Ruth:

Ruth – An Introduction

Ruth 2:17-23

1. Introduction – Seems like I say this every week – but we come this morning to another really important passage in the book of Ruth.

a. Over the last few weeks, the circumstances surrounding our main characters has been gradually improving.

i. When we first looked at chapter 2, Ruth just so happened…as luck would have it…to glean in Boaz’s field.

1. We learned that it wasn’t luck or chance or happenstance – it was God moving and working in Ruth’s life through a seemingly mundane decision.

ii. Last week, we looked at the holy risks Boaz took in order to provide for Naomi and Ruth.

1. He went above and beyond what the law required of him as a land owner.

b. And today, we see the payoff. Ruth gleaned in Boaz’s field for one day. Boaz showered her with unprecedented generosity…did it pay off?

i. What Ruth successful in her gleaning endeavour? How did Naomi react when Ruth returned home?

1. And today we are going to be introduced to a major theme in Ruth’s story.

a. Today we’ll look at the concept of redemption and what Naomi meant when she said, “Boaz is one of our redeemers.”

i. The concept will be introduced this week, and we’ll further develop it next week.

1. Hear God’s God – Ruth 2:17-23.

Ruth 2:17–23 ESV

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. 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.” 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.

c. Once again today – we are simply going to walk through this passage.

i. We’ll look at the details of what happened and what was said…and we’ll look at the theme of redemption as it is introduced.

2. The Details – After Ruth gleaned for a whole day – with extraordinary help from Boaz and his workers…

a. Ruth beat out what she gleaned…and she separated the barley from the stalks…and we are told that she brought home about an ephah of barley.

i. An ephah…that’s pretty useless information unless you have a working understanding of ancient measurement units – for us today, unless we look into it, an ephah means nothing.

1. There’s a lot of technical measurements that I read this week about how to go about calculating an ephah…

a. I won’t bore you with the details of it…because quite honestly, the technical side of it is not the point.

i. We shouldn’t get bogged down with the details of how to calculate an ephah, but we should stand amazed at what Ruth was able to collect in one day…

1. We are to be amazed at Boaz’s generosity.

ii. Most scholars agree that an ephah weighs somewhere between 30 and 50 pounds. That’s a pretty crazy amount…just let that sink in…30-50 pounds…of barley…gleaned…in 1 day.

1. To put it another way – in 1 day, Ruth gathered over a week’s worth of food for the two women.

a. So let’s carry this out a little more. We ae told at the end of chapter 2 that Ruth stayed in Boaz’s field until the end of the barley and wheat harvests.

i. And we know from other places in the OT that the barley and wheat lasted for 7 weeks starting in the early spring.

2. So, if Ruth worked 6 days a week for those 7 weeks – remembering the Sabbath day and keeping it holy, of course…

a. If she continued to bring home an ephah everyday – she would have brought home enough food in that span to feed her household for 2/3rds of the year.

i. If an ephah is 30 pounds it would be 2/3rds of the year…but if an ephah is 50 pounds like others say…that would feed the two widows for an entire year.

1. Isn’t that incredible.

b. Since Ruth brough home that much after 1 day of work…isn’t it understandable that Naomi would react the way she did.

i. How in the world did you get all of this?

1. And what I want you to notice is the change in Naomi’s attitude and disposition.

a. When we last hear Naomi speak – she said “Call me Mara…”

i. I am bitter so call me bitter.

2. The Lord is judging me – I went away full but came back empty.

a. But now, after Ruth comes back from gleaning, she is full of praise – she is blessing the man that blessed Ruth – and by extension she is now blessing God.

ii. And her excitement level jumps even further up the scale when she finds out where and with whom Ruth has been working.

1. Ruth tells Naomi, I worked in Boaz’s field.

c. And when Naomi found out about Boaz, she responded in this way, “May he be blessed by the Lord.”

i. And the grammar of the next phrase is a little tricky to understand, but most scholars agree that the subject of this phrase is God…and not Boaz, though what she says is also true of Boaz.

1. It is striking that these words come from Naomi’s mouth.

a. Remember Naomi – the hand of the lord has gone out against me.

i. Call me Mara – for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.

