When God Quietly Arranges the Details - Ruth 1:15 – 2:4 (Session 2)

Ruth 1–2 shows the difference between turning toward God and fully committing to Him.

Orpah begins the journey toward Israel but eventually returns to Moab. Ruth does the opposite. She leaves her homeland, her people, and her former gods behind and tells Naomi, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” Her words are more than family loyalty—they represent a wholehearted commitment to Yahweh.

When Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem, the town is stirred by Naomi’s return. Naomi asks to be called Mara, meaning bitter, because she believes the Lord has afflicted her. Her grief is understandable, but she cannot yet see what God is preparing.

The story then introduces the biblical practice of gleaning. Under the Mosaic Law, landowners were required to leave portions of their harvest for widows, foreigners, travelers, and the poor. This system provided help while still allowing those who were able to work for their food.

Ruth does exactly that. Rather than demanding assistance, she humbly asks permission to glean behind the harvesters.

Then one of the most important statements in the story appears: Ruth “happened” to come to the field belonging to Boaz.

Boaz is wealthy, respected, related to Naomi’s late husband, and positioned to become a kinsman-redeemer. His meeting with Ruth looks accidental from a human perspective, but the story begins revealing God’s providential arrangement of ordinary circumstances.

God’s provision often does not arrive through spectacular miracles. Sometimes it appears through a field, a harvest, a conversation, or simply being in the right place at the right time.

Scripture: Ruth 1:14–2:9
Series: The Book of Ruth — An RTTB Study

  Questions discussed in this session include:

• Does God always recognize those who turn Him? 
•  What value is there in taking care of the human needs of a loved one?
•  Can we keep one foot in the old life and one foot in the new? 
•  Is there a Biblical way to have welfare?  

Transcript

Ruth's Complete Commitment to God

Speaker 1 0:20

Welcome back to Reasoning Through the Bible with Glen and Steve . We're starting a new series . Last session and talking about the going through the book of Ruth , we had a little bit of an introduction to the book itself , a little bit of background information and we got into chapter one . And where we left off is where Naomi has lost all of her family her husband and her two sons and she has told her two daughter-in-laws to go on back and stay in the land there in Moab while she goes back to Israel . So we left off at that point in time , whenever they're just about to depart ways of each other .

Speaker 2 1:00

So again we have Naomi and her two daughters-in-law . One of them is named Orpah and the other is named Ruth . They both start back towards Jerusalem , but Naomi stops them and says you should go back to your own people . That's where we pick up the story In verse 14 , one daughter-in-law leaves , but the other , ruth , wants to stay with Naomi . The first woman started towards Israel and started towards God , but turned back . Do some people in our day , steve ? Do you see people make a start towards God but turn back before they get into a true , right relationship with them ?

Speaker 1 1:38

Yeah , they think that they see something that's good and they start down that path . And then there's something that they don't see any benefit in it anymore and for some reason they'll turn to the side or they'll turn back and go back the other way , to where they were once before .

Speaker 2 1:54

I think of the parable that Jesus told of the sower . The sower went out to sow and he was scattering seeds . Two of the seeds one of them started and sprouted , but as soon as the sun got hot it withered up and died . Another seed started and sprouted , but the cares of the world , the weed , grew up and choked it out . Even Christ told that there's people that are going to have a seed sprout of spirituality , but they don't have depth of root , they don't really grow . I've seen this as well . There's people that'll make a start towards God , but as soon as either the sun gets a little hot , something gets a little rough or the thoughts and cares of the world , they end up turning back , like this lady . She started towards God and started towards the true God , but then she turned back .

Speaker 1 2:43

You know , for roots to grow they have to be cultivated , they have to be watered , they have to be fed . But it's something for people to know and understand that just turning to God isn't sufficient among itself . There has to be some cultivation that takes place , getting into His Word , getting around His people , understanding Him better and then , of course , making that declaration of faith to follow and believe in Him and ask for that salvation .

