Ruth 4, God's Unfailing Love

This morning, I will like us to see a big picture from the book of Ruth about kindness.

We have three passages in Ruth that uses the Hebrew word ds,j&,.

Ruth 1:8, when Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.”

Ruth 2:20, when Naomi saw how much Ruth brought home from gleaning in the field she said, “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.

And, Ruth 3:10, when Ruth asked Boaz to “spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer,” he replied “this kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier.”

The repeated word, “kindness,” is translated from the Hebrew word ds,j&,. Although it is translated as kindness in these passages, it has rich meanings like, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, mercy, and love and compassion.

• Hesed is relational… All three occurrences in Ruth are relational in nature. It’s exercised between people and between God and people.

• And, because it is relational, it is connected to the idea of covenant. Covenant expresses deep and abiding loyalty and commitment between the parties bound by a particular covenant. When we consider the story of Ruth, the root of the story goes all the way back to the covenant that God made with Abraham. Genesis 12:2-4 says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Last week we saw how Boaz and Ruth’s son, Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of David. In the greater context of the whole Bible, God’s covenant to bless all peoples on earth through Abraham was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Last week, we also saw how the family tree leading all the way from Jesus to David, David to Obed, Obed to Abraham and Lot.

• Another thing about Hesed is it describes more than how one feels towards others; Hesed is carried out in action. It is not just feeling kind towards someone; it is being kind to that person. When Naomi used this word in 1:8, she called on God to show his kindness to Ruth as Ruth demonstrated her kindness to Naomi by staying with her, going with her instead of leaving her.

• Hesed is carried out in action by more powerful person for weaker person. This is was the case when Boaz showed his kindness to Ruth and Naomi, Ruth to Naomi, and ultimately God to them and to us.

• Hesed is also a voluntary act that goes beyond the call of duty. Boaz was encouraged to follow the spirit of the law in the Old Testament, but he was not obligated to act, nor was he forced or manipulated to do so. Ruth after her husband Mahlon died, she didn’t have to stick with Naomi, but, she did.

Now, let’s consider specifically God’s Hesed towards people.

• Divine Hesed saves people from disaster or oppressors. We saw this in Ruth 1:6 which describes how “the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them.” A psalmist asked in Psalms 94, “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against the evildoers? Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. What I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O LORD, supported me.”

• Divine Hesed sustains life. As mentioned already, God showing up to provide food for his people in Bethlehem in 1:6 was how peoples’ lives were sustained during the famine. And, we read the psalmists praying for God’s hesed. Psalm 119:88, “Preserve my life accoroding to your love (hesed) and I will obey the statues of your mouth.” And, verse 149, “Hear my voice in accordance with your love (hesed); preserve my life. O LORD, according to your laws,” and verse 159, “See how I love your precepts, preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love.”

• Devine Hesed counteracts God’s wrath. Micah 7:18-19 says, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” And, Lamentation 3:31-32 says, “For men are not cast off by the LORD forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love (hesed).” James 2:13 says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

• Devine hesed is enduring, persistent, and eternal. Isaiah 54:10, “Though the mountain be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love (hesed) for you will not be shaken.” In Jeremiah 31:3, God spoke to the Israelites that their current dark situation will not prevent the future restoration of Israel: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness (hesed).” And, Psalm 118: 1-4, reads, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD says: “His love endures forever.””

• Devine Hesed is the basis and motive for our petition, approach to God. We seek forgiveness on the basis of God’s hesed. When Moses pleaded for his people sins, he appealed to God’s hesed. Numbers 14:17-19 reads, “Now may the LORD’s strength be displayed, just as your have declared, ‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love (hesed) and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished… In accordance with your great love (hesed), forgive the sin of these people.”

Psalm 136

^{PS 136:1} Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:2} Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:3} Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:4} to him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:5} who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:6} who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:7} who made the great lights--

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:8} the sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:9} the moon and stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:10} to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:11} and brought Israel out from among them

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:12} with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:13} to him who divided the Red Sea asunder

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:14} and brought Israel through the midst of it,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:15} but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:16} to him who led his people through the desert,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:17} who struck down great kings,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:18} and killed mighty kings--

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:19} Sihon king of the Amorites

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:20} and Og king of Bashan--

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:21} and gave their land as an inheritance,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:22} an inheritance to his servant Israel;

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:23} to the One who remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:24} and freed us from our enemies,

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:25} and who gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

^{PS 136:26} Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever.

Ruth 4, Do you see the big picture?

Last week we saw two remarkable man and woman, namely Boaz and Ruth; we saw them interacting with each other with utmost respect and dignity. Their meeting during the night out in the threshing floor could have been disastrous and tragic. But, as Naomi suspected we saw Boaz, a man of standing, treating Ruth with deepest regard. It was Boaz who saw Ruth, not as an outsider, a foreign origin with no value, but a woman of noble character. As s a person of character himself, he was able to see what an extraordinary person Ruth was. Her noble character adorned her beautifully.

