We are on the second week of our Advent walk through Ruth and today we look at chapter 2. By way of reminder, or if you weren’t here last week, Naomi is an Israelite who fled with her family from Bethlehem to Moab during a time of famine. This was a bad decision on a lot of levels. Naomi had two sons who were then married to Moabite women (a big no no) and then tragedy struck. Naomi’s husband and both of her sons died. 

Naomi then heard that food had returned to Bethlehem so she decided to return, but not before trying to talk her two daughters-in-law into going back home to Moab. Orpah agreed to go back home, but Ruth declined and committed herself fully to Naomi and Naomi’s God. And that’s where we pick this story up in chapter two. 

Now we get to see the providence of God work in the midst of unimaginable suffering. One pastor said, “There are nothing but dark clouds over these women's heads, but in chapter two a hole opens up, light breaks through and that hole just gets wider and wider.” What do I mean when I talk about God’s providence? Our statement of faith defines it this way, “God’s works of providence are the holy, wise, and powerful acts by which he preserves and governs all his creatures, and their actions.”

God’s holy, wise, and powerful acts regardless of what is going on outside of us or inside of us. The idea of a God who loves us and is engaged in every aspect of our lives should be one of the greatest comforts we can have. Like a young child who doesn’t worry about the world because she knows her parents have everything under control. And Christianity in most every other culture over the past 200 years has had no problem with this, until today. There is a direct correlation between the rise of individualism in the West and our growing doubts about whether God is really in control of everything. And since we live in the most individualistic society ever to exist, it shouldn’t surprise us that we will struggle to understand and embrace God’s providence more than most Christians. 

I was listening to a presentation this week by my friend Ben Kandt who is a brilliant pastor and counselor and he was talking about how the chief medical concern in our society today…more than cancer, drugs, or heart attacks…is anxiety. We are the most anxious nation on earth with over 40 million Americans suffering from anxiety disorders. And that study was from just pre-COVID. He showed us that the average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950’s. 

Why do I say this? Certainly not to pile any guilt on anyone suffering from anxiety and certainly not to say that you just aren’t trusting in God’s providence enough. I say this to say that God is sweetly offering his providence to us, the most individualistic and anxious society that has ever existed and His desire is that it would be like a warm blanket to our soul. And this providence is on full display in Ruth chapter two. Ruth chapter two is God’s providence on display in the bleakest of stories. In this chapter we are going to see 1) the display of God’s providence, 2) the effects of God's providence, and 3) Why God’s good providence is set on us. 

• The display of God’s providence 

We see God’s providence on display in five ways in this chapter. First, we see it through suffering. Not quite what you hoped the first point on God’s providence would be. I’m reaching back a chapter here, but we have seen suffering in chapter one on a level I don’t even know how to fully emotionally engage with. And if we are going to take Scripture seriously about how far the providence of God really extends, we have to accept that He is behind our trials as well as our successes. We call this God’s hard providence.

But, we have to see that He is using them to purify us, not punish us. What we see in this story is God bringing about this suffering to call Naomi out of her sin and back to her people in Bethlehem and Ruth out of paganism and into God’s covenant people. Sometimes it is through the greatest suffering that God brings the greatest blessing. There are times where God ordains tragedy to set the stage for triumph. 

Second, we see God’s providence through nature. The famine was lifted! Bethlehem, the house of bread, had bread again. God’s providence isn’t just limited to human interaction. Literally anything that happens happens because God caused it to happen and that includes growing food from the earth. Psalm 104 says You cause ithe grass to grow for the livestock and jplants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth kfood from the earth. - Psalm 104:14

Third, we can see God’s providence on display through what we might perceive as chance. We can see this in the word ‘happened.’ We see that Naomi actually does have a male relative of marrying age for Ruth! His name is Boaz and he is of the line of Naomi’s dead husband, Elimelech! Naomi tells Ruth to go and glean in his field (which means to go and try and find food there). Naomi and Ruth have just ‘happened’ to come to the BEST FIELD EVER!! The Hebrew word is literally ‘chance chanced.’ It would be our way of sarcastically saying ‘as luck would have it.’ The author obviously doesn’t believe in blind luck, he’s acknowledging God’s providence in all the things beyond the control of Ruth. There is no such thing as a chance or coincidence in the economy of God. 

If you’ll allow me a personal reflection here, most of you know I had a massive heart attack and this Tuesday will be the one year anniversary of that day. I can’t look at this text this week and not think about that day. What some of you might not know is that literally everything that had to happen, against all odds, for me to live happened. I thought I was having a panic attack and was going to take some Maalox, wait it out, and maybe go to urgent care. But my brother, who is an ER doctor, made me go to the hospital where the red carpet was laid out and as soon as they hooked me up, the big one hit. My heart rate went to 30, my blood pressure dropped in half, but the doctors were able to revive me. The doctors all told me that if I had been anywhere other than in a chair surrounded by ER doctors at that moment, game over. 

