The Hidden Hand of God: The Journey of Love in Ruth

Introduction

Aren’t you thankful for God’s love? At Christmas, we celebrate the love of God in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world. We celebrate that God loved us enough to not leave us where we were at… He came into our world of brokenness. And when He came, He didn’t send an army of Angels. He didn’t send another prophet. He didn’t send another king. Out of His abundant love, He sent His Son - Jesus. We know that out of His abundant love, He will once again send His Son, Jesus, and when this happens, all will be made right. Don’t we wait for that day?

Several years ago there was a pastor at home with his school age kids because it was a snow day. He had a plate full of things to do so he told them that they would play in the morning and then around lunch time that he’d need to get a couple of things done and then they’d play more outside in the snow in the afternoon. Sure enough, they played in the morning and after lunch the dad went to work. About 30 minutes into working his daughter came into his office and said, “Daddy, is it time to play again?" The father said, “I’m awfully sorry, but I’m in the middle of preparing Sunday’s sermon and I’ll be done in 1 hour - then we can go play!”

The daughter said, "Okay, when you're finished, Daddy, I am going to give you a great big hug."

He said, "Thank you very much." She went to the door and then she did a U-turn and came back and gave her father a chiropractic, bone-breaking hug.

The father said, "Darling, you said you were going to give me a hug after I finished."

She answered, "Daddy, I just wanted you to know what you have to look forward to!"

One meaning of Christmas is that God wants us to know, through this First Coming, how much we have to look forward to in the great Second Coming.

As we celebrate the love of our God in sending His Son, we know that we have even more to look forward to whenever Jesus Christ comes again… This isn’t because of our greatness but because of His amazing love.

This morning as we continue in our study of Ruth, we’re in Ruth 2 and we’ll see God’s love on full display in providing for Ruth and her mother in law, Naomi, in ways that they easily could have taken for granted, or missed altogether! This morning as we read from God’s Word, be thinking of all the ways that God’s hand is providing and protecting you today!

Ruth 2 CSB

1 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. 2 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.” 3 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. 4 Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, “The Lord be with you.” “The Lord bless you,” they replied. 5 Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. 7 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.” 8 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. 9 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.” 10 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?” 11 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. 12 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.” 13 “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.” 14 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. 15 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. 16 Pull out some stalks from the bundles for her and leave them for her to gather. Don’t rebuke her.” 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 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.” 21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished all of my harvest.’ ” 22 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.” 23 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.

God Provides at Times in Disguise (1-7)

Love is a word that our culture is very familiar with as it is one of the most frequently used words in our language. Think of the ways that people use the word love - we love Christmas, cookies, Church, hot chocolate, and of course we love our family! We use the word love a lot and as Christians, we are no different. We love places, things, and people. And we read in the Bible that God is love as 1 John 4:8 tells us! But what do we mean when we talk about God’s love? How much does God love us? At Christmas time we celebrate the love of God in sending Jesus to this world as a baby boy. We see that God’s love is a costly love.

Regardless of what happens to us, God doesn’t suddenly stop being loving towards us as His people. We wrestle with why certain things happen, much like Ruth in the first chapter! But our circumstances do not change God’s character. John Feinberg, Christian professor and author, shared a story several years ago about how his wife was diagnosed with Huntington’s Chorea years into their marriage. Not only would this impact his wife, Pat, but it meant that there was a 50/50 chance that their children could inherit this gene as well. John talked about being so angry with his in-laws for not disclosing this information. They found out that Pat’s mother was diagnosed unbeknownst to the family 5 years before John even met Pat. John initially was furious… but then reflected on God’s grace:

For twenty years that information had been there, and at any time we could have found it out. Why, then, did God not give it to us until 1987?

As I wrestled with that question, I began to see his love and concern for us. God kept it hidden because he wanted me to marry Pat, who is a wonderful wife. My life would be impoverished without her, and I would have missed the blessings of being married to her had I known earlier.

God wanted our three sons to be born. Each is a blessing and a treasure, but we would have missed that had we known earlier. And God knew that we needed to be in a community of brothers and sisters in Christ at church and at the seminary who would love us and care for us at this darkest hour.

And so he withheld that information, not because he accidentally overlooked giving it to us, and not because he is an uncaring God who delights in seeing his children suffer. He withheld it as a sign of his great care for us. There is never a good time to receive such news, but God knew that this was exactly the right time.

