A. Have you ever heard of the saying: “You can’t get there from here?”
1. Apparently the saying began in Maine and was used in response to a person asking for directions to a distant location that cannot be accessed without extensive, complicated directions.
2. I guess it has something to do with the lakes and the chaotic layout of roads in the vast rural areas of Maine.
3. To some extent the saying also holds true in other parts of New England as well.
B. I want to use that phrase “You can’t get there from here” as a lunching point for this final sermon in our series from the book of Ruth.
1. I have given the sermon the title of “Trusting God on Life’s Journey,” because that’s what Naomi and Ruth had to do, and that’s what all of us have to do.
2. And the truth of the matter is not that “You can’t get there from here,” but that “you can’t get there from here in a straight line.”
3. We can’t expect that our lives are going to be a smooth and straight line from where we are to where we want to go.
4. We need to trust God on life’s journey, because our journey isn’t going to be like a straight interstate highway through Arizona, rather its going to be more like a highway through the Rocky Mountains.
5. Our journey is going to have dead-ends and ups and downs, there will be hairpin turns and sudden stops.
C. The journey that Naomi and Ruth found themselves on was a hard one with mostly downs and what looked like dead ends.
1. But one of the key lessons we learn from the book of Ruth is to trust God on life’s journey.
2. The setbacks that we experience in our lives may very well be the way that God is leading us to a place of favor and joy.
3. We started the sermon series referencing the old hymn “God moves in a mysterious way” because it encourages us to realize that, as the verse says: “the clouds you so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break, in blessings” and “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.”
D. As we have moved through the story of Ruth, we have seen that they experienced a series of setbacks.
1. In chapter 1, Naomi and her husband and two sons decided to leave their homeland in Judah on account of the famine.
a. Then Naomi’s husband died.
b. Then her sons married Moabite women but had no children.
c. And then her sons died leaving two widows in the house of Naomi.
d. Even though Ruth decided to stay with Naomi, chapter 1 ended with Naomi’s bitter complaint: “I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty...The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
2. In chapter 2, Naomi began to have new hope because Boaz appeared on the scene as a possible husband for Ruth.
a. But Boaz didn’t propose to Ruth. He didn’t make any moves in that direction, at least that’s the way it seemed.
b. So the chapter closed brimming with excited hope, but also with great suspense and uncertainty about how all that might work out.
3. In chapter 3, Naomi suggested that Ruth make a risky move in the middle of the night.
a. So, according to the plan, Ruth went to Boaz on the threshing floor and said in effect: “I want you to spread your wing over me as my husband.”
b. Boaz was pleased by Ruth’s proposal and said he would be happy to be her husband, but there was another man who according to Hebrew custom was ahead of him and had to be given the first opportunity to be the kinsman redeemer.
c. Boaz promised Ruth that he would take care of the matter first thing the next day, and that she would have a husband, either him or the other kinsman redeemer.
d. So, chapter 3 ended with that cliff hanger, but now here’s the exciting conclusion of the story of Ruth.
E. Ruth chapter 4 begins: 1 Boaz went to the gate of the town and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz said, “Come over here and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz took ten men of the town’s elders and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. 3 He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the territory of Moab, is selling the portion of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.” (Ruth 4:1-4)
1. When the Bible says that Boaz went to the gate of the town, we need to understand that the gate of an ancient town was very different than what we picture when we think about a gate.
a. This wasn’t a chain link fence type of gate!
b. It was more likely a large rock structure that was built into the rock wall that surrounded the city.
c. The picture you see on the screen is the ruins of the city gate of Beersheba another city in Israel that is talked about in Scripture.
d. The gate likely had wooden doors and was two stories tall.
e. The gate area usually included a courtyard where business was done.
2. So, first thing the next morning, Boaz went to the city gate where business was conducted and sat down there.
3. Then the Bible says that the family redeemer whom Boaz needed to see “came by.”
a. How many times in the story of Ruth have we seen things just happen coincidentally?
b. Naomi and Ruth just happened to arrive back in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
c. Ruth just happened to end up gleaning in the field of a nice man named Boaz, who just happened to be a potential kinsman redeemer.
d. Boaz just happened to come to the field where Ruth was gleaning the first day she had come to glean.
e. And now, the very man who Boaz needed to see just happened to come to the city gate.
f. I see God’s fingerprints all over this!
