2023-12-10 • Welton Bonner

Our Righteous Redeemer

Passage: Ruth 2:1-23 • Series: Need and Provision
Listen on CHBC Website

From nightmare bitterness to the question: how can God make life sweet again?

Naomi and Ruth’s story in Ruth 1 opens like a nightmare you cannot wake up from. A family leaves Bethlehem during famine, looking for greener pastures in Moab. There Naomi buries her husband and then both sons, and there are no grandchildren to carry on the name. She comes home emptied, bitter enough to rename herself “Mara,” convinced that the Lord has turned against her, yet she never curses Him. Ruth, however, clings to Naomi, to Naomi’s people, and to Naomi’s God.

Many of us know something of that kind of bitterness—losses that stack up until we wonder if God is against us. Ruth 2 answers a simple but deep question: how does God take a life that has gone bitter and make it sweet again? In this chapter we see Him do it through His sovereignty, His protection, His provision, and, above all, His Redeemer.

His sovereignty

Ruth 2 opens with a quiet clue: Naomi has a relative, Boaz, a worthy man from Elimelech’s clan. Then the focus shifts to Ruth asking Naomi’s permission to go and glean, to pick up what the harvesters leave behind. She is acting on God’s instruction in Leviticus 19:9–10, where He commanded landowners to leave margins and leftovers for the poor and the sojourner. It is an act of faith in what God has said, even though she is a foreign widow in the dangerous days of the judges.

Verse 3 says she “happened” to come to Boaz’s field. From her perspective it looks like luck, but from heaven’s perspective it is the hand of the sovereign Lord, who rules the fall of every lot (Proverbs 16:33) and even sets boundaries on Satan himself (Job 1–2). He is never the author of evil, yet He bends even sharp sorrows into a surgeon’s tool to cut away idols and self‑reliance. The call to us is the call of Proverbs 3:5–6: stop leaning on your own understanding, trust the Lord with all your heart, and act on His Word even when you cannot see the outcome. That trust looks like prayer for wisdom, searching Scripture, seeking godly counsel, and, when needed, swallowing pride and asking the church for help. In such ordinary obedience, God quietly begins to sweeten what has been bitter.

His protection

Boaz arrives from Bethlehem right as Ruth is in his field. His greeting to his workers and their reply echo the priestly blessing of Numbers 6; he is a man whose life is soaked in the Lord’s Name. When he notices Ruth and asks who she is, he hears the report: the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi, who asked humbly to glean, and who has been working hard from morning to now. The question hangs: will he see only her ethnicity and poverty, or will he act with compassion?

Boaz speaks to Ruth as “my daughter,” drawing her into the circle of his care. He commands her to stay in his fields, to keep close to his young women, to drink from the water his men draw, and he warns the young men not to touch her (Ruth 2:8–9). He uses his power to protect rather than prey upon a vulnerable woman. This is what godly masculinity looks like: leveraging strength for the safety and flourishing of others. Ruth, overwhelmed, falls to the ground and asks why she has found such favor as a foreigner. Her posture rebukes the entitlement that so easily grows in our hearts toward God and people; the right response to grace is gratitude.

Boaz’s answer points to her repentance and faith. He has heard how she left father, mother, and homeland to identify with Naomi, Israel, and Israel’s God (Ruth 1:16–17; 2:11). Turning to the Lord always includes turning to His people; you cannot claim to love Christ and despise His church. Boaz prays that the Lord will reward her, picturing God as a mother bird under whose wings Ruth has come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12). That is what saving faith is: running under God’s wings in Christ to be shielded from the coming wrath and from an eternity apart from Him. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9), yet real faith shows itself in works that God delights to reward (James 2:18–26). Those who have fled to Christ, even staggering and stumbling, are kept by a Protector who will not let them go.

His provision

Boaz does more than protect; he feeds. At mealtime he invites Ruth to sit with the reapers, to eat bread and dip in the wine, and he himself serves her roasted grain until she is full, with leftovers to take home (Ruth 2:14). He then quietly tells his men to let her glean among the sheaves and to pull out extra stalks for her to gather, and not to shame or rebuke her (Ruth 2:15–16). He practically rigs the harvest in her favor. This is Psalm 23 lived out: the Lord preparing a table, causing a cup to overflow.

Ruth works until evening, beats out the grain, and carries home an ephah of barley—somewhere around 40 to 60 pounds, roughly a month’s worth of food in a single day (Ruth 2:17–18). God’s provision here is not stingy. He loves to give His children what they truly need as they seek His kingdom first. Jesus promises in Matthew 6:33 that if we pursue His reign and His righteousness, the Father will add what we need for life. Paul tells the sacrificially generous Philippians that God will supply every need of theirs according to His riches in glory in Christ (Philippians 4:19). That does not mean a guarantee of health and wealth now; we must reject the lie that God exists to make us rich and comfortable. It does mean that as we put His purposes first, we can look back, like Ruth, like saints such as George Müller, and like many in this room, and see a story of faithful provision that begins to sweeten hard seasons.

His Redeemer

When Ruth staggers home with that heap of grain and the leftovers from lunch, Naomi is stunned. She blesses the unknown man who took notice of Ruth, and then Ruth says the name that changes everything: Boaz (Ruth 2:18–19). Naomi erupts with another blessing, now clearly aimed at the Lord who has not stopped showing covenant kindness to the living and the dead. She announces that Boaz is “one of our redeemers” (Ruth 2:20).

A redeemer in Israel was a close relative with the right to buy back land, rescue a family from bankruptcy, and raise up a future for a dead man’s name. Boaz is that for Naomi and Ruth, and his kindness is an extension of the Lord’s covenant love. But Boaz is only a shadow of his greater descendant. Like Boaz, Jesus comes from Bethlehem, but He is more than a worthy man; He is God with us. Boaz blesses his workers in the Lord’s Name; Jesus is the Lord’s presence among His people. Boaz feeds a hungry Jew and Gentile; Jesus feeds thousands of Jews and thousands of Gentiles, and declares Himself the bread of life. Boaz shields Ruth from physical harm; Jesus shields His church from Satan, from death, and above all from the wrath our sins deserve.

How? By becoming our Redeemer at the cost of His own blood. The One who knew no sin was made sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross He bore the curse that hangs over every lawbreaker; in the empty tomb He rose as the conquering Redeemer. Simply “believing in God” is not enough. God has provided one Redeemer, His crucified and risen Son. To bypass Him and assume all is well is to trample on the very price of redemption.

From bitter to sweet: responding in faith to God's Redeemer

At the end of Ruth 2, Naomi urges Ruth to stay in Boaz’s fields through the whole harvest, where she will be safe among his workers (Ruth 2:21–23). It is a picture of how those who run to Christ must also stay close to His people, the community gathered around their Redeemer. Naomi, who had come home naming herself “Bitter” and blaming God, is now blessing His Name and seeing His hand again. Her circumstances have not fully changed yet, but hope has broken into the dark.

