in the Bible. It's a glorious
love story. It's a glorious story of love
that almost reaches the consummation and then is potentially frustrated
by the other kinsman who's a nearer kinsman than the Boaz who has
wooed and loved and cared for and drawn Ruth into himself as
it were and one with him. It's an incredibly significant
story. You might recall that when Solomon
built the The temple in Jerusalem, that temple, had two great pillars
at the front of it. So every person that ever went
into the temple, every priest that ever brought a sacrifice
into the temple, every poor sinner who stood there at that temple
pleading for the mercy of God upon their soul and pleading
for the forgiveness of their sins, every activity, every morning
sacrifice, every evening sacrifice, everything that ever happened
in that temple, they'd walk past these pillars. And one of the
pillars was called Boaz. So for a thousand years, all
of the worshipers of God, on their way into the temple, if
they had any remembrance of the things that were caused, to remember
Boaz. Boaz, name means, in it is strength. And the other pillar was called
Jason, and that name means, he that strengthens and makes steadfast. They are the pillars of the temple.
And so this glorious story of redeeming love, is set before
us as it was for the people of God, isn't it? To come into the
presence of God, to actually be in a place of worship of Him.
This story is incredibly, incredibly significant. I want us to contemplate
some of the glorious words that describe our Redeemer. and you'll
see some wonderfully repetitious things. I want you to see the
personal pronouns, so I'll read them out to you and you can know
the Bible verses later on. Most of them are in Isaiah that
I'm recalling to your mind. In Isaiah 47, it says, as for
our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of
Israel. He says in Isaiah 41, 14, he
says, Fear not, thou worm, Jacob, ye men of Israel. I will help
thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. To redeem, of course, is to buy
back from bondage, to buy back from poverty, to buy back from
servitude, to be set free and to be released from the payment
due for sin. And it was always to be paid
by a redeemer. He says, I will ransom thee from
the power of the grave and I will redeem them from death. It's
to redeem at a price, a price fixed by the law and the holiness
of God. It's a redemption for the poor,
for the poverty stricken. It's a redemption that speaks
of the Lord Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. It's always
about blood redemption. Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer,
Isaiah 48, 17, the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy God,
which teacheth thee to profit. I am the Lord thy God, which
teacheth thee to profit. I am the Lord thy God, which
leadeth thee in the way that thou shouldest go. Do you need to be taught? Do you need to be led? Wandering,
spraying sinners, find the Redeemer glorious. Isaiah 49.7 says, Thus
says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy One, to Him
whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhoreth, to Him to
a servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise, princes
also shall worship, because the Lord that is faithful, the Holy
One of Israel, and He shall choose thee. I am the Lord thy Saviour,
thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Redemption is precious. Redemption is expensive. The
redemption of their soul, says Psalm 49.8, the redemption of
their soul is precious. Isaiah 54, 5, For thy maker is
thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall he
be called. Isaiah 54, 8, In a little wrath
I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness
will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. "'Thou,
O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. "'Thy name is from everlasting. "'Their Redeemer is strong. "'The Lord of hosts is His name. "'He shall thoroughly plead their
cause.'" Don't you like that? "'He'll thoroughly plead their
cause, "'that He may give rest to the land. rest to his people
in his land and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. I don't
want to spend too much time on chapters 1 and 2. I wanted us
to focus on the whole activity of redemption which is revealed
in glorious types and pictures. This is a real story. It's something
that really happened. But we have to keep being reminded
again and again, don't we, that every Old Testament story and
every Old Testament book is a message about the Lord Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. This is a message about the Lord
Jesus Christ and His bride. This is a message about him drawing
his bride to himself. This is a message about him betrothing
himself to his bride. This is a message about him satisfying
the demands of a nearer kinsman, the law. It's about him taking
his bride for his wife. It's about him and his bride
being fruitful unto God. to him give all the prophets
witnesses. The Lord Jesus said, Moses wrote
of me, everything in this book is a story of the Lord Jesus
Christ and him crucified, the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride. Abraham saw my day, he saw it
and he rejoiced. rejoiced over the Lord Jesus
Christ as they went into that temple and realised that God
met with people on the basis of a blood sacrifice. They came
out of that temple hearing those glorious words from Numbers chapter
6, didn't it? The Lord bless thee, the Lord
bless thee, and keep The high priest on that great
day of atonement, having been into the Holy of Holies, having
been into the very presence of God, carrying, as the Lord Jesus
Christ did, the names of his people on his heart and on his
shoulder, carrying in there with his own blood. That's what Hebrews
says, isn't it? He's obtained eternal redemption
for us by his blood. To him give all the prophets
witness. You search the scriptures for
in them you think you have life, but they are they which testify
of me. And this was a testimony, wasn't
it? This was a testimony of successful redemption. This was a testimony
of the high priest whose blood was accepted. And it all pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ entering into heaven's glory. The Lord
bless thee. You stand beside the pillar of
Baobab's. And so the Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord
make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance
upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon
thee. of his Church, his Bride, the
Lord our Righteousness. We are married to him, so we
bear his name. They shall put my name upon the
children of Israel, and I will bless them. We might have a break,
but I am praying the Lord might allow us to stand by the Pillar
of Boaz this morning and look into the Temple and rejoice in
the glorious work of the Kinsman Redeemer,