Ruth: Redemption (6)

Introduction

To redeem oneself: idiom

to succeed or do something good after one has failed or done something bad

They can redeem themselves for yesterday's loss by winning today's game.

Social media -

- post the best of our lives

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Marriage-

Voddie Baucham states, “Today we spend so much on weddings that the marriage can’t measure up to it and so people become disillusioned right away.

Also we think we can live our life as we want, sowing our wild seed, until we are ready to settle down

And then in order to settle down - we get married

And then wonder why our marriages fail

Redemption:

BI: Only God knows how to truly redeem

This is the story of scripture and particularly of Ruth

Read passage

I. Redemption

Our story here turns from Boaz and Ruth to Naomi

vs 14 - “ not left without a redeemer

This is not a reference to Boaz but of the child - Obed

a restorer of life

word for restore means to bring back - same word used by Naomi of the Lord in 1:21 - brought back empty

nourisher of your old age

“Blessed be the Lord”

In the end Naomi was redeemed by the hand of the Lord even though she earlier believed he had abandoned her and left her bitter

Application: While we tend to blame God for the difficult we need to know and believe that truly he can redeem all things

A. Only God can Truly Redeem a Heart

Because God is more concerned that we have a redeemed heart of faith rather than having a “full life”

full life - all of our hearts desires

Here again we see Boaz as reflecting this truth about God

Boaz desires more for the redemption of Ruth, rather than having his potential desire for her fulfilled, and so he is willing to approach this other redeemer

Shaping My Heart - The Dodds

You're Gently and lowly

Your Burden is light

Yokes on the journey

My Shepherd my guide

Down through the valley

You're leading me on

Right here beside me

Shaping my heart into yours

Oh oh into yours

You're shaping my heart into yours

Oh oh into yours

You're shaping my heart

Your goodness and mercy

Are pursuing my soul

Beside quiet waters

My cup overflows

Setting tables of kindness

You welcome me home

I'll rest while you're working

Shaping my heart into yours

Oh oh into yours

You're shaping my heart into yours

Oh oh into yours

You're shaping my heart

Here in your careful hands

You are making me, you are shaping me

B. Only God can Truly Redeem a Life

God desires more that our hearts and life reflect him then that things are smooth.

Naomi is redeemed through her daughter in law Ruth the seemingly infertile moabite widow who in loyal, faithful kindness to Naomi follows Naomi to Bethlehem leaving her family, stability and god. Who seeks safety and security for Naomi and so steps out to glean in a time and culture that was foreign and unsafe, eventually to risk her very life to ask of Boaz full redemption through marriage.

To which the woman around Naomi state, “for your daughter in law who loves you, who is worth more to you then seven sons, has given birth.”

seven - is the number of perfection

Only God could have done this

And so in the end, there is a sense that Naomi becomes the mother of Obed

foster-mother -

And he would be her redeemer

Redemption through a child and a line

This makes no sense in our economy but...

C. God Alone is Redeeming this World

But he wants to do it through his people

This geneology takes us back to Abraham and God’s promise

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The forward to David - Judges ends with there was no king in Israel

2 Samuel 7:12–17 ESV

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

This was still not perfect

In fact in Matt 1 geneology Matthew is clear to include that Solomon was born “by the wife of Uriah”

So came Jesus

II. King Jesus

Matt 21 - Truimphal entry

Israel was perhaps at this time asking the same questions that Naomi had perhaps wondered in her great loss.

Where is God? What is He doing? and as the Disciples in Acts 1 - When will He restore the kingdom to Israel?

This is what was promised in the covenant with Abraham and the covenant with David

And so as Jesus and his disciple draw near to their final trip into Jerusalem he sends them to gather a donkey and it’s colt.

Fufilling

Zechariah 9:9–10 ESV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The king had arrived

Psalm 118:19–29 (ESV)

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

This was to be Jesus....