Ruth

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0:00 We're moving through this story here, with this far through. Anybody keeping up? Sure. It's really easy to read. You could read it in the morning before you come. You could come here, get coffee and read it while we're practicing and setting up, and now they're ready. It's that simple. And it's kind of nice to read. Like I know the story of Ruth, but it's nice to read a quick synopsis. It takes you 15 minutes. You read the story of Ruth and be reminded of Ruth's story.

0:32 And there were a couple of things that stuck out to me there that I hadn't really thought of before. Remember where we are here in the story of Ruth that you, when you think about it in context, it says pretty quickly at the beginning of Ruth's story where they are. So, it says, in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to Sojourn

1:05 in the country of Moab. He and his wife and his two sons. Remember that during Gideon's days, Moab was a real problem. They were like really hassling the Israelites, and whenever the Israelites gathered food, they would come and raid it. Whenever they gathered herds, they would come and take them. They never. So, Gideon was having to thresh wheat in the hiding so that they wouldn't come and take it from him when he had got it worked out. So, the Moabites had gotten strong.

1:36 Remember where the Moabites came from? It's interesting you think about the Canaanites or the parasites or the Hittites, all these different groups there where Israel's settling in the land that God gave them, but they didn't take over completely. Several of them, they had restrictions where they absolutely were not allowed to intermarry with this group of people, probably because they had such strong commitments to other gods that if you brought that family into your family, you would end up worshipping a different God, but the Moabites, they didn't have a rule. It wasn't that you could not marry a Moabite

2:07 because remember, Moabites were descendants from Lot. So, Abraham leaves Huron and he takes his nephew Lot with him, remember? And then Abraham and Lot, they multiply their herds and they start to grow and so they have to divide. They can't be in the same land because they have so many herds, they'll eat the grass dry and so Lot takes one section, Abraham takes another one and then Lot and his wife Sarah? No, Lot and his wife, I can't remember Lot's wife's name.

2:39 Judy, it's Judy, he said. Lot and his wife Judy get in trouble in Sodom and Gomorrah, they're living there, remember? And Abraham asks to save them so they get saved and then God's judgment reigns down on Sodom and Gomorrah and just Lot and his wife and his two daughters escape except for then Lot's wife doesn't escape, right? She had disobeyed God. So then this, we're getting to the start of the Moabites. Lot and his two daughters are living in a cave outside of destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and they realize that their dad's getting old

3:11 and there's nobody around anymore because God's judgment completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot's daughters are like, we need some to keep the family going. So Moab starts, the tribe of Moab starts because Lot's two daughters get him drunk and have kids with Lot, their dad. This is the joke about the Moabites, right? This is where they come from. But so they are like descended from Abraham so they didn't have rules where they couldn't marry him but they did not like the Moabites,

3:44 probably why that story, that one particular story about the start is preserved in the Jewish Bible is because they did not like the Moabites and whatever they say about them, they're gonna remember that that's how they started, with the two daughters getting pregnant with their dad. So, a Naomi's husband, but the thing about where the Moabites is settled is that there's a section that's actually called like the bread basket. It's south and east of the Jordan River, a long kind of the Dead Sea

4:14 and it grows food really well. And then just past that's a little drier section that's shepherd, it's really good to pasture herding animals. And so when Bethlehem is in a drought and they don't have any food, Naomi and her husband go down into Moab, they're not supposed to do that. And the story makes it sound pretty good. You know, the other thing to know about the story is the story of Ruth, the style of Hebrew that it's written in, they're pretty sure

4:45 was written during King David's reign, right? And we know because we read the story that Ruth is like his great grandma or something. And so this is a story, well David's in charge, writing back, looking at the line that David comes from and talking about the virtues of it. And so Naomi and her husband leave Bethlehem and go to Moab, which they're not supposed to do, but there's food there. And then it's like, it says they're just gonna go

5:16 for a while to me, that's like trying to like play down the bad choice of leaving Israel and going to live with the Moabites. They're just gonna go for a while. But they're long enough that they, that the sons take wives with the Moabites. Now I said that's not against the rules, but any kids that you have with Moabites can't come into a Jewish deciding group for at least 10 years. So they really did not like the Moabites. Anyway, they're long enough where the sons take wives and then the patriarch dies.

5:48 And then they're long enough still after that that both of the sons die. So they're more than a decade surviving this famine. And then Orpa and Ruth and Naomi are now, of course this is a precarious position. If you have no sons and you have no husband, it's really hard to make any money. They would probably still have the land, but pretty quickly Naomi would have sold the land in order to get some money and be able to buy the food that she needs

6:18 because they have trouble getting jobs. It's hard to work if you're a woman. And so Naomi's like, I'll go back to Bethlehem. Maybe I can find somebody there to take care of me. You ladies are Moabites, go back to your family here. And Orpa's like, that makes sense. I'll do that. And with tears she leaves Naomi. And Ruth is like, I'm not doing that. I'm not leaving you alone. And I think there's probably two motivations here. The one, which the story tells us that is true,

