Sermon: Leviticus 16: 1-34 Scripture Fulfilled - Atonement

When you come along to a Church of Ireland service, you have a fair idea of the way things are going to happen. And that’s particularly true if you’ve been a member of the Church of Ireland for a long time. You know how things work. You’re familiar with the different types of services we have. There’s Holy Communion, and Morning and Evening Prayer, and then the Service of the Word which we’re using tonight - which follows a pattern from the Book of Common Prayer (page 165).

I imagine that we’re not just as familiar with the type of ceremony described in our reading tonight from Leviticus 16. And, in fact, it might even make you a bit uneasy, if you’re vegetarian; or even uncomfortable, if you’re a bit squeamish about blood. And you might think - that’s in the Bible? Or what’s that all about?

Tonight we’re looking at this ceremony, the Day of Atonement, as we continue to see how the cross of Jesus fulfils the prophecies of the Old Testament. And hopefully we’ll see that, through the blood and guts and gore of this chapter, we see another aspect of the cross, and what Jesus has done for us as he died on the cross for us. But in order to see Jesus, we need to take in some of the details of this seemingly strange ceremony.

We find ourselves tonight in the book called Leviticus. And this book is mostly instructions for the priests of the tribe of Levi (hence the name Leviticus). So, in a sense, this is like a handbook for the priests to know how to do the various different types of sacrifices. Maybe even a bit like the BCP.

I said it’s mostly about instructions, because there’s just one piece of narrative, just one action story among all the commands. Now, it happens in ch 10, but it’s referenced here in 16:1 - ‘The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.’

Back in 10:1, we’re told that Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, offered ‘unauthorised fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.’ They died instantly, when fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. They had gone about things their own way, disregarding God’s commands. And they died for their misdeeds.

So here, in the instructions for the Day of Atonement, we’re reminded straight away that we’re meant to do things the way God wants, not whatever way we want. We see it in verse 2: ‘Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.’

So Aaron can’t just get up one day and think ‘I’ll pop in behind the curtain today.’ No, he can only come when God tells him to. Now, straight away, you might be thinking to yourself - what’s all this about the Most Holy Place, and the curtain, and the atonement cover, and the ark...?

We find ourselves at the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, right at the centre of the Israelite camp. Last week, we saw how the people were rescued from slavery in Egypt through the Passover Lamb. Now, they’re still in the wilderness, having crossed the Red Sea. At the centre of the camp is the Tent of Meeting. Outside the tent is the altar for sacrifices. Inside the tent is the Holy Place (where the Lampstand and the Table for bread are); but behind a curtain is the Most Holy Place (or the Holy of Holies). Inside it, you find the Ark of the Covenant, the top of which is called the atonement cover. Or at least, you would find it inside if you were allowed to go in. But you weren’t to go in. No one was, except only Aaron; and not at any time of his choosing, but only on one day of the year. The Day of Atonement, or as is was known sometimes, The Day.

In verses 3-5, we see the preparations Aaron has to undergo for the day. There’s quite a shopping list of animals - the young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering (3), as well as the two male goats for a sin offering and another ram for a burnt offering. There are also special garments to wear - a sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments, a linen sash and a linen turban. And before he puts them on, he has to bathe, to purify himself.

Now, the two rams for the burnt offering are left until later on, but our focus is on the bull and the two goats. We see what happens to each of them in turn.

The bull is Aaron’s sin offering for himself and his household. It is to make ‘atonement’ (6). Now, that English word atonement was invented by William Tyndale to translate the Hebrew here. And, it simply means ‘at-one-ment’. To atone is to make at-one, that is, to reconcile, to bring together again. And we see how that works in Aaron’s case in verse 11. The bull is offered as his sin offering. It dies, and he takes some of the blood and sprinkles it on the front of the atonement cover and before it, seven times.

The blood of the bull has been shed, and is sprinkled to allow him to gain access to the Most Holy Place. Without the blood, he couldn’t go in. And yet, even the blood isn’t enough. He also takes coals from the altar and two handfuls of incense, to create a smokescreen to enable him to enter. If he saw God, he would die, and so the smoke and incense allows him to enter, shielded from the sight of God.

The bull is offered for his sin, and its blood is shed to allow him to come near to God, to take part in the sacrifice. But the bull was just for Aaron. The main atonement ceremony hasn’t even begun yet. For that, you need the two goats.