The fancy word for this is called God’s Providence. This is a word that I didn’t know until college, but I could have defined it as a child. Providence is the way that God oversees and works out His plans for His creation. In other words, the way that God provides for His people. How does God do this in our passage? We see that Ruth has arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. We have to ask this question… is that a coincidence? Is this due to luck? Or is there something more going on here? Not only does Ruth arrive at this point in time, but she goes to gather fallen grain in a field that “happens” to belong to Naomi’s relative, Boaz. Is this a coincidence? Is this due to luck? This man happens to be a godly man and he notices Ruth. Is this a coincidence? Absolutely not! We would say that all of this is providence. This is God’s plan! This is God’s way of providing for Ruth - but do you see how it would be easy in the moment, especially, to take all of this for granted? How often do we do this? There are times in which we’re either so busy or so oblivious that we miss God’s hand and provision because we’re simply not looking for it.

Can I tell on myself this morning? Whenever I was in 3rd grade, my dad became the Children’s Pastor at FBC Ozark and this meant that my family was moving from our home and church home in Springfield. I was baptized at FBC Springfield. I was raised at FBC Springfield. I loved FBC Springfield. As a homeschooler, genuinely all of my friends were at FBC Springfield. Whenever my parents talked with me about this, I’ll always remember what I said as a 3rd grader - “God might be calling you, but He isn’t calling me!” This made no sense! This was hard! This was painful! Yet, do you know what God graciously did? As a 3rd grader, I walked into FBC Ozark and was introduced to one person who would become the brother that I never had and another person who I would marry and spend the rest of my life with. Without that move from Springfield to Ozark, I wouldn’t have met my childhood best friend and I wouldn’t have met my wife. I’m thankful that God provides at times in disguise - with a move.

How do we see this play out in Ruth? We start in chapter 1 with a famine of all things! But without this famine, Elimelech wouldn’t have left for Moab. If Elimelech didn’t go to Moab, Ruth wouldn’t have married into the family. Without leaving her homeland, Ruth wouldn’t have gone to Bethlehem. Without losing her husband, Ruth wouldn’t have met Boaz. Do you know how Ruth 4 ends? With a genealogy that tells us that Ruth is the great grandmother of a man named David, who we better know as King David. This means that Ruth is great, great, great, several more times, great grandmother of Jesus Christ. You don’t get any of this without first getting a famine. Church family, as Christians you can give thanks even in famines because of what God accomplishes THROUGH them and we rarely see that in the moment, but there are times where we can see that clear as day years down the road as we remember that God has a purpose in ALL things

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

All things. Not most, not some, not a few… all things work together for the good… this doesn’t mean that all things will feel good, but they will all work together for our good. This is God’s promise. This is God’s provision. Even hard things. Even painful things. Even moving. Even losing things. God is big enough to use all of these things for His glory and our good as they make us more like Jesus Christ. He provides! We see this in Scripture, we see this in our lives, and we see this in Ruth as God opens up all of these doors that only He could open. So, Ruth goes into this field to collect fallen grain - why is she doing this?

Leviticus 19:9–10 CSB

9 “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. 10 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.

This was God’s command in order for the least of these to be taken care of. In our world whenever someone has a food need, there are governmental programs that they can usually get assistance of some type through. There are organizations that will provide food, clothing, hygiene items, and things like that! But in the ancient world, these things didn’t exist. You didn’t have church buildings where people could walk in and ask for help. You didn’t have community centers and food banks. What you did have was a system in place where field owners would leave behind a part of their harvest. They left behind scraps… and this is what Ruth goes to do - to collect scraps. Again, in the midst of darkness, God provides light. When did they arrive? The beginning of the Barley Harvest. Whose field does Ruth happen to go into? Boaz, her kinsman. What happens when she gets there? She works hard and is cared for. Do you see the hidden hand of God providing in all of these ways? This is the key theme of Ruth, God’s providence… and the same God who provided for Ruth continues to provide for His people today! Sometimes He works in obvious ways that we often call miracles… more often than not, though, He works in non-obvious ways that we call divine providence.

What do we call it whenever someone is pronounced dead at the hospital but they somehow defeat their illness and make a full recovery? We call that a miracle!

What do we call it whenever someone has a cold and gets over it without having to go to the hospital in the first place? Providence!

