Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Ruth. We'll go to Ruth chapter 4. We'll read the first 17 verses but we'll be focusing on verses 13 to 17. This will be the second last sermon in our series on the book of Ruth. We'll finish it this afternoon as we look at the genealogy in verses 18 to 22. But for now we'll look at Ruth 4 verses 1 to 17 and focus on verses 13 to 17. Ruth chapter 4, starting at verse 1. 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. And 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's 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. And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion 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 Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem. 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 young 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. And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a Redeemer, and 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 and 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 was the father of Jesse, the father of David. And that's as far as the reading in the book of Ruth. Again, we'll be looking at verses 13 to 17 together this morning. Well, dear people of God, Christmas is an interesting time of the year. People are bustling around, decorating their houses, visiting their relatives, buying presents and putting ornaments up on their Christmas trees. And on top of that, every time they say the word Christmas, the name of Christ is on their lips. And yet, by and large, the real meaning of this holiday season is foreign to many people. Even though there are many who get fully invested in the Christmas season, at the same time they don't really want anything to do with Christ or Christianity or even God for that matter at any other time of the year. But are Christians immune to these distractions? While it's true that as Christians we have a more biblical and theological emphasis on Christmas Day, it is the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior after all, the fact of the matter is that Christians can also get distracted with the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Even if we're thinking about and reflecting upon the great gift of our Savior, we can still get pulled away by the concerns and busyness of the season. We have an elaborate dinner to cook. We have a house to clean before the relatives come over. We have presents to wrap. While these things aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves, they do have a tendency to pull us away from what we're ultimately called to do as we think about and remember Christmas. And so what are we called to do when we think about the birth of our Savior? Well, think about what the angels who appeared to the shepherds did. Think about what the wise men did. Think about what Simeon and Anna did. Think about what the women in the book of Ruth did after Obed was born to Ruth and Boaz. They all have one thing in common. They all worshiped the Lord. And today on this Christmas day, we're called to do the same. It works out quite well that it's a Sunday. As hymn 294 in our hymnal says, the song of Zechariah, blessed be God, the Lord of Israel. He has come to set us free. And a horn of full salvation he has raised from David's seed. As God's people, we are called to worship Him. This morning from Ruth 4, 13 to 17, we find some of the reasons why we are to praise and worship our God. And so let's continue our series on the book of Ruth by looking at this passage together this morning. First, we'll look at the son who was born to Boaz and Ruth. Look at verse 13. There's actually a number of things for us to notice from this verse. First of all, with these words, the narrator is increasing the pace of the story quite radically. After the sandals ceremony was complete and the redemption rites had officially passed to Boaz, the narrator basically gives us at least nine months of details in just a few words. And that's obviously intentional. It helps to speed up the story. It helps the narrator to emphasize and highlight the details in the story that actually matter. And as a side note, it keeps us entertained for a few more minutes. But on top of all of that, it also emphasizes the integrity and worthiness of Boaz once again. Remember what Naomi had said to Ruth, Boaz would not rest until he had settled the matter. And so by speeding up the story, the narrator is showing that Boaz was determined to keep his word to Ruth. With this rapid narrative, we really get the sense that Boaz wasted no time performing both his moral and his legal obligations and duties as the kinsman redeemer. And so that's the first thing to notice here from verse 13. Secondly, by becoming the wife of Boaz, Ruth has now been fully integrated into the covenant community of Israel. She arrived as a foreigner, as the widow of Mallon, as Naomi's daughter-in-law. But as Ruth's story and her time in Israel continued, she climbed up the ladder, so to speak. She moved from being a servant, then to a foreigner. Then to a worthy woman in Israel and now finally she's the wife of a worthy Israelite man. Ruth's progression and integration into the covenant community of God's chosen people is now officially complete. And so now what she had said to Naomi on the road back from Moab has been fully accomplished. Your people will be my people. The Lord has been with Ruth every single step of the way. So that's the second thing to notice here from verse 13. Third thing to notice is the way that the narrator describes the start of Ruth's pregnancy is actually incredibly significant. Notice what we're told. The Lord gave her conception. The Lord has blessed Ruth with a child. And we need to understand this against the backdrop of Ruth's personal story and experience. Remember, she was from Moab and she had been married to Malon in Moab for at least 10 years. But in those 10 years, Ruth was unable to conceive a child. For whatever reason, we aren't told, but for whatever