Ruth left everything that was familiar to her in order to stay with Naomi and care for her. Ruth was a faithful and loyal woman. Naomi could not persuade Ruth to take the course that her sister-in-law Orpah took. To go back to her home country of Moab, to go back to the gods of Moab, to go back to her families and her people was the logical choice. Ruth was free to go to find herself a new life in Moab, to get remarried to a nice Moabite fellow. Everything would be well for her. But, Ruth wouldn’t do it! She would not be persuaded by Naomi. Ruth was going with Naomi; nothing was going to stop her. Do you remember what she told Naomi in chapter 1:16 & 17:

Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

There was no promise for Ruth that things would turn out all right. Judging from the tragedies that Ruth and Naomi experienced, being hopeful was not easy. Yet, we see Ruth committed to go with Naomi, to embrace Naomi’s people, her land, and her God. Ruth’s love for Naomi was truly deep. Instead of making choice to help herself by going back to Moab, she made her choice out of her love for Naomi. Her action reminds me of a passage from Apostle Paul. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This is what Ruth did. Instead of being self-seeking, looking out for her own needs, desires, and future, she made her choice with her heart that was filled with love for Naomi. Ruth was kindhearted person!

We also saw Ruth work hard and diligently from early mornings to late into the evenings during the harvest season to provide for Naomi and herself. She didn’t take Boaz’s generosity for granted.

As in Boaz’s words, Ruth didn’t go after the younger men whether rich or poor. Why didn’t she?

Ruth went by the book. She learned through Naomi that God of Israel put in his law to provide for the needed, poor and defenseless; Naomi and Ruth were indeed poor, needed and defenseless. God’s law called for the provision for them through kinsman redeemer. When Ruth showed up at the threshing floor and during the night uncovered Boaz’s feet and laid next to him, she was acting in faith in God’s word. She trusted God would provide for her and for Naomi through kinsman-redeemer. And, Boaz already having demonstrated his kindness to Ruth and Naomi and being Naomi’s kinsman, she trusted Boaz to be God’s helping hands. This goes for Naomi as well. Both of them trusted in God’s word. This explains their initiatives! They weren’t being aggressive when they initiated their request for marriage; their action was driven by their trust in God’s provision in his word.

All these made Ruth truly an extraordinary woman, a woman of noble character, a faithful, loyal, self-giving, kindhearted, diligent woman of faith in God.

Before chapter 4 opens, Naomi made a comment about Boaz. She said in verse 18, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” They trusted God’s promise to take care of them through the kinsman-redeemer. They initiated and acted in faith in God. And, now the ball was in Boaz’ court. Naomi encouraged Ruth now to wait patiently to see how God would work out the details through Boaz. She was confident that Boaz wasn’t going to waste any time to get this settled once for all. And, indeed that is what we see Boaz doing in chapter 4. When God’s will was made known to him clearly, a man of standing he was, he wasted no time to carry out God’s will.

Chapter 4:1 tells us that he went up to the town gate and sat there. This was a strategic move on his part. Pretty much all the town people used the town gate to go out to their fields to work in the morning. He chose this gate in order to meet a man who was nearer kinsman than he was to Naomi.

And, just at the right time, the man showed up at the gate. A coincidence, do you think? Well, from the flow of Ruth thus far, we know it was no coincidence. God was on the move.

As soon as Boaz spotted the man, he called him and had him sit down. Then he got ten of the elders of the town to also sit with them. Boaz told him in verse 3-4;

Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 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. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in the line.

The fact that Naomi was selling the piece of land that belonged to her husband is little puzzling. We are not sure why she is selling it. Nor can we be sure of what legal claim she was making on the land. The land in Israel was passed down from a father to his son; if he had no son, it would pass down to his nearest kinsman or to his daughter; it usually didn’t pass down from husband to wife.

It is important to remember that in Israel, the land belonged to a family, to a clan and could not be sold permanently. You see this in Leviticus 25:23 where it says, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.” So, when Boaz said Naomi was selling the land, it refers to the transaction in which the right of use of the land is being transferred for certain value for certain period of time. It is likely according to K. Lawson Younger that the land in question was initially sold by Elimelech before leaving to Moab. When Naomi returned with Ruth, she obviously didn’t have money to repurchase it. So, she was trying to have her nearest kinsman repurchase the land from its current possessor. So, this would fit the situation described in Leviticus 25:25, “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what this countryman has sold.”[1]

To this the nearest kinsman said, “I will redeem it,” in verse 4. He figured he would financially come out ahead from spending money to repurchase the land by what the land might produce.

To this, Boaz told him, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabites, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” Boaz was telling him that his responsibility didn’t end in just repurchasing the land; as a nearest kinsman, he was to buy the land, but also to marry Ruth so that the family line of Elimelech and his dead son Mahlon could continue according to the spirit of the levirate law from Deuteronomy 25:5-6. The first son from that marriage would be legally Ruth’s dead husband Mahlon’s son.

To this the man responded in verse 6, “Then I cannot redeem it because it might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” First, he agreed to buy it for the prospect of financial gain. But, then, he backed off when he heard that his obligation also involved marrying Ruth, the Moabite woman, to continue the dead man’s name.

Now, we know why Boaz got ten elders to sit with them. He wanted to makes sure they witnessed this man’s refusal to redeem the land and the family. So, when he stepped up to redeem the land and also to marry Ruth as the next kinsman in order, the deal was legalized and finalized through a peculiar custom of taking one’s sandal and giving it to the other.

