Ruth 3 Redemption Sought

Ruth Three

(Redemption sought¦

So far in the book of Ruth we have seen Ruth in Moab (The World) & in the harvest field. Now we see her move on to the Threshing floor. It is here that she presents herself to Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, for marriage.

1. The Preparation for Redemption Vs. 1-5

1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

As chapter three begins we see Naomi seeking security or redemption for Ruth.

?        Naomi now sees Boaz as the way that Ruth can find the help she is in need of.

?        Naomi is showing love towards Ruth as Ruth has towards Naomi. Ruth has taken care of Naomi and now Naomi is taking care of Ruth.

?        These ladies help to bring salvation to one another. One is a Jew & one a Gentile. We will see that they picture Israel & the Church as we move through the book.

?        We must also note that this is taking place at the end of the harvest.

2 "Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.

Naomi points out two things to Ruth.

• First of all Boaz who was their kinsman and therefore a source of redemption for Ruth.
• Than secondly, that Boaz was busy at the threshing floor winnowing the harvest.
• This yet another picture of the harvest field of the world for us. Remember that this is now the end of the harvest time.
• Winnowing the harvest played an important role. It was at the threshing floor that they would separate the wheat from the chaff.
• The picture before us is one of the redeemer separating the wheat from the chaff at the end of the harvest.
• We are told in the New Testament that this is what Jesus our redeemer will do at the end of the harvest time. `

`His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.'' (Matt 3:12)

``So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,  and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:49-50)

Naomi instructions to Ruth that follow fall in line with this picture before us. They are instructions not just for Ruth to follow but for all of us.

• The threshing floor is a place of judgement & we need to be ready before we go there.

3 "Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 "It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do."

Naomi tell Ruth she is to do a number of things. First off she was to wash herself before she presented herself to Boaz at the threshing floor (of judgement).

?        We as need to do the same before we come before Jesus at His threshing floor of judgement.

?        This is done by the blood of Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:7) (Revelation 1:5)

?        But as Christians we are instructed to keep our lives clear from any sin. (2 Cor. 7:1)

?        We might need to wash our lives by cleaning out those things that defile our lives. Cd's, magazines, TV viewing schedule, ect.

Secondly Ruth was to anoint herself before going to Boaz's threshing floor.

?        We as Christian anoint ourselves not with oil or perfume but with the Holy Spirit.

?        Just as oil & perfume would make Ruth pleasing to Boaz so too the Holy Spirit in control of our lives will make us pleasing to Jesus Christ.

Thirdly Ruth was to put on her best clothes before going to the threshing floor.

?        Clothes in the Bible are used in the Bible as a picture of a person's righteousness or lack there of. (Revelation 3:4-5) (Revelation 19:8)

?        We get our white clothes of righteous as Christians from Jesus Christ.

?        Yet we are instructed not to soil them.

In all that Naomi was telling Ruth to do she was telling her to act like a bride preparing for her wedding.

5 She said to her, "All that you say I will do."

   Ruth listens to her mother-in-law and says she will do all that she had been instructed to do. We need to follow Ruth example and do all the same things spiritually in our lives.

  I like what Warren Wiersbe says about this part on the book of Ruth. He says, It's not the gifts that we seek, but the Giver. This was true of Ruth here & it should also be true of us.

2. A Claim for Redemption Vs. 6-9

6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

She felt a since of trust & peace going to Boaz's threshing floor because of all he had already had done for her.

?        Would have Ruth gone to another man's threshing floor? I do not think so.

?        It would be taking a great risk with her personal safety.

?        We too can trust & peace in Jesus Christ when the time comes to present ourselves before Him at His threshing floor of judgement.

?        He has shown us grace, kindness, & meant our greatest need already.

?         He also given us His promise of forgiveness & care.

?        Others that have not come to know Jesus' love & grace have reason to fear standing before Him but not us that have come to know Him & have fellowship with Him.

7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain;

Boaz had his dinner than lied down to sleep at the end of all his grain. Boaz was protecting what was his from those that might come along at night to steal it.

and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.

So Ruth now comes up to Boaz sleeping & uncovers his feet. This way he will wake up and see her there at his feet. This is what Ruth wants to happen.

• What way she can present herself to Boaz for redemption/marriage.

8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 He said, "Who are you?"

It happens just like Ruth wants to. Boaz wakes up and sees Ruth lying at his feet. But at first he taken back & does not know who it is lying there before him. So he ask her who she was.

And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative."

Ruth answers Boaz and says first of all who she was. Than she goes on with her answer and ask Boaz to redeem her because he was a close relative or a kinsman redeemer.

