Kindness in Action

Intro

I know I have shared before my feelings about buffets. Buffets were the ultimate restaurant experience of the late 20th century, slowly but surely fading out as we progress further into the 21st century. Growing up my grandparents would visit twice a year, once in June and then again for Thanksgiving and we would celebrate Christmas with them at that time. We would eat out a lot when they visited. If you made a bingo chart of all the fast food we have here in South Jersey we would probably clear the board. But there would always be at least one guaranteed non-fast food stop - Old Country Buffet - rest in peace.

Like any normal kid, I would fill my plate with anything fried or anything pasta. I would usually eat one plate, MAYBE two, and then it was back up for multiple plates of dessert. Cakes, jello, ice cream - all of it. That’s what I was really there for, but I had to eat some real food first to appease the adults at the table.

Nowadays, buffets terrify. The day Golden Corral came out with their chocolate fountain I was done forever. In the last decade I have gone to one buffet. I was at a conference with a couple other pastors down in Louisville in 2018 and they found a $5 Chinese buffet. I had never had such salty food in my life, but at least it was only $5. At buffets you don’t how long the food sits there, and you don’t know how many parents weren’t paying attention to their kids. It’s simply not for me.

But there is still a beautiful thing about buffets - you can just keep eating. If you’re a big meal person, buffets are a great deal. I am a small meal person, depending on the food, so they don’t always work out for me. But the fact that you can pay once and keep going back for more, and the food never actually runs out, that’s amazing. And it is no surprise that there are less buffets now than there used to be because it is no longer a sustainable business model. People either eat too much, or the restaurant charges too much. But none of that mattered to me as a child. All that mattered is that my grandparents paid for me to go back whenever I wanted so long as I was hungry. Empty one plate, go back and fill it again. Fill up, then become hungry, go back and fill the plate again.

We will finish that thought later, but I want us to keep in our this question as we walk through the text:

Do we know where to go when we are hungry?

Maybe you can answer that question now, maybe you will wait until a little later, but hold it in your mind. Write it down if you need to.

Before we dive into our text, let’s ask ourselves another question. There is a new person on the scene here, so we need to find out who that is. So the question here is:

Who is Boaz?

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

As we can pick up immediately, Boaz is a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, however we do not know how close or distanced this relation is, at least not at this point in the story. What we do know, however, is what is actually important here.

Before we even have his name, we learn that he is a “worthy man”, or a man of good and high character, of high integrity. Boaz’s name means “in him is strength”, which is further confirmed in Solomon’s building of the temple, naming one of pillars of the temple “Boaz”.

I’ve divided our text into three sections, as you can see in your very detailed outline. So let’s engage with the first section which I have called:

Situation and Solution

Ruth 2:2 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.”

So here is the situation that Ruth and Naomi find themselves in. Naomi is a poor widow; Ruth is a poor widow sojourner. They had no one to care for them and as a result had little means to afford any food, so the option that was left was to go out into fields owned by other people and glean the fields. Gleaning the fields was essentially coming behind the reapers during the harvest and picking up the leftover that they had left behind. There were no social programs in that day to help people in such positions, but God had established his law amongst his people that required them not to double back and pick up the scraps, but to leave it behind for those in need of it. But it goes even further than that. Look at what it says in Leviticus 19:

Leviticus 19:9–10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

I am sure we all remember Covid well and the days of people going in and buying a supply of toilet paper so significant that they probably still have some left from 6 years ago. There was a story of a man who was sharing his sob story in 2021. When Covid was first announced, he and a friend of his traveled all around their state and bought every single disinfectant product they could fine. Lysol, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes…everything, to the tune of thousands of dollars. But they didn’t buy it for themselves. Instead they bought it to sell on the secondary market to for a major profit, taking advantage of people in the situation that was ultimately forced by people like him. He sold his product on Amazon, and then Amazon shut him and others like him down. The story ends with him settling with the Tennessee attorney general and donating the 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer he had left.

Reading this text in Leviticus, do you think any of this kind of behavior would fly back then? And yet today we might call it and things like it opportunity. There was no opportunity for business people to take advantage of the poor back then. Instead they were commanded to care for the poor by leaving some of their own profit on the ground so those who couldn’t afford food could still eat. So the command handed down from God to his people was that they could only reap once, not going to the edge of their fields, unable to circle back and check for anything that they might have missed. It is left to care for the poor.