The Lord still moves His people from bitter to sweet in the same ways. He rules over our steps with wise sovereignty. He spreads His wings over us in Christ for protection. He provides what we truly need as we seek first His kingdom. And He has given us a Redeemer far greater than Boaz. If you are in Christ, not even death can finally hurt you; He will raise you on the last day. So in whatever bitterness you carry, do what Ruth and Naomi did by grace: trust God’s sovereignty instead of your own wisdom, run under His wings for protection, rest in His fatherly provision, and place all your hope in His Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

  1. "And she happened to come to the field of Boaz. It sounds like she got lucky. It kind of sounds like an accident. But the author wants us to know that what looks like a coincidence, an accident from Ruth's perspective, is actually a sovereign God intervening on her behalf."

  2. "But does that mean that God commits evil? No, my friend. The very same sharp shank that the evil One seeks to thrust us with is a scalpel that God uses to cut away our idols, our pride, our self reliance, our lesser loves. Yes, it hurts. But a loving God is providentially in control over all things."

  3. "Trust God's Word enough to obey it, believing that he will do whatever good he wills, even when you can't figure it out ahead of time. This looks like praying often for wisdom throughout the day. This looks like searching the Scriptures for answers. It looks like meeting up with pastors and other godly, mature Christians and seeking further understanding and insight."

  4. "This godly man uses his power and authority to protect this woman, not to do her harm. This is true manhood on display. Godly men build up and protect our women. We don't tear them down, we empower them."

  5. "And repentance is a change of mind evidenced by a change of allegiance. She repented. She left or turned away from her father, her mother, her country, for Israel, for people she did not know and notice that she turned. See, repentance and faith is not just what you turn away from. It's also what you turn to."

  6. "Friend, do you understand that Yahweh is a refuge that you can run to? Have you turned to him and ran to him for safety, not just safety from physical harm, which he is great at protecting from? And ultimately he will raise your body up on the last day if you repent and trust in his Son. But most of all, he will save you from the wrath to come."

  7. "Friend, if you trust in Jesus Christ and you are walking by faith, no matter how feeble that walk might be, no matter how often you may trip and stumble, no matter how you got in the ring and you lost that bout that round. Friend, you have trusted in Christ. He loves you, he cares for you. He will not forsake you. You can hide in Him."

  8. "But Christian, don't grow weary or take God's protection for granted. He cares for you, but also, like Boaz, become an extension of God's wings. Become a shelter for those who are afflicted, especially those who come into our congregation. Don't despise them because they are different. Don't give in to prejudices or our self-righteousness that we so often fight. Be a lover of outcasts and strangers."

  9. "Boaz is great and men. We should want to be like him. And sisters, please follow Ruth's example. Try to be a Boaz and find you a Boaz and all that dating goals, I get that. But Boaz is just a small picture of his greatest grandson, Jesus Christ. And before you should try to be like Jesus Christ, you need to be in Jesus Christ, united to him by faith."

  10. "Without the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Redeemer being at the heart of all of our faith, all of our action, all of our work, without that key, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all of our good works mean nothing. He is the key to all things. The whole Bible, it all points to him."

Observation Questions

  1. Read Ruth 2:1–2. Who is Boaz, how is he described, and what does Ruth ask Naomi for permission to do?
  2. In Ruth 2:3, what happens as Ruth goes out to glean, and how does the narrator describe her arrival at Boaz’s field?
  3. According to Ruth 2:4–7, how does Boaz greet his workers, what does he ask about Ruth, and how does the foreman describe her?
  4. In Ruth 2:8–9, what specific instructions and protections does Boaz give Ruth regarding where she should glean and how she will be treated?
  5. Look at Ruth 2:14–17. What does Boaz do for Ruth at mealtime, and what instructions does he give his men about her gleaning that day?
  6. In Ruth 2:19–23, how does Naomi react when she hears Boaz’s name, what does she call him, and what counsel does she give Ruth about where to continue gleaning?

Interpretation Questions

  1. Why is it significant that Boaz is introduced in Ruth 2:1 as both “a worthy man” and “of the clan of Elimelech,” and how does this set up the rest of the chapter?
  2. The narrator says in Ruth 2:3 that Ruth “happened” to come to Boaz’s field. How does the sermon suggest we should understand that word “happened” in light of God’s sovereignty?
  3. How do Boaz’s greetings in Ruth 2:4 and his treatment of Ruth in 2:8–9 and 2:14–16 reveal his character and show what godly use of authority looks like?
  4. In Ruth 2:12, Boaz speaks of Ruth taking refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. What does this image teach about repentance, faith, and finding safety in God?
  5. When Naomi calls Boaz “one of our redeemers” in Ruth 2:20, what did that role mean in Israel’s law and customs, and how did the sermon connect Boaz’s role to Jesus as our greater Redeemer?

Application Questions

  1. Where in your life right now do your circumstances feel random or bitter, and what would it look like this week to trust God’s sovereign hand the way Ruth did when she stepped out to glean (Ruth 2:2–3)?
  2. Boaz uses his position to protect and provide for Ruth (Ruth 2:8–9, 14–16). In what concrete ways could you use whatever authority, resources, or influence you have to shelter and bless someone vulnerable?
  3. Ruth responds to Boaz’s favor with humility and gratitude (Ruth 2:10). Where do you see entitlement creeping into your heart, and how can you cultivate visible gratitude for God’s kindness and others’ kindness this week?
  4. Naomi’s language shifts from bitterness to blessing when she sees God’s kindness through Boaz (Ruth 2:19–20). How might intentionally remembering and sharing specific stories of God’s past provision help soften bitterness in your own heart?
  5. If Jesus is your true Redeemer and refuge, what is one concrete step you can take this week to “stay in His fields” and close to His people (for example, a habit, relationship, or church commitment to pursue or restore)?

Additional Bible Reading

  1. Leviticus 19:9–10 — God’s law about leaving gleanings for the poor and the sojourner provides the background for Ruth’s gleaning and Boaz’s obedience.
  2. Psalm 91:1–6 — This psalm expands on the image of finding refuge under God’s wings, echoing Boaz’s blessing over Ruth in Ruth 2:12.
  3. Matthew 6:25–34 — Jesus teaches His disciples not to be anxious but to trust the Father’s provision as they seek His kingdom first, reinforcing the sermon’s theme of God’s generous care.
  4. Ephesians 2:1–10 — Paul explains that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works, clarifying how God’s reward for faith fits with His sovereign grace.
  5. James 2:14–26 — James shows that genuine faith is evidenced by works, much like Ruth’s care for Naomi and bold trust in God revealed the reality of her faith.

