6-Redeeming Love

First Southern Baptist Church

Dr. Patrick Mead

Series: Everyday God

Redeeming Love

Ruth 4

We're in the series Everyday God. In our study of the book of Ruth, what we have been observing and discovering is God's plan for Ruth. God has a plan for Ruth. Of course we learned that God has a plan for individuals. Of course God's plan for Ruth took place 3,200 years ago. It took place during the time of the judges. That was a time where the people of Israel were unfaithful to God. You read the book of Judges, and it says they did evil in the sight of the Lord.

God had to constantly bring judgment, and then he brought redemption. Judgment and redemption. They were unfaithful to God. They did what was right in their own eyes. God was faithful to discipline the people of Israel. You have the book of Judges where God's people were unfaithful. Then you come to this very small book called Ruth, a wonderful love story, a story of redemption. It's also a story of faith.

In the midst of that, in the midst of unfaithfulness on the part of Israel, you have faithfulness on the part of Ruth who, by the way, is a Moabite. She is a Moabite. We've been watching Ruth faithfully follow the Lord. I mean, it started with her leaving her people, leaving her country, leaving her gods. She would cling to the God of Israel, and she would cling to the people of Israel. She started walking with God and being faithful with the things she could control.

As she was faithful in the things she could control, God guided her in the areas she couldn't control. That's why in verse 3 of chapter 2, when she steps out being faithful, doing what she is supposed to be doing, it says it just so happened she found herself in the field of Boaz. We see that as the very hand of God. That's why we call this series Everyday God. She ends up in the field of Boaz. Boaz provides food. He provides protection.

When Ruth comes back to say, "Hey, I ended up in this guy's field. His name is Boaz," Naomi realizes he is a relative. He is a relative of Naomi's husband, Elimelech, Ruth's father-in-law. She says, "Wait a minute. He is a kinsman redeemer." You see, according to the twenty-fifth chapters of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the kinsman redeemer had a responsibility to redeem a deceased relative's land and also his name and his inheritance.

Last Sunday in chapter 3, what we observed as Naomi realized, "Hey, listen. This is Scripture here," is she begins to devise a plan. In chapter 3, they devised a plan. They go out, and they present this biblical plan to Boaz. Of course Boaz, when he hears it, takes responsibility, because Boaz was a man of faith. Boaz was a man of God whose life was governed by the Word of God. The plan was presented to him, and here's how he responded.

Verse 12 of chapter 3: "And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning." In chapter 3 when it ended, it ended with Ruth and Naomi waiting for Boaz to redeem.

You come to chapter 4, and it's really the climax of the story. This story is a love story, but it's a story of redemption. Within the first eight verses, you'll see at least 12 times the word redeemer, redeem, or redemption, which tells us it's all about redemption. You see, the story of Ruth is a story of redemption. God's activity in Ruth's life is his desire to redeem her. He is going to use Boaz. Through Boaz, Ruth would be given hope. Ruth would be given a future.

As we come to Ruth, chapter 4, our attention now is focused solely on Boaz and his activities. What we're going to see with Boaz is already apparent, but we really begin to see here in chapter 4 that he is actually going beyond redeeming law. By that I mean, yes, here is a man of God, here is a man whose life is governed by the Word of God, so out of a sense of responsibility he is going to redeem her.

With Boaz, it's more than, "Oh, I have to do it. This is my responsibility." For Boaz, he goes beyond redeeming law, and now he is expressing redeeming love. He is in love with the Lord. The reason he wants to be obedient is he loves God, he loves Yahweh, and he loves Ruth. It's not an, "I have to do it." He is not really obligated. He wants to do it. What we have with Boaz is a wonderful, wonderful picture of redeeming love.

God's plan of redemption in the book of Ruth is really a microcosm of God's plan of redemption for humanity. We need to understand that God's history…his story…is a story all about redemption. Every detail of the Bible has behind it this one great purpose: God's unfolding purpose of redemption for a world that is wrecked and ruined.

As we have been observing God's activity in everyday life and how he is working in our lives, it's paramount that we realize God's ultimate plan for individuals is that they're redeemed from their sins. You experience salvation in Jesus Christ. This plan of redemption can only take place when you first of all have to recognize, "I have a need to be redeemed."

