The Longest Day

Troubled by the corruption of the world seemingly long delay God to do anything on behalf of the believer. David writes be still for the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret. Men succeed in their way. 37 CR ability to me still is in knowing that God is our ability to to to sit still and stand still and be still is in knowing that our Redeemer is working on our behalf.

Like Boaz, he will not rest until this is in fact the entire story of Ruth and Boaz was preserved for us as an illustration of God's redemption, but there came a day when Ruth needed to patiently wait.

Have you ever experience that. Have you ever expected something great to happen, but had to wait patiently for it today on wisdom for the heart. Stephen Devi returns to his series through the book of Ruth Morgan to learn lessons about waiting in a message Stephen called the longest day.

Just this past February news@yahoo.com carried the article of a woman who was pretty upset that her desires were going unmet 27-year-old woman in Fort Pierce, Florida walked into a McDonald's restaurant and ordered a 10 piece McNugget meal after standing in line for some time.

She finally made it to the counter delivered order the McDonald's employee took her order and receive your money put in the register was only after that when he discovered they were out of McNuggets.

Those tasty low-sodium lowfat ladder that part of the of the employee told the customer that they run out of them and that she would have to choose something else from the menu. She refused and said, just give me my money back. Employee told her he was sorry, but all sales are final. It was a new employee and didn't know any different. The employment told her he was sorry about it all, but he did tell her she could get something else off the menu. Even if it cost more, no way this woman insisted give me McNuggets or my money back. She didn't want a big Mac in one of the grim 1/4 pounder anything.

According to the new she became so frustrated that she pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911 and they didn't take her seriously imagine that she called three times until finally. So he should of.

This is an emergency right.

She never got a McNuggets, but she did get a ticket. When the police arrived for misusing the emergency system.

I read that I wonder how many people treat God like this woman treated that employee we want something we got what we want in mind, and were not going anywhere until we get it or give me a refund or worse yet, to simply have to wait and wonder why God disappears behind the counter and goes into the back room or perhaps even worse than that.

We have to wait for God without any guarantee. And he's gone and and we have to accept that whatever he comes out to offer us and we have to accept it before we see what it is that would be a test with probably one of the key tests of the Christians growth is patient surrendered to the sovereign plan of God.

When you do not have any earthly guarantee.

We more easily identify with Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of England, who once said I am extremely patient provided I get my own way in the end, would we all be if we knew we get away in that convicting little book of Puritan prayers called the Valley of vision. If you ever want help in your prayer life pick that up you'll find it back in the corner of the Christian bookstore covered in dust off the dust.

Take it up front by Puritan prayers.

One church leader generations ago admitted his own struggle with patient surrender, for the reasons I love these prayers. They are so real and he prayed when Val which guide me. I control myself when thou wouldst be sovereign. I rule myself when I should depend on by provision. I supply myself when I should submit to thy providence. I follow my own will, when I should honor the I serve myself, Lord. It is my chief desire to bring my heart back to the this is the honest confession of a heart that admits how hard it is to wait and how difficult it is to surrender without any guarantee from God.

I happen to believe after studying with you so far in this book of Ruth at probably the longest day of the life of Ruth is about to begin. It will be a day that will require patient surrender and she does not know if she will get what she desires. Now we've watched Ruth already expressed her love for Boaz and he responded your member in kind, saying that he would do anything in his power to make her his bride if he can.

As her kinsman redeemer and according to Old Testament law. Remember, the kinsman redeemer was the one the buyout the family's estate to buy up all of the debts to take the widow and in this case, her mother-in-law into his care. But there was a catch. Remember Boaz here on the threshing floor has informed Ruth that there is another man more closely related to her than then he is there someone more closely related to Naomi's family evidently a relative older than Boaz, who stands in line. He has effectively first dibs on the property in first dibs on becoming the kinsman redeemer and marrying Ruth and taking care of her and Naomi see, this isn't just about a love. This involves the law and Boaz in a remarkable fashion and demonstration of character and honesty says that he is willing to submit to the law of God and and Ruth does the same thing as well go back to the Ruth chapter 3, you notice his words to Ruth that he whispered out there on the threshing floor that night when they revealed their loved one another.

