Ruth’s Favor, “God’s stamp of possibilities”
The Favor of God is an amazing thing, especially when He has a plan for some ones life.
He can cause the impossible to become possible in every situation.
Lets look at the story of Ruth, Ruth was a women determined to find the favor of God!
Ruth was from the nation of Moab. She was not originally an Israelite.
To make matters worse, Moab was a cursed nation, condemned because of way they treated Israel in the wilderness.
Because of that Deuteronomy 23:36 tells us “No Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.”
RUTH was of that despised tribe of people.
Ruth 1:!-5 MSG.
1-2.Once upon a time—it was back in the days when judges led Israel— there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah left home to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The man’s name was Elimelech; his wife’s name was Naomi; his sons were named Mahlon and Kilion—all Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They all went to the country of Moab and settled there.
3-5. Elimelech died and Naomi was left, she and her two sons. The sons took Moabite wives; the name of the first was Orpah, the second Ruth. They lived there in Moab for the next ten years. But then the two brothers, Mahlon and Kilion, died. Now the woman was left without either her young men or her husband.
Naomi had become bitter over what had happened, understandably.
The pain of losing her husband, her two boys was too much for her, everything she had ever known was gone.
She had given up living there in Moab, times were hard, there were no social programs to help her out,
So Naomi decides to return to her hometown which is Bethlehem and tells Ruth and Orpah,
that it would be better if they were to stay behind in their native land and go back to there families.
Orpah goes home but Ruth doesn’t want to leave her.
Ruth 1:16-17 MSG.
But Ruth said, "Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!"
Ruth had her mind made up, she wasn’t going anywhere, she wasn’t going to just leave Naomi.
And so the two, traveled together all the way back to Bethlehem
Ruth 2:1 NKJ.
1.There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.
2. So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.”
In every situation your in, no matter what your words have power.
Naomi and Ruth had been down, but they weren’t out. Ruth was determined she was going to be successful,
Thus by proclaiming her success before she went out, she proclaimed that she would find favor. She believed that there were still better days ahead.
Vs. 3. NKJ Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech.
She just happened to come to the field belonging to Boaz,
there are no coincidences when you proclaim the favor of God over your life, Only divine interventions and appointments!
Boaz was quite intrigued when he saw Ruth and asked who she was, whether it was love at first sight for him or not, we do not know.
But we do know he was interested in her and went out of his way to make sure she was taken care of.
Vs. 8. NKJ Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”
He didn’t want her going anywhere and he wanted her to feel safe. She had found favor just like she had proclaimed.
She couldn’t believe her ears. God had gone before her and prepared the way for her.
That’s what God does when you confess and ask for His Favor! He prepares the way.
But still she had to ask, why have you shown me favor?
Vs.11. NKJ And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.
12. The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
Boaz was proclaiming on her a full reward for trusting in God, what a privilege for someone who wasn’t even one of God’s chosen people,
she was an outcast, she was disqualified by the law from receiving anything from God,
Yet because she trusted God and proclaimed His Favor, He was proclaiming for her a full reward, it was happening right before her very eyes.
That’s just how God is, He is a good God!
He will find every excuse that there is to bless you.
Vs.14 NKJ Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.
What she kept back, was what she would take home to Naomi, she had more than been satisfied, God always gives you more than enough to satisfy you.
Vs. 15. NKJ And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.
16. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”
What he was really saying was, if she is following behind you while you are reaping,
I want you to drop some extra grain for her, make it easy. He was telling them to show her favor
and God does the same for all who believe and put their trust in Him still yet today!
Halluejah, Glory to God!
*Like getting a good parking spot
*Finding a good bargain, even when you don’t need one
*Getting a warning ticket, when you really deserve a ticket
Its not luck, it’s the ever present goodness of God, its His Favor on your life!
As Joseph Prince says: Its like Heaven winking at you.
If you want the favor of God on your life, God wants you to know you can have it, He loves it when you ask Him for it!
Vs. 17 NKJ So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
An ephah is a certain amount of Grain, a ephah is a ten day supply, most gleaners would work all day and end up with a one day supply.
She had the favor of God, clearly. We she went home to tell her mother-in-law, she couldn’t believe it.
Vs.19 NKJ And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work?
Blessed be the one 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.”
It was like bells and whistles going off and Naomi began to get excited.
20. Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Naomi knew the favor of God was on Ruth, Boaz had redeemed them from their situation.
Things were starting to really look up for both of them, one moment of God’s Favor had turned their whole state of affairs around.
Naomi, could sense that good things were in store for Ruth and told her to keep on Gleaning in Boaz’s field until harvest was over.
God is not a respecter of persons, His favor is available to all, (say all)
He will do the same for you if you ask Him to,
the sooner you start believing it and expecting it, the sooner you will start experiencing it in every area of your life.
Whether you have need of:
*Healing
*Financial
*Spiritual
*Physical, whatever your need is, every area of your life will be affected, if you are willing to trust God and only Believe for His favor!
Ruth 3:1-2. MSG.
One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear daughter, isn’t it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn’t Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you’ve been working? Maybe it’s time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz’s barley harvest at the threshing floor.
