1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:20,680 Well, good morning everyone. 2 00:00:20,680 –> 00:00:25,139 We have a wonderful story from the scriptures in front of us today that points us directly 3 00:00:25,139 –> 00:00:29,480 to Christmas and to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. 4 00:00:29,500 –> 00:00:34,500 So please have your Bible open at Ruth and chapter four. 5 00:00:34,660 –> 00:00:39,320 Now we’re following the story in which we’ve come to know Naomi and her daughter-in-law 6 00:00:39,320 –> 00:00:42,580 Ruth who were both widows. 7 00:00:42,580 –> 00:00:45,779 Neither of them had children. 8 00:00:45,779 –> 00:00:54,799 And we saw last week how Naomi counseled Ruth to take a risky initiative of faith. 9 00:00:54,799 –> 00:00:59,259 Ruth proposed marriage to Boaz. 10 00:00:59,259 –> 00:01:13,440 Chapter three in verse nine, spread your wings over your servant for you are a Redeemer. 11 00:01:13,440 –> 00:01:23,220 Notice that Ruth asked Boaz to commit himself to her in marriage because he was a Redeemer. 12 00:01:23,940 –> 00:01:30,000 Redeemer is the single most important word in this entire story of Ruth, and it is one 13 00:01:30,000 –> 00:01:36,919 of the richest and the most beautiful descriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ. 14 00:01:36,919 –> 00:01:41,980 We’re focusing in on the very heart of this story, really the very heart of the Bible 15 00:01:41,980 –> 00:01:43,660 story today. 16 00:01:43,660 –> 00:01:47,139 What is a Redeemer? 17 00:01:47,139 –> 00:01:51,680 Why would a person need a Redeemer? 18 00:01:51,720 –> 00:01:54,239 What would a Redeemer do? 19 00:01:54,239 –> 00:01:57,160 Now, that’s our focus today. 20 00:01:57,160 –> 00:02:03,379 I want you to remember that this story of Ruth comes very early in the Old Testament. 21 00:02:03,400 –> 00:02:06,580 Ruth lived in the time of the judges. 22 00:02:06,580 –> 00:02:12,520 That was the period immediately after God’s people came into the Promised Land. 23 00:02:12,520 –> 00:02:19,759 And in those early days, God’s people did not know the joys of eternal life in the way 24 00:02:19,820 –> 00:02:22,240 that we do today. 25 00:02:22,240 –> 00:02:28,820 There were, of course, glimpses of the resurrection and of life in the presence of God in the 26 00:02:28,820 –> 00:02:29,820 Old Testament. 27 00:02:29,820 –> 00:02:31,580 I mean, Job says, 28 00:02:31,580 –> 00:02:37,979 Though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God. 29 00:02:37,979 –> 00:02:40,100 David said, in Psalm 23, 30 00:02:40,100 –> 00:02:43,860 I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 31 00:02:44,279 –> 00:02:46,399 Asaph says, in Psalm 73, 32 00:02:46,399 –> 00:02:52,460 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will bring me to glory. 33 00:02:52,460 –> 00:02:54,399 Yes, there were glimpses. 34 00:02:54,399 –> 00:03:01,679 Most of them come later in the Old Testament, and at best they are only glimpses. 35 00:03:01,679 –> 00:03:06,919 Little glimpses of the light that would shine when Jesus came into the world. 36 00:03:06,919 –> 00:03:16,279 It was Jesus Christ who brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. 37 00:03:16,279 –> 00:03:24,399 In these earlier days in the Old Testament, believers hoped that two things would continue 38 00:03:24,399 –> 00:03:26,919 after they died. 39 00:03:26,919 –> 00:03:30,839 First, they hoped that their inheritance would continue. 40 00:03:31,839 –> 00:03:38,039 When they came into the promised land, each family was given a portion of land that became 41 00:03:38,039 –> 00:03:41,279 their home and became their sustenance. 42 00:03:41,279 –> 00:03:44,520 This land was their inheritance. 43 00:03:44,520 –> 00:03:50,199 And when a man died, he would pass the inheritance on to his son. 44 00:03:50,199 –> 00:03:59,279 Our Father could say to his son, son, I’m going to die, but our inheritance will remain. 45 00:03:59,740 –> 00:04:05,000 When I go, the land will be yours, and when your time is done, you’re going to pass it 46 00:04:05,000 –> 00:04:06,139 on to your son. 47 00:04:06,139 –> 00:04:08,800 The land is our inheritance. 48 00:04:08,800 –> 00:04:14,360 That’s what will continue from generation to generation. 49 00:04:14,360 –> 00:04:22,579 So no one in the Old Testament wanted to lose their inheritance, and God made a special 50 00:04:22,760 –> 00:04:30,739 provision in the Old Testament law to keep land that had been given to a particular family 51 00:04:30,739 –> 00:04:33,619 within that family circle. 52 00:04:33,619 –> 00:04:39,799 You find it in Leviticus and chapter twenty-five where we read that in all the country you 53 00:04:39,799 –> 00:04:43,059 possess, you shall allow… 54 00:04:43,059 –> 00:04:44,059 Notice the word. 55 00:04:44,059 –> 00:04:48,160 … A redemption of the land. 56 00:04:48,160 –> 00:04:49,880 And here’s how it was to work. 57 00:04:50,119 –> 00:04:57,920 If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property then his nearest Redeemer 58 00:04:57,920 –> 00:05:02,220 shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 59 00:05:02,220 –> 00:05:08,899 So you see the word three times there in that one… in these two verses. 60 00:05:08,899 –> 00:05:16,299 If you came on hard times and you needed to sell your land, well, your great hope was 61 00:05:16,299 –> 00:05:22,619 that someone within your wider family circle would be able and willing to buy the land 62 00:05:22,619 –> 00:05:28,420 and thereby to keep it within the extended family, and a family member who did that was 63 00:05:28,420 –> 00:05:31,720 called a Redeemer. 