| December 23, 2001 | God's Christmas Blessing: Ruth 3 | Ruth 3 & 4 |
Last week we saw that Naomi and Ruth had come to realize that
God was providing a way of blessing for them in the person of
Boaz. Boaz was a near kinsman, a close relative, he was wealthy,
and he had the means and the legal ability to buy back the land
that Elimelech had forfeited. In order to legally do that, he
would also have to marry Ruth, and raise up children by her, to
carry on the name of Ruth's dead husband; Mahlon.
As Naomi began to think and recognize that all the things that
were happening to them were not just circumstantial, she began
to see God's hand bringing Boaz and Ruth together, and she recognized
that God was providing a way of redemption out of their whole
tragic situation. It was at the end of the barley harvest, and
when the reapers got done reaping and threshing the grain out,
they would sleep next to it to make sure nobody carried it off
overnight. Naomi told Ruth to fix herself up, go to the threshing
floor where Boaz would be working that evening, and after everything
was done and everyone was asleep, lie down at the feet of Boaz
and spread the corner of his blanket over her.
This might sound a little odd to us, perhaps a little compromising,
but we need to be careful not to misunderstand the culture. God
had made promises to Israel, a covenant with Israel, and those
promises were tied in together with staying in the land that God
had given them, and keeping the inheritance that went along with
it. About the worst thing that could happen to one of those people
was to have your family tree come to a dead end, with no children
to carry on the family name and inheritance, so they had laws
and customs whereby a widow could be remarried by a near relative
to raise up children to maintain the family name of the man that
had died.
So what Naomi tells Ruth to do is not compromising or immoral,
it is part of God's provision to maintain the inheritance and
guarantee the promises of God from one generation to another.
Obviously if Boaz was a scoundrel or a cad, he could take advantage
of the situation, but if that was the case, it would probably
have already happened, he would have already done it. And that
didn't happen.
If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn
to Ruth chapter 3 and verse 7: " And when Boaz had eaten
and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the
end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his
feet, and laid her down.
:8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and
turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
:9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine
handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for
thou art a near kinsman.
:10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for
thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning,
inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich."
The Jews have a tradition that Boaz was very much older than Ruth,
but she didn't let that age difference stumble her up, she did
what she was supposed to do, trusting that God would make it all
work out. The natural inclination would have been for her to seek
out someone closer to her own age, but God chose to bless her
with someone she wouldn't normally have chosen. Verse 11:
"And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that
thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou
art a virtuous woman.
:12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there
is a kinsman nearer than I.
:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if
he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him
do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman
to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the
LORD liveth: lie down until the morning."
Boaz was a nephew of Elimelech, but apparently Elimelech had a
brother that was still alive, and he would have a prior claim.
Boaz was willing to do what Ruth asked him to do, but Boaz was
an honorable man, and he wanted the other relative to decide whether
or not he would assume the responsibility. Verse 14:
"And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose
up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known
that a woman came into the floor."
Before it is light enough to see, she leaves. Boaz tells his servants
not to say anything about her being there. Until the whole situation
gets sorted out, it doesn't hurt to keep things discreet. That's
still good advice today.
Verse 15: "Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon
thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures
of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
:16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art
thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done
to her.
:17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for
he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law."
Boaz sent Ruth home with a token to Naomi, indicating that he
was aware of Naomi's part in all this, and in her relationship
to Elimelech. It was almost like a promissory note of good things
to come, an encouragement to Naomi. Verse 18:
:18 "Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know
how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until
he have finished the thing this day."
Something that impresses me with all three of these people is
their humility, their meekness, and their willingness to wait
on God, and do the right thing.
Naomi sees the plan and purpose of God, and she has the faith
to ask Ruth to do the incredible. She tells Ruth to go to this
wealthy man that apparently she scarcely knows, who is years different
in age, and ask him to assume the responsibility of becoming a
husband and a kinsman redeemer to her, a woman who is a foreigner.
Make her his wife and father her children. From a human standpoint,
does that sound very likely? No. That is an act of faith.
That Naomi would even consider such a thing says a lot about how
quickly her faith has revived and increased.
Ruth seems to be in a precarious situation, she has almost no
social standing, she is totally reliant on the promises of the
God of Israel and His laws, and on whether or not Boaz will do
what God's laws say. Conventional wisdom says that she stands
a good chance of being used, abused, and being made a fool of.
But she submits herself to Naomi and goes. To me, that
is an act of great faith and also of obedience.
Boaz is apparently at an age when the only kids most men have
are grandchildren, and yet look how he responds. He does not hesitate.
