20.6.28p - Ruth - Faithfulness Redeemed

How many of us have gone through tragedy and tremendous suffering? The book of Ruth revolves around Naomi, who finds healing from God after going through bitter pain and tragedy.

The Story

Our story begins with a family struggling to survive.

Tragedy Strikes (1:1-5)

Ruth 1:1 (ESV) --- 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

The first words should startle us. This whole story takes place "in the days of the judges." We did an overview of Judges last week, and many of you remember the judges from your own study last year. The book of Judges paints a very dark picture of Israel. A whole generation arises that does not know the word of God, and that generation begins to worship foreign gods and commit all sorts of evil.

God sees all of this going on, and he decides to punish his people so that they might turn from their wicked ways and do what is right in his sight. The punishment we read about is a famine.

So one family from the little town of Bethlehem decided to search for greener pastures somewhere else. They leave the promised land, much like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did in the book of Genesis. They were not supposed to leave the promised land, so this does not seem like it will turn out well for them, especially when they end up in the area of Moab. Moab was cursed by God for not helping Israel and even putting a stumbling block before Israel while wandering in the wilderness.

As we would expect, things do not go well for them in the promised land. The father, Elimelech, dies, leaving Naomi a widow. Her two sons marry Moabite women, again this is something Israel was commanded not to do. Naomi's two sons die over the next ten years, leaving Naomi childless. What a horrible situation to be in. She is a widow in a foreign land with no-one but two foreign daughters-in-law.

Loyalty (1:6-22)

Then, Naomi hears that the Lord has visited Israel and given them food. This is an interesting way of talking about God's care of his people. So Naomi starts to head out toward Judah, and her daughters begin to follow her. When she sees them following her, she tells them to return to Moab and marry, but they refuse.

Ruth 1:8--10 (ESV) --- 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”

Naomi persisted and tried to help them see her dire situation. She has nothing to offer them if they return with her. She is too old to have more sons for them to marry.

Ruth 1:13--18 (ESV) --- 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

These words from Naomi show that she has a heart of compassion for her daughters-in-law. She hates that they have suffered because of her rebellion against the Lord. We see that she regrets having left the promised land and that she again fears the Lord.

The words of Ruth show that she has great love, devotion, and faithfulness to her mother-in-law, that has not been seen in any outsider until this point. She is pledging complete loyalty to Naomi and her God for the rest of her life.

They come back into the town of Bethlehem together, and everyone is talking about Naomi, but she shows complete humility. The Lord has broken her so much that she asks them to call her Mara instead of Naomi. She asks them to call her bitter instead of pleasant.

Harvest Time (2:1-23)

The two of them happen to have arrived at the beginning of harvest. So Ruth went out to gather from the edges of other people's crops. This is something that Israelites were commanded to do for the poor. They were to leave the edges of their crops for the poor.

It just so happens that Ruth was gathering in a field that belonged to Boaz, and it just so happens that he was visiting his slaves to see how they were doing. This man seems to be well-loved by all of those who serve him on his farm. He asks about Ruth and finds out who she is, and how hard she has been working together for herself and her mother-in-law.

To this, Boaz invites her to stay close to his young women and not go into anyone else's field. He charges the young men to leave her alone, and he also encourages her to drink whatever the young men draw for the young women. To this, she seems completely surprised.

Ruth 2:8--10 (ESV) --- 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?”

Boaz tells her that he knows all that she has done for Naomi. Then he blesses her in the name of the Lord.

Ruth 2:12 (ESV) --- 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!”

Later, Boaz calls her to eat with him and enjoy his wine beside the reapers. She ate until she was full, and she had some leftover to take to Naomi. But Boaz wasn't finished yet. She got up from her table to glean again, and Boaz told his young men to let her gather from the main crop and give her some extra bundles.

When she got home, Naomi was blown away.

Ruth 2:19--22 (ESV) --- 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.”

Wedding Bells (3:1-4:12)

In Chapter 3, Naomi comes up with a plan to get Ruth married. Boaz is a relative of Elimelech, and in Israel, it was the relative's responsibility to marry a brother's or cousin's spouse to produce heirs for the inheritance. She tells Ruth to visit Boaz after he is done threshing the grain and uncover his feet. She does precisely as Naomi tells her. After Boaz is asleep, she uncovers his feet and lay down. Boaz was kind of startled at this.

