We pick up in the dark era of the Judges, where Israel’s repeated failure and idolatry are met again and again by God’s grace through deliverers, and we zoom in on Ruth as a “scarlet thread” leading toward David and ultimately Jesus.

We walk through how Naomi’s family fled famine to Moab, how Naomi lost her husband and sons, and how Ruth—an impoverished foreigner—chose loyal, sacrificial love by clinging to Naomi and returning to Bethlehem.

We unpack Boaz as the kinsman-redeemer who pays to restore Elimelech’s lost land and marries Ruth despite the cost, contrasting him with another relative who refused.

We end by connecting redemption in Ruth to Christ redeeming us by his blood, and we’re invited to gratitude, sacrificial love, and prayer.

00:00 Recap and Hope

00:58 Prayer for Lent

02:00 Ruth in Judges Era

02:15 Who Were the Judges

04:49 Ruth Chooses Naomi

06:26 Boaz the Redeemer

07:37 What Is Redemption

09:53 From Ruth to David

11:43 Redeemed by Christ

14:12 Our Response and Prayer

Daniel, how are you doing?

2

Daniel Jepsen: I'm doing good.

3

I'm so excited to be able to go

through some of this actually.

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Nathan Beasley: This has been so good

and I really loved where we left off.

5

seeing.

6

All of what God has done and is doing.

7

I mean, not all of it obviously, but,

snapshots of it that really just give me

8

a lot of hope and get me really excited.

9

Daniel Jepsen: Right.

10

Yeah.

11

And we're seeing right, the.

12

Pattern of human failure throughout the

Old Testament story, but also God's grace,

13

that crimson thread weaving through that.

14

And we saw that, especially with

the temple in the last episode.

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Nathan Beasley: Yeah, it's neat to

see we're building toward this picture

16

of a messiah, a savior who's going

to crush the head of the serpent,

17

going to restore us into fellowship

with the Father and bring about the,

18

life that God intended where we are.

19

in harmony, sin and death are dealt with.

20

And, life can be lived to its fullest

intent and the consummation of time.

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Daniel Jepsen: Right.

22

And we're gonna look at a beautiful story,

the story of Ruth, one of my favorites.

23

We're gonna put it in the context

of the judges, but before we do

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that, let's just pause for a second.

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Ask God to open our eyes.

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Help him to see what he

asked for, is in this.

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Nathan Beasley: Oh, father,

thank you for this Lenten season.

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We pray you help expand our minds and our

hearts to recognize what you have done.

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On the cross on our behalf.

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Lord, help this be an exercise in

understanding, but also warm our hearts.

31

Help us walk in deeper faithfulness.

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Let this be a time in which we are led

into deeper love for you and for others.

33

Amen.

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Daniel Jepsen: Amen.

35

Yeah.

36

So I'm excited to talk about Ruth, but

we have to get the background of this.

37

So Ruth happens in the darkest

times of Israel's history.

38

It says in verse one of Ruth, and

then today's when the judges ruled,

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and then he is gonna tell this story.

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Nathan Beasley: Yeah.

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So who are the judges?

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Daniel Jepsen: Well, there's a

whole book named after him, right?

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Nathan Beasley: Oh,

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Daniel Jepsen: okay.

45

So yeah, that's a good question

because we should probably explain

46

Judge here doesn't mean a judicial

figure like it does in our society.

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A judge was simply a ruler or

deliverer that God raised up to

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help Israel from their enemies.

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Nathan Beasley: So after, Moses

they're led into the promised Land.

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The Israelites are led into the

promised Land through Joshua.

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Daniel Jepsen: Right.

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And they have no king.

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Nathan Beasley: They have no

king, and they settle in the land

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Daniel Jepsen: and they

start really blowing it.

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I mean, they devolve into all kinds

of wickedness and idolatry and, um.

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violence.

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Nathan Beasley: So they don't

keep the commands of God?

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Daniel Jepsen: No, they don't.

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They fail utterly and

God allows other nations.

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Then he, God would draw us his protection

'cause that's part of the covenant.

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Other nations stronger

than them, attack them.