He shows himself ready to take on a responsibility that most of
us wouldn't want. That also has to be an act of faith, and also
obedience. I try to imagine myself ten or fifteen years from now,
thinking what my response would be if suddenly I
was presented with the need or obligation to suddenly start raising
a fresh batch of kids; it doesn't sound like a challenge I would
want to take on.
But Boaz doesn't hesitate. He is willing to buy the property.
He is willing to start a family for an inheritance that is not
even his. He is even willing to take responsibility for a mother
in law with a track record of all the men she is related to kicking
the bucket. But he doesn't hesitate.
All of these people have an attitude that when it comes to doing
the will of God, whatever it takes, whatever is needed, that
is what they will do. Where ever God leads, that
is where they will go. That is true humility. That is
true faith. That is genuine confidence that all the plans and
ways of God are perfect, and they don't need to doubt.
If you are in the will of God, and you know you are in the will
of God, what are you worried about? If God has made it plain about
where you need to go, and what you need to do, why is there
any question?
All these people were having their lives turned around, turned
upside down, going off in new and unexpected directions, and there
is no hesitation. No complaining, no foot dragging. What
does that say to us?
Is God trying to make changes in your life,
and you aren't too sure about it? Why not? God is perfectly good,
perfectly wise, and it is impossible for Him to want anything
less than the best for you.
The only kind of future that He can plan for you is the best of
all possible futures, and He knows how to do it. That is the future
He wants you to have. It is impossible for Him to do any less
than that, it is His nature. We human beings, on the other hand,
have the ability to chose for ourselves a future that is far worse
than the one God would choose for us. Some of us do. And yet,
He leaves the final choice up to us.
Did it ever occur to you that there are really only two options
for your earthly future, the rest of your life? No matter where
you are in life, young or old, there are only two options for
how you are going to turn out in life. One option is conform your
life to your own particular set of values and preferences.
The other option is to let God conform you to Jesus Christ, conform
you to His values and preferences.
If you choose to just keep your life conformed to your own personal
set of values and preferences, some day you will come to the end
of your life and discover that you have ended up pretty much just
the same as you are now, except a little more cynical and a lot
more tired. Do you know anybody like that? A family member? A
neighbor? A friend? You have watched them for years and years,
and they are just about like they have always been, not much change?
Is that what you really want for yourself? If it
is, you have set your sights way too low, you want too little.
God wants you to have so very much more, and He is able to give
it to you!
Because your other option is to ask God to conform you to the
image of His Son, and then when He sets about to change you,
let Him! Praise God! Because if God is going to make you
like His Son, what are the chances that you will stay pretty much
just about like you are now? Slim and none! If you
are going to become the person that God wants you to be, then
you are not going to remain the same person you are now,
something is going to have to change.
God plans to bring changes into your life, challenges into your
life, and something is going to have to give. Will
it be worth it? Will it be worth the trouble if that's what it
takes to make you like Jesus? What do you think? In the last four
or five years, God has made more changes in my life than I remember
seeing in the previous fifteen years, and I'm 55 years old. That
tells me that God is not done with me yet and I've still got a
long way to go. He will probably turn something else around and
make some more changes in my life over the next several years,
who knows? I hope He does. Because it is worth it. I would much
rather be going somewhere that I'm really not too sure of, making
progress in the direction that God wants me to go, instead of
being stuck in my own personal rut because of ignoring God's leading.
Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz were all challenged of God to step out in
faith, trust God to lead them in a way that seemed very uncertain,
big changes, and all three of them stepped up to
the plate and did it.
When God calls on you this year to follow His leading, step out
in faith and accept His changes in your life, how will you respond?
Will you become a hero of the faith, in your own little way? Or
will you stay in your own little rut?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4, verse 1: "Then
went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold,
the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho,
such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and
sat down.
:2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit
ye down here. And they sat down.
:3 And he said unto the kinsman: Naomi, that is come again out
of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our
brother Elimelech's:
:4 And I thought to advertise thee," -advertise is the Old
English translation of a Greek word that means: "to open
the ear." That's what advertisers on TV do: they open your
ear and tell you something. Neat translation, huh? Some of that
old King James English might be dated, but it's still accurate.
"I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants,
and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem
it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know:
for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee.
And he said, I will redeem it.
:5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand
of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife
of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I
mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for
I cannot redeem it."
This other relative started out being interested. When the possibility
of redeeming the property of his dead brother for himself became
available, he was good to go. But when he learned the true cost,
he backed out. He found out that in order to get the property,
he had to raise up children to the inheritance of his dead brother,
and he wouldn't do it. We don't know what his own situation was.
Maybe he had not yet had any children of his own, and if Ruth
gave him a first born son, then all his inheritance plus the inheritance
of Elimelech could go to that son, we don't know. And it really
doesn't matter, the point is, he was not willing to risk
his inheritance, to provide for the inheritance of someone else.
