Can Boaz Be Trusted (Part 2)

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Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Abendroth.

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Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

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Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures, verse by verse, with No Compromise.

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What is going to happen here? It's in the middle of the night, bad things happen at night.

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Actually bad things happen at night even between godly people. Sexual overtones abound in this passage, and if you're

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Sinclair Ferguson, you call them sexual undertones. Are you really saying, wash yourself, perfume yourself, sneak down there, and when he has eaten and drunk some wine, then you go lay down by his feet, and he'll tell you what to do.

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Is this how God does things? Ferguson said, if we share this sense of anxiety, then the author of the book of Ruth has got us into precisely the frame of mind he wants to create.

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This is exactly what he intends us to feel. I like this next line. He wants us to feel our toes curling with anticipation.

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What is going on here? Is this story going to end in disaster? We must read on.

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What's going to happen? Is he going to see her and get mad, angry, take advantage of her?

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How do you get a husband back in those days, especially when the person who needs the husband is a

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Moabite? And furthermore, what's going to happen with a

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Moabite and wine and nighttime? Not that long ago, we remember in Genesis chapter 19, lots of daughters.

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How do you get a husband? What she's going to do is, this is a proposal for marriage.

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Now, let's see, Naomi says, I want you to go down there, Ruth, and I want you to propose to your boss for marriage.

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Here's how you do it. One writer said, well, you could do this instead.

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You could write a personal column in the Bethlehem Star newspaper. A single

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Moabite woman, widowed, childless, with mother -in -law, seeks well -to -do

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Bethlehem businessman, with view to marriage, must love mother -in -law.

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Now, the author is purposely making this text ambiguous, lacing it with words that make you just go, really?

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I want you to go down to the threshing floor. And what does it say in verse 4 in lie down?

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Lie down, skabob, is the Hebrew word. It could mean to lie down in death, but most oftenly, it means to lie down for sexual relations.

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Exodus 22, if a man seduce a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall pay the price, her price.

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Deuteronomy 22, death penalty for those caught in adultery.

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If a man is caught lying with another man's wife, both must die. Leviticus 18 and 20, this word is used for the sinful relationship of two men together sexually, the man who lies with another man must die.

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That's the word lies here. I don't know if Naomi was thinking, you know, if he does the wrong thing, he'll still marry anyway.

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Or if Boaz is such a generous guy and such a godly guy. Either way, this is bad advice.

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When you look at the word there, his feet, it either means his feet with five toes, or it means, as we would teach our children to call it, the private area.

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It's either a euphemism for that, or it means feet. Now this is a weird way to do a marriage proposal.

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For those of you that are really crazy and want to use the Bible for every little detail of marriage and schooling and dating and courtship and all that stuff, this is biblical.

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Just saying. See, we need a little laugh, don't we?

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Lie down, uncover his feet, he'll tell you what to do. Now this is an overture that says you're basically asking him to marry you, but whether he sleeps with you or not,

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I mean, the audience doesn't know. Maybe Naomi is saying, you know,

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Boaz is old, or remember he calls Ruth his daughter, so maybe he would never even think of proposing to you.

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And so we've got to take matters into our own hands. This was the way to propose in the ancient

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Near East. One writer said, whatever motives

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Naomi had, the situation is one that could lead us into a passionate and illicit scene of sex, or into a stunning scene of purity, integrity, and self -control.

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Everybody else celebrates that time of year. Maybe this rash idea that Naomi had is the same kind of rash idea that Naomi and her husband had when they said, let's get out of Bethlehem, the house of bread, and go down to Moab, because there's a famine up here.

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I do know this, though, there's a lot of tension. Verse 5, she replied,

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Ruth replied to Naomi, taking these as commands, all that you say I will do.

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And you're reading it thinking, what will God have happen? She's going to go down there and Ruth's going to be fired by Boaz for being so forward.

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Prostitution happens down to the threshing floor, she sneaks down there at night hiding and she's going to get arrested for prostitution?

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Thankfully, the mind of man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps. Let me put

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Proverbs 16 .9 in context. Naomi plans Ruth's way, but the Lord directs

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Ruth's steps. This is doomed to fail.

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So, verse 6, she went down to the threshing floor, suspense is killing me, and did just as her mother -in -law had commanded her.

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Smell the perfume? Hear the breathing of Boaz?

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Feel your feet getting cold? I'm getting cold feet just reading it. And, verse 7, when

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Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, literally his heart was good, he's in good spirits,

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NEB says, peace with the world, JB says, in a happy mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of the grain, then she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

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Same word used as David snuck up to cut Saul's robe, she sneaks up, uncovers his legs.

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I think it was his legs, by the way. As one guy said, I'm getting some deja vu, some

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Moab deja vu. Moabites laying down next to men who have drunk wine?

