God’s Guiding Hand at Work

Intro:

Sometimes God’s timing and orchestrating of events is pretty amazing. While we served on staff at Apex Baptist Church in North Carolina we had a pretty amazing series of events take place. As they war began in Ukraine we stayed in pretty close contact with some of our friends that we had from our time in Ukraine. One of those persons we kept up the most with was a young lady who babysat for Lannie and Abbie when they were little so we could go to Russian language school. Liliya grew up and got married to a young man who’s dad pastored a church plant that met in our living room, but that’s a whole different story for another time. They ended up with two kids and as the war unfolded they, like many people, sought refuge in the areas closer to the borders of other countries. Liliya’s family had family near the Romanian border so that’s where they went.

Jess kept up pretty good with Liliya and often would ask “is there anyting we can do for you guys or how can we pray for you?” We were able to send some money for them to help pay bills and get food and things like that…but one time Liliya shared with Jess that they were in this little city close to the Romanian border and her daughter broke out with a rash and that it was virtually impossible to get the right kind of topical cream she needed because of the war. You can imagine what that must have felt like for a mom to not be able to provide. So Jess tells me about this story on day and I begin to tell her how I met this family in our church in North Carolina that is from Romania and that their home church is actually doing some ministry in Ukraine by bringing food & medical supplies across the border. I get the information I need from Jess about what’s going on and take it back to Emmanual Necula our new Romanian friend.

What happened next was pretty neat. Emmanual said he thought that they might be able to help and actually had a relative who was a pharmacist. So I get connected with their pastor in Romania and get them conencted with Liliya so they can work out a plan. Over the next few days we waited to see what would happen and then one day Jess gets a text that they have the cream for her daughter because of the team from Romania that brought it with other supplies on their trip. Pretty incredible right! Our great God sees our every want & need and is faithful to provide in his timing. In this case he blessed us by being in a position where we could help by simply connecting all the dots that God had so faithfully orchestrated ahead of time for this sweet girl to get the medicine she needed.

Transition…

Today we are back in the story of Ruth and we will be reading all of Ruth chapter 2 verses 1-23:

Ruth 2:1–23 (ESV)

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 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?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 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.” So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

1. God provides for his people v. 1-7

God cares for you “Whole world in his hands”

Abraham Kupyer quote

“There is not an inch in the whole area of human existence of which Christ, the sovereign of all, dot not cry, “It is Mine.”

It was Kupyer’s concern to bring every sphere of life consciously under the lordship and rule of Christ..and it was derived from his conviction that the whole world is ‘in his hands’.

Ruth starts chapter 2 ready to work in order to provide for herself and Naomi, but also realizes that nothing is promised and she’s entering a primarily male dominant society and she knows how vulnerable she is because of she is an outsider of different ethnicity. She’s trying to find favor because the deck is stacked against her.

Let’s pause here and think about the situation Ruth finds herself in. Though much has progressed in the time between Ruth and present day, women still find themselves navigating the difficulties of being a women in the work force.

On average, women in the US make 18 percent less than men (Hegewisch and Tesfaselassie, Women make up 47 percent of the workforce, but only 4.8 percent of S&P 500 companies have female CEOs. Men are promoted at 30 percent higher rates than women during their early career stages. Women are paid seventy-nine cents on the dollar of their male colleagues.

Yet Ruth seems content in navigating her new reality and starts by asking Naomi permission to go and glean.

The practice of gathering pieces of grain or crops that are left behind by harvesters. This may be perceived as a lowly task of the poor or homeless.

From this we can observe that Ruth was not afraid to be rejected or put in harms way in order to survive. She found a means to provide and was ready to work hard for it. There is an important lesson here on how God provides yet scripture time and time again emphasizes working.

Glean occurs twelve times in chapter 2 of Ruth. It’s important to note that this was part of God’s provision for vulnerable people. Gleaning was reserved for those who didn’t have access to their own land and encompassed widows, fatherless, and sojourners/those from other nations who found there way to Israel. This was God’s heart displayed through levitical law that we find in the book of Leviticus especially chapter 19.

