Not by Chance

, it's my privilege here this morning to To stand in the shoes of Pastor Milton and deliver God's word to you. I would like to ask for you if you would join with me in a word of prayer, and ask the Lord to, to just bless, the preaching of his words here this morning. Dear Lord, we just come before Your throne of grace, and we wish to quiet our hearts in your presence this morning, Lord. Lord, we come to you.

With various burdens. Some of us, Lord, are Perhaps struggling in one way or another. And Lord, we need for you to reveal yourself to us. We need for you.

To be our comfort, to be our refuge, to be our high tower. We need for you to remind us afresh of the fact that you are our God. And in you, we can take refuge. Lord, we need to be captivated all over again by the wonder of your grace and by your sovereignty and power and might and goodness in our lives.

We pray, Lord, that you would reveal yourself to us through your word as it is preached this morning. And Lord, as we take some time to look at Ruth chapter 2 together. We ask Lord, That you would help us to glean from that chapter, the goods that you have in store for us. I ask Lord that you would go before me.

Your unworthy servant. And that Lord, you would see fit to use me as an instrument of your grace in the life of these people, these precious people for whom you shed your blood. Lord, we thank you. For what you will say to us over the next hour.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. if you have your Bibles, feel free to turn them to Ruth chapter 2. I am expecting that everyone's noses are going to be buried in the text, OK, as we work our way through an entire chapter.

I would like to begin this morning with a confession. I struggle at times with my faith in God. I find myself especially struggling to have eyes that are keen enough to see God. Always at work.

I am not saying that I do not recognize the big things that God is doing, but I can easily fail in recognizing that God is always working and that God is at work in the little details of life. I find myself praying the prayer, Lord, I believe. Would you please help me with my unbelief? And I find myself at times struggling with the brokenness that is inside of me as I As I fail to be able to behold my Lord in the way that in my heart of hearts I desire to.

And if you can relate, then this message is for you. I hope this morning to encourage you with the fact that our God is sovereign over the details of life. That is it in a nutshell. Our God is absolutely sovereign over every detail of life and there are times in which we fail to recognize his sovereignty, nevertheless, he is at work and he is sovereign and he is accomplishing His plan and His purposes for us.

In our lives and through us. I want for you this morning to leave here being encouraged with the sovereignty of God. In Ruth chapter 1, we had learned, I think a couple of months ago about the mysterious mercy of Almighty God. In Ruth chapter 2, we encounter our sovereign God and we are reminded afresh that God is at work in the little details of life.

And so the message this morning is entitled Not by Chance, Not by Chance. 7 developments regarding Ruth's first encounter with Boaz, reminding us that nothing happens by chance. And so the first development is the writer introduces us to Boaz, you see that in verse one. OK, the writer introduces us to Boaz.

In verse one, it reads, now, Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth of the family of Alimelech, whose name was Boaz. Now, this verse sets the stage for the whole chapter. The readers are given, that is us, we are given privileged information that Naomi and Ruth were not immediately aware of. The writer, before taking us into the narrative, wants us to know some facts about Boaz.

He introduces us to this man. first, the name Boaz literally means by strength. It could point to the strength of Boaz or to the fact that Boaz's strength is derived from another. It is no stretch to reason from the larger context that Boaz was in fact a man whose strength was derived from God.

Second, Boaz was a kinsman of Alimelech, the deceased husband of Naomi. He would also be a kinsman of Malon, the deceased son of deceased Alemelech. When we couple this with the thought that Boaz was single, we are introduced to a possibility that at this point could not have been further from the minds of Naomi and Ruth. That under the law of God, Boaz could carry on his deceased brother's lineage by marrying Ruth and bearing sons.

And third, Boaz was blessed by God with great wealth. Some 10 years earlier, there had been famine in the land, you remember from chapter 1. Famine was generally understood as a sign of God's displeasure. We know from judges that everyone did what was right in his own eyes, and we also know that in this time of hardship, Alimelech led his family out of the land of promise into Moab.

And perhaps by way of contrast, we have Boaz, who remained in the land. He remained in Bethlehem, the house of bread, and the land of Judah, the house of praise, and to add to the contrast, Boaz experiences blessing over time, his needs were met and he prospered. What we learn about Boaz adds to our surprise when we consider the likelihood that he was a single man. Nothing in the book indicates he had a wife, and how does that happen?

