Empty No More God Of Salvation - Ruth 4:1-12

We get there because we lie that the institution of marriage is not going to change, and that is a lie.

The institution of marriage is going to change, and it should change.

And again, I don't think it exists.

So as Christians, as much as we want to be countercultural,

marriage is something that is very countercultural today,

that we can make a stand at what it means to be Christians and to be married if we are married.

That's not to say that we can't be single and be Christians.

But if we are married, that is an opportunity to reflect something different back into the culture.

And I just say that by passing, because we are talking about marriage here this morning.

But let's look at the text.

And so we're going to see here the cost.

We're also going to see it happens at a gate, and it also happens in a seat,

and it also has to do with a shoe.

You say, what do all those things mean?

Well, in verse 1 it says,

So the gate in Bethlehem, as in the gates in Israel at the time,

where basically you would have had the town behind the gate,

so everybody's protected behind the wall.

And all the streets are going to be really narrow,

to the point where actually sunlight might not even get behind the streets.

So the only open space is at the space in behind, directly in behind the gate.

And that's where obviously you would have had all your commerce, your shopkeepers.

It was also basically a metaphorical town hall.

It's where the elders of the town sat.

It's where they discussed matters of importance.

And it's also where they decided legal matters.

Matters like marriage.

Matters like the selling of property.

And so that is why Boaz heads for the gate.

And it just so happens that when he gets there,

the person who he's looking for just also happens just to come by,

just at the right moment.

Because that's, God is involved and Boaz doesn't have long to wait.

And here he is, the man is coming.

If you want to do a little survey of what gates mean in the Old Testament,

you can have a look at Proverbs 8.3 or 22.22 or 1 Kings 22.10.

And it talks about, you know, kings sitting, making decisions at the gate.

Or, you know, your husband being well known and well respected at the gate of your people.

So it's the place where the elders have sat.

And he says, he finds this guy.

It says, come over here, my friend, and sit down.

And that maybe disguises a little bit what the text actually is trying to say.

And so I'm going to ask you a question.

Please don't raise your hand.

But you can maybe nod to me if you know the answer.

Does anybody know who Randolph Peter Best is?

Okay.

Well, you know, that's good.

Because if you do know, it spoils the conclusion.

But if I was to mention John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr,

and I was to say to you, does anybody know who Randolph Peter Best is?

You might make a guess that it was the drummer before Ringo Starr,

before the Beatles became famous.

He's the nobody.

He's that guy over there that missed out on being world famous.

And that's a little bit here what the text is maybe hiding here in the NIV.

It's more like saying, hey, you there, Mr. So-and-so.

Him over there, that guy, the guy with no name.

Come over here and sit down.

The text doesn't actually give this man, this other guardian redeemer, a name.

In fact, as we see in the text, he's actually more concerned about his own name,

and yet the Bible forgets his name.

Maybe it's a lesson there to us that, you know,

if we're concerned with our own life and our own inheritance, we might lose it.

Isn't that what Jesus said?

He who loves his own life in this world will lose it.

But if you give up your life in this world, you will have one through him.

So in contrast to that, I want to ask you, does anybody know who Oscar Schindler is?

And hopefully there's some educated people at least who have seen a film,

and they know that, you know, Oscar Schindler,

he's credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust.

He's someone that did a great deed.

He's someone that did a good thing,

and as a result, history, rightly and correctly,

remembers him as being someone that at great personal cost

rescued people from their death.

And then Sir Boaz has his redeemer.

He has the other person.

He has the other person who you flagged up to Ruth

that was a problem in the whole idea of marriage and redeeming the land.

And so Boaz then, in verse 2,

Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said,

sit here, and they did so.

So to me, Boaz must have been someone who was well-respected

to early in the morning go and lynch ten elders and say,

you know, come on, you need to sit down.

I've got something to sort out.

And they were to say, oh, yes, Boaz.

And they came and they sat down.

And this other individual, whoever he is,

he came and he sat down.

So they went to the gates,

the place of where authority,

and they came and they sat down

where power would be brokered

and they would be able to create a legal transaction.

So Boaz shows that he's respected

and that everybody agrees just to come and sit down.

And he came and they had to have it.

It numbers ten.

There's no information that says that ten is a legally required number around this time.