64 00:05:31,720 –> 00:05:37,140 So Old Testament believers had this hope that their inheritance would continue. 65 00:05:37,140 –> 00:05:43,720 And of course the other side of that was that they hoped that their family line would continue. 66 00:05:43,820 –> 00:05:50,660 So if you had a son, well your son would bear your name, and your name would continue. 67 00:05:50,660 –> 00:05:57,799 Your son would continue the family, and the family line would continue, and if your name 68 00:05:57,799 –> 00:06:06,880 continued and if your family line continued, there was a sense in which you sort of continued 69 00:06:06,880 –> 00:06:08,380 too. 70 00:06:08,380 –> 00:06:14,940 So continuing the family line was of huge importance in the Old Testament. 71 00:06:14,940 –> 00:06:23,339 No one wanted their family line or their family name to come to an end, and so again God made 72 00:06:23,339 –> 00:06:31,200 a provision within the Old Testament law to continue a family where a husband had died 73 00:06:31,200 –> 00:06:32,619 without a son. 74 00:06:32,679 –> 00:06:36,880 And that provision is in Deuteronomy and chapter 25, 75 00:06:36,880 –> 00:06:44,200 where we read that if brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, 76 00:06:44,200 –> 00:06:52,540 the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. 77 00:06:52,540 –> 00:06:59,619 Her husband’s brother shall go into her and take her as his wife and perform the duty 78 00:06:59,799 –> 00:07:08,899 of a husband’s brother, to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name 79 00:07:08,899 –> 00:07:17,540 of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 80 00:07:18,559 –> 00:07:29,359 Now, clearly there had to be consent on the part of the widow for this to happen. 81 00:07:29,500 –> 00:07:39,640 You see, that may very well be why Ruth proposed marriage to Boaz, and not the other way around. 82 00:07:39,640 –> 00:07:45,059 Because you see, when Ruth proposed marriage to Boaz, what she was doing was she was invoking 83 00:07:45,059 –> 00:07:52,119 this law from Deuteronomy in Chapter 25, she said, spread your wings over your servant 84 00:07:52,119 –> 00:07:57,079 for you are a redeemer. 85 00:07:57,079 –> 00:08:03,500 You’re a redeemer, and I’m asking you to be the redeemer for this family. 86 00:08:03,500 –> 00:08:10,239 Buy Naomi’s land to secure this family’s inheritance. 87 00:08:10,239 –> 00:08:16,660 And marry me, she was saying, so that we can raise a son to continue the line of Elimelec 88 00:08:16,660 –> 00:08:21,359 and to continue the line of Malon. 89 00:08:21,359 –> 00:08:29,820 And far from being offended, when Ruth makes this proposal to Boaz, Boaz commends her for 90 00:08:29,820 –> 00:08:31,380 her proposal. 91 00:08:31,380 –> 00:08:36,580 He says, chapter three and verse ten, may you be blessed by the Lord my daughter, you 92 00:08:36,580 –> 00:08:44,979 have made this last kindness, greater than the first in that you have not gone after 93 00:08:44,979 –> 00:08:48,359 young men, whether rich or poor. 94 00:08:49,200 –> 00:08:51,880 Now you see what Boaz is saying to Ruth at this point. 95 00:08:51,880 –> 00:08:57,919 He’s saying, you have the most amazing commitment of love to this family. 96 00:08:57,919 –> 00:09:00,919 It is extraordinary. 97 00:09:00,919 –> 00:09:07,059 Your first kindness, he refers to here, was of course Ruth’s loving, loyal commitment 98 00:09:07,059 –> 00:09:11,320 to care for Naomi, her mother-in-law, rather than to go back to her own country. 99 00:09:11,320 –> 00:09:14,440 That was an amazing kindness, your first kindness. 100 00:09:14,940 –> 00:09:18,359 Now he says this last kindness is even greater. 101 00:09:18,380 –> 00:09:19,760 What’s the last kindness? 102 00:09:19,760 –> 00:09:27,340 It’s your loyal commitment to stay within this family, to raise a child in the name 103 00:09:27,340 –> 00:09:33,359 of Malon, your deceased husband, so that his inheritance would not be lost, and so that 104 00:09:33,359 –> 00:09:36,280 his family line would continue. 105 00:09:36,280 –> 00:09:40,000 You’ve not gone after some younger man from some other family. 106 00:09:40,000 –> 00:09:43,400 You have been so committed to this family. 107 00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:50,679 This last kindness, he says, is even greater than the first. 108 00:09:50,679 –> 00:09:58,200 So, to understand this story, you have to grasp that the ultimate disaster from one 109 00:09:58,200 –> 00:10:04,179 of God’s people in the Old Testament would have been to lose their inheritance and for 110 00:10:04,179 –> 00:10:08,619 their name to be blotted out. 111 00:10:08,640 –> 00:10:12,880 And do you see that, in this story, it seemed like these two disasters, 112 00:10:12,880 –> 00:10:16,340 these twin disasters, had merged? 113 00:10:16,340 –> 00:10:24,419 Without a son, Naomi would have no alternative but to sell the land, and that, of course, 114 00:10:24,419 –> 00:10:28,659 would give Ruth and Naomi enough money to live on for the rest of their lives. 115 00:10:28,659 –> 00:10:36,200 But, it would, of course, mean the end of the inheritance, and it would be the end of 116 00:10:36,200 –> 00:10:45,760 the family line, unless someone was willing to redeem. 117 00:10:45,760 –> 00:10:56,619 Now, if we were to put the role of a redeemer in the form of a job description, it would 118 00:10:56,619 –> 00:10:58,979 look something like this. 119 00:10:58,979 –> 00:11:02,679 The position is to be a redeemer. 