Part 3: Gleaning Grace (featuring Ruth and Boaz)

Part 2 Review — Basking in Bitterness (featuring Ruth and Naomi) — Ruth 1:19-22

Series Introduction

3 weeks ago we began a new series titled “Ruth: From Ruin To Redemption,” an 8-part series taken from the Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth fits chronologically right in the middle of the Book of Judges (even though it comes right after it in our Bibles)

Because of this, the story of Ruth stands out like a tiny ray of sunlight in a cold, dark abyss.

Each week, we’re going to look at what each part of the story teaches us about God and about people:

How God is faithful, loving, kind, and providential for His people.

How God’s people should take that faithfulness, love, kindness, and grace and reflect it back into the world around them

Ruth 1:19-22

Our story continued last time with Ruth and Naomi making their journey to Bethlehem

It would have been a long, exhausting journey.

Eventually, Naomi and Ruth reached Bethlehem.

Naomi must have been overwhelmed with fears, regrets, and insecurities after returning home 10 years later with nothing

The people look at them both — exhausted, tattered, and dirty from the long journey.

Now they can see, there is no joy on the face of these two women. This is not a homecoming to celebrate.

What happened to Naomi? Where is her family? Who is this Moabite woman?

Eventually, Naomi breaks the silence, “You knew me as Naomi, my name once meant ‘lovely one’. But I’m not Naomi anymore. I have a new identity.”

“God has ruined my life. Call me Bitter. All I am now is a broken woman.”

Naomi wasn’t just changing her name, she was changing her whole identity as a person.

Bitterness was what God dealt her, and now bitterness is what she would become.

And with this, the Act 1 in our story concludes.

Ruth watches as Naomi brings her to her new home—a broken shell of a woman.

On her mind must have been the question, “What do we do now?”

What truths do we see about people?

Becoming bitter is a choice that we make

What truths do we see about God?

We can see bitterness removed from our hearts when we choose to dwell in the goodness of God.

Tonight, we will continue Ruth’s story starting in Ruth 2:1

Part 3 — Gleaning Grace (featuring Ruth and Boaz) — Ruth 2:1-17

Introducing The Thought

“Have you ever felt like God has left your story?”

Talk about how a story isn’t very good when you take the hero out — then it just becomes a depressing fact.

This is how Naomi felt. That the hero of her story had left, and now her life was just an insufferable existence.

Telling The Story

Situation: The setting, background, characters, etc.

Chapter 2 begins Act 2 of our story: Ruth and Naomi are now in Bethlehem

Now, they are still both widow women with no structures of support.

They are in Israel, but they are still destitute, and things in Israel are still just as bad as they were when they left — except that the famine is over now

If you were in this situation, what is probably one of the first things you would have to deal with? Having food to eat.

That’s exactly what Naomi and Ruth dealt with first in their new home.

Now, before we move into that part of the story, there is one verse before the narrative continues that is pretty interesting.

Ruth 2:1 KJV 1900

1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

This verse is interesting for a few reasons:

First, it offers a rare glimmer of hope for Naomi: there is someone alive who was related to Elimelech after all!

This is the first time since her family died that the author gives us a potentially positive event in her future

Second, it introduces a new character: Boaz.

Boaz is described as a wealthy man with a lot of influence in the area.

Finally, it explains that Boaz is not just a distant wealthy relative, but he is a member of the “family” of Elimelech.

This word family here could also be stated as “clan,” and it was the single most important kind of family relationship you could have in Israelite society.

This information given here is foreshadowing by the author. We don’t yet know how it will come into play, and the other main characters (Naomi and Ruth) have not encountered Boaz yet.

Stress: The trouble that gives the story its dynamic

Ruth 2:2 KJV 1900

2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

So Ruth tells Naomi she is going to go and “glean ears of corn” from whoever would be willing to allow her to do so.

This brings us a to a question from our modern American culture: “What is all this ‘gleaning’ business?”

Back in Deuteronomy 24:21, we see that God sets up a provision for Israelites to provide for the poor, widows, and fatherless.

Deuteronomy 24:21 KJV 1900

21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

God instructs these people to gather their crops during harvest in such a way that they leave behind whatever drops on the ground behind them (rather than turning back to collect it all) so that the poor can come and work in the fields for their own families by gathering the leftovers.

