Steadfast Love Takes Risks

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0:00Okay, well, Ruth 3. Here we are. Oh boy. If you don't know the book of Ruth, just wait. Okay, so I really love coffee, and today I'm drinking it. I'll finish it now, but I'm drinking it from a mug that I have at home. It says on it, great things never came from comfort zones. I'll be honest, though, I've questioned this message a lot, even when I've pulled it out of the shelf and I've used it. I kind of like comfort zones. They feel nice. They feel safe. It's like a warm blanket. Well, they're comfortable, right? I've never really considered myself to be a risk taker. I used to be an engineer, after all. The last thing that you want any engineer to say is, let's just go for it. But that's actually why I bought this mug. I bought it to challenge myself. I bought it in January 2021 when Nikki and I were, we had just finished our denomination's church planter assessment, church planting assessment center. It was several days of evaluation, conversation, interviews, testing, to see if we were a good fit for this kind of work, this particular kind of work in ministry. And of course, we had been praying and thinking about church planting the entire time, and even before that, when it was all finished, we were in this little town where we were before our flight, we went into some stores, and this was in one of the stores. And I thought, well, what an appropriate keepsake from this whole experience of the assessment than this? Because, well, this is one of those times in church planting where you're outside your comfort zone. I bought this mug to remind

2:06myself of the truth. It's not just church planting. Really, following God is going to put you outside your comfort zone. It is a guarantee. If you are never outside your comfort zone as a Christian, there's probably some way in which Jesus is calling you and you're saying, not today, Lord. And that's what we see in today's passage. Ruth gets way outside her comfort zone. Way outside. I mean, she can't even see her comfort zone anymore. It's not in the rearview mirror. It's in a different state. It's gone. And she does it not for her own glory, but to serve someone else. That's why she does it. So let's turn to Ruth 3 and see what happens. This is God's holy word. It's without error. He speaks through it. He works through it. He will do so today. That's the faith that we have in him and his promises. So let's approach it humbly and boldly, asking for him to work. Ruth 3, the entire chapter. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, my daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?

3:33Is not Boaz our relative with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash, therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man till he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies, then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do. She replied, all that you say I will do. So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. And she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight, the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. He said, who are you? She answered, I'm Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. And he said, may you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear.

5:15I will do for you all that you ask. For all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet, there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight. And in the morning, if he will redeem you good, let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lied down until the morning. So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.

5:59And he said, bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out. So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, how did you fare, my daughter? Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, these six measures of barley he gave to me. For he said to me, you must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law. She replied, wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out. For the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today. Pray with me. Lord, what an amazing story. And yet, we have to just pause and say, this is more than just a story. This is history, and it is your people working, evidencing your work in their lives, and pointing us towards the Savior that we have in Jesus. And even, Lord, as we read it, and study it, and hear it, and receive it, it is your holy word meant to impact and change us. Not just in our minds, but our hearts, and our lives, our hands, our feet, our will. So, Lord, we ask you to do the work that only you can do, by your Spirit. Renew and change us through the going forth of your holy, inspired, and inerrant word. We pray this, Jesus, in your name.

7:44Amen. Okay, so we are on the back half of our sermon series, our summer sermon series in Ruth, The Shape of Steadfast Love. Today, and then there's two left. The Shape of Steadfast Love. Today, we see that steadfast love takes risks. Last week, Ruth met Boaz, and Boaz helped Ruth in a significant way. This week, the whole situation takes a giant leap forward, and it happens because of this. Ruth takes a huge risk. Now, let's unpack why this is so risky.

8:28You probably picked up on some of it, but there's even more here. So, at this point in the story, it was springtime in Bethlehem. It was the end of the barley and the wheat harvest. The reaping was finished. All the bundles were tied together. Next came the threshing, which is beating out the grain grain so that the kernels are released from the husks. You would beat it out. You would thresh it. Then the threshed grain was winnowed, which means that it would be tossed up in the air, and the lighter husks would kind of be blown away by the breeze, and the heavier kernels would fall back down to the ground. So, you'd thresh it, and then you'd winnow it. All of this was done at the threshing floor. Now, the phrase threshing floor might make you think of someplace indoors, but it was not indoors. It was outdoors. Here's a picture of a modern-day threshing floor. It was outside town.