reason, Ruth remained childless. But now, after marrying Boaz, and after the people of Bethlehem prayed that the Lord would bless them with a child, Ruth has conceived and born a child. The Lord gave her conception. That's something that hadn't happened before when she was married to Malon in Moab. And so that leads us into the fourth thing to notice from this verse. Because this is only the second time in the entire book of Ruth where a specific action is directly attributed to the Lord. Now obviously we know that all the events of this book happened according to God's perfect sovereign and eternal plan. So the book of Ruth is essentially a case study in the providence of God. But remember grammar is very important in the Bible. And again this is only the second time in this entire book where the Lord is the direct subject of a particular verb. In other words, this is only the second time in the book of Ruth where the narrator has explicitly told us that the Lord did something. And the only other time in the book of Ruth where a specific action is applied explicitly to the Lord is Ruth 1, verse 6, where we read, And that's incredibly significant. Because these two moments, what they do is they bookend the entire book of Ruth. Scholars call this an inclusio, if you want the fancy word. And what these two moments do is they highlight the fact that from start to finish, all the events of this book happened according to the good and glorious plan of God. All of this is the Lord's work. Everything from providing Israel with food in Ruth 1 verse 6, to blessing Ruth and Boaz with a child in Ruth 4 verse 13, and everything in between happened because the Lord was working all things for the good of his people. The Lord does not slumber. The Lord does not sleep. He is constantly working and he is forever faithful to the covenant that he made with his chosen people. And so think about what that means in the context of Naomi's story. Remember, we mentioned in the past, I think it was last week, that Naomi's emptiness was twofold. First, she was empty because there was a famine in the promised land. There was no bread in Bethlehem, the house of bread. And so she goes to Moab. But then we read that the Lord visited his people by giving them food. We saw how significant that verse was. Because the food that the Lord provided for his people paved the way for Naomi's return to Israel, and it paved the way for the food that Boaz provided for Ruth. And within all the provision that Boaz gave to Ruth, there was the promise of a child. Remember, it was six measures of seed, not seven. More seed was coming. And that's significant because the second part of Naomi's emptiness was her lack of a son. It was her lack of seed to preserve the family line of a Limelech. But here we read that the Lord gave Ruth conception. And because Boaz was Naomi's kinsman redeemer, this child would belong to Naomi for the sake of her late husband's line. And so in this way, this book has done a complete 180 degree turn. Naomi went from being completely empty, both physically and spiritually, to being completely full, both physically and spiritually. It's a beautiful end to an amazing book. The book that began in the dust ends in glory because of the power and providence of God. Which takes us to the final thing to see from verse 13. Ruth conceives and she bears a son. In a sense you could say that she who was once barren has been given a child. And that means that a miraculous birth has taken place in Bethlehem. And as you can probably guess, that's also significant because the birth of this child, born to Ruth and Boaz, is a foretaste of the birth of Christ. Because the whole Bible is about Christ. And today, on this Christmas day, we remember the birth of our Redeemer. Today is the day when we remember the most miraculous birth that has ever taken place. Today we remember the arrival of the true bread from heaven, who was born in the house of bread. And so what do we do in response to that? Well, as we've said, we praise and worship the Lord. That's what the women do as our text continues. Look at the first few words of verse 14. Notice who gets the glory here. It's not Ruth and Boaz. Because the women of Bethlehem knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the Lord's work. God gets the glory. God gets the praise because this child that was born to Naomi through Boaz and Ruth is a blessing from the Lord. The Lord is to be praised for this amazing gift. And because this child's birth is a foretaste of the birth of our Savior, then we also are called to praise the Lord for his great gift of redemption. Think about what Isaiah says in Isaiah 9, for to us, meaning to God's people, to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Then notice what the women say as verse 14 continues. Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a Redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. It's a bit hard to tell from verse 14 who the women are referring to as the Redeemer. Clearly, his name was going to be praised like the name of Boaz was, but it's hard to tell if they're actually referring to Boaz or if they're referring to this child. Either way, what's clear is that Naomi has been redeemed and blessed by the Lord because a child has been born for her. And that's the focus of verse 14. But at the same time, we find the answer to who this Redeemer is in verse 15. 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." Right at the end of this verse, we find that the women are actually referring to the child as Naomi's redeemer. That actually makes a lot of sense. Because now that a child has been born to Naomi, this child would carry on the name of Elimelech and Malach. But this child would also have the responsibility of making sure that Naomi was taken care of in her old age. He would grow up to serve his grandmother as the child of the kinsman redeemer. And in that sense, this child would be the redeemer for Naomi. And you can see that with what the women say. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. Literally, they say this child will be a nourisher of her gray hair. Which obviously refers to Naomi's older age. But the point is that through this child, the life of Naomi has been completely restored and filled up. And again, remember her emptiness. Remember her situation. It was bitter, it was dark, it was dismal. Naomi was once as good as dead, even considering the promised land to be a dead end. But now through the birth of this child, Naomi's life has been restored and her life has been nourished by the providence and love of God. Through this child, her life will continue to be nourished until her dying day. This child, this Redeemer, has been used by the Lord and will be used by the Lord to completely fill Naomi's emptiness. If we take a step back here, what we really find in these words is the essence of the gospel. Think about this in our context. Paul says in Ephesians 2 that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins. Our situation was bitter. It was dark. It was dismal. We were dead and we didn't have any hope in this world. But just as the Lord gave Ruth conception so that Naomi's emptiness would be filled so too that same faithful and sovereign God did something similar for us. What did he do? Well Paul tells us as he continues in Ephesians 2, but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved. Despite our spiritual death, God sent his only begotten son into this world so that we would be made alive. Through the person and work of Jesus Christ and through the message of the gospel, our God has restored our lives and he has nourished us for all of eternity with bread from heaven. Our lives have been made new. We've been given new hearts. Our souls have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ. We have been blessed with a Redeemer because of the powerful and providential work of our gracious and faithful Heavenly Father. That's what we remember and celebrate on Christmas Day. We celebrate the birth of Christ. We celebrate the person and the work of Christ, our Redeemer. Because he came to purchase us with his precious blood. And in Christ Jesus, we have been made alive. And so like the women in Ruth who praise the Lord after the birth of this Redeemer, so too as Christians, as God's redeemed people, we praise the Lord for His amazing grace and love. But notice also in our text here in verse 15 that the women have some pretty amazing things to say about Ruth as well. They say, for your daughter-in-law who loves you is more to you than seven sons. That's high praise. Because seven is a number of completeness, and sons help to further and perpetuate one's family name and line. Because of that, in these days in Israel, the ideal family was thought to consist of seven sons. But here, Ruth, Naomi's daughter-in-law, is described as even better than seven sons. The women are saying to Naomi, Malon and Kilion were good, and this child that is born to you is good and great. But Ruth is more valuable and she stands head and shoulders above them all. Think about this in the context of the book of Ruth. This is a significant shift. Because remember, when Ruth and Naomi first arrived in Israel, no one really paid that much attention to Ruth at all. She was just Naomi's tag along from Moab. She didn't seem to have that much significance. Naomi didn't even pay that much attention to Ruth when they first got back to Bethlehem. But now through all the trials and hardships that Naomi endured, the Lord has caused her to realize the value and significance of Ruth, her daughter-in-law. Ruth is a worthy woman. Ruth is a woman of integrity. Ruth is more valuable than seven sons. Now does that take the sting out of losing her husband and her two sons? Probably not. Burying loved ones is always difficult. But what this does do is emphasize the love that the Lord has for Naomi. You see, Naomi thought that the Lord had brought her back empty. But despite Naomi's faithlessness, the Lord has been working through Ruth to fill Naomi up, to bless her in incredible ways, and to prove his faithfulness to her. Really, it's almost like a Job-like progression for Naomi. Again, the book of Ruth tells an amazing story that moves from dust to glory. And all of that comes to the fore in verse 16. And Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. How's that for a beautiful word picture? Do you remember the first time you held your child, your grandchild, or your niece, or your nephew? It's one of the most special and beautiful things that anyone can experience. And if you add that experience to the context of Naomi's story and her context, that adds even more significance and beauty to this moment. This is a picture of tenderness and love. This is her grandchild. This is her redeemer. This is the child who has restored her life and will nourish her and her gray hairs. And so she picks him up and basically what this phrase means is that she becomes the child's nanny and caretaker. She embraces the responsibility of taking care of this child so that one day he will take care of her. And so the women say in verse 17, the women in the neighborhood gave him a name saying, a son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now it's interesting that the narrator tells us that the women of the town had something to do with the naming of the child. It's probably unlikely that they actually named him. That would have been actually unheard of in this time period. So it's more likely that Ruth and Boaz named the child than the women announced and affirmed that name. It's actually an incredible special name and it's a special name for a special child. Because the name Obed means servant. It's actually the short form of the name Obadiah which means servant of the Lord. And really that's a perfect name for this child. It's perfect for two reasons. First, the fact that this child is called Servant emphasizes Obed's role as the redeemer and nourisher of Naomi's old age. In that sense, Obed would serve Naomi because through him, Naomi's