Frederick William 1 ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century. He was said to be an eccentric man who stood on no ceremony. He would walk the streets of Berlin unattended, and when anyone displeased him he frequently beat them with his walking stick. It’s no wonder that Berliners often dove for cover when they saw him coming.
One time, as Frederick was pounding down one of the streets, a citizen saw him but it was too late. The man was spotted trying to slide quickly into a doorway. “You,” Fredrick barked. “Where are you going?”
“Into the house, Your Majesty,” replied the trembling man.
“Is it your house?” the king demanded. The man nervously shook his head. “Then why are you going in?” The king glared.
Fearing that he might be accused of burglary, the man confessed, “I was afraid of you and was trying to avoid you, sire.”
Furious, the king raised his walking stick and commenced to beat the man. “Afraid of me!” shouted the king. “You’re supposed to love me, you scum!”
What is love? Is it spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, or all of the above? Can it be required? Or, can it only be requested? And what about loving God? How can a person actually love such an infinite and omnipotent entity as God? And this love for God that we’re told to pursue, does such love just suddenly happen or does it have to be nurtured like a seed planted in the ground? Or both? Today we’re reflecting on the “Book of Ruth”; arguably one the greatest love stories in print, and yet, the word “love” is never mentioned.
• The Book of Ruth is proof that love is not what you say. Love is what you do.
The “Book of Ruth” reveals the power and passion of a love that’s stronger than death; stronger than racial hatred; stronger than religious prejudice.
The “Book of Ruth” is a portrait of loyalty itself. It’s the 8th book in the Bible, and in Jewish numerology, 8 is the number for “a new beginning” because
• Our God is the God of new beginnings.
Every 24 hours there’s a new day. Every 8th day begins a new week. In Jesus Christ, you become a new creature. 1 Peter 1:3 says that, “By his great mercy (God) has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . . .” By your faith, God has given you a new name and the promise of everlasting life in the New Jerusalem.
The “Book of Ruth” is a rose in God’s garden of His inspired Word. I want you to listen to this story because you’ll find yourself in it many times. Let’s review, for a moment, Ruth 1:16,
“Ruth said, ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’”
• The message of Ruth is the romance of God’s redemption.
The story begins with a prodigal family. A man named Elim′elech, which means “God is King”, lived in Bethlehem-Judah, which means “the house of bread and praise,” but because of a famine, he took his family to the land of Moab. In short, there was no bread in the “house of bread.” Given that there was a famine, and given that he had a family to care for, it seems very reasonable for a man to seek his livelihood wherever the opportunities arise. But was it the right thing to do? Sometimes the most obvious solution isn’t always the best. God wants us to walk with Him in our daily lives, but that means we must consult God for His direction. In the case of Elim’elech, was he seeking God’s way or man’s way?
I believe there’s a message for us all in this seemingly passive segment of the story. Consider, if you will, that the land Elim′elech left was the land which God had promised to the Israelites. In a very real sense, Elim′elech left more than God’s “promised land.” He also walked away from God’s promise and into an ungodly land . . . the land of Moab.
Who were the Moabites? They were the hated enemies of Israel. Moab was born in the incestuous relationship between Noah and his daughters while Noah was drunk. The descendents were pagan Gentiles who hated the Jews. They were a cesspool of racial hatred and religious bigotry. For Elim′elech to live among them would’ve required him to blend into their customs and cloak his heritage or even deny any faith in the God of Israel. The fact that his two sons took Moabite wives is a strong indication of just how far he was willing to compromise his faith.
Scripture says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.” I can’t imagine that Elim′elech believed that promise. Rather, I believe he followed the path of least resistance. His first concern was not in serving God but in serving dinner. As the saying goes,
• “The path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked.”
You know that there are prodigal sons and there are prodigal families. Prodigal means to “abandon God’s place.” Elim′elech died among the enemies of God and Israel. His two sons also died there and three mounds of dirt marked the place where this prodigal family paid the price for leaving God’s promise.
