WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:21.900 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.380 --> 00:00:25.500 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.980 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:32.080 the latest message. Thanks for listening. 00:00:44.620 --> 00:00:52.060 Hey, good morning. If you've got your Bibles, go on, open them up to Ruth chapter 3, as we 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:57.880 will continue on in our study of this wonderful, wonderful book of the Bible. Well, we got a lot 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:03.120 going on around here in our church, as you just heard in our announcements. I want to 00:01:03.120 --> 00:01:08.820 reiterate or echo a couple of those that I'm really excited about what God's doing. We got 00:01:08.820 --> 00:01:14.040 our VBS that's coming up. We got a lot of things that we're kind of used to in our normal cycle, 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:19.360 but a couple of different things that we have going on. The first is on that Wednesday night, 00:01:19.520 --> 00:01:26.600 June the 8th, we'll have our meeting here, our reception time with Rick and Tina Nolan at 7pm. 00:01:26.600 --> 00:01:33.340 We'll meet over in building 2. It'll be a time of light refreshments together beforehand, and then 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:38.840 to give you an opportunity for us as a church. So if some of you are new and don't know, there's a 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:44.920 couple who are members still of our church named Rick and Tina Nolan, who about five years ago came to 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:49.700 me and said, we feel called to go on to the foreign mission field. And at that time, Tina was working 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:56.200 in retail. Rick was working in construction. And so we started down a journey with them to see where God was 00:01:56.200 --> 00:02:01.780 calling them and who God was calling them to partner with, who God was calling them to serve. And in a long 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:07.860 story that only God could write, they ended up in Athens, Greece, working primarily with Afghan refugees, 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:14.220 sharing the gospel, doing ministry, teaching English, doing a lot of wonderful things. And so as God does, 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:20.080 God has now kind of redirected what God is going to be doing with them. And so as we support them as a 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:25.240 church, and I know some of you may support them individually as a family as well, they will be 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:31.180 here with us on Sunday, on that Wednesday night, I'm sorry, Wednesday, June the 8th at 7pm to share 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:36.800 what they've been doing, but then also to share the plan that God has for them going forward. And also to 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:41.840 give us an opportunity to ask some questions about, maybe some questions that you have about that. So 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:47.320 we'd love for you all to be there and be a part of that. And then secondly, we have scheduled a family 00:02:47.320 --> 00:02:51.720 mission trip to Black Mountain Children's Home September 2nd through the 5th. Now this is something 00:02:51.720 --> 00:02:56.020 a little different for us. We've been taking our middle schoolers there for some time and even some 00:02:56.020 --> 00:03:01.240 of our high schoolers there for some time now to serve at this children's home in Black Mountain, 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.700 North Carolina. And we had this desire for like God was leading us to open this up for a holiday weekend 00:03:07.700 --> 00:03:13.120 to take families there to serve. And so because this is something different for us, we're having a 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:20.540 kind of an informational meeting on Sunday, June the 5th, immediately following the service. And so 00:03:20.540 --> 00:03:26.480 if you're intrigued about being a part of that, we'd love for you to come and be at that meeting. If you 00:03:26.480 --> 00:03:30.540 have questions right now that you feel like, man, I really want to get these answers, 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:36.340 feel free to stop me. Stop by here today. Would love to answer those. It's a place that my family 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:40.860 and I have had the privilege to serve now for three years. I think that's right. Erin's shaking her 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:46.100 head yes, so we'll stick with three for the last three years and a wonderful opportunity for you 00:03:46.100 --> 00:03:50.640 to be able to serve. And so this might be parents with their kids. This might be single parent with 00:03:50.640 --> 00:03:55.020 their kids. This might be grandparents with grandkids. This may just be a couple. And then you're 00:03:55.020 --> 00:04:00.320 like, man, we don't have kids, but we want to go and be a part of this. Well, we want to have you be a part of 00:04:00.320 --> 00:04:06.880 this as well. So we would love to have you join us on that mission trip. So this morning, we've kind 00:04:06.880 --> 00:04:13.420 of reached our halfway point, at least as far as scripture goes through the book of Ruth. And so 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:20.260 what I would like to do, all right, is take just a few moments to kind of recap and kind of build into 00:04:20.260 --> 00:04:25.800 what's going to happen in Ruth chapter three. And if you're like, well, I don't, why are we recapping? 