RUTH IS NOTICED – PART 3 (Ruth 2:1-23)
INTRODUCTION:
Last week I spoke of the inerrancy of God’s inspired Word near the end of my message, and I want to reiterate that this morning. Many of us heard of the judges and maybe even of Ruth when we were younger and attended Sunday School but what maybe was not clear at that time is what is written in Judges and in Ruth, just like all of the Old Testament and the New Testament is God-breathed or inspired, which means that it is trustworthy, the events recorded for us are historical events that took place in the nation of Israel. I want to emphasize this because the Bible is under attack by our modern society as being unreliable, out-of-date, and nothing more than a book of stories or fables or myths, and nothing could be further from the truth. McCleary Community Church’s statement of faith opens with these words: “We believe in the supernatural verbal and plenary inspiration of the Holy Bible – that they are inerrant; their teaching and authority are absolute, supreme, final, and complete.” Verbal inspiration means that we believe each word in the original text is inspired by God or God-breathed. Plenary inspiration means that the whole of Scripture is inspired by God both in substance and in structure. When we say inerrant it means without error. I want to be clear that as we go through the book of Ruth, it is not just a nice story, but it is inspired historical narrative. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NASB95)[1] I hope that is clearly understood in all my preaching as I seek to use God’s Word profitably for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that you will be adequate and equipped for every good work that God has prepared for you.
Last week we saw the first encounter between Boaz and Ruth, an encounter that actually took place as we have it recorded for us. We saw as Boaz in kindness and compassion offered his protection and provision to Ruth, even though she was a foreigner and considered herself the lowest of maidservants. Because Ruth had abandoned the gods of Moab and has sought refuge under the wings of the LORD, the God of Israel, Boaz has overlooked the fact that she is a Moabite, and has treated her as the poor, the alien, and the widow that she is and that the Law commands the Israelites to protect and provide for. This morning we will see that Boaz’s kindness and compassion does not stop here, but that he goes beyond the letter of the Law to provide for Ruth and to protect her dignity. Let’s pray and then get back into chapter 2.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Ruth 2:1-23. I am going to read the whole chapter again this morning to pick up the context. My message, however, will begin in verse 14 where we left off last week. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Ruth 2:1-23,
“Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.’ And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’ So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they said to him, ‘May the Lord bless you.’ Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, ‘Whose young woman is this?’ The servant in charge of the reapers replied, ‘She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. And she said, “Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.” Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.’ 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.’ Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’ 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 came 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 seek refuge.’ Then she said, ‘I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.’ At mealtime Boaz said to her, ‘Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.’ So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, ‘Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her. Also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may 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. She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. Her mother-in-law then said to her, ‘Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.’ So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, ‘The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.’ Again Naomi said to her, ‘The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.’ Then Ruth the Moabitess said, ‘Furthermore, he said to me, “You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.”’ Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, ‘It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.’ So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.” (Ruth 2:1–23, NASB95)[2]
BOAZ SERVES (Ruth 2:14-16)
Verse 14 begins with the phrase, “At mealtime” and is put here to be a chronological separation between Boaz and Ruth speaking in verses 8-13 and what takes place in verses 14-16. We can assume that after Boaz spoke to Ruth that she went back to gleaning in the field until it was time for the noon day meal. As we continue to think about what Boaz has said to Ruth and how Ruth has responded to him, we are about to discover that Boaz’s kindness and compassion toward Ruth has not yet been used up. Instead, he invites her to dine with him and the reapers.
To understand the significance of this we must understand that people in the middle east did not eat only to satisfy their hunger, eating together had great symbolic significance. Meals where prepared by hosts as an expression of hospitality and to celebrate special occasions. Often when a treaty was made the partners would seal the deal with a covenant meal. Many of the festivals to the LORD included sharing a meal together and just like today people liked to get together and share a meal.
This meal described here began as any noon meal out in the fields, Boaz and his workers pause at midday to refresh themselves after a morning of hard work. The fact that Boaz ate with his harvesters says something about the man, but his actions at this meal must have caught everyone by surprise. First, he invites Ruth, an outsider and a Moabitess to join him and his workers for the midday meal. The word used that is translated “come here” is a verb that means “to come near, approach” which suggests that as a stranger Ruth had deliberately and appropriately (according to custom) kept her distance.
Second, Boaz encourages her to share the food that has been prepared for his workers. We are not told if Ruth had brought her own lunch, but that seems unlikely given her economic situation and how quickly she had left Naomi that morning. That does not matter because Boaz invites her to eat, literally, “to eat from the bread.” The definite article making it “the bread” suggests this food had been prepared and brought for the workers.
Third, Boaz encourages Ruth to dip her piece for bread in the wine vinegar. What this wine vinegar is exactly is not known for the term is used for several different things in Scripture. It is possible that it was a sauce or condiment of some kind used to moisten and spice up dry bread. Boaz wants her to freely partake of all that has been prepared.
Fourth, when Ruth had taken a seat beside Boaz’s harvesters, he served her roasted grain himself. The verb used here means to hand or to give with the hand. In other words, Boaz took it upon himself to serve Ruth some of the roasted grain that was a staple in Israel’s diet. It was prepared by roasting over the fire in a pan or iron skillet.
Fifth, Boaz gives her food enough to satisfy her. Ruth has roasted grain left over after she has eaten all that she could. This fact that she had some left over is again to emphasize Boaz’s kindness and generosity toward this young woman.