To this the elders gave their blessing to Boaz in verse 11 and 12.

Their blessings were fourfold.

1. They blessed that Ruth would be like Rachel and Leah. Although not being able to be pregnant for over ten years, God would bless Ruth to have many children.
2. For Boaz to have standing in Ephrathah, to prosper even more.
3. To be famous in Bethlehem
4. For his family be like the family of Perez, whom Tamar born to Judah. Perez was an ancestor of the house of Judah.

And verse 13 sums up at least 10 some months of event. Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

Now, the women of the town jubilantly praise the Lord in verse 14-15. “Praise the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Here, their praise is about how God provided a kinsman-redeemer for Naomi. They weren’t talking about Boaz here. They were talking about the son born to Boaz by Ruth.

In chapter 3, Boaz had Ruth carry in her shawl barley so as not to return empty handed to Naomi. This was a symbolic turning point for Naomi, going from being empty and bitter to receiving fullness and joy. Now, in chapter 4, we see even greater fullness given to Naomi by God. When she came back to Bethlehem, she thought her life would continue to be empty and bitter. She didn’t have much go on. But, by God’s grace, things changed for her and for her beloved Ruth. The child born to Naomi by Ruth and Boaz was to make up for her lost years. She was bitter and empty, but now she found herself full, renewed, sustained, truly blessed! Verse 16 describes her holding her grandson and caring for him! If you’ve seen grandparents hold their first grandchild, you can imagine the kind of joy that Naomi experienced.

If the story were to end here, it would be a story of an ordinary family in Israel, struggling through tragedies and difficulties; a story of God coming to help those who are in need; a story about a woman going from bitterness and emptiness to fullness and joy-filled life; a story of romance between two outstand godly people.

But, the story didn’t end here. There was a greater picture to this story. The story ends with a genealogy. And, this puts the story of Ruth right in the center of God’s salvation plan.

Boaz was a descendant of Abraham and Ruth a descendant of Lot. Their son Obed was the grandfather of David, who the most famous and God-fearing king of Israel.

The story that seemed like an ordinary story about ordinary people proved to be a really big story about God’s amazing salvation plan.

Matthew 1:6-16 passage shows the genealogy from David to Christ and Luke 3:32-38 shows from Boaz back Adam.

Without the kinsman redeemer, Boaz, Naomi and Ruth would have perished. But, God provided them Boaz to redeem them from their perilous circumstances. God transformed Naomi’s empty and bitter life to full and joyful life through the birth of Obed.

But the bigger picture of the story of Ruth is Jesus Christ redeeming each of us through his blood. Without Jesus, we would all perish in our sins. Without him redeeming us, we will face the fate of Satan, the eternal fire of hell. Colossians 1:13-14 reads, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The big picture is being redeemed from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 130 fits so well to this describe this big picture for us.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

The story of Ruth points us to the big picture, the picture of Jesus Christ as our great Redeemer, who purchased us by laying down his life and shedding his blood for us. When life brings dark moments to us, we don’t loose our hearts! There is always hope even in the darkness hours! Hope in Jesus for he showers us with his unfailing love in his redemption!

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[1] K. Lawson Younger, NIV Application Commentary: Judges, Ruth, IVP, p. 475-476

Ruth 3, A Man of Standing, A Woman of Noble Character

Now having little three girls, we rarely go and see any featured movie. It seems like we wait about two years in average to watch any new movie when they are eventually released to a DVD format.

This past Monday night, after real busy two and half weeks of Christmas and the New Year seasons and our church retreat weekend, finally Lyn and I, we were able to unwind and watch a movie together after kids went to sleep. I am a great fan of spy thriller movie, like Born Supremacy. Well, since I was in charge of getting a movie for us, I really wanted to get Syriana for my taste. But, I was moved to consider a movie that Lyn might enjoy better… Well, I picked up a copy of Pride and Prejudice along with End of the Spear. Suspecting that this movie has no exciting and explosive sci-fi scenes, I was going to bring out my computer and do some works while Lyn enjoyed watching it. But, I ended up watching the whole movie.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I couldn’t identify with the life in England centuries ago portrayed by Jane Austin. But, having my own three little girls, the Bennet family life of five girls fascinated me. Mrs. Bennet was always preoccupied with finding the mates for her girls. Considering that marriage was the only way for women to secure a sound future, her preoccupation is understandable. Jane Austin wrote, “The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.”

I see no resemblance between the Mrs. Bennet character and Naomi in the book of Ruth except what preoccupied their minds, marriage of their daughters; in Naomi’s case, her daughter-in-law’s marriage.

One day Naomi told Ruth, her daughter-in-law in the book of Ruth 3:1, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?” The text isn’t clear how much time went by since Ruth finished gleaning at the fields belonged to Boaz. From chapter two, thanks to Boaz, Ruth gathered enough barley and wheat to last for a while. The immediate need for food now met, Naomi’s thought was now on finding a suitable mate for Ruth. In chapter 1, we saw Ruth looking out for Naomi when she was not obligated to be with Naomi any longer. Instead of leaving Naomi to find better life for herself in her home country of Moab, Ruth left everything that was familiar to her in order to look out for Naomi, her mother-in-law. Now, in chapter 3, we see Naomi looking out for Ruth who had been kind to her beyond measure.