4. So, Boaz invited the man to come over and sit down.
a. Keep in mind that Boaz bears this man no ill will, and remember they are related to each other.
b. This man is not referred to by name, he is simply called the family redeemer, or kinsman-redeemer, since he is related to the deceased and can redeem his wife and property.
c. We wonder where this man has been during the harvest and if he even was aware that Naomi and Ruth had returned to Judah.
5. Boaz then had to gather up enough men to be witnesses of this official business (sorry ladies, but in those days only men could validate legal proceedings, I’m glad things have changed).
a. Boaz was able to gather a group of ten respected elders of the community.
b. Since they were in a public setting, they would also attract the attention of passers-by – and that was a good thing for Boaz, because he wanted his actions to be public record.
c. So by the end of verse two, we have a public court set up and ready to go.
6. There are two laws about the next of kin that stood behind the business that Boaz needed to conduct at the gate that day.
a. The first law involved land – the economic structure outlined in Leviticus 25 gave the Lord ownership of the land and gave Israel the use of the land, and individual families were given the rights to specific parcels of land from generation to generation.
1. The use of the land could be sold for a number of years, but the year of Jubilee law and the kinsman redeemer law provided ways for the land to return to the family to whom it originally had been given.
b. The second law involved legacy – if a man died without an heir, his brother was to marry the widow according to the law of levirate marriage that we have explained already in the series.
1. The first son would be the heir of the deceased man and he would perpetuate his name and inherit his property rights.
7. Boaz decided to start the proceedings with a discussion about the land, rather than the legacy.
a. This is the first mention of Naomi’s land in the book – we had no idea that Naomi had land although we should have, because all Israelites were given a portion of land.
b. We are not told if anyone had been farming the land, or whether it had been harvested, or why the land had provided no support for Naomi and Ruth.
c. The death of Naomi’s husband had left the land in limbo - there was no child to inherit it and Naomi could do nothing with it.
d. There is the possibility that Naomi’s husband had sold the temporary rights to the land when they moved to Moab.
e. If so, then the family of Naomi’s husband had a legal right to be first in line to buy this land back and pass it to a male heir.
8. To our dismay the kinsman said at the end of verse 4, “I will redeem it.”
a. But we don’t want him to redeem it. We want Boaz to redeem it.
b. So, again there seems to be a setback.
c. And the irony of this setback is that it is being caused by righteousness – this man was just doing his duty.
d. By redeeming the land, he was supposedly helping Naomi out and acquiring some good land in the process.
9. So, just when we are about to cry out: “Oh, no! Stop the story! Don't let this other fellow take the land!” that’s when Boaz brought up the question of legacy – specifically Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law.
F. The story continues: 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you will acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.” 6 The redeemer replied, “I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.” (Ruth 4:5-6)
1. To our great relief, the kinsman says that he can’t redeem it, and encouraged Boaz to do it.
2. The kinsman redeemer quickly realized how Ruth changed the equation and the transaction.
a. If he purchased the land and fathered a son by Ruth, then the land he purchased would go to the child.
b. This would mean that he would have spent money to purchase the land, and he would then have to spend money caring for Naomi and her family, but then lose the right to the land.
c. With all that in mind, he gave up his right to be the kinsman redeemer.
G. Ultimately, Boaz wasn’t interested in the land, rather, he was interested in Ruth and he was interested in taking care of Naomi as well.
1. So, Boaz quickly declared his intentions and completed all the necessary legalities.
2. The Bible says: 7 At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel. 8 So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”
9 Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”
11 All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. 12 May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.” (Ruth 4:7-12)
3. The author of Ruth realized that many of the later readers would not be familiar with the sandal practice, so he explained the ritual – it was like an official handshake, or signing on the dotted line.
4. Boaz called upon those present to be witnesses and clarified in detail what he was doing by purchasing the land from Naomi and marrying Ruth to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property by hopefully producing an heir.
5. Then the people accepted their role as witnesses, and therefore agreed to the legal transaction and to the upcoming marriage of Boaz and Ruth.
a. Then they offered a blessing on Boaz and Ruth, asking the Lord to make her like Rachel and Leah, Jacob’s wives who gave him many sons, and they mentioned Judah and Tamar who had a son named Perez who was an ancestor of Boaz.
H. Our story has had many twists and turns, and ups and downs, but concludes with something along the lines of “and they lived happily ever after.”
1. The Bible says: 13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17)
2. At that point, God’s favor and blessing came shining through for Naomi and Ruth, like the brilliant rays of the sun breaking through the clouds.
a. The Lord granted conception to Ruth and she gave birth to a son.
b. There was likely a serious question as to whether Ruth was barren.
c. Naomi and her sons were in Moab for 10 years, and while there the sons married and then died, but we aren’t sure how many years they were married before their deaths.
d. They had likely been married long enough to have children and yet they had none.
