Monday, August 30, 2010
God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part II - A "Chance" Meeting, Part 34 of 44
TEXT: " 'Yes, I know,' Boaz replied, 'but I also know about the love and kindness you have shown your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully.' 'I hope I continue to please you, sir,' she replied. 'You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me even though I am not as worthy as your workers' " (Ruth 2:11-12).
IDEA: Sometimes God uses prayer to answer a prayer.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that God sometimes works in unexpected ways to answer our prayers.
Have you ever been the answer to someone else's prayers? How?
Have you ever been the answer to your own prayer?
I. In the story of Ruth, Boaz prays a prayer that at first glance hardly seems like a prayer. See Ruth 2:11-12 above.
Ruth asks Boaz, "Why have I found favor in your eyes?" There are several answers that might have been given.
He was fundamentally a good man (of noble character, Ruth 2:1). Do you think he would have treated any destitute gleaner in this way?
He is kind to Ruth because the Lord has prepared his heart for her (look at Ruth's wish in 2:2—One day Ruth said to Naomi, "Let me go out into the fields to gather leftover grain behind anyone who will let me do it."
Boaz invokes a blessing on Ruth for what she has done for Naomi (Ruth 2:12).
He asks that the Lord will repay her for her works. What does that mean?
Proverbs 19:17 says, "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." Her acts have not only put Naomi in her debt but the Lord as well.
May your wages be full . . .: the God of Israel will do that.
Ruth was claiming the Lord as her divine protector. God is pictured as a mother bird who offers her wings to protect her defenseless young.
II. Boaz was personally functioning as the Wings of God.
Boaz was not only providing for Ruth but also honoring God: "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God" (Proverbs 14:31).
In a lovely way God uses Boaz to answer his own prayer for Ruth. Compare this to Ruth 3:9—" 'I am your servant Ruth,' she replied. 'Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.' "
