The Incomparable Boaz - Ruth 2:4-16 - February 24, 2013
Series: From Heartache to Hope – The Redemption of Ruth #5
When we find ourselves in a miserable situation in life, surrounded by circumstances that are not of our choosing, nor of our liking, the prayer of our hearts is likely to be something like this: “O God, take this thing from me! Do away with the pain, wash away the suffering, bring healing to the hurt, and hope for tomorrow. Take this cup from me so that I need not drink from its bitter depths.” We, quite understandably, want to avoid the hard things of life.
Naomi and Ruth had likely called out to God in a similar way in the midst of their hardship and sorrow. We have followed their story now, for the last number of weeks. We have seen things go from bad to worse as they flee a famine and arrive in a land that will become to them a place of death and despair. But we’ve also begun to see the corner turned. They have gone back to Bethlehem, the House of Bread, in Judah, the Place of Praise.
Naomi says that when she left Bethlehem, that “she went out full, but God brought her back empty.” She has changed. She whose name means “pleasant,” has become, “bitter.” Bitter at how life as turned out, and bitter against God who did not spare her the pain nor sorrow of loss and shattered dreams.
Like Naomi, when we find ourselves in that long, dark night of the soul, we cry out for God to change our circumstances too. But our God is not so shallow as that. Now we need to hear that very carefully. But more than merely changing our circumstances, which is what we long for, God desires that the heart be transformed. There is a work that He longs to see done within us; a work that would see us conformed to the image of Jesus. If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit is moving in your life, to bring forth this transformation that God is seeking. A transforming work of the heart that will draw us closer to God, and which will leave us forever changed.
Warren Wiersbe puts it this way: “If our circumstances change for the better, but we remain the same, then we will become worse.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Be Committed. “Be” Commentary Series (24). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.) There is much truth in those words. Yes, when we’re in that dark place we long to see the circumstances of our lives changed, but even more than that we ought to be longing for the change that only God can bring, that transforming of heart, mind and spirit that opens our eyes to that which God is doing, and which will remain with us when the circumstances, which have so overwhelmed us, have come and gone.
Now Naomi is bitter against God. Her heart is closed. But Ruth’s heart is open. She’s humble before God. She’s entrusted herself to His care and taking a step of faith. She is allowing God to work in her, and because of that, God is not only going to work in her, but to work through her, and through her He will touch Naomi’s heart as well, and in the process they will experience God’s amazing grace. And beyond even that, God has much bigger plans. They have no way of seeing it, no way of knowing it, but Ruth is going to be another link in the chain through which God will fulfill His promise to Abraham – the promise of a Savior who would save His people.
So open your Bibles with me this morning, please, to the book of Ruth and we’ll pick up where we left off last week. Ruth, chapter 2, beginning in verse 4. Naomi and Ruth have arrived in Bethlehem, they’ve started to settle in, but they need to find a way to live. It’s harvest time and Ruth goes out to the fields to glean the grain the harvesters have left behind. She goes out hoping to find favor and grace, yet not really expecting to find either. She is a stranger here, a foreigner from a people who did not worship God, she is unknown by the workers and the landowners, unfamiliar with their customs and their ways, and yet despite her past, she goes out amongst God’s people hoping beyond hope to find favor and experience grace.
That’s what many of us have in the past, or are today, longing for as well, isn’t it? Favor before man and grace by the hand of God. But like Ruth we set out without any real expectation of discovering it. We know the past – the sin, the shame, the darkness – the choices we wish we could go back and do differently. We know the present – the uncertainty, the fear, the anxious moments. We know our own hearts and like Ruth we therefore despair of discovering favor and grace amongst God’s people, or from the hand of God Himself.
Yet Ruth, daring to hope, sets out for the fields. The truth is that she has nowhere else to turn. And Scripture tells us that it just so happens that she winds up in the field of Boaz. Last week we saw how this was divine providence – God’s hand already at work preparing the way before Ruth even sees the path before her feet. And chances are that God is at work in a similar way amidst the difficult circumstances of your life. You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but to God the way is clear, and the day is coming when He is going to reveal His grace to you. But let’s begin reading in verse 4 and see how this played out in Ruth’s life …
“Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The LORD be with you!” “The LORD bless you!” they called back. Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is that?” The foreman replied, “She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “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. 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.” “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.” At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”” (Ruth 2:4–16, NIV84)
For Ruth, God’s grace is going to be made manifest in the person of the incomparable Boaz. Remember that it is God who brought her to his field, and it’s God who brought Boaz to that same field at just the right time to meet Ruth. Though neither of them can see it, God’s been at work behind the scenes this whole time to bring healing out of heartache, and hope out of despair, to provide for the needs of His people and to shower them with a grace beyond anything they had dreamed of.
