Ruth's Example: Trust God's Protection

Like Naomi, Ruth is also a woman of active faith. In Ruth 3:6-9, we see Ruth literally taking refuge under God's wings as she ventures forward in faith to put Naomi's plan into action: "So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her" (v. 6). Ruth followed closely Naomi's instructions, all the while trusting in God's protection.

"After Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down" (v. 7). "At midnight" Boaz awoke and there she was "lying at his feet" (v. 8). Boaz asked who she was (v. 9a) and Ruth responded, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative" (v. 9b).

Behind these highly unusual actions lay a sincere trust in God’s care and protection. Faith always grows when it acts on the basis of what the Lord has already accomplished and provided. Based on what the Lord has already done for her, Ruth's request in verse 9 includes the use of the word "wing," the same word Boaz used in Ruth 2:12 when he said, "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."

"Under your wing" (v. 9b), most likely refers to the corner of the garment or blanket which covered Boaz. If that is so, then Ruth's request is for more than protection. It is an appeal to Boaz to marry her so that they will share the same covering. In the context, this seems to be the most likely meaning, as she reminds him that he is "a close relative" (v. 9b), or a "kinsman-redeemer." She is asking him to act upon this truth of God's Word.

Knowing that Boaz is a man of God, Ruth asks him to provide for her and to protect her, just as God has been leading him to do. In this, she provides a pattern for our faith. In order to move forward spiritually, there are moments when we have to trust the Word of God's promise and venture out in faith. There are many times when we cannot see how it is going to work out, but that is no reason not to trust God, commit our way to Him, and act upon our faith.

Sometimes we seem to be sitting down and waiting for an awful long time, because we are always requiring God to show us more before we launch out and trust Him. It is possible to be so afraid of making mistakes that we do nothing. But provided our lives are in a right relationship with God and we honestly want to go His way and not our own, He gives us permission to launch out in faith, to risk for His sake. God honors the heart that is set on attempting great things for Him because it expects great things from Him.

Here we see that blend of faith and action. Naomi followed God's Word and Ruth trusted God's protection. We must act by faith in the same manner. Amen.

Naomi's Example: Follow God's Word

One night as the famous Bible teacher F.B. Meyer stood on the deck of a ship approaching land, he wondered how the crew knew when and how to safely steer to the dock. It was a stormy night, and visibility was low. Meyer, standing on the bridge and peering through the window, asked, "Captain, how do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbor?"

"That’s an art," replied the captain. "Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they're all in a straight line I go right in!"

Later Meyer said: "When we want to know God's will, there are three things which always occur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances.... Never act until these three things agree." ("F.B. Meyer's Formula," Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 2000], 369)

George Truett said, "To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge. To do the will of God is the greatest achievement" (Ibid, 368). So when the three lights line up—the inward prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the circumstances of life—then you know the will of God, and what remains is to act on it.

A.W. Tozer added this thought: "The man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can't make a wrong choice—any choice will be the right one" (Ibid). When you are wholly surrendered to Christ, your life will be in the complete control of God's Spirit and you will be led in only one direction—the direction God has for you. All that remains is to follow Him—to act upon God's lead.

When you make it a practice of following God's lead in your life, your life will become a blend of faith and action. Your faith will discover where God is leading and your actions will follow in that direction. You will learn to discern God's direction or will in your life, and then follow where He is leading and moving. When God leads—by faith, act!

The three main characters in our story—Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz—act by faith upon God's lead. These three characters each show us a special characteristic that will be seen in our lives as we learn to follow God's lead. Today we will consider Naomi's example.

For nearly three months, while the barley harvest was being completed, it seems that nothing was happening in the Ruth-Boaz story. Life goes on. Day by day, Ruth continues to glean with the servants of Boaz, and day by day, her daily needs are met (Ruth 2). As time passed, Naomi and Ruth must have been wondering what was going to happen. Would Boaz fulfill his role as Ruth's "kinsman redeemer," or would he not? Will he continue to take care of their daily needs? They simply had to wait and see.

