Well, thank you again. I'd like to reiterate what Wade
said to those who were responsible for inviting such a
wonderful lunch and I will try to do my part in keeping that
sugar as energy and not coma. We're going to take our study
this afternoon, the topic that simply called a virtuous woman.
I intentionally didn't put the passage up here.
I've only given this one other time and so it's a new lesson,
you're part of the guinea pigs, that have to help me work out
the Kinks. But when I gave it at home, I
think there were five or six people before.
Service says, oh proverbs 31. Proverbs 31.
And I said, no, that's why I didn't put the verse.
In fact, I have a Sermon on The Virtuous Woman for proverbs 31,
but I'll tell you. One of the most common negative
responses I've had to that is women that say that just
exhausts me. I love it.
I know it's true but it's just overwhelming.
I how can anybody be that? Well, we won't get into that.
You know, proverbs 31 is an acrostic, it's basically Alpha
to Omega which is the Hebrew version or that's the Greek
version I guess. But it's a doozy.
Of of a, basically a description.
So it's takes all the letters of the alphabet and start sheets
statement with that. And so, it's intended to be like
this over in some ways, just overwhelming representation, but
the idea or the concept of being a virtuous woman should not be
overwhelming. Now, in fact, I'll say this
about the sermon. If you're sitting here today and
you're like, I'm not a woman so good.
I get to sit here and think what I need to expect out of the
women in my life. That's not where this Essence
actually going. In fact this word virtuous in
the Hebrew comes from a word that literally means a force.
And in the scripture that I have reference it says I will do for
you all that you request for all the people of my town know that
you are a virtuous woman. They know that you're a force of
a woman. Now, this word Force, as I
understand it, I told you this morning, these Hebrew words are
defined because they don't just take Bible manuscripts, they
take any manuscript. They can get and try to
understand how these words. The definition based on how they
were used in context and an old manuscripts that are found other
than biblical. This word is used to describe
strength. That is used to describe power.
It's used to describe melt might and even wealth.
Now, in biblical usage. We know this is a force of good
character. And this is indeed, I think the
context of this, but I want us to broaden as we go into this
study this afternoon. I don't want us as men to sit
there and think, well, this is what the women should do.
I don't want the young people to say this is what the adults
should do. I want us in turn to look at
this and say, how can we be a force of a Christian?
In Bakersfield in the congregation here in the
community, wherever you live, when I go back to Oakdale, how
can I be a force in Oakdale for good for God?
How can Rachel do that? How can we all take on
characteristics? There was something about this
woman that caused this person to say.
I'm going to do for you what you've asked because everybody,
I know this in the everybody, in town knows what a force of a
woman you are. And I want to do this now.
Who was this? I don't know.
I found before Services people start saying, well, where is it
then? Where is it?
One person said, I see what you're doing.
They knew where this came from mediately, once they Realized,
it wasn't proverbs. Comes from The Book of Ruth.
And Ruth chapter 3, Boaz is now talking and he says and now my
daughter do not fear, I will do for you all that you request for
all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.
You're a force of a woman. And I'm going to do what, what
did Beau as know about Ruth would cause him to say, I've
heard about you? Everybody in town knows about
you and knows your virtuous. I'm going to suggest that one of
the first two things that, but one of the first few things that
Boaz knew about Ruth is that she had married into the people of
God and she had been converted. She refused to go back to where
she came from or even blame God when tragedy struck their lives.
Now, if you're not familiar with the story of Ruth, I'm not going
to go and read through the whole book.
You can do that on your own time.
I hope you don't do it during the sermon, but I'll just say,
if you get bored, if you get lost, pull out your Old
Testament, go to the Book of Ruth, it's a short read, you'll
be done. Before I am And in fact I'm only
going to cover. What's found up to Ruth chapter
3 and verse 11 because I'm trying to figure out what did
Beau as what did the tell know about her by this time.
If you back up to chapter 12, beginning of the story, you're
going to find out that she had a husband named elimelech or she
had a father-in-law named elimelech.
Her mother-in-law's name was Naomi.
They had two boys mail on and chili on They had left Judah
because there was famine in the land of Judah and they heard
that there was food in Moab. So they went, there just is a
survival choice, they made. It seems they went to that place
and while they're there. Elimelech dies.
