it's my joy to be with you again and bring god's word to you today if you have been with us over
the last several weeks you know that we're going through the book of ruth and you'll remember that
the book of ruth is a book about suffering it's a book about suffering because it's a book about
widows which is many of us here today and it's a book about suffering because it's also a book
about people who live in a land that they weren't born in which is also many of us here today but
you'll also remember that it is a book for those who don't suffer as well because if we're not
suffering now we will one day if we live long enough in this world and if we're not suffering
now we are surrounded by people who are and so all we have to do is look in front of us and behind us
and beside us and see people who are going through things that are very similar to the story that's
here and so remember that god as a wise and loving father wants us to become wise as well and so he's
given us this story in his word if you're with us from the beginning you'll remember it three weeks
ago we met a woman named naomi naomi lived in god's land in the land of israel and yet there was a famine
and so she and her husband elimelech and their two sons decided to move to the country of moab
leaving the land that god has given to his people as the promised land for a land where people did not
worship god but there was food and we saw that her husband's name was god is my king
and 10 years later he died as well as his her two sons and so our big question was this is god still the
king when tragedy strikes and we saw that in the midst of that god was still at work leading and
guiding and providing for his people because at the same time that that had happened god visited his
people and gave them bread and in the following week we saw that naomi returned from the land of moab
to the land of israel with her two daughters-in-law ruth and orpah and naomi gave her very best arguments
as to why they should not stay with her why they needed to go back and to their homeland their country
of moab and yet against all odds we saw that ruth committed to naomi she committed to naomi even though
it meant giving up her homeland possibly giving up the chance of remarrying someone who was her same
nationality and instead she gave everything to commit to naomi and so we saw that faith commits to
those who are suffering even when there's nothing to gain and remember that the motivation and the
power for that was not in ruth it wasn't ultimately in her character it wasn't ultimately in what she had
internally in her resources what it was because she knew that the god of israel was a god of never
stopping never giving up unbreaking always and forever love and so ruth chose to show that same
love to naomi making a incredible vow to go with her even to death and then if you remember last week
they finally arrive at their destination they show up back in the homeland of bethlehem
and all that naomi can think about is her own bitterness
she reminds those around her that when she left she was full but god has brought her back empty
and so we saw the temptation that when tragedy strikes it's tempting to believe that god is against us
that he's opposed to us that he's forgotten us and so the question then was not is god still the king
but is god still good is he still for us and we saw that even while naomi thought she was empty
she was not because god had given her ruth and he had brought her back to his land at the exact
right time at the beginning of the harvest the one time that would be most helpful for her to return
and be able to have some food and so it's at this point that we pick up here in chapter two we're
finally out of chapter one in the book of ruth and if this has been a difficult series in terms of
talking about intense suffering week after week i have good news for you chapter one was the worst of it
so yeah we can say that naomi feels like she's gone from full to empty and now our trajectory from
the rest of this book is going to be going from empty to full and so if you've made it through us
with us through the first chapter there is hope in sight now if you'll remember two weeks ago i talked
about the difference between the self-fulfillment view of life and the self-sacrificial view of life
and we talked about the 10-year marriage proposal that sometimes when the going gets hard it's easiest
just to leave and we saw that ruth did the very opposite thing that she made this dramatic and
intense vow that she was going to commit even when it was hard and yet we know that it's one thing to
make a vow and it's another to keep it it's one thing to make a vow and it's another to keep it and
there's a study that was done recently that showed that there's an inverse relationship between the
amount of money that is spent on a wedding ring and a wedding and the success of that marriage
in other words if you focus too much on the vows and not enough on what comes after
you've put things the wrong way around we're going to see that ruth comes up against that challenge here
in this chapter she's made these promises she's made these great vows but now reality is going to
hit because she is finally a foreigner in a land that she's never been to before and so our question
is this yes faith commits but how do we sustain a life of faith how do we sustain a life of faith
what does it look to live the life of faith day by day not just to make a dramatic vow
but to keep it with that we are in ruth chapter two and we're starting in verse one remember that this
