Greetings in Christ Jesus, fellow soldiers.
To this point in our study of the book of Ruth, we have focused upon Naomi, a broken sufferer and sinner who was blind to the real source of her emptiness, as well as the grace that God had provided in the person of Ruth. Naomi's eyes were finally opened on the day that Ruth brought home Naomi's unearned blessing, crediting the blessing to Boaz, Naomi's kinsman-redeemer (a person morally bound by blood to deliver their family from a state of poverty and/or slavery). Naomi's eyes were opened to the reality that in all the hardships she had endured, the living God was working FOR her, not against her. In all of this, Ruth pointed forward to Jesus Christ in her willingness to suffer to the point of death for her beloved, as well as do the necessary work that would sustain her mother's life.
Now, we look at these first two chapters through the eyes of Ruth. While she is a Christ-like figure to Naomi, she is certainly not Jesus Christ. She struggled mightily in her own right. Consider the circumstances working against her from the passage: She was married ten years without having a child; her husband died; she was turned away from her mother-in-law when returning to Bethlehem. Consider other ways in which she might have suffered as well. IF Ruth is a believer (and we can assume from many of her remarks that she is), then she has endured a lonely existence as a baby Christian (knowing the term "Christian" wasn't used then).
The likely scenario goes something like this: Although Naomi and her family are not believers, they are "cultural Christians," who talk about the traditions of their people. They talk about things like Eden, the flood, exodus, and Passover. And while they are not speaking from a point of faith, Ruth hears the Word of God through them nonetheless and becomes a believer. But is it all sunshine and roses from there on out? There were no temples around her for worship, teachers to share the Word of God, fellow believers with which to fellowship and be encouraged. For years, this baby Christian has been trapped in a lonely existence. Then her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all die. Her mother-in-law decides to go back to Bethlehem, but turns Ruth and her sister-in-law away.
In this moment, we see Ruth, the lonely young believer, take a giant step in faith. She clings to her mother-in-law, even as her mother-in-law casts her away. Her land is no longer her land; her people no longer her people; her gods no longer her God. She pours out her heart to Naomi, stating emphatically "Your people, my people; Your God, my God." In other words, Ruth knows where her home truly is and she is not turning back. Naomi's response? Simply to ignore this great display of faith and vulnerability. She didn't speak to her. Instead, when they get back to Bethlehem, with Ruth standing by her side, Naomi describes her life as "empty." If Ruth could have leaned into a doorframe to hide herself or sit in a house and have time to think, maybe this would be easier. But she had nowhere to go. Her one human lifeline has just disavowed her.
Friends, I think we can all relate to Ruth in this story. I think of friends who have become believers in Jesus Christ, but then go into a church that bears the name "Christian" but doesn't believe in the Gospel, or go to a church that is self-righteous and unloving and makes them feel like an outcast, or the friend who led them to Christ later abandons the faith. In all of these scenarios, the desire for a home with God's people has been thwarted and people come away incredibly hurt. There is a reason why so many rail against the church today. But friends, Christ loved His ugly bride (the church) so much that He died for her, and we should love her too. And we should know that the church is not our ultimate home, but a foretaste of our heavenly home. It is a hospital for souls until the day when we our finally healed and whole in Christ Jesus.
With that in mind, let us join Ruth once more as she searches desperately for a home with God's people. In another incredible display of faith, Ruth makes the dangerous journey out to the field in order to provide for her mother-in-law. As we are in the time of the Judges, Ruth puts herself in great danger in that age of lawlessness. She could be harrassed, beaten, raped, or killed. Yet she goes, expressing the hope that perhaps "she will find favor" in someone's eyes. Enter Boaz, a man who is clearly godly from his interaction with his workers. What is the first thing Boaz does when he comes to the field? He notices Ruth.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that just as Ruth was a Christ-like figure to Naomi, Boaz depicts the heart of God in his care for Ruth. His interactions with Ruth here in ch.2 are precious. He tells her to stay on his land and follow his women--he will not let his men accost her. He tells her to drink of the water that others draw when she is thirsty. He then gives her more food than she could possibly want. In other words, for Ruth, there is "no more hunger, no more thirst, no more tears." This earthly home that Ruth has finally found should naturally point us forward to our heavenly home, when those same realities are made ours.
Ruth is in awe, as the man (and ultimately, God) who could have beaten and disowned her was the man who embraced her as his own. This is what Ruth is getting at with her reply "You have treated me as one of your servants, though I am not one of your servants." She recognizes that though she doesn't naturally belong to this man (God) or this people, she has been adopted into this family and loved. And how did this incredible homecoming occur? We find the answer in what Boaz says in v.12: "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!”
Ruth's difficult walk to this point was a walk of faith, sheltered under the wings of the true God. Because the true God was her God, Ruth was able to endure unimaginable pain in her journey. Though she has just now made Naomi's people her people, we can say that, sheltered in the wings of God, she had already made Naomi's God her God long before now. And the God who gave her faith and sustained her faith is the same God who granted her the (partial) fulfillment of her faith. Ultimately, the same God of grace does this for us in Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Ruth may not have known Christ in the flesh as we do now, but she knew the promises, and walked with the vision of Christ before her on that shadowy horizon.
As a final gift to Ruth, God blesses her with a mother-in-law who now believes. Naomi's eyes are opened that night and she finally treats Ruth as her beloved daughter, looking out for her well being. By the close of the second chapter of Ruth, two dear, broken women have been enfolded into the love of God and a believing family. And so it shall one day be for all of us who walk by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Friends, if you do not walk by faith, then your wanderings though the wilderness of this wasting world are pointless. As your days draw to a close, your life will bear the bitterness of Naomi, knowing nothing of the beauty of a life sustained by the true God. Knowing what lies behind the curtain for God's people, today is the day to embrace Christ, who after living and dying for us, is now preparing a place for His people in glory. If you are a believer, know that your steps are not in vain. You will never "arrive" this side of heaven, but you know when Christ appears, so you will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3). On that day, our Father in Heaven will wipe every tear from our sin-wearied eyes.
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