Let's pray, please. Father, we thank you for giving us the words of eternal life and holy scripture. May we receive their truths with faith and love, lay them up on our hearts and practice them on our lives. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Please take your Bibles and turn to Ruth, chapter two. Ruth, chapter two. Right after the book of Judges there. Ruth, chapter two. Ruth chapter 2, and this is God's word. Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth of the family of a limeleck whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor. And she said to her, go, my daughter. So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, may the Lord be with you. And they said to him, may the Lord bless you. Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this? The servant in charge of the reapers replied, she's the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. And she said, please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now. She has been sitting in the house for a little while. Then Boaz said to Ruth, listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field. Furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw. Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? Boaz replied to her, all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me and how you left your father and your mother in the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. And she said, I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I'm not like one of your maidservants. At mealtime, Boaz said to her, come here that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar. So she sat beside the reapers and he served her roasted grain and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her. Also, you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles, and leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her. So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an effa of barley. She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. Her mother-in-law then said to her, where did you glean today? And where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed. So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, the name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz. Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, may he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, the man is our relative. He is one of our closest relatives. Then Ruth the Moabitess said, furthermore, he said to me, you should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest. Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids so that others do not fall upon you in another field. So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest, and she lived with her mother-in-law. May God bless the reading of this holy word. Experience in this fallen world teaches us not to trust people that we don't know. Experience also teaches us to be suspicious of the motives of strangers who are kind to us. Why? Because most of what people do is in self-interest. But if we are true believers, and we've been born again by God's spirit, and we know what it is to be loved by God, we too will love people in a similar though never perfect manner. Believers in the Old Testament time and believers in the New Testament have the same spiritual benefits given to them. The new birth, the effectual call of God's irresistible grace, justification, sanctification, adoption into the family of God and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. If we really are Christians, our presence in this world ought to manifest those things to everyone that knows us. Yes, indeed, there are people in this world. There are people in the world. who are simply kind, generous, who have integrity, and they should be God's people. Remember that glorious fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence in someone's life? Kindness. Why is kindness a fruit that grows on every Christian tree? Titus 3.4 says, when the kindness and the love of God, our savior toward man appeared, he saved us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. That word kindness in Greek, as it is listed in the fruits of the spirit there in Galatians 5.22, it means the quality of being beneficial, the quality of being good, kind, generous. One group of people I was always blown away by, even when I was a child. One category of humanity that always impressed me, even when I was a little kid, was Sunday school teachers. Why do people agree to become Sunday school teachers? It can be a rather thankless job at times. Kids can be a little difficult at times. They're not compensated for their work. They're not compensated for their dedication. No, I know that there are parts of it, having taught Sunday school myself before, there are parts of it that are enjoyable and are rewarding, but what motivates a Sunday school teacher to do what they do? Kindness. They're kind. It's not for praise, it's not for money, it's not for prestige or worldly fame. And when I was a little kid, I knew that. There's only one thing that could motivate someone to do this. Because they're kind. They want to benefit other people. Sunday school teachers do what they do for those reasons. The love of the world around us today is growing colder. It's love has turned gray and dark. But Jesus taught us that if we are His disciples, that His light shines in us. He said in John 8, 12, I am the light of the world. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. But now that He's gone, He tells His disciples, you are the light of the world now. My light will shine through you now. Now, Christian people need to be firm in their convictions and always stand for what's true no matter what the cost, even if they have to stand with a few or alone, and no matter what the opposition. But they ought to be, in general, the kindest and most generous and helpful people on earth. When people think of us, they should remember that we are kind, that we are helpful, that we give of ourselves, that we are good. when Paul was instructing Titus to exhort young men in his church to be sober minded. He also wanted Titus to exhort those same young men to live their lives in such a way that no one will ever be able to say anything evil of you. And if people are going to speak badly of us, let us live in such a way that the only recourse they have to do that is they have to lie. If we treat people with kindness, that's one way we show the world the reality that Christ lives in us. Naomi and Ruth, they've been living in darkness for a while here, such hardship, a world with nobody left on their side, it seemed. But the light of God's grace, his mercy, and his infinite kindness was shining in a close relative that they're about to meet here, a man named Boaz. And this man embodies, brothers, my brothers in Christ here, what all of us really ought to aspire to be. Young men especially want to be admired. We want to be seen as something great, but often for all the wrong reasons. What do people think of when they think of you, when they think of me? When people thought of Boaz, when they thought about this man, when his reapers, when his workers, when his family, when his household thought about him, I have no doubt they thought of one thing, the kindness of God. What do people think of when they think of us? That's what we want. When people think of me, when they think of you, the kindness of God, let it be our ambition to bring that same thing to the minds of all who know us. Now, I wanna cover this passage. Let's go ahead and look. I've given you a three-point outline there in your bulletin if you'd like to follow along, but we're gonna walk right through the passage in Ruth 2 here. Look at verse 1. Now, Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of a family of a Limelech, whose name was Boaz. Elimelech, as you may recall, was Naomi's husband who died while they were there in Moab. And Boaz is related to Elimelech. And Boaz turns out to be the main character in the whole narrative of the book of Ruth here, Boaz is. Look at verse two. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor. And she, Naomi, said to her, go, my daughter. Now there was no welfare system in place in Israel back then. If you were going to survive, you had to work hard to do it. There was a clear provision in the Old Testament law that the poor could be taken over through what you might call a welfare to work program. They did not get handouts from the state. They were allowed to glean in the fields of farmers after harvesters were done doing their work. They could go around the edges of the fields and go through the fields and get the scraps and things that fell out of their sheaves and everything else. They could get that stuff. And the law of God said specifically to farmers, don't get everything out of your fields. Leviticus 19.9 says, when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. He told them, do not glean in your own field. You shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Yahweh your God." The poor and the stranger is a perfect description of Naomi and Ruth. They're both poor and Ruth is a total stranger, a foreigner, known by nobody in Bethlehem or the rest of Israel for that matter. And God ordered his people to purposefully leave some of their crops in the field for the poor and the stranger so they would not die, so they wouldn't starve to death. But the poor and the stranger had to go to those fields and had to get their hands dirty and had to do that work to glean, to get food. And Ruth gets permission from Naomi to go glean grain from a field. Look at verse three. So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. She just happened to come to the field belonging to Boaz, who just happens to be of the family of Elimelech. And we know that God's providence is over all and governs all that comes to pass. There are no chance happenings here. Saying that Ruth happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz is just the common manner of speaking of something that happened. It just so happened she ended up in Boaz's field. And as God would have it, this has been orchestrated to bring the Messiah himself into the world. Her just happening to come to the field of Boaz is gonna be one of the means by which God brings Jesus into the world. Look at verse four. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, may Yahweh be with you. And they said to him, may Yahweh bless you. Right away, what do you detect about this guy, Boaz? He loves the Lord. I know there are project overseers in this room. When you come to the job site, do you say, may Yahweh bless you? He calls to his reapers, his workforce. May the Lord bless you. May the Lord be with you. And they say, may the Lord bless you. This is a man who talks about God. He greets people in the name of the Lord and he loves God greatly. And how do we know that it's not just a spoken love for God? Because Boaz's character is one of kindness, one of generosity, faithfulness and mercy, just like his God. He is very godly in that way. Remember what Paul said to the church at Ephesus, Ephesians 4.32, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you, therefore be imitators of God as dear children. We cannot be helped when we read this narrative here in Ruth. We're drawn immediately to this man, to Boaz, because his character is so much like the Lord that we adore. Do you not see God in him? His character draws us into the narrative. Look at verse five. Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reefers, whose young woman is this? Notice what Boaz does immediately. He notices the person he doesn't recognize. He doesn't ask her name. He asks who she belongs to. Whose is she? Whose authority is she under? Now, why is he asking this? Well, he's wanting to know where does she fit into society? Who's she connected to? The Old Testament law, which Boaz knew and loved, required him to have concern for strangers. How many times does the Pentateuch and the Old Testament prophets say, notice the stranger. Remember, you are strangers in the land of Egypt. So you need to notice strangers. That's why Boaz notices there's a stranger here. It was the people most in need, the people most likely to be overlooked or forgotten. God's people like Boaz have always had a special place in their hearts for such people, for strangers. Why? Because they see themselves in those people. And it was God who took notice of them when they were strangers, and came after them and sought their well-being when they were strangers. Boaz knows that. We are to do the same. We are to imitate God in that way. Look at verse 6 and 7. The servant in charge of the reapers replied, She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. Verse seven, and she said, please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now. She has been sitting in the house for a little while. Boaz's workers tell him, that's that Moabite woman that came back with Naomi. Remember Naomi's back in town? Apparently Ruth, not being shy, asked these guys directly to let her glean among the reapers and the sheaves. And then they say at the end of verse seven, something I think we ought to take notice of, Ruth worked very hard except for a short break she took. They were impressed by that. From morning until now, they say, she's been out there working. What does that say of her? You could tell a lot about someone by how hard they work. Even Boaz's reapers are impressed. One commentator paraphrased their answer when Boaz says, who is that girl over there? Who's this she? And here's how he paraphrases their answer. Oh, she's the foreigner who came back from Moab with Naomi. You know the one. She's an outsider. She doesn't really belong anywhere. But I can tell you one thing, she works like a dog in the hot sun all day. Now if I were an employer, I think I would definitely be interested in somebody's GPA, maybe even their ACT score, a few references, things like that. Those would be important to me for sure. But there's one test that I would want to give any prospective employee. In my front yard we have two giant oak trees that sit side by side, right next to the curb where I have to park one of my cars every day. Those trees are a real favorite of many, many large birds. Especially in the summertime, when the sun bakes the goods that are dropped into the car, they get pretty dirty. I would want a prospective employee to wash my car, just to see what it looked like before and after. I want to see if the person in question would use sweat and elbow grease to get those sun-baked things from the sky off the car. And I'll tell you, that would carry more weight with me than their ACT score or their GPA. Ruth's been working hard all day, they said. A good work ethic speaks well of a person's character. Remember Joseph, the slave in Potiphar's house? I'm sure that was not a glamorous job, and yet he was great at it. Daniel and Nehemiah, they were always good workers, no matter where they were or what they were doing. And it was always noticed by the people that oversaw them. They always had integrity. They did all that they did as if they were doing it for the Lord, not their earthly master, but for God. And it reflected that. That's Ruth. And Boaz then addresses Ruth directly. Look at the second point, verses eight and nine. Then Boaz said to Ruth, listen carefully, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field. Furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field, which they reap and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw. Here we have the man's godliness and kindness on full display. Why single out the new girl, the stranger from Moab? And I tell you, it's not because she was beautiful. And he's not thinking, well, maybe one day we could get married. He's not thinking anything like that. He's not thinking of anything he wants from her. It's not that she's going to one day put that great work ethic into his service as one of his reapers or something like that. It's not because of anything he has to gain by doing this. So why single out the new girl from Moab and show her such kindness like this? Because she's the new girl from Moab. That's the only reason. Jesus said in Matthew 26, 11, for you have the poor with you always, but me, you do not always have. Jesus