Ruth 3:9--11 (ESV) --- 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

But before Boaz could marry Ruth, he had to go and see the closest relative to Elimelech and allow him the opportunity to purchase Naomi's land and redeem Ruth.

In Chapter 4, he gathers all of the elders of the town together to witness, and he lets the closest relative have an opportunity to buy the land. At first, he jumps on the chance, but then Boaz brings up Ruth, the Moabite. This scares him.

Ruth 4:6 (ESV) --- 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

This relative, who is not even named, refuses to marry Ruth because she is a Moabite. So Boaz jumps at the opportunity, buys Naomi's land, and agrees to marry Ruth, the Moabite, and help his kinsmen. All the people witness him consenting to this, and they proclaim blessings on Ruth, asking the Lord to bless her with as many children as Rachel and Leah. These two women brought about the entire nation of Israel, so this is a significant blessing.

Bless The Lord (4:13-22)

The final section of the book gives us the rest of the story. They get married and have a son, but instead of the end of the book revolving around Ruth and Boaz, it turns to Naomi.

Ruth 4:13--17 (ESV) --- 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Notice how it shifts back to discussing Naomi again. Naomi, the broken woman who lost everything in a foreign land, returned to the Lord and found the blessing of redemption through Ruth and Boaz. Verse 16 portrays her life as returning to the pleasant state that she had once lost. But also notice that the women do not bless her name. They bless the name of the Lord, who has restored her life and given her Ruth, who is worth more than seven sons! Ruth has brought about her redemption and provided the loyal, steadfast love that she needed in her most desperate hour.

Why Is This Important?

From Genesis to Joshua, we saw where God was planning something, and he seemed to bring it about by conquering the land of Canaan. But the people show us why it was destined to fail in Judges. They did not follow the Lord with all of their hearts. They only followed him to get what they wanted out of him. As soon as the elders and Joshua passed away, they failed to show their children the way of the Lord. Everyone forgot God's word and did whatever was right in their own eyes, or so it seemed. In this story, after we feel that all hope is lost, we find that God is working providentially to bring about the great restoration of our relationship with God. Someway, somehow, God is going to set up a people who will be his treasured possession.

In a time when Judges were showing themselves to be utterly useless at leading God's people out of rebellion, we find a book that shows a faithful foreigner and a faithful Israel repairing what is broken. They work together with compassion, love, loyalty, and obedient faith in the Lord. This whole story gives hope to our main storyline. The end of this book helps us understand how it found its way into the Old Testament Canan. Ruth is the great grandmother of David.

We find out in the New Testament that redeems all sinful people through a descendent of a Moabite named Ruth.

Matthew 1:5 (ESV) --- 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

God has no partiality against the foreigner. He cursed the Moabites for their evil, but he would not refuse the foreigner who repents and turns to him for refuge.

Ruth 2:12 (ESV) --- 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!”

Isaiah 56:1--8 (ESV) --- 1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant--- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

Jesus comes in the New Testament and shows us the love of Boaz when we have nothing to offer him. We are empty and destitute, but he shows us great kindness and compassion. He brings us into his family and gives us an inheritance that God wanted us to have.

Application

Three questions arise from this story that I think we should consider.

1. Are you broken and suffering from the pain of this life?

Look at Naomi. She is completely lost and completely empty, but she recognizes her sins and her worthiness of this kind of suffering. She has complete and total humility, and she turns to the Lord. She confesses her sins and glorifies God to all of those she knows. God sees this suffering and this humility, and he heals her brokenness. He provides her with everything she needs.

2. Are you an outcast to God's people, looking for a way into these blessings?

Look at Ruth. She pledges her life to the service of God and the service of God's people. Ruth is willing to humble herself and submit to the will of the God of Israel. She does not have a rebellious bone in her body throughout this story. As a result, God uses her to bless his people. Not only that, but he makes her the great grandmother to the greatest kings Israel will ever know. This is what God does. He takes the least in his kingdom, and he exalts them.

3. Do you want to see the love of God?

Look at Boaz. He shows up at the right time to provide everything that is needed for those who are suffering. He is nothing but generous to the broken and the outcast. He makes a way to join himself to them and provide an inheritance for them all the days of their lives. God does this for us through Jesus. He pays off our debts and provides the spiritual nourishment we need to go from dead to alive in our relationship with the Lord.

Hebrews 9:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.