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.
Did you notice that the man who did not step up and be counted
upon was never heard of again? We don’t even know his name. But the
name of Boaz became famous not just in his generation, but 3
millenniums later.
Boaz was willing to restore Ruth completely. Before Boaz, Ruth
had really nothing. She had lost her husband, she had no standing in
Jewish law, she had lost her family. She would have lost her husband’s
land.
But Boaz stepped in to restore what was lost. And folks, ALL
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS, PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, ARE
HEAVILY INVOLVED IN RESTORING WHAT WAS LOST.
What has your spouse lost? Joy? Peace? Courage? Trust?
Security? Hope? Love? Take a moment and think about that. WHAT IS
IT THAT YOUR SPOUSE HAS LOST BECAUSE OF HIS/HER PAST?
Write it down in your notes. Our spouses need us to help them reclaim
what was lost.
Story or Sue/Russ??
3. REDEMPTION IS ABOUT RECLAIMING THE FUTURE And that’s
exactly what marriages are about. VV.13-22
v.17 Obed: servant; worshipper High expectations for this boy
From Ruth came Jesse, and from Jesse came the unsurpassed
King David—the man after God’s own heart. Talk about an incredible
future. Ruth, the foreign, Gentile widow becomes the great grandmother
of the great King David.
Boaz is a redeeming, not just her past, but her future as well.
Before Boaz, her life was uncertain, before Boaz, her life was filled with
loss, and before Boaz, her future was bleak. But after the redemption he
provided for her, her future was incredibly bright.
SERVICE - CALL BAND (224)
One more critical piece of the puzzle here. Look at MATTHEW
1:5 “SALMON THE FATHER OF BOAZ, WHOSE MOTHER WAS
RAHAB, BOAZ THE FATHER OF OBED, WHOSE MOTHER WAS
RUTH, OBED THE FATHER OF JESSE, AND JESSE THE FATHER
OF KING DAVID.” And then skip down to v.16: “AND JACOB THE
FATHER OF JOSEPH, THE HUSBAND OF MARY, OF WHOM WAS
BORN JESUS, WHO IS CALLED CHRIST.” MATTHEW 1:16
Just when you can’t imagine the future getting any better, you
discover that Jesus comes out of this love affair between Boaz and Ruth.
Listen married folks: OUR SPOUSES NEED US TO HELP
THEM GRAB HOLD OF THE FUTURE AND WORK TOGETHER TO
MAKE IT BRIGHT. A few months ago, I had a lady come to my office
and tell me that because of her marriage, she had no hope. It broke my
heart. Her husband was not acting like a kinsman redeemer. He was
not working to overcome uncertainty, restore her past, and reclaim her
future. And she felt hopeless.
When we sing the song of redemption to our spouses, we are
getting involved in the highest calling there can possibly be for a human
being. Because IN ALL LOVE RELATIONSHIPS, ESPECIALLY
MARRIAGE, WE MUST COOPERATE WITH THE REDEEMER IN
REDEEMING THE PAST AND FUTURE OF OUR LOVED ONE
Closing illustration… a guy rescues a woman and a great future
ensues.
