Ruth Chapter 3:1-18

Man, if you're ever down, you're depressed, you're anxious, flip through the Gospels and let the words of Jesus encourage you in the Lord. You may not find encouragement in your circumstances. Maybe you're going through a really hard time right now. You may not find encouragement in your emotions.

Certainly there's time when you probably find little or none, or maybe even find discouragement. Seek your encouragement from His words. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the Senior Pastor of the Bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. As followers of Jesus, we shouldn't find reassurance in our feelings or circumstances, but in His Word. Today, Pastor David asks us to trust our Redeemer as he continues in the book of Ruth, Chapter 3.

But before we begin today's teaching, many people think Christianity is a list of dos and don'ts, an impossible standard that beats you down and robs you of joy. But the truth is, God's Word is a lifeline of hope and troubled times. We want to help you rise above the difficulties of life by sending you a copy of Pastor David McGee's four-part teaching series, Living Life by the Book. This empowering resource shows you how to walk with God through everyday life and learn to experience joy, even in hard times. Living Life by the Book is our thanks for your generous gift today to help more people hear God's truth on this station and beyond so they can cross the bridge from death to life.

Please visit crossthebridge.com today to give and get your copy of Living Life by the Book. Now here's David McGee with part two of his teaching, The Redeemer. Turn with me to Ruth, Chapter 3.

And we've talked about the Goel and Kinsman Redeemer. We'll kind of refresh ourselves if tonight's your first night in the study of Ruth. But we need to open up this chapter by going back one verse to the last verse in Chapter 2 because it kind of will help us to set our context of what's going on.

The chapter divisions came much later, and then the verse divisions came even later than that. So for context and continuous thought, let's go to verse 23. It says, So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz to gleam until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest, and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

So we're talking probably about six to eight weeks. She continued to do that. Now we pick up with verse 1 of Chapter 3, and it says, Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor.

But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will tell you what you should do. And she said to her, All that you say to me I will do.

So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. After Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain, and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and laid down. Now the harvest time was a huge time of celebration. And I don't believe, Boaz seems like a godly man, so please don't assume that when it says he had drank that he was toasted or drunk or whatever word you want to use. They had, there just had been a celebration.

Why? Because the harvest time was to be a time of celebration, to recognize the blessings of the Lord on their lives. And there was a celebration, not just of increase, but that the Lord was the focus of. And we have at least two of the Jewish feasts, the Feast of the First Fruits and the Feast of Pentecost that were tied to the harvest. And so when the harvest came in, there was a big celebration. And the Feast of First Fruits, they would take a tenth of the harvest and they would take it to the temple, or take it to the local synagogue, depending on the era, and they would give it as unto the Lord before they ever harvested anything.

It was part of what they did. So they were enjoying the Lord. Now verse 1031 says, therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Chances are it's probably been a while since you celebrated or you took part of a barley harvest or a wheat harvest. Some I've never done either, to be honest, but we can still be thankful. We can still celebrate and take joy in the Lord. And a lot of times it's some of the simple pleasures that God gives us, giving thanks for a meal and being joyful at what the Lord has provided. Do you realize that God in his wisdom could have designed our bodies to simply receive nutrients from just breathing? I mean, that wouldn't have been beyond his design capability where we would not have to eat.

Now think about that. But would you have the joy of breaking bread with somebody or the joy of good food? I love good food. I love to cook. I just, I love eating. And that's not a bad thing, you know. It's kind of weird. I've come around the corner before, you know, and people be laughing and joking around.

Then I come around the corner like. We weren't laughing or joking. That was somebody else. They went that way. And I have to remind them it's okay to laugh and enjoy fellowship with one another, enjoy the presence of the Lord. That's what we're supposed to be doing. That should be the rule, not the exception. You know, when people come here in the first or second service, they come in here and even during the teaching, they laugh a little bit and they're like, wow, that was, he actually made jokes.

