Please turn to the book of Ruth.
We will read from verses 16 and 17.
And Ruth said,
Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee;
for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge;
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;
where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried;
the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.
We read from verse 8 through verse 12.
Then Boaz said unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter?
Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens.
Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them.
Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee?
And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner?
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband;
and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord, the God of Israel, under Whose wings thou art come to take refuge.
And he said, Who art thou?
And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter;
thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman.
And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place; ye are witnesses this day.
Dear Heavenly Father, we have just read Thy Word, and now we ask Thy Holy Spirit to open Thy Word to our hearts. Speak to us, Lord, and draw us closer to Thyself, because Thou art our Redeemer, our Love, our All.
We commit this time into Thy hands, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
In the whole Bible, there are only two books that bear the name of a woman. One is Ruth, and the other is Esther.
We know there are remarkable differences between these two women. Ruth was a Moabitess, a Gentile, but she was sovereignly brought into the covenant people of God. Esther was a Jewish woman, but again, she was sovereignly put into the court of a Gentile kingdom.
But there is one thing that is common to both of them: they were both used by God to fulfill God’s purpose.
This book of Ruth follows the book of Judges. In the ancient Jewish canon of the Scriptures, Ruth and Judges were actually put together as one book.
The event recorded in the book of Ruth happened during the time of the judges. Now, we do not know for sure at what time of the judges, or under which judge, this happened. Some people think it happened during the time of Gideon because, before Gideon was raised up by God as a judge, the children of Israel were under oppression and deprived of their food. There was famine in the land. So probably what is recorded in the book of Ruth happened during the time when Gideon was judge.
But anyway, we find there is a great difference between the book of Judges and this book of Ruth. In the book of Judges, we see the tragic, sad history of God’s people—how they were unfaithful to God. Because of that, they were oppressed by the enemies among them and around them.
They were not only unable to fully possess their possession, but they were in danger of losing their possession. It was a very sad record.
But when you come to the book of Ruth, you see the bright side of the history of the children of Israel. There you find, through God’s sovereign grace, how everything seemed to be restored. There was redemption. There was the recovery of the inheritance.
So Ruth actually gives us the bright side of the history of the children of Israel at the time of the judges.
Now, Ruth is one of the festal rolls—that is, one of the books read during festival times, during the feasts. We are told that this book of Ruth is read at the time of Pentecost.
It is not only a very beautiful story, but we know that in this book we see the principles of grace and redemption.
Ruth was a Moabitess. If we know the origin of the Moabites, and go back to Genesis 19, we find that Moab was Lot’s son, born out of terrible sin. The very word Moab means “from the father.” It speaks of the flesh.
According to Deuteronomy, we find that the Moabites, even to the tenth generation, were not able to enter into the congregation of the children of Israel. In other words, the Moabites were completely excluded from the promises of God.
And Ruth was a Moabitess. Yet through sovereign grace, she was brought into not only the covenant people of God, but we find that it was through her that David the king was born.
If you read Matthew 1, the genealogy of our Lord Jesus, you will find that she was one of the four women mentioned in that genealogy. In other words, our Lord Jesus came through her.
So that demonstrates to us the tremendous grace—the sovereign, amazing grace—of God.
As you read this book of Ruth, you find it stands between the book of Judges and 1 Samuel. At the very end of Judges, the Holy Spirit gives His comment. The reason there was such a mess in the history of the people was because, at that time, there was no king, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
That was the comment of the Holy Spirit. Then, when you read 1 Samuel, you find that the king was introduced. Finally, God introduces a king to His people. It is the history of the king.
In between, you have Ruth. Ruth is the link between Judges and 1 Samuel because, through Ruth, David came into this world. At the end of Ruth 4, you find David.
So this book of Ruth is very important in the Word of God. It is not only a beautiful story, but in this story we see a picture of the redemption of our Lord.
During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. Now, what was that land? That land was the promised land.
