Gleaning And Gathering

Text: Ruth Chapter 2

Title: Gleaning and Gathering

Leaving a legacy means living for something that will outlive you.

There are so many people in the Bible we could have chosen to do this series on. Lots of people in the Bible left a legacy. We choose Ruth because she had to first overcome so much in her life in order to leave a legacy.

In Ruth chapter 1

1. The death of her husband

2. The desertion of her sister in law

3. The discouragement of her mother in law

4. The disadvantage of being a foreigner and even worse one from Moab

The book of Ruth would have contained only one chapter if not for the resolve of Ruth that her life would count for something.

It was the resolve of Ruth that got her into the second chapter.

In Ruth chapter 2 we will find that her resolve begins to get rewarded.

You might feel today that your life is stuck in chapter one;

…that too many bad things are happening to you;

…that too many things are against you

…that you are surrounded with discouragement

Just remember this; chapter two follows chapter one. Our resolve to leave a legacy will be rewarded!!

This morning we are going to move on from chapter one and look at chapter 2

Read verses 1-3

The first thing we need to see here is that in order to leave a legacy after you are gone -you have to choose the right field to work in.

But don’t interpret the phrase you have to choose the right field to work in as the world interprets it;

To the world “the right field to work in” can only mean the following;

The field of sports

The field of politics

The field of science

The field of education

The field of music

To Ruth the phrase you have to choose the right field to work in means something totally different

The right field for her to work in was the field of Boaz!!

Jesus told us in Matthew 13:44 that the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field.

Find the right field and you just may find the treasure hidden in it

Ruth literally found her treasure hidden in a field.

“As it turned out she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz.”

And for the first part of chapter 2 we could even say that her treasure was hidden to her.

She had no idea how blessed she was going to become because she found herself in the field of Boaz.

So who is this Boaz?

Read verses 4-23

Boaz was:

1. This man from Bethlehem

2. This man of great standing

3. This man who already knows her past pains

4. This man who overwhelms her with kindness

5. This man who provides her with food and protection

Question: Who is our Boaz?

Jesus!

What Boaz was to Ruth Jesus wants to be to us.

There are so many similarities between Boaz and Jesus

1. Both were men from Bethlehem

2. Both were men of great standing

3. Both men already know our past pains

4. Both men overwhelm us with their kindness

5. Both men offer to provide food and protection

So if we want our lives to count for something we have to choose to work in the field belonging to Jesus!

In the case of Ruth the field of Boaz was a literal field. In the case of us the field of Jesus is both spiritual and literal.

The field of Jesus is the spiritual kingdom of God and yet that spiritual kingdom of God finds expression in the world we live in.

The Lord’s prayer: let your kingdom come.

Ruth found herself in the field of Boaz by chance

“As it turned out she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz.”

We find ourselves in the field of Jesus by choice.

The moment we choose to place our sins and our trust into the hands of Jesus God puts us into the field belonging to Jesus.

By virtue of the new birth you are now in the field belonging to Jesus.

Unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God

In fact the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:9 that those who put their trust in Jesus are God’s field.

No wonder so many of the parables of Jesus are based on agriculture.

2. When Ruth found herself in the field belonging to Boaz she does not find herself in a barren field but rather a bountiful one!

Ruth finds herself in the field of Boaz at the time of harvest

She says to the foreman v7 “please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.