And now we understand two things - Ruth is poor and in need of food, and Boaz is a man of high integrity and character. Surely it would work out for Ruth to come to his field.

But Ruth didn’t set out with a plan to go to Boaz’s field. She merely happened upon it. Her objective was to go field to field until she found someone who wouldn’t kick her out or treat her as less than.

Let’s continue in verses 3 and 4.

Ruth 2:3-4 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.”

Naomi agrees that this is a great solution to their situation. They need food, Ruth isn’t afraid of a little hard work, so Naomi instructs her to go. The text here notes that Ruth “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz”, but what we know with great certainty that it is not random chance that Ruth ended up here. Again, his field wasn’t in her plans, but it was in God’s plans. It is the providence of God that brought her to the field. And immediately we see the character of Boaz. He isn’t some aloof owner who demands much of his slaves, nor is he afraid to join them in the fields. But he comes from Bethlehem and greets his reapers in the Lord. You can tell that Boaz was a good boss with the way that they responded back to him in kind.

Let’s read 5 through 7.

Ruth 2:5-7 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.

It would appear that Ruth already had a bit of a reputation in town. We are not sure exactly what people know in greater detail than this, but they knew clearly that she was a Moabite and that she came back with Naomi. And we can see by their language that Boaz at least already knew something of her because they answered him saying that she is “the young Moabite woman”, not “a young Moabite woman”. Ruth, and quite possibly her love and care for Naomi, was well known, to some degree, in the land of Judah. Or perhaps, at the very least, amongst the family of Elimelech, the husband of Naomi.

They informed him of her request, which they allowed to take place, and noted her hard work ethic. She was poor and needed food, but she was ready and willing to work hard for it. That is both the situation and the solution. Now let’s move to the next section of the text, which is the largest portion.

Food and Favor

Ruth 2:8-9 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.”

We can recall at the beginning of the chapter that Ruth’s objective was to go from field to field until she found someone that would show her favor. As we can see, it didn’t take her long to find that favor. And remember, she didn’t just happen upon the field, but the Lord led her here. And see the qualities of Boaz on display here. He invites Ruth to follow after his young women, likely the young, unmarried women of his clan, who are therefore well protected and not simply other gleaners. He invites Ruth into a special privilege that to this point is reserved for family. He has even gone further, instructing his men to leave her be and allow her to glean as she wishes. And then he goes even further by offering her drink from the water kept for his workers to drink. This wasn’t a world where you turned on a faucet and didn’t drink twice. This gift was above and beyond. And so Ruth responds:

Ruth 2:10 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?”

Ruth’s response really draws me, but not because of Ruth herself or because of Boaz, but because of myself. And I read this verse and I am left with a question - when was the last time I responded to Christ like this? When was the last time I realized my lack of worthiness to receive his kindness and am awestruck by how he extends that kindness to me regardless of my state? Ruth was a foreign widow. To be allowed to glean would be enough, yet Boaz goes above and beyond, invites her into more food and even water while she works. An underserved grace. And our status before Christ and His response to us is much the same. That’s why the Psalmist says to God,

Psalm 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Or perhaps we consider the words of Christ in the book of Matthew:

Matthew 6:26–30 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

When was the last time you saw the state of your existence, remembered Christ’s redemption of that state, and then responded to Him like this. “How is it that I have found favor in your eyes? How is it that you have taken notice of me? How is my worthless state worthy of your care and attention?” And then he steps in and responds - you are Mine. I bought you with a price. You are worth what I did for you.

Does that not put you in awe as Ruth is here? It should.

Boaz recognizes Ruth’s love and care for Naomi and desires to be a small part of the Lord’s repayment to her for all that she has done. He wishes upon her a full reward, but he himself gives her what he can, but then there is still more. Pick it up in verse 14.

Ruth 2:14-16 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.”

He didn’t just give her special privilege to glean with the women of his clan ahead of the other poor, but he actually invited her for a meal. And not just any meal, but a meal prepared for his people and his workers. This is an even higher privilege than what has already been offered to her. And it wasn’t just a single meal, but he gave her enough to have some left over. But it doesn’t stop there. She got up from the meal to go work some more so she could bring more food home and Boaz continued to extend kindness to her. Rather than just not worry about the scraps according to the law, Boaz instructed his harvesters to purposely leave extra food behind for her to pick up. Grace upon grace upon grace upon grace.

