Book of Ruth Series
#4 Rejoicing Because of Redemption
Through a series of events, Ruth has come to know Boaz. She has renounced her old life of idolatry and has repented, or turned away from serving the god of death. She has chosen to come to a place where she devotes herself and her life to the True God, the Living God of Israel. In Boaz she has found someone who is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is her near kinsman, someone who is in a position to redeem her, if he will. But she knows that she cannot earn that redemption. It must come by his mercy and grace alone for she has nothing to give but herself. Because she has nothing to give for her redemption and cannot make it alone, she has laid at Boaz’ feet and sought his mercy and grace. Through all this she has been faithful to remain in his fields and to honor her mother-in-law, Naomi. Now it’s out of her hands. That’s all she can do. She has gone as far as she can go in trying to “work out her salvation” and becoming acceptable to Boaz.
Let me remind you once again that Naomi is a type of the church and its ministries. Naomi, like the church, can only point you to Christ, or bring you to the knowledge of Jesus, but the church cannot save you. We have no power outside of that which the Lord gives us. Without that anointing power of the Holy Ghost, we are nothing more than an empty shell.
Bur Jesus has passed his authority, his anointing, and his power on to those who become a part of his church. This anointing and power is not just for the preachers or ministers, but for every man, woman and child who is born again into the Kingdom of God. With that anointing there is nothing impossible for us to do.
Ruth is seeking an answer to her dilemma. She needs a redeemer, someone who will care enough and love her enough to pay the price that she might live among God’s chosen people. She couldn’t do it on her own. She was at the mercy of Boaz. All she could do now was pray and wait to see what happened.
When you have done all you can do and the answer hasn’t come, what do you do then? The only thing you can do is PRAY and WAIT upon the Lord!
When we pray, we must believe in our hearts that God will intervene. We must believe that the answer is on the way.
There’s an old chorus that says it this way:
Oh the answer’s on the way, this I know
Jesus said, I believe it, and it’s so
My Heavenly Father knows the need before I pray
And I praise God; the answer’s on the way
So often we hear people quoting one of my favorite verses in the Bible found in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." I think that we must understand that the promises of flying high above our circumstances, running the race and not growing weary and walking with the Lord but never growing tired and weak are all dependent upon one thing – FAITH that God will answer our prayer while we wait. Without faith we quickly fall, stop running and are overcome by those circumstances.
Having faith in the answer is the only way to have peace while waiting for a miracle! This is exactly where Ruth found herself. She had practiced love, prayed a lot, done everything she knew to do, and now all she could do is wait and believe.
Praying, waiting and believing all go together. Some people pray, but don’t really believe! Some pray, and even try to believe, but they won’t wait on God and then they short circuit the answer and do it their way. Then when things don’t work out they try to blame God.
There was a church where the pastor called the congregation together to call on God and pray that the new nightclub that had just opened down the street would somehow go out of business. During the prayer meeting, a thunderstorm came up and lightning struck the nightclub causing it to burn to the ground. The nightclub owner heard about the prayer meeting and so he decided to file suit against the church. He claimed that their prayers had caused the destruction of his business and was seeking damages. Of course the church claimed no responsibility in the fire at all. They were in prayer meeting and nowhere near the club. At the end of the arguments presented the Judge finally spoke up and said, “I don’t truly know where the guilt lies in this case but one thing I do know. It seems to me that the nightclub owner believes in prayer more than the church does.”
Ruth is at home with Naomi just waiting for the miracle they had hoped and prayed for, there was nothing more to do at this point except believe and put it all in God’s hands.
Naomi gives us the picture of the kind of attitude that we should have. She says in Ruth 3:18. She said, "… Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day."
David tells us in Psalms 46:10-11, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."
I want you to notice that Boaz is already at work, doing what was necessary to redeem Ruth. Just as God laid the foundations for your salvation long before you were ever born, Boaz is working his plan too.
But like Jesus, Boaz has to do everything just right to fulfill the law of the land. There were no shortcuts to victory. All of the law had to be satisfied before he could redeem Ruth.
The first 6 verses of Ruth Chapter 4 contain the legal proceedings that Boaz had to go through. You can read them for yourself later on. Just realize this – When Jesus came into this world, it was for one purpose alone. He came to be our Redeemer. He came to fulfill all of the Law that none of us could fulfill. He came to live a sinless life and be the living, perfect, sacrificial lamb of God, whose blood would be acceptable and then have the power to cleanse us from sin. There is no other sacrifice. There is no one else who can fulfill all of the Law and be our Redeemer. It’s only accomplished through the perfect Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection.
Ruth trusted God. She listened to the instructions of Naomi and then did what she was told to do. She did her best to get things rolling so that Boaz would become her redeemer, but then all she could do is to wait for the answer after that.
