There Is A Redeemer

Lead Vocalist (Joel)

Welcome & Announcements (Jason)

Good morning family!

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What to do and how to respond

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What to do and how to respond

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Revelation 5:9-10)

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10,000 Reasons

O Worship the King

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Assurance of Pardon (Isaiah 43:25)

Christ Our Wisdom

Ancient of Days

Scripture Reading (Ruth 4)

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Prayer for PBC—Hospitality ministry

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SERMON

START TIMER!!!

Bad things can happen if you use a word but don’t know what it means.

I learned this the hard way when we were in Colombia to adopt Zeke 3 1/2 years ago.

Now to understand this story, it’s important to know I speak just enough Spanish to be dangerous.

And the Lord has blessed me with a natural ability to speak Spanish in an accent that makes me sound much more fluent than I actually am.

Which can, sometimes, get me in trouble.

On one particular day we went out to eat at a restaurant that promised a variety of delicious Colombian meats.

But there was one in particular that looked fascinating to me.

So I asked our server, “Que es Chigüiro?" —What is Chigüiro?”

The server replied in a rapid flurry of Spanish, using a bunch of words that I didn’t understand.

The man who was supposed to be our translator realized I was in over my head, so he tried to help.

What I thought he said—in broken English—was that Chigüiro was sort of like a "Colombian ham."

Now I am a very happy Gentile. I think virtually every style of pork is one of the most important food groups known to man.

So I was eager to try Colombian ham. What could go wrong?

When the food arrived and I tried my Chigüiro, it was. . . fine . . . but it certainly didn’t seem like any ham I had ever tried.

It was a a bit oilier, had a muskier flavor, and the texture was much stringier than any pork I had ever eaten.

So I asked our translator again, “this is Colombian ham?”

He replied, “No, I said Colombian hamster.”

What I actually ate was a rodent that we call a Capybara.

SHOW IMAGE (BUT NOT UNTIL I SAY “CAPYBARA”)

In fact, just a few days later, we were in a Colombian zoo and we saw one of these creatures!

It’s not every day you get to eat a zoo animal!

That’s the sort of thing that can happen when you use a word but don’t know what it means.

Today as we conclude our study in the book of Ruth, we’re going to encounter a Bible word that Christians use all the time.

I want to make sure before we get started that we know what this word means.

Some form of this word is used 19 times in the book of Ruth, and 12 times in the final chapter alone.

It’s the word “Redeemer.”

But what does it mean?

A REDEEMER is someone who pays a price to rescue people from loss, slavery, or death.

In ancient times, a redeemer could free a slave by paying the price to purchase his freedom.

A redeemer could release a criminal from the death penalty by paying his fine.

Or, as we’ll soon see, a redeemer could rescue a widow from poverty if he was willing to pay the price.

With that as background, let’s turn to Ruth 4:1

The Big Idea I want you to understand this morning is that The redeemers in Ruth are meant to point us to the ultimate Redeemer.

With God’s help, I want you to see Four Redeemers in the Final Chapter of our Story:

First, we’ll see A Failed Redeemer,

Then Ruth’s Redeemer,

Naomi’s Redeemer,

And finally, The Ultimate Redeemer.

Let’s begin by looking at...

1) A FAILED Redeemer

But before we look at the text, let’s just remember where we are in the story.

Naomi was an older woman who lost her husband, her two sons, and her hope for the future.

Ruth was a younger woman who had also lost everything.

She was a barren, immigrant, widow who left her homeland to follow Naomi and her God.

Boaz was a godly, middle-aged single man with a thriving business.

But even though he was obedient to God’s law, he undoubtedly wondered why God hadn’t blessed him with a wife and a family.

Until one day God sent a girl named Ruth into his field.

Ruth immediately caught Boaz’s attention.

Boaz was incredibly kind and generous to Ruth, but the initial spark seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly.

Until Naomi concocted a risky plan to get Boaz’s attention.

And Ruth called an audible and basically proposed to Boaz one night after work.

She asked him to become her REDEEMER, to perform the duties of a LEVIRATE MARRIAGE so she could have a husband and would no longer need to glean in his fields just to have enough food to survive.

