Waiting on the Lord

Big idea

Tension: How do Ruth and Boaz act so wisely in their season of waiting?

Resolution: By being covered in God’s steadfast love.

Exegetical Idea: By being covered in God’s steadfast love, Ruth and Boaz are able to act wisely in their season of waiting.

Theological Idea: Christians can act wisely while they wait by trusting in God’s covenant love.

Homiletical Idea: If we are covered by God’s steadfast love, we can act wisely in times of waiting.

Outline

Introduction

This story starts out with at least two tensions: (1) Ruth’s need for redemption (family, in-laws, land, heritage), and (2), Boaz’s inconsistent characterization (Boaz was called a “hayil gibor”, so why hasn’t he redeemed Ruth yet?)

I. The Story of this chapter

Introduction (1-5)

Naomi’s instructions

Her care for rest in wanting to provide “rest”

her plan

This is a risky idea - after all, easily this could be misunderstood and misconstrued. I don’t think she’s propositioning Boaz, but you don’t have to be an expert in ancient near eastern culture to see why someone might want to think that.

This recalls the story of Lot and his daughters, who, after getting him drunk, came in and produced progeny through their own father.

The meeting between Ruth and Boaz

Ruth (6-9)

Ruth comes in “quietly” according to Naomi’s plan

Ruth asks for Boaz’s covenant love - she is asking that Boaz would extend the Lord’s covenant love for her.

Ruth notes that he is a redeemer - he’s kind of half asking why he hasn’t redeemed her yet, and asking him to man up and do his job.

The question is how will Boaz respond?

Boaz (10-15)

Boaz praises her character (vs. 10)

He notes that she has herself extended “covenant love” towards Boaz (10)

He pledges to help (vs. 11)

He calls her a hyl esheth - a worthy woman - this connects this passage to Proverbs 31. It is the same word as the “mighty man of valor” and so what we see here is that Ruth is the embodiment of a hyl esheth, a valorous woman. Just as Boaz is the archetypal man, so Ruth is the model woman.

The catch - There is a redeemer that is nearer than he. This on the one hand, resolves Boaz’s character - he is everything they had hoped that he was. But, on the other, this pushes the resolution back. This is an anticlimactic end.

Nevertheless - as the Lord lives. This is a reference to the Lord’s sheer existence, it’s a trust in his pledge to make this right and to redeem this situation. ANd he’s going to do everything he can to make this right on Ruth’s behalf.

Boaz nevertheless offers

Unfinished (14-18)

There is an allusion to “hope” at the end. Ruth references going back “empty handed” (vs. 17), an allusion to Naomi’s coming back “empty” (1:21). We see here this reference even that Naomi wants to get Ruth “rest” (3:1) which recalls what she said back in 1:9.

Yet, Boaz decides that he’s going to be generous and gives her “six” measures. SIx of course is one number shy of the number of completion. ANd even by giving us six rather than seven, we are left with a sense of incompleteness and the narrative is waiting to be finished.

Yet, the passage ends on a strong note of “waiting” (vs. 18).

Transition: Do you ever feel like this in your life, like you know there is something good ahead, or you so want something to happen, you’re so excited to graduate, or say ‘I do’ or get that new job, and it’s not quite happening. And maybe in those moments, you want to see, “God, what’s happening, why isn’t this all connecting? Why aren’t you moving faster?” I mean for Ruth, this passage just ends with one more hurdle. ANd we might be tempted to think, “God, what are you doing here?” So where is God in this chapter?

II. The God of this chapter.

Well, first, I think we can see that God in this passage is the God of providence. The God of this chapter is the same God as last chapter. Just as we saw last week, God is working in this mess. He’s working to orchestrate all these things, he hasn’t forgotten or forsaken his people. We can see that strong note in vs. 18, which says, “see how the matter turns out”. That’s kind of an enigmatic way of saying, “God is in control. God has gotten this.” We see all three characters, Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth believe that God is working in this.

Even when life is not what we expect it to be, even when life lets us down, and we might be tempted to be disappointed in it, we can trust that God is “working all things for the good of those who love him.” (Rom 8:28)

God is also the God of covenant love. We see here references in 3:9 and again in 3:10 to hesed and to Boaz taking Ruth under his wings. But this is all based on what Boaz has said in 2:12 and Naomi has said in 2:20. That any love that believers show to one another is based on the love God shows us first. And all of God’s Providence is exercised by all of God’s love for his people.

But, I do think we get a sense of what God is up to in this: this passage has an eerie similarity to it. It sounds a lot like another passage in Genesis that we talked about last week in Genesis 19. And I think part of the reason that God, in his Providence, has brought these things to pass is to redeem Ruth from all her family brokenness. And as we’ll see next week, God’s good plan is to provide redemption and salvation to reversal to the perversity and the cycle of brokenness and guilt and shame at the foundation of the family.

III. The Wisdom of this chapter

The beauty of romantic love - I think one of the things that we see here is the beauty of romantic love. Clearly, here, both Ruth and Boaz understand what is at the essence of romantic love, which is at total variance with our modern world. Our modern world treats romantic love in a very me-centric way. But the way that marriage is treated in this chapter is an others-centric way. It is what can I do for you, not what can you do for me.

Man or woman of noble character - And both Boaz and Ruth know the value of having a noble character. This is not something that is taken for gratned. After all, ruth is called a “noble woman” in vs. 12 and Boaz was himself called a “worthy man” in chapter 2:1. Boaz knows what it is to be a man - to protect the endangered, to be generous to those in need, to give up himself for the good of Ruth. And Ruth knows what it is to be a woman of character.

They also know not to be controlled by lust - (Song 2:7, 8:4). They know to wait on the Lord to answer them.

They color in teh lines. They don’t take shortcuts. They walk with integrity. Nobody would have blamed Ruth and Boaz for taking the easy way out, for sidestepping the redeemer. But they respect his right. It is a loving and sacrificial thing to do. (Prov 28:18)

How did they do that? How could they walk so wisely? Why weren’t they controlled by their lust and their desires? What made them be so careful? It was that they trusted in the Lord above all else.

Trusting in the Lord - Much of what we see in this chapter is the embodiment of a wisdom that makes trusting in the Lord primary. (Prov 3:5-6)

There is a deep seated belief that only God can redeem.

Appeal: Do you need redemption? From sin, shame, brokenness, family cycles, marriage, kids, etc. - Wait on the Lord, he is in the business of redemption. (Eph 1:7-10)

Application

Only God can redeem - This is hard because we so want to redeem.

You can trust hte Lord - This means we have to give up our control.

By God’s grace, you can break the cycle.

All godo relationships, especially romantic ones, are extending God’s love towards others.

Don’t Awaken Love before its time

Be a man - give yourself wholly to others.

Be a woman - submit yourself to teh Lord wholly

There is no substitute for integrity.

God can redeem all