Ruth 4:1-22
Date: August 27th, 2023
Speaker: Samuel Crites
Scripture: Ruth 4:1-22
Exegetical Outline
Main Idea of Text: The Lord has ultimately redeemed Naomi through Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth.
1-17: Boaz redeems Ruth and Naomi and marries Ruth, producing Boaz as Naomi’s true kinsman redeemer.
1-12: Boaz receives the right to redeem Ruth and Naomi, redeems the land and swears to marry Ruth, and is blessed by the elders.
1-8: Boaz proposes redemption to the other redeemer, but he ultimately refuses because of Ruth and gives the right to Boaz.
1-4: Boaz proposes redemption to the other redeemer, and he agrees.
5: Boaz also tells the redeemer about Ruth.
6: The other redeemer offers his right and gives it to Boaz.
7-8: The other redeemer passes his right to Boaz.
9-12: Boaz swears before the elders that he will redeem Ruth and Naomi and they bless him.
9-10: Boaz swears to redeem Ruth and Naomi, and marry Ruth.
11-12: The elders witness and bless Boaz.
13-17: Naomi is redeemed through the marriage of Ruth and Boaz and the birth of Obed.
13: Boaz and Ruth marry and have a son.
14-15: The women bless the Lord for Naomi’s redemption through Obed, the child.
16-17: Naomi becomes Obed’s nurse, who was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18-22: The generations of Perez are recorded.
Homiletical Outline
Main Idea of Sermon: Your kinsman redeemer is God’s only begotten son.
The ultimate product of Boaz’s redemptive work was a son.
God continues the promise of redemption through David.
Redemption is finished in Jesus Christ.
Introduction:
What is the book of Ruth all about? We have been pondering this question since our first sermon three weeks ago. Is it a love story between a rich, old farmer and a poor, widowed Gentile? Is it a story of restoration as a chastened daughter returns to her people because of the kind discipline of the Lord? Or is it about something far more important?
Today we are going to see that it all those things and more. It is the cosmic story of love and redemption played out in the real, simple lives of God’s people. Let’s read Ruth 4:1-22:
Ruth 4:1-22
Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
The main idea of our sermon is this: Your kinsman redeemer is God’s only begotten son. But to grasp that point, we must see how God began redemption through Obed, continued it through David, so we can understand how he finished it in Christ.
First, we will see how God began the work of redemption through Ruth’s son Obed. This is a shocking turn of events. Throughout our entire study of the book of Ruth, we have seen how Naomi and Ruth have hoped that Boaz would be there redeemer. At the end of last week, we saw that he was willing to redeem them, but we didn’t know what would happen with the other redeemer. This week, we will watch Boaz secure Ruth and Naomi’s redemption, marry Ruth, but we will see that redemption is not credited to Boaz. Naomi’s redeemer is Obed. He is the son that will inherit the line of Elimelech.
But Obed would not be important to the broader audience if it were not for his grandson. God continues the work of redemption through a second son, David. We have already seen that the line of Perez begins with shame. Judah does not keep his familial duties to Tamar, but God redeems their shame through David. He is the king that fulfills Jacob promise, and it is David that God makes a covenant with that provides for the future redemption of all people.
Which brings us to our third son. God finishes his work of redemption through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Boaz, Obed and David are merely types of Christ. They point forward to him and give us the categories to understand the work he has performed for us. We will see Jesus is God’s ultimate and true plan of redemption. Jesus took notice of our helpless state; he came to us in our hour of need; he paid the great price to purchase us out of slavery and our inheritance out of subjection to futility; he united us to himself in marriage; and he has restored us, in hope, to a future, glorious inheritance that will meet our every need in the new heavens and the new earth.
In God’s kindness, he has given us the story of Ruth to play out the cosmic saga of redemption in the real lives of farmers in Bethlehem. Like a father with his children, he gave us the story of Ruth to communicate the story of his Son. He wants you to understand that your kinsman redeemer is his only begotten son.
The ultimate product of Boaz’s redemptive work was a son.
