WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.779 Now, Naomi had a relative on her husband's side. 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.900 He was a prominent man of noble character from 00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:10.480 a limalex family. His name was Boaz. Ruth the 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:13.480 Moabitess asked Naomi, Will you let me go into 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:15.720 the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:19.960 with whom I find favor? Naomi answered her, Go 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:22.679 ahead, my daughter. So Ruth left and entered 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:24.920 the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:28.239 She happened to be in the portion of the field 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:31.309 belonging to Boaz. who was from Elimelech's family. 00:00:32.729 --> 00:00:35.469 Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said 00:00:35.469 --> 00:00:38.429 to the harvesters, The Lord be with you. The 00:00:38.429 --> 00:00:41.829 Lord bless you, they replied. Boaz asked his 00:00:41.829 --> 00:00:43.729 servant, who was in charge of the harvesters, 00:00:43.890 --> 00:00:46.890 Whose young woman is this? The servant answered, 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:49.990 She is the young Moabite woman who returned with 00:00:49.990 --> 00:00:53.189 Naomi from the territory of Moab. She asked, 00:00:53.329 --> 00:00:55.270 Will you let me gather fallen grain among the 00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:59.009 bundles behind the harvesters? She came and has 00:00:59.009 --> 00:01:01.189 been on her feet since early morning, except 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:04.569 that she rested a little in the shelter. Then 00:01:04.569 --> 00:01:07.629 Boaz said to Ruth, Listen, my daughter, don't 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:10.510 go and gather grain in another field, and don't 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:12.650 leave this one, but stay here close to my female 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.290 servants. See which field they are harvesting 00:01:15.290 --> 00:01:17.930 and follow them. Haven't I ordered the young 00:01:17.930 --> 00:01:20.530 men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go 00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:22.709 and drink from the jars the young men have filled. 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:26.109 She fell face down, bowed to the ground, and 00:01:26.109 --> 00:01:28.780 said to him, Why have I found favor with you, 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:31.120 so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner? 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:35.260 Boaz answered her, Everything you have done for 00:01:35.260 --> 00:01:36.980 your mother -in -law since your husband's death 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:40.019 has been fully reported to me, how you left your 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:42.500 father and mother and your native land, and how 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:44.959 you came to a people you didn't previously know. 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:47.879 May the Lord reward you for what you have done, 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.480 and may you receive a full reward from the Lord 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:53.219 God of Israel, whose wings you have come for 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:56.900 refuge. My lord, she said, I have found favor 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.060 with you, for you have comforted and encouraged 00:01:59.060 --> 00:02:01.359 your servant, although I am not like the one 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:05.659 of your female servants. At mealtime, Boaz told 00:02:05.659 --> 00:02:08.280 her, Come over here and have some bread and dip 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.719 it in the vinegar sauce. So she sat beside the 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:13.680 harvesters and he offered her roasted grain. 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:16.919 She ate and was satisfied and had some left over. 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.580 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:23.400 his young men. Let her even gather grain among 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:26.659 the bundles, and don't humiliate her. Pull out 00:02:26.659 --> 00:02:28.719 some stalks from the bundles for her and leave 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:32.599 them for her to gather. Don't rebuke her. So 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:34.560 Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.860 She beat out what she had gathered, and it was 00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:39.939 about 26 quarts of barley. She picked up the 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:41.960 grain and went into the town, where her mother 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:44.400 -in -law saw what she had gleaned. She brought 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:46.340 out what she had left over from her meal and 00:02:46.340 --> 00:02:49.000 gave it to her. Her mother -in -law said to her, 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:51.400 Where did you gather barley today? And where 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:53.659 did you work? May the Lord bless the man who 00:02:53.659 --> 00:02:56.520 noticed you. Ruth told her mother -in -law, whom 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.659 she had worked with, and said, The name of the 00:02:58.659 --> 00:03:02.099 man I worked with today is Boaz. Then Naomi said 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:04.280 to her daughter -in -law, May the Lord bless 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:06.300 him because he has not abandoned his kindness 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:10.219 to the living or the dead. Naomi continued, The 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:12.759 man is a close relative. He is one of our family 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:16.680 redeemers. Ruth the Moabitess said, He also told 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.080 me, Stay with my young men until they have finished 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:22.259 all of my harvest. So Naomi said to her daughter 00:03:22.259 --> 00:03:24.639 -in -law Ruth, My daughter, it is good for you 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:26.960 to work with his female servants, so that nothing 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:29.919 will happen to you in another field. Ruth stayed 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.180 close to Boaz's female servants and gathered 00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:34.120 grain until the barley and the wheat harvest 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:36.419 were finished, and she lived with her mother 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:49.039 -in -law. Well, we've been continuing in the 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:54.280 book of Ruth. And Ruth is a little bit unique 00:03:54.280 --> 00:04:00.460 in that it's a narrative. And the author who 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:03.979 wrote the book of Ruth is really intentional 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:11.180 about how they continue the story. So last week, 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:15.639 we were in Ruth chapter 1. So I'm going to recap 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.240 that, and then we're going to pray before we 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:23.069 dive into the text. in Ruth chapter 2. So last 00:04:23.069 --> 00:04:27.189 week we walked through famine, funerals, and 00:04:27.189 --> 00:04:29.970 the fields of Moab. We met names loaded with 00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:32.370 meaning. There was Elimelech, whose name meant 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:35.850 my god is king, even though he lived like he 00:04:35.850 --> 00:04:38.589 was king of his life. There was Naomi, whose 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:40.970 name meant pleasant, and at the end of the story 00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:45.529 she's like, call me bitter, call me Mara. There 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:48.610 was Malon and Kilion, whose names meant sickness, 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:52.240 and wasting. There was Ruth, whose name meant 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:56.199 friend, and more. But we watched this family, 00:04:56.279 --> 00:04:59.759 this Israelite family, leave God's promised land. 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:04.199 And they went to the city from the city of Bethlehem, 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:07.000 which was the house of bread. And they left because 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:09.199 of famine, and they went to the land of Moab, 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:13.040 the place of compromise. And there, Naomi buried 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.319 her husband and her sons. And then Ruth, a Moabite 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:22.269 widow, made a stunning decision. She chose the 00:05:22.269 --> 00:05:25.290 God of Israel. She chose the people of Israel. 