I don't know if he dies before, they took wives.
The scripture says, they took wise and I don't know if the
labor, they refused refers to a haemolytic and Naomi or if it
were refers to Milan and chili on.
I can't figure out when they elimelech died but they while
they were there male on and Chilean.
Married to Moab women girls, orpah and Ruth.
And then those boys die. It's at least a decade after
they have moved into Moab. And Naomi says, I hear there's
food again and in Judah and I just need to return.
And from the reading, I'm convinced that orpah and Ruth or
are going along with them because the way I read it, she
ultimately says, look girls, you don't need to go with me.
I'm not going to have any more Sons.
I'm not going to get married again, even if I did get married
again, I even if I had a child tonight, are you really going to
wait? They're men.
No, you girls, go back, you go back to your people, go back to
your gods. Time out.
What Naomi is encouraging? Someone to go back to a false,
god in the Hebrew. It's a little G.
It's l I think is it's a generic word for God, it's not Yahweh.
They have a little bit of a cry Fest.
No, we're not going. Yes.
We're going orpah. Ultimately goes back.
And Ruth says, I'm not going. In fact, the next verses
beginning in verse 16 Ruth, here's what she says to her
entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following
after you, for wherever you go, I will go and wherever you
Lodge, I will Lodge your people shall be my people and your God,
my God. This is not that Hebrew word, l.
She's like I'm not going back to those.
That's not the same. She has, I'm converted.
I'm not going back there and stop begging me to leave you.
I'm not going to I won't turn for following.
I'm going where you go, you know, I'm ashamed to tell you.
I'm not sure how old I was, but I was a lot older.
I was married with kids before it.
Like there's, this aha moment that's not talking about two
people in love. That are committing themselves
in marriage. This is the daughter-in-law to
the mother-in-law. That's awesome.
Now, not that I want Taylor to leave her family, but I want her
to have that kind of relationship with Rachel.
I want our daughter lost to love one another.
I want them to be kind and and had this kind of affection this
kind of commitment to a family. She's not going where you go.
I want to live where you live, your people are now my people,
your God is my God. Where you die, I will die and
there will I be buried? This was not just about Ruth
saying I'm going to take care of you till you die.
That I'll go back to my people culturally That might have been
something. That's not what she's saying.
She says, I'm going to be buried where you're buried.
That's a big deal. You remember, how many of the
Patriarchs, how many of those under the old Covenant?
If they died in a land? That wasn't Thursday.
Wouldn't have their their kids promise to take and put their
bones back in the cave where the other families buried Joseph in
the land of Egypt. He said before he died, I know
this is going to be a long time before.
Everybody is delivered out of Egypt and the great Exodus and
that deliverance from slavery. But promise me when you go,
you'll carry my bones with youth.
Because he knew that was not his place.
Is he really going to know that one of those bones win or not?
No. But while he was living, he
wanted his bones to be amongst his people.
When they, when Bruce says her, she's going to be buried where
she is saying, I am, totally converted, I am committed and I
will tell you, that's the first. Massive lesson, if we get
nothing else out of this this afternoon about what it takes to
be a force of a person in our community and in our church it's
that when we are converted were converted and we're not going to
go back when things turn South and when tragedy strikes our
life, even if the people that are closest to are ready to give
up. We're not, we're never going to
give up what else? Did Boaz know about her?
I think second of all, he knew she didn't lose faith.
Faith, when her family, when her Mentor became bitter.
In fact, now, the two of them went until they came to
Bethlehem and it happen. Now, we got to stop myself for
just a second. In the verses in between, after
Ruth, has told Naomi, don't plead with these stop.
Stop trying to get me to do this.
It says she spoke to her no more.
Now, that's an interesting statement and I'm not sure if it
means they wouldn't talk. If they were mad, if she was
angry, or if it just means, They Mourn are no more talked about
this matter. and it occurred to me, there's also a another
option You know, sometimes when people are overwhelmed with
grief, they just stop talking. At all.
