The Human Side of Providence

Good morning to everyone. I would like to ask if you would please find your seat. So that we can Get started with the preaching of God's word. It's my privilege this morning to be the guy preaching the word.

Pastor Milton is on vacation, having giving, given his daughter off in marriage last week, and so I don't even know if he's here today, but, he's the first string guy. I like to think of myself as 3 string, so we're, we're going with 3rd string here this morning. I wanna ask if you would join with me in prayer and, We'll ask the Lord to bless our time here together. let's pray.

Dear Lord God, we just come before you this morning. And we ask, Lord, that you would see fit to spread out your wings and to cover us, God. We seek refuge, we seek shelter. Under the shadow of your wings.

You are our protector. You are our provider. Lord, you are the source of our salvation. You are our redeemer, God.

And Lord, we come before your throne of grace as we have sung and as has been read from the scripture earlier, Lord, in obedience to your word, we come before you with boldness. And we acknowledge, Lord, the fact that we are a needy people. We confess, Lord, collectively that we have in fact sinned and we have fallen short of your glory in ways known as well as ways unknown to us, God. We realize, Lord, that apart from your mercy, we would have no hope, but Lord, in you, there is abundance of mercy.

And so Lord, we gather around your throne of grace together as one body. And Lord, we celebrate your grace, we celebrate your mercy, we celebrate who it is that you are and all of what you have accomplished for us, Lord. We give thanks and we give praise. And Lord, as we take the time to open your word and to try to understand it, Lord, we ask that you would give grace, that you would open the eyes of our understanding, Lord, that You would help us to behold our redeemer, help us to see Him with the eyes of faith and to hear Him through the ears of faith, Lord, speak to our hearts.

And Lord, help us. To respond in a way that is glorifying to you. to your word that is being preached here this morning. Lord, I pray that if there is anyone here who is yet to come to faith in Christ, Lord, I ask for that person, I ask for those persons for a special measure of your grace.

I pray, Lord, that even now as they sit in their seat, that Lord, they would be contemplating. Who it is that you are and what you have done for them. I pray, Lord, for the work of your spirit to convict and to draw nigh to yourself, Lord, so that they might be saved even here today, over the course of this next hour. And so Lord, we just again bring ourselves before you and we throw ourselves down at your nail scarred feet and we just pray, Lord, for your blessing upon our time.

And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, today, we will continue a four-part series, working through the book of Ruth. Remember in chapter one that we focused on the mysterious mercy of Almighty God.

We learned in that chapter that along a path of darkness, there are often rays of light in which the mysterious mercy of God shines through. And then in chapter two, we were reminded of the fact that there is nothing that happens by chance, nothing by chance. We saw how Ruth happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz and how such a so-called coincidence illumines God's sovereignty. And how he works in the ordinary details of life to accomplish extraordinary purposes.

Well, today, we're gonna focus our attention on chapter 3. You are free to turn in your Bibles then to Ruth chapter 3, turn in your Bibles or flip to your cell phone and find that part of the scripture. Ruth, chapter 3. And in chapter 3, we observe how the human side of Providence is expressed through a hope that fuels positive steps resulting in God accomplishing his redeeming purposes in the lives of his people.

Simply put, Ruth, Naomi. And Boaz, all three of them will take certain steps that God uses to accomplish his purposes. Perhaps you are familiar with the story of the man who was in his home when a severe storm hit. As the floodwaters began to rise, he prayed for deliverance.

Shortly thereafter, a man in a boat came by and he told him to get in, and he responded by saying, no thank you, the Lord will rescue me. And as the floodwaters rose, he went to the 2nd floor of his home, and he continued to pray for help. Just then another man in a boat came by and he told him to get into the boat, and again he responded, I'm praying I'll be fine. The Lord is going to deliver me.

I know it. And as the floodwaters continued to rise, the man ascended to the roof of his home. He continued to pray for God's help. When the floodwaters were up to his waist, a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted out to him, get in, get into the helicopter.

But the man insisted that God would save him and that he would be completely fine. Don't worry about it. I'm praying. I'm gonna be OK.

