Spiritual Rest in a Chaotic World: Insights from Ruth | Part 1
Through the story of Naomi and Ruth, we uncover powerful lessons on spiritual rest, faith-filled action, and the beauty of redemptive relationships. You'll learn how their bond models the path to promoting healthy family dynamics and how Ruth’s appeal to Boaz reveals a deeper call to commitment and purity. This teaching challenges us to wait on God's timing and embrace the blessings that come with honoring His design for relationships.
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
MINISTRY WEBSITE: https://familyfortress.org/
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:Well, I want to speak this morning on something that, physically speaking, I had a hard time getting last night.
Speaker B:That is, I went to bed about 10 o' clock last night.
Speaker B:I try to go a little bit earlier because I like to get up very early, especially if I'm preaching on Sunday morning.
Speaker B:And I felt like when I went to bed I was in the middle of the Bristol Motor Speedway about a mile from my house.
Speaker B:There were cars running around a track at the fairgrounds and there was noise, a lot of noise, rumbling and rambling of cars.
Speaker B:And through it all, about a half an hour I dozed off and went to sleep.
Speaker B:And then at about midnight, I felt like I was in the middle of a mortar shell coming at our house in the middle of a war scene as I heard explosions all around us.
Speaker B:And I kind of jumped up out of my sleep and it took me about another half an hour or so to go to sleep.
Speaker B:And that is, I want to talk about this morning finding rest and not so much talking about physical rest as much as I'm talking about spiritual rest.
Speaker B:I want you to turn your Bible, if you would, to the Book of Ruth.
Speaker B:I'm still there, still preaching there.
Speaker B:And I told Debbie this morning, I'm so excited about the Word of God, I can't hardly wait to preach.
Speaker B:And the Word of God is so awesome.
Speaker B:It's so rich, it's so powerful, it's so wonderful.
Speaker B:We ought to stand in awe of the Word of God.
Speaker B:So turn with me to Ruth, chapter two and verse 20.
Speaker B:And I'm going to read today down through the end of chapter three.
Speaker B:So Ruth, chapter two, verse 20.
Speaker B:We'll start there.
Speaker B:And I'm going to read all the way down through the end of chapter three.
Speaker B:So give your attention to the Word of God.
Speaker B:Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through the Word of God.
Speaker B:This is his living word, Ruth, chapter two, verse 20.
Speaker B:And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.
Speaker B:And Naomi said unto her, the man is near of kin unto us one of their next kinsmen.
Speaker B:Or as I preached last time on the Book of Ruth, our near kinsman, or Goel, kinsman, Redeemer, and Ruth, the Moabitess said.
Speaker B:He said unto me also, thou shalt keep fast by my young men and until they have ended all my harvest.
Speaker B:And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter in law, it is good, my daughter, that thou wilt go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
Speaker B:So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest, and dwelt with her mother in law.
Speaker B:Chapter three and verse one.
Speaker B:Then Naomi, her mother in law, said unto her, my daughter, shall I not seek rest for for thee, that it may be well with thee?
Speaker B:Now let me just pause just a second here and make a little commentary for just a second here.
Speaker B:You know, 10 times in the book of Ruth it talks about a mother in law.
Speaker B:And seven times it talks about a daughter in law.
Speaker B:Typically speaking, mother in laws and daughter in laws can have a lot of difficulty in relating to one another.
Speaker B:But this is a textbook for you, mother in laws and you, daughter in laws, how to treat each other in a relationship as a mother in law and as a daughter in law.
Speaker B:So I just want to point that out to you.
Speaker B:It's a beautiful relationship.
Speaker B:Not perfect, but beautiful.
Speaker B:Verse 2.
Speaker B:And thou is not Boaz of our kindred with those maidens thou wast.
Speaker B:Behold, he winneth barley tonight in the threshing floor.
Speaker B:Wash thyself, therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor.
Speaker B:But make not thyself known unto the man until he have done eating and drinking.
Speaker B:And it shall be when he lieth down that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie.
Speaker B:And thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lay thee down, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
Speaker B:And she said unto her, all that thou sayest unto me I will do.
Speaker B:And she went down unto the floor and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
Speaker B: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.
Speaker B:And she came softly and uncovered his feet and laid her down.
Speaker B:And it came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid and turned himself.