Back in verse 7, we’re reminded of the two goats. They’re presented before the LORD. Lots are cast to decide which will be which - one will be the LORD’s. It’s the sin offering, and we pick it up again in verse 15. It is slaughtered as a sin offering - not just for Aaron this time, but for the people, for all Israel. Again, its blood is taken behind the curtain. It’s sprinkled on the atonement cover (as atonement is made, the people reconciled to God). but do you see that atonement is also ‘for’ the Most Holy Place (16) ‘because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites.’

We’re getting into the time of year for spring cleaning. It seems as if the Tent was being cleaned, the uncleanness and pollution caused by the people all being cleaned away.

The Most Holy Place is sprinkled, then the Tent of Meeting, then the altar too. All sprinkled with the blood of the goat. Atonement is made, the goat has died in place of the people, and the blood has been applied.

That all happens with the first goat. But now we come to the second goat, in verse 20. The first one died, but this one is still bleating. In verse 21, Aaron lays his hands on the head of the goat, and confesses over it all the sins of the people. By this, he transfers their sins from the people to the goat. Its name is the scapegoat. The one who takes the blame.

So what happens to the scapegoat? It is taken away, led off into the desert, to a solitary place, carrying the peoples’ sins. Do you see what’s happening? The sins of the people are put onto the head of the goat. The goat is taken away, and you’ll never see it (or your sins) again. The goat is gone, and your sins are gone.

With that, the ceremony is almost complete. Aaron goes and changes out of the sacred garments, then offers the burnt offerings. The fat of the sin offering is burnt on the altar, but the rest of it is taken outside the camp and burned up. Atonement has been made for all the sins of the Israelites - at least for that year, until next time, when it happens all over again.

These sacrifices, and the Day of Atonement, they all continued up until the end of the temple in Jerusalem in AD70. They had come to an end, because what they pointed forward to had now been completed. If you’re driving to Dublin, and you’re not sure where you’re going, then you’ll follow the signposts. They’ll point you in the right direction. But once you’re in Dublin, you don’t need the signposts any more. You’ve arrived. And the Day of Atonement is a signpost pointing us to the cross. The letter to the Hebrews helps us to understand what it’s all about.

Jesus is our great high priest, the one who makes the sacrifice that we need. And unlike Aaron, Jesus has no sin of his own. Aaron had to sacrifice the bull for his own sin, but Jesus has no sin - he is our perfect, sinless high priest.

And Jesus is also our offering for sin. Our high priest offers himself for our sin, to make at-onement for us. So both of the goats point us to the work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus, like the sin offering goat, died, for our sins - he brings his own blood through the veil / curtain - not in the earthly tabernacle or temple, but into heaven’s throne room itself. (Heb 9:12)

But that’s not all. Jesus is also like the scapegoat - he carries our sins far away. We’ll never see them again! As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us (Ps 103).

Jesus is our great high priest; Jesus is our sin offering; Jesus is our scapegoat. And he did it... once. In Heb 10, the writer says that the blood of bulls and goats can’t take away sin - it’s only Christ’s blood that can do it. And he doesn’t have to repeat the sacrifice time and time again. He has done it once for all time.

Our Day of Atonement was the first Good Friday, as Jesus died on the cross. He has fulfilled the details of Leviticus, bearing our sin, dying for our sin, making us at-one with God through his blood. The writer to the Hebrews picks up on one of the smaller details and shows that even it is fulfilled. Can you remember what happened to the remains of the sin bearing goat?

The blood was taken into the Most Holy Place. The fat was burned on the altar. The rest was taken outside the camp. A small detail, unimportant, perhaps. But the writer to the Hebrews picks up on it. Where was Jesus crucified?

As the hymn puts it, ‘there is a green hill far away without a city wall.’ Without, or outside a city wall. Jesus was taken out of the city to be crucified. Calvary / Golgotha was outside the city. Now listen to Hebrews 13: ‘The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking forward for the city that is to come.’

Even the location of the cross fulfils the Day of Atonement detailed in Leviticus 16. In this chapter, we see the shadow of the cross. We see just what the cross involved - the death in our place for our sins; the removal of those sins; and our spotless, sinless Saviour, our great high priest, who lives to intercede for us.

The sacrifice has been made. Your sins have been covered. This may not be the tenth day of the seventh month, but this can be your Day of Atonement, the day you are reconciled to God, through the cross of Christ. So don’t delay. Don’t wait any longer. Come today, to the foot of the cross. Be reconciled to God.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 11th March 2018.

