The Redeemer

Now before we turn to the book of Ruth and to hear it, I want us to share this prayer to prepare our hearts for hearing God's words.

It comes from a collection of prayers called Piercing Heaven, from a chap called Jeremiah Burroughs.

So if you're happy, you can read this with me as we prepare to receive God's word.

Lord, you have given me a portion in the world. You have given me credit and a reputation among others.

But what is all this to me if I am without Christ? If I do not have the one who gives grace to my soul, the one who is my all in all.

Lord, you have taught me that the distance between me and you is so great that without a mediator I perish forever.

So whatever else you deny me, give me Jesus. Amen.

This will be our prayer as we come to God's word. Give me Jesus.

So let's turn to the book of Ruth, wonderful book of Ruth.

We're going to look tonight at chapter 2.

And we'll read the whole of this chapter.

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,

Naomi, let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.

Naomi said to her, go ahead, my daughter.

So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters.

As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters.

The Lord be with you.

The Lord bless you, they answered.

Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, who does that young woman belong to?

The overseer replied, she is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.

She said, please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.

She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.

So Boaz said to Ruth, my daughter, listen to me.

Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here.

Stay here with the women who work for me.

Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the women.

I have told the men not to lay a hand on you.

And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.

At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground.

She asked him, why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me, a foreigner?

Boaz replied, I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband.

How you left your father and mother in your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.

May the Lord repay you for what you have done.

May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my Lord, she said.

You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant, though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.

At mealtime, Boaz said to her, come over here, have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.

When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain.

She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her.

Even pull out some stocks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up and don't rebuke her.

So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening.

Then she threshed the barley she had gathered and it amounted to about an ephah.

She carried it back to town and her mother-in-law saw how much she'd gathered.

Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she'd eaten enough.

Her mother-in-law asked her, where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she'd been working.

The name of the man I work with today is Boaz, she said.

The Lord bless him.

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, he has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead, she added.

That man is our close relative.

He is one of our guardian redeemers.

Then Ruth the Moabite said, he even said to me, stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.

Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, it will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him.

Because in someone else's field you might be harmed.

So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and the wheat harvests were finished.

And she lived with her mother-in-law.

So that's Ruth chapter 2.

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

Last week we thought about the journey, the journeys of Naomi.

This week we are thinking about the Redeemer.

But as we do that, I want to think about two very different stories and to think about what joins them.

So this week I find myself trying to explain the plot line of Back to the Future.

If you've seen Back to the Future, the whole film makes perfect sense.

But trying to explain it to someone who doesn't know is quite tricky.

But the basic idea, I guess, is that Marty McFly, in the first story anyway, has to travel back in time,

having kind of messed around with history a little bit,

to bring his parents together in the past or he won't exist in the present.

So he has to go back to the future, goes back and forward,

making sure that things work out the way they're supposed to,

so that in the fullness of time, Marty McFly will be born and will exist.

How does that connect to Ruth chapter 2?

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

That's a good question.

So if we think about when this was written,

this was written after King David has been born,

after he has come to the throne.

So this is a story looking back.

This is looking back on God's plan of redemption,

recognizing here is God working to make sure that Ruth and Boaz are brought together

in order to extend God's plan for the royal line,

so that King David comes,

so that all those rich promises from God will come to fulfillment.

So what we need to see in this story is God's control of time

and God's perfect timing.

We see it in lots of different ways.

We see it in the fact that here come Ruth and Naomi and they arrive back,

left during famine, arrive back just as barley harvest begins.

We see it in the way that they meet by design, Ruth and Boaz, not by chance.

And we see that, and we need to understand it in the context of the story

where it's anticipating the coming of the king,

all this is happening so that the king and ultimately Messiah Jesus will come.

Incidentally, there is a great book,

Ruth Under the Wings of God by John Piper.

It's a poetic retelling of the story of Ruth,

imagining, I think it's,

was it David's,

imagining David's grandpa, maybe,

telling the story.

But it's all in poetry.

It's a very nice read,

if you're interested in poetry and the book of Ruth.

So that's John Piper.

A dominating scene too,

as well as recognizing here's God who controls time and timing.

There's this idea of kindness,

of loving kindness.

This Hebrew word,

chesed,

which is all over chapter 2.

