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Just to remind us all concerning 
the primary emphasis and the focus of the book, I'll quote 
John Gill. I think he has an excellent statement 
concerning the purpose of Ruth. He says, the principal design 
of it is to give the genealogy of David, whom Samuel had anointed 
to be king of Israel and from whom the Messiah was to come, 
and who therefore may be said to be the aim and scope of it 
as he is all of scripture. and whereby it appears that he 
sprung from both Jews and Gentiles and is the savior of both. And 
there is a good foundation for both to hope in him. And the 
call and conversion of Ruth the Moabitess may be considered as 
a shadow, emblem, and pledge of the conversion of the Gentiles." 
I think that's a great summary statement of this book as a whole. Remember her confession that 
we looked at last week. Ruth specifically expresses her 
love for Naomi in verse 16, her identification with the covenant 
nation of Israel, her allegiance to Yahweh, the God of Israel, 
Her commitment to the very end, she's going to persevere, and 
then she ratifies this all by an oath. Truly a confession worthy 
of a confession. Certainly as we come to the Lord 
Jesus Christ, those elements ought to be present in our lives 
and hearts as well. this commitment to the end, this 
desire to persevere. Certainly Ruth possessed that, 
God willing we all possess that, and we will move forward until 
the end. Well tonight, Chapter 2, basically what we have is 
from famine to feast. You've heard the statement from 
feast to famine, well there is just the reverse in chapters 
1 and 2. We go from famine to feast. Remember, God sent famine to 
the nation because of their sin and transgression in accordance 
with the curses of Deuteronomy 28. And then in chapter 1, verse 
6, God had reversed that and sent bread to Bethlehem, the 
house of bread. Naomi, of course, heard of that, 
makes the journey back to Judah. Her and Ruth arrive at Bethlehem. We'll pick up in chapter 2 at 
verse 1. There was a relative of Naomi's 
husband, a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech. His 
name was Boaz. So Ruth the Moabitess said to 
Naomi, please let me go to the field and glean heads of grain 
after him in whose sight I may find favor. And she said to her, 
Go, my daughter. Then she left 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 family of 
Elimelech. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem 
and said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered 
him, The Lord bless you. Then Boaz said to his servant 
who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this? So 
the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, 
it is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from 
the country of Moab. And she said, please let me glean 
and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came 
and has continued from morning until now, though she rested 
a little in the house. Then Boaz said to Ruth, you will 
listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another 
field, nor go from here, but stay close by, my young women. 
Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after 
them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And 
when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the 
young men have drawn." So she fell on her face, bowed down 
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? And Boaz answered and said to 
her, it has been fully reported to me all that you have done 
for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband and 
how you have left your father and your mother and the land 
of your birth and have come to a people whom you did not know 
before. The Lord repay your work, and 
a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under 
whose wings you have come for refuge." And she said, let me 
find favor in your sight, my Lord, for you have comforted 
me and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am 
not like one of your maidservants. Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, 
come here and eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in 
the vinegar. So she sat beside the reapers and he passed parched 
grain to her and she ate and was satisfied and kept some back. And when she rose up to glean, 
Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean, even among 
the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the 
bundles fall purposely for her. Leave it, that she may glean, 
and do not rebuke her. So she gleaned in the field until 
evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about 
an ephah of barley. Then she took it up and went 
into the city and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So 
she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after 
she had been satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to 
her, where have you gleaned today and where did you work? Blessed 
be the one who took notice of you. So she told her mother-in-law 
with whom she had worked and said, the man's name with whom 
I work today is Boaz. And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, 
blessed be he of the Lord who has not forsaken his kindness 
to the living and the dead. And Naomi said to her, this man 
is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives. Ruth the 
Moabitess said, he also said to me, you shall stay close by 
my young men until they have finished all my harvest. And 
Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that 
you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you 
in any other field. So she stayed close by the young 
women of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and 
weed harvest, and she dwelt with her mother-in-law. Amen. So we 
have a new setting. As I said, they left Moab. They 
travel over back to Judah. We see that at the end of chapter 
1 in verse 22. So Naomi returned, and Ruth the 
Moabitess, her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the 
country of Moab, Now, they came to Bethlehem at the beginning 
of barley harvest. So this was an opportune time 
for them to try and gather some food, to get some things in order 
as they have relocated back to Bethlehem and are seeking to 
get established there. There's three things in the chapter 
that we ought to observe. First, the initiative of Ruth. 
Secondly, the kindness of Boaz. And thirdly, the blessing of 
the Lord. If you look with reference to 
the initiative of Ruth, as I mentioned, they're in a new setting, they're 
in Bethlehem. This is away from Ruth's home, 
this is away from Ruth's family, this is away from everything 
that was near and dear to Ruth. Again, this woman left everything 
to follow after Naomi, to embrace Naomi's people, and even more 
importantly, to embrace Naomi's God. Prior to her expressing 
her initiative or her desire to go gleaning, we're introduced 
to this man, Boaz. Obviously, Boaz is going to fare 
largely in the rest of the story. So chapter 2, verse 1, gives 
us some insight concerning this man, Boaz. I think the root meaning 
of his name is something like strength. tells us in verse 1, 
there was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth. 