We have no reason to think that Boaz did not want to be married. Later in this narrative, Boaz moves quickly to secure his marriage to Ruth. He clearly wanted to marry, but why is it that he is not married by the time we come to chapter 2 verse 1? Why does this God-fearing, well-to do man remain single at this stage of the narrative?

Perhaps Boaz would have asked the same question. There is no reason to think that it was easy for Boaz to swallow the pill of singleness. Perhaps he had dreams of being married and having children. It is only natural for a man like Boaz to desire such a family.

Evidently, God in His sovereignty had not yet allowed Boaz to meet the woman of his dreams. God does not always give us what we want when we want it. God does not operate on our timetable. Nevertheless, we are called to trust in the Lord and to maintain commitment in our service to Him.

And this is what Boaz does. He trusted in the Lord in the midst of the famine some 10 years ago. He did not leave the land of promise, he persevered and he experienced success. The Lord blessed Boaz with provision, God met his needs, and Boaz must trust the Lord regarding singleness thus far in his life.

Boaz must endure a test of patience. Boaz must remain faithful to God during a long season of singleness in his life. But keep in mind, Boaz was not really single. He was not alone.

God was with him. God had been with him in the famine, and God was with him in his singleness. We do not have a picture of Boaz pining away as a result of his singleness. On the contrary, Boaz is a man of faith and he is living a productive life and he is perfectly positioned to get married should the Lord lead in that direction.

He was in a position in his life, should the Lord bring Mrs. Wright to him, whereby he could immediately act upon that and therefore get married. I want to encourage some of our single young men. That by God's grace to position yourself so that if and when the day comes that the Lord would call you to get married, that you are ready, but if he does not call you to marry, to be faithful to your God and to be married to your God and to live for His glory in the midst of your singleness, a season in your life where much can be accomplished.

So verse 1 is intended for the reader. We are introduced to a man who will play a pivotal role as the narrative unfolds, and so let us now drop into the narrative as we consider development number 2. Ruth is granted permission to find a place to glean. We see this in verse 2.

It says, and Ruth, the Moabitist said to Naomi, please. Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor, and she said to her, go, my daughter. The writer reminds us that Ruth is a Moabite. We saw this in chapter one.

From that chapter, we recall Alemelech leading his family out of the Land of Promise and into Moab. Alemelech dies, Naomi becomes a widow, but she has two sons and her sons will go on to marry Moabite women, and this is how Ruth became Naomi's daughter-in-law, but Naomi's two sons die. Shortly thereafter, Naomi hears that the Lord has visited his people in ending the famine, so Naomi decides to return back to Bethlehem. Both daughters-in-law joined her.

When Naomi urged them to return back to Moab, Opa consented. But Ruth, the Moabite was determined to remain with Naomi. This is where she pledged her allegiance to Naomi, her people, and her God. In our passage here, emphasis is placed on the fact that Ruth is a Moabite.

The Moabite people were traditional enemies of the Israelites. There was frequent warfare between the two groups. According to Israelite belief, Moabites came from the act of incest between Lot and his older daughter, and so the whole nation was tainted and inferior. And yet Ruth the Moabite has so far served as a reminder to us all of the mercy of God and his willingness to turn the depraved and destitute into trophies of His grace.

God's grace in Ruth's life is revealed through the request she makes of her mother-in-law. Please, let me go to the field and glean after one in whose sight I may find favor. This is an amazing request revealing the heart of Ruth. First, she is concerned for her mother-in-law and wants to minister to her needs.

Second, she is willing to do what it takes in order to put a meal on the table. Do not underestimate how hard that day of work was going to be for her. Third, she is hopeful that her efforts will prove fruitful. Fourth, she believes that someone in Israel will show her kindness.

5th, in bringing her request to Naomi, she displays the qualities of humility and submission. And consider also the fact that Ruth's request was a modest one. She has no reason to think that her labor will result in anything more than one handful of grain, enough for one meal. Ruth envisions a hard day of work resulting in one meager meal for her and her mother-in-law to share together that evening.

Humanly speaking, Ruth has no future. She was a Moabite. A widow Without child, destitute. She could not see beyond the possibility of returning to Naomi with anything more than one handful of grain, but this is better than nothing and Ruth wants to give it a shot.

