Our lesson this afternoon is simply entitled, get, wisdom
comes from Proverbs the fourth chapter verses 1 through 9.
I'd like to read these verses, if you'll follow along in your
Bibles as a way of introduction here in proverbs, 4, starting in
verses one says here my children.
The instructions of a father, give intention to no
understanding for I give you good Doctrine.
Do not forsake my law. When I was my Father's, son,
Tender. And the only one in the side of
my mother. He also taught me and said to
me, let your heart retain my words.
He says, keep my commands and live get wisdom.
Get understanding, do not forget, nor turn away from the
words of my mouth, do not forsake her and she will
preserve you love her and she will keep you.
Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore, get wisdom and all of
your getting get understanding exalter and she will Promote
you, she will bring you honor when you Embrace her, she will
place on your head an ornament of Grace, a Crown of Glory.
She delivered to you. And so for just a little while,
I want to talk about wisdom fact, we're going to talk about
an incredibly wise woman found in the Book of Ruth and you'll
understand by the end of my lesson.
Why I chose these words out of Proverbs to introduce my lesson?
We're going to talk about Ruth, we're going to talk about
wisdom, how important it is in our life.
And how she demonstrates to us, some of the greatest wisdom that
I think, besides Jesus Christ that we can find.
But before we do, we have a privilege of prayer, we asked a
humble yourself in some manner. That's brother.
And selected words, our prayer, if you'll turn your Bibles over
to the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament, I would like to start
by reading the first few verses to really give us this idea and
just start talking about Ruth and the wisdom that she
demonstrated through her. Life.
Honestly, there's a great wealth of information that could be
said and talked about when it comes to wisdom and it comes to
really knowledge that we understand and understanding how
to apply it and in our lives. Really, that's what wisdom is is
knowledge that we understand how to apply and in our lives,
effectively, and I think Ruth's a great example of this.
So if your turn your Bibles will start in roof, the first chapter
or like to read the first five verses, It says it.
Now it came to pass in the days of the judges ruled that there
was a famine in the land and a certain man of Bethlehem Judah
went to dwell in the country of Moab.
He and his wife and two sons, the name of the man was
elimelech in the name of his wife was in the owe.
Me the name of his two sons were met Leon and chili on effort
Heights of Bethlehem Judah. They went to the to the country
of Moab and remained there. Then elimelech Naomi's husband
died. So she was left and her two
sons. Now, they took wives of the
women of Moab, the name of the one was orpah and the name of
the other was Ruth. And they dwelt there about 10
years, then both met Leon and chili on also died.
So the woman survived her two sons and her husband.
And so really The Book of Ruth starts in a very sad way, it
starts in the time of the judges.
Now I'm really starting to get a grasp of the Old Testament for
the first time in my Christian life and you start reading the
period of the judges, the more you read and the more, you
understand the worse, it gets, it's crazy.
How far God's people went off the beaten path.
I mean, it amazes me and so you got to remember, it happened.
It's a time of the judges, a very bad time.
And the second we find in the beginning of Ruth and this book
that it started during a Now I started thinking about what a
famine was. We just had a pandemic to me,
that was a famine. I couldn't get in certain
things. At the grocery stores.
I have a picture. I'll never forget this.
I hope you don't of Walmart. Looking down a shelf and there
was nothing on the entire aisle. Not to myself, man.
Surely this is no famine right? Me to us, it might seem that
way, but that's not what a family is.
So, a famine is something that people die from.
That's what a family is. It's where you literally have no
way to provide for your family or for yourself, there's no
food. There's no way to feed yourself
let alone. Someone else that's a family.
When you go days and days and days without food, now, I'm a
big fellow. Let me tell you, I've done some
fasting lately doing keto. It's hard.
I encourage you one day to try to fast for 24 hours.
Let me know how that turns out it's hard.
And the Bible says this began and the judges in the period of
a famine. And so this man had decided, you
know, a limit lap to decided that I'm going to take my wife,
and I'm going to take my children, and I'm going to go
over to Moab now that in itself was a really poor decision on
his part, right? I mean, he's really moving away
from God's people, he's moving away from the comfort of all the
things that he know. But most importantly, he's going
to a place that doesn't worship God.
And so he makes this decision. I would imagine based off
there's no food and so he gets up and he goes over to Moab.
