thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. And Boaz said unto her, at mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day, and where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought and said, the man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, the man is near kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. Amen. May the Lord bless the reading. and especially the preaching of his holy word tonight. The last time we were in the book, we had just seen Boaz walk onto the stage, so to speak. We had started to see this man and his interactions with Ruth in the book. And we saw, and we even read it just tonight, Ruth was astonished that Boaz had shown kindness to her, though she was a stranger. And we remember he had given two main reasons for that. And the first and primary really, it may not come first in the text, but it is the primary reason, is that she had come to wholeheartedly trust in the Lord. We see that wonderful acknowledgement in verse 12, that he says, a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust. He acknowledges that this is a woman who has been converted to the Lord. But secondly, and that comes first really in the text, is that she had left everything. to do good unto Naomi and cleave unto the people of God. She had left her family in order to do so, the land of her nativity, and she has come to a people which she knew us not heretofore. And so he had seen these reasons, these, well, he had given her these two reasons as to why he had shown kindness to her, though she was a stranger. And so what we recognize is he had spiritual reasons to favor her. She was not, in other words, a kind of pretty face to him. I think you get into this book sometimes and you read contemporary Christian treatments of it, and it's almost like you think that Boaz has fallen like a puppy dog in love. But it's something far deeper than that, far more spiritual than that. It's almost like we take the Disney movies and everything that we watch in this world, and we sort of import it into the text. But this is a spiritual man who is discerning things spiritually speaking. So it's important as well, secondarily, then, to recognize that Boaz knew that Naomi was his relation. And so there's an element of kinship here already as well. He had already recognized his foreman had told him, hadn't he, that this is that Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi, who is his relation. and came back with her. And so he knows this woman is the daughter-in-law of his relation, Elimelech. This is Naomi, the widow of Elimelech's daughter-in-law. So this is also a kinship relationship here. He has a care for his kin. He knew that Ruth is his relation because her deceased husband was Malan, Elimelech's son. Now, none of this is by chance. And spiritually discerned people would recognize that. And certainly that is the case. This is God's plan. This is God's providential dealing with Elimelech's family. And this is a plan that the Lord has set in place that will lead to the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, through this union that is going to be brought about through this meeting of Boaz and Ruth. But when we come to the book and we see this meeting and we see him give favor to Ruth, we'll talk about this some more, it's not because he has fallen head over heels in a kind of teenage love. That's not what it is. So with that brief reminder, to regain our footing in the narrative. Let's continue on with God's help under the theme of the kinsman's kindness. As we continue along in the book, the kinsman's kindness, we'll consider it under three heads. First is the kinsman's prayer. Second is the handmaid's reward. And third is the Lord's loving kindness. The kinsman's prayer. handmaid's reward and the Lord's loving kindness. First heading, the kinsman's prayer. We go to verse 12. Boaz states, the Lord recompense thy work. Speaking to Ruth, the Lord recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust. Now, Boaz had heard how Ruth had left her family and her gods by putting her faith in Jehovah. And we saw that this is that picture of taking shelter under the wings of Jehovah. That's what you have done when you trust in the Lord. It's a beautiful way to look at your own faith, isn't it? What I have done is I have put my trust in Jehovah, that he shelters me under Jesus Christ. And I have taken shelter under his wings. And you then under his shelter, like Ruth, are able to then walk by faith and not by sight and be as a pilgrim as she was, as the other pilgrims in Hebrews 11, seeking a better that is in heavenly country. Why? Because under all that time, As you are going through this world, you are under Jehovah's shade, right? You go under His guidance, under His care. He is looking out for you wherever you go, and He is providing for you. We remember, as we saw at the beginning of the new year, we have taken shelter under the wings of the Almighty. He has been our dwelling place in generations, all So that's what it is for us. That's what enables us to pursue the Lord, is that we have taken shelter under his wings. And that is objective reality if we have faith. And so Ruth is one like that. And you think about her mindset here, right? It's so different than the generation that perished in the wilderness, isn't it? She