Ruth 2:8-18
SS Lesson for 08/21/2011
Devotional Scripture: Rom 12:3-21
The concept for the outline of the lesson came from Bible Expositor and Illuminator. It examines how God Empowers the Needy. The study's aim is to affirm that God blesses those who take care of those who are poor and needy. The study's application is to find a way we can empower the poor as Ruth was empowered..
The Day After
While working on these lessons during September of 2008, the city where I live (Cincinnati) experienced the impact of Hurricane Ike. The storm did most of its damage in the Galveston, Texas, area, then moved northward and entered the Ohio Valley. There Ike’s winds struck with a force not experienced by most who live in this part of the country. Damage was extensive, with approximately 90 percent of the Greater Cincinnati area losing power because of Ike. The day after the winds passed through, residents in our neighborhood spent most of the time cleaning up from the storm. Many could not go to work because their workplaces had no power. The conversations and interaction between neighbors as they talked about the storm and assisted one another with the cleanup was nice to see—but also, sad to say, unusual. Truth be told, most of us in our neighborhood do not take much initiative to visit or stop and chat. It often takes some kind of a dilemma to bring people out and get them talking with each other. While it should not take a crisis to promote community, situations of need can provide special opportunities for this to occur. Today’s lesson highlights the concern God’s people should have for those in need by citing Boaz’s example of kindness to Ruth. His initiative and his “second mile” helpfulness exemplify the kind of spirit followers of Jesus should demonstrate.
Lesson Background
Last week’s study concluded with Ruth’s determination to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, in traveling to Judah following the tragedies that had befallen them while living in Moab. The two women came to Bethlehem “as the barley harvest was beginning” (Ruth 1:22). Apparently not long after their arrival, Ruth approached Naomi about going to the fields where the harvesting was taking place to gather “behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor” (Ruth 2:2). Ruth’s request reflected a familiarity with one of the Israelite laws that provided for the needs of the impoverished or of groups such as widows (including Naomi and Ruth), who had very few means of supporting themselves. The Law of Moses instructed Israelite farmers that special provisions were to be made to allow the needy to gather some of the harvest while harvesting was under way (Leviticus 19:9, 10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19–22). Naomi encouraged Ruth to follow through with her plan. Ruth proceeded to a field that belonged to a man named Boaz, who had been introduced previously in Ruth 2:1. There he is described as “a relative on her [Naomi’s] husband’s side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing.” At some point after Ruth began her gleaning, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. Before long, he inquired concerning the stranger in his field. He was informed that the woman had returned from Moab with Naomi. She had asked for permission to gather grain and had diligently carried out her task ever since her arrival. Curious to know more, Boaz approached the woman.
We have a good God who is in control of all our circumstances; and when good things happen for us, it is because He has orchestrated it. The first chapter of Ruth tells us about two widows who were alone and needy. They traveled from Moab to Judah, the home of the older woman, Naomi. The entire first chapter sets the scene for the major events of the book that are about to unfold. Two important facts prepare the way for what follows, first, the women arrived in Judah at the time of barley harvest (vs. 22). Second, Naomi had a wealthy relative named Boaz (2:1). These form the basis for all that follows. Naomi and Ruth were very needy; so to help meet their needs, Ruth requested and received permission from Naomi to go out into neighboring fields to glean. God providentially led her to the fields of Boaz, who inquired about her upon returning from town. His servants gave him a good report about Ruth and her work. Kindness is a trait that must mark the Christian. Our lesson this week teaches us to show kindness to those who are less well-off than we are. A person cannot go anywhere in India without the stark reality of poverty hitting him in the face. There is a sharp distinction between the rich and the poor. When we see great poverty all the time, it is easy to become callous and hard-hearted and to lose our sensitivity to other people's pain and plight. Our lesson this week shows us how Boaz, a rich man, saw poor Ruth and took care of her needs, going out of his way to help her. It is interesting that the Levitical law (Lev. 19:9-10) strictly commands that the poor be cared for. Boaz knew what the law taught, and he faithfully followed it.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
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?"
11 And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.
12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."