Finally, he drowns and he gets to heaven and in front of God, he says, God, I don't understand. Why did you not save me? I was praying the whole time. And God replies, I answered your prayer 3 times.

I sent 2 boats and a helicopter. Well, this is a familiar story, I know that, and it addresses man's responsibility to a sovereign God. God will sovereignly orchestrate events in such a way that requires action on our part. It is not uncommon for believers, however, to be imbalanced.

Some stress sovereignty at the expense of responsibility, while others will stress human responsibility at the expense of the sovereignty of God. But in our chapter today, I believe we see a balance in which our sovereign God works through the actions of his people in order to accomplish his redeeming purposes and so our message this morning is entitled The Human Side of Providence. The human side of Providence, we will consider 5 developments regarding Naomi's plan to get Ruth married that underscore the human side of divine Providence.

Well, let us consider then development number 1, Naomi counsels Ruth.

Naomi counsels Ruth. Let us not miss the fact that God directs His people through His people. God directs his people through His people. He will direct you through His people.

This is illustrated by the counsel that Naomi gives to Ruth. As we examine her counsel, I want to note the following observations, OK? So observation one, Naomi's council is filled with hope. OK.

Naomi's council is filled with hope and before we jump to, to the reading of the text, I just want you to know upfront that she is hopeful with her counsel. The fact that Naomi can even think about giving to Ruth the counsel she does is astonishing. She has gone through the wringer. She has lost her husband, her two sons.

Upon her return to Bethlehem, folks barely recognized her. The years had been very hard on her. Her name means pleasant, and when folks called her by name, she responded with a flood of negative emotion. She refused to be identified as pleasant.

Instead, she demanded to be called Mara. Meaning bitter, she returned to Bethlehem, a bitter and a broken woman. Her depression is evident in chapter two by the fact that she did not even join her daughter-in-law Ruth in going out to glean the fields for food, but she does permit Ruth to glean. At the time, Naomi has no idea the difference that such a decision will make.

Ruth happens to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, and that is exactly what the text says that she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz and chapter two is dedicated to the day. Ruth meets Boaz before the day ends, Ruth returns home to Naomi with a wonderful report of how, how well the day went, and we observe here a change in Naomi, which is expressed in the words she uses, blessed of the Lord, the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness, it is good.

These expressions are nowhere to be found earlier in the book, but here near the end of chapter two, these are the types of things that she is saying. Naomi's debilitating depression is being lifted.

She is encouraged, and the counsel she gives to Ruth at the beginning of chapter 3 is filled with hope. Understand she is filled with hope. Brothers and sisters, biblical hope makes all of the difference in the world. Hebrews 6:19 describes hope as an anchor of the soul.

It provides stability. It keeps us from being tossed to and fro in the storms of life. In 2 Corinthians 3:12, it is made clear that hope produces bold. and courage.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is the source of our hope and our hope is rooted in the fact that our sovereign and merciful God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and that the day will dawn according to God's word when Christ will return and we who are believers will be glorified. When we have hope, we can face the future with a smile. We can dream about the possibilities of what God is going to do. Naomi's council is marked by hope.

She is able to dream once again of the possibilities of what God is able to do. Well, let us move to observation number 2. Observation number 2. Naomi's council is marked by care.

Her council is marked by care. In chapter 3 verse 1, then we read that Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, my daughter, my daughter, the expression my daughter is a term of endearment indicating familial affection and care. Over the years, Ruth has become like Naomi's own flesh and blood daughter, and her care for Ruth is unmistakable, and so her counsel is marked by care observation 3. Naomi's counsel is marked by concern.

It says, Naomi speaking, shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you? You see, it was not uncommon for parents to assist in the arrangement of marriage. Naomi is looking to get Ruth hitched. There was a time when such a possibility was laughable.

But time flies. And Naomi realizes that there is now a real chance that her daughter, her daughter-in-law could become married. Naomi wants Ruth to experience the joy of marriage and child rearing. Clearly, Naomi is concerned that Ruth's future is secure and that it goes well with her, and so let us consider 1/4 observation.

