In Him is Strength - Ruth 2

A message by Tyler Sanborn on Ruth 2.

South Valley Student Ministry is a ministry of Compass Bible Church South Valley located in Kuna, ID. 

For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, please visit compassbiblesv.org.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

With that, when you're living under the authority of your mom and your dad, and you're thinking, I hear what you're saying, but I know what you want me to do, but I know I'm supposed to do this. However, I'm gonna go and do something else. Now, there's gonna be a certain detail in this chapter that we're really gonna need to focus in on. We're really gonna have to zoom in on this character, this man named Boaz, because he's not like the majority. He is not like those who are doing what is right in their own eyes. He's going to choose to obey and submit to the God of his fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he's gonna call back to the law of Moses, which would instruct him on how to care for those in great need. He is going to be a person who has high character, high integrity, in a way that is seeking to please and honor and obey his God. The God that Ruth has made a vow to follow and obey. Let's continue on. And she said to her, This is Naomi, go, my daughter. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And so she happened to come to a part of the field belonging to Boaz. Hasn't met him yet, doesn't know who Boaz is yet. All she knows is I'm hungry, my mother-in-law is hungry, and we need to eat. I need to get busy. I need to work right now. Because if I don't, there is no one to feed us, there is no one to care for us. There is no one around. Out with the reapers. Now you might be noticing in the valley, if you're if you're driving up and down the streets going north and south here in Cuna, there's fields. There's fields that are turning light tan golden. They're kind of green in the middle in certain parts. There's some grain growing. And the next time I want you're driving around, I want you to notice the machines that will come in when the harvest is right for harvest. And these large machines are going to mechanically, under gas power, cut up all the grain and store it and get it ready to be shipped to where it needs to go. That is not the case here in Ruth chapter 2. People are using hand tools to accomplish this. They're using great might and great strength to do what it takes to gather the harvest. If we remember to the back of chapter 1, the final verse says, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. This was about a two to two and a half month period of time when the fields were ripe. So God, his favor, has brought back the rains that would grow the crops that would feed his people in the land of Canaan, specifically in Bethlehem. So out goes Ruth. Out goes Ruth with, I'm imagining, a smile on her face. I'm imagining with joy in her heart, with determination, with a mind that is fixed on bringing home food. It doesn't matter how it's going to get done, she's out there determined to find it. It's the barley harvest. She's ready to eat. She is hungry. So she set out to glean in the fields after the reapers. Now, gleaning was a process that God instituted for his people. Gleaning is what you would do to come in after the first cut, after the majority of the harvest was gathered. God, in his law, in the book of Leviticus, gave details for his people on how to leave food for those in need, the poor, the powerless, those who are widowed, those who are orphans, that they would be able to come and free of charge, come and take food so that they might not die. Now, you have to think here. Ruth is going to the field that Boaz owns, a man who is of high character. Let's continue to read. Let's continue to read here. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. Family. She doesn't know it yet, but she's entering family territory. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he 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, the four men, the manager on duty, Hey, who's that? That new face over there. Who's that woman? I don't recognize her. He's saying, Whose young woman is this? Who does she belong to? Is she I'm not familiar with her or her husband. Where is where is this woman from? She's a stranger. I don't recognize her. 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 early morning until now, except for a short rest. Naomi is in a position where Ruth is sent out. Go see what work you could find. Ruth, go and find someone that would allow you, that would permit you, who is following the law of Moses and allowing those who would glean to come and gather for themselves. Now this the time of the judges, people were disobeying this command. Not everyone was following this command from the Lord, but Boaz. Boaz is a man of character. He is a man of integrity. He is a man that is honoring the Lord and obeying the law of Moses. He's in charge of workers that would be going into his field to gather the food for him and his family. And he and he treats them well. You see how the servants respond? You see how they respond to Boaz as they greet him? The Lord bless you, they say. The Lord bless you. He's treating his people well. He has a reputation about him that is of high character and high honor. High honor and high character. Not everyone was doing what the Lord had commanded. Not everyone was allowing people to come and glean and gather after the main harvest. It was very likely that people in the first harvest after a long famine were thinking to themselves, I have to take all this for myself because I don't know when God is going to provide for me again like this. They might be acting out of fear and not leaving food for the poor, for the needy, for the fatherless, for those without a husband. No, Boaz is not this person. Boaz is obeying God. He is trusting in God. And we we must look to Boaz and Ruth in the same lens and see Ruth going out faithfully, going out to provide. I'm not abandoning you, Naomi. I'm not abandoning you and your God and your people. I'm staying right here. I'm not gonna go find a quick fix to this. I'm gonna go work hard. And she's been working from the early morning. Some of you guys experienced that this past week. It was early, and you were up at Camp Compass, and you're like, where am I going? Mom, mom had to rip the sheets off of you, and you were off into the fields to glean, to go and serve at Camp Compass, to go and do the dance moves, to go and serve snacks, to go and walk around with youngsters that might not be listening to their leaders. Does that sound familiar? Yeah, from early morning until now with a little break. So maybe you're thinking like, huh, maybe me and Ruth are not too different. Huh. Huh. You should be encouraged. I'm