Well, I invite you to turn this morning in your Bibles to Ruth chapter 4, Ruth chapter 4. We conclude the study today. It's found on page 264 in your Bibles. If you're looking for that, 264. Although you all should know where that is by now. It's been a fun series for me to preach. Maybe fun's not the right word to say, but such a blessing. This series has been helpful, and I've really appreciated and been encouraged by the response of the congregation to this series. The surprising gem in the Old Testament, like Ruth, that shows us this powerful story of God's help and deliverance in the midst of very bad choices of Israel. And today it's meant to leave us on a high note and great encouragement and happiness. As the story ended in such tragedy, it begins in such tragedy, it ends in such happiness. Let's give our attention to the word of the Lord this morning, beginning at verse 1 of chapter 4. 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, turn aside, friends, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. Then 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. And he said, I will redeem it. 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. 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 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. Then Boaz said to the elders of all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belong to Elimelech and all that belong to Kilion and to Malon. Also, Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Malon, 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. 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 worthily in Ephrathath and be renowned in Bethlehem. And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this woman. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went into her and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer. May his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap, and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name saying, a son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez. Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Amminadab. Amminadab fathered Nashon. Nashon fathered Salmon. Salmon fathered Boaz. Boaz fathered Obed. Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. There ends the reading of God's Word. I was somewhat shocked when I opened up the Reformation Study Bible this week and said that biblical interpreters have found it a challenge to find one single dominant theme in the book of Ruth. And I thought that was an interesting statement. There are many themes, I guess, converging in the book of Ruth. But I think what we've seen so far in our study of this book is how the Lord is using this family and zeroing in on this family to teach Israel something and to teach us something. Something very important in studying this family, the things that happened and the figures involved and what they represent and what they were telling us to represent. Israel was in hard times when this book began. Why? Well, because they were not looking to the Lord. They were trusting in every other deliverance under the sun. They were running to other nations for food. They were running to other nations for defense. They had not cleared out the nations, like the Lord said. Everything was going wrong for Israel. This book was meant then, as we're seeing it unfold and we're looking at the story unfold, of how God was reversing this and giving a blessing to this nation through this family. One of the greatest blessings that could ever be given. One of the greatest names that could ever be given. That's what this section is about, this last section, preserving a name. And that's what we're going to look at. God was shining a bright light on them through Ruth, who didn't go after other gods, who came to the right field, who came to Boaz's field. And in Boaz, we see this gracious Redeemer who brings her in and gives her everything. I mean, this is really one of the most remarkable studies in the whole Old Testament. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was meant for Israel to study, and it was meant for you to study, and to ask the same question that Israel was challenged with. Why, oh Israel, would you ever look to anything else? Why would you run to anyone else? Why would you trust in anything else? Don't you believe you have a God? That's the effect of this. Don't you believe you have a deliverer don't you believe you have a redeemer and then the big question today don't you believe before you've ever even asked for it sinfully that you have a king that's that's the remarkable twist in this story today when do they ask for a king sinfully first samuel this book ends by saying god already prepared his king so let that set in for a minute and we'll see how this unfolds today but it was meant for israel to look and say what's wrong with our heart what's wrong with the heart of our religion Something's wrong in the heart before the Lord. And this book draws that out today. It deals with the problem in the problem. The problem of trusting everything else comes to a different kind of problem in the problem. The problem in the problem is is that they were not finding delight in the Lord. They were not trusting him because they did not find delight in his ways. We'll look at this as it comes out today. I have three points I want to work with today. The selfish exposure that is given here right at the beginning of chapter four, the selfish exposure, the sacrificial action that follows, and then I'll end with a very simple point, the meaning of it all. How about that one? The meaning of it all. Here we are in chapter four, and light has come to Naomi. Remember all the hardship this woman has faced. It's been difficult. Everything has gone wrong for Naomi, but the daughter-in-law who had come with her for Moab was more than she could ever dreamed of. She had no idea when she had said back in chapter one, the Lord has sent me back empty. She had no idea who he had sent her back with, and this Gentile, a remarkable thing in and of itself, another message that's here embedded in this story, a Gentile being brought into the kingdom and through