on Ruth, a few more sermons yet to go. Ruth chapter three, we'll read the whole chapter, focusing on verses 14 to 18. Ruth chapter three, starting at verse one, reading the whole chapter, focusing on verses 14 to 18. Ruth chapter three, this is the word of the Lord. And Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, my daughter, should I not seek rest for you that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash therefore and anoint yourself and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do. And she replied, all that you say, I will do. So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight, the man was startled and turned over. And behold, a woman laid his feet. He said, who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. Now it is true that I am a Redeemer, yet there is a Redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if He will redeem you, good, let Him do it. But if He is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning. So she laid his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. And he said, bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out. So she held it out, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, how did you fare, my daughter? Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. She replied, Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. And that's the end of Ruth chapter three. Again, we'll be focusing on verses 14 to 18 this morning. Well, dear people of God, nobody likes to wait. We're finite creatures who live in a pretty fast-paced go, go, go type of world, and waiting isn't exactly the forte of many people. Even the most patient people in the world become impatient if they have to wait for long enough. Everyone has a breaking point. But interestingly, waiting, or otherwise known as being patient, is actually a spiritual discipline. Think about the numerous places in the Old Testament where waiting is considered a virtuous thing. And patience is even found in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter five. Why is that? Well, because waiting patiently, more specifically, waiting patiently on the Lord is an expression of our faith in God and our trust in his promises. Because of that, waiting patiently on the Lord is a good thing for believers to do. That doesn't mean that it's easy. But there are a whole host of things that aren't easy to do that are absolutely worth doing. Well, this morning, waiting patiently is really the idea that rounds out and concludes Ruth chapter three. Naomi has come up with a plan to find rest for Ruth. Ruth has put that plan into action at the threshing floor. In our passage today, we come to the conclusion of this particular episode in the book of Ruth. But what's interesting is that this chapter ends not with Naomi telling Ruth to do something else, it actually ends with Naomi telling Ruth to wait until Boaz has settled the matter. And what we'll see this morning is that in light of God's goodness and in light of his love toward us, waiting patiently is something that we are all called to do as well. So let's look at this passage together this morning. As we do that, we'll pay attention to three things in particular. We'll begin by looking at what happened in the morning after Ruth's conversation with Boaz. Look at the beginning of verse 14. So Ruth lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. This is actually an important point that the narrator is making here. Boaz had told Ruth to lie down until the morning, and she does, but the idea behind that phrase at the end, she arose before one could recognize another, seems to convey that Ruth rose very early in the morning. Why would she do that? Well, again, as we've seen before, threshing floors weren't exactly known for being places of wholesome activities. Now, we know that nothing sinister or sketchy happened during Ruth's nighttime visit to the threshing floor. But if she had left the threshing floor at first light and someone saw her, well, the town gossips would have had a field day. And that would jeopardize her reputation. It would basically ruin everything. Because remember, Ruth was a Moabite. Not only were Moabites descended from Lot's evening with his daughters, Moabites also had a reputation in Israel for being less than wholesome. And so, to protect herself, to protect her reputation as a worthy woman, and to protect the reputation of Boaz as a worthy man, Ruth leaves very early in the morning while it was still dark. And evidently, Boaz had his concerns as well. Look at verse 14, the second part of verse 14. And Boaz said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. Boaz doesn't want anyone to know that Ruth had paid him a visit in the dead of night. To be very clear, they aren't covering anything up. Nothing shameful had actually happened. But again, the people of Bethlehem didn't know that. So to protect both Ruth and his own reputation, Boaz wants to keep this quiet. Not sinfully, but in a wise and a prudent way. Then we find very interesting details in verse 15. Boaz said, bring the garment that you are wearing, some kind of cloak or tunic, and hold it out. So she held it out and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And there are three things for us to notice with this verse. First of all, this is very likely a huge load of grain. Scholars have tried to figure out exactly how much grain this was because the narrator just says measures. He doesn't actually tell us what measure was used, whether it was an ephah or an omer or whatever. When you sift through their discussions, all the scholars agree that this amount was both quite generous, a substantial gift, but also not so heavy that Ruth would not have been able to carry it. You'll notice there that Boaz put it on her. He kind of helps her carry it. So that's the first thing, this is a generous gift from Boaz. And that leads to the second thing, because this is another example of the kindness and generosity of this man. And that means it's a good place for us to stop for a minute. Because remember what we saw last time. Boaz had promised that he would do for Ruth