WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:04.440 Well, good evening everybody and thank you for having me here at Brunsfield this evening. 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:05.919 It's a pleasure to be with you. 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:08.839 Just a word of prayer before we turn to the Word of God. 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:09.320 Let's pray. 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.740 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege we have of being in a country where we can 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:20.679 open your words and read it publicly and we can learn from it without fear of persecution. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:25.179 We pray that we would never take this for granted, but that this evening we would hear 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:29.620 your words, that we would listen to it, and that we would allow your words to change our 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:29.980 hearts. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:36.200 That we would be transformed and become more like Christ with every day of our lives. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:38.259 We ask this in Jesus' name. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:39.079 Amen. 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:45.380 I wonder how many of us here this evening have seen the series called Sherlock. 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:49.600 So Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch. 00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:52.519 If you haven't yet, I highly recommend it. 00:00:52.519 --> 00:00:56.679 Don't tell me anything about series two because I haven't seen it yet and I won't tell you 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:58.760 anything about series one if you haven't seen it yet. 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:05.659 But one of the main features of the whole series of this Sherlock Holmes is that it's 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:09.019 full of events which appear to be coincidences. 00:01:09.019 --> 00:01:16.119 Each episode is full of a sequence of events which appear to have absolutely nothing to do with each 00:01:16.119 --> 00:01:16.319 other. 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:26.419 But at some point down the line, either when you get to the end of an episode or the end of a season, you can look back and you can see how everything did have something to do with each other. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:28.579 Everything suddenly falls into place. 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:30.179 It makes sense. 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:34.500 And you understand how the famous Sherlock Holmes solves his crimes. 00:01:35.739 --> 00:01:41.079 Well, the book of Ruth that we're going to look at this evening is pretty similar to a Sherlock Holmes episode. 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:43.819 I doubt you've ever heard that said before. 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:49.140 Particularly chapters one and two because they're full of events which seem ordinary. 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:50.840 They seem to be consequences. 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:52.519 They seem to be coincidences. 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:56.319 But in hindsight, we can see that they're not coincidences. 00:01:57.039 --> 00:01:59.640 This evening we'll look at Ruth chapter 2. 00:01:59.759 --> 00:02:04.920 But before we do that, let's just have a brief look at the context because it is relevant to chapter 2. 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.819 And we'll look also at the main theme of the book of Ruth. 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:12.900 So I think the main theme of the book of Ruth can be summed up like this. 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:18.980 God is working out his salvation plan and he is making the way for his king. 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:24.879 So God is working out his salvation plan and he is making the way for his king. 00:02:26.200 --> 00:02:31.659 So let's look at the context and hopefully you'll be able to see why I say that is the main theme of the book of Ruth. 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:36.620 If you turn to Ruth, it's on page 267 of the Pew Bibles. 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:49.099 And if you look at chapter 1, verse 1, you'll see that the events described in the book of Ruth take place during the period of history of Israel known as the time of the Judges. 00:02:49.640 --> 00:02:56.219 If you're familiar with the Bible, you'll know that the book of Judges was a time period in Israel that was terrible. 00:02:57.040 --> 00:03:01.620 It was a time that was full of war, of famine and idolatry. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:05.360 Over three centuries of it, so it was a long, terrible time. 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:12.319 And the strap line of the book of Judges is in chapter 21, verse 25. 00:03:12.700 --> 00:03:14.659 If you just look over the page, you'll see it there. 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:18.520 It says, in those days, Israel had no king. 00:03:19.140 --> 00:03:21.620 Everyone did as he saw fit. 00:03:23.040 --> 00:03:28.080 Now you don't have to think very long to realize just how terrible that would be for a nation. 00:03:28.819 --> 00:03:30.500 The people, they had no leader. 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:39.740 They had no authoritative voice who could lead them and no authoritative voice to lead them to live according to the word and law of the Lord their God. 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:45.580 Throughout the book of Judges, the author reminds the reader again and again, Israel has no king. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.199 And it just goes to show how much Israel needed a king. 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:50.939 But more importantly, they needed God's king. 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:54.719 They needed the man that God would put on the throne. 00:03:55.259 --> 00:03:57.520 So the book of Judges shows that Israel needs a king. 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:02.840 And the book of Ruth shows how God was making the way for his king. 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.199 We see that right at the very end of Ruth in chapter 4. 00:04:07.379 --> 00:04:08.939 Because it ends with a genealogy. 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.379 But not the genealogy of a random person. 