Please turn with me this morning in your Bibles to the short little book of Ruth. Joshua judges Ruth. Hope you find that in your scriptures. We often turn to it thinking it's much later in the scriptures, but it's quite early, even before books of Samuel and Kings. So Ruth chapter four. While a short little book, it's a very familiar account, we'll be going over some of the things we should keep in mind to understand, especially this fourth chapter properly, as we want to know more of our kinsman redeemer this morning. Ruth chapter four, we'll begin reading at verse one, reading through verse 17. Congregation, hear the word of the Lord as it is read for you this morning. Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, turn aside, friend, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. And he took 10 men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here. And so they sat down. Then he said to the Redeemer, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative, Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you. And he said, I will redeem it. Then Boaz said, the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also reacquire Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. And then the Redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging. To confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other. And this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the Redeemer said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal. And then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech. and all that belonged to Chileon and to Melon. And also Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Melon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day. And then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem. And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman. 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. And 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. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi. And they named him Obed. And he was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Thus far, the reading of God's Holy Word, and may His Holy Spirit bless it to our hearts as we consider it together here this morning. I draw your attention to our text. I would encourage you to leave your Bibles open and in front of you. Look at verses 14 and 15, our text for this morning. 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. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Let's ask God's guiding hand upon his word as it's brought forth here this morning. Heavenly Father, indeed, we pray that you would teach us even more of yourself and of your great redeeming work, always continuing to go on throughout human history. And as we see this section of human history, may we understand your work in bringing about that great Redeemer. And we ask for your blessing this morning. Open our eyes, remove any and all distractions from us, lead us ever closer to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Beloved congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one thing that we must keep in mind as we study this passage of Old Testament history is that the book of Ruth is far more than an Old Testament version of a Hallmark movie. Just a nice romance story. Now beloved, it is that, a heartwarming love story filled with unusual courtship customs, where a very unlikely couple are brought together in order to produce for Almighty God the line and the family of Israel's great king, David. We do see that in these four short chapters of this book. But what is also revealed here is much more to us if we are theologically alert. Several important themes stand out in this book of Ruth, and by way of introduction, I want to bring them out to you, including, first of all, the secret providence of God that is always hard at work behind the scenes of our everyday lives, always ensuring that God's eternal plan on behalf of his elect people is taking place in this world. God is never asleep. He's always working. We see that clearly with Boaz and Ruth coming together and producing Obed, the grandfather of King David. A second major theme that we see in this book is God's plan to engraft Gentiles into his church, to be a part of his chosen people. And this is especially important for us to remember on this Mission Emphasis Sunday. how we cannot turn our back upon our next door neighbor just because they are not believers in Christ, just because they don't go to church. We must interact with them because we do not know what God's plan for them ultimately is. Ruth, remember, was a Moabitess. a woman from the nation of Moab, and Moab and Israel were arch enemies of one another in that day. They had been for centuries. For recall how this nation of Moab ultimately began. Do you remember? Moab was one of the sons born from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his two daughters after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. And so this is why, you see, it was very easy for the children of Abraham to look down their noses upon the Moabites, to stay away from those children of Lot, even though they were close cousins of one another. And beloved, isn't that easy for us to do as well in this day and age with those people who are not like us? Don't have the same respect for God and his word as we do? Don't have the same practices as we do? Well, my neighbor doesn't even go to church. Why should I bother to talk to him? Beloved, how will your neighbor ever start going to church unless you talk to him? In the book of Ruth, we