The Way of the Cross (7)

Yesterday we looked at the Day of Atonement from Leviticus 16, and thought about the goat who was used as a sin offering. We watched how Aaron disappeared into the tabernacle, to the Holy Place, God's presence, and the blood of the goat (and bull) were sprinkled on the mercy seat, God's throne, the ark of the covenant. If the wages of sin are death, then the blood shed by the goat signifies that a death has occurred, and the sins have been dealt with. But the blood of bulls and goats can't forgive sins - they point to the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.

All that happened behind closed doors, within the tabernacle, in the Holy Place, where only the high priest could enter one day of the year. The ordinary member of the people of Israel had to take for granted that it had happened, but they couldn't see what had happened. God, in his mercy and grace, arranged that the second goat was a much more public demonstration of God's forgiveness - and when Tyndale translated the Bible into English, granted us a new word: the scapegoat.

And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:20-22)

It's a vivid picture of the removal of our sins - Aaron, the priest, representing the people, confesses their sins. The sins are transferred to the goat, who is then taken out of the camp, out of the land, into the wilderness. Your sin is taken far away, and you'll never see the goat again. The scapegoat bears your sins, carries them away, and you bear them no longer.

Truly Jesus is our scapegoat as well as our sin offering. In dying for our sins, he bore them, removing them from us, so that we no longer bear our own sins. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

The Way of the Cross (6)

Having been rescued from Egypt, the LORD makes his covenant with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. As the people journey towards the promised land, the law is revealed to them, God's gracious gift to enable the sinful people to approach and live with a holy God. Today and tomorrow, we're going to think about the most important day in the Israelite calendar - the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, as described in Leviticus 16.

As part of the ceremonial on that day, two goats were used. A bull is sacrificed as a sin offering, and part of the blood sprinkled on the 'mercy seat' (the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies, in the Tabernacle). Then the two goats have lots cast for them - today we'll focus on the goat used at the tabernacle. It is also a sin offering, its blood brought within the veil (the very presence of God), and sprinkled over the mercy seat. The Holy Place has been atoned for - 'at-one' being to be reconciled, for sins to have been covered and forgiven.

This Day of Atonement ceremony only happened on one day each year, and only was performed by the high priest - Aaron and his sons. It signifies the separation that sin brings between God and people, and the need for the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. And ultimately, the blood of the bull and the goat point forward to the one full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for sins on the cross of Calvary, and the entry of our great high priest into the true tabernacle, heaven to secure 'an eternal redemption.' (Heb 9:12)

As the writer to the Hebrews continues, Jesus' death fulfills the purpose and prophecy of the Law, and grants us the incredible and wonderful benefits of all God's people:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water... (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Calling for redemption - A sermon preached in Annalong on Sunday 29 July 2007. Ruth 3:1-18

Have you ever had a midnight encounter? Maybe you were walking down the road at night, and you saw someone approaching, but didn’t know who they were. How did you feel?

I remember well one midnight encounter – maybe about ten years ago. We were at Boys Brigade camp, and I was in my tent with six other fellas. The officers were trying to quiet us down for the night, but the other fellas in my tent were a bit rowdy. We could see the shadow of an officer on the wall of the tent, and one of the boys shouted out: ‘Ah, it must be Robert, look at the big nose on him!’ Needless to say that it wasn’t Robert; it was the chaplain of the camp, and we all had to report to him the next morning at 6am for duty!

In our reading this morning, we come across a midnight encounter. Boaz is at his threshing floor – the harvest has been gathered in and is now being threshed, and he is in high spirits. After an evening of feasting and drinking to celebrate the harvest, he goes to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. All is well with him as he starts to sleep.

But in the middle of the night, he wakes up, startled by something. And look what he finds, lying at his feet – a woman! Who is it, or what’s happening? Can you imagine the shock of finding someone lying at your feet? So he asks ‘who are you’.

Having read the passage earlier, we know that it’s Ruth. Look at verse 9, to see how she responds. ‘I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.’

You might be wondering what a kinsman-redeemer is, and we’ll find out as we look at the passage as a whole. We’ll see what she’s doing there; what she asks for; and how Boaz responds.

Firstly, what Ruth is doing there. You might remember from last week that Ruth is the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi and her husband left Bethlehem and went to Moab during a famine, and her husband died. Then her two sons married Moabite women, and the sons died. Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law went back home, but Ruth stayed with Naomi when she came back to Bethlehem.

In chapter two we found Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz, because she was poor, and needed to eat. It was legal for the poor and the foreigner to follow the harvesters and glean what was left behind. And it was there that Boaz met Ruth for the first time, offering her protection in the field, and granting her favour (or grace).