SHOW LEVIRATE MARRIAGE SLIDE

But even though Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, there was a closer relative to Naomi’s family who technically had first dibs.

And when Ruth went home to Naomi, Naomi said “Boaz won’t rest until he figures this out.”

And that’s exactly what Boaz does...

Ruth 4:1a—Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there.

Boaz heads to the Bethlehem town gate, which was the place where all the important business was done.

Think of it like city hall and the DMV and the county courthouse and your friendly neighborhood notary all rolled into one.

Ruth 4:1b—And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.”

At some point Boaz spots this other relative of Naomi’s entering town.

According to the law of the land, this is the man who had first dibs on marrying Ruth.

But notice this man’s name is never given.

Many of our English translations say that Boaz called him “friend,” but that’s a bit misleading.

The Hebrew term is “peloni almoni” which literally means “such-and-such” or “so-and-so.” [1]

So this is more like Boaz calling him “guy,” “buddy,” “sport,” “chief,” or the Christian version… “brother.”

We’ll call him Mr. So-and-So.

Ruth 4:2-4a—And [Boaz] took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.” Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.”

Boaz recruits a group of town leaders to witness the proceedings, and then he makes his pitch to Mr. So-and-So.

“You know our relative Naomi, right? Well her husband Elimelech left her a field in his will. But she can’t work the field by herself, so she needs to sell the field to have money to live on. Unless, of course, one of her relatives buys the field. If a kinsman-redeemer—like you—were to buy the field, then we can keep the legacy in the family. Are you interested? Because if you’re not, I’ll buy it myself!”

Presented this way, it’s not shocking that Mr. So-and-So is very interested.

Ruth 4:4b—And he said, “I will redeem it.”

And then Boaz, like a used car salesman who really doesn’t want to close the deal, shows Mr. So-and-So what’s under the hood…

Ruth 4:5—Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”

At this point in the story, I like to imagine Boaz with a voice like Peter Falk in Columbo...

“There is one more thing…

…when you buy this field, you also get a bitter mother-in-law named Naomi...

…and you need to marry the girl from Moab, you’ve heard of her, right?…

…you’ll need to provide for both of them,...

… and if you and Ruth have a son together, that child will receive the inheritance.”

You can just imagine the beads of sweat forming on Mr. So-and-So’s forehead as Boaz talks.

Ruth 4:6—Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

Iain Duguid explains what’s happening this way: “Mr. So-and-So backed away from the deal faster than a man faced with a coiled rattlesnake. What a moment before had seemed to be a “can’t miss” real estate deal—taking care of an old lady in return for the long-term payoff of a field—had suddenly become an investment nightmare. . . . Mr. So-and-So was interested in ministry to the poor only if there was a payoff for himself and his family. Costly ministry without any personal payoff? Forget it! The irony is that by seeking to protect his future legacy in this way, Mr. So-and-So ended up leaving himself nameless, missing out on having a share in the biggest legacy of all: a place in God’s plan of salvation.” [2]

There’s a tragic irony here, isn’t there?

Devote your life to protecting your own name and you just might end up nameless.

Jesus teaches us the same thing in…

Matthew 16:25—“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

There are only two ways to live, friend.

You can live for yourself, live to protect what’s yours, live for this world and everything in it. But you’ll lose in the end.

Or you can live for Christ, live to give to others, live for the next world, and in the end you’ll gain more than you could ever give away!

Which way are you living?

Dean Ulrich—“All of us are tempted to think and act like Mr. So-and-So. . . . We size up a situation and figure out what is best for us. We play it safe to protect our own interests and agendas. We do not seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33). Instead, we are more concerned about “all these things” that God promises to add.” [3]

If you’re a follower of Jesus, you need to repent of the ways you’re like Mr. So-and-So and instead follow the example of Boaz, who is...

2) RUTH’S Redeemer

After Mr. So-and-So refused to redeem Ruth, Boaz gets his chance…

Ruth 4:9–10—Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

Now don’t misunderstand what’s happening here.

When Boaz says “I have bought [Ruth] to be my wife,” it’s not saying he viewed her as property.

