A couple of months ago as Jeanie and I were returning from visiting relatives in Southern California, we arrived in Reno at about noon. So we decided to visit our favorite fast-food restaurant, even though we knew the food wouldn’t be fast. The reason for it being slow food had nothing to do with the service at the restaurant. It had to do with the lines of cars waiting to be served. However, the food is so good we were willing to endure the wait. And sure enough, as we sought to pull into the drive-thru lane, the line was so long, about 20 cars long, that we were barely able to pull in off the highway.
It was at that point I noticed something that was truly amazing on the sign announcing the restaurant’s location. Just below the name were the words, “Closed on Sundays.”
Can anyone here guess what fast food restaurant I’m talking about?
Yep!
Chick-Filet! Do you know why I marveled? It’s because Chick-Filet as an absolute dinosaur among fast food restaurant, or almost any kind of retail business, in that it still insists on being closed on Sundays. I think it must be the only fast-food chain in the nation that still holds to that policy. And I imagine almost any secular marketing consultant would think that a closed-on Sunday policy would be an absolute marketing disaster, especially for a fast-food restaurant in the United States. You are telling your potential customers that you will not serve them one day each weekend, that something is more important than the customer, and you are automatically forfeiting probably at least 15 percent of your potential income.
Now I’m sure we all wonder why Chick Filet persists in this absolutely archaic policy which all conventional wisdom would label as absolute lunacy.
Well, the answer is that founder Truett Cathy was a devout Southern Baptist who believed that church and family ought to be the priority on Sundays.
And despite the fact it is closed on Sundays, or perhaps because of it According to the industry magazine QSR, Chick-Fil-A has more than $4 million in sales per restaurant per year. This makes it one of the most profitable franchises per-location by a wide margin. No other restaurant they studied came even close.
And so in this age where the Almighty Dollar is king, guess what, Chick Filet has defied all expectations because, of all things, it puts God first. It practices,” Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added to you.” And God is faithful even to this day to bless His people.
I mention this because our story today is all about how Following God’s Wisdom, rather than Conventional Wisdom, results in finding God’s Blessing.
We’re in Ruth chapter 2. If you weren’t with us last week, Ruth 1 told the story about how a Jewish family headed by Elimelech and Naomi, in the midst of a famine, following what we might call conventional wisdom, moved from Israel to Moab to try to improve their fortunes. Sadly, the move went badly. Elimelech died, and 10 years later, Ruth and Naomi’s two sons, who had married Moabite women, also died. And at the point Naomi and one of her daughter’s in-law decide to return to Israel to seek God’s blessings there, in accordance with the Old Covenant promises of God.
At the end of chapter one, they had arrived back in Naomi’s old hometown of Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, in early spring. And in chapter 2, verse one, we have an explanatory note added by the author—some information that turns out to be the lynchpin for all that happens to Naomi and Ruth going forward. “Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”
Now the reason this is so significant is the law of Levirate marriage in Israel. According to Deuteronomy 25:5-10, if a man’s brother died and left behind a widow, he was required to marry his brother’s widow to raise up offspring in his brother’s name. Though Boaz apparently was not Elimelech’s brother, he apparently was a near enough kinsman that he could choose to exercise the law of Levirate marriage for Elimelech’s family.
And this is where the story gets good. Ruth, the faithful daughter-in-law of Naomi, who has chosen to care for her mother-in-law and adopt her mother’s God and her mother’s people at the probably expense of her own re-marriage, now that they are back in the land, proposes to Naomi that she’ll go glean in the local fields during the barley harvest to provide for them. Now this was in accord with God’s plan for providing for the needy in the Land. Farmers in those days were instructed in Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22 to not harvest the corners of the land or go glean what remained after their initial harvest for a specific purpose—that the aliens and the needy in the land might come and glean for themselves, and so the poor would be provided for. And of course, as was often the case in ancient times, widows were classed with orphans as among the poorest of the people. They were often destitute because they lacked a male provider.
And so it was exactly in accord with the provisions of the Word of God that Ruth set out to glean in the fields. It was God’s provision for people who were in their position as poor widows. And being the younger of the two, she sets about to provide and care for both her mother-in-law and she in precisely the way God’s Word had designated.
