HOOK

• Brother Andrew story Pt I
  • Smuggled Bibles into closed countries
  • Faced with an inescapable Romanian checkpoint
  • Cars being torn to pieces
  • How will he escape?

BOOK

(Ruth 2:2–9a, NKJV) 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”  8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you?

PRAYER

(God help us to have boldness)

LOOK

Recap

Airdropping into Ruth, so if you are unfamiliar with the story, here’s your recap: Previously, in Ruth…

• Naomi/Husband/Sons leave Bethlehem because of famine.
• Husband/Sons die in Moab.
• One daughter stays in Moab, the other follows Naomi back to Israel.

Verse 2–3

2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech.

• There is provision for the poor, the widow, and the orphan under the Mosaic Law. The harvesters were not to harvest the edges of the field, nor were they to pick up anything that had been dropped.
• Naomi was in a terrible headspace and couldn’t do anything, so Ruth took it upon herself to provide for both of them.
• She “happened” to land in Boaz’ field. A member of the family of Naomi’s late husband.

Verse 4

4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

• Ruth shows up at the field the same day and Boaz stops in to inspect the work!
• Boaz and the works greet each other with an acknowledgment that God guides and provides. This provides a tone for the work environment and the boss.

Verse 5

5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

• Picture it! Boaz sees Ruth from across the field as “True” by Spandau Ballet plays.
• Whose young woman? (Father/Brother)
• Someone should be taking care of her

Verse 6

6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

• I’m sure Naomi’s re-arrival in town would have caused a buzz.
• And there’s a foreigner with her!

Verse 7

7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”

• “Among the sheaves” is a BOLD REQUEST
  • Reaped bundles the female servants would bind
  • Gathering for two
  • Much more than what she asked Naomi for
  • IN THE POCKET
• It might surprise you to learn that among translation nerds, this it is a hotly contested passage!
  • The controversy?
    • What was Ruth actually doing that morning?
  • Popular translations:

(NKVJ) So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.

(ESV) So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.

(CSV) She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter.

(NET) Since she arrived she has been working hard from this morning until now–except for sitting in the resting hut a short time.

(NIV 1984) She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.

(NLT) She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.

• Continued from v3, right? “Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers”
• So what’s the controversy?

Editorial Decisions

• Translating is as much art as it is science.
• Bad, phat, sick, ill, and wicked.
• In the same way…

Two Contentious Phrases

• “Continued” [HEB: aw-mad]
  • appears over 500x in the OT
  • This is the only time it is ever translated as “hard at work”. The vast majority of times it appears it is translated as “stand” or “stand waiting”.
• So why do…
  • Literal leave it ambiguous
  • Thought-for-thought translate “hard work”
• Because… I think…
• “Rested a little” [HEB: meh-at yaw-shab]
• Why would Ruth need to dwell a little in the house if she had merely been standing around all day?
  • Possible: “dwell too little” OR “hardly dwell”

A Matter of Character

• Must know who we are talking about to get to the bottom of this
• BOAZ is wealthy, God-fearing, and of good character
• RUTH is a worthy woman 3:11 -> A proverbs 31 woman
• Most agree that Boaz is being generous later in vv15.

(vv15) And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

• This was generous because of what “Among the Sheaves” meant.
  • POCKET BOLD REQUEST
• Same as vv7
• ILL: Les Miserables (Bishop Myriel & Jean Valjean candlesticks vs more)
• No generosity, but magnanimity, grace.
• Even if Boaz WAS generous, it besmirches Ruth!
• ILL: Man knocks on your door and asks for food and money.
• Virtuous, trustworthy, dignified, wise, respects the Lord
  • No, I do not think Ruth made the BOLD request, then did it anyway
• Maybe older sources will help?

Older Translations

• TRANSLATED closer to the source
  • Why does that matter? (Idiom and understanding)
• Ruth was written between the 10th and 4th centuries BC

(Masoretic Text—Jewish Bible/Hebrew & Aramaic/7cAD) So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

(Vulgate—Common lang/Latin/4cAD) And she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment. 

(Septuagint—Common language/Greek/2cBC) And she came and stood from morning till evening, and rested not a little in the field.

• She did not begin working, but waited until she had permission from the only one who could give it
• Preserves character of both Boaz and Ruth

(CUV) And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has stood waiting from morning until now, having no need of the house.”

Verse 8–9a

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you?

• And you see the boldness has paid off.

TOOK

(Hebrews 4:16, NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

• Is that what we do?

(Matthew 6:19–23, NKJV) Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

(Average Christian Prayer) Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name, God. God, if Your kingdom could just come. And just let Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven, God. And just Give us this day our daily bread. And just forgive us our debts Lord, As we forgive our debtors. And just do not lead us into temptation, But just deliver us from the evil one, God. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

• Do you see the difference?
• Pets begging under the table
• My kids just ask because I’ve shown myself to be a faithful, generous provider
• My kids only beg when they think I will say ‘no’.
• Stop just this or that, if you want something, ask for it!
• If you are being presumptuous or selfish, don’t be surprised if God says ‘no’.
• Seeking God? Desires align
  • Leadership Team Prayer alignment
• How can we come, as Hebrews says, before the throne of grace with such confidence?
  • As children of God. Adopted sons and daughters.

(Rom 8:14–17, NKJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

• Brother Andrew story Pt II
  • Recap
  • Hands documents
  • Knee in the door
  • Foot over the brake
• OUT OF THE POCKET BOLD REQUEST 
• Andrew asked to be saved from an impossible situation for the sake of the Gospel
• Book of Acts prayer for boldness in the face of persecution for the sake of the Gospel
  • This church grew so fast that it put a dent history!
• They asked and left it in the hands of the one who could do it.
• This is what Ruth did as well.
• So did Moses, and David, and Daniel, and Jesus

Because prayer changes things. Because you can see farther on your knees than on your feet. Because prayer opens the floodgates of heaven and shuts up the gates to hell. Because prayer has power to cure sickness. And disease. To break addictions. To free the mind and ignite the spirit. If you feel like God is far away, know that He is as close as your next prayer! Because Prayer doesn’t need proof. Prayer needs practice.

Is your marriage under attack? Pray. Is your business failing? Pray! Has Satan got a hold of someone you love? Pray! Sad? Alone? Lost? Hopeless? Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray! Because a prayer-less Christian is a powerless Christian, and a prayer-less churches a powerless church! Prayer is not something we start and stop, it is an open-ended and ongoing conversation with a God who can split the seas. A God who can move the mountains. A God who can rain fire down from heaven. A God who uses gold for asphalt. A God who can create an unimaginable vast universe with a breath! But even He cannot answer a prayer that goes un-prayed.

So when you are faced with the trials and tribulations, when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, when you are in the sweltering heat of that fiery furnace… pray. Pray to the God who loves. The God who cares. The God who saves. The God who raises. The God who restores. Pray to the God who delivers. Put your trust in Him and watch Him make you say “WOW”! Wow. Wow.

If you need to see something change, come to the throne of the God of heaven and earth. If you need to see something change, come to the throne of the Lord of life and death. If you need to see something change, pray. Because prayer changes things. Amen!

Communion segue

• As we pass out the communion elements, take this time to BOLDLY come before the throne of grace and ask God to 1) break you of the cravings of your flesh, to 2) bring your desires under submission to His, and 3) to put a longing in your heart for His will and His way. And then never stop praying. Let’s lift up His name, church!

Communion

(1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

• Let’s share the bread together.

(1 Corinthians 11:25) In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

• Let’s share the cup together.

(1 Corinthians 11:26) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

• Let’s worship the Lord together.

Outro

(John 14:12–14) 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.