Building My Relationship With Christ

Building My Relationship With Christ: A Study of Ruth

Intro

Welcome

Glad to have you with us

Last week we did a panel discussing does “such a time as this pertain to the church?”; this week we will be discussing what God is looking for in those who desire relationship with him.

Briefly summarize how Naomi had lost everything:

Elimelech dies and so do Mahlon and Chilion. Ruth is left without her husband, Mahlon...we see this is her husband in .

Earlier in Chapter 3, based on counsel from Naomi, Ruth tells Boaz how he is next of kin; however, there was a relative that was more near than he was.

Boaz states, if he will redeem Ruth so be it, but if not he will act as a her dead husband’s brother.

Starting in verse 4 of Chapter 4 we read the dialog that Boaz is having with the near kinsman:

King James Version Chapter 4

4 And †I thought to advertise thee, saying, dBuy it ebefore the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. 5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, fto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 6 gAnd the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

The New Revised Standard Version The Marriage of Boaz and Ruth

4 So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I come after you.” So he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruthc the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.” 6 At this, the next-of-kind said, “I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible Chapter 4

וְאִם־לֹ֨א יִגְאַ֜ל

This portion of Hebrew is saying, “but if you don’t want to redeem it.”

An interesting grammatical fact is that the use of “lo” with this type of verb implies an absolute nature, as seen in the ten commandments.

Our main takeaway from this is that Boaz was admit about redeeming Ruth in verse 4.

You see many scholars identify that the near kinsman or next of kin was worried about one of two things:

Marring his current children’s inheritance

Being married to a Moabite woman

Ruth’s story and the theological undertones of what Jesus was to become to His people -

He loves a church that didn’t grow up in covenant

He loves a church that wasn’t part of the levitical priesthood, but only and only by His blood can we be saved

He overlooked our sins and made a way for us to one day enter the marriage supper of the lamb if we are saved and will/have lived a holy life

Boaz’s Desire for Relationship - Multiplication within the lineage

King James Version Chapter 4

9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was jChilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, jthe wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, kto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did lbuild the house of Israel: and ||do thou worthily in mEphratah, and †be famous in Beth-lehem:

Notice that Boaz contractually bought the land and agreed to marry Ruth, which was part of Naomi’s stipulations of purchasing the land. We know from Chapter 3 that Boaz desired to have relationship with Ruth. Additionally, the “lo” statement I noted earlier plays in to how sure he was of his decision to redeem if the near kinsman would not.

Boaz wasn’t focused on the benefits as much as he was concerned with being with a righteous woman that loved the Lord.

Horizontally, God seeks those who willfully sacrifices there desires to grow closer to Him.

Be willing to go when no one else will

Be willing to put the old man behind you

Be willing to give up things that keep you from growing closer to God

Vertically, Christ is calling us to be less worried about things and more worried about relationship

Soul winning is not a means for you to gloat and say: “look what I did”…you didn’t do anything but be a willing vessel. God provides the increase.

Soul winning will not happen if a healthy relationship does not exist between you and God

Obed would never have been birthed if there was not relation between Boaz and Ruth

King James Version Chapter 4

18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: wPharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat xNahshon, and Nahshon begat ||Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

This relationship between an “outsider” woman and a kinsman redeemer was one monumental step to blood line of Jesus Christ, David.

Christ made a way and illustrated that He would one day accept a bride that would serve Him. Let this be a lesson to those of you who’ve been in the Church for a while, if you won’t serve him He has no problem finding someone who will. Don’t get mad when there the least person you expected, though.

Closing: Desire God and not just his promised provisions through inheritance.