So we're going to be in Ruth chapter 3 this morning, but by way of reminder, let's remember that Ruth takes place in the time of the judges, and therefore it should be considered in light of the judges. Look at chapter 1 of Ruth and verse 1. Now, it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled. So this takes place in the time of the judges. What was it like during the time of the judges? Well, if you go to the previous verse, That is prior to Judges 1.1, or Ruth 1.1, what's the previous verse? Judges chapter 21 and verse 25. So the previous verse says this. In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Now you get to the book of Ruth and you have a refreshing contrast. And it's a Gentile. Chapter one, we saw Naomi's loss. Chapter 1, verse 21, we read this. Naomi said, I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. She departs full and returns empty. She departs with hope. She comes back depressed. She comes back with sorrow, without hope. And the point we made when we were in chapter one is that hope is an attitude that Christians need. Naomi lost it. You can lose your hope. You can lose your hope. Naomi's loss is chapter one. Chapter two, we saw Ruth's luck. And that kind of struck you between the eyes because you're saying, you mean pastor believes in luck? Well, if you look at chapter two and verse three, it said her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz. Her hap, that word hap is short for happening. She got lucky. Understand this is written from the perspective of the writer, not from God's perspective. Her hope that she had in chapter one that Naomi had lost, Ruth's hope, and her hap of chapter two are closely related. It's the providence of God. In whom she has put, according to chapter two and verse 12, her trust. And the point we made when we were in chapter two is that believers have the faulty thinking that things happen by luck. God's providential direction in chapter 2 is evident in one word. It's the word favor. That word favor is grace. It was the grace of a man. It was the grace of a man by the name of Boaz. And it's clear that she is seeking it because she says so in verses two, 10, and 13 of chapter two. Now you get to the end of chapter two and the gleaning that's been taking place in chapter two is now about to end. So look at verse 23 of chapter two. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean. And then it says, unto the end of barley harvest, and of wheat harvest, and dwelt with her mother-in-law. So the gleaning goes on for some time. Now the harvest ends, and thus ends also the gleaning. The gleaning is what she's doing behind those reapers. She is picking up the leftovers. She is picking up that which they leave behind. Now the gleaning is done. And now another process. and harvest begins. Let's read in chapter 3 in verse 1. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor. So now that the gleaning and the harvesting has taken place, now comes the winnowing process. This is where the grain is set down on a hard dirt surface that they have hardened down and usually they would get animals to trample on the grain that would separate the wheat or the grain from the chaff. Then they would take that wheat or that grain and with a shovel-like instrument would throw it up into the air, let the breeze carry the chaff away and the grain would fall down free of the chaff. Well, it was a long, hard process. And obviously, Boaz is involved in this process, and it goes even into the evening, and in fact, it's probably taking place more in the evening than it was in the day. Because during the day, there would probably be some heavier breezes, which would not be the best for the winnowing process, but in the evening, you've got those cool, slow breezes that would blow that chaff away, and it would be just right. And so the winnowing process is taking place at this time. Well, after all that work and it starts to getting dark, here you've got all this grain that you have gone to the trouble of harvesting and winnowing. What are you going to do about this grain? Well, you better guard it. And so Boaz is gonna lie down that night by his piles of grain. Typically they'd have a servant do it, but here he is the owner, and he himself is gonna lie down by his grain. Naomi knows this. And that's why she says what she says in verse one and verse two. Boaz winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor, where he is winnowing the grain. What we're going to see in chapter 3 is this. I'm calling this Ruth's loyalty. Because you're going to see a word used in verse 10, a comment that Boaz makes about Ruth, and we're going to get to this soon, but I want to read this up front. And he said, this is Boaz speaking, speaking to Ruth, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning. Look at that word kindness. It literally has to do with faithfulness, loyalty. And Ruth, you have showed more kindness or loyalty in the latter end than at the beginning, a loyalty that makes her the object of a blessing from Boaz. You know, loyalty is something that's becoming harder and harder to find. Think about the word faithfulness when we talk about loyalty. Faithful, loyal. Harder and harder to find in any relationship. It's harder to find in marriage