The Sovereignty of God and Kindness (2)

Ruth 2:1-23

The Sovereignty of God and Kindness

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Pastoral Prayer

Church: Salem FBC (Andy DeWitt)

Persecuted bros & sisters around the world.

Upcoming elections

Rec of the word

Introduction

In the fall of 2015, anxiety began to set into my heart. I was working nearly full-time, I was attending seminary classes full-time, I was giving myself to others, but one major challenge was before me, financially surviving…. Crying out to God and wondering where he was and what he was doing. Yet, gracious acts of favor throughout.

Main Idea: Praise be to God who has provided a worthy man to redeem us from our despair, the man Jesus Christ.

A desperate need for favor (2:1-3)

A worthy man shows favor (2:4-16)

A favor worthy of praise (2:17-23)

A desperate need for favor (2:1-3)

The answer to this need for favor is highlighted before the search for favor begins in the way this is written. For verse 1 starts, “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy (literally a strong or valiant) man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”

Throughout the second chapter here in Ruth, our eyes are to be set towards Boaz as the means to answer Naomi’s prayer for her daughter-in-law back in Ruth 1:9, which said, “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!’ Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”

Boaz is the one who is to bring rest to Ruth in the end. He is the one who is to care for her. But we must’t get ahead of ourselves. For before pursuit of marriage begins, we must see the desperate need of Ruth for favor.

Ruth’s desperate need for favor

Without provision for their well-being, without finding a place to go and glean that which was left for the sojourner, the poor, the needy, Naomi and Ruth would starve. Hence, why we see Ruth take initiative in verse 2, which says….

Ruth knew that Naomi and her needed favor in gleaning. She needed favor in being allowed to glean, protection in gleaning, and favor in finding enough food to survive on.

The law of God was set in place to allow her to glean. We find this in Leviticus 19:9-10. It says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”

God’s provisions for the poor and needy are stated in God’s law. However, remember the period in which Naomi and Ruth live, the days of the Judges. The days of where everyone had been doing what was right in their own eyes and ignoring God’s law. So favor is of great importance to find favor in the sight of another, the favor of one who keeps God’s law.

Likewise, because it is a day in which everyone does what is right in their own eyes, there is a great danger for a foreign young woman of being harmed. This reality is referenced in verses 9 and 22. In verse 9, Boaz tells Ruth, “Have I not charged the young men not to touch you?” Then in verse 22, “And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, ‘It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” Ruth needs to find favor in a field where no assault will take place on here. She needs to find favor to enter the care of one who will look after her and treat her with dignity. It is also crucial for Ruth to find favor as one being in need of sufficient food to come from her gleaning.

Therefore, there is a real need for Ruth to find favor in the eyes of another as she goes out in search of the ability to glean from the fields. And she knows and understands her need for favor.

Our desperate need for favor as well.

Brothers, sisters, friends, how about you? Do you understand that like Ruth, we too are desperate for the need of favor? Do we recognize the poverty and powerlessness we have? While there certainly may be those here or that we know who are struggling with physical poverty, that financial poverty isn’t even our biggest need of addressing. Our spiritual poverty is our greatest need for favor.

Where Ruth was a widow without the means for provision for herself, we are without the means of provision to deliver our own self from the bondage of our own sin. Sin is anything that goes against the holy character of God as communicated in God’s law found in the Bible.

And every person here, every person born since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden has been born into sin. And that sin has corrupted us, it has captured us, and it has left us dead. Sin has affected our relationships. Sin has affected our bodies. Sin has affected our desires. Sin has affected our affections. Sin has affected our very hearts. But most importantly, our sin has not only affected us, but it has left us separated from God. And apart from favor, we will remain separated from God. And one day, the wrath of his judgment will fall against us.

Our efforts of good deeds will not and cannot save us. Our status will not save us. Our national heritage will not save us. Our family background will not save us. Favor and favor alone can rescue us from our sin, favor that comes from God and his worthy man. For like Ruth, we need a worthy man to show us favor. And that is where we turn in our second point this morning.

A worthy man shows favor (2:4-16)

The worthy man, Boaz, shows favor to Ruth

Of course the answer for the one who will show favor to Ruth is hinted at twice in three verses. Ruth 2:1 tells us of Boaz. Then whose field does Ruth just seemingly happen to wander into? The field of Boaz. The text sets us up to know exactly who it is who will show favor. But consider with me the ways that Boaz is worthy and shows favor.

First, he is a worthy man in how he conducts his business as a land owner. Notice how Boaz greets his workers, “The LORD be with you.” And his workers respond, “The LORD bless you.” Godliness affects every aspect of the life of Boaz in how he interacts and carries himself in conducting his business. His pursuit of God carries into every aspect of life, and this is recognized by others.

