Ruth Chapter 2

Ruth Chapter 2

v. 1 -.
· Boaz, we are told, was a relative of Naomi .As a relative he would qualify as a kinsman redeemer
· We are also told that he was a man of great wealth = finest qualitites
Who could this man be a picture of?
v.2-3
· God in his mercy to the foreigners, widows and the poor
Leviticus 19:9-10 clearly said that the reapers of the harvest were to leave the corners of the field and the gleanings of the harvest for those in need. Ruth then, as a gentile, went out to glean and she just happened to do so in the field belonging to Boaz. Thousands of fields to choose from and she got lucky. It just happened! It was pure coincidence right?
What about you? How did you just happen to meet Jesus, of whom Boaz is a type? Coincidence?
v.4-7
· first meeting of Boaz and Ruth – her character pleased him
· Ruth had a right to glean and gather after the reapers- she came by grace asking ‘please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves’.
Matt 19:16-26. He came to the Lord saying ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life.’ In other words he approached Jesus by the law. He thought he could do some ‘good thing’ that would guarantee a place in heaven. He came by the law so Jesus answered him by the law and gave him the commandments. Jesus did this because He knew that the full extent of the law had not yet worked in this man so that he would come by grace. ( Romans 3:19-20) The right way is the example of the gentile woman in Matt 15:21-28.
v.8-9
· Ruth had no reason to fear with Boaz.
· What was Boaz’s response to Ruth’s approach by grace? It was one of provision.
v. 10
· Why are you so kind to me? I’m a Moabite!’
So why was Boaz so kind?
But what about the spiritual? Have you come to the point in your Christian life where you just have to stop and shake your head in disbelief at the grace of God?
v. 11 – 13
· It also shows us that it is not necessary to blow our own trumpet before God or man. Not before God because he is already entirely aware of all that we do and will reward us appropriately; or before man because it’s not likely that he’s at all interested!
v. 14
· ‘she ate and was satisfied and had some left’. Is this not the result of anyone that truly meets and experiences the Lord Jesus Christ?
Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied with Jesus? If not, then have you learned to live by grace and seen all that God has graciously provided to us as sons of God?
In the New Testament the blessings are spiritual not physical. He has promised to provide our needs physically which is good but God is predominantly interested with inward things, not outward. Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” We HAVE been blessed we EVERY SPIRITUAL blessing in Christ.
v 15 – 16
· By the law Ruth had a right to glean among the corners of the field.
· By grace Boaz pulled grain from the bundles for her
V 17-19
· At the end of the day she was left with an ephah of barley!
· Naomi didn’t praise Ruth even though Ruth had obviously been working hard and deserved some praise.
· ‘Whose field were you in?’ is Naomi’s first comment.
Has that happened to you? Has what you have received from the Lord been so obvious that others just have to know where you got it? Did people notice the difference in you when you first met the Lord that they just had to know what could account for such a change?
V 20
· The word relative here means ‘kinsman-redeemer’.
· The responsibilities of the kinsman redeemer had been clearly defined in God’s law and included marrying a childless widow to raise up children in her dead husbands’ name. (Deut 25-10) The redeemer had to be a blood relative. Here we see the need for Jesus to be born on earth, being made in the likeness of man (Phil 2:7) so that he could qualify as our redeemer. Through the incarnation, God became ‘a blood relative’ and through his death on the cross the price was paid for the redemption of the world!

· Roy Hession, in his book ‘Our nearest kinsman’ states three things that were needed for someone to actually become your redeemer.
1. they needed to have the right :
2. they needed the :
3. they needed to be:
V 21-23
· The position that Boaz gave Ruth.
· She didn’t plant the wheat or play any part in ensuring that it there was adequate growth.
· A good picture of our inheritance in Christ, where we shall surely benefit in the age to come because of His work on our behalf.