relationships where people will simply just give up, become unfaithful, not continue their loyalty to their spouse. We're talking about loyalty as shown by a man by the name of Hiro Onoda. Maybe you heard about this man, he was a World War II Japanese soldier. In World War II, the Japanese were taught absolute loyalty to the nation, absolute loyalty to the emperor. They went by a code that said that before you ever surrender, you should die, and in many cases, commit suicide. The Japanese taught absolute loyalty. Onoda, at the end of World War II, refused to give up. The Japanese had surrendered. And despite at least four searches, during which family members appealed to him over loudspeakers there in the Philippine jungles, dropped leaflets urging him to please surrender, he refused to do so. He lived in hiding in the jungles of the Philippines where he fought for 29 years. Finally, in March of 1974, and I remember reading about this in 1974, somebody located his superior. The only man who could say, it's time for you to surrender, flew his superior to Lubang, Philippines to deliver his surrender order in person. There he was clothed in his old uniform, but he had saved his dress uniform and it was still in good condition. And you can see a picture of him today surrendering to the president of the Philippines in his military outfit because his superior had said, you can finally surrender. What was it about Onada that was so interesting and so unusual? Loyalty, tremendous loyalty. Let me give you another illustration. It's about a man by the name of Bo Burlingham who went on a two year journey to discover and explore some of the truly great companies in the United States. And then he wrote a book. Maybe you've heard of this book. It's called Small Giants. Companies that choose to be great instead of big. So Bo Burlington, or Burlingham, after he had written this book, says this in his book. Here's the one thing he discovered that makes companies great. I quote, great companies did not choose to grow. They chose to stay loyal to their roots and become the best at what they do. Great companies did not choose to grow. They chose to stay loyal to their roots. Loyalty to roots is the essence, folks, of biblical fundamentalism. Staying loyal to our roots. What are our roots? Jesus Christ and His Word, Colossians 2, 6 and 7. As ye therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. I say that such loyalty is getting harder and harder to find. We're being told today that things have changed. Well, duh. Things are always changing, but God's word never changes. And people think that we need to change along with what's taking place in our society. And they leave their roots. There's three things I want you to see in chapter three of Ruth about her that will make you appreciate her loyalty, or her kindness, as Boaz puts it, as the King James Version puts it in 310. Here's the first one. I want you to see in verses 1 through 7 Ruth's vulnerability. Ruth's vulnerability. Let's read verses 1 through 7. Again, we'll read verses 1 and 2. Then Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he should have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie. And thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.' And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn, and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. Here I see Ruth's vulnerability. Her vulnerability was seen, number one, in what she sought. It was seen in what she sought. You'll notice in verse one, Naomi's quest for rest for Ruth. She is seeking rest for her. That word rest denotes not only the absence of activity and movement, but settling down with a sense of security. Here's what Naomi wants for Ruth. Security. A place where she can settle down. It's the same word used of the security the children of Israel would find when they came into the promised land. Rest. In Deuteronomy 12, 9, for ye are not as yet come to the rest, Moses said to the children of Israel. Naomi sought rest for Ruth in verse 1. Ruth is loyal to Naomi in verse 5. All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. But here's what I think is somewhat interesting. What is the action that Naomi is instructing Ruth to accomplish in these verses? Why would she wash herself, anoint herself, put special raiment upon herself, and then do something that is very unusual, as we read in verses one through seven? You know what she's trying to do? She's trying to get a husband. Now, I've never really seen this much to this before studying this this week. But the more I studied it, the more I'd heard about that, but until I studied it for myself, she's looking for a husband. Naomi is looking for a husband for Ruth. And so you need to go to the threshing floor at night and then mark where he lies down, then go lie down at his feet, take that which he covers himself with and cover yourself with it as well. And then wait for him to say something to you. Girls, if you're having a hard time, here's a way to do it. Find a husband. This is the rest that she is seeking, that Naomi is seeking for her, and therefore Ruth is seeking for herself. Go back to chapter one in verse nine of Ruth. Here's what Naomi had said to her daughters-in-law. The Lord grant you that ye may