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:28.529 She chose the land of promise. She chose to return 00:05:28.529 --> 00:05:34.350 to God and nothing with Naomi. And Naomi returns 00:05:34.350 --> 00:05:37.149 home and says, don't call me Naomi, call me Mara, 00:05:37.149 --> 00:05:40.430 which means bitter or could actually even be 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:46.230 translated as rebellious. But still, Naomi believed 00:05:46.230 --> 00:05:51.110 in the Lord. She interpreted the Lord through 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:54.649 her pain. She said, he oppressed and afflicted 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:59.949 me. And yet, at the very, very, very end of Ruth 00:05:59.949 --> 00:06:03.389 chapter 1, it ends with this whisper of hope. 00:06:04.569 --> 00:06:08.889 The author specifically, after this whole narrative 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:11.970 of everything that just happened to this family, 00:06:12.110 --> 00:06:16.629 the death, the return to this land, the women 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:18.579 say, hey, is that? Is that Naomi? She's like, 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:21.259 uh -uh. Don't call me Naomi anymore. Call me 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:23.459 Mara. They come back, and the author ends with 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:27.259 this detail. They arrived in Bethlehem at the 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:31.480 start of the harvest. And we see this glimmer, 00:06:31.540 --> 00:06:35.079 this whisper of hope in the midst of a dark time 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:40.279 for Naomi and for Ruth. And Ruth, the entire 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:43.720 book, is actually a whisper of hope in a really 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:45.980 dark time. This was set during the time of the 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:49.290 judges. And at the end of the book of Judges, 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:53.730 it says, and everyone did what was right in their 00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:58.550 own eyes. And we see this ending of that book 00:06:58.550 --> 00:07:02.850 where they're crying out for a king when God 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:05.250 was supposed to be their king. But they chose 00:07:05.250 --> 00:07:08.370 to do what was right in their own eyes. So that's 00:07:08.370 --> 00:07:11.689 where we're coming from. And now we come into 00:07:11.689 --> 00:07:16.040 Ruth chapter 2. And we're going to dive into 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:18.319 that text together. But before we do that, let's 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:24.279 pray. Heavenly Father, you are good. We thank 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:28.379 you. We praise you that even in the midst of 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:33.160 famine, even in the midst of hardship, Lord, 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:36.100 we can still have hope in you. Lord, help us 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.079 to have eyes to see that. And as we look through 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.779 Ruth chapter 2 this morning, I just pray that 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:45.379 you would be at work in our hearts. in our minds. 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:48.160 Lord, draw out from your word what you would 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:52.240 have for us this morning. We pray this all in 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:57.439 Jesus' name. Amen. So, if you have your Bibles, 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.819 we're going to turn to Ruth chapter 2. If you 00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:03.240 don't have a Bible, there are some back on those 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:06.220 response tables in the back with the black tablecloths. 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.800 Take that. Take it home with you. It's yours. 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:12.759 But we're going to be going verse through verse. 00:08:13.579 --> 00:08:18.680 in Ruth chapter 2. And so as we come to this 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:21.019 chapter, we see this little bit of a transition. 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:24.800 There's this glimmer of hope, this whisper at 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:30.720 the end of Ruth 1. And now we come and we get 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:36.759 to start to see that in Ruth 2. And what was 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:42.330 amazing to me as I spent time preparing and really 00:08:42.330 --> 00:08:45.950 just soaking in God's word this week, is that 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:51.169 God sovereignly works through ordinary faithfulness 00:08:51.169 --> 00:08:56.549 to accomplish his covenant kindness. God sovereignly 00:08:56.549 --> 00:09:00.370 works through ordinary faithfulness to accomplish 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:03.330 his covenant kindness. So as we work through 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:07.429 this narrative, I want to focus on three paintings 00:09:07.429 --> 00:09:11.850 of the characters from our story. So a few weeks 00:09:11.850 --> 00:09:14.450 ago, Carissa, my wife, and our kiddos, they went 00:09:14.450 --> 00:09:18.690 to an art class, and they had to paint a picture. 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:23.350 And my three -year -old, Micaiah, was ready to 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:25.269 just like dive in, and he's like, when do I get 00:09:25.269 --> 00:09:28.450 to paint the black? And so we're like, okay, 00:09:28.490 --> 00:09:33.769 hold on, buddy. But there was a process that 00:09:33.769 --> 00:09:36.909 they had to follow. And the person who was instructing 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:38.610 said, hey, first, we're going to take our pencils. 00:09:40.110 --> 00:09:42.610 And we're going to put down this charcoal sketch. 00:09:44.710 --> 00:09:46.909 And we're going to see these outlines. And then 00:09:46.909 --> 00:09:49.169 we're going to come back after we have this outline 00:09:49.169 --> 00:09:50.710 and we're going to start to fill in a little 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:53.330 bit more detail. And then we're going to start 00:09:53.330 --> 00:09:56.789 to put color onto this. And then after we put 00:09:56.789 --> 00:09:58.889 color onto it, now we're going to come back. 00:09:58.970 --> 00:10:01.269 We're going to add more detail with the color, 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:03.929 with the pencil, and with all these different 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:06.940 tools. We're going to paint a picture together 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:08.700 this morning because there's three characters. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.460 I'm going to introduce you to them now. Boaz, 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:17.259 Naomi, and Ruth. And we're going to look at their 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:21.759 pictures a little bit this morning. So we already 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.860 have some basic sketched outlines of two of these 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:27.460 characters from chapter one. We've got Naomi 00:10:27.460 --> 00:10:31.440 and we've got Ruth. And so if we were just putting 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.139 down those kind of initial lines of the sketch, 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:39.610 Naomi is a widow who lost everything and everyone 00:10:39.610 --> 00:10:44.669 that might protect and provide for her. But she's 00:10:44.669 --> 00:10:48.110 a woman whose daughter -in -law wants to follow 00:10:48.110 --> 00:10:52.570 her anyway. And with a love for God that was 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:56.669 an example to Ruth so that she chose God and 00:10:56.669 --> 00:11:00.850 not the gods of her homeland in Moab. At the 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:03.090 end of Ruth chapter 1, we see Naomi's returning 00:11:03.090 --> 00:11:06.539 to Bethlehem with Ruth. She is leaving Moab and 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:10.759 coming back to God's promised land. And the women 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.259 in the town in Bethlehem, they say, is this Naomi? 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:20.860 And Naomi says, no. Call me Mara. Bitter, rebellious, 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:24.000 but she still recognizes the Lord. She knows 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:27.840 he's real, but she's struggling with what he's 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.159 allowed, how he's opposed and afflicted her. 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:33.679 Those were her words. She's also pretty open. 