God's hand at work in her life. 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:32.300 And she's seen that through Boaz, God could bring even more blessing to her and her daughter-in-law. 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:34.040 And she sprung into action. 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:39.960 Verse one in Naomi says, my daughter, should I not seek rest for you? 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:42.819 And when Naomi says, should I not seek rest for you? 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:48.480 She's not advising Ruth to have a lie down after a busy day of gathering up the sheaths in the field. 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:52.980 And she's not saying, take a night off, put your feet up, watch some telly. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:57.300 The Hebrew word is much bigger, much greater than that. 00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:02.259 It's about security, about settledness and about home. 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:11.480 So back in chapter one, if you are familiar with the book of Ruth, Naomi had two daughters-in-law and she says to them both, go home. 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:14.879 She says, go back to your own families and your own people. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:22.120 And then she prayed that Ruth and her sister-in-law Orpah would both find rest in the house of a husband. 00:07:23.140 --> 00:07:25.939 So what Naomi's talking about here is marriage. 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:31.800 She's using marriage language for offering true rest, proper rest to Ruth. 00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:39.580 Naomi knows that Ruth needs the provision, the safety, the security of a good marriage to a good man. 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:44.019 And, you know, we remind ourselves the desperateness of their situation. 00:07:45.099 --> 00:07:46.479 They're both widows. 00:07:46.859 --> 00:07:47.800 They're impoverished. 00:07:48.219 --> 00:07:49.339 They're incredibly vulnerable. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:57.560 If we were putting it into modern terms, Naomi is a woman who's getting a bit older. 00:07:58.139 --> 00:07:59.099 She's got no income. 00:07:59.259 --> 00:08:00.000 She's got no pension. 00:08:01.019 --> 00:08:02.939 She's got no family support. 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:06.579 There's no government benefit system for her to fall back on. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:09.219 And Ruth is just as vulnerable. 00:08:10.039 --> 00:08:12.139 Except Ruth is also a foreigner. 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:17.000 She's an outsider from a group of people who are not liked in Bethlehem. 00:08:18.219 --> 00:08:24.839 We find out in chapter four, Naomi's at the point where she's going to have to sell the family land in order to survive. 00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:26.939 So she makes a plan. 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:35.539 And all the way through this story, since Ruth chapter one, we've seen that Naomi knows that God is in sovereign control. 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:38.720 She knows that he is over all things. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:49.259 And yet, her faith in God's sovereignty and his power doesn't mean that she sits down and waits for God to solve the problems for her. 00:08:49.560 --> 00:08:51.100 It doesn't mean that she doesn't act. 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.600 She knows that God's in control. 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:58.080 But she also knows that this is not an excuse for passivity. 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:04.680 Knowing that God is in control doesn't relinquish you of the duties of exercising wisdom. 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:08.240 That wisdom that we've seen in the book of Proverbs. 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:10.240 In fact, it's the very opposite. 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:16.740 It's the fact that God is in sovereign control over all things that allows us to make plans. 00:09:17.060 --> 00:09:18.100 That allows us to work. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:23.299 Knowing that it's success or failure of the things that we do is not all down to us. 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:25.000 And not a reflection on who we are. 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:33.580 So Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz, who by now Ruth has been working with and around for a couple of months. 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:35.680 Through the barley harvest, through the wheat harvest. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:38.759 Is a relative of theirs. 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:42.500 Or we might say in Bible language, a kinsman. 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:49.980 A member of Naomi's husband, Elimelech's family. 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:58.819 And under customs and laws of Israel, a close family member could step in to preserve a family line. 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:02.679 And protect vulnerable relatives when they get into dire straits. 00:10:03.539 --> 00:10:06.620 So Naomi says to Ruth, this is the plan. 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:09.639 She says, go take a bath. 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:13.159 Get your nice perfume on. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:15.779 And sneak down to the threshing floor. 00:10:17.060 --> 00:10:20.200 And the threshing floor is outside the city gates. 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:22.659 In a kind of open space. 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:26.299 Where they would take the harvested grain. 