Speaker B:And behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Speaker B:And he said, who art thou?
Speaker B:And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid.
Speaker B:Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman.
Speaker B:And he said, blessed be thou, the Lord my daughter, for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning.
Speaker B:Insomuch as thou followest not young men, whether poor or rich.
Speaker B:And now, my daughter, fear not.
Speaker B:I will do thee all that thou requires.
Speaker B:For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Speaker B:And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman.
Speaker B:Howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I terror this night.
Speaker B:And it shall be in the morning.
Speaker B:That if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman's part.
Speaker B:But if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then I will do the part of a kinsman to thee.
Speaker B:As the Lord liveth lie down unto until the morning.
Speaker B:And she lay at his feet until the morning.
Speaker B:And she rose up before one could know another.
Speaker B:And he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
Speaker B:Also he said, bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it.
Speaker B:And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her.
Speaker B:And she went into the city.
Speaker B:And when she came to her mother in law, she said, who art thou, my daughter?
Speaker B:And she told her all that the man had done to her.
Speaker B:And she said, these six measures of barley gave he me.
Speaker B:For he said to me, go not empty unto thy mother in law, verse 18.
Speaker B:Then she or Naomi said, sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
Speaker B:For the man will not be in rest until he have finished the thing this day.
Speaker B:Finding rest.
Speaker B:Now, if you're taking notes this morning, I'm going to give you a simple outline.
Speaker B:As I go through this passage this morning, I want to look first at the predicament.
Speaker B:Then I want to look at the plan.
Speaker B:And then we want to look at the picture.
Speaker B:So we want to look at the predicament, we want to look at the plan.
Speaker B:And lastly, look at the beautiful picture we see in this chapter, the predicament.
Speaker B:What kind of predicament were they in?
Speaker B:Well, they were in a very desperate situation.
Speaker B:They were destitute, we might say.
Speaker B:The end of the barley harvest, as I've said before, is about to come rapidly.
Speaker B:It's fastly approaching the time when Ruth could go out in the fields and glean and bring back the harvest to Naomi.
Speaker B:And they could survive, they could eat, because of what she gleaned and brought back was rapidly coming to an end.
Speaker B:Something would have to be done if they were to survive after the barley harvest.
Speaker B:But not only were they destitute and not sure what to do Next.
Speaker B:But they were also deadlocked.
Speaker B:You say, preacher, what do you mean they were deadlocked?
Speaker B:From verse 20, we saw that Naomi now understands that there is hope.
Speaker B:What a beautiful verse that is.
Speaker B:As I preached on Boaz, our kinsman Redeemer, last time I preached on Ruth, there is a kinsman Redeemer.
Speaker B:There is in the Hebrew word, there is Goel, who can deliver them or redeem them from all of their problems.
Speaker B:And Naomi's beginning to get hope.
Speaker B:She sees this and understands this.
Speaker B:But they were deadlocked, we might say, or stalemated for several reasons.
Speaker B:I believe the first reason is that Boaz could not act because of the law.
Speaker B:That is, Boaz could not go and take Ruth as his wife because there was, as it tells us in chapter three, in verse 12, there was a nearer kinsman.
Speaker B:By the law, he could not go to her, and he could not propose to her and take her his wife.
Speaker B:Now, as you read through this story, it's very obvious, too, that Boaz is a much older man.
Speaker B:And as Boaz looks at this beautiful young lady who he calls a virtuous woman, a very godly woman, I'm sure that he probably thought to himself, how in the world would this young lady be interested in an old guy like me?
Speaker B:I mean, I'm older, she's young, she's beautiful, she probably has no interest in me.
Speaker B:She'd probably rather marry someone if she was to marry someone, someone much younger than I am.
Speaker B:But also, not only could Boaz not act, but also Ruth couldn't act because Ruth did not understand her rights and her responsibility, we might say, to act.
Speaker B:And she was beginning because she didn't understand her rights and responsibility to act in this situation.
Speaker B:She was beginning to ponder some alternatives.
Speaker B:And we see that at the end of chapter two.
Speaker B:That's why I started there in verse 21.
Speaker B:Look at it with me.
Speaker B:It says, and again, Ruth, the Moabitess said, he has said unto me, thou shalt keep fast by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.
Speaker B:But in verse 22, Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter in law, it is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in another field, any other field.
