He just loves you.
Just because he does.
That is the grace of God.
And that's what we see over and over and over.
In the book of Ruth, we're going
to wrap up the book of Ruth today in chapter four.
But before we do, I do as your pastor,
feel the need to at least
make comment on the tragedy that happened in Minneapolis
this last week.
And always around situations like this.
There are those who say
we need to pray for the families and those involved, and those who say,
God do more than pray.
Let me just say this.
We don't do anything until we pray.
And at the end of the day,
what happened in Minneapolis
and the things like that that happen
far too often in this country.
Are at the heart of it.
A result of the manifestation of evil
through an individual's life perpetrated against other innocent people.
That's the heart of it.
And when our country in our culture celebrates,
and promotes the denial of truth,
so much so an individual doesn't
know who or what they are anymore,
the natural degradation of that is going to be
the denial of the sanctity of human life.
It's not an NRA issue.
It's an evil issue.
And, well, though there are those
in our government and politic that want to make it simply
a governmental issue, you and I prayerfully are aware
it's the manifestation of the evil one who seeks only to steal, kill and destroy,
and the
degradation and evil and demonic nature of a heart
that would turn weapons against children.
To say needs to be redeemed is.
That's where we are.
And so
while some in our politic choose not to pray,
we do.
Father,
we live in a broken world.
This is not surprising to you.
Sometimes we're shocked by it.
And we live in a world that,
is broken
and a world full of evil.
No world and a country and a people,
that have denied your lordship.
And as we as we consider
and we hear things that that happen, like what happened in Minneapolis.
God, our heart breaks.
For those dear, precious children.
And along with their families.
And, father, there are some
in our politic who would deride us
for going before the throne in prayer.
But that is exactly what we do.
I look forward
to the day when you will eradicate evil.
That though the devil is a defeated foe,
he still has play in this world. And.
And when we see it in gruesome detail
that God it it's horrifying.
But I thank you that you've won the victory.
And we implore you
by the strong name of Jesus,
that you comfort the hurting,
that you bring justice to this world.
And that hearts that are far from you
would be turned to you.
God, at the end of the day.
It's our responsibility
to be your ambassadors in a very broken
world.
Where people who deny the truth
of who they are, so much so that they deny the sanctity of human life.
God, it's our job.
To reach them, to love them.
To show them.
Who you are.
And so, father, I pray that,
in times like this, you would embolden us
to be bold with faith and to be bold with you
and the truth of your word.
It's the only thing that will save humanity.
It's the only thing.
And so do that.
And your name, I pray.
Amen.
So chapter four, as we wrap up the book of Ruth.
Yeah, I need to address.
I need to address, a little bit
from chapter three that I didn't get to.
And so the book of Ruth is
the grand story of God's providence,
where God works in the natural world supernaturally
to bring about his good.
That's providence.
And the book of Ruth is all about that.
It's also a love story between God and his people.
It's also the love story between a man and a woman.
It's a beautiful story, beautiful account.
But, but let me say this about this love story idea
for any of you single people, listen,
just because you may feel
the rush of romance, don't rush into a relationship,
okay?
So in the book of Ruth, you've got these people that are feeling
the rush of romance, but they they did it right.
They abided by God's plan and timing.
They let God's providence work stuff out.
There was no rush, there was no hurry.
And God worked that out, which God always does.
But there's a point in chapter three.
There's two verses in chapter three
that I want to draw attention to before we get into chapter four.
This is this is after, Ruth has kind of
made her desire known to Boaz, the one that she would really like to marry.
And Boaz reciprocates the feeling.
And in the end of chapter, chapter three, Boaz this this land owner,
this farmer says to Ruth, this the young widowed young lady
that he has, he has intentions to marry her.
And as a sign of that, the Bible says he gives her this.
These measures of barley to take to her mother in law.
And so in verses 15 and 18 of chapter three,
verse 15 says,
bring the garment you were wearing to hold it out.
