Well the last time we were in the book of Ruth we were observing Ruth out in the fields gleaning ears of barley. Naomi of course was at home. or at least we suppose that she was at home. She wasn't with Ruth. She wasn't out in the field. She wasn't undertaking this back-breaking task of gleaning after the reapers. And if she was at home, we can imagine Naomi sitting there thinking of Ruth all through the hours of that long day. So many questions coming into her mind and revolving around there with no answers really through all of that time. Where is Ruth? She knows that she went out of the city of Bethlehem, out to the fields where the harvests were being taken in. She knows that she went there with the intention of doing this work of gleaning, picking up the ears of barley that had been left by the reapers, left for people like her who were poor, who were needy. And somewhere then, outside of the walls of the city of Bethlehem, Ruth has been hard at work doing this work. Is she safe? Ruth, this single young woman, all alone, a stranger, a foreigner. Is she safe out there in the fields? Are the young men who are reaping the harvest treating her kindly? or are they taking advantage of her? It's obvious that that is a danger. Her very words to her towards the end of the chapter in which she says, it is good my daughter that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted. This was obviously one of the hazards that those who went out cleaning had to face. Was she safe? Were people being difficult with her because she's not a Jew, because she's a Moabite, because she's a foreigner? Are they making life awkward for her? Are they favoring the poor Jewish women who are out there gleaning and causing her irritation and trouble and hindering her in this work? How is she coping with this work, with this hard labour of gleaning? We don't really know very much about Ruth, do we? When you think about it, we don't know what sort of lifestyle she's had in the past, what sort of upbringing she's had. Has she had something of a privileged upbringing? Has she perhaps never been used to getting her hands dirty? Or is this something that she has faced? Is this something that has been common to her life, having to work, having to labour? We don't really know, but certainly it would have gone through Naomi's mind. How is she getting on? How is she coping with this hard labour? Is she able to keep going? And as the hours of the day pass, she's probably thinking, when is she going to come home? When am I going to see her walking up the lane towards the house? And as the sun begins to set and she still hasn't come home, she's becoming anxious for her, for her safety, for her well-being. And in the midst of all of this, she's wondering how successful she's going to be. Are they going to have bread for breakfast? Is Ruth going to be able to sustain them? This is the first day of her going out gleaning at the beginning of this harvest season that would last some seven weeks or so. Is she going to be successful? Is she going to be able to maintain this rate of labour and continue to provide for us? And so we can Imagine Naomi there, sitting perhaps in the window of the house, looking out down the lane in the direction from which she expects Ruth to return. And there, there she sees her. And she's so excited to see Ruth and she observes her bow down under the burden that she's carrying. Before Ruth enters the house, before she is able to ask her any questions, she's already observed that her day must have been something of a success. And Aoife of Bali is what she has gleaned, and that was quite a remarkable amount to have taken in, in this back-breaking work. And as she helps Ruth off with her load, Naomi is full of questions, full of wonder. Wow, how hard she's worked, how industrious she's been. But also Naomi's thinking, now this isn't just Ruth's hard work. Something more has gone on today than is answered by the load that she carries. someone has favoured her. As she had asked at the beginning of the day, let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, after him in whose sight I shall find favour. And certainly someone has favoured her this day. And Naomi's excitement mounts as she asks her question after question. Where did you glean today? Where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you. She hardly gives Ruth a chance to answer the question. She's so full of excitement at the loads that she brings home. One word stands out, as Ruth eventually does get a word in Edgways, and she told her mother-in-law that she had worked in the field of Boas. And Naomi's response then, well if she was excited before, she's even more excited now. And Ruth must have looked a little bit baffled, taken aback by the sudden increase in the tempo of Naomi's excitement. Why should she be so excited? May he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. Ruth's puzzled expression is noted by Naomi, who offers an explanation. The man is a close relative of ours. And then it dawns on Ruth as she thinks back to how that day has unfolded and the kindness that Boaz has shown towards her and the success that she has had in this work of gleaning in the fields. Well, that explains his interest. That explains his kindness. He's a close relative of ours. Naomi's excitement goes beyond the fact that Ruth happens to have stumbled upon the field of a relative who has shown kindness to her. No, there's something else that occupies Naomi's mind. Not only is this man a close relative, she says to Ruth, he's one of our redeemers. He's one of our Redeemers, not just any relative, not just anyone who is kind from among our family members. He's a close relative, a kinsman Redeemer. He's one who can transform our lives. He can turn our fortunes around. And this is what has filled Naomi with so much excitement as Ruth has entered the home so evidently favoured by the man in whose field she has laboured that day. He is a redeemer. Now we must observe that this very fact, this confession of Naomi's that he is a redeemer implies something significant. It presupposes the need of redemption. now it's true that he could have been called the Redeemer because