These verses are not simply about feeding the hungry. The author shows us in these verses how Boaz took an ordinary occasion and transformed it into a beautiful demonstration of compassion, generosity, and acceptance, which gives us the biblical understanding of the word lovingkindness (ḥesed in Hebrew) which always has three basic meanings which always interact, the meanings are strength, steadfastness, and love. This is not a romantic love, and these verses give no hint of any romantic attraction between Boaz and Ruth. Given the racial and social barriers that separated these two, the thought would not have crossed Ruth’s mind, and she did not know at this point that Boaz was a kinsman of her deceased husband. As for Boaz, he was simply a good man sent by God to show lovingkindness to this young woman. Showing us that the wings of God are not only comforting to Israelites, but they offer protection even for despised Moabites who seek refuge under them.
As Ruth gets up from eating and returns to gleaning, Boaz gives some specific instructions to his harvesters. His instructions concern this woman, this stranger who has just eaten with them. Boaz instructs his workers to let Ruth glean among the sheaves and they are not to insult or rebuke her. His instructions are to reiterate and extend the protection that Boaz had offered when he first spoke to Ruth. Besides this, he instructs them to even pull some of the stalks of grain from the sheaves and drop them on the ground for her to glean. This generosity of Boaz borders on extravagance. It may be nothing more than true faithfulness to the LORD as Boaz observes the spirit of the Law, not just its letter. But it might be right to see more in Boaz’s actions than even Boaz himself saw. Whatever the reason, this lovingkindness toward Ruth is more than mere compliance with the legal obligation laid out in the Law of Moses. It is going over and beyond what the Law required.
NAOMI REVEALS (Ruth 2:17-23)
The author informs us that Ruth gleaned until the evening. Then she took what she had gleaned and beat it to remove the grain from the stalks. When she was finished, she had about an ephah of barley which is about 5 gallons dry weight for us. This amount of barley from one day of gleaning is a large amount. This she took up and carried back into Bethlehem and presented it to her mother-in-law. When Naomi saw how much Ruth had gleaned and when Ruth presented her with the roasted grain that she had left over from her lunch, she was amazed. She asked Ruth where she gleaned and worked for the day. Then before Ruth could answer Naomi pronounced a blessing on the man, the landowner, who took notice of Ruth.
Ruth responded to Naomi, not telling her where she worked, instead she told her the name of the landowner who had taken notice of her and allowed her to glean in his barley field. She replied, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” (Ruth 2:19b, NASB95)[3] This name causes Naomi to erupt in praise, because she knows something about this man that Ruth does not know. First, Naomi again pronounces blessing on Boaz, she asks that he be blessed of the LORD and then we see the bitterness that Naomi returned with from Moab fade into hope as she says the LORD, the God of Israel has not withdrawn His lovingkindness to the living and to the dead. In the lovingkindness of Boaz toward her daughter-in-law Ruth, Naomi perceives the lovingkindness of God and knows herself to be the object of that lovingkindness. She sees this lovingkindness extended to herself and Ruth, but also to her deceased husband and deceased sons. All that Naomi had done was let Ruth go; she was incapable of anything else. But one apparently chance event had followed another, and yet another, until the evidence of God’s hand in it all had become unmistakable. The barley, the large amount of barley that Ruth brought home was a wonderful foretaste of better things to come, for which Naomi can now dare to hope.
Naomi now reveals to Ruth what it is that she knows about Boaz. Literally translated, Naomi says, “The man is near to us, he is one of our kinsmen-redeemers. There is a hint of a complication in the phrase “one of our kinsmen-redeemers,” but at this moment it scarcely registers on anyone’s consciousness. Nothing can cloud Ruth’s satisfaction and Naomi’s joy at what has just taken place. Boaz is the only kinsman-redeemer who matters. He has offered his protection and provision and Ruth continues to glean in his fields throughout the barley and wheat harvest which lasted between 6 and 9 weeks, during which time she lived with her mother-in-law while they waited to see what God would do.
CONCLUSION:
As we come to the end of this chapter we are introduced to the term “kinsman-redeemer.” We will be seeing this more fully in the weeks to come. In this book Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer to the family of Elimelech because he is a close relative. He becomes a type for us of our Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament a lost estate could be redeemed by a kinsman, this practice becomes a type of Christ’s redemption. There are four requirements in the type that correspond to the four requirements in the antitype.
- Number one, a redeemer must be a near kinsman. To fulfill this Christ took on human flesh, through the incarnation He entered the human race.
- Number two, a redeemer must be able to redeem. The price of redemption must be paid, which in the antitype was the blood of the Son of God. As 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NASB95)[4]
- Number three, a redeemer must be willing to redeem. Hebrews 10:4-10 says concerning Christ’s willingness to redeem, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.”’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:4–10, NASB95)[5]
- Number four, a redeemer must be free from the calamity which occasioned the need of redemption, which is to say, he could not redeem himself. This was true of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He needed no redemption. According to the type of the high priest on the Day of Atonement in which he offered sacrifice for himself and then for the people, in the same way Christ offered sacrifice but not for Himself. Listen again to the author of Hebrews who says in Hebrews 7:23-28, “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.” (Hebrews 7:23–28, NASB95)[6]
We will see this role of kinsman-redeemer played out more fully in the weeks to come as we continue through the book of Ruth and discover more fully that not only is Boaz a near kinsman, but he is also able to redeem, he is willing to redeem, and he is free from the calamity which caused the need for redemption.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.