work our way through it
and draw conclusions
that your spirit would
be at work in our hearts
learning who you are
and worshipping you as a result.
I pray that you would bless our time together now
in your name. Amen.
Children, you are dismissed
to your class.
We are in the middle of a
short mini-series
on the book of Ruth
in three parts.
Last week we looked at
Ruth chapter 1.
This week we are looking at Ruth chapter 2.
And next week we will conclude
with a look at
Ruth 3 and 4 together.
Listen to the beginning
of this article from a
magazine called Psychology Today.
I ran across this a couple of years ago.
This is an article from Psychology Today.
It says this,
In 2007, a construction worker
named Wesley Autry
was standing on a subway platform
in New York
when a young man nearby
had an epileptic seizure
and rolled onto the track.
Hearing the approach of a train,
Wesley Autry
impulsively jumped down
to try to save the young man
only to realize
that the train
was approaching too fast.
Instead,
he jumped on top
of the young man's body
and pushed him down
into a drainage ditch
between the tracks.
The train operator saw them
but it was too late to stop.
Five cars of the train
passed over their bodies
but miraculously
both of them
were uninjured.
Asked later by the New York Times
why he had done it,
Autry said,
I just saw someone
who needed help.
I did what I felt was right.
So then the author
of this article
goes on
and says,
The question of why
human beings
are sometimes prepared
to risk their own lives
to save others
has puzzled philosophers
and scientists
for centuries.
From an evolutionary
point of view,
altruism doesn't seem
to make sense.
According to the modern
neo-Darwinian view,
human beings
are basically selfish.
After all,
we are only really carriers
of thousands of genes
whose only aim
is to survive
and replicate themselves.
We shouldn't be interested
in sacrificing ourselves
for others
or even in helping others
at all.
We all want there
to be good in the world.
We want other people
to be good
and we want to be good
and we want people
to treat each other well,
especially in the hard times
because sometimes
it's in the hard times
when our true character
really comes out.
But the author
of this article
asks a good question here.
Why should we be
any better than our genes?
Other than this,
basic instinct
and impulse
to get for ourselves
and to sort of shore up
our own lives
and our own circumstances,
why should we be
any better than that?
Why should we be
any better
than our own self-interest?
And that's really
the issue
in the book of Ruth.
That's the question
that we're looking
to the book of Ruth
to answer.
Today we're going to look
at Ruth chapter 2.
So I invite you
to turn there
in your Bibles
with me.
We're going to read it
and we're going to talk
about a couple
of key issues
and then we're going
to draw some conclusions
about the meaning
of the whole.
As we turn
to Ruth chapter 2,
let's review
where we are
in the story.
It's the period
of the book of Judges.
It's a very dark time
in Israel's history.
God's people
have forgotten
what God did
to redeem them
in the promised land
and what God had done
to redeem them
from slavery
to take them
into the promised land
and they are
worshipping other gods
and abusing
and mistreating
each other.
We have these little
vignettes through
the book of Judges.
These little stories
which sort of
encapsulate the period
which illustrate
what Israel was like
at that time.
We have a man
who kills his own daughter.
We have a wife
who is burned alive.
We have the leader
of Israel
who visits prostitutes
and engages
in all these petty
little squabbles
and fights
and kind of
dilly-dallies
with the enemy
instead of fighting them.
We have a man
who makes
homemade idols
in order to worship them
and he hires a Levite
to be his own
personal priest
but then another
tribe of Israel
steals the gods
and worships them
themselves.
We have a man
and a woman
who are traveling
through the southern
part of Israel
and it's time
to spend the night
but they don't want
to stay in
Canaanite territory
because maybe
that would be
too dangerous
so they decide
to go just a little
further to Israelite
territory
will it be safer
and during the night
men surround the house
and they try and drag
the man out
and rape him
and in order
to protect himself
he shoves his
concubine outside
where she is
ferociously raped
and killed
and as a result
the man cuts her
into 12 pieces
and starts a civil war.
I mean these are
the little vignettes
that describe Israel
at that time
in the book of Judges.
It is a very dark time
filled with faithlessness
and immorality
taking advantage
of anyone
who was vulnerable
or who could be exploited.
It was especially
a dangerous time
for women
and the book of Judges
says everyone did
what was right
in their own eyes.
They just do
whatever is best
for themselves.
It's survival
of the fittest.
In fact,
they're doing exactly
what the author
of that article
in Psychology Today
assumed they probably
should do.
whatever is best
for them
and it's just
a disaster.
