Noticed by Providence

Please open your Bibles to the book of Ruth.

We're back in Ruth.

We did the first chapter two weeks ago.

Heavenly Father,

Heavenly Father,

I am weak and inadequate,

but you are strong

and you are sufficient

for all that my dear brothers and sisters need.

You know where they have been.

You know their tossing and turning.

You know their thoughts,

the wrestlings of their hearts,

their cries to you.

Would you please,

in and through your word,

meet them this morning,

comfort them,

speak to their hearts this morning.

Exalt your son,

glorify his grace and love toward us.

Revealed on the cross.

Make it fresh for us this morning from your word.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you are able,

please stand and join me in honoring the Lord

as we read from his word together.

Ruth chapter two,

verses one to 23.

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 years of grain

after him in whose sight I shall find favor.

And she said to her,

go,

my daughter.

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.

And behold,

Boaz came from Bethlehem.

And he said to the reapers,

the Lord be with you.

And they answered,

the Lord bless you.

Then Boaz said to the,

to his young man

who was in charge of the reapers,

whose young woman is this?

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.

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 woman.

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.

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.

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.

Do I am not

one of your servants?

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

a roasted grain

and she ate

until she was satisfied

and she had some 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.

So she gleaned

in the field

until evening.

Then she beat out

what she had gleaned

and it was about

an ephah of barley.

And she took it up

and went into the city.

Her mother-in-law

saw what she had gleaned

gleaned.

She also brought out

and gave her

what food she had left over

after being satisfied.

And her mother-in-law

said to her,

where did you glean today?

Where have you worked?

Blessed be the man

who took notice of you.

So she told her mother-in-law

with whom she had worked

and said,

the man's name

with whom I work today

is Boaz.

And Naomi said

to her daughter-in-law,

may he be blessed

by the Lord

whose kindness

has not forsaken

the living or the dead.

Naomi also said to her,

the man is a close relative

of ours,

one of our redeemers.

And Ruth the Moabite said,

besides,

he said to me,

you shall keep close

by my young men

until they have finished

all my harvest.

And Naomi said to Ruth,

her daughter-in-law,

it is good,

my daughter,

that you go out

with his young woman,

lest in another field

you be assaulted.

So she kept close

to the young woman

of Boaz,

gleaning until the end

of the barley

and wheat harvests.

And she lived

with her mother-in-law.

This is God's holy

and authoritative word.

In his classic 1952 novel,

Invisible Man,

Ralph Ellison writes

from the perspective

of an unnamed black narrator

who feels invisible

in society

because of his race.

He begins in the prologue

by saying,

I am an invisible man.

Not because of his,

not because he's

an immaterial ghost

or because,

you know,

he's made of other things

or ethereal things,

but no,

he says,

I'm made of flesh and bone,

fiber and liquids

like any other man.

But he says,

I am invisible,

understand,

simply because people

refuse to see me.

It's a common experience

for marginalized peoples.

The poor

and those employed

in professions

in society

that are deemed menial

often feel

unseen or overlooked

like a hapless pawn

in a world

run by the rich,

rise of automation

that leads to

unemployment,

persistent inflation

caused by wars

and tariffs

beyond their control

being treated

as transactional functions

rather than

as relational humans.

And so on.

Foreigners and immigrants

often feel

similarly unseen.

They are regarded

as other.

Their complex

national and

ethnic identities

and histories

are erased

and lumped

into broad,

monolithic,

racial or regional

categories.

They don't have

the same legal

recourses

and rights

as citizens.

Their professional

qualifications

and credentials

that they enjoyed

in their home country

are now meaningless

because they're not

recognized in their

new locale

and forcing them

toward underemployment

Unemployment!

Unseen!

Unknown!

Unnoticed!

Perhaps some of you

have felt like that lately.

Does anyone

see

what I'm going

through?

Does anyone

care?

Does anyone

notice?

Our passage

this morning

teaches us

that in his

loving kindness

the Lord

takes notice

of foreigners

who take refuge

under his wings.

And we're going

to explore that

by examining

closely three

the main

characters

in chapter 2.

First Ruth,

second Boaz,

and third Yahweh

himself,

the Lord God.

If anyone

could go

unseen,

unnoticed,

unknown,

it would have

been Ruth.

Look at verse 2

and 6

and 21.

Ruth,

the Moabite.

She's called

a Moabite

seven times

throughout the book.

A foreigner

from a people

who have

a bitter

and belligerent

history

with Israel.

people of

Bethlehem

would have

been naturally

prejudiced

against her

and anyone

from her

country.

