Ep. 13: The Widow

13 of the plant. I've you are visiting us. This your first time here you may notice. This is not super Christmas Eve of a series that we're in right now. Sometimes comes up when you do the genealogy is your Advent series, but but we're not in a Christmas sweater this week, but I am wearing Christmas socks. So there's some Christmas there. The background is still read. The reason why we're not in a special Christmas services because our goal has been to follow the whole story of the Bible. From beginning to end. We started in September. And the goal is to meet up, I sync up with Easter, and so that means that we're nowhere near the Christmas story in December, but I'll be making some connections. But we've been our goal is to understand the whole story, The Bible. And if you are new to this, then we should remind everyone. You can listen to all of our sermons online. You can watch them on YouTube or you can go to our website and listen to our podcast. You can get sermon notes, so you can get all of all of that material online. And also there's a podcast that the ministry's do every week that goes into some of the other stories were skipping over gosend and things like that. And you can find that as well on our website is called a fully grown podcast. As you've been looking at the story, The theme that we have found that unites the whole Bible together. Is this idea that the Bible? The story of God's plan to establish a Place full of people who live out their purpose in his presence. This is always the plot of the Bible that God made the world. He put people in that. He told them to rule it on his behalf. And I was their purpose. And then he came to live with them on the 7th day and then human being to mess it up and ever since then, God has been working to restore that plan. And the the stage the where I was when he's Chosen One people and he's going to work through that 1 people. And so he chose the family of Abraham and Sarah the family of Israel and their has people, he gave them a specific place, the land of Israel to be theirs and to have his name on it and he lives there with them in the Tabernacle and he has given them the law of Moses that is meant to tell them how their supposed to live in the land of his room. So the idea is that, during this time. If you wanted to know who got it is, you would look at his real. And that's how you God would be revealed to the world, cuz you can't have a relationship. You don't know who he is and you don't know what he's like. So Israel's responsibility is to, is to show the world of God. It's like now, if you were here last week, you know, that at this point in the story we were in judges, Israel is doing a terrible job of that. They didn't push the Canaanites out of the land. And so they they just kind of gave up and, and matri's instead. And through that compromised. They started to get insta. Be influenced by these other. These other approaches to God, that were much easier and more magical and, and all about immediate gratification. And so, they ended up living in just terrible ways, that that did not reflect God into the world. And the ending of Judges is just horrible. And when we pick up in 1st Samuel, it's still going to be in that terrible place, but in between those two books, there's a little kind of Novel at and it's called Ruth. And if a little Ray of Hope, in the middle of this dark Valley that were in. And but the interesting thing about Ruth is it's not part. It's it's not telling that this big metal story of his focus is on one family, and one family's problems in the solution to that one little family's problems. And took me a little bit difficult to connect that with the whole story until we're going to start. Instead of going straight to, the corn is ready to start by connecting the story of Ruth with the rest of the story of the Bible. So I'm going to, I'm going to read us the opening verses of Ruth. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah together with his wife and two sons went to live for a while. In the country of Moab. They went to Moab and live there. Now a little like Naomi's, husband died, and she was left with her two sons. They married moabite women, one, indoor, and the other Ruth after they had live there, about 10 years. Both Malin and Killian also died, and they owe me without her two sons. And her husband.