And so during this time
there's a famine
and a woman named Naomi
and her husband
and her two sons
travel to Moab.
Moab is an enemy territory.
It's known for idolatry
and sexual immorality
and they have a history
of scandal with Israel
and so as a result
the book of Deuteronomy
says that no Moabite
will ever enter
the assembly of the Lord.
Naomi's husband dies.
The sons marry
Moabite women
even though
they probably shouldn't.
Neither couple
has any children
for ten years.
Then the sons die
and what all of that
means is that
we now have
not one
but three
desperate
poor widows
with no one
to take care of them.
Naomi decides
to go back to Israel
because there's food there.
But once they set off
and they're on the way
then she begins
to have second thoughts
and she realizes
that her daughters-in-law
won't have any hope
in Israel.
There's no hope
for them there.
There's only a life there
of hard poverty
and probably death.
And of course
the only way in that time
that a young widow
could possibly have
any kind of a future
is if she would remarry
but no one in Israel
is going to marry
these Moabite girls.
And so at her own expense
she urges them
to go back
to their other families
in Moab.
And Orpah sees
that her mother-in-law
is right
and so she does return
and Ruth knows
that Naomi's right as well.
Ruth knows
that there is no future
for her in Israel.
But she is sacrificing herself
and she follows Naomi back
and sacrifices her future for her.
And when they get back
to Bethlehem
Naomi is angry.
She blames God
for her struggles
and her situation
and she tells the women
of the town
don't call me pleasant.
I have a new name now.
My name is bitter.
Call me that.
For the Lord
has made me bitter.
That's what people say
when they don't have any hope.
And now our story continues
in Ruth chapter 2.
Let's read that together.
Now Naomi had a relative
of her husband's
a worthy man
of the clan of Elimelech.
Sorry.
Let's look at Ruth chapter
Oh that is Ruth chapter 2.
Sorry.
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 happened to come
to the part of the field
belonging to Boaz
who was of the clan
of Elimelech.
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 was in charge
of the reapers
Whose young woman
is this?
And the servant
who was 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 the 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.
Let your eyes
be on the field
that they are reaping
and go after them.
Have I not charged
the young man
not to touch you?
And when you are thirsty
go to the vessels
and drink what the young man
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
even though I am not
one of your servants.
And at mealtime
Boaz said to her
Come here
and eat some of the bread
and dip your morsel
in the wine
so she sat beside
the reapers
and he passed to her
roasted grain
and she ate
until she was satisfied
and she had some left over
and when she rose to glean
Boaz instructed
his young men saying
Let her glean
even among the sheaves
and do not reproach her
and also pull out some
from the bundles for her
and leave it for her
to glean
and do not rebuke her.
So she gleaned
in the field
until evening
then she beat out
what she had gleaned
and it was about
an ephah of barley
and she took it up
and went into the city.
Her mother-in-law
saw what she had gleaned
she also brought out
and gave her
what food she had left over
after being satisfied
and her mother-in-law
said to her
Where did you glean today
and where have you worked?
Blessed be the man
who took notice of you.
So she told her mother-in-law
with whom she had worked
and said
The man's name
with whom I work today
is Boaz.
And Naomi said
to her daughter-in-law
May he be blessed
by the Lord
whose kindness
has not forsaken
the living or the dead.
Naomi also said to her
The man is a close relative
of ours
one of our redeemers
and Ruth the Moabite
said
Besides
he said to me
you shall keep close
by my young men
until they have finished
all my harvest
and Naomi said to Ruth
her daughter-in-law
It is good my daughter
that you go out
with his young women
lest in another field
you be assaulted.
So she kept close
to the young women
of Boaz
gleaning until the end
of the barley and wheat harvest
and she lived
with her mother-in-law.
This is a great story
and it's also history
but it's more than history
it's theological history
it's written to tell us
something about God
and God's relationship
with his people.
It begins in verse 1
by saying that
Naomi had a relative
of her husband's
a worthy man
of the clan of Elimelech
whose name was Boaz.
He's a worthy man.
The NIV says
that he's a man
of standing.
The King James Version
says he's a mighty man
of wealth.
He's a relative
of Naomi.
And it's difficult
to know
which sense
the author means
by saying
that he's a worthy man.
Sometimes that word
is used
to refer to
men in battle
great military heroes.
Sometimes it's used
to refer to
physical wealth.
