Redeeming Love- Ruth

Introduction to Ruth

A young Moabite widow, who, because of her selfless devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi,

and to Naomi’s God, gained a husband and a child,

a place in Jewish history

and became the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor of Christ.

Our Goals:

to see the commitment

to see the love of others and for God

to see the concept of Kinsman-redeemer

to see Christ in every part of this Book

The life of Ruth and the concept of Redeeming Love that Christ fulfilled for us.

The Book of Ruth is:

a story of love and commitment;

of beauty in bad times and heartache:

a story of redeeming love of others living and giving of their life for another.

Overview

There is a famine in the Land of Judah - Bethlehem is effected

This is in the time of Judges after the Rule of Joshua

Think on this - Bethlehem is called the “House of Bread”

In the midst of the famine Elimelech [ELI MEL LECH] moves the family to Moab

Moab was a place known for its low morals - A Pagan Place

Moabites descended from Moab a son of Lot

if you remember the story of Lot in Genesis - this birth did not start a moral way and the country reflected those roots.

Ruth was born and lived in this land and marries one of the sons of Naomi

Elimelech dies and the head of house has passed

The two sons marry Moabite women

Ruth faces the problem of widowhood after 10 years of marriage

There are no children born in this marriage - and that will be very important later

Naomi decides to take the family back to Bethlehem

Ruth commits herself to Naomi

Ruth meets Boaz

The concept of Kinsman- Redeemer

Ruth marries Boaz

Ruth has a son

The genealogy of Jesus Christ

English Standard Version (Introduction)

The book of Ruth tells of a young Moabite widow who, out of love for her widowed Israelite mother-in-law, abandoned her own culture, declaring, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (1:16).

Though she was destitute and needing to rely on the kindness of others, Ruth’s disposition and character captured the attention of Boaz, a close relative of her deceased husband.

Boaz fulfilled the role of kinsman-redeemer and took Ruth as his wife.

Ruth serves as a wonderful example of God’s providential care of his people, and of his willingness to accept Gentiles who seek him.

Ruth was an ancestor of Christ.

The author is unknown, but the genealogy at the end suggests that it was written during or after the time of David.

Have you ever wondered if God is at work in your life?

I have plenty of times, and then I am reminded of the book of Ruth.

We don't see miracles or divine intervention from Heaven;

we see God subtly at work as He guides the two women down a path of restoration and fruitfulness.  We don't travel too far into chapter one before we find a vital application for our own lives.

When we face difficult times,

we must not rely on human understanding or

take the easy way out;

we must seek God for His purposes.

Elimelech did not ask God what His will was, nor did he trust God.

Instead, he uprooted his family from the place God's people dwelt

to live in a wicked country where there would be no place to worship God and no fellowship with other believers.  Ironically, Elimelech left to escape death, and yet him and his sons would find just that within a decade.

Not only did his poor decision negatively affect him, but it affected his whole family.

We must come to the realization that the choices we make in life will impact others.  Once Elimelech went outside of God's will, he no longer had the ability to distinguish between right or wrong.

He allowed his sons to marry Moab women who did not know God and allowed unequally yoked marriages.

With one bad decision, Elimelech led his family further away from the things of God.

It’s important that you and I seek God's will instead of doing what we think is best.

One poor decision can lead us into a string of poor decisions. 

The good news is, God restores and God is good.

We don't just see a family destroyed with one decision.

God isn't finished yet. 

As God's people we have the unique opportunity to know His will and live under His umbrella.

There are times in our life when the storm hits.

It is in those seasons we can either seek His will and trust Him, or we can rely on our own understanding and make the decision we think best.

Ultimately, God's plan for us is better than our own.

Time Period, Location, and Background

Ruth 1:1-5

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.

4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,

5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

Time of Judges - To give you a time period on the judges it was after the time of Joshua to the appointment of Saul to be the first king. About the early 14th Century BC to about 1051 BC.

This was a time of craziness in the OT.

This roughly 350 year time period was marked by a declining trend in society.

It started with Religious Laxity, then political uncertainty and then moral anarchy.

[sounds like something we should be praying about today]

The importance of Bethlehem — Prophesy

Bethlehem is VERY KEY to our understanding

Birthplace of David

Birthplace of Jesus

Birthplace of Elimelech, the husband of Naomi

Birthplace of Boaz ( Ruth 2:4)

Luke refers to Bethlehem as the CITY OF DAVID - Luke 2:4, 10-11

Bethlehem is about 5.5 miles from Jerusalem.

INTERESTINGLY — how we don’t forget the relevance of Scripture today

A second war between the Arabs and Israelis broke out in 1967, and the latter occupied the remainder of Palestine including Bethlehem. Bethlehem remained under the Israeli occupation until December 22, 1995 when the Palestinian Authority took over in compliance with the Oslo Accord of 1993.

Moabites

The Moabites were historically regarded as the perpetual enemy of the Israelites, "God's Chosen People."

located East of Judah

Ephrathites

Whenever Ephrathites are mentioned in Scripture, they are associated with the city of Bethlehem in Judah.

The most famous mention of the area of Ephrathah is the prophecy of Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The Messiah would be born among the Ephrathites in Bethlehem.

Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, fulfills this prophecy (see Luke 2:4–7).

Geography of the Story

Moab is located East of Judah on the east side of the Galilee Sea.

Important Concepts of Ruth

God’s grace of Gentiles — truly showing John 3:16 that God loves the whole world

Kinsman- Redeemer

The kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need.

In the New Testament, Christ is often regarded as an example of a kinsman-redeemer because, as our brother (Hebrews 2:11), He also redeems us because of our great need, one that only He can satisfy.

In Ruth 3:9, we see a beautiful and poignant picture of the needy supplicant, unable to rescue herself, requesting of the kinsman-redeemer that he cover her with his protection, redeem her, and make her his wife.

In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ bought us for Himself, out of the curse, out of our destitution; made us His own beloved bride; and blessed us for all generations. He is the true kinsman-redeemer of all who call on Him in faith.

Summation of Ruth’ Theme

God cares for needy people like Naomi and Ruth; he is their ally in this chaotic world.

He richly rewards people like Ruth and Boaz who demonstrate sacrificial love and in so doing become his instruments in helping the needy.

God’s rewards for those who sacrificially love others sometimes exceed their wildest imagination and transcend their lifetime.

In the next weeks it will be my mission

Providence - Power - Peace - Passion

providence of God - God is always working

The value of a dynamic response to following God - To show His power

To show you the rest we can have in Jesus - that rest is HIS PEACE - He is in control

and to celebrate this Christmas season showing you the picture of PASSION _

THE REDEMPTIVE LOVE from our ONE redeemer — Jesus Christ

I love to study the Scripture to find the things that point to Jesus.

To see that it is all interwoven

I pray that this study brings you a deeper love of Christ, and a heart response to HIM as this

Christ- mas season starts to open at a Wal-mart near you.

I pray that this study of Jesus’s ancestors, encourages you to see the way that God will work in all of us to love and bless us.

Amen