To be seated and turn, if you will, to Ruth chapter 2.
! Ruth chapter 2.
Which, if you've got a Bible, I think it's 222.
What a difference a day can make in a person's life.
One April day in 1945, Harry Truman wrote to his mother,
I'd better hurry to the White House to see the President.
When I got there, I found out that I was the President.
Moses, do you remember that story from the book of Exodus?
One day he's out in the back of beyond, out in the bush, tending his sheep.
It was one day like any other day, and yet that day, God spoke to him out of a burning bush,
and he became the Savior of Israel.
He became the one to carry his people out of Egypt.
Elisha, do you remember him?
He was plowing a field when suddenly, out of the blue, Elijah turns up and recruits him to be his successor.
Andrew, Peter, James, and John, they were fishermen, mending their nets on the side of the shore.
And Jesus comes along, and he recruits them to be fishers of men.
Matthew was in the office, a tax collector.
Just an ordinary day like any other day.
And Jesus came and called him, and his life was changed.
What a difference a day can make.
And what a difference this day makes in the life of Ruth.
It's a very important day.
It's arguably one of the most important days in her life.
Because this was the day she meets her husband-to-be.
Bachelor boy, Boaz of Bethlehem.
He's introduced to us in a very interesting way, isn't he?
You can almost hear the violins playing in Ruth chapter 2.
It's a spring day.
We're told that at the end of chapter 1.
It's the beginning of the barley harvest.
It's about late April.
And Ruth has gone out into the fields, and look what happens.
Look what it says.
In verse 3, it says,
Fancy that.
What a stroke of luck.
The writer wants you to see that right at the start of the chapter.
He seems to be emphasizing it.
Look at verse 3 again.
So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers,
and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz,
who was the clan of Elimelech.
Ruth's father-in-law.
Now notice how he goes on.
Behold.
What are the chances of that?
Behold, Boaz turns up from Bethlehem.
It so happened.
But you and the writer to this story,
we know that things don't just happen, don't we?
That God is working out his purposes here as well.
And so that's the first point.
I want us to see the first point is God's hand at work.
Look at verses 1 to 7.
It's a kind of spoiler alert.
Look what it says.
Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's,
a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech,
whose name was Boaz.
And so the storyteller drops you a hint.
He's telling us something that Ruth doesn't know at this point.
He's kind of flagging it.
It's very, very good storytelling.
He's giving us a heads up.
Watch out.
What is going to happen?
Here is a bloke coming.
And keep your eyes on this guy.
And Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi,
let me go to the field
and glean among the ears of grain after him,
in whose sight I shall found favor.
And she said to her, go, my daughter.
So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers.
And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz
from the clan of Elimelech.
He's a wealthy man, this guy, Boaz.
He's a good guy.
He treated people fairly and well.
Perhaps most important of all, though,
he was a relative, a close relative,
of Naomi's dead husband, Elimelech.
It's a bit like a Charles Dickens story.
Set in the grinding poverty of Victorian England,
there's always, isn't there, a rich relative that turns up.
And here's the rich relative.
Two poverty-stricken widows, destitute widows.
They're on the edge of desperation and despair.
And behold, what are the chances?
Here's a rich relative.
Here is someone who's able to help them, Uncle Boaz.
And not only is he a good bloke, he's a godly man.
And so can you see the hand of God
in the way this story is developing?
It's a Charlie Brown cartoon.
And Charlie Brown is sitting in a room
and he's reading a book.
And he's holding the book right in front of his eyes.
And Lucy comes into the room and she says,
Charlie Brown, what are you doing?
And Charlie Brown says,
I'm reading between the lines.
And the writer of this story wants you to do that.
He wants you to understand that God is at work here.
Beneath this everyday story of country folk,
there's a much bigger story.
And that is true of your story and my story.
Behind all the random things that have happened to you this week
and all the frustrations that you're facing in life
and all the disappointments and all the rest of it,
there's a bigger thing happening.
The sovereign hand of God is at work.
And he is working out his purposes
and he is working all things to gather for the good
of those who loved him
and are called according to his purposes.