So now, coming near the end of the harvest, Naomi takes the initiative in trying to find a home for her, or as the margin puts it, ‘find rest.’ As I’ve said last week, family ties were very important at this time, especially in the inheritance of land. You see, when the people entered the land of Israel, it was divided up among their tribes and clans. Those inheritances could not be changed, but were passed down through the families.

But, as sometimes happened, there were problems. What if someone couldn’t afford to hold the land and sold some of it? Surely the land would be lost to the clan?

The Law provided for such situations. Over in Leviticus 25 we find a series of laws about the year of jubilee and about redemption. The year of Jubilee was to be held every fifty years, and any land which had been sold would be returned to the original owner again. However, if you had the means, you could ‘redeem’ the land. That simply means to buy back the land that had been sold in the first place.

So, for example, Leviticus 25:25 reads: ‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.’

For Naomi and Ruth, though, the situation was more complicated, due to not having any sons. Normally, if the eldest son died, then the second son would marry the wife of the first in order to provide an heir for his brother. This was the reason the Sadducees had come with their ‘problem’ to Jesus about the seven brothers who died without a son, and which man would the wife be married to at the resurrection. But there are no more brothers in the family.

For the inheritance to be passed on, it would take a kinsman-redeemer (‘go-el’ in Hebrew). This would be a male family relative – perhaps an uncle or cousin, who would step in and redeem the land. So in verse 2, Naomi has identified Boaz as one of the kinsman-redeemers, and she send Ruth to him at night, at the threshing floor to make her appeal.

So after Boaz lies down, Ruth takes up her position, uncovering his feet and lying at them, in the position of the servant. It is in this position that Boaz finds her as he is wakened from sleep. And it is from this position that Ruth makes her appeal.

‘Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.’ Can you see what she’s saying here? You know that I’m in need Boaz – not just in terms of my poverty and my need; but also for the good of the family lands – spread the corner of your garment over me! It is a request for protection, for cover, for warmth. Ruth acknowledges her poverty to Boaz, confesses her need, and appeals for Boaz to act for her.

Next, we see how Boaz responds. In chapter two we noted that Boaz was ‘a man of standing’ – a worthy man. Once again we see the worthy man in action, as he cares for Ruth, and expresses his admiration for her. Notice in verse 10 that he identifies her kindness (a recurring theme in the book of Ruth) – her kindness in not running after younger men, but rather fixing her attention on him (do we get a hint here that he is an older man?).

In addition to her kindness, he highlights the fact that she is seen by the local community as ‘a woman of noble character.’ Just as Boaz is a worthy man, so Ruth is a woman of noble character. It has been said that in some of the Hebrew canon of scripture, Ruth comes immediately after Proverbs, because Ruth is a living example of the ‘woman of noble character’ from Proverbs 31: ‘a wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of good value.’ (Prov 31:10-11)

Yet as he has mentioned the other men – other potential suitors, he is building her up to the sad news that he is not the nearest kinsman-redeemer. There were strict procedures to be followed, with an order of nearness in effect. The other relative will have first refusal.

Even with the possibility of losing Ruth to the other kinsman-redeemer, he is still the worthy man, pouring out the grace and favour we have already seen of him. Look at verse 14. In order to avoid any scandal, he ensures that she has gone home by morning, and will not let it be said that there was a woman at the threshing floor. This is as much for Ruth’s reputation as for his own.

But as he sends her away, we see the great generosity again. Verse 15 – he pours out 6 measures of barley for her to take back to Naomi, so that, as he tells Ruth (verse 17) ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ Do you remember that word empty? Where have we encountered it before? As Naomi returned to Bethlehem at the end of chapter one, she complained that ‘the LORD has brought me back empty.’ (1:21) It has been said that the book of Ruth is the reversal of Naomi’s emptiness, and again, we see it here, in the picture of God’s grace through Boaz.

So we have seen that Ruth is in trouble, in need, and appeals for help to her kinsman-redeemer, to Boaz. Can you see the parallels with our situation? Have you cried out to your kinsman-redeemer?

You know the need that we have. Ruth was in need because the family land had been sold, and she was in poverty. But our need is all that much greater, because we have sold ourselves. We’ve sold ourselves to the devil, and given up our birthrights. When Adam and Eve believed the lie of the serpent, they were removed from the garden and lost their status as friends of God.

