RUTH - RAGS TO RICHES #5

RUTH - RAGS TO RICHES #5 DEVOTION AND GOD S GIFT Rth 4:1-12 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, 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. 7 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. 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: 12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. I. We have come to the end of the book of Ruth. Looking back, it seems to me that Ruth and the LORD have been walking hand-in-hand through this whole story. A. In chapter 1 Ruth makes the right choices - spiritual choices - which God obviously blesses. B. In chapter 2 we see Ruth in the right place at the right time in order to meet the right person - 100s of fields she could have gleaned in - but God led her to Boaz! C. In chapter 3 we see the actions of Ruth to take her relationship with Boaz from the formal level to the deep and intimate level. D. And now, in chapter 4 we see the completion of all that the book has been building up to - Ruth s marriage to Boaz, and the fruits of their union. II. Is this not a picture of our salvation as well? A. At some point in our lives, we become tender toward the LORD and choose to follow his ways. B. And through events, people, situations, The Holy Spirit leads us to the Lord Jesus Christ. And We begin to desire a deeper relationship with Him. 1 of 9

C. And as a result, we do whatever is necessary to get even closer to Him - we begin to learn what it means to rest at His feet. D. And finally, some day, Christ will come and finish what he has started by taking us home to be with him. E. Now, we are already saved from the penalty of sin. But in that day we will be saved from the power and presence of sin too. III. There are three sections to this last chapter: The Love of Boaz (4:1-12); The Life of Naomi (4:12-18); The Lineage of David (4:19-22) THE LOVE OF BOAZ (RUTH 4:1-12) I. As we have already learned from chapter 3, Boaz really wanted to marry Ruth. A. But there was a problem - a closer relative that had the first rights to marry Ruth and redeem, or purchase Elimilech's assets. B. But the big question was whether or not he would do so. He was authorized, but was he willing? And according to our text, he was not! II. But Boaz s heart is drawn to Ruth. He is drawn to her virtue and kindness. He is moved by her devotion. A. Interestingly, Boaz never speaks of Ruth's physical looks at all. He is drawn by her inner beauty. B. Inner beauty! That's how a woman should attract a man! Peter teaches us this truth: 1Pe 3:3-4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. C. Now Peter's point is not that a lady shouldn't wear jewelry. His point is simply that a woman should not use her physical beauty to draw a man. D. Ladies, if you want to catch a godly man, focus on the inside! The heart is what God says you are supposed to impress folks with! E. This is what Boaz saw in Ruth:.for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. Ruth 3:11 III. So notice what we see in the actions of Boaz here: A. Boaz went into the city at the proper time and requested a meeting with the near kinsman. 1. Remember how chapter 3 ends: 2 of 9

Rth 3:18 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. 2. Ruth is excited about the promise of redemption, but Boaz still has work to do. And so the very next verse, Ruth 4:1 states: Rth 4:1 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. 3. Apparently Boaz is not only wealthy, but is well-known enough to to come and sit at the gates. 4. That would be like sitting in the town courthouse - except more public! 5. So, it is here, in this very public place, before the eyes of many witnesses that Boaz gets the job done! B. Then Boaz requested ten men of the city to bear witness. (4:2) 1. Boaz wished to have a full body of witnesses to the transaction. 2. Boaz didn t want anything to go wrong for the business at hand was of great importance to him. C. Boaz requested that the field of their brother Elimelech be bought from Naomi. (4:3-5) 1. The kinsman, thinking maybe he was to get a real bargain said, I will redeem it. (4) a) But when the man hears he must also marry Ruth and raise up a seed for Mahlon, he doesn t want any part of that! b) He does not want to split his assets with Ruth or any offspring that may come as a result. c) So the 1st kinsman plucks off his shoe and hands it to Boaz as a symbolic way of saying, "I choose not to redeem her. She is all yours! IV. For us, the nearer kinsman is the Law. The law is holy, just, and true but it is unable to redeem man. Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: A. The law is weak through the flesh. It can tell us our need for salvation, it can tell us the source of salvation, but the law can never save us. B. The purpose of the law is to give us an understanding of our sin and guilt before God. 3 of 9