It's a really rich word that speaks of love and mercy and grace and goodness and kindness and loyalty and devotion,

kind of all wrapped up together into this one word.

And what we're going to see is that kindness is shown by Ruth to Naomi.

We're going to see that kindness is shown by Boaz to Ruth.

And ultimately,

we're going to see that kindness being shown by God himself,

who has provided Boaz as Redeemer,

pointing us forward to God providing the Redeemer,

Jesus.

As we get into this story,

which I think is one of the most wonderful stories in the Old Testament,

how does this connect with ourselves today?

Well,

at least in this way,

the story of Ruth chapter 2 should remind us that we stand in need of mercy,

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

just as Ruth and Naomi stand in need of mercy at the beginning of the chapter.

We are invited to shelter in God's protective care,

just as we see Naomi and Ruth doing.

And we are called to trust in our Redeemer,

Jesus.

So let's have a look at this story,

beginning with the first meeting between Ruth and Boaz.

And we'll think a little about Ruth's faith and God's providence.

Just to remind ourselves of the scene setting,

last week we saw that in God's providence there was famine,

a judgment on God's people.

So Naomi and family left,

and Naomi described her life as bitter and empty.

But now she's arriving back.

End of chapter 1, verse 22,

arriving back, as we said,

at the barley harvest,

Bethlehem, the house of bread,

now there is bread for the people of God,

because of the mercy of God.

There's also a strong emphasis

in chapter 1, verse 22,

which we didn't read,

on Ruth being from Moab,

being a Moabite.

You probably heard that repeat a couple of times

through our reading,

reminding us,

from the beginning,

God's grace has no boundaries.

Always God's plan

to include the nations within salvation.

And what we find is that

Ruth herself

is amazed at the kindness of Boaz

to her as a foreigner.

So the idea of Ruth being from Moab

is really important to our story

to highlight

God's grace.

And also,

the other huge thing

in this part of the story

is the fact that Boaz is now here.

Boaz,

who is an amazing character,

a man much

to be admired,

a man of generosity

and compassion

and grace,

a man who ultimately,

as we read the whole story of the Bible,

prepares us

for Jesus.

In chapter 2,

verse 1,

he's described as a man of standing.

And we know he's a man of standing

because he's got a field,

he has got wealth,

but that idea of being a man of standing

also refers to his moral character.

He is an upright man.

In the time of the judges,

when everyone's doing whatever they want

and they've got no king

and they're lawless,

Boaz stands differently

a man of moral character.

So that kind of sets the scene for us.

And then,

chapter 2 and verse 2

moves the story on.

Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,

let me go to the fields

and pick up a leftover grain

behind anyone

in whose eyes I find favor.

So here's some ways

in which we see

Ruth's faith at work.

First, she goes out depending on

favor and mercy.

And in God's providence,

she'll find that from godly Boaz.

When Boaz comes along

and is talking to the overseer of his field,

what we discover about Ruth

is that she is working hard.

She's been working from the beginning of the day.

She's not really taking a break.

She's working really hard.

And why is she doing that?

She's doing it to show loving kindness

to her mother-in-law, Naomi.

We see her faith in her loyalty

and her devotion to her family.

The work that she's involved in

is called gleaning.

In a field,

when it was harvest time,

there would be harvesters

who would be employed

to pick up the grain,

but there would always be some leftovers.

And that was for the poor,

for the orphan,

for the widow,

for the foreigner.

Hot work,

dangerous work,

as we see a couple of times

in the story.

Both Boaz and Naomi

warn about how vulnerable

a young woman could be

in this work of gleaning.

But of course,

it's a day where there's no

welfare system.

It's a time when Naomi

has no man in her life

to provide for her.

And so for Ruth,

her faith is active.

We saw it being active last week

as she left home

for this unknown country

to show loyalty to Naomi

and Naomi's God.

And now she's leaving home

for this unknown work opportunity.

She doesn't know

how the day's going to go,

where she's going to end up.

But above all of this

and above every movement

and every decision

and every conversation

in the book

stands the God of grace

and the God who is controlling

the events of her life

and of every life.

How is the providence of God

on display

the early part of chapter 2?

Well, first of all,

it's God's providence

that there are these

compassionate laws

within Israel

so that a foreigner

like Ruth,

a widow like Ruth,

can come to Bethlehem

with no means

of providing for herself,

but she can survive

and find food

because of these

compassionate laws

set up by God

to care for the weakest

and the least

and the outsider.