Can you imagine what these women were going through? Waiting is difficult at the best of times, but our ability to wait upon God depends on how we understand Him. This brings us back to "the central theological message of the book which is that of the hidden, but active, God, who is at work continuously in the lives of His people, even when they think nothing is happening. There is not the slightest hint that this overruling sovereignty for one moment limits the freedom of our human actions or the dignity of our choices. Sometimes, God disappears completely into the tapestry of everyday life and we assume that He has forgotten us in our daily routine with its pressures, hassles, and uncertainties" (David Jackman, The Preacher's Commentary, Vol. 7: Judges, Ruth, [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991], 329). But He has not! The God "who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11) is always there, even as we wait.

As we pick up the story in Ruth chapter 3, if we look through the lens of today, Naomi appears to be that scheming mother-in-law who pushes Ruth forward in hopes that her own plans would succeed. Ruth comes across as somewhat forward, if not immodest, as she literally throws herself at Boaz. But apply the lens of the ancient world, and all things change. There are basic cultural practices written into the Law of Israel which govern the story at this point.

Israel was created by God's call to be a unique people. When we describe the nation-state as a theocracy, we mean literally that God was its King, its covenant Lord. As such, God called Abram to a new land and promised this land to his descendents (Gen. 12:1, 7). In Exodus, God led His people Israel out of bondage and delivered them into this land. The land was God's free gift to His people. This was His part of the covenant He had made with them. The peoples' response is to be that of love and loyalty to God, shown by their obedience.

Please note, however, that Israel's obedience is not the means by which they earn God's grace and favor. Rather, obedience is seen as the expression of gratitude for the mercy already given. They were created to serve God, and obedience is an aspect of His comprehensive blessing.

Following the conquest of Israel, the land was divided up among the tribes as their inheritance from the Lord. So they were leaseholders. They had no absolute rights to the land. They could not part with the family portion or sell it whenever they wished, because it was not theirs. It belonged to God. But He had given it forever to the family as a mark of His Blessing.

But what if poverty struck? Could they realize the value of the land to alleviate their suffering? The Law was clear: "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for You are strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the balance to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession." (Lev. 25:23-28)

It was the duty of the nearest relation or kinsman to redeem the land, to buy it back for the family. It is this provision which Naomi was wanting to invoke. We learn later in Ruth 4:9, that Elimelech owned property that Naomi had to sell because of her poverty. She, therefore, plans to call on Boaz, as a kinsman, to become the redeemer and thus to ransom the family property. But there is more.

The Jewish law further provides for a man to marry the widow of his deceased brother if no heir has been born. The widow was not to remarry outside the family, but the brother of the deceased husband was to raise up an heir for his dead brother so that his name might be perpetuated and his family inheritance continue to be possessed by the family. This is spelled out in Deuteronomy 25:5–10, where the force of the passage is that, while such a marriage is the right of the nearest kinsman, it is not a duty to be forced upon him. It is a right that he can feel free to lay aside.

The important point, of which Naomi was most certainly aware, concerns the fact that the "kinsman-redeemer" acts out of compassion and commitment, rather than compulsion or mere duty. Naomi wants Boaz not only to ransom Elimelech's property, but also to marry the widow of her husband's rightful heir, Ruth, and so to establish the name of her husband and son, and to return the family to its proper status in Bethlehem.

In all of this, Naomi is simply trying to discover God's will and she is directly following God's Word. In Ruth 3:1, she says to Ruth, "Shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?" "Seek security" can be translated, "find a home" (NIV). The Hebrew word literally means, "find rest." What is implied is the security and benefits found in marriage by a woman in Israel. It was customary for parents to arrange marriages (in this case, Naomi for Ruth). The motive: "that it may be well with you" (v. 1b), or that Ruth may be well provided for.

Naomi interpreted Boaz's kindness to Ruth as an indication of his interest in her, possibly indicating a willingness to be that "kinsman-redeemer" for Ruth. The inward impulse, the Word of God, and the circumstances all lined up, so Naomi acted upon God’s lead and sent Ruth to the threshing floor to find out Boaz's intentions in the matter: "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do" (vs. 2-4).

Ruth complied: "And she said to her, 'All that you say to me I will do'" (v. 5). Ruth followed the custom of the day, just as Naomi had instructed. In this manner, Ruth made clear to Boaz her willingness to marry him. God led, and Naomi acted upon His lead by faith. That is what God would have us do as well. Let God lead through the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit, through His Word, and through life's circumstances. When all three line up, like Naomi, act upon His lead. Amen.

