Ruth. Road to Redemption

Transcription

1 Ruth Road to Redemption 1

2 More studies available at Romans Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Hebrews James Revelation 2013 Cindy Brown. All Rights Reserved. This study was written using the ESV. 2

3 Day 1: Historical Background of Ruth The story of Ruth begins with the tragedies of death and famine. Such tragedies were common in the world of the Old Testament. But the Old Testament insists that this was not God's original plan for mankind. After creating the heavens and the earth, "God saw all that he had made and behold it was very good." (Genesis 1:31). God made Adam and Eve to rule over his "very good" creation. They were created in His own image, to be his ambassadors and representatives throughout the earth. Genesis 3 records Adam and Eve's prideful choice to rebel against God and the tragic results that followed. Their sin brought pain, suffering and death to all of creation. Yet God remained committed to his plan of having a relationship with man and right after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send a Redeemer who would buy back man from the clutches of sin and who would crush the head of the serpent (Satan). (Genesis 3:15). The first step in that plan of redemption centered on a man named Abraham, whom we meet towards the end of Genesis 11. Read Genesis 12:1-3; 12:7 and Genesis 15:1-7. What does God promise Abraham? God promised Abraham many descendants, land and blessings, and in Genesis 15:18, God tells him the boundaries of the land he is to inherit. How did Abraham respond? God kept His word. 25 years after God had appeared to Abraham and told him he would have a son, Isaac was born to Abraham who was 100 and Sarah was 90! (Genesis 21). God repeated the same promise to Isaac that he had given to his father Abraham. (Genesis 26:1-5). Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau and it was from Jacob, later called Israel, who became the father of the Jewish nation. He had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. 3

4 God had not chosen Abraham because he was any better than the rest of us and the sinful actions of his descendants are recorded for us in Scripture. There was jealousy and rivalry among the twelve sons of Jacob. Joseph, who was viewed by the brothers as the favorite son, was sold into slavery by his own brothers! He landed in Egypt, in the house of Potipher, who was captain of the guard for Pharaoh. But Joseph proved to be a good worker and those around him could see that the Lord was with him. After being falsely accused of trying to seduce his master's wife, he was sent to prison. Despite the injustice, Joseph had a good testimony in the prison and was highly favored. After he was released and correctly interpreted a dream for Pharaoh, he was promoted to the second in command in Egypt, under only Pharaoh himself. Meanwhile there was a famine in Israel and Joseph's brother's came to buy bread. Little did they know that they were buying bread from their brother they had sold into slavery so many years ago. Eventually, Joseph discloses himself to them and ends up moving his entire family (70 people in all) to the land of Egypt where there was food. However, after Pharaoh died, a new Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph. All he was worried about were these pesky Hebrews who were multiplying and becoming a nation of their own in his country. (God was fulfilling his promise to Abraham to make him into a great nation). And so as the book of Exodus begins, we find the people of Israel in slavery in the land of Egypt. But this was all part of God's plan. God had made another promise to Abraham back in Genesis 15:13. God told Abraham, "Know for certain, that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." As we read Exodus, we meet Moses, the one whom God has chosen to lead his people out of slavery. After 10 plagues, the Pharaoh finally relents after the firstborn in every house in 4

5 Egypt is found dead. God miraculously saved the people of Israel, and parted the Red Sea so they could escape from Pharaoh's army. When Pharaoh tried to pursue them, the Lord caused the Red Sea to envelop them and the greatest army in the world at that time was completely destroyed. Despite God's amazing victory and deliverance, the Israelites did not trust God. They grumbled and complained at the lack of bread and water in the desert and doubted God's goodness and provision for them. In his grace, God supplied all their needs, but because of their lack of faith, God did not lead them right away into the land that God had promised to give their forefather Abraham. The people of Israel were made to wander in the desert for 40 years until that generation died out. While in the desert, God led them to Mt. Sinai where he would make a covenant, or a contract with his people known as the Mosaic Covenant. This covenant was not like the one God had made with Abraham, which was solely dependent on God's faithfulness to his word and guaranteed blessings. This covenant was founded upon a Law, summarized in the Ten Commandments and it governed every aspect of life for the Israelites. It provided a moral code, social justice, and instructions for worship. If a particular generation of Israelites followed God's laws, he promised to unleash his blessings upon them. As a result, the surrounding nations would see God's goodness and be drawn to join the worship of this God of Israel. However if they disobeyed, God promised to bring curses upon them. Read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. What were some of the blessings that God promised Israel if they obeyed his covenant? Now read Deuteronomy 28:15-51 and list some of the curses God promised if they did not obey. (You don't have to include them all - there are a lot!) 5

