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Your triumph in tragedy is in holding on to Jesus.
Ruth 2:1-23 - 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out 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 clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Do you believe in coincidences? I read a story of a woman who needed a heart transplant or else she would die. A young man, aged 21, was walking home at about the same time. He was hit by a car and died. His heart was a perfect match for this woman, so she survived because somebody died. For skeptics, that would be a coincidence. For the family of the deceased, it was a tragedy. For the recipient, a miracle, but in reality, all of this was God’s providence. The interesting part of the story was that the father of the deceased young man experienced triumph in tragedy when he heard his 21-year-old son’s heart beating in the recipient’s chest.
The problem with tragedy is that some become so depressed that they lose themselves to the tragedy. They need to know that triumph in tragedy is a process that starts with resuming ordinary affairs of life by trusting God’s providence in everything.
Last week, in Ruth 1, we were introduced to a family that was struck by tragedy after tragedy. In a short period, death claimed the lives of all the men of the house leaving three widows behind in search of provision and protection.
In Ruth 2:1-23, we discover that in His providence, God brought triumph in tragedy for Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, through seemingly ordinary affairs of life.
The big idea is to experience triumph in tragedy no matter the nature of it, we must believe in God’s providence in all affairs of life because either God’s providential hand is behind everything or it’s in nothing. To experience triumph in tragedy, we must remember that God determines, directs, delivers everything in our lives.
God Determines Everything to Fulfill His Purposes in Our Lives (Ruth 1:1-7)
Ruth 2:1 reads, “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.” Worthy can be a well-known, wealthy, or upright man. Ruth, and Boaz don’t know each other yet. However, God in His providence, will draw everything to their divinely predetermined conclusion to fulfill His purposes in their lives through ordinary affairs of life. God does the same in our lives too.
Let me give you my example. I didn’t know that in the midst of tragedy, one ordinary email to a Greek man who was working in the humanitarian sector would introduce me to the missions world and bring me to Greece, Afghanistan, Iran, and finally to the United States. It completely changed the trajectory of my meaningless life in Pakistan and potentially saved me and my soul.
Last time, defined God’s providence for us. Now, I want to show you that nothing is ordinary, by chance, or outside of God’s providence.
First, nothing is ordinary. Once the scene is set in Ruth 2:2, “And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”” The word “favor” here in Hebrew is, חֵן (ḥēn), which means “grace.” Genesis 6:8 uses the same word when it says, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
This is an undeserving favor that totally depends on the giver and not on the recipient and it is a work of faith. Ruth demonstrates more faith in the God of Israel in her ordinary day-to-day life decisions than her Jewish in-laws did. As the story will tell us, Ruth did experience triumph in tragedy— by mourning and complaining or seeking a big miraculous event? No. She experienced triumph in tragedy by simply resuming her daily life affairs in faith.
When Ruth asked Naomi for permission to go out in search of food, it was faith in action. She said she would glean in the field of the one who would show her grace, undeserving favor to glean in his field. In other words, she was trusting that God would move someone to show her grace. Nothing is ordinary because our every action and decision is an opportunity to exercise faith. They are necessary for the extraordinary work of God in our lives. Faith has to be exercised daily in ordinary affairs of life and not just in special events when you need a job, healing, or some other favor from God.
Second, nothing is by chance. In Ruth 2:3, “So she set out 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 clan of Elimelech.” Is that a coincidence that she entered the field that belonged to Boaz? No, I do not believe in coincidences because nothing is by chance.
Let’s not forget the context of Judges 21:25 which says, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Yet, this man Boaz didn’t. He did what God commanded in Leviticus 23:22, “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” Nothing is ordinary or happens by chance because nothing is outside of God’s providence.
Third, nothing is outside of God’s providence. What happens next in Ruth 2:4 is, “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem.” Boaz was away and he came back about the same time when Ruth was there. Those of us who are familiar with the city commute know how you can plan all you want but you can never guarantee the time. God worked out all the details behind the scenes to allow Boaz to get there at the time when Ruth was working. Verses 4-7 continues, “4 And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” In other words, they witnessed and testified to her hard work.
Last year, my wife had a debilitating problem with her ankle. On top of that, she broke her shoulder. Tragedy after tragedy caused me to wonder what was going on. Little did I know, that three weeks of rest for her shoulder was exactly what her ankle needed to finally heal. You see, either God’s providential hand is behind everything or it’s behind nothing.
