REDEEMED, REDEEMED, BY LOVE DIVINE (Ruth 3:9-4:12)

Pursued By Grace Series Sermon # 11

REDEEMED, REDEEMED, BY LOVE DIVINE

Ruth 3:9-4:12   (NKJV)

9 And he said, “Who are you?”

So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”

10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.

12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.

13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

15 Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city.

16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that the man had done for her.

17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth
4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down.

2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4 And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’”

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

6 And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal.

9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”

Intro:

Ruth has come alone way since she left the country of Moab. She has come all the way from being a lost, sinner girl in a doomed country to finding herself at the feet of a wealthy land owner by the name of Boaz. Because she is at his feet, she is about to get the help she needs. You see, she is looking for a redeemer. Someone who can give her back all the things that sin and death have taken from her. She has found herself at the feet of the redeemer. She is about to find herself in the middle of his redemption. If Ruth had a favorite song, it might have contained a line that went something like this; “I’m redeemed by love divine!”

Now, this passage has a lot to say to us about the redemption we enjoy if we are saved in Christ Jesus, and can come to enjoy if we are lost and come to faith in Him. In this passage, we are given a clear picture of how redemption operates and of what is required to receive it.

Let’s look in on the wonderful world of redemption. I want to preach for a while on this thought, “Redeemed! Redeemed! By Love Divine!” If you are saved, I hope it will help you to be more appreciative of that which you have in Jesus. If you are not saved, I hope this massage will cause you to want to be redeemed.

I. 3:9-18 THE PROPOSAL OF REDEMPTION

A. 3:6-9 Ruth’s Request For Redemption – Here we see Ruth asking for just what she needs: redemption. (Note: Salvation is as simple as our asking for it, John 6:37; Rom. 10:13; James 4:2. Jesus Christ has done everything that is necessary to save the soul of the lost sinner; all the sinner has to do is humble himself before the Lord and ask for salvation.)

B. 3:10-18 Ruth’s Reassurance Of Redemption – After Ruth makes her request, she receives some precious assurances from Boaz. He wants her to know that she can count on him and the redemption he will provide for her.

1. V. 10-13 Reassured By His Promises – His promise to her is that he will do whatever is necessary to see that she is redeemed. Notice that he promises to do “all” that she needs done.

(Note: So it is with Jesus! He has done all that is required to make redemption a reality for everyone who calls upon Him in faith, John 6:47; Rom. 10:9.)

(Note: Heb. 9:12; Heb. 10:10-14 speak of the redemptive price Jesus paid for us. His precious, shed blood is the price, payment and promise of our redemption, 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Heb. 9:22.)

2. V. 14-17 Reassured By His Provisions – When Ruth leaves the threshing floor the next morning, she leaves with the promises of Boaz, but she also leaves loaded down with his provisions. He places 88 pounds of barley on her back. Imagine her walking back through the city. Everyone who sees her knows where she has been and that there is about to be a wedding. When she arrives home Naomi asks the question, “Who art thou my daughter?” She is asking, “Are you going to be Mrs. Boaz?” Ruth just says, “Look at the provisions he has given me and tell me what you think! Yes Mama Naomi, there’s going to be a wedding!”

(Note: The Lord gives His children many proofs that they are His, Psa. 68:19. His provisions are both internal – Rom. 8:16; Heb. 13:5; Eph. 1:13-14; and external – Matt. 6:25-33. If you are His child, you will know it for sure!)

3. V. 18 Reassured By His Persistence – Naomi tells Ruth to sit tight, because Boaz would not rest until he had finished her redemption.

(Note: The child of God can rest in the sure knowledge that Jesus will not rest until every single one of His children are home in glory, Heb. 7:25; 1 Pet. 1:5. He is a “man with a mission”, John 6:37-40; John 10:28-29.)

II. 3:12; 4:1-10 THE PROBLEMS OF REDEMPTION

(Ill. Before Ruth’s redemption can be settled, there are a couple of problems that must be dealt with first.)

A. The Problem Of The Requirements – For a man to fulfill the role of the Kinsman Redeemer, there were a few requirements that he had to meet.