is god's word and god has told us that his word is more precious than gold even the finest gold
and it is sweeter than honey even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb and we're going to turn to
it now we're in ruth chapters two starting at verse one now naomi had a relative of her husband's a
worthy man of the clan of elimelech whose name was boaz 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 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 happens to
come to the part of the field belonging to boaz who is of the clan of elimelech verse four and behold
boaz came from bethlehem and he said to the reapers the lord be with you and they answered the lord bless
you then boaz said to his young man who is in charge of the reapers whose young woman is this
and the servant who is in charge of the reapers answered she is the young moabite woman who came
back with naomi from the country of moab she said please let me glean and gather among the sheaves
after the reapers so she came and she has continued from early morning until now except for a short rest
verse eight 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 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 then she fell on her face bowing to the ground and said to
him why have i found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since i am a foreigner
but boaz answered her all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband
has been fully told to me and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a
people that you did not know before the lord repay you for what you have done and a full reward be given
you by the lord the god of israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge
then she said i have found favor in your eyes my lord for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to
your servant though i am not one of your servants
please pray with me as we come to this portion of god's word
dear father in heaven we thank you as always that you have not left us as orphans alone in a merciless
universe
but that you come and you speak to us and you don't just speak to us but you speak to us in ways that
we can understand and so we ask that you would do that this morning that you would send your holy
spirit and that you would speak clearly to us we ask this not because we have earned it but because
your son has and so we ask it in his name amen
remember i said that it's one thing to take a vow and it's another thing to keep it and ruth has taken
this incredible vow to be with naomi and there are two things that came up at the very end of chapter
one in our last verse verse 22 that i did not point out to you last week and i'll point out both of
them to you but only one of them i'll point out now and that is that ruth for the first time has a
longer name than she's ever had before do you notice that she has a longer name she's not just ruth
anymore all up until verse 22 she's been ruth and now suddenly it changes she is ruth the moabite
and we see the same thing in chapter 2 verse 2 and ruth the moabite said to naomi
and why this change hasn't ruth always been a moabite we know that naomi traveled from israel to moab
and in a sense she has always been a moabite so in one sense nothing has changed but in another sense
there's been a very dramatic change because she is for the first time living as a foreigner
in her own land she's naomi but in israel she's naomi or excuse me in her own land she's ruth
but in israel she's ruth the moabite and so the author is highlighting here that reality is setting
in for the commitment that she's made it's one thing to make an incredible vow it's another thing
to finally arrive in a foreign land now some of us live in a foreign land many of us have traveled to
a foreign land and all of us know the difficulties of being in a place that's not your home there are
customs you don't know there are things at the grocery store you don't recognize there are signs
you can't read but perhaps most important of all is there are people who can instantly tell that you
don't belong and are ready to take advantage of you that's the reason why god is so passionate in
the old testament about cares for the foreigner and the widow and the orphan is because god is concerned
about people who are the most vulnerable and so we see the position that ruth is in she is in the
most vulnerable position possible in the land of israel she could have gone back to her homeland and
been safe but here she is a moabite without resources for food potentially without any man to care for her
and so she goes out here in verse two let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after
him and whose sight i shall find favor if you're familiar with the old testament you know that one
of god's provisions for widows in the destitute was that they could do something called gleaning
which is to say that they could go to the field of a wealthy landowner who was taking in the harvest
and they could follow after people who were harvesting and if ears of grain fell to the ground if they
were missed they could come and pick up what was left and so it was one way for those who were poor
to still be able to eat one commentator compares it however to recycling aluminum cans that this is hard
work that did not always give much yield that while god had provided this provision ruth is in a very
difficult position she's a foreigner in a land that's not her own she's been left to glean as her
way of surviving and not insignificantly she's left with uh naomi this woman who we saw last week is
