I want to express my thanksgiving
for this congregation, for your love and support for so many,
many years. And I thank the Lord for each
and every one of you tonight. I want us to turn in our Bibles
to the book of Ruth. Ruth chapter one. Now it came to pass in the days
when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and
a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country
of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the
man was Elimelech, the name of his wife, Naomi, the name of
his two sons, Malon and Chilion. Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they came into the country
of Moab and continued there. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband,
died, and she was left and her two sons. And they took them
wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah,
and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelled there about
10 years. And Malon and Chilion died also,
both of them. and the woman was left of her
two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law,
that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had
heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited
his people in giving them bread. Wherefore, she went forth out
of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with
her, and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law,
Go, return each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with
you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant
you that you may find rest, each of you, in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they
lifted up their voice and wept. And they said unto her, Surely
we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, turn
again, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Are
there yet any more sons in my womb that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters. Go
your way. For I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope,
if I should have a husband also tonight and should also bear
sons, would you tarry for them till they were grown? Would you
stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters, for it grieveth
me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out
against me.' And they lifted up their voice and wept again.
And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, behold, thy sister-in-law's
gone back unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou after
thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, 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 will 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 if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that
she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking
unto her. So they too went until they came
to Bethlehem. And it came to pass when they
were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about
them. And they said, is this Naomi? And she said unto them,
call me not Naomi, Call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very
bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord
hath brought me home again empty. Why then call you me Naomi, seeing
the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted
me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the
Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her. which returned out
of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning
of barley harvest. I trust the Lord willing to bring
several messages to us from this very small book, the book of
Ruth. It has only four chapters, and
I would imagine that most all of us here tonight are familiar
with this part of the word of God. The most important lesson
from it concerns the kinsman redeemer, no question about it. But like all of God's word, it
is profitable. The scripture says all scripture
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine.
First of all, for doctrine, the word of God is profitable. Where
will we go? to find that which we must believe
and know to the word of God. It's profitable for doctrine,
the doctrine of God, the doctrine of man, the doctrine of sin,
the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of Christ. It's profitable
for doctrine, not only doctrine, but rather reproof. Many times
we need to be reproved for correction. and for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be truly furnished. Tonight, I want to
look at one subject, one subject, and it is this, man's need of
a king. That's the subject we're going
to look at, man's need of a king. And let me make that just as
personal as I possibly can. You, I, we need a king. We need a king. This is suggested
to me in the words in verse one, where we read, it came to pass
in the days when the judges ruled. The history recorded in Ruth
transpired during the time of this previous book, the book
of Judges. In Acts chapter 13, when the
apostle Paul visited into Antioch of Pisidia, that's the place
where he entered into the synagogue and they asked if they had anything
to say. And when you asked that question
of Paul, you know he always had something to say in the synagogue. And he gave a brief history of
the nation of Israel before he came to that all important text,
whosoever believeth in this man is justified from all things
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Before he
got to that part of his message, as I said,
he gave a brief history of Israel. And this is what he said. And
after that, in other words, after they came out of Egypt and they
were given the land of Canaan, after that, he gave them judges
for the space of about 450 years until Samuel the prophet. So the book of judges covers
a period, according to Paul, of about 450 years. And that's
the time period in which this history of Ruth is recorded. What especially marked the time
of the judges is found in the very last verse of Judges. The very last verse. This is
what marked, if you want to know what was common to the time during
the days of the judges, this is what marked that time period. In those days, in the days of
the judges, in those days there was no king in Israel. Every
man did that which was right in his own eyes. If you read
through the book of Judges, you will find that statement repeated
several times. In those days there was no king
in Israel. There was no king in Israel.
We read that several times. And during this period, Israel
as a nation, they turned away from God and God chastened them. And then God would raise up a
judge who would deliver them. That's the period of time this
took place in. The nation of Israel was continually
forsaking God, turning their backs upon God. And God would
chastise them, usually by allowing some foreign nation to conquer
them. And they became subject to these
other nations. And it was a time of despair
many times. When they were delivered into
the hands of their enemies, the Bible says, then they cried unto
the Lord. In Psalm 107, you see that several
times. Then they cried unto the Lord.
And the truth is, all of us by nature, man by nature, we have
to come to the end of our rope, so to speak. We'll try everything,
we'll go every place, we'll try every new suggestion that comes
down the road, but then, Then we will cry unto the Lord. When we reach our wits end, I
believe that's the way one of those verses reads there in Psalm
107. Then they cried unto the Lord. That's just true of mankind and
that was true of the nation of Israel. There was no king in
those days and it was a repetition continually of going away from
God and being chastened, and then God raising up a judge. Gideon was one of those judges.