Thus, Ruth brings her request before Naomi. And consider the difficulty Naomi might have faced at arriving at her decision. This is the period of the judges when Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. Everyone kept doing what was right in his own eyes.

The danger that Ruth faced as a single woman going out into the land to glean was real. She could fall prey to various dangers. On the other hand, Naomi and Ruth were hungry. They needed food.

They were destitute and desperate. Naomi's physical weakness is illustrated by the fact she could not go out to glean with Ruth. So Ruth seeks Naomi's permission to look for a place to glean, and permission is granted, and the course of history is forever altered. Earlier this week, a young salesperson came knocking at our door.

My wife decided to engage him in a conversation, and they talked about the Lord, and then my wife, Marcy ended up praying for him. When she was done, this young man was in tears. He had said that no one had ever prayed. In that a situation like that for him before.

Evidently, God used Marcy's prayer to minister to the young man. Do not underestimate the difference that a little decision can make, and her small decision to pray for this man proved to be a blessing to him in ways that we may not know until eternity. Naomi grants permission for Ruth to glean, and so let's hasten to the next development. Number 3, Ruth gleans in the field that happens to belong to Boaz.

In verse 3, we read, so she departed. This is Ruth, departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Alemelech. In this passage, we observed that Ruth successfully finds a field in which to glean. But the writer is careful to note, she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Alemelech.

This insight is reserved for the reader. At the time, Ruth has no idea who Boaz is, but the writer underscores the sovereignty of God by declaring that Ruth happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. Attention is drawn to the fact Boaz. was of the family of Alimelech.

In the mind of the writer, this family connection is significant. It highlights that in Boaz, we have a potential partner who might serve as the kinsman redeemer who provides for the deceased Alimelech a seed to whom the lineage might continue on. Ruth has no clue the good fortune that awaits her as her sovereign God lovingly directs the details of her life for his glory and for her good. The writer declares that Ruth happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz.

When we read between the lines and when we step back to view the whole story, we realize that this is not a chance. God is guiding Ruth to the field where she will be blessed, and Ruth is completely at this point unaware of the guidance of God to the location she happens upon. Now, Is this where the guidance of God begins? Right here when she steps into the field?

Is this where the guidance of God begins? Maybe it was when she had the idea to gather grain earlier that morning. Maybe it was when she walked 70 miles to Bethlehem. Maybe it was when she decided to stay with her dear mother-in-law, Naomi.

Maybe it was when she decided to marry Naomi's son. How far back has the hand of God been with Ruth? Perhaps it was when Alimelech chose to leave the Land of Promise and settle in Moab, and God knowing that his son would end up marrying Ruth. Perhaps it was when God ordained a famine to hit Bethlehem, knowing that Alimelech would respond by moving to Moab.

And I submit that God is sovereign over every detail of life and that he is causing all things to work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose. God is causing all things to work together, the Bible says, after the counsel of His will. It was no accident that Ruth happens upon the field belonging to Boaz. This is divine design, a portrayal of Providence.

The expression happened to come underscores sovereignty. Ruth and Naomi are destitute, reduced to rags, poverty stricken, desperate. They have lost so much, and the text tells us that Ruth happens to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. This is no accident.

This little express happened to come indicates that the fortune of Naomi and Ruth is about to change. On the other side of happened to come is a story that no one in their wildest dreams could ever have imagined. And so let's move to the next development, number 4, Ruth meets Boaz. We're gonna spend a little more time here because much of the chapter is dedicated to this meeting.

Ruth meets Boaz, thus begins the early stages of a relationship, verses 4 through 16. Let's read through these verses together. In verses 4 through 16, we observe the first day Ruth and Boaz meet each other. We have already established that this is not a chance meeting.

We also know that neither Ruth nor Boaz would have any clue that God was involved in this encounter and he was weaving together a love story for the ages. Let's take a look at what this text reveals about the day Ruth and Boaz meet. It says in verse 4, now, behold, the writer is wanting us to sit up and to listen intently when he says, behold, take a good long hard look at what it is that I am about to present to you, he says, behold. Boaz came from Bethlehem and he said to the reapers, May the Lord be with you.

And they said back to him, May the Lord be with you. This passage presents a picture of a relationship between Boaz and his workers that is marked by kindness. Ruth's first impression as she observes Boaz was that he was a kind man, loved and respected by those under his authority. And verse 5 goes on to say, then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, Whose young woman is this?