Sermon Main Topics

I. From nightmare bitterness to the question: how can God make life sweet again?

II. His sovereignty

III. His protection

IV. His provision

V. His Redeemer

VI. From bitter to sweet: responding in faith to God's Redeemer

Detailed Sermon Outline

I. From nightmare bitterness to the question: how can God make life sweet again?
A. Naomi and Ruth’s nightmare that will not end (Ruth 1)
1. Describing a nightmare you can wake up from versus one you cannot.
2. Naomi’s family leaves Bethlehem in a famine, seeking relief in Moab.
3. Elimelech dies, leaving Naomi a widow in a foreign land.
4. Mahlon and Kilion marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah, but have no children for ten years.
5. Both sons die, leaving three widows and no heirs.
6. Naomi’s anguish: burying her husband and sons, living a nightmare.
7. Naomi hears that Yahweh has visited His people and returns to Bethlehem.
8. Naomi urges her daughters‑in‑law to leave her, believing herself cursed.
9. Orpah returns to Moab; Ruth clings to Naomi and to Naomi’s God.
10. Naomi returns to Bethlehem bitter, renaming herself “Mara” and blaming God, yet not cursing Him.
B. Framing the central question of the sermon (Ruth 2)
1. The preacher asks: How does God take the bitterness of life and make it sweet again?
2. The answer unfolds through four ways seen in Ruth 2: God’s sovereignty, protection, provision, and Redeemer.
3. Congregation is invited to see their own bitterness and suffering in Naomi’s story.
II. His sovereignty
A. Setting the scene in Ruth 2:1–3 (Ruth 2:1–3)
1. Introduction of Boaz: a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, marked by character and wealth.
2. “Worthy” highlights both material resources and moral integrity.
3. The narrative camera shifts from Boaz to Ruth and Naomi’s conversation.
4. Ruth asks permission to go and glean in the fields to find favor.
5. Gleaning defined as picking up leftover grain after the reapers.
B. Gleaning as God’s gracious instruction (Leviticus 19:9–10)
1. Leviticus 19:9–10 commands landowners not to reap to the very edge or gather all the leftovers.
2. This law forms an Israelite “welfare system” where the poor still work but can access provision.
3. God builds care for the poor and sojourners into the structure of His people’s life.
C. The danger Ruth faces in seeking provision (time of the Judges)
1. Ruth is a foreigner with no clan protection if she is harmed.
2. As a woman without a husband she has no male covering or reputation shielding her.
3. The time of the Judges was morally decayed—everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
4. Gleaning alone is risky, yet Ruth goes anyway.
D. Ruth’s faith in seeking favor (Ruth 2:2–3)
1. Ruth goes out “to find favor” though she does not know in whose eyes she will find it.
2. Her decision is an act of faith grounded in God’s word about gleaning.
3. Verse 3: “she happened” to come to Boaz’s field, which sounds like coincidence.
4. The narrator shows that what looks like chance is actually God’s sovereign directing.
E. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty applied
1. The Creator God not only made the world but continues to govern every detail.
2. Not a hair falls from our head without His say‑so.
3. God controls even the casting of lots (Proverbs 16:33).
4. God sets limits on Satan’s activity against His people (Job 1–2).
5. God does not commit evil but overrules evil for His purposes.
6. The same “sharp shank” the evil one uses to wound is God’s scalpel to cut away idols and pride.
7. Both tragedy and triumph are in God’s sovereign hands for His glory and His people’s good.
F. Calling believers to trust and obey the sovereign God (Proverbs 3:5–6)
1. When situations look hopeless, we are called to act in faith as Ruth did, not sink into complacency.
2. Proverbs 3:5–6 urges us to trust Yahweh with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding.
3. In all our ways we are to acknowledge Him, trusting Him to make our paths straight.
4. Trusting God’s sovereignty looks like constant prayer for wisdom, searching Scripture, and seeking counsel.
5. It also involves remembering how often our own understanding has led us into trouble.
6. The hymn “Whate’er my God ordains is right” captures this posture of humble trust.
G. Encouragements and practical applications
1. Children and teens are urged to ask older believers at lunch how God has shown up when they trusted and obeyed.
2. Those struggling financially or spiritually are encouraged to swallow pride and ask for help.
3. The church’s benevolence fund exists as a means of God’s sovereign care through His people.
4. God begins to make bitter lives sweet through His wise, invisible sovereign guidance.
III. His protection
A. Boaz’s arrival and first interactions (Ruth 2:4–7)
1. Boaz comes from Bethlehem at just the right time—another evidence of God’s timing.
2. He greets his workers, “The LORD be with you,” using Yahweh’s covenant name.
3. The workers respond, “The LORD bless you,” echoing the priestly blessing language (Numbers 6).
4. Boaz is portrayed as a blessed man in a godly relationship with his workers.
5. Boaz notices Ruth and asks, “Whose young woman is this?” seeking her affiliation.
6. The foreman identifies her as “the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from Moab.”
7. He reports Ruth’s request to glean and commends her hard work and perseverance.
B. Challenging our response to the poor and outsiders
1. The question is raised: Will Boaz despise Ruth for her ethnicity or poverty?
2. Listeners are asked how they respond when the poor come to them for aid.
3. We are warned against prejudging others based on ethnicity, origin, or shallow standards.
4. While wisdom and prudence are needed, we must not grow numb to our neighbors’ needs, especially fellow members.
C. Boaz’s protective commands to Ruth (Ruth 2:8–9)
1. Boaz addresses Ruth tenderly as “my daughter,” treating her like family.
2. He instructs her not to glean in another field but to stay close to his young women.
3. He directs her to keep her eyes on his fields and follow his workers.
4. Boaz has charged the young men not to touch her, providing physical protection.
5. He also grants her access to the water drawn by the young men to prevent dehydration.
6. Boaz uses his authority not for exploitation but for the safety and flourishing of a vulnerable woman.
7. This models true godly manhood that protects and empowers women rather than harms them.
D. Ruth’s humble gratitude and Boaz’s explanation (Ruth 2:10–12)
1. Ruth falls on her face, overwhelmed by undeserved favor.
2. She asks why she has found favor as a foreigner, an enemy by heritage.
3. The pastor exhorts believers to respond to God’s kindness with gratitude, not entitlement.
4. Boaz explains that he has heard all Ruth has done for Naomi since her husband’s death.
5. He recounts her leaving father, mother, and homeland to come to an unknown people.
6. Her repentance is highlighted: a change of mind seen in a changed allegiance from Moab to Israel.
7. Her faith is shown in turning not only from Moab’s gods but to Yahweh and His people.
8. True conversion involves turning to God’s people; you cannot love God and hate His church.
9. Boaz prays that the LORD will repay and fully reward her works of faith.
10. He pictures God as a mother bird under whose wings Ruth has come to take refuge.
11. The mother‑hen and cobra video illustrates fierce protective love for vulnerable little ones.
12. Ruth is seen as a chick running under Yahweh’s wings for refuge.
E. Refuge in God from ultimate danger
1. Yahweh is presented as a refuge for physical and spiritual protection.
2. Above all, He protects from the coming wrath and eternal hell due for sin.
3. God is a strong tower; the righteous run to Him and are safe—not because they are good, but because they run.
F. Understanding reward and grace properly (Ephesians 2:8–9; James 2:18–26)
1. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9).
2. Good works do not earn faith; they evidence genuine faith (James 2:18–26).
3. God delights to reward proven faith, though He owes us nothing.
4. Every aspect of our salvation, including repentance and faith, is God’s gracious work from eternity.
5. This differentiates Christianity from religions that trust human works to be right with God.
6. Believers who stumble and struggle are reminded that Christ will not forsake them.
7. We are called to depend on the Spirit for growth rather than wallow in sin or self‑pity.
G. Applications under God’s protection
