Linked to Christ the Head
Ruth 4:11-22; 9/25/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
At this time Boaz had obtained the right of purchase from the guardian-redeemer, and said to the elders and all the people that he would purchase Elimelek’s property. Not only that, Boaz has also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as his wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. (Ruth 4:10) It stands to reason that the story should have been told, right? However, the most important mysteries remain unexplained. Let’s look at the first point:
Compassion in the incomplete
In my opinion, what Van Gogh’s paintings express is not the neat beauty of the academic school, but the incomplete beauty of life. The beauty of Ruth is not the beauty of the pastoral scenery, but the compassion in the incomplete. First, marry a dead man’s wife. Either way, Boaz had no need to redeem Elimelek’s land and marry Ruth, the wife of Mahlon the dead. Boaz had no shortage of money and no shortage of women. There was no need for that! The testimony of the people and the elders expresses the core values in Boaz’s heart. Of course he loved women and he loved Ruth, but he loved God and God’s family even more! He will build the house of Elimelek, which is also the house of Israel, just as Jacob established Rachel and Leah, who were the house of Israel. Especially in the time of the Judges, the faith was desolate, just like the desolation of the church today.
Second, look at two competing sisters. Let’s look back at Rachel and Leah. They fought for a lifetime and robbed a common man. It seems that the testimony of a lifetime is not good. Sister Leah was forced by her father to make Jacob a bride, and when he got up, Jacob couldn’t let it go. Only by promising to his uncle, that is, his father-in-law, who would work for his father-in-law for another seven years, would marry with the younger sister Rachel. Leah received less love, so God let her have more sons. The more Rachel favored, the fewer sons she bore. This coming and going, fighting back and forth, a lifetime has passed so unknowingly! It was just these two unremarkable, spiritually crippled women, plus their respective maids, who established the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Finally, go beyond Gentile boundaries. The blessing of the elders is a prophecy: “May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.” Boaz never imagined that his union with Ruth, a gentile, would give birth to Obed, David’s grandfather. cIf we go back, the seventh patriarch of Boaz, Perez, was actually the son of Judah who had an incestuous relationship with his foreigner-in-law, Tamar. More directly, Salmon, Boaz’s father, married Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, and gave birth to Boaz. The above clues are enough to show that God left a clear line of mercy in the many broken lives of the ancestors of Israel. Let people see the will of God, the gospel is the power of God, and it will save all those who believe, first the Jews and then the Gentiles! Let’s look at the second point:
Metaphor of lost and found
Elimelek’s life was a life of failure, a life of loss. Not only did he lose his own life, but also his two sons. The starting point or turning point of life is repentance and conversion. First, Naomi returns to Bethlehem. Naomi’s life choice, returning to Bethlehem was the most difficult. Because she has no face to see “people in the hometown”, right? Her name means sweet, but she lived a miserable life. Not sure how many people are talking behind her back that she’s an unknown woman who brought back luck to her husband and son. Fearful words, not many can overcome! But the precious thing about Naomi is that she chose to repent, to turn back, to go back to Bethlehem, and to overcome the fear in her heart! This is an extremely simple spiritual truth, repentance brings life, and if you do not repent, you are walking dead! Your repentance is God’s lost and found! Excuse me, do you understand?
Second, Boaz married Ruth as his wife. At least, Naomi understood, she came back resolutely, and brought the foreign woman Ruth back to Bethlehem with her. When people are disappointed, it is God’s opportunity to give hope. One wrong step, brought more wrong steps! Likewise, taking one step right, God will lead us to follow in His footsteps step by step. In fact, God does not need Naomi to have much experience in the arena, nor does it need Ruth to take many risks, nor does God need to deliberately do unethical things. Ruth only needed to go to the wheat field, and God let her meet and fall in love with Boaz. In the end, it was God who removed all obstacles and enabled Boaz to successfully obtain Ruth as his wife.
In the end, Ruth gave birth to a son. How many people get married, but not necessarily have children. Hannah was in great pain because she had no son. She came to God and prayed to have a son and give birth to Samuel. Ruth and Mahlon were married for ten years and had no son. Instead, Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. (Ruth 4:13)” This is an important clue in the book of Ruth, the truth that is lost and found. Originally it was the version of the dead son and no grandson, but now it is the reversal of another story. The fate of mankind was originally so hopeless that it died. But now, because the Son of God came into the world, He gave his life on the cross, so that we shall not perish, but have eternal life. Let’s look at the third point:
Connected to the tribe of David
At the end of the book of Ruth, the tribe of David is brought out, and Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ, who preached and cast out demons, is often called the Son of David. The implication here is that Christ (the Messiah) is the fulfillment of the prophecy of David’s descendant. First, it is a promise from God. Seventeen places in the New Testament describe Jesus as “the Son of King David.” Jesus is the promised Messiah, which means he is a descendant of David. The prophet Nathan heard King David say, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” (2 Samuel 7:2)” That night the words of the Lord came to Nathan, and one of them was very important: “ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)
Second, this is a New Testament testimony. The Messianic view in the New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew begins by saying, “This genealogy belongs to Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matt. 1:1) This is a statement that Jesus’ qualifications meet the requirements of being the Messiah. Luke’s genealogy has the same meaning. The angel announced good news to Mary: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
Finally, this is the only salvation. We can look at it from three perspectives: First, Jesus’ status as a king – He was the King God revealed to Abraham and Moses. His kingship is eternal. Those of us who accept Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus lives in our hearts as Lord and King. He will guide and protect, and will do righteousness. In the kingdom to come, we will reign with Him to judge the world. Second, the divinity and humanity of Christ— He is God, the Savior Messiah, sent by God to redeem the world. Yet He had to come into the world in the likeness of a man. In this way He can sympathize with the infirmities of men, just as we do. The only difference from us is that He did not sin. Third, God’s promises will surely be fulfilled— the promises God made to David, which he continued to prophesy through the prophets. This “son of David” was finally fulfilled in Jesus. And the “Messiah as King” will also be fulfilled in God’s eternal kingdom.
Conclusion
Well, it is the final conclusion of the book of Ruth, linked to Christ the Head. Through the compassion in the incomplete in Ruth’s life, the metaphor of the lost and found in the whole story of Ruth, and the revelation thread connected to the tribe of David, we are connected with the book of Ruth to Christ, the head. We thank the Lord!
Let us pray……
Ruth 4:11-22
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!
15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.
17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