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:15.539 It ends with the genealogy of King David. 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:18.159 God's greatest king of the Old Testament. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:26.200 So this story leads us to consider how God was paving the way for his king to his chosen people. 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:33.160 This short narrative is a book ended with Israel's... 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:37.160 This short narrative is bookended with a need of Israel's... 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:40.660 That shows the need Israel had for a king. 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:43.240 Judges shows they needed a king. 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:48.860 After that, the book of 1 Samuel shows that the search was beginning as they were looking for God's king. 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:54.240 So when we look at the context of the book of Ruth, its position within the pages of the Bible, 00:04:54.460 --> 00:04:57.100 and the story that unfolds within this short narrative, 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:59.400 it's obvious about... 00:04:59.400 --> 00:05:02.600 It's obviously about how God was bringing about his king. 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:04.819 How God was paving the way for his king. 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:07.579 And how he was caring for his people in the process. 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:12.500 So the main point of the book of Ruth ultimately isn't to tell the story of Ruth. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:17.459 How she went from being a Gentile, meaning a non-Jew, to then being a child of God. 00:05:18.359 --> 00:05:22.719 Ultimately, it isn't about Naomi and how God showed kindness and his covenant love 00:05:22.719 --> 00:05:26.500 with a woman who became bitter because of everything that had happened in her life. 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:30.579 It also isn't about Boaz, who would eventually... 00:05:31.659 --> 00:05:32.939 Spoiler alert, I'm sorry. 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:34.339 But he will save the day. 00:05:34.339 --> 00:05:40.599 So let's read chapter 2 together and let's see what this chapter can tell us about God 00:05:40.599 --> 00:05:43.779 and about his amazing words, works. 00:05:45.039 --> 00:05:46.219 Ruth chapter 2. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:51.339 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side from the clan of Elimelech, 00:05:51.859 --> 00:05:54.239 a man of standing whose name was Boaz. 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:57.139 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:02.699 Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:05.199 Naomi said to her, Go ahead, my daughter. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.699 So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:15.120 As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:17.060 who was from the clan of Elimelech. 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:21.620 Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:23.000 The Lord be with you. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.060 The Lord bless you, they called back. 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:29.539 Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:31.100 Whose young woman is that? 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:33.000 The foreman replied, 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.840 She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:40.460 She said, Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters. 00:06:40.840 --> 00:06:45.060 She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:47.160 except for a short rest in the shelter. 00:06:48.780 --> 00:06:49.920 So Boaz said to Ruth, 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:51.379 My daughter, listen to me. 00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:55.000 Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:56.780 Stay here with my servant girls. 00:06:57.259 --> 00:07:00.920 Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the girls. 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:03.240 I've told the men not to touch you. 00:07:04.080 --> 00:07:07.700 And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled. 00:07:08.840 --> 00:07:11.120 But this she bowed with her face to the ground. 00:07:11.700 --> 00:07:12.340 She exclaimed, 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:19.159 And Boaz replies, 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:23.799 I've been told all about what you've done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:29.620 And you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 00:07:30.359 --> 00:07:32.879 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:39.419 May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:43.800 May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my Lord, she said. 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:48.620 You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant, 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.379 though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls. 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:53.900 At mealtime, Boaz said to her, 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:57.420 Come over here, have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:02.920 When she sat down with the harvester, he offered her some roasted grain. 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:06.580 She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:10.180 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.599 Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do not embarrass her. 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:20.839 Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up. 00:08:21.099 --> 00:08:22.339 And don't rebuke her. 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:25.979 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:29.459 Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:31.599 and it amounted to about an ephah. 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.860 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:42.139 Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:44.060 Her mother-in-law asked her, 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:45.399 Where did you glean today? 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:46.440 Where did you work? 00:08:46.560 --> 00:08:48.560 Blessed be the man who took notice of you. 