Embracing Biblical Manhood - Boaz | Part 2
In this episode, we continue to unpack what it means to embrace biblical manhood by highlighting God’s inclusive love in the story of Boaz and Ruth. We show how true masculinity honors and uplifts others, regardless of their background. Listeners are challenged to live as “God-saturated” men who fear God more than public opinion. It’s a practical call to live out strong, compassionate, faith-driven manhood in today’s culture.
Checkout these other Family Fortress Ministries Podcasts:
TIME FOR THREE daily couples devotional: https://time-for-three.captivate.fm/listen
FORTIFYING YOUR FAMILY: https://fortifying-your-family.captivate.fm/listen
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Transcript
Welcome to the Fortifying youg Family podcast.
Speaker A:It can be daunting to navigate through an anti marriage and family culture.
Speaker A:Our teacher will expound biblical principles to help fortify our families and keep these sacred institutions strong.
Speaker A:And now here's this week's teaching from Sam Wood.
Speaker B:And this brings me to my next point.
Speaker B:And that is a God saturated man.
Speaker B:Is a man also a man who embraces ethnic diversity.
Speaker B:He embraces ethnic diversity and I'm just preaching through this chapter.
Speaker B:If you go to chapter one in Matthew, he gives the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:It seems that Matthew, through the inspiration of Holy Spirit, goes out of his way to include some unlikely women in this lineage.
Speaker B:We see Tamar, who bore Perez through adultery with her father in law.
Speaker B:Very unlikely being the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, if I was making it up, I wouldn't want that in my lineage.
Speaker B:Then we see Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute.
Speaker B:Then we see Bathsheba, who committed adultery against her husband with David.
Speaker B:And then we see, here it is, this little lady called Ruth, who was not even an Israelite.
Speaker B:She was ethnically an outsider to the covenant or the community in Israel.
Speaker B:In fact, according to Deuteronomy, chapter 23, you ought to go back and read that Israelites were not to marry or even to socialize with people from Moab, a Moabitest, a young lady, a young man.
Speaker B:They weren't even to socialize with them during this same period of time.
Speaker B:In Ruth you see the Book of Judges right before this, during the same time that this book was written, during this time when people were doing what was right in their own eyes, Samson's parents, I remind you, said to him, is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren or among all my people that thou should go and take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?
Speaker B:What are you doing going over the Philistines?
Speaker B:Take a white.
Speaker B:Don't you know they're cursed?
Speaker B:Don't you know they're a pagan people?
Speaker B:You're not to do that.
Speaker B:I love what studying is what John Piper says.
Speaker B:He says what God was doing in his far seeing Providence was planning the dynamic that, excuse me, the dynamite that would explode the fortresses of ethnocentrism and racism.
Speaker B:As a history of his people progressed, God would make it clearer and clearer that the real issue in intermarriage was not race, but faith.
Speaker B:Paul would eventually say that a follower of Christ should marry.
Speaker B:How?
Speaker B:Only in the Lord.
Speaker B:It isn't where you're from.
Speaker B:It's who you believe in, do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Speaker B:He further states, and this is food for thought, a full follower of Christ and any ethnic group is a closer relative to us than any blood relative who rejects our Savior.
Speaker B:Jesus said these words, whoever does the will of the Father, he is my what brother?
Speaker B:And my sister and my mother.
Speaker B:This is why Boaz could accept Ruth, who was a different race, a different ethnic background.
Speaker B:God's restriction was theological, it was not racial.
Speaker B:Not many amens on that.
Speaker B:Folks, listen to me.
Speaker B:Never have we seen, and I don't believe it's by chance, never have we seen so many different ethnic groups invade our country.
Speaker B:Never have we seen so many different people kinds come into America.
Speaker B:What a grand opportunity we have as a Christian to share the gospel with all these different ethnic backgrounds, all these different races, all these different people, that we can reach them and they can reach into their countries and around the world.
Speaker B:It's an opportunity like we've never had before.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:I remind you what it says in Revelations 5, 9.
Speaker B:And they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by the blood of every kindred and every tongue and people and nation.
