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Ruth chapter 4. This morning 
we looked at chapter 3, redemption, or the plan of redemption, and 
then here tonight in chapter 4 we have the application of 
redemption. The redemption specifically in 
context is Boaz seeking to provide security for Ruth. And in this way Boaz typifies 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who would ultimately come from his line, 
that would provide security for his people in terms of salvation, 
eternal life, salvation from damnation. We'll pick up reading 
in chapter 4 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 ten 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 Moabitess, "'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 Killian's and Melon's 
from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, 
the widow of Melon, 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 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 Paris, 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 when he went into her, 
the Lord gave her conception. She bore a son. Then the women 
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. Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab 
begot Nashon. Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot 
Boaz. Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse. Jesse begot David. Well let us 
pray. Father, thank you for your work, 
thank you for your providence and your guiding hand, putting 
all these things together so that in your timing, Jesus Christ 
would come forth. We thank you that he was born 
to rule and born to reign and to govern the earth and to take 
a position at the right hand of God Most High. How we thank 
you that our Prophet, Priest, and King is there on our behalf. How we thank you that He will 
come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Our 
prayer and desire is that each and everyone here tonight would 
be ready for that day. We'd be ready to see Him when 
He does come to judge. That we would be found safely 
folded in His arms. That we would be covered in His 
righteousness. That we would be accepted in 
the Beloved. Our Father, I pray that the Spirit would attend 
the Word tonight, and that you would be well pleased to bring 
glory to your name in the edification of the saints and the salvation 
of sinners, that you would fill each one of us with your Spirit, 
God, illumine our minds and hearts, and lead us and guide us into 
all truth. And we pray these things through Christ Jesus, 
our Lord. Amen. So as we saw this morning in 
chapter 2, Ruth takes the initiative to try and provide for the well-being 
of Naomi and Ruth. She goes to a field to be a gleaner. She goes to the field that happens 
to belong to Boaz, under the providence of God, under the 
kindness of God, he leads her to that particular place. She 
does glean, she has benefited greatly, she is blessed richly. 
She returns to Naomi and gives her the report of what had happened, 
what had occurred. Naomi then strategizes and Naomi 
has some initiative in chapter 3. She reckons that because Boaz 
is a close relative, because he is a Goel, because he is a 
kinsman redeemer, he will be able to provide long-term security 
for Ruth. He wants, or she wants rather, 
for Boaz to take Ruth as his wife and to indeed bring her 
under his wing. And here in chapter 4 we see 
that Boaz liked this particular proposal. Boaz was on board. Boaz wanted to take Ruth as his 
wife And so now he then shows the initiative in chapter four. 
Remember that after Ruth makes this proposal to Boaz, he certainly 
welcomes it, but he says there is a nearer relative. There is 
one closer than I. There is somebody else that is 
entitled to this particular privilege. But he says, don't worry about 
it. I will go and pursue him. If he wants to take the right 
of redemption, he may have it to be sure. If not, then I will 
take it. Either way, Ruth is assured that 
she will have a husband. As I mentioned this morning, 
she was probably hoping it was going to be Boaz, and I'm sure 
Boaz was hoping it was going to be him too. Probably by this 
time, the romance and the love. So ladies, you can start gushing 
now. This is where it gets real syrupy and sappy. Just kidding. 
Remember, it's an arrangement for the benefit of both parties 
to the glory of God, but certainly the affections follow. Romance 
or love, those things are good in their proper place, and no 
doubt these things were welling up in both of their hearts. There is this particular or potential 
problem with this nearer relative. So let's look at the application 
of redemption, chapter 4, under two broad considerations. the 
resolution at the city gate, and secondly, the marriage of 
Boaz and Ruth. Note first the resolution at 
the city gate. This is where business was conducted. 
This was essentially city hall or the courthouse. This is where 
these sorts of matters were done. And notice in chapter 4 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 one of 
those other instances just like we find in chapter 2 at verse 
3, she happened to come to the field that was owned by Boaz. 
