How Do You Wait Upon The Lord?

You can open your Bible to the book of Ruth in the Old Testament.

The book of Ruth.

So we're preaching through the Gospel of John and also through the book of Ruth.

There are four little chapters in this, the most beautiful short story ever written.

I'm convinced of that, as some have said.

I hope you are as well.

Today, Lord willing, we'll finish chapter four.

So our reading for today will begin one verse earlier.

So we'll begin reading in Ruth chapter three, verse 18.

We'll read all the way to the end of Ruth chapter four, the end of the book.

As I read God's word, remember, this is God's very own word.

It is inspired, inerrant and infallible.

It is clear and it is sufficient for us as people.

So when I finish reading, I'll say this is the word of the Lord.

And you can respond by saying thanks be to God.

Hear the word of the Lord.

In Ruth chapter three, verse 18.

Naomi, the mother-in-law, said to Ruth, the young widow.

Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out.

For the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.

Chapter four, verse one.

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 sat and he turned and said, he turned aside and sat down.

And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here.

So they sat down.

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.

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.

Verse five, 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.

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.

Verse seven.

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.

So when the redeemer said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal.

Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, you are my witnesses this day that I have bought

from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and that belonged to children.

And Malon also Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Malon.

I have bought to be my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead and 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.

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.

And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamez bore to Judah because of the offspring

of the Lord who will give you by this young woman.

Verse 13.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went into her and the Lord gave her conception

and she bore a son.

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.

He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher in your old age for your daughter-in-law

who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.

Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.

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.

Verse 18.

Now these are the generations of Perez.

Perez fathered Hezron.

Hezron fathered Ram.

Ram fathered Aminadab.

Aminadab fathered Nashon.

Nashon fathered Salmon.

Salmon fathered Boaz.

Boaz fathered Obed.

Obed fathered Jesse.

And Jesse fathered David.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Thanks be to God.

Indeed, you may be seated.

Would you pray with me?

Amen.

Father, we confess that You are eternal, infinite, and unchangeable

in Your power and perfection, wisdom, glory, justice, and truth,

that nothing happens except through You and by Your will.

And we thank You, Lord, how in Your kindness, in Your fatherly patience, You've given us stories.

And through these stories, You reveal Your greatness to Your people.

Help us to see, Lord, with our eyes, to hear with our ears, and to behold You with our hearts,

the great God, the Lord of the covenant.

Amen.

And Lord, I pray that You will minister to each one by Your Holy Spirit, by Your power,

move among Your church, encourage, restore, nourish Your people once again, Lord,

for Your glory and for our good, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

how do you wait upon the Lord?

The hardest thing about waiting is not having to do without for a little bit longer.

I think the hardest thing about waiting is that it's risky.

Kids, you know what this is like.

You wait all week for that one thing you get to choose to do on the weekend, on a Saturday maybe.

And then something happens.

Someone gets sick and we don't get to do it.

So that waiting would have been a lot better if it was guaranteed to happen on Saturday, right?

Isn't that so true for the biggest things in life as well?

Well, if I knew for sure this would be the outcome, the waiting wouldn't be so bad.

But that waiting, it's the anticipation, it's the risk that makes it almost unbearable.

Is the next job going to be any better?

Is that monitor in the hospital going to just turn into a steady beep?

There's no guarantee it's risky.

And the waiting is so heavy, isn't it?

Shakespeare said that expectation is the root of all heartache.

You have your hopes set on something, you're expecting it, and then heartache comes when it doesn't happen.

And then what do we all want to do?

I just don't want to get excited about anything again.

And truthfully, each one of you, even visiting a church plant, it's risky.

Disappointment is unmet expectation.

You don't have to live long under the sun to know that if I put my hope on anything earthly, I'm setting myself up for disappointment, aren't I?

I think what we see in this last chapter is that resolution, that ending and that follow-up that God in His goodness is so pleased to lavish on His people.

But they've been waiting.

They've been waiting.

What you're going to see is there's extreme risk involved for Naomi, for Ruth, and for Boaz.

This is a risky, high-tension passage.

I think their resolve is what the prophet Micah captures later.

Micah 7-7, he says,

I will look to the Lord.

I will wait for the God of my salvation.

My God will hear me.

The reason that's comforting is because that's the prayer of every Christian.