But, then the next question is how long before they could get blood flowing to my heart and brain? My widow maker, which is the largest artery into your heart, was 100% blocked. It was a Sunday afternoon and no cardiologist was working at that time. Well, ‘by chance,’ the best cardiologist in their system just ‘happened’ to be in the building with his whole team who was on call and just finishing up another emergency heart attack so they got me straight back. My blockage was so severe that they needed to fly me downtown for open heart bypass, but they didn’t think I’d live to make the trip and this was the ONLY doctor in the system who would risk doing a stent with this much blockage, which worked. And because all this happened so fast, against all odds, not only did I live, but I have no heart or brain damage. The way the author of Ruth says ‘by chance’ Ruth came upon this field is the same way I would say, “Wow, isn’t it a coincidence that everything happened so perfectly?” We know it’s not. No part of me believes that chance saved me and no part of the author of Ruth believes this just ‘happened.’ It’s a part of God’s gracious plan beyond anything we could ever plan for. 

Fourth, we see God’s providence on display through the law. In verse four, Boaz comes on the scene, sees Ruth, and asks, “Who’s young woman is this?” That’s ancient Hebrew for, “Wow! Who is she?” And they told him all that had happened and that Ruth was getting food from his field. What Ruth was doing was taking advantage of the law in Deuteronomy 24 that says that if some of your harvest falls to the ground, don’t go back and get it, but leave it for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 

God providentially provided through the laws He gave Israel. Basically, almost everyone in that day had to grow what they ate. If you couldn’t grow food, you were in a very precarious place. So, God made provision for those in need. The law would not have provided a lot of food, but it would have been enough for the night. Now, I don’t think you can take the laws given to an agrarian society and directly apply them to our urbanized global market today, but we do need to see that the whole law is ordered for human flourishing. God has providentially given us principles that should inform our lives today and we see them blessing Ruth. 

Fifth, we see God’s providence through God’s people. Cue Ruth’s knight in shining armor. Boaz says to Ruth, do not go glean in another field. Stay here and stay close to the young women. I have told the men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, get something to drink from what the men have drawn. This would have been mind blowing to the original audience. In those days Moabites served Israelites and women served men. But here, the Israelite men are serving the Moabite woman. Now we get to see the first date. 

Boaz told her to come eat with him and dip some bread in the wine. He gave her roasted grain and she ate until she was full and she even had some left over. Then, he pulled out some sacks and told her to basically go get all you want. We see Boaz going so much further than the law required. He gives her an ephah of barley. Imagine the largest bag of dog food at Walmart filled with barley and that is about what she is walking out with. Between 30 and 50 pounds of barley. Do you know what the average take home for a man employed in that field would have been? About two pounds. 

Remember when we started this chapter, Ruth and Naomi had two major, life threatening issues. They lacked food and family. Food is solved through God’s providence of His law, nature, and people, but we have inclings here that something could be happening on the family front as well. In verse 18 we see that she went back to Naomi and showed her what she had gotten in addition to her feast. Naomi was interested in who this man was who showed her such kindness and Ruth told her that it was Boaz. This is when Naomi tells her that this man is a close relative and one of our redeemers. That means that Ruth can legally marry this man AND keep her vow to Naomi. Boy did she ‘happen’ into the right field. 

That would have surely been enough, but the author doesn’t stop there. We learn that Boaz was ‘a worthy man’ which generally means godly. Not only is he generous to the poor, he cares about the outcast, and reaches across cultural barriers. Boaz is starting to make a knight in shining armor look kind of average and he stands in stark contrast to the the days of the judges when there was no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. 

These are the five ways we see God’s providence breaking through to work for the good of Ruth and Naomi. Now, I want to look at the way this providence affects Ruth and Naomi. 

1. The effects of God’s providence 

In this story, we see three effects of God’s providence. First, God’s providence increases initiative and motivation. There is this idea out there that if we believe in a big God who is providentially working in every facet of our lives to bring about our good and His glory, that we will then stop trying. That God’s providence and our motivation are somehow at odds with each other. Basically, the argument is that the bigger God is, the less we will do, but nothing about that view is supported in Scripture. Just look at Ruth. 

Remember she comes into this chapter already fully committed to God’s providence in her life and in verse two we saw that she ‘goes.’ There is a direct correlation between her view of God’s providence and her willingness to go and do the hard, but right thing. She goes with Noami to Bethlehem and she goes to the field to glean. In verses seven and seventeen we see Ruth is an incredibly hard worker. Her belief that God would provide didn’t hinder her work, it increased it. And you actually have the feeling that as she realizes some of the ways God is providing, she works even harder. 

And doesn’t this make sense? If you believe you are on a winning team, your motivation to play hard grows. It doesn’t mean the journey is going to be easy, but it means that you believe it is going to finish well. And, to the extent we believe this, we will always see an increase in the initiative we show in this life. When Paul was in Corinth he was scared for some reason and God told him in a vision “Do not be afraid, `but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 nfor I am with you, and ono one will attack you to harm you, for pI have many in this city who are my people.” - Acts 18:9b,10 And that is exactly what Paul did! So, we see that a proper understanding of God’s providence increases Paul’s motivation to share his faith. God said in no uncertain terms that he had people in that city who had yet to hear the gospel and Paul didn’t say, “Well, I guess I have no role here then.” It motivated Paul to go and share the gospel!

