Love Prevails (Part A)

This is a picture for us of Christ bought us out of the world and he was willing to pay the price price of his bride price of the church that is so trashed. Fortunately, by by believers. Just so you know we have high standards in Christianity that is not a license to stop thinking and sometimes in an effort to maintain high standards. We don't look for solutions sometimes on the solution. Many times there are. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Ruth. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now, let's try Pastor Rick and Ruth, chapter 4 as he begins his message love prevails book of Ruth chapter 4 verse one. Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there and behold, a close relative of Boaz had spoken came by.

So Boaz said, side friend sit down here are so he came aside and sat down. This, of course, for the follows up on the story where Boaz had assured Ruth that he would try to redeem her the land and take her ex-wife. There were there were laws and customs in the way that they had to to honor and he said he would do everything he could do to make this happen, but there was a relative that was in the first position of refusal and if that relative wanted the land that belonged to Naomi and Ruth that they inherited from the husband of Naomi Lynn Malec if if he wanted, then it all felt to him and Boaz was very prepared to to submit to that, but I think Boaz being that mighty wealthy man that he was. He knew where this was going to go this reference here in verse one. The gate that is the entrance of any city in the ancient world and that part of the world. Deuteronomy 21 speaks about that and that's where the civil laws and the war councils would be hammered down to put together a remainder that was where the government, the center of government was at the gate of the city and that was the comp of the complex of of civil authority. Legal judgments rendered there. Boaz was unable to function as the kinsman redeemer who would take care of Ruth without going through this legal proceeding at the gate of the city. So is it today a courthouse or court house. Nothing friendly about the courthouse and is combative built building working people combat each other for rights and for whatever it is, an end gate in the city of the somewhat similar process going on here, and behold, the close relative that word here in verse one close relative in the Hebrew is the go well with the glial slight difference in pronunciation, meaning the one that redeems sore rescues concerning family members and family issues recover that earlier on in our study will this one is in first position over Boaz. He has the right of first refusal.

So Boaz said, side friend sit down here, so we came aside and sat down friend in the Hebrew is actually is the idiom close as we can get his silence also so-and-so came and what is happening as the historian is purposely leaving him anonymous, sparing him any shame that might be connected with the story or any unnecessary praise is not the star in the story and he does not is not name but Boaz knew him and Boaz but called him by name. The Boaz and say so-and-so come over here.

EEE knew the with his name was verse two.

Sorry it took 10 men of the elders of the city and said sit down here, so they sat down, he called a city Council really according to the law only needs two or three witnesses. But this is a little bit more complicated, complex, and that there there twist and turns here because you have Naomi and her husband and the one his land and then the two sons mall on and kill Jan and in their property and then you have roof Moabitess wife and so he calls in this larger counsel for this complex civil matter. A quorum is now he has in verse three and he said to the post relative Naomi Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Lynn Malec not going to try not to get caught up in all of the culture and and law because not all of it is clear to us. Some of it is just as unwritten, but they understood what was going on. Then he said to his close relative again. That's the goal. Well, which incidentally, that phrase shows up 24 times in Leviticus 24 times in Isaiah and Isaiah. It mostly has to do with the Redeemer and that is important as we look at the book of Ruth and we see the types in the parallels between Boaz as a man working through the laws in his land to redeem Ruth and we look, of course, at the Lord Jesus Christ on earth redeeming lost souls. We see these parallels and they are on purpose God the Holy Spirit or of making sure that the author put them into the record.

Ruth mentions this word 10 times and percentagewise it is the dominant word of the book and it this little book takes the lead concerning this Jewish image that is fulfilled in Christ outside of just Israel, which is the significance of Ruth, one of the significance of six significant points of Ruth not being Jewish but being from Moab, Naomi, it says here in verse three, who has come back from the country so he said to his close relative, Naomi. She's come back from a country initially. He does not mention Ruth because he knows what is he mentions Naomi the other kinsman he knows who Naomi is he out nose with the landers.

These he's got this Boaz is focusing on the land. The Redeemer is responsible for keeping the property in the family. So when a Lynn Malec decided to leave it during the famine and take his wife Naomi with him to Moab. The land of Moab.

He mortgaged the land he sold it to someone else with the right to buy it back. When he returned to the promised land.

Will he died outside of the promised land, and his widow comes back we should have the money to buy the land just in my do anything then living off of what we would say today is sort of a welfare system, they are taking care of by the law of the land which was their right to glean and back of the harvesters and this is what it's all about.

Well, we need to get this land back.

You're the Redeemer you buy back not yet saying Ruth comes with the land and goods is prettier so so he says here Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab sold a piece of land which belonged to our brother Ellen Malec and LM electors. He may have been. There are fraternal brother same parents or one of the same parents. We could've been a cousin or an uncle lives of the close relationship just because the word brothers use.