9:31It was a large, flat expanse of rock and stone and hard earth. It had a steady breeze. It was located in a place where there was a steady breeze in the evenings for winnowing. So, you would thresh it on the ground, then you would toss it up in the air, and it would be winnowed, and that's how you do your work. It was a public place. As you can tell, it's very big. All of the local farmers would come and thresh and winnow together on their own grain, each working on their own. It was work, but it was also a celebration. It was different work than the work out in the hot sun reaping and harvesting. This was a celebration. The end of the harvest was feast time in Israel. It was one of the feasts that God told them to do, to observe. They were feasting and celebrating because God had provided. I mean, they're literally looking at it as they're winnowing. They're looking at, look at, look at what God's provided for us. It was a very celebratory mood. So, at the threshing floor, they were eating, they were drinking, they were celebrating. Now, in chapter 2, Boaz told Ruth, stay in my field for the entire harvest. Come back day after day. Don't go anywhere else. Stay here for the entire harvest. And she did. But now the harvest was over, and nothing further had happened between them. There was no progression in their relationship. Naomi feels like she needs to do something. My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? She's thinking of Ruth's welfare. You can see how what's been happening with Boaz has restored her hope, renewed her hope,

11:19and now she's re-engaging in ways that she hasn't been earlier. Now she's thinking about Ruth. Ruth, Ruth, I've got to do something for you. I've got to arrange for you to get a husband. And so, she hatches a crazy plan. Go to the threshing floor tonight and tell Boaz you want him to marry you. Risky is putting it mildly. Anyone listening to Naomi's plan would think it's a bad idea. Anyone. The threshing floor was used in the evening, mainly by men.

11:58Who were partying outside town away from their families. See what I'm getting at? The threshing floor was like the company Christmas party. It was well known as a place for bad decisions and sexual escapades. It was well known. Just the suggestion that Ruth should go down to the threshing floor would have been eyebrow raising. You go where? People are going to see her go down there. An unmarried woman dressed up, perfume on, they're all going to be thinking the same thing. The same thing that most of you are probably thinking. We know why she's going down there. So you see immediately how that this is a risky plan for Ruth, right? And then she's supposed to wait until dark. Some of these men aren't as righteous as Boaz. Things could get dicey for her. And she's got to watch closely. I mean, what if she, there's no light out there. What if she loses track of which man is Boaz? Goes up to the wrong man in the dark.

13:19Uncovers his feet. That would be shameful at best and dangerous at worst, right? So she's risking her reputation. She's risking embarrassment. She's risking assault. She's risking accusation. Her entire well-earned reputation in this town could go up in flames. And then Naomi says, and the word then in Hebrew, it means something like, now pay attention, this part is crucial. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. Now these are provocative phrases. Uncover, lie down. It's almost like the author is using deliberate language to depict the way it would appear to most outside observers. Now, if you're wondering, did they or didn't they? I believe they didn't. And here's why. Throughout the book, Ruth and Boaz are depicted as being thoroughly righteous. Certainly they weren't perfect, but they were people that were pursuing the Lord. Righteous and upstanding. Naomi would not ask Ruth to do something that she knows that Ruth wouldn't do. And that Boaz wouldn't agree to even if Ruth had asked. And there's some language later in the story which also leads you to believe that, no, this was not what people think is happening. But she is asking Ruth to be very forward, right?

15:17Not salacious, not indecent, not illicit, but very forward in an uncomfortable way. This is a way of her saying, marry me, Boaz, but in a very intimate and vulnerable way. For her and for Boaz, this is a bold move for a Moabite woman who is probably half his age. It's probably going to be awkward. And it might be painful. I mean, what if Boaz woke up and wanted to protect his own reputation? And said, are you crazy? You can't come to me like this.