Rom 3:19-20 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. V. So the purpose of the law was to bring us unto Christ, who is able to redeem. Gal 3:23-24 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. A. Thus, the 1st kinsman yielded the right to redeem to Boaz. B. But Boaz had every right to redeem if the 1st kinsman would not. He was a near kin to Ruth, 2:1; 2:20; 4:4. VI. Jesus, our Kinsman-Redeemer possesses this right on behalf of the sinner. Why? A. Because He is near of kin to us. 2,000 years ago, in the same little town of Bethlehem, Jesus came to be born as a man. B. And even though man had nothing to offer God, he saw something in us that he loved, and he redeemed us anyway! VII. The 1st kinsman could not, or rather, would not do his duty. He knew Ruth had absolutely nothing to offer him. A. After all, she was poor! She was cursed. She was hopeless and helpless. B. And that is exactly how the law of God views you and I - poor, cursed, hopeless, helpless. C. The law does not see anything within us of worth. Instead, it condemns us. The law says, "You are guilty. You are not worthy to live." D. The law says, "If you are without sin, then you are saved. But if you have EVER sinned, you are condemned." VIII.Boaz, on the other hand, knew who Ruth was, 2:6. A. He knew her past. He knew her condition. He knew she had nothing to offer. He knew about the curse that was on her people. B. But, he didn't care! You see, unlike the other kinsman, Boaz was similar to Ruth! Look back at his lineage! Mat 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 1. When you look at things, it becomes clear that Boaz wasn't concerned about marring his inheritance, his own mother was a woman of unclean birth. 2. His mother was Rahab the harlot from Joshua chapter 2! 4 of 9

3. So it is with our Heavenly Boaz! His own mother was a common sinner! Therefore, Chris has compassion on the lost. 4. The Law makes demands that we can never meet. Religion promises that which it cannot deliver. 5. But Jesus, on the other hand, provides what we need, freely and fully! IX. The 2nd kinsman, Boaz, pictures grace which is able to redeem: Joh 1:14-17 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. A. Grace and Truth came into the world for the purpose of redeeming, for Grace and Truth can redeem without marring its own inheritance. B. As the 1st kinsman submitted his rights to the 2nd kinsman, the law has borne witness to grace which is able to save: Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: C. And again, I want to reemphasize that Boaz was not just doing his duty here. He WANTED to redeem Ruth. It wasn t just a case of pity or responsibility, it was love! D. Remember in chapter 3 when Ruth approached Boaz and basically asked him to marry her? E. Boaz reacts by expressing his joy at being chosen by Ruth and by letting her know that he would be delighted to redeem her and all her inheritance. X. Jesus Christ did not have to be forced to go to Calvary! A. He desired the cross because He wanted to redeem you and me, Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. B. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was of a willing nature. He did it because He wanted to! XI. Ruth 4:9 tells us that Boaz purchased all that had belonged to Elimelech, Chilion and Mahlon. A. In other words, Boaz bought out the whole inheritance of this family, lock, stock and barrel! 5 of 9

B. Now think back for a minute to Orpah in chapter 1. If she had followed Naomi back to Bethlehem, Boaz would have redeemed her too! C. Like the family Ruth married into, you and I were born into a family that was down and out! D. You see, our father, Adam, sinned against the Lord and brought death, destruction and damnation upon all his children. E. Adam left us spiritually destitute and without hope but, thank God, that is where Jesus stepped in! 1. Everything Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, Jesus purchased back on the cross. 2. Adam threw away fellowship with God, Jesus bought it back. Adam threw away life, Jesus bought it back. 3. Adam threw away peace with God, joy, blessing, righteousness, but Jesus bought it back when He went to the cross and died for us! 4. Jesus has the resources to carry of a transaction of this magnitude! F. Jesus specializes in taking hell-bound sinners, saving them by His grace and transforming them into the children of God. G. When He pays the price, He purchases the whole person, 1Co 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. XII. Boaz receiving the blessings of the people. Ruth 4:11-12 A. When the transaction was finished the people blessed Boaz and Ruth. B. They no doubt saw this long before it developed and were glad to see the finished transaction. XIII.Redemption is beautifully displayed in this chapter and because of this story, we can understand better the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus. A. We see Boaz the only redeemer. 1. Boaz was the only one that was willing to redeem, thus, the only redeemer. 2. Boaz did not redeem Ruth to be his slave. He says, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, (10). 3. The need of Ruth has now been met. She had found rest in her husband s house. (1:9; 3:1) 6 of 9