Now, how sad it is for us, when we make decisions in our life,
and I've heard many people talk this way.
You know, I want to move here, I want to move there, I want to do
this, there was great, wisdom and understanding, and
considering God, first in our life moving somewhere, where
there was no church or moving somewhere, where we have to
drive four hours to go to church, is probably a very
unwise move but this man did that and so what happened is, he
died his two sons decided not to marry Godly women but to marry
ungodly women at first And so we find this story kind of goes on
that a two sons died. And now there's this woman named
Naomi. There's a woman named orpah and
a woman named Ruth. What are they to do?
It's not like today's society, we can kind of just pick up and
you know, a widow can get a job and our society that wasn't like
this back then. No, back then a widow, man.
That was a hard hard, hard life. And so this woman Naomi this
mother with her to daughter-in-laws starting in
verses 6 through 18 decides, you know what, I'm going to go back
home to Bethlehem I'm going to after 10 years or have a long
day where there I'm going to go home.
So she decided that that was her New Path.
But something happens, and this is really where the story starts
to come to life. Naomi decides that she doesn't
want to bring her to daughter-in-laws.
I saw a conversation begins to happen between these people and
Naomi's are going back and forth, go back to your people.
There's no hope for you. In fact, listen to what verses,
eleven says, I find this unimaginable at this, is her
logic. She says in verses lesson verse
11, but the only said turn back my daughter's.
Why will you go With me, are there still sons in my womb that
you maybe be your husband's as if there was another men in the
world to marry. She says, look there's no
prospects for you, where I'm going, go home and in fact, we
find in verses 14, they lifted up the lifted up their voices
and wept again and orpah. Kissed her mother-in-law, but
Ruth clung to her, and so rude. Or if I decided I'm gonna To go
home. And so she makes that Journey
back to her parents and the people.
She knows until like that she's had her entire life.
But Ruth did something different.
She clung donating to Naomi. So, two things we can learn from
this little lesson here. Number one neomi was blaming
God. You read the rest of this
chapter and kind of beginning of chapter 2.
What was happening is Naomi was blaming God for all of her
problems. Have we ever done that doctor
herself? Wow man.
God's punishing me because that's what she thought God's
doing this to me, because that's what she thought.
You know what happened. She allowed Satan and she was
going through a really rough time since she had nobody around
her to help her. How sad that is, right, there's
a few verses I'd like to read on this.
I did James 4:7 says therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
There's truth to that We will simply submit to God's will and
do what he says Satan will run from us.
The Bible says this is the second side to this.
I'd like to talk about it's time to Galatians 6 and 1 brother in.
If any man is overtaking a trespasses you who are spiritual
restore. Such a one in the spirit of
gentleness considering yourself. Lest you also be tempted Shame
on us. When our brothers and our
Sisters in Christ are going through troubling times and we
don't help them. Shame on us that we aren't
trying to get ourselves rights, that we may be able to help one
another. When I doing it out of
arrogance, we're not doing it out of superiority.
No. We help one another because we
understand that we need help as well.
And so when our brothers and sisters allow Satan, and we need
to be there to help. And when we're on the receiving
side of that, we need to we need to understand that people are
saying things because they love us.
Now there's a Flipside, see Ruth, had the opposite idea.
Listen to her response when her mother-in-law told her to go.
Back Ruth says in verse 16 of chapter 1, but Ruth said,
entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following
after you, wherever you go, I will go wherever you Lodge.
I will Lodge. Your people shall be my people.
People. Your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die. And there will I be buried in
the Lord do to me and more also of anything but death part to
you and me. See, Naomi wanted Ruth to go
back. And if you go up one verse the
latter part of that, verse says, you she wanted her to go back to
her gods. to false people, the false gods that is I move said,
no, she put her foot down. You know?
What? Ruth did she followed God.
No matter the circumstance. Now, that's a hard thing to do.
Think about this. She left mother, she left
father, she left the entire world.
She knows for all intensive purposes.
She moved across the universe. It was a long journey by foot.
She left everything to follow God.
What Woods them that we can follow Luke 14:33?
Yeah, we 1433. So likewise wherever you does
not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.
If we are not willing to give up everything, this world halves we
cannot be Disciples of God. There should be nothing the
stands between us and worshiping God.