never complained at this time. I was better off in Moab. What a fool I am to be here in this field, working by the sweat of my brow when I could be in my father's house in Moab, comforted and taken care of. Right here she is acting less than a field hand with the poor to follow the Lord. And there isn't a complaint there like there was with the wilderness generation. We were better off in Egypt. even though materially she was better off in Moab for this time. She was willing to suffer for the sake of being with the Lord and his people. She was willing to be made nothing. She doesn't come to Israel. She doesn't come to the Lord with the scheme of bettering herself materially, does she? She doesn't come to Israel either with the scheme of getting married to someone here. She doesn't go into the field to catch the eye of the owner of the field. She did not know what lot the Lord had cast for her, but she trusted it was good, that the Lord cared for her. He would not forsake her. And so she trusted in his character, as one in his word has promised will care in a special kind of way for strangers and widows. And if you have trusted under Jehovah's wings, look at this woman as a pattern and as an example of faith. We are told in Hebrews 13, to be content with such things as you have. For the Lord had said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. This is what every Christian trusts in, isn't it? That I can be content with my lot in life because actually I have the best thing, I have the Lord. And he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. To be near Christ, that is enough if it means living in tents and gleaning in fields. I will be content because I have him. And that is the apostle's secret to contentment. That wherever I go, I have Christ. What did Abraham, what was the, what was Abraham told by the Lord when he left his own country? The Lord says to Abraham, I am thy great reward. And it's always been about the Lord. The Lord is our dwelling place. So I think it's, worth for us all to think about it. Could we be, could you be content to have Jesus and Ruth's lot? Could you be content to have Christ and to sit there in the field with the poor, gleaning whatever the reapers had left behind and say, I can have a full contentment of my condition with that. These are the truths that strike us in the Word of God that we are to take as applications from texts such as this. I hope that you could be, for there are far too many fair-weather Christians ready to give up on the Lord if their lot becomes difficult and burdensome. Well, Boaz seems to have apprehended that Ruth was a true child of God, and that she did suffer for the sake of her Lord. And Boaz prays for her. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel. It's a prayer that says to the Lord, would you reward this woman for her faith and for her labor of love? You know, the idea of being rewarded On the other hand, by God might rankle our sensibilities as reformed Christians at times. It might. As though we might feel, and because we know this is not true, and it is absolutely not true, that God could ever be in our debt. And so we would say, why could or why would we think that God would reward us? But the Lord does reward his servants. Not out of obligation though, but out of grace. He's not under an obligation to do it, but he does so out of grace. He is never under obligation. He is never under our debt, but we serve a liberal God. That's who he is. And sometimes we are, I think, sometimes afraid to believe that the Lord is liberal and generous and gracious and rewards them that honor him. But the Lord has said, he honors them that honor him. That comes from first Samuel 2.30. You think about Hebrews 6.10. God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. God doesn't forget, especially those things that you do for his people. that you do out of a gracious and generous heart yourself. And you think about how that text almost directly applies to Ruth and her care for Naomi. Would God be unrighteous? Would he forget? your work and your labor of love. Notice that that is the qualifier. It's a labor of love for him and for his people, which you have showed towards his name and that you have ministered to the saints. Does God not, we think about the love of complacency again, does not God look on these things and smile? at His people. And I think if we cannot get it into our hearts that God does smile on His people when they do that which pleases Him, we have some wrong notions of God that need sorting out. But God does. You see that here. With Ruth, as she ministers to Naomi, even in the small things which are done for his sake, he sees and he smiles. Mark 9, 41, there's so many testimonies of this. Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. There's many ways that the Lord has to say that there are ways he rewards his people. And we must, however, carefully treat this doctrine. We must never ever say to the Lord he is under our obligation. Look at the things I have done. You are obligated then to do this or that for me. That's not the heart of the matter here. We are just astonished that God would show us kindness and love, though we are unprofitable servants. And we have just done that which is our duty to do. Yet the Lord in his kindness often rewards us. And most certainly, children especially think about this, we must never ever do a thing solely because we want a reward for it. We don't do a thing because there's a reward for it. And if there were not a reward, then I wouldn't do the thing. If I would do this thing, then maybe God will fix this part of my life. That's not how it goes. Or God would give me this job if I would do this or that or the other thing for him. So he's not under our obligation in that way. And we are not to do a thing only because we want a reward. What is primary in what we do in Christian service is we do it for the glory of God. That is the reason that we do things. What we do for our neighbor in acts of Christian charity, we do it in the name of the Lord. And what the Lord says is that they would behold your good works and your good deeds and glorify your father, which is in heaven. That's the reward that we ultimately want, that His name be glorified. And if that's your heart, though, the Lord, who is super abundant in graciousness, often shines His face upon you. But we never, ever go to the Lord and say, Lord, I did those things. I'm waiting for how you are going to reward me. That's not our heart. But at the same time, let's not shy away from the truth that the Lord does often reward his people because he is a liberal God. There will be rewards of your life of service, most of all in heaven. Luke 6, 23, your reward is great in heaven. So we do see then there is a doctrine that The Lord does reward those things which are good, that is, people do. We're not on a sermon on rewards for the exercise of faith, and I realize it can go into that direction. So let me just cite Belgic Confession, Article 24, which is a helpful summary. Therefore we do good works, but not to merit by them. For what can we merit? Nay, we are beholden to God for the good works we do. and not he to us, since it is he that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure." That's a recognition, isn't it, that anything good we do, he has done in us and through us. Let us therefore, it continues, attend to what is written. When ye shall have done all those things which ye are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do. In the meantime, we do not deny that God rewards our good works, but it is through his grace that he crowns his gifts. I think that's a helpful summary of the doctrine. Our Confession of Faith, 16.6 says much more briefly, yet notwithstanding the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him, not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight, but that he looking upon them in his son is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections." And so even when he rewards us, it is by the Son of God taking our good works and purifying them, making them acceptable to God in the first place, And so you see it's grace upon grace that comes to us, right? We could do nothing in the first place without his grace. Then even what we do is tainted with so much self and sin and pride and everything else. And the son of God has to purify that. And then he gives us a reward anyway. It's shocking how liberal our God is. And this all ultimately brings glory to God. That's why, right, even when that crown of righteousness is laid up for us in heaven, as the Apostle Paul thinks of as he's about to be executed by Nero, what do we know about those crowns? We'll cast them right back at the Lord's own feet because he is the one who enabled us to do any of it in the first place. So let's all say we're unprofitable servants, that God is not in our debt, rather we're in his debt. But also we can trust that the Lord, though we deserve nothing, is often super gracious to his people. And he is not unjust to forget our labor of love. even in this life as it was with Ruth. And that spurs us on all the more to love and good works in these rewards. And these rewards are often spiritual. You'll have a greater sense of his love and presence. Sometimes he will use it to lift you out of a trial or a temptation or a situation or help you materially or whatever. But let's never demand these things of the Lord. You don't see Ruth here demanding anything of the Lord, but instead, Let us humbly bless others and anticipate that the Lord may very well show us favor of some kind. Well, two brief applications here before we move on to our next heading. You can see here, maybe more than two. Let me start with this one, though. One thing that you can notice is how Boaz, though recognizing Ruth's good works, uses them as arguments in prayer. for her. So when we are talking, well not talking, when we are ministering to those who are maybe under affliction or in straits of some kind, what you can do in your prayers before the Lord on their behalf is to bring what you have perceived them to have done in the kingdom before the Lord as arguments to buttress your prayers before the Lord. And you can see that's what, that's what Boaz does here in effect, that he comes before the Lord and says, may the Lord recompense thy work. And so there is a sense that he does that. Second is that you can be mindful that there are converts like this woman who have lost very much to follow the Lord. And you can see how kind Boaz is to her in large effect because he recognizes her loss. It's part and parcel of his speech towards her and why it is that he has spoken