Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s providential care

Intro

Recap Chapter 1

We must pay attention here to the last verse of Chapter one.

Ruth 1:

Naomi and Ruth make it too Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest.

Bethlehem means House of bread

As barley is used for what= making bread.

It just so happens that they make back in time for the harvest to being.

This meant that Naomi and Ruth could get settled in and begin to store up crops to last them, so they do not starve.

Remember that Naomi and Ruth do not have anybody to provide for them, they are going to have to do this on their own.

More likely Ruth is going to have to do this on her own, and provide for Naomi and herself.

God is very much in control as they have moved from Moab and came in just at the right time to Bethlehem.

Just like in this situation, God also directs our paths.

God Directs our Paths

We find out that Naomi has a relative, named Boaz.

Boaz means strength= Much better of a name than Naomi’s sons named Sickness and Dying.

Anyway, we are introduced to a new character of this story, Boaz.

Who is a worthy man.

This term is interesting because it talks about Boaz as being noble, he is a man of substance, he is well off, he has money.

We can even go further and describe Boaz as a genuine mensch.

If you have seen the office this is a german term meaning someone of high integrity and honor.

In this section we see Ruth begin to take over as the main character.

Ruth is being a servant here, she is telling her mother in law, hey, let me go out and glean the land for food.

Gleaning means going behind the harvesters and taking what is left behind.

It is virtually like cleaning up the crumbs after you eat a meal.

You may just get bits and pieces but you may also end up with a whole roll.

This is what Ruth is volunteering for.

Ruth who was an outsider, was asking to go and be with the people of Isreal, who most likely was not very kind to her.

Naomi, says sure go my daughter.

While on paper they made be in laws we have already seen that Naomi has made this jump in calling her her daughter before and she is doing it here again.

We have to keep in mind that Ruth is all that Naomi has left.

She is her only family.

She is her clan.

Now I want to draw your attention to verse 3.

Ruth Chapter 2:3

She just so happened to come to this field of this dude, who is related to Naomi, who just so happened to be there on this day.

We would say what a small world, yet that would be denying God, his clear involvement in bringing Ruth here.

A lot of times we see God speaking to others especially in the OT and giving them direction.

Yet in this story we do not see God speaking to Ruth, yet God still was clearly directing the path of Ruth.

Here is the deal loved one, no matter what got you on that bus to get you here, do not think for a moment it was by chance.

Everyone is here for a reason and a purpose, whether you have a rock solid relationship with God, or are miles away from being a believer, God has you here for a reason and He has pulled the strings to get you here.

God is involved in our lives and directing our destinies.

Do we have free choice yep we sure do, but I can tell you from personal experiences that things happen and doors shut, and plans change, and when I look back and see where I was, and see where I am now, I can see God’s hand all over the situation.

God was actively involved with leading Ruth to this field.

Picking back up with the story, we see Boaz shows up this day!

WOW!

Who would have guessed that?!?!

A lot can be said about what type of person Boaz is, I want to do my best not to speculate too much, but look at verse 4

Boaz begins the conversation with his people and it seems to be one that is positive, in which is people reply from .

Sounds like a well liked guy overall.

And it does not take long for Boaz to see a strange person in his field.

Ruth was very noticeable as she was an outsider.

Boaz was filled her with her story.

God has not only directed Ruth to this field but also Boaz has showed up and was there to check on his field when he notices this woman and he hears about her story.

And Ruth is a hard worker.

She has been there all morning and has only rested once.

Ruth’s character was also impeccable.

Rather than dating, relating, and fornicating, this single and broke young woman worshipped, worked, and waited.

With the two women likely very hungry and desperately in need of food, Ruth asked her mother-in-law, Naomi, for her approval to glean in the fields.

In this request, we see that the women had hit the proverbial rock bottom.

Ruth took a great risk, venturing out in faith as a foreign woman to scavenge for food in a new town.

Ladies— Be a humble servant, nothing is beneath you.

Be brave, and be noble.

Be humble and gracious, and work hard, not to be noticed but to provide.

#becominglikeRuth

Men— this is what a woman to chase after looks like.

#FindingRuth

You see we sometimes get in a huge hurry and we jump the gun and do things on our own, yet God has a plan for your life.

God wants you to trust him and listen to him and follow him to where he is leading.

How do we determine what the will of God is?

We talk to him in prayer time, we listen to him in silence, and we read about him and earnestly seek direction from him.

Not only does God direct but God provides safety.

God provides Safety

Now in the context her, Ruth could have gone anywhere, and she is a single woman, in a big city, where she knows one person.

If you were in her shoes who would you trust?

Who could you trust?

She was an outsider, and she most likely was being treated like one at other places she went.

Recall it took Boaz zero time to recognize her as an outsider in his field.

Others were probably doing the same thing.

Yet look at how he responds to her.

Ruth 2:

Boaz is a safe guy.

He is instructing her to not leave his field.

Even though she is kind of robbing him a bit, because Boaz could take the extra stuff that was missed and get the full amount of money for it, yet he is saying glean as much as you want.

But not only that, but also keep close to these other ladies, they will watch out for you.

And I have talked to all the weird young men, who will seek you out to mistreat you, and I have told them to leave you alone, and not to even touch you.

And one last thing, when you are thirsty get a drink.

Boaz isn’t looking to score here.

He is not doing this so he can win Ruth over.

He is not looking for anything in return.

He is doing all of this because of the character of Ruth.

What Ruth is hearing is too good to be true.

She ask him why has she found favor.

You are a noble woman Ruth.

You are a servant, you are selfless, and you are willing to do what it takes to provide for your mother in law.

Then in verse 12 Boaz is praying for her.

May the Lord bless you, because of your humility and sacrifices.

May God take care of you and may you seek protection from the God of Isreal.

Boaz is praying over her.