1 HOPE RENEWED Sermon preached by Pastor C. John Steer Autumn Ridge Church January 20-21, 2018 No. 2: Ruth The Romance of Redemption Scripture: Ruth Chapter 2 We are looking together at the beautiful love story of Ruth. Today we take up the narrative in Ruth Chapter 2. So let s recap what has happened so far. Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. This is described as an era when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. But Ruth was a woman who set out to do what is right in God s eyes. The first chapter is the story of HOPE LOST. It is a record of tragedy. The account begins with a famine in Bethlehem. A husband and wife, called Elimelek and Naomi, make a bad decision. They decide to leave Bethlehem which means the House of Bread. They abandon God s people and move to Moab, which for an Israelite is equivalent of going into enemy territory. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. While they are living in Moab, Naomi s husband, Elimelek, dies leaving her a widow with two sons. These two sons marry Moabite women, something else that is forbidden by God. This is not because God was against the Moabites race, but against their religion. God wants his people to worship him. But the people of Moab worshiped Chemosh. This was a god who demanded human sacrifice. The people would throw their little children into a fire to please this deity. But our God Yahweh loves children. That s why his people want to protect children both in the womb and out of the womb. That is a central truth for us to remember on this Sanctity of Human Life weekend. Everything goes well for a decade then both the sons die leaving Naomi grieving and bitter. Naomi now decides to return home to Bethlehem. So she tells her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to go back to their people and their god Chemosh. Orpah takes her advice but Ruth refuses explaining Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
2 Ruth here is not only professing her commitment to Naomi but also to Yahweh, Naomi s God. So the two trek the 50 miles back to Bethlehem. They arrive in April, just in time for the barley harvest. This brings us to chapter 2 which we could title HOPE RENEWED. Ruth is one of the most beautiful love stories ever written. But it is in the Bible for a deeper reason. It has been cherished by God s people for 3000 years because it describes the romance of redemption. For behind the story of Ruth we see the love of God for his people. It illustrates God s incredible affection for us. It helps us to grasp what God has done for us so he can win us for himself. I want us to look at four aspects of God s love that we find in Ruth Chapter 2. First, GOD S LOVE IS SEEN IN HIS PROVISION. We are told Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain. (v.2) Ruth was able to do this because we have a God who has a deep love for the poor and the hungry. When giving laws for his people to establish their new society in the Promised Land, God had commanded When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest... Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:9-10) Ruth can take advantage of this provision because she is both poor and a foreigner. In those days people harvested by hand. God told the farmers you can have the grain at the sides of the fields but leave the edges and the corners for others. The diagram shows that the barley at the center was for the farmer. While the grain at the corners and along the edges of the field was for the gleaners. Throughout scripture we find God promising to provide for his people. So Paul can tell the Philippians My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Notice how God meets the needs of the needy. It was by the rich sharing some of what they had. By biblical standards all of us are rich. By the world s standards today most of us are one-percenters, which means we are among the top 1% of the wealthiest people in the world. God has given us more than we need so we can bless those who have less than they need. Notice too that Ruth went to work. The grain wasn t just given to her. She had to go out and get it. The text tells us So Ruth went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. (v.3) If Ruth had just stayed at home feeling sorry for herself she would have remained hungry and she never would have met Boaz. My dad was a pastor in London for 30 years and he often told his three sons and his congregation Put yourself in the place of blessing.
