4. “Then Boaz said 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.’
5. “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
women. 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?’
6. 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
to be given you by the Lord to 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, though I am not one of your
servants.’”
7.
8.
9. “Naomi had a relative of her
husband’s, a worthy man of the
clan of Elimelech from her
husband’s side whose name was
BOAZ.”
10. BOAZ
=“strength, mighty one, man’s man.”
MAN OF WAR
he could fight
MAN OF WEALTH
he runs a good
business and he’s
good with money
MAN OF MEANS
he gets things done if
there’s hardship,
difficulty or oppression
12. VERSE 2
“And Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, ‘Let me go
to the field and glean among the ears of grain
after him in whose sight I shall find favor.’ And
she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’”
13. GLEANING.
“The land belongs to me. So if you own a piece of
land, actually I own it, too, and when you work the
land, harvest what I give you for food, but don’t take
all of the food. Leave a little bit so that the poor, the
widow, the orphan, the alien, the oppressed, the
immigrant, the needy, can work”
14. – not just get a handout,
but work – “come to the
field, and take some of the
food home for themselves
and their family.” This was
the Hebrew welfare system.
15. They have hit rock
bottom. These are
women who are in a
devastated, very
difficult place.
16. But here’s Ruth, willing to work
hard, do anything, venture out
in faith, and hope, and trust, and
pray that the Lord gives them
away to have a meal. And she’s
willing to work to also feed her
mother-in-law.
17. VERSE 3.
“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.”
PROVIDENCE
18. 4 And behold, Boaz came from
Bethlehem. And he said to the
reapers, “The Lord be with
you!” And they answered, “The
Lord bless you.”
Boaz was a noble and godly man.
19. 5 Then Boaz said to his young man
who was in charge of the reapers,
“Whose young woman is this?”
6 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.
This is the first sight – love at first sight.
20. 7 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.”
21. Ruth is a woman of outstanding
character.
She’s not looking for a handout.
She’s working hard.
She’s honest.
She’s worked hard all day to feed
herself and her mother-in-law.
She, in many ways, illustrates the
Proverbs 31 sort of great woman
with a great work ethic.
22. ONE:
What is going to attract
him to Ruth is her
character.
TWO:
Boaz is going to go after
the woman that’s in front
of him.
23. 8 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 women.
Boaz
Protector, provider, defender,
man of war.
He’s a man of chivalry.
24. “‘And when you are thirsty,’”
he says, “‘go to the vessels
and drink what the young
men have drawn.’”
Boaz is a picture of Jesus.
25. 10 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?”
FAVOR
This a picture of an
unworthy person
receiving great favor
from the hand of
God.
26. 11 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.
Ruth’s good works preceded
her.
Let our good works precede us
as well.
27. 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!”
28. This is a beautiful beginning
to any relationship. This is
not the first person Boaz
has prayed for. Boaz is a
man who prays for people
when he meets them. This
is just part of his
character. This is how he
operates.
The flipside of providence is
prayer.
29. Did God answer that
prayer? Yes. Who did
God send to answer
the prayer of Boaz?
Boaz.
BASED UPON THIS
TEXT, THAT
SOMETIMES WE
NEED TO ANSWER
OUR OWN PRAYERS.
31. 13 Then she said, “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.”
32. Women are looking for a
man who’s masculine,
but can comfort, and
speaks kindly. He
comforts her. He
respects her. He cares
for her. He’s a
defender, protector,
provider. He’s a man
who speaks kindly.
He’s an encourager.
34. To God, it makes a little difference whether a
person is materially rich or poor.
It is not an issue.
The real issue is whether a person is godly or
ungodly regardless of this person’s financial
status.
35. Boaz
a man of grace and
favor
Boaz is a type of
Jesus - our
kinsman
redeemer.
37. Jesus was both rich and
poor.
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich,
yet for your sake he
became poor, so that you
by his poverty might
become rich.
Jesus was perfectly godly,
righteous and sinless.