120 00:11:02,679 –> 00:11:10,080 The responsibilities of being a redeemer are to bring hope by restoring an inheritance 121 00:11:10,080 –> 00:11:13,619 and raising a family. 122 00:11:13,619 –> 00:11:22,960 Now, what qualifications would a person need if they were to act as a redeemer and to fulfill 123 00:11:22,960 –> 00:11:24,880 this very wonderful function? 124 00:11:24,880 –> 00:11:32,200 Well, there are two qualifications that emerge very clearly from this story and shine a light 125 00:11:32,299 –> 00:11:36,739 into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 126 00:11:36,739 –> 00:11:44,940 The first is to qualify as a redeemer you, of course, had to be a family member. 127 00:11:44,940 –> 00:11:48,299 A Redeemer had to be a member of the same family. 128 00:11:48,299 –> 00:11:49,299 Why? 129 00:11:49,299 –> 00:11:53,539 Because the whole point was it was to keep the inheritance within the family. 130 00:11:53,539 –> 00:11:59,419 It was to purchase the inheritance on behalf of the family. 131 00:11:59,460 –> 00:12:06,320 It was then to raise up a continuing family so that the line would go on. 132 00:12:06,320 –> 00:12:12,580 Clearly, only a member of the same family could do that. 133 00:12:12,580 –> 00:12:20,940 And so, right from the beginning of the story, the primary question is, is there anyone in 134 00:12:21,219 –> 00:12:30,900 Elimelech’s extended family who could possibly act as the redeemer for Naomi and for Ruth? 135 00:12:30,900 –> 00:12:36,280 Was there a member of the extended family who could buy the land? 136 00:12:36,280 –> 00:12:43,380 Was there anyone who could continue the line of Elimelech and of Malan by marrying Ruth? 137 00:12:43,419 –> 00:12:51,299 And you see that is why Naomi was so excited when on that first day after gleaning in the 138 00:12:51,299 –> 00:12:57,739 fields, Ruth came back and told her whose field she had been gleaning in. 139 00:12:57,739 –> 00:13:04,979 She said, I’ve been gleaning in the field of a man by the name of Boaz. 140 00:13:04,979 –> 00:13:12,859 And Naomi says, chapter 2 in verse 20, this man’s a relative of ours. 141 00:13:12,900 –> 00:13:17,820 He is one of our redeemers. 142 00:13:17,820 –> 00:13:20,440 Chapter 2 in verse 20. 143 00:13:20,440 –> 00:13:25,599 And you see the very first thing we’re told about Boaz when he is introduced to the story 144 00:13:25,599 –> 00:13:28,580 at the beginning of chapter 2 right there in verse 1. 145 00:13:28,580 –> 00:13:32,599 The first thing we’re told about him was that he was a family member, because that’s the 146 00:13:32,599 –> 00:13:34,260 most important thing. 147 00:13:34,260 –> 00:13:39,919 Now, Naomi had a relative chapter 2 in verse 1 of her husband’s. 148 00:13:39,960 –> 00:13:46,419 A worthy man of the clan of Elimelech whose name was Boaz. 149 00:13:46,419 –> 00:13:52,580 And when Naomi counsels Ruth to take the risky initiative of faith that we looked at last 150 00:13:52,580 –> 00:13:54,219 week, she gives this reason. 151 00:13:54,219 –> 00:13:58,039 She says, is not Boaz our relative. 152 00:13:58,039 –> 00:14:01,280 He’s in the position to act as our redeemer. 153 00:14:01,280 –> 00:14:07,140 That’s why you should take an initiative of faith and go and ask him. 154 00:14:07,239 –> 00:14:13,900 Having a relative, qualified Boaz to act as a redeemer. 155 00:14:13,900 –> 00:14:21,739 And so in chapter 3 and verse 9 as we saw last time, Ruth asks him, spread your wings 156 00:14:21,739 –> 00:14:28,859 over your servant for you are a redeemer. 157 00:14:28,859 –> 00:14:34,099 Boaz, you’re in the position to do this. 158 00:14:34,119 –> 00:14:36,219 You belong to the clan of Elimelech. 159 00:14:36,219 –> 00:14:41,940 You’re a member of this family. 160 00:14:41,940 –> 00:14:45,179 Be our redeemer. 161 00:14:45,179 –> 00:14:49,080 That’s what she’s asking. 162 00:14:49,080 –> 00:14:55,979 But there was a second qualification for being a redeemer, and that’s what comes out especially 163 00:14:55,979 –> 00:15:02,219 in the verses that were read for us today in chapter 4. 164 00:15:02,219 –> 00:15:04,020 Qualifications to be a redeemer? 165 00:15:04,219 –> 00:15:08,840 You must be a family member, too. 166 00:15:08,840 –> 00:15:10,859 You must be willing. 167 00:15:10,859 –> 00:15:19,460 You must be willing to do whatever it takes to redeem this family, irrespective of the 168 00:15:19,460 –> 00:15:22,000 cost. 169 00:15:22,000 –> 00:15:26,979 Now we know that Boaz was willing, indeed that he was eager to marry Ruth. 170 00:15:26,979 –> 00:15:29,059 He said, chapter 3 in verse 11, 171 00:15:29,239 –> 00:15:34,580 and now my daughter, do not fear, I will do for you all that you ask. 172 00:15:34,580 –> 00:15:40,059 Now what we discover in this chapter is that there was another relative, 173 00:15:40,059 –> 00:15:44,599 who had a prior right to purchase the land 174 00:15:45,219 –> 00:15:53,200 and the law required that the nearer relative be given the first opportunity to redeem. 175 00:15:53,200 –> 00:15:56,119 So in chapter 3 and verse 12, Boaz said to Ruth, 176 00:15:56,119 –> 00:16:00,000 and now it is true that I am our redeemer. 