Boaz and Ruth… (3 things)

• 1^st – A man called Boaz…vs. 1-3 Read: Ruth 2:1-3
  • 1^st – Boaz (strength) was a wealthy and influential man… vs. 1
    • He was a close relative of Elimelech (the dead husband of Naomi)…
      • Elimelech because of the famine in Israel had walked away from the Lord…
      • As a result Elimelech died and Naomi had a very hard life / and was very poor…
      • But Boaz had not left Bethlehem during the famine – and as a result was blessed!
    • We are all going to face hard times – we all go through trials – ‘famines’ in life…
      • Matthew 5:45 – “[God] lets rain fall on them whether they are good or bad.”
      • The question is what do we do / where do we go when those hard times come…

• If we are not drawing closer to the Lord – then we are drifting away…
• It is easy to justify ourselves – even if we are drifting into the world…
• But being blessed in life has everything to do with staying close to Jesus!

• 2^nd – Ruth asked Naomi if she could go gather leftover corn… vs. 2
  • God had designed a plan to take care of the needs of the poor and unfortunate…
    • It was called the ‘law of gleaning’ – or collecting the leftover crops…
    • Leviticus19:9 – “When you harvest your crops, do not harvest the corn along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop.”
    • When someone harvested their crops – they were to leave some for the poor…
    • The corners of the field – and anything that they accidentally dropped…
    • It allowed for Israel to be a blessing – give to those who were in need…
  • It was not given for free – you still had to work…
    • The food was not gathered and given to the poor – they had to work to collect it…
    • II Thessalonians 3:10 – “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
    • We are called to bless those who are in need – but not to encourage laziness…
• 3^rd – Ruther ‘happened’ to end up in the field of Boaz… vs. 3
  • Ruth and Naomi had no food – so Ruth went to work and faced their problem…
    • Often the way we try and deal with problems – is to pretend they do not exist…
    • If I ignore the problem – maybe it will go away – I just pretend everything is great…
    • But problems that we ignore – just become much bigger problems…
    • The only way to make a problem go away – is to face it head on…
    • Like the homework assignment – that if you ignore it – will just not go away…
    • Like having no money / no work / no food – and ignoring the problem…
    • Nothing changes – you cannot run from problems – they wait for you…
  • God is sovereign / in control of everything – and will lead us if we are willing try…
    • So often we want God to take care of all our needs – as we sit on the couch…
    • God has not called us to ‘sit by faith’ we are to ‘walk by faith’ – II Corinthians 5:17
    • When we are willing to take that step of faith – we will find God leading our steps…
    • Psalms 37:23 – “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
  • God provided for Ruth and Naomi in a very ordinary way…
    • They did not ‘win the lotto’ and there was not ‘manna from heaven’…
    • Ruth went out to work in the field – and God miraculously took care of their needs!
    • Often when God does take care of us – He uses very natural means…
    • Yet God somehow takes those natural means and supernaturally provides!
      

If nothing more they can pray – their child ends up finding a Ruth or a Boaz!

2^nd – The beginning of the relationship…vs. 4-17 (4 things) Read: Ruth 2:4-17

1^st – Busy serving the Lord… vs. 4

Boaz arrived from Bethlehem to see how the harvest was going…

He greeted his workers – ‘The Lord bless you’ / they answered ‘ the Lord bless you!’

Boaz was a Godly man loved by his workers – because he was fair to them…

He had a foreman who paid his workers every day  – Deuteronomy 24:14-15

And he made sure they had a relationship with the Lord…

He used his position / every opportunity – to be a light for God!

Ephesians 5:16 – “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”

We tend to fill our days with things that in the end – mean absolutely nothing…

We ‘waste’ our time ‘foolishly’ on being mindlessly entertained by TV / games…

When there is a world full of people who do not know Jesus – a world going to hell…

Seize the moment – use every day – to tell people about Jesus Christ!

2^nd – Meeting for the first time… vs. 5-7

Apparently Ruth was a VERY beautiful woman – she immediately caught Boaz eye…

The foreman told Boaz Ruth had been there since morning working hard…

She had asked the foreman permission to gather behind the harvesters…

Ruth was from Moab – the daughter-in-law of Naomi…

Beautiful / hard Working / loved family /and was polite – Boaz was in Love!

Boaz was busy serving God – looked up and there was his bride…

If you want to find a spouse – be busy about your Heavenly Father’s business…

Not seeking a wife/husband – but taking the time to seek and pray to Jesus…

Then one day we will look up – and find God has ‘led’ your spouse into your ‘field’!