see that God's grace can reach down and redeem even those who are the farthest away from God. Even a Boabitis like Ruth can be one of God's elect. And that is exactly what we see portrayed of Ruth all through this book. How she is a true and sincere convert to the Lord God of Israel. She makes that beautiful and well-known confession of her faith. In chapter one, verse 16, you remember where she says, where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. You see, it is through God's wondrous grace, working in the heart of even this foreigner to Israel, that Ruth becomes a woman of noble character. We must never forget The one who brings this about. She always fulfills her promise to love and care for her mother-in-law because God has been hard at work within her. And so you see, in Ruth, we have both God's providence and God's election. clearly portrayed to us. The Lord redeeming one of his own, who we, in our eyes anyway, we would easily ignore and abandon. Keep that in mind on this mission emphasis Sunday. As New Testament believers today, we can look back upon the Old Testament and specifically this book of Ruth, and we can see how Ruth is an Old Testament picture of the Gentile church, coming to true faith, and committing herself to the covenantal God of Israel. As a true believer then, Ruth becomes a spiritual child of Abraham, even though physically she's a child of Lot. And we too are called to be spiritual children of Abraham by looking in faith to the only one who can take care of us, by turning our back upon our old sinful ways, and by turning our eyes to that Lord Jesus Christ who has done the work of salvation for us. So in Ruth, you see, congregation, we should really see ourselves called out of darkness into God's wonderful light. Now there's still a third great spiritual theme found in the book of Ruth. And it's the overriding, all-encompassing theme that we will be focusing on this morning. And it's the theme of redemption. Redemption. In the book of Ruth, we see messianic history being played out. how God was ensuring that a faithful covenantal line of believers would be preserved so that salvation would come from Israel, so that the Messiah would arise from the tribe of Judah, just as God had promised hundreds of years earlier. In the book of Genesis, you remember, Israel's patriarch, Jacob, was on his deathbed, and he was prompted by God to predict that through his son, Judah, A king would be born. The ultimate monarch would come to Israel. Jacob prophesied, the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be. That's Genesis 49, verse 10. And that is a beautiful prophecy, you see, of the coming of Christ. In the book of Ruth, we see God working behind the scene in order to fulfill that covenant and that promise. And this theme of redemption found in this book is most clearly portrayed through the man Boaz, who commits himself to this task of being the kinsman redeemer, the family redeemer. for Naomi and Ruth, preventing their family line from going extinct and forgotten within Israel. Boaz demonstrates selfless love by voluntarily taking upon himself this role of caregiver and provider for these two helpless widows. And as such, then, we see Boaz being an Old Testament picture of Jesus in his role of kinsman redeemer. For Jesus, too, voluntarily becomes one of us, fully human while remaining fully God, our kinsman. Jesus too steps in and provides and cares for his bride by redeeming the church. As sinners, we too were in danger of going extinct, of being exterminated by God's eternal and righteous judgment against our sin. And yet Jesus fully submits himself, going all the way, even to the cross, in true and selfless love for us. And so in Jesus, we too have a kinsman redeemer. This is the most important truth that we learn from this wonderful Old Testament book. Now, before I get into our three points this morning, I should also point out to you, we must keep in mind just how devastated Naomi and Ruth are in chapter one of this book. You remember the story. Understand how Naomi returns back to Israel without a husband. without any money or any means of making money, and without any children. It is for good reason, you see, that Naomi tells the women of Bethlehem to no longer call her Naomi, which means pleasant, but to now call her Mara, which means bitter. She had left Israel about 10 years earlier, full of promise, with a husband and two sons. But she returns now a widow and childless with only a daughter-in-law tagging along behind and a Moabite daughter-in-law at that. It's hard for us to imagine, congregation, just how shameful this was to an Israelite woman in those days. God, you remember, had promised Abraham offspring and land. And so as a Jew then to have those two promises of God fulfilled in your own life was a sign that God was richly blessing you. You could go to your grave in peace if you left behind children to follow after you and a plot of the promised land for them to live on. God's ultimate blessing. But what does Naomi have now? Naomi comes back to Israel with neither one of those. No land to call her own, no children to live on after her. In essence, you see, congregation, and understand this clearly, as of the end of chapter one of the book of Ruth, the family line of Elimelech has essentially been eliminated from Israel. The memory of Elimelech and his two sons is about to go extinct. Unless, unless a kinsman redeemer can be found for them. This greatly misunderstood provision in God's Old Testament law ultimately contributed to the peace and the wholeness of Israel