6 Notice all the different groups living in the land that God promised to Abraham. This land was not vacant! They had to fight for it. The red area shows how much land Israel had control of. The green they had not yet conquered. The surrounding people in the unconquered lands led the children of Israel away from the true God and into idolatry. 6

7 The book of Deuteronomy closes with the death of Moses and a new leader named Joshua who would lead the people of Israel into the land of Canaan that God had promised to give to Abraham's descendants. There are seven nations listed in Deuteronomy 7:1 that Israel was supposed to drive out. God was going to use the nation of Israel to judge these nations for their sin and wickedness. In Genesis 15:16, God had told Abraham that "they (his descendants) shall come back here (the land of Israel) in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." By the time Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land, 400 years after God had promised Abraham, the sin of the Amorites was complete and God was going to judge these wicked nations for their sin. The people of Israel defeated some of them that occupied the land, but they didn't completely drive out all of the inhabitants and those that were left became a stumbling block to the people of Israel. (Judges 2:1-5). It's hard to worship a God you can't see and who demands such a high standard of righteousness. The pagan gods of the surrounding nations were made of silver and gold that they could touch and feel. These gods even rewarded immoral behavior, and the people of Israel were soon led away from the true God. As soon as Joshua's generation died out, the nation of Israel fell prey to the allure of idolatry. (Judges 2: 6-10). And just as God had promised, there were consequences for their disobedience. And so we come to the book of Judges. Ruth takes place during the time of the judges so it is important for us to understand its history. The book of Judges is cyclical. The people of Israel would sin. Then God would send a nation in who would oppress them and Israel would be put in servitude. The people of Israel would cry out in supplication to God asking Him to deliver them. God would graciously send a savior, or a judge who would lead them to defeat their enemies. There would then be a period of silence. Eventually, when things were going well again and they were not being oppressed, the people would sin and turn away from the Lord and the cycle would start all over. (Judges 2:11-19). According to Judges 21:25, what was the spiritual climate of the nation of Israel during the time of the judges? 7

8 Day 2: Overview Read through the 4 chapters of Ruth in one sitting. It is a story so we want to read it all at once to get the big picture. After you have read it, answer the following questions. WHO is the story about? Who are the main characters? WHAT is the story about? What are the main events and themes of the story? WHEN does the story take place? What did you learn about the time period or time of year? WHERE does the story take place? What is the physical setting? WHY do you think God included this story? What do you think He wants us to know? Was there anything that you did not understand or didn't make sense? Note it down so we can be sure we get those answers in our study. Day 3: Ruth 1:1-7 8

9 Read Ruth 1 today. The first thing you need to do when studying a passage is to ask yourself, "What do I see?" This important step of observation lays the ground work for the rest of our study. Read through the passage and underline all references to Ruth and Naomi (including pronouns) in different colors. Underline all the places mentioned in green. Circle any references to time. Note what you learned about: Ruth: Naomi: Locate Bethlehem on the map below and note where Moab is. Based on the fact that the book of Ruth opens with a famine, what does that tell us about how the nation of Israel had been responding to God? 9