Sometimes it's used
to refer to
someone of great character.
I think we'll find out
a little later
which one
the author
primarily means here
when we get to
chapter 3.
But he's a man
of standing
in the community.
He has influence.
He's a man about town.
He's wealthy.
He has land
and many servants.
And we are going
to find out
very soon
that he is good.
What's interesting
is that in this verse
the narrator
is telling us
about Boaz.
Ruth doesn't
know about it.
This is a word
from the narrator
to us the reader.
Naomi apparently
hasn't told Ruth
about this.
But what this
allows us to do
as readers
is that as we
get into the story
we are able
to watch the events
unfold
and we get to see
Ruth's reaction
to discovering Boaz
and finding out
what he will do
for her.
Naomi and Ruth
need someone
to help them
and we are going
to watch
all of these
pieces fall
into place.
Ruth the Moabite
said to Naomi
in verse 2
let me go
to the field
and glean.
Now in the ancient world
there weren't any
government programs
like food stamps
or Medicaid
but one way
that God
provided for the poor
was through something
called gleaning.
It says in Leviticus 19
when you reap
the harvest
of your land
you shall not
reap your field
right up to its edge
neither shall you
gather the gleanings
after your harvest.
In other words
don't go back
through a second time
and do a better job.
You shall not
strip your vineyard
bare
neither shall you
gather the fallen
grapes of your vineyard
you shall leave them
for the poor
and for the sojourner
I am the Lord
your God.
So when farmers
would harvest
their field
they would intentionally
leave the edges there
so that when the poor
came through
looking for some
kind of food
they could find it.
Deuteronomy 24 19
says when you reap
your harvest
in your field
and forget a sheaf
don't go back
and get it.
It shall be
for the sojourner
the fatherless
and the widow
that the Lord
your God
may bless you
in all the work
of your hands.
It's a mentality.
It's a mentality
that the Mosaic Law
is teaching.
Don't be
so efficient
and so careful
that there is
nothing left
for the poor person
who wanders
through the field
looking for food.
Make sure that
there's something
that they have
to eat.
Now Ruth is hoping
that since it's
harvest time
she can go out
and glean.
She can go out
into the field
and find some
leftover grains
some scraps
maybe that people
have left behind.
Notice in verse 2
that the narrator
calls her
the Moabite.
We know this.
We've read chapter 1
but he keeps
bringing this up
because it's significant
that she's not
an Israelite
she's a Moabite
and all of the associations
that come along
with that.
This does not sound
like a good plan.
She,
a Moabite,
is going to go
to the field
where all the other
Israelite workers are.
She's alone
and she's going to
try and get free food
from them
in the time
of the judges.
Notice she says
in whose sight
I find favor.
See,
I think that she
suspects
that there could
be trouble.
So she's hoping
that she'll find
someone there
who will look
well on her,
who will give her
favor and not
mistreat her
because she recognizes
that she's in a
vulnerable
and risky situation
here.
So she set out
and went and gleaned
in the field
after the reapers.
Now when we think
of fields,
we think of Wisconsin
which have
these huge farms,
sometimes as large
as the eye can see.
In 2012,
the average
Wisconsin farm
was 195 acres.
But in ancient Israel,
the fields were
very small.
There was no fertilizer
or modern equipment.
The land did not
produce well.
The harvests
were small.
It was just
subsistence farming.
People were basically
trying to get enough
food to get by.
And often,
there was just
one big field
and then parts
of the field
were separated
by these boundary stones.
So kind of as you went
from one part
of the field
to the next,
you didn't really
have a clear sense
that you were moving
from one person's
property to another one.
And as she's working
through the field,
she's looking for leftovers
and she comes
to the part of the field
belonging to Boaz.
But she didn't just
come to that part.
It says in verse 3,
she happened
to come to the part
of the field
belonging to Boaz.
I think that's significant
that he says that.
It sounds like
it was a coincidence.
But then why say it?
In Proverbs 16.33,
it says,
the lot,
you know,
like dice,
the lot is cast
into the lap
but its every decision
is from the Lord.
In other words,
God directs things
that even those
that look like chance.
By saying that she
just so happened
to come to the part
of the field
belonging to Boaz,
I think the author
means exactly the opposite.
It's sort of
tongue-in-cheek.
It's a way of saying
it was not just chance,
that God is at work here
and he was directing Ruth
to just that part
of the field.
So Boaz comes from town
in verse 4
and he says to his workers,
the Lord be with you
and they answer,
the Lord bless you.