And that was just really different, you know. And I've had some people that God offended, but they're supposed to be joy in the Lord, filled with joy. That joy is contagious. That joy is irresistible to people because the world doesn't have it. They're looking for it. You don't find that kind of joy in alcohol. You don't find that kind of joy in drugs.

So you can have that joy, and that joy is something we're supposed to be demonstrating to the rest of the world. Now verse eight. Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and turned himself, and there a woman was lying at his feet, and he said, who are you? So she answered, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative. Now obviously from her saying you are a close relative, there's more than just what she's saying. If you're in King James, it says, I think cover me with your cloak. And what she's saying is, be my kinsman redeemer. I am a widowed woman. Would you step into that role of the lever-right marriage?

Would you marry me? And verse 10, I love his response. And he said, blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, and that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. Boaz is obviously from this verse an older man, and Ruth could have gone off and found a younger man. She could have disregarded the wishes of her mother-in-law, could have disregarded the traditions of society, and could have disregarded the Bible, but she didn't.

She didn't. She did what was right. That's the life lesson. We should do what is right. We should do what is right. Now, not what society says is right, not necessarily what our well-intentioned friends say is right, but what does the Holy Spirit, what does the Bible say, what does God say is right? And I'm not saying we're always going to get it right. Nobody in this room is always going to get it right, but that should be the goal. That should be ever before us.

And when we mess up and when we get off track, we get back on track. And if you're in a situation where you're not sure what is right, well, call the office and we'll pray with you. We'll open the Word of God, and we'll search through there and figure out how the Word of God applies to your life and gets you pointed in the right direction.

So Ruth was willing to do what was right. In verse 11, Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request. For all the people of my town, know that you are a virtuous woman. Now, it is true that I am a close relative.

However, there is a relative closer than I. Now, again, she didn't get to town and start partying with all the young men. She did what was right.

She was active and diligent in this harvest and then comes to Boaz with what really is a proposal. And it needed to be the nearest relative. So he says he's basically, in verse 12, he's saying, I'm willing, but there's a closer relative than I am. Now, verse 13, Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you, good, let him do it.

But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives. And lie down until morning. So again, they're in a public place. There's a lot of people sleeping around there. He's saying, you know what? Stay this night, and in the morning I'll start to check it out again. Now, again, this kinsman redeemer, or goel, is the Hebrew word.

We talked about it last week. But in order to be this goel, to redeem the land, and also part of it had been expanded to redeeming a person had they been sold into bondage, sold into slavery, sold for a debt. The goel, or the redeemer, had to, number one, have a relationship with the person.

Number two, have the ability, financially or otherwise, to redeem them and be willing. So this is interesting. And this is why the Lord was born of a virgin. See, according to this concept of a kinsman redeemer, he needed to be related to us.

And he was. And what's interesting is he uses the term Son of Man 78 times in the Gospels to refer to himself, more than any other title. He was identifying himself with us. Now, that's so Jesus-like, isn't it? He didn't run around saying, look, I'm the Son of God, and since I'm the Son of God, we're going to do it like this.

He didn't say that. Jesus reinforces his relationship with us, that he's related to us, that he is our kinsman redeemer. He needed to have the ability. Well, he was the lamb without blemish, without spot, without sin. He had the ability to be that sacrifice for our sins, and he was willing. Remember, he said, no man takes my life from me.

I lay it down. I'm making the decision to give my life for you. Now, understand another aspect of the Goel, the kinsman redeemer, was also that he became the Goel Hadam. Now, what that meant is that he was also not only responsible for your provision, but for your protection. And at the point you were redeemed, any enemy that you had now becomes his enemy. And we kind of see that playing out in the book of Revelation, where the Lord, in that final act of redemption, also takes on the enemy of our souls.

But notice, Boaz reassures her with his words. Next life lesson. We find reassurance not in our feelings or our circumstances, but in his word, in his word, in the words of Jesus. Man, if you're ever down, you're depressed, you're anxious, flip through the Gospels and let the words of Jesus encourage you in the Lord. You may not find encouragement in your circumstances. Maybe you're going through a really hard time right now. You may not find encouragement in your emotions. Certainly, there's time when you probably found a little or none, or maybe even find discouragement. Seek your encouragement from his words. You're listening to Pastor David McKee on Cross the Bridge.