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:29.860 And they would kind of toss it up in the air. 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:31.740 And the wind would pass through. 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:33.580 And it would blow away the lighter chaff. 00:10:33.680 --> 00:10:35.080 Leaving the grain on the ground. 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:36.779 So the men would be doing this outside the city. 00:10:36.860 --> 00:10:39.980 So she's saying to her, get all dressed up and get out of the city. 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:42.600 Go down and see where the men are. 00:10:42.680 --> 00:10:44.960 Where we know that Boaz is going to be tonight. 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:48.519 Now we have to remember, we're in the time of the judges. 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:51.639 Lawlessness and violence reigns. 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:55.919 A woman on her own in the fields is incredibly vulnerable. 00:10:55.919 --> 00:11:01.159 And a Moabite woman alone is even more vulnerable. 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:07.099 There's a shadow that's hanging over Moabite women in the Old Testament. 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:08.719 And we've seen that so far in Ruth. 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:12.360 Whenever Ruth is named, she's called Ruth the Moabite. 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:14.939 Qualifying who she is. 00:11:15.579 --> 00:11:20.240 But in chapter 3, that label begins to disappear. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.220 But the women of Moab. 00:11:23.560 --> 00:11:31.159 So Moab itself came about from the incestuous relationship from Abraham's nephew Lot and his own daughters. 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:42.360 And then, as if that isn't bad enough, in Numbers 25, we read about how the men of Israel got entangled with Canaanite sex rituals. 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:44.379 With Moabite women. 00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:47.340 Women who are called in the Bible daughters of Moab. 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:52.740 So these are not women who are looked unfavorably in Bethlehem at this time. 00:11:53.680 --> 00:11:56.820 And also, what kind of women get dressed up, they put on perfume. 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:01.840 They go heading out in the darkness trying to meet men. 00:12:02.660 --> 00:12:05.399 From the outside, this looks potentially scandalous. 00:12:06.920 --> 00:12:08.740 Ruth's putting everything on the line here. 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:14.879 Her safety, her dignity, her reputation, her entire future. 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:17.160 And she goes. 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:21.600 And she can go because she trusts the Lord. 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:28.680 She's seen the Lord's hand at work in all that's happened since she came back to Bethlehem with Naomi. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:34.460 And because she knows that faith often requires costly vulnerability. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:41.420 In order to gain redemption, Ruth was going to have to surrender her own control. 00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:44.459 And that raises the question. 00:12:44.459 --> 00:12:46.959 It has to for us tonight. 00:12:47.620 --> 00:12:52.339 What are we willing to risk ourselves for our obedience to God? 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:57.179 When we're at the school gates on Tuesday morning, because it's a holiday tomorrow. 00:12:57.819 --> 00:12:59.759 When somebody says, what did you do this weekend? 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.159 The safe answer, the easy answer is to say, not much. 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:05.939 The risky answer is to say, we were at church. 00:13:05.940 --> 00:13:10.740 Because you know that people are going to make a judgment about you based on those words. 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:17.520 Or when you meet a brother or sister in Christ who you know has patterns of sin in their life. 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.120 The easy, the safe thing to do is keep quiet. 00:13:20.820 --> 00:13:26.820 The risky thing to do, the difficult thing to do is to say, hey, can we meet and have a coffee? 00:13:27.680 --> 00:13:28.840 Something I need to talk to you about. 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:32.240 We don't live in the time of the judges. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:37.840 Or even in the kinds of places that some of our Christian brothers and sisters do all over the world. 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:42.180 Where life-threatening situations arise. 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:45.160 Comparatively, our risks are pretty small. 00:13:46.560 --> 00:13:52.000 Social embarrassment is sometimes the most that we pay at risk in order to follow Jesus. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.000 Being overlooked for a promotion at work, maybe. 00:13:56.540 --> 00:13:57.720 Maybe losing a friend. 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:01.259 And these are real and difficult things for us to do. 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:06.300 But in Ruth, we see a woman who knows that God is our only hope. 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:09.920 And so there's nothing that she won't risk in order to follow him. 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:12.120 Okay, part two. 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:13.680 A wing and a prayer. 00:14:15.040 --> 00:14:17.180 Ruth does what Naomi tells her. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.899 She sneaks down to the threshing floor and she watches. 