If you look at verse 13 where Boaz says to Ruth remained this night and when the morning comes, if he that is this other relative will redeem you good, let him redeem you, but if he does not wish to redeem you that I will redeem you as the Lord lives. I love that little closing comment. It be easy to miss is a little little addendum that reveals the passion and the emotion of Boaz. He says I will I will redeem you as the Lord lives literally by the life of Yahweh. I will redeem you if I can.

He's making a Val to Ruth. She can believe his promise with the same assurance that she can believe in the existence of Yahweh.

That's what he means. Just as Yahweh exists. I will keep my promise to you and so he adds that little addendum by the life of Yahweh you know we add that little addendum, don't we. When we make promises you know to give them a greater sense of gravity. Boaz is claiming the ultimate foundation for his oath as God is alive, I am making this promise to you Ruth. If that other relative doesn't want you as God's are truly living God. I will redeem now. We watched as he not only made a promise, but he made provision for her.

He gave her enough grain. The next morning, he says give me your cloak she held it out verse 15 and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on. Basically what he did was he gave her to weeks worth of food. Perhaps he's wondering perhaps he's thinking that other relative may be out of his threshing floor. I don't know where that is. But he might be away for two weeks and that's how long I want to make sure Ruth doesn't have to go out and forage and be put in harm's way.

So I give her enough food for her and her mother-in-law to survive until by the life of Yahweh. She is mine.

So the next morning, he heads to town to the city gate and she heads back to Naomi to see how this plan will play out. Notice what happens when Ruth arrives home. When she came up to her mother-in-law, Naomi said, how did it go my daughter not translated literally. She is saying. The Hebrew would read who are you, which I think is much more intriguing. The interpreter ads for the sake of understanding, but she literally says who are you. That might sound strange. Perhaps Naomi doesn't recognize her in the early morning light would know that is in it at all. It's the idea of who are you now that's the number one question and I was now that you met Boaz now that you have delivered to him. Your desire to be redeemed by him are you now, the future bride of Boaz or what literally in what state are you now our translators translated to give us the best sense of the Hebrew language and so on. My translation reads. How did it go, yours might read how art thou, or how did you fare good translations. Naomi is is basically asking did he say yes, that's what she wants to know she is ready for wedding bells. She's Artie picking up flower agencies she's working the whole thing up in Ruth 416 told her all that the man had done for her. In other words, she explained everything to Boaz. It promised and the valve that he made to her. You can only imagine how these two women went over every detail, every word, every expression on Boaz's face every hesitation, every raised voice on his part. Every thing they covered from the night before and there's no confusion, no there's no mistaking it. Boaz wants her to be his.

His wife Naomi said wait my daughter until you know how the matter turns out for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.

Wait, you might want to circle that in your Bibles, your translation might read sit still and I can't help but think, are you kidding sit still, there's no doubt in my mind this is going to be the hardest day that the most nailbiting day in Ruth's wife this day and an end. Naomi's they probably drove each other crazy I imagine is welding they got them picked up the window a thousand times. Every sound of a car passing by. They pop up and go to the door. Maybe they looked out to see if the messenger was coming. No messenger and they would go back inside. Wait, I don't miss this. Ruth can do nothing.

She is powerless to redeem herself. In fact, the law can only reveal to her. Her condition. The condition she is in and and her total dependency upon her kinsman redeemer.

What a wonderful, powerful picture of the bride of Christ like Ruth. All we can do is go to him and tell him that we love them. All we can do is tell them we want to be brought under his authority and and care we want to come under his wings and when we do we discover the Christ already loves us and he is already chosen and he alone is capable of of meeting the conditions of the law that bind us to another family is a great gospel message. Christ alone can pay the price of redemption. Only Boaz could pay the price of redemption. Only Boaz could take upon himself heard that only Christ can take upon himself our debt and bring us into his family as his chosen bride. You know were doing away even now were waiting for our Redeemer to take us home weight. Ruth sit still.