Like Ruth, we can be thankful even in seasons of famine because we realize that God still works all things for our good even when those things might not necessarily feel good. During this Christmas season, we can focus either on our problems first or God’s provision first. If we focus on all that God has done, then that allows us to share His love with others.

God’s Grace Generates Generosity (8-16)

Ruth collects food in this field along with other men and women and Boaz takes notice of her and tells her that his servants will care for her, protect her, and watch out for her. We see again that these 2 are being drawn towards one another and Ruth cuts to the chase and asks a pointed and powerful question, “Why have I found favor in your eyes?” There are 2 answers to this question and we see the first part immediately follow this as Boaz says that everything that Ruth has done for Naomi has been reported to him. The whole town of Bethlehem has heard the story of Ruth and Naomi, and Boaz is not left in the dark. He knows that Ruth left Moab to come to Bethlehem. He knows that she lost her husband. He knows that she is seeking to provide for Naomi. He knows that she is a woman of character and conviction… but we also see in the beginning of this chapter a little glimpse into Boaz’s character. We see that he is a relative of Naomi and he is a prominent man of noble character. What does all of this mean? For one it means that he is a kinsman - a relative. This means that Boaz would have had some sort of an obligation, as a noble person, to care for Naomi. God cares about widows and orphans - we see this in the New Testament as well

James 1:27 CSB

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

(Side note - again, Christianity is a religion and it is the only one that brings you into relationship with God)

Not only is Boaz a relative, but he is a man of standing, prominence, and nobility. Integrity. What was the responsibility of someone in Boaz’s shoes in this situation? To be generous with what God has given them and to be full of grace towards others who don’t have those same things. Ruth is safe in this field. She is secure. Her needs are provided for. Her hunger is satisfied. All because of the grace of her kinsman redeemer. We could say this: Whenever you come to know your Kinsman Redeemer, you too find salvation, security, and satisfaction. Why? Because there is protection and provision found in our Redeemer! Boaz says that Ruth has come to the Lord God of Israel for refuge. This is a woman who didn’t grow up knowing God, but who left her homeland to come back with her mother in law, one who came seeking protection from God alone as Psalm 91 talks about

Psalm 91:1 CSB

1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

Boaz says nothing about Ruth’s appearance. He does mention her character. He mentions the fact that she has come to the God of Israel for refuge. Now this presents an interesting situation! Ruth is from Moab and people from Moab are called Moabites - we can think of some rivalries that exist in our neck of the woods. We can think of the city versus the country, we can think of high school rivalries, we can think of sports debates… The Israelites and Moabites weren’t friends, in fact they were bitter enemies. The Moabites in Deuteronomy 23 were judged by God because they convinced the Jews to worship idols. Many believed that there was no hope for Moabites… but what do we see here with Ruth? We see that she has left those false gods behind. She has placed her faith and hope and trust in the God of Israel. Ruth is convinced that she is just a foreigner. That is her definition - she even says that she isn’t like the other female servants… But Boaz says that she is not a foreigner, she is a follower.

There is a lot of discussion in recent days about foreigners and nationalism, not only in political conversations but also in Christian circles. We see an example clear as day in our text of a person on the outside looking in. From another country. Grew up worshiping false gods. But who turns away from all of that and trusts alone in the God of the Bible and what do we see happen to this person? We don’t see an entrance exam to see if she’s from the right country - there is no ethnicity test to get into heaven, by the way! We see a declaration of acceptance from her kinsman redeemer as she has come to God for refuge. She is accepted not because of her good works, but because of God’s amazing grace.

Hear this today, friend, a diagnosis doesn’t define you - He does! Ruth thought that all she was was a foreigner, but her redeemer calls her a follower. So many come to Christ thinking that they are simply broken, but our redeemer calls us chosen. Others come to Christ thinking that they are a lost cause, but our redeemer says that we are a priority. Some come to Christ thinking that they are abandoned, our redeemer says that we are adopted. What matters most of all in life is what your Father says about you. WHOSE you are, not simply who you are. We read in Philippians 2:13

Philippians 2:13 CSB

13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

God is working in us and through us according to His good purpose. He gives us His grace and this grace makes us a generous people. Like Boaz, we care for those with needs not to get a pat on the back, but because we have already been showered with more grace than we could ever deserve in the first place.