And I learned a lesson from Ruth in this fine, we'll just walk
together. And it may be that the best way
you can help somebody that needs you, when they grieve is just to
walk with them. Don't try to tell them how
everything's going to be. Okay, don't tell them our own
world just be there. They'll talk when they're ready.
I don't know if that's exactly what went on here, but I know
that as a coping strategy and sometimes if we open our mouths
we just stick our foot in it anyway.
If they don't want to talk that's okay.
Be with them. Walk with them.
They walk along until they came to Bethlehem.
It happened when they come to Bethlehem that all the city was
excited because of them and the women says, is this Naomi that's
fascinating to me because people don't change that much.
Do they it's only been 10 years, maybe a little more and they're
trying to figure out. If this is Naomi in my mind, I
picture not only as this grief affected her inside, it's
affected her outside. Maybe she used to care for
herself baber, maybe she's grain wrinkles and she's forlorn knows
what she is, but they have to ask us.
This is her and she said to them, do not call me Naomi.
Call me Mara for the almighty, has dealt with very bitterly
with me, I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again.
Empty imagine how truthful. Why do you call me Naomi?
Since the Lord has testified against me and the almighty has
Afflicted me Naomi literally He means Pleasant in the Hebrew,
Mara you read the book of Exodus, the Waters of marah.
What were they were bitter? They were poison.
And it seems to me that Naomi thinks she's just poison.
Everything's gone bad for her. She went out full of, she went
out with hope. They had, they were trying to
take care of things in the way they felt.
Like they should take care of them and now she comes back and
she feels like she's poisoned people around her a dying.
She's a don't even call me by that anymore.
Ruth is determined to stay and support.
Her mother-in-law despite the fact her mother-in-law will just
since she went back to her other gods.
But by this point Ruth knows she has something far greater
somewhere. She's going to stay.
I want to tell you sometimes, the people that have influenced
us the most that have perhaps brought us right to the steps of
conversion and helped us understand the gospel and we put
so much faith and confidence in them and then they disappoint.
Maybe they fall away. I don't know.
We all have our own story. The key to being a force of a
Christian of a virtuous woman, a force of a woman.
Like Ruth is that's not going to make us.
Stop that will not cause us to leave.
What else did Boaz know about Ruth that would cause her
virtuous. He knew Ruth was an idol.
He knew she just did what she could.
In fact, in chapter 2 verse 2. It says, so Ruth, the moabite is
said to Naomi. Please let me go to the field
and glean heads of grain after him and whose side, I may find
favor and she said to her, go my daughter, then she left and went
and gleaned in the field after the Reapers.
You know what The Gleaners were. They picked up scraps.
In fact, according to the Old Law they were, if you had a
field in a harvest, you weren't supposed to go back and harvest
back through a second time. It was supposed to be left for
the foreigners. It was supposed to be left for
those that were poor. In fact, they weren't even
supposed to harvest the corners of the fields, right?
Fascinating point we could get off onto my idea of the, the
social gospel. God never did tell those people
you set up a Fruit Stand On The Edge and make it easy and bag
everything up. So that the people that didn't
have anything, we'll have something to eat.
It wasn't a soup kitchen, they just handed out.
He says, you provide that they can come in and work to God did
not intend for us to just be takers all the time from what
the other people had worked and Naomi was the kind of person she
wasn't Idol. She says I can't just sit around
here. I know you're grieving.
I know that you need to do what you need to do but I To get out
and do something please. Can I at least just go glean in
the fields. She said, I want to take on the
role of the Foreigner, the homeless.
Like we just prayed for I want to take on the rule role of the
lowest and society and that's okay with me.
I'll do anything time out real quick.
Got some young boys here. Maybe some young girls.
When it's time for you to grow up, don't think you got to get a
job like Frankie God or way got you know, at the top or whatever
you got to immediately start doing this.
You take, whatever you can get. I can't speak for everybody but
I know a lot of people that got to where they are and they're
successful now and they started out laboring sweeping the floors
dewatering the site, taking a wire brush and brush in that mud
off the rebar because the footings all got flooded, nobody
wanted to do it. Lot of guys that I'm not doing
that, I'll go home and sit at home before I'll do that.
I know highly successful people that would do anything.
They would have gleaned the fields.