very, very proud of you all that we're serving. Thank you so much. No, but we need to zoom in back into the Ruth 2. Back into Ruth 2. We need to see Ruth's character and Boaz. Both of their characters are of high honor, and they are people who have a great reputation. Let's write this down for point number one. We need to imitate godly character. If you're saying, I'm gonna go and do this, I'm gonna go and do that, go and do it. If you give your parents your word, go and do it. Don't delay. Don't put it off till tomorrow. Don't put up it off till the afternoon. If they ask you to do something and you say, I'll do it, go and do it. If they say, hey, we're gonna go and and uh uh once you get your chores done, we're gonna go out for a treat. We're gonna go out to to the park, we're gonna go do something fun. Are you going to execute the task? Are you gonna complete the task with excellence? Are you gonna work hard at it? I hope you do. I hope you see both Boaz and Ruth and see that their character and their obedience to God and their loyalty to their community, their loyalty to their family is of high character, godly character. The story just keeps getting better and better and better. I can't believe it. Verse 8. Then Boaz, whoo! The interaction. The interaction is about to happen. She doesn't know. Ruth doesn't know who Boaz is, and Boaz, Boaz doesn't know who Ruth is, but they're that's about to change. 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. Not only does Boaz have high character, but he's instructing his servants, those who would be following his orders, to do the same. He is a man that is worthy of respect, worthy of honor, and people are obeying him. His servants, the people that are under him, that are employed by him, are of high character also, and they are treating the people that are in the fields that are gleaning with respect, with great care, with God's love. They're not putting a hand, they're not disrespecting them, they're not abusing them, they're not mistreating them in any way. And Boaz says, I can't guarantee that anywhere else. I can't guarantee that in that field over the hill over there, or that that field beyond those trees over there. You need to stay here because it's safe here. I will ensure that my servants treat you well. That's Boaz. Boaz, a strong man, a man of great strength and character. He is saying, You're safe here, please stay. Stay here and glean. Don't look anywhere else. Keep your eyes fixed right here. There's enough for you right here. You don't need to go off searching for provision anywhere else. What's the response? No. This is this is intense. The food is here. Ruth is reaping. Ruth is is gathering food. She's been at it since early morning. Since she could see the sun creeping up over the hills. And she is she's probably sweaty. She's probably tired. She's probably got some sweat on her brow. And she's thinking, maybe, well, what if the what if the food is is dried up here? What if what if something happens and now I'm forced to go somewhere else? No, she has been treated well, and she is being instructed by the owner of the field, Boaz. He is the landowner. He is saying, Don't look anywhere else. What a provision from God. A handful of verses before this, we in chapter one seeing a great level of uncertainty. We see Naomi and Ruth traveling back from Moab to Bethlehem because they hear the barley harvest is ready. That didn't mean that they were they were promised any food. They just knew that the food was there. They're going back home, back to Naomi's home. But here, but here there is certainty. Here, Boaz is telling them there is safety here, there's food for you here, there is reaping for for you, there's gleaning for you. And Ruth, her response is this she fell on her face. She's overwhelmed, probably full of joy, bowing to the ground, and she says to him, Why have I found favor in your eyes? Why should you take notice of me, since I'm a foreigner? I'm a stranger, I'm not from here, I'm from a faraway land. But you're treating me like family. She's she's trying to make sense of this whole thing. Why is this happening to me? Let's continue on. 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. He's heard. Boaz has heard of her dedication. Boaz has heard the story quickly that this Moabite woman is here and she's here to stay. She's made a vow to her mother-in-law, your people, my people. Your God, my God. Boaz says to her in verse 12. Look to the text, 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, listen here, this is important, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. There's excitement here. Exclamation mark. You have come to take refuge here in Bethlehem, not in Moab, not in a faraway land. No, you have chosen to live and dwell in the land that God has chosen and secured for his people. If you think about the first five books of the Old Testament, you see the story of God making himself known to a people, selecting them for himself and delivering them from slavery and making a promise along the way. I'm going to provide a land for you flowing with milk and honey. Your needs will be taken care of. You will no longer be slaves. You will no longer have the burden and the weight of oppression, the people that are your masters and your slave owners. No, you will have your own place with your own land, with your own food, and it will be yours to work. It will be yours to take care of, and I'm going to give it to you. This is Ruth's new home. This is her new people. This is her God that she's serving. And Boaz is recognizing the decisions and the vows that she has made. He's recognizing this in Ruth. How amazing is it that this young woman, this young foreigner, is taking care of one of my relatives. How incredible is that! He is calling God to bless her. I've heard of what you've done. Now you're here. May God reward you. The God of Israel, the God of Israel is protecting you. He is your refuge. He is your refuge. Then she said, This is Ruth in response. I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your so servant, though I am not one of your servants. She is saying, I'm here to work your land, I'm here to do what I need to do. But why are you treating me so well? Why do I deserve this treatment? I'm not, I don't, I don't belong to you. I don't I'm not serving you. You're not my master. I'm just a poor widow trying to get by. I'm just trying to make ends meet. I'm trying to figure this whole thing out. How exciting is this? There's electricity in the air. There's the sense of uh realization that there's a big momentum shift here. There is something going on that neither of them can explain. Other than God did it. God, through his strength, through his power, through his provision, is taking care of his people. It gets even better. Are you ready?