Interesting tidbit who is actually the main character of The Story of Ruth. Who's the story about so far? But Naomi, actually the main character in Ruth is Naomi. Cuz the story of Ruth is about solving the problem that Naomi is in and we start. So the first thing we find out is her situation and they only situation is that she has lost her home, her family, and her future. I only explained as you don't get all the details in chapter one. You have to go to chapter 4, to get the rest of the details about the home parts. But will you find out in chapter 4? Is that they are now. His family is mortgaged to the hilt. They, they actually would have to buy their land back in order to be able to use it. And so when there's a famine, they don't have land that they can farm. So that's why they have to leave and go to mount Tilly. Lost the Family Farm. It's been, it's, it's an Hawk, they can't, they don't have the farm, then they go to Moab and Naomi's husband dies. Now, in that culture, you have to understand main job for everyone, is to keep your family going. That's the goal is to have a family and a Heritage, right? You need to keep your family going. If your family carries the promises of God like Israelite families, dude, then it's especially important that you keep your family going. So Naomi's, husband dies, which means that her ability to expand, the family is now done. That stage is the chap. Is over, right? So she marries her son's to available when they're in Moab. So the women that are available or moabites so that the sun's jobs to carry on the family. The sons are made for 10 years and have zero children and then they die. Which means Naomi's, family is done. It. Her family is now a dead end. There is no way for her to family to continue. It's a winner Branch. It's done. So she has no future. That's that's this horrible place that she is in and it's hard enough to lose your family members, but on top of that, she's lost her purpose. That it's it's not just lost its also failure. Their family has failed.

Question, we have to ask is why? See if you were if you're reading the whole story of the Bible and you're memorizing it as you go, which I know we're all doing. Right? Like you all have Deuteronomy memorize just like I do. If you had Deuteronomy memorized. Then you would see a couple red flags go up in the story that we brought her a couple of a signpost first. In the time of the judges. How is his real doing in the time of the judges? Good bad terrible, right. This is a time. When is really doing terribly in their job to relate to go to reveal to the world? If you have to do around me, memorize, you know, that there are blessings and curses that come with the Covenant. Is if you're doing, if you're reflecting god, well into the world, then God will bless Israel because he's saying, yes, I approve of them. They are accurate. I approve of these people, but if they fail, if they're rebelling against God, then God's not going to give them those blessings, because then it seems like he's endorsing their Rebellion. So in Deuteronomy among the curse is, it says you will be cursed in the city and Kirsten, the country, your basket and you're needing trough will be cursed. The fruit of your room will be cursed and the crops of your land, and the Cavs have your herds and the lands of your flocks. When Israel's in Rebellion against God, God is going to stop blessing him in the ways that people would interpret as divine blessing. Because that's the most powerful, the most important gods. In that time. We're gods of fertility, the gods that could give you props and big families. And if you didn't have bountiful Crossing, didn't have big families. Then God, the gods were not happy with you. And so this is a very clear signal God can send. So when you read, this is in the time of the judges and their experience and famine and then their families are not able to grow. You realize, we're experiencing the consequences of Israelite Rebellion. Now, here's a big difference between the way, the Bible looks at the situation and the way the world at that time. Look at those situations. The world would have looked at a woman who wasn't able to have children and said it was her fault. The law looks at a woman who's unable to have children and say, it's the community's fault. It's Israel's fault. There's no specific blame attached to anyone in his family. So what it tells us is that Naomi was a victim of Israel's Rebellion against God. The she is living in a time when people judge people are have gone the wrong way and she is caught up in that and is a victim of it. So this connects us with Naomi's, plight is part of this story of Israel's play. She is a victim of the fact that the plan has gone off the rails.

And a question that we have. Now as we go into the story, is how can they only be restored when she is completely empty. She has nothing to sheet and she's lost every recourse. She has no land. She has no family. She has no future. There's nothing for her to be able to redeem. Her family to be able to restore her future. She has. So how could she possibly be restored at this time? Especially considering the fact that her suffering is a result of circumstances Beyond her control. She can't make Israel. Go back to the Covenant with God and it's not like Israel's in the state where they're going to suddenly repent simply because of the suffering of one woman. She's caught up in the darkness of her age. Where could there possibly be? Hope for her? I just wanted to go on a little bit of a tangent that I hadn't planned on it when I wrote this, because to be honest, the last couple of days have been a little too heavy for me. Nothing bad has happened to me or to anybody my family with that, but just, I've had a couple of different experiences that have have reminded me of how much are times are like those times or something important that I want you to remember, when you're interpreting biblical Concepts in today's Concepts that the people of God today. The modern-day is real, is not America. It's the church. Right. And so when we experienced a time, when when there is a, the world is not going the direction that we wanted to. Often times will say, always because America is on the wrong on the wrong track. But America is not the people. The church is, the people of God with a usually means is the people of God are on the wrong track. Now course, we also live in a world where certain Amplified more than others. And so we definitely hear more about the negative things happening in the church, than we do about the positive things. And I would argue that if we knew everything, we would see a lot more good happening than that, but it's undeniable that you're going to see and hear about a lot of bad things that happen. A lot of ways that Christians in America are failing to represent Christ, you know, this can go from something as big as a national scale. As people starting to ask for churches to lose their tax-exempt status because you're hearing about megachurches finding hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash inside their walls. Like a plumber, just opened a wall and it was full of cash. You could also be as personal as walking around town and