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:38.200 She's honest. She's vocal about it. But she has 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:40.919 returned to God's promised land, though she hasn't 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:44.419 returned with hope. So that's that rough sketch, 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:49.360 that rough outline that we have of Naomi. Then 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:55.539 we have Ruth. Ruth was a foreign widow. She was 00:11:55.539 --> 00:12:01.460 from the land of Moab. Her husband died. But 00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:05.080 she's faithful to the Lord. When they're on the 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:07.120 road, they're coming back to Bethlehem in chapter 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:12.259 1, and Naomi says, hey, you should go back to 00:12:12.259 --> 00:12:14.179 her two daughter -in -laws. You should go back 00:12:14.179 --> 00:12:18.480 to Moab. Because there's no chance I'm going 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.039 to have another kid for you to marry. And even 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:21.399 if I did right now, what, are you going to wait 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:24.419 for him to grow up? Like, no. Go back to where 00:12:24.419 --> 00:12:27.720 there's a chance for you in Moab. Because if 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:32.330 you come to Israel, You're Moabite women and 00:12:32.330 --> 00:12:37.970 widows. There's no hope for you here. Orpah argues 00:12:37.970 --> 00:12:40.570 for a while and says, no, no, no. But she goes 00:12:40.570 --> 00:12:46.669 back. But Ruth, Ruth says, no. I choose God. 00:12:48.190 --> 00:12:50.590 I choose the God of Israel. I choose your God. 00:12:50.629 --> 00:12:53.450 He will be my God. Your people will be my people. 00:12:54.549 --> 00:12:57.149 So Ruth doesn't just follow Naomi because Naomi 00:12:57.149 --> 00:13:00.129 was this fantastic mother -in -law. Seems like 00:13:00.129 --> 00:13:03.190 maybe there was something there, right? But Ruth 00:13:03.190 --> 00:13:08.629 chooses God. She leaves her homeland and comes 00:13:08.629 --> 00:13:14.570 to God's promised land of Israel for Israel with 00:13:14.570 --> 00:13:19.409 Naomi as a foreigner. Not just a foreigner, but 00:13:19.409 --> 00:13:21.110 actually a foreigner that the people of Israel 00:13:21.110 --> 00:13:25.570 particularly didn't like. And she seeks God. 00:13:25.809 --> 00:13:28.970 And she's learning, or she's already been learning, 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.360 about his words and his laws. And we're going 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.919 to see that because she knows what to do at the 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.879 start of chapter two. So we have this really 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:42.259 kind of outlined sketch. There's a tiny bit of 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:45.940 detail in these pictures, these portraits of 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.960 Ruth and Naomi. And right when we get into chapter 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:52.379 two, the author introduces us to our next character, 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:57.909 Boaz. So Ruth chapter two, verse one. It says, 00:13:57.990 --> 00:14:00.309 now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side. 00:14:00.389 --> 00:14:02.769 He was a prominent man of noble character from 00:14:02.769 --> 00:14:08.929 a limalex family. His name was Boaz. Now, I find 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:11.929 this interesting because the author tells us 00:14:11.929 --> 00:14:17.110 about Boaz, but Ruth and Naomi don't really know 00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:21.129 about him yet. And so the author is doing this 00:14:21.129 --> 00:14:25.950 intentionally, I believe, but... Let's see what's 00:14:25.950 --> 00:14:28.889 the rough sketch we get from just this one, this 00:14:28.889 --> 00:14:34.129 first verse about this guy Boaz. He was a prominent 00:14:34.129 --> 00:14:38.350 man of noble character. So the Hebrew word there, 00:14:38.509 --> 00:14:41.669 Gebor Chael, actually meant like wealthy, well 00:14:41.669 --> 00:14:45.490 thought of. He was a man of standing. So this 00:14:45.490 --> 00:14:50.950 guy is pretty well off. He's a relative of Elimelech, 00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:54.360 which if... We read this, we're like, oh yeah, 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.620 cool, fantastic. If you were an Israelite that 00:14:57.620 --> 00:14:59.720 read this, you're reading this, you're like, 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:05.179 oh, he could be a redeemer. We don't get that, 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:07.259 right, in our culture, but the Israelites reading 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:08.960 this, when they would work through it, are like, 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:11.899 oh man, that author just slipped up big time 00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:14.519 and told us a big detail. But Ruth and Naomi 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:18.639 don't know about this. We also see the implication 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:23.539 that Boaz stayed in Israel during the same famine 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:26.559 where Elimelech and his family chose to leave. 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:30.840 Boaz said, you know what? I'm going to trust 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:33.240 God, even in the face of the famine, and I'm 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:37.700 going to stay here. And then it's also implied 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:41.429 that the Lord blessed him. we see this rough 00:15:41.429 --> 00:15:45.009 sketch, but I believe the author brings this 00:15:45.009 --> 00:15:48.049 picture of Boaz up the very start of the chapter 00:15:48.049 --> 00:15:50.090 before we get into any other part of the story, 00:15:50.129 --> 00:15:51.750 because he could have just as easily introduced 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:55.370 him later. I think it's intentional. See, before 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:59.490 Ruth does anything, before Naomi has any hope, 00:15:59.669 --> 00:16:04.629 before any conversation even happens, Boaz exists. 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:13.460 God's covenant kindness, his chesed, we introduced 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:16.679 that word last week. It's this word that we can't 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:19.200 really quite translate into English, but it's 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:24.139 this covenantal loving kindness is already positioned. 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:29.559 And so we get to see that before Ruth and Naomi 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:32.340 realize it. And the readers in Israel who would 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:35.700 have read this would have said, there is a chance. 00:16:37.060 --> 00:16:41.019 So as we continue, we're going to fill out a 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:44.679 little bit more on our paintings. Because as 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:47.460 this narrative unfolds, the author does such 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:51.259 an amazing job of layering in this detail. So 00:16:51.259 --> 00:16:57.799 verses 2 and 3, Ruth chapter 2, verses 2 and 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:00.820 3. Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, will you let 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:02.639 me go into the fields and gather fallen grain 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:07.049 behind someone with whom I may find favor? Naomi 00:17:07.049 --> 00:17:10.230 answered her, go ahead, my daughter. So Ruth 00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:12.789 left and entered the field to gather grain behind 00:17:12.789 --> 00:17:17.009 the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion 00:17:17.009 --> 00:17:19.809 of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from 00:17:19.809 --> 00:17:23.289 Elimelech's family. So what's interesting here, 00:17:23.329 --> 00:17:25.710 right off the bat, we get a little reminder about 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:29.490 Ruth. And we're going to see this reminder time 00:17:29.490 --> 00:17:32.950 and time and time again in these first chapters. 