About Naomi's counsel to Ruth. Number 4, Naomi's counsel is informed. Her counsel is informed. In verse 2, it reads, and now is not Boaz our kinsman, Understand Naomi continuing to speak to Ruth, is saying, is not Boaz our kinsman with whose maids you were?

Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. You see, Naomi knew what the Bible taught regarding the concept of the Kinsman Redeemer. When we say her counsel is informed, it is important that we not lose sight of the fact that her council is informed by the Bible. The biblical teaching in Leviticus chapter 25 regarding the kinsman redeemer serves as the basis for Naomi's counsel to Ruth.

She also knew that Boaz was a likely suitor and that he would be winnowing barley at the threshing floor later that evening. She was informed and in putting the pieces together, devises a plan for Ruth's consideration. Observation 5, Naomi's counsel is specific. It is very specific.

Look at verse 3, what she says to Ruth. She says, wash yourself, therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. And it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet, and you shall lie down, then he will tell you what to do. Naomi is here encouraging Ruth to prepare herself for marriage to Boaz, who very well may prove to be her kinsman redeemer.

Ruth must be washed, anointed, and clothed appropriately. She must no longer be a woman of mourning, having lost her husband a while back. Her inner beauty is to be complimented by an exterior beauty designed to gain Boaz's attention. Furthermore, she is to go to the threshing floor and only after Boaz has eaten and drank, she is to uncover his feet and then lay down.

In essence, Naomi wants Ruth to communicate to Boaz that she is interested in him. So Naomi steps up and she offers this counsel to Ruth. She does not just sit around waiting for something to happen. She takes action.

She calls for a meeting with Ruth and then tells her what she should do. We know that God has a plan for Naomi and Ruth. We know that God wants for Ruth to eventually give birth to a son to whom the savior of the world will come. And we see here that on the human side of Providence, Naomi comes up with a strategic plan and then she offers that plan to Ruth.

Before moving to the second development regarding Naomi's plan to get Ruth married, I want to consider the following. First, God uses human counsel to accomplish his purposes in the life of his people. In this case, God uses Naomi's counsel to direct Ruth towards a specific person to marry. Understand God will want to use the counsel of others to direct you regarding how you are to live your life and even regarding some of the important choices that you choose to make in your life.

Well, second, it is perfectly acceptable for a widowed person to arrive at a place where remarriage is considered. That's what we see with Ruth, for example, her first husband has passed away. And now her mother-in-law is encouraging her to make herself available to Boaz, and I am saying this not to convince those of you who are widowed that you should get married, that is not my purpose, but I want for you to know that there is nothing wrong should the Lord lead if you do choose at some point to marry again.

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:39 declares that a widowed woman is free to remarry in the Lord, and I would go on to say that a widowed man as well is free to remarry in the Lord, only in the Lord, and should the Lord lead.

Third, it is not necessarily wrong for a woman to express interest in a man. There is no reason to conclude that Ruth was not being led of the Lord in making her interest known to Boaz. Ruth is a godly woman, and Boaz is a very legitimate prospect, but he was not about to reveal his interest in Ruth. Perhaps something was holding him back.

Perhaps in his own mind his age was a concern. Perhaps he reasoned that Ruth deserved better. Whatever the reason, Boaz does not communicate interest, so Ruth has to be goaded by Naomi to express her interest in Boaz. Fourth, God has a way of accomplishing His purposes in our lives despite ourselves.

God has a way of accomplishing His purposes in our lives despite ourselves. God wants Boaz married to Ruth, but Boaz is not taking the first step, so God lays it upon the heart of Naomi to counsel Ruth to express her interest in Boaz. The Lord is working behind the scenes on behalf of Boaz in order to accomplish his good plan for him. And so, This chapter opens up with Naomi giving counsel to Ruth.

What Naomi does illustrates the human side of divine providence. While God is orchestrating events to accomplish his purposes, we observe Naomi stepping up and presenting a plan to Ruth that could result in her marriage and the birth of a son to whom the savior of the world will come. What does Ruth do? This leads us to the 2nd development.

