Foreign worshiping the Lord in song this morning, we serve a good, good God who is so, so kind to us when we don't deserve it.
If you will turn in your Bibles to the Book of Ruth, some of you are thinking we're never going to get through this book, but we're starting the last chapter today. Last week, we saw Ruth approach Boaz under the cover of darkness and ask him to be her Kinsman Redeemer. We heard Boaz inform Ruth that there was a closer relative than him, somebody else that was actually closer in relation and actually should be the first person to step up as a Kinsman Redeemer.
But Boaz promised Ruth that if the closer relative refused to redeem her, then he would fulfill that sacred duty himself. Now, as we move into this fourth chapter, we're about to witness the culmination of this story of Ruth, and it's going to unfold today in the city gates. We've been out in the field, we've been in a foreign land, now today we're at the gates of Bethlehem, and Boaz promises to fulfill his vow.
The main point of the lesson today is that God's sovereign grace always prevails, but he loves to involve us in his divine plan, compelling us to take responsibility for what we can take responsibility for and to make choices in accordance that line up with his will.
God's sovereign grace always prevails, but he wants to involve us. Let's look at Ruth chapter 4, verses 1 through 6. Follow along with me.
Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there, just as the guardian redeemer that he had mentioned earlier came along. Boaz said, "Come over here, my friend, and sit down." So he went over and sat down.
Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, "Sit here," and they did so. Then he said to the guardian redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me so I will know, for no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line."
"I will redeem it," he said.
Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property."
At this, the guardian redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself; I cannot do it."
And may the Lord add blessing to the reading of his word. Would you pray with me?
Lord, we are here today with expectant hearts. We come ready, Lord, to dive deep into your word, and Lord, we ask that as we look at the story of Ruth, our eyes might be opened to the life-changing lessons that are presented, that we would find, as Ruth did, redemption and grace in your word. Let your spirit guide us and speak to each and every one of our hearts today.
Lord, when we leave here today, I pray that we will be transformed by the truths that we've learned from your word. And so, Lord, I pray all these things in Jesus' holy and precious name. Amen.
I think the first thing that we're going to see here, the first thing we're going to see is God's sovereign timing. God's sovereign timing. We make plans all the time, and our timing doesn't always line up. It doesn't always work out, but God is sovereign in his timing.
Back in verse 1 we just read, "Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate." The "meanwhile" that hearkens back to the previous chapter where we left off, that they had been on the threshing room floor, or the threshing floor, Ruth and Boaz, and she returned home with more grain from Boaz. Boaz said, "I'm going to take care of all the things you're concerned about."
And she goes, in verse 18 of chapter three, Ruth goes home to Naomi, and Naomi says to her, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens, for the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."
Now, I don't know how you read that, but I love to read it and get into character with it sometimes, and I can just imagine Naomi saying this to her not in a very formal manner: "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens." I can just imagine she said, "Oh, just wait! Just wait till you find out what's about to happen!" Because that's what it's like with God; he always surprises us.
Here in this verse, we see the significance of something, though, in verse 1. The significance of the town gate. He went up to the town gate and sat down there, Boaz did, just as the other guy, the other guardian redeemer that he had mentioned earlier to Ruth, just as he came along the town gate.
What's significant about the town gate? It was the central hub of activity in ancient times in ancient cities like Bethlehem. Most towns in that day of any significance had a wall around them to protect them, but in order to come and go, you had to have a gate.
And many times, that was a spot of weakness if you were going to be attacked, but it also became a place of interaction, of social interaction, and a place of market. It was where the elders and the leaders would gather to make important decisions and to dispense decisions and justice. The gates were also where much of the social and commercial life of the city took place. It was a hubbub; it was a busy place, people coming and going in and out of the town or the city.
But because of all these things that would happen there, it might better be compared, instead of like the exit for the interstate for us, it might be better compared to our modern-day town hall or city hall. It was the place where big decisions were made and interaction happened.
So it's very significant that this key encounter between Boaz and the other kinsman redeemer took place at the city gate. God was orchestrating these events behind the scenes. Even though God has not even mentioned, we can look at this, knowing the character of God, and see that God is orchestrating these things.
It was no coincidence that the other kinsman redeemer passed by the gate on that day, on this particular day when Boaz was there. Now, Boaz may have thought when he left the threshing floor, he may have thought, "Where can I find that kinsman redeemer?" And he may have already known, "Oh, I know where he'll be at this time of day; he's going to be walking through that city gate, either coming in to do business or going out to do work."
But God's providence, God's sovereign plan, was fully on display that day. Proverbs 16:9 says this: "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Take that to heart. You can plan all day long what you want to do and where you're going to go and how it's going to go, but who's really in control? The Lord is in control. The Lord establishes our steps, so we need to look to him in all things, in all plans.
