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The Apostle Peter said that once we were not a people, but now we are God's people. The Lord has dealt so kindly with us through Jesus Christ, we would be called the children of God. It's a theme we find not only in the New Testament, but the Old also when we understand the text.
This is When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we feature New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday and our Q &A on Friday.
Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you Becky and greetings everyone. Today we begin an Old Testament study in the book of Ruth. If you want to open up your Bible there, it's only going to take us a couple of weeks to get through this.
We'll be looking at chapters 1 and 2 today and then next week finish up with the second half of the book, chapters 3 and 4. Now having just finished a study of the book of Judges, what we read about in Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, although we don't know exactly where in the chronology of the Judges Ruth lived.
But it says at the beginning of the book, Ruth chapter 1, in the days when the Judges ruled there was a famine in the land. Now as for when the book of Ruth was written, that's a different matter. Tradition says that Samuel wrote Ruth, but that's rather unlikely considering that the book ends assuming that David had already become king.
And that's an event that doesn't happen until after Samuel passed away. Samuel anointed David the next king of Israel after Saul, but Samuel died before David ascended to the throne. What's more likely is that Ruth was written during the time of 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, somewhere in that period, or it could have even been written during the time of Babylonian exile.
Because there's language that's given at the end of Ruth that kind of encourages the Israelites to look for a redeemer. After Ruth and Boaz get married and they have a son whom they name Obed, Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law says, Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel.
He shall be to you a restorer of life. And so it's likely that this book was written to encourage the Israelites in a story that they would have been familiar with, but this time writing it down. So it was more familiar to their canon and their historical record.
And they would be looking forward to a redeemer who would not only redeem Israel from death, but also restore the land, which is what Boaz did for Ruth. And we're going to talk more about that as we go through the book here.
Now, as a piece of literature, Ruth is a romance. That's the way that you would categorize Ruth. It is romantic nonfiction. It's also very rare in terms of what we read through most of the Bible in the sense that Ruth is the main character and everything is written from her perspective.
Not that it's in first-person perspective. It is a third-person narrative, but we're following Ruth around over the course of the story. Boaz is kind of a hero figure. He's like the prince that comes in and saves the day.
And so that's the way that we view him in this particular book. And he's also spoken about very highly. So he's a Christ-like figure. He is a type that is pointing the way toward Christ, who will be the ultimate redeemer to come.
But Boaz has a very heroic sort of a presence in this particular book, whereas previously when we've read about men in the Old Testament, they're often spoken about, you know, all of their flaws are kind of laid out there.
But Boaz, we don't see his flaws. He's just a very kind, generous, compassionate man. And so as we set forth in this romance here in the book of Ruth, we'll start appropriately with chapter one, verse one.
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife, Naomi.
And the names of his two sons were Malon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died and she was left with her two sons.
These took Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years and both Malon and Chilion died so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Now the names of Naomi's two sons, Malon and Chilion, Malon means infirmity or sick. Chilion means to come to an end. So Naomi would not have named her sons this at the time that they were born. It's likely that as this story became a tradition among the Jews, the names of these two sons were changed to reflect their untimely demise.
So they weren't born with those names, but it was the names that they were given after they had died. This was a very common thing among the Hebrews. The name that a person was born with was not necessarily the name that they died with.
And furthermore, it was not necessarily the name that they died with was not necessarily the name that they would continue to be remembered by. This was the way that the Hebrews assigned names. You've got multiple names mentioned for the twelve disciples in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
So many names, as a matter of fact, that you have to follow a chart in order to figure out who's who according to the names that are given in the different gospels. You can look it up online and find charts that are listed there for all of the different apostles and and disciples and and who has what name and how many names they have.
You know, we know of Peter that he was called Peter and Cephas and Simon. So anyway, there's multiple names for Hebrews. They don't just seem to stick with one name. So in the tradition of this story of Ruth, the names of Naomi's two sons would have been changed to reflect how it was that they passed.
And I came to find that out, actually, because when my wife and I were studying this book together, we really liked the name Malon. And so my wife was the one who looked it up and said, if we have a son, we can't name him Malon.
I said, why not? And she said, well, it means to get sick and die. I was like, OK, yeah, let's avoid that one. So anyway, that's why these two Hebrew names have been given to Naomi's sons. So further along here, verse six, then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.
So the famine was over. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, go return each of you to her mother's house.
May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
And they said to her, no, we will return with you to your people. But Naomi said, turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters.
Go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?
No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
And she said, see, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also, if anything but death parts me from you. And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
And so you see this wonderful kindness and this devotion that exists between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law. And this kindness displayed between Ruth and Naomi will continue throughout this entire book.
So it's kind of like the characteristic of Ruth and the kindness that she displays here toward her mother-in-law carries through this whole book. Boaz will show that kind of kindness toward Ruth. So the way that she is kind toward others, so the Lord deals very kindly with her.
So we continue on here in verse 19. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, is this Naomi?
And she said to them, do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?
So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. Now, one thing that I've never quite understood, and maybe somebody who is a little more familiar with Hebrew history might be able to tell me this.