so kindly. And you notice here in verse 13 that she finds comfort. We'll consider this in the next heading a bit. But thou has spoken friendly unto thine handmaid. There needs to, there's a kind of a, that word has a kind of signification of tenderness. There is often a case where people who've left everything to follow Jesus Christ and they've left family, they've left relations, they've left lands, they've lost goods, right? They sincerely need often and are comforted by, and she says, thou has comforted me to know that the people of God care for them. That we are an expression of the truth that Jesus Christ says, you lose all those family, well, I will give you multiple fold, even in this life. And so they need a sense of comfort from the people of God. And so when we think about them, you think about these tender lambs, and sometimes you see, even in our society, that people, very recently a man online contacted me, a young man, probably 17 years old, and he said, my parents won't let me go to church. They'll lock. me in my room on Sundays as a 15-year-old. And so there's a sense of isolation, and there's a sense that they've lost everything. And so often when we find converts like this, and I trust that the Lord will bring converts into our midst more and more, let us remember that some of these people have lost everything. And a word spoken fitly in season is a great balm. Well, we'll consider some more of that in our next heading, which is the Handmaid's reward. Verse 13. Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like one of thine handmaidens. So in response to his friendly disposition, Ruth says that she is comforted. And so I want to continue on with what I had just said. The words that we speak to others, they do have, especially as they're spirit-filled words, have a great effect on the soul. Children, you might have learned a sort of schoolhouse rhyme. What does it go? Something like this. I think sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me. That is a lie. The Bible says that the tongue has a great effect. your words can cut a soul down, but also your words can also build up. Proverbs 16.24, you see this of Boaz's words, that they were pleasant as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones. There is a healing that comes to Ruth in some effect because of the words that he spoke to her. You imagine how many burdens this poor woman had carried since she left Moab, and she found here now for the first time honey for her parched soul in Boaz's kind words. She says she found this comfort in them. She was ministered by it, not just at the thought, you don't think here, it's just at the thought of having a material provision taken care of, but she does find comfort in them the words themselves, especially as he had also invoked the name of the Lord and said that may the Lord reward her for trusting in him. So in view of Boaz's kindness, she has a humble request in return to him. Let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord. It's interesting, back in verse 2, if you were tracking the book, you remember when Ruth asked Naomi if she could go out to the field. She asked with the sense that someone might show her favor according to the law of God. Now you can see that that confidence that she had in the Lord has been rewarded. She found that man, and now she asks that man for favor. Let me find favor in thy sight. But she asks for this favor with a great sense of humility. She acknowledges, I am not like unto one of thine handmaid. In verse 13, I'll read the entirety of the verse. Let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord, for that thou has comforted me. She feels like she can approach him. And for that thou has spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaids. She's very unassuming. She's very unassuming. She does not expect that she is obligated to have anything. She sees herself as the least of all, doesn't she? As the Apostle Paul saw himself to be the least. The Apostle said, in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Philippians 2.3. She could not see herself as better as the other handmaids of Boaz. Now, maybe part of that is because she's a Moabites and they were not. But whatever the case is, she has a lowliness of mind that is quite quite virtuous, and it ought to be what we ourselves possess by God's grace. She doesn't sit there thinking after being told of all the things that Boaz had seen in her, she doesn't think to herself, well, I took care of Naomi. I left my homeland. Would these women do that? She doesn't say, I'm certainly better than these other women. I left my family for Jesus. Would they do such a thing? It's so easy for them to be born here and to have access to this field, but not for me, right? I had to overcome much. No, she sees herself as lowly. She doesn't bring to mind any of the attainments that she has had, any of her hardships, any of the obstacles that she's come through. In lowliness of mind, she esteems other better than herself. Ruth has humility. And this is a great grace. An unassuming spirit, one that is not boastful and proud, is commended before the Lord. What does the Christian say? God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's our boast. She has nothing to boast and rightly so. And that's not a morose thing. Rather, we say that our