Being Found
Ruth 2:8–10 (ESV) 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. 9 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.” 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?”
The incredible trouble brought upon Naomi and Ruth is about to be reversed and turned into an incredible fortune, but step by step. The second chapter of this book is intended to teach us about the grace of the Lord Jesus. Just like Boaz saw and then secured Ruth's provision and protection, Jesus does for His lost sheep, you and I. It is not we who found Him, it is He who found us. We can only respond with the same question as Ruth, "Why have I found favor in your eyes?"
Notice the commands that Boaz gives to Ruth. First the word (verse 8), "Listen". How do we come to faith? By listening to Him.
Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
If only people would stop what they are doing and LISTEN to the Gospel. If only people would give God a portion of time to let His Word enter their minds and hearts. This is why I believe the Sunday Morning Worship event for the Church is one of the most effective tools for evangelism today. You bring a friend with you and for 30-45 minutes they hear the Gospel without interruption and the work of God's Spirit begins to massage their heart and break down their walls of resistance.
Second, Boaz commands Ruth to look NO further. "Do not go to glean in another field". If we are going to GROW in faith and strength in the Lord Jesus, it will not be while isolated and alone in our private prayer times only. It will be in the company of the body of Christ. I know the Church is flawed. The Church is filled with people who bring their flaws in WITH them. You will not find a perfect Church. You will only find a Church that needs to be perfected.
Third, Boaz commands Ruth to keep her eyes on the field where the food is to be found. Our Lord does this for us. The Psalmist writes, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm 23:5 (ESV). The Lord has food in His field and we are to keep our eyes THERE. The world provides countless distractions but little satisfaction. Only in Jesus can we be well fed now and forever.
Fourth, Boaz has prepared protection for Ruth while she works. This is the promise of the Lord to His disciples at the end of Mark's Gospel. He says, "they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:18 (ESV). The promise here does not mean we should foolishly pick up snakes and drink poison on purpose to prove something. It refers to the protective care God will provide when the enemy (spiritual or physical) comes against them (See Acts 28:1-6).
Fifth, Boaz prepares water for which she does not work, and at lunch, he brings Ruth in to eat with him and feeds her the best of the food available at that time.
Ruth 2:14 (ESV) And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.
The incredible trouble brought upon Naomi and Ruth is about to be reversed and turned into an incredible fortune, but step by step. The second chapter of this book is intended to teach us about the grace of the Lord Jesus. Just like Boaz saw and then secured Ruth's provision and protection, Jesus does for His lost sheep, you and I. It is not we who found Him, it is He who found us. We can only respond with the same question as Ruth, "Why have I found favor in your eyes?"
Notice the commands that Boaz gives to Ruth. First the word (verse 8), "Listen". How do we come to faith? By listening to Him.
Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
If only people would stop what they are doing and LISTEN to the Gospel. If only people would give God a portion of time to let His Word enter their minds and hearts. This is why I believe the Sunday Morning Worship event for the Church is one of the most effective tools for evangelism today. You bring a friend with you and for 30-45 minutes they hear the Gospel without interruption and the work of God's Spirit begins to massage their heart and break down their walls of resistance.
Second, Boaz commands Ruth to look NO further. "Do not go to glean in another field". If we are going to GROW in faith and strength in the Lord Jesus, it will not be while isolated and alone in our private prayer times only. It will be in the company of the body of Christ. I know the Church is flawed. The Church is filled with people who bring their flaws in WITH them. You will not find a perfect Church. You will only find a Church that needs to be perfected.
Third, Boaz commands Ruth to keep her eyes on the field where the food is to be found. Our Lord does this for us. The Psalmist writes, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm 23:5 (ESV). The Lord has food in His field and we are to keep our eyes THERE. The world provides countless distractions but little satisfaction. Only in Jesus can we be well fed now and forever.
Fourth, Boaz has prepared protection for Ruth while she works. This is the promise of the Lord to His disciples at the end of Mark's Gospel. He says, "they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:18 (ESV). The promise here does not mean we should foolishly pick up snakes and drink poison on purpose to prove something. It refers to the protective care God will provide when the enemy (spiritual or physical) comes against them (See Acts 28:1-6).
Fifth, Boaz prepares water for which she does not work, and at lunch, he brings Ruth in to eat with him and feeds her the best of the food available at that time.
Ruth 2:14 (ESV) And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.
This is a picture of Christ's work for us. He has supplied the spiritual bread and water FOR US. These are gifts we receive for which we have not worked. They are the finest most fullfilling options we will ever be offered.
Not to be ignored is how this all began. Ruth did not sit idly by and wait for life to happen to her. She got up, she went out, she worked HARD in the heat of the day. She worked so diligently, it was noticed by the right person at the right time. Many people never even inch in the direction of God then blame Him for all their problems. This is not the manner of faith but of bitterness.
One more item to note. We see Boaz's initial approach was hinting at his intentions perhaps from the beginning. Ruth 2:5 (ESV) Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”
The question is intentional. He does not ask "who" she is but "whose" she is. In other words, he wanted to know her present identity and family connections. When he learned of those realities, he began to make a way for her to become his. That is what we ultimately are in the Lord. We are found and provided for. But most importantly, we are His own.
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