Hello, welcome to the Wilton Baptist Church, where we worship God, walk with others, and win to the Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Steve Harness. I'm one of the pastors here at the church, and we are pleased to share this Bible message with you today. Thank you for watching and listening. May the Lord bless you. We're in a book of Ruth, so find a book of Ruth if you would. Ruth chapter 3, three funerals and a wedding. Chapter 1 was three funerals and we're getting closer to chapter 4 where there's going to be a wedding that takes place. Waiting for redemption. How many of you have waited for something and you waited and you waited and waited and then when it came to pass whatever you were waiting for It happened, and it was worth the wait. Have you ever had that happen? It was worth the wait. How many of you waited and waited and waited, and you got to whatever it was, and then you're like, I don't know why. Why I was waiting for this? This isn't that good. Well, most of the time, waiting is a good thing. And there's a saying. that good things come to those who wait. And that's probably a truism, that's probably a very true thing. We are encouraged many times to wait in Scripture. We'll call this message today, Waiting for Redemption. waiting for redemption. Some things are worth waiting for. You think about a new skill, and we have students and you have students who are learning a new skill. Maybe that's playing the piano or taking vocal classes for singing or learning how to play guitar. And if they're patient And if they put the work into it, it's worth the wait. It's worth the effort, it's worth the wait, because then they'll get to a place where they can present their songs, they can perform, they can use that skill for the Lord. Maybe it's some other job type skill or an ability. Think about a woodworker. It takes a long time to acquire the skills for good woodworking. And by the time then, after waiting and working and waiting, eventually they'll have those good skills that are needed for whatever the job may be. Other things that we wait for, learning a new language. If you're trying to learn a new language, hey, a good shout out to you. I'm proud of you. Do it. There's nothing like halfway knowing something. I mean, this is terrible. So, learn it. Go all the way. I was just expressing to somebody recently about music, you know, go all the way. I stopped playing piano 25 years ago, and I wish I'd kept playing piano. And same thing for language. If you just learn a few verbs or nouns in some other language, it's hard to talk if you just know just a little bit. And so it's worth waiting and putting the work in while you're waiting to learn that language. Romance, that's another thing that's worth waiting on. And not just looking for the right one, but being the right one and waiting for God to send the right one. There's really something to that. The redeemed work, then wait. We'll see that in our passage of Scripture today. Now, looking at the overall arc or narrative of the book of Ruth, chapter 1 is when the three funerals took place. And Ruth makes some big decisions that are life-impacting decisions. And all of us make decisions, and when we make them, sometimes they may not seem like life-altering decisions, but she made some decisions over in Moab, and they were life-altering decisions. There was famine, the funerals, there was travel, she learned a new culture, she learned a new religion, or adopted a new faith, and that being in Jehovah God, being Judaism then. working in chapter 2, we looked at this last time, and the phrases, under his wings and handfuls of purpose, and Kinsman, Redeemer, just shout out in that chapter, and what amazing truths we find as they are meeting there in that barley field just outside in the hillsides of Bethlehem. And now in chapter 3, there's a threshing floor and Ruth goes and meets Boaz in the threshing floor, and we're gonna find some things that really stand out in chapter three. She makes some Bible-informed decisions, or plans, Bible-informed plans, faith in a person, and anticipation with patience. And you can see that waiting there, or that threshing floor is where they would beat out the wheat and then get the wheat, or it'd be barley in this case. And the next week, Lord willing, the city gates in Bethlehem. I can't wait for this as the story really climaxes with this idea of redemption. And so that's the arc of the storyline. Now we're going to read here in chapter 1, the first 9, or chapter 3 rather, the first 9 verses. And I found this photograph of this painting that was painted around the same time period. And here are some Egyptians in their threshing floor and they're sifting out some corn or wheat or grain. I thought that was pretty interesting just to throw up there. So we'll find that's what they're doing here in this chapter as well. So here we go. Chapter 3, verse 1. Notice if you would, then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? She says, I want to help take care of you by helping you find a husband, by helping you find somebody that you can make a life with after having been married to my boys, you know, the sickly Elimelech and his two boys, and your son, your husband died. So I want to help you out here. And you don't have to wait just for me, but she's trying to help her find a partner. Chapter 2, Boaz comes out to the field and he takes note, who's the Moabitess woman. And Ruth even says, why are you even acknowledging me? Why are you helping me? Because he gave her extra grain. He told his servants, you know, leave some over here for gleaning that she could take advantage of. Why are you paying attention to me? She caught his eye. And