Ruth & Redemption (11/24/2002)

The Eternal Plan of God and the Doctrine of Redemption

Turn with me this morning again to the book of Ruth. I'll review a little bit while you're turning that direction. We have started studying The wonderful benefits that we receive because of the grace of God.

We began on our first point talking about the fact that we are part of the eternal plan of God that he Knew us before the foundation of the world as his own and called us in time and Justified us and will glorify us and Then we began to discuss the second point and that is the concept of redemption.

The first mention of this word in the Bible is found in Genesis chapter 48 Verses 14 through 16 and We noticed last time that the word redeemed found in that passage in the Old Testament Hebrew is go all.

Which means the idea of the kinsman Redeemer and that took us to the book of Ruth? Which is the most beautiful? Illustration of this concept in the Jewish mind of what the kinsman Redeemer is and how this is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So let's have a word of prayer father. We thank you for the beautiful music this morning and The lyrics that Take us to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the heavenlies. We thank you for your your word, which you have given us Father we know you will bless your word keep us within it this morning as we preach keep us in the heavenlies as we hear and May you be glorified through all that is done in our services today.

Thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that he is our kinsman Redeemer. We pray in his name Amen as we started in Ruth chapter 1 in verse 1. We saw several things following down through this passage.

We saw that often God brings about his purpose through what we perceive to be circumstances. Sometimes these circumstances we think they're bad. But they're really meant for good. Because only good comes from God.

So we see that this family was from Bethlehem. And there was a famine in Bethlehem and the word Bethlehem means the house of bread but there was a famine in this place and so We see that they were led by Limelech to the Gentile land of Moab.

We get to this place and because they have gone to a Gentile land the two sons marry Gentile daughters women of Moab and Then we see as part of the circumstances the weak physical condition of the husband and the young men who were named Madeline which means sickly and Chilean which means whining or pining and They go to this place and then all of a sudden the men die and here Naomi is left.

With the two daughters-in-law in a strange alien land. All that seemed to be circumstances to her I'm sure. But it was all brought about by God himself as he moved these people exactly where they needed to be.

Because we're going to see as we study that Ruth becomes a part of the lineage of the Messiah and so that the Messiah has a bit of Gentile blood in him wouldn't have happened if All these circumstances hadn't taken place from the human viewpoint.

But you know what we know from the divine viewpoint is there was never a chance that they wouldn't take place. It's just that sometimes we find ourselves in times we consider to be trouble. We consider to be even bad.

We need to understand that we are right in God's path. Right where he wants us to be at every moment and it's all to bring glory to himself. And it will all work out together for good to his children.

We see that God brings about his purpose through the work of the Holy Spirit and we felt that Naomi Whose name means agreeable Was a good type or a symbol of the Holy Spirit as we continue down starting with about verses 5 and 6 through this passage.

And we see some things that we're taught by this type. First of all, the Holy Spirit is always leading and moving toward the place where Jesus is and We see secondly that sometimes the Holy Spirit will use the same words.

To move the non-elect away from Christ and those same words will move the elect towards Christ. We see that she begins to try to tell the two daughters-in-law to go back to their people into their gods and they both cry and weep and they both hug her and and She tells them again go back to the place that you came from.

And we see this here. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing. Both women said they would stay with Naomi. We saw then in this passage down around verses 13 and following. We saw that even though they both said the same words.

They weren't the same one of them kissed Naomi and Turned and went back. It's interesting that her name is Orpah, which means to go back and the other one Ruth. It does not say she kissed her it emphasizes that she claimed to her and so last time we talked about the difference between a kiss and cleaving and we talked about how Modern theology today in churches all around us.

They teach that if you just kiss the Lord you can be saved so to speak in other words. You just pray a little prayer dear Jesus come in my heart save me. Amen. And then go back and live like you've always lived and you feel that just since you gave that little kiss that you're okay.

But we learned from Ruth that is the cleaving that is important and there's a huge difference you remember the parables that Jesus taught about the these seeds being sown and. The seed is sown on the rocky soil which has a little bit of soil and there's rock underneath it and the plant springs up.

Quickly has a great testimony of how it's been saved. And then when the Sun comes out which pictures tribulation and trials of the world. The Sun scorches the plant and it dies because it had no what?

No root and the root is whom? Jesus Christ, but it appeared to everyone else to be very fruitful for a moment and then it was gone. That's the kiss. And then you see in that same parable the good soil the seed goes in the good soil and it springs up and it bears.

