LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
RUTH 2:1-5
Intro:
Psalm 37:23 declares, “The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord,” and the book of Ruth is a beautiful
commentary on this truth:
A.
God has a plan and purpose
for our lives
1.
Our life is not a series of
accidents, but of incidents
2.
The God in whom Ruth had
come to trust had a divine plan for her life
B.
The bringing together of
Ruth and Boaz was not by chance, but by divine appointment
1.
How wonderful to place
ourselves in the hand of God and allow Him to control and guide our lives
I.
Boaz the kinsman of Naomi
(Vs. 1)
A.
Naomi had a wealthy kinsman
1.
Some would hold to the
position that God wants all men to share equally in the things of life
a.
God however seems to think
differently
b.
To some wealth is given,
while others have little of this worlds riches
c.
Naomi was very poor and had
a rich relative and nothing is more common
2.
Boaz was a kinsman of
Elimelech
a.
Both were of the princely
race of Nahshon, yet one was so poor he left the country while the other was
rich
B.
The importance of Boaz being
a kinsman
1.
Without him Ruth would have
remained a Gentile outcast
2.
Boaz was not only willing,
but able out of his wealth to redeem the estate of Elimelech
3.
The responsibility of a
Kinsman-Redeemer (Lev. 25:47-55)
a.
This was not compulsory
b.
Boaz is one of the finest of
all types of the Lord Jesus Christ found in the Word of God
4.
The qualifications of the
Kinsman-Redeemer
a.
He must have the right
i.
Must be a kinsman, a
relative
ii.
Boaz was a kinsman, he had
the right
iii.
For this reason Christ
became a man
b.
He must have the ability to
redeem (Ps. 49:7,8)
i.
Boaz was a mighty man of
wealth and had the ability
ii.
Christ had the ability for
His deity gave infinite value to His Word on the Cross
iii.
Christ died on the cross as
the God-Man, for He was more than just a man
c.
He must be willing to redeem
i.
This required genuine love
ii.
Boaz loved Ruth and redeemed
her
iii.
Christ’s love moved Him to
die for us (Rev. 1:5) “He loved us and washed us from our sins”
II.
Ruth goes to glean in the
fields
(Vs. 2-4)
A.
Ruth the Moabites”
1.
Found just 5 times and
remember “5” speaks of grace.
a.
When
b.
When David went to meet
Goliath he took 5 stones
c.
The holy anointed oil was
composed of 5 ingredients and took the name of pure oil (Ex 30:23-25)
d.
The brazen alter was 5
cubits square which pictures the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
e.
In feeding the multitude
Jesus took 5 barley loaves and fed 5 thousand – divine grace to multitudes in
dispensation of the Holy Spirit
B.
Ruth takes a lowly place
(Vs. 2)
1.
Ruth by going out to glean
in the filed publicly acknowledges her poverty
a.
This of course is the first
step to God and Salvation and here Ruth is a type of sinner.
2.
The law made provision for
the poor and strangers (Lev.
a.
Ruth by instruction of Naomi
was apparently aware of this teaching
b.
God’s Word does not support
a ‘something for nothing’ approach for welfare
C.
Naomi and Ruth show a proper
attitude under poverty
1.
Naomi could have said, that
in view of all her trouble her rich relatives could take care of her
2.
Ruth knew of only one way to
provide for her needs
a.
So by her own industry they
set out to be a burden to no man.
b.
As long as we can live by
the fruits of our own hands we should do so
i.
Paul said, “if any man will
not work neither should he eat”
D.
Led by God (Vs. 3)
1.
Apparently Ruth did not know
that Boaz was a wealth kinsman
a.
The word “hap” meaning, “to
impose as a timber to a floor”
i.
The unseen timber supports
the floor we walk on
ii.
This is not by chance, but
by design of the architect
b.
As children of God things do
not just happen, they are planned God the master architect
c.
God had a reason for
bringing Ruth to this particular field and this seemly insignificant event would
change her life
i.
Think of some little events
in our lives that brought sweeping changes
E.
Boaz a respected Master (Vs.
4)
1.
He respected his servants
a.
This was a real prayer from
the mouth of Boaz
b.
He trusted and loved his
servants
2.
His servants responded in
love for Boaz
a.
“The Lord bless thee”
b.
Here is the perfect blending
of management and labor
III.
The meeting of Ruth and Boaz
(Vs. 5)
A.
Love at first sight
1.
The inquiry of Boaz to his
servants about this damsel is one of more than just passing interest
a.
The Hebrew denotes an
interest that is immediate
b.
Boaz loved Ruth from the
moment he saw her
c.
Free translation, “well
where in the world has she been that I have not met her before”
i.
A little like a Hebrew “wolf
whistle”
2.
Since Boaz is a type of our
Lord it is not surprising that we read in Rom. 5:8 “that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us”
B.
The unnamed servant is a
type of the Holy Spirit
1.
Ruth finds Grace and favor
in the fields of Boaz
2.
In Christ there is peace and
security
3.
Ruth finds all her needs met
under the protection of Boaz
a.
For all he has will now
become hers
b.
As we follow Ruth may God
reveal to us the path way which leads to a love relationship with our wonderful
Lord Jesus Christ