find what? Rest each of you in the house of her husband." Well, their husbands have died. And so now Naomi is saying there in Moab, go find rest with another husband. And that's when she kissed them and they left out of their voice and wept. And this is where Orpah kissed her and left her, but Ruth claimed to her. What was that women were seeking in this day? Rest. Remember the word has to do with security. Rest and security. It's not just the absence of movement. It's not just like what you're doing today. Sitting there, resting. This is finding security. I read from a commentary by Samuel Cox written in 1910 where he said, only in the house of a husband was a woman in the ancient world sure of safety, respect, and honor. And hence the Hebrews spake of the husband's home as the place of rest, her secure and happy asylum from servitude, from neglect, and from license. So why do I call this Ruth's vulnerability? Because seeking a husband makes her vulnerable. Ask any dating couple. In the dating process, do you sense any vulnerability as you share with the other person and open up to the other person? She's vulnerable, but in a much greater way than couples are today. So her vulnerability is seen in what she sought, a husband, but secondly, it is seen in the way she sought it. In the way that she sought it. She is seeking rest or security, not only in finding a husband, but listen to me, but a certain man in particular, Boaz. In a certain man. Many commentators make application here and I think that their application is justified. Where will you find security and rest? Not just in any person, but in one man, the man Christ Jesus. When he came to dwell among men, he issued an invitation to the weary and to the heavy laden. And he said this, Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you what? I will give you rest. I will give you rest. Where do you seek rest? Where do you seek security? The answer betrays your God, who your God is. It's seen in the way she sought it. She made herself vulnerable in practicing a custom that she's not familiar with. You're not familiar with this custom, other than what you read here in the book of Ruth. And a Moabite was not familiar with it either. Naomi's familiar with it. Naomi's the one instructing her in verses one through seven, here's what I want you to do. It's strange even to us, but she simply, this is what just really gets me, she simply obeys, okay. Verse five. All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. She must be loyal, she must be faithful. She's loyal to Naomi and the God that Naomi serves, Ruth literally has to put herself out there and make herself vulnerable. Imagine the risk if Boaz would respond negatively. How is it that she could make herself so vulnerable? It's in her confidence. Her confidence for the blessing. Where would this kind of confidence come from? Her trust in the Lord. Even Boaz himself had said, talking about the God she serves, under whose wings thou art come to trust. Her faith. Folks, genuine trust in the Lord gives confidence even while making yourself vulnerable. We ask ourselves, what if this doesn't work out? And what if all of this is for nothing? I mean, just think of a dating relationship. What if this doesn't work out? What if this and what if that? Think of the vulnerability involved. She has confidence because of her loyalty. You know one of the things missing in giving the gospel today? Is confidence. How confident are each of you in leading a soul to Christ? How confident are you in giving the gospel to someone? I wanna take you to First Thessalonians chapter one, and know what the apostle Paul says to the church at Thessalonica. This is something we covered Months ago, when we were going through the first book of Thessalonians, he says this in 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. He says, for our gospel came not unto you in word only. Now, let me stop right there, because many times when we give the gospel, we just think that I just have to say certain things. Folks, it's not just what we say. It's how we say it. And I'm not saying with what words you use. I'm talking about, what do you depend upon when you give somebody the word of the gospel? Paul says, our gospel came not unto you in word only. We didn't just get up and preach and say, well, we finished and we're going to go on somewhere else. But he says, but also in what? Power. And not only just in power, but also in? But much more than that. And in much what? Look at that word assurance. That's the word certainty. When we gave you the gospel, you Thessalonians, we did so not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much confidence, in much certainty. I honestly believe that a lot of what is lacking today in soul winning is not that people don't know the right words. They may know the right words but they go in in trepidation and in fear and they don't have the confidence to say what needs to be said. And many times I'm that way. Because what happens when you give somebody the gospel? It makes you vulnerable. Vulnerable to what? To suffering, to persecution. The very things that the Apostle Paul then talks about in 1 Thessalonians chapter one, two, and following. He talks about the tribulation that those people suffered