What makes someone worthy?

last week we saw Ruth meet Boaz, and how he cared for her. Tonight we are going to pick up and see Ruth continue to seek a redeemer, and we will find both Boaz and Ruth to be worthy.

first

What is the best gen alpha term and why?

have three students answer,

Explain how none of them make sense to me

And if im honest this section probrall wont make sense at first either so lets get into it

Ruth 3 ESV

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.”

Pray

The eplphant in the room

ok what is it?

THis passage just seems so weird to us right?

To be honest if i heard this stroy about current time, like last week it would be weird.

So this actually gets at a vital topic you need to know

It’s deemed by all the supper smart theoligians

Hermenutics, say it with me Hermenutics

HOw to read the BIble thats heremnutics

big term, simple idea.

So how we use hermenuitcs in all passages is vital, but here it becomes very apparent.

Becuase we are not looking for are oppion on a passage,

You guys should not want, me just to say my opions, no one cares about jackson oppions

We want to know what is called the authrial intenet, i know this is heady but stay with me

we want to know what is the human author inspired by the HOly Spirit trying to get us to understand and how we should live

But we are thousands of years between the writting of this text and unless you have read a ton of the bible we can get lost

because we do not know the right context

Here is an example of what does the term “drip” mean

Yeah me its nice outfit, you look cool

get this, if you went up to a grandparrent who was your age in the 60s and told them “nice drip” they would be offended

but it wasnt your intent to offend them acutally it was the opposite

so why are they offended

because when they were young drip, meant boring, lame

basicaly the opposite it means today. wild know

So why i say all of this is, that it is that example was 60 years, when it comes to scipture, it is thousands of years, so we very easily espcially in Ruth 3 with all the reedmer langaue miss the intent God is trying to comunicate. so set aside, what your preconcived notions and i promis this passage will make alot more sense

ok let’s actually get into it

Naomi’s intrsuctrion 1-5

Here we are going to see Naomi’s care, a change of tone, and her plan

(v. 1-2) Here we see Naomi caring in a way that is weird for us, she is taking on her self the resposability of finding Ruth a husband, yes this passage is a love story but we don’t weant to read all are modern preceptions into it, at that time this was the loving thing to do, people were not going on dates, th would have been weird, then we see who she is thinking about Boaz, that just makes sense, an imporant context here is he is winnowing trhowing up all the barly, and wheat in the air, and then the chaf or uneatble stuff would fly away, and the acutal foodd would stay, this was an impotant job, so much BOaz the boss would stay the night, so that no one stoll his food

get your own tots

(v. 3) Ok here what is hard, is we just think that Ruth is dressing up to get attention from Boaz, but thats a gross oversimpfications

Ruth was a widow, she would have been moring the lost of her husband, probally wear clothing to reflect that, as that was what you did back then, Job David but on diffrent outfits,

What’s happening here is a tone change in the book, from dispare to hope and yes that does mean potenally geting noticed, but because her new fit means she is not mourning her late husband anymore.

(v.4-5) here the idea is bassicaly postioning herself as a servant, that all it meant to sleep at someone feet, nothing more. Then she goes and does.

she follows the right commands of Naomi, this may seem weird to us, but it is nothing scandalus in their time

Ruth’s appeal 6-13

(v. 6-7) so Ruth does what noami tells her, note that the text is not saying Boaz was entoxicated, the idea is he just made bank on barly, this was a greatt season. a time for celebreation.

(v.8-9) Here we get Boaz’s point of view, who at my feet, its starteling him because eits unexpected, not because he did not know what it ment. Ruth here now appless to Boaz, saying you are one of my reeder, spread you wings over me, bassicaly mean dude marry me we know this from ezekial 16:8

This is also a allusion to Ruth 2:12 “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”” Boaz is speaking here

So Ruth is bassically saying how the Lord provides refuge is that she needs to be reedmer, and shes right thats what deut 25 tells us

(v.10-11) Here Boaz respons sayin that her act was kind, or hebrew hesed, steadfast loyality or love,

why because she had been doing the right thing, not messing aroud with dumb, following God’s commands, and because of this Boaz. says hey ill do this for you, because here actions has made he worthy.