Now, Ruth’s actions here make a lot of sense: her and Naomi are widows, and they are legally provided an opportunity to go and gather pieces of corn from fields after the reapers go through it harvesting for the owner.

It’s hard, tiring work — and certainly not honorable — but it will allows them to have enough food to survive. So Ruth sets off to glean.

Search: The various solutions explored as the story unfolds

Ruth 2:3 KJV 1900

3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Verse 3 tells us that out of all the fields Ruth chose to glean, she ended up at a field owned by a man named Boaz. Remember him?

From what we see here, Ruth didn’t even know who Boaz was, let alone know that she was in his field.

But, do you know Who did know this was Boaz’s field? God did. And God was at work in Ruth and Naomi’s story.

Solution: The solution discovered, resolving the stress

Next, we finally see this new character, Boaz, come on to the scene

Ruth 2:4–5 KJV 1900

4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee. 5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

Boaz returns from the city and greets his workers. But then, he notices something strange: there is a woman that he does not recognize in the field

He approaches his servant and asks about the mystery woman

Ruth 2:6–7 KJV 1900

6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: 7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

Now, Boaz’s servant begins to describe Ruth.

First, he gives some information about her that wouldn’t be a positive thing: she’s a Moabite.

He essentially says, “Yeah she’s a Moabite woman. Like from Moab. She came back with Naomi. Yeah, that Naomi.”

But then, he includes a couple more pieces of information:

He tells Boaz that she came and asked if she could glean. This is significant considering she is legally allowed to — yet she was considerate and kind enough to ask permission.

He also tells him that she’s been working really hard. He says “She’s been working all day since the beginning of the morning until now.”

This tells Boaz two things: Sure she is a Moabite, but she is an honest, considerate person and she is a hard worker.

This piques Boaz’s interest! He wants to meet this woman!

At this point, it seems like coincidence after coincidence for Ruth: first she happens to stumble on the field of a wealthy relative, and now she happens to be there visible at the exact time that Boaz returns. Right time. Right place.

Next, Boaz decides he’s going to go talk to her — and in that conversation he does some crazy things

Ruth 2:8–16 KJV 1900

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

Boaz meets Ruth, and at this point, he is impressed.

This woman came back with Naomi, left her home and family, and has shown herself to be a hardworking, honest woman.

Boaz has pity on her! But not just pity—grace.

Boaz begins to graciously unravel a new set of circumstances for Ruth:

First, he says “Don’t ever feel like you need to go to another field. You’re always welcome in mine.”

Next, he tells her “And you’re not a stranger anymore, you can be with all of my hired maidens — for work, meals, and rest — as long as you’re here!”

Then, he tells her “When it’s time to eat, come to my table and I will serve you.” This is something reserved for only the finest of guests!

And if that wasn’t enough, Boaz told his reapers to purposely leave behind bundles of corn for Ruth to pick up — making it both easier for her to gather and guaranteeing that she’ll have more than enough.

Wow! Ruth is stunned!

She falls down on her face and asks “Why?! I’m just a stranger. I’m not like the other maidens. I’m a Moabite. Why are you doing all this for me?”

Boaz’s answer says so much: “I’ve heard about you Ruth. The way you left everything to help Naomi. The way you work hard. The way you show kindness. God sees it, and I see it.”

Boaz tells Ruth that God is rewarding her for her work, and he tells her she made the right decision by “coming to trust under His wings” — a common phrase in the Psalms used to describe the way God cares and provides for people.

Ruth 2:17 KJV 1900

17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

When it was all said and done, Ruth had gathered an ephah of barley.

An ephah of barley would have weighed roughly 30 pounds. There are two observations from this amount.

First, it was a tremendous amount to glean in one day, again showing Ruth’s work ethic.

Second, it showcases Boaz’s generosity, as this amount would’ve been enough for Naomi and Ruth to live on for weeks.

(New) Situation: The new circumstances that prevail

Talk about a twist! What an absolute turn of events!

How did this happen? It seems like this Boaz guy just came out of nowhere!

Naomi and Ruth went from being starving widows to having a guaranteed source of food and provision from this kind stranger, Boaz!

After so many hard days, so many dark nights, and so many disappointments, it seems as if God hasn’t forgotten Naomi and Ruth after all.

Let’s look at two truths we can see in this passage

Finding The Truth

What truths do we see about people?

God hasn’t left the story, and we must by faith trust Him with the future that we cannot see.

