00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 Have you ever had that joyful feeling of being set free?
00:00:07 --> 00:00:13 Earlier in the week, Alyssa's parents came and picked up our three kids.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:20 Yes! Freedom! Freedom of the bondage of snotty noses.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:27 Freedom from the bondage of being woken up at 6.30, if not earlier, every single day.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 Freedom from fights over dinner.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:36 I remember a similar feeling once I'd finished university and started working full-time.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:44 I didn't have this burden on my shoulders of always having another exam or assignment or something coming up.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:49 That feeling of freedom when you first get your driver's license.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 And you can go anywhere.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 And invariably, at my time, we just all went to Macca's.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:04 That feeling when maybe the first feeling when lockdown happened a couple of months ago
00:01:04 --> 00:01:11 and there wasn't the daily grind to get out of the door with kids or to go places and we could just stay at home.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 Or maybe that freedom when the restrictions opened up and we could go out again.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 How wonderful is that feeling of being set free?
00:01:22 --> 00:01:26 Unfortunately, all of those freedoms I mentioned were fairly temporary.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:28 We picked up our kids yesterday.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 I did really miss them, but we've got them back.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:36 You know, the full-time job that you get gets busier than just the nine to five.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 Moving out of home brings all kinds of burdens.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 And you just wish you had, you know, mum and dad to cook and clean for you again.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 Well, we can get a taste of freedom and long for it.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 God's good news for us is that he offers us the most wonderful freedom.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 It is called redemption.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 We are set free from the bondage of sin and death.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 Our debt is paid.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 Our sin and shame are covered in the blood of Jesus.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 And this freedom is not short-lived.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:11 It is eternal.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 And whilst we only see it dimly now,
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 we will enjoy this freedom to be the people that we have been made to be.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 And I think this is the most wonderful thing that we can be rejoicing in.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:32 But I wonder if we can take this redemption, this freedom for granted.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:38 I wonder if we can forget how amazing this freedom is.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 And I wonder if we can chase bondage too quickly.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 Today we are finishing our short series in the book of Ruth.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 And as we have seen Naomi and Ruth, they have gone from ruin to refuge.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 And now they are heading towards redemption.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 They moved from Bethlehem in Israel into Moab.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 Naomi's sons found wives.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:10 But Naomi's husband and sons died.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:16 And so Ruth, Naomi's daughter-in-law, came back to Bethlehem with Naomi and Ruth,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 you know, their tails between their legs as they came back.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 They aren't slaves yet.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:30 But these two women were within touching distance of being forced to sell themselves to just stay alive.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:36 As we look at the conclusion of this short story about God's people,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 we will see three things this morning.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:44 We will see a Redeemer sought, a Redeemer found, and a Redeemer born.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:51 And we will be reminded of the joy that we have today in our redemption that God has given us.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 So first of all, we're going to see the Redeemer that is sought.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 Ruth has been picking grains in Boaz's field.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:04 He has been very kind and very generous with her.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:09 And Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, has just found out that it's Boaz.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 Boaz is a family member.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:19 And in Jewish law, a family member could redeem a person stuck in debt or stuck in slavery.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 So Naomi devises a plan.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 A plan to get herself and Ruth out of their situation.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 Please have your Bibles open.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 Ruth chapter 3 verse 1.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:36 You can be in the app following these points and reading along in the Bible.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 But we're going to start in Ruth chapter 3 verse 1.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 And Naomi said,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 My daughter, I must find a home for you where you will be well provided for.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:50 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:57 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 Then go down to the threshing floor.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 But don't let him know you were there until he has finished eating and drinking.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 Then go, uncover his feet and lie down.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 He will tell you what to do.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:17 And so Ruth goes down to the threshing floor where they have just brought in the harvest.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 And Boaz, he's in good spirits.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 The grain has been harvested.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 It's been brought in.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 And maybe out of a desire to protect the grain and protect his earnings,
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 he goes and lies down at the end of his pile of grain.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 Verse 8.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 In the middle of the night, something startled the man.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 He turned, and there was a woman lying at his feet.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 Who are you?
00:05:43 --> 00:05:49 Which I think is a fairly small exclamation to just find a woman lying at your feet when you're asleep.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 Who are you, he asked.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 I am your servant Ruth, she said.