177 00:16:00,340 –> 00:16:04,359 Yet there is a Redeemer nearer than I. 178 00:16:04,500 –> 00:16:09,080 Remain tonight and in the morning, if he will redeem you, 179 00:16:09,080 –> 00:16:10,900 good, let him do it, 180 00:16:10,900 –> 00:16:14,679 but if he’s not willing to redeem you, 181 00:16:14,679 –> 00:16:20,340 then as the Lord lives I will redeem you. 182 00:16:21,260 –> 00:16:27,619 So the first right of buying this property, 183 00:16:27,619 –> 00:16:30,520 the first right of redeeming, 184 00:16:30,659 –> 00:16:32,940 belonged to the nearest relative, 185 00:16:32,940 –> 00:16:38,719 but if he was unwilling it would pass to the next in line. 186 00:16:40,059 –> 00:16:45,280 Now one of the very striking features of this story 187 00:16:46,239 –> 00:16:51,340 is how deeply committed both Boaz and Ruth were 188 00:16:51,520 –> 00:16:54,179 to honoring the law of God. 189 00:16:54,179 –> 00:16:57,619 I don’t want you to miss this because it runs right throughout the story. 190 00:16:58,559 –> 00:17:00,539 This is why 191 00:17:01,599 –> 00:17:05,280 Ruth proposed marriage to Boaz, an older man, 192 00:17:05,280 –> 00:17:09,459 and didn’t choose to run after someone younger in another family 193 00:17:09,459 –> 00:17:12,979 because living in the Old Testament times 194 00:17:13,380 –> 00:17:20,119 she wanted to honor the law of God in Deuteronomy, in chapter 25. 195 00:17:20,739 –> 00:17:24,800 This was why Ruth and Boaz, as we saw it last time, 196 00:17:24,800 –> 00:17:26,660 chose to wait 197 00:17:27,439 –> 00:17:32,479 rather than to become man and wife on that night under the stars of the threshing floor. 198 00:17:33,099 –> 00:17:35,619 Wanted to honor the law of God. 199 00:17:36,160 –> 00:17:38,819 And this is why in chapter 4 200 00:17:38,819 –> 00:17:43,959 Boaz met with the nearer relative at the city gate. 201 00:17:45,000 –> 00:17:49,119 In the days of the judges in which they lived, 202 00:17:49,680 –> 00:17:50,880 some of you will remember, 203 00:17:50,880 –> 00:17:52,060 the Bible says repeatedly, 204 00:17:52,060 –> 00:17:57,359 these were days in which everyone did what was right in their own eyes, 205 00:17:59,359 –> 00:18:01,359 sound familiar? 206 00:18:02,180 –> 00:18:06,579 But you see in days when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, 207 00:18:06,619 –> 00:18:11,540 here are two people who really want to honor the law of God, 208 00:18:11,839 –> 00:18:16,540 and they just shine like bright lights in a dark sky. 209 00:18:18,180 –> 00:18:22,900 Ruth and Boaz want to live under the blessing of God, 210 00:18:24,520 –> 00:18:27,979 and because they want to live under the blessing of God, 211 00:18:27,979 –> 00:18:29,979 they want to honor the law of God, 212 00:18:30,500 –> 00:18:34,739 even if that we’re to get in the way of their love for each other, 213 00:18:35,579 –> 00:18:37,000 which is clearly the danger 214 00:18:37,000 –> 00:18:39,000 in what Boaz is doing in chapter four. 215 00:18:41,599 –> 00:18:44,660 The nearer relative was qualified to redeem 216 00:18:44,660 –> 00:18:47,579 by virtue of being a family member. 217 00:18:47,579 –> 00:18:49,979 But the question in chapter 4 is, 218 00:18:49,979 –> 00:18:52,900 would he be willing? 219 00:18:53,579 –> 00:18:54,819 That’s the question, 220 00:18:55,219 –> 00:18:58,300 because a redeemer has, not only to be a member of the same family, 221 00:18:58,800 –> 00:19:02,439 he has to be willing to pay the price. 222 00:19:03,380 –> 00:19:05,319 So we’re told, chapter four and verse one, 223 00:19:05,319 –> 00:19:08,040 that Boaz went to the city gate and he sat down. 224 00:19:08,300 –> 00:19:10,959 City gate was where legal agreements were reached 225 00:19:10,959 –> 00:19:13,160 and where business transactions were done. 226 00:19:14,359 –> 00:19:16,280 And when the nearer relative came by, 227 00:19:16,280 –> 00:19:20,119 Boaz asked him to sit down and then Boaz gathered ten elders 228 00:19:20,400 –> 00:19:21,979 who would act as witnesses 229 00:19:21,979 –> 00:19:25,000 and make sure that this was a proper legal proceeding 230 00:19:25,000 –> 00:19:27,099 that took place at the city gate. 231 00:19:27,439 –> 00:19:30,819 They all sat down and Boaz then explaine 232 00:19:31,000 –> 00:19:32,079 the opportunity. 233 00:19:32,520 –> 00:19:34,280 Chapter four, verse three. 234 00:19:34,280 –> 00:19:37,800 Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, 235 00:19:37,800 –> 00:19:39,719 is selling the parcel of land 236 00:19:39,719 –> 00:19:43,680 that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 237 00:19:44,020 –> 00:19:44,939 And then, 238 00:19:45,199 –> 00:19:48,439 in front of the ten elders and the witnesses, 239 00:19:48,819 –> 00:19:52,300 Boaz invited this nearer relative 240 00:19:52,500 –> 00:19:54,359 to buy the land. 241 00:19:54,699 –> 00:19:57,619 And the nearer relative said, 242 00:19:57,819 –> 00:19:58,880 verse four, 243 00:19:59,599 –> 00:20:03,579 I will redeem it. 244 00:20:03,900 –> 00:20:05,339 And you read that, and everyone goes, 245 00:20:05,339 –> 00:20:09,060 oh no, this is not what is supposed to happen. 246 00:20:11,500 –> 00:20:15,880 You can understand why he was willing to buy the field. 247 00:20:16,560 –> 00:20:17,839 Remember, 248 00:20:18,020 –> 00:20:23,000 there is no son to continue Elimelech’s family line. 249 00:20:24,400 –> 00:20:28,219 So, if the unnamed relative 250 00:20:28,540 –> 00:20:30,260 buys the field, 251 00:20:31,339 –> 00:20:34,959 then when he dies, it becomes part of his estate, 252 00:20:34,979 –> 00:20:39,479 he passes on more to his son than he had received? 253 00:20:40,459 –> 00:20:42,579 This is a winning proposition. 