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.600 Well, if there's people who've missed and there's things that are building, there's, there's even 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:34.760 things this morning as I was studying back through my notes and, and the Lord laid on my mind things 00:04:34.760 --> 00:04:39.900 to, to remember and to point through this. I just want to kind of take a few moments as we've seen 00:04:39.900 --> 00:04:48.360 this development of two of the main characters in this historical story of, of, of Naomi and Ruth. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:53.640 And when we see that, that what's happened and what's evolved in their lives have, have brought 00:04:53.640 --> 00:04:59.860 them to the point of where we find them in Ruth chapter three. And it's not by accidents or, or 00:04:59.860 --> 00:05:05.280 happenstance. It's not through their own ability that they've gotten to where they are. And in fact, 00:05:05.280 --> 00:05:13.000 what we've seen is some ebb and flow and changes and growth in them as they've come from the situations 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:17.660 where they were before. And so the first one of these two characters that we, that we meet is we, 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:24.260 we met Naomi. We, we met Naomi in Ruth chapter one. And we find out that she has a husband named 00:05:24.260 --> 00:05:31.340 Elimelech and two sons named Malan and Chilean. And from the, from the very beginning of the story, 00:05:31.340 --> 00:05:38.660 what we find out about Naomi is that she faces some difficult circumstances that turned to tragedy. 00:05:39.900 --> 00:05:44.500 Right? When we first begin to read through, it's like, well, that's not good. And then it continues 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:50.460 to cycle and cycle and build in her life. And, and, and, and being in the pastoral world, I have the, 00:05:50.460 --> 00:05:56.300 the, the wonderful opportunity. And I say wonderful because it's what God calls us to and eclips us for 00:05:56.300 --> 00:06:03.320 is to walk with people as they go through seasons of difficulty in their life and to go through seasons 00:06:03.320 --> 00:06:07.760 of tragedy in their life. And, and one of the things that I love about the ministries from, 00:06:08.020 --> 00:06:13.580 from small groups to, to celebrate recovery is it seems like every ministry that we have at the church 00:06:13.580 --> 00:06:19.660 is kind of built along this premise of, you don't have to go through these difficulties in life alone. 00:06:19.660 --> 00:06:27.440 I'm like, we're here for you to minister to you, to care for you and to, and to walk alongside, walk alongside you. 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:35.500 And so when we, we meet Naomi, she's going through this season, but this season will be a 10 year period. 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:46.720 And so imagine a decade of your life marked by difficulty, a decade of your life marked by struggle 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:56.460 and suffering and tragedy. And so for Naomi, this is what we see. Famine hits and she's forced to move 00:06:56.460 --> 00:07:05.120 from her homeland of Bethlehem with her family to a foreign land called Moab. In Moab, her sons marry, 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:11.000 women from Moab, which would have been not what, what, what, what God's word of the expectations of the 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:18.340 culture, both of them would have, but they marry a woman named Orpah and a woman named Ruth. And then 00:07:18.340 --> 00:07:30.740 also while in Moab, her son, both of her sons and her husbands die. And Naomi, whose heart is now filled 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:38.680 with depression and bitterness. At the end of chapter one, she, she hears that, that her homeland, that Bethlehem, 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:47.420 that the famine has lifted. And so in her depression, but also in this, this time of kindness and compassion, 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:57.160 she, she tells her daughters-in-law to, to, to, to leave her, to stay here, that she'll return, that there's 00:07:57.160 --> 00:08:03.360 nothing for them. There's, there's no benefit for them to leave and to go with her. There's no hope for 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:10.200 them awaiting in Bethlehem and no possibility for hope to, to come to them because there are no sons, 00:08:10.200 --> 00:08:17.200 there are no grandsons, there's no hope for them. And this is our feeling of Naomi. This is the story 00:08:17.200 --> 00:08:26.640 of Naomi in chapter one. And then this is where we meet Ruth. Now, every part of the character of Naomi, 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:34.560 of how she's processing and, and walking through all of this tragedy within her life, seems to be the 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:40.240 opposite portrayal for Ruth. Now, I'm not saying that, that Ruth had it easy. I'm not saying that at all 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:48.460 because Ruth is walking through these matters with her as well. But upon Naomi saying to, to her 00:08:48.460 --> 00:08:58.080 daughter-in-laws, y'all stay, right? Y'all stay. Ruth says, no, I'm going to go with you. The, the other 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:02.660 daughter-in-law, Orpah, she says, no, I'm going to, I'm going to stay. Thank you for releasing me. 00:09:02.660 --> 00:09:08.900 I'm good. And Ruth is like, no, I'm going. And I want to read to you Ruth's response in chapter one, 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:17.400 16 and 17. It said, but Ruth said, do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. So, 00:09:17.400 --> 00:09:23.380 so, so Ruth says like, stop trying to talk me out of this. And as we go, what I don't want to hear is 00:09:23.380 --> 00:09:26.760 you shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't have done this. 00:09:27.760 --> 00:09:35.040 And then she says this, she says, for where you go, I will go. And where you lodge, I will lodge. 