We're all familiar with Gideon and his army. Samson was one
of those judges. There's a number of them as you
read through the book. But every time that they cried
unto the Lord, God, and thank God for this, God being the God
of mercy that he is, He would raise up a judge and deliver
them. Aren't you thankful tonight that
God is a God of mercy? A God of mercy. And the scriptures
tell us His mercies are new every morning. Every morning when we
wake up, what do we need? We need mercy. And His mercy
is new every morning. One verse of scripture tells
us the Lord delighteth in mercy. He delights in showing mercy.
Another verse tells us judgment is a strange work unto the Lord. He delights in showing mercy. During the time of their exodus,
think about Israel. During the time of their exodus
from Egypt and the 40 years in the wilderness, they had Moses
to rule. In fact, there's one verse of
scripture in Deuteronomy 33 and verse 5 that calls Moses a king. He was a king in Jeshurun. We
know that Moses was not allowed to cross over Jordan to bring
the people into the land of promise. When God told him to speak unto
the rock, when they needed water, rather than speak unto the rock
the second time, the first time he was to smite the rock. The
second time, God said, speak to the rock and it will bring
forth water. And what did Moses do? He smote
the rock a second time. And for that reason, he was not
allowed to go into the land of promise. God let him go up on
that mountain and look over into the land of Canaan, the land
flowing with milk and honey, but he could not take the nation
of Israel into the land. Now, we know that Moses represents
the law. And there's no way the law can
ever give a person rest, can ever bring a person into rest
and peace with God. Because the law says do, do,
do. But the gospel says done, done. Joshua, but the point I'm making
is they had a king. during the time they came out
of Egypt, through those 40 years. And then when Moses was taken
out, Joshua was raised up. And this is what we read about
Joshua. He was never called a king. That's
true. He's never called a king. But
this is what was true of him. There shall not any man be able
to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with
Moses, so shall I be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. So the point is, they had a king
as long as Moses was at the head of the nation. They had a king
as long as Joshua was alive. But when Joshua passed away,
this period of the judges came into being. There was no king
in those days. And every man did that which
was right in his own eyes. I want you to look in Judges
chapter 18, just a moment. Judges chapter 18, verse 30. And the children of Dan, remember
Dan was one of the 12 tribes of Israel. And when the land
was divided, they received their portion. But there was part of their land
that was never conquered. And so they needed more space. And they came seeking where they
might find an opportunity. And they found the city of the
Zidonians. And they conquered that city
and took over their land. But on their way, they passed
by the house of a man named Micah. And Micah had a God, a silver
God, God that he had made from silver. And at first, when he
made himself a God, he made one of his sons a priest. had the paraphernalia of the
priest made. But then a Levite shows up and he became Micah's priest. And these Danites came by and
they said, why would you want to be a priest just for that
one family, for that one household? Come with us and you can be a
priest. They hired him. He was a hireling.
But he took Micah's gods with him, nothing more pitiful than
Micah crying after them, you've taken my gods. You've taken my
gods. What is more pitiful if you have
a god that someone can steal from you? But here, after they got into
the city that they had conquered, it says, And the children of
Dan set up the graven image, there it is, that god of silver
that he had made, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of
Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until
the day of the captivity of the land. Do you know who this Gershom
was Jonathan, the son of Gershom. Do you know who that was? That
was one of Moses' sons. So here we have a grandson of
Moses. A Levite, yes, but not a priest. The Levite served in the tabernacle,
but the priest came from Aaron, from his family. Can you imagine
that? A grandson of Moses, the lawgiver,
now he is involved in false religion, worshiping an idol, being a false
priest. What I'm saying is that the days
in which The story of Ruth took place was the days of the judges
and in the days of the judges there was no king in Israel and
every man did that which was right in his own eyes. It was
a time of chaos, a time of idolatry, a time of rebellion, a time of
disorder, a time of continually forsaking God and going away
for God as far as the nation of Israel was concerned. So if
you and I, if we learn nothing else tonight, let us learn this
from these words. Men need a king. You need a king. I need a king. We need someone to rule over
us. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
king that we need. As a mediator between God and
man, we know he has three offices. He's prophet. He is that great
prophet, that prophet that men must hear or perish. He is that priest who offered
that one sacrifice that has put away the sins of his people forever. and he is the king. In fact,
the scripture says he's the king of kings and lord of lords. Now turn with me to the New Testament,
to the letter of Colossians. Colossians chapter one. Beginning in verse 12, Colossians
chapter 1, verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father.