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:39.079 She is a Moabite. Which means she's not of God's 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:41.000 people, but what's really interesting here is 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.500 she knows about this practice of gleaning. And 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:47.460 if we read that and don't have any context, we 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:51.579 say, okay, whatever. Well, this was actually 00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:54.599 a law that God had set for his people in Israel, 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:59.460 where he told those who had land, who were farmers, 00:17:59.579 --> 00:18:02.059 who had people who were farming for them, hey, 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:05.599 you know what? When you go out and you harvest, 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:10.339 don't take everything. Leave the corners of your 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:15.140 fields. And if you drop things in the field, 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:19.779 don't pick them back up. And if you happen to 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:24.940 forget an entire sheaf of wheat out there, you 00:18:24.940 --> 00:18:28.339 can't go back for it because I will give that 00:18:28.339 --> 00:18:33.779 to the sojourners, the foreigners, to the fatherless, 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:36.680 the orphans, and to the widows. And this was 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:39.420 something that God told his people to do in the 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:42.599 land. And if you are interested about more, you 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:44.500 can see a little bit about that in Deuteronomy 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:47.940 chapter 24, verse 19. But what's really interesting 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:53.640 is Ruth knows this. She's not an Israelite, so 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:57.220 either she has been dedicating herself to learning 00:18:57.220 --> 00:18:59.980 God's laws, or maybe Naomi told her, or she heard 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:02.920 about it. Whatever it is, Ruth says, you know 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:06.319 what? Can I do this? And she takes a step in 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.980 act of obedience. See, she trusts the law that 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:12.539 God put forward for the sojourner, the fatherless, 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:15.319 and the widow, and that it would provide, and 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:17.359 that she would need to walk in faith. She would 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:19.480 need to glean in faith, and so she goes out. 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:23.819 And then it's really interesting because it says 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:28.460 she happened to be in the portion of the field 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:32.599 that belongs to Boaz, who happened to be from 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:37.569 a Limelech's family. So, I kind of laughed as 00:19:37.569 --> 00:19:40.269 I read this. I just feel like the author's like, 00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:44.349 and it just so happened, wink, wink, that she 00:19:44.349 --> 00:19:50.009 ended up in this field. It just happened. That's 00:19:50.009 --> 00:19:53.769 how the narrator says it. But there's no such 00:19:53.769 --> 00:19:59.289 thing as just happened with God. Last week, we 00:19:59.289 --> 00:20:04.400 talked about God's providence. And when we unpacked 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:06.720 God's providence, we said it's his sovereignty 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:12.720 and his kindness, his loving kindness. See, the 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.799 narrator says it just happened, but really it's 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:20.279 the providence of God. It's not coincidence. 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:26.619 Providence. I came across an interesting definition 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:30.319 of the providence of God, which was natural means 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:34.509 in a natural world. accomplishing God's sovereign 00:20:34.509 --> 00:20:39.009 purposes. See, Ruth chooses to walk in ordinary 00:20:39.009 --> 00:20:43.069 obedience. She knew about this law for provision, 00:20:43.210 --> 00:20:45.309 and she says, I'm going to do that. I'm going 00:20:45.309 --> 00:20:48.690 to step out actively, faithfully, and I'm going 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:53.630 to do that. But then God directs the field that 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:58.750 she lands in. Pretty cool. So this painting of 00:20:58.750 --> 00:21:02.759 Ruth, we're adding in these splashes of color 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:08.000 of a woman who, though she's a foreigner, she's 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:14.180 saying, I want to know more about God. And I 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:18.039 want to step out and allow him to provide for 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:22.339 me. And so she goes and she gleans. Now, let's 00:21:22.339 --> 00:21:25.140 set aside the painting of Ruth for a minute. 00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:27.920 Let's pick up the picture and painting of Boaz. 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:34.400 So, Verse 4 says this. Later, when Boaz arrived 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:36.880 from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, The 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:40.599 Lord be with you. The Lord bless you, they replied. 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:44.660 So, one verse. I'm going to pause there. It's 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:48.740 so interesting to me that the very first words 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:55.039 that are recorded that Boaz says are about the 00:21:55.039 --> 00:22:00.640 Lord. The Lord be with you. Now, remember the 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.740 time period we're in here. This is the time of 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:06.740 the judges where there's this constant cycle 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:13.359 of the people of Israel living in sin. God submitting 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:16.200 them over to the judgment. The people cry back 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:19.839 out to the Lord. The Lord sends someone to rescue 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.480 them. He sends a judge. The people say, we will 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:26.099 follow the Lord. And then the next generation, 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:29.910 they're like, eh, not really. And it was this 00:22:29.910 --> 00:22:34.349 constant cycle. We don't know exactly whether 00:22:34.349 --> 00:22:37.430 the book of Ruth is set in one of the times when 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:40.109 they may have been kind of back walking with 00:22:40.109 --> 00:22:43.369 the Lord. There's some indication, if you track 00:22:43.369 --> 00:22:47.250 back genealogies, that this probably was a time 00:22:47.250 --> 00:22:50.509 when they weren't. But we don't know that for 00:22:50.509 --> 00:22:54.599 sure. But it's interesting to me. That what we 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:57.460 learn about, what the author intentionally tells 00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:59.980 us about Boaz, is the first thing out of his 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:05.500 mouth is about the Lord. He's speaking a covenant 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:10.660 blessing over the people in his field. In the 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:12.640 time when everyone did what was right in his 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:15.920 own eyes, violence, idolatry, moral chaos, but 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:20.880 here, a man whose first words in the narrative 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:23.740 are covenant blessing. The response of his servants, 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:30.839 the Lord bless you. Now, yes, that was kind of 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.119 a common phrase and greeting that would be used 00:23:34.119 --> 00:23:40.119 back and forth. But what I see is a man whose 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:43.059 mind was set on the Lord and whose servants also 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:45.559 call on the name of the Lord because of his example. 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:53.470 Now, contrast that with Elimelech. who chose 00:23:53.470 --> 00:23:57.430 to go to Moab for provision. And now we have 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:00.730 this man, Boaz, who chose to stay in Israel for 00:24:00.730 --> 00:24:04.230 his provision. Now, as we continue, we're going 00:24:04.230 --> 00:24:07.789 to look at verses 5 through 9. So Ruth chapter 00:24:07.789 --> 00:24:11.109 2, verses 5 through 9. Boaz asked his servant 00:24:11.109 --> 00:24:13.250 who was in charge of the harvesters, whose young 00:24:13.250 --> 00:24:16.109 woman is this? The servant answered, she is the 00:24:16.109 --> 00:24:19.210 young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from 00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:21.950 the territory of Moab. She asked, will you let 00:24:21.950 --> 00:24:24.049 me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind 00:24:24.049 --> 00:24:27.369 the harvesters? She came and has been on her 00:24:27.369 --> 00:24:30.150 feet since early morning, except that she rested 00:24:30.150 --> 00:24:32.710 a little in the shelter. And then Boaz said to 00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:37.190 Ruth, listen, my daughter, don't go and gather 00:24:37.190 --> 00:24:41.240 grain in any... And don't leave this one, but 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:44.200 stay here close to my female servants. See which 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:46.619 field they are harvesting and follow them. Haven't 00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:48.380 I ordered the young men not to touch you? When 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:51.000 you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the 00:24:51.000 --> 00:25:00.700 young men have filled. Boaz notices Ruth. He 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:03.440 notices someone new in his field, and he goes 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:06.329 and he talks, but... But through this, I see 00:25:06.329 --> 00:25:11.450 that Boaz trusted God rather than giving into 00:25:11.450 --> 00:25:14.170 the temptation of harvesting his field entirely. 