1. Non‑Christians are urged to repent and believe the gospel, taking refuge in Christ.
2. Members are encouraged to talk with pastors or any church member to learn more.
3. Christians are warned not to grow weary or take God’s protection for granted.
4. Like Boaz, believers are called to become extensions of God’s wings for the afflicted.
5. We must welcome those who are different, avoiding prejudice and self‑righteousness.
6. Inviting outcasts and strangers to our dinner tables displays Christlike hospitality.
7. We should correct those who demean the poor, weak, or foreigner.
8. Our kindness, rooted in Christ’s kindness to us, may be God’s means to sweeten another’s bitterness.
IV. His provision
A. Boaz’s hospitality at mealtime (Ruth 2:14–16)
1. At mealtime Boaz invites Ruth to come and eat bread and dip her morsel in wine.
2. Ruth sits among the reapers, welcomed as part of the work community.
3. Boaz himself passes her roasted grain, serving her personally.
4. Ruth eats until she is satisfied and still has leftovers, indicating abundance.
5. Boaz fulfills his earlier promises of care; he is not a false promiser.
6. Ruth’s “to‑go box” for Naomi shows how fully she has been provided for.
B. Boaz’s above‑and‑beyond generosity in the field (Ruth 2:15–16)
1. Boaz instructs his young men to let Ruth glean even among the sheaves.
2. He commands them not to reproach or rebuke her—no shaming is allowed.
3. He tells them to pull out some grain from the bundles and leave it for her on purpose.
4. Boaz effectively rigs the system in her favor, reflecting God’s generous heart.
5. This recalls Psalm 23 language: “my cup runs over” as a picture of divine provision.
C. The scale of God’s provision to Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 2:17)
1. Ruth gleans until evening and then beats out what she has gathered.
2. She ends up with about an ephah of barley, roughly 40–60 pounds.
3. This is approximately a month’s worth of food gathered in a single day.
4. God’s provision here is clearly abundant, not bare‑minimum survival.
D. Trusting God’s generous provision in our own needs
1. Believers are asked if they trust Yahweh as a generous provider, not a miser.
2. We often are tempted to doubt His provision at specific points of need.
3. Matthew 6:33: if we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, all needed things will be added.
4. Jesus promises to care for necessities—food, drink, clothing—for His kingdom‑focused disciples.
5. Philippians 4:19: God will supply every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
6. Paul speaks this to a financially struggling but sacrificially generous church.
7. The condition implied is a heart seeking God’s kingdom first, not earthly luxury.
E. Guarding against the prosperity gospel distortion
1. Some twist Scripture to teach that God exists to make us rich and comfortable.
2. This “health and wealth” teaching wrongly puts promises in God’s mouth.
3. Scripture actually promises suffering and trouble in this world for believers.
4. No amount of “word of faith” declarations can force God to remove every hardship.
5. The prosperity gospel is labeled a lie from the pit of hell to be fled from.
F. Remembering past provision to strengthen present trust
1. The preacher shares his and his wife’s practice of recording answered prayers and blessings.
2. Hundreds of recorded answers serve as a memorial of God’s faithfulness.
3. He recounts closing Greater Love Church and then being called as a pastor at CHBC.
4. The congregation itself has been a refuge and instrument of God’s provision for his family.
5. Stories like George Müller’s care for thousands of orphans through prayer illustrate God’s faithfulness.
6. Remembering such stories helps believers see how God sweetens bitter seasons through provision.
V. His Redeemer
A. Naomi’s amazement at Ruth’s harvest (Ruth 2:18–19)
1. Ruth carries the heavy ephah of grain back into the city, showing strength and devotion.
2. She also brings out her leftover food and gives it to Naomi.
3. Naomi sees the amount and immediately asks where Ruth gleaned and who helped her.
4. Naomi blesses the unknown man who took notice of Ruth, marking a shift from complaint to praise.
B. The naming of Boaz and the dawning hope (Ruth 2:19–20)
1. Ruth reveals the man’s name: “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
2. This name is a narrative “mic drop”—the very relative who can help them.
3. Naomi bursts into a second blessing, praising Yahweh for not forsaking His kindness.
4. She recognizes that Boaz’s kindness is an extension of Yahweh’s covenant “chesed.”
5. Naomi declares that Boaz is “one of our redeemers,” introducing a key theme.
C. The meaning of “redeemer” in this context
1. To redeem is to “buy back” someone or something out of loss or bondage.
2. As a kinsman‑redeemer, Boaz can rightfully buy the family out of bankruptcy.
3. He can bring Naomi and Ruth into his household and restore their future.
4. Boaz’s character and position make him a powerful picture of God’s redemptive care.
D. Boaz as a type pointing to the greater Redeemer, Jesus Christ
1. Believers should aspire to Boaz‑like character, and women to Ruth‑like faithfulness.
2. Yet Boaz is only a small shadow of his greatest descendant, Jesus.
3. Both Boaz and Jesus are associated with Bethlehem; Jesus is actually born there.
4. Boaz speaks a blessing of Yahweh’s presence; Jesus is God’s presence with us—Emmanuel.
5. Boaz feeds and protects a hungry Jew and Gentile woman; Jesus feeds multitudes of Jews (5,000) and Gentiles (4,000) with leftovers.
6. Jesus is the true “bread of life,” satisfying more deeply than physical grain.
7. Boaz protects Ruth from physical harm; Jesus protects His church from Satan, death, and God’s wrath.
8. Jesus accomplishes this by offering Himself as a sacrificial substitute on the cross.
9. “In our place condemned He stood” – He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
10. Fully God and fully man, Jesus bears the curse to redeem those who trust Him.
11. Jesus rises from the grave as the conquering Messiah and ultimate Redeemer.
E. The gospel as the key that unlocks all of God’s promises
1. An illustration: a van belongs to the family but is useless without the keys.
2. Likewise, without the gospel of Christ at the center, our good works are useless.
3. Jesus is the key to understanding the whole Bible and accessing God’s promises.
4. Simply “believing in God” is not enough; one must trust in God’s crucified and risen Son.
5. Ignoring Christ’s cross and thinking you are fine with God is spiritual delusion.
6. God went to the extreme of the cross to provide redemption; we cannot bypass His Son.
VI. From bitter to sweet: responding in faith to God's Redeemer
A. Remaining with the Redeemer’s people (Ruth 2:21–23)
1. Ruth explains that Boaz’s invitation covers the whole harvest season, not just one day.
2. Naomi recognizes the safety of staying in Boaz’s fields and urges Ruth to remain there.
3. Staying close to the redeemer’s people becomes a picture of remaining in the church.
4. Ruth continues to live out her earlier promise to stay with Naomi.
B. Naomi’s transformation from bitter to hopeful
1. Naomi had returned to Bethlehem calling herself “Mara,” declaring the Lord against her.
2. Through God’s providence, protection, and provision, her language turns to blessing.
3. She moves from seeing herself as cursed to seeing Yahweh’s covenant kindness.
4. Her heart is softened and sweetened as she recognizes God’s hand in Boaz.
C. How God moves us from bitterness to sweetness today
1. The same God who worked in Naomi’s life works through His sovereignty in ours.
2. He protects His people as they take refuge in Him, above all from final judgment.
3. He provides abundantly for our needs as we seek His kingdom first.
4. He has given us a greater Redeemer than Boaz—Jesus Christ, our kinsman‑Redeemer.
5. Even death cannot ultimately harm those who are in Christ; He will raise them on the last day.
D. A call to specific responses
1. Trust God’s sovereignty rather than leaning on your own understanding.
2. Rely on His protection by running under His wings through repentance and faith.
3. Depend on His provision instead of anxiety or prosperity‑gospel illusions.
4. Place your ultimate hope in His Redeemer, Jesus Christ, not in earthly Boazes.
E. Closing prayer focus
1. Praise is given to God who transforms broken and bitter people through Christ.
2. The congregation asks to glory in Christ Jesus all their days until He returns.

