A Future Hope (Ruth 4:13-14)

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The book of Ruth details the sovereign work of God in the life of Ruth that brought her from a destitute Gentile widow to the wife of a godly man who would provide for her, love her, and give her a position of honor in the nation of Israel. Through the redemption of Boaz, God also gave Ruth a hope for the future. 

Like Ruth, Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer, has given us a hope for the future. However, our hope is so much greater than Ruth's hope because Jesus has given us a hope that is perfect and eternal. Join us as we look at the end of Ruth's story and discover a picture of the hope that all who are saved by the work of Jesus possess because of the redemption made possible by our Redeemer. 

Transcript

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Welcome to drippings from the honeycomb, the official podcast of Another 12 ministries. We are so glad that you have decided to join us as we enjoy the sweetness of God's word, one verse at a time. Welcome to the fifth and final episode of our journey through the book of Ruth, looking at the Christmas story, the story of Jesus through this incredible Old Testament book. It has been such an incredible journey looking at this story, understanding the beauty of what Jesus did for us on the cross as our kinsman redeemer, and the beauty of what he is going to do. One of the most exciting parts about this last episode is that it looks forward. It's all about hope. It looks forward to what we as believers, we as Christ followers, have in Jesus Christ, this unbelievable hope of a future. And that is what I'm so excited about in this last episode. When we left Ruth and bow as in the previous episode, Boaz was using his skill of negotiation to show that he alone was the only Redeemer who was capable of exercising his right of redemption, and taking Ruth and he used some planning to make that all happen. He used some craftiness, almost, if you will some intelligence. And that really presents a picture to us of the planning and the work that the Trinity put into the salvific plan. It shows us as believers that the Trinity didn't just react with some knee jerk solution to Adam sin. God in triune form had a plan. They had roles assigned for each of them. They had a goal of saving humanity. They had a goal of bringing this sacrifice of Jesus to the world, and gathering unto themselves in heaven, an inheritance of humanity that would praise them that would live with them, that would be in their presence in perfection for eternity. In other words, Jesus union with the bride formed a new creation of people. It formed a second creation. Just like Ruth and Boaz coming together, formed a new line for Elimelech. In Jesus death on the cross and His uniting with the church, a new priestly nation is formed out of the descendants of Adam who had fallen. And that's an incredible reality that is pictured so beautifully here in the story of Ruth and Boaz. Now, after Boaz convinced the other Redeemer that his ability to redeem Ruth was compromised. He takes Ruth to be his wife. So Ruth for 13, and 14 say, so Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went into her and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. Boaz was true to his word. Boaz redeemed this family, he didn't just buy back their property and take it for himself. He took Ruth as promise to himself in marriage. And through intimacy, he raised up a new line, not for himself, but for Elimelech. He didn't do it for his own selfish gain. See, all of the children that Boaz and Ruth would have would be attributed to Ruth's first husband, through the line of Elimelech. Naomi's husband, this was truly one of the most selfless acts imaginable. Boaz was raising up a line for a family that was destitute. And from that line, just two generations later, would come King David, and from King David, would come the covenant of God with King David, that one of David's household, one born into his house, would sit on his throne forever. And that would be no one less than the God man who would reign forever, who would live forever. It would be Emmanuel, God with us, we'd come through the house of David. And that is why when you read the scriptures, when you read the accounts of Jesus birth, this Christmas, you will know that the gospel authors say very clearly that Joseph is of the house and the line of David. And if you're wondering, well, how does that mean anything because Joseph wasn't the real father of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the one who put Jesus in Mary's womb. Yes, you're correct. But a close look at the genealogy in Matthew Chapter One shows Those that Joseph took Mary as his wife, thereby adopting Jesus into his line. The Savior who would die on the cross and adopt fallen sinners into His family was himself adopted into the line of David, the same line that was perpetuated by the redemption of Boaz, and perpetuated through his union with Ruth that ultimately led to the birth of King David, the connections of this story, the connections of this family in Scripture are so incredible, that one can only bow the knee before God and rejoice and praise Him for His sovereignty. You see, the real beauty of this passage is found in the words of the women who surround Naomi, Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer. See, the Trinity was not content to leave fallen humans