00:25:14.210 --> 00:25:16.869 Because you know why? There was something to 00:25:16.869 --> 00:25:22.109 glean in his field. Ruth comes and his was a 00:25:22.109 --> 00:25:27.829 field that she could glean in. It wasn't picked 00:25:27.829 --> 00:25:32.230 bare. In this time with everybody doing what 00:25:32.230 --> 00:25:35.210 was right in their own eyes. pretty likely that 00:25:35.210 --> 00:25:37.789 there were a lot of fields where the people didn't 00:25:37.789 --> 00:25:41.410 obey God's law of leaving something to glean. 00:25:41.650 --> 00:25:45.690 But Ruth notices, hey, there's a field I can 00:25:45.690 --> 00:25:50.309 glean in, and she goes. So we see that Boaz is 00:25:50.309 --> 00:25:54.289 faithful in that he trusts God more than his 00:25:54.289 --> 00:25:59.009 own work and plans, where this wasn't commonly 00:25:59.009 --> 00:26:02.450 the norm in this season. So Boaz then recognizes 00:26:02.450 --> 00:26:07.140 this foreigner, And without any benefit for himself, 00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:11.900 but for a family connection and duty, he provides 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:17.700 protection. So when he sees her, I've heard this 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:22.019 read and taught like, oh, it was this beautiful 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:26.680 romantic scene. It was sunset and the barley 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:31.660 fields were rustling. And Boaz comes out and 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:36.900 he looks and he sees this beautiful woman. And 00:26:36.900 --> 00:26:41.819 he says, I need to know who she is. No. Actually, 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:49.119 no. Gleaning was not glamorous work. Okay? This 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:52.019 is not this like little romantic book meet cute 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:55.819 that's going on. Boaz is actually in tune enough. 00:26:56.490 --> 00:26:59.390 with the people who work under him, that he notices, 00:26:59.470 --> 00:27:05.910 hey, who's that really dusty, sweaty, like bent 00:27:05.910 --> 00:27:08.869 over in the dirt foreigner gleaning over there? 00:27:10.650 --> 00:27:16.650 He cares about who's in his field. So this isn't 00:27:16.650 --> 00:27:19.369 this. Scripture actually tells us nothing about 00:27:19.369 --> 00:27:24.210 what Ruth looked like, about her beauty. You 00:27:24.210 --> 00:27:27.910 know, you can take that for what it is, but I 00:27:27.910 --> 00:27:30.549 don't see any indication that it's this beautiful 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:33.690 romantic scene. We just see a man who's faithful, 00:27:33.789 --> 00:27:35.910 and he goes to the person who's in charge of 00:27:35.910 --> 00:27:37.210 all the servants, and he's like, hey, what's 00:27:37.210 --> 00:27:40.869 going on? New person over there. And what's really 00:27:40.869 --> 00:27:46.829 interesting is that Boaz sees and notices her 00:27:46.829 --> 00:27:51.049 faithfulness. Not only does Boaz notice that, 00:27:51.470 --> 00:27:53.730 but also the person who was in charge of the 00:27:53.730 --> 00:28:00.009 people harvesting. Ruth made some form of impact 00:28:00.009 --> 00:28:04.130 on him. He mentions one of the first things is, 00:28:04.210 --> 00:28:06.670 hey, well, you know, first he's like, by the 00:28:06.670 --> 00:28:10.769 way, that's that Moabite woman. But she actually 00:28:10.769 --> 00:28:14.029 came and asked me if she could glean here. We'll 00:28:14.029 --> 00:28:15.670 talk about why that's interesting in a minute. 00:28:15.990 --> 00:28:20.039 But Ruth is there, and Boaz, without... really 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:23.519 any benefit to himself. He happens to know that, 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:25.599 yes, this is the widow who came back with Naomi. 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:30.160 So there was some cultural level of wanting to 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:33.220 try to make sure he could help and provide as 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:39.339 a part of Elimelech's family. But he offers protection. 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:44.180 He also tells her to drink from the water jars 00:28:44.180 --> 00:28:48.089 that the men filled. Culturally, a Moabite woman 00:28:48.089 --> 00:28:50.289 drinking from the same jars as Israelite workers 00:28:50.289 --> 00:28:52.369 would actually have raised a couple of eyebrows, 00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:55.049 could have potentially actually made things unclean. 00:28:55.069 --> 00:28:58.049 But what's interesting is Boaz treats her not 00:28:58.049 --> 00:29:00.509 as an outsider to be managed, but as somebody 00:29:00.509 --> 00:29:04.589 to be welcomed near. So we're going to set aside 00:29:04.589 --> 00:29:07.069 that portrait of Boaz for a minute, this guy 00:29:07.069 --> 00:29:10.769 who notices who's in his field, who is faithful. 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:14.079 who cares about this woman, not because she's 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:17.839 some really attractive woman in his field, but 00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:23.359 because he sees faithfulness. Let's set aside 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:26.799 that picture of Boaz for a minute, and let's 00:29:26.799 --> 00:29:28.380 fill in a little bit more on this picture of 00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:32.119 Ruth. Not the, like, sweaty, dirty, unkempt, 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:35.000 dusty one that I just painted, the one we've 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:36.720 been talking about before about her character. 00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:40.799 So, just to step back to verse 6 and 7 again, 00:29:41.549 --> 00:29:43.690 I think it's really interesting that the servant 00:29:43.690 --> 00:29:45.930 answered, she's the young Moabite woman who returned 00:29:45.930 --> 00:29:49.450 with Naomi from the territory of Moab. She asked, 00:29:49.589 --> 00:29:51.509 will you let me gather fallen grain among the 00:29:51.509 --> 00:29:54.130 bundles behind the harvesters? She came and has 00:29:54.130 --> 00:29:56.029 been on her feet since early morning, except 00:29:56.029 --> 00:29:59.869 that she rested a little in the shelter. I mentioned 00:29:59.869 --> 00:30:03.509 we're going to come back to this because First, 00:30:03.650 --> 00:30:05.809 he does call attention that Ruth's a Moabite 00:30:05.809 --> 00:30:08.329 woman. So last week, Caleb mentioned a little 00:30:08.329 --> 00:30:11.730 bit about the Moab being on the short list for 00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:13.150 the people of Israel that they're not supposed 00:30:13.150 --> 00:30:18.150 to really have any association with. See, Moab, 00:30:18.190 --> 00:30:21.509 the country of Moab, was the descendants of an 00:30:21.509 --> 00:30:25.109 incestual relationship between Lot and one of 00:30:25.109 --> 00:30:29.690 his daughters. And a little more color, because 00:30:29.690 --> 00:30:32.130 that's already like, oof. That's not so great. 00:30:32.289 --> 00:30:36.130 A little more color. In Numbers chapter 25, the 00:30:36.130 --> 00:30:39.750 Moabite women actually led Israel into sexual 00:30:39.750 --> 00:30:44.890 immorality and idolatry, enticed them into it. 00:30:46.230 --> 00:30:51.170 And as a result, 24 ,000 Israelites were struck 00:30:51.170 --> 00:30:54.779 dead. by a plague from the Lord, and God told 00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:58.839 Moses to go and systematically kill the leaders 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:01.680 of the people of Israel who were either actively 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:04.099 participating or passively standing by to let 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:09.940 this happen. That is the people that Ruth comes 00:31:09.940 --> 00:31:14.859 from. They were not supposed to be in the assembly 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:17.299 of the Lord all the way to the 10th generation, 00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:19.779 which didn't just mean 10 generations and then, 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:22.519 yep, Moab's good. No, that was a way of saying 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:30.220 like, no, no Moab anyway. But Ruth is different. 00:31:31.460 --> 00:31:33.579 So he's saying, it's that Moabite woman, but 00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:36.619 then the servant recounts her words and what 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:39.700 was probably a bit of surprise. See, under God's 00:31:39.700 --> 00:31:44.740 law, Ruth actually legally had the right to come 00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:47.960 glean in the field. She didn't need to ask. Under 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.680 God's law, her legal right was to come, to follow 00:31:50.680 --> 00:31:52.920 along, to be able to pick up what was dropped 00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:58.400 and left as a way of provision. But first she 00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:02.569 comes and she asks permission. She seeks to honor 00:32:02.569 --> 00:32:05.390 God and her life is an example. Her hard work's 00:32:05.390 --> 00:32:07.470 noticed. The servant is like, yeah, she's been 00:32:07.470 --> 00:32:09.390 gleaning since early morning. She's taken like 00:32:09.390 --> 00:32:13.930 one little break, but she's still at it. Her 00:32:13.930 --> 00:32:16.849 loyalty, her work ethic, and her trust in the 00:32:16.849 --> 00:32:20.130 provision of God through his law is visible. 