Grandparents - Can’t Live Without Them
Ruth 4:13-17
Today is Grandparents Day
It has been celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day since 1978
Thanks to the efforts of a lady by the name of Marion McQuade
Mrs. McQuade made it her goal to educate young people to the important contributions of senior citizens
Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes
She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide
In 1978 Congress passed legislation proclaiming today as National Grandparents day
And then President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation
The statute cites the day’s purpose as
“To honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children
And to help children become aware of strength, information and guidance older people can offer”
So today we honor you grandma and grandpa
Will all the grandparents stand, applause
Every year the National Grandparents Day Council chooses some grandparents as National Grandparents of the year
2008 the winners were George and Lea Wills and Russell and Joyce Martin of the great state of Arkansas
What a testimony to how special grandparents are to Arkansans
There are a great deal of grandparents in the Bible
Grandparents then, as they are now, held very important roles in the family unit
Families often lived together
So grandma and grandpa had daily interaction with their grandchildren
In the story of Ruth we learn of two especially important grandmas
Naomi and Ruth
Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David
And is 1 of only three women mentioned among the ancestry of Jesus in Matthew 1
Ruth had an extraordinary life
And she had a rough beginning
I. Ruth - The destitute widow
A. Her Pain
We all know the story of Ruth
She was a Moabite woman
Married to a Jewish man
Her husbands father had died and 10 years of wedded bliss ended when Ruth’s husband died as well
She, now a widow decided to return with her mother-in-law to the land of Judah
Ruth’s life at this point is a picture of a life that is lived apart from the will of God
Ruth had many strikes against her
She was a Gentile
She was a stranger from the covenant of Israel
She was lost in sin
But three strikes and you’re out do not apply to God and His salvation
But this is a great picture of the person outside of Christ
They too are lost in sin
Separated from God
And doomed to an eternity in Hell
That life of sin is the ultimate state of rebellion
Following the terrible Mexico City earthquake of 1985
Live satellite coverage carried the news of Mexico’s anguish to a watching world
A pastor was sitting in front of his television set stunned by the extent of the damage
Mountains of broken concrete filled the screen
Rescue workers dug frantically
Fires raged
Smoke and dust filled the air
Then suddenly in the lower left-hand corner of the screen appeared the words "Courtesy: SIN."
The letters S-I-N actually stood for Spanish International Network
But for a moment it meant something different to that pastor
It reminded him that in some way all trouble, pain, and suffering can be traced back to the problem of sin
That’s not to say that God judged Mexico City with an earthquake
We don’t know that
But if sin directly or indirectly caused such a tragedy, or even the more disastrous quake described by John in Revelation 6:12
It deserves to be treated with contempt, not courtesy
All of life’s problems, heartaches and pain can be ultimately traced back to sin
Ruth’s path to righteousness started as a destitute widow
That was her pain
B. Her pledge
With Ruth’s pledge to follow Naomi and her God she reaches a pivotal point in her life
She makes a conscious decision to follow the God of Naomi
What a testimony this is to the life Naomi lived as an example of a godly mother
Ruth could tell Naomi’s faith was real
Her God was real
And she wanted to be part of that
We do learn a very valuable lesson here though about grandparents
They may be wise
They may be experienced
They may seem to have all the answers
But they are not always right
Naomi gives her daughters-in-law some very poor advice
She actually pleads with them to remain in their homeland
And with their false gods
Lesson is - always weigh any advice you receive
Even from grandma and grandpa
Most of the time they are probably right
But as humans, they are susceptible to mistakes as well
Luckily Ruth didn’t heed Naomi’s advice
She made that decision to follow God
Only a conscious decision to receive Christ into one’s heart and life results in eternal salvation
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Have you made that decision?