Development number 2, Ruth embraces Naomi's counsel. Ruth embraces Naomi's counsel. It says in verse 5 that she said to her, this is Ruth speaking to her mother-in-law, she said to her, all that you say, I will do. We should not ignore the fact that Naomi has earned the right to speak into Ruth's life.

She was a trusted mother-in-law, friend, as well as counselor. The relationship was well established and it is within this context that the counsel is given. If you are to give counsel to another, you do well to do so within the context of a loving relationship. It is helpful to gain trust if you are to give counsel to others.

And on the other side of the council, we observe Ruth. He humble and godly qualities are on display as she fully embraces Naomi's counsel. The book of Proverbs has much to say about the importance of heeding counsel. In Proverbs 1:5, for example, we read that a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.

11:14 tells us in abundance of counselors, there is victory. The King James Version uses the word safety. There is safety, there is victory in an abundance of counselors. 12:15 tells us that a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

In Proverbs 13:10, we read that with those who receive counsel, there is wisdom. And in 1920, it says, listen to counsel that you may be wise the rest of your days. Listen to counsel, and in Ruth, we have an example of a person who is practicing wisdom and willing to listen to the counsel of her dear mother-in-law. On the human side of divine providence, we do well in listening to the counsel of wise and trusted people.

God has given to you family. Friends and church leaders who are here to help you. You do well to at least hear their counsel, and their counsel should be helpful to the degree that it is informed by the Bible. This should also serve as a sober reminder when we seek to give counsel to others.

We want to be sure that our counsel is helpful. We want to be certain that our council is informed by God's word. We want to be sure to be led of the Lord in giving the counsel that we give to those. Whom we counsel.

But Ruth here does not just listen. She determines to obey. Note what she says, all that you say, all that you say. I will do.

Her response underscores once again that she is a woman of faith. Think about it. Ruth manifested tremendous faith when she decided to leave her homeland and journey with Naomi all of the way to Bethlehem. Ruth again demonstrated faith when she goes out looking for a place to glean.

And here in our passage today, she displays faith when she embraces Naomi's counsel. She has no guarantee that, that Boaz will take her as his wife. It is quite a bold move for her as a Moabite to doll herself up and then go to Boaz in the middle of the night, uncover his feet, and then wait for him to awaken so that she can communicate her interest in him. How many of you single women would dare to do such a thing?

I would never tell a woman to go into the sleeping quarters of the man she is interested in in order to communicate her interest to him. I believe that in our day, there are other and even better approaches. Nevertheless, Ruth does embrace Naomi's counsel to go to the threshing floor where Boaz is sleeping in order to have this life changing chat with him. On the human side of divine providence, we behold a woman and Ruth, not afraid to step out in faith.

What I love here about Naomi and Ruth is that they refuse to allow the shadow of their past to darken their path as they move forward. Naomi has a plan. She is dreaming once again and she communicates her plan to Ruth, and then Ruth here embraces the plan and in faith moves forward. Let's also move forward as we unpack the next development.

Number 3. Development #3. Ruth acts on Naomi's counsel. She doesn't just embrace it, but here we're gonna discover how she actually acts upon the council.

In verse 6, it says, so she went down to the threshing floor and she did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. Verse 7 says when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain, and she came secretly and she uncovered his feet and she lay down. Ruth had given her word. And now she follows through.

The text says she did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. We do well whenever we follow through with the good counsel we receive. It is one thing to hear and even embrace good counsel. It is another thing to follow through and to act upon that counsel that we receive.

It is one thing to hear, it is another thing to do. And the hearing must be accompanied by the doing on the human side of Providence, we must act on the godly counsel that we receive. The text goes on to say that Boaz goes to sleep a happy man. His tummy is full and his heart is merry.

The way to a man's heart is through his tummy. Isn't that true? It says that he lays down and he falls asleep. Ruth arrives secretly.

