God’s Provisions

Transcript

GRS 83
2/10/1991
God’s Provisions
Ruth 2
Gil Rugh

The little Book of Ruth just 4 Chapters but they are very bright spot in the dark time in Israel’s history. The Book of Ruth is set in the time period of the Judges. The Book opens up in the first verse telling us that these events took place during the time that the Judges ruled, and we have studied the Book of Judges together. Now that was a period in Israel’s history that was characterized by apostasy, unfaithfulness to God, a reoccurring pattern of turning their back on God on His blessing and on His goodness to them and thus necessitating the chastening of the Lord and discipline. But during that time of real spiritual darkness and decadence in the land, there were people who stood firm and true. They were godly people, but godliness did not characterize the people of God in those days.

In Chapter 1, we looked at some of those key people. In particular, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. The setting for this story was a man took his family and left Bethlehem during a famine and moved to the land of Moab. In the land of Moab that man died, his two sons married Moabite women, then those two sons died. There were no children born in those marriages and that left three widows, Naomi, then her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah.

This situation is one that is perhaps a little more difficult for us to grasp today. Certainly, widowhood today can bring extra pressures and trials and sometimes a person can be very well destitute. But in biblical times it was even a more severe situation because without a husband and family there was no one to care for those widows. They were left to fend for themselves, trying to eke out a living by gleaning in fields as we will note in a moment.

In this kind of environment, the woman Naomi decides to return to her homeland and her hometown of Bethlehem. She encourages her daughter-in-law’s to their homes in Moab. One daughter in law does, and the other, Ruth, chooses to go back to Bethlehem with her. That was the substance of the First Chapter.

The reoccurring emphasis on the First Chapter, “It was the hand of the Lord” bringing this adversity and difficulty into the life of Naomi. I have an aunt and we call her Naoma, but the biblical character we know is Naomi. She never failed and or wavered from what we can tell in her faith in God. She never became bitter. In fact, with all of this adversity and pain and bitterness that God brought into her life, her commitment and her faith and her testimony is strong. Strong enough that her daughter-in-law Ruth made an irreversible commitment herself to Naomi’s God, and Naomi’s people, and returns to Bethlehem with her. We can appreciate the stability of Naomi that she could acknowledge for example in Chapter 1 and verse 13, the end of the verse, “The hand of the Lord has gone against me.” Then over in verse 21, Naomi said, “Call me not Naomi which means pleasant or sweet but Mara which means bitter. That does not mean that she had become bitter towards God, but that God had brought bitterness into her life, unpleasantness, harshness. She acknowledges it as the hand of the Lord, “The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” The Almighty, ‘Shaddai’ the all-powerful, all-sovereign God. The God who could have done otherwise in my life if He had chosen, has dealt bitterly with me.

Verse 21, “The Lord has witnessed against me, the Almighty has afflicted me.” Again, that reoccurring emphasis that the sovereign God has done this. Shaddai, the all-powerful one. In reality, what is our responsibility is to submit to our God, believing that He is doing what is right and best. As painful, as difficult as this might be, keep in mind the difficulties and trials of this woman are spread over a period of years. She suffered the pain of the loss of her husband and her two sons. She knows the pain of being totally destitute, without hope in the world in many ways, yet she sees the hand of God in it all and she submits to that.

Before we look into chapter 2, turn over to the New Testament to 2 Corinthians 4. Second Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul writes of his experience. In many ways the apostle Paul could say the Lord has dealt bitterly with me because as we read his testimony much of his life was characterized by hardship and difficulty. We do not know much about his immediate family, but we know when we come to the end of his life he has to testify that everyone has abandoned me, and he had to face my trial without the friends that had left him.

Well in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 8, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus.” He was constantly being afflicted, constantly suffering also says that hadn’t destroyed him. Down in verse 16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying yet our inner man is being renewed day by day, for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory. That perspective that my confidence is in God. But if He is the all-powerful, all-sovereign God, why would he bring this into my life? Paul was willing to accept it, as was Naomi, as what God had determined as right and best for the accomplishing of His purposes in their lives at this time, and that is all they would know and all they could know.

