Ruth 2 - The Providence of God
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Introduction:
According to the Lexham Survey of Theology, providence is the governing power of God that oversees His creation and works out His plans for it. What this means is that after creating the world, God continues to interact with His creation and govern it. He didn’t just wind it up and let it go. He continues to be intimately involved with His creation.
This word providence is related to the word provision as well. God exerts His providence by offering provisions for His people. He sovereignly rules over the earth as He works out His plans.
The difficult theology of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility leaves us in awe of how God works in our world and yet still has made man with the ability to make decisions. Despite man’s ability to reason, God is ultimately sovereign and His providence has been clearly seen since creation. Prior to the book of Ruth we have seen God redeem countless people from Adam and Eve to choosing the pagan Abraham. From choosing the deceptive Jacob to choosing the murdering Moses. God has been intimately involved in bringing His plan of redemption to fruition. All of these people would go on to play a role in the coming of the Messiah. Some directly and some indirectly.
Today we are going to see another situation in which God’s providence and sovereignty are clearly seen as He begins to unfold His plan. Join me as we see God providentially working in the second chapter of Ruth.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Today we are going to look at three ways God’s providence is shown in not only this wonderful chapter, but also in our own lives. The first is...
I. God’s Providence is... Sovereignly Orchestrated (1-13)
I. God’s Providence is... Sovereignly Orchestrated (1-13)
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
In verse 1 we are given a glimpse into the providence of God. Here we see that the author of the book gives us a heads up about a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. This man’s name is Boaz and he is referred to as a worthy man. At this point in the account this statement seems positive but we aren’t told exactly how this is going to play out to help Naomi and Ruth.
In verse two we are shown even further the humility of Ruth. She tells Naomi that she will go and glean in the fields. These ladies had a lot of needs at this point. Acceptance, love, kindness - but the most pressing physical need for them was food. Ruth takes initiative and offers to go and glean.
We don’t know why Naomi doesn’t go with her. She may have been too tired from the journey as she would have been older than Ruth. She may have been paralyzed by her depression. We are not sure. But what we know is that she approves of Ruth going out. This could have been quite the dangerous trip for Ruth. She could have been assaulted or even killed as a supposed enemy of Israel. Despite the dangers ahead, Ruth goes in faith to glean.
Gleaning was something reserved for the poor, the widows, and foreigners. It was not a job that was easy and it was not a job that was glorified. Yet she humbles herself and takes initiative to go out and seek food for them. The author wants us to know how God is using this difficult work of gleaning to bring about His plan - so much so that we see this word glean some 12 times in this chapter alone! He also wants us to remember the physical manifestation of His providence in the person of Boaz whose name is mentioned 10 times in this chapter!
In this same verse we also see Ruth’s trust in God’s provisions. She doesn’t say that she is going to go and glean wherever there is the most grain - or wherever the easiest job of gleaning is - she states that she will glean in the field in which she finds favor. She is seeking God’s favor through God’s people. This is more of a prayer than anything else. She is lifting up her petition to God - that He show her favor in the field in which she gleans.
Then we get to verse 3.
3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
She set out and she happens to come to a part of the field belonging to Boaz. I love this word happened here. It is a word that means more of a roll of the dice. Why would the author use this term? Wouldn’t it seem to undermine God’s providence and sovereignty? Not at all. Instead, it shows that everything is in God’s hands and under His sovereign control. Even the things that seem to be by chance.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
The lot was a form of “rolling the dice” per se. God is sovereign over all. It is not by chance that Ruth ends up in the field of Boaz. It is being divinely and sovereignly orchestrated.
4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
What is it like when your loved ones come home? How do you all greet one another? Do you start with something like “The Lord be with you!” and do you get a reply like “The Lord bless you!” Ok, maybe your home doesn’t exactly look like that but it is something to strive for!
Obviously we see a man who has a good relationship with his workers. He seems to have quite the gift of leadership as we see the respect he is shown by his workers as well.
And like any good leader, Boaz notices something different after he greets his workers. He notices a foreign woman gleaning. He inquires about her and he is told of her diligence and that she came with Naomi.
At this point the situation could go one of two ways. He could respond harshly and with judgment - like many in Israel would. Or he could respond graciously. Let’s look at the next few verses and see what happens:
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.”
Boaz starts off calling her his daughter. This is a remarkable thing because it is a familial term. It is a term of protection and love. Despite their ethnic differences, he wants to make sure she knows he will protect and provide for her. This is seen even more in verse 9 where he lets her know that he has even told the young men not to touch her. Not only were they not to touch or harm her - they were to give her water to drink!