We will wait upon the Lord, the God of our salvation, trusting by faith that He will hear us.

However, it turns out, the promise that I want you to be encouraged by and remember is that God brings His people, all of His people, to bless His name as you wait for Him.

God brings His people to bless His name one way or the other as you wait for Him.

Look at verse 14.

This is the key verse, and we'll go through verse by verse, but I just want you to put your finger on verse 14.

See how all the people watching this story unfold, they sing like a great chorus, like we were just singing moments ago, filling the room.

Blessed be the Lord.

He's provided a Redeemer.

May His name be renowned.

He is the Restorer of life.

He is your Nourisher.

How do you wait upon the Lord?

The first observation I want to draw your attention to comes from the person who the book is named after, even though it could be called the book of Naomi.

But I want you to ponder Ruth here.

I believe in verses 3, 18, and even as we see her in the silence of the next 10 verses or so, what we see in the example of Ruth is that we are to stay eager to learn how God's providence will unfold.

So go back to chapter 3.

In verse 14, to give ourselves a little bit of context, Ruth lay at the feet of Boaz until morning.

What time in the morning?

Well, she arose before anyone could even recognize one another.

It's the crack of dawn.

And then skip down to verse 18.

Naomi told her, wait and see.

And in that phrase, wait and see, Naomi is telling Ruth, wait, be patient.

But wait so you will see.

Be eager.

So stay eager to learn how God's providence will unfold as you wait.

It's a patient anticipation.

Naomi was less patient earlier in the story.

It wasn't she.

She left Bethlehem, went to greener land in Moab, lost everything.

And now she's giving the best advice that she's had maybe in the whole book.

Wait and see the hand of God on your life.

But think from Ruth's perspective.

From Ruth's perspective, we're not going to see Ruth do anything or say anything for many more verses.

In verse 5, Boaz said to this other redeemer that's closer, you will also acquire Ruth.

And he says, I'll pass.

And then later on in verse 10, Boaz says, Ruth comes with this redemption.

I'll take her.

But Ruth herself is patient.

She's being considered by one man, taken by another.

She's waiting.

She's waiting.

She's waiting.

And it's going to be the Lord's hand that unfolds for her.

She's made her desire very clear to Boaz.

You, Boaz, you spread out your wings over me.

You redeem me.

Now look back at chapter 3, verse 12.

Here's the problem.

Boaz knows everyone in the town of Bethlehem.

They know each other by name.

They know all the family trees.

They're keeping track of the land.

And he says in verse 12,

It is true that I am a redeemer, he's telling Ruth,

yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.

What would Ruth be feeling as she heard him say that?

Her cheeks are blushing.

Spread your wings out, please.

I've been working from early morning to evening.

You become my redeemer.

And he says, yet there is one nearer than I.

I believe that what we see in Ruth

is God teaching her,

no matter how things turn out, Ruth,

my promise to care for you will be true.

It will be something you can trust.

They who wait upon the Lord, Ruth,

shall renew their strength.

We get this promise much later.

Isaiah 40, 31.

They who wait upon the Lord

shall renew their strength.

Hasn't that been true for you so far, Ruth?

You've been running.

You've been getting up early,

working till late.

You've worked every day of the harvest.

You've been out there gleaning,

just picking up the scraps.

Haven't I been faithful to you so far?

You will run.

You will not grow weary, Ruth.

She had left everything behind in Moab.

Now she's waiting,

trusting that God will not disappoint her in the end.

God renews the strength of his people

as they wait for him.

How do you wait upon the Lord?

The next person I want to focus on is Boaz.

With Boaz, we see that you fear God

as you wait for him.

You fear God and keep his commandments.

See, Boaz, he could have very easily said,

well, no one seems very eager

to keep that year of Jubilee anyways.

In fact, there's no historical record

that the people of Israel ever kept the year of Jubilee.

He could be reading the times around him.

But yet, Boaz says,

there is, according to the law,

there is a man nearer than I.

Boaz is making it very clear right away.

Even though he's eager to take her as his bride,

we see that in this chapter.

He's making it clear that he's a man under God's law.

As much as he desires and loves Ruth,

he loves and fears God in a fatherly love first.

Look at verse 1.

Behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by.

By using that language, behold,

he wants you to pause what you're doing.

Pay attention now.

Put yourself at the city gate.