What? Fruit. Some 30 fold some 60 some a hundred fold and that's a picture of the one who really cleaves to the Lord Jesus Christ like Ruth was cleaving to. To at Naomi which is a picture of the Holy Spirit.

I believe as Naomi leads her towards Jesus in this story. She she didn't just give mental assent to a fact. She didn't just say well, I'm for it. She wouldn't let go. Naomi said well you go back and finally she comes the place where she says I am going to go with you.

Your people are gonna be my people your God gonna be my God where you sleeps where I'm gonna sleep where you live I'll live. Where you die is where I will die. And she said please don't tell me again to go back and.

So she didn't. What a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit's work in the elect before the elect knows their elect. And this is the human side of salvation so and so shown so beautifully. Now that brings us To the place where we'll begin today start with verse 19.

Naomi Returns in Bitter Suffering

So they too went until they came to Bethlehem. Now the Holy Spirit leads Ruth. The Holy Spirit as pictured by Naomi leads Ruth to the right place at the right time. Verse 19 continues. And it came to pass when they were come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about them.

And they said is this Naomi? Now a picture this is this Naomi. Implies that they don't recognize her because she has undergone such suffering. You see she's lost the husband. She's lost the two sons she has undergone tremendous suffering.

And now she is sort of a type of Jesus Christ himself and the people of Israel did not recognize him because he came as a suffering servant and they wanted a king and. This is a picture of all this as they come into the city.

They look at Naomi and say are you Naomi? Because she didn't look the same as she did when she left. She had undergone great suffering verse 20 and she said unto them call me not Naomi. Call me Mara for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

The word Mara means grieved or heavy. I Went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty when they call. Why then call me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me.

This is exactly the feelings that are revealed to us in the scriptures that the Lord Jesus had when he was on the cross. He said my god my god, why have your forsaken me. Mara grieved heavy. Another picture of Naomi as the suffering servant who was separated from the father.

The Jews said is this Naomi but she did not appear as they thought she would but as one who had suffered verse 22. Nay, so Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her which returned out of the country of Moab.

This is a picture of the Holy Spirit leading the one out of the world towards God's people and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest and Naomi had a kinsman of her husbands a mighty man of wealth a fam of the family of Elimelech whose name was Boaz and Boaz is going to be a type or a or an example of Jesus Christ.

So she leads Ruth out of Moab the world to the fruitful land of Bethlehem where she is about to meet her kinsman Redeemer. Now, I want us to begin there with birth chapter 2 and as we go into chapter 2 We won't have time to see a lot of this but we have seen the fact that the Holy Spirit is bringing Ruth to Jesus who is typified by Boaz and We go into chapter 2 we see all this and we're going to have sort of a an underlying study in this message this morning that deals with the concept of circumstances and even what we would call chance and Yet it shows the truth behind it all and we'll see this as we go verse 2 in chapter 2 and Ruth the Moabitess said unto no Naomi let me now go to the field and glean ears of corn after him whose sight I shall find grace and she said unto her go my daughter and she went and came and gleaned in the field after the Reapers and Her half and I want you to underline that little word half.

It's the same as our word happenstance or half was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz. Who was the kindred of Elimelech. Now the word Boaz? means fleetness as As Tailback on a football team or hundred yard dasher fleet of foot now notice in verse 3 She went and came and gleaned in the field after the Reapers and her half or you could say The chance by chance.

She came into this certain field belonging to Boaz. That's how the Hebrew reads it comes this word half is the Hebrew word Mikra which means something met with an Accident or fortune. It comes from a root Hebrew word call raw, which means to light upon by accident.

Now it's interesting when you look at the root word behind this Hebrew word the Hebrew word itself seems to mean accident or fortune or you might even use the word luck. Hate to say that brother Russell, but you might say that but Stay with me a few moments, but brother Russell Heard my son Ben say something about well, that was lucky and he said Ben.

There's no such thing as luck. So Ben says yes, there is dad. Isn't that true? There's luck in there. And you should listen to brother Russell son. Well. The word half or the word luck is actually used here.

Obviously from the human viewpoint. From Ruth's viewpoint. She just happened to pick this field. She used her will. She was making choices and this is the field she chose and she had no scientific method for choosing it.

So it was just happenstance she says. Comes from the Hebrew word Mikra, which means happenstance or accident or fortune or luck. But the root word for this means something that lights upon you now notice the difference.

When we use the word luck as men we tend to think we're in control. It's like well I stumbled into this and I could almost pat myself on the back for stumbling into this. But in the Hebrew root word it has the idea of this thing came upon you.

