Kindness Meets Kindness
Notes
Transcript
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.
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.”
5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 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.
7 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.”
8 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.
9 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.”
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?”
11 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.
12 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!”
13 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.”
14 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.
15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.
16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
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.”
21 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.’ ”
22 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.”
23 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.
PRAY
Introduction:
Introduction:
As we’ve been studying the book of Ruth, we’ve seen how this family from Bethlehem went to Moab to escape a famine, but the husband and sons both died there. The sons had married Moabite women, and one of those women went back to her home in Moab, but Ruth stuck with Naomi. Ruth has professed her faith in and commitment to Naomi’s God, and returned with Naomi to Bethlehem.
Naomi is bitter against God due to the hardships she has faced. She fails to see God’s good and loving hand in her life, and she doesn’t realize what a blessing she has brought back with her in Ruth. There’s also someone else that Naomi has forgotten about, and this chapter tells us about him.
Ruth’s Kindness (2:1-3)
Ruth’s Kindness (2:1-3)
Background info (v. 1) - before we get into the action of this chapter, the author gives us some important background information
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
a relative of Naomi’s husband - as a close relative, he’s responsible to care for extended family in need
a worthy man — the Hebrew expression here (gibbor khayil) is usually translated as “mighty man of valor” — it’s used of some of the judges like Gideon and Jephthah, but more importantly it’s associated with David and his mighty men. So that connects Boaz to David; but more importantly this adjective khayil is the same word that’s used to describe Ruth in chapter 3, verse 11, where Boaz says of Ruth that the whole town knows she is a worthy woman. As I mentioned previously, this expression also ties Ruth to the Proverbs 31 woman, the only other place where this expression occurs. So Ruth and Boaz share the same noble, worthy, virtuous character.
name: Boaz — it is interesting that all the names in this story seem to be significant, and Boaz’s name starts to give us a glimmer of hope, because it means “in him is strength.” When we contrast this with Naomi’s two sons, whose names mean “sickness” and “death”, this introduction of Boaz is giving us hope that maybe something good is about to happen. In him is strength.
Ruth’s plan (v. 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.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
let me go = I will go — this isn’t so much a request as a statement. Ruth knows they need food, and for whatever reason Naomi isn’t going out and getting any, so Ruth knows it’s up to her to take care of Naomi.
provision for widows — the LORD had made provision in the law of Moses that widows and foreigners were allowed to glean along the edges of people’s fields, and He commanded His people to intentionally leave some of their field unharvested to provide for those in need. But this wasn’t a handout — they still had to go and work for it. This preserves human dignity, because God made us to work.
him in whose sight I shall find favor = wish, prayer for grace — as Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD, so Ruth hopes she will find favor in the eyes of a gracious man. And we’ll see that God answers that prayer. But this was a real risk that Ruth is taking, and it demonstrates her kindness to Naomi.
Go, my daughter — Naomi simply responds to Ruth, “Go, my daughter.”
God’s providence (v. 3)
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.
her happening happened — the author is clearly saying this tongue-in-cheek — nothing just happens. There is no such thing as random chance. Proverbs tells us that even the way the dice falls is under God’s control. God is guiding these circumstances for the good of Naomi and Ruth, and ultimately to bring about David and more ultimately the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
in the field of Boaz — it just so happens that she ends up in the field of Boaz, a family relative, who as we have already learned is a godly, worthy man.
Boaz’s Response (2:4-17)
Boaz’s Response (2:4-17)
Boaz’s interaction with his workers (v. 4)
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.”
Boaz came from Bethlehem — not only did it just so happen that Ruth ended up in Boaz’s field, but it just so happened that he came out to the field while she was there. Notice the first words out of his mouth are words of blessing:
“The LORD be with you” and they respond, “The LORD bless you.” What an amazing work environment this is. Boaz’s godliness has rubbed off on his workers.
Boaz’s interaction with the foreman (v. 5 - 7)
whose young woman is this
5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
More literally, “to whom does this young woman belong?”
This may offend our sensitivities in our western way of thinking, but biblically and culturally for the people of Israel, every woman has a man to whom she belongs — not in a crass way as if she’s property, but in the sense that she has a man providing for her and protecting her
If she is young and her father is still alive, she belongs to her father — her father is responsible to provide for and protect her.
