Boaz and Ruth (Part A)

In the camp. They were there from their Moabites. They were trying to corrupt the people of God.

They could not conquer them on the battlefield, so they sought to corrupt them with these relationships is something we watch out for to this very day to learn how to see when you are being seduced by Satan through people and or things to your destruction. Thus, the parable of the sower said cares of this world choke them out. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Ruth. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Ruth chapter 1 as he begins a brand-new message called Boaz and Ruth let's turn to Ruth.

Chapter 2 Ruth chapter 2 Boaz and Ruth, that's who we're discussing last week it was Naomi and Ruth and of course in time, he realized that the Bible teaches us that God works with us through hardship.

We want to hardship to be removed by him.

So we worship by endurance. Endurance is a form of worship.

If it before the Lord. The cross Lord endured the cross, suffering the shame or we read in Hebrews and the story of Ruth that it would be nice if God would just sweep right and take away the hardship from the lives of Naomi and the small bite widow but he doesn't do it as quickly as I'm sure they would've liked him to have performed it. There are worse stories in Scripture. As far as how long one had to endure hardship, tough times.

Job of course is one David running from the maniacal Saul King Saul's difficult to show any difference to him anyway. Look now at verse one there was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth of the family of dilemma lack.

His name was Boaz. Very manly name dying breed among some men, that is, well, in contrast to a liminal act which really relative Boaz Boaz doesn't leave the promised land. Evidently, during the times of famine. He stayed and he prospered, and so there's a contrast offered up Boaz prosper and eliminate did not and I don't want to be too much into that, but it it is there in the story the is called a great man of wealth where he is.

Grady's a keyboard. It's the Hebrew word is a very powerful man, that is, not only does he have money, but he has power and here in Bethlehem. Evidently, you must didn't get done without coming across the desk. Boaz will find that out in in the story. Other men were called keyboards so King Saul's father Kish Nimrod was one we read about them in Genesis 6, which a lot of commentators and Christians like to turn into a sort of spooky kind of the story between angels and people I don't go that route, but I believe those men were mighty men of wealth and influence. Well anyway it to redeem in this culture to come to the rescue of a family member in financial need or one who would been enslaved to be a goal well a Redeemer you really needed to have money it made it a lot easier and possible because redemption is costly business and I bring that up because of course is the Redeemer in the story and there are parallels between his role in the role of Christ in redemption of man we see a type of Christ in the role of this man. Boaz incidentally he is the Lord of the harvest in this story as Christ is the Lord of the harvest. In fact, the Lord said, you know, when you lack workers go to the Lord of the harvest Matthew chapter 9 verse 38 Jesus speaking says therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest, especially you, ministry leaders, if your ministry is lacking servants you go to the Lord of the harvest you pray, you ask him to send laborers, trustworthy, faithful and even adorable. It's okay to ask for adorable servants. I have friends that are adorable here anyway will meet with the barriers barriers which Boaz must overcome this this man of wealth and power and not a negative way just because he is wealthy and of will find out that is actually he is endeared himself to the people in verse two.

So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi.

Please let me go to the field and clean heads of grain after him in whose side I may find favor and she said to her go. My daughter and we've already covered this wonderful relationship between the two women but Ruth the Moabitess, she's a foreigner she's a widow and she's poor. What had three strikes, but she's not out I what else is at the lower end of of the society but maybe the lepers are a lower but this is not much lower to go for her and that she's a Moabitess, I mean these were a trouble trouble some people to the Jews throughout the history less than 500 years ago they had crept into the camp of Moses and their Zimmerman Cosby though they they flaunted their sin in the direction of Gollum and of course Phineas rose up and skewed them or kill them both. But it was in the camp.

They were there from their Moabites.

They were trying to corrupt the people of God. They could not conquer them on the battlefield, so they sought to corrupt them with these relationships is something we watch out for to this very day to learn how to see when you are being seduced by Satan through people and or things to your destruction. Thus, the parable of the sower.

Jesus said the cares of this world choke them out anyway as only one portion of it. She said to Naomi.

Please let me go to the feeling clean grain. Not content with just being home poor and hungry. She says let me go to work let me do something. She initiates work for herself. Things needed to change. She knew that Susie had acted on it. She doesn't go over the head of Naomi. She's under Naomi's authority she's put her semi-by consent. She is under Naomi's authority should have to be gone. The boy drop her parents still live according to the story but of course they had a beautiful relationship and they made it work and so refusing to allow life to bully her. She goes to work says after him in whose sight I may find favor. Let's read that in context and so Ruth the Moabitess at the Naomi. Please let me go to the field and glean heads of grain after him, and whose site I might may find favor of this is not a reference to Boaz per se stay any Landover owner whose hose harvesting his field.

That's the references Boaz enters and momentarily another word she saying.

Perhaps someone will be kind to me. Perhaps I will find grace as I get out amongst the other reapers the women the other people that are poor Ms. something will happen in basketball you you have a character that's called a playmaker is put on the court to make something happen for his team does nothing going on. We need to get this is going.