Here, Boaz goes to meet this particular man, of all the men 
that live in Bethlehem, of all the men that live in that particular 
region, of all the persons that he could have bumped into. He 
goes to the city gate, and who comes by but the exact man that 
he is supposed to meet. Again, we need to see in this 
that God is in the details. God does not leave things to 
chance. He does not hope that they work 
out for the benefit of all parties involved. The close relative 
of whom Boaz had spoken came by. They meet together and Boaz 
initiates. He says, come aside friend, sit 
down here. So he came aside and sat down. 
He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, sit down 
here. So they sat down. Now he outlines the particular 
situation. He wants to tell the man what 
is going on and that he has the right and the privilege of redemption 
with reference to Ruth and this field that belongs to Naomi. 
So he specifies the particulars, he sets out the parameters, he 
indicates what is at stake. Very specifically, verse 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. 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." Remember this morning I 
outlined several instances where the goel or the kinsman redeemer 
came into play. One of them was to get back land, 
to keep it in the tribe, to keep the inheritance alive, to keep 
these things in place. As we move down further in the 
narrative, we see they were also responsible to take the wife 
and to make sure that there was progeny. Inheritance, rights, 
land, property, all these things that again seem so foreign to 
us were crucial to a people who had been gifted a land by the 
living and true God, had been parceled out into twelve allotments, 
and this is what the brethren had. These things were good for 
them, these things were necessary, and God in His law specified 
how they were to conduct themselves in the land, and this kinsman-redeemer 
played a very serious role and a very serious part in that. 
So you see the scene, Boaz paints the picture. Notice that he keeps 
back the information about Ruth. I don't think this is deception, 
I don't think it's ungodly, I think Boaz is a wise man. Boaz is a 
shrewd brother, Boaz is cunning, He's harmless as a dove, but 
he is cunning as a serpent. And so once he specifies that 
there is land to be inherited, what Israelite who had red blood 
flowing through his veins wouldn't say, I'd like that parcel of 
land. I would like that piece of property. 
Certainly I would like to add that to my portfolio. I can grow 
more food. I can do more things. I can increase 
my wealth. This seems to be the mindset 
of this closer relative. He wants to benefit, he wants 
to thrive, he wants to prosper. Again, not necessarily an evil 
thing. He's not a bad man, he's not 
a wicked man. We don't know a whole lot about 
him other than he is the closest in the line to be able to exercise 
this right of redemption. And so notice in verse 4, at 
the very end, he said, I will redeem it. I will redeem it. And then Boaz says in verse 5, 
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. You see, this 
is an added piece of information. This is an additional benefit, 
if you will, but it could also prove to be a liability. For 
this closer relative, it was a liability. Because if he took 
Ruth, the Moabitess, as his wife, it would jeopardize whatever 
else he had going on in his life. Again, I don't know why Boaz 
didn't lead with this information. He leads with the land promise, 
or he leads with the land. After the closer relative says, 
yes, I want to purchase the land, or I want to redeem the land, 
then he says, oh, and by the way, As a blessed addition, you 
get to marry Ruth and provide progeny for her and for her inheritance. Notice what happens in verse 
6. The close relative said, I cannot 
redeem it for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance. This would 
jeopardize what he had going on elsewhere and he didn't want 
to do this. Again, there's probably nothing 
wicked that I know of at the outset. I don't think God calls 
us to make deals or make, you know, situations wherein we sacrifice 
our well-being or anything like that. It's not as if this closer 
relative was leaving her destitute, because Boaz has already asserted 
the reality that if he doesn't redeem, then Boaz will. So this 
closer relative isn't a bad guy. He simply opts out of this particular 
situation. And then he grants the legal 
permission. This is absolutely essential. 
Remember, they're gathered at the city gates, they're before 
the ten elders. This is a legal process here. This is judicial in nature. He 
says, you redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for 
I cannot redeem it. Now notice they transfer land 
at this particular point. Verse 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. 
That seems a bit odd to us. But I'm sure that in a hundred 
years, a generation that doesn't shake hands will wonder, why 
did they shake hands? What was the significance in 
shaking hands with one another? Or those cultures where men kiss 
other men on either cheek. I don't think it's because they're 
necessarily homosexuals or whatever, but they do that. I think the 
Italians do that. I know my uncle used to pinch 
my cheek and give it a good shake. and then he'd kiss the other 
side of my cheek and grab my face and do something like that. 