She laid at the feet of Boaz to get his attention. This was just a little nudge to try to get things going. She wasn’t being forward. She was just trying to get Boaz’ attention.
Sometimes its good to just give things a little nudge to get some action. We are to wait upon the Lord but when the time is right and circumstances are right, sometimes a little extra action will bring on the answer even quicker.
Just like when we were ready to purchase this building. We were waiting on the Lord. We knew that God had something in store for us, but we didn’t know what that was. We were just waiting, holding on in faith and trusting the Lord. Then circumstances began to change and we could see the hand of God opening doors and bringing about the answer to our prayers for a new church. That’s when we gave a little nudge in our belief that this was God’s will to help things get moving. We signed a purchase agreement before the building even officially was for sale. This was the nudge that was needed to get the ball rolling, otherwise, we might still be sitting and waiting for the sale to be approved by the former owners. After all, it took them over 10 years to decide to sell.
It’s okay to give a little nudge as long as we don’t try to take matters in our own hands and compromise our faith and trust in God. Sometimes a little nudge is all that is needed.
Once there was a princess who was very beautiful that every bachelor in the kingdom wanted to marry. (Have you ever noticed that there are few princesses in fairy tales who aren’t beautiful? That’s part of the reason that they are fairy tales.) Anyway, the king didn’t think that any of the young men who came to call were good enough for his daughter. To weed them out, he created a test that he didn’t think any of them could pass. Only the man who completed the test would be considered as a husband for the princess. The test was this. The man who wanted to marry the princess had to swim a large pond that was filled with hungry alligators. All the young men who desired the princess were lined up on the banks of the pond. They heard the king’s challenge and then were told to either jump in and swim or go home and forget about the princess.
No one moved for a while, then suddenly there was a big splash and everyone stood watching as one young man swam frantically, turning in every direction to avoid the gators. One gator snapped at his hand and missed. Another went for his leg but he managed to pick hard enough to escape the jaws of death. Again and again the gators came at him but through a miracle he would always move at just the right instant to escape injury. All the while he was kicking, swimming, yelling, and trying to get across to the safety of the shore.
Finally, he reached shore, jumped out of the water, ran about 50 yards from the water and collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted, but uninjured. The king was impressed. He went to the young man and said, “Such a brave man. You Deserve my daughter’s hand in marriage, and I will give you half of my kingdom.”
The young man looked up and said, “That’s great sire. It is a fulfillment of my wildest dreams. But I have only one request.” “What’s your request”, asked the king. “Will you please tell me which one of those low-down rascals behind me pushed me into the pond?” The king turned and pointed, and there, standing on the other shore, where he had been pushed stood the princess with a big smile on her face.
She loved the young man and he loved her. All the relationship needed was a little nudge to really get things moving.
Ruth had given Boaz a little nudge and now things were moving along. He went before the gate of the city where the elders were gathered to conduct business. There he made it known that Naomi had land for sale and that it could be redeemed by her nearest kinsman who happened to be a brother-in-law to her husband who had died back in Moab.
For a moment it seemed that Boaz would lose the land, and lose Ruth, as the uncle at first said that he would redeem them for himself.
Sometimes God allows us to face a test in our faith. We pray and believe God, then wait for the answer, but sometimes it just seems that it’s never going to happen. If we aren’t careful, that’s when our faith will wither and die. The key is to never give up believing God for the answer in spite of the circumstances. In God’s time the answer will come if we just hold on.
This whole scenario reminds me of the crucifixion of Christ. It all looked so hopeless on the day that Jesus died. They took him down off of the cross, buried him in a borrowed tomb, and then discovered that even his body was missing. It all seemed so hopeless.
At the moment Jesus gave up the ghost, perhaps Satan thought that he had won, but it was a short celebration because Jesus stripped the devil of his power, took away the keys of death, hell and the grave, and then arose from the dead, completing the plan of salvation. What seemed like a hopeless situation turned out to be a glorious victory.
The world doesn’t want to confess that Jesus is Lord. Most of the world and even some people in the church don’t want to think about the blood of Jesus. It’s a gruesome sight to them, but to me it’s a marvelous thing of beauty. No the suffering, bleeding and dying of Jesus upon the cross is not a pretty sight to the natural eye, but to the eternal soul it is a wonder to behold. The suffering of the cross purchased our salvation. What a beautiful sight the cross is to those who are saved and cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb!
A gemstone dealer was walking down the aisle at a Gem and Mineral Stone Show in Tucson, Arizona. As he walked along he saw a blue-violet rock about the size and shape of a potato. He picked up the rock and looked at it closely. He then asked the owner of the stone how much he wanted for it. The owner side that he would take $10 for it since it wasn’t much to look at. The dealer bought it and took it back to his lab where he began to examine it and refine it.
