Ruth - A love story
Redemption Stories • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 38 viewsEach of us can have our own redemption story because we have a God who specializes in turning bad things into good things.
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This series is called “Redemption Stories”.
God is all about redemption.
Understanding the Bible centers around reading it with the plan of redemption in mind.
It is also the key to navigating life and circumstances: to know that God is redeeming the world and you too!
There is a short book in the Old Testament called “Ruth” which tells the stories of the ancestors of King David.
More specifically, it tells the story of King David’s great-grandparents and how they met.
Last week we heard the tragic story of Alimelech and Naomi, how they were about to loose everything. So they moved to Moab where they actually lost everything except that their sons married wives, one of which came back to Bethlehem with Naomi - that was Ruth.
We talked last week about God’s unconditional, covenantal love - hesed - It first shows up in Naomi blessing her daughter-in-law.
But Ruth actually demonstrates unconditional love and faithfulness by following Naomi back to Bethlehem, to her people.
Naomi’s hope for her daughters-in-law was that they would find love - not just romantic love- but something more substantial.
That they would be provided for.
That they would find their place in society, in a home and with their husband.
That they would have children which, in that time, was the ultimate fulfillment for a woman to become a mother.
Somehow this last thing had eluded Ruth up until this time.
What is love anyway? According to this book of the Bible, it’s much more than what many of us settle for.
10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
Ruth and Boaz is a true love story.
He noticed her.
He covered her.
And he cherished her.
To be loved is to be noticed
To be loved is to be noticed
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
True love desires to be seen.
We often forget that Ruth is a foreigner, and outsider, someone who might easily be ignored.
Ruth might have had a chance of attracting a husband in her own country of Moab.
But in following Naomi to her homeland she was essentially becoming a servant to Naomi.
Neither of them had husbands, they were both considered destitute, without family or status,
they were dependent on the generosity of others.
Boaz sees Ruth, not as a foreigner or as destitute widow but as a kind and loving person.
He heard about her kindness to Naomi.
He recognizes that her gleaning in his field is not just for her, but is her service to his relative.
There is no indication of romantic interest at this point, just genuine concern and compassion.
I believe all of us have a desire to be truly seen and known.
True love is generous.
Boaz not only sees Ruth, he invites her into fellowship.
In ancient times and in some parts of the world today, eating together is symbolic of relationship.
You don’t really know someone until you share a meal together.
He invites her to share bread and wine - what does that remind you of?
So communion wasn’t actually instituted yet, but like so many other things in the Old Testament, we see afterward that they point to Jesus and to the cross.
Boaz is showing generosity.
generosity
Generosity is a quality that's a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people in need.
Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of. When you show generosity, you might give away things or money or put others before yourself. But generosity is about more than cash and stuff. When you're forgiving and gentle to people, you show generosity of spirit. If you give others help or credit, that shows generosity. The world would certainly be a better place if more people showed generosity to others.
vocabulary.com
Our sinful human nature is selfish.
Self-protection, Self-preservation, self-promotion.
Generosity is God’s nature.
Generosity flows from an unlimited source of supply.
If you believe that your resources are limited to what you currently have, you will find it difficult to be generous.
But if you believe that what you have received comes from a limitless supply (from God) you will find it difficult NOT to be generous.
If you believe that the toilet paper in the stores is all the toilet paper that exists, you will want to hoard toilet paper. But if you believe that factories, warehouses and stores will continue to operate. You can wait for the shelves to be restocked.
God sees you and He loves you.
Have you ever thought about it that God knows everything about you and He still loves you.
20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Naomi is realizing that God has not forgotten them.
Even though her husband and her sons are dead, God is still keeping his promise of love to them.
Here is the word hesed again as in chapter 1, God’s loving kindness is everlasting.
How wonderful is it to know that God knows you, He sees you and He loves you!
To be loved is to be covered
To be loved is to be covered
1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
Covering is a metaphor that speaks of protection.
In the beginning of the Bible when mankind fell, God covered them.
At first they made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves.
Then God made covering for them out of animal skins = the first substitutionary sacrifice.
The word “atonement” means to cover.
The first time we see it used in the Bible, Noah is covering the ark with pitch to make it waterproof.
Then the Ark of the Covenant is covered with gold and the presence of God hovers over and covers the tabernacle.
That was to be a picture of God covering the sin that was atoned for as symbolized by the blood on the mercy seat.
In the New Testament Paul teaches that the husband is to be a covering for his wife.
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
“Headship” in this passage speaks of protection.
Everyone needs to know that someone is looking out for them.
To cover means to believe in and to bring out the best in a person.
But covering is more than just protection from outside elements, a covering presents a person in the best possible light.
You don’t just dress to stay warm, you dress to look good!