I mean,
look at his interaction
with them.
We haven't been told
anything about Boaz's character,
just the fact that he's rich
and that he's related
to Naomi.
But now by his actions,
we are getting
to know him here.
And we notice some things
right off the bat.
He has a good relationship
with his workers.
And he is a follower
of the Lord
and just look at how
he and his employees
are blessing each other,
talking about the Lord
as they meet each other
for the first time that day.
blessing is one of the themes
of this book.
It's this subtle reminder
that even as people
are kind to each other,
they are reflecting
God's kindness
and as they are blessing
each other,
God is blessing them.
It's a small village
and everyone is out there
working at the harvest time
and Boaz looks out
and he sees this woman
he doesn't know.
It's a small town
of Bethlehem.
So he says to his foreman,
whose is that young woman?
He doesn't say,
who is that young woman?
He says,
whose is that young woman?
In other words,
what is her relationship
to someone else
that I know?
Who does she belong to?
Now one reason
he might be asking that
is because she's a foreigner,
but it's also maybe
because she's all alone
out there.
She's not working
with anybody else.
She doesn't apparently
belong to anyone.
But it also anticipates
that she does belong
to Naomi,
who is his relative.
Look what the servant
says in verse 6.
He says,
she is the young Moabite woman
who came back with Naomi
from the country of Moab.
See how he says that twice?
Moab?
It's like he's saying,
she's from Moab.
You can just imagine
the thoughts going
through his head.
Like, what is Boaz
going to say about this?
Right?
We've got this Moabite.
She's really sketchy.
She had asked for permission
to glean and worked
all morning.
And the end of verse 7
is a little bit difficult
to understand.
No one really knows
what it means,
but I think what it means
is that she had been
working hard in the field
all morning,
and just now,
just before Boaz arrived,
she had taken a brief rest.
Now look at how Boaz
responds to Ruth
once he realizes
that she's in need.
He does nine things
for her.
He doesn't toss her
a little bit of money
and send her on her way.
He does nine substantial things
for her,
each one kinder
than the one before.
First, in verse 8,
he calls her,
my daughter.
He's a rich,
Israelite man,
and she's a poor
Moabite woman,
but he makes her feel
comfortable and accepted.
He could say to her,
what are you doing here?
But he doesn't.
He calls her,
my daughter.
It's kind.
It's a family term.
It's a term of acceptance.
Second,
at the end of verse 8,
he asks her
to stay in his field.
It's not just
that he's going
to tolerate her.
It's not just
that he's going
to overlook her presence
even though he wishes
that she weren't there.
He wants her there.
He wants to make
her feel comfortable.
There may not be
that much food
to go around.
There may not be
that much grain
on the edges of the field
or that's left over
in the field.
What about all
the Israelite poor people?
Shouldn't the Israelites
have first dibs
on this food?
It's Israelite territory
after all.
Is it right
that some of it
would go to a Moabite girl?
Yes.
The third thing he does
is also in verse 8.
He tells her
to stay close
to his young women.
Not only will this
keep her safe,
but it also gives her
a sense of identity.
Instead of working
in the field all alone,
she's with someone.
She's not a lonely
foreign girl
in a sea of strangers.
She belongs to that group
with those harvesters.
She's with Boaz's
female workers.
See, he's going
above and beyond here.
All he has to do
in order to obey
the Mosaic law
is just leave her alone.
That's all he has to do.
All he has to do
is allow her
to just stick
on the edges
of the field
and be one of those
poor people
that comes
to see what she can find.
But he is taking
a particular interest
in her welfare.
Fourth,
verse 9,
he specifically
instructs the young men
not to touch her.
You can imagine
in some work environments
what women
have to put up with
as far as men
hassling them.
This word touch
in Hebrew
often has a sexual
connotation to it.
So we don't know here
if Boaz is concerned
about guys
pushing her around
or if he's
concerned about
something more serious
than that.
Remember,
we're in the time
of the judges here.
It's a particularly
dangerous time
for women.
The Levite
and his concubine
who were raped
and murdered,
that took place
seven miles
from this spot.
Seven miles.
And it was this town
that they were
leaving from
when they tried
to get back
to their home.
Here is Ruth,
a foreign girl,
right,
with no one
to protect her.
She's a prime
target,
but Boaz
explicitly
calls his guys
over and says,
you leave her
alone.
