Landing in the Right Fold
Text: “Ruth 2: 10 - 23”
Ruth 2:10-23 (KJV) 10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. 19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
Introduction
In this passage we are going to see that Ruth has landed in the right field. In landing in this field she is about to experience blessings that she would have never comprehended or even considered? The blessings will come from a man that she had never personally met until this encounter in the barley fields. In landing in this filed Ruth will end up in the right fold, for in this fold she will have her life changed for eternity.
The Love that she feels in this Fold:
a. It was an immediate feeling of love
b. It was an impressive feeling of love
The Liberty that she finds in this Fold:
a. Wonderful liberty in where she gleaned
b. Wonderful liberty in what she gleaned
I - The Favors That Ruth Enjoyed (10 - 14)
Ruth had never experienced this much fuss being made over her. It was apparent that this man had deep affection for this girl. The favoritism from Boaz to Ruth was done publicly for all to see.
A) The Humbling Question (10)
In this passage we find Ruth proposing some powerful questions to Boaz. The question of why did he extend grace towards her? The question of why he would even look towards her, understanding that she was a stranger.
Could Grace be Extended to a Meaningless Sinner
Could Grace be Expressed to a Moabitesh Stranger
1 - Notice the Contrition of Ruth - Stooping
The meek girl was overwhelmed by the graciousness that was extended towards her. The woman is found falling upon the ground, declaring her inadequacy to stand before this man Boaz. The humility of this girl should prick our consciousness to our standing before a just and holy God. One does not haphazardly skip into the presence of the God that personally died to save our vile souls.
2 - Notice the Confession of Ruth - Stranger
Ruth has no comprehension within herself that she was perceived as being worthy of the goodness of this man Boaz. One should never expect that we are owed any of the mighty blessings that God has afforded to freely give us. Ruth understood that she was a condemned stranger, an alien to the commonwealth of Israel. The word of God was clear upon this matter; Ruth had no place in the congregation of the Lord. If one looks wholly upon the law then Ruth stood alienated and condemned, but if one allows for the grace of God then Ruth may be deemed as worthy. The worthiness that she was given was not of her own goodness, but of the goodness of this man Boaz.
B) The Hearty Adoration (11 - 12)
Boaz had already heard of the goodness and graciousness of Ruth. In the land of Moab she displayed much love upon the family of Elimelech and Naomi. The man gave her full recognition for the role that she played in caring for Naomi. It was an awesome sight to see Boaz lavish Ruth with wonderful words of adoration.
Boaz Recognized her Testimony (fully been showed0
Boaz Reassured her Treatment (a full reward)
Boaz Revealed her Trust (thou art come to trust)
1 - The Work & Service that Ruth had Willfully Performed (11)
In her past dealings Ruth was a source of blessing to the family of Elimelech. In the strange pagan land of Moab, this family found a friend that would prove to be helpful for the harsh times that were to come.
2 - The Wings & Shelter that God had Wonderfully Provided (12)
In this section we find something peculiar concerning Ruth, we see that she has trusted in the God of Israel. Boaz recognizes the trust that Ruth has displayed in not only leaving Moab but in her spiritual journey of finding his God. I want us to consider the meaning of several of the words found in Ruth 2: 12 as follows:
Ruth 2:12 (KJV) The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
a. Recompense is defined as:
To be in a covenant of peace, be at peace, to be complete, be sound, to be whole, sound or safe. To be completed as in finishing a building, or to reward, recompense.
b. Thy work is defined as:
A work, deed, doing, or a thing done. Wages of work.
c. Under whose wings: A wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt
d. To Trust: To seek refuge, to flee for protection, confide or put hope in.
If we look at the full meaning of this passage in verse number 12, we see that something wonderful has happened in the life of Ruth.
The Peace & Soundness of her Standing - The Covenant Reassurance
The Provision & Supply of her Service - The Covenant Resources
The Protection & Security of her Shelter - The Covenant Refuge
The reality of the situation was that in forsaking the land of her nativity, Ruth had sold out fully to the Lord God of Israel. In her beautiful speech to Naomi she had tried to express her inward beliefs to the best of her ability. It must be fully understood that it is not the words that freely flow from our lips that makes us a follower of Christ, but it is the soundness and sureness of our works and our walk that allows others to deem us a followers of Christ. I did not say that we are saved by works; I am saying that we must line up our walk and our works with our words. The little pagan girl did not know all of the ins and outs of religious mumbo jumbo, but she did know that in her heart she had trusted in the God of Naomi.
