Repentance
Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
But importantly now, she is moving forward faith
The timing
Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Leviticus 23:10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
Leviticus 23:11 He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Leviticus 23:12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.
Leviticus 23:14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Chapter 2 Themes
Mercy
Ruthless: having or showing no pity or compassion for others
Kindness (chesed) is more often, by a wide margin translated mercy
Exodus 20:6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Ruth 1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
Ruth 2:20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Ruth 3:10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.
The New Testament principle we see here:
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Favor and Grace
Ruth 2:2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
Ruth 2:10 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?”
Ruth 2:13 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.”
Ruth 2:2 And RuthH7327 the MoabitessH4125 saidH559 untoH413 Naomi,H5281 Let me nowH4994 goH1980 to the field,H7704 and gleanH3950 ears of cornH7641 afterH310 H834 him in whose sightH5869 I shall findH4672 grace.H2580 And she saidH559 unto her, Go,H1980 my daughter.H1323
Ruth 2:10 Then she fellH5307 onH5921 her face,H6440 and bowed herselfH7812 to the ground,H776 and saidH559 untoH413 him, WhyH4069 have I foundH4672 graceH2580 in thine eyes,H5869 that thou shouldest take knowledgeH5234 of me, seeing IH595 am a stranger?H5237
Ruth 2:13 Then she said,H559 Let me findH4672 favourH2580 in thy sight,H5869 my lord;H113 forH3588 that thou hast comfortedH5162 me, and for thatH3588 thou hast spokenH1696 friendlyH5921 H3820 unto thine handmaid,H8198 though IH595 beH1961 notH3808 like unto oneH259 of thine handmaidens.H8198
New Testament Principle
Romans 5:2 through whom [Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Faith = a belief that we act upon
Grace is the charity of God, different aspects of love He grants us.
Romans 5 ends by Paul addressing the fact that righteousness is a gift and Christ’s life led to our being justified (declared righteous) freely by grace.
Romans 5:21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So that, just as sin ruled by bringing death, so also grace might rule by bringing justification that results in eternal life through Jesus Christ
Works
Now events showed Ruth hardworking (v. 7), respectful (v. 10), modest, and grateful (v. 13).
Ruth 2:7 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.”
Ruth 2:10 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?”
Ruth 2:13 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.”
Where would she have been with this
Repentance does not negate works. Work and faith go hand in hand James 2:25
The Lord repay your work :12
Ruth 2:12 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.”
New Testament Principle found in Ruth
Doing our part and God doing His
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
Philippians 2:15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Philippians 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Ruth 2
Ruth 2:1 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth [power], of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.
The writer is making a distinction here and because of that, I don’t think “relative” is the best translation here. What he is doing though is telling us a little of the story ahead of time
môda‛ môdâ‛ mo-dah’, mo-daw’ ; an acquaintance:[YLT]
Elimelech’s – “God Is My King”
Boaz “in him is strength”
1 Kings 7:15 And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each.
1 Kings 7:21 Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz.
That being said, it is interesting that Naomi did not call upon her relative
Ruth 2:2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
The law of God concerning:
Deuteronomy 24:18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
Deuteronomy 24:19 “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Leviticus 23:15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
Leviticus 23:16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Leviticus 23:22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’ “
Even though it was the law, it seems like there may have been some other issues as to why she might not have been able to pick in certain areas. Ruth goes forward in faith and hope that she will be able to meet her and Naomi’s needs by virtue of the harvest.
Ruth 2:3 Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech.
We see God involved in the picture.
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
This is how God works and of course the writer knew this
Reiterates: Boaz “in him is strength” Elimelech’s – “God Is My King”
Ruth 2:4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered him, “The LORD bless you!”
As we mentioned last time; Micah 5:2 Jesus Christ came out of Bethlehem; and so the analogy continues to play out.
Boaz is shown to be a Godly man
Ruth 2:5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
Ruth 2:6 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.
Not only does Boaz take notice of her, but so did the servant in charge of the reapers, at least enough to give Boaz a quick summary.
