Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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!