And talked and seen tears in my wife's eyes because of houses that are absolutely decked out for Christmas and very explicitly Christian. And also intermix, I'd like to Jesus and crosses and all of that and intermixing in their symbols of hatred and violence.

And these mixed signals are being sent out and in the community. And it can be hard to know what what can we do? What can I do? How can we turn any of this around? When we live in a time like this. I think that's what the story of Ruth is meant to answer. It's a beautiful story because of the circumstances start to change and in the just the simplest smallest way. When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people, by providing food for them. She and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. Then Naomi said, to her two daughters, and my go back. Each of you to your mother's home. May the Lord show you kindness. As you have shown, kindness to your dead husband's into me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband. At this point. The daughters-in-law are still considered part of Naomi's, family and her clan, but she's releasing them to go home and to Marietta other families and be able to find Hope in their own homes. And not have to be with us anymore. Orbach is your mother-in-law. Goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Here's where we going to do our coordinates. We're going to focus in on the protagonist of the story. The protagonist as the person who moves the story forward, the stories about Naomi, but Ruth is the one who moves the story forward. So in another way the story is about Ruth and Bruce coordinates are very interesting. Where is our home?

Moab and she is from a country. Other than Israel. She is not part of the Covenant. She is currently not part of the plan. She is. She's part of the people who are supposed to be reached by the plan, but she's not in the plan, right, but she's not just any old person outside the plan. How can she meet with God? Not this time. There's there's nothing that says that the idea was that non-israelite. We was coming to Israel. See is real see, what's going on the Tabernacle and and be able to understand God's outward-facing aspect of the Covenant, right? For almost everyone. But again, if you had Deuteronomy memorized and you hear them, that Ruth is a moabite us. Then you might remember this know, a man die or moabite or any of their descendants may enter the Assembly of the Lord, not even to the 10th Generation, but I did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt and they hired Balin son of a r from health or and Aaron and her Ian. How to pronounce a curse on. You remember, that sorcerer That was supposed to Kersey as well as he was hired by Moab, cuz they were doing everything they could to stop, is her from coming into the land. And so, God said, they're not allowed into the Tabernacle, in the, on the Tabernacle grounds up to ten Generations.

So, how can she meet with God? She can't she's not allowed. There's one place where you can access God's presence on Earth and she's not allowed. Finally. What did God tell her to do? What are her obligations here? What commands does she receive from God? When Naomi says go home? What obligation does Ruth have to stay with her? Or to do anything. Why does God actually ask you to do nothing? She has a free pass to walk away. In fact, the Book of Ruth does not criticize or but the other daughter-in-law who walks away. She didn't do anything wrong. She was allowed to do that. And she she that was perfectly valid and Ruth also could have walked away. But that's not what she does. Let's look at what Ruth did. Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you, where you go, I will go and where you stay. I will stay your people will be my people and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me being ever. So severely, if even death separates you and me. What did she do? Ruth devoted herself to Naomi instead of returning home. Now. This is a decision that is so strange to us when you really think about. How would you feel if your, if you had a friend who was widowed and she said, you know what, I'm going to devote my entire entire rest of my life. Everything I do is going to be focused on my mother-in-law. I'm just going to go wherever she goes. I'm just going to take care of her. That's going to be the entire rest of my life. That be a bit strange. Like that's a level of devotion that we typically in our culture only really reserved for marriage. And honestly were about 50-50 in that area too, but she totally devotes herself to taking care of her mother-in-law. When she has no obligation to, she commits.