The challenging thing about this sermon is going to be not staying in the text long enough. I desperately want you to see how the book of Ruth sets us up to understand all of God’s work in redemption throughout all of history. It really is that big of a story, and that is where we are going be by the end. But to get there, we must first understand how the story of Ruth ends, because it doesn’t end like you might think it should. So, we will tackle this first point in two steps. First, we look at verses 1-12 to understand how Boaz fulfilled his familial duty by redeeming Naomi and marrying Ruth, two different duties taking place at the same time. Then, we will demonstrate the first point of our sermon in verses 13-17, namely, that the ultimate product of Boaz’s redemptive work is his son Obed.
Let’s reread verses 1-12:
Ruth 4:1-12
Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
The story has been building to this point of redemption. At the end of every chapter in Ruth, we have been left wondering what is going to happen. In chapter 1, we wonder how they are going to survive now that they have returned to Bethlehem. In Chapter 2, we learn that their plan is to survive through Ruth’s gleaning. But, unexpectedly, Ruth meets Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech’s that is able to redeem them. However, at the end of Chapter 2, we are left wondering if he is willing to redeem? In Chapter 3, we find out that Boaz is willing to redeem, but we are left wondering if the other redeemer will spoil the plan. We are left wondering if Boaz will be allowed to redeem Naomi and marry Ruth. At the beginning of Chapter 4, we will finally understand what is going to happen to Ruth and Naomi.
It is important for us to see that whoever the redeemer is, that man actually has two familial duties. First, if he is going to redeem, he must pay the cost to purchase the land from Naomi, so he can return it to her and restore her to Elimelech’s inheritance. However, there is a second familial duty that must be fulfilled. Elimelech must be provided an heir to inherit his land.
We discussed this first familial duty two weeks ago when we studied Ruth chapter 2. Leviticus 25 explains the legal requirements for the redemption of the land. God had given every Israelite an apportionment of land that was loaned to them as their right. If the family sold the land, they were guaranteed that the land was going to be returned to them in the Year of Jubilee. However, prior to the Year of Jubilee, the land could be purchased back by a kinsman redeemer. It had to be a close family member with preference given to the closest blood relative that was both willing and able to redeem their brother. And it was not just the land, it could be the brother himself, if he sold himself into slavery, and it could also be a house within a walled city, although the rules were a little different for that. Regardless, it was the family’s duty to keep the inheritance in their tribe and with the family unit to whom it was originally given.
As it relates to Naomi, there are multiple candidates that could perform this familial duty for her. Boaz is her preferred choice, but there is a redeemer that is closer in relation than him. Which brings us to the second familial duty. The closest kinsman is also supposed to raise up offspring to his brother. We learn this from Deuteronomy 25. Let me read to you Deuteronomy 25, beginning in verse 5:
Deuteronomy 25:5-6
5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
This custom is known as levirate marriage or widow inheritance. It is actually far older than the law of Moses, because last week we saw God enforcing levirate marriage in Genesis 38 with Judah and Tamar. This is the same issue that we saw in Mark 12 when the Sadducees test Jesus on the resurrection from the dead. Remember the seven brothers that could not produce any children with this poor wife that they all shared? The Sadducees think it is a perfect opportunity to trap Jesus into agreeing with them that there is no resurrection from the dead.
So, the closest kinsman has a second responsibility given to him by the law that he must perform as his familial duty to Elimelech’s family, namely, marry Ruth, the widow of Elimelech’s oldest son, Mahlon, and raise up an heir to him.
What we see at the beginning of Ruth chapter 4 is that the other redeemer is absolutely willing to redeem the land, but he is unwilling to marry Ruth because it will impair his inheritance. We do not really know what he means by impair his inheritance. It could be that his wife would have been unwilling for him to have Ruth as a wife as well, or perhaps he was concerned about preserving the inheritance he already possessed for the sons of his first marriage. It is not entirely clear, but regardless, he is unwilling to marry Ruth, and this causes him to be unwilling to redeem Naomi, so he passes his right to Boaz.
And so we come the climax of our story. Now that the other redeemer has passed on his right of redemption and levirate marriage, Boaz is free to accomplish the redemption and marriage that he has promised Ruth and Naomi. So let’s be really clear about what Boaz is doing. Look at verse 9:
Ruth 4:9-10
Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”
He is doing three things. First, he purchased the property from Naomi for Elimelech. Second, he took Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, to be his wife. And third, and probably the one that is most likely to be misunderstood, Boaz understands that he is raising up an offspring to Mahlon to perpetuate the name of the dead among his people. Meaning, Boaz and Ruth’s first son will not inherit as Boaz’s son, he will inherit as Mahlon’s son, the only remaining heir of Elimelech. Boaz will not have his heir until he and Ruth produce a second son. The climax of the story is not merely that Boaz redeems Naomi’s land, but that he also takes Ruth as a wife and provides an heir for Elimelech.