worth and our value is in Christ. You know, we ought to take to heed when we look at this text and we see that Boaz praises her, she won't praise herself. You remember the proverb that says, let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips. This is where, this is the pattern here, right? Let Boaz's take note of us, but let us never proclaim our own goodness. If you think about the godliest people that you know, they all have this one thing in common, I trust. They don't speak about themselves very much at all. You could be in a conversation with them, it may even be over an hour or two, and you'll realize they haven't said a single thing about themselves unless you ask them. They diminish, Christ increases. They're interested in other people and they want to know how to serve them. They don't speak about their learning. They don't speak about their attainments. And the more touched by grace a soul is, the less they speak of themselves. They decrease and they are unprofitable servants. On the other hand, the fact that Ruth asked for favor is noteworthy. She does. She says, let me find favor in thy sight. And all she is doing in this is asking him for the right to continue to glean from his field. She doesn't have anything else in mind. She's not thinking, when she asks for favor, that it is anything different than verse two, which is just the fact that she would have access to his field. that she wouldn't be thrown out. She's not asking, show me favor, give me a place to stay, give me a great meal, any of that. All she's asking for in humility is to continue the work that she had begun this morning. Don't throw me out. In fact, she asks with humility what was her right according to the law, but she does not demand it. She just asks for what the law required. But you see the work of grace in Boaz. He does so much more for her. Consider what he did for her in verse 14. And Boaz said unto her, at mealtime come thou hither and eat of the bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers and he reached her parched corn and she did eat and was sufficed and left. She was given a good meal, one that his reapers themselves would enjoy. It's interesting. You see the heart of the generous man in the scriptures, like the father of the prodigal. What does the prodigal remember of his father's house? There is bread enough to spare for his servants, for his servants, right? You see that this is what she she's getting is the meal that the reapers have in effect. She sat beside the reapers. And so the generous nature of Boaz is extended not just to this woman, Ruth, but to even his own servants. That's something to be emulated as a Christian if you ever have servants of your own, employees and so on. Now he gives her some roasted corn, parched corn, that's what it is. Eat of the bread, dip her morsel in the vinegar like a sour wine. And she has her fill. And we also find, and we'll see this a bit later, that her gracious character is on display here, because you're going to find out later, she tucks away some of that meal that she had received here to save for her mother-in-law, to take back to her. And you see, again, the godly character and the gracious heart of this woman and this man, and how they are a good fit, two souls fitted by the grace of God. Because you see in verse 18, that she gave to her, that is Naomi, that she had reserved after she was sufficed. So she takes even some of this meal that she had received, doesn't eat it all for herself, though she had more than enough, right? This is also shows you Dweller's generosity. He gives her more than enough for her fill, her cup overflows. This is surely another picture of the grace of God. We have received of His fullness, grace for grace, grace overflowing, and grace enough that after we are filled, we can minister to others. There's always fragments left over in the brass basket after he fills us so that we may serve and minister others. Well, as the narrative continues, after eating, Ruth returns to work. Verse 15 says, and when she was risen up to glean. You know something else here? Ruth does not say, well, I have made it. I have the attention of Boaz. Now I'm in his good graces. I have my meal ticket. She gets up, she goes into the field. She gets back to work. She has no agenda. There's no way that you see in her mind she's going to try to pursue and worm her way into this man's graces, use her womanly charm or anything unlawful like that. She just goes, okay, I go back to the field. She is that industrious woman of Proverbs 31. She's grateful to have the opportunity to do an honest day work. And she was supremely thankful for the meal and the kind words from Boaz. She sees these undoubtedly as gifts from God, but they're not to be exploited. One could imagine her lifting her eyes to heaven after the meal saying, with all humility, who am I to have received such favors as these? That's the temperament that ought to be present in all of us who believe. Who are we to have received even what we get daily at our dinner table? Right, brethren? Who are we to have received these things? So she has tucked away the leftover food for Naomi and then returns back to work. Now, as she left, Boaz still had his watchful eye upon her and he was going to show her more grace. Verse 15, and when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and