Which is kind of interesting. Now I want to give you a New Testament verse and then we're going to go into this and examine this idea of happenstance. How can this be? How can there be such a thing as to hap upon something?

Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 says for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth. Visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him and He is before all things and by him all things consist.

The key word. There is the word consist it means are set together or held together by Jesus Christ. All things are held together by Jesus Christ. Now if that's so we find it difficult to see how there could be such a thing as luck.

Let's turn to the book of Ecclesiastes see if you can find that one. Ecclesiastes chapter 3. I Want to show you one of the most amazing passages in the Bible that has to do with this subject and It is written by the Holy Spirit, of course.

But the penman is Solomon. The one who prayed for wisdom the one known as the wisest man who ever lived on the earth other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And he discusses this whole concept of things happening by circumstance things just happening in the world around us and Let's see what he says.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 1 this is important today because we're talking about redemption and we're talking about how Ruth just Found herself by chance in exactly the right field of exactly the right man who became her kinsman Redeemer who is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and who went on to marry her and Her children became the line of the Messiah and she says I just happened upon this field.

That's the way we view it isn't it in our lives? Well by chance I found myself in this place or that place or under this circumstance or that Ecclesiastes 3 1 says to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven a Time to be born a time to die a time to plant and a time to pluck Up that which is planted.

And as we live our lives it almost seems like sometimes we are moved by these circumstances and by these traditions and by the things we find ourself in when we're Born and we're born into this world.

We're born into a system our parents and grandparents already kind of know the ropes and they begin to teach it to us. And we just move into it and we find ourselves moved when it's the season to plant we go out with dad and granddad.

And we plant when it's the season to to to reap we go out. And we reap all of it seems to be set before us. It all seems to be Circumstances. A time to be born the day. I was born just have to be the day I was born.

I happened to be born on that day and a time to die well. They boy they just had an accident. It was just amazing. It was a terrible car accident, and then they died. We call it an accident. They went home early.

You know as if it were an accident. That's just how we speak. And as we read what Solomon said he said this is in fact the way it appears to be in our world. A time to kill. A time to heal. A Time to break down.

A time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. And it almost seems like these times just move upon us, and we just ride along with them. A time to mourn in a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together.

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to get in a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to tear and a time to sow. A time to keep silence and a time to speak.

A Time to love and a time to hate. Look at this a time of war and a time of peace. We find ourselves just being carried along by these times it seems. We're about to we are in war now in our country and there'll be many of our young men.

Maybe today. They're just laughing and dancing as that scripture just said tomorrow they may be dying on the fields in a foreign land full of just sand and desert and They may not even know the reason they gave their life because their commander may not tell them why they had to go to a certain place and a certain time and do a certain thing and They're carried along by these circumstances a time for peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? Sometimes we men ask that question we spend our lives laboring in business and sometimes we say what profit do we have. I Have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men now.

Let me ask you Where does the travail come from. We read this whole passage up to this verse it seems like it's chance. Happenstance. Circumstances the world around us that were born into and yet Solomon brings us to verse 10.

Where does the travail come from? God I Have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it now. Apparently we find out at this point That all of these things that are moving us about and carrying us along in this world that carry with it what we perceive to be.

Good things we profit bad things we lose. Good things were born bad things we die. But that's how we view it and yet He says that all of these things in all of these things apparently We have a trainer so to speak if we see this as an exercise.

We have a person that's training us and Exercising us and moving us into the exercise. He wants us to be in that's exactly what it says here God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He's the trainer.

So now we sudden we see there's a purpose behind every exercise. We did it is strengthening a specific muscle group or a specific muscle. Then if you're like me without the trainer you do nothing you just you just don't exercise and Yet, that's how the world and many Christians perceive that it is that there is no trainer.

It's just we're just moved about. They don't understand that specific. Things in our lives are being strengthened by these specific exercises and that God is the one who brings it about verse 11. He hath made everything beautiful in its time.

Also, he hath set the world in their heart. I'm assuming that means the people our hearts. It's interesting that word world in the Hebrew really is a Far deeper word than that. It's the same word. We've studied so many times this year along.

Which means the concealed thing or the vanishing point or time without? Outside of mind it means eternity. It's that part of timelessness that we can't even comprehend. It's where the father is. We can't talk about it even because he's outside of time.

He's not bound by time. He's the I am and that's this word. Oh long. It's talking about that kind of eternity and it says he has set that within our hearts. Well, he has. We don't even understand it, but we somehow know that we're beyond these circumstances circumstances.