Over in 2 Corinthian chapter 12, Paul talks about the messenger of Satan that came to buffet him and had evidently caused him great pain, great suffering, great difficulty because he prayed three times that the Lord would give him deliverance. The response of the Lord in verse 9 was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” How often we pray for the power of God in our lives? When adversity and difficulties and trials and weakness come we complain and ask, what is God doing? He is giving, perhaps, the power that we so earnestly asked for. Power is perfected in weakness.

Paul’s response most gladly therefore I would rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Is there anything that you would exchange the power of Christ in your life for? Is there anything more important that having the power of Christ work in, and through, you? Paul says I am willing to suffer anything that the power of Christ might rest and dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content, not just putting up with something. I am well content with weaknesses, with insult, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong, why? When I am weak the power of Christ works in, and through, me. What would we know about Naomi if it hadn’t been for the difficulties and trials that she had to go through?

Well for the last several millenniums the people of God have found encouragement and strength from studying the life of Naomi. It had been characterized by trial and hardship. When you look at it – what a small price to pay for being such a mighty instrument in the hand of God? How many lives have been touched by the testimony of Naomi and Ruth over the centuries of time? Now keep in mind, we know this is looking back as they will go plodding on day after day, month after month, year after year with these unbearable burdens. They did not have the comfort of knowing God is going to use this to impact multitudes of lives. It is His power at work in a great way. Naomi was willing to accept His power as it works. He has brought the adversary, but she did not have the joy of seeing the result of that in the same way we do as we study it today. That is true of the adversities in your life and of my life. The only thing I can do is walk with God step by step in faith confident He is doing the right thing. God, use this adversary that you have brought into my life to magnify Yourself, and I have to be satisfied to leave it there. Perhaps sometimes You will privilege me to see why? Perhaps He will not in this life. But, either way, I know that the God who is Shaddai, the all-powerful, has it all under control.

Come back to the Book of Ruth. Chapter 1 ended with Ruth and Naomi returning into Bethlehem and it is at the barley harvest time. Now chapter 2 is going to give us a little different to mention. Chapter 1 stressed the fact that God is sovereign. that God is all-powerful even in the difficulties and tragedies of our life. Now as we come into chapter 2, we are going to see God’s sovereignty, Gods power at work in protecting and providing for His children even in their times of difficulties. By the time we are done in chapter 2, the adversity, the trials, and the difficulties, will still be there, perhaps softened a bit. But it is still two widow women attempting to provide food for the table and that is all that they are able to do at this point.

The chapter opens up by introducing us to the third main character in this Book. Naomi, Ruth, and now the man Boaz. “Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech whose name was Boaz.” Now some very important information here. He is introduced to us. and then we will leave him go for a time. But the point is to prepare us and set the stage for what is going to take place. It is almost that a person is relating the account, or the story here, and they want us to know ahead of time how important this man is, so we can appreciate as he comes into the picture the marvelous way that God was working and directed. It is almost like the person telling the story says, “Now keep in mind,” Boaz is a relative of Elimelech, he is a mighty man, he is a man of stature, and importance. He is, keep in mind, a relative of Elimelech. Now let me tell you what transpired because it is very important here. Boaz is not a relative of Naomi, but a relative of Elimelech. Because Boaz is going to be the kinsmen redeemer for Ruth and Naomi alternatively, but he could not have done that if he was the relative of Naomi. He had to be a relative of Elimelech to function as the kinsman redeemer.

So here we are introduced to the man who will become the focal point of what is going to take place in the rest of the Book of Ruth. What is related in chapter 2 has to do with the provision that God had made in Israel for the poor. Their privilege to go and glean in the field during the harvest time. A man could not reap his field write up to the very edge. He had to leave the borders or the edge. Once he has gone through the field, and you know they go through with a sickle and cut the grain and carry them in bundles as they went, they couldn’t go back and pick up the stalks of grain that had fallen off as they went through the field. The border or the edges of the field and the stalks of grain that were dropped were to be left for the poor in Israel. That is why they were not allowed to go all the way to edge of the field and they weren’t allowed to over their field a second time. This was God’s provision for the poor.

