Truth and Seal. Thank you, Sheriff. All right,
go back now to the Book of Ruth. I know I say this often, but
this just may be my favorite story. It truly may be. At least it is tonight. This
is a beautiful story, a story of redemption. We just sang the last verse,
Show me the truth concealed within thy Word. This is a story of
how our sovereign God and our Father, through His amazing providence
and His purpose, worked all things out for our salvation. to bring
us to Christ, our kinsman Redeemer. How He takes poor, heathen women. Yes, Nancy, we're all heathen
until the Lord reveals Himself to us. He takes poor, heathen
women like this Ruth and woos them and calls them and brings
them to Him and makes them His wife. It's a love story with
no equal. And we have spent up to seven
or eight messages going through this book before, but tonight
I'm going to try to cover the whole story. But if you want
some good reading, start reading this book. It's wonderful. A
love story with no equal, because it's God's love story. Now, in
case something happens, in case a bomb falls or an earthquake
or something, let me say this right off the bat. Ruth is not
the principal character in this story. I think she would shudder
if she saw her name at the top of this page. That was added
by the translators. Ruth is not the principal character
in this story, but a man named Boaz is, because he represents
the Lord Jesus Christ. Boaz, in this story, He's called
the kinsman redeemer. He's Ruth's savior. He's the
one that redeems her, that buys her. Well, this represents Christ. OK. Boaz is the one, and he represents
Christ. He's her savior. He's her kinsman
redeemer. He's the one that loves her,
calls her, began to provide for her, woo her, and eventually
married her. Salvation's of the Lord. He's
the principal character in the story of redemption. All right. And the title of this book is
Handfuls of Purpose. Handfuls of Purpose. A typeless
book, I say. Well, it is. For God works all things together
for the good of his people according to his purpose. But the title
of this message, Handfuls of Purpose, Alright, let's look
first at God's amazing providence in all things. How the Lord moves
in mysterious ways His purpose to perform. Every one of us could
tell an amazing story how we came to hear the gospel. Every
one of us. I think you ladies one time met
together at our home and you did that, didn't you? You kind
of went around the circle and each of you told how the Lord
revealed the truth to you. I'd like to have heard that.
Well, here's the story. Verse 1, chapter 1. It's hard to find. It's not everywhere
to be found. It's only in those places God
has chosen. There was a famine in the land. There was a man
of Bethlehem, Judah, who went to sojourn in the country of
Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. A man, Jewish man,
his wife named Naomi, had two sons. They were from Bethlehem.
They left and they went to Moab. All right? died. Verse 3, Elimelech, Naomi's husband,
died, and it was just her and her two sons. Well, verse 4,
these two sons took wives, each of them. They took them wives
of the women of Moab. They were unbelievers. They were
idolatrous women. The Moabites didn't know the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They didn't know about true worship.
Tabernacle art, so forth. They were idolaters. They were
heathen. That's what we when we say heathen,
we mean people that don't worship the living and true God, that
don't know the true God, the true gospel, the truth. Well,
they didn't. And these men married these two. One was named Orpah, and the
other was named Ruth. Well, ten years passed, and then
both of these sons died. Verse five, Malon and Chelion
died, both of them. So all that was left was Naomi
and these two women. These three widows is what it
was. Three widows. One believer and two Moabite
women. Two heathen women. Now, back
then, women just didn't go to work and things like that. Didn't have careers to pursue.
