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Well, good morning, everyone. 
It's good to see you all. You can turn with me your Bibles 
to the book of Ruth chapter four. Ruth chapter four, we're gonna 
look at the entire chapter this morning. So begin reading out 
verse one of the book of Ruth chapter four. Ruth 4, we'll begin reading at 
verse 1. 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. And he took 10 men of the elders 
of the city and said, sit down here. So they sat down. 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. 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. Then Boaz said, on 
the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also 
buy it from Ruth the Moabites, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate 
the name of the dead through his inheritance. 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. 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. Therefore, the close relative said to Boaz, buy it 
for yourself. So he took off his sandal. 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 Cilion's and Maclone's from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, 
Ruth the Moabite's, the widow of Maclone, I have acquired as 
my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead throughout 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. 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. 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. So Boaz 
took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went into her, and 
the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the 
woman said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord who has not left 
you this day without a close relative, and may his name be 
famous in Israel, and may he be to you a restorer of life 
and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who 
loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has born him. 
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became 
a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave 
him a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi, and they 
called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the 
father of David. Now this is the genealogy of 
Perez. Perez begot Hezron, Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab begot Nashon, Nashon 
begot Solomon, Solomon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot 
David. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our good and gracious God, thank 
you that you are the Lord of hosts, and we're thankful for 
your sovereign rule over this world. Thank you that you are 
our king in whom we worship, our king who has sent forth his 
son who is king to die for a people like us. And we pray, oh God, 
that you'd remind us this day as we come to your word and come 
to your scriptures of the hope that we have in our savior, and 
in our Christ. Thank you, O God, for the love 
that we see in the cross. It's not that we loved you, but 
that you love us. And we're thankful, O God, that 
when this world is ever-changing, your love never fades and your 
love never changes. Thank you, O God, you remind 
us of this often, for we are such a forgetful people. And 
we pray, O God, that you'd give us hope in Christ our Lord and 
Christ our King, and find our only happiness in Him. And we're 
thankful for the forgiveness. We're thankful for the mercy 
that we have. And so we ask you, God, that you'd remind your saints 
this day about your love for us, that we might be encouraged, 
we might be strengthened, and we might be reminded of where 
our hope lies. And we pray, O God, if there 
are any here today who do not know you, we pray, O God, you 
do a mighty act and that you would save their souls, that 
they would consider what love this is and look on Christ and 
believe on him and be saved. And we're thankful, O God, that 
you do this for your people whom you love, your elect whom you 
have chosen, And we're thankful, O God, that Christ came down 
to save his church, to save his bride, and to save his people. 
And we pray, O God, even now, as your word goes forth, that 
you would speak to your people, that you would comfort your people, 
that you'd remind us again of who you are. And we pray, O God, 
in all things, you would be glorified. And we pray these things in the 
name of Christ. Amen. Well, I think a lot of 
people like a good love story, even men, but perhaps especially 
women. But the problem with a lot of 
modern love stories is they focus in on the ideal. Most of them 
are not reality. Then you turn to the scriptures 
and you see various ways in which couples meet, and they get a 
little shady, shall we say. They get a little odd. Think 
about Judah and Tamar, for instance. If someone were to ask Perez, 
how did your parents meet? Well, Perez would say that dad 
thought mom was a prostitute, so that's not a very good start 
to their relationship. Or perhaps even you think of 
Leah and Jacob and Rachel and Jacob and that whole debacle 
that happens there with her father and how he is the one who takes 
Laban, he is the one who dupes Jacob. Things don't go so well, 
so there's this unloved woman in the house of Jacob. Or think 
of Lot and his daughter, or think of Moab and how Moab came to 
being. If someone were to ask Moab the 
same question, he'd say, well, mom got grandpa drunk. You see, 
the Bible gives unsavory sort of stories and makes us queasy 
as we read them, but it's important for us to see how God redeems 
his people. But one very positive, dare we 
say, love story in the scriptures that we sometimes forget is the 
story of Ruth and Boaz. It's actually quite a significant 
book. It's very well written, a lot of twists and turns. It's 
about redemption, about forgiveness, and about the line of the king. 