Speaker 2 3:11

The one daughter-in-law goes back . Let me read a couple of verses here . Ruth , chapter 1 , starting , verse 15 . Then she said behold , your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods return after your sister-in-law . But Ruth said do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you , for where you go , I will go and where you lodge , I will lodge . Your people shall be my people and your God my God . Right , there there's a difference . There's a lot in that one verse . There's a lot in that Ruth says your people are going to be my people and your God , my God .

Speaker 1 3:49

So she's declaring her separation from her own people to go and follow Naomi to her people , but then also to Naomi's God , and the Moabites worship the God Chemosh or Chemosh , that's who they worshiped . This declaration by Ruth is that not just going with Naomi , but it's also I'm going to also worship your God . Now I'm abandoning not only my family , my land and my God , former God , but I'm going to now go to your land , your people and your God and worship him .

Speaker 2 4:25

We have here Ruth that has made a commitment to the true God . Does God always recognize and bless those who turn to him .

Speaker 1 4:34

Yes , if they are sincere about it , and Ruth is obviously sincere here .

Speaker 2 4:39

God always recognizes that , and God will always bless people that do . In the very next verse she keeps going where you die , I will die , and there I will be buried . Thus may the Lord Yahweh do to me . And worse , if anything but death parts you and me . So here , ruth is committing to take care of Naomi . Remember , naomi was older and Ruth is younger . So Ruth is committing to taking care of her mother-in-law . So , in a human sense , ruth is committing , say , I'm going to be with you until you die and I'm going to go back there and we're going to take care of each other . But she's also committing to the Lord , god . This is a dual commitment that , as we're going to see , god blesses .

Speaker 1 5:25

In this terminology . Thus , may the Lord do to me , and worse , if anything but death parts from you and me . That's covenant language . We'll have a session at some point that talks about covenant and what that actually means . But that's a binding agreement . That basically said if I don't live up to the terms of this agreement , may death come upon me . It was something that was very , very serious and it shows Ruth utter commitment to Naomi .

Speaker 2 5:54

So here we have . Ruth was from Moab . She was a Moab by this , she was not Jewish , but yet in verse 16 and 17 , she seems to know some things about the true God of Israel . She knows about him enough to say I'm committing to that God . How do you think she learned about this true God even though she grew up in Moab ?

Speaker 1 6:15

Well , as we've seen before , that the news about God , the God of Israel , had gone about all around . We saw it when Jericho that the people were scared because they had heard what God had done , the various things , what they mentioned when they came out of Egypt , the parting of the Red Sea or the Reed Sea , them coming across the parting of their Jordan , all of these miraculous things that had happened , that God of Israel , yahweh , was known throughout the various lands .

Speaker 2 6:47

And from probably hanging around a limo and lec and Naomi and the family , there are probably news , some things . Romans , chapter one , says that even lost people can look at God's creation and know some things about him .

Speaker 1 7:00

There is no excuse .

Speaker 2 7:03

So here we have Ruth . She's clinging not just to Naomi , which is a good thing she's taking care of a family member but she is also clinging to the true God . She's showing great dedication to both Naomi and God . Besides following God , she commits to the human needs of her mother-in-law and dedicates herself to being with Naomi for the rest of her life . Now she doesn't know how this is going to turn out at this point in the story , like we've read the end of it , so we kind of know there's some good things coming , but she's just committing because there's a need here , there's somebody in need and I've recognized this is the true God , so I'm committing there anyway .

Speaker 1 7:43

And we might describe it as a complete sellout . Like I said , she's leaving everything behind , even her God , whatever it cost .

Speaker 2 7:51

She's going with Naomi and with the true God .