00:09:35.380 --> 00:09:43.660 Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there will I be 00:09:43.660 --> 00:09:51.620 buried. May the Lord do so to me. And more also, if anything, but death parts me from you. 00:09:52.620 --> 00:10:02.100 So she says, look, if you're going to Bethlehem, then I'm going. Wherever and however, this is 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:11.460 important. Wherever and however you live, that's how I will live. If you live in poverty, I will live 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:19.240 in poverty. If you live in homelessness, I will live in homelessness. Wherever and however you live, 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:27.320 I will live. Remember, she's a foreigner from a foreign land. Different people, different customs. 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:37.040 She says, your people will be my people. Your customs will be my customs. And at some point in time, 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:44.800 and we aren't fully sure, but at some point in time, Ruth, who's from Moab, a pagan land from a pagan 00:10:44.800 --> 00:10:52.740 people, she places her faith in God. The God that she's seen in the life of Naomi, that she's seen 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:58.440 in the life of Elimelech, that she's seen in the life of her husband. In spite of all that they've 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:07.360 gone through, in spite of all that they've faced. And then she says, and where you die, that is where I 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:16.680 will die as well. She says, look, there's no going back. There's no do-over for me. There's no, you're 00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:21.680 going to wake up one morning with, with me sitting at the table saying, you know, I've reconsidered my 00:11:21.680 --> 00:11:29.700 options. And you know what? It's better if I return. So where you die, that's where I will die because I will 00:11:29.700 --> 00:11:40.160 be so deeply vested in what's going on in here. And I'm here. And so in the midst of all of the tragedy 00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:46.760 that Ruth has faced, she's going to stick through this. Now, here's what I want to kind of build in. 00:11:46.900 --> 00:11:52.520 And we talked a little bit about Naomi and her depression last week, okay? I want to talk about 00:11:52.520 --> 00:12:03.340 this. The reason for Naomi's deep battle with lost hope is not solely found in the tragedy that she's 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:08.260 experienced. All right? What you think about that is you've walked through that in your life. 00:12:09.420 --> 00:12:18.220 The reason for her depression, the reason for her feeling of lost hope is not just because the 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:24.380 tragedy that she's experienced is because she feels like there's no hope to cling to. 00:12:26.460 --> 00:12:31.740 There's nothing in the future that I can say that this is going to be all worth it, 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:41.200 that I can cling to, that I can hold on to. What has happened to me in the past will continue to be 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:49.160 my reality and my burden to bear for the rest of my life? It's where Naomi finds herself. 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:58.760 Culturally speaking, it's extremely difficult for a woman to care for herself. If there were no 00:12:58.760 --> 00:13:09.940 husband, no sons, no grandsons, and Naomi looks at her stay in life and says, this is where I am. 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:19.740 And there's nothing to change that, right? It's common practice if a woman lost her husband for a 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:25.060 relative of that husband to marry that woman so that she would be cared for, so that she'd be 00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:32.200 provided for, so that the lineage would continue. And in Naomi's mind, it's gone. 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:39.260 But recap chapter 2, right? We talked about this a lot. Chapter 2 begins with, now Naomi had a relative 00:13:39.260 --> 00:13:47.400 of her husband's, a man worthy of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Right? There was hope. 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:56.200 There is hope. And that's how chapter 2 begins for us. Like, it looks like just a historical statement of 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:03.040 fact. But we find out, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hope is not lost. That there is hope for a redeemer 00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:09.560 to come in and save. There's life. There's promise to be fulfilled. 00:14:11.560 --> 00:14:19.480 And so Ruth, being the one who's continually lived in this battle of hope, heads out to live in that 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:26.540 reality. As Naomi is caught in her depression and the darkness, Ruth is going to walk in the hope of 00:14:26.540 --> 00:14:33.140 the life that she has. And she heads out that morning to basically pick up the left behind crops 00:14:33.140 --> 00:14:40.420 that have been left in the field. All that's fallen apart as the reapers have come through and harvested 00:14:40.420 --> 00:14:47.720 the crop that was there. All that's been now stepped on and mixed with the dirt and all that that is left 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:56.820 behind. She's going to go through herself and dig down in and sift through and glean from the field of 00:14:56.820 --> 00:15:06.340 what's left over. All pride being left aside and in full humility. She's going to be like the poor and 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:13.000 the other widows that this is what they would come to do. And it was in that field that became, that was the 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:20.040 field of Boaz where this connection that we're going to talk about this morning is made. 00:15:21.640 --> 00:15:30.180 That Boaz will care for her. That Boaz will be gracious to her. That Boaz will abundantly 00:15:30.180 --> 00:15:36.860 step up to the plate for what needs to be done just here briefly in this moment. 