Ruth chapter 2, we're going to read the first 13 verses. Ruth chapter 2, starting at verse 1 and then reading until verse 13. Ruth chapter 2, starting at verse 1 and then reading until verse 13. This is God's word. Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favour. She said to her, Go, my daughter. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered, The Lord bless you. Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, Whose young woman is this? And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest. Then Boaz said to Ruth, Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field, or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner? But Boaz answered her, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord will pay you for what you have done and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Then she said, I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants. That's as far as we're reading in Ruth chapter two. Well, dear people of God, if you've ever built a puzzle, you know that it can be quite difficult. Now you have a pretty good idea of what the puzzle is going to look like when it's all done because you have the picture on the box. But when you're building the puzzle, figuring out how all the pieces actually fit together can be quite difficult. So it is sometimes with the Christian life. We know that there will be a beautiful result. Eternal glory is coming. Sometimes it's hard to tell how all the pieces of our life fit together as we journey toward that beautiful end. Our finite human minds have a difficult time understanding the ways of the Lord. There are things that we experience that don't seem to make any sense. There are trials that we endure that are difficult to bear. There are moments where we question whatever we're experiencing, how whatever we are experiencing could possibly be defined as good. But God is God and we are not. And it's important to keep both His sovereignty and His goodness in mind as we try to figure out how all the pieces of our lives fit together. We need to know and we need to believe that His plan is good because He is good. In general, that's one of the main themes of the book of Ruth, but more specifically, that theme is highlighted here for us in Ruth chapter 2. Because here in Ruth 2, 1-13, we see the Lord bringing together the events of Ruth's life in a beautiful way, like pieces of a puzzle. He does this not only for His own purpose and for His own glory, but also for the good of Ruth and Naomi. So let's look at these 13 verses together this morning. You'll remember that Ruth and Naomi have arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. But then at the beginning of verse two, the focus shifts completely. Look at verse, or beginning of chapter two rather. Look at verse one. Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. The narrator leaves the story of Ruth and Naomi and we're introduced to someone else. At first glance, it seems like this is an isolated detail. In fact, it seems completely random. Naomi and Ruth have arrived in Bethlehem. Naomi has expressed her bitterness. She's told the townspeople about her emptiness. She's even said that the Lord is against her. But then the narrator tells us about some guy named Boaz. Kind of comes out of nowhere. until we examine this verse a little bit closer. Because this description of Boaz is pretty important. First of all, Boaz is described as a relative of Naomi's husband. This is significant because Israelite law required that if a man died, one of his closest relatives was to take the responsibility of preserving the family line of the deceased man. You see that disobeyed in Genesis 38. And so with this detail, the narrator is giving us a subtle hint that all is not lost for Naomi. Not only does she have food now, not only does she have Ruth, but here in Bethlehem, there's a relative of her husband, Elimelech. In a small way, there's still hope for Naomi. Secondly, Boaz is referred to as a worthy man. The meaning of this Hebrew phrase is quite broad, which makes it a little bit hard to narrow down and define. It's the same phrase that's used in Judges 6 to describe Gideon as a mighty man of valor, as a man of war. But here in Ruth, this phrase has nothing to do with war. Instead, it describes Boaz as a man of means, as a man of wealth and positive influence. means that Boaz was a man of integrity, a godly man who was well respected by many, if not all. We'll see that a little bit more as the story unfolds. But for now, with this description of Boaz, specifically this description of him as a worthy man, we need to recognize two important things. First of all, this description of Boaz is something that every man here, both young and old, should aspire to. To be described as a man of integrity, a worthy man, or a godly man. is one of the best compliments, if not the best compliment, that any man can receive. Boaz offers a good example for all men everywhere. And for the congregation as a whole, this is something to keep in mind. We have office bearer elections coming up before the end of the year. But secondly, this description of Boaz also offers some application for parents. Because what's interesting is that if you go to Matthew chapter 1, you'll find that the mother of Boaz was Rahab. Rahab, the Gentile prostitute from Jericho, raised a son like Boaz. Clearly, the grace and power of the Lord had had a significant impact on Rahab. An impact that she shared with her family. So parents, tell the Gospel to your children every single day. Remind them every single day of