Boaz looks around the field and he notices Ruth. He described her as young. He takes a genuine interest in her. Boaz has no idea who Ruth was, from where and whom she came and to whom she might belong, so Boaz inquires.

He asked the question, whose young woman is this? And he receives an answer. It tells us, and the servant in charge of the reapers answered and said, she is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. And she said, please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.

Thus she came and she has remained from the morning until now. She has been sitting in the house for a little while. You see, the servant in charge of the reapers answers the question. He does not tell the whole story, but he says enough.

The fact that the whole story was already known by the community, everyone knew, Boaz knew the story. He now has a face with which to connect to the story. And then it goes on where Boaz demonstrates kindness and how he addresses the needs of Ruth. Look at verse 8.

Verse 8, Boaz said to Ruth, Listen carefully, my daughter, an affectionate term, a term of endearment, a fatherly term. And he says, do not go to glean in another field. You see, Boaz knew the dangers of her gleaning in another field, and he wanted to protect her from that. And he tells you, don't go and glean in another field.

Furthermore, do not go on from this one, stay here. Stay here with my maids. My maids will be kind to you, they will treat you well. He says, let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them.

Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. You will be protected, no harm will befall you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw. You see, the godliness of Boaz here is on display.

Clearly, he is a man of the word. He knew God's word and he lived it out. God's word makes clear provision for the destitute. God has compassion for the destitute and, and he calls his people to make provision for them.

Boaz would have been familiar with the word of God. In Leviticus 23:22, we read, when you reap the harvest in your country, you will not reap to the very edges of your field, nor will you gather the gleanings of the harvest. You will leave them. For the poor and the stranger, I am Yahweh, your God.

In Deuteronomy 24:19-22, we read, if when reaping the harvest in your field, you overlook a sheaf in that field, do not go back for it. The foreigner. The orphan and the widow shall have it, so that Yahweh, your God may bless you and all of your undertakings. When you beat your olive tree, you must not go over the branches twice.

The foreigner, the orphan, and the widow shall have the rest. When you harvest your vineyard, you must know, not pick it up over a second time, the foreigner, the. and the widow shall have the rest. Remember that you were once a slave in Egypt and that is why I am giving you this order.

Boaz would have known these and other verses as well, enough to realize that God called him to minister mercy to those who were in need and he wants to Administer such mercy and grace and kindness and provision to this woman that he meets named Ruth. He cares for the needs of Ruth and Naomi. He offers protection when he says, I have commanded my servants not to touch you. He wants Ruth to feel the freedom to drink the water from the jars that the servants draw.

Our God is a kind and merciful God, and he uses his people as instruments through which his kindness is displayed. Boaz is such an instrument. The kindness of God is displayed to Ruth through Boaz, and I love her response. Listen to how she responds, verse 10, it says, then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground.

Her immediate response. At this point, there is not a word spoken, she simply falls to the ground. On her face, bowing to the ground and take note of this godly woman when she is on the receiving end of such expressions of kindness. Her response does not begin with words.

She is overwhelmed and she falls on her face and she bows to the ground and then she responds verbally with a question and listen to the question that she does ask. Why? Why? Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me?

Since I am a foreigner. Ruth by no means takes it for granted that she deserves any kindness. The first words out of her mouth is, why? Why have I found favor in your sight?

She is acknowledging the kindness of Boaz toward her, and she is well aware that she is a foreigner. She senses that she does not belong, and we have a picture here of a person who is overwhelmed by grace. Brothers and sisters who are in Christ, how much more have you and I been overwhelmed by the grace of Almighty God? We were dead in our transgressions and sins.

We were by nature enemies of God. We were without hope, doomed to spend an eternity in the lake of fire. And yet God in eternity past saw fit to devise a plan that would result in our salvation. The Holy Trinity conspired together to rescue us from the dominion of darkness.

It was determined that Almighty God would send His only begotten Son into this dark world on a rescue mission. Jesus did what we failed to do. He lived a Endless life, a perfect life unblemished without spot and wrinkle, and he voluntarily gave himself over as a sacrifice for our sins. Every single sin that we have committed, sins of omission and sins of commission, he was misunderstood and Christ was falsely accused, whipped and scourged, mocked at and spat upon.