See that man.

Now notice, it's just referred to as the man Boaz spoke of.

So we all know back from chapter 3, verse 12,

it's the closer Redeemer.

Remember, he came by.

It's as though the author is saying,

there goes God's providential activity again.

It just so happens.

Look, right there at the city gate,

he's coming by.

And Boaz said to this man,

now remember,

he knows this family tree.

He knows who this man is.

Turn aside, friend,

and sit down here.

Hebrew scholars will point out that that word friend,

do you see that word?

Verse 1.

That word friend,

it means so-and-so,

or fella,

or just some neutral, meaningless term.

Come on over here, man.

We don't even,

this man's name doesn't even make it into the pages of the Bible.

Now,

Boaz,

he looked to God's law

and waited for God's providence

as he was pursuing this,

and he was being constrained

out of a greater love for God

and for God's law.

So he's pursuing,

but he's doing it in a way

that is constrained.

He's letting God's law dictate

how this is going to go.

So,

let's look at verses 2 and 3.

And he took 10 men of the elders

of the city,

and he said,

sir,

and he said,

sit down here.

So they sat down.

Verse 3.

Then he said to the redeemer,

this Mr. So-and-so,

Naomi,

who has come back from the country of Moab,

is selling the parcel of land

that belonged to our relative Elimelech.

So I thought I would tell you of it.

Buy it in the presence of those sitting here.

In the presence of the elders of my people,

if you will redeem it,

redeem it.

You see the risk that Boaz is taking here?

He says,

I'm going to put myself according to God's law.

If you would like to redeem this land,

it's yours.

The risk for Boaz is huge.

He can't control this man's decisions.

He has to trust that God will use secondary causes

to bring about his will,

whatever it may be.

As much as he is eager to take Ruth as his wife.

He's a man under the law of God.

Where did Boaz learn this type of a fear of God?

Where could he have learned this?

This is not normal for any time.

I've used the word fear of God.

I want to give you what I think is an important definition.

Biblical fear of God is this.

According to Charles Bridges,

it's your affectionate reverence to God as his child.

It's his loving grace in you

that bends your will humbly

under the law of your father.

That's what we're talking about.

Where did Boaz learn that?

He's clearly a man.

He wants the elders to be witness.

He wants to follow the law of,

you know,

the first kinsman having the first opportunity.

And he has put it all on the table.

If you redeem it,

the land is yours.

We can't say for sure where Boaz learned this,

but really a few months ago,

I won't say names,

but someone was just reading through their Bible

and read Matthew 1, verse 5.

Matthew 1:5

It's the genealogy of our Lord Jesus.

How Salmon, the father of Boaz,

we get one little detail.

Who was the mother of Boaz?

It was by Rahab.

Rahab, when the Bible talks about Rahab,

she's described as that prostitute

on the walls of Jericho.

Where did Boaz learn the fear of God?

This reverent fear is a God who has all power,

yet he is gracious and preserves.

The story of the faith has been passed on.

Can you imagine how Rahab would have loved

to tell her children and grandchildren

and everyone who would listen about

that magnificent day

when the walls tumbled down outward

from the city,

and yet there she stood with her home

and her family?

That's where you learn the fear of the Lord.

We don't know all the other details

of Boaz's biography and his family life.

We know that later in his years,

he was still unmarried.

We also know that Salmon was a prince in Judah.

And so Boaz grew up as the son of a prince.

That's how he has all the land

and he's so wealthy and he's very generous,

but he does it as one who is under the law of God,

that reverential fear for God

as a child of God,

who's experienced that loving grace

and gladly bends his own will

in conformity to the law of his father.

We saw in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 this Friday,

Ecclesiastes 12 · chapter mention

the end of all man's duty is what?

It's fear God and keep his commandments

because they who wait upon the Lord

will renew their strength.

And if Ruth was the one who ran without growing weary,

Boaz will see he is one who soars

as if on wings of eagles throughout this whole book.

So you saw the risk for Ruth.

You saw the risk for Boaz.

How do you wait upon the Lord?

Let's stick with Boaz.

You boldly walk in the way of the Lord.

You pursue the good desire he's given you.

Look at verses five through eight.

Boaz is going to walk out this desire of his

to marry Ruth,

but he's going to do it according to God's law.

