Worthy People Ruth 3:1-18

-We Measure the worthiness of God’s people through their demonstrations of wisdom, faith, and action.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 775: Worth

Alan G. Artner writes in the Chicago Tribune that in 1995 the Art Institute of Chicago owned a treasure that they knew nothing about. In the institute’s permanent collection was a chalk drawing of an upraised hand in a position of blessing (or as we might view it today, in a position of waving hello). The drawing appeared to have suffered serious damage: highlights in lead white chalk had oxidized and turned black. The drawing came into the institute’s permanent collection in 1943, when the widow of a University of Chicago paleontologist donated two thousand drawings. At that time scholars noticed nothing unusual about the drawing, and the appearance of damage deterred further interest. It went into storage with thousands of other drawings and copies by lesser artists.

But then in 1987 the Art Institute decided to reexamine and catalogue every work in its permanent collection. Again, institute scholars first assumed the drawing of the hand was a copy done by an assistant of the Renaissance master Raphael. When they showed it to Raphael scholar Konrad Oberhuber, however, they were in for the surprise of a lifetime. He believed the drawing came from Raphael himself.

So institute scholars flew the drawing to England to show to more experts and to compare it with other Raphael originals. The verdict: the chalk drawing was a bona fide work of the master Raphael, one of the greatest figures in art history.

The prized work needed restoration, however. The oxidized paint was chemically converted into a light grey. When the cardboard mount was removed, the institute found further evidence of authenticity: a watermark in the paper similar to ones used in Florence around the time of Raphael’s death in 1520.

The chalk drawing became an invaluable part of the Art Institute’s collection, the only original Raphael they owned and one of only twelve Raphael originals in North America.

The value of a picture depends on who created it. The same is true of a person. When we realize that we are fashioned by God—and not only fashioned by God but fashioned in his image—our worth skyrockets. As God’s handiwork, our value exceeds all measure.

I. Naomi Displays Her Worth through Wisdom vv. 1-5

When we pick up our story, Naomi has been blessed by the hard work of her daughter-in-law Ruth. Now, it will be Naomi’s turn to return the favor

Ruth demonstrated faithful love to Naomi through her industriousness and hard work

Naomi will return faithful love to Ruth with her wisdom and understanding

Naomi recognizes that God has brought a man into Ruth’s life who can be a blessing beyond anything they could have reasonably hoped and he has already shown favor to her!

Boaz is a redeemer who will offer Ruth a new kind of life

She will have protection from attacks by wicked men

She will have provision from the bounty of Boaz’s crops

She will have permanence as the wife of Boaz

However, Naomi recognizes that there is a right way to pursue this opportunity:

She must prepare herself, getting ready for the moment by cleaning and dressing herself

She must go to the place where Boaz will be

She must be there in the right moment when he is ready to meet with her and consider what it might mean to redeem her

Naomi’s wisdom is important here, because she understands the intricacies of the culture and of Boaz’s behavior; she knows what Ruth does not.

For Ruth to experience the blessing that God has her, she will need a faithful guide and Naomi becomes that person for her!

Naomi demonstrates her worth through the wisdom she gives Ruth

My Favorite Illustrations Knowledge and Wisdom

When I was a seminary student I recall hearing of a man with a Ph.D. who ran an elevator in a downtown Louisville, Kentucky, office building. Just prior to my oral examination for the same degree the faculty examining committee failed to pass a philosophy student. I was concerned, thinking the the faculty committee was getting tougher. I asked one of the professors why they failed to pass the man. He said the student was able to answer all the questions about the philosophy of others, but he had no philosophy of his own. Both the elevator operator and the student had knowledge; neither had wisdom.

Knowledge is a mental accumulation of facts. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge properly in the ordering of one’s life.

II. Ruth Displays Her Worth Through Faith vv. 6-11

Next, we see Ruth take bold action in following Naomi’s instruction

First, we see that she takes care to do exactly what Naomi says; rather than just taking matters into her own hands or doing things in her own way, she listens and obeys Naomi

Next, we see that she takes her time and insures that the time is right before she acts

However, there is still an incredible amount of vulnerability involved here:

Ruth lies down at Boaz’s feet, uncovering him in the night: This could go wrong in two ways

Boaz could assume that her actions were unbecoming or inappropriate and cast her out

Boaz could take advantage of her vulnerability and mistreat her

However, Ruth takes the risk and makes an important connection:

In 2:12, Boaz blessed Ruth and praised her for taking refuge under the wings of the Lord

Ruth makes clear that Boaz is a redeemer who can spread the wings of his cloak over her and offer her protection

Boaz can be the provision of the Lord, if he is willing

Ruth’s risk is an act of faith in the Lord!

Boaz recognizes her worth in this:

She has not sought out a younger man to be her husband, even though that might be in her own best interest

Instead, she has chosen Boaz who is a redeemer and a kinsman

By choosing Boaz she is choosing faithfulness to a man who has already shown her favor

By choosing Boaz she is choosing faithfulness to Naomi and to the family of Elimelech her father-in-law

By laying her life and reputation on the line for Naomi, Ruth demonstrates her worthiness

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Faith Is: Hearing with the Heart

An American missionary in Africa wanted to translate the English word faith into the local dialect. He could not find its equivalent. So he went to an old sage, who was himself a fine Christian, for help in rendering the needed word into understandable language. The guru studied it, and finally said, “Does it not mean to hear with the heart?”

III. Boaz Displays His Worth Through Action vv. 12-18

Boaz makes it clear that he will pursue redemption for Ruth, but he takes propriety seriously:

There is another potential redeemer who is closer in the line of succession; Boaz will not overstep him in his pursuit of Ruth

There is also the question of reputation and shame; Boaz encourages Ruth to leave in the wee hours before others awake

To show his intent towards Ruth, he makes sure to send her with a gift, six measures of barley

This is roughly 60 lbs of barley, so this is not a small thing

It is his way of demonstrating that he takes this entire situation seriously and will do everything in his ability to redeem Ruth

None of this is lost on Naomi

She tells Ruth to wait, because he will settle the matter that very day

Boaz is a worthy man, not because of his wealth but because of his character; he will fulfill his promise to Ruth and act for her good

Author and teacher, Dr. Howard Hendricks tells the story of a young man who strayed from the Lord but was finally brought back by the help of a friend who really loved him. When there was full repentance and restoration, Dr. Hendricks asked this Christian how it felt away from the Lord. The young man said it seemed like he was out at sea, in deep water, deep trouble, and all his friends were on the shore hurling biblical accusations at him about justice, penalty, and wrong. “But, there was one Christian brother who actually swam out to get me and would not let me go. I fought him, but he pushed aside my fighting, grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and took me to shore. By the grace of God, he was the reason I was restored. He would not let me go.”

Closing Thoughts:

-Do my wisdom, my faith, and my actions demonstrate the character of a worthy person?

-Am I trusting the Redeemer who is worthy of my trust?