If her father has died and she is not married, her brothers would be responsible for her care and protection.
If she’s married, that responsibility falls on her husband to provide for and protect her.
This is the order that God designed in creation — if we go back to Genesis 1-3, we find that God created Adam first and commanded him to work and guard the garden before He created Eve. God made the man and told him to be a provider and protecter, then He created someone for him to provide for and protect.
Often in our day we hear women say something to the effect of “I’m a strong independent woman and I don’t need no man!” But the Bible teaches differently, and we would do best to submit to the Bible’s teaching and authority for the way we think and live.
Men need women to be their helpers (Gen 2:18) and women need men to provide for and protect them. Life works best when we live within God’s design.
So Boaz asks, “to whom does this young woman belong?” — in other words he’s asking, what man does she have in her life who is looking out for her, protecting her, providing for her? This is a question motivated by love. Boaz is the kind of man who is looking out for vulnerable people around him.
The fact that Ruth is in his field indicates that she’s likely a widow, and he wants to know, does she have brothers, does she have a father, does she have someone to take care of her?
The foreman replies,
she’s a Moabite
6 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.
In other words, she’s with Naomi, but no, there is no man in her life looking out for her. We’ll see in a moment that Boaz steps in to fill that role.
The servant also says that
she’s a hard worker
7 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.”
She’s been here since the sun came up and has been working hard the whole time until now.
So now Boaz goes over to talk with her.
Boaz’s interaction with Ruth (v. 8-17)
listen, my daughter
8 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.
The fact that Boaz refers to Ruth as “my daughter” indicates two things:
first, he is probably significantly older than her (otherwise he would probably use the term sister); chapter 3 also indicates that he is an older man
second, by using this family term daughter, Boaz is indicating to Ruth that he is assuming the role of the man in her life who will provide for and protect her. As we keep going in this passage we see his words and actions confirm that this is his intention — to be a provider and protecter for Ruth and Naomi. And he invites her to stay and keep working in his field.
In v. 9, we see both his protection and provision for Ruth:
protection and provision
9 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.”
Boaz knows that these are the days of the judges, a time when men are not caring for women as they ought, and he knows it may not be safe for Ruth in another field, so he encourages her to stay there and tells her that his workers have orders from him not to touch her or mistreat her in any way. She is safe here because Boaz and his workers will protect her.
He also makes sure that she has the water she needs — providing for her thirst.
Ruth responds to him in v. 10:
Ruth’s first response: why have I found favor? I’m a foreigner.
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?”
Notice the humility of Ruth here: she doesn’t assume that she deserves attention or favor from Boaz or anyone — she is amazed and grateful to be receiving favor — the grace she wished for back in v. 2.
So Ruth is humble, and Boaz’s response to her also shows his humility (again, they share the same godly character). He deflects the attention away from himself and turns the conversation back to Ruth and ultimately makes it about the LORD.
And v. 11-12 is the center of the passage. This chapter appears to be organized as a chiasm with matching parts on each side, and the center is usually what is being highlighted and emphasized — and what we see here is that what is at the center of this passage (and I think it’s the same in all 4 chapters) is the faith and faithfulness of Ruth. Her faith in God and His promises leads her to live out the character of God in her life and the way she treats others.
So Boaz says to her,
Center of passage: Ruth’s faith like Abraham will be rewarded
11 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.
12 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!”
God had told Abraham in Genesis 12:1
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Like Abraham, Ruth left behind everything familiar. She trusted God and His promises and counted God’s promises worth more than anything else.
Even though Ruth had no man in her life to protect her and provide for her, she had placed herself under the protective care of the LORD, the God of Israel. She had forsaken everything else to come to Him and entrust herself to Him.
Boaz has noticed her faith and commitment to God, and so he prays that God’s treatment of her would correspond to her faith and commitment to Him.
Then Ruth responds in v. 13,
Ruth’s second response: I have found favor (notice that this matches her words in v. 10, showing the chiastic structure)
13 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.”
Again, God has answered her request — she needed grace, favor — and she found exactly that with Boaz.