One thing that is true about every person, throughout all of time, is that they cannot see the future. We can only live in this present moment.

And when the present moment takes a turn for the worse, we cannot see a way out. We don’t know what comes next.

People can only see the present moment, so they must choose to trust God with the future

This may seem so simple and obvious, but it’s not always easy to do when the rubber meets the road!

Ruth & Naomi

Naomi found a reason to blame God for all that went wrong in her life — she couldn’t see the future, and she chose to become bitter because of what had happened in the present

Ruth found a reason to have hope for the future — she chose to trust God enough to go to Bethlehem with Naomi, and she did what she knew was right even when things looked bleak

Look at each of these verses: Even with what little she knew about God, she did what she knew to be right and trusted that there was hope for the future with the God of Israel

Ruth 2:2 KJV 1900

2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

Ruth 2:7 KJV 1900

7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

Ruth 2:11–12 KJV 1900

11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

All along, God had an amazing plan to bless Ruth and Naomi, and even though neither of them could see it, they both responded very differently.

The Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul understood this when he was in prison — listen to what he wrote in the opening of his letter to the Philippians

Philippians 1:12–21 KJV 1900

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Paul is often commended as one of the greatest Christians to ever live, but in this passage we can clearly see what made Paul different than so many others:

When his present moment seemed bleak, Paul believed to his core that God had not left the story, and that He would continue to use him to further the Gospel mission

A God Worthy of Trust

Let me be clear: this message is not about Ruth or Paul. What I want us to see tonight, though, is that in both of their cases God proved to be worthy of trust.

Boaz put it best when he said in verse 12: “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

His statement here invokes the beauty of God captured in Psalm 36:7

Psalm 36:7 KJV 1900

7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

We see from these people’s stories that what was true for them is still true for us today: we cannot see the future. We don’t know what’s coming — and some days, it feels like nothing is coming.

Yet, we must remember this: God is still God; He hasn’t left the story; and we must by faith trust Him with the future that we cannot see.

What truths do we see about God?

God hasn’t left the story, and He is still working through people who live like Jesus

It’s such a simple statement to say “we should live like Jesus,” but it is such a profoundly powerful thing

Let’s not forget what Ruth and Naomi have just gone through!

Both of them (in different circumstances) have had to abandon their home and family

Both of them have lives their entire lives in wicked societies filled with sin

Both of them have lost those that they loved most

Both of them have journeyed across the desert—alone, poor, and hopeless—only to arrive to Bethlehem and live in shame and poverty

These two could use a little hope! These two could use somebody showing them that God isn’t a distant, cold ruler in the sky; but a loving, kind God Who has not forgotten His people. And that is exactly what Boaz did.

Boaz was gracious, kind, and God-honoring — and God used that!

In v. 8 he graciously told her she could always glean from his field

In v. 8 he also welcomed her as if she was one of his own maidens

In v. 14 he told her that she had a seat at his dinner table and humbly served her himself

In v. 16 he selflessly instructed his servants to leave bundles of barley behind for Ruth to pick up

All of this elicited this response from Ruth in v. 10, “Why are you being so kind and gracious to me when I don’t deserve it?!”

Doesn’t that sound like the way that Christ treated us?

Again in Philippians we see this idea taught:

Philippians 2:13–15 KJV 1900

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

In a broken world, people need to see Christ — regardless of who they are!

The lost need to be introduced to a Savior who loves them

Fellow believers need to be reminded of the grace and kindness of our Savior

God works through people who live like Jesus to execute His mission

We live in a fallen, broken world. Yet, we must remember that God hasn’t left the story, and He accomplishes His work through believers reflect Jesus into a dark world!

Challenge

Let me encourage you tonight: Just like God hadn’t left Naomi and Ruth’s story, God hasn’t left your story

Tonight, there are two simple ideas that we can walk away with:

God hasn’t left the story, so He can be trusted with our future

God hasn’t left the story, and He is still working through humble, followers of Jesus

Depending on where you are in your life, both of these simple ideas might seem difficult to live out

But, because of the victory we have in Christ, we can have the faith to trust God and reflect Him into the world

God hasn’t left us alone to struggle harder to become like Jesus. He promises that as we walk with Him he will make us into who He wants us to become.

Ask God tonight to renew your faith in the fact that He has not left the story

Ask God tonight to use you to show Jesus to someone else in this dark world