254 00:20:43,119 –> 00:20:46,260 If he invests in buying this field, 255 00:20:46,560 –> 00:20:50,319 he will reap the profits from every year’s harvest, 256 00:20:50,560 –> 00:20:52,339 and when he dies, 257 00:20:52,660 –> 00:20:54,339 he will pass it on to his son, 258 00:20:54,339 –> 00:20:56,640 because there’s no one else to pass it on to. 259 00:20:57,140 –> 00:20:58,500 And all he has to do, 260 00:20:58,500 –> 00:21:02,699 the only cost that’s associated with this after he buys the field, 261 00:21:02,699 –> 00:21:05,300 is that he has to provide care and support for Naomi, 262 00:21:05,300 –> 00:21:06,219 the aging widow. 263 00:21:06,219 –> 00:21:07,420 That’s easy. 264 00:21:10,000 –> 00:21:11,900 And then Boaz says, verse 5. 265 00:21:13,060 –> 00:21:16,619 The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, 266 00:21:17,680 –> 00:21:20,880 you also acquire Ruth, the Moabite, 267 00:21:21,079 –> 00:21:22,300 the widow of the dead, 268 00:21:22,300 –> 00:21:28,800 in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. 269 00:21:30,020 –> 00:21:35,140 Now you see, the buying of the land and marrying Ruth 270 00:21:35,140 –> 00:21:38,479 were tied together 271 00:21:39,260 –> 00:21:43,780 because the very reason for the land being sold was that there was no son. 272 00:21:44,459 –> 00:21:48,599 And so if a relative was to act as a redeemer for this family, 273 00:21:48,780 –> 00:21:52,199 they had not a single responsibility of buying the land, 274 00:21:52,199 –> 00:21:54,680 but a double responsibility, 275 00:21:54,979 –> 00:21:58,540 a responsibility to secure the inheritance 276 00:21:58,540 –> 00:22:03,640 and a responsibility to continue the family line. 277 00:22:04,640 –> 00:22:08,739 And of course, when Boaz says that, that changes everything. 278 00:22:09,359 –> 00:22:13,939 Because now, the cost to this unnamed relative 279 00:22:13,939 –> 00:22:17,359 is not simply to provide for Naomi, 280 00:22:17,459 –> 00:22:20,660 not simply to provide for Ruth, 281 00:22:21,380 –> 00:22:25,859 but to raise a child who will continue the line 282 00:22:25,859 –> 00:22:30,839 of Malin, and that child will become 283 00:22:30,839 –> 00:22:33,500 the one who will inherit the land in the end. 284 00:22:35,579 –> 00:22:38,079 So, the unnamed redeemer says, 285 00:22:38,339 –> 00:22:41,739 I cannot redeem it for myself, 286 00:22:41,739 –> 00:22:46,739 lest I impair my own inheritance. 287 00:22:48,280 –> 00:22:52,760 Boy, acting as the redeemer here 288 00:22:52,760 –> 00:22:56,140 would really cost me. 289 00:22:56,680 –> 00:22:59,819 I can’t do it. 290 00:23:02,040 –> 00:23:07,040 Now, here’s a man who has an opportunity 291 00:23:07,119 –> 00:23:10,260 to help another branch of his own family. 292 00:23:11,979 –> 00:23:16,319 He’s able to do it, but he’s not willing. 293 00:23:17,800 –> 00:23:19,140 And the reason he’s not willing 294 00:23:19,140 –> 00:23:24,140 is that his first concern is his own inheritance. 295 00:23:24,680 –> 00:23:25,800 That’s what he says. 296 00:23:26,680 –> 00:23:28,699 I cannot redeem it for myself 297 00:23:28,699 –> 00:23:33,699 lest I impair my own inheritance. 298 00:23:36,280 –> 00:23:39,500 Now, it’s very striking to me 299 00:23:40,800 –> 00:23:45,540 that we don’t know the name of this nearer relative. 300 00:23:47,599 –> 00:23:51,040 Here’s a man who by his own words here 301 00:23:51,040 –> 00:23:53,880 wanted to build up his own name, 302 00:23:53,880 –> 00:23:56,819 his own family, and his own inheritance. 303 00:23:56,819 –> 00:23:59,280 That was the thing that was most important to him. 304 00:23:59,280 –> 00:24:03,619 And it is as if his name has been blotted out altogether. 305 00:24:06,979 –> 00:24:08,760 Boaz made a costly commitment 306 00:24:08,760 –> 00:24:10,199 to raise up the name of someone else, 307 00:24:10,199 –> 00:24:12,199 to continue the line of someone else. 308 00:24:12,199 –> 00:24:14,800 He married Ruth to continue the line of Malon, 309 00:24:14,800 –> 00:24:17,660 and God has seem to it that we all know the name of Boaz. 310 00:24:19,439 –> 00:24:20,280 Jesus said, 311 00:24:22,459 –> 00:24:26,920 whoever exalts himself will be humbled. 312 00:24:28,599 –> 00:24:32,979 Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 313 00:24:34,280 –> 00:24:35,400 So here’s Boaz, 314 00:24:36,479 –> 00:24:38,739 and he is ready, and he is able, 315 00:24:38,739 –> 00:24:41,439 and he is willing to do all that is needed 316 00:24:41,439 –> 00:24:42,959 to redeem this family. 317 00:24:43,079 –> 00:24:45,060 He’s a family member. 318 00:24:46,319 –> 00:24:48,599 He’s able to purchase the inheritance. 319 00:24:48,599 –> 00:24:50,920 He’s more than willing to commit himself 320 00:24:50,920 –> 00:24:53,920 in marriage to Ruth. 321 00:24:53,920 –> 00:24:57,939 Verse seven, this unnamed relative 322 00:24:57,939 –> 00:24:59,699 forgotten in history 323 00:25:01,439 –> 00:25:06,160 takes off his sandal and gives it to Boaz. 324 00:25:06,160 –> 00:25:08,839 In doing that, he was giving up his right 325 00:25:08,839 –> 00:25:10,640 ever to walk on the land. 326 00:25:10,640 –> 00:25:12,900 That was the significance of it. 327 00:25:13,300 –> 00:25:17,640 Then, well then, we have the wedding bells at last. 328 00:25:17,640 –> 00:25:20,800 Verse nine, then, Boaz said to the elders 329 00:25:20,800 –> 00:25:23,020 and to all the people, 330 00:25:23,020 –> 00:25:24,839 you are witnesses, this day, 331 00:25:24,839 –> 00:25:27,900 that I have bought from the hand of Naomi 332 00:25:27,900 –> 00:25:29,459 all that belonged to Elimelech, 333 00:25:29,459 –> 00:25:32,000 all that belonged to Chilion and to Milan. 