Alright, go with me if you would
to Ruth chapter 2. In chapter 1, we looked at redemption
from the point of view of the Lord's people. How He reveals the natural condition,
the reality of every man and woman's natural, sinful, lost,
idolatrous, rebellious condition. And how he sends the message
of good news to all of his people where they are. And how he performs
a work of grace on the heart through that message of good
news. that draws a sinner to Christ. It causes a sinner to need Christ. When that message comes, when
that realization comes and that message comes, all of a sudden,
for the first time, a sinner needs Christ and really needs
Christ. That sinner needs to be with
Christ. He needs to be with Him where
he lives. He needs to be with Him where
He died. And He needs to be with Him where
He was buried. That's His only hope. That work
of grace causes a sinner to see that union with Christ to be
his only hope. That work of grace strips everything
else away. I mean everything else away.
and leaves nothing but Christ alone. Christ alone. So that sinner comes very humbly
to Christ begging for mercy. I have one object, I have one
goal, there's only one source for my redemption and it's in
Him. That sinner comes begging for
a crumb. How many times did the sinners
in the scripture come begging for a crumb? Oh, I just, just
give me a crumb of the kindness in favor of your mercy, mercy,
and grace. But when that sinner gets to
Christ, when he gets there, he finds that the harvest has just
started pouring in. It's not crumbs. When a man or
a woman comes to Christ, he never comes to crumbs. Never, never. He sees that the harvest is pouring
in. He finds abundant mercy. Not just enough mercy. He's not
going to just barely sneak by. He finds abundant mercy. He finds
abundant grace. It's abundant pardon. That's where chapter 1 left us.
Ruth 1 verse 22 says, So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess,
her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out of the country
of Moab, And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. Alright, now let's look at redemption. The price that was paid, that's
what redemption is. It's the price that had to be
paid. Let's look at what the Redeemer
paid and who He chose to pay it for from His point of view. Let's look at redemption from
the point of view of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 2, verse
1, it says, And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man
of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. I love that verse of Scripture.
That is a glorious introduction. Our Lord deserves a glorious
introduction. Boaz represents the Lord Jesus
Christ. A glorious and mighty man of
wealth. And amazingly enough, Ruth ended
up in his field. Just amazingly enough. This poor,
broken, helpless sinner ended up in his field. this glorious, mighty man of
wealth. Here, Ruth and Naomi are, they're
back in Bethlehem, and they're hungry. They've come in hungry
and thirsty. And this is what our Lord said.
He said, blessed are those which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. for they shall be filled." I
mean hungry for something that they don't have. You're not hungering
if you have it already. I mean hungering for something
that you don't have and something you can't produce on your own.
Something that must be given to you. Our Lord said, blessed
is that sinner, the sinner that comes hungering and thirsting
for righteousness. He shall be filled. Our Lord
said, open your mouth wide and I'll fill it. I'll fill it. Verse 1, Naomi had a kinsman
of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech,
and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto
Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn, after
him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her,
Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned
in the field after the reapers, and her hap was to light on a
part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred
of Elimelech." Do you know that that's what we're doing right
now? Gleaning in the field. That's what we're doing right
now. Ruth had a desperate need. She
said to Naomi, I am going to go glean in a field to see if
there is any way I might find some grace. And that's every sinner's hope
when God starts working on the heart. That's every sinner's
hope. I need grace. I need to find the same thing
that Noah found. Noah found grace. I need to find
something that's free. That's what Ruth said to Naomi.
I'm going to see if I can go find something that's free. Because I don't have anything
to pay with. I don't have anything to offer,
so I'm going to go beg for some mercy and some grace. Verse two, Ruth the Moabitess
said unto Naomi, let me now go to the field and glean ears of
corn after him and whose sight I shall find grace. And she said
unto her, go my daughter. And she went and came and gleaned
in the field after the reapers. And her hap was to light on a
part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred
of Elimelech. Her coming to that very spot
was a hap to her. It just so happened to her. The lot was cast into her lap. She told Naomi, I'm going to
go into a field and I'm going to see if I can glean. And then
Naomi said, okay, go ahead. And Ruth said, all right, now
let's see, which field am I going to go into? It was a hap to her, but it was
predestinated providence to the God of heaven. The whole disposing
of that was of the Lord. And in His mercy and in His grace,
He brought her to the only man who could redeem her soul. That's
a sweet story, isn't it? And that's exactly what happened
to you and me. That's exactly what happened.
