Ruth 2: 4-10
4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!”
And they answered him, “The LORD bless you!”
5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”
10 So she fell on her face, bowed down 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?”
And they answered him, “The LORD bless you!”
5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”
10 So she fell on her face, bowed down 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?”
Now we step back into the book and Ruth and we continue with the day that Boaz and Ruth met. Today we begin with verse 6 and Boaz is overwhelmed by this young lady. We see in verse 6 that the reapers knew who she was and where she came from. Keep in mind being a Moabite wasn’t favorable, but Naomi and her family probably have a favorable testimony.
In verse 7 we see the humility of Ruth. She wanted to take care of her mother-in-law. Here is a great lesson for all singles. She was not out looking for love, but instead she loved to serve. We should live to serve and love to serve. It is our call as disciples of the glorious savior. Ruth humbles herself and goes to the field of the poor to gather grain so that they can eat. Jesus humbled himself and came into this world with no great reputation or appearance. The OT said he looked comely in his appearance. He stepped away from royalty and put on the garment of a peasant.
I love verse 8! What is Boaz saying? He is saying I will make sure you are cared for. Boaz is a great picture of the redeemer in this story. He could have ignored her or even made her leave if he wanted to but instead he wanted to make sure she went to no other field. How does this relate to us? Well Christ desired to see us in his field. When God sees people seeking him and serving him it is like Boaz being stunned by the beauty and humility of this young lady. Christ loves us and he wants us to not shop around with the things of this earth but instead to seek him for protection and comfort. Remember he is the Groom and his people are the Bride. He is like any good husband and wants to provide for his wife. This doesn’t mean he wants to make us all rich with worldly possessions, but instead rich in his love. Solomon writes “he brought me into the banquet and placed a banner over me and it said Love” (Song Sol 2).
In verse 9 we see Ruth mattes, and so do we. There are many people today who just cannot see their value. You may be reading this today and this short message is for you. You matter to God so much so that he died for you. I John 3:16 says that God laid down his life for you and John 3:16 says that he gave his son for you. There is nothing God can do more to prove his love for you. At some point you have to decide to believe in his gracious love and realize you are a person of worth or just live in misery. There really is no in between. We cannot escape our inner feelings. As the great mission builder Howard Munsey once said “Sure I believe in election, the devil gets a vote, Jesus gets a vote and I get a vote and I vote for Jesus”.
Verse 10 is awesome. Stop and read it. Do you see it? I can see Ruth coming to Boaz and admitting her unworthiness. This is a perfect representation of every single person who ever came to Christ in brokenness. She asks why do you care. What did I do to deserve your kindness? Does this illustrate any occurrence in your life? If not then more than likely you have never been saved. This represents several moments in my life. I am constantly reminded of my unworthiness and I am overwhelmed at his love. He cares for us and there are no words to describe it or explain it. This world laughs at the thought of Jesus being alive and making people into the creation he desires. It is foolishness to most of the world, but Paul said “the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish but it is the power of God to those who are saved”. No matter what the world says I can only say, Lord what have I done to find favor in your eyes? The answer is the same for us all. Nothing!
Jesus Saves,
RR
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