Naomi knew that unless she found a suitable mate for Ruth, Ruth would not have much of future in Israel. Ruth, a Moabite foreign woman living in Israel alone, would not survive. To ensure Ruth’s wellbeing in the future, Naomi began thinking and came up with a concrete plan for Ruth, a bold and risky plan.

Naomi’s thought was on Boaz, her relative, a kinsman who was extraordinarily kind to Ruth and to her. He went out of his way to provide for them during the barley and wheat harvest seasons. His extraordinary kindness towards them, his well known reputation as a man of standing, Naomi thought of him well for many good reasons.

Naomi anticipated Boaz would be winnowing barley on the threshing floor this particular night. Naomi told Ruth to wash and to perfume herself. She also told Ruth to put on her best clothes. Naomi didn’t mean for Ruth to wear the best and the most expensive dressy clothes available in the market; to put on best clothes meant it was time for Ruth to end the period of her mourning, to leave the widowhood. This visible change in the way Ruth dressed would later signify to Boaz that she was ready to end the widowhood and begin a new life.

Naomi told Ruth after having washed, put on perfume, and put on clothes to end the mourning of her dead husband, to go down to the threshing floor, but to make sure her presence was not known to Boaz. There, Naomi anticipated correctly that Boaz would be eating and drinking with his servants. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Boaz drank wine or got drunk. It simply means that Boaz would be in good cheer! When the time came for sleep, Ruth was to notice where Boaz lied down. When he fell asleep, Ruth was to go and uncover his feet and lie down next to him. Naomi told her in verse 4, “He will tell you what to do.” Boaz would have interpreted symbolically Ruth’s act of uncovering his feet and lying next to him as a request for marriage.

We see in verse 5 and 6 Ruth doing exactly what she was told to do by Naomi. Earlier I mentioned that this was a bold and risky plan. The act of uncovering his feet and lying down next to him was a form of request for marriage. Nonetheless, it was vulnerable position to be in. Things could have gone terribly wrong at this point for Ruth.

• Since Ruth didn’t secure a new marriage contract and is still the wife of Mahlon, Boaz could have charged her as an adulterous and scandalous woman.
• Boaz could have used Ruth’s vulnerability for his sexual pleasure, only to malign her later for entrapment or even worse prostitution.
• Boaz could have mocked Ruth’s request for marriage to him as delusional dream.

Either ways would have put Ruth in great danger! Yet, we see Ruth carrying out exactly what she was told to do by Naomi. We see these two women had developed extraordinary trust for each other. Naomi had been so far a good judge of Boaz’s character. From the ways Boaz was kindhearted and generous to Ruth, Naomi was reasonably sure that Boaz would act appropriately not shaming Ruth or violating her. Ruth trusted Naomi’s judgment on this in spite of the possible risk and harm!

After Ruth having quietly uncovered Boaz’s feet and lied down near him, in the middle of the night, in verse 7 & 8, Boaz woke up startled by something and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. “Who are you?” Boaz asked.

Ruth answered him, “I am your servant Ruth… Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Last week I mentioned to you about the responsibilities of kinsman-redeemer in Israel. Leviticus 25:25-28 talks about kinsman-redeemers having the responsibility to buy back family’s land sold. Leviticus 25:47-55 talks about how kinsman-redeemers are to buy a family member who had been sold as a slave. Leviticus 25:35 talks about the responsibility of kinsman redeemer to look after needy and helpless members of the family. And, Deuteronomy 25:5-10 talks about the levirate law of marrying a childless widow of a deceased brother. Ruth’s action to uncover his feet and to lie next to him spoke already to Boaz of Ruth’s symbolic request for marriage. Now, she simply restated with her words what she already requested symbolically by her action.

He might very well at this point have had a flesh back to how he blessed Ruth earlier in chapter 2:12. He blessed her saying, “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” To come under the wings of God is the image of God being Ruth’s refuge, protection, her rest. Now, here was Ruth asking him to spread the corner of his garment over her… a symbolic image of marriage. He prayed for her God’s blessing upon her as she came under God’s protective, helping wings. Who would have thought God would answer his prayer for her in this way? Let me quote a comment from Block in his commentary on Ruth:

Boaz could have treated her as Moabite trash, scavenging in the garbage cans of Israel, and then corrupting the people with her whorish behavior, but the true hesed of his own, he sees her as a woman equal in status and character to himself.[1]

From verse 10-15, we see what kind of man Boaz was from his interaction with her. Far from shaming or violating her in anyway, treating her as a trash, an undesirable element of the society, he responded to her with gratitude; his heart was deeply moved by her request for marriage. He told her in verse 10, “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.” In her young and marriageable age, she could have sought to marry anyone in the town of Bethlehem. She was not under the strict legal obligation to marry her dead husband’s relative in order to raise up an heir for her dead child. As Ruth showed her kindness to Naomi, Boaz saw Ruth’s desire to enter in marriage with him as an act of kindness.

