Ruth: Kindness and Redemption
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Introduction to Ruth
Show the video: https://youtu.be/0h1eoBeR4Jk
https://youtu.be/0h1eoBeR4Jk
Theme: kindness and redemption
The word kindness (hesed) appears 3 times in the story - 1:8, 2:20, 3:10
The kindness is most evident in Ruth’s steadfast dedication to Naomi.
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Ruth would demonstrate a God-like kindness to Naomi
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
This kindness mirrors God’s kindness toward those who love and serve Him!
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
The words: Redemption (ge’ullah), redeem (ga’al) and redeemer (go’el) appear over 20 times in Ruth.
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The concept of redemption dominates the final two chapters of the book.
**Ruth boldly approaches Boaz and requests him to redeem them!
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Kinsmen Redeemer:
Old Testimant law (
If a man dies with no son to carry on his name then the brother would marry the widow and have a son with her and their name would not disappear from history.
Again this parallels the eternal truth of salvation -
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This also is why the Name of Jesus is so important…
My name will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life only in conjunction to the Name of Jesus!
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So just as Boaz was Ruth and Naomi’s Kinsmen Redeemer, Jesus Christ is ours!
Who and When?
We don’t know...
The Talmud - Rabbinical teaching - attribute the authorship to the Prophet Samuel.
Some have suggested that it was written by Solomon or in his time - A family story passed down for generations.
Many will fiercely argue that it was written by a woman, probably from Solomon’s time, because of the perspective of the story.
It was likely in the time when Gedeon Judged Isreal (or before) as that was when they were dealing with Moab.
Many will fiercely argue that it was written by a woman, probably from Solomon’s time, because of the perspective of the story.
Key Takeaways:
let’s us know that Jesus was the descendant of Obed, Ruth’s son and King David.
He was the long awaited messiah who would, out of love and kindness, redeem his poeple.
BUT, Naomi was not the only ones redeemed… Ruth the Moabitess was as well. So… This deals with the fact that the gentile people would be grafted into the vine as Paul put it!
This lets us know that salvation is not just for the Jew!
3. This even lets us know when the gentile would be given access to the Redeemer.
When did this all happen? We know it was at the feast of Weeks -
Feast of Weeks has another name… Fest of Pentecost
When would the gentiles be given access to the Redeemer?
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
There is a lot of parallels and prophetic goodness in the book!
Look at the Book...
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, RUTH...
1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
First things to note:
Time of the Judges
There was a famine
Families moving because of famine was common.
Whole areas were abandoned because of famine.
There was a family
Elimelech: God is King
Naomi: Pleasant
Mahlon: Son of __________
Chilion: Completeness, perfection
This family removed themselves from the will and plan of God and joined their enemies!
They were in Moab for 10 years.
Other Key figures
Orpah and Ruth were probably sisters...
They were part of the Royal family; maybe daughters but more likely nieces or cousins of the King of Moab
Orpah: back/nape of the neck
Deals with her ability to turn around and leave
Ruth: friendship, satiation (saturate or satisfy)
There was a place
efendants of Lot and the incestuous relationship he had with his oldest daughter.
Beth-lehem-judah: Place of Bread - Jesus would be born in the Place of Bread… no wonder He is the Bread of Life!
The other place:
Moab: pertaining to the territory/house of Moab
Defendants of Lot and the incestuous relationship he had with his oldest daughter.
They were cursed because they did not meet Israel with bread and water when they crossed there land and because they hired Balaam to curse them.
Moab worshiped Chemosh or Molech (among others gods).
Scripture calls Chemosh/Molech the “abomination of Moab”
Lustful god of war that in order to please him:
Sacrifice your children or other humans
Common practice was open orgies around on the street outside of the temple.
Remember: ; Balak would hire Balaam to prophecy against Israel and he could not… He finally perverted them with the worship of Chemosh/Molech - which is defined by “whoredom with the daughters fo Moab”.
In the lewed acts would continue in the House of God
Judah’s King Jehoram, the king of Moab faced military defeat, and the Moabite ruler “took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall” ().