Not only

that,

Ruth was

poor.

Later in

chapter 4,

we see that

Naomi sells

the parcel

of land

that belonged

to her

deceased husband

Elimelech.

Whether Elimelech

already sold

the land

ten years prior

when they were

moving away

to Moab

or whether

they held

on to it

and because

he already

sold and needed

to be redeemed

or whether

they had

held on

to it

and now

they're

trying to

sell it

because they

have no

one to

work the

field and

desperately

need money.

Either way,

Naomi and

Ruth are

destitute.

They have

no money.

In verses

2-3,

Ruth proposes

to Naomi,

let me go to

the field

and glean

among the

ears of grain

after him

in whose

sight I

shall find

favor.

This was

a practice

of the

poor

in Israel.

Old Testament

harvest laws

specify that

when you reap

the harvest

in your field,

you are not

to harvest

it right up

to the edge

lest you

leave nothing

for the poor,

the sojourners

and the widows.

Also,

when you gather

the wheat

or whatever

you are harvesting

into bundles

and into sheaves,

whatever you drop

along the way,

you are not

supposed to go

back and pick

it up.

You are supposed

to leave it

for the poor,

the sojourners

and widows

so that they

have something

to eat.

It was a

wise,

compassionate

social welfare

system designed

for the poor

and the marginalized.

It wasn't a

free handout

that disincentivized

work or

fosters complacency

and long-term

dependency.

It preserved

the principle

of 2 Thessalonians

3.10,

if anyone is

not willing

to work,

let him not

eat.

It afforded

the poor

an opportunity

for the dignity

of work.

Look at how

hard Ruth works

in verse 7.

The word

continued can

be translated

more literally

as stood.

She has

stood from

early morning

until now

except for

short rest.

It's not

talking about

her just

standing around

idly and

doing nothing.

It's saying

that she was

on her feet

the whole

day.

I know

most of you

work jobs

where you

sit all day,

so it's hard

to appreciate

how hard

it is to

be on

your feet

all day.

It's

exhausting

just

standing

all day.

She was

not just

standing,

she was

standing

and

working,

working

hard to

collect

the

gleanings.

The Old

Testament

approach

to this

kind of

compassionate

care for

the poor

and welfare

as it

also commands

the well-to-do

to be

generous,

to have

compassion

on the

less well-off

rather than

having a

penny-pinching

attitude

toward

maximizing

their own

wealth

and profit.

That's a good

lesson for all

of us too.

It's great

that you're

trying to

save for

the future

and for

the house

and for

retirement,

but if you

are harvesting

right up to

the edge

and whenever

you have

droppings,

you know,

gleanings that

you've dropped

along the way,

you go back,

make sure to go

back every single

time to collect

every last

one to

maximize your

profits

instead of

caring for

those who

are poor,

sojourners,

widows,

then it

exposes the

fact that

you have

misaligned

affections and

priorities,

that you

don't have

room in

your heart

for generosity

toward God

and others.

Of course,

during Ruth's

day,

as in ours,

there was no

guarantee that

people would

actually obey

God's commands

and have

compassion toward

the poor,

and that's why

Ruth makes

this suggestion,

let me go to

the field and

glean among

the years of

grain,

after him in

whose sight I

shall find

favor.

She's well

aware that

not everyone's

going to look

kindly upon

her.

She might go

to one field

and be driven

out of the

field and have

to go to

another one

and then to

another one

and then to

another one.

She doesn't

know with

whom she's

going to

find favor.

She's at

the mercy

of others.

She's poor.

Not only was

Ruth a

foreigner,

a Moabite,

and poor,

she was also

a widow.

She didn't

have the

social standing

and the

material

provision

and the

physical

protection

that usually

fell upon

husbands in

this culture

to provide

for their

wives.

Remember the

historical

backdrop of

the book

of Ruth.

It said

in Ruth

1.1,

in the

days when

the judges

ruled,

as I

mentioned

two weeks

ago,

the days

when the

judges

ruled were

not happy,

prosperous

times.

They were

lawless

times when

people did

whatever they

saw fit.

Judges 21.25

summarize it

this way,

in those

days there

was no

king in

Israel.

Everyone

did what

was right

in his

own eyes.

These were

lawless

times that

Ruth lived

in, and

women,

especially

widows,

were vulnerable

to exploitation.

Throughout the

book of Judges,

you see women

treated as

disposable

property.

In Judges 19,

a local mob

surrounds the

house of a

man who has

taken in a

traveling Levi

to host him.

And this

mob shows

up and

demands to

have the

traveling

Levite for

sexual sport.