Speaker B:Now, notice the beginning of verse 21.
Speaker B:The word that is used to describe Ruth is Moabitess.
Speaker B:And let me just say that's not accidental.
Speaker B:There's nothing accidental in Scripture.
Speaker B:The Holy Spirit is pointing out to us that what she was about to say is a reflection of her former life or her former nature, she is beginning to think a little bit carnally, we might say here.
Speaker B:So we look at verse 21.
Speaker B:You say, what do you mean, preacher?
Speaker B:Well, the Holy Spirit gives us a clue by calling her a Moabitess.
Speaker B:And what does she say in verse 21 that Boaz did not say?
Speaker B:Ruth says, in verse 21, he said unto me, thou shalt keep fast by my what?
Speaker B:Young men.
Speaker B:But Boaz did not say for her to keep fast by his young men.
Speaker B:Boaz said that she was to keep fast by his what?
Speaker B:Young maidens.
Speaker B:By the young maidens.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:So we see that Ruth changed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she changed the words of Boaz from young maidens to young men.
Speaker B:Note that Naomi doesn't say to Ruth, you lied when you said that, but tenderly corrects Ruth in her words with what she says in the next verse.
Speaker B:And again in verse 22, it says, Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter in law, it is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his what maidens?
Speaker B:So Ruth corrects her, and she very tenderly corrects her.
Speaker B:And, you know, this is a wonderful scene because this tells us a great deal about how to deal with erring brothers and sisters.
Speaker B:We shouldn't attack necessarily the sin at first, but Naomi spoke the truth in love to Ruth.
Speaker B:She corrected her by putting in the right word.
Speaker B:This allowed Ruth to see that she was mistaken, whether it was intentional or unintentional.
Speaker B:You see, Ruth was beginning to notice, and this is a clue to us by the Holy Spirit.
Speaker B:In this picture, Ruth is beginning to notice all the young men around her in the fields and thinking about her situation at the end of the barley harvest.
Speaker B:She's becoming very destitute.
Speaker B:She's becoming very desperate, and she needs a husband.
Speaker B:And she's beginning to think, well, if I can't marry Boaz, maybe I need to think about these other young men in the field.
Speaker B:So our old Moabite nature begins to surface, begins to show.
Speaker B:But during all this time, what do you suppose Naomi was doing during all this time when Ruth was out in the fields gleaning during these weeks and Naomi was at home in her little hut and waiting for her to come back?
Speaker B:What do you think Naomi possibly was doing during that time, perhaps every morning when Ruth left her little place of shelter and went to the fields to glean, that Naomi would ponder and she would think, and she would pray for Ruth and she would pray for Boaz.
Speaker B:She knew their situation.
Speaker B:She knew it was very desperate.
Speaker B:And I believe that Naomi began To form a plan in her mind, something that she could share with Ruth that Ruth did not know that needed to be shared with her.
Speaker B:You see, Naomi knew the law of Israel, and she knew what Ruth's rights were.
Speaker B:She knew what Ruth's responsibility was in initiating a relationship with Boaz.
Speaker B:And this brings us to Naomi's plan.
Speaker B:We talked about the predicament, but now look at her plan, the plan we see in verse one through verse five.
Speaker B:But look at verse one with me.
Speaker B:Then Naomi, her mother in law, said unto her, my daughter, shall I not seek?
Speaker B:And you ought to underline, if you don't mind underlining your Bible.
Speaker B:A circle.
Speaker B:It's a little word.
Speaker B:This next little word, rest.
Speaker B:Shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?
Speaker B:Naomi's plan was to find something called rest for Ruth.
Speaker B:But what did Naomi mean by that?
Speaker B:What did she really mean by finding rest for Ruth?
Speaker B:Now, I want you to pay very close attention for a few minutes here.
Speaker B:There are three instances of the word rest in the book of Ruth.
Speaker B:And I don't believe this is any accident at all.
Speaker B:As I said, nothing in Scripture is accidental.
Speaker B:The Holy Spirit penned these words.
Speaker B:So go back with me to chapter one and verse nine.
Speaker B:We're back in Moab again, and Naomi says to Ruth and Orpah, in verse nine, the Lord grant you that you may find.
Speaker B:What's the word there?
Speaker B:Church.
Speaker B:Rest.
