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[0:00] All right, we're in Ruth 2. We did not get very far at all into it. And just as a warning, we're not going to get very far today.

[0:11] I told you at the beginning, there's a lot in here. There always is. This is the Word of God. In your mind, when you heard, when we said, I said weeks ago, I said, let's turn to the book of Ruth.

[0:23] And in some of your minds, you know the book of Ruth. Four quick chapters about a woman and just boom, boom, boom. And then once we start delving into the words of the book, there's much to discuss.

[0:34] There's much to explore. And there's even much that I don't understand. But anyway, all right, Ruth chapter 2. And last week, we spent a little bit of time dealing with some of these words that show up that the new versions like to change.

[0:51] And I was showing you why it's unnecessary to make changes to the Bible. And we ended by discussing that it's unnecessary to try to Americanize a Bible and even change spelling in some cases.

[1:05] It's just, it's unnecessary. This book is not an American book and it never has been. And it shouldn't be. And the one thought I want to drive home and just repeat is where if I don't understand something that's in this book or if I don't use the word that way anymore or if our culture and society has changed it, the thought is, and I want you to believe this, understand this, which one should change?

[1:33] Should the word of God change to match the culture? Or should the culture change sinful man to match the word of God? That's a decision you make.

[1:45] I've made the decision already. I'm not touching the book. And I'm going to believe the words of the book and study out the words of the book. And where they cross my thinking, then I'm going to say, Lord, why does it say it that way?

[1:58] I was in a conversation with a brother this week. And he talked about a passage and it was kind of an obscure wording in a particular passage as we were just kind of discussing it.

[2:11] And we both came to that conclusion like, Lord, why did you word it that way? There's a reason. There's something there to that and we need to study it out and meditate on it and not update or change it to say something the way we would word it today.

[2:25] Trust the Lord and trust his words. So we ended with that and my closing remarks last Sunday was I want you to be able to trust your King James Bible. I want you to believe it and believe that you can trust it and that you don't need some theologian or some big name to be able to tell you what it says.

[2:44] You can study it. The Holy Spirit of God within you can guide you into all truth. And he will minister and he will bear witness to his words as you believe them.

[2:54] So here we are. We're in chapter 2 and we're going to start in verse 3 but I'll begin at the top of the chapter and work our way back down. So verse 1. Let's pray and then we'll pick it up in verse 3.

[3:31] Father as we open up the word of God we open it up with fear and with trembling and all respect. And we believe that this historical account of this Moabitess and these Jews was written for our learning and it was written for our understanding.

[3:51] And I pray that we'd be able to understand some truth and draw out some truths and see some light here. Pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us into these things and these matters. And I ask you God to protect my mind and thoughts.

[4:03] Let me never lead your people astray with my own personal opinions that are flawed. But Lord help me to teach the word of God in truth. I thank you for this book. Thank you for these people and that they care to get up and come out to church and to sit and to study the Bible on a Sunday morning.

[4:19] And so I pray that you'll be pleased with us and we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Alright so in verse 3 we're going to see that the type that we've been discussing with Ruth and with Boaz is going to strengthen and continue through the book.

[4:33] And so far just a quick reminder Ruth is a type of the church. She's a picture of the body of Christ. She's a Gentile that's called out or she's given access. She calls herself a stranger in chapter 2 verse 10.

[4:45] And I showed you in Ephesians chapter 2 how the Gentiles are strangers but we are no more strangers but fellow citizens with the saints. And so Ruth pictures that outside Gentile, that body that gets called and received in.

[5:02] And there's very many as we'll go through this chapter little glimpses, little pictures that strengthen that type. Now being that Ruth is a picture of the church, the body of Christ, then Boaz becomes a type of Christ.

[5:15] And that's what we learned last week. Noticing he's a mighty man of wealth. Noticing that he's introduced into the story, the narrative before he ever even shows up from Bethlehem. Remember that in verse 4?

[5:26] Before he comes out of Bethlehem he's already been introduced. I thought that's interesting. Ran you to John chapter 1 and showed you. In the beginning was the word and so forth. And now Boaz is a Jew from Bethlehem who does no wrong, is gracious and kind and merciful.