But one thing very important is Ruth and Boaz get married 
not for the sake of themselves, but they get married for the 
sake of other people. And what makes this story so 
significant is it comes through a Gentile woman, comes through 
this one who is a Moabite, this one you would never think would 
have such faith. And at Surrey for the month of 
August, we've been going through Gentile foreshadowing, looking 
at unsavory sinners saved by grace in the Old Testament. We 
looked at Tamar, we looked at Jethro, Rahab the harlot, and 
most recent when we looked at was Ruth the Moabite. And really 
the book of Ruth is instructive for God's people. It's all about 
the need for a king in such a hopeless time. Things are not going well 
in Israel at the time of Ruth. And as well we see the hopelessness 
through the lens of this one who is Naomi. And thankfully, 
we come to the end of the book where we see hope restored. We 
see God's redemption in Boaz and Ruth. But at the same time, 
there is a lot of hopelessness at the start of the book. And 
that's really the problem that we see in this book. The hopelessness 
for God's people. Sometimes things seem super bleak, 
don't they? Things aren't going to get any 
better. Things seem to be going downhill. It's bleak for God's 
people personally. It's bleak for the church at 
large. It's bleak for perhaps loved ones that we see are so 
far gone, bleak for our country. Unfortunately, if you're like 
me, God's people can lose hope. That's why Davis, as he entitles 
his sermon series on this, he calls it a no hopeless future 
for God's people. That's why I need to be reminded 
of God's grace and God's mercy and the hope that we have in 
our King and the hope that we have in the redemption found 
in our Lord Jesus Christ, because that's what we see in Ruth 4. 
We see redemption for Naomi. We see redemption for a hopeless 
person. And this redemption comes through 
this one who is a Moabite. So the key theme is redemption 
this morning. And we'll look at this theme of redemption under 
two headings. First of all, redemption for 
the dead in verses one through 12. Then secondly, we'll see 
redemption through a son in verses 13 through 22. So redemption 
for the dead in verses 1 and 12, and then we'll see redemption 
through his son in verses 13 through 22. So let's first look 
at redemption for the dead in verses 1 through 12. And it's 
important in this book to be reminded of what's come before, 
especially as there's a lot of moving parts. Ruth 1 is very 
hopeless, isn't it? Things fall apart very quickly 
in verses 1 through 5. Davis says Ruth 1 and Job 1 ought 
to scare God's people because things fall apart very quickly. 
And so we see that there is, even in the overarching setting, 
this is the time of the judges. Things aren't very good at this 
time, morally. There is no king in Israel. Everyone 
did what was right in his own eyes. It was not the best for 
the people of God. And even too, we see things fall 
apart very quickly for this one Elimelech. There is a famine 
in the land, so he leaves. He goes to Moab with his wife, 
Naomi, and their two sons, Maklon and Kilion. And then Elimelech 
dies, then Maklon dies, and as well, Kilion dies. But before 
Kilion and Maklon die, they receive two wives. So they're found wives 
of Moab for them. So there is this one of the Judahite 
lineage, this one Elimelech, God is my king, but he passes 
on very quickly. Things fall apart very fast. 
We see death and bitterness. And even the names Maklon and 
Kilion, Maklon means sick, Kilion means end. So it's not a very 
positive start to this book. But there is one bright spot 
in the start here, and that bright spot is this Moabite girl, this 
Moabite lady, this one Ruth. Even as they return, as Naomi 
wants to return back to Israel, back to Bethlehem, as God has 
given his people food, We still see, she tells them, stay here. 
I have nothing. I am old. I have no sons. Stay here and find husbands for 
yourself. Orpah takes the suggestion and 
stays, but Ruth doesn't. Ruth puts her faith in God. We 
see that in verses 16 and 17. Your people shall be my people 
and your God, my God, wherever you die, I will die and there 
I will be buried. The Lord do so to me and more 
also, if anything but death parts you and me. She puts her faith 
in Yahweh of Israel. She puts her faith in the Covenant 
King in a very destitute situation. Again, there is nothing for her, 
yet she puts her faith in the God of heaven and earth. So she 
is this bright spot. They return. Naomi doesn't want 
to be called Pleasant anymore, which is what her name means. 
She wants to be called Mara, which means bitterness. So they 
return. Things don't look very good. 
