What I'm going to do this morning
is just give an overview of this entire book. The subject matter,
of course, is Christ, our Kinsman, Redeemer. In this book, we have
a fulfillment of the law that was given in Leviticus chapter
25 and verse 25, which states that if a man has sold himself
and his property or any portion of his property, then if he has
a kinsman, a near kinsman, who is able to buy back his property
and able to buy back his freedom, then that kinsman, if he is able
and willing to do so, could certainly have opportunity to do so. And
that law was given to be typical of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
be a prophetic law, and here in the book of Ruth we have the
law of the kinsman redeemer fulfilled, in which Boaz typifies the Lord
Jesus Christ and our experience of grace that's found in him. Here in chapter 3 and verse 9,
Boaz speaks to Ruth as she lay at his feet, seeking that he
would play the part of a kinsman for her. He said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth,
thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over
thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman to me. Now, the key word throughout
this book is the word kinsman. It comes from the word goel,
and that word is translated various ways, but just the word kinsman
is found throughout these four chapters on numerous occasions,
and the passage in the Book of Ruth here is talking primarily
about Christ, our kinsman redeemer, as he is represented in Boaz.
This man, Boaz, is the principal figure in the book. Ruth is the
secondary figure, but there are at least seven people whose names
are given in the Book of Ruth, and their names are meaningful.
The first is Elimelech. Elimelech means, My God is King. His wife Naomi, her name means
sweet and pleasant. They had two sons, Melon and
Chilion. Melon means weakness, and Chilion
means consumption. Orpah, the daughter-in-law of
Melon, or Chilean One, means stiff-necked and declining. The
other daughter-in-law, Ruth, means companion, but Boaz. Boaz means in him is strength. Boaz and Ruth, as I said, are
the principal characters in this story. Ruth representing us who
need a Redeemer, and Boaz representing the Lord Jesus Christ who is
our Redeemer. Now Elimelech left Israel in
a time of famine. He was from Bethlehem, Judah,
and God in judgment had brought famine on the land. Elimelech
was apparently a man of considerable wealth. He had some influence
and position and property in the land. But he left Bethlehem,
Judah in unbelief. He left Bethlehem, Judah to protect
his wealth. He left Bethlehem and took his
wife and his sons and moved down to Moab where God was not known,
where God was not worshipped, where God had no prophet. And
there he withered away to nothing. He died and then his sons married
wives of the Moabites, following their father's example, in disobedience
to the law of God. And then his sons died. And now
Naomi is poor. She's destitute. She's brokenhearted. She has these two daughters-in-law
and nothing with which to care for them. And she says to Orpah
and Ruth, you go back to your families. Go back to your people
and to your gods. I'm going to Bethlehem, Judah.
She had heard how that the Lord had prospered the land of Bethlehem.
And so she's going back home to her people and to her God
and the worship of God. Orpah listened to what Naomi
said. She said, OK, I'll go back. But
Ruth apparently somewhere along the way had heard the message
of God's grace. as Naomi declared it to him.
And she had heard about the blessings of God upon his people and she
was steadfastly minded not to depart but rather to go back
to Bethlehem Judah with Naomi. Now let's look in chapter 1 and
verse 16 you'll see this. Ruth chapter 1. Now just hold
your Bibles here in Ruth and we will go through these four
chapters very briefly. Ruth said to Naomi entreat me
not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. For
whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will
lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die,
and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more
also, It ought but death part thee and me. Now those two verses
are frequently used in wedding ceremonies and wedding songs
and I suppose there's nothing wrong with using them in that
way but that has no connection with the context here. This is
not talking about the commitment of a man to a woman or a woman
to a man. This is talking about the commitment
of a believer to the Lord God and to his people. So Ruth being
steadfastly minded to go with Naomi, they went together back
to the land of Bethlehem, Judah, and it was at the time of barley
harvest. Now there are several things
to be seen in these chapters. First, we have a picture of our
ruin, the sin and fall and the ruin of the human race by the
fall of our father Adam. Then chapter 1 in verse 19, Naomi
comes back to Bethlehem, Judah. Here she comes. You try to picture
her. She's walking into town, these
two ragged, poor women, Naomi and Ruth, coming from the land
of Moab. And everybody comes around and
word gets around, Naomi's coming back. Naomi's coming back. And
as they looked at her, they said, is this Naomi? Is this Naomi? She went out a prince, a princess.
She went out. in wealth. She went out in grandeur
and splendor. She went out in beauty. Is this
poor, ragged, helpless woman Naomi? Look at it, verse 19. So they went, they too went until
they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass when they
were come to Bethlehem, all the city was moved about them. You
can't imagine how destitute she must have looked. Everybody just,
everybody was just aghast. And they said, is this Naomi?
