The Life Fulfilled

The Life Fulfilled Ruth 4 Cascades Fellowship CRC, JX MI February 23, 2002 As the parent to a precocious toddler – one who knows what she wants, how to get what she wants and refuses anything other than what she wants – I have become wellversed in the world of Veggie Tales. If you have no idea what I mean when I speak of Veggie Tales I invite you to spend a Sunday in our nursery viewing the fare of our video library. You, too, will become intimately familiar with Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. At any rate, Bob and Larry have become my beloved cronies. On the average day I walk through the house singing their songs and laughing at their antics. One of my favorite Veggie Tales songs comes in the video "King George and the Ducky." Melvin, the slightly odd wise-man who shows up once in awhile to tell King George things, sings a song about a rich man and a poor man. In the first part of the song he talks about the rich man. After he describes this man's immense wealth, King George mistakenly thinks he has heard all he needs from Melvin. But as he turns to leave Melvin, the slightly odd wise man sings, "Just one minute, my story isn't done. It's about two men and I've only mentioned one." At the end of chapter three Boaz tells Ruth that their story is about more than just one man and one woman – there is another man to consider. There is a kinsman redeemer closer in kinship than Boaz.

In other words, he has the first option of

redeeming.

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Now last week we talked a little bit about the kinsman-redeemer – what it meant in Israel to be a kinsman redeemer. It was a very important role in the economy of Israel. This may seem a little odd until you understand that the people didn't really own the land. They land belonged to the Lord. Look with me at Leviticus 25:23. The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. The possession of land in Israel was considered in terms of a stewardship. Each tribe was given a region in the Promised Land as theirs to inhabit and develop. Within each region, each clan was given a portion to oversee. And within each clan, each family was appointed a plot to work in order to provide food for their family. When they sold the land – the land itself was not sold, it was the land's ability to produce – its future harvests – which were sold. So the individuals inheritance was really the harvests from the land and once they sold the rights to harvest on their lands to another, they lost their inheritance and their means of producing food for their family. Now the Law guarded against permanent loss through the year of jubilee – every fiftieth year, all debts were erased and the rights to the land returned. Wouldn't we like to have a law like that in the books today! $10,000 in credit card debt? No problem in the year of jubilee!

Can you imagine how some of the hucksters of today would try to take

advantage of such a system? But we are getting off subject here. The point is the importance of the kinsman redeemer. You see, the year of jubilee had a loophole – you had to have a surviving heir to reclaim the land. No heir, no reclamation. So if the Israelite sold his property to a 2

wealthy gentile, say, and the land went unredeemed it was lost to Israel – part of the inheritance was gone. Or if the land had to be sold to someone outside the clan – or even more troublesome, outside the tribe – if no redeemer stepped up, the inheritance of that tribe and/or family was diminished. It was like being disinherited. But that could not be allowed because it was God who gave the inheritance. So the kinsman redeemer was a very important player in the maintenance of God's covenant with Israel. Okay, now on with our story – as I said before, our narrator is no rookie. He is a master of his craft. So entering into the final chapter, he once again puts a twist in the plot. In our own hearts, we have already resolved the story – Boaz marries Ruth and they live happily ever after. But our narrator says – not so fast! There's a complication – a kinsman redeemer that is nearer than Boaz. He must first surrender his right to the land before Boaz can proceed. There were three things that were necessary for a kinsman redeemer. He must be a blood relation – the closer the relation, the greater the claim. He must have the means to redeem. If he redeemed at the cost of indebting himself, then he did not redeem at all. He simply joined his kinsman in destitution. And finally he must be willing to redeem. Does that sound like someone you know? It should. It is the description of our Savior Jesus Christ. So this other kinsman redeemer presents a threat to our perfect love story. If he redeems the land, the right guy doesn't get the girl. Even more disturbing is that from the beginning of our story we have watched as God's hand of providence has moved things along. Ruth "just happened" to start gleaning in Boaz's field. His plan seems so clear to 3

us who are on the outside of this story looking in. If the unnamed kinsman redeems the land, then what of God's plan? Did it change? Was he really in charge? Having built the tension once again to a fevered pitch, our narrator wastes no time in resolving it. Boaz goes to the city gate – the place of business in the Ancient Near East. One thing we should be aware of is that we are dealing with an oral culture. They didn’t write out contracts or deeds. The city gate functioned like a town square. When a business agreement needed to be completed, the parties went to the city gate and called upon the people moving through the gate to witness their agreement. Often the gate was the gathering place of the elders in the city to take counsel together and determine policy. The city gate was the courthouse of its day. Boaz gets to the gate early and lingers until he sees the unnamed kinsman heading out to work in his fields. Now please note – the kinsman remains unnamed. As the story unfolds see if you can figure out why. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”