A crown filled with sharp thorns was pressed upon his head. He was forced to carry his own cross much of the way, and spike-sized nails were driven through his hands and his feet, hoisted on a cross, hanging in the heat of the day, and there his naked, blood-soaked, quivering body hung throughout the day as every bitter drop of the wrath of Almighty God was poured out upon him. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was pierced through for our transgressions.

He bore the wrath that you and I deserve. God made him who knew no sin to be sinned for us. Simply put, Jesus died on a cross because of our sins and for our salvation. I defy you to find any greater expression of kindness, and I submit to you that the only reasonable response is for us to throw ourselves at the ground of the nail-scarred feet of Jesus and to ask why.

Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me? And these are the very words of Ruth. She has committed herself to the one and only true God, and God has raised up a kinsman redeemer through whom His grace would be poured out in abundance, and Ruth is tasting but a drop of such kindness and is already overwhelmed, asking the question, why? And Boaz will provide an answer.

It says in verse 11 that Boaz answered and he said to her, all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know. Now, you recall from chapter one where Naomi encouraged Ruth to return to Moab. Naomi genuinely cared for Ruth and wanted nothing more than for her to return to Moab and find happiness in marriage and child rearing, but Ruth was determined to stay with her mother-in-law.

Now I want to read in chapter 1 verse 16, where Ruth's response to Naomi on the way to Bethlehem was this.

Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you, for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.

These words are an expression of Ruth's faith in God. In answer to her question, Boaz points to the talk of the town. Word of Ruth's fidelity to Naomi had gotten out. Folks knew that she was willing to forsake all in order to be joined to God and His people, and Boaz caught wind of her testimony as well.

Boaz tells her then that the reason for the kindness being bestowed upon her. Is her faith. Do not fail to observe the relationship between faith and action. Ruth's actions were ultimately rooted in her faith.

But not only does Boaz answer her question by pointing out her faith, he proceeds to bless her and listen to what he says as we read through verse 12, May the Lord reward your work. And your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. Boaz expresses his desire as he pronounces a blessing upon Ruth. He wants her to be rewarded.

He wants her to receive a full wage from the Lord. He desires her prosperity. Little does Boaz know that he himself will end up being a part of the answer to his prayer for Ruth. Many years ago, a beautiful young lady was sharing with me a dilemma that she was in.

She was feeling a bit of pressure to pursue a relationship with a guy friend of hers. I communicated to her in no uncertain terms that if she had any shred of doubt, then she should not pursue the relationship. I remember telling her that the Lord would make it clear if he wanted her to be in a relationship with this other guy. She was filled with doubt and I counseled her to wait for the man God would bring in her life, and on many occasions, I would pray for this woman.

I prayed for God's blessing upon her. I would pray that the Lord would lead her to the man he wanted her to marry. And not in my wildest imagination. Did I ever think that the woman I was praying for would end up being my own bride?

So Boaz pronounces a blessing upon Ruth. He prays over her. In due time, he would become a part of the answer to his prayer for her. Please note the importance of prayer.

Boaz was a man of prayer and God would use his prayer as a way of leading him to the woman he would marry. Ruth responds to the blessing of Boaz and listen to what she says in verse 13. Then she said, I have found favor in your sight, my Lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants. She responds by embracing the kindness bestowed upon her by Boaz.

She acknowledges she has found favor. She has received comfort. She has been spoken to kindly, and while she identifies herself as a maidservant, she underscores the fact. That she is not like one of his maidservants.

There is this sense on the heart of Ruth that she is different. She feels that she does not quite belong. Nevertheless, she embraces the blessings of which he is on the receiving end. We come to verse 14 and it says that that mealtime Boaz said to her, Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar, and what is going on here?

At the very least, Boaz is showing a special interest in this beautiful young Moabite woman. He respects her godliness and wishes to reward her for her faithfulness. His admiration of her is perhaps the basis for his desire to bless her. What we observe here are the early steps of a developing romance that will culminate in a marriage between Boaz and Ruth that mirrors the ultimate marriage between Christ and his bride, the church.

At the very least, Ruth is on the receiving end of special treatment from a man who clearly has high regard for her. And the passage goes on to say, so she sat beside the reapers, and he served her. He served her roasted grain, and she ate. And was satisfied and had some left.

