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Day 19: The Redeemer Who Protects the Vulnerable
Scripture:
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”
Ruth 2:8-9
There may be a time in which you have found yourself or will find yourself in a spot in which you are very vulnerable. People can take advantage of you or hurt you, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. And these places are never fun places to be in. Most of us do all that we can not to be in them. Some of you are more aware of this than others. Some of you don’t really have to worry too much about being vulnerable, at least from the sense of physical safety. Others of you do, and you are much more concerned.
We’ve learned in week 3 how Jesus sees us, and today we see that He doesn’t just see your vulnerability, but He protects you in it. Jesus knows the places where you feel exposed, overwhelmed, or unsafe, and He steps into those places with strength that is for you, not against you.
Now, all of us are vulnerable to the lies and threats of the evil one who is against us. He’s a much stronger foe than any of us face, and he can quickly get us in a place in which we are overwhelmed and feel powerless. Our resources don’t match up with what we are against. We need one who is stronger and truly able to defend us, otherwise we will be destroyed.
Maybe you feel this deeply. Not just physical vulnerability, but emotional and spiritual vulnerability. The kind where lies feel louder than truth, fears feel stronger than faith, and the enemy feels bigger than your strength. But the Redeemer who sees also shields. Jesus is better because He doesn’t just warn you about the enemy, but He stands between you and the enemy.
As we circle back to verses 8-9, we are again reminded of just how vulnerable Ruth is. She does not have the strength or ability on her own should the men come against her. She doesn’t have the capacity to care for Naomi or to continue the family line with her own resources. It’s in places like this that people tend to create their own security rather than seeking the Lord. This is why Jesus is better, because He doesn’t wait for us to secure ourselves. He is our security, and He brings this reminder into our life, time and time again.
Some people try to bring security through the way they want to control the situation. They want to ensure that nothing bad will happen to them, and so their security comes through the way they organize and plan. Other people will look to people or things for this security. They can build their lives upon the approval of other people, or feeling needed, and the lives of others. Their days are spent planning and preparing ways to protect themselves from any kind of threat. When other people pose a threat, they are pushed aside and out of the way.
Maybe this is where you find yourself, by trying to hold everything together, trying to plan your way out of fear, trying to protect yourself from disappointment or hurt. But the Redeemer who protects the vulnerable invites you to rest, not strive. Jesus is better because He doesn’t ask you to be your own protector. He is the protector you will never be.
We’ve learned how Boaz uses his strength to protect, not to oppress. And this is the way that godly strength works, ways to protect and serve rather than ways to oppress and gain. We’ve seen how Boaz gains nothing from protecting Ruth, but does it from his status of being protected by the Lord. In an even greater way, Jesus is always protecting His people. Even if we don’t consider our ourselves to be very vulnerable, we certainly are spiritually. Way too many times we are foolish and wander off the path. Far too often we place ourselves in situations that pose great danger to our soul. So we need a Redeemer who will protect the vulnerable.
Jesus protects us from the evil one. In John 17:15, He prays that the father protects us from the evil one. And we know that the father does protect us, because the Son has defeated the evil one at the cross and risen from the dead. Nothing can come into our lives or face us that does not first come to the hands of a faithful Savior who protects His people. No threat by the evil one will ever be stronger than His grace. The enemy may accuse you, but your redeemer will defend you.
Jesus also protects us from the condemnation we face. Our sin has left us guilty before God, deserving of His wrath. But in our place, Jesus gives us the righteousness we so desperately need. As Romans 8:1 reminds us, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The best news that you could receive today is that all condemnation has been taken from you and Christ’s righteousness granted unto you.
There are many things that could threaten our security in Christ. But Jesus protects us from being snatched out of the Father’s hand. In John 10:28, Jesus reminds us that those whom He grants eternal life will never perish, and no one will be able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. Just think of what security this gives you. Left up to ourselves, it would be all kinds of things that would pull us from the father’s hand. But we’re not left up to ourselves, it is His hand who holds us. And no hand is stronger than His.
No matter how vulnerable you are, under Jesus’ care you have the absolute best protection that you need. You have the undivided, never-ending attention of a Savior who is all powerful, knows everything, and delights in protecting you. Even when you are exposed or afraid, Jesus is still there watching over you.
Many of us don’t respond the best when we are attacked. We feel defensive and want to retaliate. But Jesus is the defender of the weak and the helpless. He frees us from the need to try and protect ourselves. He releases us from the bondage and expectation we can have that we must be the one who holds it all together.
And this is where the story comes home to rest for you today. You may feel vulnerable, whether that’s emotionally, spiritually, physically, or relationally. You may feel exposed in places you wish were covered, or overwhelmed by pressures you don’t know how to carry. You may feel like the enemy is louder than your strength, or that your fears are bigger than your resources.
But the Redeemer who sees you is also the Redeemer who protects you. Jesus is better because He does not stand at a distance, shouting instructions from safety. He steps into the danger with you. He places Himself between you and what threatens you. He guards you when you are too tired to guard yourself. He holds you when you feel like you’re slipping. He shields you when the enemy accuses, when fear rises, when shame whispers, when lies grow loud.
And no one, not the enemy, not your fears, not your failures, not your past, not your weakness can pry you from His grip or take you from His love. Today, may you remember that the Redeemer who sees your vulnerability is the Redeemer who protects you with unfailing strength.
Pastor Josh Gerber
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