But in Ruth 2, there seems to be some hope. Perhaps there is 
this one who can redeem them, this kinsman-redeemer. We see 
this idea of kinsman-redeemer or leverite marriage in Deuteronomy 
25, where if the brother passes away, then the brother of the 
one who passed must marry, I guess, his sister-in-law to perpetuate 
a line, perpetuate inheritance. We see how not to do that in 
Genesis 38 with Judah and Tamar. Things do not go so well. Tamar 
is the one who actually preserved the seed, wants to keep the line 
in Judah. Judah does not. She is more righteous 
than I. And perhaps by the time we come 
to Ruth, things are relaxed a little bit more. Boaz is not actually 
the brother, but he is the one. He is a good man. He is one of 
great wealth who perhaps could redeem them. And so Ruth goes 
down and gleans. Poor people, you know, or the 
rich who own fields were to give some at the edge of the field 
so that the poor could glean. So she goes to glean. So there 
perhaps is some hope. Maybe this one could be such 
a man. And he does provide good things 
and gives good gifts, grace through barley, as Davis says. So things 
perhaps are looking a little bit better. And she is praised 
by Boaz as one who is virtuous. as one who, you know, honored 
and loved her mother-in-law. So things seem to look better. 
Then we come to Ruth 3. Maybe Boaz can be the kinsman 
redeemer, the one who can redeem Naomi and Ruth. And so, in order 
for that to happen, Ruth has to marry this one. So we see 
the proposal happen in Ruth 3. We see this romantic rendezvous, 
so to speak, as they go down to the threshing floor. She dresses 
all nice, she gets all cleaned up, and she goes down and puts 
herself out there for this one who is Boaz. He needs to be told, 
he needs to be reminded, he needs to be asked. And so she goes 
down to the threshing floor. I know some commentators like 
to say there's something a little shady going on there. I understand 
there's no chaperone, but in any case, she moves away from 
the private area. She moves away to the feet. I 
don't think anything shady happens in this section. And so he gets 
startled in verse eight. Oh, there's this woman at his 
feet. And so she says, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant 
under your wing for you are a close relative. You are a redeemer. So he asks her right away, this 
is a proposal. Sometimes men don't always pay 
attention. Sometimes men just need to be 
told what women actually mean. And here she comes, boom, you 
need to marry me. We need you to be the kinsman redeemer. And 
even that language there of the wings, the maidservant under 
your wings, perhaps the language there carries the idea of being 
under a garment, under protection. The word wings is actually used 
in Ezekiel 16.8 to describe God's love for Israel and describe 
God's protection for Israel, God's covenant care for his people. And so Ruth and Naomi need this 
one Boaz to be the kinsmen redeemer. And he calls her virtuous in 
3.11. And they're a match made in heaven 
because in chapter 2.1 of great wealth is the same word as virtuous. 
So they're both virtuous. They have a lot of good things 
in common. And what's interesting is none, 
neither of them are obligated to marry each other. None of 
them. But nonetheless, Ruth proposes, Boaz says, well, thank you. You 
know, there's younger men out there, but you chose me instead. 
He says, but there is this one who is closer than I. And so 
suspense builds. He's going to see to it in verse 
18, which is where we come in chapter four, beginning at chapter 
four. And notice we see his plan in 
action in verses one through six. He needs to redeem the land 
and he needs to redeem Ruth. And so he goes to the gate, he 
sits down there. The gate is where commerce happened, 
where civic exchange enterprise was engaged, place of judgment 
and decisions. It needs to be legal. And so 
he goes down to the gate, he sits there and behold, God's 
providence in action. Well, there's this Mr. So-and-so 
who walks on by. He says, the close relative. What's interesting here is I 
usually love the translation of the New King James. I think 
they get this wrong. The word is redeemer. I know 
he is a close relative, but the word means the one who shall 
redeem. So whenever you see close relative, it means the redeemer. So the redeemer of whom Boaz 
had spoken, this one who is closer than he, he walks on by. This 
is where that suspense builds. There's an obstacle in their 
love story. It could be this guy instead of Boaz. We're rooting 
for Boaz and Ruth, but in this case, this one might be the one 
who takes the place. And so he says, come aside, friend, 
or Mr. So-and-so. He's not given a name 
here. He's just called Mr. So-and-so, 
or Poloni Almoni in the Hebrew. He has no name, which will be 
ironic later on. So he says, here, come aside. 
Come and sit down. In verse 2, he grabs the men 
of the city, the elders of the city. Again, it has to be legal. 
Sit down here. So they sat down and he spoke 
to this one who is the Redeemer. He says, Naomi, verse 3, who 
has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land 
which belonged to her brother Elimelech. Now there is some 
debate about what's going on here. Perhaps it was that she's 
selling the use of the land. It still belonged to her even 
though they went to Moab. Perhaps she's selling the use 
of it in order to make some money with that. That could be the 
case. Or perhaps they sold it before they went to Moab and 
now it needs to be repurchased, needs to be bought back. In any 
case, it had to be done through this one who is the Redeemer. 