That's the that's part of what made Ruth, a virtuous force of a
woman. She didn't have to say, look, I
don't go see if I can get somebody, let me harvest in
their field. When we go to the, get the
corners before the hoarders, get them.
She gleaned behind them, she left and she went and gleaned in
the field. What did she do?
She did what she could and in this congregation you may look
and say I'd love to be able to do such and such but I don't
know how to do that. I'd love to be able to do this,
but I don't have the financial combat capability to do that,
but what I saw this afternoon was pretty exciting.
I saw people washing dishes wipe and tables.
Doing what you can. When we will do what we can and
not think everybody else is always going to do it for us.
Then we become a Force in the Church of Bakersfield or
wherever we're from what else did Boaz see?
That would cause him to call Ruth virtuous.
She thought of others and she shared her blessings in verse
14. It says now Boaz said to her at
mealtime. Come here he eat of the bread.
Dip, your piece of bread in the vinegar now.
That used to sound gross to me. Honestly, I did not like vinegar
least. I didn't think I did turns out
pickles that vinegar in them. But dipping your bread and
vinegar. And then I started the, these
Greek Mediterranean restaurant started.
Come around you. Put that will and vinegar and
they take that kind of looks like communion bread.
The pitas dip that. Wow, that's good.
That's what I picture when I read this He's like, come on
here, you eat with us here, have some of the vinegar, dip your
bread. So she set beside the Reapers
and past Parts Grant. And they and he passed Parts
grain to her. And she ate and was satisfied
and kept some back. Now, if you make the mistake, we
sometimes making you stop reading there year, they stop
and dwell on that you ever do that reading and you just stop
and think about let some soaked in.
You think that poor thing? She's so afraid, she's not going
to get any more. She don't put some in her pocket
because she knows you get hungry later and this spreads really
good. Was that what she was doing?
Good thing is, you don't have to read very far.
It says, she took it up and went to the city and her
mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.
So, she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back
after. She had been satisfied, you know
what she did with that food? She kept back, she thought nail
me with like this. It makes me wonder did their
bread tastes different, you know, did you talk about people?
Say, well, I love her bread. It just like, I can't, it's
breads bread, right? No, it's true.
Turns out. It's not.
I wonder, she wanted Naomi because this was special bread,
or she just knew she'd been a hard day and know him Naomi
wasn't eaten. Two things.
I notice in this passage that help make Ruth be a force of a
woman. First of all, she took care of
her own needs. Scripture says she was satisfied
first and some of you don't know how to take care of your own
needs. You're so worried about making
sure Naomi get some She took care of her own needs and that's
okay. She still a force of a woman and
she took, what was she could to set aside?
And then go take care of other people, too.
Don't neglect yourself as you try to be help to other people.
You'll still be a virtuous woman.
And in my mind, that's part of what helps you be?
A force of a woman. Lest we forget guys, timeout.
This is how anybody can be a force.
A virtuous force in the church and she took it back.
What else did Boaz know about her?
That would call him cause him to call her virtuous.
She knew she followed wise advice in issues of faith and
issues of Liberty. If you go to chapter 2 and verse
22, now Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law.
It is good. My daughter that you go out with
his young women and that people do not meet you in any other
field. She found out who she was with,
he says, you need to stick close to him and to his people.
So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz to glean until the
end of The Barley Harvest and wheat Harvest she stays through
both artists and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.
This, I infer from this. She had choice.
She could have gone any field she wanted to nobody.
Her Naomi wasn't following her out there and stopping her Boaz.
Encouraged her to stay with his people and he charged his men.
You don't lay a hand on her. And he may be like well why
would he have to say that? Very first verse of the Book of
Ruth says this happens during the time of the judges.
If you're not familiar with the Book of Judges, go back and read
it, it's a longer read and I'm going to do that in 10 minutes.
But now, look, you think the evening news is depressing, read
the Book of Judges, and some of the things that happen,
especially to young women that were beautiful.
Poor ethic. Back to this story, you stay
with my men, you don't leave their protection and young men
don't lay a hand on her. Her mother-in-law says, is a
good advice stick there. She had a choice.
She took wise advice, it was her Liberty, go where she wanted to
go? Which field she wanted to go?