I think we’ve already seen pretty clear evidence that this is not the way Boaz treated women.

The word “bought” in the Hebrew means to acquire something.

It’s translated “bought” here, because—unlike most marriages in those days where the groom would receive a dowry from the bride’s family—Boaz is going to marry Ruth at significant cost to himself.

And remember, Ruth is the one who proposed to Boaz. She wants to marry him!

What Boaz is doing here is more than your typical marriage. He is redeeming Ruth.

He is paying to purchase Naomi’s field.

He will provide for the needs of the poor widow Naomi.

He will marry a woman that was damaged goods—the Moabite widow Ruth.

And he’s doing all this, not for his own legacy, but for the legacy of his relative Elimelech.

Boaz is a beautiful picture of what God’s people are supposed to be.

Zechariah 7:9–10—Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Though Boaz is a man with a sinful nature just like us, he faithfully lives out the kindness and mercy that God expected of us His people.

And what may be even more remarkable is the fact that Boaz behaved like this during the time of the Judges!

It’s not like he had a lot of positive examples!

If Boaz is able to show this kind of love and kindness than you and I can too!

What would it look like for you to love like Boaz?

Single men, maybe it looks like pursuing a woman with character, even if she looks like damaged goods in the eyes of the world around you.

Maybe it looks like volunteering for a ministry like CareNet, Thrive or Peninsula Rescue Mission to care for the poor in our community.

Maybe it looks like loving the immigrants around us by getting involved with our Spanish-speaking church plant.

Maybe it looks like getting involved in foster care ministry, or adopting a little boy or girl without a home.

Certainly it looks like caring for the widows in this church family, ensuring their practical and relational needs are met.

And if you love like Boaz, you’re going to do these things and more even if it costs you!

You’re not going to be content doing the bare minimum.

You’re going to go above and beyond what’s expected in order to lavishly love the needy around you.

And when you love like this, other people will take notice.

That’s what happened with Boaz. After witnessing Boaz’s sacrificial kindness, the townspeople offer a surprising blessing...

Ruth 4:11–12—Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

The people of Bethlehem pronounced a threefold blessing on Boaz and Ruth...

First, the people say they hope Ruth has offspring like Rachel and Leah.

Remember, Leah and Rachel were the wives of Jacob. Through these women the twelve tribes of Israel were born.

So the people are praying that Ruth will have offspring as great as the twelve tribes of Israel.

Second, they say they hope Boaz has a worthy reputation in Bethlehem and Ephrathah.

If you were here on week 1 of this series you might have heard me misspeak about Ephrathah.

In Ruth 1:2 it said Elimelech and his family were Ephrathites, and I mistakenly said they were from the tribe of Ephraim.

That was wrong! They are from the tribe of Judah.

Ephrathah was the region where Bethlehem was located.

So the people are praying that Boaz would have a righteous reputation throughout his city and region.

Third, they say they hope Boaz’s house will be greater than the house of Perez.

They mention a woman named Tamar, whose story is told in Genesis 38.

Iain Duguid helps us understand the connection between Ruth and Tamar: "Like Ruth, she too was an outsider to God’s covenant people, who married into the family under doubtful circumstances. She too lost her husband and had no child. Both Ruth and Tamar dressed themselves up in pursuit of a child and a future. Here, though, the similarity ends. Ruth revealed her identity to Boaz and received a child legitimately through marriage, whereas Tamar concealed her identity and deceived Judah in order to receive a child outside of marriage. Tamar pretended to be a prostitute in order to trap her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her, so that she might have a child. The end result of both unions, legitimate and illegitimate, was children who, in the providence of God, had an important part to play in God’s plan.” [4]

So the people are praying that God would take an outsider named Ruth, and use her to bring about a lasting legacy for the people of God.

All three of their prayers are going to be answered. And we’ll see that as we look at...

3) NAOMI’S Redeemer

Ruth 4:13–15—So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Remember that Ruth had been married before—for as long as ten years—and yet hadn’t borne any children.

Now with Boaz, Ruth’s infertility struggles are over.

But notice the reason: “the Lord gave her conception.”

This is another reminder that God is in control of all things.