Can you imagine being in the sandals of Ruth? Here she is sitting among the reapers being served roasted grain by a kind older gentleman who seems to genuinely care for her. She begins her day out of desperation and finds herself seated at the table of a wealthy, godly gentleman serving her roasted grain. And the text says she ate and she was satisfied and she had some left, and this is a mere foretaste of the blessings about to be bestowed upon her by a sovereign God in whom nothing happens by chance.

And so Ruth meets the man who will prove to be the man of her dreams and Boaz meets the woman who will prove to be the one that God had been preparing for him. They don't know it at the time, but the day will come in which they will be able to look back, put the pieces together, and fondly recall the day when God first brought them together. Years later, when they tell their tale, they will be able to say that nothing happens by chance. Let's continue with the next development.

Number 5, Ruth returns to gleaning in the field. Ruth returns to gleaning in the field. The passage tells us when she rose to glean, when she rose to glean, so Ruth arises and continues on with her gleaning. In the meantime, it says that Boaz commanded his servants, saying, Let her glean even among the sheds.

Now that was uncommon, but let her glean even among the sheds. And do not insult her. And also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean and do not rebuke her, you better treat her with gentlemanly respect. While Ruth is gleaning, Boaz goes behind her back and he concocts a plan whereby Ruth would end her day with an abundance beyond anything she would have anticipated.

And the passage goes on to say, so she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an Ifah of barley, an Ifah of barley. The picture here is of Ruth continuing to work hard for the purpose of bringing home a handful of grain for the evening meal, but the passage says that by the end of the day, and after threshing out the wheat, she had an iffah of barley. In other words, she ended up with a lot of grain.

An IA would have been anything between 30 to 50 pounds. Her workday began with the problem of having no food at all. Her workday ends with another problem. She is now going to have to carry 30 to 50 pounds of wheat home.

What a difference meeting Boaz is already making. She has way more than she could have predicted. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we could ever ask or think. Also Imagine being Ruth in the field, just imagine.

You are Ruth in the field. Consider the emotion that might have come upon her as she reaps a harvest. Every bit of grain picked up by her hands serves as a reminder of God's gracious provision. Though much of her path has been marked by darkness, we have seen rays of light along the way, and there should be no doubt that this day would ultimately serve as a day that she will never forget.

It was really an ordinary day inside of which God was doing extraordinary things. I want to encourage you with the thought that God is working in the ordinary. God is always at work, nothing is by chance. I would also be willing to bet that God is working in your life in ways unknown to you.

He is using you in ways that you may fail right now to realize. Well, let us move to the next development, number 6. Ruth returns home to Naomi with a wonderful report of what transpired during the day. OK, so look at verse 18, it says, and she took it up and she went into the city.

So Ruth here is carrying some 30 pounds. I'm not exactly sure the distance, to the home, but I'm sure it was a reasonable distance and so she's carrying this sack, I suppose, of about 30, maybe more pounds of, of wheat. Last year, I was fishing at Rock Creek when I hooked into a dolphin-sized rainbow trout. All of a sudden, my reel was buzzing as the fish swam for his life.

He knew he was in trouble. In the process, he jumped completely out of the water 3 times and my adrenaline was pumping, some of the feeling, many of you don't. I reeled and reeled and reeled until I got him close enough to the rocks where my son Andrew could net him. From a 60-degree angled rock, Andrew reached out and successfully netted the beast just as the hook disconnected from its tail.

At that moment I let out a manly scream that was heard across the entire lake. Later, my boy told me that all was good until I screamed. He explained, Dad, that was embarrassing. Well, the trout was a solid 5+ pounds bigger than anything I have ever caught, and my boys agreed that it would be my privilege to carry the trout back to the car.

I shamefully admit that after about 50 yards of walking, my arm felt like it was going to fall off. I cannot imagine having to carry 30 to 50 pounds of grain a longer distance all the way home to my mother-in-law. But that is what Ruth did, and she finally arrives home and let us read. And her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.

Can you imagine the look in her eyes like, oh wow, oh boy, hot dog. I don't know if they had hot dogs at the time, but It says that she also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. verse 19, her mother-in-law then said to her, where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.

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, and Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, may he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead. Naomi's statement here is significant. What does she mean that the Lord has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and the dead? I believe the living refers to herself and her daughter-in-law.