They were totally dependent. upon their husbands, and they
did not really inherit the things that their husbands left, not
at all. Most of the time when a husband died, the widow was
left totally destitute, without anything, penniless, poverty
stricken, and that was Naomi. She was left, and Ruth also,
and Orpah, all of them, poor, helpless, penniless. Naomi heard,
in verse six, Naomi heard from someone, the last line, how that
the Lord had visited his people and given them bread. She heard
that back in Bethlehem, Judah, that the Lord was pouring out
bread, that the Lord was giving food to his people. His people
were getting fed. back there. So she told her daughters-in-law. Naomi told Ruth and Orpah. Both of them heard this. They
both heard that there was bread to be had, but it's only in Bethlehem,
Judah. And Naomi said, I'm going back
there. I've got to go where the bread
is. I'm going home. I'm going back
where the bread is. And there's nothing here. There's
only poverty. Death will die if we stay here. I will. I'm
going where there's bread, where there's bread to be had. All
right. Now, this whole story here, this
brief story, is a picture of all of us, and especially the
believer, though. At one time, every one of us
were without God, no knowledge of the true God, without Christ. members, part of this world,
which is in a famine, a spiritual famine, dead and dying. And if you're without Christ,
without faith in Christ, you're hopeless, helpless, penniless.
You're destitute of what you need. Poor sinners, helpless,
dead and dying. But God, God, Scripture says,
is rich in mercy, for his great love were with he loved his people. God, in his amazing providence,
works all things together for the good of his people, works
out every circumstance in their life, down to the very smallest,
minutest detail. He works out every circumstance,
mysterious though they be, yet God is moving and working mysteriously. in every part of their life,
the life of his people, to bring them to an appointed end, to
bring them to the place where they will hear the gospel, meet
the Lord Jesus Christ, and their souls will be saved, and someday
bring them home with the Lord, marry them. And some in here,
right here tonight, several, have literally gone through marriages,
previous marriages, like Ruth. and living elsewhere. And yet
God in his providence, you ended up here. And all of that failed. All the previous life and things
failed. And now here you are. God caused you to come to hear
the gospel from someone. The good news. What's the good
news? About Christ, the bread of life. Christ, the bread of
life. How the Lord has visited his
people. That's what Naomi heard, how the Lord had visited his
people. And the scripture says God was
manifest in the flesh. God came down. Call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people. Bread. Christ said, I'm the bread. God
was manifest. God became a man. Man. He became the man, the bread. from heaven for his people, that
they might not die, but live. All right, and we hear the good
news, the gospel of Christ, of his mercy, God's grace, mercy,
pardon, and his promises to us through Christ. All right, now,
Naomi tried to discourage both of these women from following
her back to Bethlehem. She tried to discourage them.
You read it with me. Look at verse eight. Naomi sat
under both of her daughters-in-law. Now, she was testing them, trying
them. God was. She said, Go, return. Go back, each of you, to your
mother's house. Go back home to your mother's
house. Go live with your parents. May
the Lord have mercy upon you. Return. Well, one of the girls,
one of the daughters-in-law, Orpah, decided to stay. She did. She decided to stay. She wasn't going to go with Naomi. But, now, look at verses 14 and
15. Ruth, it says, claimed unto her,
laid hold on. Can you see this? Naomi is leaving
town. And the two ladies are following
her, and she turns and says, you all go back home. You stay
here. I don't have anything for you.
And it's a long journey and difficult, and I don't know what we're going
to find when we get there, but I've got to go. I've got to venture
upon God's mercy and go where I hear bread is. And you all
stay here. You stay here. And Orpus, they
were sad, and Orpus said, well, I will. But Ruth literally laid
hold on her and said, I don't want to go. And look at her beautiful,
Ruth's beautiful plea. Look at verse 15. Ruth said, or Naomi said, Behold,
thy sister is gone, and her people and her gods. You want to go to it? Back to
your old gods? Now, you know that Ruth had been
hearing about Naomi's God, the true God. You know that. And I believe she believed Naomi's
God. I really do. Verse 16, And Ruth
said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following
after thee. For whither thou goest, I will
go. And where you lodge, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people. Thy God, my God. Where you die, I'll die. There will I be buried. The Lord
do so to me, and more also if anything but death part thee
and me." And the question is asked to every root, to every
root, every one of God's roots. The question is asked, will you
also go away? Didn't our Lord ask that of all
of His disciples one time? When all of the people were following
Him for a time and then became offended or whatever, and then
many of them, most of them left, and He turned to His disciples
and said, Will you also go away? You're free to go. Go on. And
Peter basically said what Ruth said, didn't he? Where are we
going to go? Well, you have the Word of Life.