Which brings us to the second part of point one, Naomi’s greater redemption. Let’s continue reading in verse 13 and continue through the first half of verse 17:
Ruth 4:13-17a
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed.
After the climax, the story resolves in a very peculiar way. You would think that Boaz would be celebrated as the hero of the story. Look at all that he just did for Ruth and Naomi, but that is not what happens. For the last two chapter, Boaz and Ruth have been the main characters, but at the end of chapter 4, the story shifts back to the original main character, Naomi.
Remember, when we met Naomi, she was barren and empty. She had no husband, no sons. She was a chastened daughter that had turned back to the Lord because of his disciplinary kindness to her. When she returned to Bethlehem, we see a character defining moment. The women of the town recognize her and ask if she is Naomi, but she responds in Ruth 1:20:
Ruth 1:20-21
Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?
In her honesty, we see her in her pitiful state. She is broken and empty and in danger of being swallowed by her bitterness. This is how we meet Naomi at the beginning of the story.
It is no accident that a similar interaction takes place at the end of the book. They are parallel events. Listen to what the women say to Naomi once she has been redeemed. Ask yourself if this is how you expected the story to end. Look at verse 14:
Ruth 4:14-15
14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
I have taught Ruth before in Precept Bible Studies, and this is the first time I have seen this. Boaz is not Naomi’s redeemer. That’s not what the women say. They say the Lord has given you a redeemer. He shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, because Ruth, your daughter-in-law has given birth to him!
The hero of the story is not merely Boaz. Without taking anything away from Boaz, who is absolutely a type of Christ, Obed is the ultimate redeemer of Naomi. Even though he is Boaz’s biological son, he is Mahlon’s legal son. He is not technically related to Naomi, but he is her grandson and heir by law. And, this is the amazing thing, he is the only son she will ever have. Every other son that Boaz and Ruth have will be both their biological and legal son. He will fall in the line of Boaz, not Elimelech. Which makes Obed Naomi’s only-begotten son that carries all her hope for the propagation of her family into the future. He will truly be a restorer of the lives that Naomi lost and her only hope for nourishment in her old age.
The ultimate product of Boaz’s redemptive work is not giving Naomi back her land, or giving her food on her table or a roof over her head. It is not even restoring her reputation in society. The ultimate product of Boaz’s redemptive work is to provide Naomi with an only begotten son. Her true hope for a future. What good is an inheritance without an inheritor? In this way, God redeems Naomi’s inheritance, but he also restores her family with the ability to enjoy it.
God continues the promise of redemption through David.
Which brings us to the second point of our sermon. Obed is not only important because he redeems Naomi and the line of Elimelech. Obed is also important because of what we learn about him in at the end of verse 17 and especially in verses 18-22. Let continue reading in the last sentence of verse 17:
Ruth 4:17b-22
He [Obed] was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
If we think about the original audience from a human perspective, there isn’t a lot of reason that they should care about this story. Why would the rest of the nation of Israel care about what happened to a Moabite woman and a widow in a back water farming village? From a narratival perspective, these last six verses are the big reveal. We care about this story and these characters because Obed was the grandfather of King David.
In a moment, we are going to see that the story of redemption continues through David, but first, it is important to understand what is going on in verses 18-22. These verses are the genealogy of Perez. Perez was the oldest son of Judah by Tamar his daughter-in-law. This genealogy is important because it signifies the turning of a page in the story. This book only has one, but in Genesis there are ten. They trace the story of redemption from one patriarch to the succeeding patriarch, representing the finishing of one part of the story and the beginning of the next.
Obed brings an end to this part of the story because through Boaz, his father, Obed is the correction of Judah’s mistake. Unlike Judah, Boaz was faithful to his familial duty and redeemed the shame of his forefather giving rise to the next patriarch in his greater son, David. It is kind of like the genealogies trace the great story from one primary character to the next.