Most of us today don’t see how much favor that is being shown here. In a world where women would usually draw water for the men, Boaz let Ruth know that the men would draw water for her. He was showing her great honor here.
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?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 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!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
Ruth obviously realizes that the way she is being treated by Boaz isn’t what she would have expected. She falls to her face in humility and thankfulness and reminds him of her foreign status as a Moabite. Yet he speaks kindly, respectfully, tenderly, and even admirably to her. He speaks of all he knows about her and is appreciative of her love for Naomi and even moreso - for her love for God.
He even prays a blessing over her from Yahweh! His prayerful blessing asks for both blessings and protection as he uses the blessing of being under the wings of God which is a beautiful picture of being intimately close with God so that He is covering her. This idea of being under the shadow or shelter of God’s wings is seen at least 6 times in the Psalms with one example being Psalm 91:4
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You can see the protection of God clearly portrayed in this analogy.
We see in verse 13 that Ruth is comforted and encouraged by Boaz’ kind words.
Brothers and sisters, do you see God sovereignly orchestrating this entire ordeal so far. Ruth has “happened” to go to a certain field that belonged to Naomi’s relative. She “happened” to find favor from this man despite the fact that many in Israel would have shunned or even assaulted her.
I want to remind us today that the same God sovereignly orchestrating things then is the same God sovereignly orchestrating things in the world today. God’s providence is seen throughout each of our lives my friends. Sometimes we are in a season like Naomi had in chapter 1. Sometimes life is difficult. In difficult times we may think God doesn’t even seem to be present much less be sovereign and providential. But trust me, God is always sovereignly working. We know that in the lives of his sons and daughters, He is working out everything for their good.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Note the phrase all things. Not just some things. God takes everything in our lives and uses it for good. We see this in a very apparent way in the account of Joseph. He had been sold into slavery by his brothers, suffered a false accusation that led him to prison, forgotten for a few years, and then he ended up as second in command in Egypt and was able to save millions from starvation and preserve the lineage of the coming Messiah as well! He states in Genesis 50:20
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Joseph saw God’s sovereign hand even through the difficulties and struggles of his life. He saw God’s sovereignty even in the midst of the sinful choices of others! Brothers and sisters - may we see the same in our own lives. God is never absent. He is always there with us - every step in the way. Even in the darkest of times He walks with us, provides for us, and strengthens us.
Our God’s providence is sovereignly orchestrated. It is also:
Scripture References: Psalm 91:4, Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20
II. God’s Providence is... Personally Demonstrated (14-16)
II. God’s Providence is... Personally Demonstrated (14-16)
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.
Up to this point we see that God has given provision for food for Ruth and Naomi. Ruth has also been provided with protection from Boaz. She has much to be thankful for thus far. Yet verses 14-16 personally demonstrate an even greater favor being bestowed upon her. This isn’t just about having her physical needs of hunger and protection met, this is about having a family now. He invites her to the table to eat bread with the workers and him.
This entire interchange shows us something special about Boaz. First, we see him eating with his hired workers. This shows Boaz’ humility and kindness. He didn’t separate himself from the “lowly” servants and workers. He embraced them as family and ate with them. This in itself was a grand thing to see. But to invite a foreign woman - especially a Moabite - to dine with his workers and him was a whole different level. This was highly irregular to say the least. This type of hospitality went far beyond what would be expected. He even encourages her to dip her bread in the wine - showing that he didn’t see her as an unclean foreigner - but instead as a fellow adopted Israelite.
We have seen two examples of humility back to back. The humility of Ruth as we ended the last section and the humility of Boaz in verse 14.
Humility means to have a modest view of one’s own importance. What does God think about humility? In a culture in which we live today that glorifies pride - how do we understand humility in relation to God?
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Each of these verses give us a glimpse into the Lord’s love for humility and his hate of pride.
He blesses those who are humble (Proverbs 22:4).
He shows grace to the humble (James 4:6).
He honors those who are humble (Proverbs 15:33).
He exalts those who are humble (Luke 14:11).
Brothers and sisters - can you identify with the humility displayed here by Ruth and Boaz? If given this scenario, would you be willing to, like Ruth, go and humbly glean in the fields? Would you be willing to do the hard labor and suffer the stigma of being poor and destitute? Or like Boaz, would you be willing to welcome the unclean, foreign, Moabite woman Ruth with open arms and show hospitality - even if it meant the risk of damaging your reputation?