6:50 is that she really loves Naomi. And if you're a widow, especially an older widow, that can't get someone to marry you or take you on, you're kind of like homeless. You're like at the living off the generosity of the people around you. And she's going to go on a journey from Moab back up to Bethlehem, up across the river on her own as kind of a homeless lady. That's brutal. It's brutal enough two ladies going together,

7:20 but it's even more one lady going by herself. And so Ruth is like, I'm not going to leave you. The other thing is like, I wonder what she had to go back to. Like she married an Israelite. Maybe there was family that would take her back. Maybe not. But she casts her lot in with Naomi. And they go up there. And find Boaz. And like you know the story about Boaz. He's like an older guy. He's got the land. Ruth like starts cleaning. He notices her probably because she sticks out because she's a Moabite. And so he asks about her.

7:52 He makes sure she's taken care of. And once Naomi realizes that Boaz is like looking out for Ruth, she's like, it's kind of a weird thing about the corner of the blanket. And if you read the story, it's kind of, but when you read the customs, this is just basically like, hey, you should take me as a wife basically. And she's like, you're in this position in my family. It's a really cool word. It's used a lot in Ruth. It's called you're my kinsman redeemer. Which means like, you have an obligation

8:24 because of the way that we're related to marry me, help me have kids and keep on the family line because someone in our family died without having a kid. And I got to have a kid. You're my kinsman redeemer. You should do this for me. The reason Naomi does this for Ruth with Boaz is because if you read, she can recognize that Boaz took notice of Ruth. And Boaz's seems generous and kind.

8:57 And also like what you have is like after a party of threshing wheat for the harvest, a younger Moabite woman comes up to the guy and is like, hey, you should add me. You should just take me on as a wife and get me a kid. And Boaz is like, yes, out of the kindness of my heart and generosity, I will take you as a wife and impregnate you. No problem.

9:28 You see? Both things are true. Boaz doesn't have to do it actually when she proposes that he's like, whoa, OK? He's like, there's one person who has rights before me to your land and who's a kinsman redeemer closer. I'll go talk to him first. Here, take some extra wheat, go home, and I'll settle it. Then he goes to talk to the guy. And the guy's like, hey, I got this situation. There's a young Moabite. She needs a kinsman redeemer. You're in rights in front of me, but just know.

10:00 You're going to, if you take the land from them, you're also going to have to take care of this woman. You're also going to have to get her a kid. It's going to be a whole headache. And the guy's like, I don't want that headache. You take it. Boaz is like, deal, done. And Boaz does. And so when I read this story, I was like, man, this is interesting. Why is this in here? You know, like if you think about it, it's during the time of the judges.

10:32 Ruth is not a judge. Boaz is not a judge. And I think they make good choices. But when you read it, knowing it was written during David's reign, probably, about his family line, seeing the choices they made, but also knowing everybody in here is just trying to survive. And it's one Israelite family in the midst of the judges period who made generous choices. Yes. And also we're doing the best that they could.

11:06 Like, who's my example here that I should follow? Why is this story recorded? You know? I mean, all of them have kind of like mixed motivation. So I'm thinking, why is this story recorded? And you know, this is really why it's recorded because it says, I mean, the story ends really beautifully.

11:39 It goes from Naomi being desolate to Naomi having kids. But then it says, now these are the generations of Perez, fathered Hebron. Hebron fathered, Ram fathered, Abinadab. Abinadab fathered, Nashon fathered, Salman. Salman fathered, Boaz. Boaz fathered, Obed. Obed followed Jesse and Jesse fathered David. That's why they're in here. And so I was thinking about like, they're in here

12:12 because they end up in the line of Jesse, David, and then ultimately Jesus. They're in here because God used them. And so I was thinking about, at first, like when I read the story of Ruth and Boaz, they're examples of doing the good thing. Kendall gave me the note, hey, the kids are talking about Ruth and Naomi and how they did the good thing without expecting any reward. Yeah, they did the good thing.

12:44 And they did not know what, like Boaz and Ruth are not thinking, all right, we're writing this story that will be in the Jewish Bible forever. Boaz is literally thinking, I can do this, and I don't mind, probably, right? And Ruth is thinking, I mean, my luck is one way or the other. I go home and try and convince me, or at least I get to stay with Naomi, who I really love, and the two of us can figure it out together. Like that was a kind move, and she was just doing the best that she can. It made me think of, remember the story in Matthew

13:16 when Jesus, let's see if we can find it, Matthew chapter 25, 25 starting at verse 39, if you want to follow along, or starting before then. Jesus said, when the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, then he will sit on the glorious throne and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another

13:47 as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. And the king will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundations of the world. For when I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.