God guides our steps even when we are totally unaware of it. God is strategically coordinating the exact time and the exact location of this meeting according to his perfect timing and his perfect will. Boaz and the other kinsman redeemer were destined by God to meet at the city gate that morning.
Ruth and Naomi, they couldn't necessarily see God's hand at work. They had seen it, but they couldn't see everything. Just like us, many times we can look, if we're paying attention, and we can see what God is doing and how God is putting things into place, but there are other things many times in that situation that we don't see.
We don't see the full extent of how God is working in our situations and in our lives. Ruth and Naomi were no different. They knew God was working; he was actively involved in directing their story, and God is actively involved in directing your story.
There used to be a phrase that was used in our society calling people like a self-made man or a self-made woman. There really is no such thing. God directs our steps. God brought just the right people together at just the right time to pave the way for Ruth and Naomi's happy ending, and God does that in our lives as well.
God lovingly and wisely works all things together for the good in the lives of those who put their faith and trust in him. That brings us to Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Even the mundane details of life, like a daily walk through the town gate, are guided by God's divine hand. That kinsman redeemer had no idea that God was guiding his footsteps that day. Boaz didn't fully know what was going to happen and how it would pan out, but notice Boaz's immediate response in verse 1. It says that Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down.
Notice that he did that directly after his encounter with Ruth on the threshing floor that we just mentioned and looked a little bit at. He did not delay nor hesitate to fulfill his family duty as a kinsman redeemer, even though he knew it was going to cost him something.
Boaz respected God's law, and he was an upright man, so he immediately did what he knew was right. He did not waste any time, although he knew that taking Ruth as his wife would impact him in his finances and in his lifestyle and in his future.
Boaz did something: he put the Lord's will and the welfare of others ahead of his own personal interests. He thought of others first, and the first other he thought of was the Lord. He acted decisively as soon as he knew what God wanted him to do.
This example challenges us as we look at that. It's a great story; it's neat to hear about, but it challenges you and me. When God makes his will clear through scripture, when the Spirit speaks to us with conviction, when we receive wise counsel, or the circumstances reveal God's will to us, do we respond promptly like Boaz did?
Do we respond promptly, or do we stall and passively aggressively resist God and make excuses? You see, God desires a heart that is sensitive and responsive to his direction. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Psalm 32:8 says, "I will instruct you." God is speaking: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."
When God gives us direction, he desires a heart that is sensitive and responsive to that direction. So the next time God makes his will clear to you regarding your job or your finances or a relationship, or he just calls you to be obedient in any situation, do not waste time sitting still. Act on it.
Delayed disobedience—excuse me, I said that wrong—delayed obedience is disobedience. Did you catch that? Delayed obedience is disobedience. When we obey without delay, it honors God. When God says go and we don't hesitate but we go, that honors God. It proves that his will is more important to us than our own.
In the New Testament book of James, chapter 1, verse 22, James says, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." In other words, James is saying the same thing: when you hear the word of God spoken, respond promptly. Don't sit and think about it too long. Do what God said because he knows what he's talking about, and he's always right.
Well, moving on, we see in the next few verses here the law and the custom. There's a law and there's a testament at play here in this situation. Look at verse 1 again. Verse 1 said, "Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian redeemer he had mentioned came along."
Boaz said, "Come over here, my friend, and sit down." So he went over and sat down. Boaz then took ten of the elders of the town and asked them to sit down, and they did so. Then he said to the guardian redeemer, he starts laying out the case.
In verse 3, Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. Boaz begins to introduce the obligation of the nearest relative. This guy apparently is unaware; he's oblivious to what's happened. He's oblivious to the situation of Naomi and Ruth, and he's oblivious to what has been happening between Ruth and Boaz.
And so Boaz introduces the obligation that this relative has. In ancient Israelite society, when a family was in a hard way or they'd lost property and livelihood because of some tragedy or loss, the nearest male relative was obligated to redeem or to buy back the family property that had been lost or sold. That's the job of a kinsman redeemer.
Also, if there was a childless widow involved, he was expected to marry her to carry on the deceased husband's family name. If she was a widow and there was no one to carry on the name, that was also his job. Boaz was seeking to uphold these laws by seeking out the nearest relative of Naomi and her late husband Elimelech.
Boaz invites this unnamed—notice that he doesn't have a name—he's unnamed, and Boaz invites this man, this kinsman, to sit down for a reason, so that he can present this situation to him. Notice that Boaz is not just doing what he wants and asking for forgiveness later; he's doing it right.
I've said this to you before: it's always better to ask for permission than to have to ask for forgiveness later. Boaz was also a close relative, but he did not want to step out in front of the man who actually had first rights. He was handling this in the right way. It was all on the up and up.