To appease

them, the

host offers

up his own

virgin daughter,

and the

traveling Levite

offers up his

own concubine

and tells

them,

quote,

violate them

and do to

them what

seems good

to you.

people doing

whatever seems

good to

their own

minds.

And the

Levite's

concubines

gang-raped

all night.

The times

of the

judges were

not safe

for women.

And you

see hints

of this dark

background

throughout this

chapter.

In verse

9, Boaz

charges the

young man

not to

touch

Ruth.

Why does

he have to

tell them

to not

touch

Ruth?

I mean,

isn't that

just what

they should

do normally?

Why?

Because if

he doesn't

tell them

and if

he doesn't

use his

authority to

make sure

they don't

touch her,

they might.

And the

word touch

in Hebrew

as it does

in English

has a range

of meanings

including

assault,

abuse,

harassment.

We also

see this

risk,

this dark

backdrop in

verse 22

when Naomi

says to

Ruth,

it is good

my daughter

that you

go out with

Boaz's young

woman,

lest in

another field

you be

assaulted.

Ruth,

as a

young

woman,

as a

foreign

woman,

as a

widowed

woman,

as a

poor

woman,

was

quadruply

vulnerable.

And now

we can

appreciate the

extraordinary

courage it

took for,

likely took

for Ruth

to even

suggest going

out to the

field of

strangers to

glean.

She's not

looking out

for herself,

she's looking

out for her

mother-in-law

who can't

go out to

glean.

I'm going to

provide for

her.

I told her

I'll be

with her

till death

do us part.

I need to

provide for

her, care

for her.

I don't

know what

will happen

to me,

but I will

go looking

for a favor

where I can

find it.

she is a

worthy woman,

a woman

of hesed,

loving

kindness,

covenant

loyalty.

And then

we're

introduced to

Boaz in

verse 1.

The narrator

tells us that

he was a

worthy man

of the clan

of Elimelech.

So she is a

relative of

Naomi.

The phrase

worthy man

can be more

literally translated

as a mighty

man of

wealth.

Some

translations

wonder like

the King

James Version

puts it

that way.

The word

for man

here literally

means strong

man.

It means

mighty man

or a hero.

Compare that

to his name,

the meaning

of his name,

Boaz,

which means

in the

strength,

likely in

the strength

of Yahweh,

in the strength

of the Lord.

It's such a

strong name.

Later,

like when

Solomon builds

his temple,

there are two

pillars,

main pillars

that uphold

the building,

and one of

the pillars

they name

Boaz.

In the

strength.

The other

one they

name

Yakin,

which means

the Lord

establishes.

So it's a

strong manly

name like

a pillar.

Surprise,

I haven't

met more

men with

the name

Boaz.

And he's

also a

worthy man.

The Hebrew

word translated

worthy here can

mean a number

of things.

It can mean

valor,

it can mean

wealth,

it can mean

skill,

excellence,

nobility,

which is

why some

people think

it means

wealthy in

this context,

which wouldn't

be wrong.

Boaz is

wealthy.

He's got

land,

he's got

servants,

he's a

wealthy man.

However,

considering that

the penniless

Ruth herself

is later

described in

Ruth chapter

Ruth 3:11

3 verse 11

with the exact

same word

as a

worthy woman,

I doubt

that wealth

is a primary

meaning intended

here.

That same

word is used

in Proverbs

Proverbs 31:10

31 verse

10.

An excellent

wife who

can find.

She's far

more precious

than jewels.

The heart

of her husband

trusts in her

and he will

have no lack

of gain.

She does him

good and not

harm all the

days of her

life.

Ruth is the

only named

woman in the

Old Testament,

in the Hebrew

Bible,

who is called

by that title

of Proverbs

31,

an excellent

woman,

a noble

woman,

woman of

noble

character.

And I think

a similar

meaning is

intended here

for Boaz.

He's not

merely a

wealthy man.

More importantly,

he is a

worthy man,

a man of

godly,

noble character,

a manly

man in the

true sense

of the word,

a man who

does not

use his

strength and

position to

take advantage

of others,

to stand on

top of others,

but a man who

uses his

strength and

position to

carry others

and to lift

up others

around him.

We see

this in the

many actions

that Boaz

takes on

behalf of

Ruth to

provide for

her, to

protect her.

He not

only lets

Ruth glean in

his field,

he encourages

her to glean

only from

his field,

under his

watchful eye

and protection.

And then he

goes above

and beyond

that and

instructs his

reapers to

let Ruth

glean,

not only

from the

gleanings,

the droppings

from the

harvest,

but also

from among

the sheaves

that they've

collected and

bundled up

together.