And that decision a small, it's a big deal, but it's a small domestic decision for a person who's not considered important by anyone else. That small decision, has huge, Ripple effects that changed the world. The first Rebels as they always are our small really the first ripple effect of this, which is that when they go back to Bethlehem. They the only way, they really only welfare system. They have is called gleaning where you going to the field during Harvest and you pick up whatever they may have dropped you get the leftovers. And so Ruth goes out and she's working. And that's what she does. She goes out every day and she gathers what's getting dropped behind and try, you're trying to get enough grain to the, you can feed yourselves through the year and she's in the middle of gathering grain. She's been working all day. It's been really hard work and someone walks up to her. The name is Boaz, and he happens to be the owner of the field that she's working in. But I said to Ruth my daughter, listen to me, don't go and clean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me, watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along with the other women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you and when you Arthur whenever you're thirsty go and get a drink from the water jars and then have filled. Who tells her stay here? Work in my field? Don't worry about going anywhere else and just follow my guys around. They won't stop you. What he doesn't tell her. He's also going to instruct his guys to just like leave as much green behind as they can get away with. Just pull out Johnson. Drop it in front of her few loads her up at this. She bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him. Why have I found such favor in your eyes? That you noticed me a foreigner. Presumably pretty much everyone else was bleeding in. His field was an Israelite. Why did he pick out the moabite woman and beat? Why was he so generous to her? But was replied. I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law, since the death of your husband, how you left, your father and mother, and your Homeland, and came to live with the people. You did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord the god of Israel under whose wings. You have come to take refuge. Why did Boaz decide to be generous to her? Because he knew what she was doing. He knew why she was doing it. He heard her reputation and an n and how hard is the part? I skipped over as he goes and eats and they tell him the whole story cuz the workers know who she is. The workers can say she's been working really hard and she's doing it for her mother-in-law to. Everybody knows the story and someone Boaz recognizes her Devotion to her mother-in-law Boaz wants to support that.

To Ruth Devotion to Naomi inspired Boaz to be generous to her. It's the first ripple effect. Is that as she devotes herself to her mother-in-law Boaz sees that and says yes, that is the right thing. I'm going to support that. I can get behind that. I'm going to make sure that she is able to do that.

You got a ripple effect.

Then there's another ripple effect after that, because boaz's actions are going to inspire someone through roof brings home, all this grain. She is loaded up with grain. She comes home and her mother-in-law. I asked. Where did you glean today? Where did you work? The name of the man I worked with today, is Beau. Azra said, the Lord bless him. Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. He was not stop showing kindness to the living Into the Dead. She added. That man is our close relative. He was one of our Guardian redeemers. But she notices that Boaz she knows things about Boaz. Number one, Boaz has noticed roof and it's like so many positive impression on Boaz number to Boaz is Naomi's relative. Here's what that means to everyone. Pretty much everyone in Israel, Ruth is a moabite which means she is not eligible to marry because you're supposed to marry within your own tribe, right? Ideally within your own Clan. However, Boaz is in the clan that Ruth is married into, which means that for Boaz Ruth is an eligible is eligible to be his wife. He can actually marry her. And so she recognizes hate. This guy could marry her and clearly he is, she made a positive impression. So, here we have an opportunity. Today, only decides to play matchmaker.