May we not think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3). May we be willing to humble ourselves before God and seek His favor in this life. If He calls us to a humble task, may we embrace it with open arms.
Jesus Christ came as a servant to all. He humbled Himself before sinful man and served them and even washed their feet (John 13:1-17)! He set an example for us to follow in that footwashing. We, too, need to be humble and willing to serve others - even when it might be embarrassing. Even when it might seem to be degrading or lowly or beneath us. We need to serve the Lord always and be willing to be humble before Him.
Jesus humbled Himself before the Father even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). He took our punishment. The righteous died for the unrighteous. And now we can have eternal life through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. If we repent of our sins and place our faith and trust in Him alone we can have eternal life through Jesus.
Friends, He humbled Himself before the Father so that we might have eternal life. We must humble ourselves before Him and repent of our sins and submit our lives to him in order to be saved. He exalts, blesses, shows grace to, honors, and exalts the humble.
15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Boaz continues to be the personal demonstration of God’s providence as he tells the young men to not only not rebuke her if she is gleaning in a place that hasn’t been harvested, but he also tells them to throw some bundles of barley that they have already harvested out for her to glean! Such wonderful providence is being shown to Ruth here. God’s provision has been sovereignly orchestrated and now even more personally demonstrated. And finally...
Scripture References: Proverbs 22:4, James 4:6, Proverbs 15:33, Luke 14:11, Romans 12:3, John 13:1-17, Philippians 2:8
III. God’s Providence is... Gloriously Authenticated (17-23)
III. God’s Providence is... Gloriously Authenticated (17-23)
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.
After working all day she beats out what she had gleaned. This was another difficult job and she does it after working all day. She goes to the threshing floor and beats the barley so that the edible barley is removed from the straw in which it is attached. (See picture)
Barley
After finishing, she has around an ephah of barley. Many translations inform us that this is around 3/5 of a bushel. I’m not sure that is incredibly beneficial for your understanding of measurements. Do any of you use a bushel as a measuring device in your home? But I will go ahead and let you know that this is actually around 5 and a half gallons.
The video shown before the sermon may have overestimated how long this barley would last as it was likely closer to a little over a week’s worth of food for the two women. Yet this was still an amazing amount of barley - not to mention the leftover food she took home as well! We see Ruth’s strong work ethic further as she carries this home. This barley would have weighed over 30 lbs!
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.”
We see in verse 19 that when Ruth arrives, it is obvious that Noami is overwhelmed by what she sees - Ruth carrying all of this barley as well as some leftover food. She hits her with a rapid fire two questions and a statement of exclamation. It is obvious that this starving woman, Naomi, is super pumped that God has shown them favor!
Ruth is only able to get out the name Boaz and Naomi is at it again:
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.”
You can hear the excitement in her voice. She ends verse 20 with a statement that he is one of our redeemers. This seems like a really important fact that we need to study further. And we are definitely going to do that! Just not right now! You will have to wait until next week to get those details!
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.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
The last few verses show that Ruth will continue working and gleaning in the field of Boaz throughout the harvest. Verse 23 likely spans around 6-7 weeks which would be around late April to early June per our calendar today.
At the end of chapter 1, we were given some hope that Naomi could once again be consistent with her names meaning. We see an incredible shift of Naomi’s mood at the end of chapter 2. She has gone from bitter (Mara) to pleasant again. We are seeing hope arise in her heart as she sees her relative Boaz showing favor to both Ruth and her. Her excitement is clearly shown through her explanation in verse 20. She knows that Yahweh has not forgotten her. She again has hope for the future. She has seen the providence of God gloriously authenticated and confirmed through His provisions.
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Friends, our God never leaves us or forsakes us. We go through trials in this life, but His providence, sovereignty and love are always at work in our lives as children of God. I pray that this wonderful example of providence today increases your faith in our Savior. I pray that you know that He is there every step of the way.
Scripture References: Deuteronomy 31:8
Conclusion:
I pray that you always remember that God’s providence is...
Sovereignly Orchestrated
Personally Demonstrated
Gloriously Authenticated
Believers - God is sovereignly orchestrating things to work out for our good. In His sovereign work, He often uses people to personally demonstrate His provisions in our lives. And his provision is gloriously authenticated or confirmed time after time in our lives.
Trust our Savior for He is faithful.
Let us pray.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.
Have a blessed week.