334 00:25:32,000 –> 00:25:34,780 Also Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Milan, 335 00:25:34,780 –> 00:25:37,719 I have bought to be my wife 336 00:25:37,719 –> 00:25:40,959 to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. 337 00:25:41,000 –> 00:25:42,959 That the name of the dead may not be cut off 338 00:25:42,959 –> 00:25:45,079 from among his brothers and from the gate 339 00:25:45,079 –> 00:25:46,560 of his native place. 340 00:25:46,560 –> 00:25:49,959 You are witnesses, this day. 341 00:25:49,959 –> 00:25:53,520 So we have elders, we have witnesses, 342 00:25:53,520 –> 00:25:55,800 we have the removing of the sandal, 343 00:25:55,800 –> 00:25:59,439 a kind of ancient equivalent of signatures on documents. 344 00:25:59,439 –> 00:26:02,599 Ruth, the Moabite is now married to Boaz, 345 00:26:02,599 –> 00:26:05,680 she has legal standing 346 00:26:05,680 –> 00:26:10,680 as one of the people of God in the Town of Bethlehem. 347 00:26:11,920 –> 00:26:16,920 Now why is this story in the Bible? 348 00:26:19,000 –> 00:26:22,459 It’s a beautiful story, but there’s a bigger reason 349 00:26:22,459 –> 00:26:24,239 as to why it’s in the Bible. 350 00:26:26,000 –> 00:26:27,439 The reason this is in the Bible 351 00:26:27,439 –> 00:26:30,339 and the reason that this speaks to us directly today 352 00:26:30,339 –> 00:26:33,680 is that it shines the most beautiful light 353 00:26:33,680 –> 00:26:37,199 on our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. 354 00:26:37,239 –> 00:26:40,300 And especially it shines the light 355 00:26:40,300 –> 00:26:44,099 on what it means for him to be the redeemer. 356 00:26:45,160 –> 00:26:48,040 Jesus is our redeemer, 357 00:26:49,319 –> 00:26:53,079 and in order to become our redeemer, 358 00:26:53,079 –> 00:26:57,000 he had to become our near relative. 359 00:26:57,839 –> 00:26:59,560 And do you see that takes us right 360 00:26:59,560 –> 00:27:01,859 to the heart of the Christmas story? 361 00:27:02,199 –> 00:27:07,199 God became a man in Christ Jesus. 362 00:27:09,380 –> 00:27:12,719 Why did God become a man? 363 00:27:14,260 –> 00:27:17,420 He entered the human family 364 00:27:17,420 –> 00:27:21,000 in order to become our redeemer. 365 00:27:22,180 –> 00:27:24,859 Jesus is bone of our bone, 366 00:27:24,859 –> 00:27:27,420 and flesh of our flesh, 367 00:27:27,420 –> 00:27:29,339 and he is God’s gift 368 00:27:29,619 –> 00:27:31,680 to the entire human family! 369 00:27:33,560 –> 00:27:37,199 That’s why the angel said there’s a savior born, 370 00:27:37,199 –> 00:27:41,739 and this is good news of great joy for all people. 371 00:27:43,020 –> 00:27:47,579 This is the most amazing gift to the human family. 372 00:27:47,579 –> 00:27:50,979 The near relative, Jesus Christ, 373 00:27:50,979 –> 00:27:55,119 who has come into this family in order to be our redeemer. 374 00:27:55,119 –> 00:27:56,680 He’s our near relative, 375 00:27:58,459 –> 00:28:00,780 and he has done all that we could ever want 376 00:28:00,780 –> 00:28:02,699 or need a redeemer to do. 377 00:28:02,699 –> 00:28:05,780 He has purchased our inheritance. 378 00:28:05,780 –> 00:28:08,540 New testament speaks of this again and again. 379 00:28:08,540 –> 00:28:10,760 First, Peter chapter one and verse three and four, 380 00:28:10,760 –> 00:28:14,500 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 381 00:28:14,500 –> 00:28:16,040 according to his great mercy, 382 00:28:16,040 –> 00:28:19,459 has caused us to be born again to a living hope 383 00:28:19,459 –> 00:28:22,060 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 384 00:28:22,060 –> 00:28:24,199 and into an inheritance! 385 00:28:25,199 –> 00:28:27,640 That is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, 386 00:28:27,640 –> 00:28:29,979 that is kept in heaven for you, 387 00:28:29,979 –> 00:28:31,839 an inheritance that can never be lost, 388 00:28:31,839 –> 00:28:34,420 that’s what he’s purchased for the human family. 389 00:28:36,599 –> 00:28:41,599 The promise of heaven itself is your inheritance! 390 00:28:44,979 –> 00:28:48,520 Heaven can be yours, friend, 391 00:28:50,020 –> 00:28:53,660 because you have a redeemer who secured it for you, 392 00:28:56,099 –> 00:29:00,880 and Jesus has not only secured an inheritance, 393 00:29:00,880 –> 00:29:04,920 he has begun a family that will continue forever. 394 00:29:06,619 –> 00:29:10,119 To all who receive him, John says, 395 00:29:10,119 –> 00:29:13,040 to all who believe in his name, 396 00:29:13,040 –> 00:29:18,040 he gives the right to be called Children of God. 397 00:29:19,939 –> 00:29:21,680 Think about this. 398 00:29:21,680 –> 00:29:26,680 You can be part of a family that will continue forever. 399 00:29:28,939 –> 00:29:29,780 Forever. 400 00:29:30,839 –> 00:29:32,939 We are not talking here about some vague sense 401 00:29:32,939 –> 00:29:35,959 of which your life might somehow have some sense 402 00:29:35,959 –> 00:29:39,099 of continuing in someone else’s in successive generations. 403 00:29:39,099 –> 00:29:41,900 No, we are talking about your life 404 00:29:43,560 –> 00:29:47,079 continuing forever in the presence of God 405 00:29:47,979 –> 00:29:50,280 and in the company of all his children. 406 00:29:51,199 –> 00:29:55,680 So loved the world that he gave his one 407 00:29:55,680 –> 00:30:00,680 and only Son that whoever believes in him 408 00:30:01,020 –> 00:30:06,020 should not perish but have everlasting life. 409 00:30:10,660 –> 00:30:12,939 And do you see, this is why Jesus said you should 410 00:30:12,939 –> 00:30:17,939 rejoice because your names are written in heaven. 