When the poor were allowed to come in after the harvest and go through the field and gather up any stocks of grain that had fallen down. There would be naturally a number of these since you are doing it by hand. You are carrying it by hand, and also the edges of the field. So that was the provision in Israel for the poor. You want to study that a little bit. Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19-21 talk about this provision. Now that is the basis for what is going to take place in this chapter.

Verse 2, Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go 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.” You note the characteristic in the book of Ruth is she is repeatedly identified as the Moabitess. It would be enough to say Ruth, but in verse 2, it is Ruth the Moabitess. Down in verse 6, it will be “the young Moabite woman.” Down in verse 21, “Ruth the Moabitess.” In chapter 1 and verse 22, “Ruth the Moabitess.” This constant reminder of the greatness of God’s grace, because we are not dealing here with an Israelite woman. We are dealing with a foreigner, the outsider, yet God in a marvelous way because of her commitment in faith to the God of Israel and identifying with His people, is providing and caring for her. What Ruth does, and she is familiar with the provision perhaps Naomi had told her. They would have had some conversations. What are we going to do for food? Naomi could have shared with her, this is what God says we can do in the Land of Israel. And Ruth takes the initiative here, but she asks for Naomi’s permission. This may indicate that Naomi is perhaps a little too old to be out gleaning in the field herself and so Ruth is going to go. Now keep in mind, what we are talking about here, is hard work. Back breaking work so to speak. Bent over, walking through the field, trying to gather up these, and doing it all day long in the heat of the sun, as will come out in the story. So, don’t get the idea that now they are back in Israel, they can go and glean in this field, and that is going to be an easy task. It is difficult, hard back breaking work, as we will talk about it.

Naomi gives Ruth permission to go. What is the choice? We can sit here and starve. So, Ruth asks, let me go and glean among the ears after one in whose sight I may find favor. She is going to seek permission to go into the field. This may have been the customary thing to ask the servant in charge of the harvest, “May I glean after your harvesters?” Perhaps they limited, or allowed certain ones, or certain numbers into their field.

Verse 3, so she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the portion of field belonging to Boaz. Now you talk about “luck.” Of all the fields in the area she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. It says she “happened” to come to the portion of the field, one field, but it is Boaz’s portion.

In those days, they did not have fences. They did not use fences or clearly marked lines. If you would look out, it would look like one large field, but they had marking stones that those who owned the land knew very clearly where their land was. But if you just went and looked at the field it would look like one big field and you could wander from one person’s field to another and not even realize it, but the owners of the field knew from the boundary stones. Remember the Old Testament is very clear in forbidding any tampering with the boundary stones which clearly marked the parts of land.

Now you connect verse 3 with verse 1 so humanly speaking it looked like she just happened to wander into Boaz’s field. We have already been told in verse 1, this isn’t just a happening, this isn’t chance. This is the Boaz that is a relative of Elimelech, who is a very significant person in Israel. So, as you read she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, we have already been prepared for this. The providential hand of God is at work in guiding her even as she looks for the proper field. Boaz came from Bethlehem to the field. Now, again all these details are only those details God is concerned with. Ruth had to be in the right field at the right time. Boaz had to come out to visit his field at the right time. All these things had to come together, and you see the sovereignty of God in the little details. At first glance does it really matter whether Ruth gleans in this field or this field as long as she gets enough to eat? It makes a terrific and tremendous difference.

In fact, it is going to make a difference all the way down to the Messiah because she is going to be in the line of the Messiah, so tremendously important. Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” They say to him, “May the Lord bless you.” And you get something of the character of Boaz. Even with his workers and his servants, his discussion is in the context of the blessings of God. ‘Yahweh’ is the covenant God of Israel. Then Boaz has a discussion in verses 5, 6, and 7 with the servant who is in charge of the reapers, as he is overseeing the harvest for Boaz. Boaz asks about the new young woman as though it is probably a normal pattern that you got used to those who gleaned in your field.

