Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning!

If I have not had the pleasure of meeting you my name is John and I serve Mission Church as the Senior Pastor.

I am honored and humbled to be with you this morning… especially as we continue our current sermon series through the book of Ruth entitled, “From Ruin to Redemption.”

The story of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges … a time in which everyone did what was right in their own eyes ...and as a result… it was a time of great chaos and violence.

But in the midst of the darkness ....we are given a beautiful story of hope.

Now…go ahead and grab a Bible and open it to Ruth 3.

While you’re turning there..... let me catch you up.

Chapter 1 hit us with the bitter providence of God in the life of Naomi as she left her land.... lost her husband....lost her sons...and lost one of her daughters-in-law.

But.... there was sweet providence as well.

The famine broke in Judah...and Ruth committed herself to care for Naomi.

But still..... the chapter ends with Naomi so overwhelmed with her losses that she tells people that God is against her and she changed her name to Bitter.

In chapter 2 the mercy of God breaks through bright enough for even Naomi to see it.

We met Boaz, a man of wealth, a man of God, and a relative of Naomi's late husband Elimelech.

We see Ruth taking refuge under the wings of God in a foreign land and being led mercifully by God to the field of Boaz to glean.

And we see Naomi recover from her bitter season of hopelessness as she sees that God never left her and she praises Him for providing for her.

Chapter 2 overflows with hope and spills into the climax of our story in chapter 3.

Now....if you are able…I would like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Ruth 3 (CSB)

1 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative?

Haven’t you been working with his female servants?

This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

3 Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes.

Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down.

Then he will explain to you what you should do.” 5 So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.”

6 She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had charged her to do.

7 After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley, and she came secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! 9 So he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied.

“Take me under your wing, for you are a family redeemer.”

10 Then he said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter.

You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor.

11 Now don’t be afraid, my daughter.

I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

12 Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am.

13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good.

Let him redeem you.

But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will.

Now lie down until morning.”

14 So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark.

Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

15 And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and hold it out.”

When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she went into the town.

16 She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “What happened, my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’

” 18 Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest unless he resolves this today.”

This is the word of the Lord.

Let’s Pray.

You may be seated.

Life…well…life is harsh.....life is messy... and the difficulties of life have the ability to blind us to the presence and to the work of God...leaving us feeling the despairing reality of hopelessness.

Harvard just recently did a study on Americans ranging from 18 - 29 years of age…and an overwhelming 51% reported that they are living with a debilitating feeling of hopelessness..... a hopelessness that has left them bitter, depressed, tired, agitated, anxious, and as a result they have withdrawn and isolated themselves from their friends, their family, and even the Church.

Now.....hopelessness can be a result of financial issues, relational problems, health concerns, or a number of other negative circumstances.

But....the truth is....when you place your hope in anything or anyone other than God…hopelessness is inevitable…why?

Well....because situations change…relationship can end…jobs can be lost…and our health and livelihood are fragile.

This was Naomi’s experience…remember.... she placed her hope in her husband…in her sons…and in the possibility of grandkids....but when all of that was taken from her....she felt hopeless....broken…and bitter.

She had misplaced her hope.

Maybe…like Naomi... you too have misplaced your hope…maybe like Naomi and the thousands who took the Harvard poll…you also have felt bitter, anxious, depressed, and alone.

Well.....this morning ....I invite you to experience and accept the steadfast love of God…and I pray that your heart will overflow with a hope that is unshakable, immovable, and that it will free you to pursue a life that is passionate about doing what is good and right.

You see....when you are confident in God's steadfast love for you....you will have a hope that enables you to pursue a life of virtue and integrity....while also providing you with a thrilling impulse to take risks for the sake of the gospel.

And...In Ruth 3 …we will see these truths displayed in the life of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz through four scenes

Scene 1 (v.

1-5 ) The Plan

Scene 2 (v.

6-9) The Proposal

Scene 3 (v.

10-13) The Promise

Scene 4 (v.

14-18) The Provision

But…before we dive into theses four scenes I need to give a disclaimer....this story is full of suspense and as we will see......not every detail is explained fully....and there are some cultural practices that we simply do not fully understand.

As a result ....we are going to be left with few questions and the sensuality in this story may make some of you uncomfortable,....but this tension is important to the narrative so we are going to have to be ok with being a bit uncomfortable this morning.

Alright......Let’s take a look.

Scene 1 (v.

1-5 ) The Plan

Ruth 3:1 (CSB)

1 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of?

Naomi…was once blinded by bitterness due to her misplaced hope....she had once again hoped in God and as a result she was no longer thinking of herself and her security, but Ruth’s.

In this society....a woman’s home and her family was her life.

But more importantly marriage would provide Ruth with safety and security.

As a married woman…Ruth would be protected from exploitation or oppression....and so Naomi tells Ruth, “Look…I don’t mind you living here....and I am thankful for your love and care.....but look....let’s be honest....You need a man!”

Now.....Naomi doesn’t want Ruth to find just any man....but one who could provide her with an heir .... one who could redeem her family and continue Elimelech’s family name.

It just so happens that Boaz fits the bill....he’s a part of the family and can fulfill the role of the family redeemer.

This idea of a family redeemer is found in the Law of Moses and it speaks of a close relative who is able to come to the aid of a family member.

The instructions were that when a man died....his brother was obligated to marry his widow and raise up his children.

He was even to give the dead man’s name to the first child born out of the new marriage.

This would ensure that the inheritance would continue to be associated with the deceased relative.

Now ..... the Law didn’t necessarily obligate Boaz…he was a distant relative....The law also didn’t address foreigners like Ruth who had married into the family.

In fact there are a LOT OF LOOP HOLES THAT BOAZ CAN TAKE to avoid redeeming Ruth and Naomi!

But Boaz had already been functioning as a redeemer as he protected Ruth in the field and provided food for Ruth and Naomi.

So with that....Naomi sees potential.

However....its been about 7-8 weeks since Ruth met Boaz....and with the harvest being over and with Ruth no longer going to the field to work.... Naomi comes up with an interesting plan.....Look at v2

Ruth 3:2 (CSB)

2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative?

Haven’t you been working with his female servants?

This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

The threshing floor was a stone slab on top of a hill…and farmers would go there to separate their grain from the chaff ....they would grab their pitchfork and toss a mixture of straw, grain, and chaff into the air… the grain …which was heavier ..... would fall to the ground while the unwanted chaff would be blown away.

And this job was usually be done at night in order to take advantage of the evening breezes.

Now.... these threshing floors were communal places…they were often shared by members of the village... and they were places of joy and celebration because the work of threshing meant that the harvest had come in.

However.....threshing floors had a bad reputation too.

Farmers would have to sleep on sight .....because if they didn’t....thieves would steal their grain....these places were also associated with immoral behavior....particularly prostitution.

In other words…the threshing floor was a dangerous place.....and the last place you would want send your daughter....but....