Let's join our hearts one more time in prayer, shall we? Dear God, we thank you for your word. We thank you that we have Our human race have not wandered through this world completely blind only because of the light of your word that you have revealed through so many human authors that you have spoken. And in these last days, you certainly have revealed yourself in the person of your son, the Lord Jesus. We are at your feet. dear God, that you would be our teacher, Holy Spirit, as we open the word of God, that you would administer your grace and your truth to each of our hearts in the spectrum of our need. In our relative darkness, when we come to your word, we confess our dependence upon you. And may we come away from this hour being fully aware that you have drawn near and you have met and administered your grace to each of our hearts. We ask this in our Savior Jesus' name, amen. This morning we reached the resolution, as you can see the handout of the book of Ruth. as we consider the final words of this book in verses 12 through 22, or 13 through 22. I'm going to make the assumption that most of you have been with us through our journey as we consider the lives of Naomi. of Ruth and Boaz, so rather than a review of the main story, I thought it would be more helpful for us to focus briefly on this book's place in the rest of the scriptures as our warm-up, as it were, for this morning. This itself faces challenges because over its long history the book of Ruth has been placed in several different places of the Hebrew Bible and of course the Bible that we have today. Your Bible places Ruth within the historic books between the book of Judges and 1 Samuel, which makes perfect sense. But it's also been placed immediately after the book of Proverbs in the wisdom literature. It's also been included in the books of poetry as well at one time or another. And so the question is forced upon us, why is the book of Ruth something of a nomad? amidst the writings of inspired literature here. I can only point out that it serves as a hinge between the first five books of Moses, along with the book of Judges there, and 1 Samuel, to introduce the Davidic dynasty, which follows this period, and the rich poetry of that time. Much of Ruth contains poetic elements. I wish I'd been able to take more time to bring that out. I don't want you to feast too much upon this rich biblical literature so that you don't want to come back to it anytime soon. I'll leave that for your consideration. Much of Ruth contains these poetic elements, but also regarding the wisdom literature, wisdom is illustrated for us in the book of Ruth as to what it means to living out the commands of God in a wise and God-glorifying manner. We also find expressions of worship in everyday situations through the Book of Ruth. These four realities point to a divine authorship beyond Samuel himself in the situations of this story. And so although almost unseen, God is working through Providence and the lives of these characters whom we've come to love. writing his word, his wisdom, his poetry, and his worship in their hearts, hinting at a much greater story, as we'll see. But first, let's look back on what has gone before. We want to make a connection to the past, what's gone before the book of Ruth. Briefly, there's a strong connection to the books of Moses. We've previously compared Ruth's faith to that of Abraham's. Both were from pagan backgrounds. God directed both of these people to a new homeland. The setting of the book as well is one of famine followed by an exodus which is resolved in redemption. And of course you can see that's very similar to the Hebrew nation as a whole, but also that of Abraham's life and that of Joseph's and Jacob's too. There's also a strong connection between the laws of Moses and the spirituality of that law as it's been worked out in the lives of Boaz and Ruth. But perhaps more central, In all these things is the emphasis on God's covenant relationship with his people, as I've emphasized in previous studies. God promised Abraham in Genesis 17 verse 6, I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I, and I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you and their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also, I will give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, to an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. We see these words also echoed in Exodus 6 verse 7. I will take you as my people and I will be your God. And with that in mind, consider Ruth's oath from chapter 1 verse 16. But Ruth said, entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you for wherever you go I will go and wherever you lodge I will lodge your people shall be my people and your God my God as we've seen Ruth has taken even that Moabitess that is a widow there in the land of Moab, she's taken on the language of God's covenant herself. And central to that relationship is God's hesed, his faithful love. We really don't have words enough to express the fullness of what this Hebrew word means. his faithful love to his covenant people and their reciprocating love to him. And the greatest of the commandments is epitomized in this book, to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. As we see in the books of Moses in Deuteronomy 6, verse 4, pardon me. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. with all your soul, with all your strength. Leviticus 19 verse 18. You shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge against the children of my people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. So think of the numerous pictures of Ruth's love for Naomi and Boaz's principled love for both of these women. This morning, there is nothing less than the fruit of their covenant relationships with God. And we will return to this later on, of course. We also need to consider this book's contrast to the book of Judges, which I'll hold till later on. Now having looked back, let us look forward to the conclusion of this story. I've borrowed, once again, Daniel Stokes' outline to organize our study. As you see on your handout sheet, we're first going to look at the report of the birth. Secondly, the woman's response to the birth. Third, Naomi's response to the birth. Fourthly, the woman's naming of Naomi's son. And the conclusion. So the report, the woman's response, Naomi's response, and the woman's naming of Naomi's son. First, let's look at Roman numeral one together, the report of the birth that we find in verse 13. and under that we can see the marriage. Finally it's come to this, the marriage of Boaz and Ruth in the first part of that. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. The scene now has changed from that gate in Bethlehem and now we're at the private residence of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz took Ruth, and this is a typical idiom in the Hebrew of a marriage in that a woman is taken from the home of her mother and her father. And reflect upon Ruth's change in status with me. No longer is her status that of a foreigner, no longer a shipka, a female servant of the lowest rank, as in chapter 2 verse 13, or an amah or handmaid, which is someone who is eligible for marriage in chapter 3 verse 1. No longer is she the wife of the deceased, as chapter 4 verse 5. Although Boaz regards her as a noble woman, we can see in this verse the climax of Ruth's rise in social status. We find the fulfillment of Naomi's prayer from that on the plains of Moab in chapter 1 verse 9, where the Lord grant that you may rest in the house of her husband. Her loyal love and the integrity and grace of Boaz have been rewarded. And now I want to speak directly to the young people, single person. Do you seek the blessing of God upon your desires for a lifelong companion? How was it that these two so different in so many ways are at last together? It was God who caused their paths to cross in such an unpredictable manner. It was God who heard that ardent prayer of Naomi and answered it in his own good time. So you need to have as your foundation of your life together to be God's plan, in God's way, and as we've seen, in God's time. Don't settle for some cheap substitute other than that, some dollar store romance, if you will. where you're left grieving in the end. Oh, well, I'm so lonely. I'm sure I understand that. And they like me and they're available. Guard your heart. There is nothing more lonely to be in a marriage with the wrong person, I can assure you. A good marriage will have enough of its own challenges. And so if you want God's blessing, you must follow God's plan on this point. We see secondly under B, the consummation of the marriage. He went into her. The phrase represents the man's entrance into the tent, or bridal chamber, which is an idiom for sexual intimacy, of course. And I'm reminded of that passage in Hebrews 13, where the writer to the Hebrews says, marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. then part C under your outline, the divine blessing of that union. The Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Recall with me that God had withheld children from Ruth all the time she had been there in Moab with her husband Mallon. Apparently the curse of sterility had been upon him for his unfaithfulness to the Lord. Mark that God answered the prayer of the witnesses at the gate of the city from verses 11 and 12 of this chapter. David Miller comments, God steps out of the shadows ever so briefly. He gave her conception, it says. Once before, in the beginning of this story, we glimpse God's direct intervention when Naomi hears that God had visited his people and given them food. This inclusion subtly underlines that God had been orchestrating every detail in between. The Hebrews are artists, he writes. An understated truth always shines brighter than an overstated one. Less is more. God gave her conception. Stokes comments as well, we find Samuel's modest reference to a miracle. She who was barren has conceived and carried a child to full term and then delivered a son, a Goel. Once again, we learn that the best of means are means at best. While we may legitimately seek help with infertility and conception, we must look ultimately, as David says, to God who performs all things for me. Psalm 57, verse 12. We serve a God who, as a wise, heavenly Father, manages every challenge and trial in our lives with perfect wisdom. He may for a time withhold blessing, but he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. To quote John Piper, he says, don't waste your trials, whatever they may be. Seek to get God glory and growing grace in the midst of them. If you need to, in your heart, grab onto that trial with both hands. and pray that God would enable you to get him glory in the midst of that trial until such time as he removes it from you and resolves it. Let's look at Roman numeral two together. As we've considered the marriage announcement itself, let's consider the women's response to the birth. First, a blessing for Yahweh in verse 14. Then the women said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative." This blessing and those like it are a manner of praise to the covenant-keeping God. Praise