Verse 11, he promised her that he would do for Ruth all she asked him. And, said to her, “All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character.” Here was Boaz, a man of standing, and Ruth, a woman of noble character… a man of God and a woman of God, speaking and acting with integrity, kindness, respect, purpose and sincerity. This is a beautiful scene.

Boaz being a man of standing, he acknowledged that there was a kinsman-redeemer nearer than he. And he told her in verse 13, “Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.” And, verse 14, we read, “So she lay at his feet until morning.” Well, this is no Hollywood movie… the two God-fearing and God-honoring man and woman acting decently and respectably in self-control.

When Ruth came back and told Naomi all that Boaz had done for her. She also shared Naomi how Boaz gave her barley to take home, saying, “Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty handed.”

In 1:21, Naomi in her depressed and hopeless state said, “I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty.” But, in Bethlehem where God was working, things changed for her. She was no longer empty. God opened her eyes to see the blessing of her daughter-in-law Ruth at her side. Now, through Boaz God was filling her emptiness to full! This reminds me of Moses prayer in Psalm 90:15, “Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.”

Here are the applications from today’s God’s Word.

1. Strive to be a man of standing, a woman of noble character!

From the time when this love story of Boaz and Ruth developed, we are removed more than three thousand years, yet it speaks so powerfully to what we need to hear desperately.

We live in the time when acting honorably as a man of standing and a woman of noble character is not cherished much. Today’s people are more impressed with appearance more than substance of a person, character of a person. It is refreshing to see these two godly man and woman relating to each other with boldness, gentleness, respect, care, and gratitude, being mindful that they lived before God.

I pray that each of you in your single and marriage age, you devote yourself to becoming a man of standing, a woman of noble character. You can be rich, smart, successful and funny, but if you are not a person of standing and character, you will attract people who want to know you because of what you have not because of who you are. You want others to enjoy relating to you not because what you have, but because you are a person of unquestionable character.

There is something about falling in love with a person of character. In the story of Pride and Prejudice, the greatest obstacle for Elizabeth and Darsi from being in relationship was their inability to see beyond what appeared to their eyes, pride and prejudice. When they were sharpened in their character and when their eyes were unveiled to see each other’s character in the right light, their relationship took off.

As a single person, you need to expand all of your energy in becoming a person God wants you to become! Are you a person of character in courage, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, self-control? As you grow in your standing and your character, you will be able to discern other’s character as well.

There is nothing coincidental about how Ruth met Boaz. They couldn’t orchestrate their meetings like it happened. You see through the story of Ruth and Boaz God’s invisible hands guiding them. The most important quality, character you want to possess is the character of trusting in God. When you trust God, you can follow his way. When you follow his way, he leads you to where he wants you to go.

2. Learn to pray for others and see how God uses you to bless those you pray for.

Another thing that fascinates me is the way Boaz prayed in chapter 2:12 for Ruth and how later God was going to use Boaz to fulfill his prayer of blessing for Ruth. As I mentioned in their first encounter, Boaz prayed blessing for Ruth, for God to reward her richly for the kindness she showed to Naomi and for her trust in God to protect her. God’s wings were spread over Ruth to cover her, to protect her, lead her. And, Boaz’s prayer for God to reward Ruth’s kindness was answered by God moving Boaz’s heart to be kind towards Ruth… ultimately leading to meaningful relationship.

When you pray for others, often God uses you to bless them. This is the broad application. When we pray for people who are going through difficult time financially, often God moves our hearts to help them financially. I know many of you guys have prayed for our family. When the time came for our Honda Accord to feel too small for our growing family, those of you who had prayed for us, our well being, were prompted by God to act kind towards us. And, everyday we feel the blessing for having such a nice van for our family of five!

When I knew Lyn as a friend, I often prayed for her. I had no idea then I was praying for my future wife. When Boaz prayed for Ruth, he didn’t have any preconceived notion that he was praying for his future wife. His heart was moved to pray for her simply God moved his heart.

So, broadly speaking, learn to pray others and see how God will use you to bless them! And, narrowly speaking, men… learn to pray for your female friends, sisters in Christ. And, women, learn to pray for your male friends… brothers in Christ! You might be surprised down to road how God might use your prayer in their lives and for your lives.

3. Trust in God who turns emptiness to fullness!

Another lesson we can learn from today’s story is that our God is God who turns emptiness to fullness when we turn to him. If Naomi continued to live in Moab where God was not worshipped and followed, her life would have continue to descend into emptiness leading to completely bankruptcy.

But, things changed when she made her move to Bethlehem where God was moving. If you feel like your life is increasingly becoming empty, learn from Naomi’s life and evaluate again where you are staying, where you are headed. If you are staying and headed to where God is not worshipped, you will soon be empty. So, turn to God, turn to Bethlehem, where God is working through his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Conclusions

Toward the end of the movie, there is a scene between Elizabeth and her father Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet just approached by Darci to ask his daughter in marriage. As soon as Darci came out of the room where he talked to her father, Lizzie went in to talk to her father. Mr. Bennet was completely caught off guard thinking that her daughter always hated Darci. But, after impassionate plea, things began to make sense for Mr. Bennet; his daughter was indeed in love with Darci. And, this is the dialogue that completely melted my heart.