Brothers and sisters, is your life so filled with God that it affects every aspect of life? Every relationship? Every encounter with others? Consider the worthy man Boaz and his example as he has his eyes set on the LORD and points us to one even greater who walked in perfect obedience, the God-man, Jesus Christ.

In fact, Boaz seemingly in verse 5 is such a God honoring business man, that he seems to know all those who work for him. For he recognizes a young woman among the workers who he doesn’t know and inquires who she is. He wants to know where she came from. And the foreman proceeds to tell him that this is the Moabite who came with Naomi back from the land of Moab. Then, in verse 7, it says…

Ruth is made known to Boaz as one who is hard working and diligent, not lazy, not looking for handouts. And this leads us to the second way that we see Boaz as the worthy man, for he doesn’t stop at the letter of the law from Leviticus 19:9-10 which we looked at briefly in our first point. Boaz goes above the letter of the law in how he interacts with Ruth.

Boaz seeks the good welfare of Ruth. The letter of the law only requires that the poor and vulnerable are allowed to glean in the field. The letter doesn’t require that the land owner looks out for the well-being of the vulnerable in protecting them. But Boaz, being a worthy man labors to protect those in his field, especially this young Moabite woman. We see this there in verses 8-9….

Boaz as the worthy man wants to ensure Ruth she is safe in his fields, that all the workers are charged to not touch her. He wants to comfort her that she needs only to keep her eyes on the field and focus on reaping, she is safe.

Boaz also seeks to care for Ruth above the letter of the law in providing nourishment for her. He invites her to take drink from the water that has already been drawn and even invites her to be nourished at lunch with him and his reapers. Ruth is able as seen there in verse 14 to eat until she is satisfied, she is filled with food. Boaz continues to care for Ruth by showing her remarkable favor.

In fact, the favor goes even further. We see in verse 15 and 16, that Boaz’s favor extends to instructions to his workers, ensuring that Ruth is able to gather a sufficient about of food for her and Naomi. Boaz continues to show incredible favor to Ruth. Favor that surpasses both the law and the prayers of Ruth. This incredible favor has been made shown to Ruth. How is she to respond? Turn your attention with me to verse 10 at Ruth’s response to Boaz and his favor. “Then she fell on her face, bowing 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.”

Favor, like grace, is that which is unmerited, undeserved. Favor while hoped for, should never be expected, it should never be presumed to come. As favor comes, Ruth is humbly grateful and astonished in receiving it. Wondering why any would show her such favor. Ruth had hoped for favor, she had prayed for favor. But when it comes, she is blown away by it, for she remembers her status, she remembers that she is a foreigner not protected by the law of the land, by the law of Israel’s God. So why this favor from Boaz?

Boaz shows favor to Ruth, because he has heard all that she has done. Wait, you might be thinking, didn’t we just establish that favor is unmerited? So how is this favor? It is favor because of the flow of the writing. Notice how verses 11 and 12 progress. They read…

All that Ruth has done has been told to Boaz. He knows that she has left her family, her native land to sojourn in a foreign land with a foreign people. He knows how she has cared well for Naomi. Ruth has done a lot. Yet, Boaz knows the root cause of this all, its the overflow of her coming under the wings of the Lord for refuge. Boaz knows that Ruth’s actions are not a result that lead her to faith, but an outworking of that faith. Favor comes to Ruth because she is under the covenant blessings of God, seeking rescue in him. And this outpouring of favor is how God’s people are to love and care for one another. The favor shown to Ruth by Boaz is both a prototype of the favor we are shown in Christ, as well as an example for us to follow.

The worthy man, Jesus, shows favor to us

The favor of Boaz is to point us forward to the favor that comes in Jesus. For like Boaz, Jesus was a worthy man. He was the conquering King who came to destroy sin and death as the Messiah. But his strength looked much differently. Where Boaz was recognized as a worthy (valiant, strong) man, Jesus was seen as one who was weak, as one who suffered. It was this very reason that many doubted Jesus to be the Messiah. For they thought his strength and might and power would be noticeable. However, it was in weakness that his strength was made known. For as Boaz provided for Ruth, Jesus in his sacrificial death provided for us. Boaz gave water and food to Ruth, Jesus gave himself for us to become the bread of life and living water. Jesus provides favor for us, by inviting us to find salvation in him.

Friend, if you are here this morning, I hope you have recognized the poverty of your soul because of your sin. At the same time, I want you to see the favor being offered to you in Jesus if you have not yet believed in him. Believe that by seeking refuge under his wings, by turning from your allegiance to sin, and place that allegiance in Jesus, you will receive God’s favor of salvation by your faith in Jesus. I’ll be here up front following the service, I’d love to talk to you more about this. Friend, make the day you turn from your poverty in sin to riches of life in Christ. Turn from needing favor to receiving it in Jesus.