I don't care if that your mother.
I don't care about your father, your brother, your sister, your
friends, your loved ones, no matter what.
Nothing should stand between you and God.
What a beautiful example Ruth show, our story moves on into
really the end of this chapter and verse 19 through 22.
They decide that they return to Bethlehem and so Ruth follows
her mother-in-law back. It was the time of barley.
We move into really the second chapter, they find themselves.
Now unto Bethlehem and the second chapter verses one
through seven. And now they're out of dilemma.
What are they going to do for food?
What are they going to do for daily living and things like
that? They had nothing.
So Ruth says, you know what I'm going to do something about this
and the second chapter in the second verse.
So Ruth, the moabitess said to Naomi, please let me go.
Go to the fields and glean heads of grain.
After him in whom site, I may find favor So Ruth didn't sit
around and say, oh well, oh me. Oh, look at all my problems.
She did wait around for somebody else to lead her to this or to
do this or no. She says, I'm going to solve my
own problems. That's a lesson that you and I
can learn. Sometimes we need a sand up and
solve our own problems instead of waiting around for something
else to be done. And what she was asking to do
was not easy. Now I've never picked cotton,
I've never picked barley, but I have picked cherries.
I spent one summer picking cherries after work.
It was the worst experience of my entire life.
People who pictures, if there's anybody in here, I've ever
worked in the field. Kudos to you because that is
some hard work. I have never hurt so much in my
life than trying to keep up with these 60 year.
Old man picking these cherries faster than you can ever
imagine. As she was acting, not just the
big cherries, but the bend over and pick wheat.
She sold her own problems. That's a lesson for you and I to
learn this. Great wisdom in that not waiting
around for others. A story continues on.
And now in verses of chapter 2 verses 8 through 13, she finds
herself in the field of Boaz. Now, she didn't know it at the
time but Boaz will come to be a family member.
But at this time, it doesn't indicate to me that Ruth
understood that this man had any relative relationship to her.
No and so she goes to this field and she does what she does she
works. She solving her own problems.
She's trying to provide for her mother-in-law and for herself
then there's no indication of the story that Naomi was doing
anything but Ruth was And so Ruth was in this field and she
was going out. It she was working and Boaz
basically came to her or came to one of her his servants and
said, who's that woman, haven't seen her before?
The servant basically told her told him.
Well, that's Ruth. That's the moabite that came
back with new me. This is I've heard of her
before. I know a little bit about her.
So what does he do? He calls Ruth over he says to
her and has a conversation verses 8 through 13.
There's a skull small conversation, that happens back
and forth. But that's basically says, you
know, don't worry about going to other peoples filled be like one
of my maid servants. Another words going to the
middle of the filty Leaning, was this idea on the edge of the
fields and the Old Testament? This was a law that the poor,
the widows and things like that. The needy would be able to go to
these filled on the edges of these fields and pick food, and
it was, so that God was basically taking care of the
homeless and the widows and things like that, that's what
Ruth. Doing he said don't do that.
Go in with my my maid servants and picking the middle of the
field. He goes on.
He says you know my servants that went and drawn the water
drink of that water. Now that doesn't sound like a
hick thing to you and I but go take a five gallon bucket, fill
it up with water. Pick it up, put it on your head,
put on it, whatever you want and try to carry it.
A half a mile and you'll understand what it means to draw
water. And so it's a labor-intensive
things. He says, don't worry about that.
Drink of that water. Fact, he invites her to dinner.
When you know, me are when Ruth heard all this, she fell on her
face and said why? Why would you do this for me?
I don't understand. Universal is 11 answers here and
says that I know your works. See there's a key thing in this
little part of the story. Ruth was known by her works.
Move this morning. We talking about that idea.
We are known by our works and so was Ruth.
Luke 6:43, who third 45, particularly the latter part of
that verse. It's chopped off here.
Sorry, this is a first time I give him this lesson on the
tablet versus chopped off. But the idea is, we are known by
our fruits and how true that is. Is Matthew 7:6 teens?
You will know them by their fruits.
The Bible says, do not men gather Grapes of thorns, bushels
of figs from thistles. So Ruth was no, I'm sorry, my
notes. All messed up here.