Speaker 1 7:56

She's committing , she's closed the door behind her and she's all in I don't want to seem like we're over emphasizing this but making a commitment to the one true God that can bring about salvation when you're abandoning , when you're raised outside of . In this case , she wasn't an Israelite , she's a Gentile , and a Gentile is a person that is not Jewish and not an Israelite . Everybody else is a Gentile . That's a huge commitment and it is a commitment to leave your family , to leave your land and to worship another God , to worship the one and true God . So , while it's going to bring great things into your life , it also can bring some very much unpleasant things related to your family and other areas as well . So it's not to be made light of it . Here it's just a couple of verses , but there's a lot to be said for this full out commitment and change that Ruth has made . The full commitment is really the only way .

Speaker 2 9:01

It's her conversion statement . Ruth was from Moab . She's headed to Jerusalem . Keeping one foot in Moab and one foot in Jerusalem doesn't work .

Speaker 2 9:11

No , you can't make a halfway commitment towards God . You can't keep one foot in the old life and one foot in the new life in Christ . You have to be totally committed to Jesus Christ , all in close the door behind me . I'm not going back to my old worldly ways . I'm going forwards to Christ , no matter what it takes or what it costs . I'm in this not only if we keep looking in verse 17 , where you die , I will die , there I will be buried . She's in this , she's not halfway , she's all the way in . Committed to the Lord God . Steve Reid , verses 19 through 22 .

Speaker 1 9:49

So they both went until they came to Bethlehem . And when they had come to Bethlehem , all the city was stirred because of them and the women said is this Naomi ? She said to them do not call me Naomi . Call me Mara , for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me . I went out full , but the Lord has brought me back empty . Why do you call me Naomi , since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me ? So Naomi returned and with her Ruth the Moabitis , her daughter-in-law , who returned from the land of Moab , and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest .

Speaker 2 10:31

So verse 19, . They get back to Jerusalem where it says the whole town was stirred . Why would the town be stirred ?

Speaker 1 10:39

Well , Bethlehem was a small town , that's not a very big city , and again they left their inheritance behind it . And it also says back in verse two that they entered the land of Moab and remained there . So it was almost like they didn't have any plans to return . Amalek didn't have any plans to go back to Israel . But here they are . They've been gone for about 10 years and all of a sudden Naomi shows back up .

Speaker 2 11:08

The town started because now the gossip mill started . Look what happened . Naomi had something to gossip about and because of the tragedy they came back with this great tragedy . So people felt for them , I'm sure .

Speaker 1 11:20

And , by the way , mara means bitter . She says why are you calling me Naomi ? Call me moderate , because word is treated me bitterly .

Speaker 2 11:28

The word Naomi means sweet or pleasant and Mara means bitter . So she said don't call me pleasant , Call me bitter . I would submit that the town was stirred , but it wasn't stirred enough for anybody to do anything about it . It was stirred enough to get their attention and talk about them and gossip about them . But we have no record here that anybody reached out to these poor destitute widows to help them .

Speaker 1 11:55

And it also still speaks to Naomi's mindset that she's still grieving , she's still grieving and she has to be at this extremely low point in her life .

Speaker 2 12:05

Imagine now she's back with her old friends , the people she grew up with . They all have large families and children and they're doing well . Naomi is now destitute with no inheritance , and it's bad for her . All her old friends she grew up with have to see her in this great low point . She must be feeling very , very bad . At the end of verse 20 , to whom is Naomi laying the blame once again ?

Speaker 1 12:35

To the Almighty , which means God , Naomi .

Speaker 2 12:38

So three times in this one verse she lays the blame at the feet of God . She says the Lord has testified or afflicted , witnessed against me . Is this true ? Has God against her at this point ?

Speaker 1 12:52

No , because we know the end of the story . No , but there her and that presence . She thinks that that's the case .

Speaker 2 12:57

She can't see past her circumstances , and I'm sure it's painful I mean it's painful , she's lost her family but God's not against her . We can take the same lesson . Just because I'm in very , very painful circumstances does not mean that God is doing something , that he's turned against me , that somehow God's evil or forgotten about me , or things like that . I tell you , who God doesn't use is the woman who went back . She goes back and walks off the page of scripture , never to be heard from again .

