Sermon Tone Analysis

The Unfolding of Gods Plan

As I studied this wonderful passage I was reminded of the change that has taken place in such a short time.

In the beginning verses, Naomi and Ruth had returned from Moab with little hope or confidence in the future.

Little did they know that God was working on their behalf and had made provision for them.

Illustration of God working on the background:

Your crisis seems to be pulling you down:

its hard to get up and get moving

its hard to see any reason for going on

its hard to see anything good coming out of this

My friend, we all go through moments of anxiety, uncertainty, fear of unknown and challenges of life giving us a fix and making us feel like all forces of nature are working against us and ready to give us a technical knockout.

You may have a vision that is so clear that you are certain when you achieve it your life will take a complete turnaround but in between the present and the vision, issues, situations and disappointments seem to be ganging against your dream but God brings them so that you can learn lessons that will be very key to achieving your visions effectively, He is working behind the scene on your favor and that’s why today am sharing these verses with you:-

Ruth set out one morning to glean in the fields, hoping to find enough leftovers to sustain two widows without any means of providing for them-selves.

It was in his field that Ruth found favor and abundance in one she had never met.

A day that began with uncertainty and fear had ended with hope and provision.

Now the day has ended and Ruth has made her way back home.

It is then that she discusses the unbelievable events of the day.

I The Kinship was Proclaimed

Naomi must have been amazed by what she saw, for her words tumbled out in rapid succession.

There was a question concerning where Ruth had worked (actually two questions, but they occur as synonymous parallels) and a hasty blessing pronounced on the benefactor, unknown as yet to Naomi.

Ruth identified him as Boaz, already known to the reader; but the narrator intentionally heightened the dramatic suspense by withholding the name till the end of the sentence.

Where did you get this ......

Illustration - coming home with an unsuspecting surprise

Who was it that you found favor

You can almost anticipate the connecting the dots and seeing God in it .....

What are you looking at today?

Not in the natural, but with your spiritual eyes.

Are you facing challenges?

Don’t just look at your problems day in and day out.

Lift up your eyes and look toward heaven.

In Genesis 40 we see what happens after Joseph was promoted in jail.

“Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

So he put them in confinement” (vv.

1-3).

The fog is clearing.

the sun is coming out and the path has been prepared.

Illustration - PE exam 1991 auto accident night before test.

could not study and jusrt had to trust God.

II The Kinship was Praised

On learning the name of their generous benefactor, Naomi pronounced a second blessing on him but acknowledged that it was the Lord who had not stopped showing his “kindness”

He could have shunned her because she was a Gentile.

He was obligated to let her glean around the edge of the field, but he was not obligated to provide for her as he did.

He chose to provide for her.

Isn’t it comforting to know that we serve One who chose to get involved in our situation?

He chose to meet our need in the sacrifice of His body on the cross.

He chose to leave the splendor of heaven, laying aside His glory for a robe of flesh, to walk among lowly men, even humbling Himself as their servant, so that we might be redeemed and restored unto the Father!

He chose to get involved in our salvation and He continues to be involved in our lives today.

It would have been enough to provide for our redemption and never offer another blessing.

By doing that He provided far more than we deserve, but our blessing did not end with our conversion.

In fact they only began.

Christ continues to meet our needs and bless our lives!

Ps.68:19 –

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.

Selah.

Ps.40:5 – Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Naomi’s reference to “the dead” may show that she was already anticipating the outcome of the events.

As a kinsman-redeemer , under the levirate law Boaz could fulfill the duty of preserving the name of the dead by marrying Ruth.

Jeremiah 32:6–25 indicates that it was still binding in the sixth century B.C.

look at the excitement in vs 20 - this may work out .....

Thank you God

vs 21 - blessed be God he is not done with us yet .......

We give up

But God keeps up

We quit and walk away

But God gets us back into the game

Blessed be God he is not done with us yet

If cancer or paralysis or a car accident prompts us to draw on God’s strength to become more conformed to Christ, then regardless of the human, demonic, or natural forces involved, God will be glorified in it.

A friend whose husband died wrote,

One thing that I’ve become convinced of is that God has different definitions for words than I do.

For example, He does work all things for my eternal good and His eternal glory.

But his definition of good is different than mine.

My “good” would never include cancer and young widowhood.

My “good” would include healing and dying together in our sleep when we are in our nineties.

But cancer was good because of what God did that He couldn’t do any other way.

Cancer was, in fact, necessary to make Bob and me look more like Jesus.

So in love, God allowed what was best for us … in light of eternity.

Naomi is now seeing the good...

III The Kinship was Pleasing

It came with benefits and protection ....

And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law This exhortation is actually three-fold.

Naomi spoke words of:

1. Comfort – It is good, my daughter.

Moab had brought little to rejoice about.

They had suffered great loss and devastation there.

But now in Bethlehem, among the field of Boaz, there was renewed hope.

We all face trials and difficulties in life.

We have all seasons of heartache and despair, but all is not lost.

There is hope in the Lord.

It is good to dwell near Him.

Naomi also spoke a word of:

2. Confidence – It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens.

Naomi was aware that Ruth had gleaned in the field of Boaz.

She was confident in his ability to provide for them.

She was not worried or concerned about Ruth’s well being or their future.

She was in a good place.

3. Caution – It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.

She knew that Ruth was where she needed to be.

Naomi likely realized that God’s hand had led Ruth to the field of Boaz.

She was warned to stay in his field and not be found in another!

We need to watch the company we keep.

We need to be mindful of the fields in which we glean.