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And then he had the cycle where God raises

up these judges to protect his people.

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Now again, so there's that backdrop.

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Human failure again and again.

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You see it.

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I mean, the pattern, the judge is

raised up and he protects the people

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and they go back to God for a little

while, while, you know, in thankfulness.

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But then they get comfortable and

they, they blow off God in God's

69

ways again and again and again.

70

The cycle just seems endless.

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But in the midst of that, God

raises up these judges and

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especially Samson, who is a symbol.

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In many ways a symbol by contrast

with Jesus, because he also, like

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Jesus, it says in judges saves

more in his death than by his life.

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So God is still protecting his

people, but it's a dark, dark time.

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So God sends the judges, but

more than that, he's doing

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something underneath the surface.

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so there's this, Scarlet thread,

he's weaving through the judges

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that he saves, but there's a.

80

A finer and stronger and more

beautiful, thread that God begins

81

weaving at this time, and it's the

thread that will result in David

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and then through that Jesus Christ.

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Nathan Beasley: So in the canon of

scripture, you've got the, Torah, the

84

first five books, and you've got, Joshua.

85

And then you've got judges

and then you get to Ruth.

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Daniel Jepsen: Right?

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Nathan Beasley: And so this story you

said in verse one just kind of piggybacks

88

right off of that time of the judges.

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Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

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It's an, it's an evil time.

91

And yet here in the midst of that,

God is gonna begin his slow work of

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bringing about the shalom of the kingdom,

the the goodness that God desires.

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And he is gonna do that through these

ultimate figures, David and Jesus.

94

But he starts it through this.

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Poor Moabite woman named Ruth

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Nathan Beasley: Moabite.

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Daniel Jepsen: Yeah, so Moabite was

one of the neighboring countries.

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They were oftentimes an enemy of Israel.

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And won't go into the whole story,

but in Israelite family, a man and

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his wife and two older sons go down to

Moab to escape the famine in Israel.

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And there the boys marry Moabite women.

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So probably teenage girls.

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The husband, the father dies.

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Both boys die.

105

And now you've got the mother, Naomi.

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And she decides to go back to Israel.

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She decides to go back

to Bethlehem, her town.

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And she's got these two

daughters, uh, or And Ruth.

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Nathan Beasley: Daughters-in-law.

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Daniel Jepsen:

Daughters-in-law, thank you.

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And she tells me, go back.

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go find a new husband, make a family

through them and, Ruth sacrifices

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what appears to be her own future

out of love and loyalty to Naomi.

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She clings to Naomi Where

you go, I will go.

115

Your people will be my

people and your God, my God.

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And where you die, that's

where they're gonna bury me.

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Also, I, I just love that

it moves me every time.

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So God uses a sacrificial decision.

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So she's sacrificing what looks

like in human terms would be

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the right move, the smart move.

121

Go back to Mo, find the guy, settle down.

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She clings to Naomi because she knows.

123

Naomi is not only poor

like her, but she's old.

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She can't really work, but Ruth can.

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So Ruth sacrifices what appears

to be her own future out of

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love and loyalty to Naomi.

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And then through that God sets

up this beautiful story where a

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kinsman redeemer named Boaz oas

is able to show kindness to her.

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and eventually he.

130

exercises his redemptive rights

to pay for the property that her

131

family used to own, and in doing

so, also brought her as his wife.

132

So if you read the story, this

is also sacrifice on his part.

133

So there's another character involved,

another kinsman redeemer who chose not

134

to do his duty of, of redemption because

it would, endanger his own inheritance.

135

So Boaz also.

136

Does something that seems

not in his best interest.

137

He's not using his own wisdom

to get ahead, but he is showing

138

faithfulness to the family of Naomi.

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And, so he, buys bath their property and,

he marries Ruth and they having children.

140

Nathan Beasley: So this is a really,

um, interesting story, but also

141

you're using a lot of words that,

I don't use in my day to day life.

142

So kinsman, I think I get, he's a relative

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Daniel Jepsen: right

144

Nathan Beasley: of, Naomi's

husband, whose name is

145

Daniel Jepsen: Ek

146

Nathan Beasley: Lec, who has passed away.

