If you all would be turning to
Ruth 2, I will pretty much stay there,
I believe. Most of the time, a couple of
other passages I might turn to. Ruth 2. I'm not going to read anything
right off to start with. We have, now we have Naomi and
Ruth in Bethlehem, Judea. They've left Moab and traveled
here. This is Naomi's native land, you might say. This is
where she came from. But Ruth is originally from Moab,
where they just traveled from. She's never been here. All of
the husbands have died, and that is Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah's husbands
have all died. So these three women were left,
and of course Orpah turned back again and went to her mother's
house back in Moab. Naomi and Ruth are basically
beggars. They have nothing. But you could
say this, they had some hopes of finding a near kinsman. So
Ruth, as we will see, goes out so that they might have food
to live on in chapter two here. And this is a wonderful passage
that shows us the providential care that God has for his people. We also see his people who he
brings low and gives them a heart of thankfulness for the grace
he has so mercifully given to them. All this for those who
are foreigners. This is something they have not
merited. This testifies to us it is all in the mercy and graciousness
of the kinsman, the Redeemer. I first though want to talk about
the working of God on a sinner. What we have here in this passage
is an account of something that really and truly happened to
individuals at this time. But we can glean from this things
that the Spirit of God has caused men to write down as to what
God is saying to us. It is in type, a typification,
if you will. So every word, every verse may
not fit into the type, if you will, but as we compare this
with those scriptures which give us the detailed doctrine, we
can see these things in type in this passage. A type is just
a shadow, so in the type itself we do not see everything. But
just as this chapter starts out, I want to start out. Everything
that happens in the world is all for the glory of God. Those
for whom he chose benefit from the favor of God. All glory and honor goes to him
because he earned it and he merited it. I can and do perform works
of God, but none of them merit me righteousness before him.
They all come from what he has done, which he has earned that. The fall of man was purposed
of God. This was done that he might be
merciful to whom he would be merciful, and who he would, he
would harden. This fall, by its very purpose,
necessitated one who would have to come and take the place of
sinners. This is what is called substitution. Jesus Christ, on purpose, was
pleased to come down and be a substitute for those for whom were chosen
in him from before the foundation of the world. This he did by
becoming flesh. So God came down and was made
flesh, fully God and fully flesh. Man fell, so a man had to die. This is the only way it could
be done because the creator himself said that it was, that was how
it was to be done. Jesus Christ did this. He did
this all to the honor and glory of God himself. This is the first
cause of everything. You leave this out and you have
nothing. So because of this, having judicially
satisfied the justice of God and making peace with God, by
his death on that tree being made sin for us, he has purpose
to, in time, cause his people to have peace with him. Man,
as he is born in Adam, has no capability to commune with God. He is not searching him out.
He is by nature not looking for God, for he is dead. All his faculties have been ruined
by the fall. His will, his heart, his eyes,
his ears, his mind. You can say it several different
ways. But what it is is total absolute death before God. Total
darkness is what we are by nature. 1 Corinthians 2.14 says, But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. So man has to be made
spiritual before he can even know anything of God. The natural
man will not be changed because we also hear our Lord say in
John 3, 6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that
which is born of the spirit is spirit. So that which is born
of the flesh, that is how you and I were born into this world
and that is all that we will ever be. It is born of the flesh
and it will remain flesh. But that which is born of the
Spirit, the Spirit being one with God, what do we read? First
John 5, 7 says, for there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are
one. So that which is born of the
Spirit is Spirit. For what purpose has God been
pleased to have it this way? so that those who are his might
know him who is their salvation in time. We are not born of the
spirit to just one day wake up in heaven to then come and know
him. We are born of the spirit, that
is we are made spiritual so that when he sends his gospel, we
might be enabled by God to hear that gospel which is spiritual.
