D.G. 2 THE DEFINITION OF THE GLEANER The gleaner stands on the outskirts of the field, - Ruth. She s looking in at all the other people who are

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1 Ruth 2:15,16 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. I remember when I was a wee boy, brought up in the countryside, I used to go to my grandparents farm. I loved running across the fields and climbing the fields. Every year there would be the opportunity to make a few pounds bagging the potatoes or picking the strawberries. I was brought up in the countryside. Imagine then what it was like for me when, at the age of 18, I went to work in the East End of London, - not a decent field in sight! I missed the countryside; you can understand this story of Ruth if you can only get a grasp of the country life she was leading. She was a foreigner, - from Moab, - and she arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest season. Both her and her mother-in-law were poor, and there was a special dispensation in the law of God for people such as her. Under Moses law the farmer was not allowed to reap the corners of the field or go back for any sheaf that he had forgotten. They had to be left for the poor and the foreigner. Sometimes I hear from beautiful Christian folk of how they feel themselves so unworthy and inadequate of all that God has for them. Yes, of course, it s true that if it were not for the grace and mercy of God not one of us would have any positive direction in life, no stability, and no capability to accept from the hand of God His bountiful goodness. But through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have entered a new relationship with Him. However, there are still those who like Ruth and the gleaners they remain at a distance, somewhere on the outskirts looking in. Beautiful Christians, but yet they have such a low opinion of what they can do for Christ. That s what we shall consider this evening from these two verses, Ruth 2:15,16.

2 D.G. 2 THE DEFINITION OF THE GLEANER The gleaner stands on the outskirts of the field, - Ruth. She s looking in at all the other people who are working, They are being of more use than she could ever possibly be, she feels. Look at them all, - they know each other, they are confident in each other s company, but me, an outsider, I would only upset their pattern. I have heard comments like that so often, - they weren t meant as excuses for being inactive in God s work, They were spoken by folk who really believe there s not much they can do for the Saviour. I have often seen beautiful believers standing on the sidelines because they feel a great sense of inadequacy. They feel they don t know their Bible well enough, they feel they don t live as close to the Lord as they ought to, they don t think they can be of use to the cause of Christ and His witness, and they stay on the outskirts of the work. Wait to I tell you, Ruth was in that field to serve out the purposes of Almighty God, - that field was the place that God had for her to be that day. Ruth had no idea what God had planned for her, She had no idea she was going to marry the master of this great company who were working in his field. She could never have imagined that a great-grandson of hers was one day going to become the king of Israel, never mind that the family line would include the King of kings, the Messiah! If Ruth could have read the end of the story she would never have believed it! A foreigner! An alien to the people of God! Not much better than a beggar! Believer, once you were a stranger to God s grace, the Word of God and the ways of God held nothing for you, And then you came to recognise, - through the work of the Holy Spirit, - your need of the Saviour,

3 D.G. 3 Upon you He lavished His Sovereign grace, - you and I who didn t deserve it. The invitation to come to the banqueting table, - the very presence of Almighty God, v. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. There was nothing that Ruth could bring to that table, - she just had to go as she was, - the poor foreign woman who fell into the lowly category of a gleaner. I m saved by grace, by grace alone, Through Christ Whose love I claim, No other could for sin atone, Oh! Glory to His Name! Look at part of the first conversation she had with Boaz, v.10 Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? Here was a gleaner who was humble and self-emptied. Here too was a gleaner who had a very high opinion of her fellow-workers in the field, v. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. That reminds me of many of my Christian friends who look at others wishing that they could serve Christ like him/her. You wonder how it is that God could ever have a place in His Family for you, You can t understand the kind of person who says he is a Christian, and is so caught up with himself, 18 This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. That s not you; you could never be like that! You are a gleaner, after the type Ruth was, standing on the outskirts and yet Christ the Master extends to you the invitation to come closer for He has much for you to do.

4 D.G. 4 The Definition of the Gleaner. THE DECLARATION TO THE REAPER Note how much time Boaz spent speaking to Ruth, but note also the time he spent speaking to his reapers (esp. vv.15,16). The reapers had responsibilities to the gleaners, - and in particular this one gleaner, Ruth! Rebuke her not! they are told; Out of her ignorance of these things if she gleans from the wrong part of the field, - rebuke her not! If she takes too much or even too little, - rebuke her not! That was the command of the Master. What am I getting at here? Well, I have seen all-too-often young Christians or less-advanced Christians hurting because of something a more mature Christian ought not to have said or done. I don t have a lot of patience with fools and lazy people, but we re talking here about Christians who are still only on the outskirts, gleaning. They don t have the same Bible knowledge as you have, They couldn t have a conversation about some of the finer details of your favourite theological hobbyhorse. But they have a love for the Saviour and they want to know more, and perhaps you are the means that God can use to give them a better grasp of spiritual matters. Ruth was a gleaner, - starting off, feeling her inadequacies, - and the reapers had responsibility for her care. Of course, you know far more about the Bible and about the faith than someone who has just saved recently, You would like to see bigger changes in them and all the rest of it, but they are only starting off, and like Ruth looking at the reapers, these young Christians feel so inadequate. Boaz had a word to the reapers, 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

5 D.G. 5 When the Lord Jesus found the lamb that had gone astray did He chase it back home with His staff? No, He picked it up and carried it gently and lovingly back into the fold. In Pilgrim s Progress Christian was travelling out of the City of Destruction on his way along the road, He slipped and fell into the Slough of Despond, and he began to sink. Pliable said to him, Ah! Neighbour Christian, where are you now?! Another man called Help came along; he said to Christian, Give me Thy hand. So he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him upon sound ground, and bid him go on his way. Spurgeon said that our sermons ought to be plain, elementary and evangelical, and I agree with him. A congregation consists of men and women from many educational, spiritual and social backgrounds and it is the Word of God that must be presented, not the preachers theological degrees or fancy high-class jittering. Both the reaper and the gleaner will be catered for through the preaching of the Word of God as the Holy Spirit confirms it in the heart. When the reapers were told to drop those handfuls on purpose there were showing their master s affection and Ruth was at her ease and comfortable as she picked up what they left for her. CONCLUSION. Each of us has come into the field from the foreign land. We are there only by the grace of God. Many of us here can give thanks to Him for His faithful servants who helped us grow in Christ. When there were times our faith was inadequate God used them for our edification. In those early days of our walk with Him He provided brothers and sisters and His purposes in our life has been accomplished and encouraged through their faithfulness. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.