Mr. Bennet: I cannot believe that anyone can deserve you... but it appears I am overruled. So, I heartily give my consent.
Elizabeth Bennet: [kissing and hugging him] Thank you.
Mr. Bennet: I could not have parted with you, my Lizzie, to anyone less worthy.

This is ultimately the picture of our heavenly Father bringing us to his Son Jesus Christ.

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[1] Block, Judges, Ruth, p. 695.

Ruth 1:7-22, Journey back to Bethlehem!

This past Thursday, I went out on a date with my wife. We drove to Woodfield Mall; there we went to a children’s clothing store to get some clothes for our kids and J. C. Penny to get few other things. Good thing we weren’t there fore last minute Christmas shopping. We ended the night by eating at Cheese Cake Factory. It has been a while we had a date night like this! It was very nice.

As we were having a good time being together, I couldn’t help but notice how crazy the place was. There were so many people; I am sure many of them were doing their last minute shopping. It seems almost a religious thing that we do before Christmas; we know it is crazy to venture out into the malls so close to Christmas. But, we do it! For some, it is out of sheer necessity, for others it is for fun.

Today, we will look closely at a different kind of journey taken by three women. They weren’t going to the mall. They were going to Bethlehem during the time of Judges, over 1000 years before Jesus was born in the same town.

Let me briefly recapture what we have learned last week from 1:1-6.

As discussed, Ruth 1:1 tells us the story of Ruth took place during the time of Judges. Judges 21:25 captures the sentiment during that time, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Although God was Israel’s King, Israel didn’t follow him instead they did whatever they wanted to do. God brought upon Israel severe famine in Israel. Bethlehem, a town of Judah, which means ‘house of bread,’ was ironically impoverished without much bread.

During this difficult time instead of seeking and waiting for God’s help in Bethlehem, Elimelech decided to take out his family out of Bethlehem and go to Moab. God brought the Israelites into his Promised Land and the Israelites were to live there trusting in God’s care for them, being faithful to God. So, leaving Bethlehem where God brought Elimelech to live and now going to Moab was like leaving the Promised Land and going back to Egypt.

What happens when the people of God do not trust God to know what’s best for them? What happens when they do what they think is the best for them? God removes his protection from his people and let them choose what they think is best for them. Elimelech and his household hoped and dreamed things would be much better to leave Bethlehem and live in Moab. They thought they would be fulfilled in Moab. But, we saw how their hopes and dreams were shattered by the deaths of Elimelech and his two sons, leaving Naomi and the two Moabites daughters-in-laws, Orpah and Ruth, widows with no children in the family. Instead of being fulfilled, Naomi after ten years of living in Moab found herself empty, helpless, and vulnerable.

But, we saw in verse 6, it was during this heartbreaking time when Naomi heard that God was on the move. The LORD noticed the Israelites living in Bethlehem, came to them, and gave them his tangible help by providing them food. Naomi was in a desperate place. When she heard what the LORD was doing back home in Bethlehem, she knew what she had to do. She was going back home; she was leaving Moab and going back to Bethlehem. She packed her stuff; she got Orpah and Ruth packing too.

1. On the way to Bethlehem, Naomi tried to convince Orpah and Ruth to return back to Moab.

Verse 7 says, “with her daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.” Now, for Naomi this was her journey back home; this was her spiritual recovery from the emptiness to the fullness only God can give to her.

What about her two Moabite daughters-in-law? For Naomi, it was going home journey, but for these two young women, the journey was leaving their home, their comfort, their culture, their values, their families, all that was familiar to them.

Naomi realized that the journey had very different meanings for her and for her daughters-in-law. So, she told her in verse 8-9, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have show ton your dead and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Naomi was a considerate and reasonable woman. Her daughters-in-law were good to her and to her dead sons. She was convinced that their lives would be better if they would remain in Moab, their home country. They were still young enough to remarry the native Moabite men. So, she wished them God’s blessing for their future new marriages that they would find protection and provision from their new husbands. She kissed each of them good bye.

But, Naomi’s farewell kisses were met by cries! Orpah and Ruth wept aloud and told her in verse 10, “We will go back with you to your people.” Naomi’s warm wish for them to find new husbands in their native land didn’t convince them to leave.

I wonder what kind of mother-in-law she was that these two still young women would gladly stay with her and go to Israel, which was a foreign country to them. They didn’t jump at the opportunity to leave Naomi. They were genuinely taken by who Naomi was.

Again, convinced that they would be better in their home country than following her to Israel, Naomi tried harder to convince them to return to their home. She appealed to their common sense, to convince them that they were out of mind to want to follow her.

She told them in verse 11-13a, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husband? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me-even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons-would you wait until they grow up? Would you remain unmarried for them?” Another word, they would have no future prospect to get remarried if they were to follow Naomi. What Naomi was saying to them doesn’t make whole lot of sense unless we understand an Old Testament marriage law called the levirate law. It comes from Deuteronomy 25:5-6. Verse 5-6 says, “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside of the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name not be blotted out from Israel.” This was an exception law to Leviticus 18:16, which says, “Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.” The Levirate law only applied in the case when brothers lived in the same household and one of them died leaving his wife as a widow without a son. The purpose of this levirate law was to prevent the family line from ceasing.

