TOPIC: Kinsman Redeemer; Commitment, Loyalty, Promises (of God), Providence, Redemption, Trust
TITLE: RUTH - David's Great Grandmother!
TEXT: Matthew 1:5b & Ruth 4:14-15
The importance of Ruth is found in the whole of the book … not the verses - very few verses are memory verses.
Possibly during a time of idolatry and immorality; during the period of the Judges … probably just before Gideon was a judge; during a time of intense famine.
Ruth demonstrates selfless character in her loyalty to Naomi and Naomi’s God ...
In Moab, each of her men dies in turn, leaving her a widow and caretaker of two Moabite daughters-in-law … without a redeemer. And Naomi is selfless in her concern for her daughter-in-law.
It’s About God’s Redemptive Plan!
A picture of the grafting in [Romans 11] of the Church ...
Ruth provides no obvious commandments or manifested miracles, no wars or rebellions, no achievements or victories … only Naomi’s redemption from affliction ... an unusual book in the canon (i.e., without a kinsman redeemer). Highlights the providential and permissive aspects of God’s will.
Reveals mortar binding “living” stones to Chief Corner Stone; Ruth is a story central to the Good News.
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
CONCISE OUTLINE
Soon to be wife of Boaz, her kinsman redeemer; a son of Rahab and David’s grandfather; one of five ladies in the genealogy of Jesus [Matthew 1:1-14]:
Ruth is the female counterpart of Job; feeling hopeless, Naomi returned to Israel … not knowing what the future held. Then one of her two daughters-in-law professed allegiance to Naomi and her God, the Living God, the God of the living!
In spite of circumstances, Ruth was faithful to Naomi’s God; so God was faithful to redeem the family.
INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
Naomi has this on her mind:
For her day, Ruth was an exception to the rule: not a member of “the chosen people of God,” faithful and loyal, and unselfish; she was moral, self-controlled, and spiritual; as well as civil and mature.
CHALLENGE: Are you an exception to the rule for your day? Have you considered what you will be remembered for? Has your faith carved a testimony out of your life? Have you turned from trusting your faith in God to trusting your works?
The Bible says some things about you and me providentially … and has some promises for those who love the Lord and called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28]!
Those who have been redeemed by Almighty God, who were “not a people but are now the people of God” [1 Peter 2:10] should be transformed by their experience, and show this quality of God’s love to others!
TITLE: RUTH - David's Great Grandmother!
TEXT: Matthew 1:5b & Ruth 4:14-15
“and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth”Ruth is a tender story of loyalty and trust; of purity and providence; with a prophetic purpose.
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may His name become famous in Israel. May He also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.’”
The importance of Ruth is found in the whole of the book … not the verses - very few verses are memory verses.
Possibly during a time of idolatry and immorality; during the period of the Judges … probably just before Gideon was a judge; during a time of intense famine.
Ruth demonstrates selfless character in her loyalty to Naomi and Naomi’s God ...
“Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God”Naomi, a widow of the tribe of Judah dutifully followed husband and sons to Moab to survive, leaving all behind.1:16
In Moab, each of her men dies in turn, leaving her a widow and caretaker of two Moabite daughters-in-law … without a redeemer. And Naomi is selfless in her concern for her daughter-in-law.
It’s About God’s Redemptive Plan!
A picture of the grafting in [Romans 11] of the Church ...
Chapter one has Naomi (Israel) and Ruth (Church) in the Land of Moab (world).Tragedy and hardship end in joy and restoration.
Chapter two has Ruth, without a people, gleaning in Boaz’ field (pasture or harvest field of God).
Chapter three has Ruth counseled by Naomi (Law); then on Boaz’ threshing floor (place of offering/sacrifice; winnowing and grace); by law Boaz becomes Ruth’s kinsman redeemer.
And Chapter four has Ruth and Naomi in the home of Boaz (redeemer of both); thus continues the royal line of David.
Ruth provides no obvious commandments or manifested miracles, no wars or rebellions, no achievements or victories … only Naomi’s redemption from affliction ... an unusual book in the canon (i.e., without a kinsman redeemer). Highlights the providential and permissive aspects of God’s will.
Reveals mortar binding “living” stones to Chief Corner Stone; Ruth is a story central to the Good News.
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. It Leads Us to Trust the Power of God!Who is this woman Ruth? A Moabitess, foreigner, stranger; daughter-in-law of Naomi; a childless widow. Moabites were out of Lot’s oldest daughter, through incest with her father; thus, Ruth is not only a woman and a foreigner but the off-spring of immorality and incest.