Whether it was with Boaz or not, she took good advice and she and
she stayed Little with her mother-in-law.
She kept taking care of her. She followed wise advice in
faith. In Liberty.
Think there's one last thing that she learned about Ruth or
he knew about Ruth he knew, she chose virtuous priorities.
Not wealth, not youth, not Beauty.
When she made life's most important decisions.
If you go into chapter 3 and, you know, we're getting a verse
11. So I'm about to run out of
things. He knows about her.
Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her.
My daughter, shall I? Not seek security for you?
That it may be well with you. What's that mean?
Here's what I believe it means Naomi is like I'm not going to
be here forever. I'm going to give you some
advice that will help you be taken care of and it can you can
have a good life, it will be well with you.
Now, Boaz whose young women you were with is he not our
relative? In fact he's winnowing barley
tonight at the threshing floor. Why does this matter?
He's a relative one things that seem to be very important about
all of these cultures and probably even the culture.
And Moab is that family names were everything.
Still is you should have seen the text that Wade sent to me
and his brothers when Charlie was a boy.
That Branch name they haven't done that yet.
He's doing his part. Under the Old Law.
If a situation like happened in omi's family, where the men are
all gone, how's the family name? What's going to carry that?
And if you know the Old Law, you know, that's how their property.
That's how they had land. That was, it was territories,
were based on this name. She says, he's part of the
family. In fact, he's wondering barley
therefore, wash yourself and anoint yourself put on your best
garment and go down to the threshing.
Floor Ruth, you need to clean up You need to know yourself.
It's like a perfume. And one to make yourself known
to that. I do not want you to make
yourself known to the man till he's finished eating and
drinking you just go down there and you wait.
Wonder what time. She went down there.
She says, then it shall be when he lies down that you shall
notice the place where he lies, you shall go in uncover, his
feet and lie down and he will tell you what you should do.
Now I got a film that's what the way they courted in Moab.
I know if anybody said that to any of us and this Society, we
think, what are you crazy? And she said to her, all that
you say to me, I will do. She's Takin advice in faith and
in Liberty. So she went down to the
threshing floor did, according to all that her mother-in-law
instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and
drunk and heart. His heart was cheerful.
He went to lie down at the end of the Heap of grain, stop,
right there. Just second I like this verse,
because Bull. A seems like a good guy.
Seems like a honorable guy who does a lot of things for good.
Guys you ever feel like I don't know if I'm was working too
much. I filmed, I've had some nights
that I got so tired. I just laid down there on the
floor in the office and then I ask myself, are my priorities,
right. I'm sleeping in my office at
night, and I read this about Boaz, I'm like, well, there's
Godly men that did that in the passed some time Harvest
happens. And you just sleep.
When you're tired and you get back up and work.
It's okay, can't be year round. We got to keep everything in the
right priority. She came softly, uncovered his
feet and she laid down. Now, it happened at midnight.
What time did she go lay down, I guess I'm not the only dead
sleeper. It's been a while.
She uncovered his feet, she laid down there.
How long is she? Wait, it's after midnight that
he was startled and he turned himself and there a woman was
lying at his feet. She's not the one that woke him
up. Now, some of you might have
woken up soon as somebody pulled the covers off your feet, He's
tired. He realizes when he goes to roll
over after being startled, that she's there.
He said, who are you? And she said, I am Ruth.
Your maidservant, take your maidservant under your wing for
you or a close relative. This is in here.
If you haven't figured it out yet, she's saying I will be your
wife. If you will be my kinsman
redeemer. So that we keep the family name
going for Naomi. Then he said, blessed are you of
the Lord? My daughter.
For you, have shown more kindness at the end than at the
beginning. In that you did not go after
young men, whether poor or Rich, Now I assume Boaz new girls
didn't like him or something because he's blown away.
He knows all this other stuff about how she's been Takin Care
of Naomi and all the things she's done.
And he had, he said, your you're showing more kindness by
offering to be my wife, then in all the other things you've
done, Because you've where your priority is placed and now my
daughter don't forget, do not fear.
I will do for you all that you request for all the people of my
town know that you are a force of a woman.