But history, as it goes on,

so if you are going to have a synagogue

and you want to constitute a Jewish prayer meeting,

you need today what they call a mignon.

You need ten men.

So there is a historical context of this,

this number ten,

that it's an important number to be able to clarify

or make the transaction legal.

So here we are.

And he's going to then bring about,

why are we here, Boaz?

They're all sitting down.

They're all eager.

They want to find out what on earth this is all about.

So then in verse 3 he says,

then he said to the guardian redeemer,

Naomi, who has come back from Moab,

is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.

And so the text there is an idea,

has sold or is selling.

There is the prospect that the land is actually owned by someone else

and it needs to be purchased back again.

That's the idea of the text.

Undoubtedly the land is probably in use.

Nobody is going to leave a nice piece of land

in an agricultural economy.

They're not just going to leave it lying there.

They're going to take it and use it.

And so it's interesting.

It's at the end of the harvest

when all of the crops would come in

that this legal transaction is coming to take place.

And so he goes on and he says,

because I thought I should bring the matter to your attention

and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here

and in the presence of the elders of my people

and if you redeem it, do so.

But if you will not, tell me so that I will know,

for no one has the right to do it except you

and I'm nixed in line.

So he goes on and he says,

look, here's the fact.

You are the legal person.

You're the person that needs to reject

before I can purchase it.

And so he gives him the offer and says,

do you want to accept it?

And of course, he says,

quite heartily, very quickly, he says,

I will redeem it, he said.

He's a man of few words,

is Mr. So-and-so.

But he has good financial sense.

It's the prospect of being a hero

and also expanding his portfolio.

He's going to gain land.

He's going to gain land from a widow

who has no prospect of offspring.

He's going to gain land from a widow.

And so that's going to be,

if you like,

it's going to expand his own estate.

It's going to expand his own piece of real estate.

And it means that he's going to pass that on

to his own children.

And so he sees it as a great financial opportunity

and it makes good sense.

And to be honest,

I think if we put ourselves in that situation,

that's exactly what our response would be.

I don't think he's doing anything wrong

by wanting to do this.

Naomi's going to have money.

He's going to seem like a good guy.

He's going to keep the land in the tribe.

But sadly, Naomi and Elimelech's name

is going to be, if you like,

blotted out from the history of Israel.

He's going to lose his inheritance.

But Boaz isn't prepared for that.

So Boaz rightly then

tells him about the other side of the bargain

and he decides to throw a spanner in the works.

In verse 5 it says,

Then Boaz said,

On the day that you buy the land from Naomi,

you also acquire Ruth the Moabite,

the dead man's widow,

in order to maintain the name

of the dead with his property.

I'll highlight to you,

it doesn't really affect the text,

but I highlight it to you just for the purposes.

It's not completely clear in the original text

whether Boaz is saying,

You go ahead and redeem the land.

I'm going to marry

Ruth the Moabite.

And the reality of that is,

if Boaz marries Ruth the Moabite

and produces an heir,

then the land that he's just bought

is going to have to revert back

to the heir.

Or whether or not he's saying

that you're going to have to marry

Ruth the NIV,

in a lot of translations that's what they take.

I just highlight that to you in passing,

just in case you come across it

in your studies.

But it doesn't affect the outcome

or the overall meaning of the text.

So the whole purpose here then

that is being raised then by Boaz

is saying that,

okay, buy the land today,

but you're going to have this other issue

to sort out in the future

with Ruth the Moabite

and her potential offspring.

And so what then is the Redeemer going to do?

So at this the Guardian Redeemer said,

then I cannot redeem it

because I might endanger my own estate.

You redeem it yourself.

I cannot do it.

And so he backs out of the whole deal.

He says, the cost is too great.

I can't do this.

You know,

I have my own inheritance to think about.

I have my own family line to think about.

If I do this,

this might mess that whole thing up.

And so he says, I'm out.

Deal or no deal?

He says, no deal.

So he was a Guardian Redeemer.

He only wanted to go so far.

He only wanted what was in it for himself.

He only liked the deal

while he was benefiting from it.

I think there's a lesson here to us also

in terms of there's lots of things out there

that say to us

that they are the answer to our solutions.

There's lots of self-help books.

There's lots of religious ways.