And so we see God's grace

and God's provision

in those compassionate laws

that we find

in the book of Leviticus.

And we also see

God's providence

in the way

he perfectly directs events.

Verse 2,

let me go to the fields,

pick up grain

behind anyone

in whose eyes

I find favor.

verse 3,

as it turned out,

she was working

in the field

belonging to Boaz

from the clan

of the limelight.

By chance,

as chance would have it,

she happened to find

the field

where a kinsman

redeemer would be.

It's not how

we're supposed

to read this,

is it?

When we read

the history

in the Bible,

we are intended

to see it all

as being planned

and designed

by God

and this is no different.

She doesn't know

what field

she's going to

but God does

and God directs

her steps.

Now we see

God's hand

in the book of Ruth,

we see it

in the sending

of the famine

and now in the sending

of bread

and now sending Ruth

to just the right field

so that her Naomi

can be provided for.

And so if you imagine,

here's King David

hearing the story

of his family

and God looking

after his family,

isn't he going to be

praising God?

Thinking,

I can trust God

in God's promises

because look what

he's done for my family

in the past.

Perfect directing,

perfect timing as well.

Verse 4,

it really brings out

God's control.

So Ruth has arrived

to the field of Boaz

and just then

Boaz arrived

from Bethlehem.

Coincidence?

Absolutely not.

This is God's design.

As Boaz was getting ready

in the morning,

getting his cloak on,

getting his sandals on,

getting his breakfast,

walking to his field.

God was planning

that timing perfectly

so that the two of them

would meet.

God's kindness,

God's provision

for Ruth,

for Naomi,

for the family of David,

for the world.

When we think about

Jesus coming.

And think too about

the way God provides.

What a perfect choice

this man Boaz is.

Look at his first words

as we meet him.

Boaz arrived from Bethlehem

and he greeted the harvesters.

The Lord be with you.

The Lord bless you,

they answered.

And then he asks

about Ruth,

who does that young woman

belong to?

So remember,

time of the judges.

Everybody's doing

exactly whatever

they want to do.

A time of real

spiritual decline.

But here is Boaz

as a shining light.

Living under the rule

of God,

wanting the blessing

of God for those

who work in his field.

He's got a wonderful

work environment

where his workers

respect him.

They seem to be happy.

They're glad to see him.

He notices a foreign girl

and he wants to show

attention to her

so that he might show

her kindness

as we discover.

God's looking after

Ruth and Naomi

by bringing this

wonderful man Boaz

into their lives.

So this first part

of Ruth chapter 2

Ruth 2 · chapter mention

really reminds us

that God works

in providence

to achieve his goals.

To bring Ruth

and Boaz together

to establish

this family line

that David will come from,

this family line

that Jesus will come from,

all those promises

given to David

of an eternal king,

an eternal rule

to be fulfilled in Jesus.

God's working that out

in time

to make sure it happens.

So to read a book

like the book of Ruth

is an invitation to us

to trust in our God,

in the circumstances

of our lives.

To read the book

of Ruth

is to understand

as Paul wrote

in Romans

that God works

all things together

for the good

of those who love him

and are called

according to his purpose.

Now of course

the Bible doesn't shy away

from the mystery

that there is sometimes

in what God brings

into people's lives.

It doesn't hide

from us famine.

It doesn't hide

from us

the death of a husband

and two sons.

But ultimately,

ultimately for Naomi

who felt that

she'd went away,

you know,

she'd come back empty,

God is going to be

filling

and providing

and blessing.

And there is hope

in God's faithfulness.

God will keep

promises to Israel,

to David,

again as David

and as Israel

hear the stories,

they remember

in these dark times

here is God

by his grace

establishing this family,

this royal family.

There is hope

for King David

and people beyond.

There is hope

for us

in the darkness

that God by his grace

is still at work

and God always

keeps his promises.

Well from this

first meeting

let's think about

this first conversation

between Boaz

and Ruth.

It's a wonderful

conversation

that really highlights

Boaz's kindness

and Boaz's generosity

but also highlights

for us

God's grace.

So just to go back

to the start

of the day

imagine

Naomi

waving Ruth goodbye

knowing that the fields

were dangerous

places to be.