There was something about Ruth, whether it was a small community or the way that she looked it does not say, but if I had to guess it was because of her virtues, the ones that will come to the fore as we go on.
In my experience it does not take much to pick out the good workers
Ruth 2:7 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.”
Even though she had the right, there appears to be a decorum to the process,
Hard and diligent worker is the point that the writer as well as the servant is getting across.
Ruth 2:8 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.
Boaz not only complies with the law but goes above and beyond
Boaz as a Jesus Christ type figure commands Ruth to stay here. Don’t go anywhere else, you will have what you need if you just stay here with me.
Ruth 2:9 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.”
Safety seems to be an issue, but he is making contingencies for her by compelling the young men to stay away from her and allowing her to work behind the young women that were reaping
Type of Holy Spirit (water in vessels)
Ruth 2:10 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?”
She is humbled by his words and special considerations
Ruth 2:11 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.
This was not a small thing. Perhaps you were visualizing the scene as were going through it, but Ruth opted to forsake all that she had come from and accept Naomi’s way of life, or more specifically God’s.
Figuratively:
Jeremiah 2:27 Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’
Ruth 2:12 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.”
Very similar to Christ’s words:
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Wings of eagle out of Exodus and place of safety in the future
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Exodus 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exodus 25:17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
Exodus 25:18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
It is what Jesus Christ wants for us and will give it to us
Ruth 2:13 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.”
Comforted… nâcham naw-kham’ properly to sigh, that is, breathe strongly; by implication to be sorry, that is, (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself): – comfort (self), ease [ones self], repent (-er, -ing, self).
2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
Ruth 2:14 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.
Vinegar was supposedly refreshing
Boaz gave her more than enough food; kept some back for Naomi
Luke 14:7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:
Luke 14:8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
Luke 14:9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
Luke 14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
Luke 14:11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Ruth 2:15 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.
Continues to look after her and provide for her well-being; Ruth had asked this up in :7 so there is the indication here that she be given an even better spot.
Reproach…Do not insult or taunt her or demean her for any reason: because of her lot in life, because she is a foreigner or widow or ….
Ruth 2:16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Boaz was going above and beyond. He was motivated to do even more for her than was required of him. He was giving of his livelihood to her.
Blessings (God’s part and perogative) came with work (our part)
This was a gift that only he could give, but it did not imply that there was no work. The same with the gifts of God, they are gifts that only He can give, but it doesn’t mean that we have no part responsibility in the process.
Gave abundantly, pressed down (Luke 6:38)
Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
Approximately enough for 10 loaves, with a loaf being about what a person would eat in day (Es 16:16)
Ruth 2:18 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.
What she had kept back in :14
Ruth 2:19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one 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 worked today is Boaz.”
We are given an idea of just how much she benefitted from Boaz’s largesse. Naomi extrapolated from the amount that she had brought home, because gleaning is normally just picking the leftovers, and it is a lot of walking around and bending over, that she had been blessed in some way.
She could readily see the fruit of Ruth’s labor, but knew she could not have done this on her own.
Then Ruth tells Naomi because this was not planned from the beginning.
Ruth 2:20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Gives due credit to God
Changes her attitude from what it was before when she more clearly sees God’s hand in the events of her life.
In Ruth 1:20 Naomi had only seen that she had left the Bethlehem area with a husband and two sons and now she was returning with just a foreign daughter in law and all the problems that could possibly be in front of her. So she said call me Mara (bitter)
What she could not see then, she now sees within a couple of sentences that God is still working in her life – of course she still does not see this fully nor could she.
Relative… gâ’al or goel address in chapter 3
Ruth 2:21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men [young, child, servant] until they have finished all my harvest.’ “
‘You shall stay close…took it as a command as we alluded to in :8
There was a protection if she stayed with Boaz’s servants and not only that but he wanted Ruth there until Pentecost. He wanted her there among him and his people.
Ruth 2:22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.”
Is Naomi perhaps talking to herself? Is she saying that she learned her lesson about the leaving the people of God?
Ruth then heeds her advice:
Ruth 2:23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.
Provides bread and nourishment in due season to get us there; throughout the harvest;
[Series on Ruth]