Love, Loyalty & Labor Ruth 3:16 Adapted from a Davon Huss sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=46608

1. Love, Loyalty & Labor
Ruth 3:16
Adapted from a Davon Huss sermon
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?Cont
ributorID=&SermonID=46608

2. Ruth 3:16 NIV When Ruth came to her
mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it
go, my daughter?” Then she told her
everything Boaz had done for her 17 and
added, “He gave me these six measures of
barley, saying, „Don‟t go back to your
mother-in-law empty-handed.‟ ” 18 Then
Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you
find out what happens. For the man will not
rest until the matter is settled today.”

3. Attractive:
Pleasing to the eye or mind; charming.
Beauty:
A pleasing quality associated with harmony
of form or color, excellence of
craftsmanship, truthfulness, originality, or
another, often undefined property.

4. To be attractive, pleasing to look at involves
aesthetically pleasing measurements, the
right color, the right texture, and the right
this and that. If we don’t have it we are
sorry, out of luck. This world can be cruel.
There are qualities that transcend the
outward appearance. They can make us
attractive so that people are drawn or they
can make us unattractive so that people are
repelled.

5. How do we become attractive to those
around us? How do we become someone
people want to be around? How do we
become attractive to our co-workers? How
do we become attractive to our family?
Most importantly, how do we become
attractive to the one who matters most, and
that is God?

6. Women put on lots of makeup, get a fancy
haircut, get a tan, get a face lift, get a
tummy tuck, get their nails done, run miles
every day, use Oil of Olay, use the right
perfume, all to be attractive.

7. Men lift weights, make sure their hair is
done in the coolest style, know the correct
etiquette and chivalry, they must be tough
yet sensitive, and they must have the
coolest car in town, all to make themselves
attractive.
Many, if not most, people think they must
look good in a swimming suit!

8. Joe McKeever is quoted saying, As a
cartoonist and sketch artist, I love to draw
people. So I notice people who have that
something extra, that inner glow that makes
the difference between "Nice-looking" and
"wow." It’s like someone has turned on a
light inside them causing a radiance to seep
out the pores of their skin.

9. It surely must be what Peter intended when
he said; Let your beauty not be external —
the braiding of hair and wearing of gold
jewelry or fine clothes —but the inner
person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a
gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious
in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:4 NET
Inner beauty. Estee Lauder and Mary Kay
will never figure out how to bottle it. It is a
spiritual quality.

10. Have you noticed that when people lose their
inner beauty (due to sin and only due to sin), or
when they’ve never had it, they often fake it
with an over-emphasis on makeup, hair and
nail treatments, clothing, and jewelry. The
effect is like trying to reproduce the Mona Lisa
with crayons. It never works. You take two
young people, one with an ugly attitude but
beautiful outwardly, and the other who has a
lovely spirit but is plain outwardly, and in
time, the situations will reverse.

11. The lovely spirit will transform the person
into a true beauty, and the bad attitude will
rob the other of their youthful beauty. The
inner quality, whatever it is, good or not
good, will eventually come out and will rule.
A beautiful heart more than offsets the
handicap of a homely face!

12. Isaac Asimov is quoted saying, She (Ruth)
has remained ever since, to all men, one of
the most attractive women in the Bible.
Why? Why did this man say that Ruth is
one of the most attractive women in the
Bible?
Esther, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Philistine
women, these women are all mentioned as
very attractive. So why is Ruth an attractive
woman?

13. She is never mentioned as being attractive
in the Bible. No mention of physical beauty.
We do not have a picture of Ruth but
assuming the reaction of Boaz, she
probably was very attractive. Maybe
physically but an inner radiance that shone
through. Boaz noticed it and was attracted
to it.

14. Attraction does not always depend on
looks. We all have known beautiful people
who have terrible attitudes. Not so attractive
even though they may be physically
beautiful. An average person of modest
physical beauty who has a great outlook
and attitude is attractive.
Let’s look at some of the attributes and
characteristics of Ruth that made her so
attractive.

15. Not talking about a Don Won or a Cleopatra or
some kind of seductress, but a great lover of
people and a great lover of God.
The story of Naomi.
Her son Mahlon married Ruth. Mahlon and his
brother Chilion died. The famine is over. Naomi
released Orpha & Ruth from any responsibility
to her saying, “Each of you go back to your
Mother’s home and find new husbands.”

16. Naomi pleaded with them to return. It would
be hard for them. Widows could not get
steady jobs. Naomi could not provide them
with husbands. It was customary when a
son died, that another son would marry the
widow and provide children for his brother.
Naomi could not provide this.