all that she had asked him to do. Boaz had promised to redeem Ruth if the near kinsman redeemer didn't want to. And what that means is that either way, Ruth was going to be redeemed by someone, either by Boaz or by the near kinsman redeemer. Remember, this was Boaz's moral obligation. This was something that he didn't necessarily have to do. But it is something that he was willing to do and he was doing it with both diligence and joy. Boaz submitted himself. Boaz humbled himself. Boaz became Ruth's servant. Remember, we saw last time that that humility in service of Boaz to Ruth was a picture of Christ's humility in service as well. Christ humbled himself. Christ took the form of a servant. But Christ became obedient to death, even the death of a cross, and by his wounds we are healed. Jesus paid it all. But here in our passage this morning, having already agreed to finalize Ruth's redemption, Boaz now gives additional blessings and gifts to Ruth. And so here we actually find another picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because not only has Christ fulfilled our biggest need, not only has Christ accomplished our eternal redemption, but on top of that, Christ continues to shower us with gifts and blessings. You see, we receive so many things that we absolutely do not deserve. And all of that is because our triune God loves to bestow his gifts upon his covenant children. So not only have our souls been saved from eternal death, but our cups continue to overflow with the blessings of our God. Just think about some of the things that you might take for granted. We've been blessed with homes. We've been blessed with food. We have clothing. We have hobbies. We have lots of material possessions. We've been blessed with children, with great-grandchildren. We have loving families. We have a beautiful area to live in. We have a wonderful church family that is full of love and fellowship. I think I've said this before in the series, we could be here all day listing these things off. It's something that should cause us to take pause and reflect upon. In Christ, we have redemption. but our God still continues to shower us with blessings on top of that redemption. And here in verse 15, with this gift that Boaz gives to Ruth, we see another picture of our God's faithful love toward us. So that's the second thing to notice from verse 15, and to leave you in a little bit of suspense, which I kinda like doing, we'll get to the third thing when we get to verse 17. But as we continue in our story, the narrator kind of picks up the pace, and he tells us that Ruth goes back to town, and then the narrator takes us right back to the home of Ruth and Naomi. You can probably imagine that Naomi was quite tense after she had sent Ruth out on this risky evening escapade. Like Ruth and Boaz, Naomi probably didn't get that much sleep. And so when Ruth comes home, Naomi wants to know how it went. Look at the beginning of verse 16. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she, that is Naomi, said, how did you fare, my daughter? It's a pretty simple question. But Naomi's question is actually pretty interesting. In the ESV there, it's translated, how did you fare, my daughter? But in the Hebrew, Naomi literally asks, who are you, my daughter? Now obviously, Naomi knows that it's Ruth. Who else would she be expecting before sunrise? And she literally calls her my daughter. Naomi knew that it was Ruth who was standing in her doorway, so why does she ask, who are you? Well, the emphasis of this question is both punny and significant. Naomi is essentially asking Ruth, are you still Miss Ruth the Moabitess or are you now Mrs. Boaz? Who are you? See, Naomi is asking if their plan had worked, and that's why the ESV translate this phrase, how did you fare? That is essentially what Naomi is asking. But the Hebrew is a bit more poetic and punny than that translation perhaps suggests. Naomi asks her, who are you? And this point is reinforced by Ruth's answer in the second part of verse 16. She told her all that the man had done for her. Ruth doesn't respond to this question with her name. Now, Boaz had asked her who she was, and she had said, I am Ruth, your servant. But Ruth doesn't do that here. Instead, Ruth gives a summary of the night's events. Now, the narrator doesn't recount every detail, but he tells us that Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. And because the narrator says that, we can safely assume that Ruth spared no details. Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz had said. Boaz had promised that he would redeem her in the morning, that she would be redeemed in the morning, either by Boaz or by the near kinsman redeemer. In other words, Ruth is telling Naomi that their plan had worked. But then Ruth gives some more information. And this information is about the grain that Boaz gave her. Look at verse 17. These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, you must not go back empty handed to your mother-in-law. And this takes us back to that third thing to see from this gift of grain. Because this wasn't just another example of the kindness and generosity of Boaz. Of course it was. But there's actually so much more going on here. Because look at what Boaz says. He says to Ruth, you must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. Literally, the Hebrew says you must not go back to your mother-in-law empty. And if you're paying attention to the language of the book of Ruth, you'll probably realize that this is the exact same word that Naomi herself had used to describe her situation when she returned to Bethlehem. Naomi had said that she was empty. In fact, she had said that the Lord had brought her back empty. So great was Naomi's bitterness that she felt as though the promised land was a dead end for her and for her daughter's-in-law. So great was her bitterness and emptiness that she found no hope for herself in Israel. She even said that the Lord had testified against her. But now Boaz tells Ruth not to go back to Naomi empty. And given the context of the Book of Ruth and the progression of Naomi's situation, this