And verse 3 describes for us what then takes place. “So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the portion of the field belong to Boaz, who as of the family of Elimelech.”
Now it’s interesting the way this is put. She just “happened to come to the portion of the field of Boaz,” almost as though it’s mere happenstance. Good luck. A chance meeting. But the truth of the matter is that it was evidence of the sovereign grace of God. God was now directing all that would happen for Ruth and Naomi. They had clearly departed from the conventional wisdom that had directed their former husbands. They were now trusting in God and His Word. They had clearly demonstrated that by returning to the Land of God’s blessing, and Ruth had now demonstrated she was seeking His blessing be seeking His provision as His Word had designated. Now, for the first time, both of their lives were on track for God’s blessing. So this is God’s leading; this is God’s plan now to bless Naomi and Ruth for putting their trust in Him and His Word.
And that’s our first point this morning. Trust God’s Word, not conventional wisdom, to find God’s blessing. What we see here is a stark contrast to the actions of Elimelech and sons. They ignored God’s Word and God’s promises to seek God’s blessings and provision in the land of Promise. They had instead moved to a land characterized by idolatry and paganism. They had sacrificed the family’s spiritual priorities for potential material success, and it had not worked. But Ruth and Naomi had done the opposite. Instead of following conventional wisdom, they now followed God’s Word, placed themselves back in the place of blessing in accord with God’s Word, and sought His provision, again in accord with God’s Word. And guess what happens. Instead of life fall apart, life just simply begins to come together, as God silently but surely works to bless them.
Now again, were not in Israel. The Old Covenant is no longer binding. But the New Covenant is. And under the New Covenant Jesus says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things—all the material things the Gentiles or pagans seek—shall be added unto you.
Do you put the Lord first? Do you pay attention to God’s Word? Do you make following the Lord and His Word your priority? If you want his blessing, that’s how it comes. Though Jeanie and I have been through many trials, including the seemingly deadly combination of no visible source of income and terminal cancer, when we’ve put the Lord first in every way, He has always provided.
Now Boaz himself shows up. Verses 4 and 5 tell us how he greets his reapers and how they greet him. “Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and aid to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, May the Lord bless you.” My goodness! This is a godly man, speaking to godly men. By what He says, He depends on the Lord for blessing. He desires that the Lord be with and bless his employees. And His reapers return the blessing. “May the Lord bless you!” There’s no profanity, no cursing. There is a thankful, joyful spirit, and an obvious concern for the welfare of others. Employer and employees are one in their desire for the Lord’s blessings upon each other.
So Boaz then inquires as to whom this new young woman is. And knowing her story he calls her to himself and seeks her blessing, actually seeks to be a blessing to her. Verse 8: “Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”
In other words, Boaz is going to make sure she is safe and provided for. Very often gleaners did not approach fields that were harvested until after the harvesters were gone, but she has been invited to glean right along with Boaz’s only maidservants. And this is the sort of thing that happens when we make a practice of associating with God’s people, being in fellowship with other believers. The principle is this: Seek God’s blessings among God’s people. Because God’s grace often comes through God’s people.
And of course in our own day and age we have the encouragement in the New Testament of Hebrews 10:24-25: and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
And of course all of this is merely consistent with Jesus’ statement: “A new commandment I give to you, love one another as I have loved you.” And how is it possible to love one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ, if we don’t come together with each other on a regular basis for the very purpose of loving of each other and serving each other’s needs.
Seek God’s blessing among God’s people is as true today as it was back then.
Well, as you might expect, Ruth is overwhelmed at Boaz’s kindness. And she wonder’s why in the world she, as a humble Moabite widow, has been so blessed. And so she falls on her face in verse 9 and asks why she has found such favor in his sight.
And Boaz is very willing to tell her exactly why he’s so willing to help. It has everything to do with her desire to be a blessing, to be faithful, to Naomi, and to forsake all she has known, and all whom she has known, to care for her mother-in-law. Verse 11: “Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and come to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to find refuge.”
Wow! Her reputation and her loyal love for her mother-in-law, her desire to take care of her and bless her, all of that has preceded her. Boaz greatly respects the sacrifices she has made to be a blessing to her mother-in-law. And so he chooses to be a blessing to her.