There's lots of people that say

that if you do this,

if you exercise more,

meditate more,

you know,

be positive in your thinking

or worship this God

or have that philosophy,

that you will have a better life.

But really and truly,

they're a little bit like this

Mr. So-and-so,

this Guardian Redeemer

who,

it's really

only surface.

It's really only beneficial

to the people

selling the philosophy.

So,

just as Orpah,

if you remember in chapter 1,

highlights the great,

shows that Ruth

is making such a great sacrifice

to go with Naomi

and to choose

Israel's God

over the God of the Moabites.

If you like,

Orpah is the foil

that highlights

Ruth's great transaction.

So here,

we have

Mr. No-name.

And what is he highlighting for us?

He's highlighting

what great cost

Boaz is making

to his own personal account.

But before we get to that,

we have this little strange

transaction

to deal with.

In verse 7,

it says,

Now in earlier times in Israel,

for the redemption

and the transfer of property

to become final,

one party took off his sandal

and gave it to the other.

This was the method

of legalizing transaction

in Israel.

So,

please don't,

you know,

if you're selling anything,

take off your shoe

and hand it to someone.

Today,

that doesn't mean anything

and it won't do anything.

There is the idea

that, you know,

it's where you place

your foot is yours.

The idea of walking into the land

and owning the land.

Some people think

the idea is coming back

from that.

And so,

by giving the sandal,

you're saying,

you know,

what was mine

or what is mine by right,

I'm now passing on to you.

I'm not sure I like this idea

of holding somebody's dusty sandal

and, you know,

having to take it.

But anyway,

that's what they were doing.

And so,

that's the meaning here.

I suppose today

it's like a handshake

or, you know,

a spit and a handshake

or I don't know whether you,

you know,

children do pinky promises,

you know,

they have witnesses here.

Please witness this transaction,

you know.

Today,

we go into the solicitor's office

and, you know,

we buy a house.

We sign our name,

sign here,

sign here,

please sign here,

please sign here

and you end up,

you know,

you've signed,

you know,

I don't know how many signatures

if you've ever bought a house.

You will understand that.

You have to sign for the mortgage.

You have to sign,

sign,

sign,

sign.

There we go.

So,

this is the signing,

this is the legalizing here,

that's why he needed the ten elders

and so they're all here.

So,

the guardian redeemer said to Boaz,

buy it yourself

and he removed his sandal.

Off you go.

And so,

we have the shoe,

the transfer of rights,

the purchase of property.

So,

he is free to marry Ruth,

he's free to purchase Naomi's property

and the deal is confirmed.

And so,

there was

the great cost

to Boaz.

So,

everything that the other redeemer

was rejecting,

Boaz is saying,

I'll pay.

I don't mind if it infects my inheritance,

I don't mind.

See,

Boaz is thinking with his heart,

he's thinking with

the law behind him,

he's saying that this is the right thing to do.

If you're ever stuck

and you wonder what thing you should do,

be like Boaz.

I think I can,

the wee stick man that runs around Facebook,

you know,

be like whatever it is.

You should really think about this

and be like Boaz.

Boaz decides things

based on whether they're the right thing to do.

And if you do things based on

whether it's the right thing to do,

I would say more often than not,

you will be doing the right thing

and that's a good way to make your decisions.

And that's what Boaz is doing.

He's saying it's in the law.

It's the right thing to do

regardless of my own

inheritance,

regardless of whether it means

I gain from it,

it's the right thing to do.

And so,

we have the heart

of the redeemer.

We have had the cost.

He's going to buy the field.

He's going to take on

two extra mouths to fill.

He's going to want to take Ruth

as his wife,

but why does he do it?

And so we have,

these three things,

we have selfless action,

we have covenantal action,

and we have loving action.

You see,

what Boaz is doing

is not without emotion,

but it's covenantal.

It's what the law said.

And it's his love for God's law.

It's his love for God.

And it's his love for Ruth.

It's his love for Naomi.

But it's also his love

for the wider family,

for the deceased,

for Elimelech,

for Malon,

for Killon,

Killion.

And we find that in the text.

And this is the last we hear

from Boaz.

So in the rest of the verses,

Boaz doesn't speak.

These are, if you like,

Boaz's final words to us

in the book of Ruth.