Verse one tells us that Boaz was a “man of standing” which is the same phrase used of Gideon where it’s translated “a mighty man of valor.” His name means, “in him is strength,” and that’s what Ruth discovers in him as well – a man of strength of character, integrity and faith. It turns out he’s even related to Ruth, though not by blood, but through her father-in-law, and next week we’ll see why this is of such great importance when we learn about the kinsmen-redeemer.
We know he’s a man of faith, in contrast to Ruth’s father-in-law, Elimelech, because Boaz stays in Bethlehem when the famine comes. He trusts God to provide for his needs, and seeks Him in the midst of that same need, and the result is that Boaz is there when God visits His people and provides food for them. He sees God’s hand at work, because when the going got tough, he didn’t run off to the world, but rather he fell on his knees before God and trusted in Him to do right by His people. If we want to see God’s hand at work in our lives we can’t be running off to the world when things get tough, or even when they’re going well, but we’ll need to run the race of faith that is set before us in Jesus Christ.
Now look to verse 4 with me. The first thing that Boaz says when he comes to his field, is not, “How are the crops?” nor “How much have you gotten done so far today?” but rather a prayer of blessing upon his workers: “The Lord be with you!” he calls to them. And what we discover is that Boaz speaks the language of faith. God’s name is upon his lips and therefore probably within his heart. And ladies, when you are looking for the right man to marry and share your life with, you’re going to want to make sure that he speaks the language of faith; that God’s name is not foreign to him. But even beyond the words he speaks you want to see that his actions follow his words; that his faith is not something added on to his life, but rather that from which all his life flows. And men, it’s the same for us when we are seeking the woman who will become our wife. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful in this world than a woman who is passionately loving God day in and day out and seeking to live for Him.
And the more we learn about Boaz the more we will discover that he is a man of integrity – that is, his life is not divided, his faith is not separate from the day to day things of life, but that those same day to day things flow out of his faith. The picture we are given is of a man who is seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness ahead of all the other things of life.
How can we tell? Because Boaz is moving in obedience to God’s commands. God’s law stated that the corners of the fields were to remain un-harvested and that the grain that fell upon the ground was to be left there. The needy – widows, orphans, the poor and so on, would come along after the harvest was finished and would glean in the fields and this is how God had his people provide for those in need. So when Ruth shows up, a widow and a stranger, Boaz’s workers don’t turn her away, because they know their master’s heart. They know that Boaz would want them to do that which honored God and so they allow Ruth to glean even though the harvest is not yet finished.
But Boaz is also a compassionate man – he just doesn’t live out the letter of the law but he lives out the spirit of the law as well. He greets Ruth, who he has never met before, as a family member. He calls her, “My daughter,” he welcomes her to his field and invites her to stay with his own servant girls. He provides protection for her, telling his workers to leave her alone and encouragers her to drink from the same drink that was set aside for his laborers. All these things go far beyond what the law required of a man like Boaz.
Boaz is a man of amazing grace. And Ruth, who went to the fields longing to find favor and experience grace, recognizes it when she sees it, and is astounded that it has been granted to someone like her. In verse 10 we see her bowing down, as a sign of humility and respect and gratitude, and asking Boaz, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?” In other words, “What am I that you should care for me?”
It might be a question that we find ourselves asking at some point and the answer that Boaz gives ought to speak to our own hearts as well. Why has Ruth found favor? Because she has taken refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. Where do you take refuge in your time of need? Elimelech ran to the world and found only a poor shadow of what he truly needed. Boaz stayed in Bethlehem and looked to God in faith, and experienced God’s provision. Ruth, left Moab, friends, family and all things familiar, to take refuge in the God of Israel, and discovered amazing grace. She would understand the plea of the psalmist who cries out to God in his need, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings … I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, … God sends His love and His faithfulness.” (Psalm 57:1-3, NIV84) And this is what Ruth was beginning to experience - the amazing grace of God as it was lived out in her life through the incomparable Boaz! She had left father and mother and her homeland and came to live with a people she did not know in order to know a God, who shows to those who turn to Him, an amazing grace. She took refuge in the Lord God Almighty.
And through Boaz, God’s grace abounds to Ruth. She comes to the fields hoping to find someone who will look with favor upon her and allow her to pick up the left overs in the field that she might have food for the day. She leaves the fields that night with more than enough food to last herself and Naomi for at least a week and the invitation to return day after day. She is welcomed, not as a stranger but as a family member. She eats at Boaz’s table, finds protection in his fields, gleans among the sheaves and finds more than she ever dared to dream.
In Galatian chapter 1, Paul says that God, who set him apart from birth and who had called him by His grace, “was pleased to reveal His Son” in him – in Paul – in order that Paul might preach among the Gentiles. (Galatians 1:15-16) Remember what we began with this morning? That God wants to conform us to the image of His Son that the world might see Him and know Him? Well the character of Christ was being so formed in Paul that as he preached, Jesus was being revealed. In a similar way, God’s character was being so formed in Boaz that His grace was being revealed to Ruth! Our lives are like a mirror of God’s grace and love. The closer we draw to Him, the more of our life given over to Him, the more diligently we walk in love and obedience, the better, the clearer, the more profoundly will Jesus be revealed in us, so that others may see and know the living God! What is the mirror of your life reflecting of God’s character to those who know you?