Good morning, church.

Have you ever had a nightmare?

Talking about a scary dream that you can feel. It's that real.

Usually in those nightmares, your worst fears are coming true in a bizarre way.

Your heart races and maybe you even begin to sweat.

But there is an escape. You can wake up.

But can you imagine being in your worst nightmare and there's no escape?

There's no exit. You try your best and you can't wake up.

Well, in our text this morning, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth find themselves in a nightmare that they cannot escape.

Now allow me a few moments to recap this story of chapter one with us. We have a family, Elimelech, the dad, Naomi, mama, then we got Mahlon and Kilion, the two sons. I can't help but to picture their family photo.

And they, there's a famine in the home country of Judah. And so thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, in Moab, They pack their bags from Bethlehem and head to Moab for refuge. But then tragedy strikes. The first funeral takes place. Elimelech, the father, dies.

Wives, what would it feel like to have your husband Pass away.

And some of you don't have to imagine this. You've been through it yourselves.

But then there's two weddings. Ruth and Orpah join the family, and yeah, they're Moabites, okay. Yet there looks like there might be some hope. Maybe they might have children and cause the family line to live on.

But 10 years pass, no children, and in fact, tragedy strikes again. Twice. Malon, Kileon, they both die.

Parents, can you imagine the feeling? Of having to bury your children.

What a nightmare. And some of you have experienced that in various ways. Naomi is in a nightmare that she cannot wake up from.

But then Naomi overhears that Yahweh had visited his people, so she packs her bags and returns to the Promised Land and tells her daughters-in-law that They are better off apart from her because she is cursed. God has cursed her. So y'all get away. Go back and find you a husband somewhere else. And one daughter-in-law takes her up on that advice and abandons ship.

But one daughter-in-law remains. Her name is Ruth. And Ruth and Naomi return to Bethlehem. And Naomi is bitter.

Things went bitterly for her and she basically becomes her pain naming herself Mara, which means bitter. And truth is she blames God for it all.

You may find yourself blaming God for whatever bitter circumstance you are facing in life.

But though Naomi felt cursed by God, notice she never cursed God.

Well, this morning we're gonna focus on this main question. How does God take the bitterness of life and make it sweet again? How does God Take the bitterness of life and make it sweet again. He does so by four things that we're gonna see in this text. Number one, his sovereignty.

His sovereignty. That's verses 1 through 3. Number two, his protection. His protection. That's verses 4 through 13.

Number three, his provision. That's verses 14 through 17. 14 through 17. And lastly, number four, his redeemer. His redeemer, that's verses 18 through 23, his sovereignty.

Let's look at verses one through three with me of Ruth chapter two. If you have your red Bibles in the pews or the chairs before you, that's on page 222. And if you do not have a Bible of your own, feel free to take that home as a gift from Capitol Hill Baptist Church to you. That's Ruth chapter 2. And it reads, Now Naomi had a relative of her husbands, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.

And she said to her, 'Go, my daughter.' so she set out, verse 3, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. So verse 1 introduces us to Boaz, a worthy man. This speaks to his character and to his wealth. Boaz had that money, y'all. He was not broke.

But it also speaks to his integrity. He was a man of valor, worthy. And then the camera lens kind of focuses off of Boaz, this brief intro that he wants to keep in the back of our mind and shifts to this conversation between Naomi and Ruth. Verse 2, Ruth asked Naomi for permission to glean.

Gleaning is picking up the pieces of grain that harvesters drop as they do their work. And this is an act of faith in the Torah, the instruction of Yahweh, the Old Testament. See, in Leviticus chapter 19 verses 9 through 10, Leviticus 19:9-10 reads, When you reap the harvest of your land, You shall not reap your field right up to its edge. Neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare.

Neither shall you gather the falling grapes from your vineyard. Bear, neither shall you gather the falling grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner. I am the Lord, your God. Here we have a sort of Israelite welfare system for the poor.

They still had to work. They had to put some sweat equity into it. But the resources were accessible for them in their poverty by those who had the resources. Yet this task is a dangerous task, especially a foreigner, a woman, and during the time of the judges, a foreigner she has no clan to have her back if someone does her harm. No one to avenge her, to protect her.

Then as a woman without a husband, she has no layer of protection, no husband's reputation to guard her. Then the time of judges were a time of decayed morality. It was a time when everybody did what was right in their own eyes.