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:53.500 Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:58.340 The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz, she said. 00:08:58.680 --> 00:09:01.879 The Lord bless him, Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:06.659 He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:08.220 She added, 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:09.600 That man is our close relative. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:11.860 He is one of our kinsmen redeemers. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:14.539 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:15.879 He even said to me, 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.620 Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain. 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:22.960 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:29.080 It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with his girls, because in someone else's field you might be harmed. 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:36.240 So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley harvest and wheat harvest were finished. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:38.940 And she lived with her mother-in-law. 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:49.399 The first thing I think we can see from this passage is the providential purposes of God. 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.060 The providential purpose of God. 00:09:52.680 --> 00:09:56.080 As we look at the end of chapter one, we see a terrible situation. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:59.759 Naomi feels bitter as she returned to Bethlehem. 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:05.100 She feels the pain of loss because her husband and two sons had died in Moab. 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:10.620 And looking at her current situation as a widow in a land that would have made her an outsider, 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:13.860 the future was not looking great for her. 00:10:14.899 --> 00:10:17.639 But chapter one ends with a small description. 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:21.840 Ruth and Naomi arrived at Bethlehem during the barley harvest. 00:10:22.540 --> 00:10:25.139 Now that might seem like an insignificant remark, 00:10:25.500 --> 00:10:28.720 but it is of great importance to the whole book of Ruth. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:35.279 And it is the one of many apparent coincidences that takes place in these first two chapters. 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:40.500 So I think that God is orchestrating events to bring about his chosen king. 00:10:41.180 --> 00:10:45.420 God can use the most terrible of circumstances to do that. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:46.840 And we see that in chapter one. 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:52.120 God uses these terrible circumstances to bring Naomi back to Bethlehem. 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:55.440 Even though Ruth was a Moabitess and not a Jew, 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:59.759 it appears that Malon, Ruth's husband who died in Moab, 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:01.940 had married a godly woman. 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:05.360 Maybe she became a believer of God during their marriage. 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:05.980 We don't know. 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:11.240 But her faith is seen in the fact that she willingly goes back to Bethlehem with Naomi. 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:14.580 All of these things are not coincidences. 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:19.400 But they are events that God is orchestrating to bring about his purposes. 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:23.879 He is using terrible events to bring about the good of his children. 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.500 This harvest time was important, especially for Ruth and Naomi, 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:33.700 because of certain laws that were in place about how the people of Israel were to tend to their fields. 00:11:34.660 --> 00:11:38.280 One particular law in Leviticus 23 is very helpful. 00:11:38.660 --> 00:11:43.300 And it's helpful for us to know this law as we look at the chapter together. 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:45.339 So Leviticus, let me read it. 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:47.719 Leviticus 23, verse 22. 00:11:48.819 --> 00:11:52.899 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:56.039 or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:00.079 Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. 00:12:00.459 --> 00:12:02.039 I am the Lord your God. 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:05.879 Do you see why this would be significant for Naomi and Ruth? 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:08.179 They were both widows. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:11.620 Both sat on the fringes of society. 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:13.940 But both were poor. 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:17.139 But Ruth was even more of an outsider because she was a foreigner. 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:19.139 She was a Moabite test. 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:23.220 But God in his providence had made a way for them both to get food. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:28.060 When farmers went to harvest, they weren't allowed to go over their field a second time. 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:33.120 They had to leave little bits for the poor or for the foreigners among them. 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:36.879 So Naomi and Ruth were able to survive for the time being. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:42.120 But the question still remained, how would they survive after the barley harvest was over? 00:12:42.439 --> 00:12:45.399 How would they make ends meet until the next barley harvest? 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:51.460 And this is where we can look and see a number of coincidences that all point to the truth 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:55.799 that God is orchestrating events to bring about his will and to bring about his king. 00:12:55.799 --> 00:13:00.539 The author helps us to see this by the way that they write. 00:13:01.319 --> 00:13:06.819 You might have noticed as we read over the passage, they write with a sense of irony sometimes. 00:13:07.699 --> 00:13:09.539 And the coincidences go like this. 