Intro

[ MYTHBUSTERS – STILL ]

[ MYTHBUSTERS – IDIOM HISTORY ]

Passage

Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife to raise up a descendant who will inherit his property so the name of the deceased might not disappear from among his relatives and from his village. You are witnesses today.” 11 All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel! May you prosper in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your family become like the family of Perez—whom Tamar bore to Judah—through the descendants the Lord gives you by this young woman.”

Prayer

Study

Verse 9–10

Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife to raise up a descendant who will inherit his property so the name of the deceased might not disappear from among his relatives and from his village. You are witnesses today.” 

First, just quickly, I would like you to notice that while the planning and the groundwork were done in private, the actual deal was done publically. No secret backdoor shennigans here. It’s like we always tell our kids, surprises can be fun, but secrets? Well…

[ THE OFFICE – SECRET SECRETS ]

And secondly, where did the other redeemer go? He’s gone. never to be mentioned again. He went from a character of critical importance to merely one among many denoted by the phrase “all the people”. This large and imposing shadow of doubt cast across the story has disappeared. And isn’t that the way of it sometimes? We make these obstacles into giants, titans out to foil our efforts. But if God’s in it, we don’t need to worry, right? Because if that’s not what God wants for you, he put that obstancle there to stop you, to protect you from yourself. But if someTHING or someONE stands in the way of God’s purposes for you…

[ SHAWSHANK – FART IN THE WIND ]

Alrighty, back to the issue at hand… because Boaz is formalizing it for this legal proceeding, this is the first time that the depth of his consolodation is all laid out. I mean, think about this for a minute… Boaz has authority the entire estate of Elimelech. All his goods. All his possesions. His wife. All his children’s goods. All his children’s possessions. That’s a lot of power, isn’t it?

And in the hands of someone with poor character, this could easily lead to abuse and corruption. And that’s not something we need to speculate about, is it? We’ve seen that throughout history. All the way from iron fisted empire rulers, to brutal nationalistic dictators, to off-the-rails religious leaders, to unscruplous CEOs, to… well… people like this:

[ COMMUNITY – MIND THE CAN ]

Bet before you shake your head and cluck your tongue at actions of “THEM”, I would like you to consider soemthing:

We just saw Canada recognize the first National Truth and Reconsiliation Day with an official Statutory Holiday acrioss the country. And we look back at what was done with horror and disgust, “How could they!?” we declare with a self-righteous anger! “Those people were evil!” we pronounce, often without pause or reflection.

But when Kamloops story first broke, my wife and I were talking about it. And she astutly pointed out that the people who did this were not “evil”. Despite the liklely presence of top-hats, monocles, and twirrled moustaches, these were people who thought they were doing a good thing… not just for Canada, but indeed even for the indigenous people themselves! They truly believed their actions would be a benefit! My wife summed it up well when she said, “There but for the grace of God go I”.

“But Conrad, you relatable teller of cautionary tales”, I hear you say, “what are we to make of all this?” Well, I’m glad you asked.

If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a dozen times. Biblical authority is not about power, it’s about responsibility. Let me say it again: Biblical authority is not about power, it’s about responsibility.

So if God is trusting you with authority – with power – over some one or some thing, then you need to understand that you will be accountable to HIM for how you steward your charge. If it were me I would move carefully and prayerfully knowing that the road to hell is paved with “good intentions”. “Intentions” are simply not enough. We are responsibile and accountable to God for our actions, not simply our intent.

I submit that God knew the hearts of the first-in-line redeemer of Ruth as well as Boaz’s and that God providentially arranged for things to occur the way they did, knowing that Boaz would be the better steward than ol’ what’s-his-name.

Let’s keep going…

Verse 11–12

All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel! May you prosper in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. May your family become like the family of Perez—whom Tamar bore to Judah—through the descendants the Lord gives you by this young woman.”

Boaz asks the elders to be witnesses and they reply, “we are witnesses”. But they do not stop there. The elders continue on with a blessing. And it is quite a blessing! Let’s take a look at this thing!

This is a 3-part blessing.

1. A blessing of Ruth
2. A blessing of Boaz
3. A blessing of the family

The blessing of Ruth seems like a monumental statement to me. They want her to be like Rachel and Leah. Just in case you’ve forgotten, Rachel and Leah are the wives of Jacob. Jacob the granson of Abraham, yes, that Abraham. These women would produce 12 male children who would end up becoming the leaders of each of the 12 tribes of Israel. So when the elders of Bethelehem say that these two women – quote – “built up the house of Israel”, they mean that quite literally. They are praying that Ruth would be the mother of a mighty and god-fearing nation!

Isn’t that amazing!

And the blessing on Boaz. Firstly that he would “prosper”. Conrad, why are you saying the word prosper with scarequotes? Because there is actually a vigorous debate among Biblical scholars as to what exactly is meant by that word.

1. Some will argue that the elders wished financial prosperity on Boaz. That God would make it rain on Buck Biggs. (Sing “For the Love of Money” by the OJays). Something like this:
   1. [ DUCKTALES – SCROOGE IN MONEY BIN ]
2. Some will argue that the elders wished social prominance on Boaz. That a man who is already well known and well-respected in the community would gain even more social status and prominance! Something like this:
   1. [ SIMPSONS – SOCIAL HOMER ]
3. Some will argue that the elders wished reproductive fertility on Boaz. That this man with – presumably – no heirs would now have a strong nation of children, echos of Abraham there. That he would end up with a gaggle, a brood, a swarm of children around him. Something like this:
   1. [ ROCKY II – RUNNING SCENE ]

There is no widespread agreement, and some have even suggested that it’s possible they intended for ALL of these. I lean towards the fertility theory, since it follows what came before and after. But it could well mean that these elders, these leaders really did intend for all three of these to apply! They really are praying for an exceptional blessing on ol’ Boaz!

