Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Greetings. Recently we began a series on the book of Ruth, a book that opens with a woman name Naomi and her husband and two sons moving to Moab to escape the hardships of a famine that had come over Israel; a famine that may be part of God’s judgment on Israel for their sins. And while there Naomi’s sons marry Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah). But Naomi’s husband and sons all die and she and her daughters-in-law are left without any providers. But when Naomi hears at long last that there is food in Israel, so she decides to go back. And Ruth (out of love for her mother-in-law) vows to continue on with Naomi and remain with her; to be a friend and support for her; not just till her needs are met, but until death. And this of course was of great cost to her, as it meant that (because of her being a Moabite) she would be seen as an outcast in Israel, who had bad history with the Moabites and despised them. But even so, Ruth is willing to return with Naomi to Bethlehem in Israel. And Naomi is grieved and embittered. In fact she is so grieved that she tells her people (upon her arrival) to no longer call her Naomi (which means “pleasant”) but to call her Mara (which means “bitter”). We see that (in a very powerful way) she lets her grief become how she defines herself; her center of identity. And we also can do that if we’re not careful.
The When: 3 Harvests-- Now it is the time of the barley harvest (as 1:22 indicates). And remember that these people live in a culture of harvest. Their lives revolve and depend on the fruitfulness of the land. [The economy of the Israelites was strictly agricultural. Harvesttime was a very significant event for them. They had three each year. The barley reaping (Ru 1:22) came in April-May; the wheat harvest (Ge 30:14) was about six weeks later, in June-July; and the ingathering of the fruits of tree or vine took place in September-October.]
Whose Land is it— But remember how God wanted them to think about the land. It was His land; not theirs. Israel was His people on His land. He was the owner of that land. This is why you could not permanently sell your land or permanently buy land. Why? Because it’s not yours to buy and sell. It’s God’s. And He wants it to be kept within your family as part of your inheritance. Remember how Ahab wanted to buy Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth refused. Why? Not because it was a bad business deal. In fact, Ahab made him a great offer. But Naboth refused, saying in 1 Kings 21:3 “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” Who forbid? The Lord forbid. Naboth is not willing to disobey the Lord. He still recognizes whose land it it; not his, but the Lord’s. And because it is God’s land, just like you would do if you leased your land out to someone, God set certain rules that He expected His people to follow while they abided in His land. And so God builds into their economic system reminders that help keep their eyes on Him; not only as their Lord, but as the Lord of the land also.
Rules of the Land— And to help the owner of the land remember that God is the ultimate owner of His land, [The owner was required each year to present the first-fruits of the crop as an offering to God before he could take any of it for his own use ({Lev.} 23:10, 14). Stalks of grain that grew up without being sown were not to be harvested. ({Lev.} 25:5). With a new orchard or vineyard, the fruit was not to be gathered for three years, and the fourth year’s crop had to be given entirely to the Lord. So the owner had to wait until the fifth year to get any fruit for himself ({Lev.} 19:23-25).]
Feasts— In addition to this, God commanded that they observe three major feasts every year that would remind them of God’s provision. And I guarantee that all of you know the names of all three of these feasts.
First you have the Passover Feast, when they remembered their captivity in Egypt and how God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, yet caused the death angel to pass over them. Hence the name “the Passover”.
Second you have the Feast of Pentecost. Now many of you might be surprised because when we think of Pentecost we think of the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit came. But the Bible doesn’t say the Holy Spirit’s coming was Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came, the scriptures say: “When the day of Pentecost came,” (Acts 2:1). In fact, [The word derives from the Greek for “the fiftieth day.” It was the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Ex 34:22; Dt 16:9-11), variously called the Feast of Harvest (Ex 23:16), or the Day of Firstfruits (Nu 28:26), which fell on the fiftieth day after the Feast of the Passover....the festival was the time when, with appropriate ritual and ceremony, the firstfruits of the corn harvest, the last Palestinian crop to ripen, were formally dedicated] to the Lord. And when you think about it, how appropriate it is that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost; when Christians became not only dedicated to, but indwelled by our Lord in and through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We became the firstfruits.
The Third feast you have is the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths), when the Israelites set up booths to remember their wandering in the wilderness when they lived in tents.
Harvest Festivals/Feasts & Remembrance— Now what is fascinating is that [The Lord fitted the three main religious feasts that he prescribed for the people into this agricultural economy. The Passover came in the season of the barley harvest (Ex 23:16). Seven weeks later at time of the wheat harvest the Feast of Pentecost occurred (34:22). The Feast of Tabernacles was observed in the seventh month, which was the period of the fruit harvest (34:22).] So I want you to see that you not only have a culture of harvest. You have a culture of remembrance; remembering the good things the Lord has done for you. Every time they collect food they visually and actively remember Who the source of their food and provision is. What a testimony that is to us in our culture.
