Text: Ruth 4:1-12 Title: The Twists and Turns of Life Date/Place: LSCC, 6/4/06, AM
A. Opening illustration: tell a story about getting lost here in Maine
B. Background to passage: Recount the entire book of Ruth. We have just come from the threshing floor incident. Anticipation builds as we wait to see what will happen to Ruth and Boaz, as the closer relative was promised to be given preference in the last chapter. Ruth 4 drives home the point of Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purposes. And at the same time demonstrates the truth that the road that we are on is not like a four lane interstate highway like the turnpike, but more like one of the roads down in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains that winds this way and that following the lay of the creeks and hollows.
C. Main thought: In our text we will see some of the final twists and turns of Ruth and Boaz’s path toward God’s plan for their lives.
A. Submission to Order (v. 1-2)
1. Boaz heads off the next morning to the city gate. The gates of the cities of that time served many functions. They were a place of business, an official court, an immigration office. Boaz intended to do things properly, decently and in order. He was placing himself, Ruth, Naomi, and the other go’el in submission to the Word of God and to the town council, ten elders. Whatever their decision, he would submit to it. We all have authorities in our lives that God has placed over us. This is part of God’s direction for our lives, our homes, our churches, for governments, nations, and the entire world.
2. 1 Pet 2:15, Rom 13:1, 1 Tim 2:1-3, 1 Sam 15:23
3. Illustration: Anne Atkins, in her excellent book Split Image, says, "Before we can hope to be good husbands or wives, we must learn to be good Christians. We must all become self-sacrificial and submissive." Special magnets embedded in the asphalt every four feet would transfer signals between vehicle and main computer system. Steering, acceleration, and braking would be controlled by sensors, computers navigation systems, and cameras along the side of the road. Control would be returned to drivers at their specified exit. Says Mike Doble, Buick’s technology manager, "The only thing we can’t do yet is get people to comfortably trust the system. It’s not a technology issue. Would you drive, closely spaced, at high speeds, through San Diego?" Trust is always the question
4. Our walk with Christ and quest to determine God’s will for our lives will be stifled if we do not learn to submit to authority. This is His leading. We justify our rebellion by saying that the rule of law is not fair or inappropriate. Or we just simply list all the other good reasons that will benefit us personally if we go around the authority placed over us. Normally in the bible the verb is used in a middle passive voice, which means that you place yourself into submission. So you have a choice: Are you submitting to the authorities in your life, whether you like their mandates or not? If you are not, whether it be at work, in the church, in the home, or outside the home, you are exhibiting rebellion against God.
B. Selfishness of Individuals (v. 3-8)
1. Back in v. 1 Boaz called this other go’el by name, but the author of the book deliberately chose to omit it. He inserts “peloni almoni.” This translates Mr. So and So. So the author begins to communicate that this guy’s name would be written out of history because of his improper motivation. Explain the situation with the land. When the land is mentioned, peloni almoni is all over it, although he probably would have stood to inherit it when Naomi died anyway, at least during the year of Jubilee. But then, when Ruth and Naomi are mentioned, and raising up an heir to Elimelech and Mahlon, the circumstances change. He is concerned about his inheritance, his money, his land, his control.
2. 1 Cor 10:24, Philip 2:4,
3. Illustration: Eugene Peterson relates selfishness to atheism, see below. “The secret of every discord in Christian homes and communities and churches is that we seek our own way and our own glory.” I love Jesus, but…below, Marriage is God’s favorite tool to break selfishness, selfishness is Satan’s favorite tool to break up marriage, Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
4. Most of our lives we spend looking out for ourselves. Other people’s affects us. Selfishness is the primary motivation for just about every kind of sin. It is the root cause of most sin in our lives, because we want what is most beneficial, most financially profitable, most sexually or emotionally fulfilling, most pleasing to our lifestyle, our goals, and our needs. It crops up in all our relationships, and short-circuits them. It crops up in our finances, and brings debt. The ironic thing is that it never fulfills! You will always come up empty when you are out for #1. And worse, your legacy will fade from existence.