But Boaz was. We don't know if Boaz was married, or a widower,
or an old bachelor, and I don't guess it matters much either way,
the point is, he was willing to do whatever was necessary.
Did Boaz have an inheritance that might be at risk by taking this
woman to wife and having children by her? Maybe. Boaz seemed to
be a well known and well respected figure in Bethlehem, all the
town elders were quick to sit and listen when he asked. What would
it have done to his social standing to marry this foreign woman?
What kind of risk was he taking at this point in his life? After all, she was a Moabitess, her people were idol worshipers, outside the covenant of God, was this woman worth the trouble? What if she was just playing the role, a gold digger, just trying to land herself a rich husband, and she was not a follower of Jehovah at all? It could be risky... Boaz could find himself in a world of grief, a social outcast, maybe losing all his inheritance to the children of some pagan woman. Now that would really be humbling and humiliating. Nasty stuff. The risk gets bigger.
Kind of like what the Lord Jesus went through for us. He had an
inheritance that was better than any of us can imagine, and He
left it to come to earth and be born in a stable full of smelly
animals. He was the creator of all things, He was worshiped by
multitudes of angels, enjoying the fellowship and company of the
Trinity, and He left it for the company of a dozen men with no
social standing, in a third world country, that was under foreign
occupation. Was there ever an occasion when some one humbled themselves
more than Jesus did for us? Was there ever an occasion when some
one risked more to gain what would seem to be less, than Jesus
did for us?
That is one of the things that makes Boaz such a good pattern
of Jesus Christ as our kinsman-redeemer. Boaz risked all the safety,
security, and social standing that a wealthy, respected landowner
in that part of the world could have, to do what God's Word said,
and follow what God's will desired.
And Jesus Christ risked everything, more than any of us could
possibly imagine, and even allowed Himself to be put to death,
to redeem a heathen bride for Himself, and redeem back to Himself
everything that had been lost. I think that Jesus was probably
born in September, and if that is true, and I think it is, then
He was conceived at Christmas time. But does it make all that
much difference? I don't know that it does. Whether He was born
in September instead of December is not really so very important.
The important thing is that Christmas is a time to celebrate and
rejoice that God acted to redeem us. It is good to be thankful
and rejoice that God did come to earth and be born as a man, become
a kinsman-redeemer to us, be the One who was willing to risk everything
to redeem us from sin.
And not only was He willing, He was able. The brother of Elimelech
was not able, he was disqualified. As he said himself, "I
cannot redeem it." Jesus was able. It was not easy, but it
was within His abilities. He could do it, He could
redeem us, and He did. One more reason to praise the Lord Jesus
this Christmas, He is a wonderful Savior, not only was He willing,
but He was also able, and our salvation is accomplished through
what He has done.
In verse 7, we get an insight into the culture of the time, how
they sealed the deal: "Now this was the manner in former
time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for
to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it
to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
:8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he
drew off his shoe."
One of the things that is so wonderful about the Bible, God tells
us about cultural things that we might not know about otherwise,
because God does not want His Word to be confusing. This thing
here with the shoe, we don't really know how it got started, or
what they were thinking when they did it, but God tells us it
was just a tradition of the times, and that's all we need to know.
Verse 9: "And Boaz
said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses
this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all
that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased
to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance,
that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren,
and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders,
said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into
thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the
house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous
in Bethlehem:"
There is a wideness in God's mercy. The mercy of the Lord is very
great, it is very encompassing. In one day, see how very great
a turn around there has been in the lives of all three of these
people. The day before, Ruth and Naomi were destitute widows,
living on charity, and now, one of the noblest, decent, and wealthy
men in the Bible has brought them into his household.
The day before, they were stepping out in faith, hopeful, moving
to obey what God had led them to believe, and now, God has brought
them into a wonderful situation. Faith and hope has become reality.
The day before, Boaz had been this nice old wealthy guy, growing
his crops, being nice to widows, and now all of a sudden the whole
community is congratulating him on the kids that he will soon
be having.
And he is probably going: "Oy vey; rug rats at my age!"
Like it says in Proverbs 27: "You don't know what a day may
bring forth." How quickly God's blessings appear. How quickly
everything changes.
Yet it took a long time. Elimelech had left Israel years before. After he died in Moab, at least another ten years had gone by before Naomi returned to Bethlehem, and in the meantime she had gone from a woman whose name meant pleasant to a woman who changed her name to Mara, because Mara means bitter, and she was. A bitter woman. When we rely on our own devices, our own strengths, our own resources, sometimes years can go by, and sometimes the only thing that happens is that we sink deeper into our own problems.
