Godliness in an Ungodly time
Notes
Transcript
Main Point: CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER will shine BRIGHT in DARK times.
Applications:
1. HUMBLE spirits lead to GRACE-FILLED ACTIONS.
2. GRACE-FILLED actions shine a BRIGHT LIGHT on the GLORY OF GOD. 3. We all need a GRACE-FILLED, God-Appointed REDEEMER.
4. Who can YOU tell about OUR REDEEMER?
INTRODUCTION:
Would you turn with me in your Bibles to Ruth 2? This week we will be continuing our series through the short book of Ruth. As you’re turning there, I would like to highlight a few things coming up this next week. (Christmas Cookie packing Tuesday at 6:30, passing out at 6:30 Thursday and Friday. We will provide maps and pair up to pass these cookies out in our surrounding neighborhoods! Even if you can’t come, would you join us in prayer?) (THEN LET’S PRAY)
I remember being in elementary school and being taught about contrasting colors. Basically, contrasting colors are two colors that are opposites of each other. For instance, Black and white, Green and Red, Blue and Orange.
Contrasting colors are essentially opposites. And honestly, in Ruth, we see some major contrasts. The most major one being, “the contrast between hopelessness and hope.” In Ruth 1, we see what looks like a hopeless situation. We see Naomi’s lack of faith clearly over and over and we see it contrasted with Ruth’s FAITHFULNESS!
Today, we continue to see contrasts. We see a contrast between Godliness and ungodliness. We see a contrast between following God and those who have abandoned God in favor of their own human perspective and what they believe is true.
We will see a contrast in Ruth today that should also encourage us.
Over the course of the last week, I did some demographic research about the religious state of our community. The findings which we will talk about later are stunning and they provide us with a powerful call to live out our faith.
Our main point today really shows us this contrast. It is CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER will shine BRIGHT in DARK times.
BODY: Ruth 2 picks up right where Ruth 1 ends. Ruth and Naomi are back in Bethlehem as the Barley harvest has begun.
As we start reading in Ruth 2:1-3
Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz.
Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor?”
Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family.
In verse 1, we are introduced to Boaz, who is a man of noble character. That is his defining characteristic.
He is a good guy in a time that Israel is full of evil. Judges 21:25 says:
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
Remember, Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges. Everyone does whatever THEY want to. It’s semi-organized chaos. Evil is common!
But not for Boaz! He is a man of NOBLE character!
He is a GODLY man surrounded by UNGODLINESS!
Further, we read that he was a “prominent man.” This can also be translated as “a mighty man of wealth.”
Boaz is a catch! He’s the complete package. He’s successful, he’s noble, some have suggested that he was a war hero- a theory that comes from usage of the word in Isaiah to describe God’s total power!
Boaz seems to have it all together.
In contrast to BOAZ the mighty israelite, we see “RUTH THE MOABITESS.”
5 times in Ruth, she is called the “Moabitess” to remind us of her earthly background which is contrasted against the people of Israel
Ruth is a gentile- she isn’t from Israel, yet she has faith in God. The ISRAELITES DON’T EVEN HAVE THAT AT THIS TIME!
They are each doing whatever seems right in their eyes!
Ruth goes to Naomi and she wants to go gather fallen grain from the fields. This was a practice known as gleaning.
It was mentioned throughout scripture, but probably most notably in Leviticus 19:9-10, Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22. Let me read from Leviticus 19.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.
Farmers are commanded to leave the edges of their fields and whatever has fallen alone. They are not to go back and pick up anything that has fallen.
Instead, this is reserved for the poor and the resident alien. Ruth is both poor and a resident alien!
Notice how this command ends in Leviticus 19:9-10! It ends by God saying, “I am the LORD your God.”
Why should you obey? BECAUSE THE LORD SAID TO!
Yet, what we will find today is that the Israelites are not practicing this as they should be. It is a part of their disobedience.
Naomi knows about this custom and sends Ruth to go glean. Ruth goes to the field of Boaz, who is a part of ELIMELECH’S FAMILY!
Keep that connection in mind. Ruth needs a redeemer and a redeemer had to be FROM THE SAME FAMILY!
Ruth 2:4-7 say:
Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, “The Lord be with you.”
“The Lord bless you,” they replied.
Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?’ She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter.”