the Lord is what they're saying. So what is the reason for this praise? In Naomi's arrival at Jerusalem, she had, in a sense, accused El Shaddai and Yahweh of robbing her of a Redeemer by disrupting the normal course of family life. And here, the blessing is a reversal of that accusation. How different Naomi's life is from a year ago, as we followed along with her, who would have guessed that it would have turned out this way? Notice as well that the women bring a very practical observation into Naomi's story. At the beginning of this chapter, the men at the gate were focused on the disposition of the land and the continuation of the name of Elimelech in the family line. Here, the term Goel, translated as near relative, is really not used technically. but by means of its impact upon the lives which it touched. This child will be a redeemer who will care for Naomi in her old age. Well, who is right? The men at the gate or these women? Well, both are, of course. the same set of facts, and yet nuanced interpretations of those facts. So don't be surprised, men, if your wife doesn't see things exactly the same way that you do. And ladies, the same would apply to you. And so this is not an appeal to male chauvinism. It's not an appeal to modern feminism. This is yet another opportunity for humility and to rejoice in the manifold grace of God in each of our lives. Let's consider the prayer for the child, part B. The prayer for the child in verses 14B and the beginning of 15. Then the women said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative and may his name be famous in Israel and may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher in your old age. This boy doesn't have a name until verse 17 though. And so grammatically speaking, this name refers to the Goel, the Redeemer, but the attention is traced back to God himself. May Yahweh's name be famous in Israel. By this boy's birth, he will be famous, he is to be famous, and yet God is to be famous in Israel. Certainly the blessing will come through Obed that his name will be remembered And it will be, as we'll see in a bit. And in the midst of this, God gets all the glory and all that. In chapter 1, as we've seen, Naomi seemed to have almost despaired of life. And now when Boaz is apparently not even present, the women pray this boy will be the means of restoring Naomi's life, her hope. God, through this infant child, will care for her when her hair is gray. Her hope in Yahweh's hesed will also be assured. It reminds me of David's Psalm 23, verse 2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. God has yet reserved significant blessings for Naomi, which she found at the end of the road, the end of the long road, we should say, of repentance. But also, there's encouragement for Naomi here, part C on your outline. There's encouragement. Shifting the attention from the child in Naomi, the women draw attention to the remarkable gift of having Ruth as a daughter-in-law. we look at in verse 15. For your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons has born him. They applaud Ruth particularly for her love for Naomi and focused on that relationship for your daughter-in-law who loves you. In Ruth there is certainly verbal expressions of love and yet those expressions were followed up by very practical often self-denying actions. often involving hard work as we've previously seen. Stokes comments, Ruth embodies the fundamental principle of the nation's covenant ethic. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Yahweh instructed Israelites to love the stranger as they love themselves and ironically it's this stranger from Moab who showed the Israelites what that really meant. Miller comments further, even though the book of Ruth is about Naomi, it is her story. The women praise Ruth. Her love, her faithfulness brought redemption. A more accurate title of the book would be The Story of Naomi, How Extraordinary, Unstoppable Love of a Moabite Woman Not Only Redeemed a Family, But on a Nation? taught a nation to love. And so against the backdrop of Naomi's bitterly accusing Yahweh of emptying her life by robbing her of her husband and two sons, the reference to seven sons here is a picture of the ideal Hebrew family of seven sons. representing its fullness. And this marks the highest praise that we find to a woman of anyone in the Old Testament. This daughter-in-law is worth more to you than a fullness of sons. This daughter-in-law is not only an honorable woman, not only a wife of a leader of the clan, but the epitome of femininity in their estimation. It was not the child so much as it was her daughter-in-law. That was the compensation for the loss that she had suffered there in Moab. Let's look at Roman numeral three together. Naomi's response to the birth. Under that part A, Naomi now the nanny, verse 16. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom and became a nurse to him. Now what we see in verse 16 is not some kind of legal adoption, for that would be foreign to the culture, nor did Naomi become a wet nurse, since the phrase here has actually been applied to both sexes in other places. Stokes comments, it is the natural response of a grandmother, the grateful accepting of her new status, and tenderly receiving the baby in a world previously marked by famine, sterility, and death. Not only is Naomi's breadbasket full, but also her lap is filled with this young boy's life. Bush remarks, coming from a thoroughly feminine point of view, they celebrated the arrival of what this son meant, that Naomi's emptiness had finally been resolved. And then under part B, Ruth's culminating gift, don't miss what is unspoken by the narrator. Ruth's culminating act of love in this story is the giving of her only son to Naomi. Let that sink in for a moment. Somewhat like Abraham, Ruth offered her long-awaited and only son. Consider for a moment with me Ruth's future. Due to the age difference between herself and Boaz, she will, in not too many years, be a widow once again. But in her widowhood, Ruth will enjoy the comfort of this son and his family in caring for her. She will be an honored member of her family and a matriarch in the Davidic line. And it reminds me of those verses in Proverbs 31. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praises her. Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, Solomon writes. But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Ladies, Ruth's outward beauty eventually passed. and yet her inner beauty outshined them all. Is it merely your classy style that your grandchildren will most remember? Or the sheer delight that you took in drawing close to those little ones, playing, reading, praying with them, that they'll remember you by? The time that you invested in their lives. As God grants you opportunity, pray that you have a lasting impact for King Jesus in each of their lives. And then we want to look at Roman numeral four as we've considered Naomi's response to the birth, the women's naming of Naomi's son. First under that A, the fact itself, verse 17. Also the neighbor gave, also the neighbor woman gave him a name saying there is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed. Now among the accounts of the Bible, of the birth accounts of the Bible, this really is unique. It is in a way like the heavenly chorus of angels that appear to the shepherds at our Lord's birth. These women were of course an earthly chorus. Now don't assume just because they're one saying it that Boaz and Ruth had no say as to the name of the child, that they didn't play any role at all. The narrator here however is underscoring for us that this is a shared joy. that this is more than a private event, one that will impact more than just this little nuclear family, and we'll see why in a moment. Under that part of the outline as well, consider the boy's name itself, Obed, meaning servant. Unlike the name Obadiah, which means servant of the Lord, It seems to be intentionally vague. Neither his name is Obed Naom, meaning servant of Naomi. Certainly, this child will be a servant of sorts to Naomi and his parents in his old age. But the vagueness itself reflects Obed's own story, doesn't it? We don't find Obed being mentioned in any of the biblical narratives in the scripture. What we do know is that his name is included in the genealogies of the Davidic dynasty and of our Lord Jesus. Obed's name will be called out among those bright lights in Israel's history. the blessing of the woman in verse 14 will be fulfilled. Every time this story is read, Obed's name will be called out as it is in the Hebrew. He will be David's grandfather and may very well have been present when Samuel had come in 1 Samuel 16 to anoint David as king over Israel. So think of the name that means servant. In your Bibles, if you turn with me to Mark chapter 9 for a moment. Mark chapter 9, a beginning reading at verse 33. I'm sure you know the account well. Then Jesus came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house, he asked them, what was it that you were disputing among yourselves on the road? Verse 34, but they kept silent. For on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. And then he took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when he had taken him in his arms, He said to them, whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me. There was a greatness that Obed possessed that was not of himself. for he would be like his mother and his father before him. Both parents had shared this trait. They were servants of all. It's most apparent in Ruth, of course, in her enduring love and service to Naomi. In Boaz, it was certainly apparent in his care for his workers, to Ruth and to Naomi, in providing for them, in stepping forward to be that go-out which meant a significant cost for him. and Elavier and marrying Ruth. And this is the legacy these parents gave to Obed, to be a servant of all. Of course, like their savior. I'd like you to consider this lesson with me for a moment. We're all children of someone, aren't we? Do you see anything of Obed, of being a servant in each of your parents? The meals cooked, the laundry neatly folded, The self-denying labor of getting up each day and going off to a job in order to provide for you. I think of my dad who was a salesman who by character and temperament was no salesman whatsoever. But he would get up every day and get on an airplane or wherever he had to go to do a job that he didn't particularly care for to provide for each of us. I thank God for him. Are you stepping in to be like them in that regard, to the extent that you're able to be a little more like them in this way, like Obed, to be a servant of all? will you be the Goel, Obed will be the Goel of Naomi and the one who will care for his parents into their gray hairs and likely play with grandson David who will rule upon the throne of Israel one day. Imagine the impact of Obed. Parents, grandparents, consider the legacy that you are leaving. Are you one getting down on the floor to play with those little ones, to come down to their level, to build a relationship of love and connection to them that God would use your example in their hearts in years