So he says to him, he tells him about this scenario. Buy it back in the presence of 
the inhabitants and 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. Seems like a pretty good 
situation. Here's some land, Mr. Polonium 
Moni. Do you want this? And what does he say? I will 
redeem it. Our hearts are crushed, right? 
Boaz and Ruth won't get together now. It seems like a good situation 
for him. It's a win-win scenario. This 
Mr. Poloni-Almoni can keep his land and he can also gain something 
else as well. But Boaz is smart, isn't he? 
This is part of Boaz's plan. He wants to be the one to redeem 
Ruth, not Mr. Poloni-Almoni. So he brings up 
what else has to be acquired in this transaction in verse 
six. On the day you buy the field 
from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabites, 
the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through 
his inheritance. It's not just redeeming the land. 
but redeeming the line as well. The line of Elimelech that is 
passed on. You see, the one who is going 
to redeem the land and redeem Naomi and redeem the line of 
Elimelech, this one will have to do it at great cost. It requires 
great sacrifice. And Mr. Polonyi Elmoni understands 
that. He says that in verse 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. He has his own line he cares 
about. And he is nameless in this situation, 
which is actually kind of ironic. He wants to have a line that 
is kept. But as Ian Duguid says, he says, the irony is that by 
seeking to protect his future legacy in this way, Mr. So-and-so ended up leaving himself 
nameless, missing out on having a share in the biggest legacy 
of all, a place in God's plan of salvation. So he's only concerned 
with himself, he's only concerned with his line, which is really 
a foil to Boaz, who really wants to be the one to redeem Ruth 
and to redeem the line. And Boaz wastes no time, verses 
7 and 8. So we see the custom, the transaction, 
the signature, so to speak, to confirm the deal. 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. So they exchanged shoes. That's 
an interesting way of doing things. And notice verse eight, Boaz 
does not hesitate. Therefore the close relative 
said to Boaz, buy it for yourself. So he took off his sandal. This 
was Boaz's plan all along. It wasn't, hey, here's a land. 
You can take it. Oh, but also you need to take 
this Lady Ruth as well. Your line is going to be perhaps, 
you're still going to get another inheritance of your own, but 
you're going also to have to give this line up to somebody 
else. Boaz is ready to do that. He's 
ready to sign it. He's ready to sign his life away, 
so to speak, for the sake of somebody else. And again, God 
is affirming it through this transaction. Buy it for yourself. And so, Boaz says in verse 9, 
he said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses 
this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and that 
was Cilion's and Maclon's from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, 
Ruth the Moabite Tess, the woman of Maclone, 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. And all that reference there 
should draw our attention back to Ruth 1. All the bad things 
that happened to Naomi, to Elimelech, all the things that fell apart 
in their lives. God in his mercy here is redeeming 
in this instance and it comes through costly love as Davis 
says. Doesn't love cost? It requires 
sacrifice, doesn't it? Even in marriage. This is so 
different from our modern context that unfortunately creeps into 
the church as well. We think marriages are about 
people making us happy. Well, nobody's happy then if 
we're only concerned with ourselves. It ought to be for the sake and 
care for other people. Boaz and Ruth get married, not 
for themselves, but to perpetuate a line and to perpetuate and 
care for other people and to love others. They're not obligated 
to do that. What they do in this relationship 
costs both of them. It costs Boaz and Ruth. But God is pleased to redeem 
through such a thing. God is pleased to move in mysterious 
ways and to bring about salvation for his people, salvation for 
Naomi, but salvation for the people of Israel as well through 
something that costs. And so it costs them much. He's 
going to redeem the land. He's going to redeem the line. 