Is this not our own experience? What business do we have sitting at the table of the master? And yet He invites us in. What business do we have eating His food? Yet He gives it freely to us. We only need just a little, yet He gives us so much more. Like Ruth with Boaz, we have found underserved favor with Christ. Let us not think so little of it, but make much of it.

Final section.

Abundance and Assurance

Ruth 2:17–23 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.

After working in the fields all day, working until evening, Ruth ended up heading back with about 20 pounds of barley. More than enough to feed her and Naomi for quite awhile. But it wasn’t just the barley that she came back with, but also the roasted grain that was leftover from having lunch with Boaz and his people. She comes home and reports everything back to Naomi. Naomi knows Boaz and let’s Ruth in on who he is, one of the family’s redeemers. We will look more into what that means next week. Naomi was excited to hear that Ruth had succeeded in her goal, to go into the fields and find an owner that would show favor to her and allow her to glean. But she didn’t just find favor to glean, but favor beyond. And because of that favor, because of what she experienced at the first, she knew she could come back over and over again for more food. She had assurance that there was an abundance of food to care for her and her mother-in-law. If she was hungry, she could go and receive food to eat.

That was the beautiful thing about going to those buffets growing up. If I wanted more, I knew I could go back in line and get more. And if I kept coming back, the food never ran out. In addition to Old Country Buffet, we also would go to Cici’s pizza back when there was one open in Cherry Hill. I could probably eat 15-20 slices of pizza, though they were incredibly small so it isn’t that impressive. I always made sure to save some room for their cinnamon and sugar dessert pizza and would probably eat another 10 slices of that. But again, if I was hungry, I could keep going back. Nowadays, as I’ve shared, buffets terrify me, and given that I am not a big meal eater consistently I never find it worth it for myself to spend money on all-you-can-eat when what I eat can hardly qualify in the category of “all”. But when I was a child I didn’t have to worry about that. My grandparents paid the price so that I could eat until I was filled, and then come back for more when I needed it.

Turn with me to John chapter 6 for a moment. And as we read it, remember our question at the beginning:

Do you know where to go when you’re hungry?

John 6:26–35 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Ruth came to Boaz in need. She couldn’t afford food, so she needed to glean for it. She certainly wasn’t the only poor person gleaning in Boaz’s fields, but she is the one who got his attention. And he extended grace after grace to her, even though it would’ve cost him. He gave up his food and water for her. He instructed his employees to look after her. It cost him to make sure that this stranger who deserved nothing was able to eat. And not just eat, but under his direction she would eat well.

Is this not what Christ has done for us? Not with food that perishes, but that which is eternal. He has extended His favor to us and given us a bountiful feast. What did we do to deserve such grace? About as much as Ruth did to deserve it from Boaz. It is not that we are strangers to Christ as Ruth was to Boaz, but we begin this journey alienated, separated from Him entirely. We live life fighting against the cross rather than running towards it until the favor of his grace shines on us and He invites us to His table. And at His table there is plenty, and He paid the price so that we could fill our plate, refilling it as often as is needed. It is an endless buffet from which we feast on more than just bread, but also on the bread of life Himself. He never runs out, He never grows weary, He never expires, His field is always full. But the difference is that we are gleaning after scraps, but we are reaping in the harvest. He doesn’t invite us into what is left, but rather into all that there is! And if we are to come to Him and say, “Give me this bread always” He will immediately respond to us saying, “Come and never hunger, then come again”. Boaz changed Ruth’s life with his invitation. Christ changes our eternity with His.

Let’s close this time with a reading of Psalm 23:

Psalm 23 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Come to the table. There is an abundance of food. Come to the table. Be assured that there is plenty as there was before. Let not yourself be weary because the there is a shadow lingering over the valley. Be not discouraged by the enemy surrounding you. Be at peace knowing that the bread of life has given of Himself to give you an abundance at His table. And every time you come back, there is more food. And in the great undoing of the devil’s schemes, the bread calls out saying, “come, take and eat.” Surely goodness and mercy shall follow those who have been invited to sit at the Lord’s table.