Ok, we are finishing our Advent series in Ruth today with the last chapter of Ruth. i don’t have time for a full recap, but I will say that chapter three ended with a huge plot twist. Boaz agrees to marry Ruth, but there is another kinsman redeemer higher up the line to gets first right of refusal to marry Ruth and we are left hanging as Boaz goes to talk to this man and see if he will marry Ruth or if Boaz will. 

Chapter four is where it all comes together. We know Ruth will be married, but we don’t know who she will be married to. We know close to nothing about this other man, but we do know one thing: we don’t like him. We want Boaz. That’s where we are and as this story comes together we are going to see faithfulness on display. 

I talk with people often who have questions about what faithfulness looks like. What does it look like to be a faithful friend? What does it look like to be a faithful spouse? What does it look like to be a faithful Christian? What does it look like for God to be faithful to me? Where do I find the fuel to be faithful when I feel empty inside? Well, all those questions come into play in this chapter. 

This chapter finishes this great story of Naomi and Ruth and gets to the core of the Christmas message. We are going to walk through this story and see 1) Three qualities of faithfulness in general and 2) four truths about God’s faithfulness. 

1. Three Qualities of Faithfulness in General

We see three things here about our faithfulness in human relationships. But, before I get there, I need to set some more context. First, land belonged to God. We see that in Leviticus 25. And because it belonged to God, there were provisions that allowed people to get land back if they had to sell it off in a tough time. 

Second, Deuteronomy 25 tells us how 1) widows are provided for and 2) family names (which were crucial to get your land back) were protected. A widow should not be married outside of the family of her husband, but his brother or a close relative of her dead husband should take her in. The person was called a redeemer. If a child is produced from that relationship, that child will continue to the name of the dead father if it is any different from the biological father. If a close relative objected to being a redeemer, it was a huge disgrace. The elders of the town were supposed to come together, pull off the man’s sandals and spit in his face. That might sound more like an episode of Jerry Springer, but it is important to understand that taking care of widows was a big deal to God. 

So, in our story, we have the land issue AND the widow issue AND the family name issue all at play. Remember, Naomi’s husband likely sold his land before they left. The only way these women can be provided for, the only way to continue the family name of Elimelech, and the only way to get the family land back is for Ruth to marry one of these two men.

Now, Boaz goes to the city gate and ‘behold’ - this is the same kind of ‘as luck would have it’ language - the nearer redeemer walks by. And it’s hard to see it in English, but the author calls him ‘friend.’ The actual Hebrew word is rhyming gibberish. It would be the way we might say ‘Mr. So and So.’ Boaz sits with Mr. So and So, he took ten men of the elders of the city, and they began to talk. So, we now have witnesses to this discussion as Leviticus 25 requires. Then Boaz said to this potential redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” - Ruth 4:2-4

So, with context, this all makes sense. This is the redemption of the land we talked about. The redeemer can take Naomi and the land at a price and since Naomi doesn’t have children and may even be past childbearing age, the land would go to Mr. So and So’s children. It doesn’t take a Wall Street executive to see a good deal here. This is a no brainer. High reward, low risk. So, how are we feeling right now? What a crummy story if this is how it ends! Imagine if Ruth were listening to this conversation. We already know she’s good at spying on people:) How do you think she would feel? Is Boaz trying to get rid of her? Is he going back on what he said? 

No. What he’s doing is actually pretty brilliant. Let’s keep reading. Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Ruth 4:5 Oh, yeah. There’s one more thing Mr. So and So. Did I forget to mention Ruth? And just for the extra punch, Boaz makes sure to call her ‘Ruth the Moabite.’ You’ll have to marry her and give her heirs this property. Does that change the deal for you in any way? 

How brilliant! Boaz has to acknowledge his willingness to be a redeemer or Mr. So and So would have been obligated to proceed. But, if Boaz comes in too excited, Mr. So and So might think, “Well, if you’re so excited to marry her., then maybe I am too!” This is what I call the Tom Sawyer effect. Do you remember when he made painting a fence look like so much fun that all the kids wanted to do it? If someone else is enjoying something that doesn’t look so great, maybe I should do it. It’s like a kid with a toy that has been unused for a month, but the moment a sibling shows interest in it, well, now that’s the most fun toy in the house and they will not rest until they have it! Boaz doesn’t want to create interest where there currently is none. 

Then, in verse six, Mr. So and So answers, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. You can have the right of redemption for yourself.” Yes! This is exactly how we want this to go! Mr. So and So is just in this for himself. He isn’t interested in actually caring for the poor. Mr. So and So was only interested in what he got out of the deal. He wasn’t actually interested in helping the poor and desperate. 