And we see the witnesses at the gate in verse 11 and 12. All 
the people who were at the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. Can't go back on it. Someone 
else can't come and say, hey, Mr. Polonialmone can't all of 
a sudden go, oh, I want it now. No, it is done. We are the witnesses 
this day. And notice what they pray or 
what they, the blessing they hope happens for Boaz and Ruth. The Lord make the woman who is 
coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the 
house of Israel. May your womb be fruitful. Perhaps 
we can draw our attention again to that interesting situation, 
especially when we consider the marriages between Jacob and Leah, 
and Jacob and Rachel, and things even as the house of Israel is 
built all the way back in Genesis 30, some shady things go down 
there. Rachel sells Jacob for some mandrakes. You know what we call that? Prostitution, 
right? See, things aren't always happy 
after people get married. That's what Jane Austen forgot, 
because she never got married, I guess. We never see the latter 
part of marriages, because marriages are hard and difficult. And we 
see that with Leah and Rachel and Jacob and Rachel. But nonetheless, 
may your womb be like these two. May your womb be fruitful. May 
God build the house. That's why we read, you know, 
Psalm 128, God is the one who builds his house. This is important 
for us to be reminded of that. It's not the people, but God 
himself who moves in mysterious ways. to build his places. It's a reminder for Israel, especially 
with all that they're going through, with there was no one, everyone 
did what was right in his own eyes, there was no king in Israel, 
but God is building a line of a king who will rule his people. I think that's a reminder for 
us as well, isn't it? God builds his house, and the 
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And God is pleased 
to move in mysterious ways. In times you wouldn't think, 
humanly speaking, churches would grow. God does marvelous works. There is kind of a, I guess, 
a general trend in history when there is peace without, that 
is, peace from oppression. Theology goes down the drain, 
right? Because we have to fight with ourselves. When there's 
oppression, usually that's when people unite. That's when the 
church grows. There seems to be this, you know, 
confessing the church, growing together in the truth. God, you 
know, does it in times of so-called despair. God grows his church. 
God is mighty and good. And they're praying that God 
would be mighty and good to Boaz and Leah as well. So they pray 
that they'll be fruitful, but as well also, they pray that 
they might be famous. And may you prosper in Ephrathah 
and be famous, or may you have a name in Bethlehem. Mr. Polonyi 
Almoni, who cared about his name, again, has no name in the line 
of Israel. And the Ephrathah and Bethlehem, 
again, it's that Judahite lineage, the house of David, and even 
to that language of prosperity is the same word for valiant, 
or virtuous, the same word described in Ruth 3 about Ruth and of Boaz 
in Ruth 2. Really a virtuous woman who can 
find and a virtuous man who can find and virtuous children who 
can find. May they have virtuous, faithful 
children and famous children as well. And spoiler alert, they 
do. And then verse 12, we see a reference. Again, this is again a prayer. 
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. That's interesting, isn't it? 
Suspense builds again. We don't know that it's gonna 
happen, but it refers back to another squirmish situation. 
We would like to just gloss over Genesis 38, right? When we see 
what goes on there and how a father-in-law engages in adultery with his 
daughter-in-law, but it leads to the line of Perez to come. 
Notice how it is actually painted in a positive light here. I'm 
not condoning incest, by the way. Don't do that. But nonetheless, 
we see something very clear about God's redemption. In through 
unsavory sinners 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. There's going to be salvation 
through a Canaanite like Tamar, right? There's going to be salvation 
through a harlot and a Canaanite like Rahab, right? There's going 
to be salvation through a Hittite like Bathsheba, right? And there's 
going to be salvation through a Moabite like Ruth, right? And 
what's interesting is in the book of Ruth, guess how many 
times the Moabite or the Moabites or something of Moab is mentioned? 
Six, six times. He's trying to tell us something. 
She is the Moabite, right? And where did the Moabites come 
from? I gave it away at the beginning. Genesis 19, another passage we'd 
like to gloss over in our Bibles. with that unsavory, disgusting 
act that happens between Lot and his daughters. Moab is born 
in that situation. But God again, in his mercy and 
kindness, through this Moabites, will bring about the line of 
the king. Brethren, this should give us 
great hope in the world, shouldn't it, when we feel hopeless? If 
we've got unbelieving friends and family, I believe God saves 
his elect. He calls forth those who are 
his. We believe in the doctrine of predestination. But we don't 
know that, do we? God is the one who calls them 
forth. God is the one who saves them. God is the one who changes 
them. While there's still breath, there is still hope. If God can 
save a wretch like Tamar and bring about salvation through 
the Moabite, and save a wretch like you and I, There is great 
hope for this world found in Jesus Christ, redemption through 
this king. And that gives us great hope, 
doesn't it? Hope for the people, hope for 
the Christians, hope for the church, hope for us individually. Even in that time, again, Israel 
did what was right in their own eyes. But there is hope in a 
coming king. There is hope in the Christ to 
come. There's hope for us individually, 
mercy and forgiveness in Jesus. There's hope for the church corporately, 
mercy and forgiveness in Jesus, because Christ is the one who 
builds his church. Brethren, we can lose hope sometimes 
in our situations, and we ought not to. We ought to remember, 
as Davis says, there is a no hopeless future for the people 
of God, and that no hopeless future comes through a king. And so that was redemption for 
the dead. Let's then look secondly at redemption through a son in 
verses 13 through 22. Notice we see a son is born and 
a king is given. A son is born in verses 13 through 
16. And Davis points out there's 
a lot of prayer in Ruth and a lot of prayers answered in the book 
of Ruth as well. We see that here in verse 13. 