14:17 And then, so these people are good. Jesus is saying, hey, there's a time then, Son of Man will come back and all the nations of all the earth, Moabites, Israelites and Americans, all will be assembled before the throne. And then he says, I will look at all the people of all the world and I will separate them as I separate sheep from goats. One species from another. This is the first important part about this story that Jesus tells us. He does not say, I will be separating the white sheep

14:51 from the gray sheep, the unblemished from the blemished. He does not say I will be separating even the good sheep from the bad sheep. He says, I will be separating sheep from goats. It's apparent. They're different species, completely different things. And he looks at the sheep and he's like, hey sheep, remember when you did all these good things? It's like you were doing them for me. Come over here and take the kingdom prepared for you since the foundations of the world,

15:22 which sounds pretty nice. Okay. And then, so he says, remember when you did all these things for me? Come take the kingdom prepared for you since the foundations of the world. And then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick and in prison and visit you?

15:56 And the king will answer, truly I say unto you, when you did to the least of these my brothers, you did it unto me. So the sheep didn't know that they were doing it. They're like, we don't remember that. And the thing I've always taken from that is that I better than do it for everyone all the time if I wanna be a sheep, because one of them might be Jesus, right? And if I wanna be a sheep, I gotta be a good person

16:28 and good person visits those in prison, feeds those who are hungry, and good people do do that. Or, but doing that does not make you good. Good people do good things, but you can't become a good person by doing good things, at least according to the sort of scripture. Because there's another one, remember,

16:58 that's also came to mind. So I'm thinking about in what way are Boaz and Ruth and Naomi examples for me? Why are they in the story of scripture? And yes, they do good things, and the sheep of God do good things. So maybe the answer is just I should do good things. And then I, which I'll give you the punchline. It feels kind of lame.

17:29 Look at Matthew chapter seven, 20 verse 21. All right, chapter seven. Here it is. Then Jesus is telling another story about the end, right? Not sheep and goats this time, a different story. Now, he says, not everyone who says to me,

18:02 Lord, Lord, we'll enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me. You workers of lawlessness. Now, I mean, those are good things.

18:36 They did good things. They said, but they said, did we not prophesy in your name? Profecise like, tell the truth in the name of God. Did we not expel demons from people? Did we not extend the kingdom of God in the world? Did we not do miracles in your name? And God doesn't say, no, you didn't.

19:07 Jesus, in that instance, doesn't go, no, you're wrong. You got the prophecy wrong. No, you didn't kick out demons. You were playing games. No, you didn't perform miracles. He doesn't say that. He just says, get away from me. I never knew you. So I think the kicker is, this is kind of a kicker. Boaz and Ruth are examples for me because they were used by God.

19:45 They, I wanna be someone who is used by God. I wanna be in the story of God. I wanna be doing God things in the world. I wanna be a sheep. I wanna be a simple follower of the God. I wanna go along with the plan of God. I wanna be used by God. Ruth is an example, not because she does good.

20:16 You don't get to be good in the story of scripture by doing good things. You get to be good by being used by God. Beverly said it earlier. When they ask, when they call Jesus, hey, good rabbi, how should we live? Jesus, the incarnated God looks at him and says, why'd he call me good, man? Nobody's good but the father. Ruth and Boaz weren't good. They just did some things people needed. The sheep weren't good.

20:46 They just realized people in prison are lonely. We should visit them. People that don't have food are hungry. We should give them something. They weren't good. They were just helping people with what they needed. And in doing that, they were used by God. The great virtue of Ruth, Boaz, Naomi, is that they allowed themselves to be used by God, by aligning themselves with the things of God. I was looking at the last little place

21:18 where this comes up and since it's Christmas, we should look at it in Matthew chapter one. And this is where I feel like this is something I should have known, but until you put everything in order, you miss some things. Matthew chapter one, starting the Christmas story. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac and Isaac the father of Jacob and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

21:50 And Judah the father of Perez and Zara by Tamar, crazy story. And Perez the father of Hezeron and Hezeron the father of Ram and Ram the father of a minidap and a minifat dab the father of Neshon and Neshon the father of Solomon and Solomon the father of Boaz by Rahab. I never noticed that. Do you remember Rahab is the Canaanite who against all of Jericho cast their lot with the God of Israel,

22:22 protects the Israelites spies and is the one person, one family who saved and brought into the people of Israel out. She's a Canaanite. Boaz's mother was included in the plan of God by the great generosity as a response to her faithfulness. I will cast my lot with God. I'd rather be in God's story than Jericho's story. And she was acting in her own self-interest, mixed motivations, but willing, interested,

22:54 committed to being used by God in the world. So when Boaz sees a Moabite, he knows the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of creation and life, the God of Israel and the church is one who brings folks in and puts them to work. This is the story, whether you are good or bad. Whether your motivations are pure or mixed. Whether you are making good decisions or bad decisions. Whether your parents come from a good place or a bad place.

23:28 You, like Rahab and Ruth and Tamar and Boaz and Naomi, can be used by God. And there is nothing more good in all of eternity than being used by God. It's what you were made for. Christmas story, Ruth story, Rahab story reminds us

24:00 that our story is one that is caught up in God's. There's no better place to be. Let's pray that we could allow God to use us this season. Hey Lord, thank you for the invitation to belong to you, to be sheep in the world. Teach us what it means to like sheep, blindly follow you and be used by you. To your great glory and our great joy in this season. We ask it, amen.