now Naomi is saying, what about Boaz? And Boaz, his name means swift and strength and lively. And certainly he moves rather quickly to accomplish this idea of redemption. That is the overall theme of the book of Ruth. Notice her winnowing barley or winnow with barley tonight in the threshing floor. It means to scatter, to fan, or to sift, just like what you see on the screen there. Naomi is going to tell Ruth, just whatever Boaz tells you to do, he's our kinsman redeemer. He's next of kin to us, and she's going to reference an old Mosaic law, and whatever he says to do, do that. That's what she's really encouraging her to do. She says in verse 3, putting perfume on and putting on your best clothes. That's a pretty good idea if you're going to go and try to have someone become interested in you. And that's what's happening here. Verse 4, And it shall be, when he lieth down, that he shall mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do." So whatever he says, go ahead and do that, he'll tell you to do that. Now the phrase, uncover his feet, if you like to take notes, you may want to write this down, the place of his feet, is a good way to understand that, the place of his feet. Because of this situation being at night and because he's laying down, and he is with a bunch of other people, the servants are laying at the bottom of his feet as well, some people try to sexualize what's taking place here because of this phrase, uncover his feet. Because sometimes it refers to a private parts on an individual. Think about Saul, when the Bible says that Saul uncovered his feet, he was going to the bathroom. So that's why some people try to sexualize this. But that's not the case. It's not using that. She's asking for him to cover him, not uncover her. Cover me, don't uncover me. So there's nothing with a sexual intonation with what she is going to be asking for. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me, I will do. Okay, Boaz, whatever you say, I will do. That's what I want you to do. Or she says that to Naomi, rather. And she went down to the floor, and did according to all that the mother-in-law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, He went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn, and she came softly or secretly and uncovered his feet and laid her down." And so they would take their outer cloak and basically use that like a blanket. And so she kind of goes down, lifts up the end of his outer cloak, and crawls underneath at the foot of his, at his feet. Now, servants in that era, that's what they would do. In fact, there were other servants there that night that were laying at the feet of Boaz. She squeezes in a little bit closer to where he is and she did so very secretly or quietly, like the word here softly says. Now, what Naomi is asking Ruth to talk to Boaz about is the Leverite, the Leverite pledge or the Leverite marriage, Leverite meaning brother here. And let's continue on and I'll elaborate on that in just a moment. And it came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid, I mean startled, he was startled and turned himself, he rolled over or turned over and behold, he looks down there and a woman lay at his feet. So he was very surprised because there were guys here when we started to fall asleep. And he said, who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman. The word for near kinsman, a near kinsman, that whole phrase is the word gaol and it's the word redeemer. You are our redeemer. You are our kinsman redeemer. You're the one who can buy me back or purchase me back from my trauma, from my difficulty, from this stage of life that I'm in with what has taken place. Now, notice the word skirt there. The word skirt. She says, Now, turn back to chapter 2. We talked about this last time. Chapter 2, verse 12. And this is when Boaz first meets Ruth and he's commending her for her faith. And you have learned to follow Jehovah God. Notice how he says, the Lord recompense or pay you back or make complete your work and a full reward or wage be given unto thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings, that's the word skirts, It's the same word. Under whose wings thou art come to trust. Okay, you've come to the Lord to seek refuge and he's commending her in chapter two. Now she's coming and saying, Boaz, I'm seeking refuge from you. Wow, what a powerful picture. What a powerful demonstration of what God has done for us when he sent Jesus Christ. Now, when Ruth told Boaz to spread his cloak and to lit, lift literally his wings here over her. She was not asking him to have sexual relations with her, since nowhere in Scripture do those words indicate sexual intercourse. In fact, Ezekiel suggested it be the opposite. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, Thy time was the time of love, and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness." So you get the idea. She's asking for a covering. I want to come under the umbrella of your protection. I want to be cared for by you. I want to be provided for by you is the idea. So it's not an uncovering, but a covering. that's taking place. Matthew, Jesus talks about something like this, about providing covering. There's the idea. And Jesus was saying, some of these people did not clothe me. So if you see somebody in need and you can help them out, help them is what Jesus is saying here. But you get the idea of covering once again, and he clothed me not. I was in prison, you visited me not. Then shall he also answer them and say, Lord, when saw we thee in hunger, or thirst, and a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? And he answered them, saying, Verily I say unto you, and as much