There is not insisting that he is. They have the same parents a mother or father and one of the reasons to support this is because Boaz is going to marry Ruth not Naomi, and if it was the brother the Naomi would've been in position so hello twist and turns that what like all 10 guys to figure this out to make sure they weren't the taking advantage of anyone. Verse four. And I thought to inform you, saying, buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants of 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 so-and-so answering Boaz now. I will redeem it now.

Boaz never Ruth was that she would just fainted that Macy just lost the case but Boaz of course he's shrewd, not shrewd and bad ways. A smart guy and did not off to a good start to the you know, untrained eye, but Boaz is prepared verse five and Boaz said on the day that you buy the field from the hand of Naomi. You must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, perpetuate the name of the dead throughout his inheritance, change of expression on so-and-so's face, that's a dealbreaker for him because it has so they mean so much more.

I mean, this is not a mean guy doesn't mean he's terrible figure to the lotto are not that way. Going there at all to laws are considered here. One is found in Leviticus 25, the land redemption. The other, the sister-in-law assumption to assume her ex-wife is Deuteronomy 25 and that's what they're trying to work through together, the wife of the deceased went with the property not as though she was chattel not as though she were property, but they would you want going to separate them. That would not of been good for again you know you just going fast forward a little bit you think of Hannah with you know her wife and Laura put banana banana.

That's it.

You say what how terrible of outcome not to have to watch you don't know the story he may have rescued one from a terrible life in those days that things worked as they were today and so we need to be very careful that we do not apply all of our standards on them.

Some of them do apply, like murder, instance of stealing and lying those things those moral behaviors that their constant put their other laws that were actually very beneficial to the people leaving this indentured slavery. I can't live I can't survive. It can make a living on my own if I sell myself to someone for so many years maybe get back on my feet and so you look at it from from that perspective is okay Exodus, mercy, and then men come along and abuse these things, of course, which they did in Israel and the prophets call them out on it, especially the minor prophets. Well, back to this, Ruth came with the land. Both women were too poor to redeem the land on their own. You could not disconnect the two and these were the liver right deliberate law of the land dictated this to look out for for everyone as best as they could in difficult times.

Evidently when this is published likely during the reign of David, the people had changed some of the laws and weren't as familiar and so will keep reading verse six and the close relative said I cannot redeem it for myself less. I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it a family wealth split between if he bought the land. The family wealth split between his existing family as wife and children and then taking one Ruth and going to ultimately having children with Ruth also and then having to split the well he's doing the math and he saying this not good for my portfolio is not a good deal for me a little of Ruth Miller hater anything and he made. He may or may not. We don't have that information is not wise to to speculate in the negative. Here buddy EQ cannot go forward with this in his own calculations. If he loved the roof as Boaz now does he would've made a way to get that land.

In fact, it may not be good for Boaz. The deal is probably getting is kind of a bad deal for me to what his motivation is not his portfolio so he simply could not afford a second family and the land. If there with Ruth was involving just buying land back from Naomi to meet the dealer take a landing at Selig release without a good dude given to the street a lot of things with, but not of Ruth was there ceasing on. :-) You can do that.

So you he says you redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it. Love prevails. Boaz said I saw it coming yesterday before even got here I knew was going to go this week as I know you so-and-so agency. You know it worked out this situation. Boaz was willing to pay the price.

No matter what because of low and this is the story he's next in position and he does this. This is a picture for us of Christ who bought us out of the world and he was willing to pay the price price of his bride, the price of the church that is so trashed unfortunately by by believers just to you know we have high standards in Christianity that is not a license to stop thinking and sometimes in an effort to maintain high standards. We don't look for solutions. Sometimes there are no solution for many times there are but there missed because in an effort to maintain high standards without thinking we miss them. Boaz has started all through, as did Christ and the closer relative so-and-so in the story I was going to give them a name, but why so-and-so works good is not derogatory. He typifies the law. He is in first position but is pretty is inflexible. The 10 witnesses the 10 Commandments they confirm the inability of the law, to redeem to do something about the situation is is no love. It's just strict rules and that is what Paul was trying to tell the ancient world. In his letter to the Romans, especially in the Galatians and the Hebrews, the law while it is good for us.

It does not love us. The Redeemer is one within the law who loves us and overcomes the laws that would otherwise work against us.

And that is a picture of Christ, so I have a note here summarize what I just said but why did such a good job laying out that anyway I think you get it and if I go back over it again.

I might confuse you because it's very hard I say in humility to perfect perfection verse verse seven. If you don't have it. Just suffice it to say Boaz gets the girl Wert him if you must have all of these Jewish laws button-down you want to spend so much time with you going to miss going to miss the bigger prizes unless you got a lot of time and I in you can really read very quickly.

I would again point you to Alfred enter Simes materials he was Jewish. He was a believer. Many of the laws of the Jews even of the rabbis in the two different things. Don't forget that rabbis to support more rules into the law and became custom with the Jews and really has nothing to do with Moses and in God just had something to do with religion so to learn how to sort through that. You know the story about the Seder meal when they look for Elijah that's not ours.

