Delight in the Word

For the fourth week in our Advent series, Pastor Mike turned our attention to the grace of God in the final chapter of Ruth. The anticipation for a kinsman redeemer had been building since chapter 2. In the final chapter of Ruth, God blesses Ruth and Naomi through the provision of Boaz as their kinsman redeemer. Through their redemption, we are reminded of God’s grace in providing us with a better Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

One of the remarkable features of the book is the constant reminder of her identity as a woman from Moab. She is certainly an unlikely character in God’s story of redemption. At least one individual believed that redeeming Ruth would be too costly. Therefore, he decided to pass up the opportunity to redeem her (Ruth 4:5-6). In contrast, Boaz shows Ruth a great deal of kindness and is determined to redeem her even though it would be costly for him. In a far greater way, Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem us from our sins. The story of Ruth constantly points us to our hope in Christ.

The story of Ruth comes to an end with the restoration of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi, who started the story empty-handed, had received a bountiful blessing from the Lord. Ruth, who lost her husband and had no children, had received a husband and a child from the Lord. Through their loss, God brought restoration. Out of their hopelessness, God brought forth hope for all the world. As we know, Ruth’s child was the grandfather of King David through whom God brought forth King Jesus.

As our sermon series on the book of Ruth comes to an end we can look back and be reminded that God cares for His children. We can’t always see how God is working in every detail of our lives, but we know He is present and active. God may not work out all things as you want Him to, but we can trust that all that He does is done for our good and His glory. God’s providence produces great hope for a weary world. Let’s lean into that hope this Christmas and share that hope with the world around us!

Resources:

Reflection Questions:

  • How has the book of Ruth impacted the way you view God?

  • What is remarkable about Boaz’s redemption of Ruth? What is remarkable about Jesus’ redemption of us?

  • How can you share the hope of this gospel with someone this Christmas?

Delight in the WordAustin SegarRuth