10 The irony in this story is that Bethlehem means "house of bread." Remember this little nugget later as it will be significant. So because they had no food, Elimelech takes his family to Moab. Let's see what we can learn from Scripture about the Moabites. Read Genesis 19: Where did the Moabites come from? The people of Moab were idol worshippers. What was the name of some of their gods? See Numbers 25:1-3 and 1 Kings 11:7. Baal was the most prominent god of the Canaanite region and was worshiped as the god who provided fertility. He proved to be a great temptation for Israel. Chemosh was the fish-god of the Moabites. His name means "to subdue". When the people of Israel came out of Egypt, they asked permission from the king of Moab to travel through his land, but they were denied. (Judges 11:17). Because of this, what were God's instructions to the people of Israel regarding the Moabites? See Deuteronomy 23:3-6. So based on what you have learned about the Moabites, do you think it was a good idea for Elimelech to take his family to Moab? How long had Naomi been away from Israel? What prompts Naomi to return home? Even far away in the fields of Moab, word reaches Naomi that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. At this point, Naomi must have felt like God had forsaken her. She had lost her husband and two children and now she was a widow in a foreign country. Perhaps her one glimpse of hope is that God had visited Israel and so she determines to make her way back home. The word "visit" in the Hebrew means to look after one's condition. Despite their sin, God in his mercy comes down to look on Israel's suffering and in his grace, sends rain for their crops. Moab had nothing to offer Naomi. She had no male relatives who would look after her and protect her, but she knew in the Law of Moses that God had made provisions for widows. Grace is enticing and the God of grace was calling Naomi back home. 10

11 Read Deuteronomy 24:17-22 and note how God told the Israelites to treat widows. What does Psalm 68:4-6 say about widows? Maybe not to the same degree as Naomi, but have you ever felt that every support in your life had been stripped away? How did you feel about God during that time? Maybe you have faced or are facing loss. What encouragement do you find so far in Naomi's story? 11

12 Day 4: Ruth 1:8-22 Read Ruth 1 again today. Continue to mark references to Naomi and Ruth in different colors. Write down what you have learned about Naomi and Ruth from the rest of chapter 1. Naomi: Ruth: Why does Naomi urge her daughters-in-law not to accompany her back to Bethlehem? What does she want for these women? Where does she think they will find it? (v. 8-9) In verse 9, "rest" is an awkward translation for the Hebrew word manoach. Instead a better translation would be "security" also used in Ruth 3:1. Where does Naomi believe security is found? Is she right or wrong? To understand what Naomi is saying in verses 11-13, read Deuteronomy 25:5-10. Observe the text carefully. Summarize what the husband s brother is to do and the circumstances under which he is to do it. This will help you remember it better. Think about why God would have such a law. Does it tell you any value that He places on family, on a person s roots or his care for widows? 12

13 The words of Ruth in verses are so beautiful and often quoted in marriage ceremonies, although they are spoken by Ruth to Naomi. List each thing Ruth promises to do in respect to Naomi. Ruth's pursuit of God is remarkable. She grew up in a nation that worshipped idols yet somehow, she had seen the emptiness of that way of life and is willing to leave her own family and the familiar to seek out the one true God. She is willing to give up everything she knows in order to know the God of Israel. For many people, God is not a priority and if we have time for him, we fit him into our busy lives. Ruth did the opposite. She pushed everything else aside in pursuit of God. Why do you think she is so determined to leave everything she knows behind to embrace the God of Israel? It has been 10 years since Naomi left and her return causes quite a stir in Bethlehem because she comes back a different woman. Naomi's name means "pleasant." Often in Bible times, a name described a person or told something about them. Perhaps Naomi was a pleasant person to be around. The fact that both of her daughters-in-law wanted to stay with her gives some validity to this. But upon her return to Bethlehem, she asks to be called Mara which means "bitter." She feels like God has dealt very bitterly with her. Twice in verses 13 and 21 Naomi says that the Lord is against her. Do you think this is true? Do you think Naomi's view of God is accurate? Life is hard and Naomi has suffered more than most, but God is getting ready to bring joy out of tragedy in a way that only He can. The first glimmer of hope is found at the end of chapter 1. They arrive in Bethlehem during the barley harvest, during a time of plenty and God is going to use this harvest to take care of two widows in ways they could never have imagined. 13

14 Day 5: Ruth 2:1-23 Read Ruth 2 today. Mark every occurrence of the word redeemer. Mark every reference to Boaz and note what you what you learn about him. Take a few minutes to look at the relationship between Naomi and Ruth. How do they interact with one another? What is Ruth doing gleaning in fields that are not hers, fields that neither she nor Naomi had sown? Look up Leviticus 19:9-10. What do you learn? We don't do much gleaning of grain here in America so you might not be sure what it is. When people gleaned in the fields, they would follow after the paid reapers and pick up whatever grain was dropped. They were not to pick any grain on the stalks, but anything that fell on the ground and was left behind, they were allowed to take home. God had made provisions in the Law for those who were poor or widowed so they would not go hungry. What does this tell you about God? Read Ruth 2:3. In whose field did Ruth happen to glean? How does Boaz go above and beyond what the Law required? 14