00:14:21.180 --> 00:14:24.519 And when Boaz has finished his dinner and he's had a nightcap and he's feeling good, 00:14:25.040 --> 00:14:27.220 Ruth waits for him to fall asleep. 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:32.440 And she creeps over and she takes the blanket off his feet while he's sleeping. 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:35.860 And again, there's ambiguity here. 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:39.840 Because it feels again that this is potential to be scandalous. 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:48.940 The word for uncover is used in other parts of the Bible for sleeping together, for having relations together. 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:54.260 And then the word feet is sometimes a euphemism for another part of the body. 00:14:54.259 --> 00:15:01.819 There's a suggestion from the language here that something less than innocent is going to take place. 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:03.899 Boaz wakes up. 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:05.700 Maybe because he's got cold feet. 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:08.500 Or maybe because he senses that somebody's beside him. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:12.840 And because it's dark, he says, who is it? 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:16.240 And Ruth says, it's Ruth, your servant. 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.060 And then she uses this particular phrase. 00:15:20.560 --> 00:15:26.040 She says, spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:35.620 And that word wings in Hebrew, kanath, that's the same word that Boaz himself used when he prayed for Ruth in chapter 2 when they were in the field. 00:15:36.459 --> 00:15:42.799 He said to her, I've heard what you've done for your mother-in-law coming back from Moab to Bethlehem with her. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:48.819 And he says, may you find shelter under the wings of God to whom you've entrusted yourself. 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:54.639 And the idea of being under God's wings is also used in Ezekiel. 00:15:54.979 --> 00:15:56.259 It's used in other places too. 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:59.839 But in Ezekiel, God says to his people Israel, he says, 00:16:00.359 --> 00:16:04.319 Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:08.299 I spread the corner of my garment over you. 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:11.919 And that same word corner is the word wings. 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:14.519 I spread my wings over you. 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.579 This is covenantal language that God's using. 00:16:17.959 --> 00:16:20.360 He's binding himself to his people. 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:23.620 So what is Ruth saying to Boaz? 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:28.979 He's effectively saying, you prayed for me to be covered by God's wings. 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:32.059 Okay then, you do it. 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.959 You be the answer to that prayer that you prayed. 00:16:36.939 --> 00:16:38.319 Commit yourself to me. 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:46.840 Be the wings of provision and protection that you prayed that I would receive from God. 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:51.280 Ruth knows that Boaz is a man of means. 00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:52.540 He's a God-fearing man. 00:16:53.180 --> 00:16:55.700 And she says he's also a redeemer. 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:57.260 And that word redeemer is important. 00:16:58.180 --> 00:17:02.360 In Leviticus chapter 25, it speaks about a kinsman redeemer. 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:09.160 It's if an Israelite became so destitute, kind of like the situation that Ruth and Naomi are finding themselves in. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:11.440 They had to sell their land. 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:13.279 They had to sell themselves into slavery. 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:23.759 Somebody who was closely related to them has an obligation to buy back the land or the person to redeem them. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.039 This is a redeemer. 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:28.900 Somebody who can help preserve the family inheritance. 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:40.300 And Ruth is saying to Boaz, you're the one through whom God is going to protect me, give me rest, and redeem Naomi's land. 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:44.480 As unorthodox as it is, this is a marriage proposal. 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:48.820 And this time, Boaz definitely doesn't have cold feet. 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:52.420 There's no hesitation in his desire to redeem Ruth. 00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:56.100 He says, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. 00:17:56.099 --> 00:18:03.919 You've made this last kindness greater than the first in that you've not gone after the young men, whether rich or poor. 00:18:04.939 --> 00:18:11.839 And that word kindness is that recurring Hebrew word hesed that we've spoken about a few times. 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.659 It keeps coming up again and again in Ruth. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.439 This committed, loyal, steadfast love. 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:27.980 The first, he said, when he says this kindness is, this hesed, this love, this kindness is greater than the first. 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:34.380 The first is when she came all the way from Moab, left her people, her family, to be with her mother-in-law. 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:42.080 And he's saying, now you're willing to marry an old man like me, rather than try and find somebody your own age. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:49.259 And you're willing to do this because you know that I'm able to provide for both you and for your mother-in-law. 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:56.519 And then he says, the whole town knows that you're an eshet chayel, a woman of excellence. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:08.980 When we first met Boaz in Ruth chapter 2, verse 1, we read that he was an eshkabor chayel, a mighty man of strength. 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:17.660 So on paper, this old guy from Bethlehem and this young woman from Moab seem like an odd match. 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:30.279 But this woman of excellence and this mighty man of strength are, in fact, a perfect example of biblical love between two people. 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:34.860 What we see with Ruth and Boaz is not Hollywood love. 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:47.259 In Hollywood love, so often we see that it's the consequence of the unstoppable consequence of lust, bringing people together no matter what the cost. 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:49.839 But biblical love is different. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:59.359 And what we see in the book of Ruth is biblical love, this hesed love, committed, loyal, faithful. 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:05.759 A man and a woman who commit themselves to each other sacrificially. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:15.899 Because both Ruth and Boaz enter into this marriage agreement so that they can protect and provide for other people. 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:24.579 Because Boaz protects and provides for Ruth and Ruth protects and provides for Naomi. 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:31.579 They can redeem the land, they can redeem people, restore things to the way that they were supposed to be. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:36.359 I do think that Boaz is delighted to be marrying Ruth. 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:38.619 But it's also going to cost him. 00:20:39.179 --> 00:20:42.139 He's going to pay to redeem Naomi's family land. 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:47.740 And sacrificial love is what the Bible demands from husbands. 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:54.400 In Ephesians 5, it says, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:57.640 How did Christ love the church? 00:20:58.259 --> 00:20:59.400 He died for her. 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:00.920 He went to the cross to redeem her. 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:05.319 Despite the cost, he loved her with an everlasting love. 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:11.500 And this is why, this is what Christian wives are entitled to expect from Christian husbands. 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:18.460 Husbands, imperfectly, of course, but a picture of sacrificing yourself for the one that you love. 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:28.400 Husbands and husbands to be, Christ requires you to give yourself, give up yourself, your own ambitions, your desires, 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:32.259 so that you can provide, so that you can protect your wife. 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:34.559 Even when it feels like it costs you. 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:42.819 Just when we thought that Boaz and Ruth are going to walk off happily into the sunset together, 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:45.960 there's another twist in the tale. 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:50.619 Because Boaz is such a good, upstanding citizen, a good man, 00:21:50.659 --> 00:21:57.799 he couldn't possibly fulfill his desire, his own desire to marry Ruth at the expense of following protocol. 00:21:59.099 --> 00:22:03.440 He's going to do it, but only if it's the right thing in the right way. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:08.220 And he says, there's a redeemer who's closer to you than I am. 00:22:09.099 --> 00:22:12.799 It's only fair that he gets the opportunity to redeem Ruth first. 00:22:13.679 --> 00:22:18.079 He says to Ruth, stay here until the morning, and then I'll take care of business. 00:22:19.399 --> 00:22:24.480 We think that this woman of excellence and this mighty man of strength are made for each other. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:28.279 But is this going to be God's plan for Ruth and for Boaz? 00:22:29.139 --> 00:22:32.399 Is this how God is going to continue filling up Naomi? 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:32.480 Naomi. 00:22:34.320 --> 00:22:36.880 Thirdly and lastly, the patience of a saint. 00:22:38.540 --> 00:22:44.300 Before Ruth leaves Boaz, he says, before Ruth leaves, Boaz says, 00:22:45.080 --> 00:22:47.180 don't let anyone know that the woman was here. 00:22:47.300 --> 00:22:49.519 He's keen to protect her reputation. 00:22:50.259 --> 00:22:52.420 And he also says, hold out your clothes. 00:22:53.120 --> 00:22:55.800 And he pours six measures of barley into it. 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:58.320 I'm not sure how much that is. 00:22:58.360 --> 00:23:00.460 It doesn't tell us what the measure is. 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:02.380 Different commentators say different things. 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:13.240 But I think it's interesting that Boaz just can't let Ruth leave without blessing her in this material way. 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:16.099 To lavish her with grace. 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:20.819 So that he can also take care of her mother-in-law, Naomi. 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:25.839 So Ruth goes home with the grain, and Naomi wants a debrief. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:28.299 And she says, how did you fare, my daughter? 