411 00:30:20,920 –> 00:30:24,680 You have a lasting name in Jesus Christ. 412 00:30:25,780 –> 00:30:28,079 And he says in the book of Revelation to the one 413 00:30:28,079 –> 00:30:33,079 who overcomes, I will never blot out his name 414 00:30:33,500 –> 00:30:35,500 from the book of life. 415 00:30:39,020 –> 00:30:42,400 And Jesus says to his redeemed children, 416 00:30:43,579 –> 00:30:48,579 your life will continue forever in the presence of God. 417 00:30:51,160 –> 00:30:56,160 The land of glory will be your inheritance 418 00:30:58,079 –> 00:31:01,839 and your name will never be blotted out 419 00:31:02,979 –> 00:31:05,839 because you have been brought into the family 420 00:31:06,760 –> 00:31:10,920 that continues forever. 421 00:31:10,920 –> 00:31:13,380 That’s why Jesus came into the world. 422 00:31:13,380 –> 00:31:17,640 To be the Redeemer, to restore the inheritance, 423 00:31:18,479 –> 00:31:20,839 to give life that will never end. 424 00:31:22,540 –> 00:31:27,540 And Jesus was willing to pay the price. 425 00:31:27,599 –> 00:31:30,800 Redeemer has to do whatever it takes to redeem. 426 00:31:32,760 –> 00:31:34,880 And what did it take for Jesus to redeem? 427 00:31:34,880 –> 00:31:38,680 Well, we’re told in First Peter in chapter one in verse 18, 428 00:31:38,680 –> 00:31:42,140 you know that it was not with perishable things 429 00:31:42,140 –> 00:31:46,500 such as silver or gold that you were redeemed. 430 00:31:46,520 –> 00:31:51,140 But it was with the precious blood of Christ. 431 00:31:52,959 –> 00:31:55,560 If you ever find yourself 432 00:31:55,560 –> 00:31:58,099 questioning the love of God for you, 433 00:31:59,020 –> 00:32:01,260 just look at what he’s done for you. 434 00:32:02,760 –> 00:32:06,640 He became your near relative in order to redeem you. 435 00:32:06,640 –> 00:32:08,380 He came from heaven to earth. 436 00:32:09,680 –> 00:32:11,900 And he went from the earth to the cross 437 00:32:11,900 –> 00:32:14,199 and from the cross to the grave. 438 00:32:15,000 –> 00:32:18,099 He has done all that it took to redeem you. 439 00:32:18,099 –> 00:32:20,339 And what it took was the shedding of his own 440 00:32:20,339 –> 00:32:23,380 precious blood, the laying down of his life. 441 00:32:26,979 –> 00:32:31,400 And then, I think, here’s the most beautiful thing of all, 442 00:32:31,400 –> 00:32:34,660 as the Book of Ruth shines the light 443 00:32:34,660 –> 00:32:37,640 onto how Jesus redeems us. 444 00:32:39,520 –> 00:32:43,719 How did Boaz redeem Ruth? 445 00:32:44,300 –> 00:32:49,300 He redeemed Ruth by uniting her to himself 446 00:32:51,560 –> 00:32:52,800 in this marriage. 447 00:32:54,119 –> 00:32:56,199 And you see, that’s shining a light 448 00:32:56,199 –> 00:32:58,420 on how Jesus redeems us. 449 00:32:58,420 –> 00:33:03,420 Jesus redeems us by uniting us to himself. 450 00:33:07,040 –> 00:33:09,560 That is why the Bible speaks of the church, 451 00:33:09,560 –> 00:33:11,000 the family that lasts forever, 452 00:33:11,000 –> 00:33:16,000 as the bride of Christ, the bride of Christ. 453 00:33:17,599 –> 00:33:19,800 Listen to these words of Martin Luther. 454 00:33:19,800 –> 00:33:21,760 I think they may be the most beautiful words 455 00:33:21,760 –> 00:33:22,880 he ever wrote. 456 00:33:24,500 –> 00:33:29,500 Faith, he says, unites the soul to Christ 457 00:33:29,719 –> 00:33:33,560 as a bride is united with her bridegroom. 458 00:33:35,319 –> 00:33:38,280 And by this mystery, as the apostle teaches, 459 00:33:38,339 –> 00:33:41,979 Christ and the soul become one flesh. 460 00:33:44,300 –> 00:33:46,219 And if they are one flesh 461 00:33:46,219 –> 00:33:48,500 and there is between them a true marriage, 462 00:33:48,500 –> 00:33:52,160 it follows that everything that they have, 463 00:33:52,160 –> 00:33:54,579 they hold in common. 464 00:33:55,540 –> 00:34:00,540 Accordingly, the believing soul can boast of 465 00:34:01,459 –> 00:34:06,459 and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own. 466 00:34:08,739 –> 00:34:13,739 When Christ the Redeemer unites you to himself, 467 00:34:16,399 –> 00:34:18,439 all that is his becomes yours. 468 00:34:19,139 –> 00:34:24,139 He’s the son of God and by union with him, 469 00:34:25,199 –> 00:34:27,959 you become a child of God. 470 00:34:29,179 –> 00:34:32,020 He has everlasting life. 471 00:34:32,979 –> 00:34:37,979 And by union with him, everlasting life is yours. 472 00:34:39,280 –> 00:34:43,060 He is the heir of all things. 473 00:34:44,000 –> 00:34:49,000 And by union with him, you have a glorious inheritance. 474 00:34:53,919 –> 00:34:56,780 Jesus redeems us by uniting us to himself. 475 00:34:56,780 –> 00:34:57,659 It’s beautiful. 