"Field of Grace" Ruth 2 June 29 2025

Intro and Scripture

Good morning

We’re continuing our story of Ruth

There are only four chapters of this remarkable OT book

I’ll cover one chapter a week - we are in Chapter Two

My sermon: Field of Grace

Before we get started, let me read this from Deuteronomy 24, starting at verse 19 -

Deuteronomy 24:19–21 NLT

“When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.

(Pray...)

Recap

Quick recap of Ruth 1:

We read this was in the time of Judges, a tumultuous time, when everyone did what they thought was right in their own eyes

And we read about the family of Elimelech and Naomi who were natives of the town of Bethlehem

But there was a famine

So, Naomi’s husband took her and their two sons from Bethlehem to the pagan land of Moab in the east - hoping to escape the famine in Israel

Naomi becomes a widow when her husband tragically dies, leaving her with her two sons

The sons grow up and each take a wife - but then both of Naomi’s sons die - leaving the widowed Naomi, devastated, and alone with her two widowed daughters-in-law

This all took place in Moab, leaving Naomi alone, defeated, and vulnerable

But Naomi is in the fields of Moab when she hears rumors that the Lord had visited her people and given them food

So she sets out to return to Bethlehem - her home town

The Bible tells us that her daughters began to come with her, but Naomi tells them to return, each to their mother’s house - and, “May the Lord deal kindly with you.”

This turns into an emotional argument -

The two daughters-in-law refusing to go back home - and there is plenty of weeping - out in the middle of the road leading to Bethlehem

Naomi keeps insisting they return - and to go find new husbands

But the women cry and are determined to go with Naomi

Naomi points out their illogic to its finality

That even if she found a husband by that evening, and had two sons 9 mos later, she says to them, “Would you therefore wait till they were grown?? Would you therefore refrain from marrying??”

Then the one daughter in law kisses Naomi and takes off - but Ruth clings to Naomi and refuses to leave her

And Ruth gives her famous speech:

“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.”

And Naomi sees her determination - and capitulates to Ruth’s desire to return with her to Bethlehem

So Chapter One ends with Naomi and Ruth returning to Bethlehem - tired, exhausted, defeated, and mourning the loss of their dead husbands

And the Bible says the town of Bethlehem was stirred and excited to see Naomi! They remembered her from years before

But feeling bad about herself, Naomi rebukes them and tells them to no longer call her Naomi, but Mara, which means “bitter”

Then she said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me -

“I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

This is a false narrative, since the Lord did not call her out of Bethlehem to Moab (and live there for ten years - Ru 1:4).

But through God’s grace and love for her, he will be glorified and she will be blessed.

And the last verse of Chapter One says this -

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth Meets Boaz

Our story has taken us, once again, back to Bethlehem

When I mention, “Bethlehem,” what generally comes to mind?

Little baby Jesus - away in a manger?

The Book of Ruth has more narrative dedicated to the events and the people within the little town of Bethlehem, than in the Gospel narratives about Christ being born there

While the Gospels focus primarily on Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the book of Ruth offers a richer portrait of the town and its inhabitants

This entire chapter takes place in Bethlehem

In fact - all the events, and people, and dialogue from Ruth 1:19 - 4:17 is all within Bethlehem

After at least ten years in Moab - Naomi is now back in Bethlehem - and she has brought Ruth with her

Years ago, when I first started teaching through Ruth, I used to highlight the fact that this book is about grace - and that it’s about redemption

Those are both true - but the more I study, I see this is about the providence of God - the hand of God

In verse 1, the narrator tells us about a relative of Naomi’s husband - Boaz - which means “strength”

The story, as it unfolds, then shifts from Naomi - to Ruth and her relationship with Boaz

Verse 2 - Ruth walks right up to Naomi and says, “I’m gonna go out into the field among the ears of grain and do some gleaning after the reapers. I’m gonna see if I can find anyone out there kind enough to leave some of that grain for me to glean.”