Literally, it's the same statement that described Gideon. Gideon 
was a man of valor. Now, certainly, Boaz is not the 
same sort of military man that Gideon was, so probably this 
is a good translation. A man of great wealth, of the 
family of Elimelech, His name was Boaz. So he is identified 
later as a kinsman redeemer. This is very important. The Hebrew 
word is goel. And basically this is something 
that's seen throughout the Pentateuch or throughout the law, that there 
is a near family relative that can do certain things when certain 
situations occur. So he's already highlighted to 
us. He is a near relative of the family. He is a man of great 
wealth. As well, when we go to Matthew's 
gospel, we learn very specifically who Boaz's mother was. I'm sure we all remember Rahab 
the harlot. Rahab the harlot, of course, 
settled down in Israel. She married this man Salmon. 
I guess it's Salmon. It's spelled just like the fish, 
so I'll call him Salmon. I tend to want to call him Salmon 
because I don't want to make him sound like a fish. Anyways, 
Rahab the harlot married Salmon. And they gave birth to Boaz. So you see here, again, God's 
providence, God's kindness, God's dealings with his people. He brings in these outcasts. 
Rahab the harlot. He brings her in. He cleanses 
her. He adds her to the covenant community. He gives her a husband. And because 
of them, they give birth to this man, Boaz. So there's a rich 
heritage. Of course, all of these ladies 
appear in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 
chapter 1. As well, when we consider Boaz, 
though it's not indicated in verse 1, the rest of the book 
indicates that he was a man of great kindness. Remember, that's 
one of the concepts that is set forth in this book. The idea 
of hesed. It's the Hebrew word that's just 
not not only kindness but the idea of covenant and faithfulness 
and steadfastness and this idea of going above and beyond the 
call of duty. Well certainly Boaz demonstrates 
that kind of hesed and God uses this man to spread blessings 
specifically to Ruth and Naomi and ultimately to all of the 
covenant people. Daniel Block says, from the first 
time Boaz opens his mouth until the last words he utters, his 
tone exudes compassion, grace, and generosity. In the man who 
speaks to this Moabite field worker, biblical hesed becomes 
flesh, and dwells among humankind." Remember again the setting. It's 
in the days when the judges ruled. And as we saw when we went through 
the book of Judges, not everything was rosy and peachy and happy 
and holy and godly in that particular time frame. But what Ruth does, 
or the book of Ruth does, is it pulls back the curtain a little 
bit to show us that God always does have his remnant. that though 
the nation as a whole, or though the nation at least in majority, 
is apostatizing from God and falling prey to idolatry and 
leaving Yahweh, there are those glimmer of lights to be found. 
Boaz and Ruth certainly are two of those that lived during the 
time that the judges rule. Notice that Ruth plans to go 
and glean. Verse 2, So Ruth the Moabitess 
said to Naomi, Please let me go to the field and glean heads 
of grain after him, whose sight I may find favor. Now, of course, 
gleaning is legislated. God tells the nation of Israel 
that there is this law in place, these gleaning laws, after the 
reapers go through and harvest time. They're not to pick up 
every scrap and every morsel, but rather things are left so 
that the poor can come in among the fields and gather up some 
food. Leviticus 19, 9 and 10. Leviticus 23, 22. And Deuteronomy 
24, 19. And as Ruth expresses this, it is not couched in the 
language of prayer, but in some regard it is a prayer. Notice, let me go to the field 
and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find 
favor. She knows that she is a Moabitess. She knows that she is an outcast. She probably knows these laws 
concerning gleaning do afford produce to the stranger. But 
one can never be too sure that all field owners in Israel are 
going to be as benevolent to foreigners as others. So she 
is, in many respects, showing a great deal of courage, a great 
deal of initiative, a great deal of drive. But then again, hunger 
will do that. needing a place to live, needing 
food for the belly, seeking to help and alleviate the needs 
that Naomi had, Ruth desires to go and glean. Certainly she 
does find favor. God answers this and provides 
to her this man Boaz. At least initially, he is a benevolent 
field owner that allows her to glean. And then as the story 
ripens and matures, we see that under the bidding of Naomi, Ruth 
then initiates or goes to Boaz, and this initiates the marriage 
of these two. Notice as well the providence 
of God. Naomi gives her the permission, 
go my daughter. Verse 3, then she left 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 family of a limelight." Now, we talked a bit about this, I 
think, two weeks ago, this idea of a chance or haphazard event. That's how the text reads. Bloch 
says it's by chance she chanced upon Boaz's field. She happened to come to the part 
of the field belonging to Boaz. Now, no Hebrew worth his salt 
would have ever given any credence whatsoever to the idea of chance. Proverbs 16.33 says, The lot 