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:11.799 Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem. 00:13:11.979 --> 00:13:13.719 They arrive during the barley harvest. 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:16.379 Ruth goes to glean and verse 3 says, 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:37.100 So that's too many coincidences in just a few verses. 00:13:38.439 --> 00:13:43.220 And the way the author explains them shows that he's trying to bring out the main theme of the book. 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:45.980 It looks more like somebody's orchestrating these events. 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:50.559 All of these events are signs that God is working behind the scenes. 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:55.580 Any good author will tell you that if you write a book, 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:59.539 you need to build up the story before you give away too many details. 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:04.720 You need to build up suspense, build up some kind of tension between characters, 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:09.379 and then only at the very end reveal the solution to that tension. 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:14.139 And then as you do that, you watch the puzzle pieces fall into place. 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:16.740 And people suddenly understand. 00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:22.059 With every single detail you write, make the reader want to read it more and more. 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:24.220 And that is how you grab an audience. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:26.679 And that is exactly what the author Ruth does. 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:30.399 In Ruth chapter 2 verse 1, we're introduced to Boaz, 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:35.120 a man of the clan of Elimelech, a close relative of Naomi and her family. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:40.639 The only other detail that we're given about Boaz at the moment is that he is a man of standing. 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:45.519 The phrase man of standing sometimes translated as a worthy man. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:51.440 The original word for upstanding or worthy means mighty or strong. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:55.200 Elsewhere in the Bible, it refers to somebody's military might. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:15:00.860 But for Boaz, who isn't a warrior, but he's a farmer, it shows that he is a man of character. 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:05.900 So suddenly in this bleak situation where there appears to be very little hope, 00:15:06.420 --> 00:15:07.840 God's providence is evident. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:14.080 In this bitter situation where Naomi's life of pain brings bitterness, 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:19.480 and where Ruth's apparent misfortune makes her glean in the fields of strangers, 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:22.680 in this bleak situation we can see hope. 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:28.579 In hindsight, we can see how God was in control and how he was making way for his king. 00:15:29.319 --> 00:15:32.179 In hindsight, Ruth and Naomi would have been able to see 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:35.579 how all of these things were working out for their own good. 00:15:36.819 --> 00:15:40.159 God was orchestrating events to fulfill his purposes, 00:15:40.699 --> 00:15:42.639 and the truth is that that hasn't stopped. 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:44.479 That still happens today. 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:50.459 In the narrative of Ruth and Naomi, God was working to make the way for his king. 00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:53.780 And we see that because Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.980 She's come all the way from Moab, but now she lives in Israel. 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:01.300 She lives in God's land with God's people. 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:04.860 The genealogy of chapter 4 helps us with this, 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:10.180 because all of these events paved the way for God's chosen king of the Old Testament, King David. 00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:12.779 But even more importantly, 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:17.439 if you look at Matthew chapter 1 and the huge genealogy that is there, 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.679 we can see that Ruth is also mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 00:16:23.839 --> 00:16:28.359 This little story of Ruth in one of the bleakest times of Israel's history 00:16:28.359 --> 00:16:32.639 is one link in the chain that points to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:38.799 This story is of great significance, not only because Ruth is the ancestor of King David, 00:16:38.980 --> 00:16:43.740 but also the ancestor of Jesus Christ, God's true king, who reigns today. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:49.120 This story is of great significance for the whole storyline of the Bible, 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:53.139 starting with Genesis chapter 3, where a Saviour is promised, 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:57.759 and then all the way through to the Gospels, where Jesus Christ is born. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:04.480 The book of Ruth is one link in that very, very long chain connecting these two events. 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:07.279 So you might ask the question, 00:17:07.379 --> 00:17:12.500 how do we know that God was really in control and making the way for his king? 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.619 Well, we know it's true because that is exactly what happened. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:18.980 Jesus Christ was born. 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:22.660 What strikes you about these events? 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:26.599 The people involved in this story are ordinary. 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:30.179 They're ordinary, normal people just like you and me. 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:33.299 So then the question is, what about now? 00:17:34.219 --> 00:17:36.099 Does this same principle affect us? 