Morning in connection with the ministry of preaching God's word over to Ruth chapter two Joshua judges Ruth and then first and second Samuel just a four chapter book kind of tucked away there between the bigger books of Joshua and judges and Samuel Kings and Chronicles And as you remember from last week boys and girls the story that's narrated for us here in the book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, just like we heard in chapter one, verse one. And that's why it follows then in our Bibles, that book of Judges, because it takes place during that time period. And so we'll read Judges or Ruth chapter two, rather, and then we'll, Lord willing, hear from the same in our preaching of the word this morning. So here we are in Ruth chapter two. Now, Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered, The Lord bless you. Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, Whose young woman is this? And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest. Then Boaz said to Ruth, now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them. Have I not charged the young men? Have I not charged the young men to not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. And she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? But Boaz answered her. All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me. And how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done. and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Then she said, I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants. And at mealtime, Boaz said to her, Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine. So she sat beside the reapers and he passed to her roasted grain and she ate until she was satisfied and she had some left over. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her and also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean and do not rebuke her. So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you. So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, The man's name with whom I work today is Boaz. And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, may he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. Naomi also said to her, the man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers. And Ruth, the Moabite said, besides, he said to me, you shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest. And Naomi Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted. So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law. So there we have Ruth chapter two. So having heard the word of God in its reading, let's ask then for God to bless that word in its preaching. Heavenly Father, we do pray for your blessing upon your word. We give you thanks, God, that you have commanded the public reading of scripture and that you have ordained preaching as a means of grace to and for us. So, Father, may you be pleased, we ask to use this word to edify and encourage all who believe. And, oh, God, may you likewise use it to to stir and to strengthen true faith in each of our hearts and lives. And as your word is made known, it may be received with understanding. And as Christ is proclaimed, he might be seen and received as the only and faithful savior for all of us. So, Father, have your will and way among us. We pray and grant for your word to be a blessing in Jesus name. Amen. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus brothers and sisters, it's been said That the book of Ruth represents a triumph. Of God's grace. Indeed. And we caught a few glimpses of that back in chapter one, right, we saw the giving of the food in verse six, we saw Naomi or Ruth's rather confession of faith in verses 16 and 17, and then at the end of verse at the end of chapter one in verse Twenty two, we saw how they arrived at Bethlehem during the time of the harvest, right when it was beginning and the future was wide open and full of hope and promise for them. And all of those things which were wonderful testimonies to God's grace and the triumph of his grace were woven into a narrative that dealt largely with sorrow and suffering as Naomi endured loss, as she announced her loneliness and as she offered that song of lament near the end of the chapter upon arriving in Bethlehem. All in that journey to Moab and back. Well, here in Ruth chapter two, we're given another glimpse of God's triumphant grace, because at this point, Think of it, boys and girls, Ruth and Naomi newly arrived on the scene in Bethlehem, both of them widows, both of them socially on the outside looking in, both of them in positions of poverty, both of them in situations of want, both of them, as one commentator put it, looking up from the bottom of the barrel. widows in a desperate situation. And here it is. Chapter two, Boaz arrives on the scene, a knight in shining armor, a hero by God's own design, who comes not only here in chapter two, but in chapter three and in chapter four as well, literally to the rescue, not only of them, but of the line of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so let's keep the following theme and points with us as we look through Ruth chapter 2 this morning. Upon his arrival, a hero serves to further God's purposes. And we'll see again throughout this chapter at the beginning and the end, this hero is mighty. And then right in the middle, we'll look and see that this hero is merciful. And so as things open up, verses 1 through 7 and then verses 17 through 23, the beginning and ending of the chapter is what's before us. And maybe we could summarize what we want to say here in this first point this way. Boaz, and boys and girls, the name Boaz means in him is strength. Boaz then shows up and he is going to supply all of the needs and wants that Naomi and Ruth have. He's