That land was a good land. If you read Deuteronomy 8, you find that it was a land full of springs, water brooks, and rivers; a land of valleys, wheat, and corn; a land of olives and wine; a land of iron and copper.
It was a land blessed by God, a land flowing with milk and honey. If the children of Israel kept God’s Word and His commandments, then God’s eyes would be upon that land. God would bless the heaven, the heaven would bless the earth, and the earth would yield plenty. There would be no scarceness in that land.
This was the land, and yet we find that there was famine in the land. It was out of the ordinary. It was not what it should be.
What was the reason for it? We know the reason was that the children of Israel rebelled against God. They did not keep the covenant. They did not keep the commandments of God. Instead, they committed abomination, worshipped idols, and went away from God.
That is the reason why the land was cursed. There was the disciplinary hand of God upon that land.
Now, when the discipline of God came upon His people, what should the people do? They should humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They should repent. If they repented, God would forgive them and restore them into His blessing.
But instead of doing that, we find a man by the name of Elimelech. He took his family, left the land of promise—his inheritance—and went into the land of Moab.
In other words, here was a man who escaped the discipline of the Lord.
You know, it is very ironic, because the very name Elimelech means, “My God is King.” His wife’s name, Naomi, means “my pleasantness.” They came from Bethlehem, the house of bread, and they left for the land of Moab—that is, the land of the flesh.
Brothers and sisters, is it not so that often this is the way we react to the discipline of God? Sometimes, when God disciplines us, our first reaction is to try to escape from it.
Instead of acknowledging our sin, humbling ourselves before God, and repenting—as we find in 1 Peter, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”—we flee from God’s discipline.
Do you know that fleeing from God’s discipline means losing our inheritance?
The disciplinary hand of God followed that man to the land of Moab. He could not escape God’s discipline. There was no way. He died.
His two sons married two Moabite women, against the Word of God, and the discipline followed them. Both of the sons died.
There was no hope for that family to regain their inheritance, because all the men died. This was because they tried to flee from the discipline of God.
Brothers and sisters, does God ever discipline us? If He has never chastened us, then we are not His sons; we are bastards. He chastens us because He loves us.
Are we so perfect that we never sin against Him, that we never do anything wrong? If God, out of His love, should discipline us, is it not His desire that through discipline He may restore us?
He has no desire merely to punish us. He does not want us just to suffer. That is not God’s will. The reason why He disciplines us is because He wants to restore us to Himself. He wants to restore us to our inheritance.
But, brothers and sisters, if we escape from discipline, it may appear that we have escaped. But can we really escape? Probably the hand of God will be heavier than upon those who remain in the land.
Whoever tries to escape from discipline, remember one thing: you are in danger of losing your inheritance.
Discipline is for the purpose of our inheriting our inheritance. There is so much in Christ that God wants us to inherit. Through discipline, we grow up and are able to possess our possessions in Christ Jesus.
But God is merciful. When the children of Israel were under oppression, finally they cried unto the Lord. If you read Judges 6, you find they were oppressed for seven years. Strangely, it was not until toward the end of those seven years that they began to cry to the Lord.
When they cried to God, God sent His message to them to tell them why they were in such a poor situation. In other words, God convicted them so that they might repent of their sins. In God’s great mercy, He raised up a judge to deliver them out of the hand of their enemies.
Naomi was left in the land of Moab. Three widows were there, and they were there for about ten years. Then she heard, in the fields of Moab, that God had visited His people to give them bread.
Now, brothers and sisters, here you find a woman, Naomi. She was under the disciplinary hand of God, but notice her attitude.
She was not like her husband, fleeing from God’s discipline to the very end. Naomi realized that she was under the disciplinary hand of God.
You remember, she told the two daughters-in-law that she was in more pain and suffering than they were. Why? The disciplined hand of God was very heavy upon her.