This was a dangerous time to go gleaning. And yet Ruth goes anyway. Verse 2, why does she go? She goes to find favor in whoever's eyes she might find it. She does not know in whose eyes she will find favor, but she believes that she will.

This is an act of faith, believing that she will find favor based upon God's Word.

And so despite the risk, verse 3 tells us, she trusted and she obeyed. And what does it say? Look at the result in verse 3. And it, and she happened, right, to come to the field of Boaz. She happened.

It sounds like she got lucky. It kind of sounds like an accident.

But see, the author wants us to know that what looks like a coincidence, an accident from Ruth's perspective, is actually a sovereign God intervening on her behalf. See, we Christians, we worship the Creator God who made the world with his voice. He spoke the world into existence. But he didn't just kind of back off of the world like a clockmaker and just let it run its course. You need to know God is in heaven controlling all things on earth according to his plan and glory.

Every bit of it. Not a hair can fall from your head without his say so.

This big God that we worship is in control. And he even controls the role of a dice as Proverbs 16:33 says. And also, like Job 1 and 2 clarifies, he also controls Satan. Satan cannot do his people any harm without his say so.

But does that mean that God commits evil?

No, my friend. The very same sharp shank that the evil one seeks to thrust us with is a scalpel that God uses to cut away our idols, our pride, our self-reliance, our lesser loves. Yes, it hurts, but a loving God is providentially in control over all things, and he means for his glory and his people's good in all things. Both tragedy and triumph are in our sovereign God's plan. Hands.

And Ruth acted on that. How about you, brother or sister? Do you trust God's sovereignty? What do you do when you find yourself in a hopeless situation?

Do you, like Ruth, turn and act in faith based upon God's word? Or do you turn into complacency and disobedience?

Let me remind you of Proverbs 3:5-6 real quick. It's like the Swiss Army knife of God's promises. It applies to so much. It says, Trust in Yahweh with all of your, can you finish it? Heart.

Let's try this again. Trust in Yahweh with all of your heart. And that's talking about your inner person, your intellect, your volition, your will. Trust Him with all of your heart, not some of it. In all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and what are you gonna do?

He will make your path straight. He will give you the strength to walk in His will.

Trust God's word enough to obey it, believing that He will do whatever good He wills. Even when you can't figure it out ahead of time. This looks like praying often for wisdom throughout the day. This looks like searching the scriptures for answers. It looks like meeting up with pastors and otherwise counsel, godly Christian, mature Christians, and seeking further understanding and insight.

That is what it looks like. It looks like remembering how so often your own understanding has gotten you in your own trouble.

This looks like whatever my God ordains is right. His holy will abideth. I will be still whatever he does and follow where he guideth. And children and teens, I want you to think about this for a second. Maybe ask your parents or someone else during lunchtime that you know is a Christian, ask them, What are some ways that God showed up for you when you just trusted and obeyed his word?

Oh, that'll make for some good testimonies over lunch.

But also, if you are here in this room and you are struggling financially or spiritually, please, I beg of you, swallow your pride and ask for help.

We have a benevolence fund in this church. This saints give to that of their own free will to support and to care for one another going through hard times. Let's lean on one another.

So how does God take the bitterness of life and make it sweet again? First by his sovereignty. But secondly, by his protection. His protection. And this is the longest section, and I'll start by reading verses 4 through 7, chapter 2 verses 4 through 7.

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. That's good timing.

And he said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered, the Lord bless you. Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, whose young woman is this? The servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, She is the young Moabite woman came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.

So she came and she has continued from early morning until now except for a short rest. So first in verse four we see Boaz's blessing, right? First he's blessing his workers with this kind of like greeting slash prayer. He asked that Yahweh would be with them. That's what all capital L-O-R-D, that's Yahweh's sacred name.

He says, May Yahweh be with you. Asking that Yahweh's sacred presence would reside with them. But then his workers say back to him, may Yahweh bless you.

This is number six, Aaronic language. The blessing that the priests were to pray over God's people, his workers are praying over their boss. This is a blessed man. The author highlights this blessing. And can you just imagine your employees praying Scripture back over you?

This is the first of three blessings upon Boaz that we'll see more in verse 19 and 20. But verse 5, Boaz begins to inquire about Ruth's identity. You see it? He says, who to whose young woman is this? He's wondering, who does she belong to?

Because typically someone was associated with a clan or a husband or maybe they were someone else's servant that they lent over to the property to help work it that day. So he's trying to identify who she belonged to. He knows she doesn't work for him. But verse six through seven, the servant gives a report of what had transpired in Ruth's time. He says, verse he begins, with her Moabite heritage, right?

She's the Moabite woman. Moab and Israel have been in conflict for a long time. In my neighborhood, we call that beefing. They had been at enmity odds, beefing with one another for a long time. And so it starts off with her as an enemy, but then he starts to note how she had returned with Naomi or came back.

Key word from chapter one, that return, that repentance that her and Naomi had transpired after they went, after Naomi had went to the wrong land and left the promised land seeking refuge. She had turned back. And then he mentions her request to glean. She's asking for help to glean. And he's like, man, we gave her that permission.

And look at her work ethic. She just keeps working. She doesn't take mindless breaks scrolling on Instagram. She gets after it.

Well, what will Boaz do though?

Will he despise her because of her ethnicity?

Will he despise her because of her nationality? Ignore her poverty? And tell her go away.

And what would you do?

Matter of fact, what do you do? When the poor come to you for aid, do you sinfully prejudge them and ignore them? Do you let their ethnicity or country of origin or some other shallow standard determine if you will show them love and respect?

Now, there's plenty of room for wisdom and prudence here, but let us not grow numb to our neighbors' need, especially our fellow members.

Let's look at what Boaz does in verse 8 and 9. Verse 8 and 9. Then Boaz said to Ruth, Now listen, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them.

Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.

This phrase, my daughter, is a way of, it's kind of an affectionate term. To give to a stranger, he's treating her as he would his own daughter. He's going to take care of her in this time. Then he pronounces protection. He pledges protection and hydration, right?

Two dangers, working in the field, right? Danger one is dehydration. You can working out there in the sun, you could pass out. Where is she gonna get water from? It would be a well.

And he's like, just like all my other servants can take their water breaks, so can you. Feel free. But then also there's the protection element that I mentioned earlier. There is that element of harassment that she could face at any time. And he promises that he has put a word out, don't you touch this woman.

This godly man uses his power and authority to protect this woman, not to do her harm. This is true manhood on display. Godly men build up and protect our women. We don't tear them down. We empower them.

Verse 10, Ruth is overwhelmed with gratitude for finding favor, though she was a foreigner. An enemy. And so she asked why, look at verse 10. Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner? See this favor is the idea of showing a special over the top kindness to someone.

It's kind of like a teacher's pet, but without the hint of injustice.