and the tribulation that he and Timothy and Silvanus had suffered just by simply giving them the gospel. Giving the gospel makes you vulnerable. And what Ruth is doing here makes her vulnerable. It's seen in the way she sought it, in a custom that doesn't make sense. And you know what else doesn't make sense to men today? is that you would spread the gospel through the foolishness of preaching. I mean, think about it. You folks come here week after week and sit here and listen to a preacher. You know what would be so much more effective than this, people say? Let's have a drama every Sunday. Let's have smoke and let's have this and let's have that and we can give the gospel in all kinds of ways. We should give the gospel in our music so that people really love it and they come back the next week. We can give the gospel in this way and that. We can give it through constantly showing films and so forth. And it makes us vulnerable to criticism, And to many other things in the way we give the gospel. My uncle once told me when I had shown a promotional film at the end of a service, my uncle was unsaved. He said, you know, I've got an idea for you because then you preached. And he said, you know, what would be so much more effective for Christians to do is to do show films. I'm not against showing films. But the Bible has said, God has said it's through the foolishness of preaching. And it makes us vulnerable. And so we lose our confidence, not Ruth. She had confidence. And so we see here her loyalty. in her vulnerability. Secondly, Ruth's virtue, verses eight to 13. Let's read those verses. Ruth's virtue, verse eight. And it came to pass at midnight. By the way, as you read this passage, you've got three times a day. You've got the evening in verses one through seven. You've got midnight in verses eight through 13. You've got the morning in verses 14 to 18. So all of this is taking place in about 12 hours time. And it came to pass at midnight, verse 8, that the man was afraid and turned to himself, or literally he may have sat up to face whatever was at his feet. And behold, a woman lay at his feet, and he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followest not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not, I will do to thee all that thou requirest, for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman, how be it? There is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman's part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth, lie down until the morning." Here we see Ruth's virtue. What she has done in the past has earned her a reputation, and this reputation is known by everybody, even Boaz. It's her conduct that makes her eligible for Boaz's blessing. He says in verse 10, blessed be thou of the Lord. But I want you to see something. Ruth's virtue was due to her trust in God. Where's her virtue? He calls her a virtuous woman. What makes her a virtuous woman? It's her trust in God. It was due to her trust in God. She had had a change in conduct. Despite being of what nationality? A Moabite. She can't change her nationality. But what can be changed? Her heart can be changed. She can't change the color of her skin, she can't change her bone structure, but she can have her heart changed. And when a person's heart is changed, there's a change of conduct. This is due to her relationship with God. Go back to chapter 2 and verse 12 where Boaz says to her, You have come under the wings of the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. Ruth did not say this of herself. This was said of her by Boaz. She had not put herself under the wings of Boaz or any other person, but under the wings of God. Her virtue was due to her trust in God. Secondly, her virtue was demonstrated in her commitment to Naomi. Notice what Boaz says in verse 10 of chapter 3 that her heart display, her heart change, took place at the beginning. Thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning. To what does the beginning mean? To what does the beginning refer? It's her ministry to Naomi. Remember what she did in chapter 1? She forsook her own father and mother. Naomi did. Excuse me, Ruth did. She forsook her own land. She forsook everything for a nation she had never seen, and she comes back to the land of Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi. And Boaz calls her actions, her conduct, in verse 10 of chapter 3, kindness. Loyalty. A loyalty that Boaz said was showed at the beginning in her loyalty to Naomi. So her virtue was demonstrated in her commitment to Naomi. But thirdly, and I wanna spend some time on this in particular, her virtue was duplicated in her pursuit of Boaz. Notice how Boaz says it in verse 10. You have showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning. In other words, the same loyalty that you had toward your mother-in-law Naomi is now duplicated and even more so in the latter end toward me. How was her loyalty shown? Notice what he says, "...inasmuch as thou followest not young men, whether rich or poor." In other words, a maiden like her had the opportunity to have a young man, rich or poor. They would be interested in her and she could be interested in them. These are young men who knew her. Chapter 2, verse 9. And she knew them, chapter 2 and verse 9. So why is she showing loyalty to Boaz, who's an older man? The reason is given in verse 9. Ruth gives the reason. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid. Why? I'd like you to see this and say this out loud, why? For what? Thou art? You are a near kinsman. You are a near kinsman. Why is she showing loyalty to an older man rather than a young man? What does marrying or why does marrying a kinsman matter? Because Naomi needed to sell her land that had belonged to her husband. You'll see this in chapter four and verse three. Land in Israel stays in the family. And it's passed on only through the male children. Elimelech, Naomi's husband, has died. But that's all right, she has Killian and Malon, her two sons. But the two sons die. How is the land of Elimelech gonna be passed on to stay in the family? Well, now Naomi and her daughter-in-law are in need. They have to sell the land. They must sell it. But Naomi is a childless widow. Her children have died. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, is a childless widow. But God had made provision. for a case like this so that the land would stay in the family. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 25 verses 5 through 10. And we don't have time to go there, but there you're going to find out that God had made provision. And I'll summarize that by quoting what somebody said there. It comes from the theological word book of the Old Testament. According to Deuteronomy 25, A childless widow should be taken by her husband's brother to perpetuate seed and thus ensure the succession of the land which was bound to the male descendants." It was utterly important to pass on a man's name, a deceased man's name. And so it would be a brother's responsibility, but if that brother couldn't do it, it would be the nearest kinsman. to take responsibility for this. Kinsman to whom? Elimelech. Well, who's related to Elimelech? Go back to chapter 2. Notice what it says in verse 1. Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was... Here's the near kinsman. Here's the one that according to scripture can fulfill the duty of a relative. He's the near kinsman. But Boaz in the middle of the night and talking to Ruth says, but. And I can almost see the way he's saying it. There's someone nearer than I. I've got to talk to him first. There's somebody nearer than I. In chapter four, and we're jumping ahead, but think about Boaz in chapter three and what he's thinking. In chapter 4, we learn that that other nearer kinsman is able to buy the land, but he can't marry Ruth. Something that Boaz has to understand before he can marry Ruth. But that's for next time. But for now, Boaz is a near kinsman. Let's look at that word kinsman for just a few minutes. It's translated as a noun. A kinsman would be a person. Okay, what is a noun? A person, place, or? Here we have a person, the kinsman. It's translated as a noun. You'll see that word kinsman in chapter 2 verse 20, chapter 3 verse 9, again in verse 12 twice, again in verse 13 four times, again in chapter 4 verse 1, and verse 3, verse 6, and verse 8. That word kinsman appears time and time and time again. But the same word that is translated kinsman as a noun, listen to me, is also translated as a verb. To redeem. Look at chapter four and verse four. Do you see the word redeem? How many times do you see the word redeem in verse four? Four times you see the verb redeem. Again, in verse six of chapter four, three times you're gonna see the verb redeem. Same word in both cases. Kinsman, and to redeem, just translated differently. Sometimes as a noun, sometimes as a verb. To redeem, or sometimes as a kinsman. You say, why all this technicality? Hold on. Because here you have these words kinsman and redeem appearing time and again. And it literally means, every time you see the word kinsman or redeem, it literally means a relative who is able to redeem. That's why sometimes it's a noun and sometimes you see it as a verb. Both the word kinsman and redeem In Ruth, can in each separate occurrence be combined to say, kinsman redeemer. You've all probably heard of that phrase before, the kinsman redeemer. Why not a consistent translation on this? I haven't found a translation that ever translates this consistently, why? It is very, very, very difficult to translate consistently. For example, go to verse 13. How many English words do you see in verse 13? Stop and don't count, I've already done it for you. 62 words in verse 13. If you would have a Hebrew Bible, you know how many words you would see in verse 13? 