It's not that the rabbis injected that into the story and to go to one of these meals you just celebrating culture not really getting Scripture you getting names of Bible characters injected into what somebody else thought up just say I make enemies saying that even among some of my pastor friends who invite these folks over to the church is to have these things and so will you know I have nothing to do with the Bible to say verse seven and thank you for some of you not getting up and rushing out over something like that.

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 it was a confirmation in Israel. So again, where is verse seven wherein now this was the custom in former times, that's what I mentioned earlier that by the time this book of Ruth was published in David's day. Some of these customs have fallen away probably replaced by by other laws of the elders and tribal leaders not to say it was bad or good, but the me makes that comment and in that suggest that the book of Ruth was an oral tradition before my imprint.

That doesn't mean it was jeopardized or somehow lost his punch, those who preserve the oral traditions who were fierce, word for word lie only they just did not depart from the story as it was told them they memorized it and like you teaching your child the Lord's prayer. You've memorized it and when they get it. They've got the printed version from an oral from a recital you kneeling down with them. Perhaps my mom would kneel down with me and we would say the Lord's prayer our father who art in heaven, and is a little boy that's that's how I learned it before I could could read and by the time I made to my 30s when I learned to read I already had so that's that statement there is is a valuable statement. It really helps keep the Bible real to us, something a lot of folks I think blues loose items very easy to lose sight of it, but the actions here with the sandal of us are a little different from those described in Deuteronomy 25 where the widow removes the sandal of of the brother-in-law who was supposed to marry her chart so you have two brothers.

They both of one of the married keep it. That was simple.

That way, and the married brothers. He dies and his wife is now widow well his brother is supposed to marry the wife. It is his duty as a goal.

Well, the Redeemer, because in that society for women to survive without a man was very difficult. Well, if he said you know what I never liked her anyway. And I'd rather suffer the shame of the above, the community then be stuck with her.

Well that's how it was going to happen. She publicly at the gate of the city would remove his sandal spit in his face. That's what the law required. While this is a little different.

This is between the two men and there is there's an exchange of the sandal and there's no spitting in the face while all this drama buckles back to the days of Abraham. Put your hand under my thigh.

Because once you do that you never going to forget you did it. It's good here. This is, it's a distinct gesture that creates a mental picture that's not easy to forget, and so we have these things I'll never forget it. He walked in the room wearing a know you deceased things that stand out with this was that in front of everybody. So if two years later, nobody has been keeping court records like we do.

Someone says I bought that land from you know you didn't yet remember that you took your sandal off you got these witnesses yeah I remember that we don't see that every and and that is part of the strength behind verse eight. Therefore, the close relatives of the Boaz bio for yourself so he took off his sandal and this is what Boaz was praying that he would hear and have happened and now he hears it, and he knows that he is going to marry Ruth verse nine and Boaz said to the elders and all the people you are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Abimelech's and all that was Killian's and Mark Molly on from the hand of Naomi, so Boaz knowing that he was going to win this case again. He calls the 10 witnesses.

This is the man Ruth is marrying and he is the star of this fourth chapter and Ruth, he is the hero out what tea is to Ruth and is a Redeemer of course Christ on a infinitely larger scale is to us. The hero, the star of the story, the one that knows how this is going to go one that is willing to pay the price. Ruth doesn't have to pay any notice Naomi Boaz is paying at all. And again, and that he is a type of Christ in all the types you know they're not meant to be, you know, apples to apples or just enough to get us there in a strong Buddhist get us there better be good enough just to get me there. I don't care how ugly the car as long as it's safe and I arrived at my destination.

That's the most important lesson on exactly true. There are some of the trucks I've seen on the road that I'd rather walk but you are witnesses, this day that I have bought all receipt from New Testament eyes that I am what all it stands out. It should. That's redemption.

The cost of redeeming something first Corinthians chapter 6, verse 24 you were bought at a price. Paul says therefore glorify your father.

You were bought and bought Hebrews 9 verse 12, not with the blood of goats and calves, that is religion but with his own blood he entered the most holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption redeeming buying us back.

Titus 214 gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people zealous for good works. Christians are supposed to want to do good deeds and I'm going to read tomorrow because I'm my point. This the emphasis the New Testament places on our redemption is found in illustration in the story of Ruth and with with Naomi and Boaz and all the characters and is not just a beautiful story. It is educational for us. Ephesians 17 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace that Boaz according to the riches of been the grace of ball advisors that I have the money I had the position and I still want to do it. You did not fell in love. The difference they whiteware types break down of course, is that the only go so far. The differences of Christ did not wait for something about us to love you be waiting a long time, and if he did just say on it when they get to this place where I can love them, then I'll love them and die for them will then what would happen when you do something that would make him I love you to see his love is so much bigger than what we call love Christ can look at this this the person that comes to church and is struggling with sin, and he loves loves on they don't get it so often eternal in him he think he's mean and harsh what he wanted. Try to say something other than what he says he is not like that I he's not going to but enjoy another move off of his law is going to take a lot to suffer the consequences is Romans five says while we were still sinners, Christ demonstrated his love.

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