Speaker B:That you may find rest each of you in the house of her husband.
Speaker B:Here Naomi said, your rest is your concern, Orpah.
Speaker B:Your rest is your concern, Ruth.
Speaker B:I cannot supply it for you.
Speaker B:And I can only hope that God will act on your behalf.
Speaker B:So go back, she says, the Lord grant you may find rest each in the house of her husband.
Speaker B:So at this point, we might say this word rest.
Speaker B:What Naomi is saying here.
Speaker B:And if you look at this word rest, and there's three instances in the Book of Ruth of the word rest, each one of them is a different word.
Speaker B:And it's very significant because the word rest here means a place of shelter or a house.
Speaker B:May God give you a place of shelter or a house that you can abide in as you go back your people.
Speaker B:So at this point, Naomi sent them back to find a shelter in Moab.
Speaker B:Now listen, let me remind you that you'll never, as a child of God, you'll never ever find rest in Moab.
Speaker B:Moab is a place of judgment.
Speaker B:It's a place away from God and any of God's children that try to find rest in Moab.
Speaker B:Are in for a surprise.
Speaker B:Because this Jewish family went to Moab thinking they would find rest.
Speaker B:And all they found was turmoil.
Speaker B:All they found, not rest, they found death.
Speaker B:Elimelech found death.
Speaker B:Mahlon fell death.
Speaker B:Kilion found death.
Speaker B:Because their rest was not in Moab, their rest, God made their rest to be in Bethlehem, Judah, the house of bread and the place of praise.
Speaker B:Because long ago, when God brought his people, when he brought his people out of the wilderness, and he said, I'm bringing you into a.
Speaker B:And this is how he describes it.
Speaker B:I'm bringing you into a land of rest where I will be your God and you will be my people.
Speaker B:So at this point, Naomi says, a place of shelter, rest is your concern.
Speaker B:I'm sending you back.
Speaker B:But Ruth refused to do what.
Speaker B:She refused to go back.
Speaker B:She cleaved unto Naomi.
Speaker B:We see the scene on the banks of the Jordan where she commits her life to Jehovah God and says, you're God, but will be my God.
Speaker B:And she comes into a relationship with the one and true God.
Speaker B:Now, this brings us to chapter three and verse one, where we see the second instance of the word rest.
Speaker B:And because she has experienced Ruth's overwhelming love, and seeing her overwhelming love for God, Naomi says, shall I not seek rest for you?
Speaker B:The first instance of rest referred to Ruth finding rest.
Speaker B:It was her concern, a place of shelter.
Speaker B:But now it's Naomi's concern.
Speaker B:And Naomi says, shall I not seek rest for you?
Speaker B:And this word rest is a totally different word.
Speaker B:It's a word that refers to a relationship inside of a home.
Speaker B:The first word, rest, refers to a place of shelter.
Speaker B:The second word, rest, refers to a place, place of sanctuary, a place of relationship.
Speaker B:So Naomi's plan was for Ruth to find rest and relationship with Boaz as her husband and to have a place of sanctuary inside of a home.
Speaker B:Not just to have a house, not just to have a shelter, but now to have a home and to have a sanctuary.
Speaker B:She then reminds Ruth in the beginning of verse two that she has a right by the law and responsibility to approach Boaz with a marriage proposal.
Speaker B:Look at verse two.
Speaker B:She says at the beginning.
Speaker B:And now, is not Boaz of our kindred?
Speaker B:Is he not our Goel?
Speaker B:Is he not Ruth, our near kinsman, Redeemer?
Speaker B:She's reminding Ruth of her right.
Speaker B:She's reminding Ruth of her responsibility to approach Boaz with the plan that Naomi has for her that we see unfolding in these next few verses.
Speaker B:Then in verse three and four, Naomi tells exactly Ruth, exactly what to do look at it again.
Speaker B:Let me just read it one more time.
Speaker B:This morning.
Speaker B:Wash thyself, therefore, and anoint thee and put thy raiment upon thee.
Speaker B:Here's her plan.
Speaker B:And get thee down to the floor.
Speaker B:But make not thyself known unto the man until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Speaker B:And it shall be when he lieth down that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie.
Speaker B:And thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lay thee down and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
Speaker B:Then in verse 5, Ruth agrees to her plan.
Speaker B:And she said unto her, all that thou sayest unto me.