But for you who have been walking with Christ, how is that favor shown to you causing you to show that same favor to others? Christian, consider the ways that Boaz showed favor to Ruth, a covenant member of God’s family. He met her needs, he protected her, and he did so out of the overflow of love for the Lord.

Husbands, if you are in Christ, consider the implications this has on how we should love our wives. For in the example set by Boaz, we should labor as Godly husbands to provide and protect our wives. We should labor for their well being, treating them with dignity and honor. Showing them the favor that Christ has shown us.

Others, how are you laboring for the good of one another within the church? We are a church that does very good at providing for physical needs within the body. We have a member sick and in need of care, most of you jump up quick to provide meals and care for them. May the Lord continue to make this true of the body of Christ. But let me urge us to take this a step further. Don’t just provide for only the physical needs, labor to guard one another in the spiritual. Labor to know one another deeper still, in the struggles of the heart. And labor to ensure that there are none who are left as the unknown among us. That we recognize those that are not connected and labor to regularly invite them in. Make it impossible for anyone, regardless of age, gender, economical status, or any other background to be among us and not connected. Make it strange to be an unknown person here. And by unknown, I don’t simply mean name and a few details. By saying know people, it means to really know them. Know them by inquiring about their backgrounds, their God stories, their challenges and struggles. This is what it means to know one another. And this is the way in which we as Christians are to lean into one another, just as Boaz pursued to know this foreigner in his field, this Moabite woman, Ruth.

If we fail to show this favor to one another, then we have missed the favor we have been shown. We are called to show mercy and grace to others as has been shown to us, Christian. For we must remember that we are like Ruth there in verse 10, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, for I am a foreigner.” Or even better yet, I am a sinner, an enemy?

The favor we have been shown in the worthy man, Jesus Christ is to compel us to showing this kind of favor in return to others, from those nearest and farthest from us. Including a showing of favor to those who are still outside the camp and in need to hear of this favor that has come in Jesus. And it is this very favor that is to fuel our mission. For when we marvel little at this favor that has come, our drive of mission is low. For this favor that has been shown is to lead us to praise God for his kindness.

A favor worthy of praise (2:17-23)

Praise to God for a redeemer in Boaz

After a hard day’s work, Ruth beats out what she gleaned (v.17) and then returns to her mother-in-law and home. We see in verse 17 that it says about an ephor of barley was gathered. That is about 30 or so pounds of barley. So, when Naomi sees this, she is stunned. She says there in verse 19, Blessed be the man who took notice of you.”

When favor is rightly recognized, it causes marvel in the eyes of the one who sees this favor being poured out. But what Naomi finds out next, begins to help the veil be removed from her eyes. For Ruth tells her whose field she had worked in, she tells her a man named Boaz.

Of course, we as readers have known this, for verse 1 had made it known to us who Boaz was. That he was a worthy man of the house of Elimelech, he was part of their family. But Naomi in hearing this begins to see that she, nor Ruth have been forsaken by the LORD, that he has not left them empty. Why? Because this man Boaz, as seen there in verse 20, is a close relative, but more importantly he is a redeemer to the family. This means that Boaz is one who is set up to take Ruth as a wife and give a child to Ruth in the name of the the deceased, to carry on their line. This is why Naomi said, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead.” Kindness, favor, has been shown to Naomi and Ruth, as well as to her late husband and sons.

As we will see next week in Ruth 3, a plan begins to be set in motion to bring this about. But for now, we need to let the text drive this and see how hope and life come when we recognize God’s kindness and favor that come to us. For Naomi, she begins to have her spirits uplifted with hope that she is not forsaken, that the Lord has not left her empty, but that he has sovereignly been working all of this out as a means to both care for Naomi and Ruth, but ultimately lead to the Messiah, Jesus Christ who would come from the line of Ruth and Boaz. For to Ruth, she just happened to wander into the field of Boaz. But this was the sovereign work of the Lord, that brought her to the field of Boaz, to the one who would show her favor, to one who would redeem her.

Praise to God for a redeemer in Christ Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, as we consider the kindness of the LORD to us in Jesus, let us continually reflect and meditate on this kindness. For it is not nostalgia that will stir our hearts to a greater love for God. It is seeing that God has poured out his loving kindness on us as Christians in Jesus. That God has richly blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And because of this, he is worthy of our complete devotion and praise. And that devotion and praise will continue to lead us towards faithfulness in the ways of Christ. As Naomi saw God’s hand at work, let us look at what Christ has accomplished and what he continues to accomplish as the Kingdom of God is advanced through the glorious task of making disciples, followers of the LORD Jesus Christ. The gospel continues to prevail, people are turning from their sins to Christ all around the world. Let the veil be removed from our eyes and see how God is working through the ordinary means of making disciples through the message of the gospel with all its power.

Let’s pray…