Homerton Baptist Church
Evening Service (260215)

      • Ruth 2:1–13ESV

  • Hymn 273 - YOUR MERCY, MY GOD, IS THE THEME OF MY SONG

      • Ruth 2:1–13ESV

  • Hymn 189 - O bless the LORD my soul!

      • Acts 2:37ESV

      • Amos 1:3–2:3ESV

      • Ruth 2:1–13ESV

  • Ruth 2:1–13 ESV
    1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 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.” 3 So she set out 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 clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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. 9 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.” 10 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?” 11 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. 12 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!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
    Introduction
    Naomi and Ruth have arrived in Bethlehem. Both of them would have been somewhat apprehensive. Naomi wondering how she would be received by those whom she knew in Bethlehem. For Ruth it was a totally new experience and she would have concerns as to how she, being a Moabite, would be treated. In both cases things worked out well.
    In our application that Naomi represents the backslidden Christian returning to the Lord and the Church. Ruth, the new convert, having a first experience of the Church.
    Let me be clear that I am not suggesting that this an allegory. It is a true historical event with real people in real situations dealing with real events. But there is a proper spiritual application that we must study.
    Slide

    1. A Kinsman v1

    Slide
    Ruth 2:1 ESV
    1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

    a. Relative of Elimelech

    Ruth 2:1 ESV
    1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

    b. A Worthy Man

    Ruth 2:1 ESV
    1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
    A valiant hero. These words are applied to Boaz in no other sense than to Gideon (Judg. 6:12), Jephthah (11:1), and others, and have no reference to his wealth and property. He was a strong and able man in Israel, in war and in peace. Probably he had distinguished himself in conflicts of Israel against enemies, perhaps against Moab.
    Judges 6:12 ESV
    12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him [Gideon] and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valour.”

    c. Boaz

    Many have suggested that the etymology of Boaz is beʿōz, “in the strength of,” or bōʿōz, “in him (is) strength,” from the root ʿzz, “to be strong.” Noth, however, prefers “of sharp mind”
    Slide

    2. Ruth’s Commitment v2-3

    Slide
    Ruth 2:2–3 ESV
    2 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.” 3 So she set out 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 clan of Elimelech.

    a. Gleaning v2

    Ruth 2:2 ESV
    2 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.”
    Naomi was manifestly in need. No one seemed to help her, nor had she the heart to ask. It is but too clear now that her lot would have been a dismal one, if at her return Ruth had not faithfully clung to her. But this young woman’s fidelity shows itself now also. As the barley-harvest is in progress, she offers to go to the field and ask for permission to glean. Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Cassel, P., & Steenstra, P. H. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scripture
    Glean, Gleaning. Practice of allowing the poor to follow reapers in a field to pick up missed spears of grain (cf. Lv 19:9, 10; 23:22; Dt 24:21; Ru 2:2–23). Vineyards, as well as fields of grain, were to be available for gleaning.
    Leviticus 19:9–10 ESV
    9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

    b . Faith and Hope v2

    Ruth 2:2 ESV
    2 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.”
    It was no easy offer. Ruth was probably ignorant of those provisions of the Israelitish law according to which the gleanings of the harvest-field and even a forgotten sheaf were to be left to the poor and the stranger, the widow and the orphan (cf. Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:19). At least, she did not seem to expect the observance of such a custom; for she hoped to obtain permission to glean from the possible kindness of some proprietor. Lange, J. P.,
    But at best, what a miserable task for the once happy and prosperous widow! Possibly to see herself treated as a beggar, harshly addressed or even personally maltreated by rude reapers! to pass the day in heat and distress, in order at evening, hungry and weary, to bring home a little barley! For this then she had left paternal house and land, in order in deepest misery to be perchance yet also abused as a foreigner! Lange, J.
    But the love she cherishes, makes everything easy to her. It not only gives utterance to good words, but it carries them into practice. She forgets everything, in order now to remember her filial duty to Naomi. And Naomi accepts her offer. Lange, J. P.,
    The remarkable characters of both women come here also nobly to view. Ruth, who has given up everything, is humble as a dutiful child, and asks for permission to give up more. Naomi, who in her highest need would accept nothing from Ruth, in order not to involve her in the same distress,—who retains her maternal authority in circumstances of want in which people generally would deem this impossible,—has no other reward for Ruth’s self-sacrificing disposition than that she is ready to accept its efforts for herself. Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Cassel, P., & Steenstra, P. H. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Ruth (p. 28). Logos Bible Software.

    c. Blessed Providence v3

    Ruth 2:3 ESV
    3 So she set out 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 clan of Elimelech.
    Ruth, as a stranger in Bethlehem, knew neither persons nor properties. She might have chanced on fields of strange and unfriendly owners. Providence so ordered it, that without knowing it, she entered the field of one who was of the family of Elimelech, and therefore also a distant relative of her deceased husband. Lange, J. P., Schaff,
    Slide

    3. Whose Young Woman is This? v4-7

    Slide
    Ruth 2:4–7 ESV
    4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 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. 7 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.”

    a. The Lord Be With You v4

    Ruth 2:4 ESV
    4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”

    b. Whose Young Woman is This? v5-6

    Ruth 2:5–6 ESV
    5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 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.
    “Whose is this damsel?” It was in accordance with national custom to ask, not, “Who is this damsel”—for that was of comparatively little importance,—but, Whence is she? how comes she here? to what estate does she belong? Lange, J. P.,

    c. Commendation v7

    Ruth 2:7 ESV
    7 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.”
    Slide

    4. Gracious Words v8-9

    Slide
    Ruth 2:8–9 ESV
    8 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. 9 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.”

    a. Do Not Leave v8

    Ruth 2:8 ESV
    8 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.
    Nor go from hence, but keep here, with my maidens. He has called her to him where he stands, near the reapers. Only on this supposition are these words intelligible. Immediately behind the reapers, came the maidens who bound the grain. The gleaner who was allowed to approach nearest the latter, had the best opportunity. Ruth had hitherto kept back, which perhaps allowed others to anticipate her and take away the best. Boaz bids her come close up to the binders, and to stay there. He allows her to glean indeed, but he makes her gleaning more productive. Lange, J. P.,

    b. Protection v9

    Ruth 2:9 ESV
    9 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.”
    She would prefer, therefore, as he foresees, to keep herself back, rather than work in their immediate neighbourhood. Be not concerned, he says: I have already given charge that no one touch thee. Act without fear; and when thou thirstest, go boldly and drink. Lange, J. P.,
    Slide

    5. Why Have I Found Favour? v10-12

    Slide
    Ruth 2:10–12 ESV
    10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 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. 12 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!”

    a. Why Me? v10

    Ruth 2:10 ESV
    10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

    b. Your Faithfulness v11

    Ruth 2:11 ESV
    11 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.

    c. The Lord’s Blessing v12

    Ruth 2:12 ESV
    12 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!”
    Slide

    6. Thanksgiving v13

    Slide
    Ruth 2:13 ESV
    13 Then she said, “I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
    Matthew 25:34–40 ESV
    34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
    Conclusion
    Slide
    A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Ruth Homiletical and Practical

    The chief and special reason why he [

      • Ruth 2:1–13ESV

      • Ruth 2:1ESV

      • Ruth 2:2–3ESV

      • Ruth 2:4–7ESV

      • Ruth 2:8–9ESV

      • Ruth 2:10–12ESV

      • Ruth 2:13ESV

  • Hymn 736 - Now, O my soul, forget no more
  • Hymn 788 - How good is the God we adore
  • Doxology 1145 Chorus

      • Romans 1:7ESV

Homerton Baptist Church
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