A Summary and Exposition of Ruth Part 3.
RUTH 3:1- 9
I. Introduction
A. As Naom I viewed the need of Ruth she related the supply of those needs to Boaz (Ruth 3:1 2,9)
1. The reason for this was; Boaz was her Goel.
2. Boaz was not only a relative but according to the law of God. He could assume the role as her Redeemer,
3. We will preceive this role as Redeemer being a type of Christ our Redeemer
B. In order to understand Christ’s role as our Redeemer we must go back to Golgotha’s brow
1. When we see the Cross of Christ in its universal dimension it gives us the answer to popular but superficial objections to the purposes of Christ redemption
2. We shall consider some popular objections the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross and give an answer to those objections.
II. How can the Crucificion of a Person Save Us?
A. The cross viewed only as a crucifixion cannot save us, but the Cross as an act of God does.
1. Matt. 16:21 – Suffer, be killed, and be raised the third day.
a. Peter strongly protested – This shall never be unto Thee
b He was referring to the slaying of Jesus at the hands of wicked men.
c. The fact of death so grasped his mind He fail to hear “and be raised the third day”.
d. His eye was so taken by human tragedy that he was blinded to the divine victory.
2. Matt. 17:22 – Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men and they shall kill Him, but the third day He shall be raised up.
a. The record says, they were exceedingly sorry
b. They were so sorry at the thought of his dying they could not comprehend His triumph
3. Through the centuries the same thing has persisted
a. The cross as a human tragedy has captivated the minds of much of the organized church.
b.In spite of Luther add the reformation the crucifix occupies a high place in some santuaries.
c. The reason for the empty Cross that stands on our churches is to testify that Christ did not die a tragic death but a death that lead to resurrection and glory.
d. Dr. Henry Mpbie says:
It was the act of man’scriminality which constituttea the The atonement is God’s act and is deeper than the crucifixion a reality none of crucifiers saw.
4.The Cross as a Crucifixion was an act of man but the Cross as an atonement was an act of God.
a. We are not saved by a crucifixion but by the atonement to which that crucifixion gave visibility
III. Another Objection is – How can something that happened 2000 year ago save us now
A. The Scriptures clearly teach that the Cross is time less
1. It happened 2000 years ago – because it had to happen in human history somewhere at sometime
2. The Cross on Calvary is the historical manifesting of an activity which originated in God eons ago.
a. It is a revelation of that sympathetic, atoning which is in God the Father.
b. The Lamb of God visibly slain 2000 years ago was already slain in the anticipative decision of God. (I, Peter 1:20 – Rev. 13:8)
B. In the past century we have seen an agnostic reaction away from fundamental Christianity
1. It was mainly provoked by seeing only a tragic execution on Roman Cross
a. What atoning sufficiency could there be in a criminal execution of long ago.
b. That Cross is a continuing present power because the One who died on it is a living, contemporary reality
c. Jesus is no mere figure of past history as others are.
2. His last word before ascending to heaven was; Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the age.
a. You can no more imprison Christ in the dusky past than you can the sun which broke over our hemisphere this morning
C. In the strictest sense it is not the Cross which saves us, but we are saved by the living Christ himself through His cross and resurrection
IV. Why cannot God forgive sin without the Cross?
A. In other words is the Cross really necessary?
1. Because of who and what God is..His fatherhood does not act to override His justice and honor.
2. All of God attibutes must express themselves in perfect coordination
a. God’s fatherhood cannot act in nay way which contradicts divine holiness and justice
B. We might say God met the most difficult of problems head on
1. What was the problem?
a. How can mercy act freely with out justice being insulted
b. How can justice exact its full due without tieing the hands of mercy
c. This would be an insurmountable problem for man but God meets it and measures it completely.