(v.12-13) Ok here Boaz expalisn hey the reason i havent allready done this, is there is some other guys who is surpossed to

He has not been neglecting God’s commands hes been following them, rember he is also worthy from Ruth 2:1.

SO the reason he has been generous to Ruth, before and even now is because he cares for her as a person, not to get somthing out of it. he goes beyond what is commanded in the law because he cares, and he couines by saying telling Ruth to stay because it was not safe for a lady to be walking around at night, rember its the time of the judges.

andd that gets to the main point tonight

What makes someone a worthy person is they do what is right and they care

Literaly Ruth and Boaz are constantly doing what is right, by the book or torah. but they dont stop there they go beyond it and genuinly care, not for gain or anything.

They follow God’s commands and they care

this is who you and i are called to be

to worhip in spririt and ttruth as chris commands in john 4:24

not people who just do what is right, as a check list

no we have to care for people, not just the bare minuium

But we also are not just a bunch of fluff of emoitons and do not actuall follow Christ commands.

Guys don’t be the person who just checks off the list

dont be the person who is all bubly for Church, but doesn’t follolow Christ command

No be the person who is worrthy

be the kind of person who follow scipture, and is passionate about it

go that extra mile, not out of obligation, but because you care

do what is right and care

that what Boaz did, by following the comands for the sogerner

but he went the extra miel by giving we he should have expexted nothing in reurn because he cared

guys this is at the heart of the gospel

chirst lived a perfect life, he did it all right not once wrong

we don’t do this we mess up we sin we don’t care

but you know who did CHirst

he did not just do the rightouesthing, he also did the loving thing

laying his life down in your place in my place

because he did was right and he cared, that is why he is worthy to be king

so do the same thing this week ddo the right thing but care

News brought to Naomi 14-18

ok let’s finishs up tonight

(v.14-15) so again we see Boaz caring for two things Ruths reputation and Ruth’s needs

First we see that Boaz is samrt he tells Ruth to go away before it’s fully light because he did not want people getting the wrong idea, espessialy the reedemer who is closer

but then we see him caring for the daily needs of Ruth food, these six messures would have been close two double she got last week from gleaning. once again, BOaz was going above and beyond because he cared.

(v.16-17) so Ruth gets back to Naomi and Noami ask so how did it go?

Ruth tells what Boaz said but this is the first time we hear it Ruth 3:17 “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.’ ””

Ok so Boaz just wanted Naomi to have food thats great, but rember the question we should be thinking about Naomi i asked on week one did the God deal bitterly with her

Ruth 1:21 “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?””

these two text are in contrast with one another

andd they cheifly shoing that God infact still carees for Naomi, and has not sent her away with nothing.

(v.18) Knowing he was indeed a worthy man Naomi tells Ruth to wait and it wont take long

take aways

Do what is right

Deeply care

Find shelter in Christ

Rember it is evil times, and understanding the toxt shows the outstanding charcter of Ruth and Boaz. Do the same do the right thing, how do you know whats right you read scipture, then you do, its actually pretty easy at least intellcutlay.

But we also needed to deeply care, don’t be the person who just gets it dont

no the reason why Boaz and Ruth are called worhty is they do not just do the righit thng but they go above and beyond because they care

And finally know that you can take refure in CHrist

Naomi and Ruth needed refuge

we do to

Chirst both is righotous and will not do ill towards you and he cares deeply for you, and all yours needs so find your refuge in him

Only Christ is worthy

at the end of the day we all still sin, we dont do what is right and we dont care

knwo Christ is the only one who is worthy at the end of the day

But know that when you trust in him, and come to take refuge in him, you will because more and more like him,

you will do what is right more but you will also care more

not a easy path, but you weiell never know a greaterr kindnessindness

so take refuge in him ge in him