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Verse 8, at midnight of all times, in the half of the night, literally, the man, it's like we don't want to, the writer doesn't even tell us it's

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Boaz right now, even though we know it is, because we know what Boaz would do, but what about the man was startled?

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I think his feet got cold, right? That was the idea.

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Turned over and behold, say what? A woman laying at his feet.

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Now, you know exactly what would happen if Boaz is a bad guy, you know exactly, and they don't live happily ever after.

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Some people say, well, he had a nightmare and then he woke up. He startled and turned over, literally, he like twisted over.

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It was like he was sleeping on his side and now your legs are cold and then you try to flip the blanket, which is normally just your outer cloak.

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One commentator said, Ruth's act was an example of sacred prostitution at the high place in Bethlehem.

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After all, it's during the period of judges when everybody does what is right in their own eyes.

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And now, thankfully, Ruth does something that Naomi didn't say, but Ruth makes sure she says it so we all just together go, great, she did the right thing.

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Verse nine, he said, who are you? It's feminine, by the way, he knows it's a woman. I don't know by what means he determined that, maybe the perfume.

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She answered, I'm Ruth, your servant.

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Instead of then saying, whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. She now makes the implicit explicit by saying, basically, marry me.

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Spread your wings over your servant for you are a redeemer. My intentions now are clear.

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Instead of just taking your cloak and covering up your feet, cover me too while you're at it, except not just with a blanket, but with the protection and the figurative language of marriage.

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You're family after all. This expression, spread the corner of your garment over me, was a pledge for marriage.

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It comes right out of Ezekiel 16. God speaking of Israel, when

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I passed by you, Israel, again and saw you, behold, you are at the age for love. I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness.

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I'm not saying Ruth was naked, but this is just the language of covering. Verse eight of Ezekiel 16,

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I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.

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This act of covering was the marriage proposal.

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Still used, I've read, in some Arabs today, by some Arabs today, they throw the garment over a woman he's decided to take as his wife.

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Maybe we'll bring that biblical practice back, I'm not sure. I have all kinds of comments about dating and courtship and marriage, but I'm just trying to stay on track.

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Okay, I'll say one. If you find a wife, you find a good thing, man.

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You're a leader for a reason. Go out and win yourself a wife. Okay.

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And ladies, be the kind of ladies some guy would like to win, by the grace of God.

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Spread the corner of your garment over me, cover your feet physically, but while you're at it, metaphorically, figuratively, cover me with your protection of marriage.

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That's the idea. Maybe Naomi thought of other things.

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Certainly the writer Samuel of Ruth wants us to think everything bad that could go bad could, possibly, but God.

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Give me long -term covering. Cover me with warmth and protection and fellowship.

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What a great picture of marriage. Boaz doesn't rebuke. Verse 10, and he said, we see

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Ruth's true intentions, now we see Boaz's true intentions, and they're godly and pure and right.

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Will he act like the Redeemer, kinsman? Will he act like Jesus? Can we have Boaz as a picture, please, of our

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Redeemer? May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You don't call a temple prostitute a daughter, friends.

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She made herself no longer ambiguous, marry me. He now makes sure we don't understand any ambiguity with all these entendres.

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He's willing to pay the price for a Moabite. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich, and now, my daughter, do not fear.

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It's going to cost me, by the way. I will do for you all that you ask for.

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All my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

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Is he worthy? Is she worthy? Will he redeem?

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Can Boaz be trusted? One writer said, at the darkest hour of the night, with the sensuous aroma of the sweet perfume, and this author said, perhaps she's wearing the perfume called midnight.

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Is that really real perfume, midnight? When physical attraction is awakened and opportunity is near, would a man not find himself tempted?

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And is that not the central part of the plan? So writes

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Sinclair Ferguson. But Boaz is humble, godly, self -sacrificial, and he's a redeemer.

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At a cost to himself to redeem a Moabitess. Now, if you would, please turn to Mark chapter 10, as we tie this together with Jesus Christ, who loves at a cost, who's godly like Boaz, but better, humble like Boaz, but better, self -sacrificial like Boaz, but better, and as like Boaz, is a kinsman redeemer.

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The language of redemption, not just for protection physically and temporal provision, but spiritual and ultimate and eternal protection.

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The language of Mark 10 screams to me, yeah, he's like Boaz, but better.

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Mark chapter 10, verse 43 and following. I pick it up in 43 because they've been arguing, the disciples, about who's great.

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Who's the greatest among us? Mark 10, 43, but it shall not be so among you,

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Jesus said, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

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And then we come into maybe the key verse in all of Mark. Maybe a verse that reminds us that Jesus is like Boaz, but better.

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For even the Son of Man, he loved to call himself that, came not to be served, but to serve at a cost, by the way, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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Now that is servant leadership. What's ransom mean, friends? Ransom is the price paid to free a slave or a prisoner.

