Under His Wings | Ruth 2 | Redeeming Love

It is an amazing feeling when someone goes above and beyond for you. In our world of limited resources, we rarely see people disregard their own limitations to help someone else—especially someone who has no claim on them. Yet, this is exactly the type of generosity we see in Boaz as we move into the second chapter of Ruth.

This week, we followed Ruth into the fields. As an unclean Gentile and a poor widow, she expected only the scraps left on the fringes. Instead, she found a man who provided safety, water, a seat at his table, and an abundance of grain that left her mother-in-law, Naomi, astonished.

This story is a vivid "type and shadow" of the Gospel. In our sin, we were outsiders with no obligation from God. Yet, in His mercy, He has brought us under His wings and fed us with the abundance of His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are feeling exposed to the storms of life, join us as we dwell on the protection and provision found only in our Great Redeemer.

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Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week we dig into God's Word trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us.

It is an amazing feeling when someone goes above and beyond for you. People generally stick to doing what is required of them. We like to be nice to folks and help them out of course but resources like our time and our money are limited. We’ve all likely had someone disregard those limitations to our benefit and give us help that we really appreciate. This likely causes us to be filled with substantial gratitude because we know that someone didn’t need to do anything at all to help us or they could have stopped at the bare minimum. Instead, they considered us worthy of receiving the benefits of their limited resources. Ultimately, this type of generosity points us to the generosity of God in the gospel. As rebellious sinners we deserve nothing. God is under no obligation to us; yet, he came to us in our rebellion and rescued us through the atoning and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see this not only in the gospels where the work of Jesus is shown to us but we also see it in types and shadows of the Old Testament.

Today as we continue in the story of Ruth we see Boaz going above and beyond in showing grace to Ruth and Naomi and we will eventually see that the man who shows grace to them is the promised line to the seed of the woman who will come and crush the head of the serpent. Before we get started in chapter 2 it’s important that we do a quick refresh on chapter one. We began by learning that it was a time of famine in Israel during the time of the Judges. The famine indicated to us that it was a time of unfaithfulness by the people. A time of idolatry and rejection of the things of God. As the book opened we met Naomi and her husband Elimelech who move to Moab to pursue food. While we understand why they would move for food, in their time, it was a sign of unfaithfulness because they moved away from the Promised Land. It was a move away from worship of the one true God toward idolatry in Moab.

Quickly after the introduction of this couple we learn of terrible hardship that comes to Naomi through the death of Elimelech and then later her two sons. Upon the death of the sons we find the hardship is multiplied because there are three widows as the wives of Naomi’s sons are with her. The author of Ruth then signals to us that faithfulness has returned to Israel by informing us that the Lord had visited the people and the famine had ended. With nowhere else to turn Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. She pleads with the daughters-in-law to stay in Moab with their families. Her daughter-in-law Orpah returns to her family and their gods but Ruth clings to Naomi and pledges that the God of Naomi will be her God. As the first chapter closed up we read that God’s providential redirecting of Naomi has brought them into Judah at the time of the barley harvest.

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor”. And she said to her, “Go, my daughter”. This is where we are introduced to a man named Boaz and initially our being told of him doesn’t really make sense. We are told that he’s a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech but it’s not like he is close family or anything. He didn’t meet them at the border and he not only provided safe travel for them and gave them a place to stay when they got to town. In fact, we aren’t told of anyone helping these ladies out. Instead, Ruth comments in verse two that she’s going to head out and glean in the fields.

Gleaning was a provision for the poor in the law of God. The law prescribed that landowners were to not only allow the poor to come in behind the harvesters and pick what was missed but the crops on the edge of the fields were to be left to provide for the poor. Notice in this provision that it reflects what Paul states in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, that those who don’t work should not eat. The food is provided in what is leftover in the fields but they need to labor in the field to provide for themselves and their family. We see in this opening of the chapter that Ruth is very willing to work and it’s clear that she’s been made aware of the provision in the law for her to do this.

On arriving at a field we are told that she happens to go to a part of a field that belongs to the man named Boaz that we’ve been introduced to and now in the span of just three verses we’ve been reminded that he is related to Elimelech. In the providence of God, Ruth has been guided to this place. The redirecting of Naomi’s life has brought Ruth to a man who is connected to them by family bonds and this an important thing in their time and it is making it very apparent to us that God is at work in the story of Ruth.

And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest”. The servant’s answer shows us that the stir that was caused in Naomi’s return to Bethlehem has spread the news around to a lot of people. The servant reveals to Boaz that she had asked to glean and was persistent in the hard work of collecting that which had been left behind in the fields.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn”. Boaz takes action upon hearing this news. The path to this point in the book has been a rough one. Wrong turns have been happening over and over but now we begin to get a deeper sense of God’s guiding hand. It is not by random chance that Ruth ended up in the field that she is in. The providential hand of God has led her here. Boaz is going to assure protection and care for Ruth and he does so by telling her not to move on to other fields but instead to stick to his fields. He tells her there is safety for her to keep young men away. Women were vulnerable in these situations but under the care of Boaz she is guaranteed safety. Not only that but he tells Ruth she has access to water that has been drawn by the workers. She won’t have to go off and find it herself.

