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APPROACHING THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER

Introduction

Today we are going to continue our look at the book of Ruth, GOD’S LOVE STORY FOR US.

As we have said previously, this book of Ruth is an exact parallel to the love affair that should exist between Jesus Christ and us.

Let’s review what we’ve learned:

In Chapter 1, we saw how that Naomi and her husband and sons move from Bethlehem to Moab because of a famine that was in the land of Bethlehem-Judah. While they were in Moab, Naomi’s husband died. Her sons married wives from Moab but her sons also died. Naomi then set out to go back to Bethlehem, and one of her two daughter’s-in-law, Ruth, insisted on going with her.

We saw how that this pictures what happens to us when we get out of the will of God. Just like Naomi, we go out full and come back empty and broken.

In Chapter 2, we saw that upon returning to Bethlehem, Ruth went out to the fields to glean grain to sustain both her and her mother-in-law. The field she came upon was a man by the name of Boaz, who fell in love with Ruth, and was very accommodating to her needs.

We saw how that this pictures God’s love and grace at work in our lives to provide for us and to make us want to love him and serve only him.

Now according to 2:23, Ruth continued to glean in Boaz’s field through both the barley and wheat harvests. During these couple of months, it became more and more apparent that Boaz and Ruth liked each other.

Now we need to understand that Naomi had already told Ruth that Boaz was a near kinsman who qualified as a kinsmen-redeemer.

Before we go on into the story, let’s review exactly how the idea of a kinsman-redeemer works.

When the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, God assigned each family of each tribe a section of the Promised Land to inhabit. This land was very important to God and the Israelites. So to make sure that it stayed in the family, the kinsman-redeemer law was instituted.

If a man died and left land and a widow who had bore no sons, his nearest kinsman would be given the opportunity to buy his land and to marry his widow and have sons to carry on the deceased’s name. If he wouldn’t, then the next closest kin could redeem and so on.

But now here was the catch. The kinsman-redeemer couldn’t make the decision to redeem. He had to be asked by the widow to redeem her husbands land.

With that in mind we see what is going on in our text:

NAOMI’S SUGGESTION. (Ruth 3:1-5)

A.        Naomi wants to know what Ruth is waiting for!

            1.         When she asks “shall I not seek rest for thee,”

I believe what she is implying to Ruth is “am I going to have to ask him for you?”

            2.         And in v. 2 she says, “is not Boaz of our kindred?”

                                    Naomi is saying to Ruth, “what’s the hold up?”

B.        Remember that it was Ruth who had to claim Boaz, not the other way around.

C.        Now notice that Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is at the threshing floor. That is significant.

            1.         Many times we think of the threshing floor as a place of work, and it was. But when the people went to the threshing floor it was a time of feasting and thanking God for an abundant harvest. They would sing psalms praising God for the harvest.

            2.         You see, Naomi knew that Boaz would be in a good mood at the threshing floor, and so it would be a good time for Ruth to go and try to claim Boaz as her redeemer.

THE NIGHT AT THE THRESHING FLOOR. (Ruth 3:6-13)

A.        Now we need to understand that there is nothing suggestive happening here.

            For Ruth to uncover Boaz’s feet and lie on them was a request for marriage.

            1.         Remember that the widow had to request to be redeemed.

                        So Ruth had to propose to Boaz.

            2.         This is what Naomi had instructed Ruth to do in v.4.

B.        When Boaz rolled over, he realized that there was a woman on his feet.

Remember in chapter 2, verse 12 where Boaz said to Ruth, “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

The same Hebrew word that is translated wings in 2:12 is translated skirt in 3:9.

            Ruth is asking Boaz to shelter her under his wing; to redeem her.

            What a beautiful gesture of love that is!

THE NEXT MORNING AT HOME. ( Ruth 3:14-18)

A.        Boaz didn’t want anyone to know that Ruth had been to the threshing floor. Nothing had happened that was improper, but since when do the facts matter to gossipers?

B.        Boaz gave Ruth six measures of grain to give to Naomi.

Under the circumstances, it was customary for him to send a gift to Naomi. But this was more than just custom. He wanted to send Naomi a gift, especially after the good advice she had given Ruth.

C.        And finally we see Naomi encouraging Ruth to wait patiently for Boaz to work things out.

            She was sure that Boaz wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled.

So, what lessons can we learn from this chapter…

I.         WHEN GOD GIVES US HOPE, HE EXPECTS A REACTION.

            A.        Verses 1-5 are actually the turning point of the whole book of Ruth.

Naomi had hopes that Boaz and Ruth would marry, so she prodded Ruth to move ahead and claim him.

            B.        Now that is not to say that we can force the hand of God to do what we would like. God is not a genie that grants our wishes!

            C.        But God causes things to happen in a way so as to reveal to us where He is at work.

            D.        Let me put it like this:

If you are learning to surf, you can learn how to choose the right equipment, how to use it properly, how to catch a wave and ride it as long as possible, and how to get off the wave without wiping out.

But you will never see a course that teaches “How to Build A Wave”. Surfing is the art of riding the waves that God has built. If there aren’t any waves, you don’t surf that day.

The problem is that too many church folks have the “How Can I Build A Wave” mentality. You can’t! God has to build them!

You see, we need to stop trying to make things happen on our own, and start looking for the waves that God has created.

I can tell you from experience that when you stop trying to build a wave and ask God where His waves are, you will see amazing things happen in your lives.

                        Dr. Henry Blackaby has said, “Find where God is working and join Him there.”

Can you see where God is working? Are you willing to join in where God is working?

            WHEN GOD GIVES US HOPE, HE EXPECTS A REACTION.

II.       SOMETIMES, ALL WE CAN DO IS WAIT ON GOD.

            A.        Ruth came home to tell Naomi about everything that happened.

And Naomi gave some advice that we all hate to hear when we are anxious about something: WAIT.

                        Don’t you just hate to wait?!

One of the most difficult parts of faith is when no more action can be taken and we must wait patiently for God to work out His will.

            B.        Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we would hope.

                        Life just doesn’t seem fair sometimes, does it?

            C.        Wouldn’t it have been nice if Boaz had been the very next of kin and Ruth would not have had to wait to see if he would get to redeem her?

                        But it doesn’t always work the way we would like for it to.

            D.        The important thing for us to take from this is this thought: All we can ever do is place our lives in God’s hands and trust Him.

III.      WE MUST CLAIM OUR KINSMAN-REDEEMER.

Boaz, as a kinsman-redeemer to Ruth, is a beautiful illustration of how Jesus Christ is our kinsman-redeemer.

            Jesus Christ fulfills all of the requirements to be our kinsman-redeemer.

            A.        He Was Related To Us By Blood:

Hebrews 2:14–“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

            B.        He Was Able To Pay The Price:

                        1 Corinthians 6:20–“For ye are bought with a price. . .”

1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

                        He Was Related By Blood.

                        He Was Able To Pay The Price.

            C         He Was Willing To Redeem:

Matthew 20:28–“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Conclusion

Thank God we have a Kinsmen-Redeemer! But we must approach Him to be our Redeemer!

Have you been to His threshing floor?

Have you claimed Jesus as your redeemer? To reach out and claim Jesus is more than just having your name on a church roll.

It requires an active faith, not a faith that sits on the sidelines and nods. We must have a faith that will go and claim Jesus as our Kinsman-Redeemer. A faith that will pursue a closer relationship with Jesus everyday!

Jesus chose you by giving His life for you, but you can’t be redeemed until you claim Him as your Redeemer.

Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

There may be one here today who has heard the Gospel and knows and believes that Jesus died for their sins but just has never confessed unto salvation.

So allow me to be Naomi for a minute:

“Shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?”

I’d love to be able to do it for you, but I can’t. You have to!

“Don’t you understand that Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer?”

It’s time to for you to come to the threshing floor! It’s time to accept Jesus as your Saviour.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!