We first see Boaz in verse 4. He comes out to the field, likely having been down at the city gate conducting business.
That’s what he does in Ruth 4! He’s a LEADER in the town!
The CSB translates the first part of this verse, “Later,” but the most common translation of this word (Va-Hinneh) in the Old Testament is actually “BEHOLD”
Boaz’s arrival is a BIG DEAL!
Immediately we see his high character. He greets his workers by blessing them saying, “THE LORD (YAHWEH) BE WITH YOU.”
They reply saying, “The LORD bless you.”
Boaz then sees someone that he does not recognize. So he calls for his foreman to come to him. He asks him about the young woman that he does not know- Ruth.
The man says that, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab.
He further says that she has been working all day except for a short break. The Hebrew word here is literally, “a few” referring to the short LENGTH of the break!
Ruth is a hard worker!
We know that she vowed before God to cling to Naomi and her actions show that she truly IS doing that!
Ruth is FOLLOWING THROUGH ON HER WORDS!
In verse 8, Boaz speaks to Ruth for the first time. We read:
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. See which field they are harvesting, and follow them. Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner?”
Boaz is so tender to Ruth! He cares for her and he tells her that she is safe with him!
Now, let’s be clear. Boaz’s concerns show us something. They show us that the Israelites are not walking with God. They are ignoring the law that God has GIVEN THEM!
They are not living as God has commanded them to. Hence, he is concerned about her safety!
Boaz reassures Ruth that she will be safe in his fields. He has spoken to his men apparently and told them to let her work.
He then tells her to drink from the jars when she is thirsty. She does not need to stop working to go pull water up from the well herself!
Ruth responds by falling on her face! Culturally, this is one of the most powerful signs of reverence
Typically this is reserved for kings, or FOR WORSHIPPING GOD!
She is THAT amazed by what has just happened!
This is so different than what culture was like. The Moabites, the Canaanites and in this season the Israelites were all known to mistreat women.
Here is Boaz offering her safety and provision. She doesn’t work for him. He doesn’t even know her!
Yet he still does this.
His CHARACTER shines bright in the darkest of times.
Boaz responds to Ruth’s question. We read: Ruth 2:11-13
Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
“My lord,” she said, “I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants.”
Boaz’s reasoning? He has heard what she did for Naomi!
He sees the way that she has given up everything for Naomi and he honors her for that.
He has heard of her FAITH and he sees that!
Boaz is a faithful follower of God and he sees another faithful follower in Ruth! He wants to see her blessed!
Boaz even says that! In verse 12, Boaz blesses her for what she is doing.
Throughout Ruth we see men and women blessing each other time and time again. It might be helpful to think of it as them praying for each other.
It’s like a quick prayer!
Boaz asks that the LORD, YAHWEH, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, gives her a FULL REWARD!
He also uses a phrase in this verse that I want us to notice.
He says that and then says “UNDER whose WINGS you have come for refuge.” Keep this phrase in mind- it is a key phrase in chapter 3 also!
This phrase, “Under whose wings you have come” packs a lot of meaning.
It is an image of Ruth clinging to God and finding her protection and provision in God!
She is not looking for a human to give her protection and provision, she is really looking towards God!
That is a sign of faith! She is working hard and laboring BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, SHE IS trusting GOD!
For us, we should also TRUST IN GOD first and foremost. Are you troubled? TRUST IN GOD!
Are you hurting? TRUST IN GOD! Don’t lean on your own knowledge, TRUST IN GOD!
PUT YOURSELF UNDER THE WINGS OF GOD!
At mealtime Boaz told her, “Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce.” So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her even gather grain among the bundles, and don’t humiliate her. Pull out some stalks from the bundles for her and leave them for her to gather. Don’t rebuke her.” So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about twenty-six quarts of barley.
This meal shows us a lot about Boaz as a leader and as a man.
He is wealthy and influential but he still chooses to eat alongside his employees!
Further, he is hospitable to Ruth and he invites her to join them.
If Ruth was a Hallmark Christmas movie, this would be a first date with candles and a man playing a guitar in the background.
That isn’t the case at all though. This is a lunch in the middle of a HOT, SWEATY day of work. This is far from a date!
Further, Boaz is not romantically interested. he just wants to provide for her from what God has given him.