What would her hope be?

What would her prayer be

as she sent

Ruth away?

Surely that she'd be

kept safe

that she'd be able

to find

some food

to provide.

perhaps there'd be

a good man

who would protect

and keep her safe.

And it's nice

to think about that

to think about

how God chose

kindness

above and beyond

kindness

in sending

Boaz

in reminding

Naomi

that God

is for her.

Well anyway

here's Boaz.

Boaz's first words

to Ruth

my daughter

listen to me.

So we learn

a few things

about Boaz

from that

short statement.

First we understand

that he's an older gentleman

clearly

Ruth is younger

than him.

We also understand

that here is

a man who cares

uses tender

family language

but I think

the most important

thing that we see

here

remember he's speaking

to a Moabite

from Moab

he's just been told

that

he wants to break

that barrier down.

He's not going to

treat her as an outsider

as a foreigner

rather he's going to

invite her in

because that's what

grace does.

And Ruth is surprised

by that.

Verse 10

why have I found

such favour in your eyes

that you notice me

a foreigner?

This isn't normal behaviour

this is grace behaviour

from Boaz.

Look at some of the things

that Boaz does.

He says to her

stay here with the women

who work for me.

Stick with them

because I'm going to make sure

that there's enough grain

for you.

And notice too

that he gives a warning

to his men.

I have told the men

not to lay a hand on you.

Here's early

anti-bullying policy

anti-sexual harassment policy

being employed

by Boaz.

When she finds herself thirsty

get a drink

from the water jars

the men have filled.

She's being treated

generously

being treated again

as an insider

not as an outsider.

Now this first expression

of grace

it causes

Ruth in verse 10

to bow down

with her face

to the ground.

She bows to show honour.

She recognises

that she's been shown favour.

And it's really interesting

to remember

that this is

you know part of

the story

of the royal family.

Just as many

people would come

to King David

and would bow

and seek favour

and seek mercy.

It's what we find

Ruth doing before Boaz.

She's amazed

by grace.

I wonder

as we're here today

are we amazed

by God's grace?

Are we amazed

by what he has done

for us

in our

Redeemer

Jesus?

It's easy

to become complacent

to the wonder

of the gospel

isn't it?

Back to Boaz.

As she asks the question

why have I found

favour in your eyes?

Boaz replies

in verses 11 and 12

it's because

he has heard

of Ruth's kindness

to Naomi.

He has heard

of the favour

that she has shown

of the sacrifices

that she has made

of the devotion

and the loyalty

of her heart

and in her actions.

And there's a wonderful

prayer request

that Boaz makes

for Ruth.

Verse 12

May the Lord

repay you

for what you have done

may you be

richly rewarded

by the Lord

the God of Israel

under whose wings

you have come

to take refuge.

So she prays

that the Lord

would be on her side

that the Lord

would show favour

and then there's

that wonderful picture

just this morning

thinking about

that wonderful picture

of God as our father

here Boaz

gives us the picture

of God

being like

a protective

mother bird

ready to gather

chicks under her wings

at the first

sign of trouble

Boaz knows

the Lord

offers protection

to all

who identify

with him

and with his people.

It's a wonderful

image

that we are

invited

to understand

to receive

to experience

ourselves

to find refuge

in the shadow

of God's wings.