The Passover Connection— Now when you understand that this story happens at the time of the barley reaping, what does that mean? It means that it was April-May and was also around the time they were celebrating the Passover, when God redeemed Israel from physical death in Egypt by their shedding the blood of a lamb. Now I find this interesting because we know that Jesus Christ was crucified during Passover; in fact, at the time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in order to redeem us from our sins as our ultimate Passover Lamb, so that we might be delivered from death. And so scripture makes this remarkable connection between Passover and redemption. The two are intertwined; and so it is fitting that in the very town where Jesus would be born, at the point when Ruth and Naomi are in their greatest need of a redeemer, it is the time of Passover, when Israel is reminded of God’s past provision, which also points forward to the future work of Christ.
Scene 2— So Ruth and Naomi return to Israel. And so ends scene 1. But now enter scene two, where Ruth and Boaz encounter one another for the first time.
Ruth 2:1 ESV— 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
Choosing Husbands-- Now for you ladies who are listening, before you met you husbands, did you have a list of requirements ahead of time of the kind of man you wanted to marry? I don’t know, maybe you had rugged; handsome; kind; gentle; has to make at least such and such amount of money; he’s respectful; must be good with and want many many kids.
You know, its not unusual or weird to have those kinds of lists; reasonable expectations of what you are looking for in a mate. And you should think ahead; because choosing a mate is important. You need to know that you are going to be provided for; that the kids you hope to have with that man are going to be provided for; that you will be safe and secure with him.
Now nowadays a woman who has suffered the loss of her husband can make it pretty well on her own, though not always without difficulty. But imagine, in choosing a husband, the reality that the man you choose to marry will affect the course of your life forever; financially & socially. Imagine being wholly and completely reliant upon that man for your every single need. I mean there is a lot of pressure in choosing the right guy. And the story of Ruth and Naomi is itself a picture of what can happen when that protection (your husband, the house of your father, and even your children) is lost. You are thrust to the edge of poverty; you have the fear of starvation placed upon you.
And so here we find that in every way that you could be in need in the Old Testament, Ruth and Naomi find themselves. They are poor; they are alone; they have no security; and they have no hope for provision. They are the living picture of what it means to be destitute in the ancient world. There was not a woman in that time who (reading this story) would not cringe in horror at the painful, hopeless nature of their situation.
But imagine also if you marry someone who is cruel towards you; someone who uses and mistreats you. Divorce is not really an option in that culture, so marrying a man who has a Godly character, which is manifested in how he provides for and treats you, is very important.
4 Key Characteristics of Boaz-- Now it is interesting how in the very first sentence (where Boaz enters center stage) we discover four things about Boaz: (1) His name: Boaz, which means [in him is strength] (What a great name for a guy!) (2) His relation to Naomi— He is a relative of her dead husband’s. (3) And not only that, but he is of the same clan. (4) There is also this statement about Boaz’s character: he is a worthy man. And in Hebrew the word for “worthy” is hayil, which literally means “of worth or excellence”. But it also “connotes character, wealth, position or strength.” All character qualities that would meet Ruth’s husband checklist.
Remarriage Almost Impossible— But right now Ruth isn’t looking for a husband. Remember she, because she is a Moabitess, doesn’t even think that remarriage is a possibility. All that is on her mind is providing for the immediate physical needs of herself and her mother-in-law. And their immediate need is food. While they have plenty of farmland to grow their own crops, that land has not been sown. And you can’t reap what you don’t sow. So until their land becomes fertile again, they need to find food somewhere else. Look at verse 2...
Ruth 2:2 ESV— 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.”
As a pastor, one of the things I have learned (especially as I have participate in so many funerals over the years) is that people can deal with grief in any number of ways. But in essence, what it ultimately boils down to when it comes to grief is that we can allow our grief to drive us from God; or we can allow our grief to drive us to God. We can allow our grief to become our identity (as Naomi did) or we can choose to love; choose to serve; choose to move forward in the midst of it. Ruth doesn’t let her grief handicap her. She chooses to open her heart in love to Naomi. She chooses to serve. She doesn’t withdraw into herself. And that is what ultimately leads her into the field of Boaz and into a position where God can bless her. And what this should say to us is that (no matter what we are going through), if we choose love rather than bitterness and still seek to serve God and others rather than just focusing on ourselves, God can (and always will) lift us up. God will only do what you allow Him to do in you. He will only remake what you give Him. And so I’d like to say, “Let’s give it all to Him.” And He will bring us from death to life. Amen.
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