I mean, I just thought that was an Italian thing to do, and maybe 
it was. It just seemed a bit odd. It 
seemed a bit awkward. I wasn't used to that. My father 
never did that. So when we come to a particular 
situation like this, it seems odd that this exchange of a sandal 
would somehow indicate something. Would you stop and think about 
it for a moment? What comes into contact with 
land? Your foot, your sandaled foot. There is some symbolism 
involved. The law specifically indicates 
that you're supposed to do it this way. Deuteronomy 25, 5 to 
10. Kyle and Dalich, the commentators, 
say, the custom itself, which existed among the Indians and 
the ancient Germans, arose from the fact that fixed property 
was taken possession of by treading upon the soil, and hence taking 
off the shoe and handing it to another was a symbol of the transfer 
of a possession or right of ownership. Makes perfect sense seen in that 
light. Not some odd custom thing that they did, but you think 
about it and it is symbolic. The foot goes on the land, here's 
my sandal, we are making this transfer, it is legit, it is 
on the up and up, it is the real deal. Now notice, Verse 8, therefore 
the close relative said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, so he took 
off his sandal. Boaz said to the elders and all 
the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought all 
that was a limelax and all that was Killian's and Malan's from 
the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, 
the widow of Malan, I have acquired as my wife to perpetuate the 
name of the dead through his inheritance. That's the Leveret 
Law. That is that part and parcel of the Goel, the kinsman redeemer, 
to do this, 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. You see that Boaz is committed 
to doing things on the up and up. I mean, this is a legal process, 
a legal procedure, and he is judicious, down to the detail. 
He doesn't want it to come back later and say, well, you didn't 
really actually redeem this portion of land. You didn't really actually 
marry Ruth the Moabitess. Again, by way of corollary, Boaz 
only appears here as a virtuous man. Boaz only appears in this 
book as an upright man, as a godly man. And I think that if we are 
upright men and we are godly men, then we will indeed be men 
that are attentive to details. That we will not seek to cut 
corners, that we will not seek to pare off rough edges, we will 
not strive to get one over, but rather by the grace of God we 
will be faithful men, we will be upright men, we will be good 
examples of what it means to be a Christian man. If you're 
like me, you've talked to Christians, or people that aren't Christians, 
they say, well, Christians are hypocrites, and Christians this, 
and I've been ripped off in the business world by Christians. 
And I know probably not all of it is true, but brethren, maybe 
some of it is. And we ought to be very careful 
that we do not undo with our lives what we preach up with 
our words. If on the one hand we are witnessing 
and testifying to a business associate, and then later on 
in the week we are cheating him, we are taking something from 
him deceptively, or we are doing something that brings injury 
to him in the workplace, and I don't mean physical, but maybe 
economic injury, then we are denying by our actions the very 
things that we specify with our words. The Lord Christ, according 
to Psalm 15, was indeed an upright man. You could turn there for 
just a moment. If you've ever read Psalm 15 
and you've thought through it to any degree whatsoever, you 
have to conclude that this is not a description of you. This 
is not a description of you, but rather is a description of 
the Lord Jesus. In Psalm 15, a Psalm of David, 
Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in your holy hill? It's Christ, isn't it? And by 
the grace of God, all the elect in Him. It's Christ who does 
everything that is specified in the remaining Psalm. Now certainly 
in Christ we ought to try and imbibe this particular ethic. 
In Christ we ought to be a people that are upright and godly. But 
ultimately, this describes the Lord Jesus, who abides in the 
tabernacle of God. It is the Lord Jesus, who dwells 
in the holy hill of Zion. It is the Lord Jesus, and by 
virtue of His grace and His mercy and saving faith, He unites us 
to Himself, and because of Him, we get to dwell there likewise. 
But look at how it describes it. He who walks uprightly. works 
righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. He who does 
not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, 
nor does he take up a reproach against his friend, in whose 
eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear 
the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt and does not change." 