Imagine that, how scary would that be? Just think about it, picture it in your mind's eye, how scary would that be? Ruth is dressed to kill and she comes to where Bohez is sleeping in the middle of the night. She gently uncovers his feet and then she waits until the cool draught awakens him.

Theoretically, there are a number of things that could go wrong here. Boaz could awaken, startled by the silhouette of a human figure and cry aloud for help before realizing who it is. I know if I saw that, I would probably freak out. Boaz could misinterpret Ruth's actions as those of a seductive Moabite woman.

Boaz and Ruth could yield in the darkness of the night. To the lust of the flesh. And they could potentially Give way to sin However, The character of Boaz and Ruth has already been well established. They are two God-fearing people.

Furthermore, they knew each other well enough to know that any impropriety would be virtually unthinkable. In the end, this scene highlights the faith required on Ruth's part to follow through with the counsel of her mother-in-law. On the human side of Providence, we are called to exercise faith. We may need to act courageously.

We may be led by God to do hard things, to do difficult things. We may have to make ourselves vulnerable, but no one ever said that walking by faith would be easy. For Ruth to do what she did was not easy. But your faith was sufficient enough to get her through.

Perhaps the Lord wants you to step out in faith. He wants you to share the gospel with a neighbor or a coworker, a family member. Perhaps the Lord is wanting for you to learn to be more open about your struggles with the folks in your care group. Perhaps he wants for you to have the courage and the faith to confront sin in the life of a person that you care deeply about or perhaps even to confront sin in your own life.

To volunteer your services and your gifts in a particular ministry. Brothers and sisters, understand that every single one of you who are believers in Christ have been granted gifts, and those gifts are not for yourself, those gifts are for the body, for the building up of the body of Christ to the glory of the God who sacrifice his own son for you. So that you might be willing to sacrifice your gifts and your time, your energy and your effort on behalf of other people. And so the Lord might want you to volunteer service.

Sunday school, Awana, outreach, sound, facilities. There are a number of ways that you can step in and get involved. I want you to be encouraged by Ruth's example and to take those steps of faith that the Lord might be calling you to. Well, let us continue in verse 8, it says, and it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward.

And behold, a woman was lying at his feet, and he said, Who are you? Now this strikes me as being funny. That's why I'm laughing. it's humorous.

It represents that awkward moment when as a single man, you go to bed and then you wake up to a chill in the dark of the night, then as you bend forward to cover your feet, you bump into a beautiful, godly woman. Now I know for some of you, you are thinking that that would be a dream come true. How could it be so easy? I am very impressed with the composure of Boaz.

He does not even skip a beat. Of all of the possible responses and things that he could have said, the calm, cool, and collected Boaz begins with a question, Who are you? Well, I'm not sure that he said it that way. But he does say, who are you?

You can try to discern for yourself what the tone of the who are you? was, but suffice it to say that he said, Who are you? What follows is as tender a moment as you will ever find between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman recorded in scripture. Listen to what Ruth says, and she answered, I am Ruth, your maid.

So spread your covering over your maid. For you are a close relative. Now some see this as a marriage proposal. At the very least, Ruth is communicating her interest in Boaz.

She invites him to consider marriage when she says, spread your covering over your maid. She appeals to scripture when she says, for you are a close relative, you are a kinsman redeemer. Ruth was aware of the biblical teaching of the kinsman Redeemer. She knew that the kinsman Redeemer was the near relative of her deceased husband with whom she would remarry and have children in order to carry on the family line.

She knew based upon God's word that Boaz qualified as a kinsman redeemer who could marry her and thus carry on the lineage of her deceased husband. She is asking Boaz to protect her. and to provide for her, to have children with her, and to carry on the name of Alemelech, her deceased husband. In short, she is telling Boaz that she wants to become his wife.

Now remember earlier in chapter 2, verse 12? Where Boaz blesses Ruth by saying, 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. Ruth is now asking Boaz to become the answer to his prayer for her. Ruth wants to find security and shelter under the leadership and authority of Boaz by becoming his wife.