Then you turn from your sin itself, and you place your faith in God's provision of redemption, his Son Jesus Christ. That is the only way you can participate in God's plan of redemption, through faith. We look at Boaz's redeeming love and what he does. Remember it's a microcosm of God's redeeming love. What we learn about redeeming love is…

1. Redeeming love takes the initiative. In verse 18 of chapter 3, we're left waiting because Naomi tells Ruth, "Wait. Wait for Boaz to act. He is a man of action." In other words, "Wait. Boaz will take the initiative." That's exactly what he does. Look at his steps of action beginning in verse 1. "Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there."

Before cell phones, before computers, before Internet, before any kind of modern technology, when you had business to do, you didn't get on the computer. You went down to the gate. That's exactly what he is doing. When you had a legal transaction that needed to take place, you went to the gate. Then we see what happens. I love what happens here because it's a great reminder of God's activity in everyday life.

We're going to see God orchestrating the steps. I can't stress this enough. When we are faithful in the things we can control, God will guide us in the things we can't control. We see the sovereign hand of God again at work. It says, "Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by." He sat down at the gate, and the guy he was looking for is there. He shows up.

Sometimes we call this divine coincidence. It's not a coincidence. This is the hand of God. Just like when Ruth set out to glean in the fields, it so happened (verse 3 of chapter 2) she ended up in the field of Boaz. Coincidence? No. The very hand of God. Again, we see the hand of God active in everyday life. Here's the nearest redeemer, because when we left chapter 3, you may remember he said, "There's one nearer than me."

He continues, and he cries out to him. He speaks to him, and he says, "'Turn aside, friend; sit down here.' And he turned aside and sat down." I find it very interesting because the book of Ruth is all about names. Everybody has a name in the book of Ruth. Do you realize that? Except for, of course, the workers out in the field. Orpah was named. It wasn't, "Oh, the other sister-in-law."

Here we have this redeemer who is actually nearer, next in line before Boaz, and the author doesn't give us the name. In fact, it's better translated like this: "Turn aside, Mr. So-and-so. Hey, Mr. So-and-so." Why didn't they give us his name? Maybe to not draw attention to the man and his selfishness, because what is happening here is a contrast. You're going to contrast this redeemer with Boaz. One is selfish; one is unselfish. He cries out, "Hey, Mr. So-and-so." Then he presents this whole plan to him. Look at verse 2. He takes further action. It says:

"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 redeemer, 'Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, "Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people." If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.'"

Again with Boaz we see true love, redeeming love, moves to action, takes the initiative. The apostle John in his first epistle, the third chapter, when he was telling us to love one another, he clarifies what love is. He says, "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed [action]…" Love is more than just words. Love is more than just talk. It is action.

In the same manner, realize this. Here is Boaz, true love, redeeming love, moving to action, taking the initiative. Remember this is a microcosm of God and his redeeming love. In the very same manner, God takes the initiative when it comes to redeeming sinful humanity. This happens early on in history.

Genesis, chapter 3. Adam and Eve disobey God. The moment they disobeyed God, it says their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked, and they were ashamed. Do you know what they did? They went, and they tried to hide themselves. They tried to cover the shame up. They went, and they found fig leaves. They put the fig leaves on. Then they heard the Lord in the garden. Guess what they did? Let me tell you what they did not do.

The moment they heard God coming into the garden, you did not see Adam and Eve going, "Oh, God. Here we come. We're so sorry we sinned against you. Oh Lord!" They didn't do that, did they? No! They ran from God. They went, and they hid themselves behind the trees. Ever since Genesis, chapter 3, sinful humanity has been running from God. We don't run to God. We are sinful, and we run from God.

The same reason Adam and Eve ran is the same reason we still run today. We are sinners. We're sinners! We run from God. We run from God today, do the same thing. We've been doing it throughout history. We try to cover up our shame with fig leaves. We hide behind trees. They're not real trees, but we hide behind false religions. We hide behind false philosophies, false ideologies. We think, "Well, if I hide behind here, God won't find me."

People hide behind atheism. They think, "Listen, God won't find me. I just won't believe in him. If I don't believe in him, he won't find me." Oh, yes, he will! Just ask the prominent atheist who died a couple of days ago. He would tell you, "You can't hide." Here's what God does. With Adam and Eve, it's God who takes the initiative. They were hiding. It was God who started seeking them out. It was God who started investigating them. It was God who said to Adam, "Adam, where are you?"

He said it not because he didn't know where he was. He said it for the sake of Adam. "Adam, come to realize where you're at. You need to come to your senses. You need to realize what you've done to yourself." You see, God asked the question, and he continues. "Where are you?" He wants us to be confronted with ourselves so we would realize we are now in need of redemption because we are sinners who run from God.

That's why I always say this whole concept of seeker sensitive… The seeker is God. God is the one seeking man. God is the one seeking people out. If you're here this morning and you don't know Christ, I'm here to tell you you're here because God is taking the initiative. God is seeking you out.

Some of you are here week in and week out, and you think you're okay. You're hiding behind false profession of faith. I'm here to tell you God is saying today, "Where are you?" Redeeming love takes the initiative. Boaz took the initiative. God takes the initiative. God is the one who seeks us. God is the one who investigates us. We don't investigate God; he investigates us!

2. Redeeming love pays the price. He presented the situation to him. Of course, Boaz is pretty wise because he didn't tell him the cost. He didn't tell him what it was going to cost him. Notice how he responded. The last part of verse 4: "Yeah, I'll redeem it. You bet!" The reason he was willing at this point was he really didn't know what it would cost. To him, it was going to be a good deal, not for Naomi, not for Ruth, but for himself.

You see, to him as it was presented, it meant, "Okay, more land. More land means more land to farm. More land to farm means more crops. More crops mean more money. More money means more of a good life. Yeah! You bet! I will redeem it because it will benefit me." He didn't know the cost, so Boaz lets him know it. "Here's what redemption is going to cost you."

Verse 5: "Then Boaz said, 'The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.'" Here's what it would cost him. If he went and he redeemed that land and he married Ruth, as soon as he and Ruth had a child, that child would get the land. That child would get the inheritance. He would have to give it up.

When he heard that, he had second thoughts. Verse 6: "Then the redeemer said, 'I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.'" Listen, it's not an issue about he can't redeem it. He wouldn't redeem it. He wouldn't redeem it because he knew it would cost him. Sure, he would have the land, but eventually he would have to give up the land. It would cost him his inheritance now, and in the future, it would cost him his land.

That's why you see the contrast. Here is a man who, when he hears the price, says, "I won't pay the price because it doesn't benefit me." Boaz thought differently. Boaz was willing to pay the price. He was willing to pay the price. He purposely paid the price. He faithfully paid the price. In other words, he did exactly what the law required, and he did it unselfishly. He did it knowing he would lose the land.

This is real true love right here. He is giving it up. He loves the Lord. He loves Ruth, and he is willing to lose his land, his inheritance, because he is a man who is willing to pay the price. He is unselfish. We see this picture of Boaz willing to pay the price. Of course it gives us a grander picture of the ultimate price our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ, paid. Through Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, our ransom has been paid. Jesus paid the price willingly.

He was willing to shed his blood so you and I could be redeemed. He did it purposefully. His whole reason for coming was to seek and save the lost and to pay a ransom, to give his life as a ransom so we could be saved from our sins. He did it faithfully. He fulfilled the law. He was perfect. He fulfilled the law perfectly, and that's why he was an acceptable sacrifice to God, because he was without blemish. He was without sin.

He did it unselfishly. He did it for our benefit, and he did it for God the Father's glory. Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, paid the price. Redeeming love…how amazing it is! Redeeming love…that my King would die for my sins.

3. Redeeming love makes a commitment. Boaz makes a commitment. We see it taking place in verses 7 and 8. Here's the legal transaction. It says, "Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the redeemer said to Boaz, 'Buy it for yourself,' he drew off his sandal."

Which means this man walked home with only one sandal on. "I don't want to pay for it." Here's what happens. Boaz makes a public commitment. He says, "I'm going to become accountable, and all of you are my witnesses this very day. I want you to see I'm going to commit myself to Ruth. I'm going to commit myself to the dead." Verse 9 says…

"Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 'You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.'"