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:42.520 And we've seen over the last couple weeks a couple of things, a couple of theological pieces that are going to 00:15:42.520 --> 00:15:47.620 really spill in to this morning. That's going to tie it all together for us. And so I want to look at a 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:52.380 couple of different verses of reminder from last week that point us to that. The first one is chapter 2, 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:55.880 verse 20. And if you've got your Bibles, just turn the page maybe and look right there. 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:01.160 Naomi says to Ruth, after finding out that Ruth was in the field of Boaz 00:16:01.160 --> 00:16:05.800 and has met him. Naomi says this, verse 20, and Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:11.360 may he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. 00:16:12.580 --> 00:16:18.220 And Naomi also said to her, the man is the close relative of ours, one of our redeemers. 00:16:19.380 --> 00:16:25.300 And what we see in here, of what we have seen completely in the life of Naomi that we talked 00:16:25.300 --> 00:16:33.900 about is the providence of God. That all of the events of this story have not escaped or fled from 00:16:33.900 --> 00:16:40.780 the hand or the control or the sovereign nature of who God is. That from the famine to the wandering 00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:47.560 to the marriages to returning, that all of this is happening in the hand and the care of God. 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:52.180 Both everything that's happened positively and everything that has happened negatively. Now, 00:16:52.180 --> 00:16:58.060 it's hard for Naomi in these moments to see this, but her words were, may he be blessed by the Lord 00:16:58.060 --> 00:17:04.940 whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. Right? He's kind to both is what they've 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:13.920 walked through and they experienced. Right? And she's missed it though. She's missed it in leading up 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:21.000 into this moment. Until that moment where Ruth walks into the house with the bags of crops that are 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:29.000 overflowing with a meal that has been prepared that she can share with Naomi. Naomi has, has missed it all. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:35.480 And, and, and, and if you've walked through these seasons of life, you can identify with Naomi in 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:41.460 this, but, but it goes to, can you only point us that, that God uses both the difficult and the tragedy 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:49.040 to grow us and better us. And when we cling to him, when we cling to his promises and our faith and 00:17:49.040 --> 00:17:53.600 trust in him, what he does is he works and he deepens those and he strengthens those. 00:17:53.600 --> 00:18:03.620 And what we see in the faith of Naomi and the faith of Ruth and in our faith that we share in your 00:18:03.620 --> 00:18:11.040 experiences and my experiences is that Christianity does not remove the difficulty of this world from affecting 00:18:11.040 --> 00:18:23.360 us and bringing tragedy and suffering, but God is all powerful and God is holy and he uses every moment of that for his good 00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:34.160 and for his glory and for our betterment and our strength. Every part of it. He's working and he's using. 00:18:35.040 --> 00:18:42.000 And if nothing else, as you read through the story and these pages, could that rest in your heart 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:49.600 that God's using it all? He's not wasting a moment. He's not wasting a second. He's not wasting a 00:18:49.600 --> 00:19:00.720 heartbeat of your life, of what God is doing. And then the other that we, we saw last week is the, is the refuge in God. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:06.880 And now I said, Boaz allowed Ruth to glean from the fields and he blesses her with extra crop and he blesses 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:13.520 her with extra food and with other provisions and care for her. And, and, and Ruth did not expect this 00:19:13.520 --> 00:19:21.200 level of kindness. And, and she asked Boaz why he would do this. And I want you to, to, to hear his 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:26.640 response. I believe it's in verse 12. He says, he says, the Lord repay you for what you have done 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:34.640 and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:42.960 refuge. Now we talked about this in our introduction a few weeks ago. If we're not careful as we read 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:57.760 through chapter three and next week, chapter four, we can begin to think that, that, that Boaz is the hero. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:06.880 They're not. God is. God's the hero of our life. God's the hero of scripture. It's the hero of this 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:14.720 story that's unfolding. And so when Boaz says to, or when Ruth says to him, what have I done to deserve 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:21.600 this? He says, the Lord repay you for what you have done and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:28.500 the God of Israel under whose wings, this is the important part, under whose wings you have come to take 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:35.480 refuge. Boaz says, all that you have done and Ruth has proven herself to be a woman of high character. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:42.600 She's, she's proven herself to be a woman that all men and all women should look at and learn from 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:50.940 and evaluate in their lives. But Boaz says, but it's, it's not because of you. 00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:59.580 It's because you've placed yourself under the wings of the Lord. 00:21:02.300 --> 00:21:07.180 If you've heard me preach before, I probably quote this man, uh, outside of scripture more than anybody 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:11.820 else. And it's a pastor from South Carolina, pastor to Minneapolis, Minnesota by the name of John 00:21:11.820 --> 00:21:17.220 Piper. And he said this, when you fly under the wings of God, he is put on display. 00:21:18.860 --> 00:21:24.400 I love that. When you fly under the wings of the Lord, he is put on display. 00:21:25.860 --> 00:21:35.040 He is what is seen, not you. So as we're reading the story of Ruth and who she is, we're not seeing 00:21:35.040 --> 00:21:41.360 the story of Ruth's faithfulness, but we're seeing the story of God's faithfulness. Because Ruth said, 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:50.380 your God is my God. And I'll trust as I go. And I'll trust as I walk. You see, we, we find our refuge, 00:21:50.960 --> 00:22:02.280 not on him, not by him, but in him, but in him. And he is what is seen and he is what is praised. 00:22:03.800 --> 00:22:11.800 Maybe in one of the longest introductions that I've ever had this morning, we're going to talk about 00:22:11.800 --> 00:22:17.100 the strategic righteousness. Chapter three, we'll start reading verse one. 00:22:17.100 --> 00:22:23.920 Then Naomi, her mother-in-law said to her, 00:22:25.560 --> 00:22:28.900 my daughter, should I not seek rest for you that it may be well with you? 00:22:30.060 --> 00:22:34.000 It's not Boaz, our relative, with whose young women you were? 00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:39.200 See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:44.240 Wash, therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your cloak 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:46.860 and go down to the threshing floor. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:52.820 But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:57.440 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:01.420 and then go and uncover his feet and lie down 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:03.560 and he will tell you what to do. 00:23:04.620 --> 00:23:05.600 And she replied, 00:23:06.080 --> 00:23:12.900 What we're going to see, we're going to look at chapter three in three different sections 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:21.860 and we're going to see three strategies that are given and then played out by Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:27.520 As what they need in life, as what they're journeying for in life 00:23:27.520 --> 00:23:30.400 and as they all have these strategies that unfold. 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:37.220 And I want to unfold these and kind of explain a little bit of what's going on in each one of these 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:44.000 and to come to see that what we're building toward is this positioning of strategic righteousness 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:50.060 that they're seeking in their lives of what they long for and what they desire. 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:53.760 And so here we see Naomi's strategy. 00:23:54.780 --> 00:23:56.460 And I remember just a few verses before. 00:23:57.420 --> 00:23:58.840 Naomi was a defeated woman. 00:23:59.600 --> 00:24:01.280 And now she's a woman with a plan. 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:04.840 She remembers there's Boaz. 00:24:05.180 --> 00:24:06.520 And she wants Ruth. 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:08.000 Like, she doesn't have this. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:13.520 She wants Ruth to be the wife of Boaz. 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:15.800 Now, I want to say this. 00:24:16.560 --> 00:24:24.160 There are some people who think that what Naomi is setting before is filled with sexual seduction. 00:24:24.340 --> 00:24:25.540 And I don't believe that at all. 00:24:26.560 --> 00:24:29.720 I think there are some things culturally that are different than us. 00:24:30.260 --> 00:24:31.840 We don't fully understand. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:35.620 And so we want to try to walk through that and understand that, okay? 00:24:36.100 --> 00:24:48.720 And so she saw that Boaz had been very kind and godly to a woman who's desperate. 00:24:50.100 --> 00:24:52.760 Let's pause for a second as I'm a dad with a daughter. 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:57.280 Girls, all right? 00:24:57.780 --> 00:24:59.020 That's what you look for. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.480 Kind and godly and good. 00:25:05.120 --> 00:25:13.060 That when you feel like you have your needs and your longings that need to be fulfilled by someone. 00:25:14.320 --> 00:25:21.520 And if there is any man that doesn't try to fulfill those through the plan of the Lord. 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:27.920 Then all he will continue to be is one that takes advantage of you for his own selfish desires. 00:25:29.120 --> 00:25:30.440 And to pursue that. 00:25:32.280 --> 00:25:37.600 And as I'm also a dad with a son, boys the exact same way. 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:43.160 And what we're going to see in here, what is so beautiful, 00:25:43.820 --> 00:25:53.320 is the picture when a woman who loves the Lord and a man who loves the Lord pursue each other under the standard of the Lord. 