He'll be back with more in just a moment. But first, there's so much waiting for you at crossthebridge.com. If you haven't visited crossthebridge.com yet, come by today and check it out. While you're there, you can sign up for Pastor David's free daily devotional. Listen to more teachings from Pastor David and his pastor, and read about what God's doing through your support to proclaim his word through radio, internet, and mobile technologies. Also, you can give online to help encourage more people in their faith on this radio station and beyond. And when you do, please request your copy of Pastor David's four-part teaching series, Living Life by the Book, as our thanks for your generosity.

Visit crossthebridge.com today. Now back to today's teaching. A verse 14. So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another.

So that tells you there's more than two people there. Then he said, do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. Now, what he's saying, he's trying to protect Ruth from gossip, and he knew that people would talk, and so he wanted to protect her witness or her reputation. And this is a godly thing, and this is something that men should be concerned with ladies, to protect their reputation, protect their, abstain from that which would even be the appearance of evils, which 1 Thessalonians 5, 22 says, to protect the witness and protect the reputation. So avoid those things late at night and those sorts of things.

Just be careful, guys. Now verse 15. It says, also, he said, bring the shawl that is on you and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city, and when she came into her mother-in-law, she said, is that you, my daughter?

Then she told her all that the man had done for her. So I believe, and most commentaries agree, that when she was saying, is that you, my daughter? She wasn't saying, is that you, Ruth? She was really saying, Ruth, is that you, or you now, Mrs. Boaz kind of a thing, you know? And she brings all this blessing, all this barley. Verse 17, she said, these six ephahs of barley he gave me, for he said to me, do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law. That's probably good advice for all of us.

The next life lesson. No, I'm kidding. But it's interesting that it mentions empty-handed mother-in-law.

Why? Well, hold your finger there. Go back a couple of chapters. Let's look at chapter 1, verse 21. This is when Naomi is kind of, she's kind of having a pity party. She's kind of whining a little bit. And she says, I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Was she empty at the point in the story that we are?

Absolutely not. Six ephahs of barley. What did she do to bring this barley in?

Nothing. God blessed her. Why did God bless her? Because God's a blessing God. Do you understand you don't have to talk God into blessing you? His heart is to bless you. Sometimes we place ourselves in position where for our own good God holds back a blessing. But his heart, oh, he looks for ways to bless us.

He looks for ways to just smother us with blessings. Do you know science still can't explain why every fall the leaves change color? Oh, I mean, they can explain how it happens. The chlorophyll and all that stuff. But they can't tell you why it happens.

Do you know why it happens? Because our Father's an artist. He's a creative God. And every fall he paints beautiful colors across the landscape.

He says, oh, look at that. Isn't that nice? Isn't that beautiful?

You like that? He does that for you just to bless you. And that prayer that I say every time we meet, the Lord bless you. God wants to bless you.

And so many times we think, well, we got to, you know, run around and chase our daddy and pull on his coattails. Please, please, please bless me. Oh, you know what?

The opposite's probably true. God's chasing us around saying, man, let me bless you. Let me bless you. Let me bless you. God is a blessing God. In verse 18, then she said, sit still my daughter until you know how the matter will turn out for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.

Here again, we see a picture in Boaz of being Jesus. Ruth, what was Ruth supposed to do? Nothing. Sit still. Do you understand that the first thing a believer has to do when they come to Jesus is just that?

Sit still. To realize that salvation is a completed work. Jesus from the cross uttered the words to telestai. It was a Greek word.

It was an accounting term, meaning it paid in full. In English, we've translated it is finished, but it's much more than that. But Jesus said, it is finished. He didn't say it's half finished. He said it's finished. Everything that needed to be done for redemption has been done.

