As a refresher, we can look back over the last two chapters of Ruth pretty quickly and see 2 things regarding satisfaction:
1. In Ch. 1 Naomi lost everything: her home, husband, sons, and one daughter in law. She returned to Bethlehem bitter but still trusting the Lord. It is possible to be satisfied, have inner peace, even in the difficult and bitter days of life. This peace comes through intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ.
2. In Ch. 2 Naomi begins to see hope, and Boaz enters their lives and provides for Naomi and Ruth as a channel of God’s blessing. Boaz is a man who loves God and it is evident in his generosity, concern, and relationships with his workers. (2:4-5) Boaz had a materially abundant life, but his satisfaction wasn’t tied up in it – as seen in his generosity. Satisfaction cannot be had with money. It is an inner reality that is expressed outwardly – just as Boaz was generous.
For Naomi, Boaz became a blessing during bitterness. His attitude was “God, use me” and he gave generously to Ruth and Naomi. The clouds of bitterness began to rain with blessings.
In chapter 2 Naomi experiences a change in her spirit that leads us in to chapter 3.
Read Ruth 3
Naomi has experienced a change – she is no longer down and depressed. How did she get over it? I don’t think there’s a 2 step plan, but what is clear is that she was unwavering in her faith with the Lord. She believed His sovereignty and trusted His word. Psalm 119:28 says “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Let there be no doubt – Christ satisfies, His word strengthens, and even the darkest of days we can find ourselves in the shadow of His wing: trust, believe, and act.
Naomi went from bitterness to relief to ch. 3 she is starting to plan. Naomi has shown trust (the Lord’s hand caused this bitterness – she still trusted), she’s shown belief (2:20: The Lord bless Him! Boaz – he’s God’s provision today), and in ch. 3 she starts to act.
I. Depression and Paralysis
a. Have you ever made a plan to do something: whether it’s take a trip with your kids, pull off an event, a home project, a class project?
b. What’s the planning like? It’s normally the fun time, the energetic time. It can be stressful, but it’s the time to dream. Depression, which can rob us of satisfaction in Christ if we let it, kills dreams. Dreams turn into “I wish I had…” with no effort or purpose to follow through, and that only feeds the depression.
c. Ruth and Naomi have trusted and settled in the sovereignty of God, and the depression is beginning to be lifted and the satisfaction of their souls is giving them light.
i. Compare: 1:21 – “the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” and 2:19 “Where did you glean today! Where did you work! Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” There is an attitude shift from depression to exaltation.
ii. They’ve trusted God the whole way, and now they can see His provision in real time.
d. We can look back over the past of our lives, believers, and see God’s working: preserving us, challenging us, growing us, encouraging us, lifting us, providing for us. Why is it so hard to trust this same provision for the future? Naomi, a great woman of faith, was no different; at the end of chapter one her world was hopeless for the future despite her satisfaction in God.
e. Clouds come; it takes faith to trust that good rain will fall.
f. When we’re stuck in an attitude of depression, we’re paralyzed. We can start to question God: does His word really promise this or that? We start to doubt our testimony, and we become silent with our witness.
i. Can Satan have a better day than to depress the people of God and silence the witness? Trust on those dark days the sovereignty of God, may it be His wing that is creating the shadow in your life and may you see the purpose he has for you in the difficult time. When I spent 28 days in the hospital, I did not go in anticipating meeting Christ in a life changing way – but praise God I did.
g. To keep trusting, even though you have serious questions, shows you believe in God’s sovereignty: his ability to preserve you, answer you, and his Love for you. Keep trusting. Naomi did and it led her to a day when she could plan (3:1).
II. Active and Passive Faith
a. Naomi no longer is thinking about herself: her concern and her plan is for Ruth. All through this book, Ruth has shown devotion to Naomi: at the end of ch. 2 she even lives in poverty with Naomi rather than staying with Boaz’s servant girls. Now Naomi, having seen light and come up out of bitterness – starts to think of others.
b. All along she has held faith in God, but a trap of depression or bitterness is to keep thinking about ourselves. Instead of blessing God for what we have, we dream of what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had – a husband, or a wife, or a day off – or whatever” when needs abound all around us.
i. Thursday our small group gave up the night to serve our community at Crossroads. IT took our focus and put it outward for a night – it was a challenge, but it certainly grew us.
ii. Naomi puts a plan in motion for Ruth. On the surface this seems crazy for a woman of faith: it’s doing all the things you shouldn’t do – go late at night, uncover a man and offer yourself to him. It’s dangerous and risky. But it’s also rooted in the righteousness that Ruth and Boaz have shown, and the trust that God will watch over the entire interaction.
iii. There will be risk when we live our faith actively. If you are a Christian, there are 2 ways that believers live: actively and passively.
1. Obviously, passive faith is easier: John Piper calls it passive righteousness: it is encompassed in avoiding evil when it appears.
a. This is the Christian who claims Christ, walks the good walk, but isn’t necessarily actively seeking to advance the kingdom and work for God’s renown. They’re passive, indulged – but not active.
2. Active faith makes plans and hopes and dreams. It’s more risky, but in the end it will result in growth of the Kingdom. Mt. 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
3. When you rest in the sovereignty of God, you are freed to dream and hope and plan and act.
c. Naomi is not sending Ruth into a situation of adultery, though it looks that way. Read v. 9. This phrase occurs one other time in the Bible: Ezekiel 16:8 (the Lord Is speaking) “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”
i. In Ez. God is declaring his marriage to His people, the bond would not be broken, just as today Christ is the Groom, and the Church is His bride. So Ruth is offering herself for marriage to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.
ii. Why at night? Why after he works, eats, and sleeps – all this presents problems because a tired person is not on guard, and it could be an easy time to fall into temptation. Yet the man who said “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” to Ruth, who became a channel of blessing for Ruth and Naomi, now realizes he is God’s possible agent to overshadow Ruth.
1. A satisfied man does not fall prey to simple temptation. You get the since that Boaz could use the internet productively and not to feed an addiction. That he could work for money to give it all away. Why? Because He is satisfied in Christ. Naomi is satisfied, Ruth is satisfied, and Boaz is satisfied – so the temptation that could be the downfall wasn’t even acknowledged in the text. How righteous! Read v. 10-13. Boaz let’s her know that he will only redeem her if the closer relative will not. In other words, he will do it the way the Lord wants it done.
a. But Boaz is also active, he will find out first thing in the morning.
Active faith is preferred in the kingdom. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz all show it. Their satisfaction in God secures them despite the risks involved. They are righteous to the end – Ruth leaves before anyone can recognize her (her best clothes, shawl) – avoiding the hint of sexual immorality – Eph. 5.
But active faith does not mean life will always be good. Despite all the provision, the success of their plan, Ruth and Naomi and Boaz must now wait to see if this other guy, the closer kinsman redeemer who, for some unknown reason all of us are now rooting against, will take his lawful place.
There is no reward without risk. Satisfaction comes at a Price: Jesus on the cross and you laying down your life. But the reward is great. If you go a step further with Christ and take an active faith – and many of you are just by being involved in a church plant, the risks grow, but so do the rewards. I pray and hope that Grace Harbor grows active disciples, is a refuge for the lost and hurting like Ruth and Naomi were, and is actively advancing the kingdom. But that starts with each of us and the decisions we make:
1. Are you Satisfied?
2. Are you passive or active?
Pray.
For expansion see John Piper’s sermon on this text:
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