David Atkinson in his commentary on Ruth captured it like this: “The motive of concern for the poor and the oppressed is expressed in terms of the character of God. Again and again in this chapter 19 of Leviticus, provisions for domestic, social, cultic, economic, and personal aspects of life are give, coupled with the refrain, ‘I am the Lord’.

Deuteronomy 10:18–19 “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”

So we see that Ruth goes to the fields and ends up providentially coming to a field that belonged to a man named Boaz. The author clearly wants to emphasize the sovereignty of God, as he goes ahead and foreshadows that this man Boaz is indeed a relative, making him a kinsman, and beyond that he is of wealth meaning he could provide for Ruth and Naomi.

Of course they don’t know this at this point in the story which is how God often works. In this section we see Ruth trust that God will provide and we see Boaz lead in a way that brings glory to God in the way he treats his workers, notice the way he greets them and is greeted Ruth 2:4 “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.””

There is something beautiful about the way Boaz leads. He’s the kind of boss you want to have right? I mean he comes in and wants to hear what’s going on, he treats his workers with respect, and ultimately wants to treat people right, which we see in how he treats Ruth.

Application:

We can trust that God will provide for us. God was opening a door for Ruth & Naomi and all it required was for Ruth to trust. In what areas do you need to trust that God will provide?

We can look to the example of Ruth and her willingness to work hard as an example for us in the workplace. God honored her desire to provide & work (the bible says from early morning and will later say she gleaned until evening). How are you honoring God in your work, as a father or mother, as a student? What do you need to do in order to honor God in the way you approach work either as a worker by following Ruth’s example or as a boss looking towards Boaz as an example of a godly leader.

2. God rewards what is not seen by others v. 8-16

As the story continues to unfold we see that Boaz and Ruth meet face to face and Boaz is gracious to Ruth in how he cares for her. In their first interaction we see Boaz refer to her as “my daughter” which probably indicates the age gap between them. He quickly makes a plea for her to only glean with the other young ladies in his field by keeping close to them. He also goes on to make sure she’s protected by staying with his workers and only taking water close to them.

Ruth’s response is gratitude for his provision. Interestingly she acknowledges that he has been gracious to a “foreigner” and thanks him for dealing kindly with her.

Then we see how Boaz responds to her appreciativeness by commending her for her actions towards Naomi. It’s interesting how word must have travelled quickly about Naomi returning with this young Moabite women and how people already heard the story of her faithfulness to care for Naomi.

Ruth 2:12 ESV

The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

There is something sweet about how Boaz acknowledges that Ruth has come to Israel as a foreigner, but looking for protection under the wing of God. In Boaz’s remarks we find a key theological truth—Ultimately it’s God who is Ruth’s benefactor not Boaz. It’s so important to note the difference….sometimes we want to put ourselves in the role of hero when it’s really all God. Boaz seems to understand this and just wants to steward what the Lord has blessed him with in a way that brings honor to God and in this case provides for Ruth despite the ethnic & socioeconomic differences that exist. In fact by inviting Ruth to eat with him and offering the bread dipped in wine Boaz goes above and beyond what is required of him. It comes at a sacrifice to him.

“While Boaz takes responsibility as a man in authority, he does so in light of his more fundamental identity as a man under authority, who must righteously manage what the Lord entrusts to him according to covenantal priorities. Boaz understands that his privileges originate in God’s unmerited favor. God’s generosity always provides the foundation, power, and pattern for his people’s generosity.”

-Excerpt From ESV Expository Commentary: Deuteronomy–Ruth by Iain M. Duguid

Application:

Ruth made the decision to follow Naomi and care for her not because people would think she’s a great person, but because it was the right thing to do. Ultimately God honored that. Others heard about her kindness towards Naomi including Boaz.

In today’s society it seems like everyone is always doing things to get noticed. In what areas do you need to not worry about the spotlight?

Are there times when you try to get the glory over God? How can you guard from this?

Boaz is a great reminder of not letting prejudices get in the way. Are there areas of your life where you need to be open to helping those who come from different backgrounds than you? How can you adjust the way you think about others in light of how God had provisions for the outsider? What do you need to sacrifice to help others as Boaz did for Ruth?