Fifth,
in verse 9,
he says that
if she's thirsty,
she can drink water
from what the male
servants have drawn.
That's a little bit
unusual because
in ancient Israel,
it was the foreigners
who were supposed
to do the manual labor
and draw water
for the Israelites.
Not only that,
but in that culture,
it was the women
who were supposed
to draw the water
for the men.
Now Boaz
is starting to get
a little carried away
because he's saying
that his men
are going to draw
water for her.
He has so far
just shown
basic human decency,
but now
he's giving her
his stuff.
And she can't
believe her ears.
It's shocking
generosity,
and she doesn't know
what to make of it.
And so she says
in verse 10,
I'm a foreigner.
Why are you
treating me like this?
She expected
to be treated
like an outsider.
Here's this
close-knit community
of Bethlehem.
This isn't the way
they treat Moabites
and outsiders.
And Boaz answers
that he has heard
how good she has been
to Naomi.
It's interesting.
Even though Naomi
was so bitter,
she evidently
had told people
how her daughter-in-law
had forsaken her life
in Moab
and come back
with her
to take care of her.
So in verse 12,
Boaz blesses her
and he says
something very
significant.
He says,
May a full reward
be given you
by the Lord,
the God of Israel,
under whose wings
you have come
to take refuge.
See,
whatever Ruth
thought she would
find when she
came to Israel,
and we know
she thought
she was coming
to starvation
and death,
she has actually
come,
Boaz says,
to find refuge
under the wings
of God.
She has given up
the gods of Moab
and committed herself
to the Lord,
the God of Israel,
and whether she knew
it or not,
she was coming
to Israel
to find refuge
under the wings
of God.
And what do the wings
of God look like?
They look like Boaz.
Do you see the link?
This is Boaz
saying this.
He has just done
all of these things
for her,
and he's not done yet.
And he is saying,
when I do these
things for you,
when I show this
kindness for you,
when I welcome you
and protect you
and give you water
that my young men
have drawn,
this is the wings
of the Lord,
the God of Israel.
He says,
I am doing these
things on behalf
of God,
and when you
come under
my protection,
you come under
God's protection.
My goodness toward you
is done on behalf
of God.
That is incredibly
significant.
And she cannot believe
Boaz's kindness.
Look what she says
in verse 13.
She says,
you have comforted me
and you have spoken
kindly to your servant
even though I am not
one of your servants.
Now in Hebrew,
there are a number
of different words
for servant.
And the word
that she uses here
when she says,
I am not even
one of your servants
and you are being
so nice to me.
The word that she uses
for servant
is the lowest word.
It is the bottom rung.
It is the lowest
position of society.
This kind of servant
is so low
in social status
that they were not
even able
to become a wife.
They could be
a concubine
like a mistress.
They were the ones
who,
you know,
like with Abraham
and Hagar,
if your wife
couldn't conceive,
you could go
into your servant
and have a child
through her.
They were the ones
who did the manual labor
grinding grain
and washing people's feet,
all the dirty jobs
that nobody else wanted.
She says,
look,
I am not even there.
I am not even
like one of your
lowest servants.
And yet,
you are being
so good to me.
It's incredible
that Boaz
would treat her
this way.
But Boaz
is not done yet.
He's already done
five things for her.
Look at number six
in verse 14.
He invites her
to the noon meal.
Now,
the meal
wasn't just
a time to eat.
It communicated
something socially
about who belonged.
And Boaz
is there
eating with his workers
and he says to Ruth,
come over here.
She may have been
keeping her distance
because she didn't
really belong with them.
She's just,
you know,
she's just one
of the other poor people.
But he says,
come here,
come.
Come join our meal.
And he passes her food
and it says
that there's
a dipping sauce.
And that means
that he's not just
kind of giving her
the leftover scraps,
but she is fully
invited into this meal.
And that means
she probably
didn't have her own lunch.
What was she
going to eat that day?
But she not only
had plenty
to satisfy her,
but she had
some left over.
Seventh,
at the end
of verse 15,
he says that she
can glean
even among
the sheaves.
Now,
the way that
the gleaning
normally worked
is that the harvesters
would go through
the field
and as they picked up,
they would cut
the grain,
the stalks of grain
and they would tie it
into bundles
and some of them
would accidentally
be dropped
and then you could
go through after
and you could see
what you could find.
But what they're doing
is,
Boaz is telling her
that she's allowed
to glean
even among the grain
that was already
harvested.
That's not gleaning.
