God's Providence: Redemption Through Selfless Love
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Jesus Christ has God in his providence worked through Tamar, worked through Ruth to bring about David, in whom the line of David would never end, but would be fulfilled in the true King of Israel, Jesus Christ. [01:11:38] (23 seconds)
If you are going back to chapter one and you're reading for this for the first time, not knowing what comes next, you cannot imagine how this ends. If you're Naomi in chapter one, if you're Naomi and you are widowed and in a foreign land and stuck, you cannot imagine getting to this point. [01:06:45] (20 seconds)
And there's the next, like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. This is where the underlying allusion to the situation with Judah and Tamar now becomes explicitly stated. And so God uses these two women who are outcasts, who are foreigners, Tamar and Ruth, and he includes them in the line of matriarchs that, as we see, is going to achieve something incredible. [01:04:11] (38 seconds)
The question then for us is, will we do what righteous living calls for? Because what we do in these moments matters. The choices we make matters. Even the small, seemingly insignificant choices build up over time and they matter. [00:53:37] (24 seconds)
kindness to Naomi on the road from Moab to Bethlehem. In chapter two, Naomi recognizes Boaz's kindness to Ruth and to her. And now in chapter three, Boaz recognizes Ruth's kindness to him. We see this theme that God's mercy and kindness to his people is coming and extended through his people. [00:50:36] (27 seconds)
This is the example that we see in Naomi. Her love for God, her faithfulness to God, her loyalty to God, and her love that sacrifices her own self, her own desires for the good of her daughter -in -law, Ruth. This is an example that we strive for, but we recognize as difficult. [00:43:02] (24 seconds)
But there is no indication that anything more than his feet are uncovered here. So rather it seems there's a twofold purpose to this. One, so she lays below his feet showing her lesser social status as a foreigner, as a Moabite, and as a widow towards Boaz, who is a property -owning man of substance and means, right? So there's that. And then two, it could just be an attempt to wake him up by making him uncomfortable. So imagine if you are married, you may have experienced this where your spouse unintentionally steals the covers from you in the middle of the night, right? And you wake up cold and uncomfortable. And then you have to like, I've never, this has never happened to me. But you have to like, kind of like, really like put your shoulder in to get back over. Like, this is kind of the situation here. So like, this is just making him uncomfortable. This is waking him up. [00:45:26] (63 seconds)
A real quick comment that I want to read from Word Bible Commentary says this, Now what happens at the threshing floor is as essential to the storyteller's purpose as what happened on the Moabite highway between Ruth and Naomi, or what happened in the harvest scene when Boaz praised an impoverished widow who was gleaning, or what will happen in the solemn civil hearing at the city gate. At each of these points in the story, a moment of choice is presented to both actors and audience. And at each of these points, the choice is made in favor of what righteous living calls for. [00:52:38] (41 seconds)
This is what's kind of happening with Ruth, although there are no manipulative methods occurring. The other thing here, the other reason that this Redeemer likely did not want to marry Ruth, is that if he were to marry Ruth and to have a son, then the estate would stand in the name of the dead husband and not the kinsman, right? So this is a sacrifice that he was not willing to make. But Boaz, the worthy man, was willing to make this sacrifice. So this man, in contrast to Boaz, when faced with the decision in favor of righteousness, declines. [01:00:30] (40 seconds)
He said, who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after the young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. [00:48:04] (28 seconds)
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If you are going back to chapter one and you're reading for this for the first time, not knowing what comes next, you cannot imagine how this ends. If you're Naomi in chapter one, if you're Naomi and you are widowed and in a foreign land and stuck, you cannot imagine getting to this point. [01:06:45] (20 seconds)
And there's the next, like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. This is where the underlying allusion to the situation with Judah and Tamar now becomes explicitly stated. And so God uses these two women who are outcasts, who are foreigners, Tamar and Ruth, and he includes them in the line of matriarchs that, as we see, is going to achieve something incredible. [01:04:11] (38 seconds)
The question then for us is, will we do what righteous living calls for? Because what we do in these moments matters. The choices we make matters. Even the small, seemingly insignificant choices build up over time and they matter. [00:53:37] (24 seconds)
kindness to Naomi on the road from Moab to Bethlehem. In chapter two, Naomi recognizes Boaz's kindness to Ruth and to her. And now in chapter three, Boaz recognizes Ruth's kindness to him. We see this theme that God's mercy and kindness to his people is coming and extended through his people. [00:50:36] (27 seconds)
This is the example that we see in Naomi. Her love for God, her faithfulness to God, her loyalty to God, and her love that sacrifices her own self, her own desires for the good of her daughter -in -law, Ruth. This is an example that we strive for, but we recognize as difficult. [00:43:02] (24 seconds)
But there is no indication that anything more than his feet are uncovered here. So rather it seems there's a twofold purpose to this. One, so she lays below his feet showing her lesser social status as a foreigner, as a Moabite, and as a widow towards Boaz, who is a property -owning man of substance and means, right? So there's that. And then two, it could just be an attempt to wake him up by making him uncomfortable. So imagine if you are married, you may have experienced this where your spouse unintentionally steals the covers from you in the middle of the night, right? And you wake up cold and uncomfortable. And then you have to like, I've never, this has never happened to me. But you have to like, kind of like, really like put your shoulder in to get back over. Like, this is kind of the situation here. So like, this is just making him uncomfortable. This is waking him up. [00:45:26] (63 seconds)
A real quick comment that I want to read from Word Bible Commentary says this, Now what happens at the threshing floor is as essential to the storyteller's purpose as what happened on the Moabite highway between Ruth and Naomi, or what happened in the harvest scene when Boaz praised an impoverished widow who was gleaning, or what will happen in the solemn civil hearing at the city gate. At each of these points in the story, a moment of choice is presented to both actors and audience. And at each of these points, the choice is made in favor of what righteous living calls for. [00:52:38] (41 seconds)
This is what's kind of happening with Ruth, although there are no manipulative methods occurring. The other thing here, the other reason that this Redeemer likely did not want to marry Ruth, is that if he were to marry Ruth and to have a son, then the estate would stand in the name of the dead husband and not the kinsman, right? So this is a sacrifice that he was not willing to make. But Boaz, the worthy man, was willing to make this sacrifice. So this man, in contrast to Boaz, when faced with the decision in favor of righteousness, declines. [01:00:30] (40 seconds)
He said, who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after the young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. [00:48:04] (28 seconds)
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