by keeping a family name alive which would otherwise be lost forever. This Old Testament law is found in Deuteronomy 25, verses 5 and 6. You don't have to turn to that, but I want to read it for you. Deuteronomy 25, 5 and 6, if brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, The wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go into her and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. Now today we hear that command of God and find it a bit unusual, but in Old Testament days, this was God's way of taking care of young widows, you see, that they would not have to go out onto the streets to beg for food or to resort to immoral living in order to survive. And this law also ensured that the section of the promised land that had been given to that certain family would then stay within that certain family. that it was not sold off or portioned away to someone else. So land and offspring. That is what this law of the kinsman-redeemer provided for Old Testament Israel. And that is what we see Boaz striving to provide in this fourth chapter of Ruth. So that's really a long introduction, and I realize it's long, my points will be brief after this, but now we can understand more clearly what is going on in this fourth chapter. Look with me at verse one of chapter four. Verse one, now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, turn aside, friend, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. Stop there, congregation. Here's the first point of the message. Boaz desires to redeem Ruth and Naomi, but there is a man who is yet closer in relation to them And technically it is this other man's responsibility to act out the role of Redeemer. And so Boaz approaches him in the city gates. Now the city gates understand in those days is where the leaders of the town all gathered. Boaz was coming to do official business. that needed official witnesses. So he comes to the gate and look at what happens, verse two. Verse two, and he took 10 men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here. So they sat down. Then he said to the redeemer, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me that I may know. For there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you." And he said, I will redeem it. Now stop there, congregation, this unnamed closer relative agrees at first to do his part, to take Naomi into his house and watch over her, redeem her land so that no one else will get it, and that's good. But Boaz then throws in a new wrinkle, verse 5. Then Boaz said, the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. Then the Redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it. Stop there, congregation. Either this closer relative was not aware of Ruth, or he did not think that she would be part of the bargain because she was a foreigner. But in any case, he backs out of his responsibility. And notice why. Lest I impair my own inheritance, he says. I'm glad we never act like that. Right, congregation? Knowing full well what God's word requires of us, but then backing out of it. Deciding not to do what God wants us to do because it would impair my plans for my life. It would prevent me from doing what I want to do. We would never be like that. Would we? Congregation, we are always like that. Every day. We make decisions either to follow God or to go our own way instead. Our sinful and selfish hearts lead us astray, never closer to the Lord. And that is exactly why we must never stop thanking God for providing us with a true kinsman redeemer. one who did not shy away from his responsibilities, the Lord Jesus Christ. Boaz will not let this matter rest, and that is how we see that Christ is pictured then in the work of Boaz. Here's the second point of the message now this morning. Boaz gladly steps forward to fill that role of kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth. Look at verse 9. Verse 9. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimenek and all that belonged to Chilion and to Malon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Malon. I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day." Boaz, we see, willingly steps forward to redeem the line of Elimelech from destruction. He becomes the one who provides for and cares for these two widows who are left behind. Boaz purposefully and lovingly does what is required by God, even though it came at great expense to himself. And beloved, here is where we see the faithful work of our Savior Jesus Christ on our behalf. don't we? For our spiritual kinsman-redeemer also purposefully and lovingly does what God required of him as well. He too cares for and provides for us, even though it came at great expense to himself, his very own life. We too belonged, if we had been left to ourselves, we were headed toward extinction in our sin. We too would have died, our names obliterated, totally forgotten. In Boaz, the first ray of light and hope and promise shines forth for the dull and hopeless and bitter life of Naomi and Ruth. And so wayward sinner present here this day, take notice of this great truth. If you find yourself today in a dull and hopeless life, If you feel like a bitter widow with no one to take care of you, if you seem lost on the ocean of life, look to the only true kinsman redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ. For He alone can bring light and hope and promise to your dull and hopeless life. Repent of your life of sin. Walk away from it. Turn in faith to your Savior, Jesus Christ, and find your life renewed, your soul revived. And it is that renewal and revival that we see in our text for this morning. In verses 14 and 15, we see God, our Redeemer, fulfilling His role and bringing to completion His ultimate plan. Here's the third point of the message now then. Look at verse 13. 