presented here as a man of power, as a man of piety, and perhaps most importantly for the outworking of the whole book, a man who has a position that is unique and that will enable him to serve in a fundamentally important way for Naomi and Ruth and really for all of us. Now, Boaz's power is demonstrated and described for us here in the the opening of the chapter in verses one, two and three. It says right up front, he's a relative of Naomi's deceased husband, and it describes him as a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech. Now, that translation, a worthy man, it's a Somewhat of a thin translation, the Hebrew phrase is an ish gibber. Heil. And I wouldn't normally bring that up in the context of a sermon. But what it describes Boaz as literally is a man of mighty strength. It's as though here in the time of the judges, one who is like the greatest of the judges shows up on the scene as a worthy man of might and strength and power. clearly cast in this narrative as the one who is going to set things right. And it's into his field that Ruth finds herself gleaning, right? Unknowingly, she winds up there and Boys and girls, if you remember, maybe from catechism or Bible history type classes, gleaning was something God commanded in his law. Leviticus 19, Leviticus 24, 23 and Deuteronomy chapter 24 all outline that God has provided gleaning as something for widows or the poor or others who are in need to be able to do. And basically the those who glean would come behind those who harvested and they would pick up whatever had been dropped or left behind and they would gather food for themselves that way. It was kind of a work to benefit program, not simply a handout, but something that God had allowed and commanded to care for those who are in need and to remind all of the people that God is the one who supplies them whatever they have. After all, since God gave the harvest, he had every right to tell the people how to use and do the harvest. In any case, Ruth asks Naomi here at the beginning of the chapter about going to Galena, and Naomi encourages her to do just that. And then it says in verse three, look at it with me. She set out. and went and gleaned in the field after the Reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. Interesting language, right? In Ruth chapter 2 verse 3, she just happened to come into this part of the field. Now, before we get panicky, it's not saying here that it was simply by chance. It's not saying here that it was luck. And it's not saying here that what happened was outside of God's plan and purpose. It's narrating for us from Ruth's perspective that she doesn't know where she's going to wind up. She's a foreigner. She doesn't know the lay of the land. And she just happens to come into a field belonging to this Ish-Gibor Ha'il Boaz, who is a man of mighty strength and power. But this too is in God's purpose. It's in His plan. It's for the good of the narrative and for the glory and praise of His name. And yet, even in going to Gleen, We see that Ruth is stepping out in faith, right? We heard last week in chapter one, verses 16 and 17, that Ruth begged Naomi to let her come along. She said, where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Ruth is all in when it comes to following Naomi and being with her people and serving her God and now having stepped out in faith. God's care and keeping is upon her. She doesn't know where she's going to glean, but God is guiding her to where he wants her to be under the care of Boaz ultimately. And brothers and sisters, just pause here for a minute and think. Of how that relates to our lives. The future is uncertain for all of us. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the rest of the week, much less a month or a year or five years or 10 years or 20 years down the line. Those things are hidden from our sight. And yet, when we serve the Lord and step out in our lives, walking by faith, we can trust God to provide for us and to care for us and to watch over us, whether his providence is trying and adverse or whether his providence is bountiful and full of blessing. The circumstance and situation of life is always changing, but the constant is God's care and keeping of all who look to him. Proverbs chapter three, verses five and six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge him. And he shall direct your paths. That's what Ruth finds out to be true here and what we need to walk and live by as well. So look to the future with good confidence. Congregation, it's not uncertain or hidden to God. He has ordained all of what takes place and he has promised to guide your steps accordingly. That's the comfort. that comes from confessing a sovereign God who works all things according to his providence, patience in adversity, thankfulness in prosperity, and with a view to the future, a good confidence in our faithful God and father that nothing will separate us from his love. In verses four through seven, Boaz's piety can be seen in the way he he greets his reapers, The Lord bless you and in the way they respond or the Lord be with you rather. And the way they respond, the Lord bless you. What we see here in this short exchange in chapter four is Boaz is a man who has a sincerity of heart. He's a man who who has love for God and for his neighbor. And he's a man that others respect as being one who has true faith. And Boaz turns from talking to his reapers and talking from the one who's in charge of the reapers. And he turns his attention to Naomi, doesn't he? Look at verse five. Boaz said to the young man who was in charge of the whose whose young woman is this. Someone has said that when Boaz saw Ruth. It was love at first sight. Remember, last week I mentioned one of the descriptions of the book of Ruth