SERIES: “WOW! WHOSE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG DAUGHTER IS THAT? (PART 8) HERE COMES THE BRIDE”
1. Ruth 4:9 (Good News Translation) Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the others there, “You are all witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and to his sons Chilion and Mahlon. 10 In addition, Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, becomes my wife. This will keep the property in the dead man's family, and his family line will continue among his people and in his hometown. You are witnesses to this today.” 11 The leaders and the others said, “Yes, we are witnesses. May the Lord make your wife become like Rachel and Leah, who bore many children to Jacob. May you become rich in the clan of Ephratah and famous in Bethlehem. 12 May the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman make your family like the family of Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar.” 13 So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife. The Lord blessed her, and she became pregnant and had a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord! He has given you a grandson today to take care of you. May the boy become famous in Israel! 15 Your daughter-in-law loves you, and has done more for you than seven sons. And now she has given you a grandson, who will bring new life to you and give you security in your old age.” 16 Naomi took the child, held him close, and took care of him. 17 The women of the neighborhood named the boy Obed. They told everyone, “A son has been born to Naomi!” Obed became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
2. Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
3. Ruth 2:5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Whose Beautiful Young Daughter Is That?”
INTRO: WOW! WHOSE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG DAUGHTER IS THAT? PART 8 HERE COMES THE BRIDE
SERIES: An Intro (God Can Change Your Story); Love Is More Than Kissing; Getting Out Of Mara – Dealing With Bitterness; Father’s Day Message - Where Did Elimelech Go Wrong?, Behold A Woman Lay At His Feet; Characteristics Of A Good Spouse (What Do People Know About You?); Who Was Boaz This Eligible Bachelor?; I Will Not Marry Ruth & Endanger My Heritage – She Is Not My Type; Be The Kinsman Redeemer In Your Family – Deal With The Family Curses; Here Comes The Bride; The Dating Game; When The Honeymoon Is Over - How Satan Attacks Christian Marriages; What Do You Do When You Realize You’ve Married The Wrong Person; The In-Laws Factor; You Can Begin Again (About Divorce Or Death); Life Without A Spouse…
GOD’S MAJOR REASONS FOR MARRIAGE
Marriage: Covenant Union Of A Man & A Woman For The Purpose Of Committing To Each Other.
1. To Populate The World: Gen. 1:28: And God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2. To Reign & Dominate: Gen. 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
3. To Provide Companionship: Gen. 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
4. To Provide Proper Sexual Union: 1 Cor. 7:2-3 But because of immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. Pro. 5:15-19 Drink water from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love.
5. To Provide Children: Psalm 127:3, Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.
6. To Represent Our Union With Christ: Ephesians 5:23-25 "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her."
TWO THINGS I MERGE INTO ONE – VERY IMPORTANT TO SAY…
1. Attitude Towards The Success Or Failure Of Other People
We must be happy with those who are happy and learn to share in their success. When you rejoice for others, God will do greater things for you. Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
Sometimes We Wish People Wrong By:
? Action: Joseph’s brothers sold him (Gen. 37) – he saved them (Gen. 42). Haman built gallows for Mordecai (Esther 3) & he & his family hanged on it (Esther 7). Babylonians lit a furnace for Hebrew Boys (Dan. 3) & they themselves burned in it. They prepared a Lion’s Den for Daniel but they were thrown in (Dan. 6).
? Words: Num. 14: Hebrews complained their flesh would rot in the wilderness and God said what they had spoken they would get – their children would escape.
? Heart: Saul hated David (1 Sam 18) but God used Saul to ready David for throne (1 Sam 31).
Why Don’t We Rejoice Or Mourn With Others? That Is We Try To Go To Functions To Identify With People. Why Be A Fire Truck? But Some People Are Just So Negative?
Examples Of Selfishness And Selflessness From Scriptures
? Ruth 4: Boaz wants to raise dead man’s family. Who gets married to raise someone’s seed?
? Genesis 38: Onan was killed by God for spilling semen on the ground – no seed for Er.
? Job 42:10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold. 12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.
2. There Are No Perfect Marriages / Weddings – Difficulties Prevail
Here Comes The Bride – There Are Bruises On Ruth But Victory: As Ruth Marched To Take The Hands Of Boaz, people saw her & thought she was lucky to marry such eligible bachelor. They thought the same about Joseph as 2nd in Egypt. They said the same of the Prodigal Son as he returned home scarred from the battles of rebellion. They said the same of Moses as his sister and brother envied and spoke evil of him or the Leaders who rebelled against him. They said the same of Esther as she being a slave took the hand of the most powerful king. They said the same about David as he was crowned king of Israel. They said the same as Elijah was taken to heaven. It always looks easy when favor flows. People forget you bear the scars. Ruth was no exception.