15:58This is the threshing floor. You know what people will think. Get out of here. Why did you even think this was a good idea? There is no assurance. There is only hope. He will tell you what to do. This is a very risky plan. Ruth hears all of this, and she's no dummy. She's smart. She's savvy. She's righteous. She hears all this and she raises no objections. She demands no reasons. She simply says, all that you say, I will do.

16:40Isn't this amazing? She opens herself up to the misunderstandings, the awkwardness, the accusations, the vulnerability. And by the grace of God, things go according to plan. She goes and she hides. He threshes. He winnows. He eats. He drinks. He's in a good mood. He lies down to go to sleep to protect his grain. Ruth tiptoes out of the shadows, uncovers his feet, and lays down. And just like Naomi thought, he shivers because he's cold. He turns around. He gropes for his blanket. And what's this? Behold, lo and behold, what a woman is at my feet? It all goes just like Naomi thought that it would, hoped that it would, except for one thing. Ruth speaks. Now, I want you to pay attention to this.

18:02This was not part of the plan. Naomi said, he will tell you what to do. But instead, Ruth is telling Boaz what to do. Wait a second. If Naomi had been watching from the shadows, she'd be like, what are you doing? Isn't this risky enough? But Ruth knows what she's doing. She knows what she's doing. This is a deliberate deviation from the plan. She said, spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. This is way more than a marriage proposal. She is invoking his role as Goel. That's what redeemer is in Hebrew, Goel.

18:54It's someone who had the legal right to rescue a family from crisis. But here's the thing. Naomi is the one who can be redeemed. She is the widow of an Israelite. She is the widow of an Israelite who was related to Boaz. Naomi is the one who can be redeemed. This is not what Naomi had sent Ruth for. If Boaz redeems, even if he marries Ruth, the child that they have will be considered Naomi's. So here is what Ruth is saying. Ruth is saying, Boaz, join me in practicing hesed to Naomi.

19:42I want you to join me in what I'm doing for my mother-in-law. You've helped. Now I'm asking you to go all in with me in showing hesed to Naomi. Ruth did not take on this risk for a way out of the life that she had. A way out of the household with Naomi. A way into a better life. She took on this risk for Naomi. Even without Naomi really knowing what Ruth had in mind. Naomi sent her to get a husband, but Ruth went to get a redeemer for Naomi. Now that is just amazing. It's amazing. Spread your wings over your servant for you are a redeemer. That changes the whole thing. Come with me, Boaz.

20:49I'm asking you to serve my mother-in-law with the same people, the same commitment that I am. Remember how at the beginning I told you this is a love story, but it's not really a love story between Boaz and Ruth? This is what I'm talking about. This is a love story about a woman towards her mother-in-law. Now this is the risk that she took. This is the reason why she took it. Now let's apply this. Brothers and sisters, we should take meaningful risks. In the same way we should take meaningful risks. Here is what this bold encounter at the threshing floor means for us. Means for you and me right now. We should take meaningful risks by enduring awkwardness and accusations. Nobody likes awkwardness. Nobody likes accusations. But that's what Ruth endured so that she could love Naomi in an unbelievable and sacrificial way. I had the opportunity years ago to help at a Young Life Capernaum camp.

22:11If you don't know what Capernaum is, it's Young Life's ministry to kids with disabilities and their families. I had never really done anything with Capernaum before. I went with friends from another church who were involved in this ministry. And what I learned is that at Capernaum camp, there are lots of awkward situations. Lots of them. Every one of them was a choice to either withdraw or to endure. Every one of them was a decision point. Should I endure this awkwardness and move further in or should I withdraw? Because it makes me uncomfortable. I watched and learned from my friends who had been doing this ministry far longer than me. They were far more like Ruth than I was. I watched and I learned and I had my own tolerance for awkwardness tested and pushed. I also know someone who cared for and looked after a person a lot like Naomi, only to be met later with baseless accusations from others about the real motivations in that situation. Sacrificial love will put you in uncomfortable situations. We might as well just square our shoulders against that reality right now. Sacrificial love will put you in uncomfortable situations. It might even unfairly tarnish you. Will you take the risk to step in and endure? Will you take on that risk? When your reputation is getting tarnished, when it's awkward, will you step in and endure? Listen, contrary to what our flesh says, awkwardness will not kill you. No one ever died of embarrassment. And you know what is more important than what people