In this action of Boaz, we can see that Boaz had integrity, and he had a desire to see the law properly lived out and carried out. Although he cared for Ruth and Naomi, he had no desire to break the law or to circumvent it.
You know, that reminds me of Jesus. In a very similar way, Jesus came, and he did not sidestep the law and the way things were supposed to go. He didn't circumvent it; he struggled with it. We see that in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said, "Is there any other way, Father, to do this?" And then he said, "But look, I understand there's not; your will be done."
Jesus came not to abolish the Old Testament law, but he came to fulfill it. He came to live by it. He says in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
How did Jesus do away with the Old Testament rules and laws? By fulfilling them—not just taking an eraser and wiping them out, not circumventing them and figuring out a different way to go around. He fulfilled them. Like Jesus, Boaz desired to uphold God's law. Boaz is a model for us. He is faithfully obeying God's commands in all of these situations.
As believers in Christ, we are not actually under the law but under grace. In John chapter 17, Jesus prays for us. He prays for his people; he prays for our protection and for our safety from evil and from the evil one because this world is ultimately not our home.
We are to be in this world, engaging with society and with other people, but we're called to live by different standards. We're called to live by the teachings of Jesus and the principles that are revealed in God's word. So God still desires that we honor the governing authorities and that we live in an upright manner. That's what Boaz is doing; he's doing it by the book. He's doing it by the law. That's what God desires for us.
You may come across situations where you might find yourself with the opportunity to circumvent the law—the law of the land is what I'm talking about, of our nation, of our town, of our state. Don't do it. Live according to those laws as much as possible. If they ever contradict the higher law of God's word, then we have a problem. But we are to keep the laws of the land.
Boaz shows a great example here of following the customs and the laws of the land while still living by the principles revealed in God's word. You know what? We can do that too. We can live in this world and still honor Christ.
But look for a second at Naomi's dilemma in Boaz's response. Naomi is in a precarious spot. She's childless; she's a widow, and she lives in an ancient time where she is, as a woman who's childless and a widow, there's not a whole lot for her. She has no sons, no husband to support her and protect her, so she lacked security and provision in her old age.
Part of the reason that Boaz desires to marry Ruth is that it will be an act of compassion for Naomi, for her plight. As her closest eligible relative, he can redeem her family inheritance, and he can care for Naomi by taking care of Ruth as his wife. But the situation had to be handled with sensitivity, and it had to be handled legally.
The first thing that had to be done was to offer the nearest relative the chance to fulfill the obligation, and so that's what he's doing. He's doing this by the law and by the custom. But unfortunately, Boaz is not the nearest relative. When the nearest relative refuses, though, Boaz is very willing to take on this duty himself. He's already told that to Ruth, and now he has said it in these verses to this other close relative.
You know, God is like that. He is compassionate, and he is just. He loves us, and he's willing to do whatever is needed to save us from our destitute state. God even calls himself a father of the fatherless, a defender of widows in Psalm 68:5. He says that he is the father of the fatherless and defender of the widows. That was Boaz's heart, and that's God's heart toward us.
Boaz went above and beyond in his kindness and his respect for Naomi. Even though the law didn't require what he was doing, he provided abundantly for her needs out of a gracious heart, not out of obligation. Which is better: doing things for people out of obligation or doing it from a heart of grace and mercy and love and service?
His actions foreshadowed Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the letter of the law; he lived up to it. He had no sin, and he did according to the law, but he also extended mercy and compassion beyond the law. The way that Boaz is acting as Ruth's redeemer gives us a glimpse of our ultimate redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the defender of the helpless. He cares and he provides and he redeems those who put their trust in him, no matter how destitute our situation.
And now I think the last thing that we're going to see here in verses 4 through 6 is the decision to redeem. Somebody's got to make a decision. Is it going to be this unnamed relative, or is it going to be Boaz? Somebody has got to make a decision here. They sit at the city gate; they've got ten elders who are waiting as witnesses to see what's going to happen. A decision has to happen.
Verse 4 says, "I thought," this is Boaz speaking, "I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me so that I will know, for no one has the right to do it except you, and I'm the next in line."
The relative said, "Then I will redeem it."
Then Boaz said, "Okay, well, on the day that you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property."
At this, verse 6, the guardian redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself; I cannot do it."
This closer relative refused. He said, "Okay, never mind; somebody else is going to have to do this." When Boaz presented the opportunity to redeem Elimelech's land, the unnamed relative initially agreed. He said, "Okay, I'll take it."
However, when he learned that he would also have to marry Ruth, a foreign Moabite woman, everything changed in the situation for him. He refused to do his kinsman duty.