the love that Jesus has for them. Boaz has been described, and after this description of Boaz, the narrator then shifts back to Ruth and Naomi in verse 2. Once again, it seems kind of random. A man is introduced, he's described in glowing terms, and then the narrator takes us back to the home of Ruth and Naomi. What's going on here? The narrator is building suspense. He's heightening the drama. But here in verse 2, we see something a little bit about Ruth's character as well. Remember, on the road to Bethlehem, she had pledged her loyalty to Naomi, and as soon as they arrive in Bethlehem, Ruth is determined to make good on her words and promise. She wastes no time. She asks Naomi for permission to go and glean in the field. The law actually commanded that if foreigners and the poor were in the midst of the people, they should be allowed to glean during harvest time, to pick up the scraps that the harvesters left behind. We find in Deuteronomy 24, 19, when you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Now whether Ruth knew the specifics of this law or not, we don't know. But what we do know is that Ruth wanted to provide for Naomi. Pay attention to what this means. This means that Ruth is looking for life and for blessing in the Promised Land. Instead of going back to Moab, instead of going back to those pagan gods like her sister-in-law Orpah did, Ruth is looking to the Lord. Her faith in the God of Israel prompts and compels her to glean in the fields in Israel and more specifically in Bethlehem. And so we come to verse three. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz who was of the clan of Elimelech. Ruth goes out to the field to glean. And who does that field belong to? It's Boaz. The narrator beautifully brings verse 1 and verse 2 together here in verse 3. And now the description of Boaz doesn't really seem all that random, does it? But notice what the narrator says in verse 3. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz. She just so happened to find herself on Boaz' property. In fact, the Hebrew literally says, as chance chanced. Today we might say something like, as luck would have it, she found herself in the field of Boaz. Before we get concerned that inspired scripture is saying something about chance actually existing, we have to notice what the narrator is doing. Remember, before, Naomi had spoken about the sovereignty of God. Now, she didn't say anything about God's goodness, but she was careful to attribute everything that happened in her life to God's sovereign hand. And so it's against the backdrop of that confession that the narrator says, as chance, chance. See, what's happening here is the narrator is actually inviting the reader into the story so that the reader can respond with, hey, nice try, this isn't chance at all. No, this is divinely appointed. This is the invisible hand of God's providence bringing Ruth into the vicinity of Boaz. Boaz, who is the relative of Naomi, and the one who had the potential to maintain the line of Elimelech. God, as the divine director, is orchestrating everything beautifully. You can see something developing here. Something is building, and it isn't just suspense or drama. No, there's hope for Naomi. These details aren't random at all. In fact, they're part of a beautiful divine plan. If you pay attention to how the narrator is framing the story, it's actually kind of exciting. You see, we've talked about Naomi's bitterness. We've talked about her emptiness. She's even said that the hand of the Lord has gone out against her. But now a worthy man, a man of integrity, enters the story and Ruth finds herself in his field. And the story continues in verse 4, and in fact, it gets even more exciting. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. Boaz arrives at the field. And that word, behold, prompts a similar response to the words, she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz. The narrator is saying, oh, would you look at that. Ruth is in the field, and here comes Boaz. Once again, the details are being beautifully strung together. But look at what Boaz says to his workers and how his workers respond in verse four. Boaz said to the reapers, the Lord be with you. And they answered, the Lord bless you. They say it takes only seven seconds to make a good first impression. Boaz needs less time than that. And we know from Psalm 129 that this was a typical greeting during harvest time. And so it could be that Boaz was just operating by social convention and doing what was required or expected. But even if that's all that Boaz was doing, it still shows that he's a godly man who desired to honor the Lord in all that he did. And on top of that, his workers greeted him with a response of respect and blessing as well. And so this little detail emphasizes the godliness and integrity of Boaz. It shows that the name of the Lord was readily on his lips. It shows that he was able to speak the name of the Lord and the blessing of God freely. In other words, verse 4 proves that verse 1's description of Boaz was accurate and on point. Then Boaz notices something in verse 5. Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, likely the foreman of the crew, whose young woman is this? There's a woman in his field that he doesn't recognize. Now he was probably just going to check in on his workers, make sure that they were doing well during the hot and busy harvest season. But as his eyes are scanning over the field, he sees Ruth. And again, this may seem like an insignificant detail that just seeks to move the story along. But remember what we saw last time. When Naomi and Ruth came back to Bethlehem, Ruth was completely ignored. Ruth was an afterthought. Naomi didn't even see her as a blessing from God. All the emphasis was on Naomi and on her bitterness. No one paid any attention to Ruth at all. But here, Boaz does. Boaz notices her. And so he asks about her. It's just a little bit interesting to me that Boaz doesn't say, who is that? He says, whose young woman is this? Who does she belong to? It could be that Boaz was assuming that Ruth was a servant or something like that, or he's just asking for information about what family, clan, or tribe she belonged to. But either way, he's looking for information. So the foreman gives Boaz a description of Ruth in verses 6 and 7. Servant who is in charge of the reapers said, she is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest. And if you look at that footnote, it says the meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain. Whenever you see a footnote like that, it probably means there's some debate about what's really going on. Verse seven is very difficult to translate. Some argue that Ruth was waiting around for permission to glean among the reapers because gleaning among the reapers was a bold request. It was more than what the law of God required. Or it could be that the foreman allowed Ruth to glean in the field, and that she had worked incredibly hard in the field in order to provide for her and Naomi. Again, it's really hard to tell what's going on here in verse 7. But either way, we see the strong character of Ruth once again. Whether she was waiting for her bold request to be answered, or if she had simply worked incredibly hard in her gleaning, the fact remains that she was committed and determined to provide for her mother-in-law. So what this is showing to us is that there are two people of integrity in this story, Boaz and Ruth. Once again, the narrator is buttering us up. He's getting us excited about a possible meeting between Ruth and Boaz. And that's exactly what happens in verse eight. Boaz goes to Ruth. But he has some very strict instructions for her in verses eight and nine. Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn." Boaz tells her not to go anywhere else. He tells her to keep close to his young women. These young women would likely be the ones who would tie the bundles of the harvested grain together. Sometimes they would fetch water for the workers, but generally their job was to make sure that the workers were doing well and were cared for. But on top of that, Boas tells Ruth two more things. First, he tells her that she's allowed to help herself to the water jugs. Some authors suggest that this was something that was actually only reserved for the workers. And second, Boas tells Ruth that he has or will command the workers not to touch her. See, the harvest field wasn't exactly the safest place for poor widowed women. There are a few reasons for that that we don't really need to get into right now. Instead, what we need to focus on is that Boaz is telling Ruth that he's going to protect her. See, what Boaz is doing here in verses eight and nine is going above and beyond what was required. This is generosity of the highest order. Go back to verse 1, we see once again that Boaz is aptly described. He continues to prove his integrity and his godliness in his interactions both with his workers and with Ruth. And look at Ruth's response in verse 10. Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? You see, Ruth is humbled by the generosity of Boaz. She knows that she's a foreigner. She knows she's a non-Israelite. She knows she doesn't deserve this kind of favor and mercy. Ruth probably had no idea that this Boaz was Naomi's relative, There's no indication at all that Ruth was aware that Boaz was from the clan of Elimelech. But it's his kindness that overwhelms her. And in verse 11, Boaz tells Ruth that he knows all about her. All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me. And how you left your father and mother in your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. Boaz is impressed by Ruth's commitment to Naomi. He's impressed by her loyalty. Like Abraham, that great man of faith who left everything he ever knew and journeyed to a brand new home, so Ruth, full of faith, journeyed from Moab to Bethlehem, a land she did not know before, leaving everything behind because she trusted in the Lord's provision. And notice that in his response, Boaz doesn't actually say that this is why he has shown her generosity. In a way, he doesn't really directly answer her question. Instead, he tells her that he knows her story so that he can pronounce a blessing on her in verse 12. The Lord repay you, in a positive way, for what you have done. And a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Boaz prays that Ruth will receive a reward for her faith and obedience. Why? Because she's looking for shelter in the only place where it can possibly be found, under the wings of God's sovereign love and goodness. Like a mother bird protecting her young, so the Lord protects His people. That is where true blessing is found. Once again, Ruth is humbled by the kindness of Boaz in verse 13. And she said, I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants. Again, Ruth knows she doesn't rightfully belong in Israel. So in her emptiness and her poverty, she is comforted and humbled by the kindness and generosity of Boaz. This really is a great little story. The narrator has brought Ruth and Boaz together in a beautiful way, what seemed like random and