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Ransom paid to God. Don't ever think it was paid to Satan, like Origen said. Jesus pays the ransom price for our sins to God.

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The great exchange satisfying the justice of God. Jesus as a guilt offering,

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Isaiah 53, 10. Redeeming us. And the language of Mark 10, 45 is substitutionary language.

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Do you see it? To give his life as a ransom for many, in the place of, instead of.

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That's substitutionary atonement. Laying down his life for us.

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And then he gives an illustration, and here's where it's important. Draw a line from the end of verse 45 to the beginning of verse 46, because now we see an example of that very thing.

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There's a reason why these are connected. Blind Bart. Now when I was growing up, my idol,

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I wish this wasn't true, but it's true. My idol growing up was Brian Bartlett Starr.

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Bart Starr. If you want to know who he is, Google it.

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Alabama graduate, Green Bay Packer quarterback, class act,

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Bart Starr. I love the word Bart. If I had another kid, I'd name him Ruth. If I had one more, name him

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Boaz. If I had one more, I'd name him Bart. I can't even talk.

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I meant to say if I had another son, I'd name him, I'd never name him Ruth. Black Bart.

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Bart. Here's the Bart who's the recipient of the love of God. It is not earned, and it comes at the hands of the

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Redeemer, Kinsman, when he's on his way for Passover and to the cross.

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Verse 46. The example of verse 45 is verse 46, Blind Bartimaeus.

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And they came to Jericho. It's the only time I know of that Jesus is at Jericho. It's 20 miles away outside of Jerusalem.

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Go there now, you see a casino run by the Arafat group. Palm trees and figs, and it's nice there.

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He was going out from Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus, and with mark -like fashion, he loves to name names, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.

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And he's begging, and we don't know why he's blind. Diseases of the eye were super common back in those days from birth canal infections and other things.

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Mark says, there's one guy, Matthew includes the other guy, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, they were crying out.

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What were they crying out? Verse 47. And when he heard it was Jesus, the Nazarene, he began to cry out.

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And by the way, that word cry out means to shout and to scream. When you see someone in a mental institution, an insane asylum, and they're screaming, that's the word.

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When you listen to your wife give birth to someone, and you go, they're screaming with agony, that's the word.

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When Jesus is on the cross crying out, that's the word. And they began to cry out, he began, verse 47 of Mark says,

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Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. I know I'm a sinner, and I know you are able and willing to help.

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Probably thinking of the Psalms. God, please be good to me. And many were sternly telling him with his cries, telling him to be quiet.

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He kept crying out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me. I mean, here we have this smelly, probably stinky, beggar, can't you see that the presidential motorcade on Pennsylvania Avenue is not going to stop for a guy on the corner asking for change?

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Just be quiet. Verse 49, and Jesus stopped and said,

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R. Ken Hughes said right here, the son stood still. Call him here.

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And they called the blind man and said to him, Take courage, arise, he's calling for you.

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And Jesus didn't, by the way, say, I'm not the son of David, don't call me that. He's calling for you and casting aside his cloak.

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This is eager, this is jumping and leaping.

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He jumped up and came to Jesus. Answering him,

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Jesus said, what do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, with an intense form of rabbi,

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Rabboni, I want to regain my sight. And the son of man has come to seek and save those that were lost.

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Here's one of them on the way to the cross. Jesus said to him, go your way.

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By the way, you can choose your own way now. You can actually see your own way. You don't have to have somebody else bring you along and lead you.

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You go your own way. Boy, even that right there. Your faith has made you well.

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I think there's a double meaning. Your faith has made you well. You can see your faith has made you well because you're believing in the son of David.

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You're free, you're forgiven. The son of man has come to seek and save those that are lost. And give his life for ransom for many.

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You're one of those many. Matthew 20 says, I mean, what a wonderful savior.

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You want to know if Jesus is a personal redeemer or kinsman? And moved with compassion,

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Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

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My guess, they'll follow him all the way to the temple to give a praise offering for their sight.

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And immediately, Luke 18 says, he regained his sight and began following him, glorifying God, and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

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The kinsman redeemer who's good and beneficent.

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No wonder Jesus is called the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as my father knows me and I know the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.

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Boaz is a redeemer, but Jesus is better. Boaz is willing to redeem, but Jesus is better.

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Boaz was willing at his own cost to redeem Ruth, but Jesus is better.

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I asked myself this question sitting here three hours ago, and it's a hypothetical question, so don't make it walk on all fours.

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If Jesus Christ walked into this room and stood right there, what would be my response for him redeeming me?

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And it would be an attitude of love and honor and on my face to God be the glory.

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Thank you, my kinsman redeemer. I wonder what your response would be.

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Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 8 .30 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m.

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We're located on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org

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or by phone at 508 -835 -3400. The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.