Ruth ----Beginning Chapter 2

 

Character Ruth 2. 

   " Character not circumstance, makes the person."  Booker T. Washington

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.    

Abraham Lincoln"

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.  "  

Mark Twain

    RC Sproul who died recently the PCA Minister has a series on Character which you can take on line.  Some of the chapters are " Struggle for spiritual growth"  " The priorities of righteousness"  " Long-suffering & kindness"  "  Self control"

The Army boiled it down for us.  It matters who is in your foxhole.

What is the origin of the word character?

The word "character" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "charaktêr", referring to a mark impressed upon a coin. Later it came to mean a point by which one thing was told apart from others.

Is character about who we are or what we do?  Or both? 

All of this is to say what kind of character was Boaz?  Ruth?

1.  Boaz-  " And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz."

A strong person of great strength who can carry out great deeds is the Hebrew here.

Interesting same Heb in Isaiah 9:6 Mighty God about the Messiah.

Is 9:6- "  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon His shoulder...Mighty God."

Boaz as kinsman redeemer foreshadows the work of Christ for us.

2:4 Boaz comes in from Bethlehem to check the harvest and the workers.

Notice he carries his faith into his work, " The LORD be with you, And (the reapers ) answered him, The LORD bless thee."

We see Boaz' concern for Ruth who was the daugher-in-law of Naomi and thereby a relative now of Boaz...

2:8 Glean in my field

2:9 He tells the others to keep their hands off of her and lets her drink of the water drawn by the workers...not customary to let gleaners do this

2:14 He invites Ruth to eat with him.

2:15 He tells the workers to let Ruth have the barely out of the stacks rather than from the ground..vs 16 He tells them to drop grain on purpose so she would not have to work hard

2. Ruth asks permission of Naomi to pickup the leftover grain 2:2  She has a humble, gentle spirit .

Leviticus 19:9 tells the Israelites to not glean from the corners of the field but to leave them for the poor 23:22 to pick.  Ruth goes in vs to a field where she can do that....find a landowner who would let her do just that.  Not all did.  Go to the field where she can find favor....

We note her that Ruth took the initiative and did go out and work while trying to figure out God's will for her life--not just sitting around. Moses did that Exodus ch 3 keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law.

As my old theology professor work has not been the curse since the fall of Adam as there was work before the Fall.  Work is not the problem  . Sin is.

Note her graceful way of handling this as she asks permission of Naomi to go out and work.

I Peter 5:5 tells us " ...ye younger submit yourselves unto  the elder. Yea all of you be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble."

Leviticus 19:32  " honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD"

Titus 2:2-3

George Gardiner says in The Romance of Ruth , " because they are a source of counsel, direction , experience and inspiration.  It takes many years to learn how to live, and it is a waste of time not to draw from those wells of accumulated experience."

( Note again she happened to go to the field  of Boaz. God knew and knows what He is doing in our lives too!)

Ruth bows down to Boaz 2:10 . She was surprised that Boaz should show such kindness to her since was a stranger.  She had been gathering all morning and thru the day according to the report of the workmen 2:7

She was someone who did good things according to what Boaz had heard through Naomi 2:11.  She is blessed & Boaz prays she be blessed 2:12. 

She recognizes her unworthiness 2:13 and she is grateful for all she has received from Boaz due to his graciousness.

Do we recognize God's Hand in all of our happenings, bring Him to work as we can, and ultimately recognize as Ruth did our unworthiness and His graciousness to us in being our Redeemer and friend?