3. But how wonderful that God had granted Ruth the ability to conceive and give birth to a son.
a. As I said at the beginning of the sermon: We can’t expect that our lives are going to be a smooth and straight line from where we are to where we want to go.
b. Life often has one curve after another and we never know what's coming around the next bend or over the next hill.
c. And that’s why we need to be trusting God on life’s journey.
4. And did you notice how the child wasn’t only important to Boaz and Ruth, but was also so important to Naomi?
a. And don’t you love the picture of Naomi sitting there with her grandson on her lap, and helping to raise him?
b. The story began with Naomi's loss, but it ends with Naomi’s gain.
c. It began with death and ends with birth.
d. The women of the neighborhood liked to say: “A son has been born to Naomi.”
e. But wasn’t he born to Ruth? Why say he was born to Naomi?
f. They said it to show that what Naomi had said in chapter 1 was not true – the Lord had not brought her back empty from Moab.
h. Like Naomi, we all need to learn to wait and trust in God, because in the end all our complaints against God will prove untrue.
i. Ruth was written to help us to learn to trust God even when the clouds are so thick that we can’t see what God is up to and when we wonder if God is even there.
j. Let's be reminded of the fact that it was God who acted to turn each setback into a stepping stone to joy, and that in all of our bitter providences it is God who is plotting for our good.
5. But this sweet story is more than just a story of an old grandmother hugging a new grandson in a Judean village.
a. The grandson’s name was Obed, who was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of King David.
b. All of a sudden, we realize that all along something far greater was taking place beyond what anyone could imagine.
c. God was not just plotting for the temporal blessing of a few Jews in Bethlehem, rather, He was preparing for the coming of the greatest king that Israel would have, David.
d. And the name of David carries with it the hope of the Messiah, the new covenant, peace with God, righteousness, and freedom from pain and crying and grief and guilt and death.
I. I don’t want to suggest that the Book of Ruth guarantees that all people who experience trauma find the same kind of return to happy normalcy.
1. Elimelech and his two sons, and all of the other people who may have died during the famine in Judah experienced untimely deaths.
2. We live in a world of hardship and heartbreak – a world of hatred and bitterness, a world of violence and abuse, a world of selfishness and exploitation, and a world of starvation and pollution.
3. All these things lead to suffering and questioning, and God wants us to bring our suffering and questioning to Him.
4. Sometimes God takes the suffering away, and other times He simply helps us bear up under it.
5. Our questions may never get answered on this side of heaven, but God knows the answer and God is the answer, and as the old hymn says, “Farther along we will know all about it, farther along we’ll understand why.”
6. But like the two women in our story, let’s take our suffering and questioning to God and trust God on life’s journey.
J. One thing this story reveals is the importance of having relationships in the midst of bitterness and trauma.
1. Naomi and Ruth, each with her own set of disappointments and anxieties, stayed together and walked together.
2. The community of Bethlehem welcomed them, and a farmer named Boaz took a special interest in them.
3. Later, when Ruth had a baby, the community rejoiced with Boaz and Ruth, and Naomi.
4. The stable community of Bethlehem and the relationships between Boaz, Ruth and Naomi are what helped them work through their bitterness and trauma.
5. Isolation is the devil’s tool for destruction – he loves to get us away from others, all alone.
6. We need each other and so let’s be there for each other, and let’s make sure we allow others to be there for us when we are weak and hurting.
K. Let me conclude by reminding us of a lesson we have been learning throughout this series and that lesson is that God is always working behind the scenes of our lives.
1. God obviously worked behind the scenes in the story of Naomi and Ruth.
2. God didn’t perform any miracles and He didn’t even speak.
3. God didn’t drop any bread from heaven, and yet He was always there at work.
4. God knows the path and the destination.
5. For that reason, and many others, we can trust God on life’s journey.
6. We can find God’s gracious plan in the midst of life’s pain.
7. And when we faithfully walk where God leads, we experience God’s favor – God’s blessings of peace and joy, strength and endurance, wisdom and protection.
8. Let me end by saying that there’s no other, better place to b than under God’s wings of refuge. Amen!!
Resources:
• Commentary on Ruth, Harold Shank, Truth for Today Commentary Series
• “Ruth: The Best is Yet to Come” Sermon by John Piper
• “Faith in God Works” Sermon by James Galbraith