You naturally knew your servants, but you would also get to recognize the poor that regularly frequent at the harvest in your fields. Here is a new woman that he recognizes, and he asks whose woman is this. He may well have thought that she was married, asking about her and her husband. Were they very poor and she is out trying to get food for the table? The servant tells him, this is the young Moabite woman in verse 6, the one who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. You see what has happened here. The faith and the commitment of Ruth has made the rounds. People are talking about that kind of commitment. The willingness to abandon her people and identify with Naomi, and her God, and her people. This is the Moabitess that we have heard about and she asked me please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So, she has sought his permission.

One thing you appreciate in recognizing the character of Ruth that she evidences a real humility in her life. She is a godly woman. There are not coming out here, spouting off you know the losses, I have the right to glean in your field. That is true but there is her coming and asking, can I have that privilege to glean in your field? She came and has remained from the morning until now, has been sitting in the house for a little while. So, she came early in the morning and she has been gleaning all day and took a little rest sat in the house. They would build a temporary house, the few poles up with a thatch over it, so that the workers could get in out of the beating sun. This is Palestine and working out in the sun with this kind of labor. This would be around May, June, end of April, that period of time. So, they would have a little break here.

What she really testifies to is she is a hard worker. Now this wouldn’t be a pleasant work. This is hard work and even the servant admires that. She came and has remained from the morning and only took a little rest. She is a hard worker, a diligent worker and again you appreciate the character of Ruth. Not a pleasant life and not an easy life. Her task is not easy, but she is pursuing it with diligence and her testimony has an impact and will have far reaching consequences. I appreciate that about her. Here she is doing what she has to do and doing it evidently without complaint. Then Boaz said to Ruth, listen carefully my daughter and I believe that this address calling her my daughter would indicate that Boaz is probably significantly older than Ruth and there are some other indications we will see as we move further through the Book, that may be so later on Boaz will say to her that I appreciate the fact she didn’t chase after some of the young men, which may indicate that he is a little older. Of course, there is advantage to older men, we all realize that. I realize it more today than I did twenty years ago. I keep reminding Marilyn of the advantage of an older husband too, it is just great.

Okay, verse 8, that had nothing to do with this story. Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully my daughter, do not go glean in another field. Furthermore, do not go from this one. Stay here with my maids.” Boaz is a man who appreciates her commitment and He wants to make her life a little bit easier, but he just doesn’t say go home with Naomi and I will send you whatever you need to eat. He probably could have done that from the description of him earlier and you say why didn’t God do that? He is a relative. Why didn’t he just say I will send the food to your house, don’t worry about that? That is not the way God works, but God is going to take some of the edge off of the burden that Ruth has been bearing because now Boaz says, “stay in my field.”

Evidently it was a pattern or practice that you know they glean, but they may go from field to field looking for better gleanings. If they didn’t look like they were getting enough from this field, they may decide to try and look at another field. Boaz says, “Don’t go anywhere else.” Verse 9, “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you.” Keep in mind we are in the time of the Judges and remember how the book of Judges closed with the way that the concubine was treated. This was not a day when the men of Israel were functionally, generally speaking, with godly character.

Now a woman like Ruth who is evidently an attractive young woman has to be out in the field all day long with the servants. There always is the danger and the possibility that they will begin to get out of line and mistreat her both verbally and physically. There is going to be a repeated emphasis we will see here, but I want you to pick it up now. You realize that Ruth’s situation was not an easy one, not a pleasant one. Gleaning in the field was not only hard work, it put you in a kind of setting that subjected you to abuse verbal and physical abuse. A young woman like Ruth was not safe in Israel in these days and these kind of conditions, but Boaz has intervened.

