We're returning today to our series of studies, it's now quite long standing, in the book of Ruth. We've come to the fourth chapter and to what I've called the pivotal part of the book, where the redemption of Ruth and of the property that was Alimelech's takes place. Last time we talked about the issue of redemption. That is a subject that's brought before us quite a lot in the book of Ruth, particularly in the fourth chapter. You'll see the word redeem is used over and over again, especially in the earlier verses. And also you'll see the word buy in verse 8, bought in verse 9, and purchased in verse 10. is a collection of words that have to do with the same idea, and it is redemption. We talked last time about the specific place in which redemption was performed. It was at the gate. That's what it says in verse 1, Goaz went up to the gate and sat him down there. And that gate was a place that was well known in Israel for the transacting of certain business. And so this was a transaction that was going to be taking place that was to be done legally, according to law and according to proper legal order. And so there were elders that were gathered there. They were appointed, ten of them, to sit in judgment on that particular case. There were other witnesses there as well, as we shall see. But this was the specific place in which redemption was performed. It was performed legally, according to law. Now you apply that to the Gospel and to the redemption purchased by Christ. It has been done legally. The Bible speaks about God's law and its place. It speaks about our responsibility to keep that law and our irresponsibility in failing to do so. And so we need someone to keep the law for us. and to pay the penalty of the broken law for us. That One is Christ. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. The transaction was done legally. Something else then, the transaction was done openly, publicly. It wasn't done in secret. It wasn't done behind closed doors. It was in a public place. That was certainly true of what our Lord Jesus did on the cross. And what he did, the Apostle Paul said, was not something that was done in a corner. This is something that was for open, public display. And then again, the transaction was done representatively. And again, that brings us back to the idea of someone who is there on behalf of somebody else. Boaz was there at the gate on behalf of Ruth, and indeed on behalf of Naomi by extension. But especially he was there for her. And when we think about the cross work of the Lord Jesus, it was done representatively, wasn't it? He was there as us. He was there for us. And then the transaction in the book of Ruth was done permanently. Something that was not going to be repeated. Something that didn't need to be repeated. Once it was done, it was done once and for all. And that's the way it is with the Gospel. We don't need the Lord Jesus to be offered a whole lot of times. He has been offered once for our sins. And that transaction has been done. It has been done permanently. It has been done by the Lord Jesus once and for all. So there is a specific place in which redemption was performed – the gate. And what does Hebrews 13 tell us concerning our Lord Jesus Christ? Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. We talked last time as well about the sufficient price by which redemption was purchased. And all the price was sufficient. The price was enough. We're going to talk a little bit more about that, so I'm not going to go any further with that thought at the moment. But remember that the buying and the purchasing and the redeeming are mentioned here in connection with Boaz. He was the one who had to pay the price and he was able. Because back in chapter 2, verse 1, he was spoken of as a mighty man of wealth. And that's certainly a pointer to Christ. And we think about the riches of His glory. We think about the riches of His grace. The sufficient price by which redemption was purchased. But having looked at those two thoughts, I want to just mention here briefly the stated purpose for which redemption was procured. Boaz paid the sufficient price, when every other price fell short of what was required. He paid what secured the redemption of the property, and again, what was securing the redemption of the person, Ruth. But what was the purpose of this redemption? Why did Boaz do everything that he did? Well, he spoke of that himself. He said there in verse 9, to the elders and to all the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Cilion's and Malon's of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabite is the wife of Malon. Have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead, upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye are witnesses this day." Boaz had a purpose. He did what he did in order to buy everything that was a limalex, to buy everything that belonged to Cilion and Malon, and more than that, to purchase Ruth to be his wife. And in that public statement of verse 10, there is a kind of an echo of the past. As we've pointed out in an earlier message, quite deliberately this term, Ruth the Moabiteess, is employed. This is actually the fifth reference and the last reference to her in that manner. Chapter 4, verse 10. But earlier, you will see in chapter 4, verse 5, And in chapter 2, verse 21. And in chapter 2, verse 2. And then back in chapter 1, verse 22. Ruth the Moabiteess is the description. A five-fold reference to that name. Now what is that doing? That's taking us to the past. That's talking about what Ruth used to be. It's talking about where she came from, where she healed from, what her background was. But you'll notice in chapter 4 and in verse 10 that this is the last time that she's referred to in that manner. Because when you come down there to verse 13, the Bible says that Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife. It's not