Orpah’s story is, unfortunately, too familiar. She was one who readily professed love, but her love was shallow and fickle. She joined with Ruth in her profession of love for Naomi, and she wept loudly to be convincing. But when it came time to prove her sincerity, she turned back to be with her own people. She returned to the paganism and idolatry of Moab. Like Judas with Jesus Christ, she kissed and went her own way. Yes, Naomi did encourage her to do so, but Naomi also said the same to Ruth. Ruth did not leave.
• Ruth was more than a “professor” of love. She was a “possessor” of love. She stood firm in her commitment even when the future looked hopeless. Much later, the Apostle Paul would write to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58) Ruth was constant in her love and her loyalty.
I want you to understand this story because we’re all in it. Ruth is now on the road to romance and redemption. She and Naomi were returning to God’s promise, but it would not be easy.
When Ruth and Naomi arrived back in Bethlehem-Judah, Ruth went immediately to work gleaning the fields at harvest time. There was no welfare system. There was only faith. By Jewish law, the farmers could not cut the corners of the fields so that widows and orphans could come and harvest wheat for themselves. And that’s where the story really picks up.
Ruth is in the field working. Boaz, the wealthy farm owner, arrived, took one look at Ruth, and it was love at first sight. How do I know that? I know it because of what he said. The first words out of his mouth were, “Whose young woman is that?” That’s the Old Testament version of “WOW!” Of course, it took him a chapter and half to say it. Then he said to Ruth, “Don’t glean in any other field. You stay right here in this one.” Then he told his foreman to, “Put handfuls of grain on purpose in her path.”
When Ruth returned home to Naomi, she was carrying a bushel and three pints of wheat. Now it would take three men working hard all day to gather that much wheat (or three women half a day). Like the foreman going before Ruth, I want you to know that you have the Holy Spirit going before you, even now, placing God’s blessings in your path. And those blessings will remain there for you so long as you remain laboring in God’s field.
Seeing the bounty that Ruth carried home, and hearing Ruth’s story, Naomi rejoiced and told Ruth who Boaz was. “He’s your kinsman-redeemer.”
There’s three requirements for one to be a “kinsman-redeemer.”
• First, he must be a relative. As a relative of Elim’elech, Boaz had the right to ask Ruth to be his wife. He had the right to intervene in her life. In fact, it was his responsibility to look after her since she was a widow. Boaz is a type of Christ who is our own “kinsman-redeemer.”
But you may say, “Jesus was Jewish. So where does that leave us Gentiles?” All of us, as descendants of Adam, are related to Jesus. He was our elder brother. He was the bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.
• • Calvary was, in effect, a family experience.
• Second, the kinsman-redeemer must be willing to redeem you.
Christ, our heavenly Boaz, offered himself willingly to die in our place so that we might be redeemed from our sins and released from the death we deserve. In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” Jesus was willing.
• Third, the kinsman-redeemer must have the price.
Boaz had the right to marry Ruth, but law required that he must also be able to support her. He must have the price. Boaz had the price to redeem Ruth because he was a wealthy man. Jesus Christ had the price to redeem us because he was a willing sacrifice without blemish and perfect, and he possessed the wealth of the Kingdom of God. It’s written that, “. . . without the shedding of blood there is no redemption of sin.” The price was blood.
The Communion cup that we receive this morning contains the symbol of Christ’s blood shed for us. It is only by his blood that the stench of our sin can be washed away. It is His blood that sets free the captives. It’s His blood that paid for our healing and opened wide the gates of heaven for our salvation. Let us reflect on that gift this morning as we receive the elements of communion.
PLEASE JOIN WITH ME IN PRAYER
Heavenly Father, open my eyes and my heart this morning to receive Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my kinsman-redeemer. Help me past my pride that separates me from Your Truth so I can receive Your peace that passes all understanding. I surrender to You, Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
CHILREN’S SERMON
I once heard about a confrontation between a young boy and his mother. The mother asked her son, "Young man, there were two cookies in the pantry this morning! May I ask how it happened that there’s only one now?"
The boy didn’t flinch but said, "It must’ve been so dark I didn’t see the other one."
Living in sin is often portrayed as “living in darkness.” Just like the boy who missed the other cookie, we too miss out on many of God’s blessings when we refuse to walk in His light.