So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her.
So that was the I was the gift he was giving her before she went back home.
In verse 18.
This is Naomi, her mother, on
speaking to Ruth when she saw this,
this bundle of barley that she had been given.
Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out.
For the man will not rest.
But we'll settle the matter today.
Here's what I want us to understand.
This whole story,
all the Bible and Ruth included in
that, is a story about Jesus.
And it's a story about God's love for us and God's
entering into our story to redeem
us, to buy us back from sin.
It's all about Jesus.
And so whenever there's a difficult passage, this is Bible Interpretation 101.
Whenever there's a weird passage in the Bible because it's all about Jesus,
you put Jesus in the middle of it and,
kind of sorted its way out there.
And so
Boaz gives the Bible, says boys, gives Ruth six
measures of barley.
Here's what you we got to understand.
Couple things.
One, that word measure is not in the original Hebrew text.
It just says Boaz gave Ruth six balis.
We they added the idea of measure or ethos in some translations
to give us an idea that, a of a weight to it.
But but here's what God if, if if Boaz gave Ruth six
if either you know of barley, it's too much for her to carry.
Like she would have
to have a big old cow with her to haul all this barley back.
And so and so.
There's no way that this gal could have carried all this back by herself.
And so what the text says is Boaz gave Ruth
six barley y6 could have given her, five could have given her seven.
Why six?
We have to think in the Jewish mindset, the Hebrew mindset.
Ruth was a moabite.
She didn't have all the this Old Testament like
we would say, oh, there's all this Hebrew history behind her.
Naomi was a Hebrew from Bethlehem, Ephrathah.
She knew the history of God's people.
She knew the law.
So was Boaz.
So Boaz gives to Ruth to give to Naomi. Six
and says, I will not rest
until the job is completed.
Think in a Jewish mindset.
What else happened in the span of six and then rested
for the work of God?
And what?
Boaz was telling Naomi that Ruth missed it because she was a mole,
but she didn't know all the stuff.
But immediately Naomi, knowing,
immediately went to went to the work of God
that Boaz was saying, you and I believe in this
great grand creator, the supreme God of the universe.
You and I believe in this.
We know what he's about, and I am aligning
what I'm doing with God's Word and God's plan.
And as he worked and didn't rest until the job was done. So
to with your daughter in law, I will work
and not rest until the job is done.
That's why Naomi could say to Ruth, relax.
He will not rest until this completed. Do you see that?
You see that on
the other side of that for us.
And I'm telling you, like everything you here points to God, points to Jesus.
The other point of that is this
in the Bible, six
is the number of man and work.
Okay? It's what we do.
It's work.
There is no rest in our work.
We cannot work our way into redemption.
It's only by the rest of God resting in God.
In the seventh day.
And what God has done, that
we find completion of our redemption
has nothing to do with our work.
Do you understand this?
This is all prefigured in the book.
It's a beautiful, beautiful book.
So as we read through all these little details, let's not miss
Jesus in the middle of it.
What's the scene?
I miss the forest for the trees.
When we read the Bible, read
every word, read what's not there, read what is there,
understand the tense of it, the history of it.
It's his story.
It's beautiful.
And so chapter four.
Now, Boaz
had gone up to the gate and sat down there.
And behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by.
So Boaz said, turn aside, friend, sit down here.
And he turned aside and sat down.
If you're new to this story of of of Ruth,
what has happened is this young lady
was a moabite means she lived in the land of Moab.
And these two individuals
in Bethlehem, the Promise Land, Bethlehem, Ephrathah
Elimelech and Naomi, they're experiencing famine, which was the
the judgment of God on the on the Promised Land,
because it was during the time of judges, and they were all walking away from God.
So God
allows famine to happen to draw them back to him.
During that famine they leave to Moab, which was God said, don't ever do that.
Don't ever do that.
So they go to a place where they shouldn't be trying to fix a problem
they didn't see God working on.