Now, this this me some QT to us, but this is life and death in in the story. One day, Ruth mother-in-law. Naomi said to her, my daughter. I must find a home for you, where you will be. Well provided for see, here's the thing. What happens to Ruth, when Naomi dies,

What support system does Ruth have when this one older lady dies? And she's only connected to her through marriage. Through a marriage that husband died. No, support structure. So Naomi loves Ruth and wants us to provide for Ruth the same way. Ruth was to provide for Naomi. And so she says, I want to find you a way to be provided for. I want to find you a home. Now Boaz with who's women, you've worked is a relative of ours, they should emphasize that relative part. So she knows that he's eligible tonight. He will be when we barley on the threshing floor. Wash put on perfume and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, when he lies down, know the place where he was lying, then go and uncover his feet and lie down if you will tell you what to do. That's basically a way to propose marriage. In in a different culture. And there really isn't a normal way for a woman to propose marriage to a man. But this is a way that she can kind of do it. So it's not in the public eye and and it's a way to minimize the risk, but that's basically she's proposing marriage. She's basically, I'm sending the strongest possible signal to him that she can that she wants him to propose marriage. And so the point of this whole plan is its Naomi's plan to care for roof. So go as his generosity has, inspired Naomi to help find a to help Ruth find a home of her own. The fact that Boaz is also on the same wavelength as Ruth, and it's responding to Ruth dedication makes Naomi think a, we might have a chance here to actually take care of roof.

So Naomi does what a Ruth does. What Naomi told her to do? And in the middle of the night, something startled him and he turned and there was a woman lying in his feet. Who are you? He asked, I am your servant Ruth. She said, spread the corner of your garment, over me, since you are a guardian, Redeemer of our family. And now, we have to talk about Guardian Redeemer, because there are two options here that could happen between Ruth and Boaz. Boaz could marry Ruth and Ruth to become part of the lasses family. And now she's got a family but she's not part of Naomi's, family. The other option is the other option would be for Boaz to act as kinsman-redeemer, which would mean that instead of marrying Ruth into his family. He marries into her family. He buys her property or Naomi's family property. He buys it out of hock and he beat me and then his children are considered part of that Clan and they're able to carry on the family. That's what happens when redeemer is his God. Gave land to specific families and the idea was it should stay in the family forever. So if a man died without children than his brother would marry his widow and their first child, would be considered the son of the Deadman. Right? So that the family line to continue. So he has two options. He could marry Ruth and his family, or he can marry into her family and Ruth at an end. That second one is a much bigger ask, and that's what Ruth asked him to do. Cuz you're something The Book of Ruth is not a love story about Ruth. And Boaz is a love story about Ruth and Naomi. Because Ruth asked Boaz to marry her so that he will take care of both of them. She proposes marriage to Boaz out of love for Naomi. Now Boaz understands exactly what she's doing. And in fact, the the fact that that's what she's asking for is the reason he says yes, does his response is the Lord bless you. My daughter. This kindness is greater than that, which you showed earlier, you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter don't be afraid. I will do for you. All. You ask know she says this kindness is greater than the kindness before because she didn't just go after whatever man, you know, she happen to fancy. She specifically went after Boaz because Boaz could solve Naomi's problem. Because her marrying Boaz is pretty much the only possible way that Naomi could have could be restored and that's what she's actually asking to do and Boaz recognizes that as an even bigger deal than what first made him respect her in first place. He says this kindness is great or not word. That word is a huge deal. The word for kindness. There is Hesed. Which most of the places it's used in the Bible. It's used to refer to the way God loves. In fact, if you remember the story we told in Exodus where God declares to Moses who he is. He says, I am gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love the word for steadfast. Love is Hesed. Devoted love the majority of the times that word is used. It is used for the way God loves his people. That is Godly love. We have no word for it in English, which is why is translate in so many different ways. But what's happening here is that Boaz is looking with Ruth has done and he's recognizing that Ruth is showing God like love. That her love for Naomi is a kind of love that God shows for his people, that devotion that dedication that's not going to abandon someone that's not going to run away when it gets hard. It's going to continue to see if the other person is good. That is God's love and its moabite. Widow is the one showing it in a time of the judges, when everybody is going the wrong way, here is a moabite widow. Loving, people the way God loves people.

And Ruth Godly devotion inspired Boaz to devote himself to Ruth and Naomi go as looks at that. He said yes, that's it. That's what we're supposed to be doing. That's what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm on board. He agrees. To go through on the whole thing. Now. There's this little surprise that hey it turns out there's actually another guy who is closer related to Boaz. And so maybe he's going to want to do it. And so they they go through that whole process. Lee figure out. He says, no, I don't want to, he doesn't want to take on the family and the land. He just wanted the land but he can't got to go. So he says no and Boaz.