So why is David so important? The answer to that question goes far beyond the scope of this one sermon, but we can say one thing clearly: the story of God’s redemption continues through the promises he gave to David, specifically the covenant that God made with David. In the same way that God’s redemptive story for Naomi was fulfilled in Obed because Obed fathered David, God’s redemptive story for all people was fulfilled in David, because David would have a greater son. Turn with me to 2 Samuel 7 while I set the context.
At this point in David’s life, David is king, and he has reached a period of peace and stability. In this time of peace, he built himself a house, and looks around at all that he has and comes to the realization that God still dwells in a tent, the tabernacle. So David gets it into his heart that he would like to build God a house, meaning a temple. But God turns it around on him and promises to build David an everlasting house, meaning a dynasty. Let’s read God’s promise to David beginning in verse 8:
2 Samuel 7:8-17
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
I want you to see three promises that God makes to David. First, he promises to give him a name. Second, he promises to give Israel a place where they will be at peace. And finally, he promises to give David a son from his own body that will always sit on David’s throne. Immediately, this promise is fulfilled in Solomon, but ultimately, it is fulfilled in Christ. The Messiah would be a king and he would come from the blood line of David.
This future son would be the priest king that takes up the mantle of his father David. But according to David’s own words, this son is greater than David ever was. In Psalm 110, David calls this future son his Lord, clearly indicating that David is looking to this promised son as his superior. So this promise is a promise of a greater redemption that is yet to come, a hope that is still being worked out where a greater kinsman redeemer would accomplish God’s final plan of redemption.
Redemption is finished in Jesus Christ.
Which brings us to our third and final point: God’s plan of redemption is finished in Jesus Christ. The hardest part of this sermon series has been not shouting this point at the top of my lungs in almost every chapter. The whole point of the book of Ruth is to give you a living example for understanding the deep, rich theological truth that Jesus is your kinsman redeemer. Brothers and sisters, I hope you have seen this as we have studied together. There is more going on in the book of Ruth than the redemption of a poor Moabite woman and her widowed mother-in-law. The story is a shadow, a symbol, of the greater work of redemption that God has accomplished in Jesus Christ.
In theological terms we call this typology. Typology is a God ordained, author intended parallel in the Scripture. It is typically a person, event or institutions that symbolizes a greater theological reality that comes later in the text. The symbol is referred to as a type and the thing it signifies is called the anti-type. This means that there are real people, living their real lives in all the complexity that you and I experience every day that are also, at the same time, being used by God as a lesson of greater truth yet to be revealed. For example, the Garden and the land of Canaan are shadow of the greater hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Isaac, the son of promise, carrying the wood up the mountain for a father that was going to sacrifice him as a sin offering is a symbol of the true son of promise that was offered on Calvary for the sins of the many.
All these types were real events or real people, but they are also object lessons to teach us greater truths and greater realities that are yet to come. If God did not first teach us the arithmetic of redemption in the Old Testament, we would not be able to do the calculus of the Gospel in the New. We would not know the greater reality of God as unbegotten heavenly Father if we did not first experience our lesser, earthly fathers. Typology is God’s accommodation to our weakness. He is the great teacher of his children and typology is one tool he uses to train us.
This is what is taking place in the book of Ruth. Remove the names of all the characters. Think about the story in broad terms.
The Israelites, who have rebelled against God, have lost the enjoyment of all the good things he has given them. In order to restore them, he sends a kinsman redeemer, one of their own, a worthy man. But redemption does not take place the way that they thought it would. The redeemer, who is willing and able, pays a great price to redeem the Israelites, but through a Gentile. A Gentile that has turned away from the false god’s of her ancestors to worship the one true and living God. This Gentile gets all the benefits of the inheritance that rightfully belongs to the Israelite, because she has found shelter under the wing of the Most High. But God not abandoned his original people. The children of the Gentile become the means by which the Israelite is redeemed and restored to the inheritance that was originally theirs. They get the promise, but only once it has gone to the Gentile. The story ends looking forward to the future hope of coming king that will establish the kingdom of God on earth, a hope of future glory not yet realized. Is that not the story of the book of Ruth? [Pause] Is that not the Gospel?