1. Redemption Required A Relationship – According to Lev. 25:25, the kinsman redeemer had to be a near relative of the person being redeemed. Boaz fulfilled this requirement, Ruth 2:1; 2:20.

2. Redemption Required Resources – That same passage teaches that the kinsman redeemer had to have the funds to buy back the sold possession. Boaz fulfilled this requirement also, Ruth 2:1.

3. Redemption Required A Resolve – Lev. 25:25 and Deut. 25:5-10 teach that the kinsman redeemer had to be willing to buy back the inheritance of his kinsman. Boaz also fulfilled this requirement, 3:11.

(Note: For the saints of God, Boaz is a picture of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Savior also fulfills all the necessary requirements to qualify as our redeemer. He has a relationship to us, Phil. 2:5-8. He has the proper resources – Heb. 7:25; Eph. 3:20. And, He was willing to pay the price for our redemption – Mark 10:45; John 18:37. Jesus Christ alone is qualified to be the Redeemer of mankind!)

B. The Problem Of The Relative – Boaz tells Ruth that there is just one problem with his plan to redeem her. It seems that there is one fellow in town who is closer kin than Boaz and that he must have the first shot at her redemption. He meets the requirement of relationship. He must also meet the qualification of resources. The question that remains is does he meet the requirement of resolve? Is he willing to redeem?

Ill. The Context of the meeting between Boaz and the near kinsman. The proposal is made and the kinsman wants to redeem. Note: This must has stung the heart of Boaz! When the nearer kinsman hears that he must not only buy the land, but that he must also marry Ruth and raise up children in the name of her dead husband, he backs away from the deal and declares himself unable to redeem. He plucks off his shoe and hands it to Boaz as a symbolic way of saying, “I can’t redeemer her, but you can. She is yours!”

(Note: For us, the nearer kinsman is the Law! It laid claims on us, but was not able to redeem us. All it could do was condemn us as unworthy in its sight. Like this kinsman, the Law made a feeble effort at redemption, but it was unable to carry through to the end of the matter. This is what Paul tells us about the Law, Rom. 8:3.)

(Note: Just for the record, there are lots of kinsmen out there who lay claims to us and try to redeem us. Things like the flesh, religion, good works, etc. They all make claims that they cannot keep. Salvation is found in one place and one place only. It is found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 4:12; John 14:6; John 8:24.)

III. 4:11-12 THE PROCEEDS OF REDEMPTION

(Ill. After the deal was made and redemption was accomplished, a couple of very important things took place. We might want to understand them, because it affects us as well.)

A. V. 11 Ruth Is Elevated – When the people gathered there see what has happened, they begin to rejoice. They call Ruth “woman” and not “the Moabitess.” They compare her with Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob, who gave birth to the twelve sons of Jacob, and in effect, all of Israel. They have elevated her standing!

(Note: The same thing happens in the life of the sinner who comes to Jesus for redemption. We are transformed from “sinners” into “saints”. We are no longer outcasts from God, but now He calls us His “sons”, 1 John 3:1-2. This great change is declared forcefully by Paul in 1 Cor. 6:9-11! Ill. Gal. 4:5-6)

B. V. 11-12 Boaz Is Exalted – While the people elevate Ruth, the main focus of their rejoicing is Boaz. They praise him for that which he has done in the life of Ruth. He has done a wonderful thing and the people praise him for it.

(Note: Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Because of this, He is worthy of praise and exaltation. He receives this from His Father, Phil. 2:9-11. He deserves it from those He has redeemed, Heb. 13:15. Are you exalting the heavenly Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ?)

Conc:

Ruth’s life changed that day at the gates of Bethlehem! She had a redeemer. She had a husband. She had a new life. She could sing with gusto the chorus, “Redeemed, Redeemed, by love divine.”

What about you? Do you know the Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ today? Can you sing this song?

I’m redeemed by love divine,

Glory, glory Christ is mine.

All to Him I now resign,

I have been redeemed!

If you can’t I invite you to come to Jesus, get at His feet and ask Him to redeem your soul. You can be redeemed today, if you will come to Him!

Hallelujah!

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