Ruth 2:17-23

Ruth 2:17-23 

English Standard Version

  At what point do you stop thinking you need a redeemer?

  If you're not out gleaning the leftovers in the fields, but rather have a refrigerator full of food, you may think you're self-sufficient.

  If you have a job that pays a living wage or ample savings in the bank, you may think you're successful.

  If you have a roof over your head in the rain, and heat for when it gets cold, you may think you're secure.

  But all the material success in the world doesn't mean we don't need a redeemer.  We may stop thinking about how badly we need one, but the reality is that we desperately need a redeemer, no matter how many worldly comforts we have.  We cannot secure our salvation for ourselves, and each of us will face health problems that we cannot conquer on our own.  We experience relationship strife and other hardships... and we need someone from outside of this world to secure our salvation for us.

  Fortunately, just like Ruth, we have a redeemer, one who comes to us, who spreads a cloak over us and keeps us safe.  Thanks be to God!

Ruth 2:14-16

Ruth 2:14-16 

English Standard Version 

  Ruth came from a position of lack, having had much taken from her, leaving her homeland, leaving behind whatever old gods she had... and here she is, eating until she is satisfied.  

  The way the word satisfaction is used in Scripture is so beautiful to me.  It gives a sense of completeness, of total ease, of resting in what you have and wanting for nothing.  Imagine eating a bounteous picnic lunch in a warm summer meadow, and then sitting on a swing under an ancient oak tree with the sun on your face and a full stomach and nothing to do.  In such a place, you need nothing, and feel completely at ease, resting in what you hold in your full heart.  You are satisfied.

  This is what we find in God.  Scripture paints a picture of it here and there, and we see snapshots, held up for us to contemplate, and it helps us understand the yearning in our heart for such a reality.  This is the hunger God has set in our hearts, and it can be filled only by God.  As Augustine says, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.  May each of us find our rest  in God, and may our wearied hearts know true satisfaction in God and God alone.

Ruth 2:8-13

Ruth 2:8-13 

English Standard Version

  When I was a teenager, I drove a rather noticeable suburban that was always easy to find in parking lots.  I remember my mother telling me to be careful where I parked it, because others would easily know where I was since the car was distinctive.  It was always accompanied by a laugh, but there was some truth in that.

  Others often hear about our actions, even when we intend to keep them secret.  When we are unkind or disrespectful, people find out.  I was listening to a pastor the other day talk about another pastor who was well-regarded as a preacher, but word got out that he was impatient and rude towards his wife, and as that was found out, his ministry eroded.

  In this passage, news about Ruth's dedication to Naomi has gotten around.  Ruth asks why Boaz is treating her so well, and he responds that it is because he has heard of her kindness and devotion towards Naomi, and so he is passing along kindness to her.

  I like to think this is one of the most effective ways the Gospel spreads -- through news of the kindness of Christians traveling around the neighborhood, and others being intrigued about the sweetness of the Gospel that transforms hearts and minds.  May we serve others with selflessness and devotion and, in so doing, spread the Good News of the Gospel.

Ruth 2:1-7

Ruth 2:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  When Ruth started gleaning in the fields, picking up the leftovers, I doubt that it felt like the start of something wonderful.  I suspect that it was exhausting, backbreaking work, and she likely wondered if she'd made the right decision, wondered if she should have gone back to Moab with Orpah.  It would've been easy to second guess herself.  She was in a strange land, doing hard work, likely wondering what hope looked like.  And yet, in that time, all she could do was keep working.

  Faithfulness to God's calling often looks like that.  It's showing up, day after day, trusting that God is at work, that there is something secure beneath your feet when you step out in faith.  It's easy to look around, to second guess, to wonder if you've made the right decision, and yet God is there, as God promises to be, and God's vision is longer than our own -- and so may we learn how to be patient with God, how to be faithful, even in those seasons that can sometimes feel like drudgery, and may we trust God to hold up God's promises, as God has always  done!