4. The desire of Naomi has now been met. Ruth has found rest in her husband s house. (3:1-2, 18) 5. Boaz was delighted that he was able to redeem Ruth unto himself. (4:13) XIV.After the deal was made and redemption was accomplished, a couple of very important things took place. We might want to understand them, because the affect us as well. A. V. 11 Ruth Is Elevated 1. When the people see what has happened, they begin to rejoice. They call Ruth "woman" and not "the Moabitess." 2. They compare her with Leah and Rachel, who gave birth to the twelve sons of Jacob, and in effect, all of Israel. They have elevated her standing! 3. The same thing happens in the life of the sinner who comes to Jesus for redemption. We are transformed from "sinners" into "saints". 4. We are no longer outcasts from God, but now He calls us His sons. B. V. 11-12 Boaz Is Exalted 1. While the people elevate Ruth, the main focus of their rejoicing is Boaz. 2. They praise him for what he has done in the life of Ruth. 3. He has done a wonderful thing and the people praise him for it. 4. Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Because of this, He is worthy of praise and exaltation. 5. Are you praising the lord for what he has done for you? THE LIFE OF NAOMI (RUTH 4:13-17) Rth 4:13-18 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. 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. I. Again we have a beautiful picture of God s grace displayed in the life of Naomi. A. Remember Naomi s testimony: 7 of 9

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.i went out full, and the Lord brought me home again empty: why call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? Ruth 1:20-21 B. But here in chapter 4 she is blessed, 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. Ruth 4:14 C. Ruth would now be able to raise up new seed to Elimilech, Naomi s husband! In fact, Naomi even nursed the child! And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. Ruth 4:16 II. Naomi s prayer was answered! Ruth is Boaz s wife and the family lineage has been redeemed from extinction! A. Naomi is now living a life of joy and happiness, for she is now, once again, blessed of the Lord. B. It has been several years since Naomi had felt the blessings of God upon her life but now this blessing has come to Naomi because of Ruth, who bore Obed. III. "Obed" is a name that means "Serving; worshipping". A. Obed gave her a connection with the royal family - she just didn t know it at the time! B. Obed was King David's grandfather! This made Ruth David's great-grandmother! C. But, better than that, Ruth is named in Matt. 1:5 as one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ! THE LINEAGE OF DAVID (RUTH 4:18-22) Rth 4:18-22 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. IV. This is the conclusion of the Book of Ruth to show us the lineage of David from whom was to come Christ. Luk 1:30-33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 8 of 9

CONCLUSION I. We rejoice in the story of Ruth because it is also a story of how God s grace was extended to us as well. II. Ruth, a poor Moabitess, cursed by the law, is now the bride of a wealthy redeemer. A. My how things have changed for Ruth! This book opens with a funeral and closes with a wedding! B. The Bible does basically the same thing - the first few chapters tell us about the death of mankind through the fall of Adam C. but the last few chapters tell us about the marriage supper of the lamb and our eternal fellowship with Christ! III. Now, Boaz is able to take Ruth into his arms and love her. A. You see, all the barriers that were between them have been removed! They were separated by race, social status, morals, etc. Now, they are one flesh! B. She is as rich as he is! She is able to have fellowship of the most intimate kind with Boaz. They have been brought together in an intimate relationship! C. And that is exactly what you and I can, and should, experience with Christ! 9 of 9