Grace: God's Unbelievable Redemption

Grace is not only God's unending provision and God's unlimited resources, above all, it is God's unbelievable redemption! This truth is especially evident in Ruth 2:20. I said last week that we would take a closer look at verse 20 this week, the key verse not only in chapter two, but in the entire book of Ruth. So let's do that now; let's take a close look at Ruth 2:20.

There is a lot to be learned here that will introduce us to what is yet to come in the Book of Ruth. Naomi made two statements in this verse during her conversation with Ruth. First, she said, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" (v. 20a). Second, she said, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives" (v. 20b).

First, the phrase, "the living and the dead," has been interpreted as a reference to both Naomi and Ruth ("the living"), and Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion ("the dead"). It is thus taken as the equivalent of "everyone." God "has not forsaken" (v. 20a) Naomi and Ruth, but God "has not forsaken" (v. 20a) Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion either. His "kindness" (v. 20a) is to the whole family. Naomi's statement may indicate that she already anticipated what was about to take place.

Second, Boaz is described here as "a close relative" (v. 20b). Literally, it is the Hebrew word "ga'al," meaning "kinsman redeemer" (as in the NIV). Boaz, by law, could fulfill the duty of preserving the name of the dead by marrying Ruth. He had already begun to fulfill this duty by providing food and protection for her.

The root of "ga’al" means "to redeem" or "buy back," usually with an emphasis on the redemption being the privilege or duty of a near relative. The responsibilities of the "ga’al" included avenging the death of a murdered relative (Num. 35:19), marrying a childless widow of a deceased brother (Deut. 25:5-10), buying back family land that had been sold (Lev. 25:25), buying a family member who had been sold as a slave (Lev. 25:47-49), and looking after the needy and helpless members of the family (Lev. 25:35), as Boaz had already been doing.

It is difficult to know how conscientiously this law was observed since the Israelites broke most of the covenant laws in the time of the judges, but Jeremiah 32:6-25 indicates that it was still binding in the sixth century B.C., many years after the time of Boaz. What we are about to witness in the Book of Ruth is that righteousness still existed in Israel, even in the time of the judges. At Bethlehem, where so much sin and rebellion existed, there was yet one godly man by the name of Boaz. He would certainly carry out his God-given task. We are about to experience unbelievable redemption in the Book of Ruth.

Let's return to our opening question from a couple weeks back: What is grace? Benjamin Warfield said, "Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving" (George Sweeting, Great Quotes and Illustrations, cited in Swindoll's Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1998, 253). Here Ruth had begun to experience just that, free sovereign favor, even though she didn’t deserve it.

That is what grace is. It is God standing ready with unending provisions. It is God standing ready with unlimited resources. It is God standing ready with an unbelievable redemption just for you! God's grace stands ready for you! Like Naomi and Ruth, trust God no matter what is happening around you. At all times, no matter where you are, trust God. He will, by His grace, meet your every need. Amen.

Grace: God's Unlimited Resources

Grace is God's unending provision. He never ceases to provide abundantly all things for those who love Him. Handfuls on purpose! But grace is more than that. Grace is also God's unlimited resources.

Boaz's instructions were generous well beyond the requirements of the law that allowed the gleaners in the fields only after the reapers had finished their work. As a result, Ruth was able to gather more grain than she ever could have imagined. We are told she gathered "about an ephah of barley." "So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley" (Ruth 2:17). That is estimated to be about one-half to two-thirds of a bushel (about twenty-nine to fifty pounds).

Such a large quantity of grain could not be gathered in one day by an ordinary gleaner. It shows how Boaz's instructions to his reapers aided Ruth and also how diligently Ruth had worked. Since the ration of a male worker was about one to two pounds of grain per day, Ruth probably had gathered enough to last Naomi and her for several weeks.

Upon returning home, Naomi "saw what she had gleaned" (v. 18a) and Ruth gave her the food she had saved from dinner: "So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied" (v. 18b). Naomi was quite impressed as she inquired, "Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work?" (v. 19a). And she added a blessing, "Blessed be the one who took notice of you" (v. 19b).