God directs the steps of His people to Christ. He directs the steps of His people
to the field of His Word. He opens up the field of His
Word where His servants, His preachers, are gathering, they're
working and they're reaping the fruit of the field. Verse 3,
And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers,
and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz,
who was of the kindred of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem."
Christ came from Bethlehem, didn't He? Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem
and said unto the reapers, And this is glorious, this is precious,
and this is the truth. This is the only way that a man
can be a true reaper of the field, a true servant, a true preacher
of the gospel. He said, Boaz said to the reapers,
the Lord be with you. If God is not with him, if the
message does not come from God, he cannot be a true reaper. He
cannot be a true reaper. And this is how you'll know who
the true reapers are, the true servants, the true preachers.
They will say, verse four, the Lord bless thee. All blessing, all glory, all
honor, all praise goes to you. The Lord is with you. All glory
be unto you. Salvation is of you alone. It was your work alone. It was your blood alone. It's
your glory alone. That's a true reaper. Anytime
a man starts to add to that, he's no longer a true reaper.
Your glory alone, your work alone, your blood alone. Salvation is
of the Lord. Verse 5, Then said Boaz unto
his servant that was set over the reapers. Who's that? Who
is over all of God's true reapers? God's Holy Spirit. Verse 5, Then
said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers. Whose
damsel is this? Who is that woman right there? He set His attention on her. And He set His affection on her. He knew her and He loved her
before she ever had any idea who He even was. None eye pitied her but one. It was the only one she needed.
Verse 5, Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over
the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was
set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish
damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And
she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers
among the sheaves. So she came and had continued
even from the morning until now that she tarried a little in
the house. She's the sinner. That's who
she is. She is a ruined, ungodly, trespassing
sinner. Christ said, that's exactly who
I came to save. That's exactly who I laid down
my life for. That's exactly who I washed in
my blood. While we were yet sinners, God
commended His love toward us. When we were yet without strength
in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Who is that right
there? That's that false religion, idolatrous,
sinful, rebellious woman. She is the Moabitish damsel that
came out of ungodly idolatry. Verse 8, Then said Boaz unto
Ruth. Think about the glory of this.
It doesn't say, Then said Boaz unto the servant over the reapers. It doesn't say, Then said Boaz
unto the reapers. It says, then said Boaz unto
Ruth. He spoke directly to her, directly
to her. And that's what Christ does to
all of his people. He speaks personally to each
redeemed sinner's heart. John 10 verses 3-5 say, To him
the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice. And he calleth his own sheep
by name, and he leads them out. Out of all that idolatry, all
that false religion, all that selfish righteousness, And when
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the
voice of strangers. Verse 8, Then said Boaz unto
Ruth, Hearest thou not my daughter? Go not to glean in another field,
neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. You
stay right here with my people. Verse 9. Let thine eyes be on
the field that they do reap, and go thou after them. Have
I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? Meaning
they're not going to hinder you. They're not going to withhold
from you. Eat all you want. My reapers
will not withhold from you. Eat all you want. All you want. Verse 9 goes on to say, And when
thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which
the young men have drawn. Christ says to all of His redeemed
people, Ho, every one that thirsteth. Come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money, that's a good owner. He that hath no money, come ye
buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without
money and without price. Let your soul delight itself
in fatness. You just go right ahead. Ruth,
honey, do you hear me? Eat all you want. You see this
field right here, you eat all you want. Verse 10, then she fell on her
face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, why
have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge
of me, seeing I am a stranger? Why me? Why me? Is that not what every
saved sinner cries? I'll tell you how you can spot
an unsaved sinner. I deserve this. God owed it to
me. I see exactly why he'd saved me. That's a lost man. A saved sinner cries, why me? Why me? Why so much goodness? Why so much grace on such a sinful
soul like me? We're constantly falling on our
faces before Him, aren't we? Oh, I know what I am. I'm a stranger. I'm a sinner. I don't deserve
the covenant of Your promise. But I give You thanks for it.
Verse 10, Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the
ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes,
that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto
her, It hath fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto
thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband, and how thou
hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity,
and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
The Lord recompenseth thy work, and a full reward be given thee
of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust." Now, let's acknowledge the most critical thing he said
in the reason why this favor has been revealed to her. At
the end of verse 12, he said, "...under whose wings thou art
come to trust." He told her every good thing
that she had done. Why? He told her every good work,
every good thing that she had done, and He said, you are going
to be rewarded for it. And I'm sure she thought the
same thing that all of God's people think when they hear that.