And it's almost as if, isn't it,
the writer of Ruth is putting this up on a split screen.
Because you see the action in the story,
but we also see behind the scenes.
And God is at work.
Look at verse two.
Let me go to the field, Ruth says to Naomi,
and glean among the ears of grain after him,
in whose sight I shall find favor.
And she said to her, go, my daughter.
So she set out and went and gleaned in the field
after the reapers.
And she happened to come to the part of the field
belonging to Boaz,
who was the clan from the clan of Elimelech.
John Flavel was one of the Puritan writers.
He's got a little book called The Mystery of Providence.
And he says, the providence of God,
which is God's plan and purpose,
the providence of God is like the Hebrew language.
It can only be understood backwards.
And so if you've got a Hebrew Bible here this morning,
you've got to read it from the back to the front.
It's a back to front language.
And the providence of God is like that.
The hymn writer says this,
with mercy and with judgment,
my web of time he wove.
And ere the dews of sorrow were lusted with his love,
I'll bless the hand that guided,
I'll bless the heart that planned,
when throned where glory dwelleth,
in Emmanuel's land.
Because it's not until we get there.
It's not until the end of the story.
It's not until you're in Emmanuel's land
that you can look back at all the things
that have happened to you
and see that God's hand was guiding you.
But it's more than God's hand guiding you.
Do you know what it's like
when you're in a big city
and you want directions?
It's a bit different now, isn't it?
We've all got phones.
But you go to a city
and you've got no idea where you are
and somehow you're sat there
or your phone isn't working.
And so you go to pull over
and you ask,
you wind down the window
and you ask someone on the pavement
and you ask,
can you tell me how to get to such and such a place?
And if you're like me,
you listen, don't you?
But it's just a complete overload of information.
And you wind up the window
after he's finally finished
and you've immediately forgotten
what he's just told you.
And you pretend you nod at him
and thank him,
but you go to the next street,
pull over,
and do exactly the same thing.
But what a relief it is, isn't it?
When somebody reads the situation,
when they see that expression in your eyes
and they read that look of utter bewilderment
and they have pity on you
and they say,
well, I'll get in the car next to you
and I'll take you there if you want.
What a relief that is, isn't it?
You see, there's something better than guidance.
God hasn't just given you a map of directions.
He hasn't just given you Google Earth
to show you the way through life.
God hasn't given you a computer readout
so that you can follow those instructions.
What has God done?
God has actually gone into the car next to you.
That's what the good news of the Lord Jesus is all about.
God has already said that.
That's who the Holy Spirit is.
He is a comforter.
And that is what is happening here.
He is our guide.
He is God himself
who's gone into the car with us.
And he's taking you to your destination.
And Ruth doesn't necessarily see
how all these things are happening
on this particular day.
Ruth doesn't see how these things
are going to fit together
any more than you or I do
in the things that happen in our lives.
But God's hand was upon her.
So that's the first point of seeing God's hand.
But secondly,
she knows God's protection.
Verses 8 to 12.
She knows God's protection.
It's an old story, isn't it?
It's about 3,000 years old.
The social context
and the customs of Ruth 1 and 2
are very different than our society.
But there's some powerful lessons here.
It's things for us to learn as a church.
For us to learn as a country.
I love what it says in verse 12.
It's in many ways the key verse
in the book of Ruth.
when Boaz first sets his eyes on her
and says,
Who is that woman?
Where does that woman come from?
And they explain to him,
This is Ruth the Moabitess
who's come back with Naomi from Moab.
And he says,
Yeah, I've heard about her.
I've heard her talk about
this woman Ruth.
He says to her,
You are the one who has come to shelter
under the wings of the Almighty.
Isn't that a lovely description?
What a testimony Ruth must have had
in that community.
That she'd not just come out of loyalty
to her mother-in-law.
She didn't just come out of love
and loyalty to Naomi.
She'd seen something
in Naomi's kindness to her.
She'd seen something
of the covenant kindness
of God to his people.
She'd seen in Naomi
a brokenness.
Her tears of repentance.
She saw something
of the heart of God
to forgive sinners.