so self-focused and bitter that she can't see anything other than her own pain
and so the same question that she has is the question of this section is she going to find favor
you see what she says in verse two let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him
in whose sight i shall find favor what's going to happen to ruth she's made this commitment she
stepped out in faith knowing that god was a god of steadfast love and now she finds herself in the
midst of the reality of the situation she's now experiencing the consequences of the vow
that she has made and so is she going to make it
it's true for us as well this morning there's those of us who have made commitments to live the
life of faith we've done what god's called us to do and then reality sets in
maybe you're someone from two sermons ago you're someone who's committed to the vulnerable
and the weak and the suffering and yet as you walk along it suddenly you realize whether it's
someone in your family or someone in your community this person is a lot like naomi
they're bitter they're self-focused they're hard to interact with change comes not fast but slow
and suddenly the reality begins to set in how do you sustain the life of faith
maybe you love the self-sacrificial view of marriage and so you made vows to someone committing
that you were going to live that life you were going to live the life of self-sacrifice no matter
what it took you were going to commit to them for the rest of your life
and then as you began to have arguments and try to talk about hard things you realize that your spouse
had no interest in that and every time you brought up a conflict they just withdrew and wouldn't engage
with you and suddenly you find yourself wondering whether that vow was such a good idea after all
maybe you came to a church thinking that this was going to be the place where you were going to
finally find community and life and growth and yet as you stayed more and more month after month you
realize that there were people at the church that you really didn't like
and some people had a different view of what the church should be than you did
and as you explained your vision for what you hoped the church would become
they were not quite as excited as you were
before too long there were conflicts between you and other people in the church and
while you were excited while you had made vows of membership
you're wondering how do you sustain
the life of faith
how do you stay in when the going gets hard
maybe you have a job that's difficult that you believe that god has called you to
and you have work that's powerful and purposeful
and yet you're not sure how much longer you can do it
because you can feel the fingers and the hand of burnout on your shoulder
and so you say pastor this is great you've talked about god's never stopping never giving up unbreaking
always and forever love and i understand that jesus died for me 2 000 years ago
and that's great but what about today right now in 2018
what does that mean for me now
as we've seen before in this book
the questions it raises are also the questions it answers
ruth here is in a difficult situation and so she says
let me go and glean and see if i can find favor
and then in verse 3
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 is of the clan of elimelech
now we found out in verse 1 about this man named boaz
apparently he's a worthy man
which can mean a variety of things
but what we know about boaz in this situation
most likely this is speaking about his character
and we find out quickly when he appears
what kind of character he has
because he gives an unusual greeting
he says in verse 4
the lord be with you
so this is a godly man
he's a man who's godly because he cares about the things that god cares about
he cares about the vulnerable and the suffering
he's also a man who's able to help
because he has enough wealth to have a field
but let's go back to verse 3
she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to boaz
this is not something that happened
in the hebrew it sounds something like this
she chanced to chance
we might say
it was a complete coincidence
and yet this is perhaps one of the greatest understatements
in all of the old testament
the narrator has already told us about this man in verse 1
and so she happened
is an ironic statement
in other words
there is nothing
in this that has anything to do with chance
there is nothing that has anything to do with chance
she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to boaz
in other words
when ruth
stepped out in faith
living the life of faith
god
brought her
to the right field
when ruth
stepped out
in faith
keeping the vow that she had made
god brought her
to the right field
but she doesn't just come
to the right place
she comes at the right time
verse 4
and behold boaz came from bethlehem
and he said to the reapers
the lord be with you
and then he goes on
to inquire about
this new woman
who's in the fields
she's the young moabite
here it is again
this is the third time now
that we found out
that she's a foreigner
she's come with naomi
from the country of moab
she said
please let me glean
and gather among the sheaves
after the reapers
so she came
and she has continued
from early morning until now
except for a short rest
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
in other words
you're not just going
to be another gleaner
you're going to stay
close to my staff
you're going to be
the first one
behind them
when the grain falls
you're going to be
the gleaner of gleaners