15 According to verses 11-12, why does Boaz do this? Boaz is a wonderful example of God's love for us. He knew Ruth would never be able to repay him. But instead of just following what the Law said to do, he went above and beyond. He didn't just allow her to glean, he offered her food and water at lunch time. In fact he gave her so much she was not able to eat it all and took some home to share with Naomi. He gave instructions to his workers not to bother her and told her to glean behind his female workers where she would be safe. Boaz was a visible representation of God. He was spreading his wings of protection and refuge over Ruth. The rest of the book of Ruth is going to show us exactly how God protects for and provides for Ruth and it goes far beyond just taking care of her physical needs. How about you? How willing are you to show kindness to someone with no thought of repayment? Do you go above and beyond what is expected? Is there someone in your life you feel God wants you to show kindness to in a specific way? Where do you run to for refuge when the storms of life hit? Do you run to a friend, food, shopping, going for a hike or escaping in a book or a movie? None of these things are necessarily wrong unless we only run to them and not to God. God is offering himself as a refuge and a fortress for us. He is the Almighty, all powerful God who really is the only one who can give us the strength to endure the difficulties of life. May Ruth be our example of running to God for refuge. In verse 17, it tells us that Ruth had gathered about an ephah of barley which is equivalent to about 22 liters! After threshing her grain, it probably weighed around 30 pounds! Boaz certainly had been generous to Ruth and Naomi was surprised with the amount of grain that Ruth brought home. Naomi praises Boaz for his kindness, then she tells Ruth that he is one of their redeemers. Let's dig a little bit and see if we can find out what Naomi is talking about. Read the Scriptures below and note what a redeemer's responsibility would be. (1) Leviticus 25:25-30: (2) Leviticus 25:47-55: 15

16 Even though there is no mention of a redeemer's obligation to marry a widow in these verses, in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 this comes into play. Read Deuteronomy 25:5-6 again. According to the Law of Moses, if a man died and left his widow childless, her husband's brother was to marry the widow. One of his duties was to produce an heir to the one who had died so that the deceased's name would continue on in Israel. Now, according to the Law, Boaz is not the brother of Ruth's husband, so he is not under obligation to marry her. But perhaps the wheels start turning for Naomi. Relatives in the family would be obligated to help provide for and care for Ruth and Naomi, and maybe in the back of her mind she is hoping for something more for Ruth. For the first time in a long time, Naomi has hope! Not only is Boaz one of their redeemers, but Ruth tells Naomi how he has gone above and beyond and told her to stick close to his female workers so she would be safe. How long does Ruth glean in Boaz's fields from verse 23? Based on the information provided by the Hebrew agricultural calendar, Ruth must have been out in the fields for six to seven weeks, from late April till early June. If in one day, Ruth brought home about 30 pounds of grain, we know they were well provided for during this season. Chapter 2 ends with the simple statement that Ruth lived with her mother-in-law. What does this say about Ruth? Look back to Ruth 1: In verse 12, Boaz says that Ruth has come to take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. From the first two chapters, list all the ways you can think of that God has shown his love and grace to Naomi and Ruth. Take a few minutes to reflect on how God has shown his love and grace to you recently. Spend a few minutes in prayer thanking God that he is a God that you can run to for refuge. 16

17 Day 6: Ruth 3:1-18 Read Ruth 3. Circle every occurrence of the words redeem, redeemer and redemption. If you remember back to Ruth 1:9, we said the word "rest" could also mean security. Here we see that same word again in Ruth 3:1. What do you think Naomi is talking about in verse 1? I bet you never knew that there was a matchmaker in the Bible! Naomi has a plan to try to get Boaz and Ruth married! She has done her homework and knows where Boaz will be. Naomi said he would be winnowing his barley that night at the threshing floor. A threshing floor was a stone surface in the fields where the harvest husks were crushed. They would then throw the grain up in the air and the wind would blow away the chaff and the grain would fall to the ground. After harvesting the grain during the day, they would do this at night as often there was a cool breeze in the evening. The farmer would often sleep at the threshing floor to protect the grain from theft. What are her instructions to Ruth? What was Ruth's response and what does this tell you about her? Ruth did what Naomi said and during the night, Boaz is startled to discover someone laying at his feet. How does she introduce herself to Boaz and what does this say about Ruth? Ruth says to Boaz in verse 9, "Spread your wings over your servant for you are a redeemer." By this expression Ruth was asking Boaz for marriage (compare Ezekiel 16:8). Boaz had prayed that Ruth might have refuge under the wings of God (2:12). He was used by God to provide the refuge for which Boaz himself had prayed! 17