A third principle: Expect God to bless you as you have blessed others. Ruth had determined at great sacrifice to herself to be faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She was about blessing others, even at great expense to herself, and the Lord, and Boaz had noticed. And so Boaz was bound and determined to be a blessing to the admirable young lady, who as he put it, had sought refuge under the wings of the God of Israel
It shouldn’t be lost on us that this is also a New Testament principle. It’s a New Testament principle that is pronounced repeatedly. I think especially of Jesus’ own statement quoted in Acts 20:35: It is more blessed to give than to receive.” That’s something we ought really to think about. Jesus is saying when we give to others, when we bless them, we are more blessed because of it. I don’t think He’s necessarily saying that the blessing will always be material. But the greater blessing is in the giving rather than the receiving.
And of course there is his statement in Luke 6:38 which is clearly about the material. “Give, and it will be given to you. They will [a]pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Ruth has been a blessing to others, namely Naomi, at considerable expense in many respects to her own interests and background. She has turned from idolatry to the Lord. And now the Lord will bless her as she has blessed others.
But there’s probably another hidden reason why Boaz is so incredibly gracious. It’s not found in the Book of Ruth. Believe it or not, it’s found in the Gospel of Matthew, in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. There, in chapter 1, verse 5, we find that Boaz was the son of Rahab, the harlot of Jericho. Now if you’ll remember, Rahab was the Gentile resident of Jericho who received Israel’s spies, hid them, and sent them out by another way. She had, as a Gentile, trusted in the God of Israel, and she and her family had helped the spies because of her trust in Israel, and thus had been rescued before God destroyed the city of Jericho. And here we have Boaz, a son of this Gentile woman, who has now become both a very godly man and a man of high standing, indeed a mighty man of valor in Israel, who by his own experience has learned that the God of Israel is gracious to anyone, including a Gentile harlot, who turns to Him in faith. So no wonder, as he sees yet another Gentile, even a formerly pagan Moabite, turn to Him, He is impressed by her faith, her sincerity, her loyal love, and more than that, her need for God’s grace, a break, someone to come alongside and show the same grace and mercy to her that Israel had shown to his mother Rahab. Wow!
Boaz and his family had been greatly blessed by turning to the Lord. Now He desires to do the same for yet another Gentile, another pagan, who turns to the Lord, recognizing how gracious and merciful the Lord is.
Now Boaz’ generosity continues in verses 14-16. He invites Ruth, the stranger, to join he and his harvesters for lunch. This is how we ought to treat strangers, by including them. We need to tell those who are new who show up on Sundays, “hey, come on over and join us. We’d love to have lunch with you, or coffee, or enjoy refreshments. These are people who need friendship, need our encouragement, and as believers we ought to provide it.
And then he went even further. And instructed his workers to purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it for her to glean.
Wow, what a gracious man! And that really ought to characterize us. Because Jesus and the Lord are full of grace. By grace we have been saved. And grace is such an attractive virtue.
And that brings us to a final principle: Be gracious to encourage others to seek God’s grace.
And that’s exactly what happens here. Ruth goes home to Naomi from her first day gleaning, and the harvest has been great. In verses 17-23, we see that she beats out the grain that she has harvested, and when she’s done, she has an ephah of barley. Now how many here know what n ephah represents! Yep, exactly nobody. But an ephah was about half a bushel, or about 30 pounds of grain. Wow! What a day in the fields. She has been abundantly blessed. And when she goes home, she has plenty to share with Naomi. And Naomi wonders whose field she has worked, and why she has been so blessed. And when Ruth reveals it all happened in the field of Boaz, suddenly it begins to dawn on Naomi that the God of Israel has come to their rescue. That the God of Israel has seen her return to the Land, to trust in Him and His promised for blessing. And that now there is a world of possibilities.
Hey, let me ask you. Having received God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, are you a gracious and giving person. Is your character and the way you treat other people a demonstration of God’s grace? Are you gracious in your speech? Are you giving and forgiving? This is the very aroma of Jesus Christ, and this is the sort of thing that attracts people to Jesus.
It’s the sort of thing that encouraged both Ruth and Naomi greatly. Boaz himself became the personification of God’s blessing and God’s grace.
Follow God’s Wisdom to find God’s blessing and grace.
Let’s pray.