So we, just as Jesus Christ, we are conceived by the Spirit
of God so that we might see, or that is, perceive the kingdom
of God. We are then born forth just as
Jesus Christ was. This he does by his gospel and
sending men forth to proclaim that gospel. A sinner proclaiming
to another sinner what God has done. By His Spirit, us hearing
that truth, Him then sealing that truth to our hearts when
we hear the truth of that gospel, having circumcised hearts and
ears, we then are enabled to enter the kingdom of God. Colossians 12 and 13 says, giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light. who hath delivered
us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the
kingdom of his dear son. It is in this light that we look
at the chapter we are seeing today. We see one who has been
given life from God, beginning to do those things unknown to
them at first, but then revealed by God in his gospel who it is
they are to see. I've heard several of God's men
just sitting and talking with them, and several of us. And they talk about there was
one time when they didn't care about certain things. Then all
of a sudden, they started caring about these things that they
never cared about before. Then they heard the gospel and
God revealing that life he had created in them through that
very gospel, he brought life and immortality to light through
that gospel. The scripture tells us that by
wisdom in 1 Corinthians 121, for after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So we are
talking about knowing God, and this says here that by man's
wisdom, you will not know God. But he has been pleased that
some come to know him, and that will be through the preaching
of the gospel from one sinner to another sinner. That is, the
knowledge of salvation will come to man by the preaching of the
gospel. Christ has already saved his people. He did this by who
he is and what he came and accomplished. By the gospel, he then informs
those who are his of that salvation. Then coming to know salvation,
who is Jesus Christ the Lord, this assures them and comforts
them, saving them in their knowledge, if you will, from the wrath of
God. This causes them to lay down
their arms against God. That wrath that they once had
against God, they lay that wrath down and they take sides with
God against themselves. This is given to us in Scripture
this way, that is how God does this is given to us in Scripture
in 2 Thessalonians 2.13. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth, two things intrinsically
tied together. Both of them have to happen and
will happen. Two separate and distinct things
that God does but he joined them together so that they both must
happen if one is ever to know Jesus Christ. You must hear the
gospel and come to believe Jesus Christ, or you will perish. John
8, 24, our Lord says, I said therefore unto you that ye shall
die in your sins, for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die
in your sins. So let's start out in Ruth 2,
in this light. Let's start out in Ruth chapter
2, in verse 1. And Naomi had a kinsman of her
husband's, a mighty man of wealth of the family of Elimelech, and
his name was Boaz. So we read here in verse one,
there is a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth. 2 Corinthians
8, 9 says, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich. He is the creator of all
things. He himself, Jesus Christ, has
created all things. They were created by him, and
they were created for him. That's what the scripture says.
Here we read of a kinsman. This is one who is our family.
He is the one in control of our family. He is a mighty man of
wealth. He owns that which will provide
nourishment. He not only created every individual
human being that has ever lived, is living, or will live, but
there are those for whom he actually bought us back. That which was
already his, he bought back. He did this by becoming poor.
That is, He took on Himself, He took our flesh on Himself.
He became flesh. So that now He is for some men
and women, their near kinsmen. He became flesh and died in their
stead on that tree. This is the price that had to
be paid. God had to die. And just let
that sink in a little bit. But this one who is our kinsman,
although we do not see that at first, specifically here in our
text, but also from the preponderant testimony of scripture, we only
seek him once he has sought and found us. He has purposed all
things, so you will in fact glean in his field at the time he pleases
you to do so. Proverbs 16.33 says, the lot
is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of
the Lord. So when this happens, it will
be your hap to go to the kinsman's field. Here it is Boaz's field,
verses two and three. 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 half was to light on
a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred
of Elimelech. There comes a time in a believer's
life, they knowing they're in need of something, they go out
to the fields, not knowing whose field it is that they glean from,
but desiring to find favor. It's happenstance to them, as
it says in verse three, but not happenstance to God, as he causes
this to come to pass. But he causes us to just happen
to light on his field. It just so happened by providence
this gleaner gleaned from the Redeemer's field, but not unknowing
by the gleaner, at least not yet anyway. You will come to
that place where you will hear his gospel if you are one of
his. This is what God brings to pass
because it is his purpose to bring those who are his to himself. It is that time of love as we
read in the scripture where he woos us to himself in love. This is that time when we will
begin to be filled. But you will not come to this
place until God first empties you of everything. You will come
to Him in poverty or you will not come to Him at all. He will
cause you to hunger and thirst until you are filled, just as
the prodigal son. That is just what this is, that
time when God brings you to your wit's end. You trying to fill
your soul with whatever you can find, but no righteousness can
be found. You hunger and thirst after it.