It's an important passage there. He swears to his own hurt and 
does not change. He doesn't default. He doesn't 
renege. If something isn't going to be 
beneficial to him, he doesn't say, well, this just doesn't 
work for me. No, if he's signed on the dotted line, he carries 
it out. It's a man of his word. He swears 
to his own hurt and he does not change, which should indicate 
to you, make sure before you sign on the dotted line. Make 
sure you exercise due diligence and a degree of godly caution 
before you commit to something, because if you are going to pursue 
the Lamb of God wherever He goes, that means you swear to your 
own hurt and you do not change. He who does not put out his money 
at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who 
does these things shall never be moved. Boaz typically is like 
this. Boaz is a man of faithfulness. Boaz certainly wants to do what 
is right and he wants to do what is right for the glory of his 
God, and for the good of Ruth and Naomi." So back to the text, 
notice what happens after they ratify this particular transaction. Verse 11 in Ruth 4. Verse 11 
in verse 4, 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 mothers of Israel. The mothers of Israel, those 
whom Jacob had as wives, and he populated the twelve tribes. May your wife Boaz be like Rachel 
and Leah. May she be one who benefits the 
house of Israel. Notice, the two who built the 
house of Israel, and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous 
in Bethlehem. Did this happen? Is Boaz famous 
in Bethlehem? Absolutely. Boaz is a man that 
we are considering right now. Certainly his name transcended 
the particular situation that he lived in. What these brethren 
or what these people, what these covenant members are wishing 
upon Boaz comes to fruition. Certainly the impact or the benefit 
that Ruth has on Israel is akin to Rachel and Leah. Because it 
is from Ruth that David woke up. It is from David that the 
Lord Jesus woke up. So Ruth is a significant figure 
and Boaz in Israel's history. Notice verse 12. It says, 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. We'll examine this particular 
situation in a little bit. But just for a moment, the situation 
with Judah and Tamar was similar to a Leveret arrangement. This 
was not Tamar's original husband. Happened to be her father-in-law. 
I think we like the savory, nice story of Boaz and Ruth, don't 
we? It kind of makes our hearts pitter-patter, 
and we feel warm and happy. The not-so-nice story of Judah 
and Tamar nevertheless displays the grace, and the power, and 
the majesty of God. Remember, Tamar had a husband 
named Ur. He was wicked in the sight of 
the Lord, so God killed him. That's the space that Ur gets 
in Scripture. Imagine that. This is your claim 
to fame, being in the inscripturated Word. You're so wicked that God 
just kills you. Who's been struck by that? No 
pun intended. Ur was wicked in the sight of 
God and he killed him. That's it, no more Ur. This is 
now an Ur-less world because he was a wicked man and the Lord 
struck him. What happens then? Ur's brother 
Onan then takes Tamar. And Onan does not fulfill the 
law of the Leveret. He does not provide progeny for 
his widowed sister-in-law. What happens to Onan? He goes 
the way of Ur. God kills him too. So then Judah 
promises his third son, Shelah. Says to Tamar, live in my house 
until Shelah rises up and then you can marry him. You see what's 
working here? Law, land, privilege, inheritance, 
even before they officially possessed the land. These things were already 
in place. So then Judah's wife dies. Tamar recognizes that Sheila 
has now grown up, and Tamar has not been given to him as a wife. 