17. Ruth 1:14 NIV At this they wept again. Then
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-
by, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said
Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to
her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don‟t urge me to leave
you or to turn back from you. Where you go
I will go, and where you stay I will stay.

18. Your people will be my people and your
God my God. 17 Where you die I will
die, and there I will be buried. May the
LORD deal with me, be it ever so
severely, if anything but death separates
you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that
Ruth was determined to go with her, she
stopped urging her.

19. Ruth had a great love for her mother-in-law
Naomi. She saw Naomi needed her even
though Naomi did not think so. It is a shame
that so many mother in-laws and daughter in-
laws do not have that kind of love between
them today. Ruth understood true love. Love is
not self-seeking. Many people once love; the
relationship becomes inconvenient or
restricting, many people end that love, that
relationship. Throw off marriages, throw off
friends, and throw off children.

20. Immature love follows the principle: "I love
because I am loved" Mature love says: "I
am loved because I love." There has to be a
give and take and when it all becomes
giving and no taking, many people grow
weary and abandon ship.
Mother’s are to love their husbands and
children.
Titus 2:4 NET In this way they will train the
younger women to love their husbands, to
love their children,

21. There was another reason that Ruth stuck
with Naomi. Ruth did not want to go back to
her family or to the old gods. The god of
Moab was Chemosh.
Chemosh apparently wanted the people to
sacrifice their firstborn sons in the fire to
him.

22. 2 Kings 3:26 NIV When the king of Moab
saw that the battle had gone against
him, he took with him seven hundred
swordsmen to break through to the king of
Edom, but they failed. 27 Then he took his
firstborn son, who was to succeed him as
king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the
city wall. The fury against Israel was great;
they withdrew and returned to their own
land.

23. Ruth saw something vastly different in the
Israelites God. She saw worship that built
up the family. She saw worship that was not
provocative to the flesh but convicting to the
soul. She saw the laws, rules and
regulations of the Israelite God and she
realized these things are good.

24. Not that she understood everything but she
saw that they were different and good. She
saw a God who showed loving-kindness
and compassion to people. Not like
Chemosh who had to be appeased with
sacrifices and even then he might not show
favor.

25. When she married Mahlon, God gained a
convert. It was not right for Elimelech and
his sons to go to Moab; it was not right for
Mahlon and Chilion to marry foreign
women, but in the end it turned out good for
Ruth. She loved the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. She heard the stories of Moses
and the miracles and she was hooked. Not
that the Israelites were perfect, but she saw
God and she loved him.

26. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is
going back to her people and her gods. Go
back with her.” Ruth did not want to go back
to that. Ruth was a true worshipper of God
and went with Naomi to Judah because of
that love. Boaz says, May the LORD repay
you for what you have done. May you be
richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of
Israel, under whose wings you have come
to take refuge.” Ruth 2:12 NIV

27. Many people accept Christ through
superficial motives. They never surrender
all. They do it to please family, friends, and
romantic interests. They love God to a point
and leave him when it becomes
inconvenient. They do not love God
enough.
They love other things better.
Do not love the world…

28. She showed loyalty to Naomi and her
covenant with Elimelech’s family. Ruth went
the extra mile, even though Naomi loosed
her from this responsibility; still she
remained loyal to Naomi and to God. She
took her words, promises and commitments
seriously.

29. These verses (16-17) are used in many
wedding ceremonies because it depicts
love and loyalty to the wedding vows.
However, it can apply to many other areas.
It seems many today have no idea of what
loyalty is. Synonyms of loyal: Faithful,
trustworthy, devoted, reliable, dependable,
steadfast, dedicated, trusty, constant
Does our society value loyalty?

30. Horton hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss- Lazy
Mayzie the bird was sitting on an egg.
Horton the elephant passes by and Mayzie
gets him to sit on the egg. Mayzie leaves
and doesn’t come back. Horton continues to
sit on the egg through all kinds of weather.
Then some men find Horton sitting on the
egg and they are so fascinated with an
elephant sitting on an egg that they take
Horton and the egg and sell him to a circus.

31. Throughout all of these episodes, Horton
says, "I meant what I said, and I said what I
meant… An elephant’s faithful- one hundred
percent." Finally, the egg hatches and out
pops an elephant-bird. And it should be, it
should be, it should be like that! Because
Horton was faithful! He sat and he sat! He
meant what he said And he said what he
meant…And they sent him home
Happy, One hundred per cent!

32. How many people would fulfill such a
promise! We see here a woman of great
character. It is comforting to know some
people who mean what they say and follow
through on their promises. It is refreshing to
have friends who say they will help you and
support you and they actually do it.