476 00:35:00,040 –> 00:35:01,219 And we saw last time, 477 00:35:01,219 –> 00:35:02,840 I wonder if this is stuck in your mind 478 00:35:02,840 –> 00:35:04,080 as it’s stuck in mine, 479 00:35:05,699 –> 00:35:07,459 that marriage in the book of Ruth 480 00:35:07,459 –> 00:35:08,699 in chapter three in verse one 481 00:35:08,699 –> 00:35:13,699 is described very beautifully as rest. 482 00:35:14,939 –> 00:35:16,179 Several folk said last week, 483 00:35:16,179 –> 00:35:17,540 I’ve never noticed that before, 484 00:35:17,540 –> 00:35:19,419 that marriage is described as rest. 485 00:35:19,419 –> 00:35:20,939 That’s God’s purpose for it. 486 00:35:20,939 –> 00:35:23,659 And do you see Jesus says to us, 487 00:35:25,060 –> 00:35:29,459 come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden 488 00:35:29,459 –> 00:35:34,139 and I will give you rest. 489 00:35:35,080 –> 00:35:39,620 Christ redeems us by uniting us to himself 490 00:35:39,620 –> 00:35:44,620 and it’s in him that our souls find rest. 491 00:35:49,139 –> 00:35:51,939 And the Lord Jesus Christ the redeemer 492 00:35:52,840 –> 00:35:56,260 who redeems by uniting himself to us 493 00:3556,260 –> 00:35:59,159 or uniting us to himself, 494 00:35:59,159 –> 00:36:01,459 the Lord Jesus Christ the redeemer 495 00:36:01,520 –> 00:36:06,000 is ready to commit himself to you. 496 00:36:07,699 –> 00:36:10,659 When Ruth proposed to Boaz, she said 497 00:36:10,659 –> 00:36:15,659 spread your wings over your servant 498 00:36:17,179 –> 00:36:20,580 for you are a redeemer. 499 00:36:21,860 –> 00:36:24,479 Commit yourself to me, she’s saying. 500 00:36:25,659 –> 00:36:27,699 Be my redeemer. 501 00:36:28,300 –> 00:36:31,300 And Boaz was more than willing 502 00:36:31,300 –> 00:36:34,439 to spread his wings over her 503 00:36:34,439 –> 00:36:37,300 and to be united to her in marriage. 504 00:36:39,219 –> 00:36:41,139 Do you remember how the Lord Jesus Christ 505 00:36:41,139 –> 00:36:43,580 takes up precisely that same language 506 00:36:43,580 –> 00:36:45,580 from the book of Ruth, 507 00:36:45,580 –> 00:36:49,699 when looking over the city of Jerusalem he said, 508 00:36:49,699 –> 00:36:52,620 Oh Jerusalem, Oh Jerusalem, 509 00:36:52,620 –> 00:36:57,239 how often would I have gathered pleasure 510 00:36:57,379 –> 00:37:01,800 together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings? 511 00:37:04,360 –> 00:37:08,239 But you were not willing. 512 00:37:10,080 –> 00:37:13,600 You were not willing. 513 00:37:16,320 –> 00:37:20,419 If anyone here today is not redeemed, 514 00:37:22,199 –> 00:37:24,739 it is not because Jesus Christ is unwilling. 515 00:37:25,699 –> 00:37:28,820 He wants to redeem. 516 00:37:28,840 –> 00:37:31,360 He wants you, my dear friend, 517 00:37:31,360 –> 00:37:33,419 however rebellious you have been against God, 518 00:37:33,419 –> 00:37:35,739 he wants you to enjoy the inheritance forever. 519 00:37:35,739 –> 00:37:40,739 He wants you to have everlasting life. 520 00:37:41,919 –> 00:37:46,179 I mean, he came into the world for this very purpose. 521 00:37:46,179 –> 00:37:50,219 He suffered and bled and died on the cross to pay the price. 522 00:37:50,219 –> 00:37:54,060 He has done everything that it takes to redeem you. 523 00:37:54,699 –> 00:37:57,360 And even now, he longs 524 00:37:57,360 –> 00:38:00,060 that what he has purchased should be yours. 525 00:38:00,979 –> 00:38:03,739 The redeemer is yours if you will have him, 526 00:38:06,179 –> 00:38:07,580 but you must ask. 527 00:38:09,739 –> 00:38:11,459 Ask Him to be your redeemer. 528 00:38:13,020 –> 00:38:13,979 Redeem me. 529 00:38:16,320 –> 00:38:18,399 Restore my inheritance. 530 00:38:18,399 –> 00:38:22,379 Make me a member of your family that will last forever. 531 00:38:22,439 –> 00:38:25,000 Take me under your wing. 532 00:38:27,540 –> 00:38:30,520 Unite me to yourself 533 00:38:32,020 –> 00:38:35,979 so that all that is yours becomes mine. 534 00:38:37,659 –> 00:38:39,979 Ask and you will find that He is willing 535 00:38:39,979 –> 00:38:41,840 to unite Himself to you. 536 00:38:41,840 –> 00:38:46,500 He will restore your lost inheritance. 537 00:38:48,020 –> 00:38:50,419 The land of heaven will be yours 538 00:38:51,399 –> 00:38:56,159 and He will give you everlasting life. 539 00:38:59,060 –> 00:39:00,139 Let’s pray together. 540 00:39:01,419 –> 00:39:03,679 There is a Redeemer. 541 00:39:05,379 –> 00:39:10,620 Jesus, God’s own son. 542 00:39:13,439 –> 00:39:15,659 Father, we bow before you 543 00:39:16,760 –> 00:39:20,139 and have a sense of wonder and awe 544 00:39:20,139 –> 00:39:23,479 that your Son, the Lord Jesus, would do all that he did 545 00:39:23,479 –> 00:39:26,060 in order to be our near relative 546 00:39:26,060 –> 00:39:27,800 and to act as our Redeemer. 547 00:39:29,199 –> 00:39:31,739 And we bless you for all that is ours in him 548 00:39:31,739 –> 00:39:32,820 that he would be willing 549 00:39:32,820 –> 00:39:35,699 to unite us to himself is amazing 550 00:39:35,699 –> 00:39:38,320 so that all that is his would become ours. 551 00:39:40,060 –> 00:39:44,939 Grant that a sense of the joy and the privilege 552 00:39:44,939 –> 00:39:47,379 and the sheer blessing of being in Christ 553 00:39:47,379 –> 00:39:49,620 will flood our souls not only this morning 554 00:39:49,699 –> 00:39:52,040 but throughout this Christmas season. 555 00:39:53,580 –> 00:39:55,580 And grant that in your mercy 556 00:39:55,580 –> 00:39:57,580 for those who have stood aloof 557 00:39:57,580 –> 00:39:59,080 from the Lord Jesus Christ, 558 00:39:59,080 –> 00:40:00,820 today might be the day of coming 559 00:40:01,939 –> 00:40:05,219 and of asking and of receiving 560 00:40:06,199 –> 00:40:09,639 and of finding all the life and all the joy 561 00:40:10,979 –> 00:40:12,340 that is in the Redeemer. 562 00:40:13,320 –> 00:40:17,000 Hear our prayers for these things we ask in Jesus’ name, 563 00:40:17,820 –> 00:40:18,659 Amen. 564 00:40:20,520 –> 00:40:21,760 You’ve been listening to a sermon 565 00:40:21,760 –> 00:40:24,159 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 566 00:40:24,159 –> 00:40:28,120 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN 365 567 00:40:29,399 –> 00:40:33,040 or visit our website, openthebible.org