is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. So when you take dice and you 
throw them out there, whatever comes up is from the Lord. When you cast the lot, whatever 
comes up is from the Lord. And much to the chagrin of some 
of us, whenever the red light comes up, That is from the Lord. We need to understand that. There 
is no haphazard. There is no chance. There is 
no randomness in this universe. Everything is ordained by a sovereign 
God. There is not one thing that transpires 
that is outside of his control. Jesus said that God knows the 
very hairs of our head. He doesn't count them, he knows 
them intuitively. He knows those small details, 
certainly he knows the larger details, and the reason he knows 
these things is because he has decreed whatsoever comes to pass. Chapter 3 in our Second London 
Confession of Faith is a great description of that doctrine 
of the decree of God. So when we read this, and she 
happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, 
we realize that the narrator was most likely an Israelite, 
does not actually give credence to chance. Now, it may be a description 
given from the point of view of Ruth. And this happens in 
1 Samuel chapter 6. When the Philistines take those 
milk cows and they send them to Beth Shemesh, they mention 
that it may be the case that by chance the cow goes off of 
its course. Gill seems to favor this particular 
interpretation. that she happened to come to 
the part of the field belonging to Boaz. This is from the perspective 
of Ruth. And while I do not want to disagree 
with John Gill, and I don't think I am, I think that Block adds 
a great idea or a dimension to its interpretation as well. He 
says that the writer is specifically calling attention to God's rule 
over all things. He is specifically drawing attention 
to God's providence. We do not come to Ruth 2.3 as 
pagans. We do not come to Ruth 2.3 as 
heathen. We do not come to Ruth 2.3 without 
a knowledge of who God the Lord is. We know that the lot is cast 
into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. Listen 
to what Bloch says. He says, this is better interpreted, 
however, as a deliberate rhetorical device on the part of the narrator. By excessively attributing Ruth's 
good fortune to chance, he forces the reader to sit up and take 
notice, to ask questions concerning the significance of everything 
that is transpiring. I mean, just think about the 
narrative up to this point. We start off in Moab, or actually, 
we start off in Moab, And we have Naomi's entire family die. Naomi and Moab gets wind that 
there's now food in Bethlehem. There's now food in Judah. And 
so they make the trek back to Judah and they just happen to 
get there at the time of harvest. They just happen to alight on 
Boaz's field? Of course not. The narrator is 
underscoring and showing us how God's providence is active each 
and every step of the way. Again, back to this quote. The 
statement is ironical. Its purpose is to undermine purely 
rational explanations for human experiences and to refine the 
reader's understanding of providence. In reality, he is screaming, 
see the hand of God at work here. She happens upon this field that 
belongs to Boaz? Absolutely not. God orchestrated, 
God is executing, God is carrying out his decree to bring about 
David and Messiah. He says, the same hand that had 
sent the famine, 1-1, and later provided food, 1-6, is the hand 
that had brought Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem precisely at the 
beginning of the harvest, 1-22, and has now guided Ruth to that 
portion of the field belonging specifically to Boaz. These are not accidents. This 
is not haphazard, this is not chance or fortuitous, this is 
the overarching plan of God who is causing all things to work 
together for His glory and for the good of His people. So that's 
the initiative of Ruth. Notice, secondly, the kindness 
of Boaz. There's a series of three exchanges 
here. Boaz and the Reapers, Boaz and 
Ruth, and Boaz and the Reapers again. And that's how we'll look 
at it. Notice first the interchange between Boaz and the Reapers. 
Boaz exudes kindness. Talk about a good boss. Talk 
about a good owner of a field. Look at verse 4. Now behold, 
Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, the Lord 
be with you. I must confess, I would have 
preferred that yesterday than to finding a big mess out in 
the parking lot. To find an owner come up and 
say, the Lord be with you. That's a good thing. He is a 
good man. He's a godly man. He fares well 
throughout the entirety of this book. Again, this is a glimpse 
of the life of Israel at the time of the judges. It is one 
thing to see all of the sort of gory details that go on in 
certain instances in the book of Judges, but God does have 
his remnant. There's always that 7,000 which 
has not bowed the knee to Baal. We need to remember that. Too 
often we can say, the church is full of hypocrites. There's 
not one good or godly person out there in Christianity. There's 
not one person who actually does what the Lord will say. Yes, 
there is. God has his remnant. God has 
those who haven't given the need to bail. He has his Boaz's out 
there. He has his Ruth's out there. 