And so Ruth is drawn
to come and shelter
under the wings
of this God.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
And she finds protection there.
And I want to tell you three things
and suggest to you three things
she finds protection
three different ways.
She finds protection
through the state provision.
It's quite interesting, isn't it?
She finds protection
through the state provision
that were in place
in Israel.
Ruth is doing
the equivalent
of signing on
in the Old Testament.
She's signing on
in Old Testament terms.
You see,
God in his law
had made provision
for people like Ruth
and Naomi.
It was the gleaning laws
in the Old Testament.
You can read about them
in a number of places
in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Let me read to you
from Leviticus 19.
When you reap the harvest
of your land,
the farmer is told,
you shall not reap
your field right up
to the edge.
Neither shall you
gather the gleanings
after your harvest
and you shall not
strip your vineyard bare.
Neither shall you
gather the fallen grapes
of your vineyard.
You shall leave them.
Why shall you leave them?
For the poor
and the sojourner,
the refugee.
The sojourner is the poor
and the poor
and the refugee
is the foreigner.
There's the reason given.
And it's not some
arbitrary piece of legislation
where told,
why should we do this?
God says,
for I am the Lord your God.
God.
That is why,
in other words,
that law was enshrined
in the law of Israel
as a reflection
of the character of God.
And so the people of God,
Israel,
was to be a caring society
because our God
is a God who cares.
He cares about refugees.
He cares about aliens.
He cares about foreigners.
He cares about widows.
He cares about orphans.
He cares about the marginalized
in society.
And he makes provision
for them
in the law of Israel.
So do you remember
what the psalmist says?
He says,
I am poor and needy
and the Lord ignores me.
And the Lord doesn't
give me a second chance.
And the Lord just
walks past me.
Is that what it says?
No,
it says this,
I am poor and needy
and the Lord despises me.
He looks down his nose at me.
The Lord thinks,
what a pathetic creature I am.
Why doesn't that person
get their act together?
No,
the psalmist says,
I am poor and needy.
And guess what?
The Lord who made
the heavens and earth,
the God who keeps
this incredibly massive
universe ticking,
thinks about me.
He thinks about me.
And in his sovereign providence,
he has enshrined
that his kindness
and his care
should be put into
the law of his people Israel.
And in his sovereign providence,
he has brought
these two widows,
these two Moabitists,
these despised foreigners
to Israel
at the beginning
of the barley harvest
at just the right time.
For her to avail herself
of this particular provision,
it's beautiful,
isn't it?
So we read in verse 2,
let me go to the field
and glean
among the ears of grain
after him
in whose sight
I shall find favor.
Let's do this,
she says.
The law says
there's a provision
and so let me go
and glean.
And so you ask yourself,
how did Ruth know this?
Well, the only way
she could have known that
was Naomi must have
told her.
It's interesting,
isn't it?
She says,
let's go,
she says,
to the field
and glean
among the ears
of grain
after him
in whose sight
I shall find favor.
The law was there,
the provision was there,
but not everyone
took it seriously.
It's a sad comment,
isn't it?
On how things were
spiritually in Israel.
How poorly
they treated.
Sad comment
on what goes on
in many churches.
how poorly
we represent
the heart of God.
To people
who come in amongst us,
let me go and do
what God has told me
I can do
if I can find someone
who will show me mercy
and favor.
Some maybe
would have refused
her point blank
to glean in her field,
in their field.
Others may have
begrudgingly
let her do it
but made her feel
a bit of a basket case.
If you've ever
had a sign
on the dole,
you might perhaps
begin to know
how she feels.
It can be
a humiliating
and an undignified
experience,
can't it?
Sometimes
because of the
attitudes of people
that you know,
we should know better.
Sometimes
the cold-hearted
bureaucracy
of filling in
the forms
and being treated
like a number
or a statistic,
it can be
a humiliating
and undignified
experiences.
If your circumstances
are such that
you need
some kind
of provision,
there's no
disgrace in that
at all.
You can do that
with a good conscience,
without shame
and with full
Christian dignity.
And there may
well be people
who abuse
the system
but that's
not the point.