to come? But before we move on, note the contrast of this little one and his value. In the scriptures, Obed's story, as we've seen, is unknown. He's not famous for what he's done, but for who he is. Obed is a somebody. Isn't that true of every child that comes into the world, whether born or pre-born? Each one is fashioned in the secret place by the Most High God. From Psalm 139, you know the verse as well. For you form my inward parts. You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance. being is yet unformed. And in your book, they were all written, the Ds fashioned for me, when is yet there were none of them. And note with me under part C, born to Naomi. Isn't that striking? We've seen it before. Born to Naomi, not born to Ruth, but Naomi. The chorus of women drawing attention to the emptiness of Naomi's life. from chapter one, has finally been answered by God in this little one. We see the women's perspective coming through in this momentous event. Naomi's deep perspective, rather her deep grief, the loss of her husband, her two sons, and her life having anything of value over the course of a year has been filled. God has restored her soul in repenting of her former faithlessness and having returned to Yahweh. God still has blessings for her that will last, and the focus has shifted to her. There are Naomi's in this morning as we gather here, aren't there? You may be looking back over your years past and say, call me Marah. Call me bitter in so many words. I wanted to remind you of a couple passages in the Old Testament. Isaiah 55, verse 6. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him. while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him. And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." And how could I not quote Joel chapter 2 at this point? Fear not, O land, as he speaks to Israel. Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things. Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the open pastures are springing up, and the trees bear its fruit. The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he has given you the former rain faithfully, and he will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and its vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. In verse 25, So I'll restore to you the years. that the swarming locust has eaten. The crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you, you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never be put to shame. God in his blessing upon your repentance can restore to you the years of what the locusts took away. And you can look forward with confidence that God will draw near to you. There still were blessings that were reserved for Naomi at that end of the road of repentance. Now look together with me at Roman numeral five. Thank you for staying with me. We want to consider Pera's genealogy to David. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. And now this is the genealogy of Perez, as was read earlier by her brother. Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab begot Nishan, and Nishan begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David. This final section may very well have been the reason why the book of Ruth. been written. This summary genealogy spans the period of the slavery of the Hebrews in Egypt, the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and at least half of the book of Judges. The narrator Samuel looked back over the ancestry of this young David whom he had anointed to be king and was able to draw a straight line from Perez, the son of Judah, from whom a king was to come. We've looked at previously Genesis 49 verse 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes and to him shall be the obedience of the people. Well, one may ask, why start with Perez? Why not start with Judah? Well, perhaps it is simple as the fact that Samuel wanted to underscore something here. Perez, the son of Tamar, himself was a half-breed, as we've noted previously. In the years to come, there would likely be objections to David being anointed as king and the people being aware of some of his Moabite connections. Samuel sought to underscore that Boaz's marriage to this Moabitess Ruth did not set a precedent. Less than pure Israelite DNA flowed all the way back from the son of patriarch Judah, and yet through this line the royal line would be established as promised. And yet this prophecy in Genesis 29 of 49 is not alone. We can also turn back to chapter 17, which we've already read, that as God informs Abraham, kings will come from you. This later reiterated to Jacob in Genesis 35 verse 11. We could also include Balaam's prophecy in Numbers 24. I see him, but not now. I behold him. but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Tumult." Samuel's own mother, Hannah, at the presentation of Samuel to Eli, after he had been weaned, gave this prophetic prayer in 2 Samuel chapter 2. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king. And so who is this king for whom Hannah prayed? Who is the Lord's anointed? We can turn to 2 Samuel chapter 5 where we read that all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, Indeed, we are your bone and your flesh. Also in time passed when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in. And the Lord said to you, you shall shepherd my people Israel and be ruler over Israel. And therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king of Hebron. and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David over Israel. David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years. Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years in six months and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judah. And so we possess in this genealogy and the book of Ruth a critical link of transition between those dark years of the period of the judges and the kingdom error in Israel's history. And of course beyond that if you look at with me part B, the greater King realized, the greater King realized, The prophetic pathway we've just reviewed does not terminate with David, the Lord's anointed. Stokes makes this observation. In this book, we learn that even in those desperate times, the hidden hand of God was at work, not only in preserving the royal line that he had in mind from the very beginning, but also ensuring that that line would represent all of humanity. The Moabite element in David's and Jesus' DNA is intentional. Yahweh had not called David to be a kingly role for David's sake any more than he called Israel to be the covenant relationship with him for Israel's sake alone. In both covenant elements, the Abrahamic Israelite covenant and the Davidic covenant, Yahweh had the blessing of all humanity in view. Ruth represented that humanity. She was far from perfect. In fact, with her Moabite past, she symbolized all that was wrong with humanity. But herein lies our hope. If God can extend his wings of refuge to this Moabite woman, adopt her into his covenant family, and against all odds, incorporate her so thoroughly in his agenda that she becomes the great, great, great, great grandmother of King David and of the Savior. Surely grace and chesed represented by his wings is open to all. We'll see that later in Romans chapter 10. And so finally, what are the takeaways that you and I can glean from the book of Ruth? First, trust the absolute sovereignty of God. Trust the absolute sovereignty of God. As noted in chapter one, Yahweh is sovereign over the natural world that he created. It was the Lord who brought about the famine during the period of the judges that was the occasion of Elimelech and Naomi's departure to Moab and the abundance of harvest that occurred those ten years later. In chapter 2, It was the same sovereign God who graciously directed Ruth to the very plot of ground that Boaz had owned. God is sovereign over seemingly random events. In chapter three we see the same God who works all things after the counsel of his will. Even including this very risky plan of Naomi in bringing Ruth and Boaz together. Human agency is also within his grasp. And finally in chapter 4, God's sovereignty rules over the processes of government in legal matters. We're reminded of Paul's exhortation in Romans chapter 13, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority apart except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. You've been watching how matters are playing out in the midterm elections, no doubt. Things have not gone exactly as the pundits had predicted, have they? Some are holding their breath to see which party will hold a majority in both houses of Congress, and yet God knows. For he has planned all of this from the beginning, as David says in Psalm 103, verse 19, the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. The Lord Jesus continues to reign over his church on this very day and to eternity, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. He will build his church. He will find faith upon his glorious return. God's hand, as we've seen, is involved in government and extends into the very places where we walk and with whom we interact. He rules over the storm, the famine, and the harvest. Have you bowed to his rule in your life? Have you blessed God for how he has provided for you, for whatever means he has chosen? The second lesson we come to, at least that I've learned, is that God is at work even in dark times. God is at work even in dark times. Let's quickly review the context of the book of Ruth in the period of the judges. As we've observed in chapter 1 during the period here, Note with me a few contrasts between Judges and Ruth, as observed by Justin Jackson on this book. The book of Ruth was written as a foil to the sins and failures of God's covenant people, to repudiate the transgressions enumerated in that final chapter of Judges. And I have four that he lists, quickly. Israel rejected God and served the gods of the nations, and yet Ruth left behind her gods to seek refuge in Yahweh. Secondly, the Leovite Bethlehem in Judges 17 provides false hopes for God's presence among the Danites following after his idolatry, but Boaz stands in stark contrast where he brings the blessings and presence of God to his workers there during harvest time. Thirdly, Judges depicts a covenant unfaithfulness of God's people. And while Ruth is marked by covenant faithfulness. Finally, Ruth reveals God's fulfillment of a coming king in Israel to resolve the disunity that we see in the book of Judges where every man did what was right in his own eyes. We live in a period of advancing moral darkness, as our brother prayed this morning in Sunday School, of decay, especially in the last 60 years, and that's accelerated over the last decade. Many prayed that God would quickly send revival of his truth in our land, and yet those prayers have largely not been answered yet, as we had hoped. The Lord brought about a great revival during the period following Samuel becoming prophet, following this period of judges. And so we must continue to pray that God will breathe his spirit upon the land and revive his truth. We still have every right with Asaph to pray as he did. From Psalm 80, restore us, O God, cause your face to