Did you see something about the story in all the other episodes? We've done about half of the story? Is what do people do by half of the story? Is, what does God do? Notice God hasn't done anything yet. The first trailer I had with the sermon was fearing out the three points of what God did but God only does one thing in the whole story really and it happens once they get married. So so Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife when he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son. Now, one of the complaints that people will making the modern-day about the story as it seems to fit into the whole idea that women are only fulfilled by child. They're eating, but that's not the point. The point is to remember, what is the challenge of the story? What is the problem that needs to be solved in the problem that needs to be solved? Is the failure of Naomi's family. So, that's why. When a child is born. It's important to look at why they are so happy about the birth of this child. The women of the Town said to Naomi, praise be to the Lord who this day has not left you without a guardian Redeemer for your daughter-in-law. Who loves you? And who is better to you than seven sons has given him birth. Then they only took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said Naomi has a son. You see, this song is considered Naomi's grandchild and this son carries on her family. So through the Ruth and Boaz have done by marrying by getting married. They restored her family by purchasing. The land would go as has restored, the home. And now, by having a child, they have restored the future. This family is not extinct anymore. So, God gave Ruth a child to restore Naomi's future.

And it solves the problem that we started with at the beginning. This is where God steps in an ax. He gives them a child. This is a lovely story and it's it's it's a very positive story in the middle of very dark. Part of the Bible is like a breath of fresh air before you plunge back into the darkness of 1st Samuel. I think there's some great things that we learn about God here. And it's the first one is how little he does in the story. And I puzzled over this since I was trying to figure out what are the three things God doesn't know, he doesn't do three things. He does one thing. Why did they only do one thing? Well, I think it's because of the other interesting thing about Ruth, which is there are no bad guys in Ruth. Nobody is rebellious in Ruth. There are a couple of people who don't go above and beyond or the other mother. The other daughter-in-law doesn't go above and beyond and the other relative at the end of the story, doesn't redeem the land, but those are things that they're able to do. Nobody's evil or rebellious. What that tells me is that this story unfolds basically, the way God wants it to. As if every person in the is all the main characters, the story they love each other and they're devoted to each other and they do what they can for each other. And that must be the way God wants it, because he doesn't intervene. Because I am convinced that if God's people live out the plan, he's given us to keep doesn't have to intervene. It's people like Gideon who won't listen to God and won't do what he tells them to do. He has to do the magic tricks with the fleece and stuff. But when God's people are doing what he's called them to do these accidents ocean. God doesn't need to intervene. He didn't need to step in any other place. That tells me the gods preferred way of working in the world is too small accident ocean by his people. That's the way God, prefers to shape this world because he wants a partnership with us. He wants to do it with us. He doesn't want to have to step in and override us and Shake us up. He wants to be working in partnership with us until his preferred way of shaping. The world is through the act of devotion that we take each day. And when we recognize that about God, it helps us also understand why God chose to work through someone like Ruth. The roof didn't have a whole lot of influence. Ruth wasn't going to have anybody. She wants to be able to put together an army to deliver them from the midianites know, she wasn't going to be considered grade in any way that the world really cared about at that point. But and if she wasn't allowed in the Tabernacle, she wasn't even part of the people who are supposed to find God for the world, but she was the kind of person who devoted herself to her mother-in-law, and that's what God was looking for. So what do I tell this is that God looks for people with Godly character, not person, not perfect. Qualifications. She is, we look at the world around us. We see it going the wrong way, and we see the people who call themselves Christians often participate in that. We think how can, I possibly affect any of that? If only I had a bigger platform. If only, I had a louder megaphone. If only I had more money, more influence or more gifts or what could I possibly do. The fact is that, that's not what God is looking for. God is looking for people who will be devoted to others who will take, what God has put in front of them of whatever size and use it. According to his plan in his character. That's what he's looking for. You don't need a bigger platform. You don't need more influence. You don't need more qualifications. You need exactly what God has given you and you to use it the way he calls us to use it. That's how God changes the world. And what we do for me. The despair is that, sometimes it's out of that same fear about where the world is going that. We abandon the little things God has given us to do and we try to climb after the big things and we cause more problems. And I think it's because we don't believe that the little guy can actually use a little things to create big change and that's why the twist ending of Ruth is so important because the story of Ruth is not just the story of how Naomi got restored. It's also as you find out in this little twist at the end of story of how Israel got Resort. Is that son, that son that she had, they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Date. If you don't know, David is one of the most important characters in the Old Testament and he is the founder of the royal dynasty of Israel and he is also short-term spoiler. He is the one who's finally do Drive the Canaanites out of Israel. And that is the family that Boaz & Ruth have restored to Naomi. They didn't just save some little family that wasn't going to do anything. It was Roots, Act of Devotion, to restore this family. That would become the family of David and have huge impact on the future of Israel. So, even got big as projects are built on small acts of devotion. And Ruth never knew any of this, right? She never knew that. This is where her family went. She never knew that this was the consequence of a small Act of devotion, but this is, why do God used it? And then even Dave, I didn't know how much further those Ripple effects went because of, you know, they're going to keep that in that family line of David is going to continue on its going to continue on and generations. Later. Another child is going to be born.

