Pt. 9, The Biblical Story - Ruth

 
The Faith of a Foreign Woman Pt. 9, The Biblical Story, Ruth 1-4 By Pastor Dan Kennedy © March 9, 2014 www.pastorkennedy.com Today’s Biblical study takes us back to one of the most loved stories of the Old Testament, the book of Ruth. It is a story brisling with twists and turns of famine, moving to a foreign land, tragedy, and redemption. This beautiful story is not just a unique love story involving only one foreign woman, Ruth, but it relates to three foreign women all of whose sons are in the direct line of Jesus Christ. Some of the stories are not sweet and perfect…some are downright shameful, as we will find out later! First of all let’s look at this beautiful love story of Ruth! Of course, in making that statement we reveal that we have already read the end of the story…we know how it turns out! But in order to truly comprehend the fullness of the beauty of this love story, we must begin to understand the pain that preceded the lovely wedding! • Famine – the grim catalyst that begins the turmoil, testing and triumph! • The fateful decision and pain of moving to a foreign land for a better life, • Tragedy strikes, • Multiple deaths – Naomi’s husband and both sons, • Loss of everything meaningful, • Intense loneliness and despair of what to do, • Working in the Moabite fields to survive, • The decision to return to Bethlehem, • Unexpected loyalty of Ruth, • Coming back to Bethlehem…the crippling reality of graphic and undeniable failure evident to all your family and friends and the debilitating bitterness accompanying it, • Faithfulness, • Tradition and wise advice, • The obvious Hand of God – harvesting in Boaz’s field, the kinsmen redeemers meeting just at the right time at the gate of Bethlehem… • Beautiful and faithful romance, • Contractual love and practical love for a “foreign woman”, • A truly unexpected turn in the line of redemption, which has affected any who believe in Jesus Christ. Ruth 1:1–7 (ESV) Naomi Widowed 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. Ruth’s Loyalty Ruth 1:8–18 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. The story of Ruth becomes more intriguing as she follows Naomi to Bethlehem and seeks servant-style occupation as a gleaner in random fields during the harvest. The “random” field she found “happened” to be that of Boaz, which she discovered later, through Naomi, to be a kinsman-redeemer to her deceased husband. Boaz learned about Ruth’s circumstances and treated her honorably. He did not send her away because she was a “foreign” woman. He was particularly aware of her plight since his own mother was a foreign woman, Rahab (Matt. 1:5), who had been assimilated into Israel after she had hid the spies, participating in the Israelite’s conquering of Jericho (Joshua 2; 6:15-25). Eventually Naomi advised Ruth to appeal to Boaz to exercise his right at a kinsman redeemer, which she did by lying at his feet as he slept on the threshing floor at the end of a long day as the barley harvest was ending. She did so and when Boaz startled and woke up she made her appeal (Ruth 3). That day Boaz found and settled the issue of the kinsman redeemer who was between he and Elimelich (Ruth’s deceased husband), giving Boaz the opportunity to exercise his right before the elders and those at the gate of Bethlehem. This affirmed his marriage to Ruth and the assimilation of her husband’s (and Naomi’s) property (see Ruth 4). The covenant of the kinsman redeemer is a dynamic Old Testament picture of Christ, our Redeemer. Kinsman-Redeemer “The relative who restores or preserves the full community rights of disadvantaged family members. The concept arises from God’s covenant relationship with Israel and points to the redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ.” Covenant rules for the kinsman-redeemer: • The kinsman-redeemer’s obligation to redeem the land (Lev 25:25-28; Jer 32:6-9) Leviticus 25:25 25 “If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. • The kinsman-redeemer’s obligation to redeem the enslaved (Lev 25:47-55) Leviticus 25:47–49 47 “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan, 48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself. • The kinsman-redeemer’s obligation to provide an heir - Levirate Marriage. (Ge 38:8-10; Dt 25:5-10; Mt 22:23-28; pp Mk 12:18-23; pp Lk 20:27-33; Ru 2:20 See also Ru 3:1-4:17) Deuteronomy 25:5–10 5 “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 in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 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. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’ • The kinsman-redeemer’s obligation to avenge death – balanced with the “cities of refuge” (Nu 35:6-34) Numbers 35:15; 19; 24-25 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there…. 19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death…. 24 then the congregation (in the city of refuge) shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. 25 And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. • The kinsman-redeemer’s obligation to be a trustee if conviction, confession and restitution is made for past sins and the one sinned against is dead (Nu 5:5-8) Numbers 5:5–8 5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, 7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. 8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. • The Lord as Redeemer (Ex 6:6-7 See also 2Sa 7:22-24; Isa 43:1-7; 54:5-8; Jer 50:33-34) Exodus 6:6–7 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. God’s provision of Jesus Christ as kinsman-redeemer (Gal 4:4-7 See also Gal 3:13-14; Heb 2:11-18) 1 Galatians 4:4–7 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 3:13–14 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Hebrews 2:14–18 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 1 The points on the kinsman-redeemer are taken from Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser. The Kinsman-Redeemer Boaz: Rejoicing by those in the Gate of Bethlehem When Boaz became Ruth’s Kinsman-Redeemer the spontaneous response of the elders and the people at the gate was a three-fold blessing! Ruth 4:11–12 1. May the Lord make your new wife (Ruth) like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel! 2. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem! 3. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah! Who was Perez and why was this blessing so important? • His mother Tamar seems to be considered the first foreigner who was grafted in by the Israelites. • His father Judah was considerably older than his mother Tamar – most likely just like Boaz age was to Ruth’s. • His father had fulfilled (although unwittingly) possibly the first Levirate Marriage responsibility. Three very interesting, little known “Foreign” Women In reading the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in Matthew 1:1-16, one will find the names of three very interesting little known “foreign” women: there are only four women listed by name. The obvious final woman was Mary, Jesus’ mother, who gave birth as a virgin, whose Father is God, and the other three were all foreign women...grafted into Christ’s line. [“The wife of Uriah” was listed in vs. 6, but Bathsheba was not listed by name.] Matthew 1:3, 5 Tamar (with Judah) was the first mentioned; Rahab (with Salmon) was the second, Ruth (with Boaz) the third. Judah’s Story of Redemption The 38th chapter of Genesis seems to be awkwardly placed in the middle of the unfolding story of Joseph. We are reading intently how his brothers are selling Joseph into slavery, when all of a sudden the story shifts to Judah for one disturbing chapter! And in this narrative of Judah’s life we find a discomforting blot on Judah’s character! Judah…the one who is championed to be a primary in the line of Christ, the Messiah of the world. “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah…the Root of David,” is what the Elders around the Throne of God, proclaimed regarding the Lamb who has conquered and is able to open the scroll of judgment with seven seals (Rev. 5:5). Revelation 5:5 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” An Outline of Judah, Tamar and Perez’s story reveals some painful history: • Judah’s early relationship with Joseph. • Judah’s marriage to a Canaanite woman. • Judah’s serious issues faced with his first two sons. • Deceiving his son’s wife Tamar. • Adultery with a supposed cult prostitute. • Hypocritically wanting to burn Tamar. • Honestly confessing his sin instead of trying to cover up the affair. • The revelation that God doesn’t cover up our sins. He redeems sinners. The amazing reality of the Scripture is that it does not cover up sin and shamefulness; it does not pretend that in order to be acceptable to God and to be used by God we must have a pristine life; rather, the Scripture tells us “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:22-25). No matter how perfect we want others to see us to be…the Scripture makes it clear that no one can honestly claim holiness before a truly Holy God. In fact, a clear authentication of the Scripture underscores the fact that it does not cover up sin – it declares that we can be redeemed from sin and its power – by being redeemed through the sacrificial, atoning Blood of Jesus Christ. God redeems sinners who repent of their sin and turn in faith to Him, through Jesus Christ, The Redeemer. More of Judah’s Story Because we do not read or study the life of Judah very often, the following will amplify many of the points given previously: Judah’s issues began when he and most of his brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites/Midianites who then took Joseph to Egypt. Genesis 37:25–28 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. After Judah initiated the selling of Joseph to the Midianite (Ishmaelite) traders and his collusion with his brothers in deceiving their father Jacob with the story that Joseph had been killed by a ferocious beast (using Joseph’s bloody and torn “coat of many colors” as prime evidence), Judah left his family for the land of Caanan. Joseph was around 18 years old and Judah was probably in his mid to late 30’s. Jacob’s family was relatively small…most likely having only 25 or so family members at the time – (there were only 70 who entered Egypt, some 22 years later). (See Gen. 37:2; 41:46; 45:6; 46:27) Genesis 38:1-2 About that time, Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah in the town of Adullam. 2 There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua Judah had three sons by his Canaanite wife: Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah found a wife for Er by the name of Tamar, but Er was wicked and God killed him. Tamar was given to Onan, to raise up a firstborn son in Er’s name, but he would not, which greatly displeased the Lord, so he too died. Tamar was promised that Shelah, Judah’s third son, would give her a child in Er’s name, but Shelah grew into manhood while Tamar was conveniently forgotten and sent back to live in her father’s home. In the mean time Judah’s wife died. For Tamar to live her life without an heir was a tragedy. She devised a plan for an opportunity to have a child through Judah. She heard that Judah was going to see his sheepshearers with his friend Hirah the Adulamite in Timnah, a nearby town. She covered her face as a cult prostitute would and made herself available to Judah. She took a pledge (his signet, cord and staff) for the goat he promised in payment for the affair - and Tamar became pregnant. “The ‘signet’ may have been a small cylinder seal that was worn on a cord around the neck. The seal was rolled over soft clay to give a unique impression, identifying the owner; the seal was often perforated for suspension by the cord.”2 2 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (117). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. Tamar went back home holding on to the pledge. When she started to show three months later (she was pregnant with twins), Judah hypocritically issued an order to have her burned for prostitution. But his signet, cord and staff revealed that he was the father. He was ashamed and declared of Tamar; “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” (Gen. 37:26) Tamar bore twins but not without a twist of Providence. Since the firstborn son was traditionally given more credence than the second-born, Zerah’s hand first came out of the womb during labor and a scarlet thread was immediately tied around the arm. His brother though, broke past Zerah and was born first, so he was named “Breach” – “Perez”. Shelah, Perez and Zerah (and we assume Tamar, their mother), accompanied Jacob, their grandfather and his sons, including Judah, into Egypt to begin Israel’s 400 year saga finally ending with the exodus. (Gen. 47:12, 26-27) Judah’s Sons: Er (died) Onan (died) (These came into Egypt with Judah) Shelah Pharez and Zerah Matthew 1:1–6 (ESV) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. The Faith of Foreign Women This story of faith is much wider than the faith of one foreign woman; it is intertwined with many lives in a many-sided narrative involving sadness, heartache, restoration, covenant relationships, and redemption. Couldn’t this be the story of many of us? May we seek God as Ruth sought God. May we find redemption from sin as Judah obviously found forgiveness and redemption. And, may we find our ultimate resource in our covenant relationship with our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ! Our stories of faith could also, one day, be shared around the Throne of God! We too, who are foreigners to God, because of sin, have been “grafted in” and “reconciled” into God’s Family by our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ! http://www.pastorkennedy.comshapeimage_1_link_0