Anybody in here like to sit still while you're waiting for something important. Unanimous nobody any patient people in here were all honest, not handling up not even thought of it which is true. We all struggle as we wait and how we live in and how we process the challenges of our lives and how we trust him when there are no immediate guarantees throughout the course of life that we might get in life what we would really like to have were not patient. I hate missing the elevator back to church. I discovered women elevator.

I take up to my office area I discovered that when I get in if I push the door push number two first and I push the button says doors close the doors will close two seconds quicker. I discovered that course.

It means it's much as people try to get into the elevator.

But they need to learn to wait you know why I don't know how you are as a kid I mentioned in a little bit of my early childhood life and I to desk. I'm so your bad example my sons today with that story well I can tell you that those lines in my mother's face are not laughter lines having raised me and my brothers would be getting a report card and and and I don't know if yours was like mine but there's a section for the grade and then there's a comments section. I dreaded the comments section more than I dreaded the grade because my parents put as much stock in what that teacher said about me, then my grade and so many times ride home on the bus. It was a no-win situation. It was and it was a double no-win the grades were good and comments all sounded the same way said the same thing with it would be stuff like Steve he needs to sit still or Steve. He talks too much in class or Stevie's disturbing his neighbors in class and all of us can any of you get those comments in your report card. Thank you.

I'm so glad that that that you did to you had a happy childhood like like me to wait and surrender and you're waiting for good things from God and you've offered them to you know this is nothing wrong with it. There's nothing immoral. There's nothing ungodly it's good it's a good thing. Lord, and he disappears in the back room. The imperative form of this Hebrew verb sit still or weight say be also config conveys the idea of of stay calm and now it's like I wish I had known that now you're pushing it. Naomi stayed calm that the verb is used of a farmer by the way, who awaits the growth of his crops. He's done everything he can do. And now he has to wait, what good would it do a farmer to go out there and paste in the cornfield.

What good would it do for him to say hurry up, hurry up. I can't wait. That's the verb here you done all you can do another only things that the God can do, and the issue then boils down to trust. Surrender to whatever the hand of the Redeemer delivers and in that surrender is the Council that becomes possible to wait the basis for Ruth waiting. According to Naomi's counsel is in the last words of verse 18. Did you notice that for the man that is Boaz wait my daughter into you have the matter.

Turns out for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.

Ruth can rest because Boaz isn't Ruth can wait because Boaz won't Ruth Ken can sit still because Boaz is doing anything but sitting still. I found it interesting to go through the Bible this week looking for phrases that included the word still STILL and of course, here's one in Ruth 318. Sit still.

I found also the expression I just sit still.

But stand. You remember that fascinating scene where the Israelites have exited from Egypt following the final plague in where God took the lives of the firstborn throughout the land of Egypt and the people of Israel of rushed out to freedom and their so excited and they they have marched out for some time, but Pharaoh now has a change of heart. He he is in a violent rage. He commands 600 chariots of his own and in every other available chariot in the land and every available soldier and they march out after Israel, and Israel has arrived at the point where there on the edge of the Red Sea.

This is the Red Sea which feeds off the Indian Ocean and has an average depth of about 1700 feet. There's no waiting going on here like that's of further proven by the sheer panic of the Israelites who know their stock. That's why we refer to this is a miracle in what God is going to do and God says to the people of Israel through Moses, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. Exodus 1413. The phrase also appears in Job chapter 37 where Job is told to stand still and consider the wonders of God.

Here he is deeply discouraged, struggling with his illnesses and is told effectively to surrender to the sovereign will of God. And while he is standing still understand that God is not standing still. He is ruling the universe.

Job 3714 sit still stands still.

And I also found be still, you know, and the people were troubled over their national sin. Nehemiah's revival within the Levites called the people with the truth that they were forgiven and so because of that Nehemiah would say, be still for the day is holy. Don't be grieved. Nehemiah 11 when tempted to send the psalmist.

David advises the believer in song four verse 4B still be still.

When troubled by the corruption of of the world and this seemingly long delay of God to do anything on behalf of the believer. David writes be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Do not fret when men succeed in their ways. Some 37 verse seven course the classic passage at you've Artie thought about your way ahead of me is where David quotes the counsel of God, who says you say with me.