And that birth is what we celebrate in December, because it is out of the line of David, that Jesus is born.

that is such an amazing impact, for one small Act of Devotion to have And as we remember that, as we think about that child, that that was became this family led to it, also helps us find Hope in this moment as we look at the world around us because you're small, you don't have to hope that your small onto devotion is going to result. A few Generations later in some King, who's going to change the world. Like it was mentioned in our communion meditation last week. We hope backwards because that child is going to change the world has already been born.

Write the child that gives us hope has already been born Isaiah prophesied to us. A child. Is born to us. A son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, wonderful, counselor, Mighty God. Everlasting father, Prince of Peace of the greatness of his government and peace. There will be no end. He will reign on David's throne in over his kingdom establishing and of holding it with Justice and righteousness from that time on and forever Zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this God has given us a son just like you gave Naomi a child is giving us a child who will restore our futures to It's always we go out into a world that we can't control. A world that is unraveling and ways that may frighten us. Is going well, in some ways that we just don't see. As we go out into that world. We have hope because we know that we've already been given a child who changes everything, and we are not doing small ass. Hoping that something big will come out of them. We are doing small acts of devotion. The building on the biggest thing that has ever happened in the universe, the birth of Jesus Christ, that changes everything, and if you are feeling like you're in a place, like Naomi where you are feeling empty, and you don't have hope and you don't know how you're going to be restored. That hope is already happened in Jesus and it is available for you today, and every person can be restored by Jesus Christ.

Cuz we close. I'm going to ask you to consider taking some next steps. The biggest stuff you can take is to give your life to Jesus. If you are in a place where you are empty and you need something, you know, that you need more. Jesus Christ is available to you this very day. Today is the best day to make that decision to encourage you to come forward. During my last song to talk to one of our staff. Members of your washing online, get ahold of us or get ahold of a Christian that you trust, give your life to Jesus because he can restore you and make you fall.

If you're looking for a community to be a part of it, as we go through this life together, we encourage you to consider coming to interconnect classes where you can find out more about who we are and what we do as a church and how you can be a part of it. Or next was going to be next Sunday at 12:30 will have some food and you can attend and talk and find out from us about what our church is doing and how you can join in. If you want to be a part of that. You can check the box on your connect card. You also see boxes on your connect card for joining a small group, which is a way you can form closer relationships with a small group of people who will pray with you and then go through life with you. You can also join the service team. And with a service thing to gives you an opportunity to give back to show acts of Devotion to people in our church and in our community. And we love to give you an opportunity to do that. So ask you to consider what step God is calling you to take. Now, as we stand and sing our final song.