Yet you find she was a woman who submitted under the discipline of the Lord. So far as she herself was concerned, she had lost all hope of regaining her inheritance. There was no man.
But when she heard that God had visited the land to give the people bread, her heart was stirred. Why? Because even though she was under discipline, she had a heart for God and for the inheritance.
So she decided to go back.
She tried to send her daughters-in-law away because it was a hopeless case for them to follow her into the land of Israel. There was no hope for them. But there was Ruth.
You know, brothers and sisters, how was Ruth brought into that relationship with the covenant people of God? It was not really because she was married to Mahlon. It was really through Naomi.
Ruth was brought into that relationship with the covenant people of God through Naomi. Now remember, Naomi was a person under discipline. But because she submitted herself under the disciplining hand of God, there was such a beauty that came out of that attitude.
It attracted Ruth to throw herself under the wings of the God of Israel.
Now, brothers and sisters, how true it is. When you see a person who is under God’s discipline, and there is that submissive spirit, there is a testimony there.
It shows not only faith, but it shows how living and how real is the God to Whom you submit. You do not see this kind of attitude in the world. In the world, what you see is rebellion.
When you see this submissive spirit—taking it as from the Lord, bowing under the hand of God, acknowledging that God is right, that He is right in all His doings, and looking only for His mercy—that kind of attitude reveals something real.
It reveals that God is real and that our relationship with God is real. That attracts people because people are looking for reality.
That attracted Ruth, not only to Naomi, but to the God of Naomi. So when Naomi tried to send her away, notice what Ruth said:
Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee;
for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge;
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
She cast her lot with the people of God. She took the God of Israel as her God. She was willing to leave her native place, her own people, and her gods, and entrust herself under the wings of the living God.
Ruth means beauty. Some people say Ruth means satisfied. As you read this book of Ruth, which is a very short story, you find how beautiful this woman was. You can find so many virtues in her.
Look at her relationship with her mother-in-law. Usually, we say the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is very difficult, and that is common. Both want to have an exclusive right over the man, and invariably there will be conflict.
It is very difficult for mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to get along well. But here you find a beautiful example: a good relationship, an intimate relationship, between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.
The mother-in-law thought of everything for the daughter-in-law. You remember how Naomi said, “Is it not time that I should do something for her?” There you find a daughter-in-law whose love toward her mother-in-law made her willing to serve her, work for her, and support her.
There was such a beautiful relationship there. I do feel that if the life of the Lord is really lived out, this should be the case.
The reason why sometimes we find this is not the case is because we are living by our own fleshly life instead of living by the life of Christ. If the life of Christ is really living in both a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, there will be a beautiful relationship—such a harmonious, loving, beautiful relationship. That is what ought to be so.
We find Ruth was such a diligent person. She worked in the field, and even the servant of Boaz said, “This maiden has worked here from morning until now, and she has very seldom rested.” She was working and working and working. She was a diligent, industrious woman.
When she was given some food to eat, you find that she left some for her mother-in-law. She was not selfish in any sense.
There are lots of good things we can say about Ruth, but I think we want to concentrate on one point: she cast herself under the wings of the God of Israel.
She was a Moabite woman. She was excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. She was barred from the promises of God. She had no part whatsoever with God, and yet you find she was drawn to God.
She came to put herself under the wings of God. Legally, she had no part forever, even to the tenth generation. But God did not deal with her in a legal manner. God dealt with her in grace.
One brother said, “The children of Israel did not love God, and they were in danger of losing their inheritance. But here was a Moabitess who loved God, and because of her love for God, she gained the inheritance.”
God will never refuse a lover, no matter what your past history may be. You remember in Luke 7, I think, the Lord Jesus said to Simon the Pharisee concerning the sinful woman, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”
Here we find that in her heart she was drawn to God thoroughly. She said, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Because of that, we find how the blessing of the Lord came upon her.
Brothers and sisters, I think this should teach us a lesson: above all things, there must be love. If we love God, He will never refuse us.