is a massive statement. Because Naomi's emptiness was twofold. Now first, Naomi was empty because of the famine in the land. But secondly, more importantly, Naomi was empty because she had lost her husband, she had lost her two sons, she had no family, she had no heir, there was no future for the line of Elimelech. Now it's obvious that this substantial gift of grain, and the gift of grain that Ruth received from Boaz earlier, was filling up Naomi's physical emptiness. In other words, Naomi had food again. The famine was over. Her stomach was being filled because of the provision of Boaz, but more specifically, because the Lord had visited his people by giving them food. But what about the second part of Naomi's emptiness? Naomi had no family, she had no heir. Does this grain gift from Boaz in any way address that emptiness? Well, the answer to that is a simple but a profound yes. You see, because Boaz gave this grain to Ruth right after he had agreed to redeem her, this grain sort of functions as a down payment. In other words, this gift of grain was proof that Boaz would honor his word and do what he had promised Ruth he would do. Again, one of the moral obligations of the kinsman-redeemer was to bear a child. It was to bear seed for the deceased. And so Boaz's promise to Ruth and the down payment of grain that Ruth was to give to Naomi can only mean one thing. Boaz was promising that an heir, seed for Elimelech, was on the horizon. And so not only did this grain fill Naomi's emptiness from famine, it was also a hint that her emptiness because of her childlessness, her heirlessness, would be filled up as well. Ruth would be redeemed, but more importantly, Naomi would be redeemed. And the line of Elimelech wouldn't be blotted out from Israel's history. You see the Lord has been working this entire time and the Lord was working not only to fill Naomi's empty stomach but to fill her and her husband's quiver as well. This gift of grain is proof positive that something more is yet to come in the book of Ruth. A child is on the horizon. And this is actually reinforced in two ways from the text itself. First of all, notice that Boaz gave Ruth six measures of grain, not seven. Now I know we need to be a little bit careful with numbers, but seven is a number of completeness and six is not. This wasn't the full gift. There was still more of the gift to come. And second, this point is reinforced by the fact that this is actually the last time we hear Ruth's voice in the book. Interestingly, from this point on, Ruth will only be referred to indirectly or in passing. The focus from this point on primarily and predominantly shifts to the connection between Boaz and Naomi. Because again, the moral obligation of Boaz was to Naomi through Ruth, because Naomi was too old to bear a child. And so if a child was to be born to Boaz and Ruth, it would rightfully and lawfully belong to Naomi and Elimelech, not Ruth and Boaz. More broadly, this connection between grain and offspring actually fits quite well within an important biblical theme. Think about the wilderness wanderings. Think about what the Lord gave to his people. He gave them manna, which literally means, what is it? Manna was an expression of God's provision for his people. With this manna, they could fill their stomachs in the barren, hot desert as they made their way to the promised land of Canaan. But you see that manna signified so much more than just bread. Listen to what Jesus says to the crowds in John chapter 6. So they, that is the crowd, said to him, Then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus then said to them, truly, truly I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, Sir, give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. In other words, the manna in the wilderness contained within it the promise of the true bread from heaven. That manna pointed forward to the coming of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. And so to continue with that theme, the grain here in verse 15 and 17 that Boaz gives to Ruth to give to Naomi actually brings a similar message. It's the promise of a child. And so really to connect this verse to the whole story of the Bible, in a small way, this promise here speaks to the coming of the greatest and the best Redeemer. speaks about the seed of Jesse, the seed of David, the true bread from heaven, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. That's what's in view here in verses 15 and 17. And actually, if you look at the next verse, Based on how she responds, it actually looks like Naomi understood this gift from Boaz to be the promise of a future child. Look at what Naomi says in verse 18. She replied, wait, my daughter, till you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. Remember, at the start of chapter three, Naomi had told Ruth to get busy, go and do something. Now she tells her to wait. She tells her to stay still, to stay calm. Ruth has done all that she can do. Now it's up to Boaz to accomplish what he has promised to do. Naomi is convinced that because of Boaz's moral character and because of this gift, this down payment of grain, Boaz won't rest until the matter is settled. You see, Ruth is to rest because Boaz won't rest. And really what emerges from that is a beautiful picture. because here we see two major themes of the Book of Ruth come together. You see, this is the marriage of the theme of God's providence and the theme of what a vibrant, active, and living faith looks like. You see, as believers, we rest in the Lord because our Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps. We rest in the Lord because our Lord has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us. Our Lord has promised that he will be with us until the end. He will accomplish everything for us that He has promised to accomplish. As Paul says in Romans 8, our God works all things for the good of those who love Him. And so in light of that, in light of the faithfulness of our God, we are called to have a faith that waits upon the Lord. Think of the numerous Psalms that speak about waiting on the Lord. Psalm 25, indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame. Psalm 27. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. Just one more Psalm 62 for God alone. Oh my soul wait in silence for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation my fortress. I shall not be shaken. What does it mean to wait upon the Lord means to trust in his promises. It means to put your hope and your confidence in the Lord who works all things together for your good. It means to take God as his word that when he says he will be with you, he will be with you. He truly does have a glorious plan for you and nothing happens outside of his control. In other words, waiting on the Lord is to trust and believe that if the Lord has already given us Christ, if the Lord has already given us salvation, if the Lord has already given us bread from heaven, then he will surely provide us everything that we need in our time of need as we make our journey to the eternal promised land. Obviously, we still have tasks and responsibilities in this life. There are things that we need to do. We all have callings that we need to honor and fulfill. The Christian life is one of waiting upon the Lord. It's about trusting in God's promises. It's about taking him at his word. It's about finding our rest and our comfort in him and in his word. As we do that, we need to remember something. We need to remember that the Lord's ways are not our ways. This might sound surprising, but God is sovereign and we're not. You see, we might have a plan for our lives. We might have an ideal timeframe that we think is the best possible solution. But the truth is that it's God's will that will be done. The truth is that God's timing is perfect and his plans are perfect. And so as his children, we need to trust in him. We need to believe that he knows what he's doing. So in your everyday life, be faithful, be strong, but wait, rest, find comfort in the gospel, find your peace and rest in Christ, and then look to the Lord patiently for every good and perfect gift. I don't know if it's the buzz in the air from this Christmas season that's impacting my thoughts, but think about Simeon in Luke chapter two. See, Luke tells us that there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout. But then Luke tells us that this man was waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And Simeon came in the spirit into the temple, and when the parents, that's Mary and Joseph, brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. Simeon, and really all of God's people, We're waiting on the Lord for the coming of the promised King of Kings. And really, it's that idea of waiting patiently for the Lord that Ruth 3 ends on. You see, when we ponder the providence and grace of God, when we think about what we've already seen with the birth of Christ Jesus, when we think about his person and work, and when we realize that we, because of God's grace, share in Christ and in all of his benefits, then our faith looks to our God. Our faith trusts in his promises. We rest in the Lord because our Lord does not rest, he does not slumber, he does not sleep, and he is constantly working all things for our good and for his glory. That is the sovereignty and the greatness and the faithfulness of our God. Which raises an important question. Do you have this kind of faith? Do you have a faith that looks to the Lord no matter what circumstances you are facing? Do you trust in the promises of God? Do you take him at his word? Do you put your faith? Do you find rest? Do you find peace? Do you find comfort in the faithful God of heaven and earth? Because the truth is that we all go through all kinds of things that are difficult to bear. We endure trials and difficulties. We go through immense seasons of loss that we just want to be delivered from. We deal with chronic pain and chronic diseases that just slowly suck the life out of us. And all the while we want our suffering and our sorrow to be over. We want our emptiness to be filled. Then we hear the message of the gospel. Then we see God's faithfulness in the cross of Christ. Then we think about our salvation. Then we think about the glorious riches of God's grace. And then we hear the beautiful promise that one day all of our suffering will be over. When Christ the victor returns, we will experience blessedness that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has ever imagined. Think of what we just sung from 299, Joy to the World. I was gonna leave my hymnal open, but then I forgot. 299, third stanza of Joy to the World. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. I mean, that's the picture that we get in Revelation 21, 1-4. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Do you long for Christ to return? Yes, we're called to serve our God in this life. We don't just sit back and wait for Jesus to bring us to Himself. We seek to do all things for the glory of our God. But we should also eagerly anticipate the second advent of our Saviour. We should long for the return of our Saviour. We should long for the coming again of Christ, like Simeon longed for his first advent. You see, we sing, come thou long-expected Jesus. We sing, O come, O come, Emmanuel. Those aren't just Christmas songs. Those are songs that should be in the hearts of every single Christian believer who is waiting patiently on the Lord for Christ to return. See, one day we will be changed, and our bodies will be made like Christ's glorious body, and the promise of Revelation 21 and 22 will become our reality. And that will be a glorious day. That's a day that all of us should long for. Christ our King will return. But remember, Christ our King will return in the Lord's perfect timing, in the Lord's perfect timing. Until Christ returns, our task is to both trust in the promises of our God and to believe in His great faithfulness. Our task is to find our rest in Him. Eternal glory is coming. Make no mistake about it. Christ will return on the clouds of heaven. Until that glorious day arrives, wait upon the Lord. Be still, be calm, be faithful. Find your rest in the King of Kings and wait upon the Lord. Let's pray.