And while they're there
fixing their own problem, tragedy hits because that's what happens.
And so Naomi's husband Elimelech dies.
They have two sons,
okay?
Their sons names were sick and tired.
That's a that that truly, that was their name.
Second turn. That's a commentary on parenting.
And so while they were there, they married these two Moabite women,
and they're out of the will of God.
There was some of the family, and those two men died.
And so now there's
Naomi, who should be in Bethlehem, Ephrathah, who's in Moab
with these two Moabite women to one obra Orpah.
She went into telecommunications, that whole thing.
She stays there. Ruth comes back.
This mother comes back with Naomi.
Two Israel to Bethlehem.
While she's there, she meets this guy named Boaz.
And we're introduced to this Hebrew word, go.
Well, kinsman, redeemer.
And the law in Israel was if there was a woman who was married
and her husband died, the next in line in that husband's
lineage, brothers, was to marry her and and have a baby through her and perpetuate
the dead husband's name and family so that the name wouldn't die.
And so that the the property would stay within the family.
That was that was the Old Testament law in the book of Deuteronomy.
And so
this is this whole story up to this point, up to chapter four
is about Ruth realizing what's going on and then approaching Boaz and saying,
you are Mike.
They called him a kinsman redeemer, the one who is close to me who will redeem
me. You're my kids memory, Dever, and I would love for you to marry me.
And so Boaz says, yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
I mean, you know, I'm he's he's he's a successful businessman.
She's young, attractive woman.
She's a woman of virtue.
He's a stand up guy.
And he's like, this would be a great marriage,
but there's someone closer to you than I am.
So according to law and Deuteronomy, like, the closest
one to the widow would be the first kinsman.
And if they said no, then, then they would just go down the line
until someone said yes.
And so Boaz says, I would love to, but there's one closer
said, so, sweetie, go home.
Relax.
You have no more work in this work of redemption.
You let me do all the work. Do you follow? So far?
You understand Jesus in this you have no work and the redemption of yourself.
I will handle everything to it, Boaz says.
And so she goes home and Boaz goes to the gate.
What was the gate?
Well, the gate was where business took place in ancient Israel.
The gates of the city is where the rulers of the city would sit,
and they would drink, you know, their coffee or whatever,
and conduct business at the gate.
And so Boaz goes to the gate, because this is a legal thing
that he wants to enter into with Ruth in marrying her
and being the kinsman redeemer and known as that.
And the Bible says in verse one, he goes to the gate, he sits down,
and behold the Redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken came by.
And so he goes to the gate.
And it just so happened that the guy
that was the nearer kinsman just happened to be there. Two
right?
Whenever stuff just happens,
if you were a Christ follower, it doesn't just happen.
It's the providence of God.
Happens to come by.
And Boaz said, turn aside and sit down here.
So he turned to side and sat down.
Boaz immediately took action.
There was no delay.
Once he knew this was what God has to be.
There's no delay.
He took action here.
Here's what I want you to understand.
Right up front here,
one of the leading characteristics of the man or woman of God
is an unrivaled obedience to the command of God and no hesitation
to obey an unrivaled obedience to the command of God.
Being the kiss.
My Redeemer was the command of God in the in, in the law.
And the moment Boaz knew this is the command of God.
There's no hesitation to obey.
This is a word for me in you,
one of the leading characteristics for you and I as a man or woman of God.
I don't care how young or how old you are, is an unrivaled obedience
to the command of God,
an unrivaled obedience
if it's this or that, and what is God's command
or what is not, guess which one wins an unrivaled obedience
to the command of God and no hesitation to obey
this. The old adage
when he says, jump
on the way up, you ask how high?
That's that's the idea.
And this is exactly what Boaz is.
This is a word.
Maybe this is the word that some of you need to hear,
and you got what you need, and you can leave
because some of you have to some of us have to understand.
Listen.
Like I'm obedient
most of the time.
