Sr High Monday Morning

Favor

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Shorter Catechism

Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence?

A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise,w and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

Providence

Ruth 2:1–9 ESV

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 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.” 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. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 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. 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.” 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. 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.”

Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem - just two women without any husbands, brothers, sons, or anyone else who is able to go and get a job. Think for a minute about what that means for them, and the uncertainty they are facing.

What kinds of things would cause you to be uncertain if you were in their shoes?

They may have Naomi’s house to stay in, but how are they going to eat? How will they stay safe? What will tomorrow bring, and what kind of a future do they have to look forward to?

You have likely experienced this same kind of uncertainty at many different points in your life

Covid

School

College

Significant Other, or lack thereof

Sick Family Member

Family problems

Ruth and Naomi must have been experiencing some uncertainty, But Ruth had an idea- she remembered that Naomi had some relatives that owned a farm nearby. Ruth planned to go there and walk behind the reapers as they were collecting food. Basically, her plan was to go to a relative’s farm and pick up scraps to bring home so they didn’t starve.

Seems like a half decent plan, right? I want you to notice several reasons why this plan goes way better than it should have.

Her family had a Barley farm, and Ruth and Naomi showed up to Bethlehem right at the Barley Harvest.

Boaz had servants to do all of his farming for him, but he was there in person that day and was even at the very same part of his field that Ruth was in gleaning.

A young woman gleaning in a field by herself was incredibly dangerous (especially a foreigner), but Boaz was there and strictly charged the men not to touch her.

In the face of uncertainty, Ruth was experiencing what many would call insane luck, but do you know what she was actually experiencing? In the face of uncertainty, Ruth was experiencing the providence of a very good and loving God.

Nothing about what happened to her was luck. She was faithful to the Lord, and the Lord took care of her. She committed herself to God, and the rest followed.

How do you move forward when faced with uncertainty?

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

When we’re faced with uncertainty, it doesn’t mean we just sit around and do nothing. But one thing we must do: commit ourselves to God, and trust him that he is going to take care of us with the rest.

But we have more ground to cover, lets see how the rest plays out.

Ruth’s Response: Gratitude

Ruth 2:10–16 ESV

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?” 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. 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!” 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.” 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. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

I want you to notice Ruth’s response to her experiencing God’s providence. Ruth responds with complete gratitude for what she has received.

She directs her attention to Boaz and thanks him for all he has done, and Boaz helps to direct her focus back to the Lord.

God will use secondary means to provide for you

Always help them to see that the Lord is ultimately the provider

Boaz shows that when we commit ourselves to the Lord, it does not go unrecognized by God.

What about you? Have you experienced the provision of God and ascribed it to luck? How should you respond?

Have you not been seeing God provide in times of uncertainty? Are you trusting him, or looking elsewhere?

Naomi’s Response: Encouragement

Ruth 2:17–23 ESV

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 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. 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.” 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.” 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.’ ” 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.” 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.

I also want you to notice Naomi’s response to God’s providence

Initial surprise at how blessed they were

Followed by encouragement and recognition of the Lord’s provision

Ruth 2:20 ESV

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.”