And if it is our good pleasure to meet one of them, to meet 
two of them, we ought to praise God. And thank the Lord for giving 
us these tokens that he is faithful and that his people do remain 
faithful. Christ is building his church 
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. It's 
not all bad. It's not all doom. It's not all 
gloom. For as many bad things as we 
see going on in the church, there are good things. There are nice 
people, there are kind-hearted people, there are people driven 
with hesed, there are people who give, and people who serve, 
and people who love, and people who do not do it in order to 
be praised, or in order to be exalted, but people who, behind 
the scenes, are doing their work as unto the Lord and bringing 
glory to Him. Boaz is that kind of a man. Notice, as well, Verse 4b, they 
answered him, the Lord bless you. Now, that's a good indicator 
that there's a decent relationship between owner and reaper. I mean, 
they could have just said, thank you. But they actually reciprocate 
blessing upon him. Now, they could have been lying, 
and they could have been deceptive, and they could have been all 
of that. Or it could be the case that they genuinely wanted God 
to do good to a faithful owner. to a good man, to a man who expressed 
hesset, they wanted God in turn to show his hesset to this particular 
brother. I think it's good when the employees 
or when the reapers or when the subordinates speak well of the 
superior. That is a good sign. It ought 
not to be the case that there's a chummy-chummy, you know, buddy-buddy 
situation going on. but there is a respect, a mutual 
reciprocity, a mutual love for and a desire for the well-being 
of one another. And then, of course, Boas inquires 
concerning Ruth, whose young woman is this? She's not a piece 
of property, but he wants to know what's going on in terms 
of her position. Whose young woman is this? Does 
she have a husband? Does she have a father? I don't 
think at this point Boaz is thinking romantically. In fact, a book 
that gets played up as such a romance-filled book It really isn't. I mean, I don't know, you know, 
at least at the end of Chapter 2, there's nothing in Boaz that 
indicates he's looking for a wife. There's nothing in Boaz at the 
end of Chapter 2 that indicates that he's scamming on Ruth or 
that he thinks she's attractive or anything like that. There's 
quite an age disparity. You'll notice that Boaz refers 
to his young men. He refers to his young women. 
He refers to Ruth as a young woman also. There's probably 
a nice age gap. More than likely, at least if 
some of these men are to be trusted, Gil quotes Jewish rabbis who 
suspected that Elimelech was possibly, they could have been 
brothers, they could have been cousins, something like that. 
And so potentially, Boaz is roughly the same age as Elimelech, as 
Naomi as well. In fact, there's even a Jewish 
tradition that says that Boaz is Ibsen, the judge in Judges 
chapter 12, one of the minor judges. I simply do not know 
if that's the case, but Gil cites every Jewish rabbi. Well, not 
everyone, but he was very conversant with the rabbinic school of interpretation. But at least we need to acknowledge 
that romantic love, or sort of this eros, or this desire, that's 
not what's at play at this juncture in the book. Now certainly, along 
the way, Boaz develops feelings for Ruth, they marry, and they 
have a son. I mean, you have to obviously 
be attracted and love somebody if you're going to do that sort 
of thing. But at this point, He wants to know what her status 
is, probably in terms of protection, probably in terms of security, 
probably in terms of the fact that there's a new worker on 
my field, give me the lowdown. And so the young man reports 
that she is the young Moabite. woman who came with Naomi. She 
requested to glean in the field according to 7a and 7b. So she came and has continued 
from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house." 
If Block is to be trusted, there's a lot of difficulty with verse 
7 in terms of translation and interpretation. It seems to be 
the case that the young man gave permission to this particular 
woman and so she had been working up to this point. There's actually 
Another interpretation that says the young man refused was harassing 
her, and then Boaz came along and sort of vindicated her. I 
think the New King James probably reads properly that the young 
man did give her permission and that she was, in fact, working. 
The end of verse 7, she came and has continued from morning 
until now, though she rested a little in the house. I was 
thinking about something recently. No one ever says with happiness, 
man, he's a mediocre worker. No one does that. I'm sure you 
guys who own businesses or are in the workforce, you don't say, 
man, he's just the greatest mediocre worker. No, we want good workers, 
good work ethics, solid men, men with initiative, men with 
drive, or women with initiative, women with drive. She comes, 
she works. She doesn't stand around waiting 
to be waited on. Rather, she gets her hands dirty, 
she gets right down in there, and she starts the job of gleaning. The second interchange, Boaz 
and Ruth, verses 8 to 14. Boaz expresses hesed. Again, hesed is a covenant term, 
wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God. Love, 
covenant, faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty. In 
short, it refers to acts of devotion and loving kindness that go beyond 
the requirements of duty. So that's what's going on in 
verses 8 and 9. Boaz says to Ruth, you will listen, 
my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another 
field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. In other words, I want you here. 
Boaz knew, again, not that I'm going to marry her and have Obed. 
That's not what he's thinking at this point. He's got hesed. He's a kind man. He's a merciful 
man. He's a gracious man. He knows something about her 
story at this point, and he wants to bring her under the shadow 
of his wings. God does that through this man, 
Boaz. So please remain employed here. Notice as well, he says, I've 
already read it, be attached to my young women. Stick close 
by them. Make sure you don't wander off. 