he was a close relative and according to the law of Leviticus that's described in the 25th chapter of that book a close relative had a certain right and a certain duty to help those in his family in his near family who were impoverished and had had to sell property. That puts it into a kind of hypothetical, theoretical kind of setting. But Naomi's not talking theoretically. She's not talking hypothetically. She's not saying to Ruth, well, you know, if we ever fall on hard times, Boaz might be able to help us out. No, you see, Naomi's excitement is because they've already fallen on hard times and Boaz might be able to help them out. This idea of a redeemer that has flooded into Naomi's mind presupposes the reality that dreadful calamity has befallen them. And of course, we've observed this calamity that's fallen them. Elimelech, Naomi's husband, has taken them away from Bethlehem, taken them away from the famine that was ravaging the land, taking them to a place of plenty, a place where he could provide for them. And in the pursuit of life in the country of Moab, we've already observed Elimelech found death rather than life. Death for himself and death for his two sons. Naomi alone has survived, though also with two daughters-in-law now, as her sons had married in Moab before they had passed away. And that certainly is calamity indeed, isn't it? And now she's returned to Bethlehem, having heard that the Lord has blessed them with bread once again, and Bethlehem is living up to its name of being a breadbasket. But There's more to this than that calamity. We're not told precisely, but the unfolding story of Naomi and Ruth tells us that they are in need of a redeemer. It implies that something needs to be redeemed. That is, something needs to be bought back, something needs to be repurchased, something has been sold, and they need it back. Now we don't know the exact circumstances of Naomi and Ruth and of Elimelech earlier, We know now that Naomi is excited because of her need and the prospect of her need being met. But what exactly is her need? It is evident from the remainder of the book that some land has been sold, the property of Elimelech. Now it's likely, from the way that the story unfolds, that they lived within the city. And so their house was separate from the land that they owned outside the city. Like Boaz himself, who came out of the city of Bethlehem, out to the fields, to that portion of the land surrounding the city that was his own possession, so it would have been for Alimelech as well. And it seems likely to me that on departing from Bethlehem to find food in Moab, Elimelech had sold his land at that time. For if the land was sold by Naomi upon her return, she would not be in any immediate need of having to have Ruth go out into the fields and to glean during the barley harvest and then later the wheat harvest as well. They would have had money from the sale of the property. And so it seems most likely that the land was sold by Elimelech, but the house in the city was not sold. If the house in the city had been sold, then they would have lost it forever. There was a one-year right of redemption for a house within the city walls that had been sold. But land outside the city or a house outside the city walls could be redeemed at any time. Now they're evidently living within the walls of Bethlehem, so presumably they have the house, but they no longer have the field, and therefore they no longer have the opportunity to sow seed and reap a harvest. It's not just the fact that they've come at the beginning of the barley harvest and their fields are bare, but their fields have been sold. And they're in poverty. They're in deep distress. They are poor and destitute. There would be no other explanation for Ruth to be out gleaning in the fields. If there was any other way for them to have made provision for themselves, Ruth would not have been engaging in such humiliating and back-breaking work. So while we don't know the details, we can surmise aspects of it. And we do know that they were poor, desperately poor. And when mention is made of bars, his name. Flooding into Naomi's mind is the prospect that their circumstances can be turned around. The prospect of change emerges in her mind. All that was lost may perhaps be bought back, may perhaps be redeemed. Now all of this, as no doubt you will be expecting from our earlier studies in the book of Ruth, is a picture. It is a picture of mankind's spiritual poverty. Just as Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem under these precarious circumstances, living day to day, quite literally, with what Ruth could pick up. from the ground in the fields, in the harvest fields, what a precarious existence they had. And not only was it precarious day by day to be doing that, but there was a limit to how long this would carry on. We're told that she kept close to the young women of Boas, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. The barley harvest came first. It was followed by the wheat harvest, and the two harvests together would all have been completed within a period of about seven weeks, as I've mentioned earlier. And then what? Well, they would be hoping that somehow they would glean enough to carry them through. A few more days? A few more weeks, perhaps? But would it carry them through the months, till the next harvest? What a precarious situation to be in! and what desperate circumstances to be living under. It's no wonder really that Naomi doesn't want to be called Naomi anymore, but wants to be called Mara. Her life has turned to bitterness, not only with the loss of her husband and her children, but the very reality that in Bethlehem, her pockets are empty. She has nothing and mankind spiritually is in a similar condition living a precarious life without prospect of long-term security alienated from God cut off from the source of life and the source of blessing through rebellion That's the situation of the world in which we live and of each person who enters into this world. It's a picture of misery. It's a picture of need, of destitution. Unlike Naomi and Ruth, however, who were well aware of how desperate their need was, most people