Then a third person came into the picture. It was Boaz. Now, Boaz means, “In Him is strength.” Boaz was a kinsman of the family of Elimelech. He was a rich man. He had many fields. He was a generous person. He was very observant.
We find that Ruth happened to glean in the field of Boaz. According to the Levitical law, when you were reaping your harvest and forgot a sheaf, you were not allowed to go back to take it up. Why? Because it was to be left for the widow, the stranger, and the poor.
So it was the practice among the children of Israel that whenever there was harvesting and reaping of fields, poor people, widows, and strangers followed the reapers and picked up whatever was left behind, so that they might have food to eat.
That shows the character of God. God always has compassion toward the poor, the widow, and the stranger. God reminded the children of Israel, “Because ye were strangers in the land of Egypt,” and so you should do to others what you would have others do to you.
According to that custom, Ruth asked permission from her mother-in-law. See again how obedient this daughter-in-law was. She asked Naomi, “I pray thee, let me now go to the field, and glean ears of grain.” Naomi said, “Go, my daughter.”
So she went. There were many fields in Bethlehem, but by the providence of God, she was directed to the fields of Boaz. She did not know that, but God knew.
Boaz came to the field and asked, “Whose maiden is this?” They said, “She is a Moabite woman who came back with Naomi. She has been working here until now.” Boaz was kind to her.
The reason why Boaz was kind to her was that he said, “All that thou hast done hath been told me. Thou art a woman of worth. Thou art willing to leave thine own land, thine own nativity, and thine own people, and come under the wings of God.”
“The Lord recompense thee. He will reward thee.” That is the reason why Boaz was so kind to Ruth.
In other words, Boaz here represents Christ. He is a type of Christ.
You know, our Lord Jesus is our Kinsman. Why? How can God be our Kinsman? God is our Creator, our Maker. We are His created beings.
In one sense, the Scripture says that we are all like clay in the hand of the potter, and the potter has every right to make whatever vessel He desires out of that clay. There is nothing for us to say.
How can God be our Kinsman? There is a relationship there. Of course, we know it is because the Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and truth.
He is far, far above us. There is a great distance, and there is no relationship of that intimate kind. But thank God, our Lord Jesus came into this world.
Do you remember Hebrews 2? “For both He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one.” Because we are of flesh and blood, the Lord also took part in the same, that He might die for us and, through His death, destroy the one who had the power of death, the devil, and deliver us out of the fear of death.
He is our Kinsman. He is rich, full of grace and truth, and He is willing. He is kind.
Boaz said, “Stay in my fields. Do not go anywhere else. Just glean in my field.”
Even the gleaning from the fields of Boaz was plentiful. You know, brothers and sisters, even before we really came to know the Lord, perhaps we only had a kind of desire for the Lord. We had not really known Him yet.
God, in His providence, will lead us to His field. I do not know whether you have had that kind of experience. Even before you know God, you may have a desire, but you do not really know Him yet.
Yet, strangely, you find yourself gleaning in the fields of Boaz. You are picking up blessings from God. God does bless you in many ways.
It reminds me of that Canaanite woman. When she cried to the Lord for her child, the Lord said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.” You remember that story.
That woman said, “Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
This was Ruth’s situation at that time. So far as the Jews were concerned, she was a dog. But so far as God was concerned, she was a pet dog, not a wild dog. She was allowed to pick up all these fragments for the children.
Unfortunately, some people are satisfied just by picking up these pieces and bits. They want to remain under the table and pick up something, and they think that is grand.
They do not want to sit with the King and eat from the table. There is so much more that the Lord is willing to give to us.
Ruth was brought to the fields of Boaz, and because of that her livelihood was supplied. Even her mother-in-law’s livelihood was supplied. But is that all? Is that all you want? Is all you desire some blessing from God?
Yes, God will bless you, but is that all you want?
