A Worthy Redeemer
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Prayer| Welcome |Building a bridge Illustration
1. You can be prepared to face Jesus.
1. You can be prepared to face Jesus.
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? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 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. 4 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.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
Naomi begins her encouragement to Ruth to go to Boaz. Ruth had been treated well by Boaz previously and Naomi is encouraging her daughter-in-law to find rest in Boaz. Naomi draws Ruth’s attention to the fact that Boaz is their relative, of course it was through her previous marriage to Naomi’s son. Even so, it made Boaz a worthy man for her to seek rest in.
Naomi realizes that Boaz would be at the threshing floor since it was harvest time. He would eat and sleep there.
Are you Washed in the Blood?
As a result, Naomi tells ruth she should wash herself.
Look, without out getting to gross, just remember that they did not have modern deodorant. We also know that Ruth was a diligent and hard worker, which means that she definitely would have had some odor.
Naomi was essentially politely saying you stink and need to clean up!
In the same way Ruth needed to wash to prepare to approach Boaz, we desperately need to be washed clean before we face Jesus in judgement. Our sin defiles us. We stink to the Lord and need to be washed by the blood of Jesus. We need to be cleaned from head to toe.
Have you been bathed in the blood of Jesus? Have you had your life transformed by his blood? Have you repented and turned to Jesus and trusted in him alone for your salvation?
If we are going to be prepared to face Jesus, we need to first be cleaned by his forgiveness.
Are you anointed with Jesus?
The second thing that Naomi tells her to do is anoint yourself.
The practice of anointing oneself involved taking olive oil that was infused with a fragrance and rubbing it on yourself.
In some ways, it would be similar to a quality perfume or even to an extent a nice smelling lotion. It would serve not to keep odor from developing but would cover up the odor that might develop from the sweet. Ruth was going to travel from their residence to the fields where the threshing floor was at. She needed to make sure her washing was not waisted and the best way for this was to lather on some oil that would smell nice.
Another thing to keep in mind, these women were not wealthy, they were poor and this oil would have been a luxury item for them. It is not to be taken lightly. Naomi was saying go all out in presenting herself the best she can to Boaz.
Think about it like a girl going on a first date with someone they really like. They get their best clothes out going back and forth on which clothes to wear. They wash their hair and make sure to put it into the best shape possible attempting to get that perfect curl or a perfectly straight look. They move to their make up making sure that everything works together to complement both the outfit and her natural beauty. But then, the last piece of the puzzle is the fragrance to sprits in the air and to twirl through to make sure there is a subtle but pleasant smell to impress the young man.
Naomi is telling Ruth it’s time to get your date appearance on.
When we receive Jesus and are forgive our sins. We are given the Holy Spirit which empowers us to live a Christ honoring life. However, here is the beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we stumble and sin, remember sin smells gross to the Lord, the Holy Spirit is working in our lives to bring us to repentance but Jesus is all along covering us up with anointing forgiveness. Even when you stumble, the Lord is working actively in your life and his blood serves to still keep us smelling fresh to the Lord even in the midst of sin.
Are you clothed in righteousness?
Naomi tells her to put on a cloak. At this time of year, the evenings could be very cool. Naomi didn’t want Ruth to be left cold or worse get sick in the night air. It is for this reason that Naomi likely told her to wear her cloak.
Are you putting on the cloak of righteousness in your life?
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It can be incredibly difficult to walk in righteousness in this world. We face issues all around us of unrighteous living.
When you choose to look at Pornography you chose to clothe yourself in filth, instead of God’s cloak of righteousness. When you choose to gossip and talk negatively about a sister in Christ, you chose to clothe yourself with ragged clothes. When you choose to lie to get ahead of someone else at work, you clothe yourself with ashes and dirt.
However, when you lovingly support your fellow believer, support someone in need, share Jesus with someone, tell the truth, and go above and beyond to serve the Lord faithfully no matter the situation, you are putting on his righteousness as you serve him and others out of love!
Naomi finishes her instructions to Ruth saying she need to wait and go to Boaz only once he has eaten and drank his fill and laid down. Then she is to uncover his feet and lay down and wait for Boaz to respond.
Ultimately, Naomi was setting Ruth up for success with her encouragement. She wanted her prepared to face Boaz so that she could receive the most favorable response possible. While neither Ruth nor Naomi new exactly how Boaz would respond. You do not have to wonder how God will respond if you will repent and turn to Jesus for Salvation. Jesus will forgive you and you will be saved! And through his saving work, you will be prepared to face Jesus.
Not only can you be prepared to face Jesus,
2. You can present yourself to Jesus.
2. You can present yourself to Jesus.
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 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. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 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. 11 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. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 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.”
14 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.”
Ruth follows the instructions of her mother-in-law and prepares herself for being in the presence of Boaz. Things unfold just as Naomi had said they would, Boaz arrives, eats and drinks until he is full, goes and lays down and falls asleep.
Back in High School, I worked for a Landscaper during the summer. It was a hot, sweaty, workout. At the end of the long days that began as the sun rose and finished often with the sun setting. A good meal, some much needed hydration led to a deep sleep. It got to a point that any soft setting would lead to drifting to dreamland in a hurry.
I imagine that this is exactly how it felt for Boaz. He had worked hard and had just found himself in a comfortable enough a spot to drift off.
After having seen Boaz lie down, Ruth makes her next move. She goes to Boaz, uncovers his feet and lays down herself.
At midnight, Boaz wakes up and is startled to see a woman there at his feet!
If you have ever been sleeping and didn’t expect to see someone then you know exactly the kind of surprise Boaz might have felt.
Boaz asks who is at his feet and Ruth tells him her name and calls herself one of his servants. She then makes a request: She asks Boaz to be her redeemer.
The concept of a Kinsmen-Redeemer is extremely foreign to us, today. The practice allowed for a close relative to purchase the land of a deceased relative and to redeem his widow as his own wife. This allowed for her to be cared for and the land to remain in the family. Ruth is essentially proposing to Boaz and requesting he take action as a redeemer. In other words, she presented herself to Boaz as available to him and desiring to be saved by him.
Have you surrendered your life to Jesus for saving? Have you presented yourself as a willing servant to God in his kingdom?
In order to be saved we must
3. You can patiently wait for Jesus.
3. You can patiently wait for Jesus.
15 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. 16 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, 17 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.’ ” 18 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.”