And she said to them, call me not Naomi. Don't call me pleasant. Don't call me pleasant anymore.
But rather, call me Marah. Bitterness. Bitterness. Bitterness. I went out full of
pleasantness and joy. Well, now the Lord has dealt
bitterly with me, so call me bitterness. I went out full,
and the Lord brought me home again empty. Why then call you
me nay, O man? Seeing the Lord hath testified
against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me." Now, you
and I really don't have any idea just what Adam was when God made
him. We don't have any idea. We look
at the human race, and we are the sons and daughters of Adam.
But as we look at ourselves and look at one another, we might
read in Genesis chapter 2 and read about this man Adam as God
made him upright. As God made him in his own image
and after his own likeness. We have absolutely no idea the
intelligence, the brilliance, the righteousness, the power
that man had over God's creation for God set him over all the
works of his hand. But Adam, by sin, plunged himself
and our race into sin, depravity, and corruption. And now man is
not only depraved, he is deprived of everything good and righteous
about him. He's utterly dead in trespasses
and in sins. And rather than being king over
God's creation, he walks in fear continually of God's creation. I look at Bob Potts and I say,
is this Adam? Is this the man? made at the
image and likeness of God, I look in the mirror, I say, is this
Adam? There's such a dissimilarity that we cannot even imagine what
our father Adam was in his original creation. Why? Because as by
one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and
so death passed upon all men. I put in your study sheets, we
were princes. now we're paupers. We were kings,
now we're beggars. We were pleasant, now our lives
are full of bitterness, because our lives are full of sorrow.
Our lives are full of death, because our lives are full of
sin. We were full, having all the fullness of God's creation,
now in death. We were blessed, but now the
whole race is cursed. All right, secondly, In chapter
2, we're given a picture of Christ's free love to sinners. As I said
before, Naomi and Ruth came back to Bethlehem, Judah, at the beginning
of barley harvest, and they were poor. Their inheritance was gone. They had no one to support them
or take care of them, and they had no way to support or take
care of themselves. But God had established in Israel
a very unique welfare system, very good welfare system. a welfare
system that retained the dignity of the poor, while at the same
time providing for the poor. God commanded in his law that
no one should be left destitute with nothing, but that rather
each one should be provided for by those who had plenty, and
this is how they did so. God said now when you when you
gather your wheat, don't get it all. You leave some You leave
some for the gleaners. When you gather your fruit, don't
get it all. Leave some for the gleaners.
When you reap your fields, don't go out and pick everything clean.
Leave some for the poor, that they may come and glean for you.
And by gleaning after those who had reaped, the poor themselves
maintained some dignity in that they were working for their livelihood,
and yet at the same time they were provided for with honor
and by the generosity of others according to the commandment
of God. Now Ruth knew that she had a kinsman. Look in chapter
2 in verse 1. Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's,
a mighty man, a man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and
his name was Boaz. He was a kinsman, he was a mighty
man, he was a man of great wealth. Now there were four things that
were necessary if Ruth was to have a kinsman redeemer. Four
things necessary if you and I are to have a kinsman redeemer. First,
the kinsman must be a man who is related by blood to the one
for whom he stands as a redeemer. And the Lord Jesus Christ assumed
our nature. He took on himself humanity,
flesh and blood, that he might be free to call us his brethren
and to make us his brethren. Secondly, the kinsman must be
able to pay the debt that is owed. In other words, if Boaz
loved Ruth, if he wanted to take care of Ruth, if he wanted to
take Ruth for his wife, he could not do so, except first he have
the ability to pay the debt that Elimelech owed to retrieve his
land that had been sold during his time of poverty. And so the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has that with which he is
able to pay our He is himself God Almighty, yet a man in our
nature, and thus his blood and his obedience is of infinite
merit to God Almighty for our salvation. He's able to satisfy
the wrath and the justice as well as the holiness and the
truth of God. More than that, he had to be
willing to pay. In chapter 3, Boaz said to Ruth
in verse 11, I will do all that thou requires. He said, I will. I'm able to. You come to me. You sought my grace and my mercy. I'll do everything you need.
Oh, what a blessed word from the Son of God. He came into
this world and he says for his people, I'll do everything you
need. Everything you need. He is one blood kin to us. by his own incarnation and birth.
He has that with which to redeem us, to pay our debt, to satisfy
the justice of God, for this man is himself God, and he's
willing to save. All right, there's one fourth
thing that the kinsman redeemer must have. He must be himself
totally free of debt, totally free of obligation, so that the
law has nothing to exact from him. What a picture this is of
our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He
owes nothing to God's justice. He owes nothing to God's law.