2. It is in the Cross of Christ that mercy and truth are met together, rightousness and peace have kissed each other (Ps. 85:10)
a. It is the death of Christ that has enabled God to be “just and justifier of the ungodly” (Romans 3:26)
b. It is the blodd of Christ that cleanes our sin upon the ground of our confession – God can cleanse our sins and be just in doing so (I John 1:9)
C. As earthly kings must hear rule and administer law penalizing criminals in order to preserve the safety of the law abiding, so God must administer law throughtout His universe
1. Even the simplest of minds can see if there was nothing but forgiveness without judgement, “forgiveness” would become a
wide open door to cosmic anarchy
2. There is no forgiveness apart from the honoring of that moral law which guarantees the safety of the universe
3. Hence the reason why a contrite sinner can trust Jesus as Savior and receive forgiveness of sin
4. Always keep in mind He bore the penalty for sin in my place.
V. Why Should God Demand Blood before He will forgive?
A. It was this supposed demand for blood that turned Sir Arthur Conan Doyle against Christianity
1. Moderistic Theologians contemptuously deride the biblical emphais on the blood
a. One “Scholor” said, This primitive idea of salvation through the blood smells to me of a butcher shop,
b. Such scholors sneer at the blood as if they were gentlemen of superior refinement
c. They forget that whatever progress and refinement there is in America and England it has come through that doctrine of the “precious blood” which they disclaim
2. Spurgeon in one of his sermons commented that; “Throughout the history of Christendom, whenever the church has preached morality instead of the Cross, morality has badly deteriorated; but where ever the “Precious blood”, or salvation through the slain Lamb of Calvary has been most clearly proclaimed to men, the vilest of the vile have been lifted from the gutter of sin and transformed into holy nobility.
a. The blood of Jeus spells out for me in crimson letter – God loves you
b. Those nailprints in Jesus hands and feet shine brighter and are more beautiful to me than all the stars of heaven
3. The Bible does not say that God demands blood
a. Someone quickly retarts what about Heb. 9:22
b. Read it carefully and you will find it says according to the law, almost all things are cleansed by blood
c. The basit truth is not that God demands blood but that sin requires an atonement.
B. God must deal with this monstrosity that we call SIN
1. He must deal with it in such a way as to honor the moral law which makes His universe safe.
2. Somewhere there must be a gigantic appeasement to God’s attribute of holiness and justice
3. there must be a reconcilation between an unholy sinner and a holy God. Hence an atonement
a. This atonement must be consistant with God’s holiness and also make a way for sinful man to be saved.
b. Can anyone suggest a wiser method of dealing with this problem apart from Calvary?
4. Let us not forget that it was God Himself in human flesh who shed His own blood for the sake of saving man. Not one sinner has ever had to shed his blood as an atonement for sin
C. What about the animal sacrifices
1. These were given to impress on the human conscience the ugliness and costliness of sin.
2 Also God allows animals to be killed for food and even the sacrifices were used for that purpose.
Can I be saved, or any man,
By Jesus ‘ Cross so long time past?
Yes, for that Cross, etc time began
Embraced our race from first to last
Yet, even so, could One alone
Bear all out world’s iniquity?
Yes, He, as God – Man, could atone
With endless all sufficiency.
But can that outward fact apart
Save me from inward fault and sin?
Yes, when I ask Him to my heart,
His presence changes me within.
Ruth 3:8
Introduction
A. Naomi devises a plan that has in it something far better for Ruth than being a gleaner.
1. By faith she can see Ruth in her own home, loved and honored as a wife and mother.
2. This is what she meant when she said; my daughter shall I not seek rest for thee (RSVÄ
a home for you)
a. She then revealed to Ruth her plan to send her to Boaz to invoke the Hebrew law of the goel
b. It was however, a delicate matter, for while Boaz had the right to redeem, he
might not want to.
3. It was at this point Naomi instructs her what to do.
a. She was told to wash and anoint herself and put on new clothes.
b. By changing her widows clothes she was declaring to all who saw her that she was
available for marriage
B. She was to wait to see where Boaz lay down
1. When he was asleep she stole in and lifted the clothes that covered his feet and lay
down.
a. At midnight he awoke and behold a woman lay at his feet.
b. Who art thou? He was rather startled to find a woman at his feet. It would have a
tendency to shake you up.
2. I am Ruth, spread thy garment over me, for thou art a goel
a. In Ez.l6:8 it is a symbolic act by which a man would claim the one of his choice to be his wife.
b. Normally it was the place of a man to do the spreading of the skirt for he had to
make the choice.
c. In effect Ruth was proposing to him-she was saying, marry me, Boaz, take me as
your wife.
d. If this seems immodest and presumptuous she gives her reason for such boldness – thou are a goel (redeemer).