It's not the case that everybody out working is always on their 
best behavior. Stick close by them. Ruth is 
already evidence that she has this ability because in 114 she 
clung to Naomi. As well, this is an interesting 
thing. Notice what Boaz says in verse 
9. Let your eyes be on the field 
which they reap and go after them. Have I not commanded the 
young men not to touch you? We think that sexual harassment 
is a modern phenomena. No, it was an ancient phenomena, 
and Boas recognizes the potentiality, so he commands the young men, 
keep your paws off of her. Keep your mitts off of her. You 
young men are here to work. You're not here to get dates. 
You're not here to play games. You're not here to engage in 
any sort of frivolity. But rather, you are to maintain 
fidelity, first and foremost, to the God of Israel, and then 
to the man who employs you and pays you. Make sure you do not 
harass Ruth or any of my young women. It's really an interesting 
statement. It's not just a modern thing 
where there's sexual harassment law. Boas legislated his field 
in such a way as to protect the young women that were working 
for him. Again, in the midst of the Book 
of Judges, we saw that women were not always treated well. 
Women were oftentimes relegated or treated as chattel or property. 
But here, again, within these days, the period that the judges 
ruled, there were men who were decent. There were men who were 
godly, there were men who were upright, men who wanted to protect 
women instead of exploiting women. And then note what he says at 
the end of verse 10. And when you are thirsty, go 
to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn. 
Probably the idea being is that there was a well, there was a 
well at Bethlehem, and the young men would fill up bottles or 
cisterns or jars and bring them probably to the work site. Now 
think about this for just a moment. Who typically gets water for 
Israelites? Well, it would typically be the 
foreigners who would get the water for the Israelites, and 
it would typically be the women that would get the water for 
the men. What is Boaz doing here? Daniel Block says, in a cultural 
context in which normally foreigners would draw for Israelites and 
women would draw for men, Boaz's authorization of Ruth to drink 
from water his men had drawn is indeed extraordinary. Boaz comes on the scene in chapter 
2 as not just a little generous, but he's abounding in it. Now 
consider that Boaz ultimately functions as our kinsman-redeemer, 
as our Goel, as our Lord Jesus Christ. Does Jesus just kind 
of show a little bit of generosity? Or does he abound in it? Is he 
full of it? Does it exude from him? Boaz 
is typical of our Lord Jesus Christ in extending grace and 
extending mercy to women, to foreign women, and to those who 
have come in to the nation of Israel. Julia is amazing. Ruth, 
humbled by this, according to verse 10, falls on her face. 
She bows down to the ground and says to him, why have I found 
favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am 
a foreigner? Again, notice the Christ sinner 
motif. Isn't this what we're inclined 
to say to our Lord? Why have I found favor in your 
eyes? And we oftentimes forget the 
fact we have prayed that we would find favor in his eyes. God is answering prayer with 
reference to Ruth and her desires. But she is absolutely blown away 
by this. She bows in reverence to show 
respect. She has found favor in his eyes 
and wonders why. And she acknowledges the disparity 
due to her being a foreigner. Why? Are you blessing me like 
this? Why are you heaping these things 
upon me? Why are you giving so generously 
to me? Again, remember, as a Moabitess, 
she has no big illusions as to how she's going to be accepted 
in Bethlehem. She's probably very fearful to 
even begin this foray, and now Boaz has come and surpassed any 
idea that she ever had. There's a bit of Ephesians 3.20 
here. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that 
we ask or think. All she wanted to do was glean. 
In the next scene, she's invited to table fellowship with this 
man. What do you think the young man, 
what do you think his servants, what do you think people that 
work directly for him are wondering when he invites a foreign woman 
who is a gleaner to come sit? And when he hands her bread, 
he says, dip it in the vinegar. I don't want you to have to choke 
that down. I want you to enjoy lunch or 
supper with me. Boaz is a benevolent and generous 
and kind and loving man that is not after anything save the 
glory of God and the good of this young woman Ruth. like our 
Lord Jesus Christ? Notice the answer given by Boaz 
in verses 11 and 12. Boaz answered and said to her, 
it has been fully reported to me all that you have done for 
your mother-in-law since the death of your husband and how 
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your 
birth and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 
It seems as if Boaz is equally impressed with her confession 
in verses 16 and 17 as we ought to be. Boaz says, I've heard 
of this. You've left everything. In many 
respects, she's an Abrahamic-type figure. She leaves her Ur of 
the Chaldeans. She leaves her family. She leaves 
her friends. She leaves her livelihood. She 
leaves her comfort, she leaves her security, she proselytizes 
in among the nation of Israel. And what Boaz is saying, I've 
heard of this, and this is good. This is the way converts ought 
to look. This is the way Israelites ought to look. This is the way 
the covenant people are to function. You have shown kindness to Naomi. 