So he's going to boldly pursue Ruth,

but he does it for God's purposes,

not his own.

Look at verse five.

He says,

it's to perpetuate the name of the dead.

This is something that's so lost to our culture

and our way of thinking, isn't it?

To perpetuate the name of Ruth's husband

who died earlier in life

and of Ruth's father-in-law who died

is to perpetuate their name in the land.

The biblical principle for us

is that this is a God-pleasing rule for life

that it's said really well in Proverbs 3.27,

do not withhold good from those to whom it is due

when it is in your power to do it.

That's the biblical principle.

Boaz, it's within your power to do something.

We can't say it's completely selfless

because he also gets Ruth as his wife,

but it's to perpetuate the name of the dead.

It's he's doing good for Naomi and for Ruth

according to God's law

because it's within his power to do it.

And that knowing the law of God

gives Boaz confidence

in how he has to walk this out

and how he has to pursue this desire.

So yes, he was constrained,

but I also want to emphasize

Boaz was not passive.

He was pursuing his desire

according to God's will.

One commentator helped me to see this contrast.

In chapter one, do you remember?

There were two women.

The two women who had a choice

as they talked to Ruth.

It was a costly decision of faith.

One turns back

and is heard of no more.

Look at verse six,

Ruth four chapters,

chapter four, verse six.

Mr. So-and-so,

the man Boaz simply calls friend.

He says,

I cannot redeem this land for myself

lest I impair my own inheritance.

He does not care about the name of the dead.

He's focused on his own inheritance.

We don't even get his name.

He's faced with a costly decision of faith.

And he vanishes from the pages of scripture.

Sinclair Ferguson pointed out,

this man will have no role

in advancing God's kingdom.

God calls his people

to align with his own will.

And it's those who are in alignment

with God's will

that God uses within his kingdom.

Deuteronomy 10, 18 says,

it's God who executes justice

for the fatherless and the widow

and loves the sojourner,

giving him food.

Ferguson's words again,

quote,

this man who refuses the terms

of God's covenant responsibility,

it's as if God's saying

he will have no further significance.

His name does not matter

in God's glorious purposes.

End of quote.

By contrast, though,

Boaz,

Boaz models for us

what Psalm 37, 3 through 5 says,

which is commit your way to the Lord.

Trust in him

and he will act.

Trust in the Lord

and do good.

Dwell in the land

and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself

in the Lord.

I think Boaz

has done this very well.

And he, the Lord,

will give you

the desires of your heart.

Now, what about the ceremony

where Boaz

takes off his sandal?

What about that?

Look at verse 7.

We read that it was their custom

for redeeming and exchanging

to confirm a transaction.

The one drew off his sandal

and gave it to the other.

You know,

when you go into a negotiation,

some of you have been

in different negotiations.

You don't,

you're not sure.

You know,

you go to the flea market

or something,

you want to try to play it cool

so you can get a better price.

I don't know.

We don't know.

Was Boaz going to play it cool now,

pretend like he wasn't too excited?

Or the minute the man said

in verse 6,

I cannot redeem it.

I can't do it.

I mean,

was Boaz's foot shaking like ready,

sliding that sandal

to the tip of his toes,

just ready to hand it over?

Or maybe he just said,

you know,

transactional.

But man,

look at this.

It sounds like the author

in verse 7,

he's having to reteach

an old custom.

So it sounds like

maybe this was Samuel

putting this together

for the people of God,

explaining how King David

came to be

and what was the line

of King David

through Rahab

and through Ruth

and how is David

now a legitimate king?

And so he's reteaching

his original audience.

But again,

this was a commentator's hint.

We don't know

anywhere else in scripture

of this custom,

but perhaps Joshua 1,

Joshua 1:3

verse 3

is being pictured here

in this transaction,

which says this.

It's a promise

to the people of Israel,

every place

that the sole of your foot

will tread upon,

I have given to you.

And it's a reminder

that this land,

whoever has it right now

for these seven years,

this land is God's.

It belongs to God.

If you have possession,

your soul gets to touch it

and live on it

and dwell there.

It's because God

has given it.

So ultimately,

it's a sign of faith.

It's a sign that it is God

who gives everything.

Proverbs 15.25

really explains

and illustrates

the contrast

between Mr. So-and-so

and Boaz.

the Lord tears down

the house of the proud.