3-4. "Take a bath. Put on some perfume. Get all dressed up and go to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you’re there until the party is well under way and he’s had plenty of food and drink. When you see him slipping off to sleep, watch where he lies down and then go there. Lie at his feet to let him know that you are available to him for marriage. Then wait and see what he says. He’ll tell you what to do."
5. Ruth said, "If you say so, I’ll do it, just as you’ve told me."
6. She went down to the threshing floor and put her mother-in-law’s plan into action.
God is more than willing to shine His favor on you, if you are only willing to step out in faith and trust Him in every situation.
You have to rest on Gods ability not yours, nothing is impossible when you depend on Gods ability, instead of your own.
Most times when we depend on our efforts, we are limited as to the results,
But when we depend on God, His results know no boundaries, His results are limitless.
Vs 7. MSG. Boaz had a good time, eating and drinking his fill—he felt great. Then he went off to get some sleep, lying down at the end of a stack of barley. Ruth quietly followed; she lay down to signal her availability for marriage.
There was no sexual connotation here, this was the custom of that day, this was all innocent.
8. In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. Surprise! This woman asleep at his feet!
9. He said, "And who are you?"
She said, "I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You’re my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant redeemers—you do have the right to marry me."
That was the custom of that day, kinsmen had first rights to marry a widow.
10-13. He said, "God bless you, my dear daughter! What a splendid expression of love! And when you could have had your pick of any of the young men around. And now, my dear daughter, don’t you worry about a thing; I’ll do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are— a real prize! You’re right, I am a close relative to you, but there is one even closer than I am. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise his customary rights and responsibilities as the closest covenant redeemer, he’ll have his chance; but if he isn’t interested, as God lives, I’ll do it. Now go back to sleep until morning."
14. Ruth slept at his feet until dawn, but she got up while it was still dark and wouldn’t be recognized. Then Boaz said to himself, "No one must know that Ruth came to the threshing floor."
Boaz, was a well respected man and he was going to keep it that way, for him and for her.
15. So Boaz said, "Bring the shawl you’re wearing and spread it out."
She spread it out and he poured it full of barley, six measures, and put it on her shoulders. Then she went back to town.
16-17. When she came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "And how did things go, my dear daughter?"
Ruth told her everything that the man had done for her, adding, "And he gave me all this barley besides—six quarts! He told me, ’You can’t go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law!’"
Notice through this whole story, how God continuously kept pouring out His favor on Ruth. Six measures, was a 60 day supply!
18. Naomi said, "Sit back and relax, my dear daughter, until we find out how things turn out; that man isn’t going to fool around. Mark my words, he’s going to get everything wrapped up today."
Naomi said, "Sit back and relax, my dear daughter, until we find out how things turn out
So many are just not willing to do this, to rest in the ability of “The Great I Am”
You know, Boaz here represents in this story, Jesus our blessed redeemer and nothing is impossible when you rest on His ability and what He accomplished for all of us on the cross.
Ruth 4:1-4 MSG
1. Boaz went straight to the public square and took his place there.
Before long the "closer relative," the one mentioned earlier by Boaz, strolled by.
"Step aside, old friend," said Boaz. "Take a seat." The man sat down.
2. Boaz then gathered ten of the town elders together and said, "Sit down here with us; we’ve got some business to take care of." And they sat down.
3-4. Boaz then said to his relative, "The piece of property that belonged to our relative Elimelech is being sold by his widow Naomi, who has just returned from the country of Moab. I thought you ought to know about it. Buy it back if you want it—you can make it official in the presence of those sitting here and before the town elders. You have first redeemer rights. If you don’t want it, tell me so I’ll know where I stand. You’re first in line to do this and I’m next after you."
He said, "I’ll buy it."
He was very interested in the property, until Boaz told him that Ruth the foreigner
was part of the deal
and how he would have to marry her and be obligated to have a family with her
When he learned of the responsibility he declined without hesitation.
Ruth 4:13-17 MSG.
13.Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. Boaz slept with her. By God’s gracious gift she conceived and had a son.
14-15. The town women said to Naomi, "Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!"
16. Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot.
17. The neighborhood women started calling him "Naomi’s baby boy!" But his real name was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
And now you know, the rest of the story.
Ruth’s story and life was nothing short of amazing, from rags to riches
to supernatural spiritual riches to be remembered throughout the ages,
Can you imagine, what a beautiful story, Gods Favor never stopped flowing in her life and her families life,
She was the great grandmother of King David, a man after God’s own heart,
I think we can safely say, that Ruth was a woman after God’s own heart.
She as we know, had a book in the bible written about her life, what a testimony to the favor of God.
But more importantly, her faith and trust in Gods ability instead of her own, put her in the direct linage of Jesus.
Nothing is impossible when you depend on God and trust Him.
Are you proclaiming the favor of God over your life and your families life today.
Just like Ruth story and life, there is nothing impossible when you put Gods Favor into action in your life.
Won’t you do it today, God is ready, willing and able to do the miraculous in your life and take you places you’ve never even dreamed of.
Step out in faith and proclaim God’s Favor over everything your associated with, fasten your seatbelt and hold on tight,
Just like Ruth, you will find out, where your at in life is not nearing the end,
Its only the beginning and the Best is still yet to come!