Verse 9, it says,

Then Boaz announced

to the elders and all the people,

Today you are witnesses

that I have bought from Naomi

all the property

of Elimelech,

Killon,

and Malon.

And I have also acquired

Ruth the Moabite,

Malon's widow,

as my wife,

in order to maintain

the name of the dead

with his property,

so that his name

will not disappear

from among his family

or from his hometown.

Today you are my witnesses.

So he tells us,

he says,

I have a love,

I have covenantal love.

He is concerned

about other people's names.

He is concerned

about other people's inheritance.

He wants to keep

the property for others

and not himself.

It is a selfless act

of redemption.

Boaz doesn't gain anything

out of this

except financial burden.

And even into the bargain

he has to marry

a foreigner.

Ruth,

the Moabite.

But does it remind us

of someone else?

John 3.16,

For God so loved

the world that he gave.

God so loved

the sinful,

dirty,

stinking world

that didn't love him.

A world that was,

if you like,

his enemies,

that needed help,

that needed rescuing,

that needed redemption,

that he sent

his son.

Christ came

in a selfless

act of redemption.

John 12.25-26,

Is anyone who loves

their life

will lose it,

while anyone

who hates their life

in this world

will keep it

for eternal life?

Whoever serves me

must follow me,

and where I am

my servant will also be,

and my Father

will honor

the one

who serves me.

Is there a heart

in how Boaz

is serving

this family

that says

it's something

that we should do

as Christ laid down

his life

you know,

we should lay down

our lives.

Let's lose our life

for Christ

just as Boaz

decided to,

it cost him

to be a redeemer.

You see,

redemption

costs,

it costs an awful lot.

On the scale of things,

Boaz's redemption

wasn't as costly

as Christ's,

but still,

it cost him a lot.

Greater love

has no one than this

than to lay

down one's life

for one's friends.

And Boaz,

and that is

laying down his life.

He is,

he's risking

his own inheritance.

So what happens then?

What,

what,

it all happens.

It goes through.

Everybody's a witness.

And,

what's the response?

What's the response

to Boaz's redemption?

What do the people say?

What do the elders

at the gate,

what is the people

in the,

you know,

what do they think

of this marriage

between Boaz,

this prominent,

high-standing man

in Israel,

in Bethlehem?

What do they,

what do they,

they think about him

taking on

a Moabite widow

and redeeming Naomi?

Well,

it says,

in verse 11,

it says,

then the elders

and all the people

at the gate said,

we are witnesses.

May the Lord

make the woman

who is coming

into your home

like Rachel and Leah.

Now,

we read that

and we think,

that doesn't mean anything.

But really,

this is the first time

that Ruth

isn't called

a Moabite.

This is

Ruth the Moabite

being

associated with

Rachel and Leah,

if you like,

the mothers

of Israel.

These are the,

from these women

come

the sons

of Israel.

It's from them

that comes the nation.

And in that,

they're embracing Ruth

and saying,

she's one of us.

And not only that,

they're saying,

we hope that she is

as influential

and as well renowned

as Rachel and Leah.

That people will know

the name of Ruth

the Moabite.

See,

there's something special

taking place here

and they're saying that

God is involved.

We want God to bless

this union.

We want God

to bless

Ruth.

This Moabite

who together

built up the family

of Israel.

May you have

standing in a

Pephra

and be famous

in Bethlehem.

May your name

be great.

Mr.

No name

has gone,

but will history

remember

the act of Boaz?

Will history

remember

Ruth

and this act

of redemption?

And so they

are hoping

that there will

be blessing

that God

would make

their name

great

and that they

would be

significant

future blessings

not just for

Bethlehem

but for all

of Israel.

And then we

have this

other figure,

this other

character.

In verse 12,

through the offspring

the Lord gives you

by this young woman

so they're

anticipating baby.

May your family

be like that

of Perez

and Tamar

who bore

to Judah.

And the question

you're answering

is who are

those people?

And that's

very interesting

also.

If you go back

into Genesis

and you find

the story

of Tamar

and Perez

and Judah

so I'll tell

it to you

in brief.

Tamar

was

another

Gentile lady.

She was another

person outside

of Israel

and she married

one of Judah's

sons

and he died.

Then

she married

in the

Leverite marriage

idea

his brother

married her

also.