00:05:53 --> 00:06:00 Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian redeemer of our family.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 Poor old Boaz.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 There's women plotting to get him married.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:10 But Ruth's actions can seem very strange to us.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:16 And it's important to note here that there's not even a hint of sexual inappropriateness.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:21 Ruth lies down at his feet, not by his side.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:28 But in this situation, Ruth is claiming a new relationship, a new level of intimacy.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:34 In chapter 2, when she first met Boaz, Ruth said to Boaz,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 Why are you being so kind to a foreigner?
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 I'm not even your servant.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 Why are you being kind to me?
00:06:39 --> 00:06:43 But now, Ruth's language has changed.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 She describes herself as your servant Ruth.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 Spread your garment over me.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 Protect me, because I am your family.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 Boaz is someone who can redeem her.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 Someone who can save her family.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:00 And she's putting that to him.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 Please, save my family.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 I really love this.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 It's like a love story.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 It's really great.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 And Boaz responds, verse 10,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 The Lord bless you, my daughter.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 This kindness is greater than which you showed earlier.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:21 You have not run after younger men, whether rich or poor.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 Boaz says that she is being kind,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:29 because it seems that there were younger men that Ruth could have approached.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 And he's inching towards a problem.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 There is a closer relative.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:40 There is a redeemer closer in law and in the family
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 that should have been the first to redeem.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 Verse 12,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:48 Although it is true that I am a guardian redeemer of our family,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 there is another who is more closely related than I.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 Stay here for the night.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 And in the morning, if he wants to do his duty as your guardian redeemer,
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 good, let him redeem you.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:05 But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:09 Now, I really love this interaction between Ruth and Boaz,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 because it comes across as a love story,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 but it doesn't play like a normal Hollywood love story.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 Usually in your Hollywood movie,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 you know, two people, star-crossed,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 Romeo and Juliet types,
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 they would fall in love,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 they would profess their love to each other,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:32 and then they would fight at all costs to be together.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 You know, they would go off on a lope,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:35 they will do anything,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 they'll fight any battle, whatever,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 just so that they can be together.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 But that's not Boaz and Ruth.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:47 Boaz and Ruth are both far too godly people for that.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:51 Boaz says, well, look, there's somebody else who's got the first responsibility.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 And if he does that, that's fine.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 I'm not going to fight.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:01 I might love the idea of being married to you and caring for you,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 but he's got first rights and that's okay.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 But if he is not willing,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:13 That is a very large oath to make.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 I really love this story because
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Boaz wants to do things in the right way.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 He wants to obey God.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 He wants to honor God and he wants to obey the Lord.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 And so Ruth has sought a redeemer.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 But Boaz needs to go and speak to the other one,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 to the other redeemer who is closer,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 so that we can see the redeemer that is found.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 Boaz goes to meet the man who is closer
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 and we see the wonderful godly character
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 as the redeemer is found here.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:50 He doesn't just, you know, take Ruth off
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 and they don't just elope somewhere.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 He doesn't sneakily redeem her on the side
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 and then deal with the consequences.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 He's not creeping around in the dark.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:03 He went to the town gate and met with the other redeemer.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 Verse 2.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:08 Boaz took 10 of the elders of the town and said,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:09 sit here.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 And they did so.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 Then he said to the guardian redeemer,
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 Naomi, who has come back from Moab,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:18 Elimelech.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 and suggest that you buy it
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 in the presence of these seated here
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 and in the presence of the elders of my people.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 Boaz, again, obeying the law,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:30 wanting to honor God,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:34 he is giving this closer relative the right to redeem it.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 And the man agrees.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 All right.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 I will redeem it.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:43 But Boaz has very cleverly hidden one piece of information.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:44 Verse 5.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 Then Boaz said,
00:10:46 --> 00:11:00 The man says,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:04 I can't redeem it because it will endanger my own estate.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 Now, this could be because he's already married.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 Maybe he already has a wife and children
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 and he needs to take care of them.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 He doesn't want to add on another wife
00:11:14 --> 00:11:18 and potential rivalries of inheritance.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 And so the man says,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 You buy it yourself.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:21 You redeem it.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 And he takes off his sandal.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 I thought about taking my shoe off,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 but, you know, that's a bit annoying.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 So he takes off his sandal