Upon learning that the man who provided for Ruth was Boaz (v. 19c), Naomi blessed him again: "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" (v. 20a). And she told Ruth, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives" (v. 20b). And so, the fifth dialogue of this chapter has begun. It might be noted that every prayer in the Book of Ruth is a prayer of blessing, and every prayer is answered!

You might also note that, in this second blessing, it is God who is praised for continuing to show His great kindness through His unlimited resources with which He provided. It was through one of their "close relatives" (v. 20b), Boaz, that God provided, but it was God who gave them unending provisions through His unlimited resources. That is the general thought of this verse. We will take a closer look at verse 20 next week.

For now, let’s continue on. As the dialogue continues Ruth says, "He also said to me, 'You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.'" (v. 21). To which Naomi responds, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field" (v. 22).

Naomi realized the dangers Ruth might face if she went to some other fields. She also realized the protection Ruth would receive in Boaz's fields. When she said, "It is good...that people do not meet you in any other field" (v. 22b), the verb "meet" can mean "to meet" or "to encounter," but it can also mean "strike down" or "attack violently." Again, we see the blessing of God's protection while providing with abundance.

The chapter wraps up with these words: "So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law" (v. 23). She recognized God's gift of provision and protection, and she obeyed the voice of God through Naomi.

God continued to supply their need through His servant Boaz. The two harvests (barley and wheat) followed each other and would last about seven weeks, normally from late April to early June, providing food for many months beyond that. Truly God provides without end from His unlimited resources; a lesson we must never forget.

Like Ruth, recognize God's gift of provision and protection, and obey the voice of God in your life. Follow His leading and trust Him in all things. He, in turn, will protect you and provide abundantly for all youir needs. Handfuls on purpose! Amen.

Grace: God's Unending Provision

I wrote on this second chapter of Ruth once before in August of 2016. There I covered the gist of the teaching in a blog entitled Handfuls on Purpose. Indeed, Giod provides for our needs with handfuls on purpose, just as Boaz purposely provided for the needs of Ruth and Naomi. But there is so much more to this story than I wrote about the first time. So, today I am going to expand greatly on this passage to fill in the many details of truth glossed over back then.

What is grace? Grace is giving what cannot be purchased. Let me illlustrate with a story: "Once there was a poor woman who greatly desired a bunch of grapes from the king's conservatory for her sick child. She took half a crown, went to the king's gardener, and tried to purchase the grapes, but was rudely repulsed. A second effort, with more money, met with like results.

"It happened that the king's daughter heard the angry words of the gardener and the crying of the woman, and inquired into the matter. When the poor woman had told her story, the princess said, 'My dear woman, you are mistaken. My father is not a merchant, but a king; his business is not to sell, but to give:' Whereupon she plucked the bunch of grapes from the vine and gently dropped it into the woman's apron." (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, [Assurance Publishers, Rockville, Maryland, 1979], #5407, 1228)

The king's business is to give. Our God is the King and His business is to give to those who love Him. That is grace! God's grace!

Again I ask, what is grace? Grace is God's unmerited favor. But it is much more than you can imagine. Ruth chapter two is perhaps the most complete picture of God's grace as you will find in Scripture. Ruth's experience in chapter two, shows just how far God is willing to go for you.

Simply put, grace is God's unending provision. Note the structure of Ruth chapter two. It is made up of five dialogues that follow a well-established pattern among Hebrew narratives called a chiasm (a, b, c, b, a). The five dialogues are: Ruth and Naomi (vs. 2–3), Boaz and the reapers (vs. 4–7), Boaz and Ruth (vs. 8-14), back to Boaz and the reapers (vs. 15–16), and back to Ruth and Naomi (vs. 19–22). Hence, the pattern a, b, c, b, a. The emphasis in such a pattern is always on the central unit, which is the exchange between Boaz and Ruth. At the heart of that exchange lies what may be the key verse of the whole book, the words of Boaz in verse 12b, "a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."

