Introduction to Ruth

Call to Worship

Say: Let us now begin to worship the Father the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Call to worship Comes to us from

Psalm 122 NKJV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. 1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, 4 Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the Lord, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the Lord. 5 For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” 9 Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.

Introduction

When writing his book Twelve Extraordinary women, John MacArthur was asked why he named it that, after he had named the book about 12 Ordinary men. He Said “because I’m no dummy.”

(Footnote for above statement https://thecripplegate.com/macarthur-top-12/#:~:text=Twelve%20Extraordinary%20Women%20is%20a,%2C%20and%20Twelve%20Unlikely%20Heroes). )

Ruth was one of those women in that book.

Ruth is a book that is very popular in the Christian church, It is truth overcoming hardship, it’s a story of broken hearts being healed by God. It’s the story of a good man doing good overcoming the hard things. It is a story we can all relate to. We want to see our faith lived out, and this is a story that is just that. God is the hero, god is creating heroes. God is moving, this points us to our lives, Jesus is working in our lives.

Ruth is a short book, only 85 verses, (So buckle in for 85 weeks give or take 50) and yet it is a powerful picture of God’s love, mercy, provision. It covers every human emotion from loss, love, thankfulness, heartbreak, bitterness. Ruth story is one that many can relate to has she has experienced loss, she was an outcast, and she was a foreigner. She lost everything to the point of destitution, but God had a plan for her. She is in the line of Jesus, she was provided for, and god did marvelous things in this book.

It’s also the story of

One of the greatest Biblical hero's, Boaz. you can see him as the kinsmen Redeemer that he is. Yes this whole story is a picture of Jesus and the sinner, of Christ and his bride the church. He has come to redeem us, this pattern plays out again and again throughout the scripture, let’s dive into the story together!

Background

The book of Ruth happens during the darkness of the book of Judges. The people of Israel grow in wickness, and then even the judges start growing currupt as well.(Ruth 1:1 This is before the time of the David Monarchy

Ruth 1:1 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled

Some say that this book was written buy Samuel, that was the later Jewish opinion, some say it was written by Solomon after the death of his father. YOu can see from the internal themes in the book that either of these would be fine.

This book is historical narrative, it tells a story and shares truths through that story. Hidden underneath is the divine author, who is working it all out.

He has several things he is sharing with us in this book.

That brings me to the big idea of our series, the over-arching point I believe God is making in this book

Big Idea of the book

The Loving kindness of God. Hessed (Expand that)

From Famine to Feast.

This concept of Hesed, loving kindness is the one thing you need to keep in your mind when you read this book.

Ruth: The King is Coming The Gracious Acts of God

The Gracious Acts of God. Theologically the most significant statement in the book may be Naomi’s response to Ruth’s first visit to Boaz’ field: “May he be blessed by YHWH because he has not abandoned his lovingkindness toward the living and the dead” (2:20). The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (ḥesed) cannot be translated with one English word. This is a covenant term, wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God: love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty; in short acts of devotion and lovingkindness arising from the heart that go beyond the requirements of duty or law.65

God’s Loving Kindness is all throughout this book he delivers Ruth and Naomi from Famine, from poverty, from Childlessness.

Here are 3 types

1) Going beyond legal obligations

God has established the covenant with the Hebrew people through Abrham, it was spell out further through Moses, but God doesn’t stop at what he has to do legal, he goes above!

Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth Divine Kindness

finds that it denotes a loyal and gracious act that, though rooted in an established relationship with the person(s) in need, goes beyond strict obligation. It is action above and beyond the call of duty

The New Covenant, where God lives in our hearts, he takes care of us, he sent his son to save us. This is greater then the previous covnenant. He loves us so he does more then he is contracted to do!

2) The Deliverance of God

God is a God that Delivers, it starts in the Garden, to goes until the very end of this age. An example is from Psalms…

Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth Divine Kindness

ḥesed is God’s willingness to deliver, when the psalmist asks that his life be spared in accordance with God’s ḥesed (119:88, 149, 159)

Psalm 119:88 NKJV

88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

3) The Protective God

Unceasing Kindness: A Biblical Theology of Ruth Divine Kindness

A fourth nuance is of ḥesed as God’s ‘protective care’ (32:10; 36:10 [

Psalm 32:10 NKJV

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.

His loving kindness will be experienced by you in like ways.