His name's forgotten

to history,

but God maintains

the widow's boundaries

and the name of,

even the dead of Ruth

and Naomi

will be preserved.

You see how Boaz

pursued his bride.

He desired her,

but he was pursuing her

in a way that was ordered

by the law of God.

And as much as Boaz

is a picture for us

or foreshadowing

of the coming work

of Christ,

what a glorious picture

how the Lord Jesus Christ

pursued his people,

his bride,

his church,

and he didn't deviate

from the law

to do that.

He put himself

under the law.

Jesus Christ

fulfilled the law

on behalf of his bride

to get her

as his own.

And now he calls

his church

to do the same,

to seek first

his kingdom

and his righteousness.

How do you wait

upon the Lord?

There's one other thing

Boaz does

I want to show you

in verses 9 through 11.

I think Boaz

involves

the whole faith community.

He involves

the whole faith community

as he waits

upon the Lord.

And he does this,

I think,

for two reasons,

as support

and also

as a witness.

And that's what

the faith community,

that's what the church

needs to be

for one another.

As we wait

upon the Lord,

we don't do it

in isolation,

we do it together.

We tell our prayer requests,

our burdens,

we share it

with one another.

And we help each other,

we carry one another's

burdens in that way

for support

and also

as a witness.

We are like

sheep among wolves

in this world,

aren't we?

Notice what Boaz

does in verse 9.

He said,

to the elders

and all the people,

anyone who's at

this public place,

the gate,

you are witnesses

this day.

It's as though Boaz

has said,

I desire to follow

God's law

and you're my witnesses

that I'm trying to do it

according to the law

of God.

In verse 10,

he says,

also Ruth,

the Moabite,

the widow of Malon,

I have bought

to be my wife

to perpetuate

the name of the dead

in his inheritance.

Faith community,

you are my witnesses.

It's as though Boaz

is saying in Deuteronomy

24, 17

is in the backdrop

that the people of God

shall not pervert

the justice due

to the sojourner

or to the fatherless

or regarding

the widow's possessions.

He's calling

the law of God

to mind

to the whole faith community.

Now look at verse 11

how they respond.

Then all the people

who were at the gate

and the elders said,

we are your witnesses.

And then they rise up

and they bless Boaz.

Echoing Scripture,

echoing Deuteronomy 14, 24,

the sojourner,

the fatherless

and the widow

who are within your towns

shall come

and eat

and be filled

that the Lord your God

may bless you

in all the work

of your hands

that you do.

It's the prayer

of the faith community.

That the kingdom of God

will be established

and restored

among all of them.

Not just for this couple

or their family

but in all of them

that God would be pleased.

Look at verse 11.

May the Lord

make the woman

who is coming

into your house

like Rachel and Leah

who together

built up Israel.

So all the people

of the town

and the elders,

they are bearing witness

that God is doing

something special

and that the kingdom

of God

is exhibited

through this family.

Just like it was

Rachel and Leah

who through their children

God gave this nation.

May God do the same

and bless this couple

and bless all

of their children.

I think it's even

more significant

that it's all the people

blessing and bearing witness

and supporting the couple

in this way

because the people

of this community,

the faith community

has been part of the story

all along.

Do you remember back

in chapter 1 verse 19

we read how the whole town

was stirred because of them

because of Naomi

coming back

looking so different

you know they didn't

even recognize her

and Ruth with her

from Moab

who is this?

They've been part of

this story all along.

They saw her being bankrupt

and homeless

and starving

and then in chapter 2

they said

behold Boaz

came from Bethlehem

and Boaz said

to his reapers

the Lord be with you

and the reapers

answered

the Lord bless you.

Now who were these reapers?

Chapter 2 verse 8

Boaz said to Ruth

keep close to my young women

reaping with you

as you glean

in my field.

These women

come to play

a very prominent role

here in chapter 4.

You'll notice

it's the women

who bless the couple

who sing this chorus

of blessing

in verse 14

and when they get

to name the child

of Ruth

and Boaz

together

who is it

that names the child?

It's the women

that are bearing witness

that are supporting them.

They've learned

in the fear of the Lord

is safety.

In the fear of the Lord

there is trust.

In the fear of the Lord

it's the job

of the whole community

to teach it

to one another.

How do you wait

upon the Lord?