3 That s what Ruth is doing here. She is going to the barley field. She is putting herself in a place where God can bless her. When I was a teenager I thought it might be nice to have a girlfriend. I wasn t sure how to go about this as I d never done it before. My dad said, John, put yourself in the place of blessing. I asked What does that mean? He said Go along to the youth group. There are some very nice young ladies there. So I did and he was quite right. There were. Perhaps we are lonely and need a friend. Well let s put ourselves in the place of blessing. Let s join a Life Group. You meet wonderful people there. Perhaps life is a bit humdrum right now and we need an extra challenge. Well let s put ourself in the place of blessing and offer to serve somewhere in our church or community. It may be scary but it will stretch us. And who knows what might come of it? Here is a second truth that jumps out from this chapter. GOD S LOVE IS SEEN IN HIS PROVIDENCE. Providence is a great biblical doctrine. Providence means to see in advance. It is a reminder that God knows everything that is going to happen. Providence tells us that God governs everything that comes to pass. Nothing ever happens beyond the scope of his knowledge. He causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine. He raises up rulers and brings them down. He numbers the hairs on our head and the days of our life. Providence is a lovely truth for believers. Others talk of fortune, luck or fate. There is a huge difference between the providence of God and fortune, luck or fate. The key to this difference is found in the personal character of God. Fortune is blind, while God is all-seeing. Fate is impersonal, while God is a Father. Luck is dumb, while God can speak. There are no impersonal forces at work in history. All is brought to pass by the invisible hand of providence. The people who founded our nation found great comfort in providence which is why there is a major city named Providence in Rhode Island. It was founded by Roger Williams in 1636. Williams was a Baptist minister who was banished from Massachusetts because of his preaching. Providence became the first place in America to grant freedom of worship and equality to all citizens. But wherever we are located as believers we all live in the state of providence. The scriptures are filled with the teaching of providence. So Proverbs tells us: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
4 Our Victory Verse for the week declares the doctrine of providence when it says: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) And now Ruth runs right into providence. For we read As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek." (v.3) So Boaz, the owner of the field, is a relative of her dead father-in-law. What an amazing coincidence that Ruth finds herself in Boaz barley field. The King James Version delightfully translates this verse: her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz. (v.3) Her hap. Her happenstance. It just happened. No it didn t. This is no coincidence. It is the sovereign hand of God who has brought this foreigner all the way from Moab to Bethlehem to fulfill his purposes that in time would not only impact the nation but the entire world. For remember Ruth is in the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus would not have been born in Bethlehem if Ruth had not been in that barley field on that particular day. So Ruth is here in the field of a rich relative. But she still hasn t met him. However, the providence of God is still at work for we read Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. (v.4) Just then. Boaz is a busy farmer. He had business in town. He may not have stopped by that field at all that day. But just then he did. God is orchestrating events. Perhaps you can think back to some seemingly small occurrence that determined the course of your life. I am the pastor of this church now because back in 1973 I just happened to meet a California girl in the Sahara Desert in North Africa. The encounter did not seem important at the time but it changed the direction of my life. Behind the apparent chances or the ordinariness of day-to-day encounters God is expressing his providential rule and care. But what was this Boaz like? He could have been a dreadful man. But he wasn t because he greeted his harvesters with The Lord be with you! (v.4) That s a greeting that has been part of Christian liturgy for thousands of years. In many churches the minister begins the service by saying The Lord be with you. The people respond And also with you. Boaz had good relationships with his workers because they respond The Lord bless you! (v.4) It is a model for management and labor! God has finally got Ruth and Boaz in the same place and it is all because of his providence. We are in church today because of the providence of God. He has brought us here to spend time with him and with one another. Because we are here we are able to hear the words of eternal life.
5 Last week the people of Hawaii were told there were missiles flying towards their island. It was a false report but it lasted for 40 minutes. In my Life Group last Wednesday we talked about what we would do in that situation. If there are nuclear warheads coming our way there is no point trying to run away, or hide under a table. We will be vaporized in seconds. But if we are Christians we don t need to panic. We can sit quietly, holding the hands of family or friends or whoever we are with and pray Lord, into your hands I commit my spirit. We know that the second after we die we will be with Jesus and the Bible says that is far better than anything we have experienced before. So let s thank God that providence has brought us to this place where we can prepare to meet Jesus. Next we find that GOD S LOVE IS SEEN IN HIS FAVOR. Favor is a word that runs through the chapter. It is there in verse two when Ruth says Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. (v.2) It is there in verse ten when Ruth asks Boaz Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me a foreigner? (v.10) There it is again in verse 13 when Ruth tells Boaz May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord. (v.13) Another word for favor is grace. Grace is God s unmerited favor and grace runs throughout the story. Ruth was a Moabite. They were enemies of the Israelites. So Ruth didn t deserve to be treated with favor, but she is. Now finally she meets Boaz and Boaz is smitten. One of the meanings of Ruth is beautiful. Boaz certainly thought so. It is love at first sight. His field is filled with women but Boaz only had eyes for one. He asks his workers who she is. They tell him. Now Boaz is rich, while Ruth is poor. Boaz is a Jew. Ruth is a Gentile. But none of that matters. Ruth has found favor in his eyes and Boaz doesn t want to let her go. He begs her Don t go and glean in another field and don t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me." (v.8) It is clear that the fields of Boaz stretched over the landscape so it wasn t necessary for Ruth to go to anybody else s field for there was plenty in his. In a similar way there is more than enough for the Christian in Christ. Boaz had been making inquiries about Ruth. He tells her I ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before." (v.11) He is impressed with her godly character. You single men, when you are looking for a wife, seek one with godly character.