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:56.760 And so Naomi wants Ruth to do some things. 00:25:57.800 --> 00:25:58.620 She says, hey, go. 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:01.400 You've been out working in the field. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:03.860 Go clean up a little bit, right? 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:08.660 Go beautify yourself is what we see in Scripture. 00:26:10.020 --> 00:26:12.200 And then Boaz has been in the barn working. 00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:12.900 And we don't know. 00:26:13.060 --> 00:26:14.720 He's the owner of the field. 00:26:15.020 --> 00:26:19.400 We don't know why he's the one in the barn doing the work of the laborer. 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:20.880 But that is what he was doing. 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:22.100 And I don't know. 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:25.900 I think the last time I probably had this was in college, right? 00:26:25.940 --> 00:26:27.840 Where I had so much work to do. 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:32.380 And I literally fell asleep doing it so that I could wake up in the morning and do it again, you know. 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:34.060 And just to get through that. 00:26:34.060 --> 00:26:36.600 But largely probably because I procrastinated. 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:38.500 And not that Boaz procrastinated. 00:26:38.620 --> 00:26:40.080 But that's what we see. 00:26:40.340 --> 00:26:45.720 He's working and he's going to lay down so that he can continue the work in the morning. 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:52.600 And so she says, let Boaz, not to let Boaz, I'm sorry, see her until later. 00:26:53.280 --> 00:27:01.380 And when he lays down, she says, that Ruth is to uncover his feet and to lay at his feet. 00:27:01.620 --> 00:27:05.500 And that this would show her desire to marry him. 00:27:05.760 --> 00:27:10.580 And like, yes and amen, like, let's just say that's not what we do, all right? 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:12.860 And we'll just leave it at that. 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:16.320 But what we see is this. 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:19.320 Like, hear this. 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:22.900 She's not saying seducing. 00:27:23.280 --> 00:27:27.120 She's not saying sleep with him. 00:27:29.580 --> 00:27:35.040 Naomi is trusting the Lord and pursuing his plan. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:37.240 Look at verse 6. 00:27:39.040 --> 00:27:44.580 So she, this is Ruth, went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 00:27:45.780 --> 00:27:52.860 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. 00:27:53.280 --> 00:27:57.040 And then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:01.780 And at midnight, the man was startled and turned over. 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:04.860 And behold, a woman lay at his feet. 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.960 Like, let's pause for a second. 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:11.040 We got a 60-pound redbone coonhound that sleeps in our room, okay? 00:28:11.040 --> 00:28:21.160 The other night, about 3 a.m., I feel something wet hitting the side of my head. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:29.360 And I turn over and look, and he's standing over me, staring at me like, let's play. 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.500 Let's do this. 00:28:30.560 --> 00:28:32.560 3 a.m., I'm ready, right? 00:28:33.120 --> 00:28:34.860 That startled me. 00:28:35.360 --> 00:28:36.840 That caught me off guard. 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:40.140 Imagine you've been working all day. 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:43.460 You wake up and there's a lady at your feet, right? 00:28:45.300 --> 00:28:46.580 And he said, who are you? 00:28:47.320 --> 00:28:50.320 And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:54.820 Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. 00:28:56.020 --> 00:28:56.200 Right? 00:28:57.020 --> 00:29:00.460 We see Ruth's strategy begin to unfold. 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:06.460 Ruth does what Naomi tells her to do, but she does more. 00:29:07.820 --> 00:29:12.860 She makes it clear to Boaz why she is there. 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:15.060 She needs a redeemer. 00:29:15.760 --> 00:29:17.400 She needs to be redeemed. 00:29:18.180 --> 00:29:27.000 And then she uses some language that would have connected to the conversation that they had previously had. 00:29:27.940 --> 00:29:32.660 She said, spread your wings over your servant. 00:29:33.100 --> 00:29:37.680 And this is not meant in a language of a woman trying to seduce a man, 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:42.600 but it's instead a woman seeking the love and response of a godly man. 00:29:44.040 --> 00:29:46.000 She doesn't hide her motives. 00:29:46.780 --> 00:29:56.560 She doesn't hide her expectations or her hopes and beliefs that God brought them together in this moment. 00:29:57.020 --> 00:30:08.060 And so like Naomi, Ruth is trusting the Lord and pursuing his plan. 00:30:09.940 --> 00:30:10.960 Let's look at verse 10. 00:30:13.800 --> 00:30:18.360 And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:23.620 You have made this last kindness greater than the first, 00:30:23.860 --> 00:30:28.080 and that you have not gone after young men, whether rich or poor. 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:33.780 So he acknowledges who she is in her very fiber of her character for the second time. 00:30:34.860 --> 00:30:35.280 Verse 11. 