God’s Love Leads to a Life of (Godliness/Generosity) Gratitude (17-23)

For the person who knows Christ, who lives under His protection, who have experienced and continues to experience His divine love, you, friend, have the Christian duty to live a life of grace to others. See, Boaz gave Ruth grace but that’s not where it stopped. Ruth took the food she picked up and she brought it to her mother in law, Naomi. Ruth has no option left to her other than to give thanks to Boaz for his generosity and to provide her mother in law with food. Her cup has been filled and now she desires to help someone else in need. This is what God’s love does in our lives as Christians. He fills us up. He loves us dearly. He gives us grace. He forgives us. He gives us His mercy. Why? So that we can go and do the same thing to others - who, guess what? Like us, don’t deserve any of it.

We’ll see this in 2 weeks in chapter 4, but in Jewish custom in order to have this type of kinsman redeemer you need to have 2 things:

You need to have the right to redeem. You need to be a relative of some type - Boaz is because he is a relative of Naomi’s late husband Elimelech

You also need the desire to redeem. It’s not enough to have the rights and privileges, you also most possess the desire to do this thing

I ask you today, in this story, who are you? Are you the generous provider who has the means to help and save other people from their suffering? Or are you the person who is the outcast, suffering because of your sins, and find yourself in desperate need for basic things like food and saving?

We have this desire whenever we read the Bible to insert ourselves as the hero in the story - but the more we reflect on what the Bible teaches, the more we realize that we aren’t the hero… we aren’t even the side-kick… we’re the one in desperate need of help. We’re the one in need of saving. In this true story, we see a deeper picture of a vertical relationship between ourselves and God. Because of God’s great love, He is willing to provide for us even though we have a checkered past. He is willing to feed us even though we don’t deserve it. Many churchgoers believe that they are just a little bad, so they just need a pep talk. They are a little sick, so they need some medicine. They are a little sinful, so they need some self-help. But this isn’t the Gospel. Tim Keller once shared it like this: “The Gospel is that we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” We have a fallen, sinful, wicked heart. We all either are today or once were dead in our sins.

This isn’t good news… but the good news of the Gospel is that: Because of the love of God and the work of Jesus, there is redemption available today

The Christmas season is one of anticipation and celebration, but also redemption, and we see this play out in embryonic form nearly 1000 years before the birth of Jesus as this poor, foreign, widow is provided for and redeemed by Boaz… this is an incredible story of love and redemption, but is it your story? Jesus saves sinners, but has He saved you?

Have You Experienced God’s Love Today?

On one hand we all have experienced God’s love today because we are here at church. We woke up this morning. We have breath in our lungs. We drove here in a car. All of these things are examples of God’s love and God’s grace towards us because, frankly, we don’t deserve any of them. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, this means that what we deserve today because of our sin is death and eternal separation from God. The fact that we are even alive is only because of God’s love for us.

But beyond this general love that God gives to all mankind, have you experienced His love? Have you come to understand your need for Jesus Christ? We see that Ruth sought refuge in God… but as this story plays out, we see that it is God who seeks after her. It is God who opens up doors that would never open otherwise. It is God who cares and provides for her. It is God who brings her to Boaz’s field. It is God who brings her to her redeemer - and this is what God continues to do to this day. Jesus Christ came to seek and save lost sinners. Jesus still seeks. Jesus still saves. Have you realized the emptiness of this world and come to Him for refuge? He has protected and provided for you in a million ways that you’ve never even noticed and maybe a handful that we know of. He has a plan for you. He loves you. He sent His Son for you. God’s love changes lives today, let’s see 3 ways that God’s love impacts us

God’s Love Must Awaken My Heart

First, if you are here and you don’t know this Jesus, you must understand that you need His love to awaken your dead heart. Our world says to follow our heart, but that advice has led more people to devastation and destroyed more relationships than any piece of advice in human history. Our heart is fallen and defective. We need Jesus to give us a new heart. As we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the truth that the love of God still changes hearts.

God’s Love Must Change My Attitude

Every Christian must have an attitude of gratitude as we reflect on God sending His Son into this world to seek and save us from our sins

God’s Love Must Compel My Actions

Every Christian is called to glorify God in all that we do. This means that we must be ambassadors for God’s Kingdom and share His love with a hopeless world. We were once far off and separated from God… but He sent His Son to reconcile us. We are saved to serve and to tell of His Gospel message that alone can save sinners and provide love, hope, and joy to a crazy world. As you go throughout the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, pray that God would compel you to do His work that He has prepared ahead of time for you to do.

Jesus, like Boaz, is willing and able to redeem!