“Our deliverer, the one and only”

Sermon

November 10, 2024

Remembrance Sunday

25th Sunday after Pentecost

Ruth 3: 1-5; 4: 13-17

Psalm 78: 1-8

1 John 3: 16-18

John 15: 9-17

“Our deliverer, the one and only”

Well might you wonder, especially knowing that I choose today’s Scripture lessons on purpose, as befitting this occasion, why I might choose a reading from the book of Ruth. Yes, it is one of the loveliest love stories of all time, including the Bible of course, but what relevance, you might ask, does it have for us today? To answer this question then, let’s look at it in greater detail. There are three central characters in this story, Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.

Ruth was a stranger, a foreigner, an alien, possibly even an illegal immigrant—and worse! Under certain regimes she would have been deported, for she’d only come to Israel for security and for economic benefits. And when I said that her situation was even ‘worse’ for being a stranger and alien, I mean it literally. She was a Moabite, the only race of people anywhere that was specifically cursed in the Bible, and thus thoroughly despised by all good Jews. They were a people with a very nasty and checkered history. They were descended from the incestuous relationship of his eldest daughter with her father Lot and had been very nasty to Israel when it tried to enter the Promised Land.

What is then so incredible is the Ruth, despised and bereft of all social supports, family, and community, would even choose to come to Israel. But as we can see, she was devoted to her mother-in-law Naomi. She was willing to accept anything in order to accompany her, even though she had no idea of what the future might bring. She was willing to give up everything, her people, her nation, and her religion, and live in Israel as a stranger. And incredibly, she was still full of hope and promise, still expecting something better despite Naomi’s gloom, bitterness, and depression. She was able to see possibility where Naomi saw none and was willing to trust in a God she barely knew. Furthermore, she was willing to put that trust into action.

Right away, it would seem, she accepted one of the few tasks that was available in that country and society for a single, unattached woman. It was the task of gleaming, which was to pick up through the fields, orchards, and vineyards whatever the harvesters had left behind. It was one source of food that was open to all, and harvesters were forbidden to go back and pick up whatever was left over. That was left for the poor among them. It was back-breaking, tiring, strenuous, and not always that productive.

Now, it so happens—was this merely a coincidence, or was it God’s planning—Ruth ‘happened’ to light on one of the fields owned by a rich man named Boaz, who just ‘happened’ to be a distant relative of her now deceased husband and Naomi. Now, whether this older gentleman was thereby reminded of his family responsibilities, or whether he was attracted to this younger woman, we will never know. What we do know is that he bestowed upon Ruth special attention, inviting her to join him for his midday meal and share his food. And he made sure that she did extra well with her gleaning and was protected from all harm, all molestation from the male employees.

Naomi, the mother-in-law, seeing what was a possible romance, saw in it a further and unexplored future potential. She saw something here that Ruth was probably totally unaware of. This man, Boaz, interestingly occupied a unique and singular role in Naomi’s life, something called the go’el. Being a kinsman of her late husband, he had the right--and the duty--to be the redeemer of a deceased person’s property and responsibilities and take over the family duties.

So, Naomi, the crafty one, instructed Ruth to spruce herself up with her finest clothing, perfume, etc. and then join Boaz at his place at the threshing floor. This was to be in the dead of night, after he’d finished work, eaten his supper meal, and laid down for the night.

Boaz, later on, surprised to find a woman sleeping beside him, and surprised that she’d not ‘gone after’ some younger man, decided there and then to exercise his right and responsibility as her redeemer, her go’el. He decided to marry her. And so, by law, he was obliged to step into the breach and provide Ruth and Naomi with the security and support they so desperately needed. This was a great blessing, given that, in their society, there were no pensions, no social safety nets or programs, which rendered both mother and daughter-in-law extremely vulnerable,

Boaz was willing to take responsibility not only for Ruth but also for Naomi, which meant assuming all their debts and mortgages, as well as the family lands, property, and business affairs. In addition, he was expected to raise up a son for the deceased relative, Ruth’s former husband. Upon marrying Ruth, he had to assume, to take on, all of this. In essence, Boaz was surrendering his rights as an isolated individual and taking on all the responsibilities of this new family. And this was only possible because of his kinship, his being related to Naomi, which gave him the right of redemption.

Nevertheless, it was not without risk, for Boaz certainly faced a possible scandal, a possible public backlash, in several ways:

-there was the nighttime encounter itself, should word about it

get out. Ruth’s act of uncovering his feet, crawling under his

blanket to get in under it, was a risky proposition in terms of

public perception. Nevertheless, Boaz sent her home early,

before dawn, lest their time together be known or

misinterpreted.

-marrying a despised, accused foreigner, one of the avowed

enemies of his people Israel. It would be like an Allied

airman stationed in Germany after the war marrying the

daughter of a former enemy soldier. Some people would

certainly disapprove.

-marrying one of his ‘employees’: certainly, tongues would wag,

and possibly even—these days—be seen as a violation of

professional boundaries and subject to a human rights enquiry.

This is most illustrative, for Boaz’s actions are a foreshadowing of Christ and what He has done for us. He emptied Himself and became one of us. He assumed our debts, our sin, our rebellion; He called Himself ‘our brother’, one of our family. He became subject to shame and ridicule, surrendered His own prerogatives, and laid down His life for us, His friends.

He, then, like the Boaz of our story, is the one we can count on.

And here there comes an application, a lesson in all this, a lesson that has a rather pointed, contemporary feel to it. Years ago, I wrote an essay for university on the origins of the Second World War. In it, I mentioned Adolf Hitler just once, in my final paragraph. That is because I was able to show that during the unsettled period between the wars almost every nation on earth, including, by the way, the United States, Great Britain and our own nation of Canada, opted for electing autocratic and powerful leaders, right wing leaders, who gathered more authority and control to themselves. Given the unrest of the times, the prevailing economic uncertainties, and the hazardous world situation, a strong and hopefully competent leader was seen by the voting public as the answer to all their problems. But they did nothing to avert war. And, interesting, and forebodingly, this is exactly we are now seeing all around the world: powerful, strong, confident leaders who promise to set everything to rights--just as happened between the wars.

However, the Scriptures teach us that it is foolish and ill-advised to place all of our hope and confidence in human ‘actors’ alone, no matter how capable or well-intentioned they may be, or how promising they seem:

-Psalm 146 (verses 3-4) says this about rulers, politicians, leaders:

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no

help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth, on

that very day their plans perish” (the same might be said of

when they leave office.)

-And about humans in general, Jeremiah 17 (verses 5-8) says:

“Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals, and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the

Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending down

its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and

its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not

anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Now, that is not to say that we are not to elect capable people to government, nor ever to build up adequate defences for our nation. And, neither is it to say that there is never a time when our armed forces are needed, and necessary. Our own national experience in two world wars, the Korean conflict and numerous peace keeping operations can testify to that. But none of this constitutes the final, or lasting answer. Indeed, even with all of this we need to work for peace, both here and abroad.

But most of all, we are to trust in God, and in His power and His direction.

We are to praise God and honour Him, regardless of the circumstances.

We are to pray for those in authority, even when we don’t happen to like them or their policies. And we are to obey all godly laws and orders from them. And because human beings cannot be our final and complete answer and solution, that is why we are to place our hope and confidence in Jesus Christ, our own personal redeemer--the one, like Boaz, who became our kinsman and redeemed us and saved us. No one else has ever done this for us, nor could they. And so, let us ultimately trust Him and Him alone. Amen.