00:32:20.170 --> 00:32:23.650 She chooses God's way. So you guys, it was rough 00:32:23.650 --> 00:32:27.049 for her as a Moabite widow. Naomi tried to convince 00:32:27.049 --> 00:32:28.950 her, hey, go back. It's not going to be super 00:32:28.950 --> 00:32:32.420 nice here. Ruth came and she could have sought 00:32:32.420 --> 00:32:35.500 provision in other ways. She could have pursued 00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:39.400 survival through manipulation or seduction. Instead, 00:32:39.579 --> 00:32:41.660 she chooses to trust the Lord and she chooses 00:32:41.660 --> 00:32:46.559 to glean, which was real hard work for basically 00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:52.660 just enough wages in food to try and extend your 00:32:52.660 --> 00:32:57.559 life a little further out. Gleaning was not this 00:32:57.559 --> 00:33:01.680 abundance. Typically, if you were gleaning, you 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:07.160 maybe might get enough to carry you food -wise 00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:12.619 to like the next day, maybe one more as a general 00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:17.259 rule. And this is what Ruth chooses to do because 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:21.359 she chooses to trust the Lord. And then in verse 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:25.599 10, It tells us, she fell face down, bowed to 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:27.339 the ground, and said to him, why have I found 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:30.579 favor with you so that you notice me, although 00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:34.420 I am a foreigner? She honors Boaz. That fell 00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:36.259 face down, it's not just because she was like, 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:40.319 oh, she was like actually giving honor. She's 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:46.519 saying, what is going on? Another way of translating 00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:50.839 favor there is acceptance. Why have I found acceptance? 00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:53.319 She knows who she is. She knows she's a Moabite 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:56.720 widow. Why have I found acceptance that you notice 00:33:56.720 --> 00:34:00.299 me even though I'm a foreigner? Keep in mind 00:34:00.299 --> 00:34:03.440 at this point, Ruth doesn't know that Boaz is 00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:08.900 a relative. She doesn't actually, from all indication 00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:12.519 from Scripture, know that this is part of a limilex 00:34:12.519 --> 00:34:15.000 family. She just faithfully set her head, went 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:18.429 out to glean, and she just happened. to be in 00:34:18.429 --> 00:34:22.510 Boaz's field because of God's providence. So 00:34:22.510 --> 00:34:27.349 she doesn't know Boaz is a family redeemer. She 00:34:27.349 --> 00:34:29.849 just sees that there's something different, something 00:34:29.849 --> 00:34:34.829 honorable. And then verses 11 through 13, we're 00:34:34.829 --> 00:34:39.210 still painting this picture of Ruth. Boaz answered 00:34:39.210 --> 00:34:41.210 her, everything you have done for your mother 00:34:41.210 --> 00:34:43.250 -in -law since your husband's death has been 00:34:43.250 --> 00:34:46.710 fully reported to me. how you left your father 00:34:46.710 --> 00:34:48.489 and mother in your native land, how you came 00:34:48.489 --> 00:34:52.030 to a people you didn't previously know. May the 00:34:52.030 --> 00:34:55.809 Lord reward you for what you have done, and may 00:34:55.809 --> 00:35:00.309 you receive a full reward from the Lord God of 00:35:00.309 --> 00:35:04.030 Israel under whose wings you have come for refuge. 00:35:05.650 --> 00:35:09.670 My Lord, she said, I have found favor with you. 00:35:10.809 --> 00:35:13.769 you have comforted and encouraged your servant, 00:35:13.869 --> 00:35:15.949 although I am not like one of your female servants. 00:35:17.050 --> 00:35:20.670 See, what I find so interesting as we paint this 00:35:20.670 --> 00:35:23.289 picture of Ruth is people know what she's done. 00:35:24.829 --> 00:35:29.869 She is living a life that it is an example to 00:35:29.869 --> 00:35:32.429 the others around her. And one that for some 00:35:32.429 --> 00:35:35.610 of the Israelites was probably a little bit of 00:35:35.610 --> 00:35:39.030 like a kick in the pants. in this season, or 00:35:39.030 --> 00:35:40.789 maybe it wasn't, maybe they just didn't care. 00:35:41.150 --> 00:35:44.590 But here's this Moabite woman who is choosing 00:35:44.590 --> 00:35:47.570 to follow and to honor God. And regardless of 00:35:47.570 --> 00:35:49.489 what the people thought, they noticed. They're 00:35:49.489 --> 00:35:51.469 like, yeah, that's the lady who's been taking 00:35:51.469 --> 00:35:54.110 care of Naomi. Bitter Naomi? Yeah, like she's 00:35:54.110 --> 00:35:57.090 still sticking with her and helping. And so people 00:35:57.090 --> 00:36:04.289 noticed. And Boaz then speaks blessing over Ruth. 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:07.239 That piece where it says, under God's wings, 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:12.039 there's a bit of a parallel, and I want to read 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:21.360 Matthew chapter 23, verse 37. And this is when 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:27.860 Jesus is lamenting over Jerusalem, when the religious 00:36:27.860 --> 00:36:31.630 hypocrites are being denounced. This is right 00:36:31.630 --> 00:36:34.289 before the destruction of the temple is predicted. 00:36:35.989 --> 00:36:42.329 So Matthew chapter 23 verse 37, Jesus says, Jerusalem, 00:36:42.449 --> 00:36:46.090 Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones 00:36:46.090 --> 00:36:50.510 those who are sent to her. How often I wanted 00:36:50.510 --> 00:36:53.889 to gather your children together as a hen gathers 00:36:53.889 --> 00:36:56.630 her chicks under her wings, but you were not 00:36:56.630 --> 00:37:03.550 willing. This imagery of gathering someone under 00:37:03.550 --> 00:37:08.889 their wings. Boaz, back in Ruth chapter 2, when 00:37:08.889 --> 00:37:13.389 he's speaking this blessing, he says, may you 00:37:13.389 --> 00:37:16.349 receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel 00:37:16.349 --> 00:37:20.150 under whose wings you have come for refuge. See, 00:37:20.269 --> 00:37:24.010 the significance of under his wings, that could 00:37:24.010 --> 00:37:27.730 also actually be translated to under the corner 00:37:27.730 --> 00:37:32.260 of his robe. But regardless of whether it's a 00:37:32.260 --> 00:37:38.659 wing or your clothing, it requires first a decision 00:37:38.659 --> 00:37:43.400 to be close to God, and then second, to make 00:37:43.400 --> 00:37:45.880 that the place that you find hope and rest, to 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:52.920 make that where you abide. And Boaz is saying, 00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:59.480 you have made God your resting place. You have 00:37:59.480 --> 00:38:01.659 come under his wings and you've come there for 00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:04.739 refuge. Jesus was lamenting for his people that 00:38:04.739 --> 00:38:07.199 they have not done that. And what's so cool is 00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:14.659 Ruth has chosen that here. So we're going to 00:38:14.659 --> 00:38:18.539 continue in our text at verse 14, but we're going 00:38:18.539 --> 00:38:23.519 to pick up both pictures of Ruth and of Boaz 00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:24.940 for a couple of minutes. And we're going to be 00:38:24.940 --> 00:38:29.039 layering in more color here. So Ruth chapter 00:38:29.039 --> 00:38:34.820 2, verses 14 through 18. At mealtime, Boaz told 00:38:34.820 --> 00:38:37.079 her, come over here and have some bread and dip 00:38:37.079 --> 00:38:39.900 it in the vinegar sauce. So she sat beside the 00:38:39.900 --> 00:38:41.659 harvesters and he offered her roasted grain. 00:38:41.719 --> 00:38:45.739 She ate and was satisfied and had some left over. 00:38:46.340 --> 00:38:48.820 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered 00:38:48.820 --> 00:38:51.539 his young men, let her even gather grain among 00:38:51.539 --> 00:38:54.440 the bundles and don't humiliate her. Pull out 00:38:54.440 --> 00:38:56.420 some stalks from the bundles for her and leave 00:38:56.420 --> 00:38:59.699 them for her to gather. Don't rebuke her. So 00:38:59.699 --> 00:39:01.719 Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. 