1. The Lord has brought me back empty…the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me….

a. That’s what we’ve heard Naomi say so far in the story.

ii. But her tune changes in chapter 2 verse 20. Remember the subject is God. Yes, first she blesses Boaz for his generosity…

1. But then Naomi goes on to speak about God’s kindness…an important word…hesed.

a. And she praises God for his loyalty – he has not forgotten the living of the dead.

i. What an incredible change in attitude.

1. Naomi is no longer mistakenly crying about God’s judgment towards her.

a. Now, she is praising God for his hesed and loyalty.

2. Loyalty towards her, towards Ruth, but also God’s loyalty towards Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion.

a. Some have said that with this comment, it is apparent that Naomi has a plan brewing in her head when it comes to Boaz.

3. Remember, there is no heir to carry on Elimelech’s name. The family line is at risk of dying off…so maybe Boaz has a role to play in carrying on the family name? Maybe, you’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

a. This point becomes blatantly obvious when Naomi says – this man is a close relative…he is one of redeemers.

i. This whole concept of redeemer or some translations say ‘kinsman redeemer’ is a fascinating topic.

1. In just few minutes I’m going to introduce you to concept and theme of redemption…

a. But the idea of a family or kinsman redeemer deserves a whole sermon its own, so that’s what we’ll look at next week.

d. For now, I want you to notice Naomi’s change in language.

i. Yes, there was a change in attitude and disposition. “God has not forsake in the living or the dead…” a drastic change from God is out to get me.

1. But also notice the use of the plural pronouns.

a. This man is a close relative of ours…one of our redeemers.

i. Remember back at the end of chapter 1 where Naomi told the women of Bethlehem that God brought her back empty???

1. Even though she clearly came back with Ruth…a woman who made an incredible pledge to her…

ii. But here – it seems like Naomi is now including Ruth as a member of the family.

1. By these statements – mentioning Boaz as a close relative…

a. Mentioning that he is one of their redeemers…it’s pretty clear that Naomi is hatching a plan in her head…and that plan has caused her to change her attitude.

e. Ruth also shares with Naomi some of the instructions Boaz gave her – mainly to only glean in his fields…and follow the workers to where they are going.

i. And ironically, Naomi assures her to do just that.

1. Remember, it was Elimelech and Naomi who left God’s Promised Land and looked to the fields of Moab to provide during a famine.

a. They didn’t trust God to provide for them where they were, so they took matters into their own hands and headed to the unpromised fields of Moab.

ii. But for the sake of protection…and the sake of provision, and perhaps because Naomi has a plan brewing in her mind, she tells Ruth to stay close to Boaz’s workers and only glean in his fields.

3. Seven Weeks – And at the end of v.23, there’s a lot of important information packed into this verse.

a. We are told that she gleaned in Boaz’s field until the end of the barley and wheat harvests.

i. Also, we are told in that verse that Ruth still lived with her mother-in-law.

1. How and why is any of that important?

b. First, we know from other portions of Scripture that in the early spring, the barley and wheat harvests lasted for 7 weeks.

i. 7 weeks…for 7 weeks, Naomi knew that Boaz was a redeemer for their family.

1. For 7 weeks, Naomi had a plan hatched in her mind.

a. But 7 weeks after Ruth initially gleaned in Boaz’s field…after she came home that first time with an ephah of barley…

i. 7 weeks later…nothing had happened…and there was Ruth, still living a widowed existence…still living with her mother-in-law.

c. But this phrase…until the end of the barley and wheat harvests…it is another historical timestamp.

i. Much like, ‘in the days when the judges ruled Israel…’ and ‘the returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest…’

1. This phrase places the next part of the story at a definitive point in Israel’s calendar.

a. Remember – when Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem, it was at the beginning of the barley harvest…and 7 weeks later we’re now at the end of it.

ii. But, what we have to understand is that 7 weeks after the barley harvest began…there was another important Jewish feast.

1. At the beginning of the barley harvest was when the Jewish feast of Passover took place…

a. But in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses says this to the Israelites.

i. Deuteronomy 16:9-12.

Deuteronomy 16:9–12 ESV

9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

d. Why is this important? Well, the feast of weeks also went by a different name – Pentecost.

i. Pentecost…the feast of weeks, was the harvest festival of the Jewish calendar.