entering this world are completely oblivious to their need. Yes, the Apostle Paul can describe people as groping about in the darkness, in the attempt somehow to find God, to find meaning, to find purpose, to find satisfaction in life. But the reality is that in this life, in our day, In our society, people are well content for the most part. With the attitude of he who dies with the most toys wins. It's all about what one can gather in life of money and possessions. But their hearts are dead within them. And they're spiritually bankrupt. And they're cut off from the God who gives life. and they face the prospect of death and that eternal. But into Naomi's and Ruth's life comes this possibility of redemption. Naomi, who had been so bitter, is suddenly filled with excitement. She's filled with anticipation. She's itching to discover what will unfold in the next chapter. Ruth and Naomi, of course, could do little to change their own circumstances. They had nothing to invest. They were unable to redeem the land themselves. The law provided for that as one option. But here, on the naming of Boas, suddenly Naomi's mind is filled with the recollection of what the law provided for. She's already been grateful to the law of Israel that has provided for the fields to be gleaned by those who are poor. But this is so much better than that. And Boaz, a close relative, who is a redeemer. You see, this man has the right to buy back what was sold. In Israel, when people became poor, when an Israelite became poor and found that they had to sell part of their property, part of their possession, in order to get by, that property that was sold, that land that was sold, was not sold indefinitely. It was sold for a period of time. It was really, in a sense, a kind of renting of the land, leasing of the land, with the full payment made up front rather than installments over the period that it was being used by the new owner. But there was a time, a year of jubilee, when that land would return to the family who had had to sell it due to their impoverished circumstances. Now we don't know what cycle of years Ruth and Naomi are living in at this point. We don't know at what point Elimelech had sold that land. It could be just a few more years before the next year of Jubilee or it could be many, many years. The cycle was 50 years. And then in that 50th year, the year of Jubilee, all the land of the various people who had had to sell it was returned to their original owners. And in this way, each family's inheritance from God remained within the family. But there was another way that that land, that property that had been sold could be returned. And that was if a close relative had the means to redeem it. And the law required that if a redeemer was found, that the person who now owned the land couldn't say, no, I don't want to sell it now. I want to wait until the year of jubilee. They couldn't say, I don't want to sell it this year. I want to keep it and I want to continue to work it. I had plans for this piece of land and I've invested in it and I want to keep hold of it for another two or three years and then I'll sell it back to you. No, when the Redeemer came, when the Redeemer requested, the Redeemer had the right to repurchase that property for his family. And this is the situation that Naomi and Ruth find themselves in with Boaz. Boaz is a close relative. He has the right to redeem what had been sold. It could be bought back this year. It could be prepared for harvest next year. their circumstances would be turned around if this happened. Now there's another fact that we need to understand and that is that a redeemer, this close relative who had the right to redeem the land that had been sold, couldn't simply walk up to the new owner and say, well I'm a redeemer, I'm a close relative of Naomi's, I want that land back, thank you very much. he had to pay for it and that presupposes he has the money to pay for it that he has the ability to redeem it and in Boaz Naomi and Ruth have a close relative who is wealthy He has the means to perform this redemption. He can go to the new owner and he can say to the new owner, I want to redeem this land for Naomi. I have the money for it and the new owner would have to give it and would have to give it at a set price. There was no haggling involved. The new owner couldn't say, well this is really very inconvenient for me. I was really banking on having this land for a number of years more. And in view of that and the disappointment I'm feeling at losing it this year, rather than having to give it back in 25 years time, well I think you should pay a premium. There was no premium to be paid. It was paid, it was redeemed on a pro rata rate. You think of it in terms of a rental. Let's say that Elimelech had sold that land. and it had been 10 years since the last year of Jubilee and it was 40 years till the next year of Jubilee. Whatever amount Elimelech sold that land for, each year had a certain value until the next year of Jubilee. And so Boaz comes along some 12, 13 years later And of that sum of money that has been paid for the land, 13 out of 40 years has been used. And the remainder must be paid. 27. 27 fortieths that would be, wouldn't it, if anyone's any good at maths? And that's what Boas would have to pay. 27 fortieths of what the original price was. A year-by-year rate. There was no haggling. There was a straight and fair transaction that was legislated by the law of God. And here is Boaz, a man who is a close relative and has the right to redeem, a wealthy man and has the means to redeem. Now it's uncertain from the reading of Leviticus 25 whether there was an obligation to redeem or not. Did a close relative who had the means have to redeem? Some say yes they did, others say no they didn't. But in the case of Boaz, it is evident that he looks on Ruth with favor. He has already favored her. He has already been generous beyond what the law required. And even if the law didn't obligate him to redeem the land that Elimelech had sold, it is evident that Boaz is likely to be open to doing this task. He's shown an interest in the well-being of Naomi and Ruth and he has demonstrated that in loading her