Gift of the King

Read Ruth 4:1:12

Chapter 4 starts then, with this other close relative. Boaz is willing to redeem Ruth but the first option to do so is granted to this ‘other man’. Ruth loves Boaz and has pledged her life to him, yet there is still a struggle over where her redemption will come from.

There are only two ways Boaz says that Elimelech’s property (and that which comes with it – namely Ruth) can be redeemed. Either the closer relative or Boaz has to redeem Ruth and no other options are available!

It’s important to note here that at this time in history family legacy was really important and we are seeing here this way that Elimilech’s family legacy can continue

So, the other family redeemer steps up and says I will do it. Then all of a sudden he changes his mind. What changed for him?

Ruth. Hold that thought.

So, he takes his sandal off (symbolism of passing torch to Baoz.).

Read Ruth 4:13-17

What do we get? Freedom! Ruth is finally free to marry Boaz and we read that not long after ‘the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.’ For years Ruth had been barren, but having come into this new relationship with Boaz, we see the blessing of God and the fruitfulness of Ruth!

Let’s step back for a moment and take a look at how this all played out.

We have this other relative- let’s call him the law.

Then we have Boaz- we have already seen that he represents the bridegroom, Christ

And we have Ruth.

So, the other relative steps up and says yes I will take the inheritance of Naomi, until he finds out that Ruth is part of the deal. Then he abruptly backs out and hands it over to Boaz.

Why? If you go all the way back to the first week, I told you this book is filled with God’s symbolism that points us to His redeemer, Jesus.

The law in itself is perfect, portraying the character of God, but it cannot free us from the power or penalty of sin. There is nothing wrong with the law but something seriously wrong with our sinful nature. There was only one who would redeem Ruth and that is Boaz. Likewise there is only one who is our redeemer and that is the Lord Jesus. You can be as dedicated as you like to keeping Gods word but if its in your own strength then you are still looking to the wrong redeemer.

So the closer relative couldn’t redeem. The sandal came off and that was that! The law can’t redeem us. No amount of good works can do this. It doesn’t save us from the penalty of sin or from the power of sin. But we see here the willingness of Boaz to do this! This again pictures Jesus ‘in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.’ (Col 1:14)

Read Ruth 4:18-22

Who loves a happy ending? Good, cause that’s what we are getting today.

We see Naomi turn from her bitterness to a blessed woman of Israel because of God’s blessings. And we see Ruth, the Moabitess, far from home, who was humble and devoted see a change from a widow far from God to a redeemed mother that would give life to King David and then the only true redeemer, the Messiah, Jesus.

Closing

What can we take away from this?

I believe there is four things we can really leave with today.

1. Following God requires us to deal with our sins.

Sin is real. It affects each and every one of us.

8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:8

We can’t ignore it. We all deal with it. We all fall short and we make mistakes. So, what’s the answer?

14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our[a] consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:14

God gives us hope because he forgives and he literally cleanses us. Does he make us sin free? No, but he gives us the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil.

Here is what follows 1 John 1:8…..

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

We must seek him so that we deal with the sin in our lives, whatever that is so that we are blameless and pure before others and can be that beacon of light for him.

Story about Christian Life/Gas station.

People see us and when we give them the ammunition that points them away from Christ, shame on us.

2. When we humble ourselves before Him, He will always guide us toward righteousness.

Ruth was the poster child for humility. And her attitude and humility allowed God to give blessings to her freely.

When we make it about us it is hard to be like Christ and therefore hard to be an example of righteousness.

Do we truly want to be like Jesus? Is that what we strive for? Think about the decisions you make and why you make them.

In this story, everything Ruth did was because of someone else. It was never about her. That’s exactly what God wants from us.

3. God’s plan is always bigger and better.

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

He has a plan. He has always had a plan. And his plan is always better than ours. You can argue that. You can even have a problem with that but at the end of the day, His plans will always be better than anything we can come up with. If you are taking notes, go back to being humble because this is where that comes into play.

Everything he has in store for us is for our benefit.

Look at this story. Naomi was making plans the whole time for Ruth. First it was go back to Moab and find yourself someone. Then it’s get all dressed up and go seduce you a man…..

Plans are fine but when they don’t mesh with God’s plan and will for our lives, it gets messy. We can lose out. We miss the blessings. For Ruth, things could have gone very differently, if she would have listened to Naomi’s plans. Instead, she followed where she was being lead and God’s purposes are fulfilled.

Where do you want to be in the grand picture of God’s plan? Think about that. When Jesus returns, do you want to be focused on your life, your things, your plan or are you seeking Him every second of every day praying, asking, pleading for Him to reveal His plan to you.

Just a suggestion. After you have prayed, asked, pleaded. Be quiet and listen for His answer. Most of the time we keep yacking or immediately move on before we get His response. He ALWAYS talks back to us. Not always the way we may want, but he does always respond.

4. It’s always about Jesus.

Listen to that again and again and again…..

It’s always about Jesus…repeat

Too often we want it to be about us, we want the attention(good or bad), we want our voice heard, we want it our way, we want the things we like……

Listen again….it’s always about Jesus….. I don’t want you to get confused on this last point.

Church, I have been in fulltime ministry for 16 years and really my Christian walk has been nearly as many. I have seen far too many times what happens when we make it about ourselves and forget who it is truly about.

The ways of God are perfect and His desire for us is to want those ways. Does he enjoy our likes? Of course, but not when it’s at the expense of our likes taking center stage over His glory.

Ruth understood her place in this big picture and God painted this amazing connection between this story and his ultimate redemption story. Why? Because it’s always about Jesus.

Church, where are you today? It’s time to be honest with ourselves. Who are you making it about? You? Family? Friends? Work? Or is it about Jesus?

Ruth’s story points us directly to Christ. This journey she goes on is the same we travel everyday of our lives. Who are we following? Who are we letting guide us?

I pray today that we remember that He knew from the beginning what we needed and His plan was carried out so that death on a cross and bearing the sins of everyone was the price that brought us back. Jesus is our Redeemer and it is always about Him.

Pray

Questions:

How does Ruth’s devotion and faithfulness pay off? What can that teach us?

Similar to Ruth, we have “suitors” vying for our attention. What distractions in this world keep us from the bridegroom? What are ways we can avoid such things and focus more on Him?

Naomi was redeemed through Ruth. How important is it to have a Ruth in your life? Are you being a Ruth to someone else?