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when he went into 
her, The Lord gave her conception, she bore a son. A couple of things to note. Naomi 
prays in 1 8 that her daughter-in-laws would find husbands, husbands 
in Moab, but God provides for Ruth with this one Boaz. Or even Boaz, he says in chapter 
2 12, he uses the language of wings. He said, the Lord repay 
your work and full reward be given you by the Lord God of 
Israel under whose wings you come for refuge. She's put herself 
under Yahweh, but Yahweh is very practical and they still need 
someone under whose wings they are under, literally and practically, 
and God provides. Verse 11 of chapter 3, take your 
maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative. God answers prayers. And Ruth 
conceiving a son is not a surefire thing. Back in Moab, they were 
there for 10 years, right? So she hadn't born children yet. And what's interesting too, in 
the book of Ruth, God is sort of in the background. God works 
providentially. There's only two times it mentions 
God's direct acts. here in chapter four, but also 
back in chapter 1.6, where they hear how the Lord had visited 
his people by giving them bread. And the same thing, and so we 
see that here in 4.13, the Lord is the one who gave her conception. God is sovereign over all things, 
dear brethren, even if we don't always feel like it. And we're 
Calvinists, we forget that so often. That's why it's so important, 
perhaps maybe during these times you've hopefully been reminded 
and perhaps appreciate more God's sovereignty in all things. We 
are not in control. Even though we believe that sometimes 
the things that we like to use, I'm not against gadgets, so to 
speak, but they teach us we're in control. But in reality, God 
is in control of all things. We need to be reminded of that 
so often because we are so forgetful of those things. The Lord gave 
her conception and she bore a son. And then verse 14, then the woman 
said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this 
day without a close relative or a redeemer. And may his name 
be famous in Israel. The Lord never left her when 
she was called Mara, and the Lord never left her when she 
is called Naomi. And what's interesting, too, 
is even when Naomi wanted to be called Mara, she also recognized 
God's sovereignty even in the bad things, didn't she? May the 
Lord grant you favor, Ruth and Orpah. May God give you husbands. 
Or how the Lord has gone out against me. The Lord has afflicted 
me. Sometimes we love at God's sovereignty 
when good things happen, but we always don't like it when 
bad things happen. Isn't it funny, too, when we 
like to say when a good thing happens, that was God's providence, 
right? And it was God's providence. What about when bad things happen, 
dear brethren? Isn't that God's providence, too? for reasons 
we don't understand, for reasons we don't fathom in the moment, 
and we might never understand, or never know, or never fully 
realize. God remains King, and even the 
good times and the bad times, the sufferings and the prosperity 
are all from God. And Naomi understood that. And 
the people praised God for it. Blessed be the Lord who has not 
left you this day, and may his name be famous. in Israel. It's recalling all that God had 
done for Naomi, recalling His mercies. Brethren, that's good 
for us to do too. To recall God's salvation, to 
recall Christ always, but to recall all the good things God 
has done in our own lives as well. And I'll be grumblers, 
whiners, and complainers if you're like me. I struggle very much 
with that. We need to be reminded of who 
God is in all his providences and all his mercies. May he be 
to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. 
Even that language, she was once called herself dead and now she 
is a one who has life. A lot of reversals in Ruth. Then we see these ladies commend 
Ruth In verse 15, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better 
to you than seven sons, has born this one. A virtuous woman who 
can find. And what's interesting is that word is also used in 
Proverbs 31.10. And in the Hebrew Bible, do you know what precedes Ruth? Proverbs. If I were to ask you who the 
Proverbs 31 woman is, you might say something abstract. She's 
faithful. She's a delight to her husband. I'm meaning a specific 
person. Ruth is the Proverbs 31 woman, 
the way it unfolds in the Bible and the way in which the word 
is used. She is faithful, isn't she? She 
is a delight. She works hard. She is faithful 
to Yahweh. She's a virtuous woman by faith. 