And he

tells them

as they're

putting the

sheaves

together to

intentionally

pull

sheaves,

pull stuff

out from

the sheaves

and leave

them for

Ruth.

It's like,

oh,

oops,

so that she

could collect

even more.

And even

though Ruth

is a

lowly

servant

in terms

of her

social

position

and status,

in fact,

as Ruth

says herself

in verse

13,

she's not

even one

of his

servants.

She doesn't

even have

the rights

that Boaz's

servants

have.

She's not

even one

of his

servants.

And yet,

Boaz invites

her,

tells his

man to

draw water

for her.

Drink from

that water

when you

are thirsty.

Tells her

to come

here.

Here's the

bread that

we're eating.

Dip your

bread into

our dipping

wine.

And here's

the roasted

grain.

Come have

lunch with

us.

Gives her

so much

food that

she has

enough

left over

to take

home and

feed her

mother-in-law

Naomi.

You can

imagine how

overwhelmed

and grateful

Ruth must

be,

considering the

risk that

she took

to go out

to that

field where

she knew

no one.

And she's

overwhelmed by

Boaz's care,

gestures twice.

She says,

once in

verse 10,

why have I

found favor

in your

eyes?

That you

should take

notice of

me since I

am a

foreigner.

And in

verse 13,

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.

That word

favor

translates

to the

Hebrew word

that is

often

translated

as

grace.

It's the

word used

to describe

our Lord

God in

Exodus 34

when he

reveals himself

as the

Lord,

the Lord,

the gracious

and compassionate

God.

It's a

word that

especially

applies when

you're the

one that's

receiving a

favor from

a benefactor,

someone who's

in a superior

social position

than you,

like in this

instant with

Ruth and

Boaz or

with a

servant and

a king.

And when

you're treated

with favor,

you're not

being treated

fairly.

Right?

Like when you

tell people,

don't have

favorites.

It's like you

shouldn't have a

favorite kid,

some people say,

right?

You shouldn't

have a favorite

church member.

You know,

you should have

a don't play

favorites,

right?

It's like when

you have favorites,

when you favor

someone,

you treat

them with

special affection.

You don't

treat them

equally,

fairly,

like everybody

else.

No,

you treat

them with

special attention.

That favor

word is a

key word in

the book of

Esther.

She's someone

who has

favor,

favor from

people who

see her,

favor from

the king.

That's why

she's given

access to the

king that

is normally

not granted

to people.

That's why

the king

listens to

her and

not to

Haman.

It's because

she has

favor.

And Boaz

shows Ruth

favor.

even though

she is

a foreigner,

a Moabite,

a poor

widow,

and not

even one

of his

servants

that he's

responsible

for.

And in

doing that,

Boaz is

imitating

God who

is gracious

with people

like that.

Isn't that

how God

drew near

to us?

Ian,

do we

deserve

anything

from our

Lord God?

Aren't

most of

us

Gentiles?

Not

even part

of the

original

chosen

people

of God?

Aren't

we the

people whose

ancestors

persecuted the

people of

God,

rebelled

against God,

and worshipped

and went

after idols?

Aren't we

the ones

who have

all sinned

against him?

Ones who

were alienated

from him?

Aren't we

the ones,

as Paul

describes in

Ephesians 2,

those who

were separated

from Christ,

the uncircumcision,

the Gentiles

and the flesh,

separated from

Christ,

alienated from

the common

wealth of

Israel,

apart from

God,

without God

and without

hope in

the world,

strangers to

the covenants

of promise?

That's what

we all

were.

And yet,

God

showed us

favor.

Gracious,

gracious,

graciousness.

He showed

us grace,

unmerited

favor,

undeserved

favor in

sending his

own son,

Jesus,

to save

us,

to call

us as

a people

for himself

to belong

to him.

That's what

Boaz is

doing,

extending

the favor

of God.

Why did

Boaz show

Ruth so

much favor?

I know

what some

of you guys

are thinking.

he's making

his moves.

I don't

know.

I'm not

sure about

that.

At least

maybe not

yet.

Because he's

very surprised.

He's a little

too old for

her.

So this

text very

artfully and

subtly kind

of builds

tension.

So he

mentions

Ruth as

a young

woman.

And then

the first

servant,

his foreman,

that he

mentions is

a young

man.

young

woman,

young

man.

Oh,

I wonder

what could

happen.

And then

again and

again,

young

men,

young

women.

And I

think there's

this tension

builds.

What's going to

happen to

Ruth?

Is she going to

find something?