Ruth the Moabiteess, though that's how she's described in the earlier part of the book. She's named this way for the last time. See, Boaz redeems Ruth in order to have her to be his wife, his bride. But it's not so that she can remain a Moabiteess, but that she might be able to come into the family of God's covenant people. to come into Israel by right. He redeems her in order to wed her and when he marries Ruth, the Moabites is no more. Ruth belongs to him and to him alone. This union was effected on the basis of redemption and therefore there was a new day that dawned for Ruth. She's no longer the Moabites. She's the wife of Boaz. She's in among the people of God. The Bible tells us that when we're saved, when the Holy Spirit regenerates us, all things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. That doesn't mean that we forget the past completely. It is good to look to the hole from which we were digged and to the rock from which we were hewn. It's good to remember the way things used to be in order that we might appreciate the way things are now. And that's the whole point of a testimony. I don't like it when people give a testimony that glorifies the devil. They want to talk about all the bad things that they did when they weren't saved. And that some of them go into great detail about it. That's not necessary. Neither is it desirable. Because all things are passed away. And love finds a way to wipe out every trace of the past. That's exactly what happened here. Someone wrote, there was a day when Ruth buried her love in Moab, her first husband. Ruth was the wife of Malon. She buried him back in Moab. But now love buries Moab forever in Ruth's life. And Ruth's brought into a covenant relationship with God and with His people through her marriage to Boaz. This is the purpose of redemption. She becomes, if you like, an heiress of the Lord as well as a joint heir with Boaz of all of the promises that God gave to His people. She has truly been born again in that sense. Ruth is redeemed to be the wife of Boaz, the great purpose being to keep alive the name of the dead. You know, isn't it an interesting thing to think about that which Adam lost? There was a book written to that effect called Paradise Lost by John Milton. But what Adam lost, Christ has regained. Christ has bought back for us. And this is pictured in what Boaz did. The believing child of Adam is redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1 chapter 18 and 19. And in order to be joined in an eternal union with the Redeemer. This is what the Lord has done. If we read the words of Romans chapter 7, it comes into its own here, verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." This is pictured in what happened with Ruth and Boaz. And we can thank the Lord today for a perfect redemption. We quoted briefly that little hymn last time. Thanks to God for our Redeemer. And we can thank Him for all that He is and for all that He has done. Now in this chapter, there are a number of things that come before us in the redemption of Ruth and of the property. The first thing that I want you to see here is the bargaining. The bargaining. We see this really from Ruth chapter 4 verse 3 down to the 8th verse. There's a bargain that's being made here. There's an arrangement that's being made. Boaz is dealing with the nearer kinsman, who is representative of the old man who is not able to keep the law. Romans chapter 8 verse 3, let me refresh your memory about what it says there in that verse. Romans 8, verse 3, for what the law could not do. You see, there's the inability of the law to save us. What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. That's our flesh. God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Boaz deals with that nearer kinsman, and we think about the fact that that nearer kinsman made an admission which we again spoke of, but should emphasize once again. Initially, he said in verse 4, at the end of the verse, I will redeem it. But in verse 6, you'll notice significantly, the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself. I cannot. In other words, I'm not able to. And doesn't that remind us of the fact that you and I can't be redeemed by the best efforts of our flesh. Christ alone redeems. Now look at the 8th verse. Ruth 4 verse 8, Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So there's been this transaction. We're not going into all the details again. But basically, the nearer kinsman started out by saying, I will redeem it. And then whenever he realized the cost, he realized what it would entail, he said, No, I can't do that. So Boaz, you go ahead and redeem it. Buy it for thee. And then verse 8 significantly says, So he drew off his shoe. Now, there's different conjecture about the significance of that. I mentioned last time and I mention it again, taking off the sandal or the shoe may well have had some reference to the land, because every place that the sole of the foot would tread upon would be theirs. But whatever the case, this was part of the law that the one who was going to forfeit his right to redeem would take off his shoe and hand it to the redeemer. And that's what happened there in verse 8. But if you stop to think about that for a moment, and I know you'll find this true in your own life. Can you walk properly with one shoe? Well, you know the answer to that, don't you? I remember very well an amusing incident in my father's life. When he was going up to the front of a church, he was going to either bring a message in song or give a word of testimony, whatever it was. But just as he reached the steps of the pulpit, the heel of his shoe came off. And I saw it. I saw it bouncing down the steps. It was hilarious. But I'll tell you what was more funny. When he came back down again to try to walk down the aisle, But there's a serious point here. If you're only wearing one shoe, you know that you can't walk properly. A man with one shoe can't walk aright. Listen to this, the old Adam cannot walk straight. In the flesh we can't please God. We're unable to redeem ourselves, and so the Saviour takes upon Him the right to redeem what Adam has lost. That's exactly what we find in this bargaining in verses 8 and 9. I have bought all that was Elimelech's and so on. But as well as the bargaining, we have the buying. Look at verse 9 again. You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, all that was Cilion's and Malon's of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Malon, have I purchased to be my wife." You know, you could really put these words into the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ in relation to His church. I have purchased the church to be my bride. And this is what is pictured in this book and in this portion. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Look with me at Acts 20, verse 28. Words of Paul to the elders of Ephesus. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. We are not redeemed, Peter says, with corruptible things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. We, the Lord's people, have become His possession. And here we bring in the words of 1 Corinthians 6, 19 and 20 again. You are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Your body and your spirit, which are God's. They belong to Him. When you purchase something, it becomes your possession, doesn't it? When the Lord has purchased us, just like when Ruth was bought by Boaz, she no longer belonged to the old life. She didn't belong to Moab any longer. She belonged to Him. So, the Lord owns us. And that really has implications for our lives, doesn't it? The Lord has purchased us as His wife. If you go over there to Ephesians chapter 5, there's a wonderful portion there concerning marriage and the relationships, the interpersonal relationships between wives and husbands. But notice that Christ and His Church, they are the basis for marriage. Husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it. Then you go down to verse 32 of Ephesians 5. This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church. The wife and the husband. The wife, that's the church. The husband, that's Christ. That's what's represented in Christian marriage. And that's why any other so-called marriage is not a marriage at all. How can two people of the same sex represent Christ in the church? It's blasphemy, even to think of it. No, there is this buying that took place, and it reminds us, Ruth becoming the bride of Boaz, that the church is the bride of Christ. When you turn to Revelation chapter 19, and it is spoken of there in a beautiful manner, in verses 7 To nine, let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, Here's the wedding. What do you have at a wedding? You have the bridegroom and you have the bride. You have the way that the bride is dressed. And you have the marriage supper. And all of these are spoken of in relation to Christ and His Church. And I want you to see here that this buying, this purchase that's mentioned in Ruth, which pictures the purchase of the church by Christ, it was witnessed. Every wedding that I've ever been to, there were witnesses there. Because a wedding is a legal transaction. It's not just a matter of having a service in a church and going through a ceremony and asking questions and getting the answers to those questions. It is actually a legal transaction that's taking place. That's why you have to have a marriage license. That's why it has to be according to the law of the land. And so there are witnesses. And right here, in Jewish culture, there were witnesses. of a redemption like this. And notice that there in verse 9, Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and so on. And moreover Ruth The Moabites, the wife of Malon, have I purchased to be my wife. At the end of that verse 10, he says, ye are witnesses this day. And they agreed to that in verse 11. All the people that were in the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. There were witnesses of the redemption accomplished by Boaz. And so, we are witnesses of the redemption that Christ has made. The Bible speaks of this in a number of places. It talks about the witness of the Lord's people even in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah, but particularly When you come to the New Testament and to the Great Commission, the Lord Jesus said in Acts 1 and verse 8, But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me. both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And you read through the book of Acts, you'll find that that's exactly what God's men were in that book. They were witnesses. Witnesses to the work of Christ. Witnesses to His death, His burial and His resurrection. Witnesses to the fact that He has a church that He has purchased by His own blood. Ye are witnesses. But again, let me emphasize, that was something with which the elders and the people concurred. Because not only did Boaz say it, ye are witnesses, all the people and the elders said, we are witnesses. Let me ask you today, are you a witness? Are you a witness of redemption by Christ? If you are a child of God and you're truly saved, I'm here to tell you that you are a witness. And your life is supposed to be witnessing each and every day. And you also can witness through what W.P. Nicholson called the hole under your nose. Your mouth. You know, it's really hard to talk to people about the Lord without opening your mouth. Now, let me say this. There are some times when it would be better not to open your mouth. I've heard some Christians, and in their endeavours to witness to somebody about the Lord, it made me cringe and I felt like saying, would you just close your mouth? Because what you're saying is doing more damage and more harm than anything else. The Bible says, and in the book of Ecclesiastes, that