So Tamar goes into the path of where Judah is, and when Judah 
sees Tamar, he thinks she's a harlot. And Tamar, or Judah, wants to 
go into her. She proffers a particular deal, 
and he does, and she concedes. Tamar then hears that your, rather 
Judah hears that Tamar is playing the harlot. And Judah says, bring 
her out and burn her. Well, when she happens to come 
out, she has the tokens that he had given to her. And he said, 
she has been more righteous than I. You see, that's an unsavory 
story, isn't it? I mean, none of us want our little 
girls to grow up and do that. None of us want our little boys 
to grow up and do that. But you know, when we come to 
the end of Genesis 38, we can sing, amazing grace, how sweet 
the sound that saved a wretch like me. This was a means by 
which God kept the line intact. Who does Tamar give birth to? Tariths. Guess where Perez fares? Ruth chapter 4. Guess where else 
Perez fares? Matthew chapter 1. Tamar's in 
Matthew chapter 1. I mean, look at the ladies that 
God has chosen in history to bring to pass the most excellent 
thing that has ever occurred. We have Tamar, again, not the 
most savory character in the world, We have Ruth, a Moabitess. We have Rahab, the harlot. And 
then it's as if Matthew doesn't even want to name Bathsheba, 
she who was the wife of David. You see, he doesn't even want 
to mention that, but Bathsheba fares in that particular situation 
as well. You see, the point is, brethren, 
God sometimes works through unsavory things to bring about glorious 
things. Because you need to remember 
that He's not working with an earth that is sterile. He is 
not working with an earth that is pure. He is not working with 
an earth that is upright and holy and everybody does everything 
they're always supposed to do. He is working with sinners. And 
God takes crooked sinners and He makes straight things out 
of them. And He brings good and blessed things to pass through 
even the calamities that men make of their lives. So the fact 
that these covenant members in chapter 4 verse 12 say, the house 
of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring 
which the Lord will give you from this young woman." They 
are invoking the blessing of God upon this arrangement and 
they want this to be a benefit to Israel. Notice the marriage, 
verses 13 to 17a. 13 is very quick, so Boaz took 
Ruth and she became his wife. May I just suggest this is the 
better way to do marriages without four years of planning, lots 
of books, and lots of flowers, and lots of... I'm just kidding. 
Let's just take them and get them married. Let's do it in 
a 13A fashion. Spoken as a man who's had to 
pay for weddings and has another one coming up. Let's just do 
13A marriages. You just meet right there, I'll 
pronounce you husband and wife and off you go. Saves a lot of 
things, doesn't it? I'm just kidding ladies, I know 
that you really love that. Ladies. And men, men love the 
wedding day too. So Boaz took Ruth and she became 
his wife. And when he went into her, the 
Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. God is sovereign 
over the womb. It's very intriguing how many 
barren women the Lord has used in the history of redemption. 
Barren woman, after barren woman, after barren woman, the Lord 
God opens the womb and brings forth a son. It's very interesting 
as well because when Ruth was married to Malon, she spent 10 
years in Moab and she never had a child. Wasn't because she was 
anyway physically hindered, maybe Malon was, the emphasis or the 
accent of the stress falls upon the sovereignty of God. She married 
the man that God had for her. She married the man that God 
was going to do great things with them through. She married 
Boaz and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Now notice 
the blessing of the women in Bethlehem. Then the women said 
to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day 
without a close relative. 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 is better to you than seven sons has borne him. 
That is a great statement. To have sons in Israel was to 
be seen as a good man. To have seven sons, the number 
of completion, I mean that just didn't get any better. You were 
a boss in Israel with seven sons. These ladies say that Ruth is 
better to you than seven sons. Remember this morning I said 
if God gives you a Ruth in your life, a friend, a family member, 
whatever, value and prize that. The Lord is good to Naomi in 
having given her Ruth and giving Boaz to Ruth. And then notice 
what they say specifically in verse 15, and may he be to you 
a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. Daniel Block 
says, I'm sorry, in a world previously characterized by famine, barrenness, 
and death, there is birth, new life. The image of this woman 
taking the child in her arms must also be seen against the 
backdrop of her previous experience. She had not only had her bread 
basket emptied by famine, in the depths of her husband and 
sons, her bosom had also been emptied of her man. She takes 
the child, she lays him on her bosom, and becomes a nurse to 
him. Now that could be read in an awkward way. Probably all 
that's in view is that she cuddled the baby on her front side. She 
became a nurse, not a wet nurse. She didn't provide nourishment 
to him. Probably a nanny, or the baby's 
gran, or whatever you want to call that mother. It's a sign 
of affection. It's a term of endearment. Here's 
Naomi having gone through all these things and now she's cuddling 
little Obed in her arms. It's truly a beautiful, beautiful 
scene. Also the neighbor women gave 
him a name saying, I don't think it was them that officially named 
him. I think it was Boaz and Ruth. They confirm it, affirm it. There 
is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed. He is the 
father of Jesse, the father of David. Obed simply means servant 
or serving one. And that brings us to the point 
of the book. You see all the chapter 1 verse 
1 up to 417 is details, and it's blessed good details. It's God's 
providence worked out in history. The point of Ruth is Ruth 4, 
18 to 22. This is where the author's moving. 