Oh, how we ought to thank God. How we must thank God. God's
people are a thankful people, a grateful people. Giving thanks unto the Father.
which hath made us meet, qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, now notice this, who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness. Now the power of darkness is
a kingdom of darkness. Satan is the prince of the power
of the air. He hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, now notice, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear son. Every person who is born again,
born of the spirit of God, is translated into the kingdom of
God's dear son. A kingdom has a king. We're put
into the kingdom of God and we have a king, Christ the Lord. One of his titles, this is found
in Revelation 15 in verse 3, is king of saints. His kingdom
is not of this world. This is the thing that really,
I think, upset the Jewish leaders when our Lord came into this
world. They wanted a king, they wanted the Messiah, but they
wanted him to set up a kingdom in this world, where the nation
of Israel would be Much like it was in the days of David and
Solomon when they reigned from sea to sea. And it was a very
wealthy kingdom and all the pomp and circumstance and grandeur
and everything else that went along with that kingdom. That's
what they looked for. That's what they wanted. The
Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and he said, my kingdom
is not of this world. Before Pilate, he confessed,
when Pilate asked him if he was a king, he said, thou sayest.
Yes. When the wise men came following
that star and came to Jerusalem, remember what their question
was, where is he that is born king of the Jews? He was born
king. He was born king of kings. In
Psalm 2 and verse 5, the scripture says, God spoke, yet have I set
my king, my king upon my holy hill of Zion. As the king of
his people, your king tonight, if you're in this kingdom, if
I'm in this kingdom, he's our king. As our king, he does at least
these four things. Number one, he conquers, he conquers
them. By the power of his grace, he
makes those his people willing to submit to him, to kiss the
sun, as the scripture says, to serve him and him only, renouncing
all other lords. Let me read you a comment by
John Gill on this topic. He said, Satan particularly,
the God of this world has power over them and leads them captive
at his will until the prey is taken from the mighty and the
lawful captive is delivered. He is the strong man arm that
keeps his palace and his goods in peace. till a stronger than
he comes, who is Christ, the King of glory, who causes the
everlasting doors of men's hearts to lift up and let him in. When he enters, binds a strong
man arm, dispossesses him and spoils his armor wherein he trusted,
sets up his throne. When the Lord Jesus Christ delivers
one of his, conquers one of his, makes them willing in the day
of his power, dispossesses the strong man that is Satan, he
sets up his throne of grace in the heart where he himself sits
and reigns. Who is your king tonight? who is my king. Every man has
a king, really. And every man needs this king,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And where he comes in, he conquers
so that his people willingly receive him. He sets up his throne
in the heart. And it's no longer my will, It's
now His will. He reigns. Number two, not only
does He conquer, He rules. And He does so by His Spirit
and the written word. Many people in days gone by,
and I'm sure there's people today who continue to do this, they
think, they consult with the stars. Some people get up every
day and they look at their horoscope because they don't have Christ
as their king. We're not ruled by the stars.
God's people have a king and he rules, he reigns, and he does
so not by the stars, not by the fate. Some people believe in
fate. Some people believe in luck.
Some people believe in fortune. God's people know that He reigns
in our hearts by His Word and by His Spirit. And this Word
that we have, we just cannot appreciate it as much as we should,
my friends, and I speak for myself. We just do not appreciate the
Word of God like we should. Can you imagine today? living
in a country, and there are many people who do. And they do not
have a copy of the word of God. And if they did, it would be
punishable by death. What a blessing. And this word,
according to Proverbs chapter six, the writer said, when thou
goest, it shall lead thee. We need a king to rule, to lead. He leads us by his word. When
thou goest, it shall lead thee. And when thou sleepest, it shall
keep thee. And when thou wakest, it shall
talk with thee. The word of God speaks to us,
doesn't it? As we read and meditate and as
we hear the word proclaimed. So first of all, he conquers
his people. He rules his people. Third, he
provides. He provides for all of our needs. The psalmist said, the Lord is
my shepherd. I shall not want. That's just
as true of you tonight as it was for David of old. If the
Lord is your shepherd, then you too are able to say, I shall
not want. Whatever good I need, he will
provide. In another psalm, the psalmist
said, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger. But they that
seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. He provides,
and he provides well. He prepares a table for our enemies
in the wilderness. How many of us, if we were called
upon tonight, could testify to God's provision over many, many
years? He never failed us, never has,
never will. If you being evil, our Lord said,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
your heavenly father shall give good things to them that ask
him. Number four, he protects. He protects, he rules. both with
a scepter of righteousness and a scepter of iron. That scepter
of iron he uses on his enemies and on the enemies of his people. The writer of Isaiah said, no
weapon, no weapon, atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, whatever, no weapon
that is formed against thee shall prosper. And every tongue that
shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. He protects
his people. We sing, and we sang this morning
in fact, crown him with many crowns. The lamb upon his throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem
drowns all music but his own. My soul, and sing of Him who
died for thee, and hail Him as the matchless King throughout
all eternity. Let me close tonight again with
this question. Is He your King? Is He my King? Do we get up in the mornings
looking for Him to direct us and guide us? I trust that he
would give us the grace to do so. He is the king of kings. Those who do not have him as
their king are still like those in the gospel who cried out,
we will not have this man to rule over us. But God's people
say, come, come and rule over me. Reign in my heart and in
my life. I pray the Lord would bless this
word, each one of us here tonight.