And we, their children, continue to follow in their footsteps. Oh, people try to say that humanity is getting better all the time, but really, despite the advancement in technology and healthcare and science, we are still poor towards God. Science and wealth has blinded us to our poverty, as we consider ourselves to be rich.

Think of the words of the Lord Jesus to the church in Laodicea. ‘You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor blind and naked.’ (Revelation 3:17)

Now do you see our need? So who is our kinsman-redeemer? None other than the Lord Jesus. He it was who intervened to rescue us; to redeem us. He gave of himself so that we might gain the inheritance of the Father. He died so that we might be received into the family of God. This is the picture the New Testament provides for us, as it speaks of Jesus as redeeming us.

Jesus it was, ‘who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’ (Titus 2:14) Also, Peter writes ‘For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver of gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your fore-fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.’ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

On the cross, Jesus did the work of redemption – paying the price so that we could be forgiven and bought back from sin. He did it because of his amazing grace, to bring our pardon and redeem us. Yet we need to cry out to him to save us.

We need to acknowledge our need, and confess that we can’t do it on our own. We need him to save us. Can you echo those words of Ruth, and make them your own?

‘I am your servant. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.’

Finding Favour - A sermon preached in Annalong on 22nd July 2007. Ruth 2:1-23

Would you do me a wee favour? Would you nudge the person sitting beside you, just to make sure they’re not sleeping? That’s good! Now we’re all wide awake!

I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of a wee favour – something that you do for someone else (or that they do for you), out of the kindness of your heart. Or maybe when you hear the word favour, you think of the wee gifts that are distributed at wedding parties- normally sugared almonds or wee sweets. In fact, I was at a wedding over in Scotland last weekend, but for some reason, the favours were only available for the ladies.

As we turn to Ruth chapter 2 tonight, we encounter Ruth as the harvest is beginning. If you were with us this morning you’ll remember that Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi returned to Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was starting. They returned to Bethlehem because Naomi, her husband and sons had moved away during famine, but the men folk were all dead, and only Ruth had returned back with Naomi, pledging her faithfulness to her mother-in-law.

In the passage we’re going to see how Ruth finds favour in the eyes of Boaz – a very important man, as we’ll find both tonight and next week – and we’ll also see how Ruth’s favour is a picture of the favour we receive from God.

Notice, though, before we launch into the passage that verse one introduces the man Boaz, who is a relative of Naomi’s husband. In ancient Israel, family and clan links are vital for the possession and inheritance of the land. It’s as if the writer is taking a big bold pen, drawing attention to him now! And more than that, Boaz is ‘a man of standing.’

Take a look now to see the man of standing. He owns fields and has a team of harvesters, so presumably he was wealthy. But more than that, he was, as the ESV puts it, ‘a worthy man.’ We see his goodness in verse 9, as he tells Ruth he had told the men not to touch her – evidently others were not worthy, but he was. Was he a sort of Prince Charming in this unfolding romance?

Let’s look at verse two. Remember, Naomi and Ruth have returned to Bethlehem having fled famine. They probably only brought back the clothes they had on their back. So Ruth decides to go and pick up the leftover grain in the fields – but not any field, just ‘anyone in whose eyes I find favour.’

You see, the Old Testament Law provided some rules for agriculture. There were things like giving the land a fallow year, a Sabbath, so that it could be ‘rested’ too. But what concerns us here is in Leviticus 19:9 – ‘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. 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 an the LORD your God.’

Our God is concerned for the poor, and those who have nothing. The Law therefore made sure that the poor would be able to glean whatever was left behind or dropped by the harvesters.

Ruth was able then, to go to any field and there should be something to glean. Do you notice the middle of verse 3? ‘As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.’ As it turned out. Just a co-incidence. Or was it? As we saw in chapter one, God was working behind the scenes in bringing his purposes, and we can see it here again.

After the formal (but probably heartfelt) greeting in the name of the Lord, Boaz was scanning the field when he saw an unfamiliar face. Who was the new girl working in the field, gleaning behind his harvesters? Was it that he knew she wasn’t a local girl? Who could it be?

The stranger is identified as Ruth, the Moabite girl who had returned with Naomi. So Boaz goes over to speak to her, and showers blessings on her. She is granted protection, supplies, water, and comfort. Look at verses 8 and 9.

Obviously Ruth recognises that Boaz is the owner of the field, and is overwhelmed by his generosity. ‘Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?’ In other words, why are you being so kind to me, even though I don’t deserve anything as I’m an outsider? In her opinion, his favour is undeserved, but gratefully received.