This is what we are supposed to get. This is where we see 
Jesus This is where we behold the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world. Now this is the genealogy of 
Perez. Perez begot Hezron. Hezron begot 
Ram. Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab 
begot Nashon. Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot 
Boaz. Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David. Turn to Matthew chapter 1. Matthew 
chapter 1, where each of these names are rehearsed, given to 
us in the book concerning the Lord of glory, even Jesus Christ. Chapter 1, verse 1, the book 
of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. the son of 
Abraham. Notice just verses 2 to 6 here. Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot 
Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot 
Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez begot Hezron. Hezron begot 
Ram. Ram begot Amminadab. Amminadab 
begot Nashon. Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot 
Boaz by Rahab. That's Rahab the harlot. Remember 
Rahab the harlot who lived in Jericho who hid the spies? They 
proffered a deal to her. They wanted safety for a night. And she says, when you come back 
to destroy the city, please spare me and my family. You get to 
Joshua chapter 6 and what do we find? We find Rahab spared. Rahab is an Israelite. Rahab 
is a proselyte. Rahab is now within the covenant 
community. And Rahab married a man by the 
name of Salman. And I must suggest that she did 
a very fine job in raising little Boaz. She did a great job in 
raising little Boaz. You see, brethren, here's an 
encouragement to faithful parenting. Rahab didn't grow up in the church. She wasn't polished. She didn't 
have it all going on. She was a prostitute that the 
God of heaven and earth and of prostitutes had mercy upon. And he welcomes her into Israel. And in his grace and in his mercy 
Rahab marries Salman. And the two of them have little 
Boaz. Boaz grows up and he's sterling 
in his character. He's godly. He's upright. He 
is the man who marries Ruth. And now Ruth and Boaz give birth 
to Obed. Obed, of course, begot Jesse. Jesse begot David, David the 
king. David the king begot Solomon 
by her who had been the wife of Uriah. You see, who is in 
the lineage? Who is in the history? Who is 
in the backdrop of the life of the earthly existence of the 
Lord Jesus? It's these people. Ruth, in the Incarnation, is 
perfectly legitimate to study. Because Ruth serves as the backdrop, 
or at least part of the backdrop, for the coming of the Son of 
God into this world's sinners to save. After several other 
generations are indicated for a total of 14. The 14 here doesn't 
exhaust Israel. It's theological in nature. Matthew 
tailors the genealogy according to theology, not according to 
counting specific generations. Now notice in chapter 1 verse 
18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother 
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she 
was found with child of the Holy Spirit. You see the Spirit's 
role in this. She was overshadowed by the power 
of the Spirit. This holy thing will be conceived 
not in the traditional way, but according to the power of the 
Holy Spirit." Notice, then, Joseph, her husband, being a just man 
and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her 
away secretly. That is exactly what it says. 
Joseph knew how babies were made. When Mary came along and said, 
look, I'm pregnant, Joseph concluded that she had been unfaithful. 
Betrothal was a legal arrangement, but up until the actual act of 
marriage there was no relationship. So it was not the case that it 
would have been his child and he knew that all too well. Again, 
biology was known even back in those days. And so because he's 
a just man, because he's a godly man, he wants to put her away 
secretly. He doesn't haul her to the city square and have her 
executed as an adulteress. Notice, while he thought about 
these things, verse 20, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared 
to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid 
to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in 
her is of the Holy Spirit. You see, each of the persons 
involved here has a particular role. The Spirit comes, overshadows 
Mary, and she becomes pregnant. Mary's particular role is most 
blessed among women, similar to what JL has told back in the 
book of Judges, Judges 5. Mary's going to have a baby. 