24:30think of you? What God says about you, which does not change. Okay, here's the second thing. This is even harder, I think, for us. Meaningful risks include speaking up to address something significant. A few months ago, Nikki confronted me about something I was doing towards another person, a way she had seen me responding to someone. As soon as she brought it up, I knew what she was talking about. As she was talking to me, she paused, and what she'd said after a pause, she described it as not a Christian response. And she was right. In fact, those words were exactly what I was thinking about myself when I was hearing her describe it. That's not what a Christian ought to do. And then she said it. And I was like, oh, okay. I was convicted. I was grateful that she had loved me enough to speak up and to address something that she saw. That was love. It was an act of love towards me. Friends, we should be gracious with one another, but also honest with each other. The help that you want to be for someone, it won't happen through silence. Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way in him who is the head into Christ. That's what Paul says. Speaking the truth in love. Speaking brings light into dark places. This is how marriages get better. This is how people overcome addictions. This is how old ways are cast off. This is how new life begins. When someone has the courage to speak up in love.

26:36Speaking of new life, love also means bringing up God and Jesus and faith instead of waiting forever for somebody else to do it. Of asking, do you want to come to church with me? Instead of waiting forever for the person to ask, can I come with you to church? I was in a Bible study and a non-Christian was there participating. I was beginning to hone in on her questions because I knew where she was in her faith. I knew that she did not believe in Jesus and that she had questions. So when she had questions, I was kind of honing in on her. It gave me an opportunity to go real clear about the gospel, what the gospel is and how to respond. I laid it all out. I had a whiteboard. I laid it all out and she was listening intently. I said to her, if you have any questions about this, I'd be happy to help.

27:34And she nodded and she said, okay, thanks. I was about to pray to close the study and then the spirit prompted me, why not ask her right now? And so I swallowed and I was like, do you want to respond to God like this right now? And she said, yeah, I do. I was inches away from just moving on because asking that question, look, I'm a vocational pastor, right? You would think that of all people, maybe I wouldn't be uncomfortable asking that question, but I was. Do you want to respond right now to the gospel? Thank the Lord he pushed me to speak up? Because without that question, where's the invitation to respond to the gospel, right? Do you see what Ruth did? She had the courage to speak up. She would have walked away with a husband, but no redeemer for Naomi if she had not spoken up. She wanted redemption in this family. And she spoke up to ask for it boldly. In fact, to command Boaz to do it. Naomi to get a redeemer, Ruth had to speak up. There comes a time when growth and help will only come when you have the courage to say something. It's a risk. It's a risk. Okay, here's the last thing. Last application for this. A meaningful risk includes admitting need and asking for help. Ruth asked Boaz to join her in practicing hesed, steadfast love to Naomi. She was admitting, I can't do this by myself. You can do something that I can't. So many times we think, I got this, I got this. We tell other people, I got this. We say it to the person that we're trying to love, I got this. But we don't got this. We need help. Right, church? We need help. Listen, Nikki once told

30:05me that she did not think our marriage was healthy. It was in a good place. She wanted us to go to counseling together. I was surprised. I was shocked, actually. I had a completely different perspective on our marriage. I felt completely differently about it. My gut response was to refute her feedback and say, no, we're fine. We're fine. This must be your problem. But it was clear to me that that would not be the response of steadfast love towards my wife. Loving her meant dying to myself, listening to her, and seeking counseling. That's what it meant right then. I needed help. I needed help even to see what she saw, and then help to make that change. It was hard, and it got harder, if I'm being honest. It was not a momentary difficulty. It was a difficulty that endured, but it got better. It was the path of love. And with help, our marriage did get better. Now, you might find it strange for me to be comparing myself with Ruth in that situation, right? But I wanted to practice steadfast love towards my wife, and how is it steadfast love to say, ah, you know what? I think that you're wrong. I don't see what you see, and so I'm just going to ignore it. Steadfast love says, okay, I'm listening. I don't see it, but I want to see it, and we need help to get there. And so, yes, let's go to counseling. I wanted to be like Ruth, but I needed help to get there, obviously, because my wife said our marriage needs help. Real love requires real risks, my friends. It does. When you take those risks, your faith will grow, and