00:39:01.780 --> 00:39:03.719 She beat out what she had gathered. It was about 00:39:03.719 --> 00:39:06.739 26 quarts of barley. She picked up the grain 00:39:06.739 --> 00:39:08.500 and went into town where her mother -in -law 00:39:08.500 --> 00:39:11.059 saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what 00:39:11.059 --> 00:39:13.440 she had left over from her meal and gave it to 00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:18.119 her. So we're going to pick up both these portraits 00:39:18.119 --> 00:39:26.699 of Ruth and of Boaz. We see here that Boaz is 00:39:26.699 --> 00:39:31.199 seeing this picture of Ruth a little bit. Her 00:39:31.199 --> 00:39:34.880 character, her love for Naomi, her active obedience 00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:39.320 of the Lord. And so he offers protection and 00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:43.099 provision. He invites her to the table. He feeds 00:39:43.099 --> 00:39:45.960 her until she is satisfied and allows her to 00:39:45.960 --> 00:39:49.219 take from his table for another. And then he 00:39:49.219 --> 00:39:52.750 goes above and beyond God's law. in the gleaning 00:39:52.750 --> 00:39:54.849 and is saying to his people, actually, like, 00:39:54.889 --> 00:40:00.769 leave some for her. I've invited her among the 00:40:00.769 --> 00:40:02.889 sheaves. The people were supposed to come behind 00:40:02.889 --> 00:40:05.849 that and glean what was dropped. And he's saying, 00:40:05.909 --> 00:40:08.230 like, hey, anything that's there, let her in 00:40:08.230 --> 00:40:13.550 and don't make fun of her. Boaz is offering protection 00:40:13.550 --> 00:40:20.159 and provision. And for her to come and eat at 00:40:20.159 --> 00:40:23.280 his table until she was satisfied, I found a 00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:25.840 really interesting parallel because at the end 00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:29.539 of chapter one, Naomi says, I'm empty. In the 00:40:29.539 --> 00:40:32.820 middle of chapter two, Ruth is leaving full and 00:40:32.820 --> 00:40:38.699 satisfied. But I saw, as I was thinking through 00:40:38.699 --> 00:40:42.579 this, such a beautiful parallel in the Lord's 00:40:42.579 --> 00:40:46.969 table. See, God provided his son, Jesus Christ, 00:40:47.030 --> 00:40:49.130 for us. His body was broken for us. His blood 00:40:49.130 --> 00:40:51.769 was shed for us. We were provided for and brought 00:40:51.769 --> 00:40:53.869 under his wing. And something that I was convicted 00:40:53.869 --> 00:41:00.150 about as I thought through this was, do I experience 00:41:00.150 --> 00:41:04.769 satisfaction and fullness in the presence of 00:41:04.769 --> 00:41:08.929 the Lord when I come to his table? Ruth here 00:41:08.929 --> 00:41:13.619 was with the Lord of the field. and remained 00:41:13.619 --> 00:41:15.860 at his table and ate until she was satisfied. 00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:17.699 Note, Scripture doesn't tell us how long that 00:41:17.699 --> 00:41:21.579 was. She was working hard. My six -year -old 00:41:21.579 --> 00:41:23.400 can put down a lot of food. I can't imagine what 00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:25.820 a really, really hungry person who had not had 00:41:25.820 --> 00:41:28.139 a lot of food for a long time, how long it took 00:41:28.139 --> 00:41:32.840 to be satisfied. But regardless, she remains 00:41:32.840 --> 00:41:36.980 at the Lord of the Fields table in his presence 00:41:36.980 --> 00:41:40.750 until she's satisfied. And the question I asked 00:41:40.750 --> 00:41:44.550 myself was, do I remain with the Lord? Do I eat 00:41:44.550 --> 00:41:47.289 of what he provides until I'm full? Or do I rush 00:41:47.289 --> 00:41:51.250 off after a bite of devotions and just pursue 00:41:51.250 --> 00:41:55.070 my own way? That's what I was convicted about 00:41:55.070 --> 00:41:58.769 this week, guys. But back to our text. Boaz commands 00:41:58.769 --> 00:42:02.369 his men in verses 15 to 16 to go above and beyond 00:42:02.369 --> 00:42:05.389 compliance with the law. He says, pull out some 00:42:05.389 --> 00:42:07.110 of the stock from the bundle and leave them for 00:42:07.110 --> 00:42:09.909 her to gather. Again, not just compliance, but 00:42:09.909 --> 00:42:15.250 this chesed, this loving kindness. He goes beyond 00:42:15.250 --> 00:42:17.289 the minimum without really any benefit to him. 00:42:17.829 --> 00:42:20.610 Guys, there's nothing that indicates that he 00:42:20.610 --> 00:42:22.849 did this with strings attached. He wasn't hoping 00:42:22.849 --> 00:42:25.230 to win her to his bed with roasted grain and 00:42:25.230 --> 00:42:28.809 bread dipped in vinegar. He does this because 00:42:28.809 --> 00:42:35.869 he honors God. And then Ruth brings back... And 00:42:35.869 --> 00:42:38.349 we see 26 quarts here. This was probably somewhere 00:42:38.349 --> 00:42:42.710 in the ballpark of 30 to 50 pounds of already 00:42:42.710 --> 00:42:46.869 threshed, ready -to -go barley from a day's gleaning. 00:42:48.889 --> 00:42:53.929 That was unheard of. And she also brings back 00:42:53.929 --> 00:42:55.690 food that's already cooked that she saved for 00:42:55.690 --> 00:42:57.409 Naomi. Yeah, that's right. Ruth brought back 00:42:57.409 --> 00:43:01.429 a doggy bag from Boaz's table for Naomi. Also, 00:43:01.650 --> 00:43:04.369 little aside, Naomi, super bitter, you know. 00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:07.400 I don't know if I would have the same character 00:43:07.400 --> 00:43:10.099 as Ruth for like a super bitter mother -in -law 00:43:10.099 --> 00:43:11.659 that would be like, oh yeah, I'm going to save 00:43:11.659 --> 00:43:14.099 some of these leftovers of food. I'm so hungry. 00:43:14.119 --> 00:43:15.679 I ate until I was satisfied. I'm going to remember 00:43:15.679 --> 00:43:17.719 to bring it back to her. But Ruth thinks about 00:43:17.719 --> 00:43:22.940 that. Ruth cared and loved for Naomi even as 00:43:22.940 --> 00:43:25.659 another provided for her. She thought of Naomi. 00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:28.260 What's more, Ruth did so for that bitter woman. 00:43:29.260 --> 00:43:32.340 Now, we're going to set down those pictures of 00:43:32.340 --> 00:43:35.929 Ruth. And of Boaz, we haven't picked up this 00:43:35.929 --> 00:43:38.210 picture of Naomi all the way since the beginning 00:43:38.210 --> 00:43:40.349 of the story when we talked about what was loosely 00:43:40.349 --> 00:43:48.369 sketched there. Verses 19 through 23. Ruth chapter 00:43:48.369 --> 00:43:51.369 2, 19. Her mother -in -law said to her, where 00:43:51.369 --> 00:43:53.730 did you gather the barley today and where did 00:43:53.730 --> 00:43:56.829 you work? May the Lord bless the man who noticed 00:43:56.829 --> 00:44:01.090 you. Ruth told her mother -in -law. whom she 00:44:01.090 --> 00:44:03.090 had worked with, and said, The name of the man 00:44:03.090 --> 00:44:06.969 I worked with today was Boaz. Then Naomi said 00:44:06.969 --> 00:44:11.329 to her daughter -in -law, May the Lord bless 00:44:11.329 --> 00:44:14.550 him, because he has not abandoned his kindness 00:44:14.550 --> 00:44:17.429 to the living or the dead. Naomi continued, The 00:44:17.429 --> 00:44:22.610 man is a close relative. He is one of our family 00:44:22.610 --> 00:44:26.590 redeemers. Ruth the Moabitess said, he also told 00:44:26.590 --> 00:44:28.349 me to stay with my young men until they have 00:44:28.349 --> 00:44:31.010 finished all of my harvest. So Naomi told her 00:44:31.010 --> 00:44:33.170 daughter -in -law, Ruth, my daughter, it is good 00:44:33.170 --> 00:44:35.630 for you to work with his female servants so that 00:44:35.630 --> 00:44:37.449 nothing will happen to you in another field. 00:44:38.349 --> 00:44:41.230 Ruth stayed close to Boaz's female servants and 00:44:41.230 --> 00:44:43.530 gathered grain until the barley and the wheat 00:44:43.530 --> 00:44:45.510 harvest were finished and she lived with her 00:44:45.510 --> 00:44:53.199 mother -in -law. Guys, this is Naomi. Naomi who 00:44:53.199 --> 00:44:58.579 believed in God but was struggling. Naomi who 00:44:58.579 --> 00:45:05.500 was bitter. Who recognized her bitter and her 00:45:05.500 --> 00:45:09.420 rebellious heart. She owned it. Who blamed the 00:45:09.420 --> 00:45:15.079 Lord for oppressing and afflicting her. And she 00:45:15.079 --> 00:45:23.230 sees God's amazing provision. A month's worth 00:45:23.230 --> 00:45:27.829 of food in a single day of gleaning. The woman 00:45:27.829 --> 00:45:31.789 who is bitter sees God's providential provision. 00:45:32.909 --> 00:45:37.210 And before she knows anything else, before she 00:45:37.210 --> 00:45:39.869 knows any redemption option, before she knows 00:45:39.869 --> 00:45:44.389 where Ruth got this, she says, may the Lord bless 00:45:44.389 --> 00:45:48.530 the man who noticed you. That word noticed in 00:45:48.530 --> 00:45:51.500 Hebrew carries a bit more. Doesn't just mean 00:45:51.500 --> 00:45:54.699 like looked up and happened to see you. That 00:45:54.699 --> 00:45:58.820 word means who discerned, recognized, and paid 00:45:58.820 --> 00:46:04.960 regard to. Naomi says, the man who noticed that 00:46:04.960 --> 00:46:12.059 which God is doing in you. Naomi tells her, this 00:46:12.059 --> 00:46:16.800 could only be a work of the Lord. May the Lord 00:46:16.800 --> 00:46:22.019 bless this man. And then Ruth tells her, Naomi's 00:46:22.019 --> 00:46:24.500 like, who was it? Ruth goes, oh yeah, this old 00:46:24.500 --> 00:46:27.420 dude Boaz. Okay, she doesn't say that, but we'll 00:46:27.420 --> 00:46:29.519 learn more about Boaz later that might make that 00:46:29.519 --> 00:46:33.880 make a little more sense. But Naomi, bitter Mara, 00:46:33.900 --> 00:46:38.059 rebellious Mara, says, may the Lord bless him 00:46:38.059 --> 00:46:42.619 because he is not forgotten. Chesed is actually 00:46:42.619 --> 00:46:45.579 the way that translates. His covenant loving 00:46:45.579 --> 00:46:50.980 kindness. Naomi, who said, the Lord has afflicted 00:46:50.980 --> 00:46:57.260 and oppressed me, now recognizes God has not 00:46:57.260 --> 00:47:05.300 abandoned his covenant love. Her theology is 00:47:05.300 --> 00:47:15.659 being reformed by God's providence. Where do 00:47:15.659 --> 00:47:19.219 you feel this text most personally right now? 00:47:20.079 --> 00:47:23.340 Are you Naomi, believing but bitter? Are you 00:47:23.340 --> 00:47:26.360 Ruth, walking in obedience but not yet seeing 00:47:26.360 --> 00:47:29.360 the outcome? Are you trying to be Boaz, be faithful 00:47:29.360 --> 00:47:31.739 in the midst of darkness? Or are you simply trying 00:47:31.739 --> 00:47:34.820 to trust God's providence in something that you 00:47:34.820 --> 00:47:44.710 cannot yet see? Verse 22. It says, so Naomi said 00:47:44.710 --> 00:47:46.369 to her daughter -in -law Ruth, my daughter, it 00:47:46.369 --> 00:47:48.469 is good for you to work with his female servants 00:47:48.469 --> 00:47:50.789 so that nothing will happen to you in another 00:47:50.789 --> 00:47:55.969 field. First glance, this might just seem like 00:47:55.969 --> 00:47:58.190 Naomi is saying, you know, hey, there's some 00:47:58.190 --> 00:48:01.610 food, some protection. You should stay with that. 00:48:02.190 --> 00:48:06.130 But really, the wisdom that Naomi is imparting 00:48:06.130 --> 00:48:16.210 to Ruth is stay close. To the Lord. Stay in the 00:48:16.210 --> 00:48:20.730 place where he has providentially provided for 00:48:20.730 --> 00:48:24.989 you. Don't look for provision in other places. 