C) The Helpful Provision (14)
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
It would have been humorous watching the giddiness that was displayed by Boaz, he was in love and did not care who knew it. The gleaning process was very tiresome, because those that followed the true harvesters had to stay back a bit and their pickings would be minute and tedious. Boaz fully understood the financial situation that faced Ruth and Naomi. It would be satisfying for Boaz to help meet her needs in a way that showed his affection towards Ruth.
1 - The Select Seating of Ruth - Placement
Boaz placed great emphasis upon Ruth that when it was time to eat or drink, all she had to do was to ease right up beside the reapers. The difference must be understood to fully understand the significance of this.
The Reapers and their Distinguished Seating
1 - The Provision of the Reapers (received food to eat)
2 - The Payment of the Reapers (money for their labor)
3 - The Prominence of the Reapers (knew Boaz)
Boaz allows for Ruth to move away from the gleaners, she has the blessed privilege of sitting among the reapers. The reapers were people that actually worked for Boaz or would have been related to Boaz. The seating of Ruth was distinguished seating because of the one that extended the invitation towards her.
The Gleaners and their Distant Seating
1 - Gleaning was for the Feeble Widow
2 - Gleaning was for the Fatherless Orphan
3 - Gleaning was for the Foreign Alien
If Ruth were to sit among the gleaners she would have to sit off in the distance. The seat that she would have filled would have been among the poor, the strangers, and the foreigners that knew not the god of Israel. It would not be so with this girl, Boaz had already made arrangements for her personal and privileged seat. The seat that she would sit in was to the liking of Boaz. The day we got saved did not our Boaz place us in a prominent seat.
I hope that we can see the spiritual symbolism of this section of our sermon. The day that I got saved, I was extended a divine invitation that moved me from among the poor vile distant seat of sin. I became a child of Jesus Christ and he seated me in a distinguished seat of prominence and privilege. It was nothing that I deserved, but because of the love that he had for me, Christ invited me in.
2 - The Sure Sufficing of Ruth - Contentment
In sitting by Boaz Ruth was able to eat of his bread and to dip into his vinegar. I can envision Boaz make much of the needs of Ruth, was she hungry, did she need any water, was the vinegar sufficient to her taste. The select seating of Ruth was nothing compared to the sure sufficing that she had encountered. The contentment of this woman was a bit puzzling for those that watched this story unfold before their eyes. I believe that many people failed to realize that Boaz was head over heels in love with this gal. The meaning of the word, “suffice” is one that denotes being fully satisfied, almost to the point of having excess to the point of being near misery. This was a lot for a girl that was just trying to get by!
II - The Freedom That Ruth Experienced (15 - 17)
The little lady that had forsaken the pagan pit of Moab was about to experience life as she has never known before. The girl is about to find full freedom that will provide nourishment for her physical and spiritual being. The freedom that Ruth is about to experience will prove to be life changing and awesome.
A) The Limitations That Were Revoked - Exception Demanded
Boaz swiftly informs his entire workforce of a new set of rules, the rules were only for one particular girl, and Ruth was her name. The rules would now be different in the fields of this business man. The spiritual symbolism of this should be easily identified. The day we got saved the rules changed in our relationship with God. The rules did not change per anything that we did or deemed deserving, no the rules changed because of Jesus Christ. In the eyes of God we received the liberty of Jesus Christ. I believe that when God looks at me, he looks at me through the victorious veil of Calvary. If it were not for Calvary none of us would be able to access salvation or experience this personal liberty.
1 - Unlimited Placement among the Reapers (15)
The idea of this text is that Ruth could leave the gleaners and move up to the reapers. The reapers were reaping the first fruits that came from the harvest. The reapers and the gleaners would have a certain amount of separation.
2 - Unlimited Privileges from the Reapers (16)
Boaz had instructed his reapers to look behind them and if Ruth was close by to intentionally drop her some handfuls of barley on purpose. The placement of Ruth to be allowed among the reapers was great, but her being allowed gracious handfuls of barley on purpose was out of this world.
B) The Liberties That Were Reiterated - Extra Dropped
Ruth was going to put her liberty to the test as she inched her way closer and closer to the reapers. The norm for this approach would have been a sharp rebuke from those reaping for Boaz. In verse 16 the reapers are instructed to forego any form of rebuke in the location of Ruth. It was actually the contrary, Ruth was to have irrevocable privileges among the reapers, and there would be not verbal abuse, no mistreatment. The privileges of would offer her many extra handfuls of barley and they would be dropped on purpose just for her.