No, we're going to stay with you. If you'll let us. Will you go back to the world?
Will you go back to your former life? Your former friends? Will you go back to your other
religion? Huh? Former religion? And Ruth's answer
is the answer of every true Ruth. Ruth's answer is the answer of
every believer. And if you believe, listen people,
If you believe this in your heart, if you can say this with your,
from the heart, what Ruth said, I think you're a believer. Well, you don't have to go on
what I think. Ruth was a believer and she said this and she ended
up married to Boaz. If you can say, Lord, don't send
me away, I don't want to go. I don't want to go back to that.
I want to go with Christ. I want to go with you. I want
to abide with you. I want your people to be my people.
That's why I want them to be my family. Your God, the true
God, the God I'm here and is my God. There is no other. That
was a false God. Your God is my God. This is the
God. There is no other. And let me
die the death of the righteous. Let me die with all those that
died in faith. Let me be a follower of the Lamb
till the day I die. Don't make me leave. I don't
want to leave. Can you say that? All right,
let me ask you a question. Who made the difference in Orpah
and Ruth? Who made the difference? These
two ladies heard, you know they both heard the same thing from
Naomi. They both heard about Naomi's
God. They both heard about the good news of bread. One decided
not to go. One decided to go. Who made the difference? What
made the difference? Was Ruth better than Orpah? Ruth
exercised her free will and Orpah exercised her. Orpah rejected. Ruth accepted. Is that it? Oh, no. Scripture says, Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. Ruth, like every single
redeemed person in this book, found grace in the eyes of the
Lord. God Almighty made her to differ. That's what the Scripture says.
Who makes thee differ? God makes thee differ. Thy people,
His chosen, Ruth was one of the chosen. Ruth was one of the elect. She was elect, according to the
foreknowledge of God Almighty, from the foundation of the world.
And thereby, by the power of God, the sovereign, predestinating,
electing, mercy, grace, and power of God Almighty, Ruth said, I'm
not leaving. I'm going with you. I mean, I'm
not stuck. I'm going to go with you. So
they went. And in verse 19, they left. Two
of them went, they came to Bethlehem. They came to Bethlehem. Bethlehem. She's going to meet somebody
in Bethlehem. The most marvelous man she's ever met in her life. A wonderful man in Bethlehem. So they came to Bethlehem. Now
the rest of this story really doesn't need much comment. But I only want to just point
out some high points to you, OK? We have to breeze through
here. So what we're going to do mostly
is just read, and it doesn't need much comment. Now, right
down in chapter 2, verse 1, Naomi had a kinsman, a relative of
her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. She had a kinsman, a mighty man,
a man and a mighty man of wealth, great wealth, great possession.
He owned much. We'll see that in a moment. His
name was Boaz. Kinsman, a relative. And all
of God's chosen ones have a kinsman, a relative, because God became
a man. The son of man, he called himself.
That makes him our kin's man. God became a man, our near kin's
man, but not just a man, a mighty man. He's one mighty to save. In fact, the only one that can.
A mighty man, mighty in holiness, righteousness, perfection, mighty
to save, and a man of wealth. Yeah, he just doesn't own much. He owns it all. The earth is
the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
kinsman, the mere kinsman of all of his people. And he came
down here to redeem his people. His name was and is Jesus Christ,
the kinsman redeemer of Moabite maidens. All right, verse 2. Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto
Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of corn after
him, or in whosoever field, wherever I find grace." She said, Let
me go try to find something to eat. And Naomi said, Go, my daughter.
One morning after they got there, Ruth woke up and said, I need
to go find us some food. I need to go find some food.