If you genuinely
need that
kind of assistance,
it's not an
ungodly thing
to take advantage
of it.
Now it is
interesting
that in the
Bible,
there is never
just a handout.
There's never
just goods
or money,
cash given.
There is
always
a kind of
working for
what you're
given,
a showing
that there is
a value in it.
And so it's
never
just a kind
of handout.
That's for
another sermon.
It is part
of the way
that God
brings his
kindness to
people.
I think it's
interesting in
Israel that
there's never
a handout.
You never
see that folks
were kind of
given things
or money
and just
sent away.
There was a
need for
working them.
Now,
she found
protection
through the
provision of
God's law,
but she found
protection in
this man,
Boaz,
too,
didn't she?
Despite
this beautiful
law,
the gleaning
law didn't
always turn
out very
well.
For
vulnerable
and
marginalized
people like
Ruth,
some of
those people,
when they
went to work
in the fields,
no doubt
they were
taken advantage
of and
abused.
A young
woman like
Ruth,
who's obviously
very attractive,
she's probably
about 10 or
20 years younger
than Boaz,
in her 20s,
and she's
wandering around
the fields
of Israel
during the
time of the
judges.
She's in
danger of
being attacked,
assaulted,
raped,
left for
dead.
You've only
got to read
the book of
Judges to
realize that's
the kind
of time
they were
living in.
They were
dangerous
days.
And that
is why
Boaz is
so concerned
for welfare.
So Boaz
said to
Ruth in
verse 8,
now listen
my daughter,
do not go to
glean in another
field or leave
this one,
but keep
close to my
young women.
And then he
adds in
verse 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?
Don't let
them lay
a hand
on you.
I've
told them
that.
And in
verse 15,
he says to
the men
who work
in the
field,
don't
reproach
her,
don't
mock
her,
don't
embarrass
her,
don't
humiliate
her.
The word
there has
got sexual
overtones.
Treat her
with proper
respect,
no coarse
joking,
no wolf
whistling,
no improper
behaviour.
Do you see
what God
has done?
God has
brought this
girl to
Israel into
this system
which characterises
and displays
the character
of God.
So that she
can take hold
on the provision
that God
has made.
But not
only has
God made
provision for
her,
he's raised
up a
champion
for her.
And we'll
see more
than a
champion
because Boaz
is a good
and a godly
man who's
willing to
help,
who's full
of God's
kindness,
and who's
wanting to
show that
kindness.
Those who
know mercy
show mercy.
And so
there is a
sense,
isn't there,
where we
shouldn't have
to legislate
for a kind
of diaconal
ministry in
the church.
like IPC,
it should be
happening
naturally,
and praise
God,
it often
does.
As it
did in
the Acts
of the
Apostles,
where they
had all
things in
common,
they shared
their goods,
they were
generous with
one another,
they'd
experienced
the mercy
of God,
and they
couldn't but
help share
the mercy
of God
with others.
And so
here's a
godly man
called
Boaz,
who knows
God's
kindness in
his own
life.
And now
he shows
that kindness
to others.
How sweet
the name
of Boaz
sounds in
her poor
gleaner's
ears.
It soothes
her sorrows,
heals her
wounds,
and drives
away her
fears.
She finds
protection in
the law,
she finds
protection in
Boaz,
and most
beautifully
of all,
she finds
protection in
the Lord.
She's come
to shelter
under his
wings.
It's a
beautiful image.
Some of you
will remember
Deuteronomy
32,
and Moses
sings there.
And Moses
celebrates
God's
kindness
to his
people,
and he
does so
in terms
of this
image.
In a
desert
land,
he found
him.
In a
barren and
howling
wilderness,
he shielded
him and
cared for
him like
an eagle
that spreads
out its
wings.
It's a
beautiful
picture.
That is
what God
was to
Israel.
that God
had found
Egypt in
slavery.
He spread
his wings.
He stirred
up the
nest as
in his
wings.
And he
carried them
into the
promised land.
It's a
beautiful
picture.
You see it
in the
words of
Jesus.