C. Her poverty
Ruth left with no husband and no means of support
Naomi and Ruth are left financially bankrupt
This is a further illustration of the sinner apart form God
The lost person is spiritually bankrupt
He has no access to God
No ground from which to ask anything from the Lord except forgiveness
The unsaved person can produce no good
He needs someone to stand between himself and God
Jesus is the only mediator
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Ruth was in poverty
She needed someone to help pull her out
She needed a redeemer
And one day she met him
II. Ruth - the desperate worker
A. Her providence
Ruth became the financial leader of this widow household
In order to feed herself and Naomi she goes off to glean in the fields
It is no accident, nor coincidence that Ruth ends up in Boaz’s field
It is an example of the amazing providence of almighty God
God is in control of every area of our life
Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
There is no such thing as coincidence when it comes to God
All of our lives are tributes to the wonderful providence of God
I want each of us to think back to when you came to Jesus
Remember what He did to bring you to Himself
Nothing happens by accident with God
Ruth was experiencing the providence of God
B. Her protection
Ruth quickly caught the eye of Boaz
And he was very interested in her
Jesus Christ is also interested in us
Every one of u s
He desires to bring us into a wonderful, personal relationship with Himself
Boaz is a picture of Christ in the book of Ruth
He became her protection
He made sure that no one bothered or hindered Ruth as she gleaned
Jesus does the same
He guides us and protects us as we go through this life
He is the only reason why you are still alive today
But Boaz shows us a picture of Jesus even better by becoming
C. Her provision
Notice how Boaz met the needs in Ruth’s life
He quenched her thirst
Ruth 2:9 and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
He made sure she had access to the water supply
Jesus told the woman at the well in
John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
He is the living water
He has all the resources needed to satisfy the soul of man
He feed her hunger
Ruth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
Boaz made sure that Ruth was eating at his table
He wanted to see to it that she ate well
And was satisfied
She had plenty to eat
With some left over
Remember Ruth was poor
Probably had very little to eat at home
But now she are like royalty
Jesus takes a man from feeding on the refuse of this world
And He seats us at His table
Psalms 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Boaz filled her plate until it overflowed
Jesus fills our spiritual plate until we have more than enough
Boaz also filled her basket
Boaz instructed his reapers to actually purposefully drop extra amounts of grain for Ruth to pick up
She left with far more than she had bargained for
In 2:17 we read that she gathered an ephah
Which is 3/5 of a bushel
Weighing about 30 to 40 lbs
Far more than a days gathering
More like a weeks worth
Every person that meets Jesus gets their basket filled to overflowing
We always get more than we expect or deserve
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Ruth’s work paid off
She drew the attention of this man Boaz
She stayed close to the man who was blessing her life
And God’s plan was falling into place
III. Ruth - The delivered wife
Eventually boaz sought after Ruth’s hand in marriage
But things had to be done properly
You see, the law stated that the closest relative had the right to marry the widow and purchase her land
This is the law of the Kinsman-Redeemer
Boaz wasn’t the closest relative
Boaz did it by the book
The other kinsman-redeemer didn’t want to marry Ruth
Thus opening the door for boaz
Jesus is the same
Everything Jesus did, He did by the book
He fulfilled the law and paid the price for sin
Speaking of paying the price
Boaz was willing to pay any price because of his love for Ruth
He didn’t simply marry Ruth
He had to purchase all the land from Naomi that belonged to her husband and sons
There was nothing that could hold him back from acquiring Ruth as his wife
Jesus paid a great price to redeem the souls of fallen men
He is our redeemer just as Boaz was Ruth’s
All those who trust Him are redeemed from sin and become part of the family of God
Simply because Jesus paid the price
And finally we see in this delivered wife the profit
Ruth 4:14-17 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. [15] 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. [16] And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. [17] And the women her neighbors 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.
Ruth, this Gentile woman from an idol worshiping country
Completely unfamiliar with the customs and laws of Israel
Completely unaware of the true God
Comes to realize who He is
She is shown a picture of Jesus through her husband boaz
And becomes the great-grandmother of King David
What a difference God makes
He turns our trash into His treasure
He takes a useless unsaved person
And utilizes him in a mighty way
God molded and used Ruth’s life in a mighty way
As she became a very vital part of the chain that led to the birth of the “man after God’s own heart”
And eventually to the birth of Jesus Christ
But we also see another great blessing in these last verses
It is a strange question to ask, but the book of Ruth makes us ask it:
Is a baby on the day of its birth more a child or a grandchild?
In other words, who is to be more congratulated, the parents or the grandparents?
For some reason the book of Ruth votes for the grandparents
And it makes this passage one of the most powerful exaltations of a grandmother you will find anywhere in human literature.
It is almost as if the goal of this book was to come to a happy ending with grandma Naomi holding grandson Obed in her lap
And everybody singing her praises
Note how suddenly the story of Ruth and Boaz comes to an end
Their romance has dominated the stage for most of the book
But their wedding and 9 months of pregnancy
And their whole life together is wrapped up rapidly in verse 13
When Ruth gave birth to that baby boy, she and Boaz left the stage
And the spotlight focuses on grandma Naomi for the closing scenes of the story
There is not one more scene about the parents, for the star now is grandma
All of the praise and rejoicing now revolve around her
Naomi has a kinsman- redeemer
Naomi has a comfort for her old age. Naomi has a grandson, and they say she has a son
This radical removal of the parents
And this thrusting of grandma and grandchild front and center is a powerful revelation of just how important a role grandparents play in the life of a child
Or should we say, can play, or should play?