You didn't abandon her, you didn't go back to Chemosh, you stayed 
faithful, and in this, Boaz is richly, commending her richly. And then notice in verse 12, 
the Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by 
the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for 
refuge. It's a key phrase in this book. 
It's a beautiful phrase. Under whose wings you have come 
for refuge. Exodus 19.4. speaks of him bearing 
up the children of Israel as upon eagles' wings. The same 
thing is indicated in Deuteronomy 32.11. Sprinkled throughout the 
Psalter is this sort of an idea, that the faithful people of God 
can seek refuge under the wings of the Lord Most High. He pictures 
himself as this big eagle showing kindness and love and hesed to 
his birds, to his babies. And what Ruth has prayed for, 
Ruth has found in the God of Israel. Daniel Bloch said this, 
and it's beautiful, he says, the wings of God are not only 
comforting to Israelites, They offer protection even for despised 
Moabites. That's our God. I just saw a 
quote today. I think it was one of these God 
haters, Dawkins or one of them. And he was just saying, the God 
of the Old Testament, of all the fictional characters out 
there, this is the most malevolent, the most arbitrary, the most 
petty, the most wicked is what this man was saying. I want to 
ask you, what Old Testament have you read? What Old Testament 
have you read where there isn't a God showing this sort of mercy 
to Ruth the Moabitess? And what Boaz says to her, the 
Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord 
God of Israel. This doesn't affect us, perhaps, 
because we're so used to this phrase, the Lord God of Israel. 
She's a Moabitess. She left Chemosh. She has come 
to Yahweh. These words probably fell to 
her, fell upon her like blessings. you have come to the Lord God 
of Israel and under whose wings you have come for refuge." I 
love that. The wings of God are not only 
comforting to Israelites, they offer protection even for despised 
Moabites. Ruth then makes a request, verse 
13, let me find favor in your sight, my Lord. Probably the 
idea is, let me continue to find favor in your sight, my Lord. 
She's not suggesting she hasn't found favor. She knows and is 
of a truth with the idea that she has found favor. Let me continue 
to find favor in your sight, my Lord. Notice what she says, 
for you have comforted me. Now, again, this isn't just a 
little bit of a hug on a cloudy day. She has left everything. 
She has come to Israel. Her only hope was that she could 
be a gleaner out in the field and pick up a few scraps, enough 
to sustain her and Naomi so that they wouldn't die of starvation. 
This man abundantly blesses her. This man richly repays her. This 
man pours things upon her. And she says, you have comforted 
me. not just made me felt all warm 
and fuzzy inside. You've provided security. You've 
provided stability. You've provided protection. You've 
provided a place for me to find refuge. So it's the Lord God 
Almighty under whose wings she had come for refuge. But that 
is fleshed out through persons. That is fleshed out through Boaz. It takes form in the life and 
ministry of this godly man. She acknowledges his kindness. 
Verse 13, you have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I 
am not like one of your maidservants. She continues to underscore this 
reality, essentially saying, you owe me nothing. There is 
nothing. She's admitting. She's affirming. She's recognizing. And she's 
praising him for grace. There's nothing deserving in 
her. It is by grace that Boaz is blessing 
her. And then this token of his continued 
favor, I've already alluded to it in verse 14. Boaz said to 
her at mealtime, come here, come here. Why? Because she's not 
near the table. If you were a foreign woman and 
you were just simply a gleaner, you didn't hang out with the 
hired servants. You certainly didn't sit with 
the owner. And it's the owner who says, 
come here and eat the bread and dip your piece of bread in the 
vinegar. So other people are probably going, wow, we knew 
he was generous, we knew he was kind, we knew he was gracious, 
and we knew he embodied Hesed, but we didn't know the degree 
or the lengths to which it went. Can't we say the same thing about 
God? Can't we say the same thing about 
Christ? We know that he's gracious, we 
know that he's kind, we know that he's glorious, we know that 
he's loving, but when we see the objects of his mercy, it 
becomes even more crystal clear. When you look in the mirror and 
you say, wow, now I really see how wondrous and merciful and 
gracious God is. Or when you knew somebody that 
formerly was engaged in all manner of wickedness and evil, and you 
see God's grace upon them, you can only praise the grace of 
God. You don't praise the person. 