He owes nothing to God's righteousness. But this man comes into the world
to fulfill all righteousness for us, to satisfy justice for
us, and to pay our debt unto the Lord our God. Now then Ruth
went out into the fields to glean. gleaning with the poor, with
the hope that she might find grace in the eyes of her kinsmen. Look in chapter 2 and verse 2.
Ruth the Moabitess. Much could be said about that.
You know where the Moabites came from? The Moabites came from
the incestuous relationship that Lot had with his daughter in
a drunken stupor. They were a cursed race. So this
woman Ruth is a cursed woman from a cursed race whose origin
was under the curse of God by virtue of sin. Oh what a picture
she is of us. Ruth the sinner said unto Naomi
her mother-in-law, let me now go to the field and glean ears
of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. She said
She says, Naomi, if there's corn to be had, if life is possible,
why would we sit here and perish and starve to death? Let me go
out and glean corn with the gleaners in the fields of him in whose
sight I might find grace. She says, if it's possible for
our inheritance to be purchased back with God's people, then
let me go and find him who might show us grace. And so she went
to seek the favor of Boaz, her kinsman. She went to the place
where she was most likely to meet the kinsman. In the barley
harvest season, I'm told by the historians that the man who owned
a large plantation, as we call it down south, who owned a large,
large farm, he would have his servants to go out in the field
And there they would have either a tent pitched, or they'd build
just a temporary place for the man who owned that place to come,
and he would stay right there with his workers while they were
in the field. That's where he'd sleep, that's where he'd take
his meals, that's where he'd do his business. And so Ruth
knew that if she was going to meet Boaz, she's got to go out
to the field to meet him. And so she goes to that place
where he is most likely to be found. Those who would find the
mercy and grace of God in Christ would be very wise to come to
his harvest field. They'd be very wise to put themselves
under the sound of his gospel in his house. If you're interested
in meeting him and knowing him and walking with him, place to
be, buddy, is right where we are this morning, in the house
of God with his people where he promised to meet. And then
Boaz spotted Ruth. verse 5 of chapter 2. I can picture him. He's all decked
out in his fine array. Everybody knows he's the fellow
who owns this whole shooting match. He's not one of the servants. He's not even a foreman. This
is the fellow. He's riding on a white stallion and he's decked
out. And he sees all these poor women gleaning in the field.
And there's that poor, dark-skinned Boabite woman. And he pulls up
beside his ranch hand. He said, who is that? Who is
that? Look at this. Then Boaz said
unto his servant that was set over the reapers, whose damsel
is this? There were lots of poor widows
gleaning in the fields, but Boaz set his eyes on Ruth. He took
notice of Ruth. He had compassion on Ruth. before
she ever even knew who he was. Even so, the Lord Jesus Christ,
our great kinsman redeemer, loved us with everlasting love. He
chose us from eternity. Even before we were capable of
knowing him, he chose us to be his own. Now then, thirdly, in
this second chapter again, in verses 1, 9, and 16, We have
a beautiful, beautiful picture of God's marvelous providence. I wrote to someone, I wrote to
several folks this week, folks that ask concerning the circumstance
of my mother, how I get along, how I handle things, and I said
I had been driven once more back upon this blessed foundation. Our God rules this world, he
makes no mistakes, he does everything well for the salvation of his
people. Oh, I rest my soul there. In
the midst of difficulty, that's my peace, that's my peace. Not anything else except the
fact that he who is my heavenly father, he who loved me and gave
himself for me, rules this world for our good. for the saving
of his people. That's what providence is. If
we can ever get a handle on this, if God will ever plant this in
our hearts and keep our minds focused, our hearts focused on
him who rules the world and understand that everything God does, he
does for the saving of his people. That'll give us some stability.
That'll give us some peace in the midst of difficulty. As the
fields of Bethlehem Judah belong to Boaz, so this world belongs
to the Lord Jesus Christ our dear Savior. For to this end
Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord
both of the dead and the living." Now look at this, as Ruth's hap
was to light on that part of the field belonging to Boaz,
you see that? So God graciously brings each
of his elect to the place where he will be gracious to them. Ruth goes out to glean and she
finds a field out here and she starts picking up corn and the
scripture says her half. Now it says half because that's
the way it looks to us. You know, I used to scold folks. I still don't use the term. I
don't like the term luck, you know. It's almost like living in this
world of a crapshoot, and there's nothing of the kind. Luck ascribes
everything to some non-entity. And yet, in the appearance of
things, that's how it looks. This is what it looks like. Ruth's
happened chance. Ruth, boy, she was sure lucky. She started gleaning the fields,
and she's gleaning in Boaz, you know. But she didn't just happen
to be there. She was there because God arranged
it from eternity. She was there because God brought
her there in his providence. And I'm telling you that when
God has purposed grace for a sinner, one way or the other, somehow
or another, if it means turning the world upside down, he's going
to bring the chosen sinner to the place where he has ordained
to be gracious to him, where he will speak mercy and peace
in Christ. and reveal Christ in his soul.