As he
approaches
Jerusalem,
he says,
Oh
Jerusalem,
the city
that killed
the prophets
and stoned
those who
are sent
to it.
How often
would I
have gathered
your children
together like
a hen
gathers her
brood under
her wings,
but you
were not
willing.
Jesus
shows the
instincts of
a mother.
And that
is the
heart of
God.
That is the
character of
God displayed
supremely,
of course,
in Jesus.
And so
now here
is this
foreigner,
this
Moabitess.
And let me
remind you,
according to
the New
Testament,
apart from
maybe one
or two
of us,
we're all
foreigners.
We're all
aliens.
We're all
strangers to
the covenant
and its
promises to
the common
wealth of
the people
of God.
But God,
through the
Lord Jesus
and his
blood shed
on the cross
has brought
us in.
That's what
he's done
with Moses.
He's brought
him in
amongst his
people.
He's placed
his arms
around him
and sheltered
him under
his wings.
Is that
where you
are spiritually?
Have you
come to
shelter under
the wings
of the
God who
has revealed
himself in
the face
of Jesus?
Where else
would you
like to be
in a world
like ours
today?
Than amongst
God's people
sheltering under
the wings of
the Almighty?
God's
protection.
God's
protection.
And thirdly,
experiencing
God's
protection.
Verse 13
to the end.
There's not
a lot of
kindness in
our world,
is there?
There's a
philosopher of
the name,
I would
normally
pronounce it
Alan Bottom,
but I'm
pretty certain
that that
is not
the way
to pronounce
it,
is it?
Alan
Dubuaton?
Is that right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think he's an
agnostic rather
than atheist.
He's a philosopher,
he's written a
number of books,
and one of the
books he's
written is
Religion for
Atheists.
And in that
book he
suggests that
atheists,
instead of
mocking
religion,
that agnostics
and atheists
could learn a
lot from
religion.
He says
they are
packed with
ideas on
how to
live and
how to
arrange our
societies.
And in
that book
Dubuaton
has got a
whole chapter
on kindness.
He's very
concerned,
this agnostic
man,
about the
lack of
kindness in
our society.
And we
see it,
don't we,
in the
ironic
nastiness
of so
much so-called
comedy.
The comedy
of cruelty
where the
disabled and
the vulnerable
are made
the butt
of cheap
jokes.
You see
it in
the humiliation
of real
life people
in what
they call
reality TV.
You see
it online
on social
media.
You hear
of it,
don't you,
in reports
of elder
abuse in
nursing homes
and hospitals.
And he
says something
really interesting
for an
agnostic to
say.
He says,
our deepest
wish is
that someone
would come
along and
save us
from ourselves.
Isn't that
interesting?
It's very
interesting for
an agnostic
to say.
Our deepest
wish is that
someone would
come along
and save
us from
ourselves.
And that's
what the
book of
Ruth is
about.
Do you
see what
Naomi says
in verse
20 when
she hears
about Boaz's
kindness to
Ruth?
Ruth is
coming home
now.
No doubt
she's been
out in the
morning.
She didn't
know whether
she'd be able
to scrape
together enough
grain for
them to live
through another
day.
There'd
been a
famine in
the land.
There was
no one
to help
them.
She didn't
know whether
she'd have
enough food
and then
here she
comes.
She comes
home late
at night
and she
is staggering
under the
weight of
the bag
of grain
that she's
carrying.
And Boaz
has not
only been
kind in
allowing her
to sort
of glean in
her field
but he
said to
his men
just drop
some corn.
Pick a few
stalks out.
Leave them
behind for
her.
And she's
allowed to
follow the
reapers.
She's not
sent to
the margins.
She's allowed
to go behind
the reapers
and pick up
the leftovers
and there's
much more
than leftovers
than there
would be
normally
because Boaz
has said
leave them.
And she
comes home
staggering
under this
massive sack
of grain.
We're not
told exactly
how much
but it's
a huge
amount
and Naomi
can't believe
it.
Where did
you get all
that from
she says?
And Ruth
begins to
tell her
and you
can almost
hear the
cogs
turning over
in Naomi's
mind.