Ask The Same Of The Oyster As It Makes The Pearl. Or of the caterpillar as it changes into a butterfly. Nothing comes easy. We have victories because we endure fights & defeats. Here Comes The Bride is a summary statement, but it comes with agony, tears, uncertainties, deception, neglect, ostracism. In the end, it brings the fruits of reward. Here Comes The Bride is similar to the single mom or dad who must struggle with her children in the absence of a runaway father or mother. Here Comes The Bride speaks to a person who has gone through many health challenges and bears the scars of surgery. It comes with the pastor who endures years of struggles with a ministry until God’s blessings show. People who don’t know think you are lucky. Sorry, but luck has nothing to do with it. “Height By Great Men Reached And Kept Were Not Attained By Sudden Flight. But They While Their Companions Slept Were Toiling Upward In The Night”. Here Comes The Bride - The mark of purity, achievement, glory, reward. It did not come easy. This is not luck friend, this is mark of bruise. Ruth whose husband died and they said would not hold a child. Marah whose two children died. The widow who is shunned. Here Comes The Bride. Only God could do this.
MARRIAGE PROCEDURES IN THE BIBLE
1. The Three "C’s" Of Bible Weddings: Contract, Consummation, Celebration.
Ancient Jewish weddings never involved a wedding ceremony like we see today with the bride walking down the aisle to be married in the temple:
a) Stage 1: Signing The Contract (Creating The Marriage Bond). The bride chooses her husband and her father would sign a legal contract with him. Once signed the couple is 100% married but do not have sex yet. Young children were often married (arranged marriage) but did not consummate until of age.
b) Stage 2: The Sexual Consummation. Up to 7 years later, the groom is able to raise the money as set in the contract and notifies the father of the bride, who sets a date to consummate the marriage at the bride's home. The bride waits with her maidens, for the arrival of the groom and his companions. The couple enters the room and consummates the marriage while the companions of the bride and groom wait outside. The groom hands the bloodied "proof of virginity cloth" to the witnesses chosen by the bride's parents, who then give it to the bride for safekeeping (Deut. 22:13-21). Pass the "test of virginity" on your wedding night or be stoned in the morning? In America 75% of unmarried people under 20 have had sex, and 1 in 5 of these will get STD. In Israel, 99% of girls were virgins. In 2 Sam. 13, Tamar never married because of rape, but lived in Absalom's house because she was not a virgin.
c) Stage 3: The Wedding Celebration. After consummation, the entire wedding party walks to the house of the groom in procession for wedding feast & conclusion of wedding feast ritual.
2. We See The 3 Stages Of Marriage In The Cases Of:
a) Isaac's Marriage To Rebekah: Genesis 24 (Contract - An offer of marriage is proposed & accepted and Rebekah is married by contract. Gifts and money or time served are considered. Here money & gifts given both to the bride and her parents. Rebekah was asked if she consented to the marriage. Consummation – Gen. 24:64-67 - Rebekah and Isaac go to the tent. Celebration - No mention of wedding feast, but one likely happened.)
b) Jacob's Marriage To Leah: Genesis 29 (Contract - Jacob contracts to work for 7 years in advance for Rachel. Consummation - Jacob pays the dowry price of 7 years and takes Leah into the tent. Celebration - He completed the 7 day wedding feast with Leah.
c) Jacob's Marriage To Rachel: Genesis 29 - Contract - Jacob contracts to work for 7 more years but gets to consummate the wedding after he fulfills the full dowry.
NOTE:
1. Wedding At Cana Of Galilee - John 2 - Stage 3: The wedding feast happened in the home of the groom or a family member.
2. Mary & Joseph (Matt. 1:18-19): “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed [ketubah] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to divorce her away secretly.”
THEN THEY BEGAN TO BLESS RUTH. LISTEN:
What Is The Blessing? The impartation of the supernatural power of God into a human life by the Spoken Word of God's delegated authority; ‘To be favored by God'. When God created Adam & Eve, the very first thing He did was to bless them: "And He bless them and said, 'be fruitful & multiply, subdue & take dominion'" Then God blessed Abraham. And He said in Gen. 12, "I will bless you and I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you". And then God blessed Isaac. And then God blessed Jacob. In Numbers 6, God explains to Moses how to bless Israel. What Is So Special About Blessings? A Blessing Is Desirable to Every Individual. A Lack of Blessing Leads to Spiritual Problems. A Bestowal of Blessing Promotes Spiritual Health.
God Gave Us Creative Powers: Proverbs 18:21 Death & life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Through Words (Spoken Words & Written Words) / Through Actions (Procreative And Skills) / Through Thoughts (Constant Obsession). What Proverbs 26:2: An Undeserved Curse Will Not Come Unless A Person Tolerates It.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RUTH BEING BLESSED BY:
1. Spouse: Ruth 4:9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the others there, “You are all witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and to his sons Chilion and Mahlon. 10 In addition, Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, becomes my wife. This will keep the property in the dead man's family, and his family line will continue among his people and in his hometown. You are witnesses to this today.”
2. Community: Ruth 4:11 The leaders and the others said, “Yes, we are witnesses. May the Lord make your wife become like Rachel and Leah, who bore many children to Jacob. May you become rich in the clan of Ephratah and famous in Bethlehem. 12 May the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman make your family like the family of Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar.”