I want to stick

with this faith community now.

I think this

community of faith

these people of the town

these women

they teach us

you wait upon the Lord

by looking

backward

at God's

providence.

Notice how they look back

in verse 12.

May your house

be like the house

and I'll just highlight

one name for now

like the house

of Perez.

This is an interesting

person to draw out

of the history

as they look back.

Who was Perez?

Well

in these southern

tribes of Judah

their story

is a twisted story

and they see here

here's a widow

from Moab

marrying an older man

Boaz.

It's a twisted story

but may the Lord

bless it

like Perez.

Perez

Perez was the son

of Tamar

with Judah

but the problem

is that Judah

was not Tamar's

husband.

Judah

was her father-in-law

and she tricked him

so it's a son

of scandal.

That's who Perez

is

but they see

God's faithful hand

in that twisted story.

Now notice

the symmetry

of this

glorious little book.

starting at verse 13

Boaz took Ruth

and she became

his wife

and he went

into her

and the Lord

gave her conception

and she

Ruth

bore a son

so we've seen

first Boaz

there

then Ruth

now verse 14

then the women

said to

Naomi

I'll pause

for a moment.

The order here

as they exit

the story

is Boaz

then Ruth

and last

Naomi

and it's

symmetrical

from how

the story

started

remember

it started

with Naomi

going to Moab

and losing

everything

and then in Moab

she meets

Ruth

and then coming

back into Bethlehem

Boaz enters

the story

now they exit

in that reverse

order

in which they

were introduced

the faith

community

sees

God's hand

on this

story

and blesses

them

here's our

great verse

look at verse 14

the faith

community

sings

like a choir

the women

to Naomi

blessed

be the Lord

who has not

left you

this day

without a

redeemer

and may his

name be

renowned

in Israel

verse 15

he shall be

to you

a restorer

of life

and a

nourisher

of your

old

age

Boaz

Boaz

with this

twisted

story

God's

hand upon

him

and those

who came

before him

he will

be blessed

everything

that they

desire

and pray

for him

will come

true

and much

more than

anyone

in this

time

could have

understood

if you

look for

the name

Boaz

throughout

your

Bible

you're

not

going to

find

too many

other

references

to Boaz

except for

genealogies

with one

exception

and it's

1 Kings

1 Kings 7:21

chapter 7

verse 21

we read

we read how

the great

king

Solomon

set up

a pillar

in the

temple

of the

north

the temple

on the

north

and he

called

that

pillar

Boaz

well

Boaz

was Solomon's

great

great

grandpa

and then

throughout

the rest

of the

Bible

it's not

often

that a

person's

name

or a

person

is

associated

with

the

pillar

of the

temple

except

for

Peter

James

and John

closest

disciples

you know

they're

teaching

their

letters

that

would

be

the

foundation

and the

pillars

of the

church

and then

the

encouragement

for you

is

Revelation

312

which

says

and this

is the

words

of Christ

himself

it's

the

one

who

conquers

I

will

make

him

a

pillar

in

the

temple

of

my

God

and

that's

a

promise

from

Christ

to

his

church

look

to

Boaz

obey

my

law

in

the

land

put

yourself

under

my

commands

and

you

will

stand

as

a

pillar

in

my

kingdom

in

my

temple

where

the

holy

God

dwells

with

his

saved

sinners

for

Ruth

look

at

verse

15

the

honor

she

receives

from

the

community

she

came

as

an

immigrant

one

who

knew

nothing

of

their

customs

with

nothing

to

show

she

was

passed

over

by

mr.