Speaker B:Talking to Naomi, Ruth says, I will do.
Speaker B:But in verses six through nine, it's interesting, we see that Ruth does more than what Naomi instructed her to do.
Speaker B:Look at verse six.
Speaker B:And she went down unto the floor and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
Speaker B:When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn.
Speaker B:And she came softly and uncovered his feet and laid her down.
Speaker B:And it came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid and turned himself.
Speaker B:And behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Speaker B:And if I woke up in the middle of the night and there was some one strange woman at my feet, that would make me afraid too.
Speaker B:But look at what it says in verse nine.
Speaker B:And he said, who art thou?
Speaker B:And she answered, and here's how.
Speaker B:She did more than what Naomi asked her to do.
Speaker B:She said more than what Naomi asked her to say.
Speaker B:Naomi said, do what he tells you to do.
Speaker B:But look at what Ruth says.
Speaker B:I am Ruth, thine handmaid.
Speaker B:Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman.
Speaker B:Notice it in verse nine, that before Boaz has a chance to tell her what to do, as Naomi suggested, I mentioned a while ago that Ruth says, this is what I want you to do for me.
Speaker B:You are my near kinsman.
Speaker B:You are my kinsman, Redeemer.
Speaker B:You're the one who can redeem our inheritance and our family and our name from being lost.
Speaker B:I want you to fulfill that role, Boaz.
Speaker B:I want you to do something.
Speaker B:I want you to marry me.
Speaker B:She does this, you say?
Speaker B:What does she say?
Speaker B:I want you to marry me.
Speaker B:Well, she says these words, and they're beautiful.
Speaker B:She says, spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid.
Speaker B:Now let me stop and say that.
Speaker B:The word skirt there is used in.
Speaker B:That's used in verse nine.
Speaker B:It's the same word that Boaz uses in chapter two, in verse 12, in the Hebrew translated wings.
Speaker B:It's exactly the same Hebrew word.
Speaker B:So what Ruth is saying is, therefore, she says, spread therefore thy skirt or spread thy wings over thine handmaid.
Speaker B:I remind you, in chapter two in verse 12, Boaz said, when Ruth came to her humbly and fell before his feet and said, how can I find all this grace in your eyes?
Speaker B:Boaz said, 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:Now, folks, the only other place in the Old Testament where the phrase spreading the wings occurs in relationship to lovers is in Ezekiel, chapter 16 and verse 8.
Speaker B:And God is describing Israel as a young maiden who he has taken as his wife.
Speaker B:In verse 8 of Ezekiel, chapter 16, he says, now when I pass by thee, looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of love.
Speaker B:And I spread my skirt or my wings.
Speaker B:The Hebrew word there is wings over thee and cover thy nakedness.
Speaker B:Yea, I swear unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.
Speaker B:So what Ruth was in effect saying when she says, boaz, spread your wings over me.
Speaker B:Spread your skirt, spread your wings over me.
Speaker B:I'd like to be the one that you pledge your faithfulness to, with whom you make a marriage covenant to.
Speaker B:I want you to marry me.
Speaker B:Even as God spread his wings over the children of Israel and brought them into a marriage relationship, and they became his.
Speaker B:Boaz, spread your wings over me and marry me.
Speaker B:Redeem me.
Speaker B:Destitute.
Speaker B:I'm in a dire position.
Speaker B:Our family inheritance is being lost.
Speaker B:Our family name is being lost.
Speaker B:Boaz, spread your wings over thine maiden.
Speaker B:The suggestion I believe here is that Boaz, when he said in chapter 2 and verse 12, 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:I really believe what Boaz was saying.
Speaker B:He's saying here because you take refuge under the wings of God, you're the kind of woman I want to cover with my wings.
Speaker B:And Boaz was indirectly saying that.
Speaker B:He was saying back in chapter two and verse 12, because you have trusted in God, because you have taken refuge under the wings of God.
Speaker B:You, you're the kind of woman.
Speaker B:You're a godly woman, you're a virtuous woman.
Speaker B:You're the kind of woman I'd like to spread my wings over, and you can take refuge under me.
Speaker B:I don't believe at that point in chapter two, Boaz knew he was the answer to his own prayer, that he would be the answer to his own prayer.
