March 27, 2014 - Thursday

Start Time: 6:51 A.M.

End Time: 7:17 A.M.

Title: Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

Scripture: Ruth 2:1 – 23

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”  So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.  Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered.

NOTES:

Ø God leads us to the solution to our problem!  Ruth’s firm decision to serve Naomi’s God despite she is a Moabite was rewarded by God thru leading Ruth to the solution to both Naomi and Ruth’s problem.  Here, we can see that God extended His provision to Ruth who is the only positive constant in Naomi’s life during this time.  If we think about it, God is not responsible for Ruth because she is not an Israelite, but because she denounced her religion and decided to devout her love, service, and loyalty to the True King, God rewarded her by making her an instrument to end the sufferings of His child, Naomi, and in the process, blessed Ruth as well.

→Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

NOTES:

Ø God gives specific direction to His people for their provision!  God did not only lead Ruth to the solution to her and Naomi’s current situation, but He provided direct and specific instructions from Boaz himself!  Boaz was a man of authority and wealth; he is overseeing the field and doesn’t need to concern himself with Ruth but God ensured that Ruth found favor in his eyes and so he spoke to Ruth and gave her instructions on what to do since she is new and is a gentile so she doesn’t know the ways of the Israelites.  When we are in a situation that is new to us, rest assured that God will always send wisdom and people to help us out with specific directions and instructions on how to gain our provision!  Thank You Jesus!

→At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.  As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”  So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.^[a] She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.  Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

NOTES:

Ø God makes us favorable to other people’s sight!  Ruth was a foreigner, a gentile, yet she found favor in the sight of Boaz on her first day on the field.  Her loyalty, love, service, dedication, and decisions ultimately moved others that drive them to help her.  Ruth’s decision to serve God and become His, pleases not only God but also God’s people.  And God will always make us favorable to others when we please Him.  Thank You Jesus because I am not only receiving favor from You but You also make me favorable to others!  Thank You Lord!  Hallelujah!

→“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.^[b]”Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’” Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

NOTES:

Ø God never fails to show His kindness to the living and the dead – So testify of His goodness to the world!  Our God is a good God and He is alive!  His love, mercy, favor and kindness is overflowing everyday and He can’t wait to pour it on us daily.  His love endures forever even when the end has come, it remains because He supersedes time.  His kindness to Ruth opened Naomi’s eyes of God’s goodness and made her realize that God has never abandoned her.  So the goodness of our God in our lives can be an instrument to bring others back to Him so let us continue to testify of His goodness at all times!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, my Gracious and loving God.  I am forever moved by Your unending love and amazing grace!  Thank You because You lead us to the solution to our circumstances.  The moment we decide to serve You and You only, You point us to the right direction in overcoming our iniquities and troubles in life.  You open doors and opportunities to get out of our miseries and You use even the unexpected people to open up our eyes to Your love.  Thank You Jesus because You do not only shower Your favor upon us but You make us favorable to others as well.  Thank You Lord because Your goodness in my life exceeds the sorrows or troubles I experience.  Thank You because You are the God who shows kindness to both the living and the dead.  And as long as I live and even to my death, I will praise Your Name forever.  Open my eyes always Lord for Your simple miracles and goodness every day that I may testify of Your love to others and Your goodness will lead them back to You.  Thank You Jesus!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!