3. God’s timing is perfect, so be patient v. 17-23

The author of Ruth let’s us as the reader understand what’s going on, but Ruth & Naomi don’t realize how God is working on their behalf until the end of chapter 2. As we get into verses 17-23 we see that verse 17 starts with God’s provision through Ruth’s hard work and Boaz’s protection and special care for Ruth.

It says she beats out an ephah of barley which means absolutely nothing to me….lol. According to the commentaries the precise measurement is debated but the general rule of thumb is that it was “remarkably large”. God provided more than what they could even imagine. I love how one commentator put it: “Ruth and Boaz become the Lord’s human instrument to fill Naomi…Boaz’s favor certainly exceeds Ruth’s expectations and , as the next verse shows Naomi’s as well”

In that next verse we find out Naomi’s reaction to Ruth finding favor in her gleaning and meeting Boaz. Naomi’s response is that of gratitude and of blessing towards the person who found favor on Ruth.

Then finally Ruth reveals it was a man named Boaz and Naomi has that light bulb moment of finding out God’s provision for them. It’s obvious that God was orchestrating all of this for Naomi and Ruth and now has provided a clear path for Ruth to potentially have someone provide for her and by extension Naomi as well as Boaz is a kinsmen redeemer.

The rest of the chapter centers on Naomi given Ruth advice on staying with Boaz and the other women who are gleaning and Naomi following this advice for the rest of barley season. It’s important to note the difference in tone Naomi has in chapter 1 versus chapter 2. God has helped her from hopelessly abandoned to praising God for his provision!

As we conclude chapter 2 we see that Ruth is still living with her mother-in-law seemingly waiting for God’s timing on finding a husband. This will set up chapter 3 well, pointing to God’s perfect timing for Ruth, even in providing a new husband for her.

Application:

Are there areas in your life where you need to wait and be patient for God’s timing? Are there areas where you are getting ahead of God?

In chapter 2 of Ruth we see kindness as an overarching theme. In what ways can you follow the example of Ruth, Boaz, & Naomi to be kind to others? What people has God put in your life, like Boaz, that you might be generous & kind to?

How can you open your heart to outsiders? Another theme of this chapter is Boaz’s kindness to Ruth despite her ethnic and social economical differences. In what ways can we align closer to God in this area of our lives? How can we love on outsiders more?

Closing:

Story of Venezuelan family in NC & working with Refugee Hope Partners.

“Indeed, vulnerable persons ought to find kindness among believers that exceeds their expectations (Ruth 2:14–17). In the days when so many were doing what was right in their own eyes, Boaz does what is right in God’s eyes. Boaz is no mercy minimalist, seeking to reduce God’s law to bare-minimum requirements. He gladly stewards his material and immaterial resources to advantage others (cf. comment on 2:8–13) and even welcomes Ruth as a covenant insider. Boaz understands that his blessings originate in God’s unmerited favor and thus are to be used for God’s glory, Boaz’s enjoyment, and his neighbors’ good. The extent to which Christians have grasped the enormity of God’s generosity to them in Christ will be demonstrated in the extent to which they show (or fail to show) glad, humble generosity to others. Gospel-proclaiming local churches ought to astonish the world with the favor they show at-risk people, including the socioeconomically at-risk among their local church family. Tragically, many socioeconomically vulnerable people do not find the kindness they seek, not even among some such churches.”

—Excerpt From ESV Expository Commentary

We can point others to God’s love and share the hope we have in Jesus Christ by first welcoming into gospel communities and seeking to help & provide for them, just as God has done for us! What has God blessed you with that you could use to bless others? It’s all God’s so how can we leverage what we have to help others and show the love of Christ to them?

In Ruth we see that Boaz is a Kinsmen Redeemer and next week we will dive more into what that means…but for now we see that Boaz is a foreshadowing of a God who is continually redeeming his people…later through a king and finally through the Messiah.

The kindness to the vulnerable and outsider that Boaz shows is but a foretaste of how Jesus will live this out fully during his time on earth. While Boaz was able to provide physical bread for Ruth and Naomi, we see Jesus say he is “the bread of life” (John 6:35). God is always at work and this beautiful story of Ruth and Boaz is just a small foreshadowing of God’s love that is ultimately fulfilled in Christ!

Close in Prayer…