Resting by Faith
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
Intro:
DISCLAIMER- Next week in the text there is a line that I would consider to be PG13-R that discusses Boaz & Ruth’s relationship pretty straightforward and I wanted to give our families a heads up. I talked with Sara Wester who is leading our Children’s Church this month and she has graciously agreed to allow any kids up to 5th grade join next week if that is helpful to the families.
As a parent of teenagers I think this text will be something you can have an open and honest conversation with your middle and high school students. To be clear I will simply read the text as it is written and won’t spend any time in my sermon diving into that topic, but i know hearing it might raise some questions for our younger church members.
With that warning out of the way, lets get to today’s text that moves the story of Ruth and Boaz along to where we get to chapter fours events for next week.
Scripture Reading:
Scripture Reading:
Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ” She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”
1. A Glimpse of Biblical Womanhood
1. A Glimpse of Biblical Womanhood
I think if we are not careful sometimes we can make women of the bible one dimensional characters. I’m going to tread lightly here, but sometimes we can take selected texts from the bible and paint the role of women in a very limited capacity…and I want to warn us against this…the bible portrays a wide range of women with different qualities and roles within God’s great redemption plan. I certainly think Ruth is one of them…think about Deborah, Rachel, Hannah, Esther, Priscilla, Mary- Jesus’ mother, Mary & Martha, and many others. Each of these ladies had a significant impact in the bible and each one was unique. I love this insight from the ESV Expository Commentary that connects the Proverbs 31 Women to Ruth in perhaps a way you might not previously have thought about.
“Significantly, in one major Hebrew canonical tradition, the book of Ruth immediately follows Proverbs, which concludes with an acrostic portraying an archetypal worthy woman (Prov. 31:10; cf. 12:4). Whereas the book of Proverbs envisions an idealized worthy woman, the book of Ruth narrates the history of an actual worthy woman. And who is this woman who embodies covenant righteousness? An impoverished Moabite widow!”
Excerpt From ESV Expository Commentary: Deuteronomy–Ruth
Ruth’s background and her life story were not your typical Israelite’s lady’s story, yet we see that the book of Ruth highlights her as a worthy women. Perhaps we need to re-define what makes a biblical womanhood.
A few characteristics of Ruth are:
She listens to advice from Naomi. Ruth 3:6 “So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her.”
She is willing to trust that Boaz is an honorable man, and often puts herself in dangerous situations like visiting the threshing floor at the middle of the night
Ultimately Naomi seems to have confidence in the God of Israel to provide for her, through other believers in Yahwe God. The key characteristic that we see in scripture is for women to have Christlikeness or in the case of the OT we see that they trust in Yaweh God.
Application:
What can you learn from Ruth? How does her trust in God show us an example of biblical womanhood?
How can you live out some of the characteristics of Ruth in your own life?
Are you trying to live out biblical womanhood based on what scripture portrays or what our culture or even Christian culture focuses on?
2. A Glimpse of Biblical Manhood
2. A Glimpse of Biblical Manhood
Likewise I think we can often create a one dimensional view of biblical manhood. Often times we go directly to imagery of warrior, provider, risk-taker, etc….and some of those are definitely components of manhood that we see within scripture…however the most important element we see is Christlikeness. We think of people like David who did go to battle (against Goliath and later when he became king), killed a bear and a lion, but he also played the harp in 1 Samuel 16. Later in 2 Samuel 6:14 “And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.”
Jesus was a carpenter like his father growing up, but also was known for his meekness and gentleness towards people. We could make a sermon just out of this subject, but the point is biblical manhood is more intresteded in our Christlikeness and our heart than our actions. In today’s passage Boaz gives us a small sample of what biblical manhood looks like in his restraint and care in dealing with Ruth.
1 Corinthians 16:13–14 (ESV)
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
So what does Boaz do that gives us a glimpse into what Biblical Manhood can look like?
Boaz responds to a vulnerable Ruth who has come alone in the middle of the night to lay by his feet and shows restraint and kindness to Ruth
And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
I think there is a great lesson for us as men. Boaz’s conduct reflects a loving and kind God. The reality is many men would have taken advantage of that kind of situation. Yet Boaz is determined to act nobly even thought many men would have done otherwise. He instead acknowledges that Ruth could have pursued younger men than him and that he thought there was another redeemer that was related closer and wanted to make sure he gave him the opportunity first before pursuing Ruth.
Application:
Are we treating women with the type of respect that Boaz shows in this situation?
In what ways can we seek to honor women, even when they are in vulnerable situations? Do we seek justice and honor like Boaz does?
Boaz always refers to Ruth as “daughter” which Jesus echoes when he interacts with the women at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and the bleeding women.
In each example Jesus refers to them as daughters. Do we view women as “daughters of God”? Do we see them as objects or as image bearers?
3. Finding Rest
3. Finding Rest
Have you ever experienced really good rest? I know rest can be something really illusive sometimes and for some it’s way easier than others to actually get still and rest. There’s a few examples in my life I can think of when I got really good rest, but one really stands out. I’ve shared with you guys our story of experiencing a miscarriage while serving as IMB missionaries.
Part of that story involves an amazing couple named the Lazlo’s who we met for the very first time on the trip we were making out to Western Ukraine. We were traveling there to explore working with a UPG and one the way Jess had a miscarriage. We got to Lviv and stayed with one missionary couple the Akers, who were so kind to us as well, but while we were there Jess & Mrs. Donna went to the hospital and quickly realized that was not a good option as they were not equipped to get Jess the medical care she needed.