Naomi knew better. So she told Ruth, when the harvest was over, “This man, Boaz, is our kinsman. He has the right of redemption.”
According to the Word of God in Leviticus 25, if an Israelite became poor and had to sell his land, the land could be redeemed. You must remember that the land actually belonged to God, and God apportioned to each person a piece.
That piece which God had given to each person was meant to be kept in the family forever. When a person became so poor that he had to sell his land, then the land would go out of the family.
According to the law, the next of kin had the right to redeem the land, to buy it, so that it would remain in the family and would not go to other tribes, or perhaps even to foreigners.
That is Leviticus 25—one law. There is another law in Deuteronomy 25. It says that if a man died without a child, his brother, who lived with him, should take his wife in order to raise up seed for his brother. Again, it is a matter of inheritance, so that the inheritance might continue.
Inheritance was very important to the children of Israel. Here Boaz had a right of redemption, but that right of redemption had to be claimed.
Naomi said, “Tonight Boaz will eat and drink and be happy because the harvest is over. He will probably lie down on the threshing floor. You go in and claim the right of redemption.”
So Ruth went in and lay at his feet. When he woke up and said, “Who art thou?” she said, “I am Ruth. Cover me with the skirt of thy garment. Thou hast the right of redemption.”
This whole thing happened on the threshing floor. Do you know what a threshing floor is? A threshing floor is the place where they separate the wheat from the chaff.
Spiritually speaking, the threshing floor speaks of the cross, because at the cross you find there is a dividing of everything—what is of God and what is not of God. There is a great dividing at the cross.
Ruth claimed her right of redemption at the threshing floor. So, brothers and sisters, remember this: it is at the cross of our Lord Jesus that we lay claim to the right of redemption.
Our Christ, our Lord Jesus, has died on the cross for us. He said, “It is finished.” The work of redemption is finished.
Therefore, there we claim the right of redemption. We say, “Redeem us, Lord.”
You remember the parable our Lord Jesus spoke. Two men entered into the temple to pray. The Pharisee, being self-righteous, prayed to himself loudly, to be heard by everybody except God. He said, “God, I thank Thee, that I am so good. I am not like that sinner.”
Then you find that publican. He did not even dare to come forward. He stood afar off, beat his breast, and said, “O God, have mercy upon me.”
Another translation says, “O God, be propitiated toward me.” He was looking at the altar. He saw the sacrifice burning, and he said, “Allow me to be atoned. I claim my right of redemption.”
And he got it. So, brothers and sisters, it is at the cross of our Lord Jesus that we claim the right of redemption.
It is a double redemption. It is not only redeeming the land; it is redeeming the person.
Unfortunately, there was one even closer in relationship than Boaz. Boaz said, “Yes, I would do it. I would be glad to do it, because thou art a woman of worth. Everybody knows about it. But there is one closer. If he wants to do it, I have to let him do it. If he does not, then I will do it.”
This closer kinsman is not named. Spiritually speaking, who can that one be to us? Who is closer to us, in a sense, than our Lord Jesus?
It is evident. Before grace came through our Lord Jesus, God gave law through Moses. In other words, the law came first, and then grace.
Do you know there is one that is closer to you in time? That is the law. Why? The law says, “If you keep it, you live.”
But can the law redeem us? If you keep the law, you may live. That is true. But who is able to keep the law? The law is holy, but we are in the flesh. We are weak.
The law cannot redeem us, because if it tried to redeem us, it would jeopardize its inheritance. What does that mean? It means that if the law says, “It is all right; everything is all right,” then it becomes lawless. It cannot do that.
There is no way for law to redeem us. The law says, “Keep every law, and then you live. If you break one of the laws, you die.” There is no compromise. There is no negotiation. There is no way. Law cannot do it.
So that man said, “No, I cannot do it. Boaz, you have it.” He took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz. That was the custom at that time for any transaction. He could not do it.