So let me go. Naomi said, Go, my daughter. and by the purpose and grace
of God. Look at verse 3. She went and
came and gleamed in the field after the reapers. Now there
were a bunch of fields. A bunch of fields. There were
fields everywhere throughout the land of Judah. Right? Throughout Bethlehem. You can
imagine. Farmland. Fields everywhere that belonged
to various different landowners, husbandmen. And she went out
and saw a bunch of reapers reaping, and she, weeny, meeny, miny,
moe. And it says in verse 3, and her
hap, it just so happened that she lit on, or that's where we
get that old country saying it, he lit on that. Her hap was to
light on, or that is, land on, or be in, The part of the field
belonging unto none other than the only one that could get her
out of the mess she was in was Boaz. It just happens. It just
happens of all those fields to pick the one that belonged to
Boaz to reap from. The only place where Boaz was,
the only place where Moabite maidens would be married, the So Ruth, you know, see, the Scripture
says, the lot is cast in the lap. I think I'll go glean today. Well, look here, here's a place.
Here's a bunch of people going here. Here's a bunch of people
going there. Where shall I go? Well, I don't know. Let me see.
And her hap and your hap was to light
on the field or the place. where Christ is, where the gospel
is, where God's people are. They're not everywhere. His field,
God's church, Christ's church. Where's everyone going? We're
going to church. Well, I'll go too. Come into His field. By the purpose
and grace of God Almighty, we find grace in His sight, and
He brings us to where the gospel, the one true gospel of God's
sovereign grace is where we'll meet All right, now here comes Boaz.
Here he comes. Can't you see him? He's a mighty
man, Scripture says. A man of wealth, renowned throughout
the land. I just picture him riding up
on a big white horse, don't you? Can't you see him riding up strong
in his bearing and overlooking his land? His people and so forth. Look at it. Verse 4. He comes
up. Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, he
greets his reapers, all those who are in his field, those his
servants, his reapers, those gleaning in his field. He greets
them and says, The Lord be with you. Their Lord is. And they answered him. Well,
the Lord bless thee. He blessed them and they blessed
him. That's where Boaz is, where his
reapers are. He's a kind and a gracious and
a blessed man. Now, Boaz, first takes notice
of Ruth. She doesn't see him yet. He sees
her. He spots her. He takes notice of her. Long
before she ever saw him, he looked on her. See, she's just there
to get a look for him. She's just there to get something
to eat. She just decided to go bleeding. Boaz looked on her. Look at it, verse 5. It says,
Then Boaz said unto his servants that was set over the reapers,
one of his rulers that was under him. You see, he saw her. He saw Ruth among the reapers.
You know, there were a bunch of them. But he looked on Ruth
and said, Who's damsel is this? Who's damsel is this? Who does
she belong to? Who's damsel? Well, verse 6,
the servant said, well, she's a Moabitess damsel. She's one
of those heathen women. She's just like all the rest
of those heathen women. She's just an old common, godless,
sinful, common heathen woman. That's all she is, just a beggar
out there in the field. Plenty of those. Boaz took an interest. Boaz took an interest. Yeah,
Boaz approached her. She didn't come to him first.
He came to her. Look at it. Boaz approached her in verse
seven. Now, this is her servant or his
servant speaking to Boaz. She said to the servant, I pray
you, This is what Ruth said to the servant. She came into the
field and this man in charge of the fields. She met him and
she said, I pray you, or I ask you, would you let me glean and
gather after the reapers among the sheaves? Now he's relating
this story to Boaz. And so she came, Mr. Boaz. She came and she's been
here from the beginning. She's been here morning until
now. She keeps coming back. Now, she didn't know whose field
she was in. She didn't know whose field she
was in, but the one who owned it knew who was in his field.
She didn't know whose field she was in, but she knew this much.
Now, she knew this much, that she was a poor woman, hungry. She needed some bread. She had
no rights. No claim to any of these things.
And she came to this field. She knew she was in somebody's
field. And she needed permission to be there. But she didn't have
a right to be there. Didn't feel worthy to be there.
And she met this man. He was just a man, a servant.