Joseph has a particular task. Joseph is to name the baby. But 
the baby to be born has the biggest task of all. That is specified 
in verse 21. You shall call his name Jesus, 
which means Yahweh is salvation, or Yahweh saves. You shall call 
his name Jesus. 4 For he will save his people 
from their sins. 5 So all this was done, that 
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the 
prophet, saying, 6 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and 
bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated 
God with us. Then Joseph, being aroused from 
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took 
to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought 
forth her firstborn son. And he called his name Jesus." 
And the rest of Matthew's gospel fleshes out for us or shows us 
how it is that He will save His people from their sins. May I 
suggest that as you approach Matthew's Gospel, do it in the 
spirit of verse 1 in chapter 1. It is Jesus Christ, the Son 
of David, the King, the Son of Abraham. and then approach the 
rest of the Gospel of Matthew in the context of verse 21. Why does Jesus go to Jerusalem? Why does Jesus suffer at the 
hands of godless men? Why is Jesus killed and raised 
on the third day? Matthew's answered that for us 
in 121. He must save his people from 
their sins. And isn't this an interesting 
assertion? Israel is now His people? This is an inscription concerning 
the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Israel are His people. The Old 
Covenant, it's always Yahweh's people. What is Matthew telling 
us? That Jesus is on par with Yahweh. And this is His people. And akin 
to the promise given to Abraham, Israel includes not only Jews 
but Gentiles. All Israel must be saved through 
the efforts and the work and the person of our blessed Lord 
Jesus. And notice as well the particularity 
or the definiteness. He will save. Brethren, as we 
conclude, this is a good place to hang your hat. He will save. He doesn't make you savable. 
He doesn't push you over the edge. He doesn't help you be 
all you can be. He saves you. He saves you to 
the uttermost. He saves you completely. He saves 
you always. He doesn't let you go. Matthew 
Henry says, those whom Christ saves, He saves from their sins, 
from the guilt of sin by the merit of His death, from the 
dominion of sin by the Spirit of His grace. In saving them 
from sin, He saves them from wrath and the curse and all misery 
here and hereafter. Brethren, we have in Christ the 
most blessed Savior. He saves us from our sins. John Gill said, with reference 
to the Book of Ruth, the principal design of it is to give the genealogy 
of David. Remember, last week when I introduced 
the book, it's not primarily a romance story. It's not primarily 
a story concerning feminine courage in a patriarchal age. It is a 
story about the Lord Jesus. It's about Christ. That's why 
we can preach Christ crucified from the book of Ruth. The principle 
design of it is to give the genealogy of David, whom Samuel had anointed 
to be king of Israel, and from whom the Messiah was to come, 
and who therefore may be said to be the aim and scope of it, 
as he is all of Scripture, and whereby it appears that he sprung 
from both Jews and Gentiles, and is the Savior of both, and 
there is a good foundation for both to hope in him. and the 
call and conversion of Ruth the Moabitess may be considered as 
a shadow, emblem, and pledge of the conversion of the Gentiles. 
Daniel Bloch says, for as the genealogy of Matthew 1 indicates, 
one greater than David comes from the loins of Boaz. In the 
dark days of the judges, the foundation is laid for the line 
that would produce the Savior, the Messiah, the Redeemer of 
a lost and destitute humanity. If you have not come to Christ, 
believe on Him. As I mentioned this morning, 
this week isn't just about gifts and cozy and all that. If we are to think concerning 
the Incarnation, let us think in light of Matthew 121. If we 
are not saved by the grace of God, we ought to flee. We ought 
to run. We ought to seek refuge and shelter 
in Him alone who is able to save His people from their sins. Christ 
is everything. Not just this week. Every single 
week. Every day. Every moment. Christ 
is all in all. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word and we thank You for the consent 
of all the parts. We thank You for the scope of 
the whole. We thank You, Most High God, that You have given 
us the Scriptures, that You have given us such a gracious and 
glorious Savior. We ask, our Father, that You 
would cause us to walk in Him and to find our completeness 
and sufficiency and our joy in Him. And may we truly evidence 
a glad heart as those who have been saved from their sins. Go 
with us tonight, grant us grace in this coming week, and cause 
us to glorify your most holy name. And we ask through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen.