This morning as I do have opportunity to preach, we will be continuing through the book of Ruth and we find ourselves this morning in Ruth chapter 4. Ruth chapter 4 verses 1 through 12. So far we have seen the family of Elimalek sojurning in the land of Moab. We've seen his son, Killian, in Maylon taking Moabite wives of which Ruth is and both Elimalek and his sons have died and Naomi and her bitterness returns back to Bethlehem for the Lord has seen fit to bring blessing to the land, has filled the house of bread with bread again.
We find ourselves seeing God's provision in his grace and his mercy towards Naomi and towards Ruth and even as we finished in chapter 3 we see this glimmer of hope that Boaz would be the Redeemer that would redeem both Naomi and Ruth. We'll have a little bit of a cliffhanger. We do hear that there is a near Redeemer which is where we will pick up this morning in Ruth chapter 4. Will this near Redeemer redeem?
Will we see Boaz receive the blessing that has been wished upon him and has been called upon the Lord to give him? We'll see this this morning in Ruth chapter 4 verses 1 through 12 before I read. Let's pray, in that words blessing on the reading of this word. For God and heaven we do thank you that you would visit us with every blessing from on high.
We ask that you would give us eyes to see that we might behold wondrous things in your word. This will revive us, strengthen us, grant us your spirit in greater measure. The Lord that we might rejoice in you and that we might behold Christ. We ask these things in his precious name.
And here now God's word. Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there and behold the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said to turn aside friend sit down here and he turned 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 Redeemer, the only who has come back from the country of the Boaz is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative, a limalek. 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 beside you to redeem it and I come after you. And he said I will redeem it. And 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 and his inheritance. 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. 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 another 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.
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 belongs to a limalek and all that belongs to Killian and all that belongs to Meilon. In Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Meilon, I have bought to be my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance that the name of the dead may not be cut off from monk his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day. Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said we are witnesses.
May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah who together built up the house of Israel. May you act wordily in Ephritha and be renowned in Bethlehem. And may your house be like the house of Perez who tamed our board to Judah because of the offspring. The Lord will give you by this young woman.
The grass swithers and the flower falls. The word of our God stands forever and ever. Thanks be God. I wonder if you remember the name of this near redeemer as we read through these verses.
The man who Boaz says has the right to first refusal to redeem. The one who just so happened to be walking through the gate and by Boaz as the elders were gathered to meet. Well, you don't remember his name because it's not recorded in this book. What's interesting is that there are many names recorded in the scriptures and even many names that are remembered in infamy or remembered tragically.
Maybe for their unfaithfulness or their rootlessness or their opposition to the Lord. Come next Sunday evening to come here to continue in the book of Hebrews and you hear more of the Hall of Faith, those that are not remembered for their infamy but for those that believe upon the Lord and who have faith. People are remembered even the scriptures for being for the faith that they've exhibited. But here in this text this person is not named at all.
He's not remembered either in infamy or for any good reason. In fact what we see here is that Boaz refers to him. He calls him friend as we see translated in the ESV. But really this word as commentators know means something more like so and so or what's his name.
That's what you call someone when you're running them in lows but you just can't remember their names. I apologize if I haven't that to you already. But here we have this hey pal, hey bud, come here and sit down. What we find here is this redeemer, redeemer serves as something of a foil, something of a comparison that we might behold the glory of Christ to redeem us.
The end here is not Boaz. We are not here to exalt Boaz and to cast this unnamed man aside. But we should see it in Christ for where Boaz is faithful and pursues the Lord in all faithfulness. What's his name?
This near redeemer shirks his covenantal responsibility. He refuses. And while it may not be that it's so morally apprehensable as some scholars may claim, we know that the author of this book makes no remark. He makes no comment on his rejecting the offer to redeem.
It doesn't seem a stretch to see that this near kinsmen is a comparison. It should make us long for a redeemer that we see in Boaz and we ultimately see in Christ where it is Boaz who is recorded in the genealogy of Jesus. This man is lost to history. He's insignificant.
Well why? Why is he lost to history? Why is he insignificant? First I want you to see this morning.
He was counting the cost. He was counting the cost. I wonder don't we all love a shrewd deal? We all know someone who clips coupons and takes the grocery store to the cleaners.
Their folks are so good at it that they end up being paid to come shop. They leave with money and a cart full of stuff. We just had that wondrous national holiday of yes thanksgiving but also Black Friday when things are offered a steep discount and even tomorrow will be cyber Monday. A good deal is hard to pass up.
And at the outset of chapter four maybe to Boaz's own concern, this near redeemer seems to be ready and willing to redeem a limolex widow in the land. The short of it is this man is counting the cost and it initially seems to be a shrewd business decision. According to God's commands regarding the redeeming of the land and the family lines which you can find in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25 it was the duty and responsibility of a relative to ensure both his brother's family line continues and that their land would have been preserved and kept and passed on to the eldest son to be kept in the family to speak. But Boaz begins to tell this man the terms of redemption and the details of his obligation.
Naomi who has come back from the country of Moab is selling the partial of land that belonged to her relative, a limolex. So I thought I would tell you that and say, by the presence of those sitting here, into 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 beside you to redeem it and I come after you. Now typically as it would happen the redeemer would rent and would work and would keep and profit from the land of the short term until and keep it in the family until the year Jubilee when the land would revert back to its previous owners. But as the Sinclair Ferguson notes with there being no mail air and presumably no possibility for a mail air, no sons or grandsons, the redemption price to be paid would become a final purchasing price.
A good deal one could not simply pass up meaning the land would not revert back to anyone, but as he would pay and would keep and work and serve he would increase his land. So it seems this man is counting the cost. It benefits him. I will redeem it, he says.
You imagine the original audience hearing this story, right, hearing this true and his historical account. Maybe you can hear the collective gas that his agreements until they hear the further clarifying of the responsibility. As Goaz is being very, very intentional with how he is phrasing this and couching this. But regardless he says the day you buy the field from the head of Naomi you also require root, the Moebites, the widow of the dead in order to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance.
And here, levere marriage is applied. That means that which a dead man's name would be perpetuated, the house of a limalek would continue according to Yahweh's blessings and provision and the law. The law would function as it was intended to function here in this situation. And so we would see that Naomi would be provided for and Ruth would be provided for, but a limalek's line would continue.
For this near redeemer, his loophole was clearly collapsing and he takes it back. I cannot redeem lest I impair my own inheritance. You redeem it, Goaz. Now can you imagine this from the near redeemer's perspective?
Here he is going out his day, walking through the city gates when all of a sudden it just so happens as the author of Ruth likes to tell us that he's pulled aside by this man who he probably knows and he is ushered towards a seat where then ten elders are gathered around a quorum for doing business in Israel and he sees that something is taking place. Here Naomi and her needs and the root need of Ruth are laid before him. He's thinking it's my lucky day. His attitude is clear.
His guiding principle can be discerned. What's in it for me? What's in it for me? In church it's important that we see this hard attitude not only as it runs contrary to the heart of the law but to the very heart of God who did not even spare his own son but gave him as a ransom.
The price to redeem is costly and even here in the days in which the judges ruled a glimpse at the heart of God who would reconcile sinners to himself and he himself would bear this price of redemption. Let's say us when we weigh the cost of faithfulness. What's the metric we employ when we count the cost of following God's commands, of seeking him in faithfulness? Is there a risk, reward, dynamic?
Or are we tempted to pursue Christ as long as it's advantageous or beneficial to us? Maybe when it's not so difficult or so costly. If we were to take stock of what the Scriptures tell us to expect following Christ, it's not for the thing of heart, is it? Being a Christian means picking up our cross and following after Jesus.
It means being united to him and his suffering. Knowing that in this world there will be tribulation, that Christ followers are no greater than their master that they will be despised as he was despised. Much like the rich young ruler here, this man's heart is exposed. What he loved becomes clear and it's ultimately himself, isn't it?
It's ultimately himself, his wealth and his inheritance. Less I would impair my inheritance. In some ways this leaves us asking the question, who will pay the cost? Who will pay the cost?
What's our second point this morning? First we see counting the cost, second we see, paying the cost. So where the near Redeemer is able, but he is unwilling, Boas is willing and he is able. Boas is both able and willing.
He is willing to pay the cost because first his love is for the Lord, but also his love is for Ruth. We read of the account and it's changed. The author gives the original audience and you and me a little commentary, doesn't he? He says this was the custom in the former times in Israel concerning the Redeemer and exchanging to confirm a transaction.
One drew off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was a matter of testing in Israel. When the Redeemer said to Boas, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal. Then Boas said to the elders, and the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to a limalike and belonged to Killian and belonged to Melan.
Also Ruth, the Moabike, the widow of Melan, I have bought to be my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. The name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers in front of the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day. Now this pronouncement in light of chapter three is a fitting fulfillment not only to Boas's promise to redeem and honor the Lord, but that romantic relationship between the two.
But seemingly Boas counted the cost and lovingly and willingly paid the price because he loved the Lord and he loved Ruth. He considered the equation. He crunched numbers and came to his conclusion from a heavenly perspective. I don't really want to.
I hope that we can see clearly here the work of Christ betrayed, even foreshadowed in this book that there has been the costly work of our Redeemer who has so lovingly and graciously chosen to lay his life down, that this redemptive desire of the Lord has always been and expresses the heart of God himself as he gave these glimpses to what was to come in Christ. We look through the book of Ruth and we see Jesus. First I want you to see that the Lord loves his bride sacrificially. He loves his bride sacrificially.
It's no wonder that Ephesians 5 or Ephesians 5, Paul says, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. We understand that the Lord loves his people just as Boas loves Ruth and is willing to give to redeem her so Christ loves us and has given us everything. What does Paul say? He says, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.
Jesus tells us, greater love has no one than this that someone laid down his life for his friends. Paul says again, God chose his love for us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. John says, by this we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. It's the purpose of the survey.
The purpose of the survey is to show you that love is most clearly displayed in the Scriptures to sacrifice. That if you want to know the love of God, look upon Christ crucified on the cross. We see this expression of love most gloriously proclaimed and ultimately in Jesus who redeemed us and paid the purchasing price. It was not too costly.
He was able and he was willing. I'm afraid we rob Christ of glory when we fail to consider the extent of his humiliation, which is something that we gathered during the Advent season to be reminded of the incarnation of Christ, the work of his incarnation. I want you to listen to what Ian Dugud has to say regarding the relationship between Boaz and Jesus. Ian Dugud says this, the love of Jesus is thus far greater even than the love of Boaz for Ruth or Ruth for Naomi.
He left his place in heaven. Not just the greener fields of Moab. He left intimate fellowship with the Father for the pain of this fallen world. Jesus didn't merely risk his reputation for us.
He bore being made of no reputation despised and rejected by men. At the moment of his greatest pain and rejection on the cross, however, there was no near redeemer to rescue him. There was only the darkness closing around him on the cross as he cried out in the agony of the pains of hell, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? What awesome love Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
It really was amazing love because it was shown not to the lovely, but to the very unlovely, to sinners, you and me. Church this love patterned after Ruth for Naomi and Boaz for Ruth is rooted in sacrifice. Of considering others so much more than yourself, to the point of giving up your own life, what you owe for them. First we see here in this paying the cost that the Lord loves his bride sacrificially.
But also what you see here, secondly the Lord both loves and sacrifices eagerly. He does so eagerly. There is no arm twisting. There is no grumbling.
There is no eye rolling. I think this is really the perspective of God's redeeming love here. Think of Boaz's words to Ruth that previous evening at the rushing floor. In the morning, if he will redeem you, good let him do it.
But if not, I, but if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem him. He promises and he swears by the Lord to redeem Ruth. In chapter 4 opens with Boaz, heading to the city gate to sit and wait and watch for Mr. What's His name to come by.
And there is an eagerness and a joy in doing so. Boaz seemingly could not wait to follow through with his promise. He did not teary. He will consider Luke's accounting, the turning point of the life and ministry of Jesus.
Right after Peter has confessed Christ as Lord, after Jesus instructs the disciples of his death and resurrection, those things that must come to pass in the coming days, after the great down payment or display of his glory at the transfiguration, after Jesus instructs his disciples of their own suffering to come, there is this phrase that Luke uses to describe Jesus. In fact, it's the reason that's given of why theres an airtons reject Jesus. He writes, the people did not receive him because his face was set towards Jerusalem. Like Flint, it was set towards Jerusalem.
His gaze knew no other. His desire was not distracted. He did not find his fulfillment in something else. We know this passage to be a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Savior who sets his face like a Flint.
We see here that same determination, that eagerness to redeem God's people to accomplish the will of the Father and promote the glory of the Godhead. This book holds forth a great glory of redemption and it illuminates Jesus for all he is and for all he has done. It shades in the lines and the colors and the lines of the love that is behind redemption. And as we don't have a reluctant redeemer whose sighs, the heavy sighs and pinches pennies, but he counts his obligation as joy.
It is his delight to do so. And one of the things we should love about Jesus is the deep joy with which he goes about the task of redemption. There was such a willingness to die for those who were his enemies of God, as Paul tells us, who were actively seeking the throne for themselves, who despised and rejected and blasphemed his name. And yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.
In the words of Richard Sibs, Rain Shrew, there is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us. In an aspect of that, mercy is his love, expressed in sacrifice, taken on willingly and joyfully for the sake of his people. Our very final point this morning is, is this not cause for rejoicing? Is this not cause for giving loud praise?
Because in this passage, we see that only Boaz paying the cost, but we see that there is a celebrating of the cost being paid. Celebrating the cost being paid. This redeeming leads to rejoicing. They celebrate.
We have the strange custom here, right? Taking off the sandal and giving it to the others, a man of a testing in Israel. What's interesting is that even the author who is thought to by may to be writing well at the time of Ruth and maybe even after the time of David, he makes this statement. Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming the land.
He's making mention of something that people wouldn't have known or understood. There's been lots of things spilled trying to reclaim this exchanging of the shoe, okay? That's not the point here though. That's not the point of this passage.
We should see the response of this exchange. The response of Boaz's fellow Bethelmites. We're told that this acts signify redeeming and exchanging. And yet it's the response that we read here at these verses that really should grab our attention.
Boaz the clearest for the elders. In all of Betheland, that Ruth and Naomi and all that belong to Limalek and Kiliun and the Maelon have been redeemed. Ruth has now has been restored and the line of Maelon will continue. The line of a Limalek will continue.
Consider how Boaz's peers responded. The Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah who together built up a house of Israel. May you act wordily in Ephritha and be renowned in Bethlehem. May your house be like a house of Perez who tame our board to Judah because of the offspring that the Lord will give you behind this young woman.
I want to see the joy in Boaz's redeeming, but I want you to the joy in the people. We're rejoicing in the price being paid and the audience sees this. The audience has been given this glimpse into the blessing that Ruth will be to Boaz and we'll consider that next time I have opportunity to preach as we see how this book ends. This serves like something of a chorus confirming what we already know to be true.
Boaz is greatly blessed, not just in what he gets but in the very activity of redeeming. Showing this covenantal faithfulness to Ruth and Naomi reflecting this aspect of the Lord himself. This crowd has echoed the sentiments that Boaz himself has expressed to Ruth and Ruth has expressed to Boaz and even Naomi has expressed of Boaz, this idea being blessed. But I want you to see that this chorus reflects really the course of heaven, that witnesses such a redemption.
You recall the parables of Jesus were lost things were found. What do you think if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray does he not leave the 99 on the mountain and go and search for the one that went astray? If he finds it truly I say to you he rejoices over it more than the 99 that ever went astray. And Luke recounts the parable saying and when he has found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing and when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost.
Just so I tell you there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. You see redeeming demands are response. It is an expression of the very heart of God and friends it's what we do every Lord day morning we come to worship together. We come to respond in praise and to give glory to God for this through Jesus that we have been redeemed from the bits of hell.
It is through Christ that we have been rescued and sin no longer is our King but it is Christ. We join our voices and song we unite our hearts and prayer our minds are given over to the scriptures we offer sacrifices of praise the one who has given himself for our sake. On this this redemption is costly redemption requires a payment and yet it is with joy that Jesus lays his life down but it is for the glory of God that he does so. And one thing that the book of Ruth reveals to us is that while the ultimate display of the Lord's covenantal faithfulness to us is on the cross we ourselves are agents of this faithfulness we are oftentimes the means through which God's blessings are brought to his people and to others.
And so when this Bethlehemite chorus bursts out in blessing recounting the means through which Israel has known blessing in the past they are recognizing even in Boas the means of God bringing to bear his blessings on the family of the limalek our way of blessing to the people of God. Again we will get more to that next time I have opportunity to preach we will see the line of Boas continues on. And if you ever considered that you may be the means of blessing that God ordains to show forth his covenant to love. We are in fact ambassadors of Christ bearing the message and bearing the very love that God has shown us in Christ and how glorious is it and how much of a blessing it is when we get to serve as Christ has served us.
Knowing that blessing isn't so much what we get but when we serve our neighbor as our self and ultimately the Lord. Let's not be stingy servants let us not be reluctant redeemers let us let us not pinch the pennies and count the costs but let us be so enamored with the Lord so taken aback by his loving and redentive care that we can't help but consider it a humble joy to express even the smallest amount of gratitude by loving others well. This collective rejoicing here in chapter four we unite our own voices with them even as the body of Christ has gathered to rejoice in the Lord and what we do is we spur one another on to these loving good deeds. We shake each other away because we await the appearing of our Lord Jesus.
And so let it do our hearts good and let it lead us to praise when we see and hear and know from these when we see and know and hear of those who are going about good and we're seeing God's good blessings flowing. In other words we free of praise to God and let us remind each other the blessings of following our Lord together that might have adorned our collective proclamation that are Savior Redeens and that he saves. You know this first Sunday of Advent our appetites for a greater redeemer should be wet. For Christ would come as Boaz lovingly and longingly willing and able to redeem.
He doesn't refuse. He doesn't count the cost. He lays his life down. That's what it's rejoiced in Christ together.
Let's pray. Oh God we thank you for your ministry to us in Jesus. The Lord that you have loved us, that you have blessed us, that you have cared for us in Christ. And the Lord I do pray that you would see fit to work in us now rich praise that we would rejoice in all that you are and that you would receive our worship as pleasing in your sight.
And so God we ask that you would give us a deeper sense of the love that you have shown us in Christ. There's we are plunged into its depths. Would we rejoice and would we be even overwhelmed that we will never find its bottom. We will never find the end of that great well of grace and mercy.
Lord might we delight that this is the redeemer that we long to see. I pray in our states of Jesus' name. Amen. I should say in its sync together as we sing let all mortal flesh keep silence.