The Placement in your Bible

This theme is even expressed in the placement of the book in your Bible.

Their is some debate if who the Bible is laid out has some divine foundation. I’m sure God knows what he is doing, but the placement of the book has not always been were it is today, but if you follow it through history you can see the expressions of God’s loving kindness all over your Bible.

Proverbs

One group put it after the book of proverbs

An expression of this loving-kindness is that this book was placed behind Proverbs. Ruth was the picture of the Proverbs 31 women.

Remember what the scripture teaches Proverbs 18:22

Proverbs 18:22 NKJV

22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 31:10 NKJV

10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.

A good wife is demonstration of God’s favor, it is an expression of God’s loving kindness. The story of Boaz was that he was an older unmarried man who landed possibly a 23 year old! (Good job man!)

It also teach the ladies what that look like applied in your life.

We can see Ruth is a women of wisdom right away

Ruth 1:16–17 NKJV

16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”

which is the fulfillment of

Proverbs 31:26 NKJV

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She knew that the God of Israel must be her God.

She magnified Boaz’s reputation

Ruth 4:11–12 NKJV

11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”

Which fulfils

Proverbs 31:23 NKJV

23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.

She multiplies every thing for him.

Proverbs 31:28 NKJV

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:

My dear sisters, if you hear this and you think, I’m a failure please here me you can be the Proverbs women, this was written to a farming community, which was most of human experience until very recently, but take the principles and apply them.

If you fail remember what JEsus said

John 14:16–20 NKJV

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Yes the Holy Spirit will strengthen you, will empower you, enliven you to do things that you may think are beyond your ability.

Do you trust the Lovingkindness of you God to do it?

Psalms

Another group, who assembled the Talmud put Ruth before the book of Psalms, I want you to catch this,

Ruth 2:12 NKJV

12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

God our Refuge, under the secure wings of our God.

You have to understand that this idea was so powerful the idea of sheltering under God’s wings was copied across the middle east at the time.

God is a God who is like a bird protecting his young. Boaz would have seen this in nature, but also would have been taught this.

Deuteronomy 32:9–12 NKJV

9 For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. 10 “He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, 12 So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.

This image was in Boaz’s mind. God was with his people, he was Boaz’s protection.

You can see this verse quoted again and again throughout the bible by David. It was put their because it was the little book about David, and Psalms is the large book by David.

Psalm 36:7 NKJV

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Again

Psalm 61:4 NKJV

4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

David could not exist without Boaz.

Boaz is a father

This is for the men.

Imagine Boaz teaching his children this truth and what do we see 4 generations later because he was a faithful man to God?

His great grandson is singing the very words he taught his son, David would look up into the sky at night amongst the sheep and sing these words. His faith Went forward in time, his faith lasted in his family, he trusted God, resided under his wings that is what we must do. To be a saucerful man are you teaching everyone around you to reside under the wings of our God?

Let me be honest with you, this is what I want more then anything, do you?

Boaz was Childless, wifeless, and yet he rested under the wings of his God.

Are you? Are you resting under the wings of our God?

Let me push harder men, remember faithful are the wounds of a friend,

The Bible teaches we are to wash our wives in the word Eph. 5:26-27

Ephesians 5:26–27 NKJV

26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Does your wife know your God? Can you say that this is you, are you washing her in the word?

Does she without a question know you reside under the wings of your God?

You can start now.

Boaz the redeemer

Yes this man redeems Ruth from being and alien to God’s people, he pays the price to marry her. He takes on her hardship, he blesses her, he loves her, he is the vehicle of God’s blessing.

HE points to the The Greater Boaz, the greater David, Jesus.

Jesus quotes his ancestors, but also is the one who gave them the very words to say.

Matthew 23:37 NKJV

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

The God David worships, is the person Jesus. He would do that. He does that for you and me.

Judges and Samuel

Our Bible has the Book between this two.

The judges was a dark time of Israel, Samuel was failing as a judge. In the midst of this darkness God shows up.

God promises to bless his people, he promised that kings would come from Abraham’s line, he promised that a man greater the Moses would come, and in the bleak sad times of the Judges many had to question if God was working, and he did.

Ruth 4:14–17 NKJV

14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Are you in the midst of turmoil today? Are you suffering. Can I tell you that in that hardship God kept his promises.

He is a God you can trust, (Give the gospel)

The Gospel

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.