family would be preserved, and on top of that, Obed would also serve Naomi because he would be expected to take care of her until her dying day. But secondly, this child being called Servant also highlights the work of the Lord in the Book of Ruth, and more specifically, in Naomi's life. You see this child is not just proof that Naomi has been redeemed. It also shows that the Lord used this child to bless Naomi. Again the Lord gave Ruth conception. And so the Lord used Obed to redeem Naomi. And so not only is Obed Naomi's servant but he's also the servant of the Lord. And remember the miraculous birth of Obed points forward to the miraculous birth of Jesus. And isn't it interesting that in the book of Isaiah, the promised Messiah is referred to as the servant of the Lord? Think about Isaiah 52, behold, my servant shall act wisely. Isaiah's prophecy about the servant of the Lord is a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ. And that prophecy continues into Isaiah 53, that famous passage, where we learn about who the servant of the Lord was or is and what he came to do. These will be familiar words. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. The birth of Obed the servant looks forward to the birth of the greatest servant of the Lord, the birth of our Redeemer. Remember, these Old Testament stories are about Christ. The Bible is about Christ. It's all about Christ. And so Naomi's story, Ruth's story, Boaz's story, and Obed's story are all about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When speaking about this birth of Obed, Reformed commentator Ian Duguid says, this is what the Lord has done for each of us. He is the Redeemer behind each of our own personal salvation stories. He sought each of us while we were utterly lost. It's not just Ruth's story that turned out to be a part of a much bigger narrative than she ever imagined. Your story and my story are also woven into the tapestry of what God is doing in Jesus Christ. He has seated us with him in the heavenly realms, exalted us along with him in the glories of heaven, made us co-heirs with him, and blessed us with every spiritual blessing. And he didn't do good, he's not done. He continues and he says, in Christ we have been given a glorious genealogy. We are children of God. Though we in our sin wandered away empty and became hardheartedly bitter toward him, he has brought us back full indeed. He made sure and certain that in Christ, each of our stories has a good and happy ending. And as we come to him, he enables us to find rest for our souls in his house forever. So while it isn't explicit, what Ian Duguid is really emphasizing is the beauty and the importance of Christmas Day. It's about Christ. It's about our Savior and Redeemer. It's about the eternal rest that God has given us in Christ. You see, we can get so lost in the nostalgia, in the materialism, in the consumerism, in the hustle and bustle of Christmas, that we run the risk of forgetting what it's really all about. It's about our Savior. It's about our Redeemer. It's about Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And that's why we're called ultimately to worship our God on Christmas Day and really every day for the salvation that we've received. Christmas isn't about visiting family. It isn't about carving the turkey. It isn't about opening presents. Now all that's good and wonderful. All of that is blessings from the Lord. But as God's redeemed people, Christmas should remind us of the importance of worshiping our God for the redemption and salvation that he has given to us. We are called to praise and to thank our sovereign God because in his grace and despite our sin, the Lord has given us a redeemer. The Lord sent his only begotten son, the servant of the Lord, to accomplish our salvation and to redeem us. To us, a child is born. And so it's in that way that Naomi's story is our story. Because Naomi's story is the story of someone who was once broken, bitter, and as good as dead. But then through the power of God and his amazing providential love, Naomi was redeemed and her emptiness was filled, not just because Obed was born, but because from the line of Obed would come King David. And from King David, the greatest king of all would come, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And we'll see that as we conclude our series this afternoon. Before this morning, we celebrate the birth of our Redeemer. As God's people, we remember the love of our God who has made us alive in Christ Jesus. We worship God for his amazing gift of redemption and salvation. Blessed be God, the Lord of Israel. He has come to set us free and to horn a full salvation. He is raised from David's seed. Praise the Lord for the person and work of Jesus, our Redeemer. Let's pray. Our Lord and Heavenly Father, we praise your name for your amazing grace. We praise you and we glorify your name on this Lord's Day and this Christmas Day as we think about and reflect upon the birth of our Savior and Redeemer. We thank you for the person and work of Christ Jesus. We thank you that in him we have life. We have blessing that we have eternal life because of what he came to do and what he accomplished. We thank you for his life of perfect obedience. We thank you for his sacrifice on the cross. We thank you that he rose from the dead on the third day, that he ascended into glory, that he is seated at your right hand and that he is coming back to judge the living and the dead. We thank you for our savior. We praise you for our redeemer. We pray that all of our lives can be marked by praise and worship We offer our bodies as living sacrifices of praise that we live lives that are holy and pleasing in response to the amazing redemption that you have given us in Jesus our savior and your only begotten son. Help us to reflect on that on this Christmas day and in the week that lies ahead. May we glorify your name and may you be glorified in this earth and in this Christmas season. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.