00:30:35.360 --> 00:30:37.020 And now, my daughter, do not fear. 00:30:37.740 --> 00:30:40.540 I will do for you all that you ask. 00:30:41.300 --> 00:30:45.160 For my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:52.820 And now it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 00:30:53.020 --> 00:30:57.240 So he says, I am your redeemer, but in the lineage of who it could be, 00:30:57.340 --> 00:30:59.900 there is someone closer to you than I am. 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:08.960 So remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good, let him do it. 00:31:09.960 --> 00:31:15.300 But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. 00:31:15.600 --> 00:31:16.860 Lie down until the morning. 00:31:18.120 --> 00:31:23.520 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. 00:31:24.060 --> 00:31:28.160 And he said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. 00:31:29.100 --> 00:31:32.060 And he said, bring the garment you were wearing and hold it out. 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:38.180 So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. 00:31:39.120 --> 00:31:40.280 And then she went into the city. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:45.420 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, how did you fare, my daughter? 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:52.620 And then she told her all the man had done for her, saying, these six measures of barley he gave to me. 00:31:53.360 --> 00:31:57.760 For he said to me, you must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. 00:31:58.540 --> 00:32:04.240 And she replied, wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out. 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:09.740 For the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:11.980 And so he wakes up. 00:32:13.260 --> 00:32:15.460 A lady at his feet. 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:18.160 Vulnerable. 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.680 And he shows his character in the Lord. 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:26.200 He doesn't touch her. 00:32:27.820 --> 00:32:30.860 Instead, he says, I'll redeem you. 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:41.320 But I need to do so, not just in the way that I long to, but in the way that God has laid out for us. 00:32:42.580 --> 00:32:44.300 So let me pursue this. 00:32:45.620 --> 00:32:47.040 And he cares for her. 00:32:47.540 --> 00:32:48.860 And he sends her on his way. 00:32:49.900 --> 00:32:57.020 Like Naomi and Ruth, Boaz, trusting in the Lord and pursuing his plan. 00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:05.960 And what we see in the lives of these individuals is what I read about this week and just stuck to me. 00:33:06.520 --> 00:33:08.640 It's this matter of strategic righteousness. 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:20.640 And the truth is that there's a battle of pursuits for believers in righteousness. 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:27.360 Is it a passive righteousness or a strategic righteousness? 00:33:27.620 --> 00:33:29.860 Now, what do I mean by righteousness in this account? 00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:37.540 It's the desire in the life of a believer to do what is good and to do what is right. 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:41.640 To do what is godly and to do what God has called us to. 00:33:43.380 --> 00:33:45.360 And that's what we see in this story. 00:33:47.800 --> 00:33:52.080 Naomi wants Ruth to not simply find a man, but to find a redeemer. 00:33:53.360 --> 00:34:00.300 And Ruth wants to find a godly man who will love her and that his love for her will come from his love for the Lord. 00:34:01.360 --> 00:34:14.660 And Boaz wants to not simply to take what has been presented to him, but instead to do what God desires from him in the manner that God desires for it to happen. 00:34:18.160 --> 00:34:25.340 In the life of a believer, righteousness should be desired and longed for. 00:34:26.340 --> 00:34:34.660 In the life of a believer, we acknowledge that our righteousness is not a righteousness of our own. 00:34:34.980 --> 00:34:41.300 That our standing before God, our ability to pursue what's right, is not the ability of our own as well. 00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:45.380 2 Corinthians 5.21, Paul says, 00:34:45.380 --> 00:34:52.040 For our sake, he made him, being Jesus, to be sin who knows sin, that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:57.020 But what type of righteousness are you going to have in your life? 00:34:58.040 --> 00:35:03.680 When I read about this this week, I love the difference and was able to look at this and examine this in my life, in my heart. 00:35:03.860 --> 00:35:10.240 The author that I was reading talked about this concept of passive righteousness or strategic righteousness. 00:35:10.620 --> 00:35:20.720 And he defined this of the belief of what most of us as believers, what we cling to and what we head toward in our life concerning righteousness, is passive righteousness. 00:35:21.680 --> 00:35:27.920 And he defined passive righteousness as the avoidance of doing evil. 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:30.680 Now that seems really good, right? 00:35:31.560 --> 00:35:33.020 Like, I'm a dad. 00:35:33.100 --> 00:35:37.900 I want my kids to avoid doing evil. 00:35:38.540 --> 00:35:39.720 But that's good. 00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:41.520 But it's not great. 00:35:42.080 --> 00:35:44.900 It becomes righteousness through defense. 00:35:46.340 --> 00:35:47.000 Keep it away. 00:35:47.080 --> 00:35:47.480 Keep it away. 00:35:47.580 --> 00:35:47.960 Keep it away. 00:35:48.060 --> 00:35:48.420 Keep it away. 00:35:48.500 --> 00:35:48.900 Keep it away. 00:35:48.900 --> 00:35:54.520 And what our eyes end up being focused on are the things of evil and not on the holiness of God. 00:35:55.820 --> 00:36:01.980 And so passive righteousness becomes this battle that we simply embrace, that we're just not going to do what's wrong. 00:36:02.080 --> 00:36:03.060 We're not going to do what's wrong. 