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 and hands it to Boaz as a sign.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 And Boaz says,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:38 Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 all the property of Elimelech, Kilian, and Marlon.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:46 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Marlon's widow,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:50 as my wife in order to maintain the name of the dead
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 with his property
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 so that his name will not disappear
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 from among his family or from his hometown.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Today you are witnesses.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 Then the elders and all the people of the gate said,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 We are witnesses.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 May the Lord make the woman
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 who is coming into your home
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 like Rachel and Leah,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 who together built up the family of Israel.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 It's a really strange but exciting development.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 It's not the usual response to an engagement.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 You know, there's,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 I don't know if there was cheering.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 It's not the kind of, you know,
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 I've gone to my parents
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 and I've told them I'm engaged
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 and there's, you know,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 cheering and celebration.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 But there is a blessing that is made here.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 And again, Boaz is shown to be a man of standing,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 a godly man who obeys God.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 He cares for the poor.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 He loves and he shows mercy.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 I just want to take a very brief aside
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 to talk about how great Boaz is.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:54 When people see men or boys doing the wrong thing,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 being buffoons or idiots,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 people often have a saying,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 boys will be boys.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:06 And I think that can be really dangerous
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 that we just allow boys to get away
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 with doing dumb things
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 and don't hold them accountable.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 But I want to suggest a new phrase.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 Boys should be Boaz.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 It's not quite as catchy,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 but I think there's something good about it.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 The genealogies in the New Testament
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 aren't something that we spend a lot of time on,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 but there is some really interesting detail.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 Boaz is the son of Salmon.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 We see that at the end of Ruth.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 He's the son of Salmon and Rahab.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 Rahab is one of the four significant women
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 in Jesus's genealogy.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 Boaz's mom, Rahab,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 she was a prostitute
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 who helped the spies get into Jericho.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 When Israel was coming through into the promised land
00:13:55 --> 00:13:59 to defeat the stronghold of Jericho,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Rahab helped them
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 and then she joined the people of God
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 as they were heading into the promised land
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 and she became part of the people of God.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 I wonder what kind of mother she was.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 Was she someone who had seen
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 the kindness and mercy of God,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 who had raised her son
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 to show that same kind of mercy?
00:14:23 --> 00:14:28 And here we see how merciful and kind Boaz is.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 He's portrayed as a good boss.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 He goes above and beyond
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 what is needed to do to protect Ruth.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 Ruth came to get food at harvest time
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 where the harvest would have been very high.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 The wheat, the barley would have been very high.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:49 This means that it actually would have been
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 very possible for Ruth
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 to be taken off into one of the fields
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 and raped by one of the workmen.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 But Boaz told the men not to lay a hand on her.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 He placed Ruth with the other female workers.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 He gave her a blessing.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 Boaz is a really wonderful, godly man.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 And even when Ruth lays at his feet,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 he doesn't take advantage of a woman
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 being there in the middle of the night
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 asking for help.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 He wants to do things in the daytime,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 in the morning, to do things legally.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 And remember, this is in the midst
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 of the period of the judges.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 The period of the judges
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 was when there was great moral failure,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 so great that God would send armies
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 against his people
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 to bring them back into dependence upon him.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 But here, Boaz stands out
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 as a model of godly character
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 for us to copy.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 So let's see if we can get that
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 as a catchphrase,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 that boys should be like Boaz.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 So Boaz has been found to be the redeemer.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 But this is not the end of the story.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 Redemption comes fully
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 from the birth of a child.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 This is our third point today,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 that we see a redeemer is born.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 And verse 13 sums things up nicely.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 Verse 13,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 So Boaz took Ruth,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 and she became his wife.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 When he made love to her,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 the Lord enabled her to conceive,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 and she gave birth to a son.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 Isn't that wonderful?