18 Boaz responds and pronounces a blessing on her. What is the first and last kindness that Ruth has shown that Boaz recognizes? In verse 11, Boaz tells Ruth not to be afraid. I'm sure Ruth's heart was pounding waiting to hear Boaz's response to her request. Boaz makes his intentions clear that he is willing to fulfill her request and marry her. What kind of reputation does Ruth have from verse 11? From Ruth 2:1, how is Boaz described? Worthy has the idea here of being strong and capable, including strength in moral matters. Both Boaz and Ruth were known as strong, brave people who did the right thing. Boaz has declared himself and said he is willing to marry Ruth to redeem her. What is the plot twist in verse 13? What does Boaz do for Ruth before she leaves? What does this say about him? I'm sure Naomi was eager to hear how things went! After Naomi hears what happened, what does she say about Boaz and what does this tell us about his character? It has only been a few short months since Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem. They arrived broken and discouraged but things are starting to turn around! They have seen God work on their behalf in amazing ways and he's not done yet! 18

19 Day 7: Ruth 4:1-22 Read Ruth 4. Circle every occurrence of the words redeem, redeemer and redemption. Where does the scene open in chapter 4? The city gate was where all business transactions took place. Boaz took ten elders of the city to act as witnesses. Normally, two or three witnesses were all that were required, but in matters of importance, they would call 10. In verses 3 and 4, what information does Boaz tell the redeemer? What is the redeemer's initial response? What was the redeemer's response when Boaz told him he would also have to marry Ruth? Why did he not want to marry Ruth? Redemption means to buy back. It involves paying a price for someone or something. Redemption is costly and it was a price that this man did not want to pay. We are not told exactly how, but somehow by redeeming Ruth, that would put his own inheritance in jeopardy. But Boaz was different. In his role as Ruth's redeemer, he was: WILLING Boaz had no hesitation in taking on this responsibility (3:18). His aim was to settle the matter that day (4:1). PURPOSEFUL All Boaz s actions are very deliberate and thought-through. He did not leave anything to chance. He made sure everything was done properly. FAITHFUL In all he did that day he was fulfilling his promise to Ruth the night before (3:13). UNSELFISH It was not for his own benefit (4:9 10). It was to maintain the name of the dead man with his property. From verses 5 and 10, what seems to be one of Boaz's motivations for redeeming Ruth? 19

20 Boaz obviously knew the law and even though he was not legally obligated, in his kindness and love for Ruth, he goes beyond what the Law required. After the transaction is finalized, what three blessings do the people pronounce on Boaz and Ruth? What do you know about Rachel and Leah? You can refer to Gen. 29:31-30:24. Read Genesis 38 to discover the story of Judah and Tamar. Do you see any parallels between Ruth and Tamar? Any differences? The hopes expressed by the words of the elders in verses 11 and 12 are significant. Ruth would be like Rachel, Leah and Tamar significant in God s plan. We will see how significant in a minute! What is the blessing that the women pronounce on Naomi after Obed is born? Who is referred to as a redeemer in verses 14-15? Ruth is paid quite a compliment by the women of Bethlehem. They say she is worth more to Naomi than seven sons! Every family in Israel especially wanted sons because that was how the family name was carried on. Through Ruth's worthy character and God giving her a child to continue on her husband's legacy, the women of the town recognize that God has done something pretty special here through Ruth. Let's look a little more closely at the genealogy in verses Who is Perez? Remember he is the son that Tamar bore to Judah. (Gen. 38:27-30). The people of Bethlehem were his descendants. According to verse 21, who is Boaz's father? According to Matthew 1:5, who was Boaz's mother? See Joshua 6:1-25 to read her story. 20