3. Family / Friends: Ruth 4:14 The women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord! He has given you a grandson today to take care of you. May the boy become famous in Israel! 15 Your daughter-in-law loves you, and has done more for you than 7 sons. And now she has given you a grandson, who will bring new life to you and give you security in your old age.” 17a The women of the neighborhood named the boy Obed. They told everyone, “A son has been born to Naomi!”
4. In-Laws: Ruth 4:16 Naomi took the child, held him close, and took care of him.
5. God: Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife. The Lord blessed her, and she became pregnant and had a son.
6. Yourself: Ruth says nothing in Ruth 4. Pro. 15:7 If a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. God has taken her case, people bless her, not herself.
HOW TO GIVE A BLESSING TO PEOPLE (GENESIS 27 – ISAAC & JACOB)
1. A Blessing Needs To Be Felt / Touched (V. 21): In the Bible, touch played an important part in the bestowal of blessing. Isaac blessed Jacob with embrace & kiss. Jesus touched the sick, lepers, blind, deaf, prostitutes, outcasts, children. Touch and transmit a blessing.
2. A Blessing Needs To Be Spoken (V. 27): Abraham spoke a blessing to Isaac. Isaac to Jacob. Jacob to his 12 sons and 2 grandchildren. A blessing is not a blessing unless it is spoken. Great power is incarnated in words Prov. 18:21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit". Words destroy friendship, rip apart homes, etc. Pro. 3:27-28 When it is in your power, don't withhold good from the one to whom it is due. Don't say to your neighbor, ‘Go away! Come back later. I'll give it tomorrow’—when it is there with you".
WHAT HAD RUTH OVERCOME AS SHE WALKED AS THE BRIDE?
1. Spiritual Life: Her pagan background was not easily forgotten. She had received the God of Israel yet many did not see her as worthy of their faith. It took a man like Boaz to see that.
2. Extended Family: Ruth had to overcome the negative expectations of family members in Bethlehem. Most had a negative view of her including Naomi. But she overcame it all.
3. Financial Realities: Ruth overcame poverty. She had to glean for food in order to survive. She & Naomi were practical beggars. But she would now own a field that she once worked in.
4. Sexuality: She was never thought to have a husband again. Ruth overcame rejection by the first kinsman redeemer. He declared that she was not his type. Who in Bethlehem would want her?
5. Time & Setting: The setting was hostile, but they had to consider God’s choice. Boaz was old.
6. Communication: Integrity of communication is essential especially when you represent two different backgrounds – a Moabite and an Israelite off one generation – 2 sets of baggages.
7. Adjustments: If either partner believes their mission was to change the other, they were mistaken. Boaz took Ruth for who she was and Ruth did the same. They left behind perfection.
8. Personhood: Both had to consider the level of honor and respect they would have for each other. Respect for spouses as individuals created in God's image is essential.
9. Common Interests: Did they consider that what one partner likes might differ from the other?
10. Tempers: As they walked to the altar, they had to have considered the different temperaments of each other. Ruth was an assertive woman who would not take no for an answer.
JESUS IS COMING FOR A BRIDE – 3 STAGES OF MARRIAGE SAYMBOLIZED
1. Stage 1: Contract: When we became Christians by faith, repentance, confession and baptism into the Body of Christ. At this moment, we are born again and married (betrothed) to Christ.
2. Stage 2: Consummation: The 2nd Coming when we, the bride, waits to hear the shout of Jesus and his companions (angels). At this time, the faithful will be found to be "pure virgins"
3. Stage 3: The Wedding Feast – Celebration: The coming of Christ of the church.
CONSIDER HOW GOD REWARDED RUTH (RUTH 4:13-17)
1. First, God Gave Ruth A Husband - Ruth 4:13a – So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife…
2. Second, God Gave Ruth An Heir – Verse 13b – …and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.
3. Third, God Gave Her A Heritage - Verses 21-22 – And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” (Ruth was David’s great-grandmother - which ultimately was the line through which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come.)
4. Fourth, God Gave Ruth Honor - Matthew 1:5 – “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab [Rahab]; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Ruth is one of only two Gentiles, both females, mentioned in the lineage of Jesus.
FINAL WORD & INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
“Here Comes The Bride”: You may not be important to others, but you are to God - You are a Bride to the savior. If you are a Bride, then your one concern is to look good for the groom. How do I look good for the Bride? Lessons Parable Of 10 Virgins (Matt 25:1-13):
1. All The Virgins Started The Journey Together To Meet The Bridegroom.
2. The Journey Lasted Longer Than They All Thought.
3. The Five Wise Planned For A Long Journey. The Five Foolish Didn't Plan At All.
4. They All Slept - The Wise Slept And The Foolish Slept.
5. The Five Foolish Turned Aside. The Five Wise Kept On The Path.
6. The Foolish Thought They Could Get Into The Marriage Supper On The Coattails Of Others.
7. The Five Who Were Locked Out Were Still Virgins. Tithed; Attended Services; Fasted; Prayed.
8. Five Wise Came Prepared And Ready. Five Foolish Came Ready, Not Prepared.
LET US PRAY THAT WE WILL BE BOTH PREPARED AND READY