Now, it's hard for us to see, but that all of a sudden was going to bring shame on him. He was reluctant because he did not want to jeopardize his own inheritance by marrying a foreign woman. Because if he bought that land, if he bought the land without Ruth in the equation, then the land would be his, and it would be a part of the inheritance that he would give on to his offspring later, and it would remain in his family.
But since Ruth was in the equation, that meant that he would have to marry her and have children with her, and those children would then inherit that land, and he might not get hardly anything out of it. Well, that was unacceptable for him.
We don't really know why. It could have been an up-and-up, you know, above-board thing. It could have been that he didn't have what it took; maybe he was already married and he didn't want to jeopardize that. Who knows what it was? But he said, "I can't do it," and he was willing to accept the shame of that.
This turn of events, though, allowed Boaz to step in as Ruth's redeemer. God was sovereignly in control; it was his providence guiding all of this. God's wisdom and his thoughts are higher than ours. What might have seemed like a roadblock to some ultimately served God's purposes.
Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. Sometimes I read that and I think to myself, "Yeah, yeah, I know," and I'm thinking inside my own heart, my own mind, "I wish my thoughts and your—you know, I wish you thought like me, God."
But there are other times in my life where I'm thinking, "I'm glad you don't think like me, God, because I would have messed this up."
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. God's plans and ways are greater than our human understanding. God used Ruth's ethnic status, her nationality, which appeared undesirable; he used that to direct the story exactly where he wanted it to go.
It became a factor in this very moment that turned off that other kinsman redeemer. The relative's refusal opened the door for Boaz to obediently follow God's plan. We have one man who's missing out because ultimately through this family line will come King David. Ultimately, through this family line will come the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
And that other unnamed family member, that kinsman redeemer, missed it. I don't want to judge him too harshly, but I think it was all part of God's plan. Boaz was not about to miss it.
Let this be a lesson for us that when we face obstacles, we can take it to heart that God is still orchestrating events for his glory and our good. What looks counterproductive can actually advance the Lord's higher purposes for our lives if we will submit it all to him.
We should always bow to God's sovereign plan. Considering all of this from a human standpoint, think about it. From a human standpoint, just humanly thinking, it's incredible that Ruth actually ended up being redeemed.
Think about all the things that had to fall into place from a human standpoint. It's like, "Wow, that was a perfect storm of events that just fell right into place." But the truth of the matter is God was in control. God was leading; God was directing.
From a human standpoint, it required just the right response from Boaz. It required just the right decision from the nameless relative, and it required just the right attitude from Ruth herself.
Because sometimes in situations that we're afraid, they're not going to turn out for the best, and so what do we do? We get our grubby hands into it, and sometimes we mess up the situation trying to make sure that it goes the way we think it ought to go.
When in fact, what we should do is take our hands off and raise our hands to the Lord and say, "Lord, you take this. You take control of this because you know what's best."
God, in his sovereignty, orchestrated everything—all of this down to the smallest detail. God had control. God perfectly accomplished his purposes through a series of divinely guided events. It wasn't a perfect storm; it was divinely orchestrated and guided events.
God brought about his will for their lives. Remember Romans 8:28 that we quoted a minute ago: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Despite complex situations, God powerfully works even through our human choices. He uses those flawed choices to fulfill his plans for our good, and Ruth's story is a testament to this. God did not leave one piece to chance. The Lord intentionally guided the entire process, and he even did it without his name being mentioned.
That's incredible! No matter how convoluted our circumstances might appear, no matter what you might be going through, how crazy it may be, you can have confidence that God is in control. He is actively in control even when we can't see the full picture.
Because honestly, how big of a picture do we see in the scheme of life? It's tiny. But God sees it all. God knows it all. He's actively guiding the details for his glory and for our good, so we can trust him. We can trust his unseen hand because all things work according to his sovereign purpose.
So as the musicians make their way back up here, we're going to give an invitation. The invitation is this: Are you willing to act in line with God's word? Are you willing to act in line with his word and embrace what others might perceive as burdens?
Are you willing to trust God's sovereign plan in your life even when it seems complex and challenging? I encourage you to respond to God today. There was a choice that was going to be made in the city gate that day. You have a choice to make today.
How are you going to follow God? Making your own choices or letting him choose for you? Letting him lead or saying, "God, no thanks, I got this." How are you going to handle it?
Would you stand with me, and let's pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, give us the courage to act promptly and not to sit still when your will has been made clear to us. Give us the strength to uphold your ways and to do things in the right, proper manner, even when it's challenging, and to trust in your sovereign plan even when we don't understand.
It's hard, Lord. We find it hard to let go and to let you have control, but you are already in control; we just fail to acknowledge it.
on Nov 05, 2023
