The Moabitesh Beauty That Sought Redemption

Text: “Ruth 3: 1 - 9”

Ruth 3:1-9 (KJV) 1 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? 2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt 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. 5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. 6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. 7 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, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 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.

Introduction

The beauty of this passage is that Ruth and Boaz will come face to face with the fact that she needs a redeemer and quiet possibly he is the man for the Job. The fact of the matter is that Jesus is willing and waiting to save us, but we must personally ask him. The reality of salvation is that it is absolutely free, but it will not be forced upon us. If a person gets saved it will be just as every other person, by a person belief in the redemptive power of our only saviour.

The Reality of Redemption:

a. The sinful state of mankind - The dark sin of man

b. The serious situation of mankind - The dreadful sentence of man

The Reassurance of Redemption:

a. The availability of our redeemer

b. The ability of our redeemer

I - The Need of her Redeemer (1)

Ruth and Naomi were discussing their situation and they both understood the seriousness of the hour. It is beneficial for the lost person to come to an understanding that they are lost. The fact is that one cannot be saved until one becomes lost. We live in a day that people are not lost, seemingly they don’t care nor does the church care. It is sad that people do not see the seriousness of this day and time. It was not so with Naomi & Ruth. The mother-in-law would not allow Ruth to go much loner without a redeemer. I want us to consider what would have happened if Ruth were to die before being redeemed:

Serious Thoughts of Ruth Dying before her Redemption

If Ruth were to die before being redeemed, it could have been much different in the history of this nation. Ruth should have been so thankful for Naomi being concerned for her redemption. I wonder how many of us display any kind of concern for the redemption of those that we know and say that we love.

Significant Tragedy of Ruth Dying before her Redemption

If she would have died before redemption, the entire bloodline of her husband would have ended. It was a serious thing that Ruth found a redeemer and asked him to redeem her.

A) Someone was privately Preparing Ruth

Naomi was working behind the scenes to prepare Ruth for what was needed. If one does not help prepare the lost for salvation how can they ever be redeemed? It was the private preparation that allowed Ruth to realize that she needed to be redeemed. I was lost and on my way to hell until I got around some people that helped bring me to knowledge that I was lost and in need of salvation. One must see the need, without the need they cannot be saved.

B) Someone was personally Pushing Ruth

Naomi was pushing Ruth to the place that she would ask Boaz to redeem her. I hope that we can see the spiritual picture of this setting and story. It is the private and personal workings of the Holy Spirit that prepares and pushes us to the needfulness of salvation. The private and personal workings of the Holy Spirit; is a marvelous thing in the life of a lost person.

The Eternal Reality of the Sinners Need - Sin

The Effective Realization of the Sinners Need - Spirit

The Evident Remedy of the Sinners Need - Saviour

II -The Name of her Redeemer (2a)

Naomi knew much about this man named Boaz; he was a possible kinsman redeemer. Naomi placed much value upon the name of this mighty man. Boaz was an honorable man that displayed much affection towards Ruth. Naomi knew that if Ruth would get to the right situation Boaz could possibly redeem her.

A) The Appeal of his Name

The appeal of his name was moving to the two ladies. The barley that lay before them was because of this man Boaz. The nourishment within their bodies was afforded to them because of Boaz. The very sound of his name may have stirred their emotions. I don’t know about you but the name of Jesus is of great appeal to me. I know who I was and where I was headed, but when I met Jesus he changed it all. The name of Jesus is soothing and satisfying to this preacher.

B) The Affluence of his Name

It was easy to understand the importance of Boaz. The man owned many fields in Bethlehem; he had many workmen at his beckoning call. I dare say that Boaz was a man of prestige and prominence in the city of Bethlehem. The name of Jesus Christ is a name that is above all names. At the uttering of his name, one of these days every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess that he is God. The song rightly say’s there is something about that name.

The Name of Jesus brings Sinful Confession

The Name of Jesus brings Sure Conversion

The Name of Jesus brings Soothing Calmness

The Name of Jesus brings satisfying Closenes

III - The Nearness of her Redeemer (2b)

Naomi tells Ruth that she knows where Boaz can be located. The man was down at the threshing floor. The workman would be threshing their wheat and Boaz would spend the night there to protect his barley. It is one thing to tell a sinner of their need of salvation but another to point them truthfully in the right direction. It is beneficial if we not only tell them about their sin, but we must point them to the saviour. The confession of ones need is good, but the confession of ones redeemer is another. Ruth was told the exact location of Boaz; he was down at the threshing floor. I will never forget the day that I got saved, the preacher made me come face to face with my sin. Then he told me how to be saved, that was the most important thing that I had ever heard.