And here we get to the first quality of faithfulness. Faithfulness pays a price. Whether we are talking about faithfulness to fulfill a societal obligation like taking care of the poor or faithfulness to marital vows or anything in  between. Faithfulness isn’t primarily interested in the payoff, it’s interested in the person. This is why when we make marital vows, we vow to do the hard things. I’ll never need to vow to enjoy eating a steak or go to bed early. Those things come very naturally to me. We vow to stay in when it gets hard. Faithfulness pays a price. 

Taking on Ruth meant challenges. For one, you would marry a woman from a different background. Any time two different cultures marry, there are always unique challenges many of us can’t appreciate. Two, you would be marrying a social outcast. And three, Ruth’s children would get the land. But, Boaz isn’t just willing to do this, he wants to! It’s almost as though Boaz can’t see the cost because he is so committed to Ruth. That’s true faithfulness! When you are so committed to a person or a cause that you are almost blinded to the cost! 

Then, we see the second quality of faithfulness. Faithfulness isn’t guided by what other people think.  Let’s look at how they close the deal to see this. dNow this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. (Ok, a sandal in the transaction, but no spitting.) Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, - Ruth 4:7-10a 

I love that he says her race again. Nothing about the word Moabite would have had good connotations in that society. Boaz could have easily dropped the Moabite part, but he doesn’t care. He loves Ruth. Think about how far we have come in this story. The Israelites can’t even mention the presence of Ruth in chapter one because of her race and now Boaz is proudly saying to all the elders at the gate, “I will have her!” 

Faithfulness isn’t guided by what other people think. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care what other people think. But, it does mean that we do what is right regardless of what other people think. This is especially important to you middle and high schoolers. Look at me here. There is no season in your life when you are more tempted to make decisions based on what other people think than the season you are in now. Maybe one of the most important parts of this season is deciding what you will be faithful to. Is it what your friends think of you? Or is it what God wants for you? You can’t have both and you will pay a price. But it will be worth it. 

Then the third quality of faithfulness we see here is that it blesses others. Let’s see how the people respond to this. Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. (What a prayer!) May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.” - Ruth 4:11-12 This prayer can be confusing so we need to make sure we see what they are saying. May this woman bless and build up all of Israel. That's a pretty big prayer! And, as we will soon see, a pretty prophetic one as well. 

And then you have this business about Tamar. After Ruth 3, I’ll spare you the salacious  details of that story and just summarize what’s going on here with Tamar. The whole story is in Genesis 38, but like Ruth, Tamar was an outsider to God’s covenant people. Like Ruth, Tamar married into the family under uncertain circumstances. Like Ruth, Tamar lost her husband and had no child. Like Ruth, Tamar dressed up in pursuit of a child and a future. And, the hope is that Ruth, like Tamar, will be a foreign woman who carries on the line of Judah. 

All these great blessings on Ruth are possible because of Boaz’ faithfulness toward her. Boaz is a great example of faithfulness for us. But, now the author shifts his focus away from Boaz and toward God. Let’s look at God’s faithfulness to Naomi. 

1. Four Truths about God’s Faithfulness

First, God is faithful even when we cannot see it. Up until now, God has been in the background. We have seen suffering and anguish that few of us here can even relate to. Orpah turned her back on God. Naomi owned her sin, but didn’t believe God would be faithful. And Ruth, even though she was open to it, could not see God’s faithfulness as she walked into Judah with no prospects of food or family. Only now does God come to the foreground. In verse 13, Boaz and Ruth marry, she conceived a child, and then bore a son. In one verse, Ruth’s part of the story is finished. God married, had a baby, it’s a boy. There are only two places in this story where the Lord is mentioned in this way. Here and back in chapter one when God brought food back to Bethlehem. He is first mentioned in their greatest need and He is mentioned again when that need has been provided. God is faithful even when we cannot see it. 

Then, second, God is faithful even when we are faithless. The Ruth story is finished, but the book of Ruth is not. If this were a play, the lights would fade on Ruth and then shine bright on Naomi. Verse 14, Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer,... - Ruth 14a

Wait! The whole redeemer talk was always directed toward Ruth and Boaz. Now we are talking about a different redeemer for Naomi? Who is it? and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons (This is a way of saying she is better than the best son out there. Now, we see who the redeemer is...) has given birth to him.” - Ruth 4:14b-15

Ruth’s son is Naomi’s redeemer! Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse - Ruth 4:16. Now we are closing out the Naomi story. Naomi, who had lost everything because of her sin and came back to Bethlehem bitter and empty, is sitting here with the one who would continue the family line and reclaim the family land. The baby Obed has redeemed the name of Elimelech. 

In this one verse we see potential death turned into life, a curse turned into a blessing, bitterness turned into happiness, emptiness turned into fullness, and despair turned into hope. That is the God Naomi serves. If that isn’t a picture of faithfulness, I don’t know what is. Naomi deserves nothing, but gets everything. She abandoned God when things got tough, but He remained faithful to her. And the story is still not finished. We are going to see that the same kind of faithfulness lavished on Naomi is lavished on us as well. 