as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me." And so you get the same idea of a covering here in the New Testament. Imagine with me that Ruth is the Gentile bride of Christ, the church, because this is typology, this is a picture, and then Ruth, or Boaz rather, is the Redeemer, the groom of the church. We emphasized this the last couple weeks, that Boaz is the Redeemer, he's a picture of Jesus. That means Ruth, and as a Gentile even, She is about to be redeemed and this is a picture of Jesus redeeming us, rescuing us, saving us from our sin. Now here's what Naomi was practicing. This is the custom. Deuteronomy 25, and you could read the whole chapter. There's several verses that could be applied. Here's some of the primary ones. Her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. And it shall be that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. The idea of genealogies and a family name tied with the idea of inheritance and passing those things on, that was very important in Hebrew culture and part of the Mosaic tradition here that Naomi is calling for. And if the man liked not to take his brother's wife, Then let his brother's wife go to the gate, that's the city gate, that's where they did business. Chapter four, we're going to go to the city gate. We'll go to the city gate, and let his brother's wife go to the city gate, and to the elders, and say, my husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, And, it's like an inquiry, and if he stand to it and say, I'd like not to take her. I'm not going to marry her. I'm not going to help propagate my brother's family name. Then the elders, then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face. shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that will not build up his brother's house. And this is interesting, this is a custom that Naomi is calling for Ruth to do. And his name shall be called in Israel the house of him that hath his shoe loosed. You've heard of footloose? He has shoes loosed. And this is something that practicing Hebrews will practice even today. And she'll actually throw the shoe across the room at the guy and spit in his face. Now, these verses are announcing the law of the leverites, or it's the Latin meaning husband, brother, husband's brother, sometimes a brother-in-law or husband's brother, it could be applied for either one. And it means the marriage on behalf of the brother and it's designed to prevent extinction of the family name. And notice this, he would pull off his sandal off his foot and that act signified that he had abandoned his duty and then he'd have his face spit in. And it's considered then a sign of contempt. I can't believe it. He doesn't care about his brother or their house's family name, that he's not going to do this. And so it was a thing of contempt. Instead of doing the hard thing, and this could be considered the hard thing, he was going to say, no, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do the easy thing. And we'll unpack that more, Lord willing, next week. Have you ever seen this film? It's a Hallmark film, Loving Leah. This is a good demonstration of this practice in modern times. It came out in 2009. We've watched it a couple times, and if you want to see it practiced today, this kind of, it's a love story, just like a Hallmark thing, but it has this built into it, and you may really enjoy that. So let's consider this. we should invite redemption into our life and while we are waiting. So the redeemed work and then wait. That's what we see taking place in the life of Ruth. Now she has some Bible-informed plans. Notice how Naomi is talking to her It says, go to his feet in verse 4, uncover his feet. And this is a custom and a practice in their day. But she's also referencing the idea of redemption, especially in verse 9, because Naomi had told Ruth to do all these things. In verse 9, He said, Who art thou? She answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman. Who was talking to Ruth about him being a near kinsman? Well, Naomi was. Naomi was her Bible mentor. She had been teaching her part of the Torah, or the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses. She was talking to her about how the customs of the Jews were and who Jehovah God is. She was the one who was kind of mentoring her and teaching her about these things. She was the one who was offering Bible counseling. Okay, here's what you need to do. Ruth, listen, whenever this happens, listen and do whatever Boaz says to do. She is kind of coaching her through this. And she is interested, then Ruth is interested in truth. She wants to know, and so she's been being taught or mentored in the Scriptures. And I find that encouraging for us today. You know, we need Bible-informed plans. Every one of us makes decisions every day, and I hope that you make them based on Bible information. It could be the law of returns. It could be cause and effect. It could be the warnings of Proverbs. It could be the blessings of Psalms. I mean, there's a lot. There's so many different things that we talk about, the parables that Jesus gave. I mean, you can use these things to inform your mind, to direct your heart, to make the right choice. And so Ruth is leading her life with Bible-informed plans. Now, think about a mentor. Naomi mentored Ruth. Here's what the Scripture says about this. Here's a Bible verse that you can employ in this life stage of life that you're in right now. Look at this, Titus 2, 3, the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. Every woman who's been saved for a while and you've walked the path of life with Jesus for many years, you should have another younger woman that you're mentoring. That's what this verse