And she said to him, You reckon your owner would let me glean
here? You reckon your owner would let
me... Let me find a roof out there. You reckon your owner
would let me stay here a little while? You know the servant said,
would he? Would he? And all the reapers,
the other reapers would say, honey, you can just stay here
as long as you like. We're just like you. We found grace in his eyes. And
the servant, faithful servant said, child, you just stay right
here. Yes, my master is kind, he's
gracious, and anybody that comes here can glean, and glean all
they need. All they want. You just glean.
You just glean. So she asked permission. She
was doing, she was meek and lowly and humble as you should be.
Okay, if I glean here? Yeah, it sure is. Well, here
comes Boaz. All right? Here he comes. Right
now. And he comes to speak to her. Then said Boaz, verse 8, Then said Boaz unto Ruth, and
I don't know, I believe he probably got down from his horse down
on her level, and said unto Ruth, Hearest thou not my daughter?
Have you heard? Did you hear what my servant
said, daughter? Go not to glean in another field.
Don't leave here. Neither go from here. You stay
right here by my mate. Don't go anywhere else. Did you
hear what my servant said? What they said was true. What
they said is what I said. And they said, you stay right
here and you'll glean. Don't go anywhere else. No, you
stay right here. Christ said, my sheep will hear
my voice. Yes, he did. Every one of them. But they hear it through a servant.
Did you hear what his servant said? And the faithful servant
only says what the master says. Divide here. Divide in him. Glean from this gospel. Go not
elsewhere. Glean right here, and you'll
find grace in his eyes. Verse 9, Boaz said, Let not thine eyes
be on the field, but they do reap. You follow these reapers. Go after them. I've charged,
you see, had not I charged the young men that they shall not
touch thee, I've given orders to all the young men not to touch
you, that nothing is to happen to you. I've given orders concerning
you and all about you to protect you, to head you about, to keep
you from harm, to preserve you. You know, it sounds to me like
Boaz has already taken possession of this woman. She doesn't even
know him yet. Sounds like he's already claimed
her for one of his own. You stay right here now. Don't
go anywhere. And I'm not going to let anybody
bother you. You're going to glean right here.
Oh, you're going to glean. We'll see in a minute how much.
Stay right here. I've given orders concerning
this. Ruth. And nobody's going to harm
you from here on out. Nobody's going to touch you.
And you're going to glean in this field all you want to glean.
And if you get thirsty, I'll give you all you want to drink.
You stay right here now. Don't go anywhere else. Nobody else
is going to give you what I'm giving you. Nobody's going to
provide for you like I provide for you. You stay right here. All right. Look at verse 10. Now, this was too much for her. God, His goodness to her and
grace to her. Verse 10, she fell on her face and bowed herself
to the ground and said unto him, Why? Why me? Who am I? Why have I found grace in thine
eyes? That you should take knowledge
of me. I'm just a stranger. Why me? A stranger. Boaz said, Verse 11, Boaz answered
and said unto her, No, you are not a stranger to me. I know
all about you. I know all about you. See, he
had been inquiring of her and asking of her and found out all
about her. He knew about her. He had already
foreknown her. No, she was no stranger. Though
he was strange to her, she was not strange to him. He knew her. And he told her all about herself.
You see that? Told her all about herself. What's
been done unto you. The death of your husband. How
you left the land of your nativity and so forth. And that's God's
people. He knows all about them. Psalm
139 says there's not a word in my mouth that you don't know
it all together. Lord, you've searched me. You know me. My down city, my uprising, there's
nothing about me you don't know. Yay? Scripture says he's foreknown. with the foundation of the world,
set his love and affection upon us and gave orders, purpose,
concern in our salvation. I know all about you, Ruth. I
know all about you. And you're going to learn all
about me. Verse 12 and 13. He blessed her. He said, The
Lord recompensed thy work, and a full reward be given to thee
of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust. And then she said, Oh, let me
find favor in thy sight, my Lord. Let me find favor, or in other
words, she said, I have found favor in thy sight, my Lord,
you have comforted me. Thou hast spoken friendly, the
margin says, to my heart. You've spoken to me, to my heart,
just what I need, to your handmaid, your servant, your lowly servant. Though I be not like unto one
of thine handmaid, though I'm not as good as these other ladies,
though I don't deserve to be here, though I is a heathen one,
and there's plenty more just like me, and I'm not as good
as the rest of these women, but I sure am glad you looked upon
me. And I sure do thank you. And I sure will stay right here.