It didn't have to be that way. Naomi didn't have to give up on God. Naomi didn't have to become bitter. Because God never gave up on Naomi. During this whole time, God was preparing a situation of redemption, and sometimes that takes time. If Naomi and Ruth had come back to Bethlehem at any other time, things would have not worked out the same. Things had to take as much time as they did, to make them work out according to the plans and purposes -and blessings- of God. But when the time had come for everything to come together, the blessing was immediate. Then it took almost no time at all. It took only a couple of days for God to take away any reason for Naomi to be bitter.
Maybe if Naomi had been able to see the end from the beginning,
she would not have been bitter. But that's wishful thinking; none
of us have that ability. Well, maybe if Naomi had been able with
the eye of faith to see the end from the beginning, if she had
been better able to trust God that He was working for her good,
that He had never given up on her, then maybe she would have done
better? Maybe so.
Where are you at in your trial? Do you have the
faith to see that God is working for your good, and that when
the time comes, He will redeem your situation into a great blessing?
I hope so. And if you don't have that faith, ask God to give it
to you.
Part of what Naomi went through was because of the judgement of
God. When Elimelech departed from where God wanted him to be,
he put himself and his family under judgement, and sometimes it
takes a while to get out of there. Sometimes judgement takes a
while to finish it's work.
But God is not just a God of judgement, He is also a God of mercy,
and He was planning mercy on Naomi, and blessing on Ruth and Boaz
from years ahead of time. That's one of the things we need to
remember this Christmas; that Christmas is a celebration of mercy
and blessing, but also a remembrance of God's judgement on sin.
How many Christmas cards have you ever gotten that showed both
the manger scene, and the cross of Calvary? Probably
not enough. God sent His Son into the world not
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved. And the salvation of the world could only happen on a cross,
and by a resurrection from a tomb. That's why the Lord Jesus came
to be born as a baby, in a manger in Bethlehem.
We see a little hint of that in the words of the women who spoke
with Naomi after Ruth's son was born, verse 13: "So Boaz
took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her,
the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
:14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which
hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may
be famous in Israel.
:15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life,
and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which
loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born
him."
When we were away from God, without hope, with no chance of escaping
hell at all, by any righteousness of our own, God sent His Son,
made Him a kinsman-redeemer to us, and restored us to life through
what He did for us on the cross, and in the tomb. Jesus cares
for us, nourishes us, redeems us, and will soon come and take
us to be with Himself. And when He does redeem us from off this
earth, and takes us away to be with Him, it will be quick, even
quicker than Ruth and Naomi's redemption after all those years
of waiting, amen?
Verse 16: "And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom,
and became nurse unto it.
:17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There
is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the
father of Jesse, the father of David."
Who would have ever imagined that God would use such a person
as Ruth, such a situation as we have seen in this little book
of Ruth, to be a part of His plans for His Messiah? Do you suppose
that God is trying to make a certain point with this whole story?
1 Corinthians 1:25 tells us "the foolishness of God is wiser
than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
Maybe what God wants us to think about this year; is for us not to sell Him short. Maybe things have not been going real well, maybe you are really up against it, and you can't see any good way out of your situation. If you are a born-again believer, you have already seen one miracle in your life; God saved your soul, He redeemed you from hell, and He made you a new creature in His Son, but maybe right now your particular situation is such that you can't see any way for things to ever get made right.
Think about this: if God is able to take a bitter old widow, a
foreign young widow, and an old man, and work in the background
of their lives for more than ten years to bring them all together
at the right place and the right time to make them part of the
family tree of His Son, what are the chances that He can sort
out your situation? Probably pretty good.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the faithfulness of God, who
will never let any of His plans and purposes go unaccomplished.
Part of our problem is that we can't see things the way God sees
things. Let me share with you a story from a pastor named Chris
Bauer: He says: "On a recent visit to Rome, I toured the
Vatican Museum. It contains many beautiful tapestries that depict
various biblical scenes. These pictures were beautifully woven
from multi-colored threads. But, if you were to turn the tapestry
over, you would only see a maze of various colored threads running
to a dead end of knots at different junctures. It is very difficult
to make out the scenes that were woven by the artist."
I don't know what the future has in store for any of us, but I
can see in the story of Ruth a very careful weaving of a very
complicated tapestry, and we can all see that it turned out perfectly.
If there is someone here today and you are having trouble seeing
what God's tapestry of your life is supposed to look like, bear
in mind that you, and me, all of us are only seeing the
bottom side. Only God can see the top. That's the side
that makes sense, and that's where the beauty is.
Can we trust God this year that the tapestry that he is weaving
for our life only looks messed up and full of dead ends from our
side, and that it looks perfect, and beautiful from His side?
If your tapestry looks a little confused to you this year, think
about Ruth, and how her tapestry turned out.