is that it is a love story. I think it is that in part, but it's something much bigger than that as well. Boaz finds out who Ruth is, he finds out why she is there. And after all that we have seen and heard up to this point, is there any question at all that this book is going to end without the two of them coming together? in a good and godly way in the sight of the Lord. As we drop down to verses 17 to 23, we were taught to think and to look and to expect exactly that, aren't we? Now, there's a lot of things in in verses 17 to 23 that could be mentioned. This is where we read about Boaz being a man of position. And we're told here in this section to take another step in expecting Boaz and Ruth to come together. Verse 20, where Naomi says, this man is a close relative of ours. He's one of our redeemers, Ruth. Stay close to him, keep near him. Hang on to him and pursue him is what she'll end up saying in Chapter three. After all, the big idea here in 17 to 23 of Chapter two is that Boaz, as a man of great power and strength, is in a position, listen, not only to provide for the daily needs that knew that Naomi and Ruth have, but Boaz is in a position to provide for their future needs as well. That's what Naomi sees in all of what happens here, because in verse 17, when when Ruth gleaned in the field after Boaz gave her special privileges, she beat out enough barley that was about an Ifa. Now, depending on exactly the measurement of an Ifa, that could have been enough food for Ruth and Naomi for a week or it could have been enough food for them for several weeks. And so Boaz is not only a man of great means, But like verse 20 tells us, he's a man of close kin. Right. And therefore, Naomi says, stay close, keep near and listen to what I say, and that's exactly what Ruth does. Right. And in all of these things that we hear about Boaz, a man of power, a man of piety, a man of of of position. We see in him a small scale picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Boaz is presented to us not only here in chapter two, but in the book as a whole, as a type of Christ. as one in the Old Testament who draws our attention to Him who is God's true Son. Think of this. Jesus ultimately is that mighty man of great strength. He is the worthy man. He is God's own Son. And He has come down for us and for our salvation. He has made Himself to belong to our kin. He is our Redeemer. And in Him, are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And so the gospel calls all who hear its words to see Christ as the mighty man of salvation, to see him as the one who has unlimited resources of salvation and deliverance and to humble yourselves in God's sight and come to him to find all that you could ever desire and all that you could ever need. It's a message of repentance cast away any hope in yourself and a message of faith cling to Christ alone. And he promises to comfort and care for all who receive and believe in him both now and forevermore. Because Jesus greets in grace all who look to him, he keeps in kindness all who belong to him. And he provides full and free for all of the needs temporarily and eternally of all who know and belong to him as their only and faithful savior. He is the rich kindred who is our redeemer. So see him, congregation, believe in him and come to him that you might share and partake of his inheritance and that he might satisfy you both now and forever with his grace and mercy. In terms of coming to verses eight through 16, we see that the hero of chapter two here, Boaz, is also merciful, not only mighty, but also merciful, right? And if we were to summarize the middle portion of chapter 2 here, verses 8 through 16, we would say this. We get a close up of the conversation that's had between Boaz and Ruth, and we hear that he bestows a bounty upon her, right? And Boaz shows himself in this section of the chapter to be gentle, to be judicious, and ultimately to be generous. In terms of the overall picture that we have of Boaz in the middle section of chapter two, his gentleness shines through. I mean, just listen to what it tells us about him. I'm not going to read the chapter, but the section, but summarize what it tells us. It's Boaz who takes the initiative to talk to Ruth, right? He asks his reapers about her and having heard from them apparently things he already knew to be true. He goes and he takes the initiative to talk to Ruth. And when he approaches her, the first thing he does is speak words of encouragement to her. Right. He urges her to stay in his field and to glean among his women. Stay close to them. And he promises her that his reapers will not interfere with anything she does. In fact, Ruth, I'll even let you drink from the water that they provide for themselves. And to top it all off, as the transit, the chapter transitions into verses 14 through 17, Boaz sits down and he stops with her. He feeds her until she is full and he gives her, listen, not only gleaning opportunities, but he even tells the reapers to let Ruth take out of what has already been harvested and to glean among the bundles of the sheaves. Wow. Boaz goes above and beyond the call of duty to show himself as one who is not only mighty, but also merciful to Ruth, right? I remember one time as a young boy in junior high school. Had opportunity to go stay at night at a friend's house, and my friend's dad was one of the big shots in the Seattle area craft division, the craft foods division. And I had heard so much about how many snacks and food items my friend's dad had down in the basement that I was so amped up to go to this sleepover. When we got there, his dad said, you guys go downstairs, you can play darts, you can shoot pool, you can have as many snacks as you want. And we went downstairs and it was