When you reap the harvest, you collect the grain

When you glean a harvest, you pick-up what’s left over

God had given Israel a law to help provide for the poor, as I read earlier:

That when they reap their harvests, they shall not glean their vineyards, but leave some for the poor

This means that when they reap their harvest - they should not pick up all of the grain right at the edge of their field

This allows the poor, the sojourners, and the widows to come to the edge of the field and pick up what the reapers left over

That passage in Deuteronomy, I read: God says that if you do this, the Lord will bless you in all the work of your hands

It was a double blessing - to the workers and owners of the field, and to the poor

Naomi and Ruth were definitely poor

And somehow Ruth knew about this practice

Remember, we’re told that Naomi and Ruth just happened to come into Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest

The Bible says that Ruth went and gleaned in the field and that she “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz”

The Hebrew is literally: “her chance chanced upon”

The original KJV: “and her hap was to light on”

In modern English: “As luck would have it - she just so happened - to wander into the field of Boaz”

We know this is storytelling language - but in proper context, this is not luck - this is God’s providence

Proverbs 16:33 NLT

We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.

Before we go any further - I want to point out

That Boaz is a type of Christ

We will see later that Boaz becomes the kinsman redeemer

Just as Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer

So, here’s Ruth - gleaning in the field of Boaz

And Boaz - who we are told is from Bethlehem - and he turns to his foreman, the crew leader: “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”

Foreman: “Oh her?? You noticed her huh? She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi.

“She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters

“She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”

So, Boaz now has the intel on this young woman

Do Not Glean in Another Field

This is what happens next, starting in verse 8 -

Ruth 2:8–10 NLT

Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.” Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

This is exactly how my wife responded to me when I first noticed her - she bowed before me and said, “What have I done to deserve such kindness?”

😂

Seriously, Boaz basically says that he knows all about her story - the death of her husband - all she did for Naomi - and how she left her native land to live among a new people

He goes on in verse 12 -

Ruth 2:12–16 NLT

May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.” At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over. When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!”

Verse 17 -

Ruth 2:17–19 NLT

So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket. She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal. “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

Verse 20 -

Ruth 2:20–23 NLT

“May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.” Then Ruth said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.” “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.” So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.

And that’s the end of Ruth 2

I want you to notice two things about this chapter:

God’s providence - his hand throughout

This idea of gleaning only in the field of Boaz

God’s Providence

It was God’s providence, not luck, that led Ruth to Boaz

Remember, Ruth was the grandmother of King David - and is in the genealogy of Jesus

God made sure the two came together

I think the person of Ruth is a picture of the church who is in need of a Redeemer

Sorry if this is a spoiler - but Boaz marries Ruth in the end

He redeems her and marries her

The church is the bride of Christ - and Christ redeemed his church

What about Ruth’s first husband?

Ruth’s first husband died - he became dead to her - that’s the way it is with us and our old life of sin

We were once married to sin

But our sin was crucified with Christ

Romans 6:6 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The Church is the bride of Christ

Eph 5, 2 Cor 11, Rev 19 spell this out for us

Through God’s providence, he saw to it that we as the church, were married to our Redeemer

One of the most popular questions I get asked is: How do I discern God’s will for my life?

Before we get into what color shirt you put on each day, or what career should you pick - let’s start with the most obvious -

What is God’s written will for you & me in his Word?

How does the Bible tell us to live?

Once you’re living by what the Bible says, then you can worry about what kind of life insurance you need

I used to have all these sophisticated answers to that question

I now think that if we’re obeying what’s in the Bible - if we’re abiding in Jesus - then he will guide our steps

Gleaning in His Field

I want to leave you with this idea of gleaning only in Boaz’s field

Again, verse 8 [previous slide]

Ruth 2:8–9 NLT

Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

Why does Boaz say this to her?

Isn’t this exactly what God tells us?

We are to glean only in his field?

Gleaning is a picture of grace - we’re not working and striving to earn his blessings - gleaning is receiving the blessings he’s already provides for us

Boaz assured Ruth that she won’t be harassed in his field - this is true for us

God protects us when we remain in his field

Boaz ordered the young men to leave Ruth alone

Boaz even says to follow the other young women - the other faithful ones - and keep your eyes on the field in which they’re reaping

The moment we try to leave God’s protection - when we wander off into other sinful fields - he can no longer protect us from the consequences

God protects us - and he provides every good blessing when we glean in his fields

(Pray...)

Communion

(Pick one…)

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he com