you're going to have
special access
to my fields
have I not charged
the young men
not to touch you
as a foreigner
who's the most vulnerable
you're going to have
my special protection
and when you're thirsty
go to the vessels
and drink
what the young men
have drawn
and so in a situation
where women
would be the ones
typically drawing
the water
you are going to go
to my special
water reservoir
and the men
are going to draw
it for you
and so Ruth
stepping out in faith
comes to the right place
at the right time
and it just happened
or maybe it didn't
because God
here our question before
our first week was
is God at work
in the dark
and now our question
is this
is God at work
behind the scenes
is God at work
behind the scenes
is his faithfulness
to us
not just his faithfulness
2,000 years ago
but his faithfulness
now
the answer is yes
we see here
in Ruth
that God
is continuing
to be faithful
to his people
he's not just
at work
in the dark
but he's at work
behind the scenes
and when God's people
go on God's mission
God
writes the check
and cashes it
when God's people
go on God's work
and God's mission
God is the one
who writes the check
and cashes it
I'll give you a story
from my own life
this does not compare
at all to the story
of Ruth
in terms of magnitude
but all of us
have situations
if we've lived long enough
where we've had to do
something risky
and challenging
we're wondering
if God's going to show up
if he's going to come through
we know the right thing
to do
we know what God's
called us to do
and yet we're not sure
if or how
he's going to provide
so about
a little over a year ago
I was in seminary
I was graduating soon
and I knew that I needed a job
and I was talking
to various churches
I happened to be talking
to this one church
that was in southwest
Colorado Springs
and they were only hiring
half time
and it became clear
during my last semester
in seminaries
I talked to various churches
that this was the place
that God was calling me to
and yet I wasn't sure
what was going to happen
I wasn't going to make enough
half time
to be able to support myself
I knew that I needed
another job
I didn't have a place
to live
I was moving to a state
that I had never been to before
except once on a road trip
on the way to Utah
for a few hours
and so I committed
I came here
and I visited you all
I preached in April
of 2017
and it became clear
that I was going to come here
and yet I committed
not knowing exactly
what was going to happen
not knowing where
I was going to live
not knowing what other
kind of job
I was going to have
and it just so happened
that before I went to seminary
I was a Latin teacher
taught elementary Latin
which is something
that not many people do
it's rare to find someone
with experience
teaching elementary Latin
and it just so happened
that Colin Mullaney
who's the director
of the Vanguard School
here in Colorado Springs
was coming to Cheyenne Mountain
and it just so happened
that for at least a year
or more in advance
they had decided
that that year
the year that I was coming
it just so happened
that they were going to start
an elementary Latin program
and they'd been looking
for someone
who had experience
because the starter program
they didn't want to bring in
someone who had not done it before
and they had many applications
come in
but it just so happened
that none of those applications
were from someone
who had taught elementary Latin before
and it just so happened
that Jim Alexander
found out about this job
from Colin
and it just so happened
that I applied
and it just so happened
that before I moved out here
and 20 minutes after my interview
they called me back
and offered me the job
and I tell you this story
not about me
this is not about me
and my faith
I had plenty of anxiety
and fear
about what was going to happen
moving out to Colorado
they didn't hire me
because I was an amazing Latin teacher
they hired me
because it just so happened
that they didn't have anyone else
who had previous experience
doing this thing
that I just happened to do
and then it just so happened
that before I knew
that I was coming here
there was a landlord
a five minute walk from here
who decided that he was going
to finish his basement
and make it a place to live
before he moved
to New York State
and it just so happened
that the trotters
were out of the country
and willing to let me
crash in their house
until I found a place to live
and then it just so happened
that I got connected
with this basement
and it just so happened
that I moved in
so the point is this
that God
comes when his people
are on his mission
many things just happen
because God provides
for his people
on his mission
God provides
for his people
on his mission
and so the point
of this story
is not me
I don't tell you
this story
about my great faith
because I didn't have it
I had fear
and anxiety
but I tell you
this story
about our great God
who leads
and guides
and provides
for his people
and as he did it
with Ruth
and Naomi
he does it now
that just so
happened
now Ruth also
had to step out
in faith
we see here
that she takes
tremendous initiative
she's the one
who says
let me go
and glean
she's the one
who works
from morning
until Boaz
shows up
with just a short break
and Boaz
is the one
who has heard
the report
of her faithfulness
to Naomi
and so is it
God's sovereign provision
or is it us
going out
on his mission
it's not an either or
it's both
we go out
on God's mission
in faith
as he provides
and leads
and sustains
and it's not
that we earn
God's favor
that would be
that's legalism
the idea
that we can earn