reproach her not. And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and rebuke her not. Now, he does more for her than she possibly thought he would. He tells his men, this one can glean even among the sheaves. And children, sheaves are the bundles of grain stalks that are tied together after reaping. And he says, let her at it. He also says, let some grain fall on purpose for her. Like drop some extra for her. And then he says, treat her kindly. Don't reproach her. Don't rebuke her. Don't give her any difficulties. Certainly don't reproach her for being a Moabite. Don't reproach her for her poverty. Don't reproach her for her strangeness or her needs or whatever else. There are many reasons you can imagine in a field among people like that at times who are often not the kindest with their speech, where they may reproach a stranger. Well, he says, leave her be. Don't cause her any difficulties. In effect, she is under my charge and my protection and my favor. But ultimately, what is he recognizing? It's that she is under the Lord's protection. She has come to take shelter under his wings, and he as one under the Lord's protection himself extends it, his own, to her. Now, think, though, if we shift the scene just a bit to Ruth. She's unaware of any of this. She's unaware. She thought, OK, I have the meal. He's been very kind. But now there's more that he's doing for her, even as she's out doing her work, that he was helping her gather a great bounty. Now, as we've thought about the topology here, especially with our Lord Jesus Christ, you and I, one day brethren, will be amazed at what the Lord has commanded his servants to do on our behalf. Psalm 91 11 says, for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways, right? The Lord actively watches over you and he actively provides for you. And you have no clue, and I have no clue either, at what He is doing in realms seen and unseen. He commands the heavens to drop rain for you. He brings food to your table. Yes, you labor, but who has the grain fall on the ground for you to glean? It is Christ. That's what you're seeing here. He is having the grain drop in front of her. She does the labor, but who is actually providing it? It is the Lord himself who's dropping it before you that you may gather it in. He does many things that you're unaware. He commands many things, even things that you think at times He closes one door so that you may walk through another, that you would go in the way that you are determined to go, and so on. And so we must recognize that there is a great amount of activity. We've thought about the doctrine of providence here in this book thus far, even in the short couple of chapters. But the Lord is managing the whole universe for the sake of His people. And you think about Boaz here doing things unseen by her. Her success is coming because of the man's care for her. But we look beyond Boaz to Christ, don't we? Our kinsman Redeemer, who is even now with the scepter of the universe of the power of God in his right hand, who oversees all things for those that he loved and gave himself for. Even in the little things of our life, He is dropping all of it into our lap, so to speak. He is in everything. That's what you note in this book. And in glory, there are things that we sometimes don't anticipate about glory that we should long for even today. One of the joys, we've talked about the tapestry of providence, and a specific subset of that tapestry is undoubtedly seeing how the Lord Himself moved things in this world. to lead you to where you ought to be, and to provide for you all things necessary, soul and body, even difficulties in our life, so that He may provide for you and for your family both your soul's nourishment and your bodies. And you'll be astonished in heaven that this is what you did when you moved me from this congregation or even that congregation closed, or you led me to this truth and you shut off this relationship or you brought me into this place or whatever it is, even things that seem difficult, even death, as we've seen in this book, managing all affairs in order to provide for his people. Well, let's return to Ruth because time is going on. Verse 17 highlights her industriousness. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. So look at how hard she worked. You saw she came into the field in the morning, and she gleans in the field until evening, and she beats out what grain she had gleaned. And she has an astonishing amount. It's an ifa. That's about a bushel. And in terms of weight, a bushel of barley is somewhere between 30 to 50 pounds. That's a lot of barley that she has taken in that day. That's quite a haul to take back home. but haul it back home she does. So with that, let's consider our final heading for tonight, the Lord's Loving Kindness. Verse 18, and she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. Now, Ruth's diligence and perseverance is on display. She hauls 30 to 50 pounds of grain of barley back home. And she took it all by herself. But there are some burdens that are actually a delight to carry. And surely this must have been one of those. And she comes home, you know, as these two have been destitute, she comes home to Naomi with this haul of barley. And then she would have unwrapped that meal of roasted corn Boaz had