I haven't done anything. I haven't done anything. I haven't
done one good deed in the eyes of God. Nothing worthy of any
kind of reward from Him. And to that the Scripture says,
you are absolutely right. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. not by works of righteousness
which we have done. It is God which worketh in you,
both to will and to do of His good pleasure. What is His will
for His people? Trust Christ. Trust His Word. Trust His work. Trust the promise
of His blood that He satisfied everything in the shedding of
His blood. Trust Christ. Trust that He is
able to do everything He has promised to do. This says it
all right here. The Scripture says, Abraham believed
God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Everything Christ accomplished
for Abraham, it was applied to His account. It was counted unto Him. And
that will be said of every sinner that God puts under Christ's
wing. All of the righteousness of Christ
is given to His people. He was made sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. That's a complete trade. I haven't
done anything. I haven't done anything. Christ
did it all. He paid it all. And Christ says,
here you go. And God the Father looks at what Christ gives to
His people and says, well done, thou good and faithful servant.
And to His own Son, who bears the works and deeds of His people,
He says, Damn. Total substitution. Verse 13,
Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord, for that
thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly
unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thy handmaidens. You know, a recipient of mercy
never gets past being a beggar of mercy. Never. Her tone with
him never changes. That publican would not lift
up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, crying,
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Just be merciful to me. Let me
find grace and mercy. I'm just a sinner. Verse 14,
And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of
the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside
the reapers, and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat,
and was sufficed, and left. She was sitting in the company
of his servants. But he is the one who reached her the corn,
Christ is the one who feeds His people. He is the giver. He is
the provider. He is the blesser to the soul.
Verse 15, And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his
young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach
her not. And let fall also some of the
handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may
glean them, and rebuke her not. Soon as she was finished, she
rose up to go right back out and glean. This is life to God's people. This is life. Gleaning the things
of Christ. Gleaning from His Word is life
to God's people. She went right back out and He
told His servants, reproach her not. In verse 16, let fall also
some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them that
she may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the
field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it
was about an ephah of barley. He said, let her glean anywhere
she wants to glean, even if she wants to go glean among the sheaves.
Let her glean as much as she wants to. And out of the portion
that you have reaped for me, out of the portion that belongs
to me, I want you to, on purpose, drop handfuls of purpose." That's
what he told the reaper. I want you to drop handfuls of
purpose. And that's what every child of
God will find. who gleans in the field of Christ.
Handfuls of purpose. Not handfuls of money. Not handfuls of worldly satisfaction. Handfuls of purpose. His purpose
in all things. His purpose in creation. His
purpose in salvation. His purpose in me. that everything
should be to the praise of His glory. Verse 18, And she took
it up, and went into the city. And her mother-in-law saw what
she had gleaned, and she brought forth and gave to her that she
had reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto
her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? And where wroughtest
thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge
of thee. What she's saying is, I've never
seen so much. How did you get this? Who gave
this to you? Who would show this much kindness? I've never seen such grace. I've
never seen such favor. Do we not say the same thing?
David said, My cup is running over. It's just running over. Verse 19, Her mother-in-law said
unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today, and where wroughtest thou?
Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee, And she showed her mother-in-law
with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom
I wrought today is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her, Daughter-in-law,
blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness
to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The
man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen. The margin
in my Bible says, the one that has the right to redeem us. Ruth said, his name is Boaz. And Naomi said, that's the sweetest
name I know. Fills my every longing, keeps
me singing as I go. She said, Ruth, honey, There
is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. Verse 21. And Ruth the Moabitess
said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men
until they have ended all my harvest. He said, I could come
back. You see all this? He said, I
could come back. He said, you stay with my servants. You stay
in my field until all this is over. Verse 22, And Naomi said
unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that
thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any
other field. Naomi said, Ruth, there's only
one way. This is our only hope. We must belong to this man. We must be under his covering.
We have one hope and he's it. Verse 23, so she kept fast by
the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest
and of weed harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law. If a
sinner keeps fast, it will be God who keeps the sinner. All
of God's redeemed people, they are kept by the power of God.
They're all kept by the redemption. They're kept by the payment that
is in Christ. They're all bought with a price. They belong to Him and they're
kept. And if the Lord is willing, we'll
come back this evening and we're going to see the Redeemer redeemed. Here's a little sneak peek. Go
to chapter 3, verse 18. Then Naomi said to Ruth, Sit
still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
For the man will not be in rest until he hath finished the thing
this day." You just stand still. The Redeemer is about to redeem. It's glorious. Alright, let's
all stand together.