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Talk about a sweetheart deal! I can just imagine what the unnamed kinsman thought to himself. "Whoa! He's offering me a chance to redeem the land of widow without an heir! No losing it in the year of Jubilee! Ah, Boaz, you sap. You should have just kept your mouth shut and redeemed it yourself. Sometimes your precious integrity costs you too much." To Boaz he says calmly “I will redeem it." Just as we feared! The unnamed kinsman wants to redeem! The story seems to be going all wrong! Ruth is supposed to marry Boaz, not some unnamed redeemer. Is God in control of this thing or not? Just as we are about to resign ourselves to the reality that life is unfair – if life were fair, Boaz would be the redeemer in this story; maybe Naomi was right in her complaint voiced in chapter 1. Just when we are about to join her in saying that life is bitter and hope is fleeting, Boaz throws a curveball to the unnamed redeemer. "Oh, and by the way, remember that you are getting two widows in this deal – one of them still young enough to marry and bear children. If you redeem the land, you must also deal with the young widow. You will be expected to marry her and give a son to inherit his father's land." Ah, the catch! Not only does the unnamed redeemer need to redeem the land, but he also will be called upon to redeem the family line. And with a Moabite woman to boot. Suddenly, this sweetheart deal is starting to turn sour. If the unnamed redeemer married the Moabite and the son she bore to him was his only son, all his lands then passed to the son of the Moabite. And because the first born son of their union was to be given as an heir to the line of Elimelech, in order to preserve that family line, his 5

inheritance would pass into the family of Elimelech and be lost to his family. He could lose his estate to a Moabite and her half-breed son. Never mind that the woman was barren for ten years in her marriage to Mahlon, the extra land was not worth that risk. At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” Suddenly the path is cleared. Boaz can now take Ruth as his wife – the threat to our perfect love story has been resolved. God is in control and he has made a way. Finally, the conclusion we have anticipated from the moment we heard Boaz's name comes to pass. The redeemer finally breaks through every barrier and enacts the redemption he promised. Now, note something here. How often in the story of Ruth have you heard the name of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion? The last time we heard the names Mahlon and Chilion were in chapter 1, v.5 – and then only to tell us that they had died. We hear the name Elimelech in chapter 2, v.3 – but there it is used to identify Boaz as a near kinsman. The last time in the story Elimelech is actually referred to is chapter 1, v.3. Why is this important? Look at v.9. Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. In the proclamation of redemption, Boaz once again revives the name of his kinsmen. He calls on all those gathered around the gate to bear witness to the redemption enacted. In fact, he goes on to say that he takes Ruth as his wife, in order to raise up an heir to the inheritance his cousins lost in Moab. In essence, he tells all those within hearing, "Bear 6

witness against me if I do not bring full redemption to the family of Elimelech. I redeem the land not for myself, but for the sake of my kinsman, that his name not be lost from among the people of Israel." What a contrast to the unnamed redeemer! Boaz risks everything, without reservation to act as redeemer – and not for his own sake or gain. In an act of incredible self-giving love Boaz embodies everything a redeemer should be. Earlier I said there was a reason the nearer kinsman remained unnamed – have you figured out why? It has to do with the importance of naming in ancient culture. To remain unnamed was to not exist, to be excluded. Remember, we are dealing with an oral culture. The memory of the person – their place in history, their claim on the land given to the children of Israel by God – was maintained by mentioning of their name. If you have ever wondered why the Israelites seemed fixated on genealogy – that was why. By leaving the nearer kinsman unnamed the narrator is basically saying, "This unnamed redeemer was not a true Israelite. He was of Israel in biology only, not in his heart. Now, Boaz – there was a true Israelite because he faithfully maintained the covenant as a kinsman redeemer. He was blood, he was able and he was willing." The redemption has been proclaimed, everything is in its proper place – if the narrator stopped his story here, our hearts would be satisfied. But let us remember, the heart of this story is about more than romance. It is a Divine parable dressed up as a love story. This is a story about God’s providence and grace in every day life of every believer. Seeing Boaz redeem Naomi and Ruth would be enough for us, but not for God. But that's how great he really is – doing exceedingly more than all we hope or imagine.