He's saying,
don't make her
go through the field
looking for scraps.
Just let her go over
to the piles
that you've already cut
and she can just
kind of get the grain
from there.
Eighth,
he protects her dignity.
Look at the end
of verse 15,
and do not reproach her.
Not only were the young men
not allowed to forbid her
for doing this,
but they were not allowed
to humiliate or tease her.
No snide comments.
No remarks
about her ethnicity.
The workers
are supposed
to accept her
and treat her
with kindness.
And finally,
ninth,
here is where Boaz
just really goes overboard.
He tells his workers,
you know what,
just pull out the grain
and leave it lying
on the ground
for her to pick up.
I mean,
now they're purposefully
dropping bundles
on the ground
and saying,
you know,
over there.
So,
it's no surprise
that at the end
of the day,
when she beat out
what she had gleaned
in verse 17,
it was about
an ephah of barley.
Now,
an ephah is
one-tenth of a homer,
and a homer
is how much
a donkey can carry.
So,
scholars
guess
that an ephah
is something
about 30 to 50 pounds
of grain.
So,
she didn't go home
that night
with a little bag,
you know,
oh,
look,
I got enough
for a couple
of days.
She is hoisting
a massive bag
of grain
on her back
and going back
to Bethlehem
to her mother-in-law,
probably about
two weeks worth
of work.
It was so much
grain that she got.
When she gets home,
she does two things.
First,
she shows Naomi
what she had gleaned,
and,
it says at the end
of verse 18,
she gave her
what food
she had left over
after being satisfied.
This is the same wording
that we saw
at the lunch
in verse 14.
This isn't the grain
that she gleaned
in the field.
This is the lunch
that Boaz
had given her.
And I think
that means
that Naomi
had not eaten
anything all day.
But now,
Ruth is providing
for her
out of what
Boaz
had given
to her.
and Naomi
doesn't have
to be hungry.
Ruth comes home,
not just with
a gigantic bag
of groceries,
but with dinner.
And her mother-in-law
said to her,
where did you
glean today?
Blessed be the man
who took notice
of you.
See,
Naomi knows
something is up here.
You don't go to glean
and bring home
that much food.
And Ruth tells her
that it was Boaz
who had helped her
and in 2.20,
Naomi now says
something very
significant.
She says,
May he be blessed
by the Lord
whose kindness
has not forsaken
the living
or the dead.
Kindness.
May Boaz
be blessed
by the Lord
whose kindness
has not forsaken
us or our
dead husbands.
Naomi interprets
Boaz's kindness
to Ruth
as the way
that the Lord
has shown
his kindness.
When she hears
what Boaz
has done for Ruth,
she gives the credit
to the Lord.
Now there's
a little crack
in the hard shell
of Naomi's bitterness.
Maybe
the Lord
has not abandoned
them after all.
In verse 21,
Ruth says,
Well,
besides,
Boaz said to me,
You keep close
by my young men
until they have
finished all the harvest.
Boaz.
But that's not
what Boaz said
back in verse 8.
He had told her
to stay with the young women.
But see,
now Ruth says,
Well,
he told me to stay
with his young men.
I wonder.
Maybe she has
young men
on the mind.
Maybe she longs
for a young man
because she knows
that in the end
that's the only real hope
she has for a future.
But Naomi gently
corrects her
in verse 22
and says,
Yeah,
you stay with
his young women.
Then you'll be safe.
In other words,
I think she's saying,
Ruth,
don't get your hopes up.
You stay with
his young women.
So,
verse 23,
She kept close
to the young women
until the end
of the barley
and wheat harvest
and she lived
with her mother-in-law.
So,
let's make a few
overall observations
and we'll kind of
put this together
and talk about
the main point.
First of all,
the word kindness,
chesed in Hebrew,
is a very important word
in the Old Testament.
It's the word
that we talked about
last week.
It's sometimes
translated in our Bibles
as faithful
or loyal,
good,
merciful.
It describes
God's actions
toward his people
because he is connected
to them in relationship.
God acts
for the benefit
of his people
not because they deserve it
and not because
it's going to benefit
him in any way
but because it is
in his nature
to do so.
And throughout
the Old Testament,
because God shows
his kindness
to his people,
he expects his people
to show the same
kindness toward each other.
In 2 Samuel 9,
David says,
is there not still
someone of the house
of Saul
that I may show
the kindness
of God to him?
