Ruth - Abiding in labour

Availability (Ruth 2:2-3)
Industry (Ruth 2:7,17)
Humility (Ruth 2:7,10,13)
Generosity (Ruth 2:16)
Reliability (Ruth 2:19)

Ruth - Abiding in the Lord

Conviction for the path (Ruth 1:16)
Contentment with the place (Ruth 1:16)
Companionship of the people (Ruth 1:16)
Commitment to the true and living God (Ruth 1:16)
Consecration of her life (Ruth 1:17)

I Steele

Lessons on abiding from Ruth

Abiding in the land (Ruth 1:1-5)
Abiding in the Lord (Ruth 1:6-22)
Abiding in labour (Ruth 2:1-23)
Abiding in lowliness (Ruth 3:1-18)
Abiding in love (Ruth 4:1-22)

Ruth 4:11-17

The Benediction (Ruth 4:11-12)
* vs. 11 - Glory given to a stranger (comp. Eph 2:5)
* vs. 12 - Grace shown to a sinner (comp. Eph 2:6)

The Birth (Ruth 4:13)

The Blessings (Ruth 4:14-15)
* Christ is the Restorer of our life (He saves us - Heb 7:25)
* Christ is the nourisher of our old age (He sustains us - Jude 24)

The Bosom (Ruth 4:16)

The Baby (Ruth 4:17)
* Obed means service or worship. So appropriate that the result of redemption is service and worship.

Ruth Chapter 4

1 Cor 1:30-31

Boaz is a beautiful picture of Christ as our Redeemer.

Our Redeemer is:

Willing

·          Ruth 4:6 - The nearer kinsman said he cannot redeem when in actual fact, he will not because he was afraid it would mar his own inheritance.

·          The Lord Jesus is willing to redeem us (compare with Matt 8:2-3; John 10:18 and contrast with 2 Pet 3:9).

Able

·          Ruth 4:9-10 - We see that Boaz was able to redeem all including Ruth.

·          In Ruth 2:1, Boaz is described as “a mighty man of wealth” or “a man of good standing”. The description would include wealth, virtue and strength (Strong’s).

·          The Lord Jesus is able to redeem us (Eph 2:4 – wealth; 1 Pet 1:19 – virtue; Heb 7:25 & Jude 24 – strength).

Sacrificial

·          When we compare Ruth 4:6 and Ruth 4:10, we see that Boaz was not concerned about his own inheritance nor was he concerned about his reputation for redeeming a Moabitess.

·          The Lord Jesus is sacrificial to redeem us (2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:6-7; Jn 10:11).

Gracious

·          The 5 occurrences of the description “Ruth the Moabitess” in the book is not by accident. In Ruth 4:10 we see that Boaz emphasizes the roots of the woman he is taking to wife. He is gracious towards the one who is condemned (c.f. Deut 23:3).

·          The Lord Jesus is gracious to redeem us (Eph 1:6; 2:5-7; 3:8).

Ruth Chapter 3

The Counsel (Ruth 3:1-4)
The Compliance (Ruth 3:5-7)
The Consequence (Ruth 3:8-18)

There are things we can learn regarding our behaviour when we come into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ from Ruth being in the presence of Boaz:
The preparation to enter into the presence (Ruth 3:3)
The punctuality when entering into the presence (Ruth 3:3)
The place when entered into the presence (Ruth 3:4)
The purity when enjoying the presence (Ruth 3:5-14)
The provision from entering into the presence (Ruth 3:15-17)
The promise when exiting the presence (Ruth 3:18)

Two items of clothing found in the chapter:
Boaz's 'skirt' (Ruth 3:9) - speaks of protection, promise, possesion (cf. Ezekiel 16:8)
Ruth's shawl (Ruth 3:15) - speaks of provision

Ruth Chapter 2

Ruth in the Family (Ruth 2:1-3; 18-23) - Dutiful
Courteous (Ruth 2:2, 9) - she is respectful
Conscientious (Ruth 2:2) - she is responsible
Compassionate (Ruth 2:18, 23) - she is reassuring
Compliant (Ruth 2:22-23; 3:5) - she is reliable

Ruth in the Field (Ruth 2:4-17) - Diligent
Hardworking (Ruth 2:7, 17)
Humble (Ruth 2:7, 10, 13)

Boaz in the Field (a picture of Christ)
Personal (Ruth 2:4-5) - He recognizes his workers and spots Ruth
Protects (Ruth 2:9, 15-16) - He charges his workers and protects Ruth
Provides (Ruth 2:9, 14-17) - He commands his workers and provides for Ruth

Ruth's Sacrifice

Ruth forsakes the following to devote herself to the true and living God:
- Comfort of a family's presence/provision (Ruth 1:8)
- Consolation of a future prospect (Ruth 1:9)
- Companionship of a familiar people (Ruth 1:15)

Ruth's Decision (Ruth 1:16-17)

Ruth’s Direction:

“whither thou goest, I will go” in answer to Ruth 1:8 “Go, return each to her mother’s house”

Ruth’s Dwelling:

“where thou lodgest, I will lodge” in answer to Ruth 1:9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband”

Ruth’s Demography:

“thy people shall be my people” in answer to Ruth 1:15 “thy sister in law is gone back unto her people”

Ruth’s Deity:

“thy God my God” in answer to Ruth 1:15 “and unto her gods”

·

Ruth’s Destiny:

“Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried”

Ruth’s Determination:

“the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought death part thee and me”

Ruth Chapter 1

The Departure (Ruth 1:1-2)
The Deaths (Ruth 1:3-5)
The Debate (Ruth 1:6-15)
The Decision (Ruth 1:16-18)
The Declaration (Ruth 1:19-22)

Outline of Ruth

A Returning, the Lord's Government (Ruth 1)
A Reaping, the Lord's Grace (Ruth 2)
A Resting, the Lord's Goodness (Ruth 3)
A Redeeming, the Lord's Glory (Ruth 4)

Borrowed from Choice Gleanings

Lord's Day
APRIL 23

The LORD deal kindly with you. - Ruth 1:8

The lovely virtue of kindness is stated three times in the book of Ruth. It first appears as the kindness of Jehovah (1:8); secondly it is found in the kindness of Boaz toward Ruth (2:20); and finally kindness is seen from Ruth toward Boaz (3:10). First, in a pagan land God shows kindness toward the cursed; next, in the fields of Jerusalem a wealthy man shows it to a stranger; and finally at his feet the recipient returns it again. What a beautiful progression of God’s kindness at work for and in us (Rom. 2:4): first from the Father, then from our Kinsman-Redeemer, and these in turn prompting our response back to our spiritual Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Sam Thorpe