15. So the English Bible takes 62 words to express what the Hebrew Bible says in 15. Four times as many words in the English to express what the Hebrew does in 15. Look at verse 13. Terry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman. Now, look at the words, he will perform the part of a kinsman. That's one Hebrew word. What is the point I'm trying to make? Boaz is a kinsman redeemer. He is able to perform the responsibility of a near relative in redeeming the land and Ruth. He will perform the part of a kinsman. The theological word book says the primary meaning of this root, this word, this Hebrew word, is to do the part of a kinsman and thus to redeem his kin from difficulty or danger. Now can you imagine putting that in a translation every time that word occurs? And thus, you have it translated near kinsman or redeem. In time, in the process of time, The title, Kinsman Redeemer, came to be applied to Jehovah. Jehovah was Israel's Redeemer time and time again. When Israel was captive in Egypt, who redeemed them? Yahweh. When Israel went into captivity, who redeemed them? Yahweh. And not only is that title applied to Jehovah, it is applied to Jesus Christ, our kinsman redeemer. Is he a near relative, folks? Did he become a man? God himself became a man? Lowered himself, humbled himself and became a man? our kinsman and our Redeemer by paying a price that we could not pay to set us free from sin and its penalty, eternal death. Jesus Christ, our kinsman, Redeemer. Boaz is impressed that Ruth cares more for loyalty to Naomi and to the family lineage than she did for her own personal happiness. So what she is seeking to do in establishing a relationship with Boaz, he recognizes is even greater than what she had done for her mother-in-law Naomi. And thus he calls her a virtuous woman, a title that she is known for citywide. It's an inner beauty that makes her price far above rubies as is said in Proverbs 31 10. And in Proverbs 31.10, her price is far above rubies is an answer to the first part of the verse. Who can find a virtuous woman? Why? Her price is far above rubies and so Ruth is the kind of woman that Lemuel's mother taught him is very difficult to find. In Proverbs 31.10, the virtuous woman is anonymous. Folks, In Ruth chapter 3 and verse 11, the virtuous woman has a name and her name is Ruth, a Gentile. God has to go outside of Israel to find a virtuous woman and she's a Gentile despised by the Jews. In fact, to the Jews, a pagan. I like the way Randy Yeagley puts it, God's grace in Ruth's life transformed this former pagan into a biblical model of the ideal woman. Why? The grace of God. And the grace of God is evident in her life by her loyalty. And the grace of God in your life will be evident by your loyalty, by your faithfulness. If you are not faithful and not loyal, you have not experienced the grace of God. For all the talk about God's grace today, it is always evident. And then we close with the third point, Ruth's veil, verses 14 to 18. And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. Also he said, bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her, and she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done unto her. And she said, these six measures of barley gave he me, for he said to me, go not empty unto thy mother-in-law. Then said she, sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will not be in. He's not going to rest. until he hath finished the thing this day." She leaves with six measures of barley. But look at the word measures. Is it different than the other words? It's in italics. She leaves with six of barley. We really don't know how much she leaves with. It's six of something. Six of something. Whatever the amount, we know that it was greater than the one ephod that is mentioned in chapter 2 and verse 17. One ephah was a full day's work. Now she leaves with bounty. She leaves with blessing. And her container for the blessing is her veil. And in verse 16, she comes to Naomi and Naomi says, who art thou my daughter? Aren't you going, come on, don't you recognize your own daughter-in-law? But remember, Look at verse 14. She rose up before one could know another. It's in the dark. She comes to her home. Naomi doesn't know who's there, and she says, who art thou? She knows it's a woman. It's my daughter. Then she finds out it's Ruth. And her veil or her mantle became the container of Boaz's blessing, a sort of a guarantee for more blessing to come. And what Boaz says in verse 17 is this, he would not have his prospective bride return empty-handed. He's gonna give her something. Folks, there are so many types here and so many things of what God has done for us. Because the church is his bride. And he's given unto us as a down payment, as a guarantee, his Holy Spirit. with blessings abundant. And the Bible says that he would not rest until he has finished the thing. I'm telling you something, Jesus Christ is not at rest today. He sits at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for us, not at rest. And he also told his disciples in John 14, I go to prepare a place for you. He is building right now. He is not resting. Chapter three of Ruth begins with the word rest, and it ends with the word rest. The word rest in verse one is where Naomi is seeking rest for Ruth, security. The word rest in verse 18 is a different word for rest, and it is Boaz not resting until he fulfills his promise to Ruth. It's a different word for rest that denotes He is not gonna be tranquil. He's not gonna just sit down and do nothing. It's a word that implies the absence of a pressing obligation, and Boaz has a pressing obligation, an obligation that he is willing to take upon himself for Ruth. And the rest that you will find in Jesus Christ is the rest that he himself will not allow in his own self as our kinsman redeemer. until we are fully redeemed. Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer. You know what? I will sing of my Redeemer. Will you?