II. It Leads Us to Trust the Providence of God!
III. It Leads Us to Trust the Protection of God!
IV. It Leads Us to Trust the Promises of God!
V. It leads us to …
Soon to be wife of Boaz, her kinsman redeemer; a son of Rahab and David’s grandfather; one of five ladies in the genealogy of Jesus [Matthew 1:1-14]:
Ruth: the great-greatx10 grandmother of Jesus, along with Esther, she becomes one of Israel’s most blessed and beloved women.
- Tamar, the Canaanite mother of Perez and Zerah, through her unlawful relationship with her father-in-law Judah
- Rahab, the harlot, non-Israelite, protector of Joshua’s spies; mother of Boaz, the father of Obed, the son of Ruth
- Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taken in adultery by David, wife rooted in murder, the great-grandson of Ruth
- and Mary the wife of Joseph and the virgin-mother of Jesus, conceived and born out of wedlock
Ruth is the female counterpart of Job; feeling hopeless, Naomi returned to Israel … not knowing what the future held. Then one of her two daughters-in-law professed allegiance to Naomi and her God, the Living God, the God of the living!
In spite of circumstances, Ruth was faithful to Naomi’s God; so God was faithful to redeem the family.
INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
I. It Leads Us To Trust The Power of God!God is mentioned 20 times; 3 names – Jehovah (LORD) 15x, Elohim (God) 2x, the other is Shaddai (Almighty) 2x … both times in this passageII. It Leads Us To Trust The Providence of God!
She said to them,"Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted (Heb = mara) me?"Though her faith waned, it was strong enough to recall that God is Almighty and a doer of great thingsRuth 1:20-21God has two wills – the one with which He permits us our will; the other is fixed in relation to decreed providence.III. It Leads Us To Trust The Protection of God!
This wonderful but brief volume reveals an unforgettable example of God’s providential concern for those who put their trust in Him.
It teaches us not to lose faith, no matter the circumstance or hardship … for His providential will includes those who love Him and are called according to Hid purpose [Romans 8:28].
Twenty times the verb “redeem” is used; and this in a book with only four chapters.
This book makes a special contribution to the truth that God alone chooses whom He will redeem; He is under no obligation to redeem any He chooses not to! (E.g., Orhah)“He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children.”The bible tells us ...Psalms 113:9a“the LORD enabled her to conceive [lit. gave her con-ception] and she gave birth to a son.”Ruth 4:13She believed deeply God’s eye was on the sparrow and she knew His eye was on them … she knew nothing surprises God … He is not only powerful but omniscient as well.IV. It Leads Us To Trust The Promises of God!
When all seemed lost and unfair, she turned to the teachings of her peopleThen Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.’Ruth 3:1-2When the OT asserts God is Israel’s redeemer, it points to His providential and covenant promises … and who is “the promised of God”?“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter.”Thus says the Lord!Psalms 60:7“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”So the blessing of Jacob on Judah, his son.Genesis 49:10“… it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah … .”Hebrews 7:14“Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah.”Compare this with others –Ruth 1:1,2"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.“Speaking of the Day of the Lord and judgment …Micah 5:2“And I began to weep greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.’”Revelation 5:4,5"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments …”Deuteronomy 7:9
APPLICATION: Naomi is a picture of Israel while Ruth is the gentile; separated from God and her destiny, without a son to carry on the family’s name.
Naomi has this on her mind:
“Why has this happened to me? What have I done to be without an heir to my husband’s name? Why have I been cut off?”Was it not the God of Israel, the God of promise that she trusted? Had not blessings been promised and now withheld from this child of YHWH?
For her day, Ruth was an exception to the rule: not a member of “the chosen people of God,” faithful and loyal, and unselfish; she was moral, self-controlled, and spiritual; as well as civil and mature.
CHALLENGE: Are you an exception to the rule for your day? Have you considered what you will be remembered for? Has your faith carved a testimony out of your life? Have you turned from trusting your faith in God to trusting your works?
The Bible says some things about you and me providentially … and has some promises for those who love the Lord and called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28]!
Those who have been redeemed by Almighty God, who were “not a people but are now the people of God” [1 Peter 2:10] should be transformed by their experience, and show this quality of God’s love to others!
- It was God’s faithfulness to Israel that attracted Naomi to Him; and
- it was her faithfulness to Him that attracted Ruth to her
- It was Ruth’s faithfulness to her mother-in-law and her God that attracted Boaz to her; and
- It should be that our faithful and public testimony would attract others as well!
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