As Boaz commanded his young men not to touch the woman, so the
Lord Jesus Christ has given commandment to all of creation. And he says,
touch not mine office. Do you ever wonder how it is
you survived during all the days of your godliness and rebellion?
Like you quoted with death and then flirted with hell. Ever
wonder how it is that you managed to survive when other folks were
killed around you dropping like flies? I had a call last night,
a young man I went to school with. I went to high school with
him, went to junior high school with him. Works in the Pentagon
in Washington. His 17-year-old daughter driving
down the road, girl sitting in the car right beside her. She
just, just sweared just a little. Across the center line, car hit
her right in the side of her door, and she's gone to meet
God. That girl sitting right beside
her, not a scratch on her. I've been where that girl was
sitting. How come? How come? Because God from eternity
said to everything in heaven, earth, and hell, don't you touch
him, be mine, be mine. So Boaz commanded his young men,
now don't you touch her. Don't you touch her. And then
as Boaz commanded his men and said, let fall some handfuls
on purpose for her. So our Savior takes care to provide
for his elect, even in the days of their rebellion. You remember
the story of Hosea and Gomorrah? In chapter two of Hosea in verse
eight, I know you remember, and I've told this often, you can't
possibly forget it. Hosea found out where she was, and he went
up every night while she's in there in bed with another man,
set a stack of groceries by her door. And she got up and said,
look what my lepers gave me. Look here what I got by my ungodliness. And he said, she didn't know.
She didn't know. I gave her her corn and her oil
and her wool and her wine and her flax, which she prepared
for Baal. And so the Lord God graciously
provides for his elect, even in the days of their rebellion,
according to his purpose of grace toward us. Now then, Ruth comes
home, Boaz has given her abundance, and she just opens up that a
sack full of barley that she's gotten. And Naomi said, where
have you been today? Where have you been cleaning
today? And Ruth said, I was over here in this field, a fellow,
a fellow by the name of Boaz. She said, Boaz. Oh, bless God. He's our kinsman. He's our kinsman. Ruth, if he wants to, he can
redeem us. If he wants to, he can take care
of us. And then in chapter three, Naomi
told Ruth exactly what she must do. She said, she said, Now Ruth,
you go down to where the men are gathered, where they get
together and they weigh out the barley and they winter the barley. And at night, at night, you mark
the place where Boaz lays. And you slip in there and lay
down at his feet and pull his covers up and pull his covers
over you and wait to see what he says. Now that's a picture
of repentance. You say, how's that? Ruth marked
the place where Boaz was and she went there. And she came
in soft there, laid herself humbly at his feet. And when she did,
she hazarded everything at his goodness. She didn't have anything
left except a good name. That's all she had left. And
here she comes in. And she slips down at the feet
of this man on the threshing floor and pulls his covers over
her, risking everything she had to get his mercy. She said, I
put everything in your hands, everything. Many are too proud
to bow to Christ's feet and put everything in his hands. But
that's exactly where mercy can be found. And Boaz said, He said,
what do you want? Strange thing, this man comes
and lays down and this woman lays down at his feet, this woman
with a good name, good reputation in the eyes of all those people,
but she's poor and she's got to have him. He says, what do
you want? Look at verse nine. She said,
I'll tell you exactly what I need, tell you exactly what I want.
I want you to take me. I want you to take me for yours
and possess me. He said, Who art thou? She answered,
I'm Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over
thine handmaid, for thou art a near kin. Look at this. And
Boaz said, I will do all that thou require. I'll take you. And I'll redeem
you. And I'll keep you. And I'll provide
for you forever. That's Christ, our Kingsman Redeemer. That's who he is. That's what
he's done. And as Naomi said to Ruth concerning
Boaz, she said, honey, you can go to bed now and rest. This
man will not rest until he has done everything he swore to do.
That's the kind of man he is. Let me tell you something. The
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, while he sits on the throne
of glory, will not lay down his scepter with which he rules the
universe until he has done everything he swore for us he would do from
eternity. Amen.