I have commanded the servants not to touch you, and furthermore when you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw. Of course, certain servants were responsible to bring enough water for them because working out in the heat and in the sun, they needed the water to keep on going. But those gleaning in the field had to take care of their own water supply and that became a difficulty. Now Boaz is making up much easier for Ruth. You can come and drink the water that is provided for my servants. Verse 10, the response of Ruth here is very significant. 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 stranger. Ruth does not have the attitude that she is owed anything.

Again, you realize and appreciate her commitment back in chapter 1. That no strings-attached committeemen and she doesn’t come here thinking that these Israelites owe me something, it is just the opposite. Why would you treat me with such kindness? I am a foreigner and you know that. You would have been less obligated to me than you might be if I was an Israelite woman. She manifests that godly humility asking why you would treat me with such kindness. There is not that bitterness seething on the inside of Ruth that she is going through her activity thinking if they were really godly people, they will take a little more interest in helping us out, all of that. It may have all been true, but it is irrelevant there.

She evidently come to understand Naomi’s thinking that our God has brought adversity and we live with it. Boaz tells her, “I have heard what you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband. I have heard how you have left your father and your mother, the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know.” Boaz understands what a tremendous commitment that was. He appreciates that faith and the faithfulness of Ruth. That this was a costly decision to leave her homeland of Moab, to leave her father and her mother and to join herself to the widow Naomi, herself being a widow and come here without any future. So, Boaz upfront says I heard that, I will appreciate that.

Verse 12, “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." Boaz praised God that He will reward Ruth for her faithfulness. “May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord the God of Israel.” And, you see here something of the godly character of Boaz and he believes that God will undertake for Ruth. Little did he know that he would be the answer to this prayer in the plan of God.

Very beautifully put, the end of verse 12, “under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Boaz sees the commitment that he talked about in verse 11 with the abandoning of father and mother and home. He sees that commitment as a decision to seek refuge under the care of the God of Israel and he assured her that God will honor that commitment. You made a decision. When you made the decision, in verse 11, that was a decision to seek refuge under the wings of God. That picture is used numerous times in the Old Testament of God's people finding shelter and protection under the care of God as the young chicks do under the wings of the mother. Look just in the Psalms with me, over in Psalm 17, very warm and caring picture that is painted here and again you know it might be easy for Ruth to run through her mind and say “Well that’s easy for you to say Boaz.” But, you can see how a Godly character provides the opportunity for special blessings. In Psalm 17, verse 8, “Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Again, that is where my protection, that is where my care, that is my refuge, hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36 and verse 7, “How precious is your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Same picture, chapter 57 and verse 1, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in thee and in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. See under His care, that where I am safe until the destruction passes by.

Chapter 61, verse 4, “Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” Chapter 63 and verse 7, “For you have been my help and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.” Chapter 91 and verse 4, “He will cover you with His pinions and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” You see the protection and security that is there. We are familiar with Matthew 23:37, where Jesus says to the people of Israel, “The children of Jerusalem, How often I would have gathered you as a hen does her chicks and you would not.” What a tragedy! That refuge, that protection, that care is offered to Israel, they rejected, but Ruth had made that commitment to seek refuge under the provision and care of God. Good reminder for us as God's children when we are under pressure, when we are under difficulty, it is enough to be sheltered and protected by God. That doesn’t mean He removes the pain, He removes the storm. It means He preserves us through it. He assures that He is caring for us.

Back in Ruth chapter 2, she says in verse 13, “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." Again, she doesn’t regard the favor of Boaz as something she deserves rather she demonstrates that true humility and appreciation for his kindness. Let me say something here. Godly humility does not expect others to act graciously on our behalf. We do not deserve blessing and favor from God or others. When I begin living expecting others to treat me in certain ways it is an indication I am not really living a life of godly humility. If we are honest, we all fall into that pattern of thinking that people ought to treat us in certain way, that they ought to give attention to us, and when they don’t it becomes a cause of bitterness. It was not so with Ruth. Here is kindness shown.