identifies directly with the poor, with the least of these, with the people most likely to be pushed aside, the people most likely not to be noticed. Matthew 25, 40, he said in that parable, assuredly, I say to you, and as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me, he says. He identifies with humanity, with people. Here is Ruth. Here is the Lord Jesus in the midst of Boaz's field. And Boaz being the tower of gentle, kind, manliness that he is, he extends the same kindness that the Lord showed him and his family to this stranger, the poor widow who has nothing to offer him, this poor widow from Moab named Ruth. Now look at the, I mean, Ruth's life has been really tough lately. Her father-in-law died. Her own husband died. Her mother-in-law didn't even want her to come with her. to this area. And when they arrived in town, Naomi informs everyone asking her about what they were doing there and how they were doing. She tells them all, don't even call me by my name. Don't call me Naomi. Remember Naomi in Hebrew means pleasant, lovely. Call me Marah from now on, bitter. And she said to everybody that asked, hey, Naomi's back in town. Don't call me that, call me Marah. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me and has brought me back empty. And it's like, what about this person here that's with you? Remember Ruth? Didn't she count for something? Ruth's been pushed aside by the world. Ruth hasn't experienced a whole lot of kindness in this world lately. But my goodness, who's this guy? Who is this Boaz? Do you realize you can be that for somebody, yourself? I'd like to suggest to all of us, never forget, every person you meet, everyone that you talk to, that you work with, everyone whose paths you cross, like Ruth, probably has not experienced a whole lot of kindness in this world. So I want to encourage myself, encourage you, just be kind to people. Be generous. Do kind things, speak with kindness, be compassionate, be patient, shine the light of God's covenant faithfulness and mercy to the people around you. Listen, one kind word, one gracious, encouraging thing, one gentle touch, one smile, one act of grace, one little note in the mail can lift someone from the dust of hopelessness and raise them to a restored light in their face and heart. Ruth is overwhelmed by this. Overwhelmed by someone, a great and wealthy man like Boaz is noticing and being kind and speaking to me. When someone is used to being ignored and forgotten, something like this can be rather breathtaking. Look at her reaction, see verse 10. And she fell on her face. bowing to the ground and said, why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? Now, before we look at Boaz's answer, I wanna tell y'all something, because his response is wonderful. You know that gossip and backbiting are terrible evils that destroy people, ruin churches, and blow apart relationships and families. Boaz had heard a lot about Ruth. These are the kinds of things we ought to limit ourselves to saying of others, the good, the encouraging, the merciful, and the kind. I wanna encourage all of us to reflect on the kind of person that you have to be if you listen eagerly to a spiteful tongue. The scripture says in Proverbs 10, four, a liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. If you like to hear people shredded and spoken badly of, it's because you are a liar. If you listen eagerly. Boaz heard the good and remembered it. We should be like him in that regard. Hear the good and remember it. Look at verses 11 and 12. Boaz replied to her. You want to know why you found favor in my sight? Here it is. All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know. Verse 12, may Yahweh reward your work and your wages be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. The same faithfulness Boaz had been shown by God had been shown by Ruth to Naomi and to the God that Boaz loved. Please listen, godly people are most impressed by godliness, not worldly accomplishments. Godly people are most impressed by loyalty, righteousness, truth, and devotion to Christ. Godly people are most impressed by personal sacrifice for the Lord that they also love and adore. Boaz heard and took the time to remember this young woman left her father and mother to come here to a land of strangers with a destitute widow who has no prospects of remarrying. Boaz is impressed by this. Boaz blesses her in the name of the Lord and prays that God himself would pay you full wages for your devotion and your loyalty and your godliness. But notice verse 12 again, you see it? May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord, from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. Isn't that a glorious image? When you think about your life, we live under the outstretched wings of the Almighty. Listen to Psalm 91. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God and him I will trust. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and your buckler. Psalm 46.1, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, say, la, there is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. That's what Ruth's all about. It's not about worldly security. It's I'm one of God's people. I want to dwell with them. And Boaz recognizes that's special. What a great picture that is of what it is to know God and to have communion with Him. It is coming under outstretched wings like the mother bird that gathers those chicks and keeps them warm against the elements. That's what God does with all of His children. It is hiding under a shield. It's having a place of refuge. It is having a shelter in the time of storm. It's a place of safety when we're confronted with great danger. The souls of true believers are always hidden safely in Christ, no matter what happens in this life. Peter said that all true believers, we all have an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled. It does not fade away. It's reserved in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. That shield is our salvation, is the righteousness of Christ that covers us. His cross that satisfies divine justice for us. You see, Ruth, this Moabite woman, in coming with Naomi to Bethlehem from Moab, she was exposing herself to incredible danger. In Moab, she still had a father and mother and a family, but she chose instead to bring herself into great danger. Now, why do I say that? Why is this time period a time of great danger? Remember where we are in Israel's history in this book? We're in the period of Judges. The book of Judges. Remember how the book of Judges describes the climate they lived in? This is when everybody did what was right in their own eyes. It's dangerous to live there. Ruth had no men to take care of her, to oversee her, to offer her protection. It's her and her widowed mother-in-law. Boaz knows this. He knows this. And that's why he, in addition to all of his kindness, encouragement, and generosity, also added this. Verse 9b, you see it? I have commanded the servants not to touch you. And I promise you, those servants knew not to mess with this guy. This assured Ruth safety in addition to having a steady source of food from now on. So he's giving her that protection. The outstretched wings of God are coming from Boaz to cover her. Remember how the New Testament describes the people of God, the church in this world is the body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of the Lord to the world. And Boaz understands this. He knows that he is to reflect the same care for others that the Lord has given to him and his family and his workers. Ruth's coming to Bethlehem seeking refuge under the wings of God was seen by Boaz in a sense as his duty to provide. He sees that I am duty bound to do this. I have to do this. If someone comes to the people of God, and that person is a hard worker, they're not looking for a handout, but they are in need of kindness, they need protection, they need compassion and mercy, and they're seeking those things from the Lord, we, the church, are the Lord's hands and feet to that person. The outstretched hands of God come through the outstretched hands of the people of God. His love comes through us to meet those needs. Ruth is a poor widow, exposed and vulnerable. She loves the Lord and she loves her mother-in-law and she wants to be part of God's people in this world. And Boaz has heard about her character and all that she did for Naomi, how she left her home and came to a people she doesn't know. And notice in verse 12 again, what he says, may Yahweh 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 says, may Yahweh, may the God of Israel reward you and give you your wages. And from whom is Ruth going to receive this reward, these wages and this protection of the Lord's wings? From Boaz. You're gonna receive it from the Lord through me. Tag, I'm in, I'm gonna do it. Boaz's faith in the coming savior of the world is seen clearly in the kind of man that he is. He sees a stranger, he sees a foreigner, he sees a hard-working widow, a person of self-sacrifice and dedication and loyalty to family. Boaz sees an opportunity to glorify the Lord, his covenant-keeping, gracious, merciful Lord. Remember that great passage in James chapter 2? It's misused constantly, sadly, but it's a very important passage. James 2, 15. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be warm and filled, notwithstanding ye give them nothing, those things that they need for the body, what does it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. We know when people have true faith. We know when it's not merely professed, but it's real. It's real because their works of kindness will come forth. Professions of faith are easy to make. But what is the story that our lives tell? We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, completely apart from works, because only Christ's righteousness can meet the requirement of God. But how are our professions of faith justified before men? only by our works. You see, anyone can say, I'm a believer, I'm a Christian, I have faith in Christ. Anyone can do that. But the justification of professions of faith is by the lives that we live. Is Boaz the real deal? Yes, he is. How do we know that? Because the kindness of the Lord that saved him is coming out of him towards others. May the Lord reward you, he says. And may your wages be full from the Lord under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. For Boaz, that reward's gonna come from him. And Ruth continues to be stunned. Look at verse 13. And she said, I have found favor in your sight, my Lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I'm not like one of your maidservants. You see, Ruth had probably felt like an outsider who really didn't have a home. She really didn't belong anywhere. She didn't know anybody. She'd felt like that for a long time. But Boaz's gentle, manly kindness comforted her. See