21 Perhaps Boaz was open to the idea of having a non-jewish wife because his own mother was a Gentile. He had probably heard the story of how she too had decided to leave her people and embrace the God of Israel. Rahab is a story second chances. She who was once a prostitute and certainly lived an unworthy and shameful life, chose to believe the one true God and raised a son who turned out to be a "worthy man." God can change and make new any life and Rahab is a wonderful example of that! Read Matthew 1:1-6. In whose genealogy do we find Rahab, Ruth, Tamar and Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah)? In any other genealogy in the Bible, you will only find the names of the men. But I find it very significant that in Matthew, God includes these four women. They were in the line of Christ! God's grace is pretty amazing that a prostitute, a Moabite, a deceptive woman posing as a prostitute and an adulteress are all found to be ancestors of the Messiah. Jesus' family had a few skeleton's in their closet too! Remember back in week two, we saw how God had said that no Moabite would be allowed in the assembly of the Lord? Now we find Ruth to be an ancestor of the Lord Jesus himself! Wow, what amazing grace! In week one we learned that Bethlehem means "house of bread." Many years later, one of Ruth's descendants will be born in Bethlehem. His name is Jesus and during his earthly ministry, he claimed to be the bread of life. Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:35 The book of Ruth started with a famine and ends with God providing for two needy widows. But the book of Ruth is just a foreshadowing of what God is planning to reveal in the New Testament. Instead of just providing physical nourishment, God is going to send Jesus who can quench our spiritual thirst and satisfy our spiritual hunger as only He can. Ruth's story of redemption is just a picture of how Jesus will redeem us in the New Testament. Next week we will wrap up our study and see what redemption means for us today. 21

22 Day 8: What does redemption mean for us today? Redeem: "to free someone by paying a ransom price; to liberate or deliver." The one prerequisite for someone to be redeemed is neediness. In the Old Testament, we have seen how God gave instructions to family members to redeem land that a relative was in danger of loosing or to redeem a person who had fallen into hard times and had sold themselves into slavery. Both of these scenarios speak of great need. The individual had no way of bailing themselves out of their predicament and they needed a redeemer, someone who could intervene and pay the price on their behalf. In the New Testament, God makes it clear that we are needy people and in need of redemption as well. Read Romans 3:9-18. What is the condition of all mankind apart from God? That looks pretty bleak and because of our sin, Romans 5:10 tells us that we were God's enemies. Back in Romans 3:19 we are told that "every mouth will be stopped and the whole world will be held accountable to God." I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to give an account for the things listed there in Romans 3! Read Romans 2:5 and Colossians 3:5-6. According to these verses, what can sinners expect? God is just which means he always does what is right. Let's say you own a restaurant and have several employees. The restaurant always seems to be busy enough, but the money does not reflect that and every week it seems you are barely scraping by. Your children have medical issues and you can't afford to take them to the doctor. You are behind on your house payment and are afraid the bank is going to foreclose on you. Things are very stressful. Finally one day, it comes to light that one of your employees has been stealing money from you. Worse yet, the reason they are doing this is to feed their drug habit. You immediately fire them and report them to the police. The person is arrested and you hire a lawyer. Evidence is gathered. You have proof of what they have done and some of their 22