with success on this first day of gleaning. And God, in his kindness, not only has provided a law for Israel by which the poor in that nation were able to redeem land that they had sold, but God, in his kindness, has provided a redeemer for this world, this world that is suffering from spiritual poverty, this world that has sold itself into sin and into slavery, to the great deceiver. This world needs a Redeemer, we've observed that and God has provided for this world one who is able to redeem, one who is able to sort out this mess and turn this spiritual poverty into spiritual riches and blessing. In God's Word he has decreed that he is able to buy back the one who is sold into slavery to sin through his own Son, Jesus Christ. He has the ability to pay the wages of sin on behalf of those who have incurred those wages and not only does he have the right to do so under God's eternal provision and not only does he have the ability to do so by his own righteousness and self-sacrificial love but while he is not obligated to do so he demonstrates his willingness to do so and declares it to all who will listen. And so, within the midst of the need for redemption that this world is in, there is this possibility of redemption by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Now Naomi, full of her excitement and full of hope that Boaz may be able to do something anticipates redemption as this chapter closes. Naomi tells Ruth she should heed what Boaz has said to her. He has said to her, keep close by my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you're thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. He encourages her. Indeed, he exhorts her to watch where his women are working and to work alongside them. And Naomi says to Ruth, now you need to obey Boaz, you need to respond to his exhortation, you need to do what he's asked you to do, you need to show him respect and honour. and in doing so then Ruth will indicate her loyalty to her kinsman and her gratitude for all that he has already done for her and what he is able to do for her. Naomi is is concerned that Ruth should not rock the boat and disturb the prospects that she has of being redeemed, of having the possessions that were sold redeemed by this kinsman redeemer. What a slap in the face to Boaz it would have been if on the following day Ruth had gone off to another area, to another part of the harvest fields surrounding Bethlehem, thinking that they looked more lush, they looked more ripe, they looked more plentiful, and perhaps she would have an even better day if she worked hard in those fields. An insult it would have been to Boaz's concern for her and promises to her of protection and of provision. Of course Ruth is not going to do such a thing. She has demonstrated herself to be a woman of deep integrity and of commitment to Naomi and to Naomi's people and to Naomi's God and she herself has observed in Boaz a man of generosity and one who has been so kind to her, a foreigner and one to whom he owed no obligation as she understood it at that time. But here it's just the anticipation of redemption. I'm afraid we have to wait. until we get into chapter three to see more of the redemption and how it unfolds for Ruth and for Naomi. But just as we draw things to a conclusion, we thought about the need of this world, the need for redemption as mankind, each individual is born into spiritual poverty. lives a precarious life without the prospect of long-term security, cut off from God, from his presence and from his blessing. But God, in his mercy and grace, has provided the possibility of redemption. Redemption from sin, being freed from its shackles, being blessed with an outpouring of his kindness. to be reconciled to himself. And in view of that need, and in view of the possibility of redemption, how ought we to respond? As we anticipate this redemption, as we look at it in the coming weeks, when we consider the kindness of God that he has shown towards us, we should honour his kindness. And we should do so by attending upon the means by which that redemption can be made known to us and applied to us. The means of grace and it's that work that we have seen and explored in our earlier study when we saw Ruth going out into that field that she might seek life and sustenance. And we recognise that God has supplied this in His Word and in His Church. Why should we go anywhere else in view of our need and in view of the possibility of redemption by God's kind provision? Why would we go anywhere else and seek sustenance anywhere else? and seek help anywhere else when we have this great prospect of all our needs being met by God's gracious provision. So we should honour that by searching his word, by attending upon the preaching of his word, with anticipation that that redemption that God has provided may be made ours. Oh, Naomi is so excited here at the end of chapter two, how different it is from the end of chapter one, isn't it? She sees in Boaz the possibility of an end to their problems. All will be made right. And in Christ Jesus, God has provided for us a redeemer. One is who is able to remove the shame of sin and all of its consequences for our lives now and for eternity. We should live in anticipation of God fulfilling the prospect of that provision in Christ Jesus. Let's pray. Our Father, we do ask that you would help us to look in the right place for your kind provision for our needs. You have given us your word and we can take it up and we can read it and as we read it in your word we can find life. You have given us your church and there in the church despite all of its many failings and shortcomings there we can find life. through the preaching of your word, through the exhortations and challenges and encouragements of those around us. But most of all, Lord God, you have shown us that we can look to you. We can show honour to you by casting our cares upon you, knowing that you care for us. And in the midst of our troubles then, and in the midst of our weakness, in the midst of our utter helplessness, Lord help us to come to you, to lean upon you, and to find in you the comfort that we need. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.