Then you have Christ coming to a sinner, verses four through
seven. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto
the reapers, the Lord be with you. And they answered him, and
the Lord blessed thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant
that was set over the reapers, whose damsel was 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 hath continued even from the morning until now that
she tarried a little in the house. Does not Christ come to us as
we are forced into a place because of our situation? This situation
of being poor and destitute of the righteousness of God? you
will hunger and thirst after righteousness, and that is righteousness
before the holy and just God. Matthew 5, 6 says, blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they
shall be filled. By his purpose and providence,
he puts us just where we need to be to glean in his fields.
That is just where the gospel will be. This is where those
of the kinsmen will meet the Redeemer. It is His point, His
purpose to come where the sinner is. He fixes His sight on one
that is lost, one whom He will place on His shoulders and bring
them home. Luke 15 verses 4-7 reads this
way, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one
of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and
go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he
hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And
when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
which was lost. And I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than
over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance." So
this one knows not who her father is, this Moabite. Remember the
meaning of that word. Moabite means from father, what
father? But this one Moabite, not all
Moabites, but this one is brought by God to light on his field.
This one is tired, she is weary, she has done this from morning
until now. Then we have Glean only in the
kinsmen, the Redeemer's field that we are told from our Redeemer,
verses 8 and 9. 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. Let
then 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? And when thou art athirst,
go unto the vessels and drink of that which the young men have
drunk. Now the Redeemer speaks to the
sinner. The sinner is informed to stay
with them who are his. You glean where they reap, follow
after them. This gleaner still does not know
this is the kinsman talking. She knows he is the owner of
the field, but she has not been made to know that he is the head. He is that one who can redeem.
But this one comes to know by God that this place is a place
I need to stay and I will stay. Because this is where I will
get my sustenance for my soul. 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 6 says,
and ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. That word
therefore because means to cause to be, You will know from him
that you need to stick with his people, although you may not
know exactly who he is yet. We are gleaning here. By and
through his gospel, they are enlightened by Jesus Christ to
know he is where they will find and continue to find all their
sustenance. When they hunger, they glean
from him. When they are thirsty, they drink
of him. He is the manna, the bread of
life. He is that rock where rivers of living water flow. He is that
fountain spoken of in Revelations 21 6. And he said unto me, it
is done. I am alpha and omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is
a thirst of the fountain of water of life freely. What happens
to those who are brought to this place to find out some of these
things? When this happens and every time the sinner hears his
gospel, it causes them to, in their heart, to bow down to him,
worshiping him for what he has done. Verses 10 through 12. 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 shown 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 in the land of
thy nativity, and art coming to a people which thou knewest
not heretofore. The Lord recompensed thy work,
and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under
whose wings thou art come to trust. This causes the child of God
to bow down to him, confessing their own unworthiness. They
will not do as those of this world do and say. What does this
world do and say? What does my flesh say? That
is not fair. The question from the believer
comes like we see Ruth here in this passage. Why me? Why would
you show such graciousness to me, a foreigner?" In adulterous,
the word could be used. I know myself and I know those
around me. I'm not as good as those around
me. All throughout scripture, when we see God start to reveal
himself to a believer, we never see that one for whom he has
done something filled with pride, saying, God did this for me because
I deserve it. I made my decision and he has
to honor my decision. These are not those who he calls.
Those he calls and draws to himself are of a broken heart and a contrite
spirit. Let's look at two very familiar
passages showing that the time when Jesus Christ woos in one
of his and he shows us in his word what their response is.
If you would turn with me to Matthew 15. Matthew 15. Matthew 15 and verses 26 and
27. But he answered and said, it
is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. And she said, truth Lord, yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. No matter what you say, Lord,
you're right. You are my master, and I am your
dog. I will take the crumbs that fall
from your table. Now, if you would turn with me
to 2 Samuel 9. 2 Samuel 9. Two very familiar passages to
you. Verses 8. And this is where David was looking
for one of the house of Jonathan so he could show kindness to
them. And so he talks to Mephibosheth. And this is Mephibosheth responding.
Mephibosheth said, and he bowed himself and said, what is thy
servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? So not only are we dogs, but
we are dead dogs. His dead dogs will eat, not just
crimes though, they will feast at his table. This is faith. Faith enables us to see ourselves
as dogs, but dogs of the master. Those for whom God does this
too because of what He has done for them, come to trust in Him
and He is their reward. Proverbs 8, 18-21 says, Riches
and honor are with me, yea, durable riches and righteousness. My
fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue
than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness,
in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those
that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures."