And why is it that Boaz favours her? First, he roots it in the kindness that she has shown to her mother-in-law; sticking with her, returning with her, and even abandoning home and family to do it. But then he shows that his favour is small compared to the favour of God. It’s as if his favour is just a smaller copy or version of God’s great favour. So he prays that she will find that great favour. Look at verse 12: ‘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.’

Once again we see that Ruth had not just left her family and been faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi. Rather, she had turned her back on her gods, and taken shelter in the God of Israel, the living God. It is by coming to the God of Israel that she will be richly rewarded.

Look at verse 13, as Ruth responds to the favour. Boaz gave her comfort and spoke kindly, ‘though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.’ Boaz pours out favour on her, even though she doesn’t deserve it, she has no standing. It reminds me of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Do you remember the speech he rehearsed as he travelled along the road home, reminding himself that he wasn’t worthy to go back. ‘I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ (Luke 15:19) Even though he doesn’t deserve anything, he is met with his father’s favour, his father’s grace; restored to his position as a son and welcomed with open arms.

Look also at how Ruth responds in verse 13. It’s as if the rest of the story is being set up, as she requests continuing favour from Boaz – looking to the future, and pleading for him to protect her as he has done. Yet at the time, it appears as if Ruth doesn’t realise that Boaz is a relative of her family. Only later will she find out when she reports back to Naomi.

Do you notice that the favour shown towards Ruth is seen as kindness towards the living and dead (of her family) – we see this in verse 20, as Ruth tells Naomi of her day gleaning? But even more than that, do you see the change in Naomi?

Flick back for a moment to Ruth 1:20-21. There we see Naomi saddened, afflicted, empty, and she attributes it to the Lord, the Almighty. Then at verse 2 in our chapter tonight. It’s Ruth who takes the initiative and acts as the breadwinner. Naomi is still bitter, still (as it were) far away from Bethlehem, far away from God.

Look now at 2:19-20, and see the excitement of Naomi on seeing the rich blessings from the field of Boaz, and how quickly she turns to praise and blessing – ‘Blessed be the man who took notice of you!’ (19), ‘The LORD bless him!’ (20). The favour, and the blessings spill over into yet more blessings and favour.

Favour, or grace brings about this tremendous change in Naomi, and it ripples out!

As we look towards next week, Naomi declares that Boaz is not just a relative, but is a close relative; and even more than that, is a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz will have a specific function to fulfil in his bringing of favour, but we will see that next week.

For now though, you might be asking yourself what to do with this passage tonight. After all, what seems to be beginning to blossom into an ancient romance story in a harvest field might be touching enough, or slightly interesting, but how does it impact on our lives today?

This morning as we looked at chapter one, we saw that the picture of Ruth’s faithfulness was a reflection of the faithfulness of Jesus. So too, this evening, we see that the favour that Boaz shows to Ruth is a reflection of God’s favour towards us.

So far, I’ve used the word favour, but you might be more used to the word ‘grace’. Can you see how it links? The favour that Boaz showed to the foreign slave girl was completely undeserved; and how much more is God’s grace undeserved by us? Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve.

How he reached out on the cross, through Jesus, and offers us pardon and peace, forgiveness and freedom, new life and new hope. We didn’t deserve it at all, yet in love, in grace, he came to us and gave us all those blessings.

Like Ruth in verse 13, we didn’t even have the standing of servants, yet God in his grace makes us his children. Like Ruth in verse 10, we were foreigners, outsiders to God’s promises of mercy; we had separated ourselves because of our sins, yet God in his grace brings us into his kingdom. And like Ruth in verse 10, as she marvels over the favour, the grace that Boaz is showing her, so we will marvel and wonder over the grace that Christ has shown us through all eternity.

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean

How marvellous, how wonderful, And my song shall ever be,

How marvellous, how wonderful, is my Saviour’s love for me.

Maybe you have been coming to church for many a year and have heard about the grace of God, but you’ve never experienced it, never known it for yourself. Won’t you come tonight, and take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel? That grace is there for you. The offer is open. Won’t you come, and know and rejoice in that grace?

Or maybe you’re like the Prodigal, knowing that you don’t deserve anything. God offers you his grace – the blessings he has for you – precisely because you don’t deserve them. You can’t win them for yourself, you can only be given them by the grace of God.