[5:43] And all those little thoughts just point to Jesus Christ. Now in verse number 3 we read this. We read that she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.

[5:56] Now there's something to that. And to continue this type, the church, in the person of Ruth here in the story, the church is gleaning in the field after the reapers.

[6:07] Now you may recall this was going back a few weeks when Pastor Stevenson was here. He was in the parables and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John kind of taking us through them and analyzing.

[6:18] And one of the points he showed clearly was the field is the world. I don't want to take the time to go there, but I think maybe you can remember that. The field is the world. And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.

[6:31] Matter of fact, look at verse 17. The Bible says, so she gleaned in the field until even. So she's gleaning all the way until it gets dark or gets to that time of day.

[6:46] That's a picture of the church. I want to show you something here. Go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. The people of God in this age are gleaning.

[7:05] They're to be gleaning in the field until even. And so the picture here is that the church is working until the close of day, until night falls, which is in type the tribulation.

[7:22] 1 Thessalonians 5. And I'm just going to pick up verse number... I'll start in 7. Now the picture here is that the wrath of God is coming, but that's not for us.

[7:59] He's not appointed us to that. We're children of the day. And we're to be working and laboring in the day. Now there's Ruth gleaning in the field, and she does it until even.

[8:12] And there's something else I want to bring out, a thought maybe that I want to bring out about this. As we read that very verse, it says that she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.

[8:24] So the reapers have already come through the harvest, and she just comes back. And we studied this last week that God commanded, no, you're not going to go back in the field and pick up anything that you left. Even if you forget a sheath, you're supposed to leave it there.

[8:37] It's for the widows and the strangers and the fatherless. And so this is what she's doing. She's working. She's working hard. She's not begging. She's reaping. I'm sorry.

[8:47] She's gleaning is the word. I don't want to get these twisted. If I get them mixed up, I'll trust that you know what I'm trying to say, and you're smarter than me, and we'll get through this together. She's gleaning after the reapers.

[8:59] And I want to give you a thought here, and I'm not going to say this like is a super deep truth doctrinally, but the Bible does say some things that got my mind going on this thought of her being a type of the church.

[9:13] Look at John chapter 4. She's gleaning after the reapers. John chapter 4.

[9:23] And we'll start in verse 35, where this passage, Christ meets this woman of Samaria at the well, and then his disciples are coming back from town, and they're confused why he's even speaking with this woman.

[9:46] But in verse 35, here's where I want us to pick this thought up. John 4, 35. Say not ye. So he's telling his disciples, don't talk like this.

[9:59] There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. No, I'm sorry. He's asking the question. That's a question. Don't you guys say this? There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. But I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.

[10:18] And he that reapeth, receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. One soweth, and another reapeth.

[10:30] I sent you to reap. He's telling his disciples this. I sent you to reap, that whereon ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors.

[10:43] Now Christ tells them to lift up their eyes, and to go reaping in the fields. He calls them, that they're going to be fishers of men. They're going to be going after the souls.

[10:55] And they didn't bestow labor on these fields. Other men did. Well, whose labor, my question is, are they following? Come back to Matthew chapter 9.

[11:09] Matthew 9. This is kind of a, a bit of a comparable passage here, to John 4, where Christ talks about his harvest.

[11:22] Who are the disciples following? The prophets that were before them, it's been at least 400 years, since there was any prophets, that were speaking in the name of the Lord.

[11:33] So it's been silent for a long time. But then up pops this man named John the Baptist. And John the Baptist has disciples. And John the Baptist is preaching, and preaching, and preaching.

[11:45] And his job was to prepare the way, for the one that should come after him, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now Matthew 9, look at verse 35. And Jesus, went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

[12:09] And when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous.

[12:20] Harvest time. We need reapers. The laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of his harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. So there the harvest is ready to go. The fields are white, if you will, putting those passages together.

[12:34] While he's preaching, while he's doing miracles, following the ministry of John the Baptist. Now the thought I have to ponder is that, I believe in this window of time, the ministry of John, and Jesus Christ, and his disciples, and what is going on in that moment, is a moment where the fields, the fields of Israel, of Judea, of all Samaria, up to the north, they are white unto harvest.