In Micah 6, 8,
this is what the Lord
requires of you
to do justice
and to love kindness
and to walk humbly
with God.
In Hosea chapter 4,
God is angry
with Israel
because there is
no faithfulness
or kindness
or knowledge
of God
in the land.
This key word,
this key word
kindness occurs
exactly three times
in the book of Ruth.
We saw it last week
in chapter 1
and 1, 8,
when Naomi tells
her daughter-in-law,
may the Lord
deal kindly with you
as you have dealt
with the dead
and with me.
Naomi is linking
God's character
with good character.
Ruth has sacrificed
her future for Naomi.
That's something
that God would do
because God
is sacrificial
and kindness
comes from Ruth
ultimately
because God
is kind.
And the second time
we see this word
kindness
is here in this chapter
in 2.20
when Naomi says,
may Boaz
be blessed
by the Lord
whose kindness
has not forsaken
the living
or the dead.
What does Naomi mean
when she says
that God
has shown
his kindness
to them?
Well,
first of all,
one of the things
that's obviously
going in this story
is God's providence.
In 1.6,
Naomi hears
that God
has sent food
to his people.
In 1.22,
Naomi and Ruth
happen to arrive
just at the beginning
of the barley harvest.
Well,
that's very fortunate.
If they had arrived
any earlier,
they would have starved.
And if they had arrived
any later,
they would have missed
their chance to glean.
In 2.3,
Ruth just so
happened
to come to the part
of the field
belonging to Boaz.
She didn't even realize
that she was coming
to the one person
who would be willing
to help her.
She's gleaning
and kind of working
through the field
and all of a sudden
here's this guy
being nice to her.
And it isn't until
she gets home later
that evening
that she finds out
that he is
from her father-in-law's
family.
Boaz was just
the right man
for Ruth to meet.
If he had been kind
but not a kinsman,
he could not have
helped her long term
as we'll see.
But if he had been
a kinsman
but not kind,
then what good
would that have done?
The second way
that God has shown
his kindness
to Ruth
is not just
through his
prevailing providence
but through Boaz.
When Boaz
accepted Ruth
and protected her
and gave her food,
Naomi interprets
that as the kindness
of God.
And through Boaz,
God was kind
to Ruth
and kind to Naomi
and to their dead
husbands too.
God has not
forsaken them
after all.
The Lord has been
working behind the scenes
in his providence
in invisible ways
but he has been
also working
in very visible
and physical ways
through Boaz.
And Boaz
recognizes that
as well.
He does this
intentionally.
He takes it seriously
because in 2.12
he says to Ruth,
may you be rewarded
by God
under whose wings
you have come
to take refuge.
God does not
have physical wings
that Ruth
could come
to hide under.
But he has Boaz.
Those
are his boots
on the ground
to care for Ruth
on his behalf.
So here I think
is the main point
of Ruth 2.
And we're just
taking snippets
of the book
as we work
toward the conclusion
in chapter 3 and 4
but here I think
is the contribution
of this chapter.
God's people
provide for the needy
because God
cares for the needy.
His values
are reflected
in the actions
of Boaz
and like a mirror
Boaz's actions
tell us something
about God.
It's trickle down
kindness.
This isn't
survival of the fittest.
The only explanation
for Boaz
to act
against his own
self-interest
to care for someone
beside himself
to act this way
toward Ruth
is that his values
have been shaped
by God.
God cares
for the needy
and he wants us
to care for them
as well.
And we see this
throughout the Old Testament.
In the book of Exodus
it says
you shall not
pervert the justice
due the poor.
And it says
in the seventh day
leave your land
fallow
so that the poor
can eat from it.
In the book of Leviticus
it says
you should not
take advantage
of the poor
and turn them
into slaves.
In the book
of Deuteronomy
it says
if any of your
brothers become poor
you shall not
harden your heart
or shut your hand
against your poor brother.
And it says
you shall open
wide your hand
to your brother
to the needy
and to the poor
in your land.
And it says
you shall not
oppress a hired worker
who is poor
and needy.
Why?
Because
you shall remember
that you were a slave
in the land of Egypt
therefore
I command you
to do this.
What about
in the New Testament?
In James
chapter 1
27
it says
worship
that is pure
and undefiled
before God
the Father
is this
to visit orphans
and widows
in their affliction.
And in chapter 2
James says
if a brother
or sister
is poorly clothed
and lacking
in daily food
and one of you
says to them
go in peace
be warmed
and filled
without giving them
the things needed
for the body
what good is that?