So it was decided by IMB health personnel that we needed to travel to Budapest. In order to make that happen we needed to travel to Mukachevo, Ukraine which was the closest city to the Hungarian border and where we had another missionary family, the Lazlos living. So off we went on another car ride to the Lazlos. As you might imagine we arrived exhausted both physically and mentally. I’ll never forget the hospitality they showed us. They were an older couple that was originally from Hungary and it was like showing up to your parents or grandparents house. They swooped in, remember never having met us in person, and got us food and then said we got Lannie and Abbie and literally gave us their bed to sleep on.
Our world seemed so crazy during that time, but I’ll never forget there kindness and that rest that we got that afternoon. I don’t think i’ve ever slept so good during the middle of the day. Rest is an important concept in scripture as we see God ordain rest through his own example of creation and how it is emphasized throughout scripture. Today’s passage starts with Naomi seeking rest for Ruth, and that is going to be what we focus on for the rest of our time.
We see Ruth’s need for a redeemer as a means for providing rest for Ruth. In essence Naomi is wanting to bring to fruition all that she prayed of her daughter in laws in Ruth 1:8–9 “But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”
Then at the beginning of Ruth 3:1 “Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?” it seems as though Naomi is picking up on this thought from Ruth 1 that rest is what she is seeking for Ruth.
Isn’t that a beautiful prayer that Naomi prayed over them. Well fast forward to Ruth deciding to go with Naomi and God’s plan slowly being unfolded before them, and you can see why Naomi is anxious to see this opportunity come to fruition. Scholars debate wether Naomi simply was trying to provide for Ruth by trying to arrange a marriage for her, remember that was the parents’ role in their society, or if she was once again trying to make her own path much like her and Elimelech did when they fled Bethlehem for Moab.
It’s hard to tell Naomi’s motivation here from the text alone. Surely, it appears that her request for peace for Ruth is a pure desire of her heart and one would imagine that she’s learned through their transition from Moab back to Bethlehem that God is indeed keenly aware of their struggle and paving a way to provide for them. On the other hand there’s always the tension of sitting back and just letting things unfold and realizing what our part is in God’s plan for our lives. Regardless of the means the result we seek is still the same….we want rest.
“The book of Ruth shows us that deep soul rest is possible even now if we, like Ruth, wait for the day of our redemption, trusting our redeemer to finish what he started.Just as Ruth sought a redeemer to provide rest, our souls long for a redeemer to find rest in as well.”
-David Shuman
The scene at the end of chapter 3 in verses 14-18 we see that Boaz gives 6 measures of Barley to Ruth, to justify her visit in the sight of others, but also as a down payment of sorts for his ultimate plan to redeem her (we will finish this story next week w/the conclusion). This again is a beautiful foreshadowing of Jesus giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit until he returns one day to make all things new. Just as Boaz provides grain as a “down payment” so Christ has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit as a down payment until he returns.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
In this we can see that part of finding rest, is knowing who Jesus is, and knowing that the gift of the Holy Spirit is like a down payment given for believers in advance of ultimate rest we will find when we spend eternity with God. I love the words of Jesus in Matthew that show his desire to give us rest:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Sadly oftentimes we look for rest in all of the wrong places. Jesus offers his perfect rest, yet we will pursue all sorts of things to get rest for our weary souls. In the Old Testament in Jeremiah we see the prophet speak out against God’s people for doing this very things:
They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.
Generations later, the Naomi’s prayers were answered. The son of Ruth was the grandfather of King David (4:22), who secured rest for Israel against her enemies. And the ultimate answer to their prayer came a thousand years later, when another son was born to another poor woman traveling to Bethlehem.
This child was from the line of Ruth and David. And as he was about to be born, a priest in Israel named Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out:
Luke 1:67 “And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,”
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David”
So if we believe the words of Zechariah and believe what then happened as Jesus was born and indeed came to redeem mankind by dying a brutal death on the cross on behalf of each one of us for our sins and then defeated death by being raised 3 days later, than we should live in a manner that finds rest in what he accomplished.
Jesus is the source of our rest.
“This part of the book of Ruth aptly describes the period in which we live our entire lives.Just as Boaz pledges to redeem Ruth, so God has promised to redeem us. In fact, Jesus secured our redemption on the cross. And just as Boaz sent Ruth away with a gift and pledge, so Jesus has sent us his Holy Spirit as a pledge (Eph. 1:14). But just as Ruth awaited final resolution, we still await the day when God will give complete rest.Our world is filled with all forms of unrest—sickness and death, injustice, volatility, loneliness, conflict. But the book of Ruth shows us that deep soul rest is possible even now if we, like Ruth, await the day of our redemption, trusting our redeemer to finish what he started.”
-David Shuman
Don’t you love how we can look into the OT and see God’s promises for us today. One of the big takeaways from today is God wants s to rest in him. From the story of Ruth to our lives today he beckons us to find rest in him
Closing:
Closing:
“Jesus will transform our weak and weary bodies into new, glorious bodies. He will satisfy all our deepest needs and desires.
If you trust in him, you can experience rest even now. If you place your confidence not in your own ability to control your life, but in this Redeemer—if you seek peace not in your circumstances, but in this Redeemer—then you can sleep at night no matter what the day ahead has in store, because your Redeemer has given you rest.
As the psalmist says, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you” (Ps. 116:7).”
-David Shuman
My prayer for us today is that we find rest…that whatever is weighing you down right now and keeping you from rest, perhaps both physically and spiritually, that we would look to Jesus to find that ultimate rest.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Let’s hold firm to the promises of God and seek rest in Christ who will one day make all things right and through whom we will get ultimate rest as we spend eternity with him.
Lets pray…