To most things.
But an unrivaled obedience.
I don't know if I could claim that
you follow.
And and there might be some of us, like.
You know what I know God has been asking is showing. But,
I say I'm pulled trigger on it yet I'm trusting him yet.
No hesitation.
Obey. Right.
You understand?
Right now.
When Boaz moves in obedience,
God moves in providence.
I want you to understand this.
When Boaz moves in obedience,
God moves in providence.
Boaz was immediately obedient.
And then it just so happened the other guy showed up.
See? So many times we wait.
Oh God, once I see you move, then I will.
And God says it doesn't work that way.
You'll be obedient and you'll see him.
Once you're obedient, then you'll see my providence.
You track in.
Is such a good word
sometimes. Not all the time.
But sometimes I feel like I preach better than you.
Listen.
Look at verse 234.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here.
So they sat down.
Then he said to the Redeemer,
Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab,
is selling a parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
So I thought I would tell you of it and say, buy
it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence
of the elders of my people, if you will redeem it, redeem it.
But if you will not tell me that I may know, for
there is no one beside you to redeem it.
And I come after you.
And he said, yeah, I'll redeem it.
So here's the man.
Once the property, although has said so far, is there's this girl.
Naomi has come back, her husband's dead and she's got this piece of land.
Do you want it?
What are you going to say?
This is real property.
This is wealth, right?
He's all.
Yeah, I absolutely do want it.
Now, at this point, Boaz wants Ruth.
And Boaz knows that Ruth is attached to the land.
Boaz has only told the man about the land of the man says, yeah, I want the land.
To me, this shows incredible trust on Boaz is part
in God's providence because he wants Ruth.
And at this point of this transaction, he has just lost her.
Do you follow? Yeah.
And it's like, okay, God,
if she's if she's meant to be right, I'm gonna trust you.
I'm gonna do it right.
And if you keep this going, then fantastic.
But honestly, I'm willing to let her go.
You understand?
I'm willing to let her walk.
If you've deemed that right.
What incredible.
Surrender and trust,
That dream you have,
that deep desire, you're willing to let it walk
if it's not of God.
Or you want to keep pushing.
Now. Boaz knows.
Boaz knows this.
That God's providence
with my obedience results in convergence.
Boaz just doesn't realize that
providence shows up in obedience.
Boaz realizes that God's providence with my obedience results in convergence.
Romans 828
God works together, good
in all things, works all things together for the good of those
who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
My obedience with God's providence
results in convergence, the working together of all things for good.
You follow, you follow.
It doesn't happen in my disobedience.
Once we
become obedient, God can reverse engineer it.
So it has.
But God's providence
with my obedience results in convergence is that that's what Boaz understands.
I'm going to be obedient.
God's going to work this together because his providence
and it's going to converge in something beautiful.
He just has that trust.
To watch verse five.
So the guy says he wants the land.
Then Boaz said, the day you buy the field from the head of Naomi,
you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead,
in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.
So though Boaz is willing to trust God's providence
and let her go, he makes sure that this guy knows.
Oh yeah, by the way,
it's just not the field
you get. Ruth
the Moabite,
the Moabites were like the dust.
They were nasty dirt.
Who knows? And we don't know.
But we know the culture of Moab.
Who knows the lifestyle that Ruth was involved in before
she got married to the Hebrew boy, before she came back, who knows?
It was in a completely evil, nasty,
dirty like way of living in Moab.
Who knows what she was subjected to, who knows how she was living.
And all this baggage comes with her.
And this guy's looking at her thinking,
Moabite girl? We.
Like the land wouldn't be bad, but all that.
Right.
Look at verse six.
Then the Redeemer said, yeah, I can't do it.
I cannot redeem it for myself lest I impair my own inheritance.
Take my right of redemption yourself.
I can't redeem it.
He wanted it. The land.
He didn't want her. The baggage.
And he said, if I do this, it's going to cost me.