isolated details. It's actually worked together to highlight the providence and power and goodness and love of God. But we would be at a loss if we didn't really see what this story was really all about. Because if we read this story, if we read these 13 verses and we fail to see the love of Christ for his people, then we've missed the point entirely. Think about who we are apart from Christ. Apart from Christ, we are all citizens of a foreign kingdom. That's what Paul's talking about in Ephesians 2, which we read for our assurance of pardon. Apart from Christ, we are empty. We're broken. We're alone. We're idolatrous. We're spiritually hungry. We're dissatisfied. We're looking for love in all the wrong places. Apart from Christ, we're outside the covenant community, outside the blessings of God. Apart from Christ, we're spiritual foreigners. Apart from Christ, we're all dead. And think about what God, who directs and plans everything, did for us in Jesus Christ. God raised up a man of integrity. He raised up a man of godliness. In fact, God sent his only begotten Son, God himself in human flesh, to be our Savior. God sent Christ to redeem us, to stand in our place, and to preserve us. And in Christ Jesus, we find the spring and the fountain of God's goodness and kindness. The world was content to pass us by. The world was content to ignore us. The world was content to offer us nothing but more temptation, more sin, and more rebellion against God. But Christ came to us in our lowest state. Christ came to fill our emptiness. Christ came to give us comfort and rest. In fact, notice that Christ offers us exactly what Boaz offered to Ruth. Boaz offered Ruth water. Christ gives us living water. Boaz offered Ruth protection, and Christ has promised to preserve us until the end. Boaz provided Ruth with food, and Christ Jesus is the bread from heaven who gives us eternal food for our hungry souls. We see Christ didn't just give us these blessings in some kind of cold or mechanical way. No, it was because of His love and kindness toward us that Christ stooped down to fill our emptiness. It was because of His love for us that Christ willingly laid down His life for our salvation. It's because of His love for His people that Christ fills us up with the blessings of salvation and life. This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. We're actually gonna taste, touch, see, and smell the kindness of our Lord in a few minutes when we partake of the Lord's Supper. This feast is a tangible reminder of all that God has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And so in the kindness of Boaz to Ruth, we need to see the kindness and love of our Savior, a kindness and love that was put on full display when Christ died on the cross to save sinners like you and me. In fact, all the events of redemptive history, like pieces of a beautiful puzzle, were specifically designed by our good and sovereign God so that the salvation of our souls would be accomplished. Even the events here in Ruth 2 are part of that grand story of God's amazing plan of redemption for His chosen people. And that means, in some indirect way, this is part of our story. Because it's part of God's plan to save our souls. And because of that, we need to examine Ruth's response to Boaz. She's humbled by it. Because she knows that she doesn't deserve it at all. Technically, she shouldn't even be in the Promised Land. She was a foreigner. She was from a pagan, idolatrous country. She was from the kingdom of God's enemies. There was nothing in her, in and of herself, that would in any way suggest that she deserved this level of kindness and love from Boaz. We have to realize that this is exactly who all of us are apart from the love, grace, and compassion of God. Because of our sin, we have no business even being in this sanctuary this morning. We have no business, because of our sin, being in God's presence, being part of His eternal family, or being part of His covenant people. And yet, that's exactly who we are. Why? Because our God has showered us with love, with kindness, and with grace. We've been given food for our hungry souls. In Christ, we've been given spiritual water to satisfy our parched souls. And in Christ we have been given protection for all of eternity because Christ has already won the victory. In Christ we have salvation. In Christ we get what we do not deserve. So when you ponder the blessings and kindness of God, are you humbled by it? Is your soul moved to praise God for the salvation that you have received? And on top of that, when you see the love and kindness of Christ, does it comfort your soul? Does it warm your heart? Because it's the greatest story ever told. It's the story of the Son of God dying on a cross for you. It's the story of bread from heaven who came down to feed the souls of sinners like you and me. And if God has done that for us, if God has already filled our biggest need, then we can trust in Him for everything. We need to know that God works all things for our good. Like pieces of a puzzle, every single detail of our lives is part of God's great plan of salvation and sanctification. See, in God's kingdom, in this world, nothing is ever random. We may not fully understand that. But take a lesson from Ruth 2, 1-13 and see the goodness and sovereignty of our God who works all things for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. He is God and we are not. And our God knows exactly what He's doing. We can have faith and confidence that what our God is doing is perfectly and absolutely good. Let's pray together.