Again, both her and Boaz do everything for the sake of other people, 
not for the sake of themselves. And it shows forth again God's 
grace in such times to give her such faith. In Israel, who can 
find such faith? And it comes from this Moabite 
lady. John Yeo says, but this could 
not have happened, that is, Ruth or Naomi receiving the son, without 
her daughter-in-law, who displayed her undying love to Naomi, even 
in the most desperate of circumstances. By God's sovereign grace, Ruth 
helped to redeem Naomi from destitution and certain death. In this way, 
Ruth was indeed worth more than seven sons. A virtuous, faithful 
woman who can find. A virtuous, faithful man who 
can find. But there is no one quite like 
Ruth. And then verse 16, Naomi took 
the child and laid him on her bosom, and she became a nurse. Restoration. And we see the restoration 
continue. Verse 17, also the neighbor woman 
gave him a name, saying, there is a son born to Naomi. They 
called his name Obed. Provider. She was once empty, 
now she is full. And again, that only comes from 
Yahweh, God Almighty, who is good. And they called his name 
Obed, and we see his famous line. He is the father of Jesse, the 
father of David. And then we see the lineage or 
the genealogy in verses 18 through 22. Genealogies are about what 
comes next. I know we like to think about 
what came last, but it's about what comes next. Who is coming 
next? You see that especially in Genesis. 
They're all about what comes next. And I think we see that 
here. We see Perez, to Hezron, to Ram, 
to Aminadab, to Nayshan, to Salmon. You could say Salmon, but I think 
Salmon's probably better. Who marries Rahab? They got Boaz, 
and Boaz, Obed, Obed, Jesse, and Jesse, David. We're looking 
ahead to David, aren't we? And again, we think about the 
placement of the Book of Ruth in various traditions. One tradition 
is the English Bibles, which we do have. Right after Judges, 
right before Samuel, right? Ruth is really a foil for the 
Book of Judges. They need a king. They need one 
that they can look to. They need one that they can find 
hope in. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes. Even the name Elimelech, God 
is my king. The writer to Ruth is bookending 
Ruth with the idea of kingship. And he went away, Elimelech, 
away from Israel. But now we have this one who 
was raised up in Israel who is going to be a king. They need 
a king. Brethren, we need a king. And 
again, for Israel, they're looking ahead. They wanted Saul, but 
instead they wanted to be like every other nation. So God raised 
up for them Saul. Then God is good. He raised up 
David. And really, when you get to the 
Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7, there's a consummation of 
sorts there. Not fully, but it says, when 
he had rest from all his enemies. And the judges, they were under 
oppression, oppression, oppression, oppression. They need a king 
to liberate and to redeem them, which they do find in David, 
not perfect. Solomon's got the greatest reign, 
but things go south from there. That's why they still long for 
a true king. And in Ruth, in the Hebrew Bible, 
Ruth is placed in the writings. Right before we get to the end, 
the Hebrew Bible ends with Chronicles. Do you know the difference between 
Chronicles and Kings? Kings looks back how we got to exile. Chronicles 
looking ahead for the King to come. What next for the people 
of God after they return? They're still waiting for that 
King. And we see that fulfilled in Christ, don't we? Matthew 
finishes the Hebrew Bible. We see the record of the genealogy 
of Jesus Christ, the son of David. Israel longed for this king Israel 
was looking for this king and this king who is mighty and powerful 
has come this king who is mighty and powerful has defeated death 
and this king who is mighty and powerful has been raised and 
is seated at the right hand of God right now Brethren, that 
is where our hope lies. Our source of hope is in Christ, 
our King, and in Christ alone. Even that's something we need 
to remember. You think that's an easy question. Well, who is 
the head of the church? Christ is the head of the church. 
One problem, we all forgot that. Or maybe not we, I'm just saying 
the church in general forgot that this past year, didn't we? 
Who is the king, dear brethren? Who tells us how to worship? 
Who comforts us in times of suffering? It is Christ alone, isn't it? 
