Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No. 33 – September 2000

 

Blessings That Flow From Faith

 

A Sermon by Rev. G. H. Milne on Ruth 2:1-12

Scripture Reading: Ruth 2:1-12

 

Beloved in the Lord,

Introduction:

In this beautiful love story, you will recall that Naomi who was an Israelite had previously emigrated with her husband and sons to the land of Moab.  There the sons had married women of that race.  Naomi’s husband and her sons died leaving three widows.  One of the Moabite women went back to her family in Moab and the other, Ruth, decided to stay with Naomi, her mother-in-law and go to the land of Judah.  The loyalty of Ruth to her mother-in-law is extremely touching, because it also a loyalty to the God of her mother-in-law.

Remember the words Ruth spoke to Naomi in the first chapter, “Do not urge me to leave you [or] turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people [shall be] my people, and your God, my God.  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.  Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if [anything but] death parts you and me.”

These were words of loyalty and words of faith.  Ruth has committed herself to the Covenant God, Jehovah, and we can expect to see personal blessing flow from that faith.

First of all, we will notice that faith in the God of all providence should not cause us to be lazy, thinking that God will provide without our effort.  Faith goes to work, and this is our first point.

FAITH GOES TO WORK

One of the examples of church discipline in the New Testament involves the discipline of those in the church community who would not work.  So serious was this laziness viewed, that the Thessalonian church was urged by Paul to exercise its harshest spiritual measures of discipline.  And here in the story of Ruth we see one who realises that God does not bless in a vacuum.  Ruth is diligent to do all she can to obtain sustenance for herself and her mother-in-law.  She says, “Please let me go to the field to glean among the ears of grain.”

Application: Notice that she does not bemoan her circumstances.  She might have demanded from her relatives some share of the wealth that was rightly hers, from her husband’s inheritance.  But she doesn’t do that.  Instead she humbly seeks to pick up the grain that is left by the harvesters.

We, too, should be willing to work in the humblest of jobs.  Although our God rules this universe, we cannot expect to be necessarily among the rich and powerful of this world.  And we should rest satisfied with our lot if that is where God has placed us in His providence.

But having said that, we should also notice that there is nothing wrong with ambition.  Here, in this same verse, Ruth adds that she wants to glean “after him,” that is, the wealthy relative, Boaz, “in whose sight I may find favour”.

Ruth hopes that perhaps God will bless her as she gleans in proximity to this wealthy relative.  And notice, too, that another woman of faith, Naomi, endorses her ambition.

Application: Here we can learn to encourage one another in attempts to improve ourselves in this world.  It is all too common that cold water be poured upon ambition.  We often think we know what is best for others and have strong views about what they should or should not be doing.  But I suggest that we should be like Naomi, who encourages the initiative of her daughter-in-law.

Perhaps there is someone in your life who needs a word of encouragement right now.  As the proverb goes, “Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.”

If you are an employer in a position of authority, or if you are a parent, one of the most powerful and beneficial things you can do is encourage initiative by commending and recognising that others, too, can have valuable insights.

We should notice, too, that Ruth might well have wanted to return to Moab.  After all, there she would be in her own country and among her own people and have ready access to the welfare supplied by her blood relatives.  But she does not give any indication that she has any intention of returning to Moab.

Application: There are those who become followers of the Triune God, who discover that their situation may even be worse from a material point of view than when they were living in the world unconcerned about God and His worship.  And they find themselves tempted to listen to the whisper of Satan who says in your ear, “It is not worth it, just be like everybody else.”

Satan has been a liar from the beginning, but God may be trying your faith to purify it, like gold and silver need to be cleansed of impurities.  Do not give up, even though your situation seems so much worse than other people.  God will never desert a faithful believer in any circumstance.  He will sustain you as you rely upon Him.

And we see that Ruth doesn’t give up but begins to pick up the scraps of grain that might be sufficient to feed her mother-in-law and herself.  And notice that God has a habit of blessing a simple faith, and this is our next point.

GOD HAS A HABIT OF BLESSING A SIMPLE FAITH

Verse 3 is interesting because it seems that it was only by coincidence that Ruth finds herself in Boaz’s part of the field.  But coincidences don’t exist in the sense that chance brings two circumstances together.  There are no chance events.  They may appear that way to us, but every circumstance is under the sovereign control of the God who governs all of His universe moment by moment.  As Paul says to the Ephesians, “[God] works all things after the counsel of His own will.”

Application: And that is true in all of our lives.  Always be wary of patting yourself on the back, without giving the glory to God for any success you may enjoy, for every blessing comes from God, above.

God has wonderfully brought Ruth to the notice of Boaz (his name means “In Him is strength”), the relative of great wealth.  We are reminded here again that he was a relative of Elimelech, Ruth’s father- in-law.  We are told that he comes from Bethlehem, literally the house of bread.  The author of the narrative had given us an expectation in verse 1 that Boaz might be the instrument of blessing in the lives of Naomi and Ruth, and now our expectations are being met.

Here we see the entrance of a godly man into the life of a godly woman.  We see some of the demeanour of a faithful man, and this is our next point.

A FAITHFUL MAN WHO BLESSES OTHERS

When we read the story of Ruth, our focus is often just on Ruth and her circumstances and character, but Boaz is a very important part of these circumstances.  Notice that Boaz, “In Him is strength”, is strong in the Lord.  See the pious greeting to those contracted to reap his field.  “The LORD be with you!’