C. Boaz Response to her Request
1. It is true I am thy kinsman – I will do all thou requirest.
II This is a Beautiful Picture of Jesus Christ
A. This is God’s plan for us – Go lie at His feet
1. How moving it is when it cab be said of us – behold a failed Christian lies at His feet.
a. A failed preacher lies at His feet – or a failed wife or husband lies at His feet.
b. They have each slipped under his skirt to lie at His feet because they have realized that in spite of all He is their hearest kinsman
c. He is the one who can redeem what we have lost
d. He has the right, power and willingness to redeem all that has gone wrong.
2. The simple truth is that you cannot be so wrong, so depressed, but that you can take your burdened heart and lie down under His garment and cry out – spread your skirt over me.
a. Lord take over, bail me out, for you are my nearest kinsman.
b. When He sees you there He knows He has a failure on His hands who is appealing to His right to redeem and thank God He never fails to spread His skirt over you.
B. Till you go to His feet the situation you have made is your responsibility.
1. Once you lie down at His feet not only is the sin forgiven but He takes over the situation
as His responsibility.
2. Too often we refuse to see ourselves as the one who has failed. We blame the other person.
a. In marriage the argument gets going often it is very difficult to know who is really at fault.
b. When Christians or husbands and wives quarrel the devil remains neutral and provides ammunition for both sides.
3. Jesus cannot spread His skirt over me until I am prepared to take my place at His feet as
the wrong one.
a. Though we hate to take our place as the wrong one, it is something we must learn to do.
b. Although forgiveness is immediate – the recovery from our situation may proceed a
little more slowly.
c. There are other factors and other people upon whom He may need to work.
d. In the words of scripture – sit still my daughter for the man will not rest until
he finish the thing.
III The Response of Boaz
A. What was his response to her daring claim-He thanked her.(3:10)
1. Blessed be thou of the Lord my daughter
2. He was thanking her for giving him the privilege of exercising his right as her Kinsman Redeemer
a. When you go to the cross for revival Jesus thanks you for coming.
b. Prayer is not offered to overcome God’s reluctance but to lay clam upon His willingness.
3. In John 16:24-God invites us to ask – He invites us to present our mess to Him and when we do
He covers it.
4. He certainly does cover us and that with the
mantle of His precious blood.
B. Thou Hast Shown More Kindness in the Latter End than in the Beginning. What kindness is He talking about.
1. Answer – consider what many another young widow would have done in her situation. Some would have said, `There is no future for me here, just gleaning in other people’s fields, living in this reined farmhouse, looking after an ageing mother – in-law; I’ll cut my ties and look for a husband amongst one of the young men.”
Now Ruth would have had a perfect right to do this, but had she done it and found another husband outside the family, Naomi would have been deserted, the family lands would probably.
never have been redeemed, there would certainly be no seed raised up in Mahlon’s name to
inherit them, and the family of Elimelech would have become extinct in Israel.
2. She didn’t do that, she chose to stick it out
with a dying family.
C. The Spiritual Application Is This
1. It is natural to us when things go wrong and our situation gets bad, just cut the ties,
close the book and start over somewhere or with someone else.
2. I believe that what delights the Lord Jesus is not for us to be wanting a new situation, but
getting a vision for the revival of the old, and asserting, there is nothing too hard for Jesus, there is nothing that He cannot do right there.
3. This certainly has an application to marriage doesn’t it?
a. Very often when things go wrong we go to the divorce court rather than the Cross
b. People would rather end things rather than allow Jesus to mend things.
c. Although it takes two to make a quarrel one can mend the fences, can patch up what has gone wrong
d. When the Lord Jesus sees you moving in that direction – He is delighted. It gives Him the opportunity to come on the scene and mend things.
4. It is always true that mending things is a lot more rewarding than ending things.
5. An Englishman once sang about this in a Christian folk musicale:
Are there any old homes to mend?
Any old hearts to mend?
Any father or daughter
Don’t get on as they oughter?
Any old hurts and hates to mend?
In a world of smash and grab
Where we’re handy at giving each other the jab,
Somebody needs to start
And learn the difficult art
Of mending things, mending things;
For a world at war,
Or a mother-in–law,
We need Someone for mending things.
Once on a lonely hill,
They got hold of a Feller they wanted to kill,
They decided to chuck Him out,
`Cos He would keep going about,
Just mending things, mending things,
A lot more rewarding than ending things,
But He’s still around
Some people have found
Just going on mending things.