unknown 18:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Let's go. And at mealtime, Boaz said to her, Come here. Come here. Come under, come under here in the shade. Let's have some bread. Dip your bread in this 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 leftover. She's full. She can't eat anymore. She's got like a to-go meal. She's got some leftovers to take home. Come come over here with me. I will keep you safe. I will feed you. I will take care of you. I'm making lunch. You want some? We have extra. We have so much extra that you're going to take some home to your mother-in-law. This is exciting. She ate till she was satisfied and she had some leftover. Verse 15. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Don't correct her. Don't discipline her. And also pull some out from the bundles that we've already that we've already gathered from. Take some out for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her. What amazing care for a stranger, for a foreigner, for someone who is not in any of the tribes of Israel. Someone who is not an Israelite, a Moabite, a foreigner, someone outside of the promised land. And Boaz is taking the letter of the law and going beyond it. He's going to the spirit of the law and saying, God has called people who have abundance to take care of those who are in need. And he goes beyond. He goes beyond his duty, his responsibility, and makes it even easier for Ruth to be taken care of, even easier for her to get by. And he's even feeding her. Think about this. Boaz has gone through this famine also. Boaz has gone through times of great need. He might be thinking, I don't, I don't know when this famine will come back. I don't know how how many seasons of plenty this will be. He is pulling out from the sheaves. The sheaves would be large, large bundles of grain that people would secure with rope or twine. So they're stacked up, ready to be hauled off on a cart. And the and Boaz is saying to his servants, I know that we already packaged it up perfectly, ready to go. Pull some out from that and give it to Ruth. Take care of her. She is doing a noble thing. She is serving her mother-in-law, and don't correct her, don't rebuke her. She's doing nothing wrong. She is doing nothing wrong. Now the refuge that that Boaz is providing for Ruth and for Naomi, the protection in the field, the provision through the harvest. It is just a a glimpse, a twinkle of what God does for his people. A twinkle, a blink, a fraction, a drop in the ocean compared to what God does to care for his people, those who would have faith and trust in him in the year 2026. Boaz is pointing forward to one who would come and redeem sinners lost in their sin. Not someone from his hometown, not someone he knows, a stranger. Someone outside, someone outside of the people, thank you, of Israel. He's showing great care and concern for a complete stranger. How many of you are Jewish in culture? How many of you have can trace your lineage back to Jerusalem? Not me, not you guys. That would put us in the same shoes as Ruth. The same shoes. The same foreigner relationship that we would have to the people of God is us. And we look to Boaz as a redeemer. We look to Boaz as someone that would provide refuge for a stranger. That is what Christ has done for us. That is what Christ has done through his sacrifice on the cross. Now, what do we do when we're in trouble? What do we do when we're in great need? We run for help. We run to refuge. We run to someone that can do something about our situation. That is what we do. And in this case, in Ruth chapter 2, in our circumstance, all the same, we need to do this. We need to point number two, we need to do this. Run to God for refuge. Run to the one who can do something about our current condition. Now you might be thinking, Tyler, you're making that connection here. Old Testament 2026. The time of the judges. Everyone's doing right in their own eyes. But but Tyler, there's not a famine in Cuba, Idaho. There's not a famine in the land. I don't, what are you, what are you getting at? I'm speaking about a spiritual need, a spiritual famine that is not just local, but global. I'm speaking about the refuge that a sinner would need to avoid immediate death in the hands of a God that will execute perfect justice and judgment one day. That's what I'm speaking about. Boaz is just a nod forward to what Jesus would do. And consequently, Boaz is the great great grandfather of King David, who, through his line, came the Savior that would rescue sinners like you and I. This is exciting. This is amazing. And this relationship that's starting here, as we look to chapter three and chapter four, it only gets better. It only gets more exciting. You thought that provision, a free lunch, generosity in the field, sweaty laborers, a drink of water. Well, this is just normal life, Tyler. No, this is so much more. So what happens next? Ruth finishes the workday. She gleans till evening. She collects her harvest. She beats out what she had gleaned, and it turns out to be about 30 to 35 pounds of food. 30 to 35 pounds, about a an efa of barley. That's a lot. How many loaves of bread? Six or seven loaves from five pounds. This isn't just food for the day. This isn't just food for the week. This is this is food for an extended amount of time. And this is only one day. This is the generosity that God provides. This is this is the practical needs being met, the refuge that is found through the God of Israel. It's God that provided the harvest. It's God that put Boaz in place to be a provision for two women in desperate needs. An abundance. Day one, about 30 pounds of barley. There's bread about to be baked. There is some aroma that maybe. Ruth is thinking, oh man, now what is it gonna be? Is it gonna be sourdough? Is it gonna be bagels? Is it gonna be a pizza? What are we eating tonight? She is thinking, I have so much food. It's incredible. And she hasn't even gone home yet. She the news is so exciting, and she hasn't shared it with anyone yet. So next, she goes home and she cruises up to Naomi. Naomi's probably thinking, Man, I hope she's okay. I hope she I hope God was protecting her. I hope she wasn't harmed in any way. And she gets home and she's got food left over and she shares it with Naomi. And her mother-in-law says, Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Bless me the man who took notice of you. So she told her mother-in-law whom she had worked and said, The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. You can just see the twinkle in Naomi's eyes. You can see the excitement. Huh, that name, that's not just any name. That's not just any name here. I know that name. That name is family. That person is someone that we are related to. This is beyond good news. Boaz is his name. And Naomi said, verse 20, let's zoom in here. 