She says “Well I really deserve this after everything I have been through.” No, “I am amazed that you will be so kind that you should show such favor.” You can see how she could go through the difficulties. With that kind of attitude, if you are not expecting anything, you are not disappointed. I have shared with you what Marylyn shared with the ladies, perverse it was. She said “I never expect anything from Gil and I am never disappointed.” Well that’s done marvels for our marriage. You know that’s the way we as believers ought to be and that means anything that God graciously provides and does even through others is something we weren’t expecting. If I come to church and I don’t expect everybody to pay attention to me. I don’t expect anybody to pay attention to me and I don’t expect anybody to be looking out for me. I just come to be used of God in other people’s lives and offer Him my worship. Then if someone does say hi to me, someone does go out of the way for me, I am amazed because I wasn’t expecting it. But if I come expecting and someone doesn’t all of a sudden I am bitter. I am not going back to that place. They are cold, they don’t care, they are not loving, and it is not true godly character being manifested. So, you appreciate the godly character of Ruth even as a young believer.

Verse 14, at the meal time Boaz hung around. He invites her to come and share in the meal with him and his reapers. Now again what he is doing here is marking Ruth off as a special person. Another reminder to the servants and the reapers that this is a special woman and she is not treated as a second class citizen here. Stay out of our way, don’t be a bother, and that was the requirement for the gleaners. You come after we are done harvesting. You don’t get in our way and don’t expect anything special. But, here Ruth is marked off. She can come and eat with us and Boaz even gives serves her, if you will, and gives her an extra portion so she has some left over for Naomi to take home with her. So, he has honored her here and that will help in the relationship with the servants.

Verse 15, she is given permission to glean. He commanded his servants let her glean even among the sheaves and do not insult her. She doesn’t have to wait till the reapers are done. She has the freedom to glean in the field and don’t insult her. So, again that reminder, you to get the idea, these servants who are reaping the field could be difficult characters to work with. Also, you shall purposely, verse 16, pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean. Do not rebuke her. So, he even goes above and beyond. When you are gathering it all up in the bundles, you be sure you drop some out of those bundles, leave them there in her path. You look back and see her she is coming along, you got that bundle. You just sprinkle some of those out, so she is sure that she has got armfuls of grain. Do not rebuke her.

Again, you see, that it has been repeated through this chapter. I say that because you appreciate back in verse 2 when Ruth took the initiative and asked Naomi to give her permission to go to the field. That was not an easy thing to do. It was not a pleasant task. It wasn’t just the hard work that it is associated with it, but it is the abuse that might come along with the hard work. But God has graciously provided and protected her and what Boaz has said is true. He is using Boaz to carry out what Boaz has referred to in verse 12. She gleaned the field until evening. The work is not over. She has been treated kindly, but she still had to be out there working. Then she has to beat out what she gleaned, thresh it out and then bundle up what she had in grain. She had about an ephah of barley. There is some discussion of how much, probably about half bushel, bout 30 pounds. This is an unusual large gleaning as you might expect, and Naomi is going to be amazed when she gets home. So, she has prospered through this whole event.

Verses 18 and 19, she returns home. She gives Naomi what was left over from the meal. Remember verse 14, Boaz had given her plenty for herself and she had some left over. She gave what she had left over after she had been full from the meal she had out in the field. That is what is referred to in verse 18. It is not the idea she came home and ate as much of the grain she could eat, then gave some to Naomi. That is the left over from lunch so to speak. Then Naomi says, “Where did you gleaned today? Where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed?” I mean Naomi is aware. This is not an average gleaning that you brought home. So, she told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with and the name of the man was Boaz. Now, to Ruth, Boaz is a just a nice guy.

She hadn’t read verse 1, but Naomi had read verse 1 because she knew who Boaz was. Of 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. And again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative. He is one of our closest relatives.” You started to catch the idea that Naomi is getting excited here. That means she is a planning a marriage, that is what she is doing. Some things never change. Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "Furthermore, he said to me, you should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest." So, Ruth begins to give her more the story and Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good my daughter that you go out with his maids lest others fall upon you in other field.” See the danger. So, it goes beyond just physical abuse.