I sure will. I'll take what you have given.
I'll take this cup of salvation and give thanks. Well, verse
14, I like this. Boaz starts to flirt with her.
Like any love story, there's a little flirting that goes on.
And Boaz does some flirting. He's wooing her. She doesn't
much know him yet. She just knows he's great, he's
mighty, he's merciful, he's kind. But will he really have anything
to do with me? Yes, he will. Look at verse 14. Boaz said unto her, personally,
now at mealtime, You come thou thither, and eat of the bread,
and dip thy morsel in the vinegar." Oh, that's Christ, His bread,
His body, and His blood in it. And she did. She came. She sat
beside the reapers, right there with everybody else. She sat
with everybody. And it says that Boaz reached
her some parts of corn. Here, honey, this is for you. She had to have been close to
him. Didn't she? Right there next to Boaz and
he reached her some park here. This is for you. And she didn't. She's in love now. She's in love
now. He loved her. He already loved
her. Set his love on her. Determined everything concerning
her. And after he flirted with her at mealtime, she loves him
now. She loves him. Are you getting
the story? Well, I told you, it doesn't
need much comment, huh, Ruth? The Lord flirts with His people.
Yes, He does at mealtime, right here when the gospel is preached.
See, He says to His beloved through reaching a little parched thorn,
Yeah, I've loved thee with everlasting love. Lovingkindness, I've drawn thee.
Here, honey, take some. Not for everybody else. He didn't
reach everybody else's parts, but his honey. It's love at first sight. Ah, boy. Verses 15 and 16. When
she was risen, she went out to glean some more. And Boaz commanded his young
man. Now, she left. And Boaz, now, he's going to
give orders concerning her. Boaz commanded his young man.
He's in love with her. She's his, buddy. And nothing and no one's going
to touch an apple of his eye from here on out. No man's going
to have her. She's his. She's not going to be anybody
else but his. Nobody's going to touch her and
he's going to do everything for her, provide for her. Watch this.
Verse 15, Boaz commanded his young man, his servant, saying,
You let her glean among the sheaves. She's picking up a little here
and there before. Now, she's going to really glean. Let her
glean among the sheaves. Approach her not. In other words,
whatever she wants, however much she can get. Verse 16, Let fall
some Handfuls of purpose. You go out there and you throw
whole hand loads of grain. Not just little, don't make her
peck around it. You throw whole handfuls of grain
on purpose. Let it fall on purpose. And leave them as she may glean
them and rebuke her not. Handfuls of purpose. And so they
did. These servants of Boaz. They did. unbeknownst to Ruth,
they were out there just throwing grain all over the place, a handful. Is that enough? More. Is that enough? More. How much? Keep going until it
says, she claimed, verse 17, the field until all the way into
the evening and beat out what she claimed was an ephah of barley.
An ephah of barley. Fifty pounds. You know how much
bread that makes? You know how long that lasts
somebody? How long would that last you to make bread? She couldn't hardly carry it
home. Now, where she gleaned all she could carry. All she could take. How much mercy do you need? How much forgiveness? How much
grace? How much help? Proof? How much you need? Little bit? Lot? How much? Well, she went home. God will give you all you can
carry, I tell you that, tonight. All you can carry, take home
with you. And she went home. I love this. She went back to Naomi. She took
it up, and that's all that she could do to carry it home. She
went back to her mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law saw what
she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her. And her
mother-in-law, in verse 19, said, Honey, where have you been today? Where have you been gleaning
today? Where have you been? And you
know, mothers-in-law, they see these things. They saw something
different about her. They not only saw this big sack
of grains. She not only saw this big sack of grains she was carrying.
