The Song Of Redemption Series

Opening illustration about a wife who rescued/salvaged her husband

Ruth 4 Finish up our series out of the book of Ruth: R&B: the

songs of love. There are certain songs that must be sung and heard

loud and clear in relationships if they are going to be strong and healthy.

There is the song of faithfulness. The takeaway: IN EVERY

RELATIONSHIP, PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, THERE ARE TIMES

WHEN THOSE IN THE RELATIONSHIP MUST BE FAITHFUL,

REGARDLESS OF THE CHALLENGE. In Week 2 we listened to the

song of grace and discovered this key principle: RELATIONSHIPS,

PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, CAN ONLY SURVIVE WITH LARGE

AMOUNTS OF GRACE. Last week was the song of trust. The

takeaway: ALL RELATIONSHIPS, PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, ARE

BRIMMING WITH RISK, PROMPTING PARTNERS TO TRUST AND

BE TRUSTWORTHY, ULTIMATELY TRUSTING GOD FOR THE

OUTCOMES.

And now we turn our attention to the last critical song of any love

relationship, and that is the song of redemption. Think with me for a

moment about the concept of redemption. The root word is what?

REDEEM: TO DELIVER; TO RESCUE. It’s a universal concept that is

universally desired. It runs through literature, from Tolstoy to Uris to ???

who each authored works with redemption in their titles. It runs through

history, from the redemption of the defeat of Napoleon to the

Emancipation Proclamation to the freeing of Eastern Europe when the

Iron wall came crumbling down. It shows up in current events when

someone who has stumbled and fallen gets up and finishes. STORY

Redemption of course finds its richest and deepest expression in

the Bible, particularly in the cross of Christ. In the Bible, there is an

added dimension to the concept of redemption. REDEMPTION

(HEBREW GÂULLAH; GREEK APOLUTROSI): THE PURCHASE

BACK OF SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN LOST OR TAKEN BY WAY

OF PAYING A RANSOM. A number of verses come

to mind. EPHESIANS 1:7 “IN HIM (CHRIST) WE HAVE REDEMPTION

THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, IN

ACCORDANCE WITH THE RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE.” 1

CORINTHIANS 6:19-20 “DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY IS

A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS IN YOU, WHOM YOU

HAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD? YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN; YOU

WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE. THEREFORE HONOR GOD WITH

YOUR BODY.” REVELATION 5:9 “AND THEY SANG A NEW SONG:

“YOU ARE WORTHY TO TAKE THE SCROLL AND TO OPEN ITS

SEALS, BECAUSE YOU WERE SLAIN, AND WITH YOUR BLOOD

YOU PURCHASED MEN FOR GOD FROM EVERY TRIBE AND

LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.”

But how does redemption show up in relationships; in

marriages? Let’s take a look at our passage this morning and see the

message God has for us.

1. REDEMPTION IS ABOUT OVERCOMING REJECTION AND

UNCERTAINTY. And that’s what marriage is supposed to be about.

VV.1-6 (ON SCREEN)

v.1 Remember, a kinsman redeemer was the next of kin who

had some obligation to marry the widow of his kin so as to provide for

her, protect her, and carry on the family line.

v.2 In ancient times, there was no city hall. The place where the

community leaders gathered was at the gate into the city.

The other kinsmen redeemer wanted the land, but he didn’t want

Ruth. A number of possible reasons. It could be that if he came back

home with another wife, his current wife would kill him! That’s what Sue

would do to me if I walked through the door with another wife. The real

reason is likely that if he took Ruth as his wife, and had a son with her,

that son would lay claim, not only to Naomi’s land, but his land as well,

endangering his estate for his own kids. Either way, he was not willing to

redeem Ruth. Too much baggage.

When you get married, your partner comes into the marriage

with a lot of bags. Scars from past hurts. Fears from past disappointments.

Hang-ups from past failures. Uncertainty from past rejections.

Boaz was willing to step in and be a part of the redemptive

process in Ruth’s life. He was willing to help her overcome the

uncertainty and rejection in her life. In great marriages, that’s what each

partner does: they step in to help overcome the uncertainty and rejection

in the life of their spouse.

Story

2. REDEMPTION IS ABOUT RESTORING WHAT WAS LOST That too

is what marriage is supposed to be about. VV.7-12 (ON SCREEN)

v.11 Rachel/Leah of course, between the 20 of them, gave

Jacob/Israel 12 sons. But there is something else here. Both of them

were barren at one point. And just maybe the reason Ruth and Mahlon

had not children was because she was barren. Regardless, the prayer

of the elders is that God would give Ruth and Boaz offspring that would

significant for Israel. And did God ever answer that prayer in spades.