Speaker B:You know, when we get to heaven, there's going to be people of every color, every nation, every tongue, and we're all going to be there.
Speaker B:We ain't going to be worrying about who's this color, who's that color, what they speak, what I speak.
Speaker B:We're going to be worried about worshiping Jesus Christ because we're all part of the family of God.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:After receiving what was Ruth's response after receiving these caring and kind words from Boaz?
Speaker B:Look at it in verse 10.
Speaker B:Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger.
Speaker B:Every one of us here today ought to get on their face before God and say, God, why have I found grace in your eyes, seeing that I am a stranger?
Speaker B:I'm an enemy of God, but I have found grace in your eyes.
Speaker B:We should never get over our salvation.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Ruth is overwhelmed by the grace shown to her through the loving actions of Boaz.
Speaker B:So she falls in humility and she asks the question, why?
Speaker B:Why have I found grace?
Speaker B:We might ask the same question, why would Boaz show grace to this young pagan Moabitous girl?
Speaker B:This brings me to the next characteristic of a God saturated man.
Speaker B:And that's a man.
Speaker B:Listen to me.
Speaker B:And I think this is huge.
Speaker B:It's a man.
Speaker B:A God saturated man is a man who fears God more than he fears man.
Speaker B:He fears God more than he fears man.
Speaker B:He has an awe of adoration, a reverence for God more than he has for man.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He cares more about what God thinks than man thinks.
Speaker B:Listen, here's a prominent Israeli gentleman who was very wealthy, who was watching out and caring for this outsider, this pagan little girl, woman by the name of Ruth.
Speaker B:Man, can you imagine?
Speaker B:Telephone lines may have been buzzing in Bethlehem.
Speaker B:Wow, did you hear about Boaz?
Speaker B:He's over there associating with that Ruth, that pagan Moabite girl.
Speaker B:How could he do such a.
Speaker B:I mean, on the Bethlehem Gazette, on the front page, here's a picture in the fields of Boaz helping Ruth.
Speaker B:Boaz doesn't care what the paper has to say.
Speaker B:He doesn't care what people have to say.
Speaker B:He cares about what God says about it.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:I've made this quote, said this quote many times, but I want to say it again.
Speaker B:I think it's so important, especially in light of the day and time that we live in.
Speaker B:John Witherspoon said, it's only the fear of God that will deliver man from the fear of man.
Speaker B:Only the fear of God will deliver man from the fear of man.
Speaker B:It's only when I have a greater awe, stand in greater reverence to God, that I will be delivered from the fear of man.
Speaker B:We heard it this morning.
Speaker B:Brother Andy shared some things with us.
Speaker B:I believe we're in a time, we're in a time that we're going to be challenged in our faith more than we ever have done before.
Speaker B:I believe we're living in it right now.
Speaker B:We're seeing the beginnings of it more and more.
Speaker B:We're going to have to stand up and speak for what we believe.
Speaker B:We're going to have to have an answer.
Speaker B:We need to have an answer biblically for what we believe in the society and culture that, that we're living in today that is becoming more and more anti Christian.
Speaker B:Why do you believe what you believe?
Speaker B:And if we don't have a greater fear of God than we do of man, then we're going to cave under the pressure and we'll honor man instead of honoring God.
Speaker B:I was reading yesterday and I was sharing some quotes with Debbie about the life of Martin Luther and I was just.
Speaker B:I thought, wow, here's a man who went against all the Roman Catholic system, Catholicism Romanism, he went against all of it, stood out bold and said, by faith alone we don't need indulgences.
Speaker B:All this stuff you're doing in Roman Catholic Church, all those things are wrong.
Speaker B:It's by faith alone.
Speaker B:We need to get the word of God in the hands of the people of God so they can read the Gospel of Jesus Christ and get saved.
Speaker B:These great men, great women of old, they stood strong in their faith.
Speaker B:You know why?
Speaker B:Because they had a greater fear of God than they did of man.
Speaker B:Now, I love this verse 11 says, and boaz answered and said unto her, hath been fully shewed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband.