Yes, there is a scientific explanation for human reproduction. The Bible doesn’t deny that.

But the Bible does say that behind the human activity we can see is a God who is working all things according to His will.

God often works in ways we do not understand and we cannot see.

And He’s doing that in Naomi’s life by giving her a grandson...

Ruth 4:14—Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!

What a different picture of Naomi than what we saw in chapter 1!

Now she’s got a grandbaby on her lap and a room full of friends.

And the women surrounding her say “Isn’t God good?!? He’s given you a redeemer!”

Now at first glance it’s not clear who this redeemer is. Is it Mr. So-and-So? Or Boaz? Or someone else?

The answer comes in the next verse...

Ruth 4:15—He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Naomi’s redeemer is the baby in her lap!

But in what sense can this baby redeem Naomi?

He’s restored joy to an old woman who was once drowning in bitterness.

In chapter 1, Ruth meant nothing to Naomi. All she could see was all she had lost. But now, she sees the truth. Ruth was more valuable to Naomi than seven sons.

And once again, who is the One who is working all this good into Naomi’s life?

Verse 14 says it is “the Lord” who has done this!

But notice it’s the women of Bethlehem who point this out to Naomi.

Sometimes we need God’s people to point these things out to us too.

Are you surrounded by a community who knows how you’re struggling and are willing to speak truth to you when you’re hurting?

The redemption Naomi experiences at the birth of this baby is a beautiful picture of how God works all things together for the good of His people.

John Piper explains it this way: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” [5]

Like Joseph, you might find yourself false accused and rotting in a prison cell. But God is preparing you to rule a nation.

Like Esther, you might find yourself abducted into the harem of a vile king. But God is preparing you to deliver a nation.

Like Daniel, you might find yourself in a lion’s den. But God is preparing you to witness to His power over lions and kings.

Like Mary and Martha, you might find yourself grieving the death of someone you love. But God is preparing to show His glory.

Like Paul, you might find yourself with a painful thorn in your flesh. But God is preparing to show you how His strength is made perfect in your weakness.

Like Naomi, you might find yourself a bitter, poor, homeless, widow. But God is preparing you to be an ancestor of a King.

Christian, you must learn to trust our God, even when you don’t understand.

But where do we look to grow our weak faith? We look to Jesus!

Consider with me finally, the Redeemer that the entire book of Ruth is pointing to...

4) The ULTIMATE Redeemer

Ruth 4:16–17—Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Here’s the surprise twist at the end of the story: Ruth's grandson is none other than King David himself, one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history.

But as amazing as David is, he isn’t the ultimate redeemer either.

Decades later, God Himself would say this to King David in...

2 Samuel 7:12–13—“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.”

Who is this forever king? You already know, church.

His name is Jesus.

Like Boaz, Jesus was was a redeemer from the tribe of Judah, and from the town of Bethlehem.

Like Boaz, Jesus had a mother mired in scandal, although Mary was innocent of the lies people whispered about her.

Like Boaz, Jesus was a kind man who showed lavish generosity to the poor and needy.

Like Boaz, Jesus was a worthy man who obeyed God’s law and then some.

Like Boaz, Jesus acquired a bride from the nations. Jesus’ bride—the church—is filled with people from the wrong side of the tracks. Just like Ruth.

And like Boaz, Jesus paid a price to rescue His bride. Not the cost of a field, but His very own blood.

As He said about Himself in...

Mark 10:45—“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Do you know the ultimate Redeemer?

Repent and believe today!

If you do, are you willing to follow in His footsteps? To love like He loved so that others might know His redeeming love?

In just a moment we’re going to sing a song, and then we’re going to take the Lord’s Supper together.

If you will not be taking communion with us this morning, here’s what you can do:

You can come to the table and simply leave your hands by your side when the plate is passed.

You can remain in your seat when people come to the table.

Or you can quietly dismiss yourself when we stand to sing while all the parents are collecting their children from nursery.

If you will be taking communion with us, please begin preparing your heart as we pray then sing.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

There Is A Redeemer

LORD’S SUPPER

Doxology

Benediction (Ephesians 1:7)