whom the line would come is a powerful introduction in the midst of Israel's apostasy. Elimelech's very own family members, remember, we have this issue that we've looked at of what's called the Goel, the Redeemer. In that culture, when a woman was left a widow, the nearest of kin would have the responsibility to marry the widow and raise up a son to preserve the name and to preserve the inheritance. But this book has, as we've gone through it, has presented challenge after challenge to make this happen that the Lord has overcome. And now comes the greatest hindrance today to Boaz redeeming Ruth and redeeming Naomi. Boaz gladly accepted, remember last time, But the tension in the story is him introducing, seemingly out of the blue, an unnamed redeemer. A lot of commentators make a big deal that this guy didn't even get a name in the story, which is important. He's an unnamed redeemer. In the midst of them all searching to preserve a name. So this is fascinating. Here we are, Boaz said that he will redeem her, but all of a sudden he interjects and leaves us all on the edge of our seats. Who is this man who is the unnamed redeemer who has a greater right? Verse 12, chapter 3, now it's true that I'm a redeemer, however there's a relative closer than I. And Boaz says in the morning he will see if this closer redeemer would take the responsibility to care for Naomi and Ruth and raise up a son. It's a shocking development in the story, an interesting development. Look at verse 1. Now Boaz had gone to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer whom Boaz had spoken, you'll notice there, came by. So Boaz said, turn aside, friend, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. Now, these gates in these ancient cities were, this is where all the common business would take place. They would have major business transactions right at these gates. And what's interesting here is how Boaz addresses his friend, come on over and sit down. Let's have a chat for a little while. He's going to set this up perfectly. literally come aside so and so and sit down here the issue here before us is who is going to redeem ruth and naomi who's going to be the one boaz says sit down and all the elders of those city are gathered together and they have this great business transaction right here boaz makes the proposition. And it goes something like this. Naomi has come back from Moab. And she has this parcel of land to sell. Remember, this was an interesting moment because Naomi was poor and needed to sell off the land. She needs the money to live on. She's poor. She's destitute. She has no one to care for her but if there's a redeemer who could buy the field he could and and take Naomi and redeem Naomi and buy that field he could keep it in his family forever your inheritance it would go to your sons this is this is the first setup here it would go to your sons. You interested? Who isn't interested in that kind of deal? You know, if you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, tell me that I may know for there's no one but you to redeem it and I'm next after you. This was a no-brainer. What would it cost? Okay, you'd have to deal with an old widow. But that's it. And you would get this big parcel of land that would be added to your inheritance in the land and to your sons. The next thing he says is, well, of course I'll redeem it. I'll take it. This was like gold falling out of the sky. This is a quick inheritance. This is an easy land grab. Boaz, of course, is sharper than a tack. And then he says, well, I want you to know something. The day that you buy the field from the hand of Naomi and you redeem the land, you also acquire a Moabite whose name is Ruth, the widow of the dead. And what you'll have to do is you're going to have to go in and marry her. And you're going to have to perpetuate that inheritance. Then the Redeemer said, I can't redeem that land. I can't redeem it for myself lest I impair my own inheritance. There's no way I'm doing that. Take it. You do it. You got it. It's all yours. I'm out. As soon as he heard about Ruth, that was the end of the deal. As soon as you heard about Ruth, that's the end of the deal. The words quickly shot back. And you get the point. You know, who really cares? This is really how this is going. Who cares about the old lady? That's a free field. But to redeem Ruth, if he takes Ruth and she has a son, which was the requirement of the law, that son would get all the rights to the land and rights among his own family. equal in the inheritance, you redeem it. I'm not touching that. I understand. This is really quite a moment. You know, if you were in this kind of position, you know, if you've done well in life and you looked at the possibility of gaining nothing from this business deal for your inheritance, all you would now have to deal with is dealing with maybe if you were going to get a big parcel of land. I mean, think what land goes for around here. If you're going to get all you'd have to deal with is a widow, you might do it, right? But would you do it if you had to then give it to some alien son who was brought into your house? You wouldn't do it. Because it wouldn't benefit you. That's not good business. I don't know anyone who would do that. Give all these rights to a son and not to your family in this kind of scenario. You'd be giving it to a Moabite. Sorry, that didn't sound right. A Moabite. No, it's Moabite. Now, I think it's important to understand the intention of the law here. Listen to the law from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 25. Listen carefully. If brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son. The wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go into her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. This was commanded. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, my husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel. he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. And if he persists, saying, I do not wish to take her, then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, the house of him who had his sandal pulled off. What a passage, you know. I don't know if I've never seen that in my life, but this is the kind of thing when a woman shames, she can hawk a loogie in somebody's face. Who would have ever thought that's in the Bible? Shame. What an interesting moment. Then you get to the intention of the law. The intention of this good God was to protect the name of the dead. Wow. Perpetuate that name. That meant a lot in Israel. It meant a lot. And then to provide for the poor, it was sacrificial love at its best. Wasn't it? It was sacrificial love at its best. The man would gain nothing in some cases and have to give everything. In this case, Naomi has a piece of land. She needs the money to live. What would he gain by redeeming the land? I want to get a nice piece of property. But Ruth? No way. I'm not raising up another son to take away my inheritance of my children. See, I think the text wants us to stop and think on this for a moment. What a greedy, selfish, bad man who didn't care at all about the law, didn't care about the intention of the law, didn't even care to fulfill the law, to provide for the poor and love his neighbor and keep the name of his relative and for those in need who are starving because he didn't want to lose anything. Here's the big thought. He would have gained in his line the name above every name. What a loss. Seen something come together here yet? Why is that here? Why is this section here in chapter 4 to expose a problem? To expose a big problem in Israel. The book has shown that there's no king in Israel. Everyone's doing what's right in their own eyes. They didn't want a king. But here's the attitude behind it. Here's the attitude behind it. The law was given with good intention. From a righteous God. A covenant God who loved them. To care for their brethren. To love their brethren. Look at the attitude exposed here. That's what the text wants us to see. It was all about my inheritance now. There was no love for God or neighbor. But the law had the intention of speaking to an inheritance that was much greater. They're pursuing the wrong inheritance. Their involvement in the kingdom was about children, was about wealth, was about money. The reason Jesus was constantly dealing with this with the Pharisees. Their attitude to God's law was, don't push me to do anything sacrificial. Nothing. For anyone else. But me and my family. Their religion, listen to me carefully. Their religion had devolved into something that only was duty if they had to do it. If it benefited them and they could reap something. God in his law called to love sacrificially. If they had to do it, it was heartless. They had to do it, they just had to do it. That's how they viewed God. Got to do this. I've seen this attitude in the church a lot, beloved. How do you look at the kingdom? You know, we can give ourselves more to our kids in the car races at cadets than to church. We are here sometimes for just duty's sake, for family's sake, for children's sake. We do whatever we do for the children. But to require sacrificial love, to invest in helping the poor and involving myself with the needy, outside the interests of me and my children? Uh-uh. That's the extent of my involvement in the kingdom of God. It's a great threat of ruining something for us to bring in a Moabite. We can't open up ourselves and give the same inheritance to foreigners than to my sons, my daughters. It's what's it about in life. It's all about family. You know when the prodigal left his father's house like Ruth, I mean when the young prodigal left his father's house like Ruth, he came home after living in the pigsty. There was another prodigal in that parable. It was the son in the house. How he related to his father. Look, these many years I've served you. You hear that? Duty. You never, I never disobeyed your command. You think God was just after that? You never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends, but this son of yours comes back who's devoured your property with prostitutes. You kill the fatted calf for him. Come on. that's my inheritance you're giving away now you already gave him his how dare you give it to a Moabite on what basis are we in the kingdom beloved and I think that's where we move to the most beautiful section of the book the sacrificial action of Boaz verse 8 therefore the redeemer said to Boaz buy it for yourself so he took off his sandal and in verse 9 the witnesses confirmed this but look at verse 10 moreover Ruth the Moabitess the widow of Malon I've acquired as my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate you're my witnesses this day talk about taking on a costly sacrificial loving responsibility. He was securing the inheritance of the dead man, in a sense, the name in Israel. Preserving that name. To perpetuate the name. The land would go to Ruth's child. Hmm. Who's that going to be? And that line would pass through that child. This was a huge cost to Boaz. He was marrying a Moabitess. Imagine the shame of that in Israel. He was putting all his money toward buying the land that if Ruth were to have a son, he really wouldn't make much profit on. Sacrificial, it was costly. It gave everything. Pure business deal, right? He was getting nothing on a business deal. But, beloved, by perpetuating a name, he was gaining everything. And I think the whole effect is to say, what kind of redeemer is this? God is spotlighting this redeemer. Look at the blessing that there is with him. Look at verse 11. and all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, we're witnesses. The Lord make this woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathath and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez. Isn't this amazing who gets in here? Whom Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman. What? What? be like who? Well, yeah, wait a minute. That's not such a clean story. Here we get to the heart of the book of Ruth. The heart of the book of Ruth. It's the identity of the Redeemer. May this woman be like Rachel and Leah who built Israel. May she have the same greatness from whom all these great mothers of Israel came. May your house be like the house of Prez whom Tamar bore. What kind