He makes sure she eats from their roasted grain. We read that she “ate and was satisfied and had some left over.”
So not only does Boaz feed her, Boaz provides her with extras!
Boaz wants to bless her! His humility is on display as he eats with his laborers and his generosity is on display as he provides Ruth with PLENTY of food!
But, his generosity does not stop there. Instead, we see that he tells his men to not humiliate her.
Boaz protects Ruth again and then he continues to provide for her.
This instruction from Boaz also further shows us what women were facing at this time as they gleaned. They were humiliated and they were rebuked!
That wasn’t what God commanded in Leviticus 19!
God doesn’t say, “HUMILIATE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE TERRIBLE!”
No! He says to allow them to glean because I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!
The Israelites have totally lost sight of God!
When they humiliate people gleaning, they are spitting in the face of the ALMIGHTY GOD who established this practice!
Boaz has not forgotten who established this though!
So, he tells them to leave some extra stalks for her and to let her gather them.
He specifically wants Ruth to be provided for.
He is a godly man in the midst of a godless time. His actions here shine BRIGHTLY!
We then read about the fruit of Ruth’s labor. She gathers grain until evening, then beats out what she gathered and removed the inedible outer husk from 26 quarts of grain!
THIS IS A LOT OF BARLEY!
Ruth works hard and can now feed her and Naomi for weeks! For perspective, a loaf of barley takes about 3 cups of barley.
RUTH HAS GATHERED OVER 1 MONTH OF GRAIN FOR BREAD IN ONE DAY!
I won’t pretend to be a dietitian, I’ll leave that to Hope and Debi, but Barley has about 23-25 grams of protein per cup and 600+ CALORIES! RUTH IS GATHERING NUTRIENT DENSE FOOD!
Last week I mentioned that there are some Proverbs 31 woman reflections in Ruth.
Here’s a few that we see in Ruth 2.
She works with willing hands- Proverbs 31:13
She provides food for her household vs. 15
She is not lazy- vs. 15 and 27
She works hard- vs. 19
Ruth is a model of a woman who is godly!
Just as Boaz is an example of Godliness in an ungodly time, so is Ruth! She is in the field working all day to take care of Naomi so that she can fulfill her promises!
As chapter 2 closes out, we see Ruth’s interaction with Naomi. (Ruth 2:18-23)
She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave it to her.
Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you gather barley today, and where did you work? May the Lord bless the man who noticed you.”
Ruth told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with and said, “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.”
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the Lord bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”
Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished all of my harvest.’ ”
So Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his female servants, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.” Ruth stayed close to Boaz’s female servants and gathered grain until the barley and the wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Ruth takes the grain back to town AND brings the leftover roasted grain from lunch back to Naomi to FEED HER!
Ruth has been working hard all day and now she does more work to take care of Naomi!
This is another Godly, humble action in the midst of a godless time!
Naomi sees all that Ruth has brought back and she blesses the man who let Ruth work in his field!
Remember, all the grain that was gleaned was grain that the farmer did not keep! It is a sacrifice!
Ruth explains that she went to Boaz’s field and then Naomi blesses him and mentions that he is a redeemer!
Naomi and Ruth needed a redeemer. A redeemer could purchase their family land and could marry Ruth, providing a future for her!
Ruth shares how she was invited back and Naomi seconds that. Naomi says that, “it is good for you to work with his female servants, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
Clearly Israel is walking in sin! There are constant concerns about Ruth’s safety if she works anywhere else!
This contrast is not an accident. We see how Israel fails and needs a redeemer and we also see how Ruth needs a redeemer!
As we wrap up Ruth 2, we should be thinking to ourselves, “WHO COULD THIS REDEEMER BE?”
APPLICATION: This morning I have 4 points of application that I want to lead us through from Ruth 2.
1. HUMBLE spirits lead to GRACE-FILLED ACTIONS.
2. GRACE-FILLED actions shine a BRIGHT LIGHT on the GLORY OF GOD.
3. We all need a GRACE-FILLED, God-Appointed REDEEMER.
4. Who can YOU tell about OUR REDEEMER?
1. HUMBLE Spirits lead to GRACE- FILLED ACTIONS.
One of the most striking things to me about Ruth 2 is how Boaz acts. He does not act “better than” or “above others” despite his reputation.
