Ruth - Unexpected Loyalty

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

Announcements:

Sunday School

Ned Clooten, Fern Beaver, Andrea Twedt, Mark Hale

Today we will be continuing our study of 5 Women. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 222. If you do not have a Bible, please stop by the Welcome Center and take one. It is our gift to you.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

Have you ever asked yourself, “what is God doing?”

Although we may ask that question when things are good, we typically ask that question when life falls apart. Something that has happened to us as modern Americans, is we have grown so used to pain being abnormal that we do not really know what to do with pain. “This shouldn’t happen” we say to ourselves. “Why would God allow this? Why is He doing this?” Perhaps you have been there, perhaps you are there right now. But I can tell you, that pain is a certainty of life. It is not about *if* you suffer, but *how* you suffer.

But even in our modern American state, life is fragile. We are one phone call away from everything changing. Perhaps you’ve received that phone call. What is God doing when we receive it? Has he abandoned us? In our desperation, we beg God to change what is happening.

We cannot conceive why God would lead us to the place of desperation… but there is a reason He does this.

What Is God Doing?

Desperation is where faith is born.

Pain, as C.S. Lewis said, is God’s “megaphone.” It is perhaps the only thing that wakes us up to eternal things, whereas we are so focused on the immediate and temporary things.

TRANS: [text]

Ruth 1:1–5 ESV

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi’s whole life falls apart, and she tries to push away her two daughters in law so they can go back to their own country and remarry. One of them, Orpah, does. And so Naomi then tells Ruth…

Ruth 1:15–18 ESV

15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. 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. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

Unexpected Loyalty

Naomi was desperate, but Ruth was devoted.

Ruth 1:1-5; 15-18

Naomi’s husband and two sons pass away, leaving her with Ruth and Orpha. Naomi, in her pain, tries to send both of her daughter-in-laws away back to their old countries with their old “gods.” Orpah leaves, but Ruth stays. Ruth has absolutely no obligations to Naomi. She is essentially resigning herself to what would be modern-day homelessness with no social safety net programs.

Why is this resigning herself to a poverty? In the ancient world, many cultures were patriarchal. There was no social security or food stamps. Rather, there was an expectation that whoever the closest male in the family carried a duty to protect and provide for those women. This is why Naomi was desperate: she had no one to provide. In her old age, no opportunity to remarry. The two daughters in law, however, were still young enough to get married!

Was Naomi was being selfless, releasing them from any obligation to her so they could go make a life for themselves in their homeland, or if Naomi was making reckless choices? The answer… both. She blamed God for her circumstances in verse 13, and told Ruth that she should not suffer the same fate.

There was immense shame to be a widow, but a greater amount of shame to be a gentile widow.

The story of Ruth is rich with cultural nuances that illuminate the challenges faced by women in ancient Near Eastern society. In a patriarchal culture where a woman’s identity and security depended entirely on her male relationships, and her societal value was measured by the number of sons she bore, Ruth was particularly vulnerable—a Gentile widow who was childless for most of her story.

Ruth was a Moabite

The Moabite nation originated from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughter. Historically, the Moabites were related to Israel but had a contentious relationship. They ultimately hired Balaam to curse Israel and later seduced Israelite men into immorality and idolatry. As a result, the Lord explicitly excluded Moabites from the temple and instructed Israel not to seek Moab’s peace or prosperity[1].

This context makes Ruth’s story extraordinary. As a Gentile Moabitess who was widowed and childless—conditions that dramatically reduced a woman’s social value in that culture.

Yet, Ruth did not abandon Naomi. She had ever reason to. Ruth would be an outcast of outcasts, yet she decided to remain devoted to Naomi.

TRANS: This decision proved to be one that God would honor.

Ruth 2:1–3 ESV

1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 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.” 3 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.

[SUMMARIZE CONTEXT]

Ruth 2:17–20 ESV

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 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.”

Ruth was determined, and God provided.

Ruth 2:1-3; 17-20

[Quote, commentary, story, personal connection, word study, factbook, popular quotes, etc]

TRANS: [text]

Ruth 3:1–5 ESV

1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”

The Threshing Floor

Ruth met Boaz at the threshing floor.

The Threshing floor was far more than just an agricultural workspace—it was a complex social and symbolic location in ancient Israelite culture. Following the harvest, the threshing floor became the center of economic activity, where sheaves of grain from harvested fields were brought to be processed. Without modern machinery, farmers would spread sheaves on a smooth, hard surface and use oxen to tread over them, loosening grain from chaff. Winnowing forks would then be used to throw the mixture into the air, allowing wind to blow away the chaff and leave only good grain2.

Intriguingly, the threshing floor gradually evolved beyond economic functions to become associated with community justice. In ancient texts like the Ugaritic epic of Aqhat, community leaders would judge cases of widows and orphans at the threshing floor. During the monarchy period, kings even used threshing floors as symbolic places of judgment to augment their authority1.

It was at this place that Boaz determined that he would follow the customs of Israel and be Ruth and Naomi’s “kinsmen redeemer.” Which I will explain in a moment, but before he did that, there was another, closer relative to Naomi that would have (for lack of a better term) “first dibs” on that obligation. So Boaz assembled some men, along with this closer relative, and they discussed.