Be still and know that I am God. He goes on to say that text I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth some 4610. In other words, the story of God's provision and power and glory is not over. The best is yet to come. And I love the way David ties his ability to be still to the prayer he makes in Psalm 83 one where he says all God do not remain quiet and all God.

Do not be still see our ability to be still is in knowing that God isn't our ability to to to sit still and stand still and be still is in knowing that our Redeemer is working on our behalf and like Boaz he will not rest until this is accomplished with great promises we have, even in the this is the same idea in the mind of Naomi. You can sit still and stand still and be still.

Because Christ is our Redeemer unceasing in his efforts but detractors through the New Testament. He was unceasingly interceding for the believer. He is unceasingly arranging all things together for his good purposes on behalf of the believer.

Romans 828. He is unceasingly at work in the believer.

Philippians 213.

Sit still stand still be still, because God isn't Ruth. Wait, rest, trust your Redeemer's at work. One author wrote about those early days in his life was a little boy he curl up in the in the back of his family car. You remember when you could do that before seatbelts. How many be climbed up in the back window and laid there. All that was the best spot in the whole car with it. What this is where he was lying and he wrote about how he loved to travel as a travel to their hometown through the night for little vacation. I once or twice a year and he said I felt so safe back there with dad in the drivers seat but sometimes my grandmother would be with us and she would sit on the edge of that front seat, instructing every five minutes. Every car that came our way. She'd say watch the side of the road there. Be careful of the driver coming up next install drive so fast.

This author went on to write, I am convinced my grandmother never enjoyed the ride. Why she didn't trust my father because she didn't trust my father. She couldn't trust his driving and she couldn't rest in the journey. I love the way you summarize this grandmother and I both reached our destination at the same time one of us got there with frazzled nerves.

The other arrived happy and rested.

I had learned rest in my father's care.

Now understand Naomi doesn't give Ruth his advice and counsel because it's easy to apply or obey. I imagined Ruth didn't sit still too much. The advice here is never easy but it is possible. Our response to the difficulty of our circumstances is directly related to the depth of our confidence.

God's work in us and for us. Nothing under his control is ever out of control and the more we trust that kind of statement, the more we can rest. How you wait. You wait for that phone call. How you wait for that acceptance letter anyway for the doctors report how you wait for that invitation.

That contract that delivery that surgery that arrival how you wait for that resolution. I believe the beginning and perhaps the foundation for it would be taken from the scene here with Ruth just having a fresh vision of the care and concern, and management and ministry in our own lives by our Redeemer who will not rest until his good purposes are accomplished. That doesn't mean that we don't do anything for him in a there there are things that he may want us to do and there are things that only he can do you know that you know that you know the difference is because we can't do anything then you know that everything you can. And now it's up to God to do what only God can do about it. And that's when you standstill.

That's when you sit still. That's when you be still and know that he is God. You know, it occurred to me that every Christian, every member of the bride of Christ is going to arrive at the creation of the new heaven and the new earth at the same time. Even those of us who drive faster than others are getting it there any quicker and I wonder how many of us will of gotten any joy out of the journey, which is directly related piece in his abilities and his timing so all I wanted to do in this study was just pull up a chair with Ruth and perhaps for you the most appointment verse in this entire book is Ruth chapter 3 verse eight team wait sit still.

My daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out.

Rest assured your Redeemer is at work, love, and the greatest lesson to me here beneath the obvious. Perhaps the superficial and temporary. Is this truth and I need fresh confidence in my about is the sons and daughters of God. God calls us to wait expectantly for the return of our Redeemer.

You've been listening to Stephen Davey here on wisdom for the hearts today's message from his series through the book of Ruth is called the longest day if you'd like to learn more about us, or if you'd like to access the resources we have available to you. I encourage you to visit our website. The address is wisdom online.org the entire library Stevens 35 years of Bible teaching is available to you on that website visit there anytime to be equipped and encouraged in your and of course, be sure and join us next time. For more wisdom for the