An old Greek proverb says “Work is no disgrace; the disgrace is idleness.” D. W. Jerrold wrote, “The ugliest of trades have their moments of pleasure.” Honest work always has been honorable. While we may call this the Protestant work ethic, the fact is that the dignity of work goes back to the creation. God is introduced to us as a God of work. He gave the first man work to do in the garden (Genesis 2:15). Jesus observed that His Father was working, just as He was (John 5:17). Paul said that the one who would not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Thus Ruth did not need to feel humiliated or demeaned in any way by the work that she did harvesting grain. A man retired after many years with the same firm. The company gave him a dinner and presented him with a plaque and a gold watch. Seated next to him was a young employee who said, “I envy you.” The man who was retiring said, “Don’t envy me. The greatest privilege you will ever have is to work.” Certainly Ruth was well rewarded for her willingness to work, and her reward went far beyond the harvest of the day’s labor. All of us will find that work blesses us, not just in the wages we receive but in better physical and mental health. Our spiritual health will improve as well, when we seek to do our work “in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17, KJV) (from the NIV Standard Lesson Commentary).
22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Love the Lord, all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.
A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
13 Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."
14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, "Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar." So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.
15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.
16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her."
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Boaz serves as an example of the attitudes we should possess toward those in need. Let’s consider what he did. First, Boaz approached Ruth. Sometimes it can be difficult for Christians to take the initiative with the needy, especially if it requires us to move out of our comfort zone. Most of Boaz’s reapers probably ignored the stranger in the field, although apparently some wanted to take advantage of her in some way (thus Boaz’s warning of which he told Ruth in Ruth 2:9). Second, Boaz was willing to go the second mile. The kindnesses he extended to Ruth went far beyond the requirements of the Law of Moses. Genuine love and compassion are not limited by the letter of the law (compare Matthew 5:41). Third, Boaz desired to maintain Ruth’s dignity. He did all he could to make her feel a part of the community of reapers. Boaz exhibited similar respect for Ruth in the social setting of the midday meal. Our ministry to the needy today must not be limited to surroundings where they must come to us to be helped; we must go where they are and get to know them in “nonchurch” settings. In today’s world, where government programs are often seen as the source of assistance to those in need, Boaz’s example is extremely timely. He reminds us that it is up to all followers of the Lord to do what we can to address the hurts of those around us. Community programs are helpful and have their place, but nothing ministers in the name of the Lord (and nothing establishes genuine community) more than the individual who goes the second mile to tell someone, “I care.” Will you be a Boaz in the neighborhood where you live? Ruth’s example is also noteworthy. She was not lazy. She took the initiative to ask Naomi about gleaning. She worked hard from the moment of her arrival in the field. Of course, not everyone we try to help will be like Ruth. Sometimes we become frustrated at the lack of initiative people demonstrate. Perhaps they have become accustomed to receiving “handouts” without accountability. Some may be offended if we try to do more than just apply a bandage to their situations by addressing larger issues. A congregation should look closely at its surroundings and prayerfully consider creative ways to address needs. The Old Testament law desired to strike a balance between helping those in need and respecting their dignity by encouraging self-reliance and initiative. So should we.
Why does God reward His people? What kinds of rewards does He give them, and what does He reward them for? New Testament believers are sometimes uncomfortable with the idea of rewards, feeling perhaps that the whole concept somehow conflicts with the supreme reality of grace. When we talk about rewards, we fear that we may be straying into the idea of something deserved or merited. And that seems like dangerously forbidden territory. The New Testament, however, has a lot to say about how God rewards His people. Jesus Himself spoke much on the subject (cf. Matt. 5:12; 6:1, 4, 6, 18, 20; 16:27; 19:28-29; Luke 6:38). There is hardly space here to do justice to the question of how rewards relate to grace, but we can be assured that there is no actual conflict. Perhaps we can even glean something from Boaz's words to Ruth that sheds light on the issue. True first thing we notice from the preceding context is that Boaz's statement, expressed in the form of a prayerful wish or affirmation, was a response to Ruth's attitude of deep humility. Boaz had just gone out of his way to show special kindness to her, and she found that to be astonishing in light of her lowly position as a foreigner. "Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?" (Ruth 2:10). Ruth knew that she had no claim on Boaz's favors or on any other Israelite. She was a Moabite, a member of an idolatrous, pagan culture. Naomi had urged her not to come to Judah, and she had no illusions of having an easy time there. Boaz, however, saw her heart. He had heard of her devotion to Naomi and of how that devotion had led her to give up everything she once knew and follow her into potential hardship and suffering. He did not want that sacrifice to go unnoticed, and he was confident it would not. "The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee." It is interesting that the Hebrew word for "recompense" is built on the word for "peace." It means "to make good," or "to pay," but there is an underlying idea of God making things whole, or at peace, through His reward. More important than her devotion to Naomi, Boaz correctly discerned Ruth's faith in God. Her real reward would not be found in Boaz's few acts of kindness. It would come from "the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." This was a picturesque way of affirming that Ruth had put her full faith and trust in the protective and saving power of God. She may have been raised as a heathen, but God had made her one of His own. God's reward for Ruth, then, was like all His rewards for His people. It was not something she earned on her own but came to her as the affirmation of her faith and the fruit that her faith produced. And she certainly did not regard it as a cause for boasting. On the contrary, her reaction was one of further humility. Far from being an example of prideful self-merit, Ruth is a perfect illustration of the truth of I Peter 5:6: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." Why does God reward His people? There is no greater reason than that He delights to do so.