Dear brothers and sisters, thank God the law cannot redeem us. Oftentimes we find people—even in the Christian world—who try to keep the law in order to be redeemed.
But the law tells us it cannot do it. It is a hopeless case. No one is good enough to be saved except through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus.
Here you find Boaz. He not only had the right of redemption; he had the will to redeem. He had willingness and readiness. He was even anxious to redeem.
Naomi knew that. She said, “That man will not rest until he has done it.” Sure enough, early in the morning he went to the gate of the city. He called that man in, called the witnesses and the elders, and immediately wanted to have the transaction made.
Is it not like our Lord Jesus—how anxious He is to redeem us? He not only has the right to redeem us; He has the means to redeem us. He not only has the will to redeem us; He is willing, and He is even anxious, to redeem us.
Oh, how anxious He is that He may redeem us. Why are you not anxious about it? Let Him redeem you.
Not only is the lost inheritance recovered; the person is redeemed. Boaz said, “I will purchase the land, and I will purchase Ruth to be my wife.”
Brothers and sisters, do you know that we have lost our inheritance through sin? What God originally meant for us to possess for eternity, we lost through sin.
We have not only lost the inheritance that God intended to give us by grace; we are also lost people. To lose an inheritance is one thing; to lose yourself is another thing. But we have lost both.
We are lost, and we have lost our inheritance. We have no hope. Our portion would be with the devil in the fire that always burns.
But thank God, through our Lord Jesus, He has redeemed us. He has bought us for Himself—not to be His slaves, but to be His beloved wife.
Brothers and sisters, redemption is more than having all sins forgiven. It is more than having our lost inheritance restored.
Redemption is that we, as people, are so redeemed that we are brought into union with Christ.
Sometimes we think that when we are redeemed, we get something. We get forgiveness of sins. We get eternal life. We get this blessing and that blessing of God. But, brothers and sisters, it is more than that—more than that.
When we are redeemed, we are brought into union with Christ. All that is Christ’s is ours.
All the fullness, all the riches that are of Christ, are ours because we are united with Him.
Being united with Him, you find that everything God originally designed to give to us as heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ becomes reality.
We are now entering into the fullness of God. That is redemption. That is how far redemption will go.
The law said, “He has done it.” Boaz declared before the people, “Today I have done it. You are witnesses.” The Lord has done it. Now let us enter in.
As you read to the end of the chapter, you find that Ruth, a Moabite woman, was not only brought into the covenant people, but she was brought into union with Boaz. Out of that union came David.
At the end of that book it says, “Jesse begat David.” In other words, the king was brought in.
Elimelech means, “My God is King.” His name says that, but his life is a different story. He did not allow God to be King over his life.
If he had allowed God to be King over his life, he would have stayed in the promised land. In spite of famine, he would have humbled himself before God, trusting God, submitting himself under the disciplinary hand of God, and he would have been restored.
But you find that he did not let God be his King. That is the book of Judges. Nobody allowed God to be their King. They themselves were kings. They did things according to their own will.
But here you find that through the union of Ruth and Boaz, the King was brought in through that union.
So, brothers and sisters, let us remember this: it is through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus that we are brought into union with Christ. In our union with Him, the kingship of Christ is brought into being.
Let the whole world know that our Lord is King.
In this union, we not only enjoy everything that He has for us, but in this union we declare that He is our King and that He is the King of the whole world.
This is the book of Ruth.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank Thee for this book of Ruth, because it does show us that amazing grace and the greatness of Thy redemption.
Lord, we acknowledge that we are all like Ruth, having no part with Thee. Yet, in Thy great love and mercy, in Thy sovereign grace, Thou hast brought us into covenant relationship with Thee.
We thank Thee that Thou hast redeemed us through the cross of our Lord Jesus. We thank Thee that we are now united with Thee.
We thank Thee that we acknowledge that Thou art our King, and there is none else. To Thee be the glory, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.