Something is bigger than all the circumstances that we're going through in our lives and it has to do with us and it has to do With something beyond time even it even goes beyond the suffering. We may be going through right now.

It's bigger than that. He has set the eternal Nature in their heart so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning To the end we can't understand it. We can know it. But we don't know the how of it.

We don't know how God does it? We don't even know how God is there. We know he is because we can pinch ourselves and we're real. So God is there. But we don't know how. We don't know how he can be the first cause without a cause.

We don't know how he can be the omnipresent Immutable never-changing always present God. But he is and he placed the knowledge of himself within us. He placed the eternal in our hearts, but he also made it where we can't find him out.

We can't figure it out. We can't figure God out. Solomon understands. There is a human viewpoint and a divine viewpoint. You see that starting in verse 12. This is amazing. Look at this. I Know that there is no good in them.

But for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life. No, what is the them mean that means the circumstance all the things he just mentioned. The reaping the sowing the reaping the war the peace the love the hate.

The time to embrace the time not to embrace all of the things in life that we find ourselves Involved in he says there is no good in them except for this for a man to rejoice and to do good in this life and Also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor.

It is the gift of God. That is the human viewpoint as we look at that from our viewpoint. You know that that's what it seems to be about. We simply don't Understand the eternal part of it. All we know is we can enjoy the good that God has brought to us.

He has brought to us a good. He's brought food. He's brought drink. He's brought family all of these things he's brought and it is for us to enjoy the good of his of our labor and Recognize that this is very important that the source of it is God that it is a gift from God.

This is not talking about Hedonism. Hedonism is when you enjoy and eat and drink and don't recognize that it's from the hand of God this is talking about simply enjoying the good things that God has brought into this beautiful world that he put us in and Recognizing it's a gift from his hand, but Solomon also understands the divine viewpoint.

Look at verse 14 and I know that whatsoever God doeth It shall be forever. It shall be eternal. It shall be unchangeable. Nothing can be put to it in the Hebrew put to it is one word y 'all soft, which means to add or augment.

Man cannot even help what God has done. Nothing can be put to what God has done. In other words man cannot add one thing to these Circumstances and yet he thinks he creates them. Sometimes he cannot even augment which means take something good and great God did and just make it a little better or Take the good things that God has given us and use them and put it together and here I have this man can't even do that and The reason it appears that man does is because man doesn't understand that God's behind it all.

There's no such thing as happenstance. There's no such thing as luck. Don't let him be asleep. He's asleep brother Russell. You'll have to teach him again. He still doesn't know that I agree with you.

No such thing is that from God's viewpoint and the reason there's not is because man cannot even add one thing to what God is Doing and God is doing it all you see I know that whatsoever God does it shall be forever.

It shall stand in other words Nothing can add to it or augment it now look at the next phrase nor anything be taken from it. Taken from it is one Hebrew word go raw. Which means look at this to scrape to scrape off to make a shaving just now.

You know, you've seen things where it's just shaved off. In the woodworking brother Clarence. Do you still have those things you can slide along the wood and it planes it and you know How the shavings come up and curl and they're so thin they're like paper almost and God uses this word as a picture to show that you can't even shave a thin little bit Off of what God's doing to change it.

You can't shave it doesn't say you can't take away from it. Like it says in the English in the Hebrew. It says you can't even shave Anything off of it if you could make that plane go down to the width of one Adam.

So that when you shave it, you just gotten something. That's one Adam wide all the way through you can't even move that much from what God's done. You can't change what God has done. I Know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever.

Nothing can be put to it. Nothing can be shaved From it and look how he goes on he says and God Doeth it in case we have any thought left in our minds that we are doing it or the chance is happening God doeth it.

This word do in the Hebrew where it says God does it is all Solve which means to do or make in the broadest sense and widest application possible God does it there's no room left for man in this. There is no room left for man to change God's history.

To change God's circumstances that he brings in to exercise us. We don't change them. They change us. Just like exercise. Makes a young man's shoulders broaden and all of a sudden he begins to change and look different as he grows up and fills out it changes us and.

Then the purpose is shown at the end of verse 14 that men should fear before him verse 15 that which hath been is now. Look at this what an amazing ending to this concept. That which hath been is now and That which is to be has already been and God required that which is past.

Brings you back into the time the last little phrase. That's an amazing purse that that verse takes you outside of time into the alarm where God is. And yet says God reaches into time and judges. He requires what's in your past.

He doesn't have a past. But he requires what's in your past that's why it's so important to be saved. That's why it's so important to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord, which means your boss and your Savior.