shine, and we shall be saved. And the third lesson as well that comes through in every chapter is C on your outline to embrace biblical morality. To return to this briefly, as we've summarized already, there is a unified message in the nature of biblical morality, of what is right and what is wrong, of what was right then in the Book of Ruth abides with us in the New Covenant. The nature of real love, love for God and love for our neighbor, is unchanged. Ruth and Boaz pictured covenant faithfulness to God, to love God first with all that you are, and to love your neighbor as yourself. The meaning has not changed. And so are you pursuing love as were commanded in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 1? Are you pursuing holiness without which no one shall see the Lord as the writer of Hebrews directs us? And of course the Lord Jesus exemplified this more than anyone. B.B. Warfield writes of Christ's love, he did not cultivate self, even his divine self. He took no account of self. He was led into the recesses. He was not led into the recesses of his own soul to brood morbidly over his own needs. He was led by his love for others into the world to forget himself in the needs of others, to sacrifice once for all upon the altar of sympathy. Self-sacrifice brought Christ into the world and self-sacrifice will lead us, his followers, not away from but into the midst of men. Wherever men suffer, there we will be to comfort. Wherever men strive, there we will be to help. Wherever men fail, there we will be to uplift. Wherever men succeed, we will be there to rejoice. Self-sacrifice means not indifference to our times and our fellows, it means absorption into them. It means forgetfulness of self and others. It means entering in to every man's hopes and fears, longings and despairs. It means many-sidedness of spirit, multi-form activity, multiplicity of sympathies. It means richness of development. It means not that we should live one life, but a thousand lives. binding ourselves to a thousand souls by the filaments of so loving a sympathy that their lives become ours. You may wonder how B.B. Warfield discovered such a reality. Well, I'd recently learned, in part at least, that on his honeymoon, and some of you may know this as well, while waiting on a train platform, his wife was struck by lightning. And so she became an invalid for the rest of her life. Like Boaz and like Ruth, Warfield learned how to love in the trenches." And then finally here, appreciate, I think it's finally, appreciate the one message of the scriptures. Appreciate the one message of the scriptures. And I'm sorry I'm taking so long, but I won't preach this anymore. We have in the book of Ruth one more link in the unbroken chain of God's redemptive plan revealed to us, particularly in these final verses of chapter 4. The Genesis 3 promise of the seed of the woman who will crush the serpent's head is being fulfilled. The writings of Moses are joined. to Samuel's writings partially fulfilled in David and greatly expanded upon in the prophets. As the writer to the Hebrews says, God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son. whom he is appointed to be heir over all things, and through whom he made the worlds, who, being the brightness of his glory and the expressed image of his person, upholds all things by the word of his power, when he had himself purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of God." These 40 human authors, spanning many centuries, all spoke As Peter writes, by the power and guiding of the Holy Spirit, there is one message, one divine author in all, one way of redemption, one redeemer, which Ruth directs us to. These final words point us to another fuller genealogy that terminates, not in David, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we see in Matthew chapter 1. The King has come at the end of the ages to bring us the good news, as Alex preached last week, a forgiveness of our sins and a restored relation with him, with our God and Father, through his Son, who will save his people from their sins. In that birth announcement in Matthew 1. The Christmas season will soon be upon us. But I ask you, is this Christ child your Redeemer? He is now exalted in heaven having accomplished that redemption for all who call upon him. And I hope you can see the connection here between what Paul writes in Romans chapter 10 with the end of the book of Ruth. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes on the Lord will not be put to shame. And consider the words of verse 12 here, which I've not appreciated as much until this study. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord over all and rich to all who call upon him. neither Jew nor Gentile, no distinction. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." What more can God do to illustrate this promise to you, my friend? Go to Jesus now if you don't know him. If you've been born again by hearing the Spirit of God and believing on these words today, go to Him now. Just like that baby who comes out of the womb and gasps that first breath of life into him or her. There's gonna be that cry, isn't there? There's gonna be that cry. Go to Him today because He calls you. Well, may the Lord bless some of this to each of you, as I trust it has to me. Let's pray. We love your word, O Lord. We see the one message of the scriptures. We also see you working in the details, in the halls of government, and we say yes, You are King, Lord Jesus. May you see of the travail of your soul and be satisfied and be glorified in each of our hearts today in Christ's name, amen.