My wife laughing at me. She's the one who wrote this up
for me. So so um, Ruth was known by her
works. We should be known by our works.
When we go to our Barber, some of us women don't go to The
Barbers. But when we go as men to The
Barbers people coming over here know that we're Christians.
women men, when you go out and our community to people and
recognize us as Christians, see if we're known by our works,
people will know that we are Christians.
That's the point of not being rude or behaving unseemly.
That's what First Corinthians 13 was talking about this morning.
We should be known by this world and by our actions and Ruth was
known by her actions and so because of this belies says,
don't worry about it. Come and have dinner with me.
And so I seen was eating, she left, and he went to his foreman
and said, hey, look! What I would like you to do, is,
I would like to drop some bundles and when Ruth picks him
up, don't say anything, let her do it.
So he further there's blessing if you would because he knew
Ruth in the works that she did and so he she had dinner, verses
14 through 17, there was a dinner that Ruth Ended with Boaz
and all the servants and so Ruth, returns and tells Naomi
everything. She goes back, home tells her
mother-in-law, everything all that had been done and so
something changes and the latter part of versus our chapter 2
there. Something changes.
And the only for the very first time realizes something.
If we follow God, good things happen.
And so what happened is, she realized in the clicked for the
very first time that she had close relatives, and there's
something that can happen in the Old Testament.
It doesn't happen today it's called Reedy are the redeeming
meaning that if you were married to a woman and this husband
died, the closest kin men would marry this woman to bring up
children to keep his name alive. That's something that we don't
really do in our society, but it's done back in this day.
In fact, it was a command and The Vedic is the 19th.
Chapter talks about How this whole system worked.
And so she makes plans. He says, okay, I got this, I
know what we need to do for the first time Ruth.
In this story comes to her senses.
It takes almost 2 chapter 3 for her to do our tsunami comes to
her senses, and it takes almost 2 chapter 3 for it to happen.
She says she's his, what you're gonna do?
Here's what you're going to do Ruth.
I've got to make plans with you. I want you to go to Bo house.
Now was customary at that time when the owner of a land was was
going through Harvest that he would lay around the grain.
Basically the keep off robbers. I want you to find what he lays
and what you to go to him. I want you to uncover his feet.
I want you to lay down and you'll find out all that's going
to happen. That's kind of what's being said
here, right? There's not too much
information. Maybe she had questions Bible
doesn't give us any of that but the only comes to her senses and
Ruth degrees. Starting in chapter 3, verses 1
through 5 Ruth agrees to this, I will go to Boaz.
I will lay out his feet in the middle of the night.
I will uncover his feet and I will hear what he has to say.
Now I want to pause right here. I've heard and read and some
commentaries that there were some funny business going on
here, I'm here to tell you the wasn't first of all, we
understand that Boaz was an incredibly Godly Man.
Ruth was an incredibly godly woman.
Naomi was not asking for any funny business to take place
here. This was not done in an
inappropriate way but Boaz would get the hint if you would of
what was about to happen or what Naomi was asking Ruth to do.
So the young are Ruth agrees to this, it says I'll do this.
There's a lesson to be learned in this listening to wise
counsel. Sometimes we are told to do
things by our parents and by our loved ones and by fellow
Christians. And sometimes we don't
understand why they're saying it and we don't want to listen to
it. We don't want to follow it but
let me tell you, there's wisdom and listening to wise counsel
And so Ruth could argued, she could have fought.
She maybe had an idea of what was about to happen.
She's one. I want to marry some young
person. She could have argued but she
did it. She listened to wise counsel I
think that's important for you. And I to listen to wise counsel
when it is given, no matter how young, no matter how old we get
somebody can give us wisdom. Let me tell you some of the
worst decisions I ever made in my life.
As I don't listen to people and I'm sure you can have a similar
story in your life. Listen to the wise counsel
supporting so she goes to Boaz in the middle of the night.
She does exactly as Naomi said. He uncovers the feet, Ladies
down and Boaz, as you would imagine wakes up with a woman at
it. And as absolutely alarmed.
Now, because Aaron Newman in his isn't here.
I'm going to throw him under the bus because this reminds me of
that when he first got married, his first night.
He woke up in the morning and rolled over and there was a
woman in his bed and he literally flipped out.