00:48:25.210 --> 00:48:31.489 Stay where the Lord is working. Don't be tempted 00:48:31.489 --> 00:48:33.969 to look for your provision in other fields based 00:48:33.969 --> 00:48:37.269 off your own powers of observation. A lesson 00:48:37.269 --> 00:48:39.670 she learned firsthand from that exact thing with... 00:48:39.840 --> 00:48:42.719 Her family's move from Israel to Moab. She says, 00:48:42.780 --> 00:48:54.039 stay there. Stay near your Redeemer. Do not wander. 00:48:55.559 --> 00:49:01.019 Guys, as we finish chapter two, that's it. That's 00:49:01.019 --> 00:49:06.119 the end of where chapter two brings us. Redemption 00:49:06.119 --> 00:49:11.219 hasn't happened yet, but we see this next whisper 00:49:11.219 --> 00:49:18.139 of hope, slightly more than a whisper, that there 00:49:18.139 --> 00:49:22.460 may be something coming. See, redemption hasn't 00:49:22.460 --> 00:49:24.239 happened yet, but it's unfolding. Nothing else 00:49:24.239 --> 00:49:28.440 really happens apart from Ruth continues faithfully 00:49:28.440 --> 00:49:32.400 in obedience. And she goes and she continues 00:49:32.400 --> 00:49:37.239 to glean. But there's more to come. In chapter 00:49:37.239 --> 00:49:39.119 3. So I guess you need to come back next week 00:49:39.119 --> 00:49:44.980 for that. So, as we close, I want to revisit 00:49:44.980 --> 00:49:46.920 those portraits we talked about at the beginning. 00:49:47.519 --> 00:49:51.099 See, we're a bit beyond these rough, sketched 00:49:51.099 --> 00:49:53.599 outlines now. There's a little bit of color. 00:49:53.800 --> 00:49:57.219 There's some more detail. In Naomi, we see a 00:49:57.219 --> 00:50:01.059 life -worn face. Lines from carrying the weight 00:50:01.059 --> 00:50:07.130 of bitterness of a hard life. some sunkenness 00:50:07.130 --> 00:50:11.010 from hunger, but with eyes that though they have 00:50:11.010 --> 00:50:13.650 seen a hard life still have a softness and light 00:50:13.650 --> 00:50:18.050 in them because they see what God is doing and 00:50:18.050 --> 00:50:20.510 that he does remain faithful even in the face 00:50:20.510 --> 00:50:24.030 of our bitterness. In the portrait of Ruth, we 00:50:24.030 --> 00:50:26.969 see just the glimpse of hardship and hunger, 00:50:27.050 --> 00:50:29.489 the tint of color from hard work in the sun, 00:50:29.610 --> 00:50:33.329 but with vibrancy. and assurance that comes from 00:50:33.329 --> 00:50:36.250 her trust in the Lord. The beginning of upturned 00:50:36.250 --> 00:50:40.110 lips in knowing and a knowing smile of God's 00:50:40.110 --> 00:50:43.730 blessed providence and determination to remain 00:50:43.730 --> 00:50:48.630 close to him. In Boaz, we see the joyful face 00:50:48.630 --> 00:50:51.329 and laugh lines of a man who's lived many years, 00:50:51.489 --> 00:50:55.670 but through all those years, whose mind is set 00:50:55.670 --> 00:51:00.050 on the Lord. His eyes twinkle with compassion. 00:51:00.829 --> 00:51:04.329 and with kindness. Guys, the real main character 00:51:04.329 --> 00:51:10.110 here, the one sovereignly working through every 00:51:10.110 --> 00:51:17.769 single scene, is God. See, God sovereignly works 00:51:17.769 --> 00:51:21.489 through ordinary faithfulness to accomplish his 00:51:21.489 --> 00:51:25.889 covenant kindness. There is a redeemer introduced 00:51:25.889 --> 00:51:31.070 in the story of Ruth. But there's an even greater 00:51:31.070 --> 00:51:36.090 redeemer introduced in the story of God. And 00:51:36.090 --> 00:51:39.170 that's Jesus Christ. See, Boaz is not Jesus, 00:51:39.230 --> 00:51:43.269 but he anticipates. Boaz provides grain. Jesus 00:51:43.269 --> 00:51:46.610 provides himself. Boaz protects temporarily. 00:51:46.769 --> 00:51:51.630 Jesus redeems eternally. Ruth chapter 2 ends 00:51:51.630 --> 00:51:55.150 with provision. Not with redemption. Not with 00:51:55.150 --> 00:51:58.940 marriage. We have hope. but we don't have completion. 00:52:00.119 --> 00:52:05.840 But guys, we live where redemption is complete. 00:52:08.739 --> 00:52:14.980 We do not strive toward covenant kindness. In 00:52:14.980 --> 00:52:21.800 Christ Jesus, we live from it. His covenant sovereign 00:52:21.800 --> 00:52:27.489 kindness for us. So, which portrait do you see 00:52:27.489 --> 00:52:30.070 yourself in? Bitter, wishing for relief, wondering 00:52:30.070 --> 00:52:33.230 why the Lord has afflicted and oppressed you? 00:52:34.610 --> 00:52:38.690 Obedient, but uncertain? Yearning for provision 00:52:38.690 --> 00:52:42.829 and favor? Do you long to be faithful for your 00:52:42.829 --> 00:52:48.349 mind to be set on the Lord? In all of that, no 00:52:48.349 --> 00:52:51.809 matter where you are, come under the wings of 00:52:51.809 --> 00:52:57.260 Jesus. Come to his table, eat until you are satisfied 00:52:57.260 --> 00:53:01.420 because his covenant kindness has not failed. 00:53:03.659 --> 00:53:05.840 Guys, we're going to move towards a time of response. 00:53:07.440 --> 00:53:10.820 We're going to respond in singing, respond in 00:53:10.820 --> 00:53:12.719 remembering the Lord's table through communion, 00:53:12.920 --> 00:53:17.380 and we're going to respond in giving. I'd like 00:53:17.380 --> 00:53:20.360 to invite the music team up. And on the response 00:53:20.360 --> 00:53:22.579 tables in the back, those tables with the black 00:53:22.579 --> 00:53:25.920 tablecloths, You'll see there's some wooden offering 00:53:25.920 --> 00:53:29.420 boxes. And if you say, hey, Radiant is my church, 00:53:29.500 --> 00:53:32.420 we respond by giving our gifts and offerings 00:53:32.420 --> 00:53:36.219 in active obedience, trusting that the Lord will 00:53:36.219 --> 00:53:39.539 provide for us as we give. And don't hold so 00:53:39.539 --> 00:53:41.980 tightly onto our things, to the corners of our 00:53:41.980 --> 00:53:44.380 fields, but we trust in his provision and blessings. 00:53:44.880 --> 00:53:47.139 We're going to respond in the singing of three 00:53:47.139 --> 00:53:51.460 songs of praise to the Lord. And as we do that, 00:53:51.519 --> 00:53:53.619 at any point during that time, if you know the 00:53:53.619 --> 00:53:58.840 Lord as your savior, as your redeemer, take your 00:53:58.840 --> 00:54:02.800 family, go with your GC, walk up with some other 00:54:02.800 --> 00:54:06.760 brothers and sisters in Christ, and together 00:54:06.760 --> 00:54:11.519 take the bread, which represents his body that 00:54:11.519 --> 00:54:15.000 was broken for us. Take the juice that represents 00:54:15.000 --> 00:54:17.320 his blood that was shed for us. Guys, Jesus is 00:54:17.320 --> 00:54:21.179 our redeemer. Ask. for fullness in him as you 00:54:21.179 --> 00:54:24.059 remember the fullness of work that he has done 00:54:24.059 --> 00:54:26.619 for us. And if you don't know the Lord as your 00:54:26.619 --> 00:54:29.340 redeemer, don't come to the table yet. First, 00:54:29.480 --> 00:54:34.239 meet him. He invites you to come under his wings, 00:54:34.340 --> 00:54:38.699 to come close to him, to allow him to be your 00:54:38.699 --> 00:54:42.239 protection, to be your savior. He sent his only 00:54:42.239 --> 00:54:45.380 son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross from your 00:54:45.380 --> 00:54:49.110 sins, to be raised for dead. and to intercede 00:54:49.110 --> 00:54:57.110 for you, the right hand of God. Let's pray. Lord, 00:54:57.309 --> 00:55:03.690 you are good. Thank you for showing us how you 00:55:03.690 --> 00:55:08.230 work. Lord, thank you for your providence, your 00:55:08.230 --> 00:55:12.170 sovereignty, your kindness. Lord, thank you that 00:55:12.170 --> 00:55:16.469 we were able to see examples of that in Ruth. 00:55:17.679 --> 00:55:21.380 Lord, I pray that you would help us to see examples 00:55:21.380 --> 00:55:25.539 of that throughout this week. Lord, for those 00:55:25.539 --> 00:55:30.340 who are hurting, for those who are bitter, I 00:55:30.340 --> 00:55:34.760 pray that you would give them the ability to 00:55:34.760 --> 00:55:37.880 trust in you in a way that maybe they've been 00:55:37.880 --> 00:55:40.059 struggling with. That, Lord, you would bring 00:55:40.059 --> 00:55:43.059 people across their paths that would point them 00:55:43.059 --> 00:55:49.809 to you. And that, Lord, they would see you work 00:55:49.809 --> 00:55:53.550 in amazing ways in their hearts and lives. Lord, 00:55:53.630 --> 00:56:00.309 for those who desire to remain faithful, to be 00:56:00.309 --> 00:56:03.630 a light in the midst of darkness, to be radiant 00:56:03.630 --> 00:56:09.829 reflections of you, I pray for boldness. Lord, 00:56:09.909 --> 00:56:15.590 thank you that you do work sovereignly, that 00:56:15.590 --> 00:56:20.539 you're loving, kindness is good. We thank you. 00:56:21.320 --> 00:56:24.460 We praise you. We pray this all in Jesus' name.