RUTH 3 AND 4

This is strange because the closest relative was somebody who was willing to redeem but who could not, and there were ten witnesses with him.

This Is A Symbol Of: The Law and the Ten Commandments. Let us think about it—

Personify The Law: The Law is good; the Law is not bad.

Notice that nothing bad was ever said of the closest relative and Boaz treated him with respect; apparently, he was a good man. So here was a good man who was willing to redeem, but the redemption included somebody (Ruth) from Moab, who was excluded from the Law. So the closest relative said that he could not redeem.

We Personify Law: The Law is willing to redeem us, but the Ten Commandments witness against us.

The Law says Yes, I will redeem you, and then it is pointed out that all human beings (everybody in the human race) are sinners:

Just as Ruth was excluded from the Law because she was from Moab, we are excluded from the Law because we have broken the Ten Commandments — all have sinned. Therefore:

Interestingly Enough: God's highest purpose for the Law was for it to be the way to Him. The original intention of the Law was to redeem human beings; however, the Law cannot.

The closest relative could have married Ruth, but he wanted to follow the technicality of the Law. Boaz said Love is more important than Law is. The fact that Ruth was from Moab was a zero factor. Boaz redeemed Ruth because he loved her.

Parallel: That is why Messiah Jesus could redeem the elect. Even though they broke the Law, that was a zero factor. He redeemed them because He loved them.

What is really interesting to me is that Boaz recognized that the closer relative [who was under the Law] had first claim.

Parallel: That is appropriate for believers as well, because Paul says:

When we were born, we were born under Law and the Law had first claim on us. We were born—

The offer Boaz made to be the legal redeemer was unconditional; it was given. He said I will be your redeemer. Ruth had an option of accepting just the legalities of it, or also having a love relationship with it.

Parallel: Is it not a shame that most biblical believers leave the relationship at the legal level — I was saved; I was redeemed — and that is where it stops?

For example, there are many authors who have written massive works about all of the intricacies of redemption, however, based on the way many of them write, you can tell that these individuals are cold and they have not developed a loving relationship with the living God.

The fact that many believers stay at that level — the understanding of redemption and the legalities of it — is why their lives are not much different from the lives of moral unbelievers. I am assuming that they are at least equal to that. However, having said that, that is not always the case, because many believers' lives are lower morally than those of moral unbelievers. Some say They must not be believers then, but I say Yes, sure they are! They have trusted in Messiah Jesus as their Redeemer (Savior), but their lives are lower morally than the lives of moral unbelievers, because they have never developed a loving relationship with the Lord God.

The Real Problem: If an individual just stays at that legal level — understanding I am redeemed, I am saved — without understanding the love relationship, that keeps him in legalism. That individual is just going to be a legalist and he is not going to grow in the love of the Lord Jesus, Messiah.

Alarmingly, the standard answer of a legalist is My love is not perfect, but when it is then I will not have fear. They forget the next part of the verse, which says and the one who fears is not being perfected in love. Often, the legalist's response is When I love perfect, then I will worry about that. However, the Bible tells us If you have fear in love, then you are not even on the road. He who fears is not being brought to maturity; he who fears is not growing.

Picture: The relationship between Boaz and Ruth is a picture of Messiah and His own.

• How much FEAR do you think Boaz wanted Ruth to have of him? None.
• How much relationship could there have been between them if there had been fear? None.

I think, generally, we have a little bit of fear, showing we choose to remain under the Law.

A Look At The Synonyms: Consider what you would think are not synonymous, but throughout the Bible they are almost interchangeable:

Someone who is a Slave to Law is a Slave to Sin.

That is why Paul said:

What would make sense to me is if Paul had said Sin shall not be master over you, because you are under Law not Grace. That makes sense to me. What does not make sense to me is to say Sin shall NOT be master over you, because you are under Grace. So the obvious conclusion is — if you are under the Law, Sin is your master.

We want to understand that as a biblical principal:

• If I am under Law, then I am going to be a Slave to Sin.

I cleaned out my office the other day — a rare occurrence — and I was organizing what I could and stuffing what I could not behind other things. I also cleaned out some cobwebs. Then a thought occurred to me This is how we try to clean up our lives through legalism.

Many Draw The [Wrong] Conclusion: Being under grace is the only way for sin to be eliminated in our lives; therefore, our behavior does not matter — that is not the correct conclusion. What is?