Somebody needs to get there and energize us and she's doing that. Not because she saying well I'm going to be a playmaker getting make something happen Jesus and I can't stay home watching the walls closing in the hunger.

I go to work. She does this, hoping she'll find grace. It was her right, according to the Mosaic law to be out in the field to glean to to pick up grain and take-home labels. Her right that was Leviticus it's covered in Leviticus 19 and again in Deuteronomy 24 and throughout the Scriptures referenced so the law that fed the poor also hindered the greedy fee.

The landowners were told you don't mean all don't harvest the corners of your field.

If you drop a you know a bundle of that as you pick up a bundle to put on the carton grain falls often rush down and scoop it up and leave it for the poor fact if you were just not poor just walking around someone's field will biotin you wanted to take some of the grain off you could know rub together but a husk. Often she want, you are free to do that just couldn't bring barrel with you and José can take his grain and some of the hunger corner back to something if you could not do that so those there were laws in place to stop abuses now we go to verse three. Then she left and went and glean in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field longer. Boaz who was of the family of a lamb electric. I've heard a limb elects name pronounced three different ways L.

E.

Limerick is another way in the third when I don't remember ever really care limb electives which you can get for me this is the she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. These are the grim reapers they are happier reapers and here she is a virtuous widow not a busybody virtuous wife we read about her. In Proverbs 31. She's virtuous widow, Paul writes this and to Timothy instructing the pastor how to pastor. Therefore, I desire that the younger widows marry their children manage the house. Give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. She got that one she gave the adversary no opportunity know we we read of none. Now the entry of Boaz into their lives is a game changer. It changes their lives in his also.

God sent this man of strength and means one thing to be strong. It's another thing to be able to use your strength and he's got the combination not as Sampson but certainly, as Boaz I wish my head a C in my name. I envy the name Boaz wonderful name change. If it's too late. Anyway, she happened to come to the part of the field of Boaz at some point she drifts to his field. She stopped in someone's field is not his, but she ends up in his lap. Not by chance and not by her doing. It's a divine appointment.

This is Providence of God that God is dire is leading this and so we go to the videotape.

They don't say that anymore Genesis chapter 24 this is that unnamed servant of Abraham, who goes to fetch a bride for the beloved Isaac, and he fully finds her and he makes his comment he says and he said, blessed be our God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his mercy and truth toward my master.

As for me being on the way Yahweh led me to the house of my master's brethren, I was lost in God just got involved and led me here than there's of course King David King David. That man so magnificent that he drew men to him. Men who did not say bad things about him. Even though David is not perfect.

To this day that's in effect to this day I'm not going to badmouth David and not tolerate any on on substantiated bad mouthing of King David as he did more good than he did bad and I mean where would we be without Psalm 23.

For example, anyway. Then David said Abigail again… Just put pink. The senior David's on his way to slaughter people from messing with him hence and Abigail gets wind of this as she rushes out to intercept David and she doesn't bring sword. She brings donkeys and food and any man is just can't resist that. And of course David said to Abigail first Samuel 2532. Blessed be Yahweh God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me. So in both cases, we find the hand of God there with the unnamed servant, leading him to the house of Laban there with David sending or dispatching Abigail David, recognizing that it was God and here we have Ruth drifting into the field of Boaz, but not yet recognizing its God that comes later God's hand led her into this field knowing that Naomi would be all over it. When Naomi finds out what is going on at the end of this chapter Naomi is on it.

She knows where this can go. Ruth is like going to get rain tomorrow and make music we going to beg this guy could get to that. So here we find this need. But this man, Boaz, God was at home with this man is the kind of man that God would dine with that, there been many of them in Scripture. Not all of them so good right away. Sakae has come down. I must dine with you. He is God's choice of the man to match with Ruth and of course this is the messianic line Messiah will will attach himself to this line. This Jew in this Gentile God is the great matchmaker for everything problem is to get to the match. Whether it is in finding one's beloved or in finding one's job or vocation calling ally, whatever it may be he is a great matchmaker, but the problem with his times you gotta go through it to be developed for it. Verse four and you know I figured about another 50 years. I'll be done with all this. Well, wait a minimum in my teens now GET back that verse for now Boaz now now behold and of course Esther, drama, music play now behold his tent now behold Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers. Yahweh be with you and they answered him. Yahweh bless you. From the outset from the be very very beginning that we are introduced to this man. He is presented to us as a godly man and those under his care testified that he now he lives in Bethlehem as Ruth and Naomi are very surrounding area in the they go out of village and into the fields to work, but this is one of the most beautiful exchanges in Scripture. He is the employer and they are the employees and he shows up at the job and days and and he says he initiates the blessing Yahweh be with you and they respond. Yahweh bless you that as if it's genuine what could be better. What could be a better way to start the morning so important to say good morning to people unless his night or morning. Anyway it's it's very important you know if you if you get you give in and you are ready to have my Mike off your whatever it is that the you're missing that the joy of the discipline. Make yourself say good morning to the other person unless they've stolen something from you. Well anyway okay. I shouldn't say this kind of things here. This exchange reveals his close relationship that they have with each other and the Lord.