He makes the commitment, first, that he is going to be a faithful husband to Ruth. Man, she has come a long way from losing her husband, Mahlon, in chapter 1 to leaving everything (her people, her country, her gods). She clings to the God of Israel, Yahweh. She is just faithful in what she can control, and God guides her in the things she can't control. She ends up in the field of Boaz. Boaz ends up being her redeemer. Boaz is willing to redeem her, knowing the cost and knowing the price that would have to be paid.

Now we see this beautiful picture of a man who says, "I am committing myself not only to be her husband, but I'm going to commit myself to perpetuate the name and the inheritance of the dead." Talking about selfless, that is commitment. An even greater commitment is found in the redeeming love of Christ. As believers in Christ Jesus, we need to rest in the commitment that Christ makes to those who experience his redeeming love.

We can be assured that because of Christ's commitment to us, because we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, our redemption is an eternal redemption. It's safe and secure. The moment you experience redemption in Jesus Christ, Christ commits himself to you. When you are unfaithful, he is faithful to his commitment. He will never, ever let you go. That means all of your sins…past, present, and future…have been satisfied in the death of Jesus Christ, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Because you have redemption in Jesus Christ, you can be assured he will be committed to you throughout eternity. An eternal commitment to you. That's redeeming love. How interesting we have Boaz saying, "She will become my bride." Christ says, "You, my redeemed, will become my bride. I will commit myself to you. Nothing…nothing…will separate you from the love of God. I am committed to you. Nothing, no one, will ever snatch you from my hands."

You see, redeeming love is committed to those who are redeemed. If you were to sum up God's activity in everyday life, when I talk about being faithful in the things you can control and watching God guide you in the things you can't control, you need to realize God's ultimate plan is redemption. He wants to redeem sinners from sin. I want you to think about it.

You know, this Bible is so cohesive and consistent. Did you know there are 40 different authors? They didn't live at the same time. Over at least 1,600 years, here are these men carried along by God, writing these words. Then, of course, we're so blessed we have it all together in one Book. Amen?

Guess what? This story, this Book, is consistent from beginning to end. The one theme of the Bible, the overriding theme of the Bible, is God's plan of redeeming sinners from sin. Do not lose sight of that. This Bible is his story of redemption, his desire to redeem people from their sins. Don't lose sight of it.

That's God's desire. That's God's plan. I'm here to tell you this is the plan God takes the initiative in. He is the one seeking you out. If you've been redeemed, he sought you out. He found you, and he called you out. He said, "Patrick, where are you? Are you tired of hiding behind those trees? Are you tired of hiding behind that tree of a false worldview? Are you tired? Do you think I'm not going to find you?"

"You're going to find me."

"I've found you. I'm investigating you right now." I'm here to tell you somebody is getting called out right now. God is saying, "Where are you? Come out from those trees. Come on out." That's what God is saying. He is taking the initiative. He is seeking you out.

I want you to know he has paid the price by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. He wants to make a commitment to you. You have to turn from your sin and self, call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved. God wants to save you today. Come on out from the trees. God is seeking you out. Quit running. Quit running from God. Place your faith in Jesus.

If you are a child of God and you have been redeemed, you need to renew your love for him. I don't know about you, but this stuff gets me excited that he is the one who takes the initiative. He is the one who pays the price. He is committed to us throughout eternity. Glory to God! Amazing, amazing love of God.

Father, we are overwhelmed of your love. We're overwhelmed that when we hide, you go after us. You seek us out. May that love overwhelm that man, that woman, that young person who is here this morning. They're hiding behind the trees. I hope and pray they hear your voice saying, "Where are you?"

Sir, where are you? Ma'am, where are you? Young person, where are you? Come out. Come out from the trees, and come and rest in the saving work of Jesus Christ this morning. Place your faith in Jesus Christ this morning. This morning know he paid the price for you, and know he wants to be committed to you. He wants to give you eternal life. Will you come out this morning? Will you come out from the trees? Will you come clean? Will you come and accept the amazing, redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus? You come.

God is speaking to you about becoming a part of our church family through membership. You've experienced the redeeming love. Now you're ready to serve your Redeemer, and he called you to serve here. You come. You come forward. Pastors will be up front. Pastors will be in back. You come.

God, we thank you again for all you're doing. Thank you for this time of the year to remind us how much you love us. In Jesus' name, amen.