says. You need to be a teacher of good things. Guys, not to leave you out, because we're to be mentoring as well. Our deacons, I've asked our deacons to start finding other guys to mentor, and we're going to be practicing mentoring. Why do we have an intern? Mentorship and more teaching. And this is an important thing. For when the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. And it becomes such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. Every Christian, you've been saved for a while, if you've been a Christian for a while, you should come to a place by God's grace, your growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you can take somebody under your wing and encourage them and talk to them and kind of motivate them with some Bible truth. That's an important thing. Mentors are personal teachers. You could think of them like a tutor, a personal teacher. Counseling. She was counseling. Here's what Solomon says about counseling. Without counsel purposes are disappointed, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. Counseling is important because it can help direct your life. And how do I get a handle on this life circumstance I'm in? How should I respond to this major obstacle that I see before me? Bible-informed plans via counseling can go a long way. Christian counseling is the ministry of one individual seeking to help another person recognize and understand and solve his or her own problems in accordance with the Word of God. That's a great definition of counseling. That's what Christian counseling is. Counseling, you could just think of it as life coaching, and they're using the Bible for that life coaching. David wrote, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever. The thoughts of his heart to all generations. Isn't that amazing? The thoughts of God's heart to all generations. We have God's counsel right here. And it's true, and it's enduring, and it's helpful, and it's a blessing to our lives as we follow it, as we make our decisions. Take my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. You see, we need to know the truth. We are learning vital information. from Ruth. But it shouldn't just be head information. It should affect our heart and our choices. And we have the examples of the prophets, the Old Testament. We have Moses, and Abraham, and Elijah, and Elisha, and Daniel, and Joseph, and all these Bible characters who were imperfect people that God says they're an example to us. of how we can live in following the Lord. So we need to know the truth, and notice how they're also an example of patience. What's Ruth going to do by the time we get to the end of chapter 3? She's going to be waiting. We need to learn how to wait. And so the redeemed work than wait, Bible-informed plans. But let's look at the next few verses. Beginning in verse 8, we should have faith in a person. Ruth demonstrates faith in a person. It came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid. He was startled. I mean, what's happening here? And turned himself, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over, thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter. Something about Ruth, she wasn't playing the field, she was seeking the Lord. She was asking God, and she was trying to become the right person, and then she was seeking and following the advice that her mentor Naomi was giving to her. And this is the real blessing, because Boaz is looking at her, and it's dark, and these other guys are snoring over in the corner, you know, around there. And he says, wow, blessed be the Lord God, because of how you're doing this. You were good to Naomi, and I know it. Your testimony is you've been good. You're faithful to Jehovah God. You've been right there through thick and thin. I've heard all about you. You're from Moab. You're from a different culture with a different religion. They would worship Chemosh and they would have child sacrifice to Chemosh. But you've converted from all of that and you've come to love Jehovah God. I've heard about that. And now you're coming and asking me to be your kinsman redeemer. He knew immediately what it meant. And he wasn't concerned about the lands and the fields and the property that the next guy is going to be concerned about. He says, I'm concerned about you, and if you do, just do what I say in this situation, and we'll see what happens. We'll see how this can come to pass. You have been doing good. That word kindness. It means deep compassion. You show deep compassion to Naomi. It means goodness. It's the word she said. And it's also used like in the New Testament for mercy. You think about loving mercy or mercy kindness, this type of term. That's how Ruth is known. This is her character that has been in development. And now, he says, my daughter, fear not. I will do to thee all that thou requirest. For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. That means noble in character, a strong woman. You're a strong, noble woman. You have good character. You are virtuous. Everybody knows it. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman, albeit there is a kinsman nearer than I, Terry. That's where we get the idea of wait. Here it means to lodge or to pass the night. And the word is never used in a sexual connotation. It just means to wait. Just wait right here. Tarry or abide right here until the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman well. Okay, if he chooses to marry you and redeem you well, that's good. That's, that'd be a challenge, wouldn't it, some of you guys? I'm thinking about that. You know, hey, if you get married to this other guy, it's okay with me. That'd be, if you have some affection here, it'd be kind of hard. But Boaz is saying, if he wants to practice this and do that, go ahead. You can see a lot of different emotions that come through this and a lot of kindness on his part. He says, well, and then he continues, but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of the kinsman. Do the part of the kinsman, that's the word geol, redeemer. I will redeem you as the Lord liveth. He makes that promise to God. Lie down until the morning. Now, at this, we could pause for just a moment and say, well, why would he risk her virtuous reputation by having her lie at the bottom of his feet until the morning? What was the era in which the book of Ruth is taking place? It was the era of the judges. The era of the judges is a time, and it's really characterized this way. Men did whatever was right in their eyes. They did whatever they wanted to do. It would have been more dangerous for her after midnight to walk back home to Naomi and putting herself in jeopardy. So he's already showing a form of compassion and care by not letting her go out and being attacked or assaulted by somebody. And in a way, while it was rescuing her reputation, well, he considers that in the next verse as well. She lay at his feet, in verse 14, until the morning, and she rose up before one could know one another. So it was still dark. And he said, let it not be known that a woman came unto the floor. So he's already trying to protect her from gossip there. Now, I find it interesting, and I'll not skip ahead for a moment, but there's something really interesting here. Notice how she's placing faith in a person. She is committing her life to Boaz. And all that's possible because, first, she trusted the Lord, and she was believing God's Word that this Levirate marriage vow, this taking care of your brother's name, that that could take place. And so she was willing to accept and wait on the promise that Boaz just made to her. Think about it for us. When we have faith in a person, our faith is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that Boaz is a picture of Jesus and Ruth is a picture of us. as Gentiles today, trust in the Lord. Friend, trust in the Lord. If you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, trust in Him today. Believe the Word of God, trust His Word, and then accept His promises. If God says something, He'll do it. If He says, call upon the name of the Lord, you'll be saved, you'll be saved. if you trust Him, if you believe, if you're truly calling upon Him. Here's some examples of faith in a person. We demonstrate faith every day, though we may not always conscientiously think about it. You get on an airplane, and we have people coming and going now that it's good weather and everything, people coming and going. You get on an airplane, you're trusting a pilot, you're trusting a mechanic, you're trusting the guy who put fuel in it, that he put the right fuel in it, and enough fuel in it, you're trusting in the air traffic controllers, you're trusting in the guys who keep the runway clear, you're trusting in all these different people. in the systems that people are working in. You think about your food, our food supply. We trust the farmer that he's going to take care of making sure that there's a good crop to the best of his ability. He's going to put the right things on it. He's going to nurture that crop. And it's going to be what it says it is. I'm looking for all organic apples. And it's all organic dinner, whatever you're trying to look for. And they're not putting all this other stuff, if that's what you're looking for and you're trusting for them. the restaurant, and they're trusting in the farmer to provide whatever it is. And that's a long line of how things get to where it's going to be the end consumer, you know, the person who's eating it. There's a lot of faith there. You think about medicine. Medicine, we place a lot of faith in medicine. There's still people today that mix medicines, and they, I'm talking about like they're actually, you know, mortar and pestle, they're putting it all together, and you're trusting that person for that medicine. But then, you know, your pharmacist, if you go to CVS or Walgreens or wherever you go, you're trusting that they put the right medicine in the bottle. There's some faith there. We don't always think about it. We just think, oh, they're certified and know what they're doing. But you hear occasionally people that mess it all up. There's faith. daily that we demonstrate. You're going down the road, and it's a two-lane road, one going this way, one going that way, and it's a solid line right in the middle there, and so it's a state road, a solid line, two solid lines, state road, and you're going along through there, and you're trusting that guy that's coming this way that he's gonna stay in that lane. But here's what we're taught, right? Drive defensively, I hope you still drive defensively. Because you're still, that old phrase, watch out for the other guy. But we're still trusting. You're trusting in your mechanic, the guys who inspect your car. You're trusting that they put the wheel back on the right way. They always take the wheel off, you know, just look at everything. And then they say, I'll retorque it in a week or something. Whoever does that, I don't know. But you're trusting. You're trusting that they put it back on the right way. How about education? You're trusting in the teachers. You're trusting in the curriculum. You're trusting in the people that are giving the lessons. Look at this, the Empire State Building. It was built in 1930. Have you ever been in the Empire State Building? Anybody ever been in the Empire State Building? I've never been there. So that means in less than five