something from God
but it's that
we're united
to Christ
and so that
if we're in Christ
whatever is true
of Jesus
is true
of us
as well
and so the favor
and the provision
that God shows
to his son
is the same provision
and favor
that he shows
to us
the provision
and favor
that he shows
to his son
is the same provision
and favor
that he shows
to us
and so some of us
need to be reminded
of God's provision
for us
as we continue
doing what's hard
and others of us
need to be reminded
that God has called us
to do
what is hard
some of us
need to be reminded
of God's provision
to continue
what we're already
doing in his mission
and some of us
need to be reminded
to go out
in his mission
that we're not just
waiting for God
to act
a perfect example
would be
Nehemiah
Nehemiah is charged
with helping reform
the nation of Israel
and rebuild the walls
after they return
from exile
and there are
several points
in the book
where Nehemiah
does two things
he prays
and then he puts
on a sword
because he knows
that God's enemies
are planning
to attack
and so he doesn't
just pray
he puts on a sword
and he doesn't
just put on a sword
he prays
and so it's always
both
it's always God
providing for his people
who are on mission
and his people
following him
in that mission
told you I was
going to point out
one other thing
about verse 22
that I didn't tell you
last week
and I will
but first
let's go to the very end
of this section
verse 12
the Lord repay you
for what you have done
and a full reward
be given you
by the Lord
the God of Israel
under whose wings
you have come
to take refuge
what does it mean
that Ruth has taken
refuge under the wings
of God
verse 22
it says
so Naomi returned
and Ruth the Moabite
her daughter-in-law
with her
who returned
from the country
of Moab
and then verse 6
she is the young
Moabite woman
who came back
with Naomi
from the country
of Moab
now what's wrong
this is like
one of those pictures
where you're trying
to figure out
what doesn't make sense
Ruth isn't returning
she's never been
to Israel before
as far as we know
so why are we told
twice
that Ruth
returns
to a place
she's never been
to before
it's because
she has made
God
her God
remember she told us
in verse 16 and 17
your people
shall be my people
and your God
my God
and so the land
of Israel
is now
her home
even as a foreigner
who's never been there
so what does it mean
to hide
under the wings
of God
it means
that being a foreigner
in God's land
is better
than being a native
anywhere else
to be a foreigner
in God's land
is better to be
a native
anywhere else
because this
is where she can
come to hide
under the wings
this is the sphere
of God's blessing
this is the place
of God's provision
the place
of his mission
for her
she's hidden herself
under the wings
of God
for us
there's not a
promised land
to return to
instead we have
the church
that as we
wonder about
how to
continue in the
life of faith
we have God's
sovereign provision
for his people
who are on
mission
and part of that
provision is
where you're at
right now
there's many
it just so happened
but it just so happened
that you came here
this morning
to this church
in the church
there are people
like Boaz
who can help
there are people
that I can offer you
practical advice
there are people
that can gather
around you
and so as we
ask the question
how do we
sustain
the life
of faith
we see
that it is God
who works
and acts
and provides
he provides
for his people
who come
and hide
themselves
under the
shelter
of his wing
and so it's not
just what happened
2,000 years ago
it's not less than that
and it's more than that
because of what
happened 2,000 years ago
because of Christ's death
for what we deserved
and because of his
resurrection
because he did not
deserve it
we are united
to him
he's made us
into his people
and so we have
union with Christ
whatever is true
of Christ
is true
of us
here as a people
that God's favor
towards his son
is his favor
towards us
and so he follows us
and guides us
and provides for us
as we go on his mission
on Friday
I
took a little trip
onto Fort Carson
as I do from time
to time
and I was reminded
of what many of you
see every day
as you drive
onto the fort
you get to see
the warrior ethos
which perhaps is
routine for many of you
for me
I every time
try to read it
and remember it
if you're familiar with it
you know it starts out
this way
I will always place
the mission first
I will never accept
defeat
I will never quit
and I will never leave
a fallen comrade
now my understanding
is that that is
what soldiers
would say themselves
to the army
but it's a little bit
different in God's
kingdom
because we don't say
all of the parts
of the warrior ethos
what God is saying
is this
that he is the one
who fulfills it
that when we place
his mission first
he will never leave
his fallen children
when we place God
and his mission first
he will never leave
his fallen children
and so we can sustain
the life of faith
because it is God
who picks us up
please pray with me
dear father in heaven
we thank you
that you are a loving
gracious heavenly father
that when we
walk the life
of faith with you
we are doing
what would be impossible
if you are not
in it and with us
and yet you are
so we thank you
for that
we ask that you
would be present
with us this week
as individuals
and as a church
that we would gather
around each other
supporting and caring
and loving each other
as you have loved us
we ask these things
not because we
have deserved them
but because we are
united with Christ
and that what is true
of him is true of us
and so we ask it
in his name
amen