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:41.959 Well, now the King Jesus has come, but his kingdom has not yet fully come. 00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:48.319 This story encourages us on the big scale that God is still working out his purposes 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.399 through all kinds of events and all kinds of people, 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:53.899 possibly even you and me. 00:17:53.899 --> 00:17:54.740 We don't know. 00:17:54.740 --> 00:18:00.620 In the book of Ruth, God uses people's obedience to further his purposes, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:02.960 and he could use our obedience as well. 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:06.220 This gives us confidence in God. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.599 This says that the principle is true. 00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:11.680 In all different things that happen in our lives, 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:14.380 God is no less in control of that 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:18.079 than he is in control of the grand scheme of salvation 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.899 that plays out in the pages of the Bible. 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:25.539 And that is what Paul talks about in Romans 8, 28, where he says, 00:18:25.659 --> 00:18:27.259 And we know that in all things, 00:18:27.659 --> 00:18:30.460 God works for the good of those who love him, 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.039 who have been called according to his purpose. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:38.899 We might not see it now, but God works for the good of those who love him, 00:18:39.899 --> 00:18:44.139 those who have been called according to his purpose. 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:47.820 Has life made you bitter? 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:55.400 Has a situation maybe caused you to doubt God? 00:18:56.360 --> 00:18:57.800 Take this as an example. 00:18:58.600 --> 00:19:00.380 Even if it doesn't seem like it, 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:04.160 even if the situation is painful and you're torn apart inside, 00:19:04.360 --> 00:19:07.700 even if you cry out to God day in and day out asking why, 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:10.160 God has not left you. 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:13.299 God promises never to forsake his people, 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:16.059 but that he will work all things for their good. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:22.059 This doesn't necessarily take away the pain that we feel in day-to-day life. 00:19:22.600 --> 00:19:25.279 It didn't take away Naomi's pain of loss, 00:19:25.420 --> 00:19:28.220 but it does encourage us and help us through the day. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.799 God is our strength and he is our comforter, 00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:35.140 and only with his help can we make it through each day, 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:38.700 because by his providence he is working out his purposes, 00:19:39.360 --> 00:19:41.480 even if we don't know what they are just yet. 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:45.400 So the providential purpose of God. 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:51.259 The second thing that this chapter shows us is the provision for God's people. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:53.580 The provision for God's people. 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:58.160 We've already seen how Boaz is described as a man of standing, 00:19:58.540 --> 00:20:00.640 or a worthy man, meaning strong and mighty. 00:20:01.360 --> 00:20:03.900 Boaz is described as a great man because of his character. 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:08.500 If you look at verse 4, you can see his character right there. 00:20:09.360 --> 00:20:12.560 He shows up to work, and the first thing he says is not, 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:14.960 how are you guys doing? You need to work a bit faster. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.700 The first thing he says is, the Lord be with you. 00:20:20.020 --> 00:20:21.120 Boaz is a godly man. 00:20:22.560 --> 00:20:25.920 Boaz then asks his foreman, the man in charge, who Ruth is. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:30.300 The foreman explains that she's the Moabites who came to Bethlehem with Naomi. 00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:34.339 She asked to glean, was given permission, and she hasn't stopped since. 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:37.399 Except for a short break in the shade. 00:20:38.419 --> 00:20:41.200 So it appears that Ruth is also a person of great character. 00:20:41.339 --> 00:20:44.180 She's a worker, and Boaz is pretty impressed. 00:20:45.259 --> 00:20:49.700 In verse 8 and 9, Boaz tells Ruth not to glean in anyone else's fields, 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:52.599 but he also goes a step further. 00:20:53.339 --> 00:20:56.680 He tells her that she's allowed to drink from Boaz's men's water. 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:01.600 Boaz is treating Ruth as one of his own workers, one of his own household. 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:05.360 But Boaz's kindness doesn't stop there. 00:21:06.100 --> 00:21:09.620 He then invited her to eat with him and his workers at mealtime. 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:12.640 Verse 14 says that she ate all she wanted. 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:15.539 She stood up when she was full to go back to work. 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:19.820 And as soon as she's out of earshot, as soon as she's a little further away, 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:24.360 Boaz tells his men, not only that they should let her gather among the sheaves, 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:30.099 not only that they should continue to let her gather until the harvest is over, 00:21:30.699 --> 00:21:35.359 but that they should pull out some of the stalks from the bundles and let her glean, 00:21:35.879 --> 00:21:37.119 and they shouldn't rebuke her. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.419 She is being shown a kindness that is beyond expectation. 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:42.859 It's beyond words. 00:21:43.439 --> 00:21:46.500 And we see how she reacts to Boaz in verse 10. 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:55.160 Ruth is saying, 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:55.819 Why me? 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:57.720 Why am I a foreigner? 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.839 I'm more by test being shown such kindness. 