You're a virtuous woman. Now, I'm not even going to go
through the rest of this story. You may be somewhat familiar
with it. There's another one and he
thinks he wants the land but he doesn't want the wife and so it
all turns around and Boaz gets that.
But here's what I do want to run fast forward to some of you know
this already and some of you may not she ended up having a son.
To carry the family name. That son became one of the
grandparents of King David. And she is in the lineage of
Jesus Christ, the Messiah. A moabite.
The law says a moabite, couldn't even go into the temple to the
tenth generation because of some of the issues they had with the
moabites. What did Jesus is Greg?
Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg Greg, Greg grandmas Couldn't even
Worship in the temple and we're reminded that his blood of
reconciliation flew. Black flew belt flowed backwards
from the cross as well as forward.
That's fascinating to me. And all it could have been done
a million ways. But God carried this out through
a virtuous woman, a force of a woman who was willing to leave
Moab and turned herself to the people of God.
Why did moas know about Ruth that would call her virtuous
Ruth married into the people of God and she was converted she
refused to go back. Blame God when tragedy struck
today. If you want to be a force of a
Christian in Bakersfield or wherever.
Ever we're from. We have to be converted.
because, as much as I love, Whoever was instrumental in my
conversion and you insert the name for you.
If they fall away, that's not where my faith lying.
If they die and they pass away, I'm not going to blame God that
that tragedy struck. I am converted.
That's a way to be a force of a Christian.
She did not lose faith when her family or a mentor became
bitter. I've had some people in my life
that turned. I don't know if you call it,
bitter, but they just turned their back on what was truth and
right. and they chose things that directly, if contradicted
what the word of God says, And you got a choice when that
happens. Am I going to follow them and
stay with them? Or am I going to say bye and
stay where God is, even if I lost this person or these people
that were so key in my life, if I want to be a force of a
Christian, I'm not going to follow them.
I'm going to stay with truth. No matter what happens and I'm
not going to be idle Ruth was an idol.
She did what she could and I'm going to be the same way, it
doesn't matter if the trash needs to get taken out.
If somebody just needs to help the older ladies put their stuff
in their car, it's vacuuming the Floors, if it's wiping down a
toilet. I'm going to do whatever I can.
Well God find greater things for us to do very likely but he may
not, we'll do what we can. She thought of others and shared
her blessings and mentioned it this morning with Zacchaeus, And
I'll just say it coming up again.
This afternoon, this is Freudian, I didn't intend for it
to happen but one of my greatest concerns is that we as Americans
are so blessed and rather than it, helping with our generosity,
we began to try to. I need, how much am I going to
need to retire? And what?
And, and we accumulate, and I'm not saying that's all wrong.
As Ruth took care of her own needs, she was satisfied, but
she also thought of others, there's got to be that balance
of Our blessings with those who stand in need, she followed the
wise, advice in faith. And in Liberty, I know I've had
to face some decisions in my life that there was no Bible
verse for anybody to give me. And then we get a, we get to an
issue of Liberty. Some things the Bible tells us
plane and it's like, I just needed somebody to show me.
I'm like, okay, that's what we do.
Other things aren't like that, it's an issue of Liberty.
Talk to people that you respect spiritually, the older ones.
Be willing to follow that. Advice in issues of Liberty,
Ruth chose, virtuous, priorities, not wealth.
Not youth, not Beauty. She put her faith, we're things.
And so I ask you today, if this doesn't describe your faith, are
you ready to be current be converted and be this a child
like this. If you're not a Christian, we
talked about it this morning. You have to hear the word of
God. You have to be willing to
believe it. Have to be willing to change
your life. That's repentance from
self-willed and God's will to confess our faith.
Before men, that Jesus is the son of God and be baptized
according to Galatians 3:27. If you're a Christian today and
you desire of, perhaps the prayers of the church that you
say I just need to get things together and I know I can pray
to God and he's just and faithful to forgive me and
cleanse me from all unrighteousness but I want the
prayers of the church. One of them know what I'm
battling here. Then we want to pray with you
and for you if there's one of either class won't you come
home? We stand what we see.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information, or you would like
to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
Please email us at info at her Church of Christ
Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
honored guest.