We don't know why it will cost him.
Maybe he's got kids now.
This inheritance is all split up and everything.
It's just too much work is too much hassle for him.
He says, look, I don't mind the land, but I don't want the person.
Please understand this.
What's happening here is a picture of the law.
The nearer kinsman,
the the law
is very close to each one of us.
It's the law that cannot redeem the person.
It's the law that simply sees the baggage and not the redemption.
It's the law that sees that's what's wrong with them.
But not the way out of it.
Do you understand that?
And so the law says, yeah, I wish I could, but I can't, because why?
Because the Old Testament law only points out what is wrong in us.
It was never meant to save us.
It was only meant to say, I want to show you how bad you are,
so you realize you need a redeemer, but it has no power to redeem.
Do you follow? That's what's going on here.
He realizes the baggage, the dirt of her past.
He says, I cannot touch that.
I don't want to be a part of it.
And that's what the law of God does.
It is perfect, reviving the soul because it shows us how dirty we are,
and it shows us we need someone to redeem us because we can't.
We can't. The law can't.
And that's why religion doesn't work.
That's why so many people have tried so hard to be so good,
only to find out they're just not good, right?
If you and I can't live up
to our own standards, how in the world are we going to live to God's standards?
And that's the point of the law.
You can't.
So you need a redeemer.
And that's what this is talking about.
The law reminds us we're broken.
The role of the Redeemer was to create life, right?
That's why there was marriage. It happened.
So a life could be created to continue the name and the.
And the legacy and the history.
He's saying, I can't create life.
Law doesn't create life.
It cannot create life.
Only Christ can.
And that's why he says, I can't do it.
I can't create life.
You with me?
So far.
Look.
Verse seven.
Now, this was the custom in former times in Israel
concerning redeeming and exchanging to confirm
a transaction, the one true office and only gave it to the other.
And this was the manner of a testing in Israel.
So when the Redeemer said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, he took off his sandal.
And Boaz said, the elders and all the people,
you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi
all that belong to Elimelech, and all that belonged to chili on a meal on.
Those were the two sons that died.
Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon.
I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance,
that the name of the dead may not be cut off among his brothers.
And from the gate of of his native place.
You are witnesses of this day.
I want you to understand something.
When the first man
could not redeem that which was broken,
it wanted the field.
It didn't want the person.
Boaz doesn't care about the field.
Boaz wants the person.
Boaz had plenty of fields.
He wanted the person.
In Ruth.
Boaz is a picture of Jesus.
Ruth is a picture of us, a Gentile
separated from Christ.
Jesus doesn't want the possession.
He wants the person.
Do you understand?
The world and all of creation are Christ's.
Scripture tells us that everything was created through Christ.
He's got it all.
He doesn't need anything else.
What he doesn't have is the person.
And so he says, I want everybody to know
I don't care about the field.
I want the person.
You follow.
In my mind,
I go to the book of Matthew
in chapter 13
and in Matthew chapter 13, verse 44.
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.
Listen,
when I see this transaction happen in boys, I think two things one,
that Jesus wants the treasure attached to the field.
He wants the person.
The baggage doesn't scare him.
The past doesn't concern him.
The Moab ness of the person isn't a threat.
I will take it all and redeem it all.
I didn't see him.
The other thing I see in this transaction
right here is that parable of the field.
The treasure in the field.
The Kingdom of God is so
beautiful, is so powerful, is so valuable
that when you find it the kingdom,
you sell everything
to possess it.
It is worth everything that we have.
The Kingdom of God.
There's no sacrifice too great.
There's no sacrifice too little.
It's everything.
And when you understand the kingdom of God,
you will move heaven and earth to be a part of it, to gain it.
And all it will do is cost you your life.
And what a worthy transaction that is.
You tracking with me?
It's a beautiful picture of Christ
and His kingdom.