like, wow, your dad is amazing having so much at his disposal and then sharing as much as we want to have. with us. Well, that's maybe a 14 year old perspective on the kind of thing that Boaz does for Ruth here. He is pictured as a great man, as a wealthy king who has unlimited resources. And he pours out an abundance of what he has upon Ruth, whose hands are empty. He cares for the one who is needy. And all of that should remind us of how gently Christ treats us and of how richly he blesses us. He calls us by his word and spirit to know the blessing of being God's children. He has reached out to us because while we were yet sinners, it tells us in Romans 5, Christ died for us. He goes on to care for us and shows us love and kindness every day and all day. And all of those things, when we understand them, they draw out the affection of our hearts. They stir within us a greater and deeper love and devotion for our Savior. He himself has established a table at which we have fellowship and communion with him. He feeds us with his body and his blood unto everlasting life. And he even grants us as his people special privileges that the angels themselves will never know and enjoy. And all we can say to that. Is wow, then sings my soul, oh, Lord, my God, to thee. How great thou art. Back to verses 10 through 13, we see that Boaz is judicious in the way he gives these blessings to Naomi. And I would say Boaz perhaps sees himself in a special position as an agent of the Lord to bestow such a bounty upon Ruth. She falls before him humbly. She asks him, why have you been so kind to me? Why would you even take notice of me? And Boaz tells her, Ruth, all of what you have done since your husband died with your mother-in-law, Naomi, notice he doesn't mention Naomi by name, but by all you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died has been told to me. I know that you have come back from the land of Moab. And like he speaks in verse 12, the Lord repay you for what you have done and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. It's as though Boaz is intent. on being a blessing of the Lord in her life. I would say Boaz even sees himself as having a sense of destiny given to him by God. He knows God is sovereign. He knows God's providence works through human means. And Boaz takes this opportunity in the sovereignty and providence of God to take special notice of Ruth. and to provide for her richly and abundantly. His riches replace her poverty, his blessings supply her needs, his position of authority covers whatever questions or shortcomings might be had about Ruth and the security that he provides her removes any anxiety or fear that she might have had. And all of that can be said about Christ. and the way he regards us. Right. He stands, he serves and he acts before God in our defense, on our behalf. And we could just as easily speak the words of verse 10 and verse 13 to God. Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants. By nature, we are children of wrath, even as the others. But not only in terms of his covenant, but in terms of his care and keeping in the gospel, God draws us near to himself, numbers us among his people formally and calls us to be his people, especially by his grace. The bounty. that belongs to us in Christ is freely given. The doctrine of election teaches us that the grace of adoption grants us to know and realize that the promise of the gospel announces that and Lord's Day one question one summarizes that. Therefore, we say with heart and mouth, my only comfort, whether in life or in death, is that I am not my own. but that I belong body and soul in life or in death unto my faithful savior, Jesus Christ, because I once was lost, but now am found. I once was a foreigner, but he has made me to be privileged among his people. So come believe, believe in Christ, find in him all you need, all you want, all you desire. He will care for you, He will comfort you, He will support you, He will preserve you, and He will show Himself faithful to you. The generosity of Boaz is certainly something for us to notice and pick up on here, especially verses 8 and 9, verses 14 to 16. And all of that serves to remind us of the generosity of Christ. Because even as Boaz gives here freely, even as he gives here abundantly, even as Boaz gives to Ruth without expecting to receive anything in return, so too has Christ lavished out riches and support upon us, calling us simply to receive what he provides with a believing heart, and to be thankful and humble before God, who is such a loving father. And all of this provides us with a small scale, although wonderful picture of the generosity of the Lord Jesus Christ and of our faithful God and father. Because don't we realize that we can only ever be satisfied in Jesus name And so let us live by faith, congregation. Let us depend upon God's grace each day. And let us walk in expectancy and in hope, eagerly waiting to receive a final touch, all of what God promises to us in Christ. The resurrection of the body, the new heavens and the new earth and citizenship full and free in God's eternal kingdom, living in his fields and in his city forever. Because then the promise of Philippians four, verse 19 comes to pass and we see that our God really does supply all of our needs according to his mercies in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let's pray together, shall we? Father in heaven, we ask your blessing upon your word. May you bring it to us in the power and function of your spirit. And may you seal it with us as we go forth from this house, remembering these things in the week that lies ahead. And as you would grant us a meditative remembrance, being comforted and encouraged in Christ by your word. So hear us, we pray for Jesus' sake. Amen.