Speaker B:Now thou hast left thy father and thy mother in the land of thy nativity and art come unto a people which thou knewest not hitherto.
Speaker B:For.
Speaker B:He says, wow, I saw how you left your mom and dad in Moab, how you came with Naomi into a land that you knew not on the banks of the Jordan, how that you committed your life to Yahweh, to the God of Israel.
Speaker B:I know all about that from Boaz.
Speaker B:Response we know that Boaz knew that Ruth had forsaken her gods.
Speaker B:She had cast herself completely upon the God of Israel.
Speaker B:And while she may not have been a blood descendant of Abraham and her ethnic background was different than his, the object of her faith was the same as his.
Speaker B:Boaz knew that once Ruth confessed her faith in Yahweh, she was no longer an outsider, but part of the covenant community.
Speaker B:He was more concerned about honoring God than he was about honoring man.
Speaker B:And this brings me to another characteristic we see here.
Speaker B:And that was, I believe Boaz, a God saturated man was a man who totally trusted God.
Speaker B:Listen, a biblical description of a man is a man who totally trusts trust in God.
Speaker B:Boaz recognized that because Ruth had placed her trust totally in God, she was totally abandoned to him.
Speaker B:She was totally abandoned to God.
Speaker B:So in verse 12, he speaks a blessing to her, a prayer of encouragement for her well being.
Speaker B:And I love this verse.
Speaker B:It's one of my favorite verses in the Bible.
Speaker B:In fact, I'd like to just take a Sunday and preach a message on this one verse.
Speaker B:It's so good.
Speaker B:Look at it.
Speaker B:The Lord recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Speaker B:Boy, you ought to underline the last part of that verse.
Speaker B:Under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Speaker B:Boaz takes time out of his busy day to bless someone who is struggling by praying for them.
Speaker B:As a church, as a body of Christ, we should pronounce blessings on others who, like Ruth, are stepping out in faith and trusting God.
Speaker B:Boaz says, I pray that God will reward you for all that you've done for Naomi.
Speaker B:Why not because God owes you anything.
Speaker B:God doesn't owe us anything.
Speaker B:What we are owed really is hell.
Speaker B:Separation from God, eternity in hell.
Speaker B:It wasn't because God's grace can be bought, but because here's why I'm praying this blessing on you.
Speaker B:Because you've taken refuge under the wings of God.
Speaker B:What a beautiful picture this is.
Speaker B:The picture is like a.
Speaker B:Some of you know more about this than me.
Speaker B:I've never raised chickens, but I've seen this happen.
Speaker B:Here's a mother.
Speaker B:Hence, there's impending danger on all these little chicks.
Speaker B:And so all these little chicks, what do they do?
Speaker B:They run to Mama.
Speaker B:She opens her wings up.
Speaker B:They get under her wings, and she closes her wings over top of them and she protects them.
Speaker B:What a beautiful picture that is.
Speaker B:It's the softest.
Speaker B:It's the coziest place in the world right next to her down feathers.
Speaker B:She wraps her wings around them, and there's total comfort and total security and safety under those wings.
Speaker B:This is a very common and beautiful picture in the Old Testament of God's people putting their trust in him.
Speaker B:I remind you of Psalm 36.
Speaker B:7.
Speaker B:How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God.
Speaker B:Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy.
Speaker B:What wings?
Speaker B:Psalm 57.
Speaker B:1.
Speaker B:Be merciful unto me, O God.
Speaker B:Be merciful unto me.
Speaker B:For my soul trusteth in thee.
Speaker B:Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my reign refuge.
Speaker B:Why would Boaz say that God would bless Ruth?
Speaker B:Because she has sought refuge under the wings of God.
Speaker B:She's esteemed God's protection superior to every other protection she could possibly have.
Speaker B:Her trust is totally in God and God alone.
Speaker B:Boaz is saying you were able to leave the refuge of your father and mother in Moab because you found a far superior refuge under the wings of God.
Speaker B:Wow, folks, this is the message of the Gospel.