He wants you,
and he wants you to sell everything in your world
to be a part of that kingdom, whatever it costs,
it's worth it.
It's so interesting to me that this first kinsman
rejected Ruth, because what it would cost him.
And at the moment he made that decision,
he slipped away into anonymity.
We never hear or see from him again.
He's written off the pages of Scripture.
And I'm reminded
of Matthew 1625.
Whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
He tried to save his life.
He tried to save his own inheritance.
He tried to save his own possessions.
And he lost his life.
Written out of the pages of of Scripture for all of history.
Nobody knows who he is.
He's gone. He's vanished.
You want to save your life, you're going to lose it.
And then Boaz comes in.
He says, I don't care what it cost me.
That is a valuable treasure.
And those who lose their life.
Jesus says, for my sake, guess what?
You finally found it.
So Boaz redeems this bride
and creates life.
That's the whole point of this.
He didn't want the field.
He wanted the treasure.
Friends, do you realize how valuable and beautiful
the kingdom of God is?
And anything that you and I put ahead of
that is death.
No. Verse 11 and 12.
Then all the people who were at the gate
and the elders, they said, we're witnesses made.
May the Lord make the woman who was coming into your house
like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel.
May you act worthily in ephrathah and be renown in Bethlehem,
and may your house be like the house of Perez,
whom tame our board of Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord
will give you by this young woman.
This is what's going on.
There's this outburst of joy because someone's been redeemed.
There's this celebration and blessing
because someone has been redeemed.
This is this, this is ours.
This ought to be our story.
Like the the Bible says, the angels in heaven throw a party
every time there's a redemption.
Like heaven's watching and celebrates
what's going on.
It's so interesting to me.
Like you says for Boaz, may your house be like your family life.
Be like that of Perez.
That's what the Bible says.
The story of Perez. It's really interesting.
We'll talk about it in just a minute, but just let me introduce it in Genesis 38,
the story of Perez.
It's thought that this, that, that from Perez
came the entire, ancestor of the people of Bethlehem.
Ephrathah of all these people.
And I won't I won't take you through the study of this.
But if you were to go to Second Chronicles two, verses
five and verses eight, and verses 50 and following,
you'll see that out of this boy Perez came all these Bethlehem ites.
And so that's what they're saying
out of it.
May your house be like the house of Perez.
Like may the all of all this Bethlehem Ephrathah come out of your line.
Guess who else came from Bethlehem?
Ephrathah that was prophesied generations earlier?
Jesus the Christ.
That's beautiful.
See, here's what happens.
Let me tell you what happens with obedience.
Obedience isn't to make us better people.
Jesus didn't come to make us moral people, better people.
Here's what happens with obedience.
God turns obedience into legacies.
That's what's happening in our lives.
When we live a life of obedience
and quick repentance, he turns obedience into legacies.
Obedience isn't just for my benefit, it's for my family.
Like those coming up after me.
My obedience becomes their legacy, their obedience.
Who becomes others. Do you understand this?
And all of this happened.
All this redemptive work happened.
Where was Ruth during this whole time?
Where now
she's at home, resting and waiting.
She's doing nothing to effect her own redemption.
She rests in the work of her Redeemer.
Jonathan Edwards said this.
The only contribution we make
to our redemption is sin
that requires it.
That's the only contribution we make our own
redemption is our sin that makes it necessary.
She's resting and waiting.
The nearer Redeemer is not afraid of the baggage of the Moabite.
You have to understand this, my friends.
Your Redeemer is not afraid nor threatened by your baggage.
When you were living in Moab.
He wants to redeem it all.
He doesn't care about your baggage. Why?
Because. Second Corinthians 517
says, those who are in Christ are new creations.
The old has gone, the new has come.
It's all new now with Christ,
some of you are holding on stuff
that Jesus has already let go of.
Do you understand?
He's called you into Bethany.
He's redeemed you. You're still living like you're in Moab.
He's called you out of that.
It's new now.