Secondly, we see that a proper understanding of God’s providence brings humility. In verse seven, Ruth asks politely to glean. She knew it was the law, but she didn't demand. She didn’t presume. She humbly requested. A proper understanding of God’s providence and human pride cannot co-exist. The bigger God is in our minds and hearts, the smaller it makes us. CS Lewis says humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. When we are confronted with a God who is both good and in full control, it causes us to be more willing to lift others above ourselves, less willing to be defensive, more willing to let go of the control of our lives and that makes us more humble. 

Third, a proper understanding of God’s providence brings joy to our hearts. Ruth isn’t the only one in this story being affected by God’s providence. Look what it does for Naomi. Did you notice that Naomi didn’t go glean? It could simply be that she was too old or in poor health, but most speculate that she was just so downcast and depressed that she shut down. But, look at what happens to Naomi’s spirits once she begins to realize what ‘happens’ to be happening. Naomi says, “May you be blessed by the LORD whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead.” Naomi, who was bitter with God and wanted to change her name to bitter, is overflowing with joy and praise. You can see her heart softening. You can see her mind opening to God’s goodness. But, unlike Ruth, she had to see it to believe it, but she is embracing the providence of God and it is producing joy.

There is still one huge question in Ruth’s mind: Why? Why is she receiving this favor? She asks this exact question to Boaz in verse ten. Then zshe fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should atake notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” - Ruth 2:10 That word foreigner is a very specific Hebrew word and do you know where you see it over and over again? Proverbs. In Proverbs, this describes the lady you do not want to be with: Lady Folly. 16  So pyou will be delivered from the forbidden1 woman, from qthe adulteress2 with rher smooth words, - Pr 2:16 20  Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with wa forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of wan adulteress? - Pr 5:20 24  to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of sthe adulteress. - Pr 6:24 5  to keep you from lthe forbidden1 woman, from lthe adulteress2 with her smooth words. - Pr. 7:5n27  For a prostitute is ha deep pit; ian adulteress7 is a narrow jwell. - Pr 23:27 There are more, but you get the point. Solomon, who wrote and curated Proverbs, has to have this word in mind because the story of Ruth is his family story. And as you move in the Hebrew Bible from Proverbs 31 to Ruth 1, Ruth is using this word to describe herself. 

And this is the same question anyone confronted with the reality of God’s providence in their lives asks: Why? Why would a good God care about a literal or metaphorical foreigner? Why would the God of the universe who is in control of everything engage us with such grace and love? 

• Why God’s good providence is set on us

Because He loves us. To understand this, we have to first understand the basis for Boaz’ kindness toward Ruth. She can’t believe the favor she is being shown, so she asks, “why are you doing this?” And he says this. 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. 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 2:11-12

On the surface, it could seem like taking care of your mother-in-law is the key to it all. And I wouldn’t blame any mothers-in-law for using that verse out of context. But the whole statement hinges on this last line: under whose… Everything she has done is a result of, maybe proof of her taking refuge under the wings of the Lord. That is what Boaz likes so much! My friend, Ben Kandt, that I referenced earlier made an observation that I had never seen before. Do you know what the main picture we are given in Psalms for God? Our refuge. Psalm 46 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear… - Psalm 46:1-2 God as our refuge is more prevalent in Psalms than any other metaphor. 

Ruth’s taking refuge in the wings of the Lord triggered this unconditional devotion from Boaz. And if there was any doubt, it’s eliminated in Ruth’s response. Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” - Ruth 2:13 This word for kindness here is ‘hesed.’ It means a loving commitment that is based on the giver of that love and not the merits of the receiver of that love. Do you see here that in this one interaction, we have the whole story of the Bible? We are the foreign or even adultress Moabitess born outside the covenant people of God worshipping false idols. But, God through His providence breaks into our idolatry and brings us under the refuge of His wings. And that is the message of Christmas. 

Jesus came into this world to secured God’s hesed toward us. The basis for any favor we receive is not based on our merits, but on the unconditional love God has for us. And this favor was secured by Jesus who took on the wrath we merit and lavished on us the righteousness He earned. Jesus is the way we take refuge under God’s wings. We take refuge from the wrath we deserve for our sin and we take refuge in the love He has for us. A love that will fill us, unite us in with other believers so we can live communally as we were intended instead of individualistically. And a love that will help us in our most anxious, our most fearful moments, when things seem to be crashing down on the outside and inside, we can hear God say to us through the Scriptures and through His Holy Spirit, “I love you. I love you. I will take care of you. I will bring you home. Not because you deserve it, but because I love you.” And then for the rest of our lives and eternity to see that He is faithful to what He says. God’s love is not weak, it is intense. It is not limited, it is limitless. It is not weary, it is inexhaustible. And it is not abstract, it is personal. And it is freely available to all who take refuge in Him.