This real life love story all comes down to the amazing example of this godly grandma
And how her steadfast example and wisdom affected the life of those around her
Ruth 4:16-17 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. [17] And the women her neighbors 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.
Grandparents are often our strongest allies
Our strongest comforters
And our strongest advocates
There has been many a should brought to Jesus because of the persistence of a praying grandparent
Ruth wouldn’t have been who she became without Naomi
Grandparents - You can’t live without them
This great book tells us so much about our God and our salvation
Your salvation is the most important decision you will ever make in your life
And I bet your grandparents persistently pray, or prayed for your salvation
Their persistence is like this small boy in a story told by W. Herschel Ford
"Many years ago a young preacher in England pitched his tent in an area where there was no church.
Each night he preached the gospel there.
Among the converts was a boy whose mother was dead and whose father was a saloon-keeper.
After the boy’s conversion he pleaded with his father to attend the services with him, but his father cursed him and told him to forget it.
On Saturday night the boy said, ’Please pray for my daddy. I want so much for him to be saved.’
On Monday someone told this man that his son had requested prayer for him
And when the boy came home from school, his father said,
’If you want to be a Christian, go ahead, but leave my name out of it.’
"The next Saturday night the boy’s heart was breaking for his father
So he again asked for prayer for his father.
Again on Monday someone told the father, hoping that this would touch and convict him.
When the boy came in from school, the man beat him until the boy’s blood stained his shirt.
Then man threw a bucket of water on him and kicked him, and then went to the saloon.
The boy stumbled to his knees, climbed into bed and sobbed.
"That night the father, feeling sorry for the way he had treated the boy
Slipped into the boy’s room and found him with tears still coursing down his cheeks.
The father fell onto his knees and said,
’Son, I’m sorry for what I did.
I will never do it again.
Son, are you really a Christian?’
"The boy replied, ’Yes, Daddy.’
"’Can you pray, son?’ the father asked.
"’Yes, sir,’ replied the boy, ’I have learned to pray a little.’
"’After all I’ve done, can you pray for me?’
"’Yes,’ said the boy.
They got down onto their knees, and the boy prayed,
’Dear Lord, save my daddy.
I want him to be a Christian.’
"The man began to sob, then said, ’Son, tell me how to become a Christian.’
The boy explained repentance and faith.
The father said, ’I’ll do that right now.
I am sorry for all my sins. I’m trusting Christ with all my heart.’
"The next morning the father put on his best suit.
He said, ’I want you to take me to that preacher.’
They told the preacher their story, and soon the man was again confessing his faith in Christ.
Then they went down to the saloon.
There the man took an ax and demolished the bar and broke every bottle of whiskey in the house.
"Handing the keys of the building to the preacher, the man said, ’It’s all yours now.
Use it in any way you please.’
Today that building houses a church, and the former saloonkeeper became an officer in that church.
"Why did it all happen?
Because the man had been born again and Christ had changed his life."
Nothing in life has the power to make so profound a change as that which Jesus Christ can make.
This truth is vividly portrayed in this little book.
In these 4 short chapters, Ruth is shown moving from Brokenness to Blessedness.
In her story, however, something far more wonderful and blessed is in view.
In this book, we see Christ’s power to change lives and His power to transport us from the brokenness of sin to the blessedness of His salvation.
This morning, my prayer is that the Lord will speak to your heart about your relationship with Him.
If you are unsaved, please allow God to show you what He can do for you.
If you are saved this morning, be sure you are where the Lord wants you to be and rejoice in what He has done for you.
We also see what greatness can be gleaned from our grandparents
Set some time aside today to visit with grandma and grandpa
If you can’t visit them personally call them
Tell them happy Grandparents day
If your grandparents are no longer living
Say a special prayer of thanks to God for the life they lived
And the example they set
Find another grandparent and tell them Happy Grandparents day
Also today if you don’t know Jesus come to Him this morning
I can’t think of anything better than being saved by grace
Instead of being on the outside looking in
It sure does feel good to be on the inside looking up!
Regardless of where you are today
Jesus can do in your life, and so much more, than Boaz did for Ruth
He can redeem you
Bring you close to Himself
Make you a part of His family
And bless you beyond your wildest dreams
All He is waiting on is you
Will you come to Him today?
He wants you!