Jubilee 2007: A Sermon (basis) preached in Magheralin Parish Church on 21st January 2007. Luke 4:14-21

We’re potentially coming up to a time of elections, but don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about politics this morning, and I’ll not be telling you how to vote. But one of the features of the run up to elections is the mountain of mail they generate. You’re sitting at home, enjoying your breakfast (or maybe even your lunch – depending on the postal service), and suddenly there’s a thump, as a forest of paper lands on the mat.

All the parties publish their manifestos, and send them out to us. In them, they tell us what they aim to do, and how they plan to do it. It’s a sort of vision statement – depending on them getting your vote, of course.

This morning we’re going to look at the manifesto for Jesus’ ministry. He sets out his business, and where he’s going from here – at the start of his ministry. In the passage we find him returning to Nazareth, the place where he had been brought up (16). Elsewhere in the Gospels we find that he had lived in Capernaum for a while, but this was his return home.

The people were expecting a lot from his visit, after all, they had heard about his activities in other towns. Verse 15 tells us that he had been teaching in synagogues. News quickly spread through the countryside – perhaps nothing changes, as news still seems to spread rapidly from person to person and village to village. The news about Jesus was good too, because ‘everyone praised him.’

Jesus had come home. It being the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue – the meeting house where the Scriptures were read and taught and where prayer was offered. And just as he had taught in the other synagogues, there was the opportunity to teach there, in Nazareth.

His first sermon in front of his home town, and probably his family as well. What would he say? He had sat in the synagogue for so many years as he was growing up, listening to the teaching of the rabbis. What would he say today? And how would the congregation respond?

Next week, we’re going to look at the reaction, but in order to understand the reaction, we first have to hear and understand the message of Jesus’ first sermon in Nazareth.

At the time, the Scriptures were on scrolls – massive scrolls. The scrolls would be kept by the attendant of the synagogue, and given to the speaker. Imagine the anticipation – what would Jesus read from?

The prophetic scroll was given to him, and then he had liberty to choose his text. So he found the place and began to read from Isaiah 61 those very familiar words:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

No doubt these words had been read many times before in the synagogue. They were words of good news, of freedom, of release. Maybe the congregation thought, oh, that’s a nice choice of reading. Something encouraging and inspiring.

It seems that the reading was done standing up (out of respect for the word), but the teaching was done sitting down. And so Jesus sat down to give his message. All eyes were fixed on him. What would he say?

Luke only gives us his opening words – he obviously spoke longer than we have recorded here. But those words were dynamite: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

In order to grasp what is happening, we need to hear this word afresh today. What was Isaiah originally saying, and how was it fulfilled in Jesus?

The speaker in Isaiah 61 doesn’t identify himself directly, and isn’t introduced. He just begins to speak: ‘The Spirit of the (Sovereign – Is 61:1) Lord is on me.’ Yet immediately there is a confident authority in his words – he is anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, he is sent to proclaim and release. Who is it speaking? This is none other than the Messiah, the one to come. In other parts of Isaiah, it says that the Messiah will have the Spirit on him (11:1, 42:1)

But as well as that, the very title suggests the person. Messiah means ‘anointed one’ and points towards a combination of prophet, priest and king – the three jobs that were marked by the anointing of oil. Consider briefly Elisha, who was anointed by Elijah to be a prophet (1 Kings 19:16); Aaron, who was anointed by Moses to be high priest (Leviticus 8:12); and David, who was anointed by Samuel to be king (1 Samuel 16:13).

So Jesus is clearly identifying himself here as the Messiah, the Christ, the expected and anointed one. He also declares that the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit is on him, enabling and equipping him to act. Already in Luke’s Gospel we have seen this, as the Holy Spirit comes on Mary at the time of conception. We then find the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, and leading him into the desert at the start of the temptations. Even in our passage this morning, we find Jesus returning to Galilee ‘in the power of the Spirit.’

But what is it the Spirit will empower Jesus to do? What is he fulfilling in front of their very eyes? Jesus announces the Jubilee of the Lord, with its favour and freedom and release and restoration. You see, in one sense, the Jubilee wasn’t new. It was contained in the Law, in Leviticus 25 and was the year of release, when liberty was proclaimed. With all this talk of Jubilee, you might have been reminded of Jubilee 2000 – the project aimed at reducing third world debt. This was the focus and basis of that campaign.

Imagine that you were a small farmer in Israel. In those days there were no subsidies or grants schemes for farming, so you had to make do with what you could grow. Then you realise you can’t sustain yourself any more – what is to be done? Well, you can sell yourself into slavery – sell your land to a neighbour, and they will look after you. In the short term that’s good, because you survive. But you’re a slave. You’ve lost your land, the land that your father and his father and his father lived on and owned. Not such a good situation.