Speaker 2 13:30

Orpa Orpa . She went back to her old ways , went back to the old world , and we never see her again . These people , naomi and Ruth , are going to be remembered for all eternity .

Speaker 1 13:42

Which brings also to mind that Naomi did return to her land . She could have stayed there in Moab and petitioned her daughter-in-law's families that I'm destitute here . My husband and my sons have died . Now let me be a part of your family , so we should commend Naomi as well that she went back . She went and returned back , which probably was something that might have been difficult

God's Provision in Ruth

Speaker 1 14:07

to do .

Speaker 2 14:07

So does Naomi have the right to be bitter ? Does she have a standing to blame God four times in two verses ?

Speaker 1 14:15

No , the circumstances that surround the tragedy is something that's not brought about by God . It is tragic , but things happen in our lives . We're human beings . Our bodies break down . There's different sufferings that we have , but it's not something to blame God for .

Speaker 2 14:33

I think we can understand and even forgive Naomi for being bitter in the face of great tragedy , but her theology is bad for blaming God . She thinks that because very painful circumstances have happened to her , therefore God's against her . And it's just not the case . God is about to do something much greater than if he had prospered her in Moab . If they had stayed in Moab and the husband would have lived and the sons would have lived and the families would have grown up there , we never would have heard from them and they never would have been in God's genealogy that's coming up . This brings us to chapter two . We have here a couple of things that I think we could introduce . That is that it introduces the concept of gleaning . Gleaning was the way that the Mosaic Law provided welfare for the poor . Gleaning was the way that the poor were to get food . So what does it mean to glean ?

Speaker 1 15:30

Glean means to take from the overabundance or to take from the leftovers that were there , to take the best part of something , sift through the bad things , sift through everything and take the good part out of it and in this sense it's the harvest .

Speaker 2 15:46

We're going to read these couple of passages before we get into the actual chapter 2 here , simply because it adds some context .

Speaker 2 15:53

In the Mosaic Law there was some commandments about harvesting your crops In Deuteronomy , chapter 24 , starting in verse 19, . It says this when you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten the sheaf in the field , you shall not go back to get it . It shall be for the alien , for the orphan and for the widow , in order that the Lord , your God , may bless you in all the work of your hands . When you beat your olive tree , you shall not go over the bows again . It shall be for the alien , for the orphan and for the widow . And when you gather the grapes of your vineyard , you shall not go over it again . It shall be for the alien , the orphan and the widow . So basically what they're saying here is that when you're out harvesting by hand and you leave a little bit , don't go back and get it . If there's a few olives left on the tree or some grapes left on the vine or some heads of grain that's left after you've harvested them , then don't go back and get them Once you've harvested once leave it , and sometimes these things don't all get ripe at exactly the same day . Sometimes they would leave some because they're not ripe yet , and in other times they just miss them . God's way of taking care of the poor was for the harvesters to not go back and pick up the remnants and that the poor people could go then out and follow behind the harvesters and get some grain or some grapes or some olives .

Speaker 2 17:26

The next one is in Leviticus 19 , verses 9 and 10 . Now , when you reap the harvest of your land , you shall not reap the very corners of your field , neither shall you gather the gleaning of your harvest , nor shall you glean your vineyard , nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard . You shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger . I am the Lord , your God . This is another part of that same law , the same idea , and in this case it says leave the corners of your field unharvested . If you could picture the way a farmer's field , imagine a square farmer's field and the farmer was to leave the corners . Well , if you think about it , the next farm's going to have their field and there's a pathway in between them . Well , whenever the pathways get to a crossroads . What are you going to have on all four corners of the crossroads is four corners of four different farmers' fields , a traveler , somebody walking along , traveling from place to place . In those days you had to walk . It was a long way . That's hard to carry food and , lo and behold , the farmers have left me some .