Look at 1314.
Look. Look at this thing.
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife, and he went into her.
And the Lord gave her conception. She bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you
this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel.
He shall be to you every store of life and inertia of your old age.
For your daughter in law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons,
has given birth to him,
then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
And the woman of the the women of the neighborhood
gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi.
They named her Obed.
He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Wait a minute.
Boaz and Ruth get married.
Then they have a baby.
That's a great order of doing things.
And look at what the ladies say.
They said to Naomi,
blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer.
May his name be renown in Israel.
A son has been born to Naomi, who had the baby
Ruth, and grandma gets the credit.
Why do they say, blessed are you, grandma?
You got a son.
Listen,
I love the Bible.
Boaz is a picture of Christ.
Ruth is a picture of the church.
Naomi is a picture of Israel.
Follow
God is not done with Israel.
He will bring life again
to a dead people who have rejected him.
Life Jesus came through Israel
and will come again to Israel.
Do you understand?
He's not done with them.
This life will come back through with them
and to them.
And it's beautiful to be
that Naomi, in her old age,
somehow got to nurse this new life.
Now watch.
Verse 18.
Now these are the generations of Peres.
Because, remember, may your house be like Peres.
That was the that was the joyful proclamation.
Now, parenthetically, here just now, these journeys are first.
Peres father has on his run fathered Ram.
Ram fathered a minute, ABBA a minute.
That father nation.
Nation fathered Solomon.
Solomon fathered Boaz.
Boaz, father.
Obed, Obed father Jesse and Jesse.
Father. David.
Doesn't that seem like it?
Well, that's a weird way to end this story.
Like they wrote off, lived happily ever after.
You know it.
Why does genealogy back to Peres?
Genesis 38.
I'm gonna give you a little Bible.
We're going to go to seminary real quick. Okay?
Genesis 38
Peres was the
son of an ancestral encounter
between of the father and his daughter in law.
Okay? She fooled him.
Her husbands died.
He wouldn't give her another one.
And like this all love leave, right? Marriage.
You wouldn't give her another one of his sons to me.
Because there's other kids who died and that were married to her.
He figured she was bad luck and he didn't want one of his other kids to die.
And so he kind of sends her on her way.
Well, she dresses up as a prostitute
and propositions him because he goes on this business trip
and it was like she was all veiled and he couldn't tell who she was.
And she got pregnant and she had given him this signet ring.
And look, I'm going to come back and pay you, but for now, take my signet ring.
She leaves, she hides out, she shows up pregnant, and they tell him,
hey, your daughter in law is pregnant.
And he says like, well, she must be a prostitute killer.
And she's all, well, you can go ahead and kill me.
But the man who owns the signet ring is the father.
And it was actually him. And he's like, oh, shoot.
Okay.
And so out of that
relation, father daughter in law is this boy named Perez.
Okay.
That's that's Genesis 38.
It's just terrible.
In Deuteronomy 23,
watch this.
And Deuteronomy 23, it says that any lawyer,
no one born of a forbidden union that would be father daughter in law,
may enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the 10th generation.
None of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.
There. They're closed out.
So Perez and all of his sons are closed off
from the presence of God.
Do you follow?
Go back to the genealogy.
Perez, the father of, has Ron,
the father of Ram, the father of Minitab,
the father of nation, the father of Solomon, the father of Boaz.
Father. Obed. Jesse. David.
How many generations?
Ten. Ten.
Ten. Who was the 10th generation King?
David
gives the last people.
We're impatient.
They didn't want to wait on God.
They didn't trust his sovereignty, and they didn't trust his providence.
So they forced God's hand in giving them a king.
And the first king of Israel was whom?
You Bible students, Saul.
And it was a disaster.
It was tragic
because they wouldn't trust God's providence, God's timing,
nor his providence.
They hadn't waited ten generations yet.
And then suddenly the 10th generation was whom?
David, David.