32:18your faith will be challenged, because you'll be cast upon God. You'll be cast out of your own strength, out of that little boat that you've been trying to make it through all the storms of life with on your own, and into his mighty arms to carry you. This is what Paul Miller says, as we enter a life of love, we get to know God. Ruth got to know God, and she got to know God in an even deeper way in chapter three. Now, the risk that Ruth took, it sets up redemption in this story. We're going to see it unfold in the next chapter. But any fears of rejection, they vanish as soon as Boaz responds.

33:08May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness, hesed. You have made this last kindness greater than the first, in that you have not gone after men, whether poor or rich. Now, he is not saying, thank you for choosing me, even though I'm old. It's not what he's saying. He's saying, you sought me because I could help Naomi. He is praising her sacrificial love, and he accepts her proposal. I will do for you all that you ask. Now, there's one wrinkle. There's another relative, another redeemer who's closer. That man actually has the first legal rights to do something.

33:56This is like the point in the movie where you think it's just about to turn a corner and get resolved, and then something else happens. And you're like, oh no. I was ready for that happy ending. Boaz clearly wants to marry Ruth, but to skip over this other man would be wrong. He's got integrity. He's not going to violate the laws of the land, the laws of his people, the laws of the Lord just to get what he wants. But there is something that he can do. He says, I'm going to get things moving. I'm going to initiate things. I'm going to follow up, and I'm going to do it tomorrow. He says, I'm going to go and figure out what can happen. Because tomorrow, Ruth, one way or another, redemption is coming. Redemption is coming for you. Ruth's risky act of steadfast love has worked. Against all odds, it's worked. Her risk set up redemption, and so it is with Jesus.

35:05Friends, remember, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, right? But that very fact, the very fact that made him able to be our Messiah made him sneered at his entire life, people accused him of having immoral beginnings everywhere he went. He didn't play along with the Pharisees' legalism, and for that, he was called a glutton, a drunkard, a disregarder of the law. His character was dragged through the mud day after day, week after week. He spent sinners to show them grace, and it was a scandal.

35:52It was a scandal. Look at who he is spending time with. Can you believe this? People thought and accused him of being possessed by a demon. That's how tarnished his reputation was as he walked the earth. And he was mocked as weak and foolish because he didn't use his popularity to become a ruler. Instead, he went on that cross, and he was cursed and considered rejected by God. But they were right about that, weren't they? They were right about that. He did take on a curse, the curse of our sin. He was rejected so that we could be accepted by God. Friends, through Christ, you are safe.

36:45You are safe. You are safe. You can take refuge under the wings of Jesus. Look at this, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Child of God, you are safe in Christ. Ultimately, truly, once you are united to him, there are no risks. In an ultimate sense, there is no risk in your life. No accusation will stand against you. You are free from fear and from guilt. Friends, if he is your savior and I hope that he is today, you can take risks to love. Redemption is coming and you're safe today under his wings. You can step out in what looks to be a great risk, knowing that he has you under his wings forever. Let's pray. Lord, what an amazing example Ruth is, and there are things that we can learn from her, which are hard for us to apply, because, Lord, our flesh, it's strong sometimes, and it tells us to protect ourselves. It tells us to not say something that might offend or might rub people the wrong way. It tells us to not admit that we have need. These things are self-defeating.

38:29We need, Lord, we need to remember to be taught by you the safety that we have in you so that we step out in faith and love people and die to ourselves in risky ways. Lord, remind us of who we are in Christ so that we can walk the path that you have given to us into the good works that you have prepared for us. Jesus, we pray this in your name. Amen.