Because God requires what is past. Now a lot of people think they can turn around and become religious and find a fine Religion and get involved in it and do a bunch of good stuff. You know what the problem with that is God requires what's past you can't change what you've already done.

Doesn't matter how good you get. He requires what's past in Sunday school this morning. We studied a beautiful concept in adult Sunday school. We studied the fact that We don't get the reward we deserve.

If we're saved if we have the Lord Jesus as our own if we've ever had a time when we Received him into our hearts. Then we don't get what we deserve because he got it the day he died on the cross. The day that he experienced what Naomi did the loss of everything and even saying my god my god.

Why have you forsaken me? That's what we deserved. We don't ever get that if we have Jesus he that has the Son has life. He that has not the Son of God hath not life. He that has the Son Jesus took the reward of our sin.

He was punished. He was killed. He suffered separation from God. So that he could give us eternal life, which means never being separated from God never ever being separated from God. That which hath been is now and that which is to be has already occurred.

From the divine viewpoint, so Solomon understood both viewpoints and he discussed both viewpoints. Now when we go back into our passage in Ruth We now read this passage with a new understanding when she says I just hap to light on this part of the field in verse 3 of chapter 2 and Her hap was to light on the part of the field belonging unto Boaz who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

That had already occurred in God's viewpoint. It was already set. There was no chance that she was going to light in any other field than Boaz's field because he is a picture of Jesus. Now From her viewpoint.

It was chance. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time. That is the human viewpoint. But I tell you this ladies and gentlemen If you're saved today It wasn't chance that you were in the exact place.

At the exact moment when the light turned on and you received Jesus into your heart. Do you still remember where you were? They used to say tell me where and when. Do you remember where you were and when it was when that happened?

I do. I was in my car driving to Mahea from Waco and all of a sudden I found myself praying for no reason humanly speaking and Said Lord, I'm willing for you to be my boss instead of me being my own boss.

That's the best religious jargon. I knew at the time, but he saved me that day. There was no accident that I was in that place at that time. Same is true here. Verse 4 says and behold Boaz came from Bethlehem.

Here we here we see this man Boaz coming from Bethlehem. He is a type or a symbol of Jesus Christ who also came from Bethlehem and said unto the Reapers The Lord be with you and they answered him the Lord blessed thee.

Then said Boaz and to his servant that was set over the Reapers whose damsel is this who just Happens to be in my field today. And the servant that was set over the Reapers answered and said it is the Moabitish damsel.

That came back with Naomi apparently news traveled pretty quickly in this small town. Some of us live in small towns. We know how this is Out of the country of Moab and She said I pray you let me glean and gather after the Reapers among the sheaves now.

She didn't pick this place by any scientific method. She just happened upon it in her viewpoint so she came and hath continued even from morning until now that she tarried a little in the house and Then said Boaz unto Ruth Here is thou not my daughter.

Go not to glean in another field neither go from hence but abide here fast by my maidens that's just like the Lord Jesus coming to you the very first time and said Where the light was turned on and you saw him for the first time and he said you stay with me.

I Don't want you to go out find another field where there are other men. You stay with me. That's what Jesus says to the Bride of Christ. You stay with me now you gentlemen if we want to go back and look at this from the human viewpoint.

What is Boaz thinking when he sees Ruth? She must have been a beautiful young woman and he said why don't you stay here you work here. You don't need to go work for anybody else. I'll take care of you.

Well, that's how Jesus sees us and you don't believe that. You don't believe there's any way that the Lord Jesus Yearns for you and loves you. With even the kind of love that you gentlemen had for your wife the first time you knew you loved her.

You can't see how Jesus loves you like that, but he loves you more than that. You just say Holy Spirit brings you to him. He allows you to see him and all of a sudden he says you just stay here. Now let me ask you this from the human viewpoint ladies if Boaz was this wealthy strong Godly, man, and you had no other man.

Why would you want to go anywhere else? Why would you want to go in some field where they might take advantage of you or might even kill you? Why would you want to go anywhere else? You see that's what Calvin meant when he talked about irresistible grace.

If the Lord turns the light on where you can see him you don't have it. You're not going to take a choice to reject him. You're not going to choose to say I know I don't want that. It's irresistible once you see him.

You have to have him for life. I Have not charged that I have. Have I not charged the young men? I'm in verse 9 that they shall not touch thee. He didn't want anybody else touching her and When thou art a thirst go into the vessels and drink of that which the young men hath drawn.