Boaz now knows without question that Ruth wants to marry him. Well, let's continue to see how he responds. Verse 10, then Boaz said, May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

And now my daughter, do not fear. Don't be afraid. You can imagine that what she did was something that would have invoked fear in her. It required a tremendous amount of courage.

And he comforts her by saying, do not fear, I will do for you whatever you ask. For all of my people in the city know that you are a woman. Of excellence. Your reputation precedes you.

And everyone knows that you are a woman of excellence, and I would be more than happy. To respond to your request. Boaz is overwhelmed by the situation he finds himself in. He begins by bestowing a blessing upon Ruth, and this is the 2nd time Boaz prays a blessing over her.

His sincere desire is for Ruth to be blessed of the Lord, and then notice what he says to her, You have shown your last kindness to be better. Then the first. Here, Boaz refers to two acts of kindness. The first act of kindness involves abandoning her homeland and family out of devotion to Naomi.

This last act of kindness centers on Ruth's willingness to provide Naomi an heir by marrying a redeemer like Boaz. We know this last act of kindness revolves around marrying Boaz and continuing the lineage of her deceased husband because of the reference to Ruth not going after young men, whether poor or rich. Theoretically. She could have looked for someone her own age.

She could have found some young, well-to do stud. Like Pastor Milton, but this she does not do. Instead, she considers Boaz, and I think Boaz is somewhat surprised. Based on what Boaz says, we can assume that he sees himself as a less desirable option for Ruth, mainly because he is older, yet Ruth is genuinely interested in Boaz.

I do think that your interest is informed by the word of God. Again, she is aware of the kinsman redeemer concept. She knows of and embraces the value of one's family lineage being preserved, and her kindness is illustrated by the fact that she is willing to marry a kinsman redeemer like Boaz in part to perpetuate the family lineage. Know this.

That Boaz exhorts Ruth not to fear. He assures her that he will do whatever is in his power to give to her what she is asking for. And again She is experiencing a measure of fear. Perhaps she was shaking, I don't know, but what she did required a boldness.

To step up and to follow through with the plan and now here she is, and she's hanging on the very words of Boaz. What are you gonna say now? He is absolutely committed to marrying her. In short, he accepts this proposal, if that's what you want to call it, but there is one problem.

A significant problem which we will see in the next development. Development number 4, Ruth faces a threat to the plan. Ruth faces a threat to the plan. Verse 12 tells us That Boaz, in speaking to Ruth says, And now it is true, I am a close relative.

What you say is true, Ruth. I am in fact a close relative. Boaz affirms her reference to him. As a close relative, he knows that he is a kinsman redeemer.

He is aware of the fact that he could potentially marry Ruth. He could through marriage redeem her and her property and then through the birth of a son, carry on the name of the deceased husband. So far, so good, but then comes the dreaded word where Boaz says, however, However, imagine, imagine being in the shoes of Ruth after all that she has just communicated when she hears from Boaz, however, however, What do you mean? However, I knew Naomi's plan was too good to be true.

I should have known that the plan was doomed to failure. What Does Boaz not like me? Is he offended? Have I just made a fool of myself?

Will he reject me Ruth, such is not the case at all. Listen to what Boaz has to say. Let him finish and then you will understand. He says, however, There is a relative closer than I.

You see, Boaz is a man of God who will do what is right even to his own hurt. He is a man of God who will do the right thing even if that means his own hurt. Make no mistake about it, he wanted to marry Ruth. But he also understood some other things.

He wanted to marry Ruth. He was in fact a step ahead of her. He has already thought this one through. He already knows that there is a closer relative who has first dibs.

He wants to marry Ruth, but he must give the man ahead of him first shot. And now that Boaz knows Ruth wants to marry, he will waste no time in settling the matter. Verse 13, we read where Boaz says, remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good, let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you.

As the Lord lives. Boaz assures Ruth, he will resolve the matter right away and I want you to know that Boaz is so positioned. That as soon as he is aware of the possibility of becoming married, he jumps all over it. He does not hem and haw.

He is a godly man. He has the ability to provide. He is mature. You might say that his house is in order.

