O How He Loves You and Me!
Ruth 2:1-23
Chad H. Ballard
Introduction
Today we are going to continue our study of the book of Ruth, GOD’S LOVE STORY TO US. It is a parallel to the love affair that exists between Jesus Christ and those who have given their hearts to Him.
Let’s recap what we learned from the story last week:
The story began with Elimelech and his wife Naomi and his two sons fleeing from God’s judgment (a famine) in Israel and going to Moab, a country to which no Jew was allowed to travel to.
In this we saw the RESULTS of disobedience as Elimelech and his sons lost their lives as a result of disobedience to God. We saw that when a father lives in a way that is contrary to God’s law, his sons will pay the price because they will commit the same sins. We also realized that this family was never any better off in Moab than they would have been had they stayed in Bethlehem because YOU CAN’T RUN FROM GOD’S JUDGEMENT.
We discussed how many times we try to flee God’s conviction on our hearts only to find that we would have been better off to face the music and repent in the first place.
Now the death of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion left Naomi and her two Moabite daughters-in-law to fend for themselves.
So Naomi and Ruth left Moab and returned to Bethlehem. And in this we saw the RETURN of the disobedient. We saw that the whole city rejoiced in the fact that they had returned. This is an example of the joy that comes when we decide to repent of our sins and follow the will of God.
And finally, we saw the REWARDS of obedience. This story shows how Naomi and Ruth had come to the end of themselves to find the beginning of God. It had taken great tragedy in their lives to bring them to the point that they came to the end of themselves and gave their lives wholeheartedly to God’s caring, compassionate hands.
So this morning we will pick up the story with Ruth and Naomi having just arrived back at Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
And as we look at the story of Ruth, I want us to see the story of God’s love and care for each of us.
I. A “Chance” Encounter (vv 1-3)
A. Since they had arrived back in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, Ruth decided to participate in the custom of “gleaning” in order to get some food for herself and Naomi.
1. Now gleaning was the custom of allowing the poor to follow the reapers in the field and pick up and freely take the spears of grain that were missed by the reapers or that fell out of the bundles they had put together.
2. Its origins were found in Leviticus 19:9-10. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of you vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
3. This is a demonstration of God’s compassion for those who are poor and needy. But just as God would only let the Israelites in the wilderness gather in enough manna for one day, it forced God’s people to demonstrate their reliance on His ability to provide for them, even in the face of this famine.
4. The application for us is simple: Don’t go through life trying to get all we can for ourselves without considering the rules that God has put in place. THAT’S CALLED GREED AND IT IS SIN! We must trust God to provide for us each day.
B. V. 3 tells us that “she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.”
1. What seems here like a chance meeting is really God’s providence in action.
2. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’”
3. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, BUT THE LORD DIRECTS HIS STEPS.”
4. Folks, there is no such thing as luck—good or bad. Everything that happens in your life is either caused by God or allowed by God. If you stub your toe walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night, that is something that was allowed by God maybe to test you. If you have a heart attack, that could be God’s way of getting your undivided attention.
5. And while that may seem like a drastic measure to us just to get our attention, understand that God has a very different perspective than us. If a man has a heart attack and it causes him to give his life to Jesus, then that heart attack was in his own best interest.
6. Now there is an application in this for our lives. It’s not enough just to know that God is in control. It should cause us act. We need to be ever searching for God’s perspective in the events of our lives, because nothing happens by chance. And when we see His perspective, then we can join Him in service.
II. Ruth Meets Boaz (vv 4-7)
A. Boaz was a good man. That is apparent in his kind greeting toward his workers. I have never had a boss that greeted me by saying “The Lord be with you.” And I haven’t had many that I wanted to greet by saying “The Lord bless you.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the workplaces that we go to everyday were full of this type of Christian sentiment? They can but it will have to start with you.
B. Now there were many workers in the field gathering the wheat. The men would cut the stalks of grain down and the woman would follow behind them and bundle the grain into sheaves.
1. Now with all of the women that were in the field, do you think it at all strange that Boaz took notice of Ruth? She must have been beautiful enough to stand out.
2. And this is where the real love story begins. When I read this I thought of something that happened on our youth trip to the evangelism conference at MC a couple of weeks ago. We were having lunch at Dairy Queen and … Got shot down!
3. Men are funny aren’t we? Boaz does the same thing here. He whispers to his servant who he trusted enough that he was in charge of his reapers and asks him, “Do you know her?” We see that Boaz had heard of Ruth and was impressed by all she had done.
4. I told you when we started this study of Ruth that this was a parallel of our love affair with Jesus. Now here is what this means for us:
a. God loves you.
b. When we look at each other, we see each other’s faults and imperfections. We think that some people aren’t as important as we are. Some people just don’t say and do what we think they should so we distance ourselves from them and that is wrong.
c. But when God looks at you, no matter how bad, no matter how sinful you and I may think you are, God sees someone that is so important to Him that He would send His only Son to die so that He could have a relationship with you!
d. Don’t take that lightly! In this next passage and throughout this story, we will see the extent to which he loves us.
III. Boaz Cares for Ruth (vv 8-17)
A. Why in the world would Boaz make such provision for Ruth?
1. In v8, he asked her to stay in his field,
2. V9 he protected her from harm,
3. V9 he has provided her with water to quench her thirst,
4. V14 he gave her bread to eat, and
5. In v15, he blesses the work of her hand.
6. It’s simple. He loves her!
B. And you need to see that God has made these same provisions for you and me.
1. God desires that you stay in His field. The old saying goes, “Home is where the heart is.” God’s heart is closest to His children. There is a place for you in this church with the fellow servants of God.
2. God protects you from harm. Psalm 34:7-8 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him”
3. God provides you with living water. Sometimes life will parch our souls, but there is water to quench that thirst. Rev. 22:17 “…whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
4. God feeds you with the bread of life. A child of God depending on His provision will not go hungry. God fed the Jews in the wilderness with bread from heaven. But more so, he feeds those who call on the name of Jesus with the Bread of Life. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread, which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:48-51
5. God blesses the work of your hands. God doesn’t do all the work for us, but if we honor the Lord in our workplace, He will reward us with extra gleanings. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:8
C. Why has God chosen to make all of these provisions for us? Because God loves you and me.
D. The hymn says:
O how He loves you and me
O how He loves you and me
He gave His life
What more could He give?
O how He loves you and me.
E. If you feel empty and think that no one cares, remember how he loves you and me.
IV. Ruth brings home good news (18-23)
A. When Naomi heard the name of Boaz, and she knew that everything would be all right, if Ruth would only stay close to Boaz. Boaz was Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer.
B. And Church, when we call on the name of Jesus, we can know that everything will be all right, if we will only stay close to Him.
Conclusion
Go back a minute to v.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.”
Naomi had spent her life chasing after other God’s. But now she had turned and was following the one true God. And God had given her refuge under his sheltering wing like a mother eagle shelters her young.
The Scriptures are filled with references to God’s sheltering wings. Here is my favorite:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in whom I trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” Psalm 91:1-4
Do you remember a time when your Dad would pull you close and hold you next to him with his arm around you? Makes you feel warm and secure just thinking about it, doesn’t it?
Do you long for that feeling of love and security today? You can find it in Jesus, if you will only call on Him. Even if you’re a Christian, you may have strayed away and don’t feel that nearness to God you once felt.
He wants to pick you up and hold you under His sheltering wing. Will you allow Him to hold you today?
Sing
Jesus to Calvary did go,
His love for mankind to show,
What He did there,
Brought hope from despair,
OH HOW HE LOVES YOU AND ME!
PRAY