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 It's easy to think this book
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 is just about this couple,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 how God has brought them together
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 and their family.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 But it's not just about them.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 In one sense,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 it's actually more about Naomi
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 than Ruth,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 even though the book is called Ruth.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 Verse 14,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 The women said to Naomi,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 Praise be to the Lord,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 who this day has not left you
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 without a guardian redeemer.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 May he become famous throughout Israel.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 At the start of this book,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 Naomi was cursing God.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 Cursing God,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 saying that he had brought calamity upon her.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 But now she can see
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 that God is to be praised.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 She has blessed God,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 and now people around her are blessing God,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 because how God has cared for her.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 And she was not left without a redeemer.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 Verse 15,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 He will renew your life
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 and sustain you in your old age
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 for your daughter-in-law,
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 who loves you
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 and who is better to you
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 than seven sons,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 has given him birth.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 And whilst having a son
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 and grandson will continue the family
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 and be good for Naomi,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 the women have just said something
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 really interesting.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 They have used the word love
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 for the first time in this book.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 For what can at first
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 seem like a love story,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 this is actually the first time
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 the word love has been used,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 and it's used to describe
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 Ruth's love of her mother-in-law,
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 Naomi.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 The word love wasn't used
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 of Elimelech and Naomi.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 The word wasn't used of
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 Marlon and Kili and the sons
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 for their wives.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 It's not even used to describe
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 Boaz and Ruth.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 But Ruth loved her mother-in-law,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 Naomi.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 At the start of this book,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:20 Naomi was filled with too much grief
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 to see Ruth,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 who had stayed by her side.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 When Naomi comes back
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 into Bethlehem,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 she says,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 my life is empty.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 God has brought calamity
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 against me.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 She couldn't even see
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 the value of Ruth.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 She,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 who is worth more than seven sons,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 a perfect number of sons.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 This is a relationship
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 that goes beyond
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 the letter of the law.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 Ruth could have left
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 her mother-in-law,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 but she chose
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 to show kindness
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 and faithfulness,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 like the God of Israel.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 It is as if
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 Naomi is the main character
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 of the story,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 and everyone else
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 is used by God
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 to show blessing
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 and kindness.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 Boaz and Ruth,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 and even their baby
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 that is born,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 Obed,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 show kindness
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 and God's blessing
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 to Naomi.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 This conclusion
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 of the story
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 points to the love
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 of God,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 not from a story
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 about a man
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 and a woman
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 loving each other,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 but the love
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 of a foreigner
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 to her aged
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 Israelite mother,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 her mother-in-law
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 who never fully
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 appreciates her.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 It shows the supernatural,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 other-person-centered
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 love of God
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 that has worked out
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 the redemption
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 of Ruth and Naomi.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 Now, we can be left
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 wondering what the point
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 of this little story
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 is in the Old Testament,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 but the conclusion
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 makes it very clear.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 Verse 17,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 And they named him Obed.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 He was the father
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 of Jesse,
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 the father of David.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 This book is the prequel
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 to the great King David.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 Boaz and Ruth
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 are the great-grandfather
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 and great-grandmother
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 of the most significant
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 king of Israel.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 Ruth and Naomi
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 have been set free
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 by the birth
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 of their son,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 but all of Israel
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 would be redeemed
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 and saved
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 by the birth
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 of David,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 who would be king.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 This little genealogy
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 points to the much
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 larger genealogy
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 of Jesus,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 where we see
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 that the birth
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 of that king,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 that king Jesus,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 would bring redemption
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 for all people,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 the son who would lead
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 to the salvation
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 of all of us.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 The book of Ruth
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 is a really sweet
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 little part of history
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 contained in four
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 short chapters.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 We've seen Naomi
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 and Ruth go from ruin
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 to refuge
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 and to finally
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 be redeemed.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 They've been set free
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 as they are brought
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 into Boaz's family.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 He has shown them
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 so much kindness.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 And this is a wonderful picture
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 of the redemption
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 that God offers for us.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 But we don't need
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 another person
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 to be set free.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 And I think this is
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 one of the unhelpful things
00:21:18 --> 00:21:21 I hear in our culture today,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 that we need to find
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 someone to be set free.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 You know, girls,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 you need to find a man
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 like Boaz
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 and then you can be happy.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 He is a wonderful model
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 of a godly man.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 He is great.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 He is a man
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 that all men
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 should see
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 and be encouraged by.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 But marriage
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 is not our path
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 to redemption.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 I'm trying to teach
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 my five-year-old daughter
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 this.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 She's grown up
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 on a steady diet
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 of Disney princesses.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 And they teach you
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 much about
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 how you need
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 to find a man
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to save you.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 But there's only one man
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 who can do that
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 and that is Jesus.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 1 Corinthians 6
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 reminds us
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 that we were bought
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 for a price.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 That we were redeemed
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 by God
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 at the cost
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 of Jesus' blood.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 A costly,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 incredible gift
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 that we can never repay.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 Far more significant
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 than being redeemed
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 from a life
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 of struggle
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 and poverty
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 for a widow
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 like Ruth.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 God has redeemed