there's a time to speak and there's a time to refrain from speaking. Robert Murray McShane was a great witness for the Lord in his pulpit. He was also a great witness for the Lord in his daily life. And he used to walk around the city of Dundee and go in and out of places where some of his parishioners worked. And I've probably told this story before, but that's alright. It bears repetition. One day McShane went into the workshop of a blacksmith, and of course in those days blacksmith shops were very common because they didn't have automobiles, they had horses that had to be shod and so on. So McShane went into this workshop and the blacksmith was over there at the furnace with the bellows. You know what the bellows are? Those things that help to get the fire going. And so he's over there using the bellows, getting the fire going, and he's making horseshoes. And when that fire was blazing, Robert Murray McShane, who was the man's minister, said to him, John, what does that fire remind you of? And then he just turned on his heel and went out and left. Didn't say anything else. But that word was like an arrow to that man's soul. And he later testified that for weeks and months, he could not get that out of his mind. Every time he would work in the shop and he would see that furnace, he would think of his minister's words, John, what does that fire remind you of? It was a word in season. And God used that to bring that man to Christ. Now, I'm not saying that you have to go to some place where there's a furnace and say to people, what does that remind you of? But if the Lord tells you to do it, if the Lord guides you to do that, do it. Speak a word that may be that word in season. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver. It's a beautiful thing when you speak a word of witness. Wouldn't it be an awful thing to have it said of you as it was said of a man that I knew, who worked for thirty years in a factory. And when people heard that he was a professing Christian, all his workmates said, I never knew it. He never once said a word to me about his religion or about God. Thirty years. Ye are witnesses. Are we witnesses? Each of us is supposed to be. In Luke chapter 24, the Lord told His disciples, the Lord told His servants, that they were to go out and be witnesses unto Him. Witnesses to the great redemption that He was purchasing. Here it is. Luke chapter 24 from verse 46. He said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." We are witnesses of these things. We are witnesses of the redemption by Christ. One point that I think we should mention before we leave this, and that is that there were witnesses who were of the elders and there were witnesses of the people. Verse 9, Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, ye are witnesses this day. And again in verse 11, who concurred with that? All the people that were in the gate and the elders said we are witnesses. Can I just say very Frankly, it's not just ministers, it's not just those who are missionaries who are to be witnesses for the Lord, but also the people, elders and people. Is there not there, implicit within that, a lesson for us all? We are all to witness about the redemption purchased by Christ. There's the bargaining. There's the buying. And then I want you to notice as well, the blessing. Notice the blessing. In verses 11 and 12, all the people who were in the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that has come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which too did build the house of Israel. And do thou worthily in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. And let thy house be like the house of Phares, whom Tamar bore unto Judah of this seed. which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman. Oh, the blessing here. Look at the women who are mentioned. Rachel and Leah. Who were they? Well, along with their two ladies-in-waiting or concubines or whatever you want to call them, the twelve sons of Israel were born. Jacob was looking for a wife. We remember the story in the Old Testament of how that happened. Rachel was the one that he really loved. Leah was one that he loved, but not as much as Rachel. They were the wives of Jacob and we know that what happened at the time was really a great lesson of hypocrisy and deceitfulness in that Jacob was fooled into thinking that he was actually marrying Leah or marrying Rachel but when he woke up in the morning he found that it was not Rachel, it was Leah. He had been fooled and he had worked all that time in order to have Rachel. And so he had the wool pulled over his eyes, and then he had to work for a further seven years in order that he might have Rachel. But he did that out of love and freely because of his great affection for her. I am quite certain that Jacob, when he realized that he had the wool pulled over his eyes, would go back in his own mind to that time when, along with his mother, he pulled the wool over the eyes of his old father. Now, ungodly people, especially Hindus, will say that's karma. No such thing as karma. There's no such thing. Forget that nonsense. There's no such thing as karma. But there is what the Bible calls the law of sowing and reaping. And what you sow, you will reap. You sow to the wind, you'll reap the whirlwind. That's what the Bible says. And so Jacob, a man who pulled the wool over his own father Isaac's eyes and got the blessing that didn't belong to him. Remember how with his mother he went and killed the goat and she fixed a nice meal. He put the goat skins on his arms and around his neck and he smelt like the field in his garments. And the old man said, well, the hands of Esau But the voice is the voice of Jacob. I have a notion that Isaac wasn't all that much fooled. But still, he wasn't quite sure and he gave the blessing where it didn't really belong, though that was in the purpose of God. But I'm just saying