SANCTUARY OF GRACE
Text: Ruth 2:15-23
Introduction
1. Have you ever looked at what is happening in your life and asked the Lord, “Where are you? Are you going to do anything? How long do I have to wait?”
2. It’s at those times we need to take a step back and look at what God is already doing.
3. Read Ruth 2:15-23
Transition: Let’s go back out into the barley field with Ruth as…
I. God Works in Mysterious Ways
A. As we continue the journey with Ruth, we see that God continued to pour His grace out on her. In vv. 15-16 it says, “When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!”
1. As Ruth returned to work, Boaz orders his workers to let Ruth gather grain from among the sheaves, which was more than the law required because the law only required for foreigners to pick up what was left over when the harvesters were done.
2. Furthermore, they were to actually drop bundles of grain for her that had not been tied up by the female workers.
3. They were also told to let her pick them up and not to harass her for it.
4. Boaz’ orders showed that he had a special interest in her.
B. Next, we learn in vv. 17-18, “So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket. 18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.”
1. Ruth worked in the fields there all that day. When the day was through, she beat out all the grain she had gathered, which means she separated the grain from the chaff.
2. She had so much grain that it filled an entire basket, which could be anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds of barley.
3. This was such a large amount that an ordinary gleaner could never have gather as much. This shows that Boaz’s instructions to his workers and Ruth’s diligence in the field made a huge difference.
4. The ration of a male worker in those days was about two pounds of grain per day.
5. So, what she gathered would probably last her and Naomi for several weeks.
6. She returned home and proudly showed Naomi what she had gathered.
C. Well, needless to say, Naomi was astounded! In vv. 19-20 we read, “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the LORD bless the one who helped you!” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 20 “May the LORD bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”
1. Naomi couldn’t believe what she saw, and her words came out so fast they just fell out over each other.
2. First, she asked Ruth where she got so much grain. Then she wanted to know whose field she had worked in.
3. Naomi was so amazed she blurted out a blessing on the owner of the field, even though she didn’t yet know to whom the field belonged.
4. Then Ruth tells Naomi that the man who owned the field was Boaz, which the writer holds out his name until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect.
5. As it turns out, Boaz was a “family redeemer.” One of the responsibilities of the “family redeemer” was to marry the widow of a member of the clan who had died in order to carry on the family line.
6. Now, remember this was during the time of the Judges, and the Israelites where not living according to the law at this time.
7. However, this was one of the few laws they kept, as the Prophet Jeremiah indicated they kept it even into the sixth century B.C.
D. But there is more good news! We learn from vv. 21-23, “Then Ruth said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.” 22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.” 23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.”
1. In Naomi’s excitement, she had not allowed Ruth to finish her story.
2. So, Ruth completed her story by telling Naomi that Boaz said she could stay with his workers until the end of the harvest, which lasted another seven weeks.
3. Based on what she gathered the first day, if she continued at the rate through the end of the harvest, she would have gathered enough food to feed the two women for at least two-thirds of the year, if not an entire year.
4. Of course, Naomi approved of this idea and told Ruth to continue working in Boaz’s field.
5. In addition to the blessing of food, Ruth would be safe working in Boaz’s field.
6. Ruth followed Naomi’s advice and stayed working in Boaz’s field until not only the barley harvest was over, but also through the wheat harvest.
7. God was both providing food, and protection for the two widows.
Transition: Now, let’s look at…
II. God’s Unseen Grace in Our Lives
A. Don’t underestimate the power of holy persistence.
1. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8).
2. Jesus taught His disciples both active patience and determination in prayer.
3. The tense of the Greek verb here carries the meaning of action that keeps going on.
4. In other words, don’t just ask once, but keep on asking until you receive an answer.
5. If you don’t see an answer right away, don’t give up, but rather keep pressing into the throne of grace.
6. Keep on seeking until you find what you’re looking for.
7. Keep on knocking until God opens up the door, and you will see His grace in ways you did not expect.
B. God’s grace often comes when we least expect it — turning emptiness into abundance, tears into laughter, bitterness into blessing.
1. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Lk. 6:38).
2. Ruth went to the field to try and scrounge as much grain as she could to help provide for her mother-in-law. She returned that day with way more than anyone could have imagined.
3. That’s how God’s grace works: it comes back to us “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
4. God doesn’t just want to barely meet your needs, but He wants to meet them in abundance.
5. That doesn’t mean He’s going to make you rich with money, but He will make you rich in faith and grace.
6. Are you willing to trust God for the grace to meet your needs?
C. You may not see the full story right now, but God is writing one. He’s arranging circumstances, positioning people, and preparing redemption in ways you can’t yet imagine.
1. “but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Lk. 2:10-11).
2. Maybe you are familiar with these verses. If you haven’t read them in the Bible, heard them in church, maybe you’ve heard them on “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
3. No matter where you’ve heard them before, they wouldn’t be possible except for the grace that was shown to Ruth.
4. It took place in the city of David, the King of Israel, and Ruth was his great-grandmother.
5. The grace she received wasn’t just for her, but it was for us too!
6. Now, if God can arrange those circumstances to save the world, don’t you think He can orchestrate the circumstances in your life?
7. What ever you’re going through right now, God’s grace is enough!
8. “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
Conclusion
What’s the point preacher? Even when you can’t see it, God’s grace is working in your life, and His grace is all you need!