Think about, I remember Dr. Godfrey speaking about the Battle 
of La Rochelle, the Roman Catholics against the French Calvinists, 
and the Catholics were sieging La Rochelle, and what happened 
was they sent a message, surrender to your king. You know what the 
Calvinists said? We have a king. We have a King, 
dear brethren, and that is Christ. And He is what gives us hope 
and strength. I must confess, these past few 
days, I've been a little bit down with the way the world is 
going, with the way things are operating. That's what the book 
of Revelation is meant to do for us, to comfort us in such 
times. And it has been a bomb to my 
soul in the past few days. He talks about the one who was 
and is and is to come. He talks about the first and 
the last, the one who drives all of history, the one who's 
seated on the throne. How many times is throne mentioned 
in the book of Revelation? To give us comfort, to remind 
us who's in charge, to remind us who the king is, and to remind 
us of the king in times of suffering, and to remind us that the king 
walks amongst his lampstands in times of suffering. Brethren, we have hope, and we 
have hope in this King. We have hope in a King who will 
guide us, and keep us, and walk with us in suffering. Christ 
never said we weren't going to suffer. He walks with us in times 
of suffering, and He knows our frame. And this gives us great 
hope. He is like us in every way, yet 
without sin. And thankfully, too, as we see 
the redemptions found in the Moabite, there is hope for the 
world. There is hope for sinners in 
Christ. Because let's be honest here, 
brethren. When we consider the fact that 
we are called the bride of Christ, why would anybody love us? When 
we consider our sinfulness, our wretchedness, our wicked thoughts, 
our wicked words, our wicked deeds, Why would anybody love 
us? But in the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
we see the great cost, don't we? The costly love of our Lord. He did not consider his equality 
with God something to be grasped. but made himself of no reputation, 
that he would take on the form of a bondservant, becoming obedient 
to the point of death, even the death of the cross, and be given 
the name that is above every other name. As the hymn writer 
says, from heaven he came and sought her, to be his holy bride, 
and with his blood he bought her, and for her life he died. Our Christ, our bridegroom, gave 
himself for his people. This is where we see what love 
is. He gave himself for people like 
Tamars and Ruths and Rahabs and you and I. Davis again, indeed 
there is something very Tamarish and Ruthish about the fact of 
your own position. Most of you are not Israelites 
after the flesh. Yet God died for us, the Son 
gave himself for us. This is how we know what love 
is. And if you're an unbeliever here today, consider what true 
love actually is. That we see it in Christ who 
sacrificed to die for his people in the gospel of free and sovereign 
grace. How Jesus came down, he lived, 
he died, and he rose again for an unlovely people. And the blessedness 
is if you believe on him, confess your sins, repent and believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved. You shall find 
mercy. You shall find grace. And I pray 
that God would save you, that you might know what love we see 
in the cross of Christ. Well, let us pray. Our good and gracious God, thank 
you again for your love. We confess, O God, that sometimes 
we think we are well worth it, but in reality we know that we 
are such an unlovely people, yet you are pleased to love us, 
to send forth your Son for us, to keep us and protect us even 
now. Thank you that we find hope in this great King, this one 
who identified with us yet without sin, this one who rules and reigns, 
declared to be who he is. this one who is the first and 
the last, the beginning and the end. Thank you that he reigns 
at your right hand even now. And we ask, O God, for your people 
that even in times of hopelessness, we would find our hope in Jesus 
Christ. Should we lose everything, may we be reminded of our Savior 
and all the good things found in Him. Thank you, O God, for 
a love that we do not truly understand, but thank you that it is, as 
your word says, eternal and immutable. Thank you, O God, that it is 
infinite. And we pray, O God, that we would just see it in 
Christ and all that He has done. Thank you for your love. May 
we be reminded of this this day. May it encourage our hearts this 
day. May it give us hope this day. If there are any here today 
who do not know you, oh God, we pray that they would look 
to Christ and find life and hope in him. And thank you, oh God, 
for the redemption that is found in him, the forgiveness of sins. 
And thank you so much for your blessed eternal love. We do not 
deserve it, but we praise you and honor you as the God of love 
who would die for sinners like us. So we ask God you keep us 
and protect us, preserve us, we pray. Help us to stand firm 
and to be strong in you and find our hope in you. And thank you, 
God, that you are pleased to walk with us in times when we 
are weak. And we pray that you be glorified 
in all things in the name of Christ. Amen. Well, we'll close 
this morning service by singing hymn 568. So you turn with me 
in the Trinity Psalter hymnal to hymn 568. will stand and sing together. 
♪ Praise to God the Lord as he is known ♪ ♪ Praise to God the 
Lord as he is known ♪ ♪ Praise to God the dearly loved 
♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Christ the Lord ♪ to Him who loved us and washed 
us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests 
to His God and Father. To Him be glory and dominion 
forever and ever. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time meditation. The piano's finished. You are 
dismissed.