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 his enemies
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 and shown
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 his loving kindness
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 to us in Jesus.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 And in the every day
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 that he allows us
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 to continue to live
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 and to follow him.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 Let me encourage
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 us all
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 not to sell
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 ourselves
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 into slavery
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 again.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 For us
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 in Sydney
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 we probably
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 don't see
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 the impact
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 of slavery
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 that much.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 The work
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 of IJM,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 International Justice
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 Ministries,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 do some amazing
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 work
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 seeing people
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 in slavery
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 be set free.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 But for many
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 of us
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 we are not
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 that kind
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 of slave.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 We can be
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 a different
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 kind of slave.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 We can have
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 a different
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 kind of slavery
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 that we need
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 to be redeemed
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 from.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 We can sell
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 ourselves
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 into slavery
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 of things
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 that will
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 make us
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 happy.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 We allow
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 other things
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 to capture
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 our hearts
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 and to enslave
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 us again.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 We can be
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 slaves to our
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 work thinking
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 that pursuing
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 work will
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 bring us
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 happiness
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 and set us
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 free.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 We can be
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 slaves to social
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 media.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 Getting attention
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 and responses
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 to posts
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 that we make
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 it's really
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 addictive.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 It rewires
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 our brains
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 and we
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 can think
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 that we need
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 to have a
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 certain amount
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 of clicks
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 to show
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 that we have
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 self-worth.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 But again
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 that is just
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 another kind
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 of slavery.
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 Our self-worth
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 was shown
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 in the cross
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 that Jesus
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 would redeem
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 us.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 That he would
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 set us free.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 So don't
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 enslave
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 yourself again.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 There are
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 so many
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 idols that
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 can capture
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 our hearts
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 that we
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 can become
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 enslaved to.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 I'm not
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 going to be
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 exhaustive
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 and list
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 them here
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 but there
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 are so many
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 things that
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 can fill
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 up our
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 hearts
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 and replace
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 our God.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 Our band
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 is going to
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 come up
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 and sing
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 for us
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 in a moment
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 but there's
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 another issue
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 that we can
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 have
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 which is
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 ignoring
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 when people
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 share a
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 difficult word
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 for us.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 If you've
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 ever had a
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 friend say
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 to you
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 oh look
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 friend
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 James
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 I wonder
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 if this
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 is an
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 issue.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 I wonder
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 if you're
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 pursuing
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 your career
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 too much.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 I wonder
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 if you're
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 on social
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 media
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 too much.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 If our
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 response to
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 that is
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 to get
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 defensive
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 it probably
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 is an
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 issue of
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 idolatry.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 God has
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 redeemed us.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 He has
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 bought us
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 for a price.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 We are
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 his.
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 We need
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 to remember
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 that all
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 all that
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 God has
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 done for
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 us
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 but also
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 be people
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 like Boaz
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 who offer
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 redemption
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 and forgiveness.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 One of the
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 issues I have
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 with our
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 current culture
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 is the
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 culture of
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 cancelling
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 people.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 It's called
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 cancel culture
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 where people's
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 past sins
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 things that they
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 have said
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 may be an
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 inappropriate
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 joke
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 they get
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 brought up
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 and people
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 just get
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 cancelled
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 and there
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 is no
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 way forward.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 It is a
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 way of saying
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 that there
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 can be no
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 forgiveness
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 no redemption
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 because you
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 have made
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 a mistake
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 but that
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 is all
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 of us.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 God
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 offers all
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 of us
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 redemption
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 and forgiveness.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 Let's not
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 be people
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 that just
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 push others
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 away but
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 continue to
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 offer redemption
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 and forgiveness
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 even when that
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 is incredibly
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 hard.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 Ruth
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 and Naomi
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 have
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 finally been
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 redeemed.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 They have
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 been set
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 free
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 but the
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 redemption
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 that we
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 have been
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 offered
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 is far
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 better.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 And we're
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 going to
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 sing about
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 that now.