what she says at the end of verse 13 there? Boaz spoke to her like she was family. You see it? And indeed, I've spoken kindly to your maid servant, though I'm not like one of your maid servants. You're treating me like I'm family and I'm not family. And in fact, she's overwhelmed, overwhelmed that this wealthy, kindhearted stranger is treating her so well, she feels like family now. I wanna say to all of you, I ask this question, isn't that what we all long for in our lives? A sense of family, a sense of belonging somewhere, a sense of community, to feel like we fit in, that people like us, that they need us. Such a thing is not easily achieved. It takes hard work. But when people are kind to others, huge steps can be taken in that direction. But Boaz still has not finished being kind. Look at verse 14. At mealtime, Boaz said to her, come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar. So she sat beside the reapers and he served her roasted grain and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. Why is that significant? Ruth didn't bring a lunchbox that day. Boaz being wealthy, he had meal times, refreshment times for his workers. And he invites Ruth, come over here and eat with my guys. The mole bite widow is gonna eat with my men. and she sits with the wealthy man's reapers and gets special tasty food. One commentator said this, quote, the joy of having enough to eat is a hard concept for us to grasp in our affluence, for we are used to satisfying our appetites three times a day with snacks in between, but for a foreign widow to be able to eat to the point where she was full and still have some leftover to take home, what a feast, end quote. But Boaz is still not done. Look at verse 15 and 16. When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and do not insult her. Also, you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean and do not rebuke her. Is that not a picture of the super abundance of grace that God gives to us? The richness of his grace. Men, Men, are we curious what it is to be manly in God's sight? Here it is. Overwhelming generosity. Kindness to strangers who don't fit in. You want to be a man's man in God's sight? It has nothing to do with smashing beer cans on your forehead or how much weight you can lift. This is it. Boaz assures even more protection and even more provision. He orders his men purposely pull out of their harvest some grain from the bundles and leave it for her to find. For Boaz, doing things like this is a joy and a blessing. Like Abraham was told by God long ago, and Boaz and all who know God through Christ know, we're blessed to be a blessing. God gives so we can give to others. He trusts us with everything that we have, our time, our talents, our treasure, so we can be gracious and generous to others. And then thirdly, this morning, look at verse 17. So she gleaned in the field until evening, and she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an effa of barley. An effa of barley, that's 50 pounds. Ruth had to be pretty gristly to carry this home, okay? Immediately, I think of those huge bags of dog food from Sam's Club. I mean, they are 50 pound bags of dog food. That's what Ruth gleaned in a day, in one day. An apple of barley is enough to feed two people for a week. Look at verse 18 and 19. So she took it up, went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. Her mother-in-law then said to her, where did you glean today? And where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed. So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, the name of the man with whom I worked today was Boaz. Even Naomi is blown away by this. That's 50 pounds of barley. She's pretty shocked. Where did you go today? Look at verse 20 to 23. Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, may he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead. Again, Naomi said to her, the man is our relative. He is one of our closest relatives. You know, really the better translation of that is one of our redeemers. It's the ESV. Do you have the ESV in front of you? One of our redeemers, the end of verse 20. Verse 21, then Ruth the Moabitess said, furthermore, he said to me, you should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest. Verse 22, Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids so that others do not fall upon you in another field. So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law. Okay, is this not a remarkable turn of events? For she, Naomi, who ordered everybody in Bethlehem, don't call me by my name anymore. Do not call me Naomi. Because Naomi is Hebrew for loveliness and pleasantness. And she says, that's not the way things are. Call me Marah, bitter. because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. My husband's dead, everybody's dead, my two sons are dead. I've got nothing, no protection, and we're gonna be gleaning in other people's fields for the rest of our natural lives. Don't call me Naomi anymore. And I say to you, is it not amazing to see what a little bit of kindness can do in the lives of so many? Naomi said, no one can call me Naomi anymore, call me bitter from now on because the Almighty has dealt so bitterly with me. Notice the incredible change in her outlook on life there in verse 20 regarding Boaz's kindness. You see verse 20, may he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead. How was this accomplished? by 50 pounds of barley. Never underestimate