But every fifty years, there was the Jubilee – the year of liberty. In that year, debts were cancelled, and the land was returned to its rightful owners. How great would the news of the Jubilee be? Truly good news, I think you’ll agree.

And this is what Jesus is doing in our passage. He identifies himself as the Messiah, the anointed one empowered by the Holy Spirit. He proclaims the good news of the Jubilee – the year of the Lord’s favour. He declares that freedom and liberty are available.

But the freedom and liberty he proclaims and achieves is not just the material freedom from slavery. The good news is for the poor of spirit (to quote from Matthew 5). Jesus releases those who are imprisoned by demons and illness – later in Luke 4. And ultimately, he provides release from the bondage of sin and death through his death on the cross.

Just think of the words of Charles Wesley in the hymn ‘And can it be’ –

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature’s night,
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light,
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

I mentioned at the start about the politician’s manifesto. The promises can look good on the paper, but they aren’t always achieved. We can rest assured, though, that the manifesto of Jesus is, and will be, fulfilled.

The Jubilee brought freedom and release to the oppressed and prisoner. Jesus brought good news to the poor and promised release for the prisoners and the blind and the oppressed – in announcing the year of the Lord’s favour.

We are still in this time of favour – or grace – as the promise of liberty is offered in Jesus. Are you still bound in your sins, trapped in the dungeon? Jesus offers you release. Are you blind to the purposes of God and his glory? Jesus offers you sight. Are you oppressed by circumstances, or your past, or guilt? Jesus offers liberty in him.

[But we must never take the time of favour lightly – one day it will be finished. Jesus stopped mid-sentence, as it were in Isaiah 61. Because, if you look at 61:2, we find that the proclamation is a double one – ‘to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God.’ The favour of God is offered in these days of grace, but soon will come the Day of Judgement when sin will be punished. ]

Is it nothing to you?

I'm reading through Lamentations at present. Maybe not one of the usual books people read or study, but I felt it was the natural follow-on to my study in Jeremiah. After all, it may well have been written by Jeremiah. But even if not, it is part of the Scriptures, and describes the thoughts of those left behind in Jerusalem after the prophecy of Jeremiah, after the fall of the city under Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.

A particularly poignant verse is found in 1:12:

'"Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger."'

Jerusalem is in ruins, having been destroyed by the invading armies. The pride of Israel, even the joy of the whole earth (Ps 48:2) lies in ruins.

Israel was on one of the ancient trading routes, between Egypt and the rest of the world. Think of the traders who took Joseph and sold him in Egypt. That's why it was so important in the wider empire games of the bigger nations. If you controlled Israel, you had the trade routes. So Egypt always thought it important. The Philistines wanted it. The Edomites wanted it. And when Babylon came on the scene, it wanted Israel and Judah too - as a frontier land against the great enemy of Egypt.

And the plaintive cry arises from Jerusalem - is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? You traders and soldiers and whoever else you are - do you not care that Jerusalem has been destroyed? This is a great tragedy for the Jews, yet the rest of the world is not concerned. It couldn't give a stuff.

Now, should anyone else actually care about Jerusalem, then the rest of the verse gives us food for thought - an admission from the Jews about what had happened. A realistic appraisal of their situation. Yes, their sorrow is great - worse than any other sorrow. But where did it come from?

The LORD inflicted it 0n the day of his fierce anger. Outsiders looking at the situation could only see the invading army - the rather successful invading army. Obviously the Babylonians were more powerful. Or maybe their gods were stronger or better or wiser than the gods of Jerusalem?

Not at all! The fall of Jerusalem, the city of God, was permitted by that YAHWEH, the God of Israel. But why? Surely God fights for his people?

We fnid the answer, simply stated in verse 18. 'The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word.' Such a simple statement, yet it covers the period of Israelite history from Moses to Jeremiah. So, for example, even before they entered the land, Moses told the Israelites that their residency depended on their continued obedience. Just check out Leviticus 26- 'If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will...' (Lev 26:3-13), 'but if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments... then I will do this to you...' (Lev 26:14-45).

The verse has also been applied by Christians throughout the church to Jesus on the cross - abandoned and rejected of men, bearing our sins and sorrows. However, the author of the Welwyn Commentary from Evangelical Press argues that we shouldn't use the verse in connection with our Lord. I don't entirely agree, and so will leave you with the question:

'Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?'