of child would come from this blessed union? The story is telling us something far greater and far more awesome than we would ever imagine, beloved. It's telling us the whole story of redemption. What a story. Israel, who had no right to this. I didn't do any of this and bring you out and do any of this because you're more worthy than any other nation in the earth. I did it for my namesake. Remember God said that? God would love rebels like this. This Savior would identify from a messy situation and come from a messy situation and would identify with a mother called Tamar who dressed like a prostitute to obtain the seed. he would take one of his mothers in his holy line who was a Moabite, a people who originated from Lot and his daughters in the cave. We're all gathered here today in our best. Some of us know we're hiding things that we would never want to let out of the bag when it comes to our lives, and that's pride. Because we don't want anyone to know our deep, messed up lives and struggles inside. And we want everyone to think we have it together. Look at the sacrificial love coming from this Redeemer. He would come and redeem a line of someone that would stand as a harlot. He would come and redeem filthy Moabite. This whole line is tainted. Listen, here's my point. This whole line is tainted with costly people to redeem. This whole line is tainted with costly people to redeem. And that's the point. He did it. Look who he received when he was walking on earth. The poor, the needy, the sinners, the broken, the contrite, the tax collectors, the sinners, the prostitutes. Jesus would love that stained bride so much, he'd buy her back and put a royal white robe on her to give her the inheritance. This God would give us the full right through his son, listen to me, of adopted sons and daughters. The full right of everything. Are you listening to this? Everything. Do you think the Bible's lying when it says everything's yours in Christ? He didn't ask what he could get out of it. He didn't selfishly grab on Philippians 2 to his own. Remember? Inheritance. He didn't huddle with his own. In fact, he rebuked those who wanted to pull him in close just to his family. He said, you're my family, all of you. You're my brother. You're my sister. You're my mother. You're my daughter. Question of Ruth. why in the world would you ever want any other redeemer? Why would you go to any other field? Why, oh Israel, would you ever ask for another king? Isaiah 42, I am the Lord, your king and your redeemer. The book leaves us with the happiest of all endings. So Boaz took Ruth, verse 13, she became his wife, went into her and the Lord gave her conception. she bore son. Then the women said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who's not left you this day without a close relative. May his name be famous in Israel. May he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons has borne him. Then Naomi took the child and later on her bosom and became a nurse to him. What a picture, huh? This broken, crushed widow, lost a husband, two sons, grabs this child, holds this child. You know God's judgment in Israel was that he was making widows everywhere? Read Jeremiah 15 that says God's judgment was that he was making widows and that she who had seven sons would faint away. I think that's in their mind. Ruth is better to you than seven sons. Why? She's bore you a son. She's perpetuated the name. Can you see her holding the son with joy? In her old age, after all this hardship, after all this affliction, after seeing many years of sorrow, blessed be the Lord foreshadowing a young virgin to come who would hold to us a child, the eternal righteous son of God, and would say, my soul magnifies the Lord. In remembrance of his mercy, he spoke to your fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever. Who is this son? They called his name Obed. Here's the ending, beloved. Now, this is the genealogy of Perez. Perez begot Hezron. Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab begot Nashon. Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz. Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David. Wow. That's mic drop ending. You know who this is? You know who came from this line? Mic drop. Ruth begins in the days of the judges when everyone of course was doing right in their own eyes ends with the very story and record of the line to Israel's great King David a king prepared before they ever asked sinfully for one the very line that would build the house of the Lord why would you look in your lives to anyone else when you have a God who loves you like this. That doesn't just create empty duty. When you have a God who sacrificially loves you like this, I guess that's why James says pure and undefiled religion is to visit the widow and the orphan. Look at how good God has been to you. Come to him, beloved. Trust him in your lives. He will help you. He will provide for you. He will redeem you. This is the story of Ruth, the story of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, emptying himself, sacrificially loving us to rescue sinners so that we might all be called sons and daughters of God and have as a free gift an eternal inheritance. Let's thank him together today. Heavenly Father, thank you for a wonderful story showing us the beauties of your Son and how selfish we often are. It's all about us. And look at our sacrificial God who loves us this way. We ask, Lord, that we would respond to this in true faith and that you would take our hardships and turn them into joy and that we beholding your son just like Naomi that day would have joy everlasting and joy complete and that we all of our days would trust you and know that we've been given everything in Jesus. We have no need for anything more. Thank you for giving us an eternal inheritance, a kingdom that is coming where righteousness shall dwell forever. May we remember who we are, where we've come from, and to remember what is said to us now. Pure and undefiled religion is to visit widows and orphans in their trouble. Thank you for your steadfast love that endures forever. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.