1 - The Biblical Laws of Gleaning - For Strangers (Deut. 24: 19/21)
The bible mentions gleaning in several Old Testament passages, we have mentioned them in our introductory words of this study. The laws for gleaning were very simple and sufficient. If we look at reaping it involves insiders that reap of the first fruits of the harvest. If we look at gleaning it involves outsiders that reap what was missed and left in the fields. The laws for gleaning were provided to involve people in their own welfare and wellbeing. The only stimulus that was offered would be for them to head down to the field and find their own food. Let us remember that gleaning was for certain people, the widow, the orphan, and the alien. God reminded Israel that the land was his and he would dictate to them how the land would be used.
2 - The Bountiful Load of Gleaning - For Ruth (17)
In various verses in this study we find that Ruth gleaned much barley. The idea of gleaning is that nobody was to go hungry and no food would be left in the field to be wasted. In the case of Ruth she gleaned about 1 bushel of barley on her first day in the field of Boaz. One bushel of barley was about 1 days pay in those ancient biblical days.
III - The Food That Ruth Exposed (18 - 19)
The girl sat around until she had filled her body with nourishing food, almost to the point of over indulgence, then she heads home. The moment she arrives home Naomi begins to look upon the load of barley that is placed before her. The barley that she was carrying spoke to her of the wondrous goodness of her God.
A) The Abundance of her Provision - A Full Bushel
“Gracious Revealing of Ruth’s Gleanings” (18)
It was a good as Ruth worked in the field of Boaz. The day progressed in good fashion, when it was time for her to head home, her load would be heavy. The barley ended up being around 1 bushel. If she were to buy this barley she would have to spend a full days pay. It did not take long for Naomi to realize that grace had been shown to her daughter-in-law. The emptiness that she had previously professed was no longer true. The fullness of this harvest of barley would revive and reassure Naomi that her emptiness was in the past.
B) The Amazement of her Presentation - A Fruitful Blessing
“Glorious Rejoicing of Naomi’s Gladness” (19)
In this passage we see Naomi doing the right thing, she was thankful for the one that had blessed Ruth. It would be beneficial for us to allow the proper time to praise God and to thank him for his wondrous blessings upon us. In this section we can learn much from the reaction of Naomi, we should not take the blessings of God for granted. It had been along time since Naomi had allowed rejoicing words to flow from her lips. The draught within her soul had sprung forth in streams of glorious praise and shouts of thankfulness. The dryness of her heart was now a gushing river of love and gratitude. The blessings of Boaz not only benefited Ruth but they would also adequately provide for her mother-in-law.
IV - The Friend That Ruth Encountered (20 - 23)
It was good and wonderful news in the house of Naomi on this beautiful afternoon. The barley was a vast supply but the one that arranged for Ruth to glean the barley was much more beneficial news to this family.
A) The Kindness of Boaz - Greatly Received
Naomi knew that something more was going on, one did not normally glean this much barley in one day. The load of barley that lay before her spoke loudly of love and blessings. It would not be long before Ruth communicated the events of the day to her mother-in-law. I can see Naomi sitting and eagerly taking in every word that flowed from the lips of Ruth.
1 - Naomi’s Inspiration & Gladness
The mother-in-law was inspired by the goodness and the graciousness of this man Boaz. It would have been a sight to watch how eager Naomi was in hearing about the way Boaz had treated her daughter-in-law.
2 - Naomi’s Instruction & Guidance
The matchmaker in Naomi hastily went to work; this opportunity must not be wasted. The aroma of love was in the air, and it would soon be time for Ruth to apply “The Midnight of Moab” perfume. The girls were up on all of the fashions and the top ten ways to find an eligible man; it may be time for reeling in this eligible bachelor.
B) The Kinship of Boaz - Gladly Revealed
In listening to Ruth tell of the days events, finally Naomi tells her the good news of Boaz being a close kinsman, and possibly their kinsman redeemer. In the coming days it would all work itself out; of course these two would try and help also.
1 - Kinsman Redeemer Defined
In the opening introduction of this study we identified the role of a kinsman redeemer. In this case the redeemer would be redeeming because of the death of a close relative and there were no descendants to carry on the family name. The kinsman was needed to step in and marry Ruth so that she could birth a child to carry on the family name.
2 - Kinsman Redeemer Demonstrated
In all reality Jesus Christ is the true Kinsman Redeemer, he was the closest of kin because of his being born of a woman. The law would not redeem us, it sought perfection from us, and we would have marred the law. In loving us Jesus took on our shame and our sin to lovingly redeem our lost souls.
Conclusion
I hope that this study has shown the blessing of Ruth landing in the right fold. The bible introduces us to the mighty man named Boaz.