[13:02] That they are, they've been oppressed by Gentile authority. They haven't heard a word from God for 400 years. And then this one comes on preaching, and multitudes are following after him.

[13:16] Multitudes are believing on him. And the fields are white. Now let's compare something here. Let's keep going. Go to Acts chapter 2.

[13:29] In this same window of ministry, after the death, burial, resurrection, after the ascension of Jesus Christ, the disciples go on with their commission to preach.

[13:41] And the fields are still white. And they are ripe for harvesting. In Acts chapter 2, and notice verse 41, we're looking at a particular number of souls here.

[13:57] In verse 41, then they that gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day, notice that, the same day, they were added unto them about 3,000 souls.

[14:10] That's not bad days of work there. Laboring for the Lord. 3,000 souls. All right, look at chapter 4. In verse 1, as they spake unto the people, the priests, the captains of the temple, the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

[14:31] And they laid hands on them and put them in hold until the next day, for it was now eventide. So they preached up till eventide. And verse 4, for howbeit many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of men was about 5,000.

[14:47] And that was in a day, because then verse 5, came to pass on the morrow, and so the next day they were going to start messing with these guys. But in that day, 5,000? Those fields are ripe.

[14:59] In both passages, we looked at here in Acts, following and kind of connected to the ministry of Christ and that time, that little window there, the preaching covered one day, it seems, and there's three, and then five.

[15:15] Have you ever seen anything like that in your life? Have you ever seen a day where preaching the gospel or preaching on the street or preaching to a crowd yields 3,000, 5,000 men?

[15:30] Believing. And being added to the church. You ever hear of such a thing in a one-day meeting? So, missionaries that go around the world, there's this, I'm sure some of you are familiar with, the 1040 window, that idea over there in the other side of the world where the majority of the population of the world resides.

[15:53] That missions have been a big push to get to that place. There's so many unreached souls over there. And what they would say, and I'm not against missionaries, believe me, I love it, but what they would say is, the fields are white unto harvest.

[16:08] I've heard that, you probably have too, that they talk, they use that passage and they believe that the souls are ready to be saved. Even recently, I told you about some campaigns that took place in Africa and Malawi where about 30 American believers and pastors went over and they organized this huge campaign over the summer for about two weeks long and they took hundreds of thousands of John Romans and of gospel tracts and they went and just saturated an entire city in Africa there and then put on a big meeting and they saw hundreds saved and they went on to another place and the thing happened again and I haven't been keeping you up to date but it's still ongoing what they did.

[16:50] They've gotten the names, they've gotten the people together, they're discipling them, they keep sending information and pictures of a crowd of 120 new believers being discipled in a building and some of the guys are wearing shirts and ties and they have their Bible and they're just eating it up and I mean, the American pastors that have gone, these are good, solid Bible-believing guys that were a part of that campaign are saying, I've never seen anything like it in my life.

[17:16] I've never seen the people more hungry and I believe it. They're talking like this is a work of God, the Lord's moving over there and he's doing something and they've never seen it in 40 years of ministry in the United States.

[17:27] They got that glimpse of it and got their hands on it over there in Malawi, Africa and they just said it's the greatest thing they've ever seen and they're sending money back and they've already got plans on a particular area building some kind of structure to be meeting and it's going on, I'm serious, it's ongoing where these little pockets of people are going back to their towns and they're trying to start something and they're thrilled and I think that's far greater than anything that we're witnessing here in the States but I want to say even that is weeks of labor and handing out tracts and working and ministering and then seeing a hundred and you understand that's incredible but that's not even close to what's going on when Christ says the fields are white and the thousands are responding to the preaching.

[18:17] So imagine trying to start a church today in the United States of America. Men are doing it. As a matter of fact there's a brother that just moved out to California to the Sacramento area about I want to say a few, two months ago maybe.

[18:31] He moved out there and his goal is I want to start a church in Sacramento or in that nearby vicinity and what are you going to do? You want to start a church? What are you going to do?