Chemosh-worship was introduced into Israelite culture by King Solomon, who had wives from other cultures who turned his heart to other gods ().
Chemosh was eventually destroyed in Judah by King Josiah ().
Moab was a problem for Israel from the Beginning; and would be a problem until the 7th century BC.
So they were in Beth-lehem-judah; the Place of Bread - to Moab, the place of child sacrifice and perversion.
When tough times came, they went to Moab; the place that had been a problem for them since before they were a people!
********
Why?
Boaz did great staying...
The unnamed kinsmen did good...
The Beth-lehem was here when they returned...
Some people simply need an excuse to pursue their own fleshly desires!
When you do, don’t blame it on God or the pastor!
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
Verb return or turn again is used 15 times in the Book of Ruth 12 TIMES IN THE FIRST CHAPTER.
Return (shub) = it is more then just turn back, repay or avenge a wrong
While kindness and redemption are the theme’s of the Book, return (REPENTANCE) is the theme of the first chapter.
The key for anyone who finds themselves living outside God’s plan is to return!
Naomi says; “I hear that Jehovah had visited his people with bread”, so maybe he would remember her as well!
Time to return!
Those who return, make things right!
Repay and avenge the wrong they did… IF God will remember them!
Felt all afternoon that there are those who have walked away that are on there way back!
Backsliders that have lived in Moab for many years...
Seem to have lost everything while they were there...
But are ready to return back to the Place of Bread!
MAKE A PLACE FOR THEM!
When they return, they always bring baggage...
I don’t know that it was just kindness that influenced Naomi’s decision to send her DNL’s back that day...
We know her excuses...
But it could have been that in that day a widow could have lived and even prospered to an extent (at least not starved)...
But with a young Moabite woman to take care of her, it would be infinitely harder!
Six Commitments of Ruth:
I will go where you go!
I will live where you live!
You people will be my people!
Your God is my God!
I will die where you die!
I will be buried where you are buried!
Complete and total commitment!
Picture of conversion.
Picture of OT conversion.
Many people will come through these alters and when famine comes or when a peer dismisses them because of their apparent commitment, they will turn their back on all that God has done for them...
I don’t care because I’m not interested in Orpah, I am looking for Ruth!
The ones how are going to commit and live for God!
Interesting point: Naomi was worried about them not having children...
Ruth would go on to be Davids grandmother...
What about Orpah?
The Jewish Rabbi’s tell us, in the Haggadah, that the real name of Orpah was 'Harafu'.
She did find a new husband, again the result of a shrewd political alliance between Eglon King of Moab and the Philistine King of Gath. In those days there were still giants living in Moab, but most of them had moved to the Coastal plain₃, and Orpah became the wife of one of these ‘Eminem’, or giants. She bore him four sons. Their names were Ishbibenob, Saph₄, Lahmi and Goliath₅.
When her boys were of full age and mature fighters, Goliath challenged the army of Israel, and was killed by young David. Goliath's great grandmother Princess Harafu, whom we call Orpah, was sister to Ruth.
Having killed Goliath, David was challenged in subsequent battles by the brothers of Goliath, until all of them were killed by the leaders of David’s army. Orpah was an aged woman, when Abishai, a general in David’s Army, attacked Ishbibenob, her last living son. Jewish tradition relates that she tried to hinder Abishai from killing her son, and died in the effort.
One girl finds herself in the lineage of Jesus Christ...
The other finder her lineage wiped out by her sisters grandson in the most epic battle in biblical history!
When you focus on the right things, God takes care of your future!
19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
The last four verses are key for the returning to understand:
Naomi said I left full but came back empty… call me Mara!
Naomi = plesant
Mara = bitter
Remember the bitter waters of Mara; Ex.15:23-25? Water so bitter that it was of no value...
The returning always feels like they are of no value.
Remember the Prodigal Son?
I’m not worthy to be called a son… just let me be a servant.
But God had fixed the biter generations ago!
When a person return repented, the bitter is made sweet!