If Jesus Christ comes to you by His Spirit in His gospel,
He will fill you with Jesus Christ, the Lord. He promises that He
will continue to bless you. Verses 13 and 14 back in Ruth.
13 and 14. 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 thine handmaidens. 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. First of all, it will continually
cause the believer to give thanks unto him for what he has done.
But he continues to bless us through his gospel with sustenance
that will satisfy us that we need nothing else. It will be
enough and exactly what you need. It will fill us to our satisfaction. Verses 15 through 18 now. 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. So she gleaned in the field until
even, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an
ephah of barley. 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
that she was sufficed. God's people are happy to pick
of the crumbs of their master's table, but he commands that his
people be allowed to pick from where the good stuff is found.
In those times, I don't know exactly what it was to glean
or pick wheat and barley. I've not done that, but I imagine
it was kind of a stalk with some of the head of the barley and
stuff on there, and they would have it in bundles and stuff.
And most of the time, these gleaners probably didn't get a lot of
good stuff. It was just little pieces here
and there, and probably didn't get much at all from that. So they got the leftovers, basically.
But we read here where Boaz told the reapers to let Ruth pick
or glean, even among the sheaves. And not only that, but they were
to leave her handfuls of purpose, what they had picked. Just leave
it there, let her get it. Jesus Christ will not leave his
people hungry. They will come to know him through
his gospel. He will give of himself freely
to them, and they will be filled even more than they could ever
hope for. When she has done this, it says
she beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of
barley. And what I read, this was about enough for five days'
worth for both her and Naomi. From the sound of it, in this
passage, it's not what most of people got that day, you know,
when they're gleaning in a day. Not just everybody gets this
kind of gleaning. This is for those who He has
shown grace to. God will richly bless you in
hearing his gospel so that you will be filled. But he will not
leave you not knowing him, just as he did with the blind man
who did not know exactly who it was that had healed him, but
he came back to him and let him know, I am Jesus Christ the Lord. And it says, and he worshiped
him. Then we see in John 9.25 it says,
He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know
not. One thing I know, that whereas
I was blind, now I see. This is the blind man. And when
Christ does something to an individual, they may not immediately know
who he is. But he does not leave us there.
What does it go on to say in verses 35 through 38? Jesus heard
that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said
unto him, dost thou believe on the Son of God? And he answered
and said, who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus
said unto him, thou hast both seen him, and it is he who talketh
with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe,
and he worshiped him. verses 19 and 20. And 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 And Naomi said unto
her, Daughter-in-law, blessed be he of the Lord who hath not
left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi
said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next
kinsmen. Then we have here the purpose
for which God sends his gospel to those who are his. His purpose
for doing this is to reveal Himself to you by His Spirit. This is
when those for whom He has chosen, those for whom He has given a
new heart, are brought face to face with Christ in the gospel,
and they believe Him. John 15, 26 says, but when the
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me. Jesus Christ in sending you his
gospel will send you his spirit, his spirit testifying with your
spirit and sealing that truth to your heart, that who you are
hearing of is Jesus Christ, your kinsman, redeemer. this causing
fruit to begin to grow, that fruit being believing Jesus Christ. Romans 8, 16, and 17 says, the
spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. And if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. We
come to see him as our near of kin, that one who is our next
kinsman, that is our redeemer. This will cause us to want to
go back for more, to stay where his gospel is found. Verses 21
and 23. And Ruth the Moabitess said,
he said unto me, thou shalt keep fast by my young men until they
have ended all my harvest. 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.
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end
of barley harvest and of wheat harvest, and dwelt with her mother-in-law. God telling his people to stay
with God's people. Stay where the gospel is being
proclaimed. This is what the believer knows
to be the best for their good. It is not something you have
to talk them into. They know it is good to love
the brethren or to stay or go where they can be around his
gospel because it is where they will get their nourishment. They
come to depend on Jesus Christ for all things. Acts 4.12 says,
neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved. If you are ever to see salvation,
you will see the near of kin, the redeemer, that one who became
like as we are, yet without sin. That one that became a man, the
just one, coming for those who are unjust, Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? I know of only
one who, being made sin for us forever, satisfied the justice
of God. He is my near of kin. Or is He
your near of kin? He is my near of kin. I pray
that He is yours.