Speaker B:God will have mercy on anyone who humbles himself and puts their trust in him, like Ruth, and takes refuge under his loving wings.
Speaker B:I remind you what Jesus said in Luke chapter 13 and verse 34.
Speaker B:He said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee.
Speaker B:How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her Brood under her wings and ye would not behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Speaker B:All the Pharisees had to do Jesus taught these Pharisees all they had to do is take refuge under the wings of God.
Speaker B:They had to stop trying to justify themselves.
Speaker B:They had to stop trying to rely on themselves and their good works to bring them into relationship with God.
Speaker B:Because of their pride, they would not do that.
Speaker B:Ruth was not their model.
Speaker B:There was no humility in their heart.
Speaker B:They would not humbly fall on their face before Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Folks, don't be like a Pharisee.
Speaker B:Be like a Ruth.
Speaker B:Fall humbly before God.
Speaker B:God is looking for people who will bow in humility before him and take their refuge under his wings.
Speaker B:He's looking for people who will totally surrender their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and be totally abandoned to God.
Speaker B:Verse 13.
Speaker B:Then she said, let me find favor of grace in thy sight, my Lord.
Speaker B:But that thou hast comforted me, for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, that I be not like one of thine handmaiden said, you've treated me so kind, you've treated me so good, you've treated me with so much grace.
Speaker B:Friends, the Lord is kind of God is kind.
Speaker B:The Bible says the kindness of the Lord brings men to repentance.
Speaker B:He is good to all those who would take refuge under his wings.
Speaker B:May we all fall on our face this morning.
Speaker B:May we, like Ruth, bow to God and say, God, why?
Speaker B:Why would you save a sinner like me, God, why would you be so kind?
Speaker B:Why would you be so loving?
Speaker B:Why would you be so full of grace to someone like me?
Speaker B:If you're here this morning, you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you would fall on your face before God and say, God, God, I surrender my heart to you.
Speaker B:I give myself to the Lord Jesus Christ today.
Speaker B:I trust in you and you alone for my salvation today.
Speaker B:Look at verse 14.
Speaker B:Boaz said unto her at mealtime, come thou hither and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.
Speaker B:And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat and was sufficed and left.
Speaker B:And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and reproach her not.
Speaker B:Don't shame her, don't reproach her.
Speaker B:And look at verse 16.
Speaker B:I love this, and let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and rebuke her not.
Speaker B:We see the generosity of Boaz.
Speaker B:He says, listen, let her gleam, don't shame her, let her gleam right behind you.
Speaker B:And not only that, purposefully drop some stuff so she can pick it up so she can go home and she'll have food to eat at home and food to take to her mother in law.
Speaker B:Are we generous?
Speaker B:Are we that generous?
Speaker B:Are we kind?
Speaker B:Are we loving to the poor?
Speaker B:Are we loving to the needy?
Speaker B:Are we loving to the outsiders, to those like Ruthless who are not like ourselves?
Speaker B:We see the picture of the generosity of Boaz to Ruth.
Speaker B:We see the picture of the generosity of God to us.
Speaker B:Boyd Jones says, when God controls our heart, we have ceased to be governed by self.
Speaker B:When the love of God comes in, the love of self goes out.
Speaker B:And when the love of self goes out and the love of God comes in, then we begin to love others.
Speaker B:Boaz, who is a picture of and type of the Lord Jesus Christ, was a God saturated man.
Speaker B:He was a man who wasn't ashamed of his faith.
Speaker B:He was a man who cared for women, cared for their dignity.
Speaker B:He cared for protecting them physically, their purity socially.
Speaker B:He's a man who embraced ethnic diversity.
Speaker B:He's a man who had a greater fear of God than man.
Speaker B:He was a man who totally trusted God.
Speaker B:He was a man who was generous.
Speaker B:He was a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining the Fortifying youg Family podcast and if you feel encouraged by today's teaching, give us a follow so we can invite you back and share us on your socials so more marriages and families can be strengthened and fortified through the truths of God's word.
Speaker A:Remember, fortified Fortifying your family starts with a strong belief in God's Word.