without a redeemer. They had a plan to redeem for themselves, people from every tribe, every tongue and every nation. God was not content to destroy his creation or to sit on the sidelines and watch his creation, while away into a hopeless future. He had a plan for them, he had a plan for us. And that plan included Jesus humbling himself, taking on the role of the kinsman redeemer which remember, being a kinsman redeemer meant a loss for the person who was doing the redemption. For Jesus that meant the loss of everything, even down to his very life. But like Naomi, we have a hope. Because Jesus was not like Boaz, Jesus is divined. Jesus was raised from the dead and he lives. See, the hope for Naomi and Ruth was in the new baby was in the baby that had been born to Ruth and Boaz that would then have children who would have children who would have children and so on. But that's not our hope. Our hope is far greater than that. We have an eternal hope in a redeemer who lives who will live forever in a redeemer who reigns as king now, but he's coming to the earth to rain the earth forever in a redeemer who is powerful enough to not just purchase our redemption from death, but to remake all things to make us NEW to give us a new hope and a new future on a new Earth with a new government that will never end where sin will mean no more. Our future hope is very much mirrored in the future hope of Ruth, at the end of this book, going forward, her hardships that she had known before were predominantly over Boaz was going to take care of her. When Boaz died, she would have children that would take care of her, and eventually she would pass away. And that was a limited hope. She had a limited hope. See, our hope is the same as hers in that our future was bleak. We were destitute, there was no hope of any meaningful future for us as sinners. Our hope is the same as hers in that a kinsman redeemer loved us so much that he sacrificed of himself to give us a hope in the future. But our hope is so much greater than Ruth's ever was, or ever could be. Because Ruth in the end could only look forward to what we all see in our lives. A life that is ultimately cut short by death because of the curse of sin. Boaz could provide for her, Boaz could raise up children for her bow as could restore the inheritance of Elimelech to her offspring, but he couldn't take away her sin, and he couldn't extend her life to eternity. And he couldn't take away old age and he couldn't take away sickness and he couldn't take away pain, and he couldn't remake the earth to be a perfect place, but our kinsman redeemer, the kinsman redeemer that Boaz pointed to, can and will do all of that. The kinsman redeemer Jesus Christ will remake everything when he returns. He has given us a permanent hope and a permanent future, we will live with him on a new earth that has been recreated in bliss for eternity. We will never taste death because he has conquered death. He has redeemed us from death and redeemed us to himself and because He is eternal, we will be eternal and the place where we live will be eternal, and we will have perfect fellowship with him on ending. See, Boaz was just a small picture of what the man Jesus would actually be the Redeemer Jesus would actually be Boaz was a good man. Jesus is the perfect demand. Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that the Redeemer should be. And he is the only one who is able to redeem us, the only one who is able to come keep his word with perfection. So as you celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas season, as you think about the idea of the kinsman redeemer reflected in Ruth, as you look at the incredible parallels that we have looked at over these five episodes between the story of Ruth and the story of Jesus, as you think about the picture of the kinsman redeemer that Boaz lived out in his life that's recorded for us in Scripture so that we would know exactly what a kinsman redeemer looked like when we were confronted with Jesus. Just take a minute to Praise God. Praise God, the way these women praised God, when Naomi finally had a grandson to carry on the line of her husband, bless it be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer. and may his name be renowned in Israel. Don't forget, just four short chapters ago, Naomi told the same women, the same people that surrounded her as she came back broken and beaten from Moab, not to call her Naomi anymore, but to call her Mara, because the Lord had made her life better. But see, God is a good God. God is a loving God who loves his people, who despite the fact that he will bring judgment and wrath upon those who sin against Him, those who reject him. He has given the greatest gift in the form of his son, to be a kinsman redeemer for those who follow him. Let that thought rest in your mind this Christmas season as you worship God, and as you thank him for the greatest gift as you thank him for Boaz, who actually was obedient and raised up the line that ultimately was David, from which the Messiah came. Thank God that he cared enough to step into the gap and to be the kinsmen Redeemer. I hope you enjoyed this episode of drippings from the honeycomb. If you would like to learn more about another 12 ministries and the work that we are doing to train youth ministry leaders to bring the Gospel to young people, visit another twelve.org. If you would like to support our ministry, click on the Donate link in the description below.