If Naomi had other sons besides Mahlon and Kilion who died leaving Orpah and Ruth as childless widows, then the levirate laws would ensure that Orpah and Ruth would be taken cared by the other sons, thereby ensuring provision and continuation of the family line. However, Naomi was telling her that this was not the case. There were no other sons; she was too old to have any children, too old to get remarried. And, hypothetically speaking even if she got remarried and had sons right away, it wouldn’t make any sense for Orpah and Ruth to wait for them to grow.

Simply, Naomi was telling Orpah and Ruth that they would be crazy to follow her. At least in Moab, Orpah and Ruth would be able to get remarried. If they were to follow Naomi to Israel, humanly speaking there would be no prospect of marriage for them.

Verse 13 captures her sentiment well. She told them, “It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has gone out against me!” Orpah and Ruth although they lost their husbands could have better future for themselves by remarrying in Moab. But, for Naomi, such future was not a possibility for her. She was empty, alone… and she presumed that was how life was going to be for her, an empty and bitter life with no hope. Naomi saw her predicament as a result of God being against her. Being convinced that God was against her, Naomi saw no reason for Orpah and Ruth to be around her and share the empty widowhood.

2. Naomi’s impassionate plea for Orpah and Ruth to return back to Moab are met by two very different responses from them

Verse 14 tells us the dramatic differences in how Orpah and Ruth responded to Naomi’s impassionate plea to return to Moab. They both wept loud again as before. But, this time, Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, while Ruth clung to her.

Orpah although initially pledged her loyalty to Naomi couldn’t resist her plea. Everything her mother-in-law said to them made sense to Orpah. Since Naomi was looking out for her daughters-in-law, Orpah made no more attempt to reject Naomi’s plea.

Ruth cried too but instead giving farewell kiss to Naomi, Ruth clung to Naomi. This verb “to cling” was also used in Genesis 2:14 to describe marriage union. It is said a man leaves his parents “to cleave” or “to be united” to his wife. Ruth was not convinced by Naomi’s impassionate plea to return to Moab.

Naomi tried one more time to convince Ruth to return to Moab. She told Ruth in verse 15, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. God back with her.” In fact, this was what Orpah was choosing. Returning to Moab meant Orpah was choosing the Moabites’ way of life and their spirituality. It meant having no more part in worshiping God of Israel, but only the pagan gods of Moab.

To Naomi’s plea for Ruth to follow Orpah’s example is again rejected by Ruth. She told Naomi in verse 16 and 17:

Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

One word comes to my mind when I consider Ruth’s response to Naomi, loyalty. By choosing to stay with Naomi and continue on the journey to Israel, to Bethlehem, Ruth was abandoning the way of life in Moab that could have afforded her a husband, stability, security, comfort, and the familiar pagan spirituality. By choosing to leave Moab, she was not just leaving a place, but a place where her families, relatives, friends lived in their particular ways. She was saying, “no,” to the way of life in her native country and saying “yes” to the way of life with an old widow, her mother-in-law Naomi, in a foreign country, Israel.

Ruth’s choice to journey with Naomi meant abandoning the worship of pagan gods in her native country while welcoming and fully embracing Naomi’s spirituality, worship of God of Israel.

When we think with common sense, logically, Ruth was making a bad choice. Ruth could have spent the rest of her life as a young widow next to Naomi, never to be fully accepted by Naomi’s people, only to be marginalized. There was no special promise of blessing given to Ruth for making the choice to stay with Naomi. There was no divine calling for Ruth to fully embrace Naomi and her way of life in Israel.

Why was Ruth so determined to go with Naomi to Israel, to embrace Naomi’s people and God as her people and God? Loyalty! She was loyal. Ruth spent the last ten years with Naomi; they went through some excruciatingly difficult times loosing the loved ones; somehow in that ten years, Ruth’s relationship with Naomi became so strong that Ruth couldn’t fathom leaving Naomi even though there was no promise for better future, but only the real possibility for more difficult times. For Ruth, leaving Naomi was not an option. It was unthinkable. Only way Ruth could ever envision being separated from Naomi was death.

By this time, Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her. There was no compromise on this one! So, in verse 18, we see Naomi stopped urging her.

3. Naomi’s response when she arrived in Bethlehem.

Their journey finally led them to Bethlehem. Immediately the town was stirred… the women were beginning to talk to each other. Ten years had passed since Naomi left, “Could this be Naomi?” Perhaps, they couldn’t recognize her right away because of Naomi’s altered appearance having gone through tragic and difficult ten years. Perhaps, they were also overjoyed to see their long lost friend, Naomi!

As soon as the people recognized Naomi, she told them, “Don’t call me Naomi… Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” Her name Naomi means “pleasant.” Her name didn’t reflect how she felt about life. So, she asked the women of Bethlehem to stop calling her Naomi, but Mara, which means “bitter.” She told them why she felt bitter about life in verse 21, “I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” We already saw Naomi feeling this way in verse 13.

