Ruth 4:11-22 God Redeems Us, Part 2

The Text

Ruth 4:11-22 (CSB)
11 All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem.

12 May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the LORD granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son.

14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.

15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him.

17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the family records of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,

19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,

20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,

21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,

22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

The Word

Romans 4:21 (CSB) because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.

The Second Redeemer: Boaz, Part 2

God Does: God is in every part of your life

11 All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

  • the blessing of the Lord from the people
  • the odd comparison between Tamar and Ruth
    • Tamar's deception in order to have a child
    • Ruth's humility in order to have a child
    • make no mistake: Judah grievously sin against Tamar and his family by sleeping with temple prostitute
    • yet both instances, God blessed the family line
    • despite our best efforts, God redeems and glorifies

God Does: God is at the forefront of our lives

13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the LORD granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son.

  • provision is always 20/20
  • God withheld conception from Ruth and Mahlon during their 10 years of marriage
  • God granted conception to Ruth and Boaz

It is any wonder why David writes:

Psalms 139:13-14 (CSB) For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.

God Does: God redeems

14-15 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

The Third Redeemer: Grandfather of David

God Does: God is our joy

16-17 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Naomi's life redeemed. She did not perish but the joy of the Lord was her strength. She was emptied and embittered against God. But despite her bitterness, God was still at work. God had tender mercies on her and did not forget her, forsake her but redeem her.

I tell you time and time again, I identify will nobody in this story other than Naomi. I am Naomi but times a million. I have sinned mightily against God. Because of my sin, I have stepped into the deepest darkest despair. But my God did not forget me nor forsake me. He knew I was a wicked man and when he knew me before the foundation of the world, he knew that I was dead in my trespasses and sins. But it was there, before the beginning, he made a covenant with the Son that he will not let me see corruption nor dwell in hell but save us to himself forever.

The Fourth Redeemer: The Son of David

And you believe and trust in Christ, the same goes for you! The Father made the unbreakable promise with his Son that Christ will redeem his people from their sins. And because Christ died upon the cross, Christ alone has fulfilled that covenant.

God Does: Christ is our one true Redeemer

In the midst of chaos (Judges), when our world seems to be at our bleakest darkest moment, God is telling us that he is still at work. He is the not the divine watchmaker who wound up the universe like a watch and then left it to run on its own. Likewise, despite the idiom, the devil is not in the details. We see over and over again that God is in the details.

18 Now these are the family records of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,

19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,

20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,

21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,

22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Matthew 1:5-6 (CSB) Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse,
and Jesse fathered King David.

We know that Boaz is a godly man who was raised up in a godly way. We know that he heard the law of God and strived not to simply obey the letter but the spirit of the law. Think about this: who taught him that.

Look at his mother, Rahab. Boaz' mother, at one time, was an outsider Gentile like Ruth. Unlike Ruth who is woman of godly character (Proverbs 31), Rahab started her life the complete opposite--she was a prostitute and a Canaanite. But in a moment that change not only the life of Rahab but for the people of Israel, Rahab believed in God, it was counted to her as righteousness, and she acted upon that faith.

Boaz was a direct result of the people of God being obedient to God to protect and redeem Rahab and her family from harm. The God's judgment was on Jericho. That was not going to be deterred. But the redemption of salvation on Rahab and her household was not going to be thwarted either.

Boaz grew up the compassion of God to him. Boaz and his family were sinners saved by the grace of God whose mercies are fresh every morning. The story of Ruth is all about God's love for us. But in the smallest details, I have always wondered if Boaz loved Ruth because her story reminded him of his mom's story.

Matthew 1:16 (CSB) and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Matthew 1:21 (CSB) She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Our story is just like Ruth's. Instead of being the middle of the book of Judges, we are in the middle of Genesis 3. In the middle of this story, God has sent us the Redeemer--his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of David, the Son of Jesse, the Son of Obed, the Son of Ruth and Boaz.

While Ruth and Naomi did not know how their lives were going to end up, they put all of their hope in the God that saves. For us who believe in God, we know how the story ends: the new heavens and the new earth and Christ glorified us his people.

Revelation 21:3-4 (CSB) Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God because Jesus Christ is our Lord.

We all want the end like Ruth 4. But I am telling you will receive something way way more beautiful and glorious: we get to dwell with the Triune God forever because the Triune God dwells in us now!

But from where we are at now to Revelation 22, how do we get there? That, my beloved, is the Christian life. I am not sure what we are all going through--in our hearts and souls, what is really really going on. But I assume you by the promises of God, you are preserved and healed and made whole and made new in his Son. God's promises is that he alone will bring us all the way home.