[18:43] You going to go out in the street and preach the gospel? Do you think you're going to see a thousand people come your first Sunday? How about you labor and do that and hand out tracts and minister and do your best for two full years?

[18:58] Do you think you're going to be out of your living room yet with the church that you're starting? Maybe. Will you be in a storefront? Will you have a place to put a sign up and say this is where we're meeting and now you can have an address, a physical address to put on tracts and flyers?

[19:12] It doesn't go very fast here in the States does it? To start a work, to get it off the ground, to get some momentum going. You don't get to go out and preach and see 5,000 men say let's go.

[19:26] The fields aren't white like they were back then. I believe that to be true. And so Ruth is gleaming in the field after the reapers.

[19:38] And I think that's a pretty decent picture of what the body of Christ, what the church is doing today is gleaning. There's one here and one there and trying to get something going for God and trying to be faithful for the Lord and work until eventide.

[19:55] And I'll come back to Ruth where we started. She's gleaning in the fields. I know of some works where they talk about all these souls being saved and baptized, saved and baptized.

[20:13] And I hope to God they are getting saved. And then I talk to another missionary who's got a little, who's not trying to report numbers but he says, those guys that talk about all these numbers, he says, they're just kind of being quick with them.

[20:28] He said, there's talking about certain of the Eastern culture, their mind is not, it takes a lot of work, a lot of plowing to get the gospel to take root into their heart because they're so confused.

[20:42] They take Jesus Christ as if he's just another one of the gods out there. And they'll believe on him because that guy told them this is what happens, you'll get eternal life in heaven. So we'll go with Jesus Christ but they've not forsaken every other god they trust in to bring them this and to bring them that and to bring them good fortune and all of that in their lives.

[20:59] They're still idolatrous. And so, a lot of plowing has got to be done. That's where America is at today. Without a doubt, there's a lot of plowing, there's a lot of thorny ground, a lot of lusts of other things and deceitfulness of riches and on and on.

[21:14] And so, it's just reaping, brothers. It's just reaping. Ruth chapter 2, I'm sorry, it's just gleaning. There, I did it. Ruth chapter 2, she went, verse 3, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers.

[21:28] Now, the verse says, her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz. Her hap, what in the world? What's that? If you don't know. We use a word today, happenstance.

[21:42] We say things like, she, we maybe say, I happened upon such and such and that's all it's saying. It's just an abbreviated form of that thought.

[21:53] Her hap, it's just the way things unfolded, the way it happened. And it implies here that she wasn't purposely, nor Naomi, purposely orchestrating the circumstances.

[22:08] She ended up in a field, it turns out, this field belongs to Boaz and he's near kindred to Elimelech. How about that? Didn't, what good fortune?

[22:18] Or was it? What that shows you is that behind the scenes and ignorant to Boaz, ignorant to Naomi, ignorant to Ruth, behind the scenes, the Lord God is guiding and his hand is moving in the lives of these individuals to bring them together.

[22:37] I told you back when they were leaving, when Ruth was cleaving to Naomi, I told you that what God saw here in moving that girl's heart to come back, he saw his son.

[22:49] Down the road, he saw his son. What he sees here in bringing her to this field to unite her to this man, he sees his son. He's got a plan and the Lord's doing something. Nobody on earth has any idea what God is up to in bringing these two together.

[23:06] It's just her hap. It just happened by chance. She ends up in that field and nobody understands that God's at work and God moves on open hearts and obedient hearts.

[23:18] He moves and he directs things. You remember in the life of Joseph, you remember how many things went wrong for him, it seemed, and in the end, all of those things were to bring him to this place to save much people alive to where he was a sustainer of his father and his brethren and all their children.

[23:40] And yet, Joseph had to go through a dungeon to get there. and nobody knew the whole time. Nobody saw that it was the hand of God moving in this circumstance. How about Esther, the queen?

[23:53] God orchestrated things in her life to place her in a spot for, as they said in the book, for such a time as this. to put her in a position to where she could be responsible to speak up to preserve the people of God against that adversary and wicked Naaman.