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:06.900 She probably sat out that morning from the house thinking that she was going to glean in anybody's field, 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.140 just on the fringes, 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:13.500 just on the edges to scrape enough food to feed her and her mother-in-law that day. 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:18.420 She never anticipated to be met with such kindness and compassion. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:24.759 In the year 2000, a movie called Paying It Forward came out. 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.460 I'm not sure if many of you remember it. 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:30.700 I was shocked on Friday night when the youth told me that they felt old because they remembered the movie. 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:34.599 Paying It Forward, and the idea that is behind the movie, 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:37.799 is that one person shows great kindness to three people, 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:41.599 and then those three people take it to another three people, and another three people. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:46.579 And in one of the scenes where a man is paying it forward, 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:51.019 he stops in his brand new shiny silver Jaguar, 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:52.839 stops at the scene of a car crash, 00:22:53.459 --> 00:22:56.839 and as the young man gets out, looks at the car, sees it's wrecked, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.699 this billionaire just hands over the keys to his Jaguar and says, 00:23:02.159 --> 00:23:03.939 Now go pay this forward to three people. 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:08.299 So this act of kindness was beyond expectations. 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:11.940 This man had given him a brand new car for a heap of junk. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:17.080 And that is exactly how Boaz is treating Ruth, far beyond any expectations. 00:23:18.340 --> 00:23:22.620 In amazement, Ruth asks Boaz why he's treating her like this. 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:24.759 And in verse 11, he tells her. 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:27.420 In verse 11, he says, 00:23:27.420 --> 00:23:41.500 He's heard how Ruth stuck by her mother-in-law, 00:23:41.620 --> 00:23:42.800 even though she didn't have to, 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:46.440 and even though it might have seemed wiser to return home, 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:50.380 to find a new husband, to live in the life that she'd always lived. 00:23:51.100 --> 00:23:53.140 But instead, she's stuck by Naomi. 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:57.380 She was caring for her even now as she was in the field gleaning. 00:23:58.200 --> 00:23:59.600 Ruth is a woman of character. 00:24:00.620 --> 00:24:01.820 And then in verse 12, 00:24:02.300 --> 00:24:06.259 Boaz pronounces a short benediction or blessing on Naomi. 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:07.500 He says, 00:24:07.620 --> 00:24:09.580 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:13.320 May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:16.400 under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 00:24:18.040 --> 00:24:19.740 Do you see what Boaz is saying? 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:22.740 Ruth has come under the wings of God. 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:25.700 She has placed her hope and her trust in God. 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:29.640 She's put her entire future in the hands of God. 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:32.759 In the words of Psalm 91, 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:36.200 Ruth has come to dwell in the shelter of the Most High. 00:24:37.180 --> 00:24:39.720 She has called God her refuge and fortress, 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:41.980 and the God in whom she trusts. 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:47.339 Boaz is saying that Ruth is like the young of an eagle, 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:48.859 under the protection of God, 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:51.519 who is like an eagle protecting its young. 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:57.620 A quick Google will show you a video of a bold eagle sitting on its wings. 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:02.180 And they will do that regardless of what happens around them. 00:25:02.620 --> 00:25:05.759 There's footage online of an eagle who's sheltering her wings like that, 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:08.620 and she's covered in about four or five inches of snow. 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:13.039 The only thing that you can see popping out of the snow is a head and a yellow beak. 00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:17.899 The bird was freezing, was close to starvation, 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:23.239 but the eagle will never, ever stop protecting its young. 00:25:23.939 --> 00:25:27.699 Even after the eggs hatch, the eagle will never stop protecting its young. 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:31.840 It's said to be one of the closest bonds within the animal kingdom. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:39.660 And this is the illustration that Boaz uses to show God's provision and protection for his people. 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:46.759 God's protection and provision for his people is never, ever ending. 00:25:47.320 --> 00:25:48.240 It doesn't waver. 00:25:50.040 --> 00:25:52.620 Boaz sees that Ruth has come under God's wings, 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:56.060 and he has decided not only to speak a blessing to her, 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:58.940 but he has decided to be a blessing to her. 00:26:00.040 --> 00:26:02.980 He is the means by which God is providing for Ruth, 00:26:03.060 --> 00:26:04.759 and not only to the amount that is sufficient, 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:08.000 not to the amount where she just has enough to scrape by, 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:11.279 but Ruth is going to be blessed in an abundance, 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:13.779 far beyond what she needs. 