the power to change the world there is in that glorious, simple fruit of the spirit called kindness. This bitter woman, Naomi, she has had her heart softened by the simple, gentle, manly acts of kindness shown by Boaz. Perhaps, thinks Naomi now, perhaps maybe the Almighty isn't out to destroy me anymore. Maybe he hasn't forgotten me. You see that in verse 20 again, see it? May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead. You see, she thought God has withdrawn from me. God is not gonna be kind to me ever again. All he does is take, take, take. Maybe his hand is no longer stretched out against me and against my family. And then the key so far in the book of Ruth is the end of verse 20, you see it? Boaz is one of our redeemers. One of our Redeemers, the term means. It's right there from Leviticus 25. Remember that passage? Boaz is one of the Redeemers. He's someone that could marry into this family and redeem them from their poverty and give them a life in this world again of protection and provision and a better life, a better way to live. What that means is someone could marry Ruth and redeem them from their poverty, from their destitution, from their lack of protection. Boaz is a type, he's a foreshadowing of Jesus, our own kinsman redeemer. of our same race, mankind, who will redeem us from our own spiritual poverty, our poverty of being unable to make an atonement for our sins, our Redeemer who will take us destitute orphans and bring us into a new family where there are hosts of people just like Boaz who will be kind and merciful and gracious and generous to us. I read an article on Ligonier Ministries' website, one of the articles on the website about Boaz. I said this, quote, the role of kinsman redeemer is found in Leviticus 25. In the case of an Israelite man's death in which he fails to leave behind a son, the brother or relative of the deceased man is commanded to take his widow as wife and both redeem the land and provide a son to carry on the deceased father's name. The turn of events here has kindled hope. It's kindled a little spark of hope in the heart of a woman who's insisting everybody call her bitter, mora, instead of Naomi. For so many people in the world, maybe people here right now, they've sat in darkness for a long time. Shattered dreams, bereavement of loved ones, broken relationships that seem beyond repair, illnesses, our own sinfulness, our own foolishness, our own selfishness, the difficulties that surround us every day. It can make life look like a pile of ashes, like everything's been burned down. Boaz is gonna be the hand of God to redeem them from this dark situation and to bring a season of peace to these poor troubled widows. And through Boaz's covenant faithfulness and his acts of kindness, the savior of the world will descend into this world of darkness to bring an everlasting season of peace. Because what child is gonna come to Boaz and Ruth once they get married? Spoiler alert. I know you guys have read the book before. Obed. Obed is King David's grandfather. And who would come through David? Jesus Christ. In closing, listen to Isaiah's beautiful announcement of the Messiah's work. Listen, it's pictured so beautifully in the book of Ruth. Isaiah 61.1. And you remember, remember who quotes this at the synagogue in Nazareth a few hundred years after Ruth here? The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good things unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes. the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Boaz's redemption of this family is a picture of Jesus' redemption of his church. These ladies who lifted up their tear-stained faces and wept so bitterly at the deaths of all their husbands, they will have those tears wiped away by the kindness and the obedience and the faithfulness of Boaz, just like we will have the tears on our faces wiped away in heavenly glory by the true kinsman redeemer, Jesus. Revelation 21, three, and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away. God is all about glorifying himself by bringing beauty for ashes, by bringing joy for mourning, and the garment of praise to replace the spirit of heaviness. And so I want to encourage myself and all of you, rejoice in him and rest in him, knowing that Christ takes infinitely more delight in doing that for his beloved church than Boaz ever could for Naomi and Ruth and their family. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for picturing our own kinsman redeemer, one who would redeem us not from destitution or poverty, but redeem us from our sins, redeem us from the curse of the law. And we bless your name that your word teaches us that Christ Jesus, when he went to the cross, has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, that we, having been justified by his grace, would be heirs of eternal life. Father, thank you for raising up Boaz to help this family. What a blessing he was to them. And the story gets happier and happier as it goes on and has such a wonderful ending. and we bless your name that is but a small taste of the ultimate ending of your people. When Jesus returns and we are raised out of our graves, clothed in his divine righteousness and thus made fully blessed in the full enjoying of our God for all eternity. May our hearts rejoice in him and I pray if there are any that don't yet know him, make today the day that they see that Christ alone can save them. I pray this in his name, amen.