Finding Favor

Ruth 2 LEB

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a prominent rich man from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after someone in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she went and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. And she happened by chance upon the tract of field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. And look, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” And they said to him, “May Yahweh bless you.” And Boaz said to his servant in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” And the servant in charge of the reapers said, “She is a Moabite girl returning with Naomi from the countryside of Moab. And she said, ‘Please let me glean and let me gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came and remained from the morning up to now. She is sitting for a little while in the house.” And Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter, go no longer to glean in another field. Moreover, do not leave from this one, but stay close with my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not ordered the servants not to bother you? And if you get thirsty, you shall go to the containers and drink from where the servants have drawn.” And she fell on her face and bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes by recognizing me—for I am a foreigner?” And Boaz answered and said to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband was fully told to me. How you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know before. May Yahweh reward your work and may a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you came to take refuge.” And she said, “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your servant, and I am not one of your servants.” And Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here and eat from the bread and dip your morsel in the wine vinegar.” So she sat beside the gleaners, and he offered to her roasted grain. And she ate and was satisfied, and she had some left over. And she got up to glean, and Boaz instructed his servants saying, “Let her also glean between the sheaves and do not reproach her. And also pull out for her from your bundles and leave it so that she may glean—and do not rebuke her.” So she gleaned in the field until the evening and she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she picked it up and went to the town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. And she took it out and gave to her what she had left over after being satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The name of the man who I worked with today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, whose loyal love has not forsaken the living or the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative for us, he is one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Also, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close with the servants which are mine until they have finished all of the harvest which is mine.’ ” And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidservants so that you will not be bothered in another field.” So she stayed close with the maidservants of Boaz to glean until the end of the barley harvest and wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

30 - Introduction: Story of Boy Dancing at Uganda Youth Conference - Pastors offering him grace. - Show video of dancing.

31 - The Grace of God

Leviticus 23:22 NIV

“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

- In God’s law he gives general protection for the vulnerable.

Two things you need to know, however about the times. as God can give laws, but societies don’t always obey them.

Deuteronomy 23:3–6 NIV

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.

But the leaning towards violence in Israel during the times of judges - downard cylce, everyone did as he saw fit.

Judges 19 story - the Levites concubine - Things had become as bad in Israel as in Sodom and Gomorrah.

With that Backdrop, Ruth is putting her life in her hands as a moabite women to go off on her own to glean in the fields.

She happens to land in Boaz’s field - “wink, wink.”

Slight Spoiler alert - This “wink, wink” happenstance will become more clear at the end of the book than it may seem now. Just how significant it is that Ruth landed in Boaz’s field by God’s hand.

Story of Meeting Timothy Kakoza.

For now, we can say, Ruth is simply trying to survive, and she is sacrificing everything to help Naomi survive, and God, without anyone’s knowledge (accept ours) realize that God is leading her into Grace’s arms.

This story is here to encourage us that God by his Grace guides us, leads us, and protects us.

32 - Receiving Grace

Ruth receives Grace through Boaz, the Honorable Man - He Gives Grace, Compassion.

Boaz shines like a light in a darkened world. Where the rest of Israel is spiraling downward into darkness - Boaz simply continues to operate as though God is good and that God is King.

He is the first to see God’s hand in all of this, that God is using Ruth to Bless Naomi through her loving, sacrificial love. vs. 12.

God is the one who is providing protection, but Boaz is the agent of that protection simply because he wants to mirror God’s character to those around him.

Boaz means strength, and he uses his strength to show favor towards this foreign women who has given up everything.

Not only does he feed her, he gives instruction to his servants to bless her, and to protect her.

vs. 9, Boaz warns his men not to strike Ruth (word for touch, reach, strike).

vs. 15, Boaz warns his men not to cause humiliation towards her (to put to shame, insult, humiliate.)

vs. 16, Boaz warns his men not to rebuke her (to rebuke, reprove, corrupt)

When Ruth tells Naomi what has happened, Naomi recognizes they are receiving grace because she knows Boaz’s character. She is beginning to see a glimmer of hope, that God is working to bless. That this is God’s grace to not just the two ladies, but to their dead husbands (How you will have to come back the next two weeks).

Naomi encourages to Ruth keep going lest someone attack her in another field vs.23

The Story of the girl who had leukemia, that Hannah knew, then the story of the young girl in Cindy’s class who received leukemia, we could help.

33 - Giving Grace

Works Hard

Brings and abundance back to Naomi - Grace

Naomi is experiencing hope.

Grace is meant to be paid forward.

Mentee who is helping others who are under-resourced - Delivering Bed to homeless mom who then was able to get her first apartment.

This is how Grace is supposed to work - The Gospel is God has given us Grace through Christ, we are called to receive this grace, but also make it contageous by passing it on to others and receiving it from others.

34 - Teach & Model for your kids to be respectful of people not like them.

35 - Teach & Model for your kids to take risks to love and care for people.

36 - Be an Advocate for others who may be in danger.

Conclusion:

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 21, 33-34, 37, 56, 60, 62-63, 66, 70, 86, 116, 162, Belgic Confession: Articles 15, 23, 24, 33-34 Canons of Dort: Head I: Articles, 5-18; Head II: Article 7; Head III & IV: Articles 3, 5-7, 10, 12-17; Head V: Articles 3-8