?        She was asking him to marry her to carry on the family name.

?        She was also asking him to buy back the family land.

?        This would mean great cost. There would be the cost of Ruth in his home.

?        There would be the cost of having children that would take some of his inheritance.

?        There would be the cost of buying land that would go to Naomi, Ruth, & any children he had from Ruth.

?        It was a lot to ask from Boaz. Many Israelites would not fulfil the role of a kinsman redeemer because of the cost involved.

?        So I ask for the second time Boaz could redeem Ruth but would he be willing to?

It cost Jesus a great deal to redeem us as well. It cost Him more than I believe we can understand.

?        It cost Him His life but I believe it was more than that.

?        He first of all gave up heaven for earth, perfection for corruption.

?        He, holy God, took on Himself the sin of the world.

?        He also suffered separation from God the Father.

These are cost Jesus paid for us that are beyond our finding out. This shows how much He loves us. And if Boaz was willing to pay the price to redeem Ruth it would show just how much he loved her.

3. A Pledge of Redemption Vs. 10-15

10 Then he said, "May you be blessed of the LORD, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

Boaz blesses Ruth because of her upright conduct.

?        He commends her for staying true to him & therefore to the Word of God & her family.

?        She had not gone after young men in replace of Boaz.

?        This would indicate to us that Boaz was a bit older than Ruth. She may have been tempted therefore to try to find someone closed to her know age. But she remained faithful to Boaz during the whole harvest just as he had instructed her to.

We too need to remain faithful to Jesus until the end of harvest, the end of the age.

?        At times other things would seek to tempted us away from Jesus but we must learn from Ruth's example that what could be better than stay close to our redeemer.

11 "Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.

Boaz answer is the answer that Ruth was hoping for & expecting. She was not to fear. There was no reason to fear with Boaz as her redeemer.

• He had shown himself someone who loved her, cared for her, & showed her grace after grace.
• For us as Christians we have no reason to fear with Jesus as redeemer. Let us just take time to stop and think upon all the great things He has done for us.
• It will drive away any fear on rejection that we might have.

Next Boaz said "I will". He was willing to redeem Ruth no matter the cost to himself because of the love he had for her.

• We know that Jesus has already said He is more than willing to redeem us.

Lastly Boaz saw Ruth as a woman of excellence. Her life was one of excellence & up right character.

• What will Jesus be able to say about us when stand before Him?

12 "Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.

13 "Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the LORD lives. Lie down until morning."

Boaz than tells Ruth that their is another relative that is closer to her than he is. Therefore he must have the first chance to redeemer her. This shows us that Boaz was a man that lived his life according to God's Word.

?        But at the same time I imagine that Ruth did not like hearing about another because of love I'm sure she had for Boaz.

?        We will talk more about the other kinsman redeemer next chapter.

14 So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, "Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor."

Ruth laid at Boaz feet until morning. He tells her to go back home & let it not be known that she was there. It sounds like he is trying to hide something.

• I believe he is but not because they had done any thing wrong but because he want to protect her from any village gossip

15 Again he said, "Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it." So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city.

Boaz continues to provide for Ruth & indeed for Naomi as well. He continues to show his love, kindness & grace to Ruth just as Jesus does for us.

?        And He will do until the moment we are united with Him in marriage. (Christ & the Church)

4. An Anticipation of Redemption Vs. 16-18

16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How did it go, my daughter?" And she told her all that the man had done for her.

17 She said, "These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, "Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"

18 Then she said, "Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he has settled it today."

Here in these closing verses of chapter three we see the anticipation of redemption.

• Naomi was anticipating the news of Boaz as the kinsman redeemer for her family.
• And Ruth is anticipating the coming Boaz to take her as his beloved bride.
• He could come for her at anytime.
• She had His promise now she awaited the moment of his arrival.

We too should be anticipating our moment of final redemption. The moment when Jesus our redeemer will come and take us as His beloved bride.

• Like it was for Ruth it come happen at anytime.
• Therefore we need to be ready & watchful.
• Than we too have our redeemer's Word of promise that He is coming for us.
• So we have this anticipation of being with Him forever more.

Closing:

Ruth was to wash, anoint herself, & put on her best clothes than go down to the threshing floor to present herself to Boaz her kinsman redeemer.

?        We must do the same by washing ourselves from sin that will dirty our lives before God.

?        By anointing ourselves with the filling of the Holy Spirit that our lives might be a sweet smell to Jesus our Lord.

?        And by putting on the righteousness that comes from Jesus & living our lives in a matter that lives up to that righteousness.

Once these things are done we can present ourselves before Jesus our bridegroom at His threshing floor with confidence & peace in our hearts.