147

this theme of redemption

is really significant.

148

We want to pick up on this.

149

He's a kinsman redeemer, so he is a family

who's going to do this act of redemption.

150

Can you help us understand?

151

What that is, and then we'll,

we'll see how that points to,

152

the work of Jesus on the cross.

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Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

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So God's desire when, the people

moved into their land, that every

155

family would have a piece of that land

their inheritance before the Lord.

156

He recognized though that sometimes

that would get lost either through

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death or sometimes a family had

to sell it to provide for their

158

own needs, or something like that.

159

So there was a way in which someone

else from their clan or if not there

160

from their tribe, could actually

buy back that property and restore

161

it to the people who owned it.

162

So redemption simply meant that

you paid something in order to

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restore to its rightful place.

164

Nathan Beasley: So Alec has this land,

which he sells when he moves to Moab,

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Daniel Jepsen: right?

166

Nathan Beasley: But then when

they come back and he's gone,

167

Naomi and Ruth come back.

168

But they don't have anything

because the land is sold.

169

Daniel Jepsen: Right?

170

Nathan Beasley: But in the law.

171

One of their family members is

able to buy that back and restore

172

that, not to his own line.

173

So it's not in the line of Boaz

anymore, but now it's that that

174

property is in the line of a lilac.

175

Daniel Jepsen: Mm-hmm.

176

Nathan Beasley: Which is why it's

such a sacrifice on Boaz's part that

177

Boaz is paying the price to get this

property, which ultimately isn't even

178

gonna be his, or go to his, his heir.

179

Is that correct?

180

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah, pretty much.

181

Nathan Beasley: But part of the deal

of buying, of redeeming the property,

182

being the kinsman redeemer, is that

he will receive Ruth as part of that.

183

Daniel Jepsen: Yes.

184

Nathan Beasley: And that's, um.

185

a good and a bad thing.

186

This isn't a hallmark, romance here.

187

Daniel Jepsen: No, not necessarily.

188

I mean, this was a legal thing and,

189

Nathan Beasley: and we see that, uh,

one of the other Kinsmen you already

190

mentioned said, nah, I'll pass.

191

Right?

192

He said, I'll take the land.

193

But then when he realized that Ruth

was a part of it, he said, nah.

194

I'm, I'm, I'm out.

195

Daniel Jepsen: Right.

196

Yeah.

197

It was, it's complicated.

198

Won't go into all the details, but he

felt it would threaten the inheritance of

199

his own biological offspring to do that.

200

So yeah, he would not do it.

201

It highlights boas, a

sacrificial willingness to do it.

202

Nathan Beasley: Mm-hmm.

203

Daniel Jepsen: And then out of this,

it says at the very end that they had

204

this son and this son, was named Obed.

205

Obed was a father of Jesse and

Jesse, the father of David.

206

In other words, Ruth and Boaz

became the great grandparents of

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David, the great king of Israel.

208

Nathan Beasley: Wow.

209

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

210

God did all that there.

211

There are no miracles.

212

There's no great acts or all these giant,

or heroic things we normally think of.

213

He does all that through the

simple obedience and trust

214

of very ordinary people.

215

And in the case of Ruth, especially

someone that you would not think had

216

any great claim on anything, she's

a woman in a man dominated society.

217

She's a foreigner living in Israel.

218

She's poor in a, time where

the rich, are exalted and God

219

uses her to bring forth David.

220

And then of course through

the line of David Jesus comes.

221

Yeah.

222

Nathan Beasley: I'm amazed by

the way that you see God in

223

the background of this story.

224

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

225

Nathan Beasley: And for all the

reasons you said, like in the eyes

226

of society, Ruth's not a winner.

227

but you do see God's heart that

she gets grafted into the story.

228

in Matthew chapter one, then we see that

she's, named as part of the lineage,

229

of Jesus, like you just pointed out.

230

And it goes to highlight that.

231

The, the story that God is doing in

the world and writing in the pages of

232

scripture isn't just for, the ethnic group

of, the Israelites, the Jewish people.