1. They worshipped God by bringing the first fruits of their harvest…trusting that God would provide more in the future.

e. So if we dive into the imagery a bit – and if we understand that there is another extraordinary event that takes place at Pentecost…an event that is described for us in Acts 2 – we see some amazing parallels.

i. Ruth had experience God’s first fruits of redemption. She has had a taste of it, but is still awaiting its full realization.

1. And in a way – Ruth is a first fruit of God. She is a Gentil who is being incorporated into God’s people.

a. And Ruth’s incorporation into God’s family was a foreshadowing of a larger harvest of people that would take place in the future.

i. Because it was during this same feast…the feast of weeks…Pentecost…that God chose to pout out his Holy Spirit on Jew and Gentile alike…bringing them together into God’s family.

1. And Ruth, in a sense, was the first fruit of that new family…and her incorporation into God’s family took place during the festival of weeks.

a. Pretty fascinating timing if you ask me.

4. Redemption – A lot happening here – but why this is scene is so important is because it introduces us to one the major themes of this great book – the theme is redemption.

a. So, first off, what is redemption? What does it mean to redeem something or someone?

i. To redeem means to buy back…to make something better or to clear a debt.

1. The Hebrew word for redeem…at its core means to protect.

a. We are going to look in detail at the role of a family of kinsman redeemer next week…there’s so much to it that it deserves its own study.

b. But here’s what I want us to know about redemption today as the topic is introduce.

i. Know this – first of all, redemption is costly.

1. Being a redeemer is a tough gig – it costs the redeemer a lot.

a. Think of Boaz – in the next few weeks, we’ll see that his redemption of Ruth and Naomi cost him a lot.

i. He bought back land that once belonged to Elimelech.

1. Maybe his being a family redeemer cost him his reputation because he married a Moabitess.

ii. And as we carry this redemption theme further into the Bible – we know that our redemption was costly also.

1. In order to redeem us from our sins…in order to buy us back from sin’s tyrannical reign in our lives…it cost Jesus a lot.

a. Not money – it cost him his life.

i. In order to purchase our salvation – in order to pay the debt we owed God because of sin…

1. Jesus took our place…he died in our place…he was our sacrificial Lamb…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

iii. Jesus went to the cross for our sins…Jesus paid the price to purchase our salvation.

1. It cost him is very life – he gave up everything, so that we could be put into a right relationship with God.

a. We should never forget the cost of redemption.

c. Not only was redemption costly – we have to understand also that it wasn’t mandatory.

i. Boaz wasn’t obligated to do all that he did.

1. He wasn’t obligated to go along with the plan that Naomi and Ruth cooked up.

a. But he chose to – he chose to be a redeemer for them…to buy them back from the pit they were in.

ii. And again, this is true of Jesus. He wasn’t obligated to go to the cross.

1. We see this play out in the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was arrested.

a. He was stressed…he tells God the Father that he doesn’t want to go through with it…

i. That if there’s another way…now would be a good time to do it.

1. But unlike Abraham and Isaac – there was no ram in the thicket waiting.

a. And Jesus followed the will of the Father and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

5. Conclusion – and this is what I want us to take away this morning…not how an ephah is calculated…

a. I want you to leave this place with a sense of overwhelming gratitude for our Saviour.

i. Overwhelming gratitude for our redemption.

1. Never forget that we are a redeemed people. God’s people have always been a redeemed people.

a. The Ancient Israelites – redeemed from slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty hand an outstretched arm.

i. Ruth and Naomi – redeemed by the cost actions of Boaz.

ii. Christians…redeemed from our sins…bought back from a selfish and self-centered life because of the costly actions of Jesus.

1. Are you grateful this morning that God loves you so much that he sent his only Son into the world…to do for you what you couldn’t do for yourself???

a. I am so thankful that God sent Jesus…so that we could be put into a right relationship with him by faith in his saving death and resurrection.

i. Remember…you don’t earn your redemption…

1. Its not because you are a stellar person or because you do great things.

iii. God purchased your redemption because of who he is…loving, merciful…kind.

1. A God who calls people out sin and darkness…and purchases their pardon.

a. I hope you leave this place feeling overwhelmed with gratitude because of who God is and all that he had done for you.