But he didn't

want to continue

on with the

idea that his

son would then

be considered

his brother's

son so he

made sure

that they

didn't have

children and

so he died.

Judah blamed

Tamar for

both her son's

death and so

he sent her

away.

He had a

third son

and he

didn't give

in to her

in marriage.

And as a

result Tamar

then dresses

up as a

prostitute and

tricks Judah

into sleeping

with her.

And from the

result of that

Perez is born.

So that might

be a lot of

information to

take in

quickly and we

don't want to

preach the

Genesis and

Tamar story but

that is the

background to

what they're

saying here.

you see

Tamar

everything about

that situation

was wrong.

So it just

was completely

wrong but God

blessed it.

And out of that

that Gentile lady

she actually is

one of the

descendants of

Boaz.

Next week we'll

find out how

significant all

of these people

are in terms of

their descendants

and even into

the line of

Christ.

But they're

saying may you

be blessed,

may you be

remembered like

Tamar and

Perez.

So they're

expecting

significance from

their offspring.

And also

they're saying

that we're

accepting her

just as we

accepted the

Gentile Tamar

and her

offspring as

our own so

we will accept

the offspring

of Ruth the

Moabite.

and this is

huge.

This is way

beyond the

expectations if we

remember in

chapter 1.

Naomi was

like go home.

Don't come

to me to

Bethlehem.

Go home.

Go back.

And Ruth's

like no no I'm

coming with you.

I want to

follow your

God.

I want to

stay with you.

And so I'm

going with you

to Bethlehem.

But no one

could have

foreseen or

expected that

here in

chapter 4

everyone in

Bethlehem is

embracing Ruth

as someone who

could be a

blessing to

the nation

of Israel.

And so we

have the

cost.

And so the

people they

are their

witnesses.

They pronounce

blessing and

they want to

be significant

in the family

in Bethlehem.

They're going

to be significant

people.

But this

story doesn't

it really

does just

scream the

gospel.

When we

think about it

and we take a

step back

doesn't it

remind us

of Christ?

John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1 John

sorry

chapter 2

verse 2

says he is

the atoning

sacrifice for

our sins

and not only

for ours

but for the

sins of

the whole

world.

See Jesus

sat in a

seat of

power.

See after

he died

on the

cross and

paid for

the salvation

of sinners

he rose from

the dead.

And it

says in

Hebrews 10

he says

but when

the priest

had offered

for all

time one

sacrifice for

sins he

sat down

at the

right hand

of God.

You see

Jesus is

sitting he

has made

it a

legal

possibility

for us

to be

free of

guilt.

A legal

possibility

for us

to be

cleansed.

A legal

possibility

for us

to be

set free

from sin.

For us

to be

forgiven.

Jesus

sat down

because it

was finished.

The work

that Jesus

did on

the cross

is permanent.

It had

witnesses.

It was

public.

And it

was because

for God

so loved

the world.

It was

based in

the love

of sinners.

I don't

know if

that makes

you happy

this morning.

It makes

me extremely

happy.

That Christ

has

sacrificed

everything

for us.

It says

in 2 Corinthians

for you

know the

grace of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ

that though

he was

rich yet

for your

sake he

became

poor

that so

through his

poverty we

might become

rich.

See the

cross just

doesn't

forgive our

sins it

actually brings

us into

the family

of God.

It brings

us into

his presence.

See there's

room for us

in the

family of

God.

There's

room for us

in God's

presence.

Through

Jesus Christ

there's room.

Through

Boaz

there was

room for

with the

Moabite

there was

room for

her in

Bethlehem.

So we

have Jesus

he's a

better

redeemer.

Boaz is

good but

Jesus is

better.

In fact the

book of

Hebrews is

really all

about that.

That verse

where Jesus

sat down.

Jesus is

better than

the angels.

Jesus is

better.

He's a

better high

priest.

He's

better.

He's

better because

he is

the last

sacrifice.

He's

better because

he was

able to

pay for

our sins.

And so

Jesus paid

the greatest

cost.

So does

forgiveness,

does the

forgiveness of

our sins

cost us?

And the

answer to

that, yes

it does.

It cost

Jesus his

very life.

Yet it is

freely offered

to us if

we come to

him in

faith.

Let us

pray.

God

will

in

peace.

Peace.