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God goes beyond simply filling the void, he overflows the lives of Naomi and Ruth with goodness. First, the barren Ruth conceives and brings forth a son. Can you imagine the joy? For more than ten years she has waited for the stirrings of life in her womb – how she has longed to bear the curse of pain in childbirth – only to be left barren and wanting. To see the skin of her stomach roll and bulge with the wrestling of an unborn child – to finally come to fulfillment as a wife and mother – that would be a blessing exceeding abundant. Miraculously, amazingly God provides. Ruth’s life is fulfilled. And Naomi, bereft of any to call her own save a Moabite widow. She who once asked the people to call her Mara because the Lord had dealt bitterly with her, now she sees the hope of her future laid upon her lap. God has provided a son through Ruth who will take up the family name and preserve the inheritance. She who was once empty – with nothing left to give – is now full of hope and dreams of a future. What to her seemed a burden beyond carrying – providing not only for herself, but for this Moabite widow whom she could not drive away – now becomes the vehicle for God's great blessing upon her life. Call her Naomi once more, her life is full. And there is more blessing, yet – blessing that the characters of the story can scarcely be aware of. The child born to Boaz and Ruth, the child that is the hope and future of Naomi – that child will give Israel her greatest king. From Obed, son of Boaz and Ruth will eventually come David, the man after God's own heart. And from David will come another king – a greater King – Jesus Christ the Lord. Talk about a life fulfilled. 8

Now, let's take a moment to draw back and look at the big picture of Ruth. What can we say about the story of Ruth? What does it tell us about our God, even though it doesn't address God directly? First, nothing is impossible for God. Naomi found herself destitute beyond any hope her mind could conceive. She had come to the end of herself, but not the end of God. No, God was just getting started. In the midst of all the impossibilities of her life, God made a way. In waning years of the 1980's and the early years of the 1990's this church faced a Naomi-like situation. The church was dying There seemed to be no hope of restoration, of growth, or of the vibrant, exuberant life this church had known in its past. This congregation actually voted to close its doors. As a church, it despaired of its life. But then God moved.

Providentially, God brought someone here just crazy

enough to believe that this church could live yet. He provoked the hearts of some in this congregation to hold on to life and eleven years later this church is still here. Despite what seemed a host of impossibilities – despite budget shortfalls, despite loss of membership, despite a diminishing Reformed presence in the Jackson area – Jackson Christian Reformed Church lived on. Our name has changed, but the true nature of the church remains – we are God's people and he cares for the church. Just when we were coming the end of ourselves, God was just getting started.

Beloved, nothing is

impossible for God. He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we can think or imagine.

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The second thing we can say, God is able to use the ordinary to do the extraordinary. When Naomi found herself destitute with no hope of redemption, God raised up Ruth in her life to make the extraordinary happen. Ruth was a Moabite – outside the promises – yet because of her obedience, her willingness to abandon all she knew and cast herself upon the mercy and grace of God, God used her for an extraordinary purpose.

He not only brought redemption to Naomi through the

faithfulness of Ruth, God would bring fulfillment to his redemptive work in the world through her. The blood of the Moabite flowed in the veins of our Savior. Beloved, often we think we cannot do great things for God because we are just too ordinary. We don't have enough Bible knowledge, or how to speak to people, or …. You fill in the blank. But the truth is that God is not looking for the extraordinarily gifted to build his Kingdom, he's looking for the faithful. He's not looking for the strongest, the brightest or the most beautiful – thank goodness or I'd never make a preacher – he's looking for the one who will obey. If you want to see God doing great things, if you want the fulfilled life, be faithful. Third, and finally don't believe that the best days are behind you – they are still coming. This goes along with something I said in the first sermon of this series – never try to judge what God is doing when you are in the midst of the trial. Naomi thought her life was to be forever empty. But only God knows the beginning from the end and if the story of Ruth proves anything it is that God can take even the most dreadful of circumstances and work them to a greater – a redemptive good.

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Beloved, we are in the midst of change here at Cascades Fellowship CRC. We are talking about vision, about outreach, about growth. Our tendency in uncertain times is to look back at "the good times" and say, "Man I wish our church were still like that." Don't judge these times for our church by looking back. Let's anticipate what God is going to do in our church by looking forward – by desiring God’s fullness in our congregation and lives and dreaming about how he will fulfill it.. Get involved in the mission/vision process; put your two cents in. Our best days are still coming. Let's move forward and meet God as he redeems our hard times and fills our emptiness. The Book of Ruth provides us with a provocative picture for living the life of faith. Behind the everyday scenes of life the hand of God is moving, working all things to the good of those who him, those called according to his purpose. We see God redeeming even the worst of times through the faithfulness of his servants, bringing fulfillment and redemption. Brethren, let us be faithful and anticipate the great work of redemption God will work in and through us as we follow him.

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