Then she fell on her face, bowing 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?”. But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before". None of what Boaz has said thus far probably seems like much of a big deal to us. It’s kind of just common sense, nice things to do but from Ruth’s reaction we get a real sense of how significant this was for her as not only a poor widow but as a foreigner. Clearly, it’s a big deal because she falls on her face. She bows down before him and asks why an outsider like her has found favor. The answer Boaz gives is that he has heard about everything we know about the story of Naomi and Ruth and he is inviting her under his care in the fields. He’s heard of her devotion and how she left her people and her land to show love and care for Naomi.

The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”. Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants”. And we see that Boaz understands the significance of her commitment in the blessing he speaks over her. He says, “Yahweh repay you for what you’ve done”. He believes that God will reward this. What she’s done is more than just deciding to stick by Naomi because she feels bad for her and can’t just leave her by herself. Remember, in moving away from family and land it’s not just pursuing a different opportunity in another place. Going away from family and land is also going away from idolatry and moving toward the covenant God of Israel. In chapter one when Ruth said Naomi’s God would be her God she was doing more than just changing her church membership to Naomi’s church. She was fundamentally changing how she understood reality. She was becoming a servant of the God who had spoken to his people. He is not deaf and mute like the idols of metal and stone in the household of her Father. Through the words of Boaz we see this blessing as he says that through her committing to Naomi and following her to Bethlehem she has taken refuge in God and has found protection under his wings. The storms of life have been raging around Ruth and life has been hard and sorrowful but she is no longer going to be at risk of harm from those storms. She now will find security and safety under the wings of the God of Israel. What a beautiful image of God’s protection for his people. Like a wandering chick lost in a storm, God has come like a mother bird to cover her to ensure that she is protected and safe from the storm.

Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants”. And Ruth is amazed by the kind words of Boaz and acknowledges that he’s done something amazing for her. She isn’t a servant of his but still she is being provided with protection. This is only the beginning of what Boaz is going to do for her though.

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine”. So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. At meal time Boaz calls her to come and eat. We don’t know what her plan was. Likely she had not planned on eating much, if anything at all, but instead of going hungry she’s called to eat and dip the bread in the wine. This Moabite woman, an unclean Gentile, is welcomed in like a servant. When you think about Ruth’s experience here, it’s quite astounding. She is not only allowed to stick around to pick up leftovers in the field. She’s welcomed to a meal and is able to eat until she is satisfied. How long do you think it’s been since that’s happened for her?. She and Naomi had nothing. I can’t imagine the struggle for food and nourishment on their journey but now as evidence of God’s providential guiding she is eating to the point of satisfaction with the servants of Boaz. In fact, there is bread left over.

When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her”. But the benefits of the generosity of Boaz don’t end there. He tells the young men to give her special access to the sheaves and they are to let her take whatever she would like. She’s more than just taking the leftovers on the fringes, she has access to substantial grain.

In our sin and unbelief we were outsiders. Rebels who had offended God. Because of our sin, God had no obligation to us. At best, we could be on the fringes, making our way surviving on the scraps left behind. Instead, in his mercy, God called and invited us to himself. He feeds us and provides us with the abundance of his mercy and grace. At this stopping point for us in the story, I believe a powerful application is to be diligent in how God has gone above and beyond for us in Christ. May God’s love lead us to dedication and devotion to the one who has been abundantly gracious. I started out talking about the overwhelming feelings we have when someone goes above and beyond for us. We feel deep gratitude when someone does this for us and we thank them and feel devoted to them for what they’ve done. Naomi and Ruth understood that Boaz had been gracious to them. They knew that they would not receive the same love and care anywhere else. Why would Ruth even think of going to another field? Why would she think she could find the protection she has from another landowner?. She couldn’t. Yahweh had brought her to the protection under his wings. The story of Ruth we’ve looked at today is not only a picture of God’s salvation and protection we have in Christ but it is also a call on us to devote our lives to him. We have no other redeemer who shows us steadfast love and faithfulness. We have no other redeemer who feeds us abundantly with his grace and provides us with the protection of his salvation. Why would we go anywhere else? As you recall the story of Ruth may you daily return to the fields of his grace and rest in the protection you have in your redeemer. Amen.

Great and merciful God, We thank You for the gift of Your Word, that it shows us that Jesus is the true Bread of Life and He is never breadless. We come to Him and we trust that He has fed us. And we trust that You have been feeding us with Your Word and using it in us through Your Spirit. May we reject the call of the world. May we not see the allure of Moab, but instead remember the infinite bread that is waiting for us in Christ. Bless us with faithfulness and with the desire to worship You and to serve You in holiness. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about First Reformed Church, head to our Facebook page or website, edgertonfrc.org.

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