You dress in such a way as to draw attention to what you want people to notice about you.
This is another sense of what it means to cover, it is to draw attention to and even draw out the best in a person.
Bob Meisner wrote a book in 2004 called “Marriage Undercover” which tells the story of his marriage to his wife Audrey being rescued as they went through adultery. They were Christian TV hosts and seemed to have it all together when their marriage fell apart. Everything inside him wanted to expose his wife and put all the blame on her. God spoke to him about covering his wife. He continued to love her and serve her by being gracious to her publicly while they sought help privately. This created a path for her to be able to be able to return with her dignity in tact and to heal the marriage.
Boaz covered Ruth, not just with his garment.
A selfish man would have taken advantage of her and then turn and blamed her for his actions.
But Ruth took the initiative here, and yet Boaz did not expose her.
He covered her reputation by helping her leave discretely.
He covered her with his reputation by speaking well of her in public.
Covering allows us to be vulnerable.
Just as well all need to be known, we all need a place that we can be vulnerable.
Jesus atones for our sin by His death on the cross.
But how can we come to him and receive forgiveness if we are hiding in shame?
It is knowing that God loves us and that His love covers us that allows us to be vulnerable and to confess our sin.
4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
In relationship, the goal is intimacy.
Intimacy is defined as INTO ME SEE.
Before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed.
Nakedness wasn’t just about being physically undressed, it is about being able to be completely honest and open with another person and not having to protect yourself because you are covered by their genuine care for you.
In our human relationships, by loving and covering we give people the opportunity to blossom and grow.
if you want to have greater intimacy in your relationships, instead of pointing out people’s faults, try covering and encouraging.
To be loved is to be cherished
To be loved is to be cherished
10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” 14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”
You are a person of worth.
Traditional wedding vows include the lines “to love and to cherish”
We use the word “love” often, but what does it mean to cherish?
What does cherishing add to loving?
cherish
To cherish something is to care for it deeply, to treasure it, like the way you cherish the time you spend with a favorite person you don't see often.
The verb cherish is related to words that mean “costly” and “beloved.” When people really value something, often because they feel emotionally connected to it, they cherish it. Many of us cherish our first cars, and later in life, we cherish the memories of those days, driving around with our friends. Generally, people don't cherish things just because they cost money; they cherish experiences that matter to them.
vocabulary.com
Cherishing means that we recognize and promote the inherent value of another person.
Remember, Ruth probably felt like she had lost whatever value she had.
She lost her husband and had no children.
She was a foreigner, outside of her tribe and her homeland.
What Boaz recognized was her actions which spoke of her character, her inherent value .
Boaz called her a “woman of worth”.
Boaz was calling Ruth into her true identity.
I could say the he was calling her into her “identity in Christ” but that’s getting ahead things.
A redeemer preserves the value of another.
Boaz refers to himself as a “redeemer” and other “redeemer” who is even closer.
In Deuteronomy there is a law of “levirate marriage”.
Basically it ensures that a man who dies without children has an heir that can take possession of his inheritance.
A man is supposed to marry his brothers wife and the child will be considered his brother’s child.
This law also obligates a relative to buy land that is being sold to pay a dept or if a person is being sold into slavery to pay a debt.
It’s all about keeping the families assets in the family and being able to pass it on to the next generation.
We don’t have many examples of this in the Old Testament.
The story of Judah and Tamar involves two brothers and a father-in-law who refused to do their duty because their was apparently little incentive or motivation to do things solely on another’s behalf.
We will learn next week that when Boaz invokes the law on Ruth’s behalf he was met with a similar unwillingness which he seems to have counted on all along.
All of this points to Jesus, who bought us back from sin and slavery, who loves us unconditionally before we loved Him.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
There is much more that could be said here and more will be said in a few weeks, but for now, just know that you are worth far more than you know and you have a Redeemer - Jesus who restores you to your original value.
As followers of Christ we ought to honor people as made in the image of God.
Before mankind sinned, we were made in God’s image.
Sin has tarnished the image of God in each of us.
Jesus is the exact image of God by which we can be restored.
This is the ultimate love story, that God has been so generous with us, as to redeem us, and to bring out our value as a people loved by God.
God loves you very much!
God sees you. He notices you. And He loves you.
God covers you. He has atoned for your sin. And He presents you as His spotless bride.
God cherishes you. He restores you to your value and worth as His beloved child.
Questions for Reflection
Questions for Reflection
Who in your life sees you and really knows you? How does it feel to be known or not known? When I say that God knows you completely, does that make you feel scared or loved?
Who covers you? Who in your life makes you feel safe? Who brings out the best in you? How does this demonstrate God’s love for you?
Do you know that you are valuable? How do you know? What does it mean to you to have a redeemer? How have you been redeemed?