Speaker 2 18:36

This was God's way of taking care of travelers . When it says alien , it's talking about people from foreign countries that are traveling through . For poor people , places like that . Remember over in the Gospels . Jesus was walking along and it said the disciples were picking heads of grain and they were just rubbing it between their hands for a little snack . This was what it was for . Was God's way of taking care of travelers and the poor people and the widows was that he would leave the corners of the field and he would leave whenever there was a harvest . You had to leave a little . If it fell on the ground , don't pick it up and the poor could come behind and pick these things up and eat .

Speaker 2 19:18

This was God's welfare system . So this brings a question is there a biblical way of doing welfare ? And I submit that there is . The biblical way of doing welfare is for the poor to go out and work for it . There is not a command here to gather up a lot of things . Take it to a central place . Our modern system , at least in our country , has a way of welfare , but it's done on income . If you're no more or less than poor , even if you're healthy and can work , then you get money . And the biblical way is you go out and work for it .

Speaker 2 20:01

It's repeated over in the New Testament , in Paul and his commands to Timothy . I believe it's in 2 Timothy 5 . He commands that we are to not give public funds to people that are healthy enough to work . And in Thessalonians there's a command there that says if you do not work , you should not eat . The biblical way of doing welfare is for the poor to go out and work for it , and God set up ways of doing this . The poor of the community could go behind the harvesters , glean what was left and get food . It's actually 1 Timothy 5 and 2 Thessalonians 3 10 . And then James . The contrary side of this , james 2.16 , strongly implies that it's the responsibility of the rich people in the church to reach out to the poor . We do have responsibilities to reach out to the poor , but the primary way is for the poor to go out and work for it .

Speaker 1 20:56

Brings to mind that God , as he is laying out all of these various rules of how to live in their society , in that he even goes down to the smallest part in the weakest people of the society to make provision for them . It just brings to my mind that God is mindful of everybody .

Speaker 2 21:23

So , last sentence of chapter 1 , what crop were they harvesting ? Barley , it was barley . Barley is kind of a rough grain . It's you know wheat was the better grain , it tasted better , it was a little easier to eat . Barley's kind of rough . Let's read Ruth , chapter 2 , and I'm going to start and read the first nine verses Now .

Speaker 2 21:42

Naomi had a kinsman of her husband , a man of great wealth of the family of Olymolech , whose name was Boaz and Ruth . The Moabitus said to Naomi please , let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one whose sight I might find favor . And she said to her go my daughter . So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz , who was of the family of Olymolech . Now behold , boaz came from Bethlehem and said to his reapers may the Lord be with you . And they said to him may the Lord bless you .

Speaker 2 22:23

Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers whose young woman is this ? The servant in charge of the reapers replied she is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab . And she said please , let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves . Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now . She has been sitting in the house for a little while . Then Boaz said to Ruth listen carefully , my daughter , do not go glean in another field . Furthermore , do not go on from this one , but stay here with my maids . Let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them . Indeed , I have commanded the servants not to touch you . When you are thirsty , go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw . So in verse one , we meet this man , boaz . And what does it tell us about ?

Speaker 1 23:13

Boaz . He's a kinsman of Alemolec , who Naomi was married to .

Speaker 2 23:19

And we briefly mentioned that last time . But what difference does that make ?

Speaker 1 23:23

Well , the kinsmen have a responsibility to take care of . If a husband dies , then the family the nearest kinsmen have a responsibility to make provisions .

Speaker 2 23:35

Well , that's one of the main themes of this book and we'll be fleshing that out . It says some things here about this man , boaz , a man of great wealth . Is God wealthy ? Is God wealthy Because Boaz in this story is the Christ figure . Is God wealthy ? What is he rich ? In Romans 9.23 talks about the riches of his glory and Ephesians 2.4, . God is rich in mercy . There's a passage in Isaiah , I believe , which says he has the Catalan of Thousand Hills . The Christ figure here in the story is this man Boaz . It says he's from Bethlehem . Who else do we know in the New Testament that's from Bethlehem , jesus . So again , there's a parallel here , where this is a parable , if you will , where Boaz is the Christ figure .

