Sermon for July 29

The reading

Ruth 2:1-23

2:1 Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband's side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor." She said to her, "Go, my daughter." 3 So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you." They answered, "The Lord bless you." 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "To whom does this young woman belong?"

6 The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, "She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, "Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.' So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now, without resting even for a moment." 8 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 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn." 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?" 11 But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!" 13 Then she said, "May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants." 

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine." So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, "Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her." 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, "Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you." 

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz." 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi also said to her, "The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin." 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, "He even said to me, "Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.' " 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field." 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

The message

Since the Book of Ruth is a story, I want to start with a quick review from last week (for those who were not here or forgot).  In Chapter 1, we were introduced to 2 of the three main characters, Naomi and her daughter in law Ruth.  Naomi and her family go to Moab to escape famine in Bethlehem. In Moab, one of Naomi’s sons marries Ruth, the other marries Orpah. Over the years Naomi’s husband and then her 2 sons die. Naomi and her 2 daughter in laws are in very a bad spot. Orpah returns to her home and family (with Naomi’s blessing) but Ruth refuses, vowing to stay with her.  Namoi and Ruth return to Bethlehem, in poverty and with few chances for survival.  

They will need to do something smart, creative, fast and get help to survive. Since Ruth will be the great grandmother of King David and a very much more distant ancestor to Jesus, we have to see this story is also about God's providence, provision and ultimate plan for us.  Today, we see those things start to happen. 

Today’s reading is sort of an ancient version of hard, good, faithful work being rewarded. These stories still come up today.  Last week, there was a news story out of Alabama about a young man whose car breaks down the night before his first day of work at a moving company.  He decides he will walk to the job, which is about a 20 mile trip. Leaving at midnight, he starts his commute and makes it about 14 miles down the highway before the police stop him (as they will do when people are walking the highway at 4 am).  After hearing and verifying his story, the police take him to breakfast and drive him the last few miles to the job. The couple who they were moving hears the story and posts it online, where it spreads fast.  That afternoon the CEO of the company gifts this man his own car.  People all around the country are impressed with this young man’s work ethic and willingness to do whatever it takes (and the CEO giving away his car, public relations and branding gold mine aside, it was a kind and thoughtful thing to do).  The story leaves us feeling like hard work and dedication can pay off, should pay off and sometimes does. Without forgetting all the people who struggle with transportation and getting to work every day, it’s a feel good story.  Proof that Jesus was right,  Luke 6:36-38  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. Today’s reading is sort of an ancient version of the car-less moving man. 

Once in Bethelhelm, Ruth goes to work immediately. She  does not let being an outsider, pride or anything else stop her. She goes to do the only thing she can, gleaning the fields.  Under Israelite law, farmers were required to leave part of their harvest in the fields so that “gleaners”, the poor, widows and aliens or foreigners can pass through and pick the remainder.  Well Ruth is all three. (Today, we might think of gleaning as collecting empty soda and water bottles for the nickel deposit).   As she walks to the fields, Ruth is already looking beyond just getting a little barley, she also sees it as an opportunity to get noticed and maybe inspire compassion and help.   

By coincidence, Ruth ends up wandering onto Boaz’s property, a close relative of Naomi’s deceased husband.  During Ruth’s time in the field, Boaz happens to wander by his field to check on the harvest and work being done.  Ruth gets noticed by Boaz. Seeing a new, unfamiliar person, he asks the person in charge, who is that.  Immediately Boaz learns that Ruth is a foreigner, a Moabite from Moab and immediately he is generous with her.  Immediately, he learns that she is a part of his kinship group or family and he accepts that . Immediately, he knows she is in trouble (rumors spread and people doing okay are not picking scraps of barley left behind) and helps.  Our first introduction to Boaz in the book is one of understanding, mercy and care.  Like the CEO who gives away his car, Boaz has heard the story of Ruth’s dedication and he has gifts for her. 

At first, it is only the invitation to safely glean in his fields, in the best position (immediately behind the workers) with access to drinks (a big deal when harvesting in the incredibly hot sun).  To this Ruth reacts as most people would, with a little suspicion and thanksgiving, Why me? A stranger, why me, a foreigner, don’t you have your own people to care for.   Boaz tells her it is earned for her good work, her care of Naomi and faithfulness to the Lord (under whose wings she has come for refuge).

 

Now, when meal time comes, Boaz invites Ruth to come and eat, giving her sour wine and a huge portion of parched grain (it might not sound like much to us, but that was 5 star field eating).  She eats, literally, as much as she can, until there is left over. Boaz does not know if she is starving, when the last time she ate was,  or when her next meal might be, so he makes sure she has enough.  Most of the people there, the workers and servants, think this is odd. Ruth is a poor, foreign widow who happened to wander into his fields.  She is now protected, got the best gleaning spot, an open invitation, access to water and drinks and is hanging out with them for lunch. Of course, it is Boaz’s  field, his crop, his home and his decision.  No one questions it openly.  After the meal, things really get weird.  Boaz instructs the workers to let Ruth “glean the standing sheaves” (which is not gleaning, picking scraps, it is harvesting for personal use). While they are overlooking this, they are also instructed to harvest for her, literally taking some of what the workers picked and leaving it in front of Ruth so she can “glean it”.  Again, people are shocked but it is Boaz’s field and his grain, and he can do what he wants with it.  (You wouldn’t want to be the worker or servant who says, “hey boss, what are you doing with this woman?” It was a good place to work and you wouldn’t be working there much longer)   There is an important lesson we can draw, the grace and kingdom of God does not belong to us, it belongs to God.  In the same way, Boaz can do what he wants with his barely, his wheat and his resources, as his workers and servants did not question his sympathy and help for Ruth, we should be careful to not question what God does with God’s kingdom,    

After the first day, Ruth returns with an Ephah of barley (about 33 liters, it’s a lot of barley, I mean way more than normal gleaners could achieve), Naomi instantly notices and asks “where did you go today” (with that tone of how is this possible).  Ruth reveals that she made this connection with Boaz and Naomi reveals he is a close relative.  Unable to even dream up a better situation, Ruth finishes the barley season at Boaz’s fields, then starts and finishes the wheat season there as well.  From here, things will get a little devious and a little “romantic”.

 

A few hours ago, Ruth was a poor, widowed foreigner who happened into Boaz’s field, looking for a hand out she was legally entitled to.  Boaz does not just give Ruth what she is expecting, a few scraps of barley that can be put together for a meal. This day turned into grace and gift after gift. He gives Ruth access to all her (and Naomi) will need to survive, an abundance beyond what she would even ask for.  With these special Ruth rules in place, she will safely and comfortably glean more than enough for her and Naomi to live on. 

After the first day, Ruth stays in Boaz’s fields for the barley and then the Wheat harvest.  Her and Naomi immediately decided that it would be best. Where else would she go?  There is no other place Ruth would have those sort of benefits and advantages over others, there is no field where she would be that safe, so place she could collect that much, no work where she could be comfortable. 

O Lord, To whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life. This is advice for us, when you are in a place where the death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins is clearly shared in word and deed, stay there. It might not be the prettiest (think of here) or the largest (again think of here) church or the best pastor around (well maybe we have that) but it is a place where God’s welcome and love are shared.  There is no better news. What else do you hope to find?  Some guy that is giving out double grace down the road, grace you can use in a new car, grace that is shinier or whatever.   We are invited to stay in the relationship with God that Jesus establishes for us, there is not better place to be, do not get tricked, deceived or fooled, stay in this good place.