233

It begins to be expanded to

all people in all nations.

234

And, it's a, it's a really.

235

Really neat thing to see that, she's

included simply because her faith, a

236

again, the faithfulness is attributed

to her as righteousness and she gets

237

to play a key part in the story of

God's redemption to the whole world.

238

And then the other part that I find so

interesting is that concept of redemption.

239

paying to buy back something that

was rightfully yours but was lost.

240

And that's really brought through

and what Jesus does on the cross.

241

logic of redemption, that you are able

to buy back something that was rightfully

242

yours or your family's, but then was

lost due to, negative circumstances.

243

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

244

Nathan Beasley: And isn't,

that kind of what happens?

245

That something is lost, which is

that when humans send, we gave up

246

our place as children of God and

began to be obedient to the enemy.

247

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

248

Nathan Beasley: but then God

is somehow able to buy us back

249

so we can become his again.

250

Daniel Jepsen: Yep.

251

Or

252

Nathan Beasley: something like that.

253

Right?

254

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

255

I mean, God's gonna use human

customs and traditions and concepts

256

to illustrate what he's doing.

257

In fact, I said in one

Peter one 17 and onward.

258

Since you call on a father who judges

each person's work impartially.

259

Live out your time here as

foreigners in reverent fear.

260

For, you know, it was not with perishable

things such as silver or gold that you

261

were redeemed from the empty way of life

handed down to you from your ancestors,

262

but with the precious blood of Christ,

a lamb without blemish or defect.

263

He was chosen before the creation

of the world, but was revealed in

264

these last times, for your sake,

you weren't redeemed with perishable

265

things like silver and gold, like.

266

The, we normally think of those

as the most valuable things No,

267

those are perishable things, right?

268

This is so much behind that you've

been redeemed by the blood of Christ,

269

the precious blood of Christ, a

lamb without blemish or defect.

270

Nathan Beasley: So when we look

at the cross, we understand.

271

A little bit more of what is

going on in Ruth, but also as

272

we look at Ruth, we understand

what's going on in the cross here.

273

Daniel Jepsen: Exactly.

274

Yeah.

275

Nathan Beasley: There's so many, layers

to the story, but this story of redemption

276

demonstrating how, God is bringing us

back into the family, he's paying a

277

price to restore a relationship that

was supposed to be there all along.

278

Daniel Jepsen: Yep.

279

Nathan Beasley: And the way that he

does it is through people like Ruth.

280

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

281

Nathan Beasley: Faithful,

loving, sacrificial.

282

And that way she points, she

and Boaz both point to Christ.

283

Daniel Jepsen: Yeah.

284

Yeah.

285

And I, I think that can be a good

way for us to think about a response,

286

first of all, to think about and

to give thanks for the great price

287

that Christ paid for our redemption,

and to just sit there for a while.

288

But then the second thing is to

think about how God also gives

289

us the dignity of causation.

290

He actually uses people

like us in this great plan.

291

He used Ruth.

292

He used Naomi, her mother-in-law.

293

He used Boas.

294

And here's the thing, none of them

saw, none of them saw that this was

295

what God was doing when Ruth was there

on the crossroads between Israel and

296

Moab and her sister-in-law departs.

297

And she clings to her mother-in-law's

neck and says, I'm not leaving.

298

She had no idea how God

would use that decision.

299

All she knew was there as a

woman that she loved who needed

300

her, and she acted out of that.

301

And God used that for

great and wondrous things.

302

let's just pause for a minute and thank

God for what he paid to redeem you.

303

And then just ask him, show me

where I need to give sacrificial

304

love, even if it doesn't look

like much to someone who needs me.

305

we're gonna trust you, God, to use that

in great ways, ways that we don't see

306

Nathan Beasley: Let's end with a

prayer of yielding our lives and our

307

faithfulness to God by praying the

Lord's Prayer Together, our Father

308

in heaven, hallowed be your name.

309

Your kingdom come, your will be

done on earth as it is in heaven.

310

Give us today our daily bread.

311

And forgive us our debts as we

also have forgiven our debtors.

312

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

313

Amen.