Series: Ruth
Title: Fear Not, I Will!
Text: Ruth 2: 15-23; 3: 1-11
Date: July 31, 2016
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
We have seen Boaz—a picture of Christ the Kinsmen Redeemer. In Ruth—a picture of a child of grace being drawn and taught to rest in Christ. Boaz commanded Ruth to glean in his field. He commanded his men to drop handfuls of purpose for her. (Ru 2: 15-16) We see what the sinner will do in whom Christ speaks this word effectually. Boaz told her to glean in his field. “So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.” (Ru 2: 17)
Has Christ commanded you to glean in God’s word? If he has you will. She gleaned, not just for a short time, but until evening. As long as this day of grace lasts, children of God must be gleaning in God’s word until the evening comes. Christ will see to it that his child receives the Bread in abundance.
Who does the Lord cause his child to find, who are we always looking for and feeding upon? Christ our Kinsman Redeemer, our Boaz!
Ruth 2: 18: And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. 19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20: And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. 21: And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
CHRIST’S CHURCH
We will see Naomi as a type of Christ’s church. In the type, when we speak of Christ’s church we mean those already regenerated to faith in Christ—Ruth 2: 22: And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. 23: So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
As witnesses of Christ, we are tell needy sinners to obey Christ by keeping near to his people and to glean in Christ’s field alone. Ruth gleaning in the field of Boaz is a picture of God’s child gleaning in God’s word. Arthur Pink has several books called “Gleanings in Genesis”, “Gleanings from Paul”, etc.
GOOD WITNESSING
We see in Naomi what it is to be a good witness of Christ. Naomi told Ruth who Boaz was—Ruth 3: 1: Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2: And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshingfloor. 3: Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4: And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
Good witnessing is to tell needy sinners who Christ is. Naomi said, “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?” Christ is the true Sabbath rest for the weary and heavy laden sinner. Believing Christ is to rest from all our works because Christ has fulfilled the law on behalf of his people. The person who has not ceased trying to earn a righteousness or not ceased attempting to make themselves holy by their own works is not yet believing on Christ. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest….rest unto your souls.” (Mt 11:28-29) When we rest in Christ we can truly sing “It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Good witnessing is to tell sinners that Christ is the kinsmen Redeemer. She said, “Is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast?” Christ has redeemed all God’s elect people from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. (Gal 3: 13) He alone is able to deliver us from the dominion of our sin-nature. Christ alone is able to redeem our bodies into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. (Jn 8: 34-37;Ro 8: 23)
Good witnessing is to tell needy sinners where Christ is to be found. Naomi told Ruth where Boaz could be found, saying, “Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.” Christ is seated at God’s right hand. Having finished redeeming all his people he arose and sat down. We tell guilty sinners to come now to his throne of grace that you might find grace. He is now working in this world—his threshingfloor—winnowing his people through his gospel and separating the wheat from the chaff by calling out his people. “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3: 12)
Good witnessing is to tell sinners that they must repent and come down to Christ’s feet in submission to him believing he alone can save them. Naomi told Ruth, “Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.”
We see urgency in all this. We see an earnestness to obtain favor from Boaz. God grants repentance in his child of mercy commanding us, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;” (Is 1: 16)
God’s grace brings his child down to Christ’s feet to trust him to tell thee what thou shalt do. Remember where the harlot with the box of ointment was found? Remember where Mary was found?
Luke 7: 37: And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38: And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Luke 10: 39…Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
THE NEW HEART
Next, we see the new heart Christ gives to the true sinner. In chapter 2, verse 23, Ruth obeyed Naomi “So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, She gleaned unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother in law.” Then when Naomi told her Boaz was the kinsmen Redeemer, that she must come down to his feet and wait on him to tell her what to do—Ruth 3: 5: And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. 6: And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. 7: And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
Ruth is a picture of a child whose heart has been broken by the irresistible grace of God. Remember, she is not a child. Ruth is 20 to 30 years old. She was a widow. But she obeyed like a little child. She went down to the floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. She laid down at Boaz’ feet.
Remember Naaman the leper? He came in all his pomp to Elisha. But Elisha did not come out to meet him. Elisha sent a messenger telling him to go wash in the Jordan. Naaman was angry. He thought Elisha would heal him Naaman’s way. But finally, what did Naaman do? He went down and washed and only then did he come away clean of his leprosry.
If you are lost, in real danger and someone gives you instruction then you listen! Likewise, when God has shown us our sin so that see we have a dire need then, and only then, will we be given a heart to pay attention and obey God’s word and come down to Christ’s feet. Only when God gives us a new heart by his grace will we obey God like a little child. Christ said, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Lu 18: 17)
THE PLEA FOR MERCY
We see in our text a picture of the plea for mercy which God puts in the sinner’s mouth—Ruth 3: 8: And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9: And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
Sinner, have you heard God speak into your heart asking you to confess, “Who are thou?” Ruth’s answer is very instructive.
She said, “I am Ruth.” In her answer she confesses that she was the Moabitess: a stranger, a mercy beggar. She was one with no worthiness in her. She was a poor, bankrupt, penniless sinner in need of redemption.
She said, “I am…thine handmaid.” In her answer she confesses that she was willing to be Boaz’s servant. She is that one who came to his house at the edge of the field, the one Boaz bid come to his table, the one Boaz commanded to glean in his field. She is confessing that she was Boaz’ handmaid to show mercy and grace if he was willing to do so.
Then she made her plea—“spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid.” She is asking Boaz to cover his handmaid with his garment which was a symbol of covenant relationship, a symbol of marriage.
On what grounds dare she ask this—“for thou art a near kinsman.” She asked mercy from Boaz according to the word of God which declared that Boaz was the one who had the right to redeem her. She is asking Boaz for mercy. She is asking Boaz for grace. Like the leper that came to Christ and bowed at his feet, she says, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Like the publican who smote upon his breast, Ruth is saying, “Have mercy on me the sinner!”
The plea God puts in the heart of his child is a plea for mercy and grace and free redemption from Christ who has the right to redeem.
MERCY AND GRACE
Lastly, we see what happens to every true sinner who comes to Christ empty-handed with no merit in themselves seeking mercy alone—Ruth 3: 10: And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. 11: And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Boaz gave glory to the LORD for blessing Ruth with virtue so that she looked to no other—rich or poor—except her kinsman redeemer alone. Christ does the same thing to all who God the Father draws to Christ by effectual grace. The Son of God, Christ Jesus, glorifies his Father, saying, “All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out…No man can come to me except my Father in heaven draw him.” (Jn 6: 37, 44)
Every sinner drawn of God the Father who comes to Christ begging for mercy shall hear Christ declare through his word into their heart, “Fear not, I will do to thee all that thou require.” Christ the Son entered covenant from before the foundation of the world to redeem all God’s elect and on Calvary’s tree he finished the work of paying all the debt his people owed. The grace of the Holy Spirit of God has made every sinner that comes to him altogether new—virtous. All God’s holy city rejoices over one sinner that comes to repentance.
Sinner, are you guilty? Is the mercy of God your only hope? Will you flee to Christ for mercy? He has never turned away one sinner who comes begging mercy!
Micah 7:18: Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Therefore, every sinner that comes to his feet broken and begging mercy hears the same reply, “Fear not, I will!” “I will do all that thou require”—not some but all. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Salvation is beginning to end the work of the triune God in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 55: 7: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Amen!