[24:10] Haman. What about Samson? Here, we're close to this one. Look back at Judges 14. This is right around the corner. Look back at Judges 14. Samson gets his eyes on a Philistine girl and he ought not to do that and his parents are against it.

[24:32] He says, he says, she pleased me well. Get me, in verse 2, therefore, get her for me to wife. In chapter 14, verse 3, then his father and his mother said unto him, is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren among all thy people that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?

[24:50] They're off limits. Stay away. Samson said, get her for me, she pleaseth me well. And now watch verse 4, but his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord.

[25:02] What? That he sought an occasion against the Philistines for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. So God is causing that Philistine girl to take a look at Samson and bat her eyes at him and think he's cute and God is the one who's putting it inside the lust and desire of Samson to see that Philistine girl and desire to have her.

[25:30] She pleases him well. He was raised as a Nazarite. He was raised to not touch things much less the uncircumcised Philistines. His life was a whole lot more strict than that and yet something inside of him kicked in and said, oh, I gotta have her.

[25:47] She's the one. And the parents couldn't understand this. They were against it all the way. It's against the word of God. How could we possibly go get her for you? And nobody knew.

[26:00] Nobody knew that God was at work the whole time. And so here's Ruth. It's not just a chance that she ends up in this field. Mark it down. It's the Lord's hand.

[26:10] Look at 1 Samuel just a few pages to the right. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and when Hannah finally gets a son and she weans him and brings him to the prophet or the priest Eli and she dedicates him to the Lord she prays a prayer a prophetic prayer really in chapter 2 and rejoices in song and I want you to notice some of the words that she says how God is his hand is instrumental in the lives of men.

[26:45] We're going to read like 10 verses here so beginning in verse 1 and Hannah prayed and said my heart rejoiceth in the Lord mine horn is exalted in the Lord my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I rejoice in thy salvation for there is none holy as the Lord there is none beside thee neither is there any rock like our God talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogancy come out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed the bows of the mighty men are broken and they that stumbled are girded with strength they that were full have hired out themselves for bread and they that were hungry ceased so that the barren hath borne seven and she that hath many children has waxed feeble the Lord killeth and maketh alive he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth up he raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory for the pillars of the earth are the lords and he hath set the world upon them he will keep the feet of his saints and the wicked shall be silent in darkness for by strength shall no man prevail the adversaries the Lord shall be broken to pieces out of heaven shall he thunder upon them the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth and he shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn of his anointed she's got something to say there rejoicing and it's all about the Lord does this the Lord does that everything in this world it's his hand moving and controlling and I'm not gonna don't get all

[28:23] Calvinist on me where I'm not saying that he's forcing man to choose things this and that but when the Lord's got a plan and he's moving especially with his people Israel and especially when it comes to kings on the throne he will the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will so this this is not just a chance a lucky fortune for for Ruth they may have thought that initially whether they did or not I don't know but we know that it was the hand of God and you need to believe that you need to understand that it is his hand active in the lives of mankind and I would say try to be aware of that try to be aware of that if all you do is stare at your phone and a screen you're gonna be oblivious to what the the hand of God is trying to do in your life and the lives of others and and it's a good idea to shut some of that off it's a good idea to spend time in prayer it's a good idea to seek the Lord in the morning or just to to ask him to keep your eyes open through the day because the Lord can bring you to a place you need to be or or to meet somebody you need to meet whether it's for a spouse or whether it's for a job or whether it's for a just a soul that needs to be saved or a companion that can be a help and lift you up and comfort you by the comfort that you find out you meet somebody

[29:50]  I told you about Adam Russell that missionary that felt the Lord guiding him to go take this meeting in Pennsylvania in a town I think it's in a town that's called GAP G-A-P Gap and he went to that meeting and there he finds out he's sitting beside a lady who understands the condition that his wife has been in battling for the last couple years and she had a I mean the thing was of the Lord and he had peace to go take the meeting and here he finds out he's sitting right beside somebody who had some answers and so be aware of the hand of God moving and guiding you in life and of him moving and guiding other people up here if小心 would be in here you have hold up