She acknowledges the kindness of the Lord to herself and Ruth. This is a far cry from her declaration in chapter one, where she says, why do you call me Naomi, which means bitter or which means pleasant, call me Mara, which means bitter, but who are the dead that she is now referring to? I take it that the dead here that she refers to would be her deceased husband and son, but in what way is the Lord expressing kindness to her dead husband and son? Perhaps Naomi is finally able to dream a little and envisions already the possibility that the lineage of her deceased husband and son may carry on after all.

Perhaps Naomi is, is seeing in Boaz the possibility of a kinsman redeemer who, according to the law of Moses, would marry the childless widow of his near relative in order to perpetuate his lineage. This line of reasoning seems plausible, especially when we read the next verse. It says, again, Naomi said to her, the man is our relative. He is one of our closest relatives.

Naomi is no dummy. She sees the writing on the wall. Boaz, without question, has shown a keen interest in Naomi. He is a blessed and honorable man of God.

Perhaps she remembers him from before she and Alimelech left Bethlehem from Moab. She knew he was a good man and the report from Ruth indicates that he remains a good man. He has shown some interest in Ruth and furthermore, he is one of their closest relatives. He may very well serve as a kinsman redeemer.

This man has real potential, but Ruth, Ruth would have been clueless. The last thought in her mind is that Boaz may 1 day be her husband. She is completely innocent of such a line of thought, but she does know that Boaz seems to be a nice man. We read in verse 21, then Ruth the Moabite said, Furthermore, he said to me, you should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.

This was all Naomi needed to hear. She knows exactly what to say to her dear daughter-in-law. This takes us to the final development in the narrative. Development number 7, Ruth receives Naomi's counsel to embrace the good fortune that has fallen upon her.

Verse 22 says, and Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, lest others fall upon you in another field. So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean. Until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest, and she lived with her mother-in-law. My goodness.

The chapter begins with Ruth hoping for a handful of grain. We now read at the end of the chapter that Ruth would glean in the field of Boaz for the entirety of the barley and the wheat harvest. That would be more than 2 months of gleaning. Think with me for a moment.

If the harvesting of the barley lasted 1 month and if the harvesting of the subsequent wheat lasted 1 month. And if Ruth gleaned 5 days a week, bringing home a minimum of 30 pounds each day, that would mean that she would end up taking home a minimum of 1200 pounds over the two month period. The fact of the matter is that her tally could easily have totaled closer to 2000 pounds. She very well could have sold some grain.

earned some money and purchased other items needed to help make life more bearable for her and her beloved mother-in-law. And there you have it. That is Ruth chapter 2. We have been reminded afresh that nothing happens by chance.

We have seen how God was working in ways unbeknownst to Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, and as the curtain is raised, we see from behind the stage that God, in fact, has a plan, and his plan is good and we can trust in Him. We recall that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. May we have faith to believe that our God so often accomplishes extraordinary things through the ordinary events of our lives. May we be encouraged by the fact that nothing happens by chance.

Will you pray with me, please? As the ushers come forward to receive the offering. And now, Lord, with our heads bowed before you. We have been reminded afresh of your sovereignty.

We have seen your, your sovereign hand revealing itself in the context of Ruth chapter 2. We thank you, Lord, for what we observe in that chapter and how it is clear to us And she happened to come to the field, the portion of the field. That belong to Boaz, Lord, there's nothing by chance. I pray for my brothers and sisters, Lord, that, that you would help us all to be encouraged with the reality that you are at work in our lives.

For those of us who are saved, Lord, we know that all things work together for good to those who love You and are called according to your purpose. We thank you for that, Lord. I pray, Lord, that you would, help us to see more clearly all of the ways that you are working, it is so easy to see your hand of work there and there and here, but there are so many other ways where you are at work and we fail to see your work, and so Lord, give us eyes to see. And Lord, there are times in which you don't want us to see what it is that you are up to and we are called in those moments to simply trust in you.

We can trust in you, Lord, we know that at the end of the day, all will be well. We know, Lord, that at the end of the day we will come before you and stand in your presence, holy, righteous, and without blame. We will be glorified, Lord, and we will be able to worship you absolutely perfectly, Lord. No spot, no wrinkle, no stain.

Lord, we will be glorified and we long for the day when that happens, that is the ultimate love story in which you Our groom will bring us your bride to yourself, and the marriage, supper of the lamb will be celebrated. Let us long for the day and in the meantime, Lord, let us be about your business, trusting and believing and knowing that there is nothing that happens by chance, and we pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.