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 Naomi also said to her, The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers. Who this is the bitter Naomi, who on the way back, I left empty. I left full, I came back empty. Don't call me pleasant anymore. Call me bitter. Call me Mara. Remember that in chapter one? Husband gone. Both sons gone. Nothing left other than my daughter-in-law's. She gets back. People are like, hey, where have you been? Naomi, don't call me Naomi, call me Mara. This is a different, this is a different person. This is a person that has a changed heart. This is someone who is being warmed by God's provision. And she is starting to see the shaping of God's plan. She's starting to see and read in between the lines. She is seeing how God, even now, is beginning to provide for her by bringing her home, by bringing her daughter, who, her daughter-in-law, who got noticed by one of her kinsmen redeemers, a close relative of ours. Now, in the Old Testament, in Leviticus, it's important to remember that God set up laws, set up a structure for the family, so that if a brother or a husband died, the family name would continue on. And with the family name in the promised land, as they're leading up to the land of Canaan, the family name, depending on which tribe you're from, would determine the kind of space and the kind of land that you would inherit, the kind of land that you would be provided by God. And the responsibility and role for a brother if there was no next of kin. If if your brother died and your sister-in-law, your brother's wife, had no one to take care of her, that would be your responsibility to provide for her. You would marry your brother's wife. That is the way that God designed. If we look to Leviticus chapter 19 and Leviticus chapter 23, God's design and his structure for his people was to continue to take care of those in great need, specifically those who are poor, those who had no one to take care of them, to provide for them, to protect them, and to provide for the sojourner, the one that's passing through that would be in great need of food. So the clan of Elimelech, that that name is sounding familiar. Boaz, I know him. We are, I am related to him, and he treated you with such generosity, such favor you have received from God through Boaz. Famine in the land? Go back home. Not sure where you're gonna eat today, what kind of food you're gonna gather today? Abundance. You've been supplied lavishly. Your pantry is stocked full, things are falling off the shelf because there is so much to be had. And it's all from the Lord. Naomi's heart is being warmed and changed. She's remembering God's goodness. She's remembering that God is blessing and is taking care of his people. He hasn't stopped, he hasn't left us, he hasn't forsaken us. No. He is taking care through his kindness. God has not forsaken us. He is providing for the living and the dead. Wow. So good. So good. Guys, this is exciting. We need to write this down. We need to write this down. We need to respond for point number three. Respond to the hope of redemption. Respond to the hope of redemption. We need to look to Naomi and think to ourselves, man, sometimes I can be, I can be kind of down. I can be, well, how is God going to do it this time? How is God going to provide this time? Right when we think we know how all the details fall into place, and you're like, that's an L for me. That's a loss. How am I going to have anything good come out of this? How is losing my husband, my two sons, and a daughter-in-law, how is that good for me? How is that good for anything? Naomi is starting to look back in the rear view and see God's provision all along the way. All along the way. Verse 21. And Ruth the Moabite said, Besides, besides that, in addition to all this, Boaz says, You shall keep close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest. Months of work. Not just today, not just next week, not for this month, until there is nothing left in the fields. You're with me. I'm going to take care of you. You're going to have food. You're going to be provided for. You're going to have protection. You're going to be respected. I will ensure it because my men submit to me, they follow my lead, and I love the Lord. I obey the Lord, and so do my servants. You will be taken care of. No harm will come to you. 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 harvests, and she lived with her mother-in-law. What a radical change from chapter one to chapter two. Within one chapter, we see the darkness of devastation, the sorrow of loss, the uncertainty of life. And Boaz is saying now to Ruth, for the next two, three months, don't worry about anything. Don't worry about what you're going to eat. Don't worry about if you're going to be safe or not. Don't worry about where you're going to find rest. I'm going to provide for you. I'm going to be obeying God in his law to take care of those in need. You're going to glean and then some. His generosity goes beyond the law. His provision goes beyond what is required of him. And you might be thinking, huh, is this just because? Is this just coincidence? No. This is not. This is not coincidence. This is God's divine plan. It was his plan all along the way. He knew the hardships that would befall. He knew what would become of Naomi and Orpah and Ruth. He knew the deaths that would occur. He knew the rains would return because he sent them. He knew that the field would be ripe for harvest. And he knew that Naomi would be coming back with a Moabite woman. God knew all of this, and He is orchestrating His plan perfectly to care for His people and to ultimately provide an offspring by which King David would be born. And later on down the line, the Lord Jesus Christ would be would be born. And Bethlehem. You're thinking, huh, why does that name sound familiar?