Boaz fetches her, she sits there, she sups with them, and she enjoys 
this. Notice, she sat beside the reapers, 
he passed parched grain to her, and she ate and was satisfied 
and kept some back. She wanted to keep some back 
to bring home to Naomi. She doesn't know how it's all 
going to pan out here. She doesn't eat at all. She's 
got acid. She's thinking about Naomi. She 
wants to make sure mother-in-law doesn't die. Yeah, she's getting 
to sit with Boaz and dip her bread in the vinegar, but Naomi's 
going to die without food. And it's interesting, she sat 
beside the reapers and he passed parched grain to her. He's serving 
her, he's giving to her, he's feeding her, he's caring for 
her, he's tending to her. Again, nothing deserving, nothing 
worthy in her, simply grace and hesed. Now notice the final interchange, 
Boaz and the harvesters in verses 15 and 16. And when she rose 
up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean 
even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain 
from the bundles fall purposely for her. Leave it that she may 
glean, and do not rebuke her. Make sure she gets plenty. Make 
sure she gets an abundance. If she is seeking refuge under 
the wings of Yahweh, we are going to fill her to overflowing. Since 
she has this kindness and her love for Naomi, we want to make 
sure that she is able to go back home and feed Naomi and tend 
to those particular needs. her glean even among the sheaves, 
and do not reproach her. Let grain from the bundles fall 
purposely for her, leave it to her that she may glean, and do 
not rebuke her." What a beautiful picture of God's grace and kindness 
in abundance, generosity, mercy, goodness, all those things are 
displayed in Ruth 2. And then notice finally, the 
blessing of the Lord, verses 17 to 23, summarizes, sums up 
the whole thing. Verse 17, she gleaned in the 
field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and 
it was about an ephah of barley. It's tough to define an ephah. 
It's tough to define an ephah. I think Kyle and Dalich had it 
at about 20 to 25 pounds. MacArthur in his study Bible 
had it at 30 to 40 pounds. Gil says it's about five days 
worth. Whatever, all of those, anywhere 
in that ballpark, that was a big weight of food, right? And so 
what happens? Ruth is probably delighted at 
the fact that she has all of this stuff. Then she took it 
up, verse 18, she's a sturdy girl. On the low end, 25 pounds, and 
she's walking it back to Naomi. Then she took it up and went 
into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She 
saw what she had gleaned, so she brought out and gave to her 
what had been kept back. after she had been satisfied. 
So Ruth takes what she didn't eat when she was eating, gave 
that to Naomi, the bag of grain is what they're going to feast 
on and eat for the coming days and weeks. And then the mother-in-law 
says to her, where have you gleaned today? I doubt it was a, where 
have you gleaned today? It was probably a, where have 
you gleaned today? How did you hit it so big? How 
did you get so much? I thought you were going to go 
out and bring back a handful of grain, and we'd eat for tonight, 
and then you'd go back to the field tomorrow, grab another 
handful of grain, come back with one of these. I didn't think 
you'd bring back a 25-pound bag. Where were you? Who did you work 
for today? Look again, the providence of 
God, the outworking of God, the kindness of God. Her mother-in-law 
said to her, where have you gleaned today? Where did you work? Blessed 
be the one who took notice of you. Now that could be God. The 
grammar's a bit difficult. It could be God took notice of 
you and sent you to that field. Or it could be Boaz. The sense 
isn't changed a whole lot either way. But blessed be the one who 
took notice of you. So she told her mother-in-law 
with whom she had worked and said, the man's name with whom 
I work today is Boaz. Well, Naomi knows Boaz. Again, 
are we supposed to go, well, isn't that lucky? Isn't that 
amazing? Isn't that cool how things just 
haphazardly fall out? No. The Lord orders all things. The Lord is moving this. The 
Lord is bringing things to pass. He's setting everybody in place 
so that Obed could be born. And from Obed could come Jesse. 
And from Jesse could come David. And from David could come Jesus. 
You see, God's hand is in the details. So Naomi says, verse 
20, to her daughter-in-law, blessed be he of the Lord, who has not 
forsaken his kindness to the living and the dead. And Naomi 
said to her, this man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives. Again, the Hebrew is goel. It 
is kinsman redeemer. Bloch says, as a kinship term, 
it denotes the near relative who is responsible for the economic 
well-being of a relative. And he comes into play especially 
when the relative is in distress and cannot get himself or herself 
out of the crisis. We have the same thing today. 
We call them father. When your child needs help, who 
do they call? The kinsman redeemer. They call 
dad. He'll come and he'll bail us 
out. It's the same sort of a concept and the same sort of an idea. 
If it wasn't a father, it was a near relative, a close relative. 
Consider what this goel or this kinsman redeemer did according 
to the law. He could redeem land that was 
sold during a hardship. If you fell on hard times, you 
had to sell your land, your kinsman redeemer could purchase it and 
have it and keep it within the clan or the family. He could 
redeem a family member from slavery. You know, it was the reality 
in Israel of old that somebody could engage in indentured servitude. 
That meant that if I couldn't pay my debt, I could sell myself 
into slavery in order to pay that debt. I didn't default. 
I didn't run away, I handled things properly, I manned up, 
and I sold myself into slavery so that I could satisfy the debt. 
Well, this Goel could, in fact, redeem a family member from slavery. As well, this kinsman redeemer 
was the blood avenger. He would track down and execute 
murderers of near relatives, numbers As well, he could receive 
restitution money on behalf of a deceased victim of a crime. If you got gunned down, well, 
you wouldn't have got gunned down in Old Covenant Israel, 
but if somebody cut your throat and you had a pocket full of 
money that the robbers, for whatever reason, didn't take, the goel, 
or the kinsman redeemer, would receive that particular money. 
