God Is Still At Work! – Ruth, Part 7 Series

“God is still at work!” – Ruth, Part 7

Ruth Sermon Series, Part 7

Ruth 4:1-22

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Introduction

- How have we gotten to this point?

- “Sometimes when you abandon God, your life has disastrous consequences; but God is STILL faithful … even when we aren’t!”

- Key item to remember: Discipleship is a life-long journey

-- One of the opportunities we have (to grow) is the ability to show grace to others

-- This book is one example of what grace can do for a life that is uncertain

- ASK: When you are given direction to move and follow God, are you willing to step out and trust even though you have NO IDEA where the future will lead?

-- Challenge: Are we willing to give up our preferences and follow Jesus?

- Profound realization for us all (last week):

-- Do you give OF yourself to Christ, or do you give YOURSELF to Christ?

-- Our faith involves risk … it always has ... and we have to be willing to follow

-- EX: Ruth had no idea where this would go … but still she went

- If God would desire to remove our obstacle of sin through the death of Jesus …

-- Truly, what more are you waiting for Him to do for you to respond?

-- How much more like Ruth, responding to the unknown, can you be?

- This sets us up for today where we’ll conclude this series (see parallels … )

- Read Ruth 4:1-22 / Pray

Point 1 – Boaz strikes a deal to redeem Ruth (and Naomi)

- What we know from last week is Ruth is made two promises

• Be patient and you will be redeemed (Hebrew: gaal)

• Boaz would not rest until this matter was settled (Hebrew: lo shaqat)

- So, we see that (what would be first light) Boaz has arrived at the town gate

-- Hebrew: shaar; a gate – a main artery in and out of the “business district”

-- Boaz arrives and calls the other kinsman to sit down with him

- He also asks 10 elders (Hebrew: zaqen, old) to sit and hear this also … why?

-- RE: Deuteronomy 25:7, “But if the man refuses to marry his brother’s widow, she must go to the town gate and say to the elders assembled there, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel—he refuses to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law by marrying me.”

- It is important to remember what was previously on Boaz’s schedule

-- After threshing / sleeping, he was set to get his grain transported in the morning

-- Certainly, he could have gotten his work done and then handled this later

-- But his mind was on Ruth, and her redemption was more important

- CH: Do we treat God’s work the same way? Do we respond when called?

-- Our challenge could be to see how this “man of standing” responded to his duty

- What is interesting is this other man, or redeemer, is unnamed

-- He is not named because that is not important, but what he is, is (re: focus)

-- Boaz invites him to sit down and discuss a matter of great importance (v1)

-- The implication of “my friend” means that Boaz has come in peace

- Boaz then approaches this from purely a business standpoint to this man

-- In v3-4 he offers him this land that is available for him to redeem

-- For Boaz, this is a calculated offer, knowing that his real intention is coming

-- APP: See this, sometimes a little salesmanship is required …

- The redeemer agrees to redeem it, and then Boaz drops the rest of the news

-- (v5) If you want the land, you must also take Naomi for she is a widow

-- Not only must he redeem Naomi, but he must also redeem Ruth

-- What’s interesting is how he describes Ruth …

-- “… requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”

-- (chuckle) If there was ever a description that seemed VERY unflattering …

- Chat: Basically, you got to know man … there is baggage with this land

-- Yes, perhaps he overplays this, but hey, his ”why” is clear (refer Ruth 3:11, “Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.”)

- Boaz was really the only male in town who had interaction with Ruth