given her. And now you can imagine Naomi, now she's been out of the picture for a little bit in our sermon here. But all of this has now come before Naomi. And you can imagine the great astonishment. All of this, this woman has brought in today. Yes, I know that the poor are allowed to glean from the corners of fields, but this is a bounty. This is incredible. Maybe she would have imagined that Ruth would have returned with a skirt full of grain or something if someone was kind enough to allow her what the law demanded. But this is a tremendous bounty. And what's this? A meal of roast corn as well and bread? This is completely unheard of. Naomi wants to learn more of this man, and so in verse 19 she asked, where hast thou gleaned today, and where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she recognizes that someone, some man has taken, has given favor to her. And first of all, before even knowing who he is, and this is important, before she even knows who this man's identity is, she blesses this man. because of his kindness that she recognized. This is not usual. And so she questions, who is it? And gratitude starts to well up in this woman who is so grief-stricken. But it's Roots' answer to that question that stirred up something tremendous in Naomi. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought and said, the man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz. Boaz. Naomi is familiar with that name. But it seems as though she had perhaps forgotten him. Matthew Henry said something that stuck in my mind when I remember reading his commentary. He said, it should seem she had been so long in Moab that she had forgotten her kindred in the land of Israel, till by this providence God brought it to her mind. Now in some ways, Naomi had made herself a stranger in her sojourning in Moab, seems to be the case. Maybe that's why she does not, or did not have Ruth go to Boaz's field at the first, otherwise that would have been obvious as a first place to go. Go to Boaz. But it seems, and I think that's why Matthew Henry's comment on this text is apt, it should seem she had been so long in Moab that she had forgotten her kindred. There's a spiritual, I think, application there as well, that the farther away you are from God and his people, of course, you forget your brethren in the church, but that will be another thing to deal with another time. But that might be the case, that she had forgotten this man and her kindred in Israel. But in any case, verse 20 has Naomi's response to Ruth. Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, the man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. See, she knows who Boaz is. Boaz knew who Naomi is, but hearing it was Boaz, Naomi blesses him yet again. And she remembered that Boaz had been kind to her family in times past. Meaning, here she says that, blessed be he of the Lord who hath not left off his kindness. Not left off has the sense meaning did not abandon his kindness to the living and to the dead. And so the sense of that verse is this, that Boaz had actually shown kindness to this family before. That he was a benefactor to them long before Ruth had ever entered the picture. In fact, I'll come to something I said in the introduction. Sometimes we come into this book of the Bible with modern sensibilities, right? We merely look at it as kind of this one-dimensional love story. Yes, Boaz will fall in love with Ruth, and we're not always necessarily clear where that begins. Moderns might look at this and say, oh, they fall in love immediately, or he falls in love with her immediately. But undoubtedly, it is very clear from the text that Boaz saw this poor widow as part of his family. He cared for her as he had cared for his family in times past. That is why he took note when his foreman said that Ruth is Naomi's daughter-in-law. Part of the reason Boaz was a great man is because he had biblical notions of what it is to be kin. That obligations are laid upon him to care for his kin, and he cared for Elimelech's family. He showed kindness to Ruth, not first and foremost because he was madly in love with her, but because he cared for her family, as well as her spirituality that she trusted in the Lord. Now, it's interesting that in the Hebrew, the word for kindness in Naomi's speech is that wondrous word hesed, which as you know, is often translated loving kindness. The kind of love that the Lord has for his own people only, because it's out of that love that he shows mercy. And that gives you a sense of the kind of kindness that Naomi is seeing Boaz exercise. Blessed be he of the Lord who hath not left off his kindness. And that's that word, chesed, to the living and to the dead. Next time I'll have to deal with God's provision of the kinsman-redeemer theologically. But for tonight, Naomi recognizes that he has exercised kindness. and he is a next or near kinsman. Naomi is putting all of this together now. She's processing it all and cannot help but think of the Lord's hand. So let's close our time as we come to an end with a meditation on Naomi and where her soul had been up to this moment. You cannot help but think that the woman who wanted to be called Mara or bitter, when that day began, when her daughter-in-law went into the field, might have had quite a somber day the rest of it." As she's thinking about the Lord's dealings with her. And, you know, this woman seems to have turned inward. There's almost a woe is me kind of quality about her. And she had thought that the Lord's hand is only hot and heavy against her. The Lord hath bitterly grieved her is all that she had felt. You had seen that earlier in the book. And even though much of that was the chastening of the Lord, even as she recognized it still, she must not. And we must never forget was coming from the hand of a good father who loved her. And so here's this woman who at the beginning of the day may have been thinking all is bitterness and nothing is sweet. But then at the end of the day, nighttime comes, here comes her daughter-in-law, what's she bringing? 