Honey, where did you get all that? But she had a sparkle in
her eye. She had a lightness in her step. She had a little color in her
cheeks. She had the look of love on her face. Where have you been,
honey? Something's happened today, hasn't
it? Whose field are you being in? Look at it, verse 19. She showed
her mother-in-law, and she said, I think the man's name was Boaz. Well, Naomi knew Boaz. She knew Boaz, and she said,
Oh, honey. Verse 20, Honey, oh, blessed
be he of the Lord. He's the blessed one of the Lord.
He's not left off his kindness to us, the living and to the
dead. Naomi said, Honey, he's our near kinsman. He's the only one that can help
us. Well, you just happened to land on the field as the only
man that can get us out of this poverty and restore unto us everything. He's the only one. Our near King. Isn't God good? Isn't He good
to us? Chosen Ruth. He's the only one
that can help you. Now here's her advice to Ruth. Honey, I'll tell you what to
do. Tell you what you do. Chapter 3. Go over there. Tell
you what you do. Verse 1. Naomi, her mother-in-law,
said unto her, My daughter, we need rest. Now, verse 2. Boaz is our only hope. He's our
kindred. He's the one with whose maidens
you were. Behold, tonight he's winnowing
in the threshing floor. Today. Tonight, today's the day
of salvation. This is it. Here's what you do. You wash yourself. You anoint
thee. Put your raiment upon thee. Verse 3. Get down to the floor.
Don't make yourself known. Not a big show. You don't deserve
to be there. Go quietly, humbly, meekly until
he's done eating and drinking. And it shall be when he lies
down that you mark the place where he is. You go where he
is and you lie down. You uncover his feet. You lie
down at his feet. just lie right there. And here's
a good time. He'll tell you what to do. And you just lie at his
feet, and you just wait on a word from him. He's our kinsman. He's our only hope. Here's what
you do. You go where he is, you lie at his feet, and you wait
until he says something. And so she said, I'll do it.
I'll do it. And she went. She went. And Boaz found her that night.
He found her laying at his feet. Verse 11, he found her laying
at his feet, poor Moabite maiden, and he said, Now, my daughter,
fear not. She was afraid. She wasn't sure
what he would do. if he would accept her or not.
See, she's the one seeking acceptance. She wasn't sure, but oh, Boaz,
he loved her. And now, my daughter, he said,
fear not. I will do to thee all that thou requirest. Whatever
you need. Whatever you need, I'll do it
for you. And then over in chapter 4, Verse
13, here's the end of the story. So Boaz took Ruth. He took Ruth. Do you reckon she took him? Huh? If he asked her to marry
him, what do you think she'd say? Huh? Well, Boaz took Ruth, and she was his
wife. And he went in under her. And
the two became one. And she bears a son. And God, Christ, marries all
of His people. He becomes one with them. His
bride. Every poor, helpless, hopeless,
seeking sinner that lays at His feet, He will marry them. He'll take you. He'll take you.
Now, look at this. This is good. Because in God's
providence, do you know who this is all about? Look down at verse, she had a son, verse 17. Ruth had a son, born Naomi, they
said, born Naomi, it was Ruth. And they called his name Obed.
And he's the father of Jesse. He's the father of David, King
David. And that's where Christ came
from in that life. So Ruth was the Lord Jesus Christ's
great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother.
Yeah. Well, this man received the sinners
and eateth with them and marries them. Marries them all. All right. I hope there's a Ruth in here
tonight. Another one. Let's stand. Our Father, we thank You for
Your Word. Thank You for mercy and grace
and kindness through Christ to poor, helpless beggars like we
are. May someone find all the mercy
and grace that they need tonight in Christ Himself. May You cause
them to go home and lie at His feet and ask Him if He'll have
them. And we know what He says. Seeking
Center. In Christ's name we pray, amen.