And out of David's line came who Christ.
Do you see this all through the Bible?
God saying, trust me.
Trust my sovereignty.
Trust my plan, trust my word, trust my providence.
If you all.
I laid it out for, if you all just would have paid attention to my by to my,
and then counted ten generations, you would know that Saul, wasn't it?
You would know that the ones coming you could have saved yourself
so much tread had you just trusted.
Right.
In chapter one,
all Ruth and Naomi knew was tragedy and pain.
They had no idea chapter four was coming.
You may be in chapter one right now.
All you know.
Questions?
Difficulty, pain.
And you have no idea
that chapter four is on your horizon.
Listen.
My obedience
with God's providence results in convergence.
I will be obedient,
and I will trust that God will work all things together for my good.
Because I love him
and I obey him.
Jesus, his crucifixion was chapter one.
Nothing but death and despair and pain.
But chapter four came three days later.
Resurrection and our redemption
and communion reminds us.
Communion reminds us
that there's a chapter one
and there's a chapter for.
And communion is a symbol of chapter four.
The redemption that can be ours,
because the body of Christ and the blood shed on the cross for the forgiveness
of our sins, to buy us back and redeem us from our moab's,
from our chapter ones.
That's what this reminds us of.
And it's a very fitting way for Christ followers to remember.
Chapter four
To the Body and Blood of Jesus.
Friends, if you have a relationship
with Jesus by faith
and you trust what he's done on the cross for your salvation,
these elements are for you as your memory tool
to remember what our redemption cost,
the price associated with it,
as an expression of the father's love for us.
And so if that's you, as you wrap up the book of Ruth.
I want you to take the bread.
And remember
the body of Christ
that was given for us, his life for ours.
The Bible says that
when Jesus shared that final meal with his disciples,
he took the bread he lifted up to heaven. He gave thanks.
And then he broke and he gave it to them.
He said, this is my body.
Now that I'm giving for you, do this every time you eat it in memory of me.
And in a very similar way, Jesus took the cup and he lifted it up to heaven.
He gave thanks
and said, this cup is a new covenant in my blood,
shed for the forgiveness of your sin,
for our redemption to buy us back from Moab
to ensure chapter four for those who love him.
Do this every time you drink it and remember him.
Ruth is a beautiful story
because it's the story of Christ and the love of the father.
And that is available
for everyone who would call upon his name,
who would submit themselves to him.
And commit themselves to obedience,
relying on God's mercy and grace.
Where we fall short.
I want to invite you into that.
You should pray with me.
If any of you have never made that decision
or need to make it again to re solidify it,
I'd invite you in this moment.
To say something along these lines.
God, I admit that.
I have lived outside of your will.
I know what you have asked of me, and I've denied it.
I've denied you.
And the Bible calls that sin.
And I agree
that I'm a sinner and I live in sin.
And I cannot be right with you by any work I do.
I just can't be good enough.
And I thank you that I don't have to.
Tell him.
Say I accept what Jesus did on the cross
for my redemption.
Tell him, say,
Jesus, thank you that you've done all the work
and I get all the benefit.
So today I trust myself to you,
and I trust you with my present and my future.
Help me love you with my whole heart
and soul and mind and strength,
and now work all things,
even my past, together for my good.
Because I love you.
Father, this story is ultimately your story,
and I thank you that you've shared it with us and invited us into it.
I pray you help us trust your hand,
that you remind us that our obedience with your Providence
creates convergence,
and that you will work all things together for good for those who who love you.
We love you.
In your name I pray, Amen.
This. Listen, I'm proud of you.
Ruth's been a good study,
It's been a good study.
It. Next week I'm going to do a separate
little message based on our values.
You're wearing shirt.
There's seven of them. There.
And so we're going to talk about those next week as we get
ready to get into our birthday Sunday.
To celebrate our 20th birthday. Okay.
I love you.
I'm proud of you.
God's doing good things.
Listening.