Ruth's response

to all this

verse 13

May I continue

to find favour

in your eyes

keep showing me

favour

keep showing me

mercy

this is

remarkable

she feels

at ease

despite being

in a very

vulnerable

kind of a setting

she feels

that she's been

shown favour

despite her

low standing

she's so grateful

she's amazed

but Boaz

isn't done

here either

so we get to

verse 14

takes us to

the end of the day

so a lot's

happened already

but now we get

to meal time

and what does

he do

at meal time

he shows

this Moabite

from Moab

hospitality

again here

are barriers

being broken

down

come and sit

with everybody

else Ruth

here is a

welcome

that's being

given

there's this

wonderful

little phrase

in verse 14

when she sat

down with the

harvesters

he offered

her some

roasted grain

here is Boaz

the boss

and he's

serving

Ruth the

foreigner

that's a

great gospel

picture of

God's grace

and the way

that God

in Christ

serves us

and there's

that generous

provision

so he makes

sure that she's

got all that

she needs

and more

for her meal

and then

sends her

home with a

huge load

of grain

as well

to think

about Boaz

it is to

think about

someone of

godly

character

to think

about that

godly

character

in the

context

of the

judges

makes it

all the

more

remarkable

here is a

man who

is consistent

in seeking

to reflect

God's

character

and God's

values

in his

life

to bless

his workers

and now

to extend

blessing

to Ruth

and we'll

think in

just a few

minutes

how he

functions

within

God's

word

as a

type

of

Christ

teaching

us more

about

Jesus

our

redeemer

but to

think about

someone like

Boaz

sometimes

when it

comes to

the stories

in the

bible

people can

be a bit

worried about

what do we

do with

these stories

is it okay

to say

be like

Boaz

it is

this is a

great legacy

to pursue

to seek

to be

generous

and compassionate

and protective

and kind

like Boaz

to look

to honour

others

to look

to welcome

and show

hospitality

that's a

wonderful thing

for us to

seek to pursue

and to pray

to be more

like Boaz

of course

ultimately we

want to see

him representing

Jesus

but he also

shows us

how we

can live

for God

and also

when we

think about

Boaz

we need

to understand

that the way

the story

is being

told

is that

it becomes

clear for us

that God

is showing

grace

through

Boaz

God's

solution

to Naomi's

crisis

is Boaz

he's

the redeemer

it's interesting

that

and I guess

if we think

about our own

experience

when we find

ourselves

in trouble

and in need

so often

what does God

use to answer

our prayers

and to meet

our needs

so often

it's

other Christians

it's other

people in the

church

Naomi and

Ruth were in

crisis

God's response

godly

Boaz

and encourages

us to keep

our eyes

open for

how we

might be

answering the

prayers of

others as

we seek to

extend mercy

and kindness

and care

to the folks

around us

let's move

to the end

result

verse 17

to the end

and to think

about Naomi

for a couple

of minutes

think about

Naomi's

praise

and to

think about

God's

redeemer

so Ruth

returns home

at the end

of the day

and the focus

really returns

to Naomi

and again

the book of

Ruth is a

short book

but it's a

beautiful book

and it's a

very honest

book as well

it conveys a

lot about

the faith

journey of

Naomi

she goes

through a

lot

she experienced

hard things

from the

hand of

God

in chapter

one

hard to

see anything

other than

bitterness

hard to

see God's

mercy and

kindness

but now

now light

is shining

God's grace

is shining

she's beginning

to see

God at work

in ways

that are for

her good

and to bless

her she can

see that now

she's growing

in faith

her heart

is getting

soft

as she sees

God's grace

towards her

and we see it

in how she

responds

so Ruth

comes back

at the end

of the day

we're told

that the barley

she gathered

amounted to

about an

ephah

which is

about 13

kilograms

which the

books tell

me is a

few weeks

worth of

gleaning

ordinarily

and Naomi

is stunned

where did you

glean?

where did you

work?

blessed be the

man who took

notice of you

she knows

there's no

ordinary

effort

where were

you?