He had a small panic attack as he didn't know what was going on
before he woke up fully until I sit with my wife.
And so I'd imagine a very similar thing happened here.
He was startled. And when he woke up and when he
came to his senses, he knew he What was going on?
He says, okay, I get it. You want me to redeem you and to
redeem the land that you have. And so really in chapter 36 is
through 15. He says, I want you to go back
home. I want you to first of all, I
want you to spend the night and in the morning, I want you to go
back home and I'll settle this matter.
And so him being a man of wisdom, a man that didn't want
anyone to get the wrong idea. He says, in the morning, he kind
of took some grain and gave it to her and said go home.
So, nobody gets the wrong idea, there's no funny business going
on here. So she goes home and her tells
her mother-in-law, everything that has happened.
And so what is Boaz do? He does what a Godly Man.
Does he gets ups and takes care of business?
That's something you. And I can learn from this story
that we should not put off tomorrow.
What needs to be done today? We should not progress innate on
our faith or in our religious duties.
We should get up and do what is necessary when we need to do it.
And so Boaz gets up early in the morning and really this starts
in chapter 4 and this Begins the first 12 verses of chapter 4.
And so Boaz goes to the gate. He grabs the man that's a Sure
to kick in. Then he was see, he told Ruth
that there's somebody closer and relationship.
He couldn't redeem her because there was somebody that could do
it before he did. That was part of the wall there
in Leviticus. So he goes to the gate and he
says, look Naomi has some land to buy.
Do you want to buy it? And he brought these wise men or
elderly men of 10 men at this gate as was customary at that
time. And he said, what do you want to
buy it? Man was pretty excited.
Bible wasn't named who this man was with a little bit of
information. They won't go to into, but But
if you do, you have to marry Ruth says, Nope.
I can't do that. If I do, I'm going to ruin my
inheritance, I don't know how that would work out, but
apparently he thought, so he said, you know what, Boaz, go
ahead, you can take the this Redemption can do this and so
Beau Labs does exactly as a wise man.
Does he bought the land as was commanded by God and Medicus, he
married Ruth and in fact, we find in verses 13 through 17
that they had children. So Ruth and Boaz got married and
had children. There's another lesson that we
can learn to the story. And that is to marry a wise
partner. I see you in the room.
There are very few younger people who are married, but
there is great wisdom and counseling younger people to
marry somebody who's wise, So now I'll get to the end of my
story of why that's so important.
When I wrap this lesson up, you'll understand why out of
everything is said here this afternoon, this is the most
important thing. Mary, a wise partner, and so
they have children, it was great blessings that they were given.
And really the story concludes, and Ruth Chapter 4, verses 18
through 22 with the genealogy of Ruth and both of those.
So let me wrap the story up for you.
Why it's important to Marry a wise partner.
Why it is important to have wisdom in our families and in
our households and with our loved ones, remember in the very
beginning, we read out of proverbs think about this for
just a moment. The father of Solomon, who wrote
that that letter, that poem. Was David a great key that was
the descendant of Ruth and Boaz Solomon.
The wisest man who ever lived Bible says was The Descendant,
the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth.
Do you see what happens? When wisdom prevails in our
family. It changes things.
Things happen and it's not - I could promise you that it's
positive. Let me add one more, little
twist to the story of why wisdom is so important in our lives.
The great great. Great.
I don't know how many greats have probably should have
calculated it but great-great-great-great
great-great-great-great grandson was born, Jesus Christ the
greatest man to ever live. Came from Boaz and Ruth's
family. That's what wisdom does.
That's what marrying a wise partner does.
That's what having understanding and how to apply their life
does. Big things.
Big changes happen. I hope that we can learn a few
things is a great. Well, the things that I skipped
a lot more notes of have on this, but honestly, with was a
wise woman, who married, a wise, man who made wise decision,
let's follow their pattern. Let's not be like the people of
this world and Beyond wise. Let's follow God.
Let's do his will, maybe you're here today and maybe haven't
taken those steps. To make that wise decision to
become a Christian. I beg you to do it.
Don't put off tomorrow. What you should be doing today.
All of roofs, except forsake everything to follow up to
Christ to have that hope on high today.
If you would like to be buried in baptism for the remission of
sins, we like to help you with that.
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