The application is, be faithful in your ordinary tasks if you want to experience the extraordinary work of God in your lives, especially when tragedy strikes.
God Directs Everything to Fulfill His Plans in Our Lives (Ruth 1:8-16)
In the long run, God’s plan for Ruth was much bigger than any human could ever imagine. However in the short run, it was what He does for all: protect, preserve, and provide. That is exactly what we see in Ruth 2:8-16 as God directs everything to fulfill His plans in Ruth’s as well as Boaz’s life.
Protection. Ruth 2:8 reads, “Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women” ” because she is a young woman in a foreign land without a male guardian in times when everyone did what they saw fit.
Preservation. Ruth 2:9-13 continues, “9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” This is a genuine question, since it’s a jungle out there why would this man care? V.11 says, 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. Next, we see his prayer for her. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” While God was directing everything in Ruth and Naomi’s lives, He was also directing everything in Boaz’s life too. 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” Back in Ruth 2:2, in faith, she went out seeking favor. In verse 13, God already gave her favor with Boaz.
Provision. Then, Ruth 2:14-16 reads, “14 And at meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So, she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” Now Boaz is going above and beyond what the law required. That is generosity. It is no different from the principle of tithing. God wants us to give generously.
God’s plan of protection, preservation, and provision for Ruth came through a stranger, Boaz. I remember for me in Herat, Afghanistan, God’s plan of protection, preservation, and provision came through a stranger too. I was robbed. In my tragedy, all I could do was pray. When it became dark, in faith, I got up and walked to a shop. God immediately gave me favor because the shopkeeper had lived in Pakistan as a refugee. So, he knew Urdu. He found the man who took my stuff, returned it to me, took me to his home, fed me, gave me a bed, and the next day he put me on the bus and told the driver, please get my friend across the border.
The application is to learn to trust that God determines everything to fulfill His purposes in our lives and He directs everything to fulfill His plans in our lives. So, not only does God determine and direct everything He also delivers everything to fulfill His promises.
God Delivers Everything to Fulfill His Promises in Our Lives (Ruth 1:17-23)
Usually, we associate the fulfillment of God’s promises with miraculous works of deliverance. For example, how God delivered Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. In reality, that is rare the most common way God fulfills His promises in our lives is by delivering everything so that we may put it together.
This is what we see in Ruth’s life. See the steps that Ruth is taking to receive the promise of provision, protection, and preservation in Ruth 2:17-23, “17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, Then she beat out what she had gleaned and it was about an ephah of barley. That was a large portion. It is about 30 pounds of barley and if she continues with the same amount the rest of the harvest season, she will have food for the whole year. It was heavy also. V.18 says, 18 And she took it up and went into the city. So, she started at dawn, took a lunch break, and then worked until evening. At the evening probably she took a stick and beat hard enough to retrieve the grains. Extremely hard work. Then most likely she put it in a sack put the sack on her head and walked all the way back to her city Bethlehem. She is a hardworking woman. Next, the verse says, Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” This is the first time Naomi shares who this man Boaz is and that he is one of the redeemers. Next Sunday we will discuss this idea of a redeemer kinsman. 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”
Have you ever ordered IKEA furniture? When I was single, I ordered an IKEA bed. They delivered everything to fulfill their promise of the bed. However, I was expected to follow the instructions and do the hard work if I wanted to sleep in the bed that night. God delivers everything every day to fulfill His promises in our lives but, in faith, we have to do the hard work, too, even if it seems ordinary. Ruth triumphed in tragedy because she did not sit at home. She, in faith, went out and worked hard and God delivered everything she needed to fulfill His promises in her life.
The application is that in God’s providence, God delivers everything to fulfill His promises in our lives but if we sit at home, mourn, complain, and wait for a miracle, we may never experience triumph in tragedy.
Imagine the tragedies Job faced. What words of comfort would you have offered to ease his pain? For me that would be this— we triumph in tragedy only when we trust that God determines, directs, and delivers everything in our lives.
The action step to triumph in tragedy, no matter the nature, is not to sit idle in wait for a miracle. Like Ruth, rather than waiting for a miracle, with faith in Jesus, go after your miracle. There is no greater miracle than your salvation that Jesus already secured.
My appeal to you is, be faithful in ordinary works as you follow Jesus to experience the extraordinary works of God. Your triumph in tragedy is in holding on to Jesus. So, hold on to Jesus. This is how you triumph in tragedy because either God’s providential hand is behind everything or it’s in nothing.
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