As we mentioned last time, the book of Ruth is a love story. Not just in the sense of telling about the relationship between Ruth and Boaz, but a love story from the standpoint of God’s love for His children.
Chapter one tells how life had become bitter for Naomi. She had lost her home in Bethlehem, her husband, and her two sons. But God was working in her life. He provided her daughter-in-law, Ruth, who chose to remain with Naomi and befriend her. He also was providentially at work in Naomi’s life, as verse 22 of chapter one indicates. Now, as we look to chapter two, we find that it further illustrates how God was providentially at work in Ruth and Naomi’s lives.
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In seeing what lessons we can draw from this book on who we might pass from bitterness to blessedness, we said from chapter one that we need to open our eyes to see the personal concern of others and the providential care of God. Now, from chapter two, we learn yet another lesson about passing from bitterness to blessedness. If we are to do so, we must open our mind.
Too often, when life becomes bitter, our tendency is to close our minds to what can be done to better our situation. Instead, we need to open our minds to the possibilities that do exist to improve our lot in life. That’s the lesson we derive from chapter two. Simply stated, “We need to do what God reveals is right and trust Him to do the rest.”
1. We need to do what God reveals is right.
That’s what Ruth did; and from her example, we not only learn the importance of doing what we know is right, but how we can know what is the right thing to do.
A. We need to do what is morally right - v. 2
Notice how Ruth took the initiative to seek to provide for her elderly mother-in-law. Ruth knew that if anyone was strong enough to work, it was her. Ruth accepted the moral responsibility that was hers, to provide for herself and her mother-in-law without hesitation.
B. We need to do what is ethically right - vs. 6-7
Morals speak of what needs to be done; ethics speak of how it is to be done.
Ruth knew providing for herself and her mother-in-law was the right things to do, but how was she supposed to do it? The law provided that at harvest time, what was dropped by the harvesters was to be available to widows, orphans, and foreigners. As a widow and a foreigner, Ruth was qualified to take advantage of this provision of the law.
But notice how, though the law provided her with the right to gather the leftovers in the field, she didn’t “demand” her rights, but humbly requested permission to exercise her rights in the field that was being harvested. And we are also impressed also by Ruth’s strong work ethic. Nothing was beneath her. She did what was available to do to accomplish what she knew she had to do - provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Ruth did the right thing in the right way.
C. We need to do what is biblically right.
The basis of Ruth’s understanding of Israel’s provision for widows, orphans and foreigners came from God’s Word. Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22; and Deuteronomy 24:19-22 said that when harvesting crops in the field or fruit from trees or vineyards, they were not to harvest grain along the edges of the field and they were not to completely strip the trees or vines of their fruit, but they were to leave the leftovers for the poor, the orphans and the foreigners among them to glean. Ruth, raised in Moab, would not have grown up with an awareness of these
provisions. One can only conclude that she had become aware of these provisions of the law through her exposure to God’s Word.
Many times, we react when bitter circumstances come our way, and do whatever comes into our mind, without first determining whether or not it truly is the right thing to do. We react willfully, instead of acting wisely, and often make our situation worse. This is why . . .
1) We must ask God to reveal to us the right thing to do.
We need to look to the Lord for guidance in knowing what is the right thing to do to better our circumstances. We gather that this is what Ruth did, by virtue of the fact that she consulted God’s Word. We can assume, therefore, that she also prayed and sought guidance from the Lord in determining the right thing to do. We must do the same.
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” - Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)
“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.” - Proverbs 29:18 (NLT)
If we are to avoid reacting wildly, we must seek God’s revelation to know how to act wisely.
“Give me a revelation, show me what to do; Cause I’ve been trying to find my way, I haven’t got a clue; Tell me should I stay here, or do I need to move; Give me a revelation, I’ve got nothing without You, I’ve got nothing without You.” - Revelation, Third Day
2) We must seek to do the right thing God has revealed to us.
“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” - Proverbs 29:18 (The Message)
Divine revelation without action is a daydream; action without divine revelation is a nightmare;
but divine revelation combined with action leads to results beyond our wildest dreams!
Ruth and Naomi’s situation could have gotten even worse. Instead, it got better because Ruth asked God to reveal to her what the right thing was to do; and because she did the right thing God revealed to her.
So to avoid giving in to bitterness, we can take action to improve our circumstances by doing what God has revealed to be the right thing . . .
2. And trust God to do the rest.
Chapter two tells us of how Ruth met Boaz. Boaz was a man of great wealth who had both the position and the resources necessary to help Ruth and Naomi. Being a relative of Naomi’s late husband, he had the legal right to buy back on Naomi’s behalf, the property that had been lost when Naomi’s family had left some 10 years earlier. Eventually, Boaz does act as Kinsman-Redeemer, purchases back Naomi’s property, and marries Ruth. Certainly God did a wonderful work in Ruth and Naomi’s life. But none of it would ever have happened if Ruth had not determined to do what she knew was the right thing to do.
If Ruth had not done what was morally, ethically, and biblically right, she would never have gone to glean from Boaz’ field; she would never have impressed the foreman with her willingness to work; and she would never have been impressed with her faith. Boaz wouldn’t have learned of Ruth and Naomi’s plight; chosen to redeem and return Naomi’s property to her; or fallen in love with Ruth.
You see, it is only as you do the right thing as God reveals it to you, you will be in the place you need to be to experience the possibilities God wants to bring about in your life. Boaz made this very observation in verse 12:
“May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” - Ruth 2:12 (NIV)
Ruth would be richly rewarded because she had taken refuge under the wings of God, as a results to doing the right thing in her situation as directed by His revelation.
“I need not despair because the living God is my partner. I do not have sufficient wisdom to meet these difficulties, but He is able to direct me. I can pour out my heart to God and ask Him to guide and direct me and to supply me with wisdom. Then I have to believe that He will do so. I can go with good courage to my business and expect help from Him in the next difficulty that may come before me.” - George Muller
Conclusion: I want to conclude today by telling you a story. It’s a story about a fellow who we became acquainted with in Bennington, Oklahoma, by the name of John Moore. John had a successful business making hand-crafted furniture and cabinets. Until one day, when, through a freak accident involving fireworks, his right hand was blow off. John had corrective surgery to give him a “claw” which was comprised of one of his little toes and big toes, which were grafted onto his right hand. Clearly, his business was finished. John could have become bitter, and was for some time, until he was encouraged to seek God for guidance and determine what direction his life could now take. He returned to college, studied computer science, and graduated with a degree. He is now a successful computer technician, making far more money and providing for his family far better than he ever could have hoped to do making furniture and kitchen cabinets. John didn’t remain bitter, but saw his life become better. Because he sought God’s revelation as to what was the right thing for him to do, did the right thing God revealed, and trusted God to do the rest.
What God did for my friend John, and what He did for Ruth, He can do for you. But you must not close your mind to His guidance! Seek God’s revelation to know what is right, do what He reveals is right, and trust Him to do the rest.