C. Hesed of Others (v. 9-10)
1. In these two verses Boaz makes a proclamation before the town elders, peloni almoni, and everyone else in the town within earshot that he is going to redeem the land, marry the girl, and redeem the family line. This is an act of pure hesed. Explain. Redefine hesed as covenant loyalty and self-sacrificing love. He has by his own resources and his own volition agreed to look out for the interests of Elimelech, Mahlon, Naomi, Ruth, and all their descendents. Note that in the forefront of his mind is not a wife, but the redemption of the family name and property. He is looking out for what is best for the family, for the clan, for the nation, and for two lonely widows.
2. 1 Cor 13:1-8, John 15:12, 1 Peter 1:22,
3. Illustration: there is a quote taped to my desk to remind me of my duty to be a romantic man that says: “A romantic man will do all of these things (list above) even when his spouse is unresponsive, knowing that he is called to love His wife as Christ loved the church.” Tell about the soldier in the Battle of the Wilderness who lost both of his arms, and had someone write to his fiancé and release her from her obligation to marry him with no arms. “Love considers nothing its right, and everything its obligation” –JM,
4. Could we find people in your life that would be witnesses to your hesed? Are there those in your life that are in need of a redeemer, supporter, friend, and one to go beyond the call to help? Are there those in your life who have acted this way toward you? This is a model to us as husbands: expending our every resource, giving our lives for the nourishment of our wives and children. Not worrying about what we may be losing (time to work, time to play, money, pride, freedom), but focusing on the need in others lives. Ladies, too, should exhibit patient, loving, faithfulness and loyalty to their husbands regardless of what they receive. We must look to the future and to the good of things outside of ourselves to accomplish God’s purpose and find fulfillment in the process. We should love because love is good and honors Christ, not because of what we may gain from our good behavior.
D. Blessing of God (v. 11-12)
1. Now the people of Bethlehem pronounce a three-fold blessing over Boaz and Ruth. Their prayer is that God will make Ruth like Rachel and Leah in the sense of fruitfulness and status. These were the two women that bore Jacob 8 of his sons. They are also recognized as two of the great matriarchs of the nation of Israel. Secondly, they pray that the household of Boaz will be great in reputation and status. They were saying that the name of Boaz would continue on after death. Thirdly they prayed that God would bless Ruth with prominence in His plan as a foreign widow restored. We will see next week, all comes to pass.
2. 1 Cor 1:27,
3. Illustration: Luther said, “Children are the sweetest part of matrimony.” A group of expectant fathers his wife had just given birth to twins. “That’s quite a coincidence” he responded, “I play for the Minnesota Twins!” then to another man that he was the father of triplets. “That’s amazing,” he exclaimed, “I work for the 3M company.” At that point, a third man slipped off his chair and laid down on the floor. Somebody asked him if he was feeling ill. “No,” he responded, “I happen to work for the 7-up company.” When the most venerable and respected of the group entertained, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony, measuring the leaves from a golden box. The assembled epicures praised this exquisite tea. The host smiled and said, “The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I hope it will be a reminder to all that the good things in life are not necessarily the rarest or the most costly.
4. Children are a blessing from God, not a burden. But the real point is that if you live your life with integrity, honor, and faithfulness to God and His Word, you will be blessed. Most of the pain that we experience comes directly or indirectly from our own sinful decisions. Also, God uses common people to do uncommon things. Ruth was a pagan widow woman, before all of this, and now is the title of a book in the Bible that will never fade away, not to mention an ancestor of the Messiah, the blessing to the world.
A. Closing illustration: I’ll praise you in this storm, see below
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
If I am an atheist in my heart, making myself sovereign in place of God, and therefore arranging things in my life in accordance with my appetites and needs and fantasies, I become a pirate in society. I relentlessly look for ways in which I can get what is there for my own uses with no regard for what anyone else gets. If I am an atheist in my heart, it is not long before I have become a cancer in the gut of the country
I love Jesus, but want to hold on to my own friends even when they do not lead me closer to Jesus. I love Jesus, but want to hold on to my own independence even when it brings me no real freedom. I love Jesus, but do not want to lose the respect of my professional colleagues even though their respect does not make me grow spiritually. I love Jesus, but do not want to give up my writing, travel, and speaking plans even when they are often more to my glory than God’s.
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
And stepped in and saved the day
Once again, I say Amen, and it is still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear you whisper through the rain
I’m with you
As your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I’ll Praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
You are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will Praise You in this storm