23 actions have even been caught on surveillance camera. Your employee is obviously guilty and you can't wait to have your day in court. How would you feel about the judge, who after hearing all the condemning evidence against your employee, dismissed the case and said he was just going to choose to overlook the offense this time? You would be mad! That is not justice! We respect and applaud judges in our country who uphold the law and give sentences equal to the crimes. But somehow, we don't seem to appreciate the fact that God is just because we are the ones on the end of his justice. We are guilty and deserve to be punished. For redemption to take place the law must always be satisfied, not bypassed. That is certainly true when we think of the redemption God provided through the Lord Jesus. The Bible is clear that the whole of humanity is in a mess because of their sin. The law of God demands that sin and rebellion should and must be punished in accordance with God s justice. In his perfection and righteousness, God cannot overlook sin. The just and right demands of his law must be met. That is exactly what happened as the Lord Jesus died on the cross. Because he was perfect and had no sin, he died to satisfy the just demands of God s law. He took my place. He paid the price for my sin. Suppose the judge that dismissed your case, then turned to you and said that he was going to pay you back the money your employee had stolen. You could now afford to take your children to the doctor and make your house payment. Now a price would be paid to cover the offense. In his sovereignty, God could have made things much simpler. The story of Ruth would have been much more straightforward had Boaz been the nearest kinsman, but God does nothing without reason. Given its connection with the bigger plan of redemption, it would seem that the reason for this twist in the plot is to show that for redemption to take place the law must always be satisfied, not bypassed. Boaz could not ignore or bypass the law, he had to fulfill the requirements of the law in order to legally redeem Ruth. Redemption always costs something. It is never cheap or free. According to Ruth 4:9-10, Boaz purchased Ruth to be his wife. He paid a price to bring her into his family. Read 1 Peter 1: How were we purchased? When you purchase something, it belongs to you. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, who do we belong to, now that a price has been paid for us? Redemption changes our identity. Redemption is transforming. From the time Boaz redeemed her, Ruth had a new identity, a new position and a new status. Up to this point, Ruth has been referred to as Ruth the Moabitess (see Ruth 1:22; 2:6; 2:21), emphasizing 23

24 that she was a foreigner. Now she was Ruth the wife of Boaz. She now had standing in the community and was accepted into the nation of Israel. The same is true for us. Before Christ, we saw that we were God's enemies and destined for wrath. Read Galatians 4:4-7 to see how Christ views us after we are redeemed. Redemption is received by faith. How did Ruth exercise faith in securing her redemption? Romans 3:23-25 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." These verses have some big words in it, so let's break it down. We are reminded that we all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. That means we don't measure up to God's standard of perfection. We fall short. Next, it says that we are justified by God's grace and this is a gift. To be justified means that we have been put in a proper or right relationship with God. We used to be his enemies. Now, he has invited us into his family. He has given us this privilege as a gift. We didn't work for, earn it, or deserve it. This was accomplished through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. He redeemed us, he paid the ransom price to set us free from sin. The reason we could be redeemed or purchased, was because God accepted Christ's payment for our sin. The word propitiation means "satisfactory payment." God the Father, accepted and was satisfied with Christ's payment on our behalf. If God had not accepted Christ's death, we would still be dead in our sins and without hope. Verse 25 tells us that we receive this by faith. We have to believe, count on, and put our complete trust in these facts. We're putting all of our eggs in one basket. We have no backup plans. We are convinced that what Christ did for us is the only way to be saved from our sins. Christ's payment for us with his blood is the only way we can be redeemed. Look up the following verses and list what some of the blessing are that we now have because we have been redeemed. Colossians 1:13-14 Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:

25 When we trust Christ, how long does our redemption last? See Hebrews 9: Redemption always has a purpose. Read Ruth 4:5 and 10 again. What was Boaz's purpose in redeeming Ruth? Christ also has a purpose in our redemption. Read Titus 2:11-14 and note what our purpose is. Did you catch it? Our purpose is all about God! We are not redeemed just to be saved from hell. The reason we have been redeemed is so that we can be purified to be God's own people. Just like Ruth belonged to Boaz, we now belong to Christ because of the price he paid for us. Because of all that Christ has done for us, it should motivate us to be "zealous for good works." These good works have nothing at all to do with our salvation, but they are an outflow of the work that Christ has done in our hearts. To be zealous means "to be deeply committed to something and therefore zealous enthusiastic, eager." The more we understand the depths from where we have been rescued and how undeserving we are, the more committed we will be to the Lord. Titus 2:11 says it is God's grace that teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly lusts. Grace is our teacher, not a bunch of rules, and the more we understand that, the more it will change our lives. The book of Ruth is a story about hope. When we first meet Naomi and Ruth, they are grieving and filled with despair. Naomi feels like God is against her. Through Boaz's redemption of Ruth, their lives completely change. The family name continues on in Israel. Ruth has a standing in the community now and she belongs. What a wonderful picture of the redemption we have in Christ! I pray that as you understand more and more what Christ has done for you, that you will be changed and transformed into someone who is enthusiastic and eager to serve the God who redeemed you. Rejoice, dear friend! You have been redeemed! 25