But the closer relative did not want this responsibility, so he handed it over to Boaz:

Ruth 4:7–8 ESV

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.

Redeemer?

The Hebrew term goel means “to recover or redeem” and is translated as “kinsman-redeemer.”1 Boaz’s role as kinsman-redeemer carried significant legal and social weight in ancient Israel, grounded in Old Testament law.

A kinsman-redeemer had three primary obligations: redeeming a brother and his inheritance if poverty had forced him into slavery or land loss, avenging blood if a relative was murdered, and raising up a successor if a brother died childless.2 The goel was typically a prominent male in the extended family who served as the official guardian of the family’s honor.3

In Ruth’s specific situation, Boaz became Ruth’s goel, redeeming her life from poverty and widowhood.3 The kinsman-redeemer had responsibility to secure the land and support his relative, and Boaz willingly upheld these customs by providing and caring for Naomi and Ruth in their vulnerability and need.1

Beyond the immediate narrative, Boaz’s role carries theological significance. Every kinsman-redeemer functioned as a living illustration of Christ’s position and work with respect to His people: He becomes our human Brother, buys us back from bondage to evil, redeems our lives from death, and returns to us everything lost through sin.3 Boaz not only was one of Jesus’ ancestors but foreshadowed Christ’s coming as our own Kinsman-Redeemer.1 Jesus Christ is our great Kinsman-Redeemer who came to have the right, the power, and the will to redeem.2

The story concludes:

Ruth 4:13–17 ESV

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth risked, and Boaz redeemed.

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:7-8, 13-17

Warren Wiersbe summarizes this story perfectly.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 1–4

This book begins with a funeral and ends with a wedding! It opens with famine and closes with fullness!

Ruth could have been rejected, she could have been left hanging, but she brought her case to Boaz and Boaz did the right thing. But Boaz was not just doing the right thing, the two clearly were in love.

Love, it is love, that causes this story to make sense.

Ruth LOVED Naomi, her mother in law. Ruth was willing to go through pain and poverty, because she loved Naomi. Boaz provided for Ruth, because he fell in love. And he redeemed their family, because he loved her.

Pastor Lloyd-Jones said it like this:

Love does not look at itself—it is absorbed in the object of its love. The Love of God, 77

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

TRANS: This gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ love for us. He is our redeemer, he is our friend, he provides.

Application

Trust God in the famine and in the fullness.

This story is a story of unexpected loyalty from Ruth to Naomi, but it is also a story of unexpected loyalty from God. The opening story would lead many people to feel deeply abandoned by God, but little did they know that He was working out a story of loyalty. They just hadn’t seen it yet.

Even further, God was working out a story of loyalty not in just this moment, but in the story of redemption leading to Jesus. Again, these 5 women tell the story of who God is as His people wait for the ultimate redeemer.

I asked at the beginning, have you ever asked, “what is God doing?” The answer? More than you can see.

If there is famine, there is purpose. If there is fullness, there is purpose.

Do not only trust God when things are good, trust him when life falls apart. Because the truth is, it is not apart. The pieces are not repairable, you just don’t see how the whole story ends yet. And remember this too, when you consider “your life,” do not only consider this side of heaven. For heaven will be the ultimate experience of healing and joy. We will be with Jesus, and no amount of pain in this life will cause us to say “it wasn’t worth it.” The truth is, any pain will be healed when we meet Jesus face to face.

TRANS: But this story tells us another lesson, one that we take directly from Ruth’s loyalty:

Renew your loyalty to your messy family.

Did you know that your family is dysfunctional? “What? Mine? No it’s not. We’re fine. I’m fine, It’s fine.” No. My goodness. Just be honest. Everyone’s family is dysfunctional, to various kinds and degrees, because every family is filled with sinners. What happens when you get a bunch of sinners together? You get sin!

But that fact didn’t stop Jesus, it didn’t stop Ruth. There is beauty when you think of yourself as a, albeit flawed, part of the solution.

Practicing Hesed (Loving-Kindness)

Ruth practiced what the Hebrew language calls “Hesed.” This means loving others by seeking their flourishing and justice. Selflessness is key—becoming an agent of redemption who can maintain justice and leave a legacy of loyalty.

Some of you have given up on your family. Has God given up on you? No.

So here’s my challenge for you today, and perhaps what you need to do is have a conversation with someone that you’ve been putting off. But that may be too big of a step for some of us.

All of us, however, can pray. We can choose to be loyal by not gossiping or complaining. Pray for them. When you want to complain, pray. When you catch yourself gossiping, apologize.

Conclusion : God uses ordinary people who show unexpected loyalty, like Ruth and Boaz, to bring families back together. He can do the same with you.

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

When have you seen desperation bring out either the best or the worst in a person?

Why do you think Ruth chose devotion when she had every reason to walk away? What does this teach us about biblical loyalty?

How do you see God’s provision unfolding through Ruth’s ordinary faithfulness?

What risks did Ruth take by approaching Boaz?

Where might you feel “empty” today, and what comfort do you find knowing that God is working behind the scenes?

Who in your relational world needs your renewed loyalty, patience, or faithfulness?