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:31.220 And Ruth says, he said, yes. 00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:32.299 He said he'll marry me. 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:33.339 He said he'll redeem us. 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:35.980 He's going to save us from our poverty. 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:38.120 He's going to protect us from danger. 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:44.219 He says he's going to accept us into his family or into somebody else's. 00:23:45.699 --> 00:23:47.479 Except there's one closer. 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:49.579 He has to speak to him first. 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:51.939 But look at all this barley he's given me. 00:23:53.399 --> 00:23:56.299 And when Naomi sees the barley, she says to Ruth, 00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:01.379 he said he'll do these things, and he'll keep his promise. 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:03.079 Just you wait and see. 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:07.919 It's interesting, I think, that he gives her six measures of barley. 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:12.539 It says six measures of barley twice, which is oddly precise and repetitive. 00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:15.199 It's as if it's emphasizing the point. 00:24:15.919 --> 00:24:19.740 We know that in the Bible, the number seven is the number of fullness of completion. 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:24.919 So it's like this gift is a sign that there's more goodness to come. 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:29.119 I think we can see the barley as two things. 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:32.599 First, it's a sign of Boaz's generosity. 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:35.240 His provision for Ruth and for Naomi. 00:24:36.399 --> 00:24:39.439 But secondly, it acts almost like a deposit. 00:24:40.659 --> 00:24:43.179 Similar to how a dowry might be paid. 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:47.720 A down payment of a fuller provision that's going to come. 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:49.579 Boaz is saying to Ruth, 00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:53.299 I promise I'll redeem you, and to show you how serious I am, 00:24:53.919 --> 00:24:56.679 take this barley as a seal of the promises I've made. 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:04.200 And because of Boaz's character, and because of this seal of the promise, 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.400 Naomi is certain that it's going to be fulfilled. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:11.960 And she says, he'll not rest until he's done this. 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:16.980 Naomi, who in chapter one was bitter and empty, 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:21.259 she now has the faith to reassure her daughter-in-law 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:24.460 that the promises that have been made will come true. 00:25:25.619 --> 00:25:31.059 This passage, which began with an unorthodox plan for finding rest for Ruth, 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:35.640 ends with the sure and certain hope that rest is coming. 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:42.820 And all of this speaks to us as Christians today. 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.920 Because we have a kinsman redeemer. 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:47.960 A true and better redeemer. 00:25:48.940 --> 00:25:50.560 Our elder brother, Jesus, 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:54.340 who followed in the eyes of the world a foolish plan. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.520 God himself to enter into creation. 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:02.539 Just like Ruth said to Naomi at the beginning of our chapter, 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:05.420 Jesus said, I'll do everything you say. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:07.879 Jesus said to his father, 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:09.139 Thy will be done. 00:26:10.519 --> 00:26:12.960 He followed the plan perfectly. 00:26:13.639 --> 00:26:15.180 He came, he lived, he died. 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:18.500 He rose again to redeem rebels, 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:23.539 giving eternal rest to everyone who will put their faith in him. 00:26:23.539 --> 00:26:30.519 And we now live in what theologians call the already and the not yet. 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:33.039 The kingdom has already begun. 00:26:33.159 --> 00:26:34.579 When Jesus died on the cross, 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:36.720 the kingdom was inaugurated. 00:26:37.879 --> 00:26:38.899 Christ already won. 00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:41.619 Redemption has already been secured for God's people. 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:46.359 But the fullness of that rest hasn't yet arrived. 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:47.920 We're like Ruth, 00:26:48.539 --> 00:26:50.960 waiting to hear back from Boaz in some ways. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:54.680 Every saint, everyone whose hope is in Jesus, 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:56.180 is secure in Jesus. 00:26:58.180 --> 00:27:01.039 And we'll enter God's perfect forever kingdom. 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:04.860 Yet while the new kingdom's been inaugurated, 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:06.240 and we wait its consummation. 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:10.519 We wait similar to what Boaz did for Ruth. 00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:13.980 Christ's given us assurances that he'll come again. 