Once again, here are the extended notes from the second message in our series on Ruth titled, MOSAIC: Loss, Romance, Sex, Race and the Sovereignty of God.
For those desiring to "dig deeper," Carolyn Curtis James' excellent commentary / book on the book of Ruth titled The Gospel of Ruth is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it.
Here are the extended notes... As always, you can download the mp3 of the message by clicking here.
BOY MEETS GIRL
MOSAIC - Part 2
The Gospel According to Ruth
Ruth 2:1-13
The book of Ruth is a book for our time, because the book revolves around the lives of three single adults who successfully navigated the challenges of being single.
According to the most recent stats, there are almost 96 million single adults in America. That means that 43% of the adults in America over the age of 18 are single… The United States has more singles than any other country in the world with the exception of China and India.
Three Kinds of Single Adults
1. Single Because of Circumstance.
Some people in this room are single because of the death of a spouse or because they've experienced the pain of divorce.
Having experienced the deaths of their husbands, Ruth and Naomi were single because circumstance.
2. Single and Waiting…
Others are single and have never been married (according to the U.S. Census Burea that about 60% of the adult population), but you would like to get married in the future…
Somehow Boaz had made it into his forties, and he was single and waiting...
3. Single By Choice or Design.
Then, some people have deliberately chosen the “single life” so that they can devote themselves more fully to their career or to ministry.
Matthew 19:11-12 (MSG), (Jesus) “Marriage isn’t for everyone. 12 Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons.”
What do the three greatest men in the New Testament all have in common? They were all single by choice: Jesus, Paul and John the Baptist.
PRINCIPLES FOR EXPERIENCING GOD’S BEST
AS A SINGLE ADULT
1. Trust God and Take the Initiative for a New Start.
Ruth 2:1-3 (ESV), Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 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."
THOUGHT: We’re not certain how much time has lapsed since Ruth and Naomi made the treacherous journey from Moab back to Bethlehem. But Ruth took initiative. She refused to live in denial. She refused to give in to depression and self-pity. She refused to allow resentment and bitterness to determine the course of her life. She was willing to work, not only to feed herself, but to also feed her mother in law… In Ruth 2, Ruth TRUSTS GOD by taking another bold, audacious and courageous step of faith…
Ruth 2:3 (ESV), So she set out 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.
The NIV reads, “As it turned out, she found herself working in a field…”
The NLT reads, “…as it happened…”
The NCV reads, “…It just so happened…”
THOUGHT: This was no accident! The Bible says it this way because God wants to get our attention! The author knows, this wasn’t happenstance, circumstance, luck or chance – this was PROVIDENCE!
Providence means that even when I can’t sense or feel God’s presence, God is present and God is working WITH us, IN us and FOR us to accomplish His plan and purpose.
Proverbs 16:9 (NAS), The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
2. Instead of “Looking” for the Right Person, “Become” The Right Person.
"If you try to find intimacy with another person before achieving a sense of identity on your own… If you try to experience a relationship with another person before you do the hard work of becoming a whole and healthy person yourself… all your relationships will become an attempt to complete yourself and they will end in disaster." ~ Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott
Ruth 2:1 (ESV), Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
The description of Boaz contained in Verse 1 is loaded:
* Boaz was a "worthy man." That means he was a guy worthy of respect, trust and respect. He was an admirable man.
* The phrase “worthy man” was also an expression that was sometimes used to describe a warrior, mighty man, man of valor or man of war… In other words, this dude could fight…
* The phrase “worthy man” could also be translated, "man of wealth."
* The phrase “worthy man” also means “very able.” In other words, Boaz was the kind of guy who got stuff done and made stuff happen. He was a self-starter. He was a guy who took initiative.
* More important than any of that, Verse 4 is going to let us know that at the core of who he was, Boaz was a GOD-SATURATED MAN…
Ruth 2:4 (ESV), And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, "The LORD be with you!" And they answered, "The LORD bless you."
“If you want to know a man’s relation to God, it helps to find out how far God has saturated him down to the details of everyday life. Evidently, Boaz was such a God-saturated man that his farming business and his relationships to his employees was shot through with God. He greeted them with God.” ~ John Piper
Ruth 2:3-5 (NLT), So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz…
While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The LORD be with you!” he said.
“The LORD bless you!” the harvesters replied.
5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that girl over there?”
Ruth 2:6-7 (ESV), And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 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.
3. Establish A High Standard For The Kind of Person You Will Date.
• Look for someone who encourages community…
Ruth 2:8 (ESV), 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.
• Look for someone who wants to protect you.
Ruth 2:9 (ESV), 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?
1 Timothy 5:2 (NLT), Treat the older women as you would your mother, and treat the younger women with all purity as your own sisters.
• Look for someone who wants to provide for you.
Ruth 2:9b (ESV), And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.
• Look for spiritual alignment. It is absolutely crucial.
Ruth 2:10 (ESV), 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? 11 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 and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord 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! 13 Then she said, "I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants."
4. Always keep your eyes open to God’s grace.
Matthew 1:5 (NLT), Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the son of Salmon and a Gentile girl named, Rahab. Boaz knew up close and personal about God’s power to change a person’s past and give a person a second chance.
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