6 Boaz then invites Ruth to join him for lunch. This is their first date. When Ruth sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. (v.14) Ruth went hungry to that field. She is now satisfied. That is provision. That is providence. That is favor. When Ruth got up to glean again Boaz gave orders to his men Let her gather among the sheaves and don t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don t rebuke her. (v.15&16) Then Boaz instructs the young men who work for him not to lay a hand on Ruth. He knows as a young single woman she is vulnerable. He wants to protect her. The result was that Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. At the end of the day she had an ephah of barley. An ephah was the name of a container large enough to hold a person. It held about 30 pounds of grain. Ruth took this haul back home and gave it to her mother-in-law. It meant that they would now have food for a long time to come. But here is the greater truth. We have found favor with God. He wonderfully provides for us. We come to him spiritually hungry and destitute. We have no claim on his goodness. But it doesn t matter. He pours out his favor upon us. Jesus invites us to eat with him and enjoy his fellowship. Here is the fourth grand truth of this chapter. GOD S LOVE IS SUPREMELY SEEN IN HIS REDEMPTION. All throughout the day Ruth has been unaware of the identity of this man Boaz who has taken such an interest in her. But when she gets home Ruth tells her motherin-law the name of the man who has helped her. Naomi responds The Lord bless him! He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead. That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers." (v.20) This introduces the great theme of the guardian-redeemer. This individual had a very special role in Old Testament life. It was their responsibility to care for a young widow who was a relative. It doesn t take much imagination to look ahead to the New Testament and see Jesus as our guardian-redeemer. For Jesus became one of us. He took on our flesh. He entered our human family. He saw our poverty and our need and he came to redeem us. Next week we will see how Boaz redeems Ruth. John tells us that God is love. (1 John 4:8) My tutor in seminary told me those are the three most profound words in the entire Bible. It will take us all eternity to understand them.
7 To help us God provides stories and examples. He has given us the book of Ruth to illustrate his love for us. He has given us human marriage which is to be a daily demonstration of his love to the world. I think I can identify with Boaz. As a man I can testify that it is an amazing experience to meet a woman who makes your heart beat so fast you think it is going to burst. You just know you want to spend the rest of your life with her. I will never forget the first time I met Gretchen 43 years ago. I have a photo in my study upstairs taken around that time. You will notice that back then there were no such things as barbers. I am gazing at her with admiration. I still do. My life has been so enriched by Gretchen. If you are blessed enough to be married cherish that gift. Protect it. Honor the one to whom you are married. Thank God that in his providence he brought you together. If things are difficult ask for God s help. Remember that we are to be a living example to our children and grandchildren and a watching world of how Jesus loves his people. There are other ways that we can demonstrate God s love. At Autumn Ridge we are privileged to witness an extraordinary example this week. Max Gernand is one of our members. He has been part of this church for 40 years. He has taught our children in Kindergarten Sunday School. He is a skilled craftsman who made that cross and the Welcome Center and dozens of other things around the church. But Max s kidneys have packed up and unless he gets another one he is going to die. When Autumn Ridgers heard this a number of them stepped forward to be tested. One of them was a match. Her name is Kenna Baber. This Wednesday there is going to be an operation at the Mayo Clinic when Kenna will give one of her kidneys to Max. Here is a photo of them. I am telling you this story because I want you to pray throughout this week and this month for Kenna and Max. Let s pray the surgery will go well and that Max s body will not reject the kidney and that Kenna will make a good recovery as her body adjusts to having only one kidney. This is an extraordinary demonstration of love and generosity and it reminds us of Jesus who gave his body to be broken that we might be whole. I believe the reason God has given us the ancient book of Ruth and the modern story of Kenna and Max is because he wants us to experience his love. If you have never done that I invite you to do so today. Thank God for sending Jesus to die for you. Invite him to be your Lord and Savior. Ask his Holy Spirit to help you to live a life from now on that is pleasing to him.