There are a lot of godly people in Bethlehem at this time in her history. Yeah their marriage.

It's back-and-forth but right now it's pretty good. When Naomi and Ruth returned to well when Naomi returns with Ruth, the Bethlehem, the women they greeted her amine and the digits are doing this is Naomi, and they were just so happy to see her then hear these godly workers there's the kind taskmaster who is the foreman and he lets Ruth come and glean and lets her rest in the house would get that in a moment. This Boaz himself and then at the end of the story there. The women who bless Naomi when when Ruth has Obed gets Berthold. The women say to her very lovingly say told you God's good him it's just a very good story verse five and Boaz said to his servant, who was in charge of the civil servant who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this the equivalent is who's the new person was new guy on the job. In this case the gal, it is routine inquiry at this point there's an unfamiliar face. He knows who the village reapers are and he doesn't recognize this one. Clearly she's not dressed in Moabite garb or has any signatures that would alert him to that she's not Jewish but the women they were subjected to a male covering and that's what he says, whose woman is this is theirs has to be a male over her ideally of course she's connected to two Naomi to the house of a limb electing and visitors history there Paul when he writes to the Corinthian's he's got a lot of this Jewish culture in mind many times and he makes the statements to churches and Christians that we struggle with because with that we remove – I'm Alfred heat is life and times G Jesus the Messiah and other writings, you know, he just gets into this very in detail. If you can stand it and you have the time, is a blessing. He opens a lot of these these difficult passages that will infringe as we read that Paul says I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of every woman is man of the head of woman, not everyone the head of woman is man in the head of Christ is God, there's that the chain of command and sink is a covering disorder that we follow because the churches is largely modeled after the Jewish synagogues in the synagogues of course were attached to the model of the temple and and Paul is preserving what is good and he does it. In these ways a listen. We have a structure in the church were we start moving outside that structure we lose the definition of the role of the man.

The role of the woman when he gets upside down. It just it's getting worse, like $11 and look at the society today. I saw someone walking in my neighborhood of the deck until the poor girl about my height. I wasn't like that when I grew up, and if it was you knew was wrong you know someone who is that the guy trying to look like a girl and that wasn't right, but nowadays it's I don't know. Maybe some of you will proceed to so accustomed to you what you talking about the roles are important and cure what University say what the culture says I thumb my nose at their bed doctrines. Anyhow, I don't believe the story is introducing a romantic attraction at this point, I think he is just asking who is she, because he is a rich man and if he wants shallow beauty. He has a better chance of finding that and then not rich people in and that was the way it was in those days if you could afford to buy beauty you you would you would do it. And as far as men go.

There were downsides to this male-dominated environment also Decided that a verse six. 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.

Ruth had no idea that talking about she's trying to pick up grain and just just working hard and here they are discussing her.

She is being faithful with the little big things like grace, she is the breadwinner for the home she's going to take the screen back for her and Naomi got to be from there.

She was the kind one God blessed her for her kindness just one of the great lessons of this book. Naomi's kind to Ruth was the sky. Naomi Boaz is kind of Naomi and Bobby everybody's happy.

It is like the letter of the Philippians in the New Testament. This book of Ruth.

You know it is there. It is nestled between you and all judges in first Samuel tough books of far is our life was in the name of the Lord will sing Boaz again being faithful to God and his word not chasing the stranger out taking care of the widow and the poor. He is being an honorable man.

Both of them are honorable and we read the young Moabite woman came back with Naomi. Word got around quickly now. Boaz knew the story he did not know face. Now the faces been put on the story and the mention of Naomi's name again switches it all up for Boaz Ruth.

He knew look out for Naomi will for widow look out for each other and it registered deeply with this man. Maybe he himself was a widow is an older man that comes out in the story to will and on writing these promises will get to these we will you will remember, we are no overlie verse 11 will get to that, where he this registers very deeply in a sort of snowballs with him is he starts showing kindness to hernia. He can't stop. It's not that bad. I don't want to smudge it. Verse seven and she said now that the foreman is telling Boaz what the exchange he had earlier with Ruth and she said please let me clean 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.

The house was a hut not there out in the field of small houses. These huts that the they have a we have into we put up tents, zebra like things anyway.

The servant is gentleman. You know he's not evidenced anything against her or your Moabite are okay but stay for it away from everybody and I didn't do any of that. Evidently, stuff like that took place.

Boaz laid out some laws only has to do is say at one time, ever tell us about his authority in that area of the world move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of cross-reference is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more about this ministry.

Visit our website cross reference radio.com. There you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick.

We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app work.

Just follow the links@crossreferenceradio.com that's all the time we have for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As we continue to learn more from the book of Ruth right here on cross-reference