00:36:03.140 --> 00:36:04.200 We're not going to do what's wrong. 00:36:04.540 --> 00:36:09.120 And while in its saying that sounds and feels a little good for us, but it's not great. 00:36:09.180 --> 00:36:10.220 It's not what God desires. 00:36:10.320 --> 00:36:13.140 And it's not what we see here play out in the scripture. 00:36:14.600 --> 00:36:21.140 But instead, strategic righteousness pursues the plan of God. 00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:31.280 It's not simply about the avoidance of evil, but it's the pursuit of the plan and what God has for us. 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:42.960 Strategic righteousness says that I understand and cling to the providence of God, that I am in God's hand, that God has a plan, and that God has a purpose for me. 00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:47.900 And in knowing him, I want to trust and walk in him and pursue that. 00:36:49.340 --> 00:37:01.360 Strategic righteousness says that I can live in and understand the refuge of God, that I am in him, as he protects me. 00:37:02.280 --> 00:37:24.080 And strategic righteousness becomes the heartbeat of our lives, in that we mature beyond, not just simply straying from what is evil, but we find ourselves pointed toward doing what is godly and right. 00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:27.660 And here's the piece of it, longing for it. 00:37:29.520 --> 00:37:30.760 Longing for it in our life. 00:37:32.160 --> 00:37:37.720 Strategic righteousness knows God's expectation concerning sin. 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:47.080 But strategic righteousness avoids it by keeping our eyes focused and pointed on the Lord. 00:37:48.520 --> 00:37:56.460 And then in that, and it's what we've seen from Ruth from the beginning, it's intentional. 00:37:57.880 --> 00:38:00.700 Where you go, I will go. 00:38:01.700 --> 00:38:04.460 Where you live, I will live. 00:38:05.220 --> 00:38:07.760 Your people will be my people. 00:38:08.240 --> 00:38:10.860 Where you die, I will die. 00:38:11.260 --> 00:38:12.180 It's intentional. 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:15.340 But it's also joyous. 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:19.620 And your God will be my God. 00:38:21.700 --> 00:38:32.240 Chapter 2, Ruth woke up that morning intentional and purposeful to live in the joy that God had for her. 00:38:33.060 --> 00:38:40.000 To not live in the darkness of the day or of the moment to pursue God's plan. 00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:45.820 Which brought her from Moab on a long journey to Bethlehem. 00:38:46.560 --> 00:38:52.900 Which brought her to the field of Boaz and to his threshing room floor. 00:38:54.500 --> 00:39:01.140 And in this, we see the continual plan of God laid out. 00:39:02.140 --> 00:39:03.240 Would you pray with me? 00:39:16.140 --> 00:39:21.660 Lord, I thank you this morning for your beautiful reminder of your word. 00:39:25.080 --> 00:39:28.880 Lord, I acknowledge and see in my own life. 00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:36.720 Where so many times I'm focusing in on the, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this. 00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:44.000 And I'm playing in the, in defense mode. 00:39:46.180 --> 00:39:51.400 And not playing in the offense of pursuing of what you have for me. 00:39:53.980 --> 00:40:04.120 Lord, and in doing so, miss out on so much of what you long for and what you desire for my life. 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:11.820 Lord, may we not be a people of passive faith and passive righteousness. 00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:16.860 Simply living in the avoidance of doing what's wrong. 00:40:18.380 --> 00:40:23.760 Lord, but could we live in the boldness of strategic righteousness. 00:40:27.160 --> 00:40:30.240 Yes, Lord, wanting to avoid the evil of this world. 00:40:32.620 --> 00:40:35.200 But doing so because of our pursuit of you. 00:40:38.020 --> 00:40:41.760 So that our eyes are locked in and fixed on you. 00:40:43.880 --> 00:40:48.240 That we found ourselves hidden and placed under your wings. 00:40:50.820 --> 00:40:56.200 Lord, acknowledging that we're in your hand and you are guiding the steps that we take. 00:41:01.480 --> 00:41:10.180 And that's what it can mean, Lord, to have peace in this world that is filled with so much hurt. 00:41:12.480 --> 00:41:17.020 To have joy even in the midst of sadness. 00:41:20.440 --> 00:41:29.100 To have our eyes focused on life when death seems to surround us and want to overtake us. 00:41:38.540 --> 00:41:43.880 Jesus, thank you for this beautiful picture of what it means. 00:41:46.360 --> 00:42:00.520 I want that for all of us who were found in you were desperate and lost and broken and needed a redeemer. 00:42:04.200 --> 00:42:05.640 And so, Jesus, you came. 00:42:07.640 --> 00:42:08.960 And you paid our debt. 00:42:11.400 --> 00:42:12.920 And you made us righteous. 00:42:16.360 --> 00:42:20.420 Not because of who we are, Lord, but because of who you are. 00:42:23.940 --> 00:42:25.780 Lord, may we keep our eyes on you. 00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:29.300 Trusting and walking. 00:42:31.300 --> 00:42:32.280 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:42:33.160 --> 00:42:33.480 Amen. 00:42:45.700 --> 00:42:48.880 Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church Weekly Podcast. 00:42:49.420 --> 00:42:51.720 We hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message. 00:42:52.300 --> 00:42:55.740 If you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources, 00:42:56.320 --> 00:43:00.760 visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com. 00:43:00.940 --> 00:43:04.300 Or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook and Instagram. 00:43:04.300 --> 00:43:16.600 If you'd like to learn more about who we are, Lord, or if you'd like to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are, Lord, or to learn more about who we are.