Ruth Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Confusion & Providence
Confusion & Providence
Confusion is a part of life?
times of uncertainty
Terminal illness of loved one
Job security
Courtship / marriage
Academics / transition to the workforce
Raising kids
Navigating these seasons of uncertainty are difficult
What is the providence of God?
Definition: God’s activity throughout history in providing for the needs of human beings, especially those who follow him in faith
What are your personal experiences of God’s providence?
What were you doing while waiting for God’s provisions?
What does faith look like while waiting for provisions?
Two consideration when thinking of God’s Providence
God’s provision for me(humanity)
God’s provisions with respect to salvation and eternity
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary PROVIDENCE
There are, therefore, two aspects of providence, one oriented toward the continuation of life and order in the present and the other oriented toward the eschaton, the completion of what God intended when he created.
Recap
Naomi and family left Bethlehem in search of food.
Elimelech dies
Boys marry Moabite women
boys die
Naomi is bitter at God…tries to send daughters in law home..
Orpah leaves and Ruth clings
Navigating the unknown (V. 1-3)
Navigating the unknown (V. 1-3)
Attitude and initiative
Ruth 2:2 (NKJV)
2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.”
And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
Naomi: bitter, despair, discouraged
Despondency (Naomi)
Ruth: proactive, encouraged, optimistic
Risk / Vulnerability
God of Compassion / Equity
widows, aliens
Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
For the Lord will plead their cause,
And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.
The New King James Version Chapter 19
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
equity v. equality
God is for equity
Seen also in the NT book of Acts when all things are brought together for the good of all.
Synergy (V. 4-16)
Synergy (V. 4-16)
Odds are against Ruth and Naomi
Synergy = συνεργία synergía
a joint work together
Remember: God is for equity not equality
Not a 1:1
protection of free will — Cooperation
Grace is evidence that it is not a 1:1 ratio
Boaz and Ruth
Synergy
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.
“Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”
Obedience engages the free will of each person
Experience of Grace through God’s provisions
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2
Then she afell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
The eyes of God V. 11-12
God is always observing our actions
What He is looking at is our effort in difficult situations. It speaks to what is inside
It our effort that bring about synergy with God because it puts us in position....whether we know it or not.
Ex. Nehemiah
An abundance of Grace (v. 14-16)
V. 14 - reserving a part of her meal for Naomi
Learning to live with contentment is an active choice that is extremely powerful
Ex. Homeless who have excess will share
ex. Concentration camp prisoners share a morsel of bread with those who were sicker
Seeds of Hope (V. 17-20)
Seeds of Hope (V. 17-20)
Being a good steward with grace that is received spreads seeds of hope.
Ruth 2:18 (NKJV)
18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.
Hope is contagious
Naomi shows signs of life and hope
Ruth 2:20 (NKJV)
20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Wisdom to stay the course
Wisdom to stay the course
Ruth and Naomi have hope but are not out of the woods
There is a natural tendency to relax when there is reprieve....this is when things go bad
Naomi advises Ruth to stay the course and be focused
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2
So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until athe end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Barely and wheat harvest was only a matter of months. at the clothes of the season they will have to look for other sources of food!
Complexity of humanity
We are able to experience so much all at once
Experience of life is never one emotion
love my kids / want to kill my kids
Good job satisfaction / but hours are rough
Joy at a wedding / but the strife to get there is real
For Ruth and Naomi there is an experience of God’s provision for now BUT there is uncertainty as well.