Naomi indeed went away from Bethlehem to Moab with her husband and her two sons ten years ago. But, did she really return home completely empty? This would be true if Ruth also went back to her home, to Moab. But, Naomi returned back to Bethlehem to her country, not empty, but with her daughter-in-law. Naomi would have returned empty if it weren’t for Ruth’s commitment to follow Naomi.

The pain does this to people. When my pain was intensely bitter after my mother was killed back in 1993, I wasn’t able to see pass beyond my pain for long time. Pain has a way of distorting our perception; it has a way of limiting us from seeing the big picture. Although faithful, kind and caring Ruth accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem Naomi, feeling raw with pain, couldn’t see this as a blessing in her life.

Chapter 1 concludes with a summary statement in verse 22. “So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law,” back in Bethlehem.” And, as Naomi heard in verse 6, indeed the LORD was on the move in Israel. God ended the long famine in Israel. Finally he brought about the change in the climate and other environmental condition to bring about a great harvest.

Applications

Now let’s see how this is applies to us. Last week we considered the impact of Naomi’s decision to return back to Bethlehem. To us the decision to return to Bethlehem, ‘house of bread,’ is really all about returning to Jesus, “the Bread of life.”

1. Be patient… you will see God moving in your life.

But, when the pain gets intensely bitter like it was for Naomi, it takes time for us to work out the feeling of being abandoned or punished by God and that God is still working for us. As we progressed through the story of Ruth, we are going to see in detail how God was kind towards Naomi and Ruth. Although, the pain was intensely bitter and blinding for Naomi, we are going to see how our God is God who was able to penetrate the cloud of bitterness and blindness with his kindness.

At this point, because of her bitter pain, Naomi was not able to see how God was moving in her life. God was kind to Naomi by providing her with an incredibly loyal daughter-in-law; yes, Naomi was empty when she lost her husband and her sons. But, she didn’t return empty to Bethlehem as she told her friends and families. She returned with an incredible woman of faith, Ruth.

When our Lord Jesus was born in the manger some two thousand years ago, only few people saw that God was indeed moving to save the man kind through this little baby in the manger. If you have been away from God for a while but you are journeying back to Bethlehem now, I want you to know that it takes some time for you to really see God moving in your life as it did for Naomi. So, be patient!

2. Live a compelling life!

Let’s also consider how Ruth was so convinced that it was right for her to go with Naomi even though humanly speaking there was no promising future for her in doing that. Initially it was both Ruth and Orpah who insisted that they went with Naomi to Bethlehem. And after Naomi’s persistent plea, it was only Ruth who remained firm in her conviction that it was right for her to go with Naomi to Bethlehem.

We don’t have any detail as to how Naomi related to her daughters-in-law in those ten years in Moab. But, judging from how they responded to Naomi, it would not be too difficult to think that Naomi was a good mother-in-law. Something about the way Naomi conducted herself in those ten years made Ruth so committed to Naomi and her way of life.

What I am suggesting to you is that Naomi even though lived in a foreign and strange country not of her own, in a place where God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was not worshiped, she lived a winsome life to convince Ruth that it was worth everything to follow God of the Bible.

The New Testament talks about our Christian life in terms of pilgrimage. Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” And, Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

We need to be a winsome Christian. Being Christians doesn’t mean God allows us to live pain and trouble free life. But, the powerful testimony to our non-Christians friends, families, colleagues, coworkers comes from how we do our lives in spite of difficulties, trials, and hardships.

My prayer is that along our journey back to Bethlehem, each us would have someone like Ruth who cling to us because they want to draw near to Bethlehem, where Christ was born, to be the Bread of life… all because they see us living the compelling life in Jesus Christ.

3. Become a loyal person compelled by the love of Jesus Christ!

Lastly, let me comment about Ruth. What can I say? She is just an amazing woman of God! We live in the time when people are really in love with themselves. Everything seems to be disposable, even relationships. It is hard to find loyalty these days. People get into relationship with others who make them feel good about themselves, who are good to them, who care for them. But, for the same reason, people break off relationships because others no longer meet their needs or wants. I find Ruth’s commitment to follow and care for Naomi, an old widow, incredibly refreshing. It is remarkable because there was no bright future promised for Ruth. She would have done well if she did what her sister Orpah did, to return to Moab to remarry a Moabite man.

How are you like Ruth in your commitment to care for people around you even though it costs you? How are you like Ruth who didn’t pull out a calculator to see what was in for her to go with Naomi?

Can you imagine what could happen if Jesus decided to do cost analysis during his earthly ministry as a selfish person? What he was sent to do would cost his life. Yet, we see him since his birth, steadily without wavering moving towards the cross. Jesus was convinced that to die on the cross was the right thing to do because he was compelled to please the Father; he was compelled to die on the cross because he loves us. He was compelled to take on human body like you and me in order to suffer, to die and to be raised from the dead.

Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer life for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Are you compelled by love of Jesus Christ to love people? And, does it make you fiercely loyal person?

In this Christmas season and for the New Year to come, we can easily be sucked into the worldly pattern of going from one place to another without much thinking.

Why don’t we all go to Bethlehem like Naomi and Ruth did? Let’s go see Jesus who was born a child as our King, our Savior, our Lord!