She's wondering, why would you show gratitude to me? And brothers and sisters, let gratitude rather than sinful entitlement be our response to God's kindness to us in Christ Jesus. He has shown us rich mercy, and he's often done that through others. Let us not grow entitled to kindness. Let us grow more and more grateful to it.

But consider Ruth's question, why, why would you make an enemy your favorite? The answer, it's her repentance and her faith. Her repentance and her faith. Look at verse 11 and 12.

But Boaz answered her, 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 in your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

See, first we see this report. He tells her, I heard a report of you about your repentance and faith. All that she did for her mother-in-law since that nightmare began. She stood by her side. Where you go, I will go.

Your people, my people. Your God, my God. That was a declaration of real, genuine faith. And it was a repentance. He mentions the repentance.

Repentance is a change of mind evidenced by a change of allegiance. Change of mind evidenced by a change of allegiance. She repented. She left or turned away from her father, her mother, her country.

For Israel, for people she did not know. And notice that she turned, see faith, repentance of faith is not just what you turn away from, it's also what you turn to. She turned, first he mentions to God's people. How can you claim to be a Christian and hate God's people? How can you say that you follow Jesus and you neglect the people that he shed his blood for?

If you don't even care about showing up to the gatherings of God's people, and praise God for you all who have prioritized being here, but if there's any temptation in you to lower that standard, brother and sister, remember how sacred a gathering this is. This is special. She turns to God's people, but most of all, she turns to God.

Look at verse 12. It says, you,'ve turned to the God of Israel. May Yahweh 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. Now, this is very interesting, this imagery of taking refuge under God's wings. This is depicting God like a mother bird guarding her little chicklings.

And so I looked it up, went to YouTube, typed in birds protecting their babies.

And I was shocked. There was this, my favorite one, it was a few of them, all right. But my favorite one was this mother hen, and she has a whole bunch of little chicklings, and here comes these two cobras slithering in, trying to destroy her babies, trying to eat them, and mama hen goes off. She go flapping her wings, and boom, boom, boom, and the cobras, I'm talking about cobras, they back down.

Why does this mother hen risk her life? It's because of her great love for her babies. Well in Ruth, Boaz sees a little chickling running and hiding behind Mama Bird. He sees Ruth hiding behind Yahweh taking refuge in Yahweh. Friend, Do you understand that Yahweh is a refuge that you can run to?

Have you turned to him and ran to him for safety? Not just safety from physical harm, which he is great at protecting from, and ultimately he will raise your body up on the last day if you repent and trust in his son. But most of all, he will save you from the wrath to come. He will save you from an eternity in hell where you will have to drink the bitter cup of wrath for your sin. For you breaking God's law time and time again.

God is a strong tower. The righteous run into him and they are safe. See they're not righteous because they're good people. They're righteous because they run to him.

Well, then there's this part about reward. He prays that Yahweh will reward her works of faith. See, these actions that she did for Naomi was rooted in repentance and faith. She took good care of her. He prays that Yahweh will reward her works of faith.

And this is a little odd to us a little bit. We're not as comfortable with with God rewarding us, but you need to understand three principles undergirding this that we can't confuse. Number one, salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Not of works lest any man should boast. No good works can get you right with God.

It's all by repentance of faith trusting in His Son. That's principle number one. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and get back to me. But then number two, good works, evidence faith, they don't earn faith. Good works, evidence faith, they don't earn it.

Look at James 2:18-26. In principle three, proven faith is rewarded by God. A proven faith is rewarded by God. It is not as if God owes us anything because all of the grace through faith is a gift. It's all of God.

It's all His doing. You repenting and believe the gospel? It was His work from the beginning. He chose you before the world began. So how can you boast?

This was one of the things that makes Christianity so different from every other religion. We don't trust in our works to get us right with God. Yet God loves and delights in his children's obedience of faith. Friend, if you trust in Jesus Christ and you are walking by faith, no matter how feeble that walk might be, no matter how often you may trip and stumble, no matter how you got in the ring and you lost that bout that round, Friend, you have trusted in Christ. He loves you.

He cares for you. He will not forsake you. You can hide in Him. Trust in His work, not in your own. And as you depend on His Spirit, He will empower you to grow in more and more conformity to Christ.

Don't wallow in your sin and self-pity. Look to Christ. Look to him. See, the Lord wills what he rewards, and he rewards what he wills.

Application though. Non-Christian, repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Turn to him for refuge. If you want to know more about what this means, talk to one of the pastors at these doors. I'll be here at the 6th and A Street.

Exit. Or you can talk to any member here. We would love to have that conversation. I guarantee any member of this church would be happy to read the word of God with you and talk with you as long as it takes for you to understand what it means to follow Christ. But Christian, don't grow weary or take God's protection for granted.

He cares for you, but also like Boaz, become an extension of God's wings. Become a shelter for those who are afflicted, especially those who come into our congregation. Don't despise them because they're different. Don't give in to prejudices or our self-righteousness that we so often fight. Be a lover of outcasts and strangers.

Welcome someone to your dinner table that's different than you are. Welcome them and correct those who dehumanize the poor, the weak, the foreigner. Our kindness motivated by Christ's kindness to us can be the very means of God taking the bitterness of someone's life and making it sweet again.

So we've seen how God takes the bitterness of life and makes it sweet again by his sovereignty. By his protection, but also he does so by his provision. His provision, that's verses 14 through 17. And I'll read that. And at mealtime Boaz said to her, 'Come, come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.' so she sat beside the reapers and he passed to her roasted grain.

And she ate until she was satisfied and she had some left over. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men saying, let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her and also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean and do not rebuke her. First we see Boaz's hospitality.

We see Boaz welcomes her to the table and feeds her fully. See Boaz, he had declared that he would protect her. He had declared that he would be a refuge for her. He had declared that and he is not like some corrupt telemarketer who promises things and doesn't fulfill them. He comes through.

He delivers.

And she eats so well that she even has a to-go box.

Then in verse 15 and 16, he publicly commands his servants to treat her with dignity and respect. You see the command, no shame, do not rebuke her. And he also commands his servants to help her. Let her glean among the sheaves, pull out some from the bundles. This is above and beyond, okay?

He's basically rigging the game so that she'll get extra. This is above and beyond, and I cannot help but to think about Psalm 23.

My cup runneth over. This is God's provision. God's provision is not miserly, it is generous. In verse 17, she goes back and she has an ephah of barley. See, an ephah is a bushel, okay?

And a bushel of that type of grain would be somewhere between 40 to 60 pounds. That's food for a month that she gleaned in a day.

This is abundant. Friend, do you trust, brothers and sisters, do you trust Yahweh's provision?

God is a generous provider, not a penny-pinching miserly God. But where are you tempted to doubt His provision?