years, this building, that concrete's going to be over 100 years old. That's just amazing. Isn't that incredible? You're trusting the engineer who, over 100 years ago, drew up that design. And those guys who mix the concrete and the fellows who fabricated the steel, you're trusting them. If you go up in the top of that building and when it starts to sway, and I bet they all sway, they build it right. I mean, that's a long time, I think, for a skyscraper. I'm no engineer, but that just seems miraculous in a way. 1930, we demonstrate faith in people daily. You do it, whether it's consciously or not. So the redeemed worked in a way, Bible informed plans, faith in a person, how about anticipation with patience? And here's where we get into trouble a lot of the time. She laid his feet until the morning, and she rose up until one could know another, and he said, let it not be known that a woman came to the floor. Also, he said, bring the veil. that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her, and she went into the city." Now this is a large amount, measure of, it really comes up to 2.5 gallons each, and so six measures would amount to about 50 pounds, about 50 pounds of grain. That's a lot, and so that must have been a big shawl. or burlap-type sack. I mean, I don't know. That's pretty much, that's a lot. And for them, that would have been, for one person, four months' worth of food. Four months' worth of food. That would have been significant. It's not quite like a dowry idea, but he is pledging, I'm serious about this idea. And almost like, here's my promise token. by giving you this large amount of grain. Take it back to your mother-in-law. And when she came to meet her mother-in-law, she said, who art thou? My daughter. She told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, these six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, go not empty unto my mother-in-law. And then she said, sit still. That means to sit, to remain, or to dwell. Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall, and the man will not be in rest. The phrase not being rest means he's not going to sit down. He's not going to be quiet. He's not going to be undisturbed. He's not going to go to sleep. Remember what does Boaz mean? Swift and lively, strong. He's very swift. She says, okay, he made that promise to you. He's not going to do anything else until he gets an answer. Until you know, and you'll know the answer here. And so she says, wait until he has finished the thing this day. It's going to happen today. Ruth, it's going to happen today. But all you have to do now is wait. We anticipate a lot. How many of you are really good at patience? You say you're an impatient person. Now, I'm glad nobody raised their hands because we trend and tend towards impatience. And I can be very impatient as well. You know, I'm in a hurry to get things done. I mean, that's just how I tend to be. And maybe you're like that as well. We can be very excited to do things, expect God to deliver, but we should be able to expect God to deliver. Notice though, and here's what I found interesting, you know, he says, just lay here at my feet until the morning. She lay there at his feet. It didn't say that she went to sleep. It didn't say that she rested well. I expect she did not sleep and just had this great sense of urgent expectations. We call that anticipation. Anticipation. Now, we anticipate things every day. Now, when you were young, we would be on the second floor. We had a two-story house. And I remember with anticipation, peeking around, because you go down one flight of steps and the next flight of steps, looking down, oh, look, there's presents under the tree. I know you've never done that. Some of you adults did that this last Christmas. You're like, what's over there, you know? And we like shaking boxes and stuff. Don't tell me you've never done that. Some of you are like, yeah, I hear that. Some people raising their hands there. Yeah, that's anticipation. We're expecting something good. Graduation, graduation. You're expecting something good. And we need to be patient with graduation. How many times do we do this? You know, you get into seventh grade, you're like, oh man, I can't wait till eighth grade. Eighth grade, can't wait till ninth grade, man, I'm a high schooler now. I'm no longer a junior, I'm a high schooler. And I can't wait till graduation. You go through ninth grade, you go to 10th grade, you go to 11th grade, I can't wait till I graduate. All four years, I can't wait till I graduate, can't wait till I graduate. That's how you were. That's how we are. We can't wait sometimes. But anticipation is found everywhere. How about baseball? I can still relive at bats. Like where the pitches were at and what happened on specific at bats. I can still remember pitching in eighth grade this one particular game and how I was upset it would have been a perfect game if the umpire didn't call that perfect curveball a ball. And then the next pitch, the guy hit it, and the second baseman dropped it, and I was so mad at that second baseman. And then I was tired by that. The game would have been over, perfect game type thing. But then just reliving that and then expecting it for the next game or the next whatever, basketball, soccer, some of you golfers, you know, whatever, you anticipate. Oh, man, I hope the weather's good tomorrow. Let's go out to the links, you know. Oh, pickleball. Oh, I can't wait to play pickleball. Not me, but I can't wait to play pickleball. I hope it's good weather. Or the court's empty. Anticipation. How about that job offer? Been waiting for that job. You've been waiting for that offer to come through. Or, oh, for the young people, like, oh, I need my working papers now. I'm just waiting. I need to wait for the guy to get back to me. I need to wait for this to happen or for this job opportunity to open. I'm just, I'm waiting. I'm anticipating. I'm anticipating. How about wedding? when in marriage, I can't wait until I get married. Some people will be married, not everyone will be married. God calls some people to singleness, but sometimes, like, oh, I need to get married, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait, and we can tend to rush through life. I encourage you, don't rush through life. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the life stage. Enjoy the circumstance. Don't jump ahead of yourself. Like they say, don't get the wagon before the—or the cart before the horse or donkey or something, you know. You don't want to have that happening in your life. But we do anticipate Daily. It said patience is a virtue for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of scriptures might have hope. Notice the word patience. We need patience. And through the scriptures, we can have hope. I doubt Ruth slept that night. She had that anticipation, my Redeemer is gonna take care of me. My Redeemer is gonna come through. He's gonna come through and fulfill that promise that he just made. And she was definitely looking forward to what was gonna take place that morning. Naomi was as well. First Thessalonians tells us, remember without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. in the sight of God and our Father. It's true Christians work, but we also wait. We are waiting on the Lord, and Paul was commending these people that you worked, you did what you were supposed to do, and now there's also this element of waiting. And friends, we're waiting for Jesus to come back for us, and while we're waiting, we're serving the Lord. So Bible and foreign plans, faith in a person, and anticipation with Something that I can struggle with, perhaps you could as well. So the redeemed work, then wait. Have you been redeemed? When I was seven years old, I heard the gospel. I'd heard it a lot before then. But I acknowledged, I need a savior. I can't save myself. I need Jesus and Jesus only to save me. Now, at seven years old, I couldn't say redeem. I wouldn't understand some of these theological concepts, but if you've trusted Jesus, if you've asked him to be your Savior, he has redeemed you, which means he bought you back. He brought you and bought you or purchased you. He purchased you with the blood that he shed on the cross to bring you back to God. That way you can be a son or a daughter of God. So I couldn't have explained that at the age of 7. You can be 7, 17, 27, 57, 77, whatever your age is. Have you been redeemed? Have you asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, confessing your sin and turning from that and trusting him only for your salvation? I hope that you have. Ruth is placing all of her dependence on Boaz, and this is a picture of how we trust Jesus Christ and Jesus only for our redemption. That's how we're made right with God, that's how we go to heaven, that's how our sins are forgiven. Maybe as we respond, you would say, I need Bible-informed plans. Maybe you would say, I want to believe God's Word. Or, I need anticipation with patience. Lord, help me to be patient. Whichever of these it is for you, let's respond to that. Let's take a moment to bow before the Lord. And before I pray, here's your invitation to a response. I need Bible-informed plans. If I need to get a mentor, if I need to read the Bible more, if I need to ask some questions, I need Bible-informed plans. Maybe a counselor or something. I need Bible-informed plans. That's my prayer, and I want to look for that. Anybody like that? I need Bible-informed plans. Yes, yes, yes. How about number two, then? I want to believe God's Word. Sometimes we read things and we're challenged and we don't want to follow through with what it says, but Lord, I want to believe and I want to follow through with what you say in Scripture. Is there anybody like that? Yes, a lot of hands. Lord, help us believe. And then I need some patience. I need this anticipation with patience. Lord, help me to be patient. Now be careful when you pray that. But Lord, I need Patience, that's my prayer. Anybody like that? My hands included. We need to slow down sometimes and enjoy the moments that God gives to us. Maybe there's a friend you've not yet been redeemed. You've not yet asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. You're not yet forgiven of your sin. You need salvation today. Is there anybody like that? I want to talk to you following the service. Anyone that says, I want to know more about salvation through Jesus Christ. Anyone like that at all, just raise your hand quickly. All right, God bless us. Lord, thank you for the example of Ruth. We thank you for the kinsman redeemer of Boaz. What a beautiful love story that we see unfolding. And what a demonstration of your love for us. in sending Jesus and Jesus becoming our Redeemer. Lord, I pray for each one with these different decisions. Let us be patient. Let us believe your word. And Lord, we pray that you would help us to make Bible-informed plans, to make the right choices, all the different circumstances we face daily. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to this Bible message today. What are the next steps? Well, if you have Bible questions, want to know more about Christianity, or have some other question, please reach out to us. We'd be glad to provide a Bible answer to you. This ministry is pleased to come to you weekly, and it's only possible through your prayers and gifts. Thank you for your support.