See, the manner in which Boaz received Ruth, becomes a picture of how Jesus receives us when we come to Him seeking grace. In verse 13 Ruth says that Boaz has spoken “kindly” to her. It’s a phrase that means, “spoken to the heart.” Warren Wiersbe has said that “The Word of God comes from the heart of God (Ps. 33:11) to the hearts of His people (Matt. 23:18–23) and gives encouragement and hope (Rom. 15:4). If you listen to the voices of the world, you will be discouraged; but if you listen to the voice of God from His Word, your heart will be encouraged.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Be Committed. “Be” Commentary Series (33). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.) Ruth was encouraged as God’s heart was being revealed to her! God opens her eyes to what has always been and she is humbled by His grace!
And what is God’s word to Ruth through Boaz? Verse 8 – Do not go to another field. In other words, you came looking for grace and have found it in me. Don’t go running off looking for it somewhere else now. Everything you need will be found here with Me. This is God’s word to Ruth and it is His word to us today as well.
What was God’s promise through Boaz? Protection and Provision. Ruth has taken refuge under God’s wings and now God will protect her and provide for her needs. She will have drink to satisfy her thirst, food to satisfy her hunger, fellowship with her fellow workers and a place amongst His family.
What was Ruth’s experience of God’s grace? That His unmerited favor abounds to those who will turn to Him and seek Him; that His grace flows abundantly in unexpected ways and in unusual places, and that His well never runs dry, but overflows. This is God’s grace to her and this is God’s grace to us today as we take refuge in Him as well.
What was Ruth’s response to such tremendous grace? To humbly bow down and give thanks and to begin to live her life in light of the grace she had experienced. And that’s very much in line with what we find in Romans 12 where we read these words: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1–2, NIV84) In view of God’s mercy, in view of God’s grace, live your lives completely sold out to God – this is your response to what God has done, and continues to do, in your lives.
And neither Ruth nor Boaz understands it yet but this has just been the beginning of God’s grace to them. God continues to work behind the scenes for their good. In view of Ruth’s kindness to Naomi, Boaz prays that God would richly reward her for what she has done. What Boaz doesn’t realize is that God will use him to be the answer to his own prayer but that’s a story for another week! For now, let’s bow our heads in prayer like Ruth and give thanks for God’s grace that’s been revealed to us ….
Communion
Ruth was humbled by grace because she knew she didn’t deserve it. She was a stranger to the covenant that God had made with the Jews and all the promises that come along with that. We too are strangers to that covenant, but like Ruth we too have experienced the grace of God. We experienced His grace in our own Boaz, one named “Jesus,” For Scripture says that at “just the right time, while were still sinners,” Jesus died for us, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God. (Romans 5:6) This is God’s kindness and mercy to us.
In a moment we will share together what is called the “Lord’s Supper.” It reminds us of the last meal that Jesus ate with His disciples before He was betrayed and put to death. Jesus told His disciples to break bread and to drink from the cup on an on-going basis in order to remember Him and what God has done for us. The bread is a symbol of Jesus’ body which was given over to death for our sins. The juice in the cup is a symbol of Jesus’ blood that was shed so that our sins might be forgiven so that we might know the grace of God and life in Him.
I entitled today’s message, “The Incomparable Boaz.” There is a poem called, “The Incomparable Christ” that I want to share with you today before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup and proclaim the Lord’s death and resurrection until He comes again. It goes like this:
“More than nineteen hundred years ago there was a MAN born contrary to the Laws of Life. This MAN lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. HE did not travel extensively. Only once did HE cross the boundary of the country in which HE lived; that was during His exile in childhood.
HE possessed neither wealth nor influence. HIS relatives were inconspicuous, and had neither training nor formal education.
In infancy HE startled a King; in childhood HE puzzled doctors; in manhood HE ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.
HE healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for HIS service.
HE never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the country could not hold the books that have been written about HIM.
HE never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.
HE never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
HE never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His order, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
HE never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.
Once each week the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes wind their way to worshipping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.
The names of the past proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers and theologians have come and gone; but the name of this Man abounds more and more. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucification, yet He still lives. Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.
HE stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living, personal Christ, our Lord and Savior.”
We are either going to be forever with Him, or forever without Him. It was the incomparable Christ who said:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
FOR
“There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5)
THEREFORE
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
And all God’s people said Amen!!
(Growing in Grace Ministries, www.gigm.org)
Call servers forward …
Pray and then distribute bread and cup …
Eat and drink with grateful hearts for we have experienced God’s incomparable grace!
Eat and drink …
Closing song …
Benediction: This morning our benediction comes to us from the book of Zephaniah. Brothers and sisters know this: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV84)