Let me remind you of these promises, Matthew 6:33, But seek first His First, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. God promises his disciples that if they pursue his kingdom, pursue the advancement of the gospel, seeing the church built up, focus on that mission, I will take care of everything you need, your necessities. What you wear, what you need to eat, he promises. Or Philippians 4:19. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

See, the Philippian church, they were a struggling church financially, yet they gave over and above and beyond. They were seeking the kingdom first, and Paul said, I am sure God will provide. If you seek God's kingdom, you pursue his kingdom first, he promises to provide.

But also we need to be careful on the flip side. There's another danger. There's the danger of what we call the health and wealth prosperity gospel here. There's a temptation for some to put promises in God's mouth that he never promised.

They treat the word of God and God's word as if God exists to make you rich. And friends, that is not what God promised. He has promised that we will have troubles in this world, that we might even suffer for his name. We will suffer sometimes. We might go through struggles sometimes, and we, there's no amount of faith, word of faith that can, like a magic genie, change your circumstances.

And if that's a temptation for you, let me remind you, flee from it. Because it's a lie from the pit of hell.

But also one way that we can be encouraged by this is to remember the ways that God has provided. I mean, I was thinking through this passage about ways that God has provided for me. And me and Casey, we have this discipline of writing down answer prayers requests and and blessings. I think we're in the 300s now that we've been able to accumulate over the years. And it's just a great reminder of God's faithfulness to us.

And we were looking through trying to find what one might I be able to share, but then it hit me while I was sitting right there talking to Mark, standing right here a year and a half after I closed Greater Love Church, in the hope that God may resurrect her one day. And now standing here as one of your pastors, being loved and cared for by you all. You all have been a refuge for me and my family and my local congregation. I want to thank you all. God supplied our needs even through this church.

So seek his kingdom first. Remember the stories of saints of old like George Mueller who fed and housed thousands of orphans by dependence on God's promise and remember your own story. God takes the bitterness of life and makes it sweet again through His provision and His main way is finally that He provides for us is by His Redeemer. His Redeemer. Look at verse 18.

And her mother-in-law said to her, where do, where did you glean today? I mean, I'm sorry, verse 18. And she took it up, that's the ephah, and went into the city.

And it was, I keep losing my place. I'm sorry, y'all. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over.

After being satisfied.

And her mother-in-law said to her, Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, The man's name with whom I work today is Boaz.

Mic drop.

Boaz, the very one who could redeem, the very one who could come to their aid, is the one whose she find help and refuge from. Look at verse 18. Ruth was strong though, y'all. She was strong. She carried those 60 pounds of grain back home.

And also Ruth was loving and faithful. She even pulls out her to go box and gives it to her mother in law. And then seeing the big haul that she's received, Naomi is blown away. Who is the source that did all this for you? And then she pronounces blessing from God.

Y'all, do you see what transformation just took place? Don't miss it. God has led this woman who was just declaring how cursed she was, how bitter she was, and now she's turning to praise.

Blessed be the one in whom Ruth has found help. And then Ruth replies, and it's the last word out of her mouth, is the most important, Boaz. And then Naomi breaks forth in a second round of prayer of blessing upon Boaz by Yahweh. And the word she says there is, Blessed is the one who has shown kindness. That word kindness is chessed, that that is God's loving faithfulness to a covenant.

Yahweh had not forsaken his covenant with the living or with the dead. Naomi is overjoyed because she realizes that Boaz's kindness is an extension of Yahweh's loving kindness. But note that word redeemer. To redeem here means to buy back. It means that Boaz, oh yeah, in verse 20, she says it, he is one of our redeemers that were to redeem means to buy back.

It means that Boaz has the ability to rightfully buy their family back from bankruptcy and make them members of his household.

Boaz is great. And men, we should want to be like him. And sisters, please follow Ruth's example. Try to be a Boaz and find you a Boaz and all that. DaytonGoes.

I get that. But Boaz is just a small picture of his greatest grandson, Jesus Christ. And before you should try to be like Jesus Christ, you need to be in Jesus Christ. United to him by faith, Boaz was from Bethlehem. But guess who was born in Bethlehem?

Jesus Christ. Boaz wished a blessing of God's presence on his servants. Jesus is the very presence of God with his servants. Emmanuel, God with us. Boaz cared for and abundantly provided for the hungry Jew and Gentile.

Jesus fed 5,000 Jews and 4,000 Gentiles in a day with tons of leftovers to share. And more than that, Jesus is the bread of life. Boaz protected Ruth from physical harm. Jesus protects his church from the schemes of Satan, from death, and most of all, the wrath of God.

How? I'm glad you asked. He did it through dying as a sacrificial offering for all who would repent of their sins and trust in Him. In His place, in our place, condemned, He stood. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God.

This is our Messiah. He shed his blood fully God and fully man like we read earlier. We confess he stood in the place of all of us who would trust in him. And then he rose again from the grave.

Jesus is the grave conquering Messiah King. He is the greater Redeemer. He is the key to all of God's promises. And Christian, don't you forget it. Just earlier, I forgot my keys.

I forgot to give Casey the keys to the van. And she owns that van. That van belongs to us. But without the keys to that van, that van is useless for its purpose. Without the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer being at the heart of all of our faith, all of our action, all of our work, without that key, the gospel The Bible of Jesus Christ, all of our good works mean nothing.

He is the key to all things, the whole Bible, it all points to Him. And so friend, if you are here and you're not a Christian, just believing in God is not enough. You can't just believe in a God and think you're going to be okay. God went through too much. God the Son, literally became a curse on a tree to set those who would trust in him free.

You cannot ignore that and think you're going to be okay on Judgment Day. So we plead with you, trust in him.

In verse 21 through 22, Ruth clarifies that the invitation to Boaz's protection and provision is not just for that day. But it was all the way to the end of the harvest.

She needs to stay with the Redeemer's people to be safe. And Ruth keeps her promise to Naomi and remains with her just like she said. We see a transformation take place in Naomi. And I believe that if you trust in Yahweh's sovereignty. Rely on His provision.

Hope in His Redeemer. You will be delivered from any bitterness you're facing, any circumstances or hardship you're facing. The Lord will see you through. Even death can't stop you if you're clinging to Christ. Because he will raise you up on that last day and welcome you into glory.

So how did Naomi go from bitter to sweet than before? It was through God's sovereignty, protection, provision, and most of all, his Redeemer. And how might you move from bitterness to sweetness? Trusting God's sovereignty, relying on his protection, depending on his provision, and hoping in his Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Father, you, are wonderful in all that yout do. We praise youe for being the God who can move broken and bitter people from that state into a state of hope and joy in your Redeemer. Lord, may we glory in Christ Jesus all of our days until He returns. In Jesus' name, amen.