I mean a verbal abuse as well as the danger of physical abuse that Naomi was concerned about. You will be safe in his field. You may not be safe 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. So, Boaz had encouraged her to stay. The wheat harvest followed the barley harvest and she stays in Boaz’s field and lived with her mother-in-law. Now, you note here. God has made provision for them. He has provided food. He has provided protection for Ruth, but he has not immediately resolved their problem. Ruth still has to go up, and go out, and glean in the field. She is still living with her mother-in-law. No assurance that the future will hold anything for them, but they will have ample food now.

Remind you what Paul said, “If you have food and clothing,” we will be content. You get that idea. Here two women that can be content because of what God provided. Note through this all, it is the sovereign hand of God at work. I was reading a commentary this afternoon. I want to share a little bit out of it with you. I think it was clear as we read this story, the focus is on God and the provision that God makes. It is a commentary written by an evangelical. He was graduated from a couple of better seminaries and he teaches at an evangelical graduate school. He talks about Ruth and her adversities. I want you to just to take note here of how easily we can get off the track as believers. This is entitled “An Expositional Commentary, a Story of God's Grace”, but I think it is a corruption of God's grace. He asked the question, “but what may we ask is required of a person if he or she is to surmount the adversities that invariably come one’s way? How do you handle adversity in your life?” He is taking this out of the discussion of Ruth, in chapter 2. Modern research has identified five characteristics that are a fundamental importance to each of us if we are to triumph over the vicissitudes of our human existence and lead happy, effective, fulfilled life. Somewhere in the line we have left the Scripture. Some of his exposition of Scriptures are very good. But now if you are going to handle the adversities of life and the changes in life, life’s variableness, well modern research has identified five characteristics that have to be true of you if you would have a triumph over these changes in life and lead a happy, effective, fulfilled existence. These are, number one - a sense of personal autonomy; two - our sexuality, how we think of ourselves as men and women. I know some of you like that. It is the best one, our internalized sense of morality or career choice or hope for the future. Now where did we leave Ruth?

I mean these are the things that have to be true with Ruth. Now what has happened Ruth is obviously a person who triumphed in adversity. Modern research has said these five characteristics have to be true of a person who triumphs in adversity. So, you see where he is going. These five things had to be true of Ruth. So, the next number of pages is trying to show you how these were all true of Ruth. Well I won’t you read you those five pages. I want you to have something to be thankful for. But I will read you a couple of things, and I’m jumping over some. “She may have been beaten down by the sheer weight of her trials. This is Ruth, but she still had confidence in herself, and in the One under whose wings she had taken refuge, chapter 2 verse 12.”

All of a sudden, we have a combination here. “She may have been beaten down by the sheer weight of her trials, but she still had confidence in herself.” Did you come across that in our study of Chapter 2? “She had confidence in herself and in the One under whose wings she had taken refuge,” under whose wings you come to seek to refuge. That is blasphemy. That is saying that Ruth is triumph over adversity wasn’t due to God alone. It was due to the fact “she had confidence in herself and in the God under whose wings she had taken refuge.” God couldn’t have done it unless Ruth had confidence in herself. Now the lot of modern researchers have told us that to triumph in adversity you have to have confidence in yourself. All of sudden, the Scripture is not adequate, not sufficient. We have to try to read men’s ideas into the Scripture.

Ruth was evidently, “sufficiently secure in herself and confident enough in the Lord” not to allow her anxieties to go into unwarranted activity. Ruth was evidently “sufficiently secure in herself and confident enough in the Lord.” Where did you get this “sufficiently secure in herself”? We begin to read in description. Who gives man the right to corrupt the word of God? Here is the man who graduated from Dallas seminary, Talbot seminary and teaches at the graduate school of Campus Crusade in a book published by Moody press, who takes liberties with the word of God like that.