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:16.700 He's given us a down payment, as it were. 00:27:17.380 --> 00:27:19.340 A provision and a down payment 00:27:19.339 --> 00:27:21.139 that strengthens our faith 00:27:21.139 --> 00:27:24.619 so that we can continue waiting with confidence 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:25.919 despite the trials of life. 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.220 When Jesus ascended into heaven, 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:29.459 he sent his Holy Spirit. 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:30.899 His Holy Spirit that dwells in us, 00:27:31.379 --> 00:27:32.939 shaping us, changing us, 00:27:33.619 --> 00:27:35.220 preparing us for our eternal state. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:39.459 And Jesus instituted the sacraments as well, 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:42.419 the seals of the promise of his return. 00:27:43.679 --> 00:27:44.839 The sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:46.819 which we're going to celebrate tonight, 00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:50.679 is a visible sign and seal of God's covenant promises. 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:55.299 Promises that we can see and taste and touch. 00:27:57.359 --> 00:28:00.000 Every bite of that barley bread 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.119 that Naomi and Ruth could have baked 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.399 with the six measures of grain 00:28:04.399 --> 00:28:06.859 that Boaz gave to them, 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.619 it must have been reassuring in their mouths. 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:13.119 They knew that he was going to keep his word. 00:28:14.679 --> 00:28:15.539 In the Lord's Supper, 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:18.619 God stoops to us in our weakness 00:28:18.619 --> 00:28:21.359 and gives us the promises of the gospel 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:22.819 in forms that we can see, 00:28:23.699 --> 00:28:25.519 touch, taste, even smell. 00:28:27.139 --> 00:28:29.719 If you're a believer in the Lord Jesus tonight, 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:32.059 you're coming to the table in just a little while. 00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:33.899 Know that whether, 00:28:34.639 --> 00:28:36.219 when you take the bread and the wine, 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:38.079 this is a foretaste of the ultimate table. 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:40.980 Whether you feel full tonight, 00:28:41.399 --> 00:28:43.799 whether you feel empty like Naomi did, 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:46.919 whether you feel like your faith is hanging by a thread, 00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:49.740 know that this meal is a sign and a seal 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:51.799 that the promises that Jesus made, 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:52.899 that he's going to come back 00:28:52.899 --> 00:28:54.779 and take all his people to himself, 00:28:55.439 --> 00:28:55.859 are true. 00:28:57.179 --> 00:28:59.359 A taste of the feast that's coming 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:01.000 and we'll share with him. 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:04.299 A glimpse of the eternal rest 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:07.519 under the shelter of his wings. 00:29:08.819 --> 00:29:10.139 And if you're not a believer tonight, 00:29:11.460 --> 00:29:13.639 this meal is a sign of the promises 00:29:13.639 --> 00:29:14.819 that are an offer to you too. 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:17.579 In Matthew 23, 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:21.159 Jesus looked over Jerusalem and he said, 00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:24.980 how often have I longed to gather you 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:28.240 like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:32.519 And he says the same thing to you tonight. 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:33.759 Come, 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:36.259 take shelter under my redeeming wings 00:29:36.259 --> 00:29:38.700 and be blessed and find rest. 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:40.380 Let's pray. 00:29:40.380 --> 00:29:45.580 Lord God, 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:46.960 our Father in heaven, 00:29:47.080 --> 00:29:47.740 we thank you 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:49.440 for sending Jesus, 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:50.460 Jesus, 00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:51.420 our only redeemer. 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:52.800 Lord, 00:29:52.840 --> 00:29:54.020 we thank you for his life, 00:29:54.100 --> 00:29:55.000 his redeeming sacrifice. 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:56.800 We thank you 00:29:56.800 --> 00:29:59.340 for the promise that he will come again 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:00.760 and take his own people to himself. 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:01.920 And Lord, 00:30:01.940 --> 00:30:03.180 we ask that you would help us 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:04.120 even tonight, 00:30:05.040 --> 00:30:06.660 those of us who are struggling, 00:30:07.580 --> 00:30:10.180 those of us who feel full and positive, 00:30:11.120 --> 00:30:13.220 help us to take shelter under your wings. 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:15.340 Help us hold fast the promises 00:30:15.340 --> 00:30:16.920 of the eternal rest 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:19.259 that will arrive when he comes. 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:21.540 And we pray in Jesus' name. 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:22.460 Amen. 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:22.579 Amen.