Why is it that some get their names changed and we always refer to the person as that name from that time on? Like, for example, Saul becomes Paul and we never refer to him as Saul again. But sometimes a name gets changed and we don't always refer to them as that new name, like Jacob.
Jacob gets called Israel, but we still call him Jacob. And sometimes we call him Israel. Abram became Abraham, and then we always referred to him as Abraham after that. Sarai became Sarah, and we always refer to her as Sarah after that.
But here, Naomi changes her name to Mara, but yet we're still going to refer to her as Naomi. So I'm not quite sure why sometimes a name gets changed and then we continue to refer to that person by that name.
And other times a name is changed and we don't refer to them that way. Anyway, maybe somebody who knows a little bit more about Hebrew tradition would be able to tell me that. So in Ruth chapter two, we read this.
Now, Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 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, go, my daughter. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, the Lord be with you. And they answered, the Lord bless you. So you already see that Boaz has a very good relationship with those who work in his field.
Verse five, then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this? And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, she is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.
She said, please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers. So she came and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest. 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.
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.
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? But Boaz answered her all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before the Lord repay you for what you have done and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge.
That's a theme that's going to come up again, by the way, and I'm going to refer to that more next week. This concept of being under the wings of God, then verse 13. Then she said to Boaz, I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.
So let me explain a little bit more Ruth's condition. And in doing so, this is going to emphasize all the more the kindness that Boaz has just shown to her. Ruth is not only a foreigner, she is a widow, and she would otherwise be counted among the other widows, the poor and the destitute, those who could not care for themselves.
Now, very clearly, Ruth could care for herself and was caring for her mother-in-law. And because of this kindness that she was showing to her mother-in-law, Boaz showed a particular kindness to her and didn't want her to be included among those who would who would get kind of the the leftovers of the field.
He wanted her to be among those who would get the best of the field. This is why he says to Ruth, keep close to my young women. He's also treating her as though she's still an eligible woman to receive a husband.
So not counted among those who won't ever get married again, but among the young women who are still looking for husbands and the men would show kindness and favor toward them. Now, there was a system of welfare that was in place in Israel, and we read about it in Deuteronomy, chapter 24, verse 19.
It says, when you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
And so Ruth would ordinarily be among those that were on the outskirts of the field, waiting for those who were harvesting to be done. And then when they left the field, those who were the sojourners, the fatherless and the widows, they could then come into the field and take whatever was left.
But Boaz was showing such kindness to Ruth that he was including her among the young women. So first of all, she wouldn't be seen as a widow. She would be shown as she would be seen with much favor, but also that she would have the opportunity to take from the best of the field instead of what was left over from the field.
And so this is the grace that he is showing to this young woman, though she herself was not born a Hebrew, yet she is counted among the people of God. This is exactly what Christ has done for us. We were born as enemies of God, born in the sins and transgressions in which we lived.
And yet he has shown so much kindness to us that he has adopted us into his family through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. We can be called children of God. First, John three, one, how great is the love the father has lavished upon us that we might be called the children of God.
And that is what we are. Jesus said to his disciples, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. So we are not considered as among those who are foreigners or the fatherless or the widows. But Jesus has welcomed us into his family and has cared for us.
We have a father who is in heaven. We are part of the bride of Christ, part of his church, and we are also citizens of his kingdom. So in this way, Christ has shown this kindness to us as Boaz has shown such kindness to Ruth.
Verse 14. 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 again, she's she's eating at his table, eating as one who was rich instead of one who was poor. She also had some left over, and when she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her and also pull out some of the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean and do not rebuke her.
So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley, and she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.
She also brought out and gave her the food that she had left over after being satisfied. And 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, Naomi, with whom she had worked and said, the man's name with whom I work today is Boaz. And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, may he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead.
Naomi said to her, the man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers. And Ruth the Moabite said, besides, he said to me, you shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.
And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you should be assaulted. So she kept 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. So we see also that Ruth being included among the young men and the young women who were gleaning in the field was a safety to her. And so it is also a safety to us that God has called us to be part of the people of God through his son, Jesus Christ.
It is a safety to us that we are numbered among his church, the people of God. In Philippians 3 .1, the apostle Paul said to the Philippians that hearing the scriptures given to them is safe for you. It is a safety to be among the people of God, growing together in the word of God.
We are protected from false teaching. We are protected from the wiles of the devil. And we are filled up with God's word that keeps us safe and among his flock, guided by the words of the shepherd. And so just as Boaz had been looking out for Ruth and calling her into the safety of his people, his young men and his young women, so we are called into the safety of God's people, those of us who are in Christ Jesus and are part of his church.
I hope that you have been able to see signs of your redeemer here in what we've read through the first two chapters of the book of Ruth. And next week we will continue and finish our study of Ruth with the next two chapters.
Our great God, we thank you for this wonderful story. And I pray that it teaches us about the kindness of our Savior, lavishing his love and his grace upon us. Though we did not deserve to be counted among the people of God, what we deserved was death.
We read in Titus 2 that Christ gave himself up for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works. And so Lord, may we be that people and may others know us by our love that we show toward one another and the good works that we do in this world, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ as we go, who saves us from death and brings us into his eternal life.
We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
This is a protection of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas. Find us on the web at www .utt .com.