Instead, he eats with his laborers, he cares for this faithful MOABITESS, and he cares for Naomi- his family member.
To summarize this, Boaz is a humble man!
Because of his humility, Boaz does not walk around the fields saying, “Look at all that I have made” like King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did.
Instead, he made sure that everyone was taken care of. His actions were full of grace because he FEARED THE LORD and knew that GOD had provided for him!
He did not NEED to care for Ruth in this way, but he did! Why? BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT GOD HAD SHOWN HIM GRACE FIRST! He was FULL OF FAITH and HUMILITY!
When we have this BIBLICALLY HUMBLE mindset, we can’t help but give glory and praise to God!
And as Boaz does that, and as we do that, we will find that it changes how we act.
Many times in scripture we see the importance of humility. Ruth 2 should further emphasize that!
Today, let me challenge us to remember where our provision comes from!
It doesn’t come from our own strength, it comes from the LORD! That should lead us to live humbly!
And as we are humble before God, TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHO HE IS AND GROWING IN OUR FEAR OF THE LORD, WE WILL LIVE LIVES FULL OF GRACE- FILLED ACTIONS TO ALL WHO ARE AROUND US!
2. GRACE-FILLED actions shine a BRIGHT LIGHT on the GLORY OF GOD.
Now, as we live lives that are full of grace-filled actions, we are doing something more than just being good people. We are shining a bright light on GOD!
As Boaz gives to Ruth and keeps her safe, all of his employees saw an example of what it looked like to love unconditionally as God loved them!
In the midst of a faithless, godless land where everyone did what seemed best to them, this would have been a powerful example and it would have brightly shined a light on GOD!
Friends, for you and I, as we live a life marked by grace because of what we have received from God, it will similarly shine a bright light to God!
When our actions and attitudes are counter-cultural, people around us WILL NOTICE!
So let me encourage you, live out your faith! Understand who God is! Let that lead you to humility and GRACE-FILLED actions where we CARE FOR THOSE AROUND US!
And let God work in that!
3. We all need a GRACE-FILLED, God-Appointed REDEEMER.
As we come to our third point of application, I want to speak directly to anyone here who has not placed their faith in Jesus.
Today, we saw Ruth struggling, but we know that she needed more than just a short term fix. She needed a REDEEMER! She needed someone who could SAVE her!
We also need someone to save us- not from short term struggles, but from our sin!
GOSPEL! (PLEAD! Let it be emotional and from the heart!)
4. Who can YOU tell about OUR REDEEMER?
It is great to know our redeemer, but let me challenge us today that we MUST tell our world about OUR REDEEMER!
We all know people who are hurting and struggling. We all know people who are going through it right now. Last week, I challenged us to identify one person who we could walk with.
Similarly, statistics show that we all know people who are not saved. There have been many studies done on the religious situation in Champaign county.
The results are pretty clear. Under 20% of the county identifies as having faith in Jesus.
That statistic means that if you go to your neighborhood and look at let’s say 10 houses in your neighborhood, statistically, the residents of 8 of those 10 houses do not know Jesus!
Let me just speak from my heart. That has to change! And do you know what is so cool? God let’s us be a part of it!
Our neighbors are waiting for their redeemer. They may not realize it. They are so focused on trying to get through life and thrive that they do not see what is truly going on!
They are gleaning in the field trying to pick up whatever is left! They need someone to redeem them.
And church, WE HAVE THE NEWS OF A REDEEMER! So let me challenge you, this Christmas, we MUST take this news to our communities! We cannot neglect our closest neighbors!
This is why as a church we are going to our surrounding neighborhoods this next week! People there need the gospel! We are not doing it so that we can immediately have results, we are bringing cookies to them so that we can begin relationships!
To share about our REDEEMER, we must first build a relationship! We even see that with Boaz! He builds a relationship with Ruth! He doesn’t just go propose marriage with her! Likewise, we need to build RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR NEIGHBORS SO THAT WE CAN SHARE ABOUT OUR REDEEMER!
These intentional relationships will give us opportunities down the road to TELL OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT OUR REDEEMER!
Likewise, who can you reach in your own neighborhood? Who can you invite to come to church with you? Let’s be a GOING AND REACHING CHURCH that shares the hope of the Gospel with our community around us!
Let me pray for us. (Pray for community)