here, there's a law of sowing and reaping and it comes to the fore even here. But when we compare Rachel and Leah, the wives of Jacob, and the matriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, when we compare them to Ruth, we're making a good comparison, because this is what the Bible says in chapter 4 and verse 11. The Lord make the woman that has come into thine house, that's Ruth, like Rachel, and like Leah, which too did build the house of Israel. Now what does that mean? That they built the house of Israel. Well, the fact of the matter is, that Leah and Rachel, bearing the twelve sons of Israel, they were the foundation of the church. The twelve tribes. And you can go back to the Old Testament, to the words of Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 9. Deuteronomy 25 verse 9. And it says there, then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, look at this, so shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. You see that? Building up his brother's house. Now if you go back to Genesis chapter 16, You'll see there that there's a word in the margin of verse number 2. Genesis 16, in verse 2, Sarah said unto Abram, Behold, now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her. In the margin it is, be builded by her. that the house may be built by her." This is what the Lord is referring to here in the book of Ruth. And there's another verse as well that I can mention that refers to this kind of thing. And it's in Genesis chapter 30. And it's in verse 3. And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. And look at the margin in the authorised version. that I may also be built by her." This is what is spoken of in Ruth chapter 4. The building up of the house of Israel. And the prayer for Ruth, the blessing that was desired, was that she be fruitful in that way. Now there's a great contrast I should point out that's drawn for us throughout the book of Ruth between the house that Ruth has left behind and the house into which she has come. Between the house that she once had in Moab and the house that she now has. All that belonged to her past is now truly past. All things have now become new because she's entered into a new house, into the house of Boaz. And that's really what happens in regard to salvation. We've been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. But notice the development in the book of Ruth here. In chapter 1, Ruth is far from Boaz. In chapter 2, she's introduced to him. In chapter 3, she receives a promise from him. In chapter 4, she's brought into his house and then the blessing comes. What a tremendous thing that is. The gospel is in the book of Ruth. It's a gospel of redeeming love. It brings the stranger in. It unites those who are in the greatest need to one who can meet that need and make all things new. Covenant blessings became Ruth's because she was brought into Boaz's home. The Lord make the woman that has come into your house, they said, in Ruth chapter 4. The Lord make the woman that has come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel. Now there's a contrast here between these two women, Rachel and Leah, and the two women of Ruth chapter 1. Think about that. Who were the two women in Ruth chapter 1? Orpah and Ruth. They went their separate ways. But Rachel and Leah built the house of Israel. They were married to the patriarch Jacob, and from them, the children of Israel, the tribes of Israel sprang. And what came from them? The blessing of God's salvation to reach out to the world, even to the Gentiles, right through human history. This was a blessing that was desired, that was obtained by Ruth, The blessing was that she be fruitful. This was the desire. The Lord make her, like Rachel and like Leah, to be fruitful. And isn't that the Lord's desire for the church? The Lord said in John chapter 15, You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain. that whatsoever you should ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you. And there's two types of fruitfulness. There's the fruit of the Spirit that we bring forth in the church in our lives, and there's fruitfulness in seeing people won to Christ and brought into the church. Now, the blessing desired for Boaz, and with this we'll finish, was that he might become famous in Ephrata and Bethlehem. Did you see that there? in those words in chapter 4 at the end of the verse. Do thou worthily in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlehem. Oh how famous did that place become as a result of the one who issued from that earthly line. We read in Micah chapter 5 and verse 2 these great words. Thou Bethlehem Ephrata Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is, to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Where was Jesus born? He was born in Bethlehem. And in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, in the chapter 14 and verse 1, the scripture says, at that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus. Be thou famous, they said to Boaz. Be thou famous in Bethlehem. Oh the fame of Christ who is our heavenly Boaz. And notice that the blessing continued because it says there in verse 12, there was a further desire in this blessing. Let thy house be like the house of Phares, whom Tamar bear unto Judah of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman." We're going to look at some of the history connected with that, as it's mentioned in the Old Testament, and there's a great spiritual lesson in that as well, about the grace of God to the unworthy. If you look at the genealogy of Matthew chapter 1, you'll see there are several characters that are mentioned And we might refer to them as unsavoury characters, and several of them are names that are connected to the book of Ruth. I say this book is a book of the grace of God, and so it is. And may we all in our own lives experience that grace and that mercy for ourselves. Amen.