Isn’t that amazing! Isn’t that astounding!!

Then, the final blessing, for the whole family that Boaz’ line would be like that of Perez! Perez was an ancestor of Boaz. But what’s interesting is that Perez’s father – Judah – almost had his family line die out after two of his three sons died! The whole family line was at risk of extinction before Tamar gave birth to two boys, Zerah, and Perez. Perex went on to have a generations-long string of unbroken successors. With the family lines of both Boaz AND Mahlon at very real risk, this seems like a very apropos blessing indeed!

Isn’t that amazing! Isn’t that astounding!! Isn’t that incredible!!!

…

No, not really. This would have been a pretty standard type of blessing at the time. Not all that different from saying, “Blessings to the happy couple”.

Here we see something not dissimilar in Genesis 17:16:

16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. Kings of countries will come from her!”

And again in Genesis 24:60:

They blessed Rebekah with these words: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies.”

Application

No, the blessing itself is not that interesting or noteworthy in the end, I’m sorry to report.

What IS interesting to me is what you might charitably call the “history”, but what would more colloquially be referred to as the “mess” from which all this was borne. 

We know that Ruth is a window. A self-made orphan. An outsider. Regarded as barren and well past her typical marriage window.

Similarly; we know that Boaz is older, a man of means, but most likely without any family to enjoy or share that lifestyle with.

We know that Rachel and Leah are sisters. Jacob love Rachel, but Leah was essentially forced into a loveless marriage and even had to trick the groom for him to marry her. 

We also know that Tamar was already married to the eldest of Judah’s 3 sons. But he died. So she married the second of Judah’s 3 sons… then HE died! But she was denied access to Judah’s 3rd son, because Judah was fearful that he, too, would die if he married this girl. So Tamar dresses herself up as a prostitute, puts the moves on Judah himself and then gets pregnant with Perez!

What a sorded, tangled mess. This is like something from a bad soap opera… or professional wrestling.

But you know what? It was Leah, the unloved wife, who bore Judah to Jacob. And it was Tamar, the woman so desperate for children that she dressed up as a prostitute to seduce Judah and bore Perez. And it is Perez’ line who produced the man – Boaz – that would step in and save Elimelech’s line from disappearing off the face of the earth.

Here’s the thing, like The Band sang in our opening video:

Out of nine lives I spent seven Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven? Oh, you don’t know the shape I’m in

And

Save your neck or save your brother Looks like it’s one or the other Oh, you don’t know the shape I’m in

You might think you’re in a mess the likes of which no man could recover. But you aren’t. That’s why I titled today’s message “Beautiful Mess”. If you read through this thing (hold up Bible), you will read some horrifying stories. The Bible makes no effort to try and hide the horrible brokenness of the human condiiton.

So don’t stress your mess. God can still use you. Because guess what? God knew about the mistake you were going to make long before you made it, and He loved you anyway. He included you in His plan anyway. And what’s more? God doesn’t simply want you to play some bit part, standing in the shadows. God wants you to do something. He has given you something, maybe something small, maybe something big. But he’s trusting you. Don’t let your mess keep you on the sidelines!

• Maybe that issue has given you insight.
• Maybe that problem has given you wisdom.
• Maybe that stumble has given you grace.
• Maybe that brokeness has give you a heart for the broken.

Call To Action

Oh, but what do I do about that, Conrad? Here is what Tricia Goymer says. She got pregnant twice as a teenager – and one in the church no less. The first time she had an abortion, the second time she kept her baby. She felt guilt for years, but now she is using her experience to help other teen girls in this difficult situation. She is turning something that painful and difficult and shameful for her into something beautiful. Into help. Into hope. Into healing. Below are her five suggestions for moving forward:

1. Face it. Everyone has made mistakes—everyone. God knows your mistakes, too. He wants you to own up to them. Not to condemn, but to bring you to your need for him. In John 4, Jesus called out the Samaritan woman for having had five husbands and for living with someone who wasn’t her husband. Did he give her a tongue lashing? No. He told her what he had to offer:

“Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. But those who drink the water that I will give them will never become thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give them will become in them a spring that gushes up to eternal life.” John 4:13–14, God’s Word Translation

1. Invite Jesus in. Just like the woman, God wants springs of eternal life to flow from you, too, but you have to invite him in. Ask him to fill you up with his goodness, so full that it can’t help but flow out.
2. Reach out. Almost ten years after I was a teen mom myself, I had a burden to reach out to those who were facing the same challenges I faced as a teenage mom. With the help of other women, I started a Teen MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) support group in Kalispell, Montana. And I did the same when we moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2014. I knew there was a need, even though I didn’t already know the young women who showed up. In both situations it was one of those “if you build it, they will come” things. I reached out, and God brought the people who needed the help to me.
3. Speak up. Don’t be afraid to talk about hard issues. Sometimes people feel as if they’re the only ones who have dealt with the same pain. Be the first one to open up and share your heart. It’ll be an open door for the other person to do the same.
4. Team up. Find other like-minded individuals who had the same message. Work together to share your message. Turn to each other for encouragement.

[ MYTHBUSTERS – CONCLUSION ]

Wait… Conrad… are you calling me a poop? No… well, not in any way that makes you special… oh man… I’m really digging a hole here. Maybe for an outhouse. I am headed down a weird road here…

[ FRIEND – PIVOT ]

Anyway, the point is this: God can turn your mess into His message.

Again: God can turn your mess into his message.

Prayer