unknown 36:58

Bethlehem.

SPEAKER_00 36:59

Bethlehem, huh? Bethlehem, Bethlehem, a little wait, that's where Jesus was born. Yes. Yes. The same Bethlehem that is that is seen here in Ruth chapter 2 is the same Bethlehem, the same location that the Lord Jesus Christ would be born. How amazing is that? No coincidences here. No sorrows or sufferings that have no purpose. God is revealing his glory. God is shining into the darkness. He is showing his purpose through great heartache. And it's it's for his glory and it's for our good. All the time God is working. We might not see it. We might not understand it. But like Naomi, we can look in their rear view and say, oh wow, I saw this unfolding differently in my mind, but now I see. Now I understand God is providing. Now I understand God is leading me to trust him more and more. And God is going to do some amazing things in some unexpected ways. And through God's people, through Ruth and through Boaz, God is showing that that following after God, obeying Him is for our good. His plans, his laws for provision for our good. His ways, as opposed to the ways of the gods of Moab. Ruth chose to go and pursue the God of Israel, not the gods of Moab. This is an amazing story. This is God's plan, his symphony in motion for us to enjoy. And we we can look into the depths of Scripture. We can see God's plan in the year 2026 and see like we got the sneak peek. We know what happens in the end, but we can look back into time and see God had a plan all along the way. The one who defeated death, the one who would hang on a cross, on a sinner's cross with zero guilt, zero sin. In him is the strength to save, in him is the strength to overcome the grave. And it's it's the God of Boaz that is showing his might, showing his strength, not a fake strength, not a not an insincere posturing. No, this is this is a strength that only the God that created the universe can put on display. And I hope that you see that this evening. I hope you see that the strength that God provides, the provision, the might that he has. He's holding all things in his hands, and he has every detail of our lives in mind. Everything is in his control, in his plan. Please pray with me. God, we are we we are just amazed that we can look back into the book of Ruth to see your plan for redemption. Your plan to take a foreigner like Ruth and weave in a Gentile, weave in a person that is a stranger in the land of Israel, and weave them into your perfect plan. God, help us to be amazed as we look into the depths of your scripture and see how you are saving people from famine. But more importantly, God, help us to see how you are redeeming people from their sins, from the slavery to sin and redeeming them into your family. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.