This name Lord, when it is in capital letters, tells us that it translates the covenant name of God, Jehovah, or the self-existent one, the name God had used when speaking to Moses from the burning bush.  Here was a believer and a worshipper, a covenanted faithful worshipper of Jehovah, God.  And in giving this greeting, he was wishing prosperity and blessing upon his servants.  He was concerned not just with their material welfare or that they were doing their job properly, but with their relationship to the Covenant God Himself.

He was also a good manager and did not leave his delegated business unattended.  He checked to see if things were being done properly by his servants.  And in doing this, he also showed his interest in the servants and their task.  He was not an absentee landlord who left his estate to run without supervision or without a personal contact and relationship with his servants.

And we know from the answer his reapers gave that there was respect and warmth toward their employer, “The LORD bless you”, they replied.

Boaz notices her.  There is no indication that he has any interest in her other than a concern for her welfare.  He enquires who she is and the servant tells Boaz of her request to glean and also stresses that she has been working since morning, apart from a small rest in the house.  And since she asked permission, she was also a polite and genuine person.

The Old Testament law allowed strangers to glean after the reapers had taken the sheaves of wheat, but Ruth was not presumptuous in failing to seek permission.  So Boaz has a good report of her character already.

Application: Notice here the value of a good reputation.  People are unlikely to show consideration if we are known as inconsiderate people.  And notice the response of Boaz.  After verse 8, Boaz addresses Ruth.  He tells Ruth to just glean in his field.  She is to follow and stay with his maids.  She is under his protection – the servants have been instructed not to impede her in any way.  He provides for her other needs.  She can have access to his water supply as well.

Here we have a wealthy and powerful man, taking time to care for the lowly and the poor and the stranger.

Application: This, too, is no coincidence.  We have in this ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ a real example of the character of the Saviour.  And it is not an arbitrary connection to make.  Jesus Himself said that the whole of the Bible spoke of Him, and when we see events of salvation we are being pointed to the spiritual salvation of God’s covenant people as well as the Saviour who effects that salvation.

Our Lord did come to seek and to save that which was lost.  He came to save the spiritually low and poor.  He came to save those who were strangers to the Kingdom of God, just as Ruth was physically and spiritually.

Consider the pathos of this occasion.  Remember that the Jewish people were very inward looking, very focussed upon their own race.  But here is one of another race; and here is an important Israelite stooping to help an outsider.

And Jesus does this for us, too.  We, who are unworthy, we who were strangers to God’s covenant, have been reconciled to God by a Saviour who saved us not with words, but with deeds of love.  There are many who would say kind words to us, are there not?  Yes, “God bless you”, they might say, and then immediately forget you.

But not our Lord Jesus Christ.  His life of obedience and suffering, and His death upon the cross were deeds of love for those who would believe on His Name.

Boaz calls Ruth “My Daughter”.  Jesus calls us His brothers and sisters, fellow inheritors of the estate that belongs to Him by right.  He earned it, but He earned it for us.  Meditate much on the tender mercy of the Saviour toward you.  Remember that when He suffered, He suffered for you.  It was as if your name was on His lips as He bore the wrath of God; your countenance was in His heart and in His mind’s eye as He suffered every blow of the divine curse upon His body and soul.

Our God is a tender God, a God of infinite compassion for His people.  Let’s remember that daily.

And notice now the response of Ruth.  And this is our final point…

THE RESPONSE OF RUTH

See how dramatic it is.  “Then she fell on her face, bowing down to the ground.”  What a response?  Can you imagine yourself doing that when someone showed you a kindness?

Application: I think it is difficult for us to see ourselves doing something like that because we don’t have such a hierarchical society where there are those at the top and those at the bottom.  We tend to think we are all equal and as good as the next man, and I think that that is a good thing.  But we should still show gratitude in an appropriate way, shouldn’t we?  But there is one relationship where we can claim no equality at all.  It is a relationship of pure grace.

Would you fall down upon your knees and your face to the ground in the presence of Jesus?  Do you feel that sort of gratitude that would invoke that response toward Jesus?

Actually, in Ruth’s case, Boaz is rewarding her for what he has discovered about her.  When Ruth asks Boaz why he is blessing her in this way, since she is a foreigner, notice that Boaz’s response is to point to her kindness and faithfulness.  Her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, and her willingness to leave her people finds favour with Boaz, who blesses her with this wonderful benediction of verse 12: “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.”

It seems obvious that in His invoking the name of the Lord, Boaz also alludes to her faith in the God of Israel.  He recognises that she has come under wings of the God of Israel for refuge.

Application: And here is that wonderful spiritual truth that God does reward the exercise of faith.  We do not imply from this passage that faith itself is meritorious.  But we can learn that those who by faith place themselves under the shadow of the wings of Jehovah will certainly find perfect happiness or blessedness there.  God does not disappoint those who come to Him in faith.

Yes, that faith, too, is a work of divine grace, but it is a faith that is the instrument that lays hold of Christ and issues in eternal life.  There are no losers in the kingdom of God.  All, like Ruth, will receive unearned wages of unending grace.

Ruth is discovering this.  It should be our prayer that all would find the same blessing in the shadow of the Almighty.  Shall we pray for that?

Amen.