He is more than ready to marry and to provide for a wife and children. There was nothing holding Boaz back. I believe that our young men can learn from the example of Boaz. I am speaking to any single man in his teens or twenties.

You are a single man in your teens or twenties. I want to encourage you. To position yourself like Boaz, be a godly man, walk in purity, work hard, position yourself so that financially the day will come when you can in fact support a family and be open to the Lord's leading. He may not want you to ever get married, but if he does, be ready to take action.

If and when the day comes that the Lord directs you to marry the woman he wants you to marry, Boaz was as ready as a man could be to marry. So when the day comes, he is ready to act immediately. So, when we consider the human side of Providence, we do well to ready ourselves so that we can take action whenever called upon to do so. Again, the human side of Providence.

Demands that we ready ourselves for whatever it is that the Lord might have in store for us and let us continue in this narrative to see what else Boaz says. He says to her, lie down until morning. There at the end of verse 13, lie down until morning. So she lay at his feet until morning and she rose before one could recognize another, and he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.

Not that she had done anything wrong, but that people might get the wrong idea. And again he said, Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it. So she held it and he measured 6 measures of barley and he laid it on her. Then she went into the city.

And what I love here is that Boaz is very careful to protect Ruth's reputation. He knows that folks might get the wrong idea. So he encouraged her to stay down and to remain hidden. In the early morning, he gave her barley and he sent her away in a manner that protected her from being recognized.

So Ruth goes into the city on her way to Naomi and let us now consider the final development. Number 5, Ruth must wait upon the Lord to see what happens. Verse 16 says, and when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Naomi speaking to Ruth, how did it go, my daughter? I would not be surprised if Naomi stayed awake the whole night, chomping at the bit to know what was going on.

You can imagine the anticipation. How did it go? Tell me what happened. Are you getting married?

Do you remember in chapter one, where Naomi did all that she could to encourage Ruth to return home to Moab, where she might find a husband and bear children? At that time, Naomi could never envision that there in Bethlehem, Ruth would ever find a way of becoming married and having children. The situation at the time seemed hopeless. But fast forward to this morning.

Naomi's countenance is so different. She is so full of hope that Ruth might indeed end up married and bear children. She can barely contain herself. How did it go, my daughter?

And she told her all that the man had done for her, and she said, these 6 measures of barley he gave me. He gave to me, for he said, do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed. What a man. And then she said, the mother-in-law speaking to Ruth, Wait, wait, my daughter, until how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest until he has settled it today.

He is a man who is good for his word. He basically said he was going to settle the matter, and we know with certainty based upon his reputation and his character that he is true to his word. He will settle the matter today, so let's just wait. Naomi tells her to wait.

She also encourages Ruth with her belief that the wait will not be long. The fact is that Ruth has been waiting and is even prepared to die a widow. On the one hand, it may seem to have been an eternity since Ruth was widowed. Nevertheless, we are now on the cusp of Ruth getting married again.

And she is left waiting and trusting in the Lord. Ruth has done all that she could and must now wait just a little while. On the human side of Providence, sometimes the thing that we have to do is to wait. And that is exactly what we will do until the final message of this short series through the book of Ruth.

We will have to wait until we get to chapter 4 to see what happens and to see how Boaz is able to settle the situation. Well, the sermon today was entitled The Human Side of Providence. In Ruth chapter 3, we come face to face once again with the providence of God. He is sovereign, He is in control.

He is accomplishing his purposes. We see him in control over human affairs in order to accomplish his purposes, but we also see in this chapter, the human side of Providence. Naomi and Ruth do not just sit around waiting for God to accomplish his purposes, they take action. Naomi comes to Ruth with a plan.

Ruth embraces and acts upon that plan, and we see Boaz responding immediately and decisively the minute he knows that Ruth is interested in him. And at the very center of this story. is the theme of redemption. If we miss this, we miss a critical point.