Speaker 2 24:25

In verse two , ruth says she's going to glean in hopes , to find favor from someone she is trusting in the providence of the Lord . Then in verse three , ruth just happened to start gleaning in the field of Boaz . Do you think that's a coincidence ? And then , in verse five , boaz just happened to notice Ruth . I don't think it's a coincidence at all . It's God's providence . God's providence brings together things for his purposes . Do you think Ruth met Boaz by chance or was it arranged by divine providence ?

Speaker 1 24:54

I think it's divine providence .

Speaker 2 24:56

There's other books where we see this as well . Remember Esther , book of Esther . There's this long series of things in Esther where God just brings these things about . Book of Esther is the only book , I believe , that doesn't mention the word God , but we see God's hand throughout the whole book .

Speaker 1 25:12

Because of the arrangement of circumstances , little things here in verse two , whenever Naomi says go my daughter . So previously she referred to them as their daughter-in-laws . Now you can see that Naomi has embraced Ruth as her daughter . We can see Boaz asking about her and they say , oh , this is the Moabitis that came with Naomi . Boaz recognizes that . So you can glean out of that that they had talked about it and the story of Naomi and Ruth's conversion and everything else had been talked about amongst the people there .

Speaker 2 25:52

And when we read Ruth's words here in verse two please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after whose side I might find favor . I just think of the attitude that comes across in that sentence . She's not complaining , she's in a bad spot , but she's not saying poor me . She doesn't sound bitter , she doesn't sound angry , she sounds humble , she sounds like she's calm , she's going about her business and she's not demanding . She's not saying poor me , she's not . She doesn't come across as bitter . Here I submit and this is going to be a statement that's not popular but the poor must not demand help as if it's a debt to them . The poor should not beg for what they can work to earn for themselves . That's the example from the scriptures .

Speaker 1 26:40

That's not going to make me popular here and it also shows she's embraced . This is how God has provisioned for us . She says let me go out and glean , just like what's been supposed to happen Right .

Speaker 2 26:51

That's the way that God had set things

Wealthy Responsibilities and Respectful Relationships

Speaker 2 26:54

up . Now there is some responsibility amongst the wealthy . James 2 tells us that those who have resources must do more than just ignore the poor . And Jesus commanded us in Luke 14 that when you give a feast , invite the poor , the lame , the blind , and you'll be blessed because they can't repay you . So the poor in the Bible are commanded to go work and the rich are commanded to help them . What we don't see here in this chapter is that the wealthy of Israel have done anything to help these poor women . So the wealthy do have a biblical responsibility to help the poor , but they're not really doing it . We have here next this attitude of Boaz and the workers . How did they speak to each other , starting in verse 4 ?

Speaker 1 27:42

With respect . They greeted each other in a respectful way .

Speaker 2 27:46

When I read this , it seems like they both respect each other . They both like each other . Boaz was treating them well . He was wealthy , but now he's out there with them checking on the work . He says something nice to them . They say something nice back . So can bosses have a good relationship with their employees .

Speaker 1 28:05

Yes , and they both reference God . So they're saying is may Yahweh be with you , and they both reciprocate in that . So it shows that God is a center point in their lives .

Speaker 2 28:16

And I think this is probably a good point to hear the pause button simply because we're at a spot where the romance is just about to start . Next time I think we can really pick up into the romance of this story , but it's right in the middle of the story and we kind of have a bit of a cliffhanger . But I think that's okay . In this section we're going to now see . In next time we'll be studying the romance between Boaz and Ruth and it's going to be very romantic .

Speaker 2 28:45

Yes , it is Very romantic , so we'll pick up that next time . On reasoning through the Bible