Marriage is very good – Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing…”

Yet there is wisdom in being very careful on deciding whom to marry…

It is a decision that will last the rest of your life – for better or worse

So when you are considering whom to marry – make sure you choose wisely…

If the person does no ‘catch your eye’ – they may not be the one for you…

Make sure you enjoy spending time with them – they will be your best friend for life

Choose a spouse who is hard working – has good family values…

Above all else make sure that they have a love for Jesus Christ…

Be honest with yourself – do not make excuses – ‘we are in love’…

Do not make the mistake of getting married thinking the person will change…

Who a person is before marriage – will not change after the marriage!

3^rd – Getting to know each other… vs. 8-13

Boaz came up to Ruth and told her to remain in his fields…

She could come every day and see where the harvesters were working and follow…

He had warned the young men to leave her alone (she was beautiful after all)…

And if she was thirsty she was welcome to draw water from their well…

Boaz did not propose to Ruth on the spot – he wanted to watch her for a while…

I know a lot of guys who want to marry a girl the day they meet her…

If you ask a girl to marry you the day you meet her – she will likely slap you!

Slow down – take your time and get to know her – let her get to know you…

A woman does not fall in love in a day – it takes time to win her heart!

Ruth fell at Boaz feet – ‘why are you being so kind to me a foreigner….’

Boaz had heard about Ruth’s love and kindness to Naomi…

He knew Ruth had left her family to come and live among complete strangers…

May the Lord under whose wings you have come to take refuge – bless you!

It is easy to look like a Godly man / woman for a day – but time tells the truth…

When I first was dating Jen – I would never burp – I was a gentleman…

But it did not take long for her to find out – that was not the real me!

Perhaps a guy will come to church for a week/month to impress a girl…

But he does not really have a love for the Lord it will not last…

It is not enough to know about a person – you have to get to know them!

Ruth hoped to continue to please Boaz…

He had comforted her with his words – even though she did not work for him…

A rich and handsome man was showing kindness and generosity to Ruth…

She was certainly interested in getting to know him – but no too quickly…

It is important for a woman to not be too aggressive with a guy…

If a guy is not willing to put in an effort / pursue a woman – he is not worth it…

One of the things I did when I was dating Jen was make a scrapbook for her…

It took me about 100 hours of work to put it together – but it was a labor of love…

The man who is worth marrying is a man who knows how much his wife is worth!

4^th – Going on a first date… vs. 14-17

Boaz invited Ruth to have lunch with him…

They shared roasted corn – and Ruth ate till she was full – with extra left over!

As a young couple it is good to go out on a dates – to help get to know each other…

It is also a good idea to go with others – or go out to a very public place – not alone…

You do not want to put yourself in a place where you could be tempted to sin!

When Ruth went back to work – Boaz instructed his workers…

Ruth was to be allowed to gather corn right alone with the workers…

And they were to ‘accidentally drop’ extra for her to pick up…

As a result Ruth was able to gather 30kg of corn in a single day!

Want to win a woman’s heart – shower her with gifts / blessings to show your love…

Women love it when a man ‘leaves’ special gifts to show their affection!

3^rd – Getting to know the family…vs. 17-23 Read: Ruth 2:17-

1^st – Ruth went into the city – and showed Naomi what she had gleaned… vs. 18-19

Ruth also gave to Naomi the left over roasted corn from her lunch…

When Naomi saw the great abundance – she asked where Ruth had been working!

Ruth told her about Boaz – and the kindness he had shown to her…

Naomi told Ruth to stay in the fields of Boaz – not to go anywhere else!

So Ruth stayed in Boaz field 3 months – April (barley harvest) – June (wheat harvest)…

I am sure Boaz made it a point to be there for lunch every day…

There is no set amount of time for how long you should date before marriage…

I have known couples who got married after a week / others after 10 years…

It would seem it is best to wait at least a few months  – get to know one another…

At the same time not wait too long – the danger of falling into sexual sin…

As a suggestion (opinion only) it would seem 6 months – 1 year might be wise

2^nd – Naomi knew Boaz  – he was a ‘Goel’ – a kinsmen redeemer…

The Goel or kinsmen redeemer – was a close relative…

Leviticus 25 – set out the Laws of redemption – the year of Jubilee…

If you had to sell you land in a time of need – a Goel could redeem it for you…

If a family member had been sold into slavery – a Goel could redeem them for you…

Also if a husband died with no children – a Goel could marry the widow!

This will all become VERY important once we get to Chapter 4 – points to Jesus!

For now – the point is Naomi knew Boaz – that he would be a good husband for Ruth…

Dads and Moms – get involved in lives of your kids – know whom they are dating…

When young people ‘fall in love’ – they do not always have the best perspective…

They can easily overlook problems – you know are going to cause problems one day

Marriage is too important – a life long decision – to make it carelessly…

Parents may not be able to make the choice for their kids – but they can help…