Third, God is faithful beyond what we can even hope for. There are certain movies that reveal such a big plot twist at the very end that it makes you want to go back and watch the whole thing again. Movies like The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, or Momento. That’s what is about to happen here. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. - Ruth 4:16,17

This baby, Obed, is the grandfather of King David!! The greatest king in Israel’s history! The Israelites haven’t even started asking for a king yet, but God is already preparing one. This story is larger than Ruth. It’s larger than Naomi. It’s a story about God providing for His people in the darkest of times. It’s a story about God pursuing his people when they need it the most and deserve it the least. And it’s a story about God blessing not just Naomi and Ruth, but all of Israel through the union of Boaz and Ruth. It doesn’t mean you can name it and claim it and it doesn’t mean that He will provide the way you want or expect Him to. But, it does mean that when your life is over, you will not look back and in any way feel like God has been unfaithful to you. In fact, when we stand before God and all the pains of this life are gone…when there is no sin to skew the way we view this world, ourselves, and God…we will be in awe of how faithful God has been, beyond anything we could have ever hoped for, both in sustaining us, providing for us, and bringing us home. 

But, it’s still not over. Fourth, we see that God is faithful to all who humble themselves. The author then gives a second genealogy, this time of Boaz. It’s hard for us to see it, but in this list we have Rahab. Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who came to faith and joined the Israelites. She is the wife of Salmon which makes her Boaz’ mother. This is the first time this is mentioned right at the very end of the book. Rahab’s greatest moral quality recorded in the Bible is that she lied to save other Israelites. She was a pagan prostitute which was about as low as you could get in that society, but she humbled herself to the God of Israel and that’s all it took. And if you really want to have your mind blown, it was God’s faithfulness that brought about Rahab’s humble heart in the first place. 

So, how does this connect to Christmas? Because at Christmas we celebrate God taking on flesh and becoming a man. Jesus’s entrance into this world marks God’s faithfulness to all the prophecies in the Old Testament that God would send a Savior. Jesus is the fullness of God’s faithfulness to us. He has all the qualities of faithfulness we saw in Ruth chapter four. First, faithfulness pays a price. No one has ever paid a greater price for us than Jesus. Not only did He give His life, he took on the full wrath of God in the process. And in the midst of that unimaginable agony, as people watched and mocked, Jesus prayed for them. Forgive them Lord, they know not what they do. Like Boaz before the elders of the city, Jesus is saying in the loudest possible way, “I’ll have her!” But the ‘her’ isn’t a Canaanite woman, it’s us. 

Second, faithfulness isn’t guided by what other people think. Jesus had a mission and His mission would cause all of the powerful people in Israel to hate Him. He wasn’t guided by what men thought, He was guided by what God thought. Third, faithfulness blesses others. As a result of Jesus’ faithfulness, those who choose to give their lives to Him are brought out of a kingdom of darkness and into a kingdom of light. We are invited into a new existence as new creations and, even more, invited into an eternal relationship with the God of the universe. 

And we can see this Christmas connection most clearly in the first chapter of the first gospel as he gives the Genealogy of the Messiah, Jesus. Matthew uses the exact same genealogy as we have here at the end of Ruth. But he makes two additions. I’m going to put Matthew 1:5 on the screen and the underlined parts are what he added. 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by hRahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and iJesse the father of David the king.

He included Rahab and Ruth. And with these two seemingly small additions, he is making huge claims. The Savior who has come into the world has come for all types of people. He has come for every nation, He has come for every class, He has come for every struggle, He has come for every sinner. 

Matthew’s genealogy isn't just showing us that Jesus is King, but what kind of a King He is. He is a King who will accept, protect and love regardless of morality, ethnicity or success. All He requires is repentance. He simply wants us to say, “You are King and I am not.” And what is unique about the Christian worldview is that God’s faithfulness is not based on our faithfulness. We don’t earn God’s faithfulness any more than Naomi did. But, like Naomi, when we see God’s faithfulness, it changes us. It not only makes us willing to say God is King and we are not, but it makes us desire that to be true in every aspect of our lives. 

The coming of Jesus shows us how faithful God is to His people.  He will never leave us nor forsake us and that should shape the things we choose to be faithful to. Your job will not be faithful to you. Your popularity at school or social standing will not be faithful to you. Your money will not be faithful to you. Your health will not be faithful to you because those things don’t love you. Those things have no real control or power. But, God does. As you are betrayed over and over by every aspect of this fallen world, God is telling you loud and clear that He will be faithful. He’s faithful to Ruth, He’s faithful to Naomi, He’s faithful to Israel, and He’s faithful to us.