1. The godly person does what he can to help the poor and needy (Ruth 2:8-9; cf. Matt. 25:34-40)
2. The truly grateful do not respond with a spirit of entitlement (Ruth 2:10)
3. Be kind to others; God is watching and will reward your faithful obedience (Ruth 2:11-12; cf. Luke 6:35; Eph. 6:2)
4. God supplies all we need, when we need it (Ruth 2:13-14; cf. Ps. 23:1; Phil. 4:19)
5. The godly person both gives and keeps his word (Ruth 2:15-16)
6. God blesses us and others through our diligent work (vs. 17-18)
The needy are always the objects of God's concern. In His law for Israel, God instructed the owners of fields to allow the poor to glean grain after the reapers had done their work. In fact, they were told not to "wholly reap the corners" of their fields, leaving these areas for the poor (Lev. 19:9; cf. 23:22). While the needy would have to work for their food, at least sustenance would be available for them. When Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, arrived in Bethlehem, it was "the beginning of barley harvest" (Ruth 1:22). As widows, Ruth and Naomi were destitute, but Ruth was aware of God's law and asked Naomi to let her go glean in the fields after the reapers (2:2). Of course, many people ignored God's laws and would not welcome the poor into their fields; but Ruth came upon the fields of Boaz, a godly man who was related to Elimelech, Naomi's late husband. God, in His providence, led her to this place. When Boaz saw the young widow in the field, he was immediately impressed.
When Boaz learned the identity of Ruth, he told her not to go elsewhere but to continue to reap in his fields. Boaz instructed his men to leave her alone and told her to drink of the water for his workers when she became thirsty. Ruth was amazed by the reception and asked why she had found grace in the eyes of Boaz. No doubt Boaz was impressed by Ruth's work ethic (Ruth 2:7), but he also explained that he had heard of how she had left her home and family to accompany Naomi to a place and people unfamiliar to her. Boaz recognized that this was evidence of her faith in Israel's God (vs. 12), and he was eager to welcome and reward her.
Not only did Boaz welcome Ruth into his fields, but he also invited her to eat with him and his workers. This was a privilege not afforded to all those who gleaned and was further evidence of the grace Ruth had found in Boaz's eyes.
Boaz made sure Ruth had plenty of grain to take home with her that evening. He instructed his workers to let her glean "even among the sheaves," not just following behind them. In addition, they were to purposely leave some stalks for her to pick up. As a result of Boaz's generosity, Ruth returned to Naomi that evening with an abundance of grain. It was far more than what any gleaner could normally hope to acquire in a day's work. This precious account of Boaz and Ruth is part of the larger love story that is recounted in the book of Ruth. But this is a love story with many lessons for God's people. God demonstrated love for the needy by providing for them in His law for Israel. Ruth demonstrated love for Naomi by seeking to provide for her by diligently gleaning where it was permitted. Boaz demonstrated compassionate love for all the needy by opening his fields for them—and particularly for Ruth by extending to her even greater privileges. And the Lord showed love for all concerned by providentially bringing Boaz and Ruth together at just the right time.