A) The Place of Natural Access

It was time for harvesting the barley and time for threshing the barley. The logical idea for finding the workers would be to go to where the work was being done. It is not hard for one to find Jesus; if there is a lost soul he can be found. I dare say that he can be found in the house of God, but he can also be found where the lost souls are ready for harvest. The Holy Spirit will clear the path for the seeking sinner that needs personal redemption. The moment one realizes their spiritual need, the Holy Spirit will point them in the right direction.

B) The Person of Notable Availability

Naomi alerts Ruth to the fact that Boaz is down there working. It would not be long before should could have personal access to him. In seeking Jesus Christ for salvation one does not have to wait long, he is readily available to save a lost soul. The whereabouts of Boaz was not hard to figure out; he was down at the threshing floor doing the needful work. If a lost sinner needs to find Jesus all he has to do is acknowledge the need of his heart and the redeemer is readily available.

IV - The Necessities of her Redeemer (3 - 5)

It was near time for Ruth to go and see Boaz; there were some things that needed to be done. The moment we get saved there are certain things that happen. We do not get saved by works but once we do get saved certain things in our life should be evident.

A) The Change That Ruth Needed (3)

I like this passage because it shows us what happens as we believe in Jesus Christ. The moment we get saved we are washed afresh and anew by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I don’t say that I understand all that salvation engulfs, but I know it to be true. The precious little pagan girl was going to the threshing floor to ask her majestic Boaz to redeem her. Naomi told her to go and wash herself, and then she was to anoint herself. I don’t know about anyone else but the moment I got saved, I was washed and anointed with a fresh and fragrant filling of the Holy Spirit of God. The newness of my salvation was evident and it was forever and eternal. I am so thankful for the cleansing that God allows the sinner.

B) The Covering That Ruth Needed (4)

Ruth tenderly plodded her way down to the threshing floor. The girl done as directed by Naomi, she watched and waited for the right time. I dare say this because I believe it to be true, “One Cannot Be Saved Just Any Old Time”! I believe that we can only get saved when the time is right. If the Spirit is not directing us to salvation, then how can we be saved? I truly believe that conviction must precede confession and change must follow confession. If a man is truly saved then he will truly change, if not I would check on my salvation. I am not much into this easy believe-ism.

Ruth needed the covering that Boaz would offer her. In going down to the threshing floor she was not to do anything. All she was required to do was find Boaz pull back the covers at his feet and slide in next to his feet. The best place that a sinner can be found is to be hidden in Jesus Christ. I find this to be most alluring in portraying the majestic gospel of Christ. I can do nothing to enhance my salvation; all I can do is to hide myself in him. The beauty of the gospel is that when the world looks at us they should not see us but Christ.

C) The Commitment That Ruth Needed (5)

The only thing you and I can do is be truthful in our commitment to him. If we confess him and truly mean it in our heart then we can be saved. Ruth told Naomi all that she had instructed her she would do. I find this entire passage nothing but a symbolic portrait of a sinner being introduced to Jesus Christ, our Boaz. The commitment of Ruth would be enough to insure her redemption.

V - The Nudging of her Redeemer (6 - 9)

I want to make this clear; we can do nothing to afford us salvation. The only thing that is required of us is to ask for it. The salvation of Jesus Christ is freely given to every person in the world, but one must ask for this salvation. God will not override the desires of a man’s heart when it comes to salvation. The only thing that Ruth could do was go and lay at his feet and when the time came ask Boaz to redeem her. It was as simple as that. Boaz was willing to redeem, he was able to redeem, and he just needed to be asked by Ruth. If she would ask him he would do all that he could to redeem her.

A) The Path That Ruth Followed (6)

Boaz followed the advice of Naomi and she found her way to the threshing floor. If we listen to the Holy Spirit he will guide us to the place where we can find salvation. The path to salvation is easy if we follow the directions.

B) The Place That Ruth Fell (7)

In going to the threshing floor, Ruth waited until all was quiet, then she found her place at the feet of Boaz. It should be noted that those willing to fall at the feet of Jesus can be raised as a new person.

C) The Person That Ruth Found (8)

The redeemer of Ruth was so close that she could touch him. In times past I had heard much of Jesus Christ, but the day I got saved I did not see him as a mere good man, I saw him as my Saviour. It was so different on that day.

D) The Plea That Ruth Fashioned (9)

It was on the tip of her tongue, Ruth told Boaz that she was his handmaiden and that he was her near kinsman. In that instance things changed for the better between these two people. Boaz would become her redeemer and she was to be his wife. It was a wonderful day when Ruth declared Boaz to be her saviour.

Conclusion

It should be noted here that the redemption that Ruth was receiving was not going to cost her anything. Boaz had all of the required resources to acquire her needed redemption. The vile lost sinner has nothing to offer Jesus Christ. It is wondrous love that allows us the opportunity of full and free salvation. I stood before him as a lost pagan deserving of hell, but walked away as a saved sinner with all of his mighty benefits and blessings.