Is she going to

find love?

And then

there's this

amazing plot

twist later

on when

she proposes

to Boaz.

And Boaz is

like,

what?

It's like,

me?

It's like,

how kind

of you,

your covenant

love,

your faithfulness

in seeking

home for

your mother-in-law

and to continue

the line of

your deceased

husband by

seeking to

marry a

kinsman

redeemer who

is too old

for you,

rather than

going after

the young

men,

he says.

And so

it's building

up.

And so

I'm not

sure he's

making his

moves yet.

But this

whole chapter

is structured

in a way

that gives

us an

answer to

that question.

It's

structured

chiastically.

The first

half of

Ruth chapter

two mirrors

the second

half of

Ruth chapter

two.

And that

means there's

a matching

element.

Every verse

has a matching

counterpart in

the second

half.

And then

when you get

to the

middle,

that's the

part that

stands alone.

It's the

part that

alone doesn't

have a pair.

And that's

verses 11

to 12.

The structure

intentionally brings

our focus to

that.

I think I have

this to show.

So you can see it

in verse 1 to 3.

You have the

introduction with

the focus on

Boaz.

And in

verses 20 to 23,

you have the

conclusion with

the focus on

Boaz.

Workers bless

Boaz and Boaz

notices Ruth in

verses 4 to 5.

Naomi blesses

Boaz for noticing

Ruth in verses

19 to 20.

Ruth gleans in

Boaz's field in

verses 6 to 7.

And then

Ruth brings

back what she

gleaned in

Boaz's field in

verses 17 to 18.

And then

Boaz provides for

and protects Ruth

in verses 8 to 9.

And then Boaz

provides for and

protects Ruth again

in verses 14 to 16.

And then

Ruth's amazement

at Boaz's favor in

verse 10.

Ruth's amazement

at Boaz's favor in

verse 13.

And that,

like a shining

arrow,

is bringing its

attention to

verses 11 to

12.

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.

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.

That's the key

verse.

That's why Boaz

is showing her

favor.

That's why God's

showing her favor.

In showing covenant

loyalty and steadfast

love toward her

mother-in-law,

Naomi, Ruth has

done what is

pleasing to

Yahweh.

But Boaz

recognizes that

in throwing her

lot in with

Naomi, Ruth has

done more than

simply that.

Look at how he

phrases it in

verse 11.

How you left

your father and

mother and your

native land and

came to a people

that you did not

know before.

Does this remind

you of anything

else in scripture

in the Old

Testament?

This is exactly

what the Lord

God, Yahweh,

called Abram to

when he first

chose him and

his descendants

to be his

people.

Genesis 12,

1 to 3.

Go from your

country, your

kindred, and

your father's

house to land

I will show you.

And I will make

of you a great

nation.

I will bless you

and make your

name great so that

you will be a

blessing.

I will bless

those who bless

you and whoever

curses you I

will curse and

in you all the

families of the

earth shall be

blessed.

Remember what

Ruth said vowed

to Naomi in

chapter 1 verse

16.

Your people shall

be my people and

your God my

God.

In following

Naomi to

Bethlehem, Ruth

has switched

religious spiritual

allegiances.

She has chosen

the Lord, Yahweh,

as her God.

And so Boaz says

to her in verse

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.

Because he is

your God.

So yes, Boaz is

providing for Ruth

and protecting her,

but he's doing

that because

ultimately, Yahweh,

the Lord, is

taking notice of

Ruth and taking

care of her.

Boaz, the

kinsman

redeemer, is

merely an

instrument in

the hands of

our divine

redeemer.

Naomi remarks

in verse 20,

may Boaz be

blessed by the

Lord, whose

kindness has

not forsaken

the living or

the dead.

It's that

recurring word

again, hesed,

kindness, loving

kindness, covenant

loyalty.

But whose

kindness is

Naomi speaking

of?

Look at verse

20 again.

Whose kindness

is Naomi speaking

of?

Is it Boaz's

kindness?

Is it the

Lord's kindness?

Yes.

The answer is

both.

It's intentionally

unclear in the

narrative.

It's not spelled

out because it's

both.

Boaz is certainly

showing kindness

to the living

and to the dead,

showing kindness

to the living,

Naomi and Ruth,

to the dead,

their deceased

husbands,

Elimelech and

Melon,

respectively,

but ultimately

it's the Lord

who is showing

them kindness.

And this is in

answer to Naomi's

prayer early in

chapter 1,

verse 8.

What did she say

to her daughters-in-law

in chapter 1,

verse 8?

May the Lord

deal kindly

with you,