As soon
as the
name Boaz
is mentioned
she says
verse 20
the Lord
bless him.
He's not
stopped showing
his kindness
to the living
and the dead.
I think
verse 20
in the ESV
they've tried
to tidy it up
a little bit
the version
that you've
got in front
of you.
But it's
a little bit
more ambiguous
than it
reads in
the ESV.
Because in
verse 20
we're not
absolutely
certain
is she
talking
about
Boaz?
Now Boaz
has shown
kindness
to the
living
he's shown
kindness
to Ruth
but it
seems
that there's
something
more going
on in
verse 20.
I think
the penny
is beginning
to drop
for her.
In verse 20
it's this
and Naomi
said to her
daughter-in-law
may you be
blessed by
the Lord
whose
kindness
has not
forsaken
the living
or the
dead.
Whose
kindness?
Do you
know who that
man is
Ruth?
He's our
kinsman
redeemer.
He is a
close
relative.
Go to the
hospital
you have to
fill out a
form before
you have an
operation and
it talks about
the next of
kin.
And you have
to put a
phone number
down.
And then you
stop to think
don't you?
Well if I'm
in a spot
of trouble
will that
person be
actually able
to help
me?
If you
find yourself
in an
American
hospital
somebody's
going to
have to
pay the
bills.
Or you
find yourself
in a
spot of
trouble
your next
of kin
is who
you would
turn to
and they've
got to be
able to
help you.
And there's
a kind of
provision
in that.
But it's
codified in
the law of
Israel as
we'll see
next week.
It turns
out that this
guy Boaz
is not just
a good
bloke
not just
a wealthy
guy
but he's
their next
of kin.
He's their
closest relative
or one of
their closest
relatives.
And as
such under
the law
he's got a
privilege to
help them
and he's
able to
do that.
He's got
the wherewithal
to do it.
He's wealthy
and he's
willing.
In fact
we'll see
next week
he's more
than willing.
He goes
out of his
way and
most important
of all
he is godly.
And they
can entrust
themselves
to him.
What a
friend we
have in
Boaz.
All our
sins and
griefs to
bear.
What a
privilege to
carry.
Everything to
Boaz.
What a
difference a
day can
make in
someone's
life.
I don't
know what
you came
here today
expecting to
find.
you are
here aren't
you?
At least
in body.
And I
don't know
what you're
struggling
with.
It is
true that
most of
the major
events of
life happen
when you're
doing something
else.
And the
biggest things
that happen
to us in
life don't
normally give
you an
announcement
before.
And I
don't know
what Naomi
and Ruth
expected that
morning when
Ruth said
goodbye to
Naomi.
When she
went out into
the fields to
glean.
But guess
what?
She found
a redeemer.
There is a
redeemer.
If you forget
everything that
I've said this
morning remember
that.
There is a
redeemer that
God in his
kindness has
given us a
kinsman redeemer.
And the
writer to the
Hebrews tells
us about him.
He tells us
that he has
voluntarily and
deliberately
related to
himself.
That's what's
going on in
the incarnation.
The second
person of the
blessed trinity
who made the
world.
The world was
made through
him came
into the
world and
the world
didn't
recognize him.
And he
came to
his own,
his very
own, but
his own
didn't
recognize him.
The creator
stepped into
his creation
and he took
to himself a
human psyche,
a human body.
He entered
into our
humanity.
He deliberately
and voluntarily
became one of
us so that he's
not ashamed to
call us brothers
and sisters.
And that's
what the
writer to
the Hebrews
says.
The writer to
the Hebrews
says he came
to pay our
debts.
He came to
pay the debts
that separate
you from a
loving God and
he came to
defeat our
enemy, the
one who
holds us in
our lifetime
in fear of
death.
The one who
has the power
to do that.
And there
is a
redeemer who
is able to
fix all that
is broken in
your life and
to put it all
back together
again.
To give you
the future and
the hope that
you thought you
would never
have in a
land flowing
with milk and
honey.
There is a
redeemer,
Jesus, God's
own son.
And you can
trust yourself to
him, can't
you?
Won't you?
Let's pray.