00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:17.920 Verse 17 tells us how much she had gleaned that day, 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:22.660 an ephah, approximately 22 kilograms of barley, 00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:26.819 so much that she can hardly carry it home to Bethlehem. 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:33.759 The interesting thing to notice here is Boaz's attitude towards the law of God. 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:37.640 He doesn't see the law of God as a burden. 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:43.619 He doesn't think of the law as something that he needs to obey to find favor in God's sight. 00:26:44.359 --> 00:26:46.480 He doesn't look at the law with a divided heart, 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:48.440 thinking, should I or shouldn't I do this? 00:26:48.879 --> 00:26:52.759 But he sees the law of God as a way of glorifying God. 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:55.079 He doesn't just obey the law. 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:58.240 He doesn't just allow Ruth to glean because he has to. 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:02.119 But he goes above and beyond what the law demands. 00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:04.579 He goes above and beyond. 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:08.619 He sees his position as a way of glorifying God Almighty. 00:27:10.479 --> 00:27:15.579 It would be great if we were that enthusiastic about serving God with our lives. 00:27:16.219 --> 00:27:21.659 If we viewed everything we have and everything we do as an opportunity to glorify God, 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:23.879 it would change the way we view God. 00:27:24.219 --> 00:27:28.719 And I think it could also change the way that those around us view God. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:35.160 This attitude towards God and the resources that he has given us could change our lives. 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:40.100 They could make our lives more of a witness to the grace and provision of God. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:46.220 If we serve him and if we worship him with everything and in everything that we do. 00:27:46.220 --> 00:27:52.180 Ruth staggers home under the weight of her reward for a day's labor. 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:55.600 And she is greeted with the amazement of her mother-in-law. 00:27:56.140 --> 00:28:01.180 You can imagine the ear-to-ear grin on Naomi's face as she sees Ruth struggling down the road. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.259 The reward was far beyond Ruth's expectations for that day. 00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:08.819 And it was contrary to Naomi's experience of bitterness. 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:13.000 God had provided far more than they needed. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:16.579 But we need to keep in mind Ruth's situation. 00:28:16.919 --> 00:28:17.720 Her life was bitter. 00:28:17.879 --> 00:28:18.759 She was pained. 00:28:19.099 --> 00:28:19.879 She was mourning. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:24.200 Almost destroyed, understandably, by terrible things that had happened. 00:28:25.679 --> 00:28:31.619 She is completely unprepared for the kindness that has been shown to the both of them through Boaz. 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:36.639 Ruth explains that she gleaned in Boaz's field. 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:40.460 And as Naomi hears this, you can kind of imagine a light bulb moment. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:44.560 She hears Boaz's name and then starts thinking about the future. 00:28:45.640 --> 00:28:47.680 Suddenly, things are looking a bit better. 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:51.340 Suddenly, there might actually be a chance of survival. 00:28:52.560 --> 00:28:54.520 And then she says in verse 20, 00:28:56.080 --> 00:28:57.100 The Lord bless him. 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:01.759 He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead. 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:10.059 Do you notice the difference between what Naomi has just said and what we last heard her say in chapter 1? 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:15.559 The last words of Naomi were in chapter 1, verses 20 and 21, where she said, 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:43.759 Suddenly, Naomi has gone from God has brought misfortune upon me to the kindness of the Lord has not forsaken the living or the dead. 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:48.720 Naomi is seeing the hand of God at work. 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:52.559 She sees kindness in place of misfortune. 00:29:53.460 --> 00:29:56.640 And then she states that Boaz is one of their kinsmen redeemers. 00:29:57.259 --> 00:30:01.920 This is an Old Testament practice that Israel was to abide by, known as leveret marriage. 00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:08.080 You can read about it in Deuteronomy 25, verses 5 to 6, but I'll just summarize what it is for us. 00:30:08.800 --> 00:30:14.800 The law states that if a man dies before he has a male child with his wife, 00:30:14.980 --> 00:30:17.680 then the brother of the deceased was to marry his sister-in-law. 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:23.600 And the first male child of their marriage was to carry the name of the first husband who had died. 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:29.779 That way the inheritance stayed within the family and the name of the deceased husband wouldn't be forgotten. 00:30:31.139 --> 00:30:34.719 In Ruth's case, her brother-in-law and husband had both died in Moab. 00:30:35.339 --> 00:30:37.139 But Boaz remained. 00:30:38.139 --> 00:30:41.179 And because Boaz was a member of Ruth's deceased husband's clan, 00:30:41.619 --> 00:30:47.679 he could marry her and the first son would carry the name of Ruth's first husband who died in Moab. 00:30:48.639 --> 00:30:52.439 Boaz could prolong the family line of Elimelech. 00:30:52.440 --> 00:30:58.380 That is why Naomi says that God has not stopped showing kindness to the living and to the dead. 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:07.440 Because Boaz could redeem Ruth and by doing so continue the line of her deceased husband. 00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:11.120 Naomi sees that God is working behind the scenes. 00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:13.180 God is providing for his people. 00:31:14.420 --> 00:31:17.220 Naomi sees a whole new future for her daughter-in-law. 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:19.880 One that is filled with kindness. 