And Ruth is an example. We need not use our work as an outlet for our neurosis. I was happy to learn that. Here unless you think I am being too harsh, how we overcome the vicissitude, you really like this word vicissitudes. At my age, I had hardest time to say it. How we overcome the vicissitudes that is the variableness, changes of life. Maybe you already you knew that, I had to look it out. How we overcome the vicissitudes. I have read these three times because I have to practice the word now. I am going to read the fourth because I still haven’t finished sentence. How we overcome the vicissitudes of life depends on two things.

This is the climax of this chapter. How we overcome the changes of life, the variableness of life depends on two things. Number one, the way we think of ourselves, number two our confidence in the Lord. You note every time he has talked about this; the number one thing is how you see yourself. The way we thing of ourselves, and secondly, our confidence in the Lord. In other words, confidence in the Lord won’t get you through the troubles of this life. You have to first think of yourself properly and then have confidence in the Lord. Ruth illustrates for us the personal dynamics that will help us raise from the ashes of our experience and persevere. That is rubbish.

We’ll go there later on. Often in our desire to help others, we try to do everything for them. We make them feel dependent on us. When this happens, we erode their sense of esteem. What they need is a genuine feeling of I believe in you, I approve of you. Did you get that all out of Chapter 2? You know somewhere along the line, this expositional commentary left exposition altogether. By the time it all gets done, we now have man’s ideas and God's ideas. What God does is good and when you put that together with man’s proper view of himself, you can really handle life’s troubles. Well I thought I’d share that with you. It is a reminder that we come to the word, we ought to limit ourselves to the word.

I believe that I am able to handle whatever comes in life because I have taken refuge under the wings of the Almighty. It doesn’t have anything to do with my sexuality. It doesn’t have anything to do with my view of myself. All of sudden what does is it mean to be “under the wings”? You say well these chicks under the wing. If they have got a proper view of themselves and they have got a healthy view of their sexuality, then they will be safe. All of a sudden chicks are fifty-fifty with the mother hen. That is blasphemy. That is an attack on the character of God and His sufficiency. You don’t find that in Ruth.

Well there are six lessons I have drawn from this chapter. Number 1, there are no accidents with God. Verse 3, she happened to come to the portion of the field, but you have to put that in the context of verse 1. Humanly speaking, she just happened into the field of Boaz, but the whole purpose of this writer even in putting verse 1 first was so you appreciate the providence of God. It is His hand that is guiding and directing her. We are living our lives submissive to Him. We go ahead and pursue. Ruth knew she had to get out into the field and glean. She didn’t have to spend ten days praying about should I get out there? Where should I go? What field should I get to? She simply got about doing. God was controlling and directing her life.

Number 2, our break with world testifies of the reality of our faith. Our break with the world testifies to the reality of our faith. We saw that in chapter 1, but it is emphasized in verse 11 again as Boaz relates the impact of what Ruth has done upon him. He has heard so he praised for God's blessing on her in verse 12.

Number 3, God is a refuge for those who trust Him. The end of verse 12, “under whose wings you have come to seek to refuge.” God is a refuge for those who trust Him.

Number 4, God often provides comfort and encouragement through others. Verse 13, you have comforted me, spoken kindly to your maidservant.

Number 5, godly humility does not expect others to show them favor. Verse 13, also mentioned in verse10. Verse 13, godly humility does not expect others to show them favor and kindness. If you are expecting that from others, you need to back up and examine your godly humility.

Number 6, the physical protection of the believer is provided by God and that has to do with being under His wings. Verse 9, verse 12, verse 15, verse 16, verse 22. All reminders of how God provided for the protection of Ruth. She took refuge under His wings and she is secure there as God provided for the physical protection of this woman in these times.

Chapter 1, we saw the hand of God bringing trials and difficulties into the lives of His children. Chapter 2, we see the hand of God bringing comfort, encouragement, protection and blessing to His children. The same God, the same children. One constant in both chapters. God is sovereign in all things. He is graciously working His perfect plan in the lives of His children. That adversity was part of His plan and now the blessing that has begun in chapter 2 which will grow is part of His plan. We can rest secure in the care of God that whatever we are experiencing is part of His plan for us.