33. We need more Ruth’s in our society. We
need more people who will not stab us in
the back. We need more people who will
lead us down the right path. We need more
people who will stick with us when we are
right and when we are wrong. These people
are few and far between. That is why they
are so attractive.

34. Hold To Christ, cling to Him. We will stick
with Christ; we will stick with our families
even though better offers come. We need to
be loyal to our mothers and mothers need
to be loyal to their children. Ruth remained
loyal even in the midst of adversity. Naomi
was old and was unable to provide for
herself. God’s law in Israel is that the
corners of the fields were reserved for the
poor.

35. Leviticus 19:9 NIV “ „When you reap the
harvest of your land, do not reap to the very
edges of your field or gather the gleanings
of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your
vineyard a second time or pick up the
grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the
poor and the alien. I am the LORD your
God.

36. Ruth and Naomi came back to Bethlehem
during the barley harvest. Ruth went to a
field and started to glean what was there.
She went to the field of Boaz.
Chapter
Boaz helped her to gather a lot because he
knew who she was and he respected her
and her character. It was hard work but
Ruth was loyal.

37. Ruth knew that going with Naomi put her in
a very low position. Not just one widow but
two. No income. No steady work. Had to
work as a poor woman gleaning in the
fields, not an easy job and maybe even a
dangerous one. Usually gleaners did not
get much from a day’s work.
Besides, she was a foreigner.

38. Ruth must have had culture shock in
moving to a different country. There were
many unfamiliar ways of doing things, many
unfamiliar customs and sayings, not to
mention language differences. She left her
father and mother and homeland, never to
return. Ruth had to sacrifice much.

39. A lot of times there is a sacrifice, a giving up
of something (carrying a cross) to be a
Christian. Our parent’s had to sacrifice a lot
for us.
To sacrifice is to love.
1 John 4:10 NET In this is love: not that we
have loved God, but that he loved us and
sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for
our sins.

40. Ruth even sacrificed a lot of her dignity.
Chapter 3;
Naomi comes up with a plan. Boaz is one of
their kinsman-redeemers. "A brother in law
or a close relative who bought back the land
of an impoverished or deceased relative to
carry on his name in Israel.

41. If there was a widow from a deceased
relative, the kinsman-redeemer would have
to marry that widow and provide children for
his brother in-law or close relative so that
his name would be carried on in Israel. For
a woman to make a marriage proposal or
ask permission of a kinsman-redeemer to
come and redeem, she had to uncover his
legs and lie down by his feet as in
submission, then the man would make that
decision.

42. Boaz was older than Ruth. This could be
embarrassing for Ruth. During the night
Boaz was sleeping at the threshing
floor, Ruth comes, uncovers his legs & lay
at his feet. Ruth 3:11 NIV And now, my
daughter, don‟t be afraid. I will do for you all
you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that
you are a woman of noble character.
Boaz needs to approach the closest
kinsman-redeemer and have him redeem or
allow Boaz to redeem.

43. Ruth is one of the most attractive women in
the Bible. Boaz says why. “you are a
woman of noble character.”
What made her so attractive? Her love, her
loyalty and her sacrifice.
Matthew 6:33 NET But above all pursue his
kingdom and righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.
The Lord blesses those who please him.

44. Chapter 4
Boaz is allowed to be Ruth’s kinsman-
redeemer. Boaz and Ruth are married and
Ruth gave birth to a son. Naomi was
comforted in her old age with a grandson
named Obed, the grandfather of King
David, in the lineage of Jesus.

45. WE have a kinsman-redeemer and that
redeemer is Jesus Christ. He bought us
back from being poor, wretched, and
miserable. We were like Ruth and Naomi
and even worse. Much like Boaz, who had
nothing really to gain financially. Jesus
gained a bride through his love, loyalty and
sacrifice, the Church. May we be an
attractive bride like Ruth was to Boaz.

46. Are you part of His bride, The Church? Do
you believe as Peter did? Matthew 16:15
NET He said to them, "But who do you say
that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

47. Have you repented of your sins & turned to
God? Acts 26:20 NET but I declared to
those in Damascus first, and then to those
in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the
Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to
God, performing deeds consistent with
repentance.

48. Have you been added to the number? Acts
2:41 NET So those who accepted his
message were baptized, and that day about
three thousand people were added.
Are you living faithfully, staying true to the
Lord? Acts 11:23 NET When he came and
saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and
encouraged them all to remain true to the
Lord with devoted hearts,