Again we see Boaz providing for her in v. 14:
provision
14 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.
He shared this food with her, and not just a little — she ate, she was satisfied, and she had leftovers (kind of reminds me of the way the Gospels describe Jesus’s feeding of the 5000)
This verse corresponds to v. 9 and Boaz’s provision of water — there he satisfied her thirst, here he satisfies her hunger.
Then in v. 15, we again see his protection:
protection
15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.
Back in v. 9 he commanded his workers not to touch her — here he commands them not to reproach her — not to mistreat her by their words. So again we have these corresponding parts on either side of the center in v. 11-12.
Boaz has taken on the role of the man in her life who will provide for and protect her.
He also instructs his workers,
more provision
16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
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.
Make it easy for her, make sure she has more than enough, since she’s also caring for Naomi.
Then v. 17 corresponds to v. 7, because there Ruth worked from dawn until lunchtime, here she works from after lunch until evening.
And her hard work pays off — an ephah of barley is about 5 gallons — this is a big and heavy load she has to take back with her now. One day’s work has produced enough for several days or even weeks of food for her and Naomi.
Naomi’s Response (2:18-23)
Naomi’s Response (2:18-23)
v. 18 tells us of Ruth’s return to the city
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.
Then we see Naomi’s words of blessing in v. 19-20:
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.”
name: Boaz (v. 19) corresponds to mention of the man’s name being Boaz back in v. 1.
“May he be blessed by the LORD” corresponds to the greeting given to Boaz by his workers in v. 4, “The LORD bless you”
The mention of “kindness” or steadfast love here in v. 20 may correspond to Ruth’s desire for grace or favor in v. 2.
And at the end of v. 20, the fact that he’s a close relative, a redeemer corresponds to the family description given in v. 1 and 3.
What stands out to me in Naomi’s words of blessing is her description of Boaz’s character — his kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. It’s ambiguous in the Hebrew and in our English version whether this is speaking of the LORD’s kindness or Boaz’s but maybe it’s because God’s kindness is being shown through Boaz. The LORD’s steadfast love is on display in his life and the way he is treating others — both the living (Ruth and Naomi) and the dead (their husbands who have died).
The closer we are to God, the more we will reflect His character in our words and actions.
Ruth then adds a comment about Boaz’s protection of her and provision for her in v. 21-22:
21 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.’ ”
22 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.”
There was danger out there that Naomi knew about and Boaz was aware of too, and he was looking out for Ruth and protecting her from danger.
And his kindness and provision continued for many weeks or months after that, because v. 23 tells us,
23 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.
Barley is the first crop harvested, usually in early spring, around the time of Passover.
Other kinds of grain and wheat that were better quality took longer to grow and would be harvested later. So at this point it seems Ruth has been working in the fields of Boaz for quite some time — several weeks or perhaps a few months. And so she has continued working hard and gathering the food necessary to provide for her and Naomi during the winter months until the next harvest season.
Chapters 1-2 both highlight for us the faith of Ruth — her trust in God and His promises, following in the footsteps of Abraham.
One reason that we know her faith is genuine is that she is beginning to take on the character of God — His steadfast love or kindness — in the way she treats others, specifically Naomi. She takes the initiative to make sure that Naomi is taken care of.
Boaz also is demonstrating his faith in the LORD by the way he treats Ruth — he sees that she is vulnerable, in need of protection and provision, and he steps up to meet that need. Ruth has sought shelter under the wings of the LORD, and Boaz has become those wings of shelter for her.
So in this story, kindness meets kindness. Humility meets humility. Two godly people who share the character of Yahweh meet each other, and there is an instant bond.
We also see that Naomi’s hopelessness and bitterness in chapter 1 was unwarranted. God wasn’t mistreating her or being unkind to her. His love didn’t look the way she expected, but the LORD had never stopped loving her and working for her good, and just as she hit rock bottom, God showed her there was hope. Just as she got to the darkest part of the tunnel, she starts to see a small glimmer of light.
In all things, God is working for our good. We need to trust Him, and as we trust Him more and more, we will also display His character to others in our words and actions, like Ruth and Boaz here.
PRAY