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. And 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. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who's more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Beloved, there is great prophecy in the words of our text this morning. It is seen on three different levels. First and most plainly, Boaz and Ruth produce a son, a son who will carry on the name of Elimelech's family in Israel. And so in this most basic sense, Obed is a kinsman redeemer to Naomi. He redeems her by carrying on her name, you see. And this is why the women of Bethlehem praise God, because through Obed, Naomi's piece of the promised land is now secure in her hand. And her name will continue on and be remembered. But beloved, there's a second level of fulfillment for this prophecy. Because this closer relative, this kinsman redeemer of which the town's women sing, also refers to Boaz. For without his faithful obedience to the Lord in this matter, Obed, his son, would have never been born, right? Boaz does not turn tail and run when the full impact of what it means to be that redeemer is made known to him. No, he remains steadfast and faithful and true. Only Boaz's diligence makes Obed's presence possible. And so praise is sung to the Lord, rightly so, because of Boaz's faithfulness in this matter. But beloved, there's a third, even deeper level of meaning for the words of the women in our text. A meaning that the women themselves were not even aware of. And we'll close with this thought, but listen closely here, congregation. Here is a clear example of how we as New Testament Christians today can read the Old Testament with much more precision and accuracy, because we can do so knowing what the Lord continued to do in covenantal history. As believers in Jesus, we can see that the Lord God Himself is our ultimate Redeemer. Kinsman Redeemer. It was the Lord, remember, who worked within Ruth's heart in far-off, unbelieving Moab. and who made her favorably disposed toward her new mother-in-law, Naomi. It was the Lord who caused Ruth to abandon her physical family, her own pagan upbringing, her national idols, turn her back on all of that in order to move to Israel and commit herself to serving the one true God of all heaven and earth. It was the Lord who caused her to sing that beautiful song of commitment in chapter 1, verse 16, pledging herself to Naomi and to her care. It was the Lord who directed Ruth's feet to first gather grain in the field of Boaz and not in another man's field. It was the Lord who worked in Boaz's heart to make him kindly disposed toward this Moabite woman and to care for her and to command his servants not to touch her. It was the Lord. who planted this idea in Naomi's heart to have Ruth go and approach Boaz on the threshing floor at night to uncover his feet, proclaiming her willingness to have him become their kinsman redeemer so that this lost family of the sheep of Israel would be preserved. It was the Lord. And beloved, it is the Lord who still works in all these fine details of life in our own day. He is still working within your heart and your life. Confess that and find your hope there. It was the Lord God working right up to the point of Obed's birth. That is why praise is sung to God. Look again at verse 14. Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a Redeemer. But keep reading. Notice what else the town's women sing of. They prophesy of what is yet to come, notice. May his name be famous in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. Beloved, understand that not just in Obed's grandson, David, will this family line become famous, but in the greater son of Obed's well-known grandson will all the nations of the earth be blessed. That greater Son of David is, of course, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. For in Christ, our life is renewed. In Christ, we are sustained in our old age. In Christ, our bitterness is turned to joy. And so in Boaz's faithful redemption of one of Israel's lost family lines, we see a picture of what David's greater son will come and do for us. He will redeem God's true family of Israel. He will save from extinction God's elect people, and He will restore joy into lost and bitter hearts and souls. So, beloved, may we too, with the women in our text, sing praise to the Lord for this great redemption that He has won on our behalf. May we see in Jesus our own great kinsman Redeemer and find true joy in life. And may that joy that we have overflow to those around us who we speak to of Christ, whether that be your next door neighbor, or your office worker, or the friend at school. On this Mission Emphasis Sunday, may the joy of this kinsman Redeemer overflow from us. Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, we do give thanks for your great blessing of this kinsman Redeemer given to us, the ultimate Redeemer, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we, in our own lives, be able to recognize your great work of grace. May we understand and see that in each and every, even the little details of life, you are hard at work. And Heavenly Father, may you guide and be with each one of these, your people, And may you use them for your own ends and purposes as they go forth out into this world to serve you with all their heart. Grant this blessing to us, in Jesus' name alone we pray, amen.