Speaker B:Let me just stop and say to you singles here this morning, what you need to look for in a mate is someone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, mind, soul and strength.
Speaker B:Someone who has godly character.
Speaker B:And listen, you can't discern godly character by meeting them once and thinking, that's the person I need to marry.
Speaker B:You have to abide with him a little bit.
Speaker B:Watch them, observe them.
Speaker B:Not stalk them, but watch them, observe them and see.
Speaker B:Are they truly a person of character?
Speaker B:Is this a young man of character?
Speaker B:Is this a young lady of character?
Speaker B:So when Ruth says these words to Boaz, spread your wings over thy servant.
Speaker B:I believe that Boaz at that moment may have thought to himself, why, wow, this beautiful, godly young moabite widow, who's much younger than I am, who I never thought I'd have a chance with, she understood, really understood.
Speaker B:Maybe what I said back in chapter two and verse 12, what I said out in the fields when I said, you have taken refuge under the wings of God, but I want you to take refuge under my wings.
Speaker B:What a beautiful scene this is.
Speaker B: ponds to her request in verse: Speaker B:Notice the very tender, kind word used there for her.
Speaker B:My daughter.
Speaker B:For thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followest not young men, whether poor or rich.
Speaker B:And now, my daughter, fear not.
Speaker B:I will do to thee all that thou requirest.
Speaker B:For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a what?
Speaker B:Virtuous woman.
Speaker B:Again he brings this up.
Speaker B:He says, I'm going to do what you asked me to do, because all the city.
Speaker B:The testimony, your testimony in the community is you're a godly woman.
Speaker B:Same words that are used in Proverbs 31 of a Proverbs 31.
Speaker B:Woman who is a virtuous woman.
Speaker B:Beautiful testimony given here of Ruth, verse 12.
Speaker B:And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman.
Speaker B:Howbeit?
Speaker B:Here's a wrinkle.
Speaker B:There's a kinsman nearer than I.
Speaker B:Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman part.
Speaker B:But if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then I will do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth and lie down until the morning.
Speaker B:And she lay at his feet until the morning.
Speaker B:And she rose up before one could know another.
Speaker B:And he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
Speaker B:You say, why did he say that?
Speaker B:He was trying to protect her.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:He's trying to protect her reputation.
Speaker B:This is a godly man, as I preached several weeks back.
Speaker B:He's a God saturated man who is a portrait, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Speaker B:So let me pause and say that there's nothing sexual in this encounter.
Speaker B:Some commentators, some preachers have even preached that there was some sexual connotation here.
Speaker B:I believe there's no sexual connotation in this encounter.
Speaker B:There's nothing sexually suggestive in this scene.
Speaker B:She does not even touch Boaz.
Speaker B:Boaz does not even touch her.
Speaker B:She was following the respective protocol, we might say, for this very unusual situation she was in.
Speaker B:One commentator aptly states, I love his words.
Speaker B:He says, the stars are beautiful overhead.
Speaker B:They're on the threshing floor.
Speaker B:They're under the stars.
Speaker B:The stars are beautiful overhead.
Speaker B:It is midnight.
Speaker B:He desires her.
Speaker B:She desires him there alone.
Speaker B:She is under his cloak.
Speaker B:And he stops it for the sake of righteousness and does not touch her.
Speaker B:What a man, what a woman.
Speaker B:He continues, but I say to you, who are unmarried, you singles here today, if the star is shining in their beauty and your blood is thudding like a hammer and you are safe in the privacy of your place, stop for the sake of righteousness.
Speaker B:Let the morning.
Speaker B:I love these words.
Speaker B:Let the morning dawn on your purity.
Speaker B:Let the morning dawn on your purity.
Speaker B:And singles, I plead with you as Boaz and Ruth, I believe, would be, pleading with you to never have sexual relationships outside of marriage.
Speaker B:And if you already have had sexual relationships outside of marriage, there's forgiveness and cleansing in the offspring of Ruth and Boaz, the person of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:This brings us to the third point I want to share with you today and I want to make.
Speaker B:We've talked about the predicament, we've talked about the plan that Naomi had, but now I want you to see the beautiful picture that this whole scene represents.
Speaker B:You have listened to the first part of a two part message by Evangelist Sam Wood.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining the Fortifying youg Family podcast.
Speaker A: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, fortifying your family starts with a strong belief in God's word.