Immediately as the chapter begins, Boaz is introduced: "There was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz" (Ruth 2:1). In what might be called a "foreword flash," the author leaves no doubt as to whom the future hope of Naomi and Ruth rests on. Here is the first step in the fulfillment of all that the barley harvest stands for. Boaz, whose name means "in him is strength," is introduced as a man of standing, through his great wealth; but much more important, he is a kinsman of Elimelech. This is the first indication that God is already working out His purposes.

In the opening dialogue, Ruth asks Naomi, "Let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor" (v. 2), and Naomi let her go. God had already made provision for landowners like Boaz to provide food for the poor and the hungry. Moses, in Leviticus 19:9-10, said, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest… you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God." Ruth was merely doing as the Law of Moses provided, so that she could gather food for her and Naomi.

However, landowners weren't always so kind and cooperative, especially in the time of the judges, when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Few were paying much attention to the Law of Moses in those days, and so to go to the fields to gather grain after the harvesters was dangerous at best. Not only that, but a hard day's work under the hot sun usually only netted a small amount of grain. That is why Ruth hoped to find a field to glean where she would "find favor" (Ruth 2:2b).

Enter the providence of God. Note verse 3: "Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech." Literally the Hebrew says, "her chance chanced" or "she happened to happen on" or, as the NIV puts it, "as it turned out." In other words, by chance Ruth came to the field owned by Boaz.

But remember, the overriding perspective of the Book of Ruth is that God is at work even in the accidental and chance happenings of life. Nothing is truly by accident or by chance. Even in the small things of life God is at work to accomplish His purposes. To Ruth and Boaz this may have been by accident, but not from God's perspective. He has a purpose in all of this.

Precisely the point of the start of verse 4a: "Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem." The timing was perfect because it was of God. And with these words the second dialogue begins. He greeted his workers with a typical Israelite greeting, but one that would be rare in that day and age: "The LORD be with you!" (v. 4b). His reapers responded in similar fashion: "The LORD bless you!" (v. 4c). From this little exchange we get a glimpse of Boaz's character. He was certainly a man of God.

Then Boaz turns his attention to Ruth, a woman he had not previously seen working in his fields. In verses 6-7 he seeks to discover who she is, namely, her ancestry or the clan she comes from. The servant, having identified her as the "young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi" (v. 6), further described her as courteous and hard working, taking little time to rest (v. 7).

The third dialogue, that between Boaz and Ruth in verses 8-14, brings us to the heart of the matter. Boaz encouraged Ruth not to go to other fields to glean, but to "stay close by my young women" (v, 8). The men cut the grain with sickles and the women followed along tying the sheaves in bundles (v. 9). Ruth was to follow them as she gathered what was left on the ground.

Not only that, but Boaz told her in verse 9 that he had ordered the men not to "touch" her, a Hebrew word meaning "to reach to" or "to strike." The New English Bible (NEB) translates it "molest." Boaz was concerned for her safety and so he took measures to protect her. He even said she could drink from "the vessels" or "water jars" (v. 9) that the men had filled for their use, a privilege not ordinarily permitted the gleaners.

Note Ruth's response in verse 10: "So she fell on her face, bowed down 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?'" To bow down with her face to the ground was a typical way of expressing gratitude and humility in that culture. Boaz responds with praise for Ruth: "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before" (v. 11).

Then Boaz pronounced a blessing upon Ruth in verse 12: "The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." As I mentioned earlier, this may well be the key to the entire Book of Ruth. The Lord will "repay your work" and a "full reward" will be given you by God when you take refuge in Him. In other words, when you trust in God and look to Him in all your needs, He will respond as He has promised and He will meet your needs and see to it that you are fully provided for. And so the "wings" (v. 12b) symbolize the power of God's grace that Ruth is experiencing, both in protection and in provision.

Ruth responded again with all humility and with gratitude for his kindness to her. In verse 13 the phrase, "Let me find favor," is better translated, "May I continue to find favor." And so we read: "May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."

Yet Boaz wasn't finished. He continues to provide by having her share in his own meal (v. 14). And through the forth dialogue, he commands his reapers to "let her glean even among the sheaves" (v. 15), allowing her more than what was accidentally dropped. He even said for them to "let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her" (v. 16).

Handfuls on purpose! Here we see God abundantly providing. He does the same for us. He shows His grace through His unending provision for our needs. Amen.