That ugly blue-violet rock has been certified today as a 1,095 carat natural star sapphire. It is 800 carats larger than any other stone of its kind in the world. At its last appraisal its value was set at $2,280,000. It took someone who loved rocks to really see its inner value. To the other man, it was just another ugly dull rock, not worthy of notice.
To Boaz, the land of Naomi wasn’t the real value. The real value was found in who came with the purchase. Ruth was the greatest value of all. Because he kept the faith and didn’t give up, but was willing to pay the price for redemption, he now had a beautiful bride and a place in the lineage of the Messiah. Ruth’s prayers were answered and she became Boaz’s bride. The miracle had finally come to pass and their dreams had come true.
What a great love story. But it’s much more than that. It’s a story that foretells the love that Jesus has for his Bride, the church. It’s the story of his great love for you and I while we were yet lost in sin.
We couldn’t help ourselves. We couldn’t pay the price for redemption, so Jesus paid it for us. He is our Lord and our Savior, and He is the Bridegroom who will soon come to take his Bride away.
Jesus knew the value of your soul and mine. Sure, he came to redeem the earth, to buy back his creation that was now under Satan’s claim because of the sin of Adam. Jesus came to redeem all of creation from the hand of the devil and the power of sin.
Colossians 1:20-22, "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"
Jesus redeemed all of creation and he is going to soon take possession of it all once again forever, but his crowing achievement was the redemption of man who was created in God’s own image. Like Ruth, you and I are part of that redemption. The price of redemption purchased our salvation too, and that’s what Jesus was really after all along. Every other part of the redemption was secondary to the redemption of your soul because Jesus loved you, and he loved each of us, so much, that he was willing to pay the price on the cross just to buy your freedom and bring you home with him to Heaven forever.
That’s what you are worth to God. The world may call you hopeless, shiftless, good for nothing, poor and unimportant, but Jesus loves you and He calls you a Child of God, his brother or sister, and his beautiful Bride. You are more valuable to him than all of creation, and all of Heaven. His great love for you is beyond understanding. In God’s eyes you are the most precious, valuable, priceless creature in the universe and don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise.
Ruth 4:13-17, "So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David."
Boaz made an investment that day. He purchased the land of Naomi and got a wife in the deal that was more valuable than the land. (Now that’s what I call “lagniappe”). It’s better than buying an acre of land and discovering oil, for the price of a good wife is far above rubies or earthly riches according to Proverbs.
He made an investment and got a tremendous return.
Have you ever heard of George McCluskey? Years ago, when he started his family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer because he wanted his children to be Christians. Later, he expanded his prayer to include grandchildren, and then great-grandchildren. Every day, between 11 AM and noon he prayed for the next 3 generations of his family.
As time passed his 2 daughters gave their hearts to Jesus and married full time ministers of the gospel. Those 2 couples produced 4 girls and 1 boy. Each of the 4 girls married preachers and the boy became a pastor as well. The first 2 children born into these families were both boys. When they graduated from high school, the two boys, who were cousins, went to the same college and were roommates. One boy went into the ministry and the other one didn’t. Instead, he chose to pursue a course of study in psychology. He earned a doctorate and wrote a lot of books that became best sellers. Then he started a radio program that is now carried on over 1000 stations every day. Three generations ago, a grandfather decided to invest an hour a day in prayer, and we now witness the miracles of answers to that prayer every time you listen to Dr. James Dobson on the radio as he broadcasts out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, telling the whole world about Jesus and helping people to use Bible principles to solve their every day relationship problems.
When we come to know Christ as our Savior we can truly begin to rejoice. In the end, God blessed Boaz, Ruth, Naomi and everyone connected with them. In fact, the whole nation of Israel, and every one who has walked the face of the earth, from Adam to now, has been blessed because of their miracle. We can all rejoice today because they helped God’s plan for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to come to pass.
We all share in the rejoicing! When we are faithful to God and the victory comes, every one around us is blessed with us. You can call it “Collateral Blessing” if you want. Your children are blessed because you are saved today. Your co-workers are blessed because you are blessed. Your life effects everyone around you, all the time. They are blessed to know you and may not even realize it.
Do you know Jesus this morning as your Lord and Savior? Have you joined in the triumph and rejoicing that salvation brings into your life?
This whole message is all about rejoicing in the Lord, the love of God that reaches out to you and I and how we must reach out by faith and hold on until the answer comes.
We are here today to point you to Jesus. It is my greatest desire that all of us can be a part of God’s family. If you are here today, and you do not know Jesus, then you can become a part of the rejoicing before you leave this place.
Jesus has made a great investment of his own blood to purchase you back from a life that leads to eternal death. This church is here as a result of His investment, and we have all invested in this church just so that you and many more could come to know Christ and be a part of his Bride.
Your soul is worth all of this and more, but it is your soul. You have to choose to rejoice with us. Will you serve the Lord? Will you rejoice with us? Come today and be a part of God’s family with us.