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:25.160 Naomi tells Ruth to stay and work in Boaz's field and to work with his people. 00:31:25.820 --> 00:31:30.740 And as Naomi's mind is thinking of a possible future between Ruth and Boaz, 00:31:30.840 --> 00:31:32.900 do you see how God has provided for his people? 00:31:34.280 --> 00:31:37.880 All of the things that have happened up until now are not coincidences, 00:31:38.100 --> 00:31:41.060 but they are God orchestrating events to bring about his purposes. 00:31:41.059 --> 00:31:45.720 In chapter 1, Naomi was bitter and saw misfortune, 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:50.339 but now, after all of these events, she sees kindness and blessings from God. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:53.720 Now we can sit here this evening and think, 00:31:53.839 --> 00:31:55.899 well that's a lovely story from thousands of years ago. 00:31:57.480 --> 00:32:01.480 But the truth of the matter is that God still provides for his people today. 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:07.200 I think there are two major ways that we can see God providing for his people today. 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:10.360 And the first is that he provides for our daily needs. 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:15.099 Jesus has this to say about God's provision in Matthew chapter 6. 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:45.079 God provides us. 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:49.079 God provided for Ruth and Naomi in the darkest of times. 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:52.740 I'm sure they had worries about how it would all turn out, 00:32:53.219 --> 00:32:56.899 how they would survive, but God still provided for them. 00:32:58.179 --> 00:33:01.719 In those times when we worry about things, when we are in need, 00:33:02.079 --> 00:33:04.959 we can remember the truth that God provides for his people. 00:33:06.259 --> 00:33:11.000 We can know and be encouraged by the fact that God is always there for us 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:13.459 and his provision continues even today. 00:33:15.099 --> 00:33:18.399 The second major way that God provides for his people, 00:33:18.899 --> 00:33:22.459 very similar to the case of Boaz and Ruth, is far beyond expectation. 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:25.539 It is far beyond what we deserve. 00:33:26.659 --> 00:33:29.240 God has given us an abundance of grace. 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:35.839 He has shown us love and forgiveness through his King, Jesus Christ. 00:33:36.259 --> 00:33:39.559 In God's love for his people, he chose to send his Son, 00:33:40.200 --> 00:33:44.539 his perfect Son, to pay the punishment for the sin that we deserve, 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:47.440 so that we can be reconciled to him. 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:50.740 There is no greater story of grace, 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:54.460 and there is no greater story of undeserved kindness and love 00:33:54.460 --> 00:33:57.279 than the Son of God dying for the sins of the world. 00:33:57.279 --> 00:34:03.660 And the amazing thing is that this is the God we have the privilege of worshipping. 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:08.840 This is the God that we have the privilege of being in a relationship with. 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.639 The same God whose kindness is unrelenting, 00:34:13.219 --> 00:34:15.219 whose love is unfathomable. 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:18.940 The same God who works in all things for the good of his people. 00:34:18.940 --> 00:34:23.599 The same God who saw fit to take away our deepest need, 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:27.099 the forgiveness of our sins by our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:34.519 This story also shows us that this relationship with God is possible for everybody. 00:34:35.780 --> 00:34:38.599 It was even possible for a Moabitess, 00:34:38.740 --> 00:34:42.679 a woman who back then would have had no connection whatsoever with God, 00:34:42.900 --> 00:34:46.559 but by God's providence, she came from Moab to Bethlehem. 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:50.000 And then she became a child of God. 00:34:50.299 --> 00:34:53.719 God in his love and his providence worked out his purposes, 00:34:54.079 --> 00:34:58.500 which led to the birth of Jesus Christ, God's true and reigning king. 00:35:00.279 --> 00:35:02.659 If you're listening to this and you're not a Christian, 00:35:03.299 --> 00:35:06.539 then God's purposes in this world are still being worked out. 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:10.519 And all the time God is drawing people to himself. 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:15.420 If you want to follow the same God who cared for Ruth, 00:35:15.420 --> 00:35:18.019 the same God who provided for Ruth, 00:35:18.099 --> 00:35:21.019 who brought about his purposes through his people 00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:25.300 and who brings refuge to them under his protective wings, 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:27.480 then you need to do what Ruth did. 00:35:28.119 --> 00:35:31.380 You need to make a decision to follow him as your Lord and Savior. 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:36.099 That is the message of the book of Ruth. 00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:39.519 That God is working out his salvation plan 00:35:39.519 --> 00:35:42.239 and that he is making the way for his king. 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:48.199 In Ruth chapter 2, we see the providential purpose of God 00:35:48.199 --> 00:35:50.860 and the provision for God's people. 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:52.980 Let's pray. 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:57.940 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. 00:35:58.880 --> 00:36:01.880 We thank you for the truths that we can read about, 00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:04.500 which give us strength to make it through each day. 00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:09.179 Help us remember your providence in our times of doubt 00:36:09.179 --> 00:36:11.760 and our times of confusion, in our times of need. 00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:16.659 Help us remember your provision when we need it most. 00:36:18.179 --> 00:36:22.139 More importantly, help us come under the shelter of your wings. 00:36:23.780 --> 00:36:27.000 We pray all of this in the mighty and powerful name 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:30.360 of your Son and our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. 00:36:31.079 --> 00:36:31.420 Amen.