Brothers and sisters, God has given us this book to allow us to comprehend the work of redemption that he has accomplished through his son, and he did it with real human lives 600 years before Christ walked the earth. The continuity of God’s work, from beginning to end, should give us hope. He is in control. He is bringing about the plan that he purposed from before the foundation of the world. There is no one like our God. He declares the end from the beginning, from eternity past he speaks what will take place in eternity future. When he declares a thing, it is and there is no one that can contradict him. If he says something will take place, you can be absolutely confident that it will come about, because our God reigns. His sovereignty knows no limitation.
So consider all that we have learned about the redeemer in the Book of Ruth. Let me give remind you of ___ lesson we have learned about the redeemer in Ruth that apply directly to Christ. First, the redeemer must take notice of the helplessness of the one to be redeemed. Meaning, redemption is something that must initiate within the redeemer. It must be his compassion that drives the redemption. Boaz saw Ruth in the field, and he had compassion on her, because she was a living example of faithfulness and love. She stayed with Naomi when all others had abandoned her. He saw her helplessness and knew he had a duty to meet her needs. Christ has taken notice of you because he is intimately acquainted with your weakness and frailty. Hebrews 4:15 says:
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
He knows you needs because he was hungry, he was tired, he was tempted. His sympathy fuel by an intimate acquaintance with every one of our frailty except the frailty of sin. He took notice of us in the incarnation by becoming like us.
The second lesson we learned about the redeemer is that he must be able. He must be a man that has the means to redeem. Boaz was an able man. He was wealthy and well thought of in society because he stewarded the gifts that God had given him well. When he saw Ruth’s need, he had the capability to meet it. Christ is an able redeemer. Unlike any other son of Adam, the new Adam did not sin. His sinless death became the conduit for spiritual life to all that believe. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says:
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
He is an able redeemer because he kept the law on our behalf, earning a righteousness that he is able to give to all that trust in him.
Third, the redeemer was willing. He wants to redeem. In chapter 3, we saw a genuine eagerness on Boaz’s behalf to redeem Ruth and Naomi. He wanted to take Ruth as his wife. He knew what it would cost him, but he also knew the value of Ruth. She was precious and valuable to him. Jesus Christ is a willing redeemer. The Father did not force him to come and pay the great price for redemption. It was for the joy set before him that Christ endured the cross. John 10:11 says:
John 10:11-15
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Christ came to lay his life down for the sheep because he loves the sheep. Can you let that sink in, brothers and sisters, Christ loves you. He loves you so much that the cross was but a small price to pay to purchase you for himself. He is your good shepherd that sought you when you were far off and joyfully purchased you for himself.
I could say more things, but let me finish this point with one final observation, the redeemer settles the matter of redemption. As we saw earlier in the sermon, we began this chapter not knowing what was going to happen, but Boaz went to work on behalf of his beloved and he secured the right of redemption. He stood before the elders, and he put the matter to rest by paying the great price to redeem and marrying his bride to give her a hope and a future. Church, your redeemer has done no less for you. He has put the matter of redemption to rest. Let me remind you what we have already heard once today in our assurance of pardon from Hebrews 9:24:
Hebrews 9:24-26
24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Brothers and sisters, if you have put your faith in Jesus, your redemption is settled. You do not have to wonder or worry about freedom. He has set you free by the power of his own sacrifice. He has purchased you out of your enslavement to sin and death, and you are his bride awaiting his return. Your kinsman redeemer is God’s only begotten son.
Conclusion
As we conclude, I want us to ponder, how are we to respond to such things? What could possibly be an appropriate response to such overwhelming love and affection from our kinsmen redeemer?
There is a reason that Max used Revelation 5 as our Scriptural Call to Worship. Do you remember how the passage begins?
Revelation 5:2-4
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
There was a great commotion and lamentation in heaven, because there was no one in all of heaven or on the earth or under the earth who deemed to be worthy to approach God and take the scroll from the hand of the Father. Until,:
Revelation 5:5-7
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
What is this scroll and who is the one that is worthy? It is the deed of the world and the one that is worthy is the one that was promised. The son of David, the once and future king, that was promised to sit on the throne forever. He is worthy to approach because he is a willing and able redeemer that has paid the great price to purchase back the inheritance of the people of God. And the elders and the four living creatures bear witness to the transaction, and bless him saying:
Revelation 5:9-14
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Brothers and sisters, what is the only reasonable response to so great a kinsman redeemer, it is to fall at his feet in worship and worthy, worthy, worthy is the lamb who was slain.
Let’s pray.