God does not see the sin of the redeemed judicially, legally. But He does see the sins, because He is omniscient (God sees everything). When He sees the sin of the redeemed, it does not make Him mad, it does not offend Him, and He does not punish them, because He accepts them 100 percent — totally — just as they are. When He sees sin, He grieves because of the harm it causes in the lives of His own children.

Somehow we have to find the balance and recognize that in our relationship with the Lord God, our behavior is a zero factor.

If a believer does not respond to discipline (the counsel of God's will) about not being [for example] greedy — greed is wrong and greed will cause you harm — then the Lord God will provide chastening (personal counsel). Chastening is Holy Spirit saying You are being greedy, which is going to cause you great harm.

When a believer does not respond to the chastening, Holy Spirit springs into action and He scourges you saying You are going to kill yourself, so let Me guide this. The only reason scourging hurts is because your hands are gripping the steering wheel so tightly that when He sets you down it hurts. If you were not clinging to the wheel, scourging would not involve any pain for you. You would say Oh, thank You, take this; I hate this drive anyway!

On what does the Lord God want us to focus? He wants us to focus on His love. We can see how we are much more responsive to His love rather than discipline — no matter how gentle it always is.

Consider Boaz: He did not want Ruth to be afraid of him. And you know that Boaz did not want Ruth to worry about what kind of discipline there was going to be. He said I am all ready your legal redeemer. That was all ready set when he put the notice down at the courthouse. What Boaz wanted was for Ruth to love him back, even though he had enough love to carry the entire relationship for the entire time they would be together. Oddly enough, she did not have to return any love; however, Ruth would because of Boaz's overwhelming love.

Many of us tend to think I am not under the Law, because I hate legalism and that is not my problem. Here is a way to tell — if you have idolatry, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, and/or envying. If you have any of those behaviors, then you have put yourself under the Law, because that is the fruit of the flesh. And whenever you are under the Law, the fruit of the flesh is going to be manifested.

The book of Ruth shows a Moabitess being redeemed despite the fact that the Law excluded her. It shows that love is more powerful than the Law, and that Messiah's love for the elect triumphs over the Law. Amazingly, this book actually disproves the theology of legalists, who in practice, tend to sympathize with the closest relative [who is the one who tried to keep the Law technically].

That is the discovery that led to Paul's redemption. He caught on about his persistent sin, which was coveting. He thought I am keeping the Law, I have not killed anybody, I have not committed adultery, I do not bow down before idols, I do not steal, and I do not lie. Then one day it clicked I can stop myself from stealing, but with coveting, I have no hope — he could not keep himself from breaking the Law. He also caught on that he could not have a prevailing sin, yet be in the presence of a Holy God. Trying to keep the Law gave Paul no hope!

Good News: Obeying is not a matter of following the Law and of doing sacrifices; it is a matter of believing the Lord God. What do we believe? The Lord Almighty provided the greatest sacrifice on our behalf: He sent His Son, Messiah Jesus, to die for our sins on the Cross, to be buried, to resurrect from the dead after three days, and to ascend to the right hand of the Father.

God wants you to believe Him, not to make sacrifices (to follow the Law), and He wants to give you a future and a hope for all eternity. He says:

Father, thank You for the book of Ruth, which undoubtedly shows that You have announced, at the main gate of my heart You are my Kinsman, and that Messiah Jesus voluntarily redeemed me for Your family because He loves me. Thankfully, there is no other way to You, but through Your Son. I know that I could never attain this eternal relationship under my own power or by trying to follow the Law. I like everyone else, only fail at those attempts.

Thank You for this story in the book of Ruth showing the lovingkindness that Boaz continually bestowed upon Ruth. Though initially she might have been uncertain about the outcome of the events surrounding her life, Boaz — through Your grace — led her in honesty to a place of protection, of redemption, and of great blessing. There is no doubt that You are faithful to guide and protect Your own through a loving relationship that exceeds all others.

Fortunately, for those who believe, Messiah Jesus has provided the way of eternal life with You. And for those who still have doubts about Him, we ask that their eyes be opened to see, and their ears be tuned in to hear, what Messiah Jesus has been saying since the beginning — I am the way, the truth and the life; No one comes to the Father but through Me. May their private mailboxes — their hearts — be posted with the message You have just for them so they may believe, even when others are shouting messages of legalism, of Law.

Father God, thank You for taking me from the place of believing You just exist to believing You.

In Your Son's name I pray. Amen.

© Worldnet Grace Ministries

This data file is the sole property of Worldnet Grace Ministries. It may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.

This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Worldnet Grace Ministries. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to:

Worldnet Grace Ministries, PO Box 130006, The Woodlands, Texas 77393, USA