she seeks

blessing for

this unnamed

generous

landowner

notice

Naomi's

all about

where did

you glean

where did

you work

but Ruth

when she

answers

goes to

who did

I work

for

the name

of the

man I

worked

with

today

is

Boaz

Boaz

is God's

answer

to

their

crisis

and listen

to the

change

you can hear

the change

in Naomi

from chapter

one

the Lord

bless

him

he has

not

stopped

showing

his

kindness

to the

living

and the

dead

Naomi

praises

the Lord

for

Boaz

Naomi

recognises

God's

care and

kindness and

compassion and

loyalty and

devotion to

her

it is being

found through

Boaz

that man is

our close

relative

he's one of

our guardian

redeemers

or kinsman

redeemers

and this is

this is huge

in the Old Testament

the kinsman

redeemer

what kind of

things would

they do

well they

as a general

rule they

they were to

act for the

well-being

of a family

member who

found themselves

in a crisis

so it could be

that they got

themselves into

debt and they

had to sell

themselves into

slavery where

the kinsman

redeemer could

buy them

back

the kinsman

redeemer could

serve

to protect

property

the kinsman

redeemer could

act to make

sure that

justice was

done for a

family member

at times

a kinsman

redeemer could

even marry

someone and

have family to

preserve the

family line

so it's big

news that

Boaz is

kinsman

redeemer and

what Naomi

can see

is that Ruth's

day of work

has not been a

chance in

kinsman

God has

directed this

God has

shown favor

God has

shown kindness

to her

and so the

scene ends

with Naomi

giving the

wisdom to

Ruth

it's good

for you to

stick with

this man

to stick with

his workers

to stick in

his field

and so she

does for two

harvests

stays under the

protection and

the provision

of Boaz

Naomi is

beginning to

see that

God the

God of

providence is

able to work

all things for

good

Naomi brought

back empty

but now she's

being filled up

and this is

the beginning

of the story

for her

and again as

we think about

what God

does in this

women's life

you know

involved in the

history of the

nations

involved in

this family

encourages us

God knows us

God sees us

God is able to

take care of us

so we can trust

and take refuge

under his wings

we also see

what happens

when God's

love breaks

through

we see the

wonder of God

providing a

redeemer and

response from

both Ruth and

Naomi is to

turn to praise

one example for

us in light of

the gospel in

light of God

providing Jesus

to trust in his

mercy to praise

him for his

love

that's where

we'll close

today we'll

close recognizing

that we too

need our

great redeemer

Jesus

because just like

Ruth and Naomi

we are utterly

dependent on

mercy

our need

as people

runs far

deeper

than even

the terrible

situation facing

Naomi and Ruth

deeper than

poverty

deeper than

famine

our crisis

ultimately is

spiritual

that debt

of sin

that we

have

that guilt

that is ours

the just

judgment

that we

face

and God's

solution

is to send

Jesus

to be our

kinsman

redeemer

why did

Jesus become

one of us

so he could

represent his

family line

humanity

became one

of us

so that he

might pay

the price

to buy

us back

to give

us

freedom

instead of

being slaves

to sin

he bears

the guilt

he experiences

the judgment

so we can

know God's

blessing

to shelter

under his

wing

to trust

in Jesus

is to receive

something far

greater than

grain

something far

greater than

physical needs

being met

is to find

forgiveness

is to find

right standing

with God

is to be

welcomed in

is to have

a glorious

future

to look

forward

to

Boaz is

wonderful

one of the

great characters

of the Old

Testament

but Jesus

it is a

greater

redeemer

just like

Boaz

and even

more so

Jesus

shows grace

to outsiders

whenever we

read the

gospels

you never

go far

before you

find Jesus

loving

welcoming

showing

compassion

to those

on the

margins

of society

to those

from other

nations

to tax

collectors

sinners

and those

who were

despised

the New

Testament

reminds us

that we

by nature

are foreigners

to God's

promises

not by nature

in covenant

with God

but by

Jesus

we can be

brought all

the way

in

just like

Boaz

and even

more so

we find

Jesus

our redeemer

is gentle

and protective

Jesus

who said

to the

crowds

come to

me

all you

who are

weary

and burdened

I will

give you

rest

Jesus

the one

who wept

over the

city of

Jerusalem

and what

did he

say as

he wept

how I

longed

to gather

you under

my wings

but

we're

not

willing

Jesus

is waiting

to show

compassion

and protection

and gentleness

and Jesus

promises for

those who

trust in him

none can

pluck them

out of my

hand he

never

abandons

those who

he commits

to save

just like

Boaz

but even

more so

Jesus our

redeemer is

known for

his generous

provision

the water

that Jesus

gives

is the

water of

life

the bread

that Jesus

provides

is his

own body

broken for

us on the

cross

the extent

of his

generosity

is that he

gives his

life so

that we

might truly

live

and just

like Boaz

Jesus

the redeemer

is for

us

the kindness

of God

Jesus

is God's

provision

for our

crisis

the cross

is the

expression

of God's

redeeming

love

of his

mercy

and his

compassion

it is for

us the

promise

of his

loyalty

and his

faithfulness

and so

as we

close

is to

ask the

question

will we

be like

Ruth

will we

be like

Naomi

will we

fall on

our knees

amazed

by God

providing a

redeemer

will we

bless God

for giving

us

Jesus'

son

to redeem

us

will we

find refuge

and hope

in him

now let's

sing

together

our closing

hymn

which is

there is a

redeemer

and let's

stand together

as we

sing

person

these

go

to

Hughes

ид

to

North

柄