And then as well, though it's not specified directly, there 
is the sense of redeeming a family name through a leveret marriage. 
Remember the leveret marriage, the law of the levir. is that 
if a man is married to a woman, the man dies, his brother or 
the nearest relative comes and takes her to perpetuate the family 
name. So you see, everything is falling 
into place. Everything is right where it 
ought to be. And Naomi understands this and says, this man is a 
relation of ours, one of our close relatives. So Ruth then 
reports everything that he had said to her. And Naomi says to 
her, it is good, verse 22, my daughter, that you go out with 
as young women and that people do not meet you in any other 
field. So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz to glean 
until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest, and she dwelt 
with her mother-in-law." We'll see next week God willing Ruth's 
redemption through Boaz very specifically. But in conclusion, 
we ought to appreciate the comprehensive sovereignty of God. the comprehensive 
sovereignty of God. As we mentioned when we introduced 
the book, I probably mentioned it last week as well, we are 
inclined to see God in the exodus, and while we should, we are inclined 
to see God involved in the miracles and God active in the life and 
the ministry and the death of Jesus Christ. We see God in the 
big things. The book of Ruth causes us, or 
hopefully causes us, to see God in the little things. Things 
like a move from Moab to Judah. Things like going to Judah at 
the specific time of harvest. The movement to a particular 
field where a woman is going to do some gleaning and it turns 
out that that field is owned by Boaz. You see, God is comprehensively 
sovereign. I think as Calvinists, we see 
that and we affirm that to be sure. And at least for me, I 
oftentimes associate it with the big things. But it's the 
small things. It's the details. It's the little 
things. You've heard it said before, 
the devil is in the details. And I understand that language, 
and I understand the concept and what it means. But God is 
in the details. God is over all things, comprehensively. for his people. Secondly, we 
see the embodiment of hesed, that kindness. We see it in Ruth. Ruth is a woman of God. Ruth 
is a woman who joins herself to a people. She joins herself 
to God Most High. She joins herself to Naomi. Naomi 
said, I want you to leave. Go with Orpah. Go back to Chemosh. 
Go back to Moab and find a husband. Settle down. Now, Ruth didn't 
know what was going to fall out. Ruth didn't know that she was 
going to glean in Boaz's field. She didn't know she was going 
to marry Boaz. She didn't know all these good 
things lay in her future. At the time of decision, she 
stepped out in faith and did what was right and expressed 
kindness to her mother-in-law. As well, we see that kindness 
displayed throughout the life and ministry of Boaz. Truly, 
he is a solid man. a heroic man, a godly man, and 
a man typical of our Lord Jesus. And then finally, the Lord's 
care for his people. That statement at the end of 
verse 12, under whose wings you have come for refuge. I'll just rehearse a few of the 
places where that is in the Psalter, in Psalm 17 and verse 8. It's 
a great image, a great metaphor, something that I hope we can 
encourage our souls with. We do not seek refuge in a cold, 
hard, vicious, mean God. We seek refuge under the wings 
of Him who has provided all things to us. 17.8. Keep me as the apple 
of your eye. hide me under the shadow of your 
wings. Psalm 36 and verse 7. Psalm 36 and verse 7. How precious is your loving-kindness, 
O God! Therefore the children of men 
put their trust under the shadow of your wings. Psalm 57 and verse 
1. You see an image that is replete 
through scripture. Be merciful to me, O God, be 
merciful to me, for my soul trusts in you and in the shadow of your 
wings I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed 
by. What's the answer in the midst of trial? What's the answer 
in the midst of calamity? What's the answer in the midst 
of sorrow and difficulty? It is to seek refuge in the shadow 
of God's wings. 61.4. I will abide in your tabernacle 
forever. I will trust in the shelter of 
your wings. 63, 7, Because you have been my help, 
therefore in the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. There's 
a lot of good to be done in the shadow of the wings of the God 
of Israel. And then Psalm 91. Psalm 91. Verse 1, he who dwells in the 
secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow 
of the Almighty. Verse 4, he shall cover you with 
his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth 
shall be your shield and buckler. Amen. May God grant us grace 
in the midst of calamity, sorrow, trial, and difficulty to seek 
refuge under the shadow of his wings. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for this book of Ruth. We thank you that 
it shows us that God is active and powerful and governing in 
the small details of ordinary life. We thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for your kindness. 
We thank you that Boaz typifies for us the Lord Christ and all 
of his grace and all of his mercy to outcasts to foreigners, to 
sinners, to those who are undeserving and unworthy, how we thank you 
that you have blessed us richly, you have granted us every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. We ask that you would 
go with us now and watch over us, help us to draw close to 
the shadow of your wings. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.