God cares
for the vulnerable
he cares
for those
who have
no resources
without friends
without the ability
to fend for themselves
and because
Boaz
follows God
Boaz cares
about those things too.
we are faced
with a constant
temptation
to come up
with excuses
for ourselves
from caring
for those
in need.
I mean
you know
that's what the
liberal mainline
church over there
does.
you know
they have the
wrong priorities
but we're
interested in
the gospel.
Or you know
what the
politicians are
there to take
care of that
kind of thing
or you know
what those
people
they would
make better
choices.
But you know
Boaz
he could have
done this
he had clear
biblical guidelines
on how he
should have
helped Ruth
he had clear
guidelines from
scripture
he should have
let her glean
at the edge
of the field
and if he
had done that
he could have
gone home
that night
with a clear
conscience.
He could have
said to his
friends
you know what
there was a
poor widow
there today
and I let
her glean
in my field
and they
said well
done Boaz
you did
exactly what
the Bible
said you
should do.
But he
went way
beyond that
he spoke
kindly to her
he gave her
food and water
he protected
her
he included
her
he accepted
her
and he made
her work
in the field
incredibly
successful.
we have
the opportunity
here
in this body
to be a
community of
kindness
toward each
other
where we
accept
and care
for each
other
especially
those
among us
who are
vulnerable
and then
that kindness
that we
show
just sort
of
it just
sort of
spills
out of
here
into the
community
around us
it just
can't help
it
there's
too much
it spills
out of our
church
into the
community
around
and we
act like
Boaz
and more
importantly
than that
we act
like God
we get
to know
each other
and our
neighbors
do you remember
when Boaz
looked around
the field
and he said
who's that
he didn't
recognize Ruth
so he asked
about her
this is an
example to us
to have
sensitive
antenna up
to look for
people who
are struggling
and might
need our
help
to figure
out what
they need
to treat
them with
dignity
to do
what we
can to
protect
them
to include
them in
our group
although that
may cost
us something
to give
them some
place to
belong
and to
share what
we have
with them
we don't
do these
things because
we feel
guilty
because of
some sort
of political
reason
we do
them because
we are the
people of
God
and we have
been shaped
by his
values
God's
people provide
for the
needy
because God
cares for
the needy
we are getting
to know
God in the
book of
Ruth
he shows
kindness to
his people
so his
people show
kindness to
each other
God cares
for the
needy and
the vulnerable
he cares
especially
for the
needy and
the vulnerable
if God
is caring
for Ruth
and Naomi
then maybe
things aren't
so bleak
for them
after all
but he's
not done
yet
and next
week when we
look at chapter
three and
four that we'll
see that he
is also a
redeeming God
does it matter
in chapter
one if God
is sacrificial
that he
sacrifices
himself
to take care
of other
people
does it matter
in chapter
two if God
looks and
finds needy
people who
have no
other recourse
and no way
to provide
for themselves
and he says
I will provide
for you
it does
matter
it does
matter
if God
is that
way
that's
the kind
of God
we serve
so as we
look at
Ruth
three and
four next
week
we'll
conclude
with God
as a
redeeming
God
let's
pray
father
we're
grateful
that you
have
revealed
yourself
to us
we could
have
been
left
to look
at the
natural
world
around
us
and guess
what you
were
like
we
thank you
that you
revealed
yourself
to us
as a
good
kind
God
who
loves
us
we
pray for
the needy
and the
vulnerable
in our
church
today
who you
love
and care
for
we pray
that you
would give
them hope
we pray
that you
would provide
for their
needs
we pray
that you
would
comfort
them
in their
affliction
we pray
that you
would give
them
their
daily
bread
and we
pray that
you would
do that
through us
it is
not
easy
for us
to act
like
Boaz
what is
easy
Lord
is for
us
to do
the
bare
minimum
and to
make
excuses
and so
we pray
that by
the power
of your
spirit
we would
be more
than our
basest
instincts
that we
would be
shaped as
your
people
that we
would be
so informed
by your
values
and what
you care
about
that we
act in
radically
different
ways
than the
people
around us
in this
world
we want
to be
like you
and we
want to
love what
you love
and hate
what you
hate
and we
pray that
you would
give us
the strength
to act
beyond our
own selfish
impulses
and to
be a
people
who
reflect
your
good
and
gracious
character
we
worship
you
this
morning
and we
pray for
your help
in Jesus
name
amen