Becoming A Worthy Woman

Becoming a Worthy Woman

Ruth 3:11

Rev. Brian Bill

May 11-12, 2024

Beth and I returned on Tuesday after doing some intensive grandparenting with some of our grandsons while their parents were out of the country. We were also able to spend time with one of our granddaughter for a few days. We’re tired but had a delightful time. On this Mother’s Day weekend, I have a new appreciation for how hard moms and grandmoms work!

Our first activity was a Nerf Battle with the boys. Here’s a picture of the young warriors preparing to ambush us. We’re so humbled to watch all four of our daughters and their husbands raising young warriors for Christ.

Because I have been preaching sermons for three decades, I struggled with how to approach Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in a fresh way this year. As I prayed about what to preach on, surprisingly, the Lord took me to the Book of Ruth.

In 3:11 we see Ruth designated as a “worthy woman.” The word “worthy” for a woman means, “excellent, praiseworthy, and virtuous.” This same word is used in Proverbs 31:10 (which I’ve preached on in the past) to introduce us to the worthy woman who fears the Lord: “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

In Ruth 2:1, Boaz is referred to as “a worthy man.” When used to describe a man, this word means, “a mighty warrior, a noble man of character and integrity.” So, here’s a question. What kind of man was Boaz before he got married? He was Ruth-less!

The Book of Ruth was often read out loud during the feast of Pentecost, which was a celebration of first fruits. We’re seeing a lot of spiritual fruit these days at Edgewood. Wasn’t youth weekend fantastic? I loved the music, and the blessings parents gave to their graduating seniors. Pastor Chris preached with passion and compassion. And two weeks ago, Pastor Ed preached a very compelling message on the judgment seat of Christ. Very well done, guys.

Several weeks ago, Beth and I attended Secret Church hosted by Mainspring and our Student Ministry, which was a six-hour teaching time from the Book of Ruth. We only stayed a couple hours but learned a lot. As a way to help familiarize us with this brief book, I’ve asked our Youth Assistant Micah Kongkousonh to share a summary. Micah is also a student at Moody Bible Institute, working on his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. To find the Book of Ruth, it’s located right after Joshua and Judges in our English Bibles. I encourage you to read it for yourself this week because we’ll come back to this moving narrative on Father’s Day weekend.

The book of Ruth is one of the great love stories of all time. It is a romantic drama of a destitute young Moabite widow who marries a wealthy and compassionate Israelite named Boaz. The story of Ruth takes place during the days of Judges and emphasizes redemption. Ruth’s role in the history of the Old Testament is the great grandmother of King David which makes Ruth a ray of light and hope for Israel's future. As a Gentile who marries a Hebrew from Bethlehem, she pictures the love of God for both Hebrews and Gentiles. God’s promise to Abraham that He would bless all nations begins to come to fruition through Boaz and Ruth and will eventually result in the birth of our savior, Jesus!

As the curtain rises on the drama, the first chapter begins with Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, in Moab during a famine that killed Naomi’s husband and two sons, widowing the two women. Moab had a notorious background as a known oppressor of Israel with the marriage of Naomi's sons to Moabite women being a blatant covenant rejection. A Jewish reader would have been shocked to read of a family’s decision to abandon their God-given inheritance to a Gentile nation.

However, against this negative backdrop and Naomi’s loss, the story inserts a note of optimism and hope through Ruth’s choice to reject her land and gods and embrace Naomi and her belief. Ruth’s willingness to break with her own pagan background in order to embrace the people of Israel and their God is highlighted because it explains God’s willingness both to use and to reward her. The first chapter closes with Ruth and Naomi returning to Bethlehem with a desperate need for a relative to take on their debt and produce an heir as a family redeemer since Naomi had no family heir and was destitute.

Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and her decision to forsake Moab for the people of Israel and their God allowed God to use Ruth strategically to further His covenant purposes. The second chapter records Ruth’s sovereign meeting with her future husband and family redeemer, Boaz. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi is seen in her desire to work in a field for her mother-in-law. Ruth ‘happened to come upon a portion of land belonging to Boaz,’ but nothing happens on a whim with our Lord! Boaz was a relative of Naomi's late- husband and upon learning Ruth’s identity as the Moabite who clung to Naomi, Boaz did everything in his power to assist her. He instructed Ruth to remain on his property during the harvest and granted her special privileges.