Just come to me now. And then you know that stillness and you know that peace that you can have forgiveness. Now out of that rest, because of that realization, where you're supposed to say, Lord, because you've forgiven me, now I want to serve you. But make sure you don't get that backwards, because a lot of folks get that backwards. Not churches get that backwards. You serve the Lord, then he'll forgive you.

No, no, no, no, no. You're forgiven. So serve the Lord. And it comes out of a place of rest.

And there's a confidence of these ladies saying, just sit still. He's going to take care of it. And we're going to take care of it.

It reminds me of Philippians chapter one, verse six. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. He's going to finish what he started.

There might be bumps. There might be bruises along the way, but he is going to finish what he started. Now I want you to know something from this verse. Who started the good work in you? He did. Who's going to finish it? He will. What's your responsibility? Let him have his way. He'll put in you the desire to do the right things. Ruth was unsure that Boaz would accept her.

You can kind of see that in the anxiety. You know, as a pastor, it always charges me when somebody comes to the Lord or somebody accepts the Lord. Somebody comes here for the first time and they don't know Jesus. They've never asked the Lord to forgive them of their sins. And they come forward and they ask the Lord to forgive them of their sins. We celebrate with them. The real amazing thing is not necessarily that any of us ever accepted the Lord.

The amazing thing was that the Lord ever accepted us and never cast one of us out. You understand? Not one person has ever come to him and he looked at them and said, well, I just don't think you're going to do. I just don't think you have what it takes. You know, I've been looking at this little life history video thing and I'm sorry. You're just not going to fit in.

Not one person. He accepted every one of us who's ever come to him. And he says, you know what? You'll be under my provision. You'll be under my protection.

You'll be under my blessing. We were aliens. We were strangers.

We were worse than Moabites ever were. And yet Jesus says, you know what? Okay. You've come to me.

I love you. I'll redeem you. Out of bondage, out of slavery, out of sin. Luke 1 68 said, blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people. He came to be this goel to us. Galatians 3 13 says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 1 Peter 1 18 says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct, receive by tradition the blessing of the Lord received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish, without spot. When you claimed Jesus as your kinsman redeemer, as your goel, he began to do this work in your life. He began to give you the desire to do what's right, to serve him, to give and to love.

And you know what? And you can fight that if you want, but you'll be really miserable. And some of us have known that kind of misery and we never want to know that kind of misery again. Here in this book, this book of Ruth, we find this beautiful story about this stranger from a distant place who was beat up by life and rejected by some and becomes the object of an intense love from this powerful and respected man. It's a beautiful story. Almost as beautiful as the story that we find ourselves in.

We were aliens, we were strangers while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us and expresses his love for us and even chases us when we try to run from him, when we try to hide from him. It's the wonderful story of redemption and why we ever ran and why we ever hid, I don't know. I hope you're not running and hiding tonight. I hope that you've come to the Lord, not just one time, but over and over again.

I understand it gets scary and sometimes you feel like running. Don't do it. Go to him tonight, lay at his feet, say, Lord, be with me, protect me, put this provision, this blessing, put this forgiveness over me and he won't cast you out. He won't reject you. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Now, God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please, pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer, according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness, those who were sick, not the righteous. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can call us toll free at 877-458-5508 to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Do you ever feel beaten down or even crushed by the difficulties of life? We all do sometimes, but Jesus offers a life of hope and we want to help you embrace it. Discover how Christ empowers you to rise above life circumstances with Pastor David's four-part teaching series, Living Life by the Book. This uplifting resource takes you through the Book of Ruth to reveal how the simplicity of living for Jesus can bring you joy even in the darkest times. Living Life by the Book is our thanks for your generous gift today to help more people hear God's truth on this station and beyond so they can cross the bridge from death to life. Please visit crossthebridge.com today to give and get your copy of Living Life by the Book. You know each day comes with its share of stresses, so what better way to wake up than with an encouraging word from the Lord. Visit crossthebridge.com and sign up now for David McKee's email devotionals. Each devotion includes a scripture and a message from the heart of David McKee. It's easy and it's free. Sign up today at crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening. Join us next time as we continue in the Book of Ruth.