so-and-so

verse

15

your

daughter-in-law

that's

Ruth

who

loves

you

who

is

more

to

you

than

seven

sons

has

given

birth

to a

Jewish

community

having

one

son

that

firstborn

son

who

get

all

the

inheritance

and

take

care

of

everyone

else

Ruth

right

here

your

daughter-in-law

from

Moab

she

is

worth

more

than

seven

sons

seven

is

the

number

of

fullness

and

perfection

and

completion

she

is

worth

more

than

seven

sons

proverbs

19

23

says

that

the

fear

of

the

Lord

leads

to

life

and

whoever

has

it

rests

satisfied

this

was the

blessing

that

Boaz

originally

gave

to

Ruth

is

now

being

fulfilled

he

had

said

the

Lord

bless

you

Ruth

the

God

under

whose

wings

you

have

come

to

take

refuge

and

now

Ruth

can

sing

like

we

did

earlier

today

praise

to

the

Lord

who

were

all

things

so

wondrously

reigneth

shelters

thee

under

his

wings

yea

so

gently

sustaineth

hast

thou

not

seen

how

thy

desires

e'er

have

been

granted

and

what

he

ordaineth

how

do

you

wait

upon

the

Lord

not

only

do

you

look

backwards

but

what

we

see

in

the

genealogy

as this

book

comes

to a

close

what

could

feel

anticlimactic

it's

really

looking

forward

to even

greater

fulfillment

we

see

with

Naomi

and

the

women

how

Naomi

took

the

child

and

laid

him

on

her

lap

in

verse

16

and

the

women

said

in

verse

17

a

son

has

been

born

to

Naomi

they

saw

Naomi

return

with

her

hands

empty

and

now

she

had

her

hands

full

with

this

little

baby

grandson

they

named

him

Obed

Obed

means

servant

of God

and worshiper

of God

from

Obed

the

line

is

drawn

to

the

great

king

David

his

grandfather

servant

of God

worshiper

of God

the harp

player

the

psalmist

look at

this line

I won't

go through

every name

but it's

so rich

and I

just want

to trace

out for

you

a few

highlights

here

in verse

18

the

generations

of

Perez

who as

I

mentioned

we have

Salmon

with

Rahab

so this

kingly

line

marries

Rahab

who was

that

saved

foreign

prostitute

of Jericho

and their

son is

Boaz

and if

we go

to Luke

Luke 3:21

chapter 3

verse 21

we read

how the

son

of that

scandalous

marriage

again

now

Mary

large

with child

only betrothed

to Joseph

and Joseph

is from

this

kingly

line

the

lines

of the

kings

you see

the picture

of the

gospel

foreshadowed

it's the

prince of

heaven

coming to

rescue

the bride

the church

shrouded

in scandal

and a

twisted story

of redemption

the nation

of Israel

had looked

for a

king

remember

this is in

the time

of the judges

where there

was no

king in

the land

everyone

did as

they

pleased

they

waited

to see

who would

it be

that God

would send

to save

them

and to

rule as

their

shepherd

king

those

within

Israel

who had

a faith

in God

who knew

his grace

his old

covenant

people

they looked

for the

great

shepherd

king

greater

than

David

even

and they

were waiting

for the

Messiah

the new

covenant

church

we still

look to

Christ

the seed

of Eve

the seed

of Tamar

the seed

of Rahab

the seed

of Ruth

and we

long for

the name

of Jesus

to be

renowned

not just

in Israel

but in

all the

land

that every

people

tribe

and tongue

will know

him and be

able to say

bless

the Lord

he is

faithful

and we

still live

as sojourners

in this land

we wait

for that day

when he

will return

and we

wait as

people

not attached

to the

earthly

things

we wait

as a

people

whose

souls

are

united

to him

spiritually

and everything

our souls

touch

the soles

of our feet

touches

it belongs

to him

and one

day he

will make

a new

heavens

and a

new

earth

and we

long

for that

day

and how

do we

wait

upon the

Lord

we wait

as ones

who fear

him

and who

know his

laws

for our

good

and for

his glory

and we

pursue

those desires

of our

heart

because

he's renewing

our desires

that we

will desire

his kingdom

more and

more and

more and

we pursue

them ruled

by his

law

my encouragement

to you is

beg the

Lord Jesus

Christ

the great

redeemer

beg him

to renew

you once

again today

as you

wait upon

the Lord

let's

pray

Lord

we confess

that often

we don't

know how

to walk

in this

world

we don't

know how

to walk

every day

in this

life

but we

hold on

to your

promise

that you

are a

faithful

and

unchanging

God

thank you

for what

you've

promised

in

Romans

8

4

that we

do not

walk

in this

world

according

to the

flesh

but we

do walk

according

to the

spirit

we thank

you Lord

that you

have fulfilled

all the

righteous

requirements

of the

law

so that

now

we stand

before you

as a

people

fully

redeemed

fully

yours

you have

bought

us

your

bride

and your

great name

is passed

on

through our

lives

may this

be so

more and

more

we pray

amen

amen