In Ruth we behold a sovereign God who is weaving together a tapestry of redemption that leaves us utterly amazed, but we also behold on the human side of the equation a story in which an unlikely hero forsakes everything through the choices she makes only to find herself on a path that will lead to her own redemption, Ruth. The Moabite is a woman seeking redemption through a man Boaz qualified to fulfill such a role, and we discover in chapter 3 that the kinsman Redeemer takes immediate action in order to do whatever necessary in order to ensure that Ruth's desire for redemption through marriage will be granted.

Now, this is a picture of the ultimate redemption story in which God in His sovereignty sent his beloved Son, Jesus Christ into this world to serve as our redeemer by dying a bloody death on the cross so that our sins might be atoned for and that we might be brought into an everlasting marriage relationship with our groom, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what God has done for us so that we ourselves might be redeemed.

But as we are reminded today, there is a human side to the providence of God. While God has accomplished everything necessary for our redemption, we must respond to Him in faith. And for those of us who have responded to Him in faith, I want to encourage you to give thanks to the Lord and to offer praise to his name. To the one who was willing to die the bloody death that he died on the cross for you, who was willing to endure the suffering that you should have endured, who took upon himself the wrath of the Father that should have been bestowed upon you, so that you might be brought into an eternal marriage relationship with your groom Christ, give thanks to him.

Give praise to Him. But if you are here with us, And you have yet to experience redemption through the finished work of Christ. I call upon you today to take that step of faith by throwing yourself down on the threshing floor at the nail-scarred feet of your redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Allow yourself to be crushed by the burden of your own sin and make request of the Lord to redeem you.

The Lord has done everything necessary for your salvation. In the Bible, we read Jesus saying, come to me all who are weak and heavy-hearted, and I will give you rest. The Lord Jesus says, all who come to me, I will in no way cast out. In Revelation 3:20, the Lord says, behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him, and he with me. On the human side of Providence, you must turn from your sin and by faith believe in Christ alone for your salvation. You must throw yourself down upon the threshing floor at the nail-scarred feet of Jesus and embrace Him as your savior. And notice what the Lord Jesus says.

In his word, he says, I tell you the truth. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me. Has eternal life. And he will not be condemned.

He has crossed over from death. Into life. So if you are here and you have any question about the condition of your soul, You want to come to faith in Christ. Perhaps you're not sure how to make that happen, but, based upon what you heard this morning that you've got to take a step.

I want to encourage you, feel free to ask me, I'll be here, or you can go to the welcome table, to the connection table over there and just ask the people who are there helping, ask them. They'll be more than willing to just sit down and talk with you or to connect you with someone who can talk to you, but please don't leave here today if you have yet to be born again without settling the score with your redeemer. Let us go ahead and pray. And our gracious heavenly Father again.

Under your wings, we have sought refuge. Lord, we are reminded that you are in fact our redeemer. Lord, we are reminded that like Ruth, there was a day in our lives in which by your grace you drew us to, to yourself, but yet at the same time, we had the responsibility before you to come to you in faith, repenting of our sin and believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord, I am thank you that for the majority of us, of us that has already happened.

Lord, we can testify to the fact that we have come to faith in Christ, that Lord, we like Ruth were Moabites, evil and sinful, and yet you drew us to Yourself and you put us on the path that resulted in our redemption. Lord, that we became married to you through faith in you, and Lord, our sins have been atoned for. Lord, we thank you for what you have done in our lives, and Lord, once again, we pray for anyone here who has perhaps yet To come to you in faith believing that God today, you would grant faith, that today you would enable such people to believe.

I pray, Father, for anyone and everyone who is here, who needs to come to faith, that you would cause them to be born again.

And Lord, we lay these requests at your feet. Lord, we also pray that you would take our offering. Lord, it is a meager offering. Offering, but Lord, we know that you can take the little that we give to you and you can multiply it and do much with it.

And so Father God, we pray for the sake of your glory, for the sake of your kingdom, for your name's sake, that Lord, you would take what we give, you would multiply it, Lord, and that Lord, you would use it to glorify yourself and to make yourself known. not just through Cornerstone, but through, those that we support our missionaries and, and so on and so forth, Lord, just cause the gospel to go forth. Lord, we do pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.