30 to 50 pounds of barley. She's bringing a meal and she is coming back with a name, Boaz. The Lord she is seeing has not abandoned her. The Lord loves her and is showing his kindness and is bringing sweetness out of bitterness. The Father is never against his people. And we have no right, none of us do, to say that all the Lord will bring me is bitterness. And we have no right to be bitter to him in return. Well, no matter what our condition is, even if we're under the chastening of the Lord, we are to endure it patiently. And we are to believe that the Lord will show his goodness to us in the land of the living. That we will praise him still, even under affliction. And that we must by faith hold on to the truth that even if the Lord is chastening me for my sin, it is still a chastening that comes from a hand of love. and that there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ. Even this moment, if we be in Christ, there's no condemnation because the son was condemned in our place. But also see how quickly, if you have faith, you must believe this, that the Lord can turn around a situation, right? With no notice, no preparation, no indignation that he was about to bless them. He blesses both Ruth and Naomi. She just happens to alight on Boaz's portion of the field, guided by the hand of God at just the right time, all by his hand. And so what you are never to do is abandon hope in the Lord. You might wait a very long time and you might have no indication if you're under great strain or stress or something else, a huge and tremendous trial that is taking and sapping everything from you. You have no indication that the Lord is doing anything. Then just at a moment, the Lord can turn things around and bring relief to your soul. You know, and sometimes, as it must have been here, the Lord does rebuke our unbelief by actually manifesting His goodness, right? It's as though when the barley comes, and the name of Boaz, too, as he drops the Lord, as it were, this bushel of barley, it's almost as though he could say to Naomi, O ye of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? It's amazing how often we're chastened by his goodness. So for us with faith in Jesus, we are never to be hopeless and faithless, but we are to be believing and hopeful in our great kinsman Redeemer. His has said is signified and sealed by the blood of the New Testament. And how will he not with that give us all things needed to get to heaven? So let's wait on him and exercise ourselves in faith and repentance in the meantime. Well, as you see, the hand of providence is clearly at work here in the book, but we must leave Ruth there for tonight as time is up. Let us arise for prayer, standing a fable. Oh, Lord, our God, we are thankful to see thy hand guiding and governing all things for the sake of those who have taken shelter under thy wings. Help us to never be bitter, no matter the providence. Help us to remember even now in the unseen places thou has commanded many matters that we are unaware of, that thou wouldst reward us and drop before us even our daily provision. How much has gone into having our daily bread? to going into work and having our provision for the day and setting that food upon our table. Undoubtedly, we will rejoice in heaven to know these things, Lord. Father, we pray that thou wouldst remove bitterness of soul from any of thy people and that we would wait upon the Lord whatever our condition is. We wait long or short, however long it be. Maybe we wait the entirety of this life, but we will cling to that truth, O God, by thy help, that the Lord will be greatly merciful to us, and that thou will show thy face when the appointed time has come, that there is no condemnation even now for those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord, And we pray, Father, that we would have a humble spirit, even as this dear woman, Ruth, that she would be a godly pattern for us, that we would have all humility, work the grace of humility in us, that we would see us ourselves. as lower in our eyes, that Christ may resound greater in our soul. What would we have to say about ourselves, Lord? We have nothing to commend ourselves unto Thee. Anyhow, even the works that we have done, that we have seen, Thou may reward us for. Thou has given us the grace in the first place. And so we are, we admit before God and the angels and all men that we are unprofitable servants. We have simply done what has been commanded of us to do. But thou art a liberal God, and for that testimony once again in thy word, we praise thee and adore thee. So bless thy people who have come to worship.