Ruth's Love For Boaz

I'm wondering which chapter in the Book of Ruth you are living in. Sometimes we move from chapter to chapter. Some believers are like Naomi in chapter 1. They're living in a cemetery. Death is a fact of life, it's something we have to face and deal with, but you can't live in the past. Some of us are getting close to our years of anecdotage. And I, I keep saying to some of my friends, "Now if you, if I start telling you the story I've already told you, stop me." My memory is not as good as it used to be and I remember things from years ago, some things I wish I could forget.

Chapter 1, Naomi is living in sorrow, despair. Chapter 2, things begin to change in the Book of Ruth, because Ruth is being used of God. You know, there are some people who, when they walk into a situation, things begin to change for the better.

I have a dear friend, if I named him you'd all know him, been such a blessing to me, and we had the joy of serving together for a few years in a ministry, and we'd be having a meeting and discussing problems and nobody could see any way out, and then he would come into the room and everything would change. Some people are transformers, and Ruth became a transformer.

However, chapter 2 is not the ultimate in Christian living; she was living on leftovers. She was following the reapers and it wasn't her harvest, and she was picking up what other people dropped. Many people live that way. It's sad.

Many Christians, if Christian radio were to go off, they would not be able to live. They have to live on what other people are dropping because they have not gotten close to the Lord of the harvest. You know, when you have the Lord of the harvest, you have everything.

Some people are gleaners and some people are leaners. It's sad. I recall when I resigned from one of the churches I had pastored, a lady came to me and said, "Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do when you leave." I said, "You will find out."

Are you leaning on a preacher? Are you leaning on an author? Are you leaning on a media minister? Shame on you. Are you picking up leftovers that other people are dropping, or have you gotten close to the Lord of the harvest and inherited the whole field? That's chapter 3.

You've noticed here in the Book of Ruth that there is a beautiful balance of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Every once in a while, some junior theologian will come up to me and say, "How do you reconcile free will and sovereignty?"

Now that word "free will" is not biblical. Nobody here has a free will. I cannot will myself to float through the ceiling I cannot will myself to grow hair; that's obvious. Don't talk about that. Talk about human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

Somebody asked Spurgeon that question, "How do you reconcile human responsibility and divine sovereignty?" And Spurgeon wisely replied, "I never try to reconcile friends." Some people take divine sovereignty off to such an extreme they destroy human responsibility. And some people take human responsibility off to such an extreme that they blasphemously deny sovereignty. You find both working in the book of Ruth.

Naomi said, "I'm going home. Girls, go back to Moab." And God, in His sovereignty, said, "Ruth's not going back to Moab." Back to Bethlehem. She's not going to go back to Moab. She's going to go to Bethlehem. I'll get that straight yet.

Chapter 2, Ruth goes out to reap some of the harvest, do some gleaning, and she happens to come to the property that belongs to Boaz. Who did that? God's divine sovereignty. Oh, throughout this book you're going to see people making decisions and God ruling and overruling. Beautiful.

That's why Romans 8:28 is in the Bible, folks. God is sovereign in all things. We are responsible to find and do His will. And God's going to put them both together and accomplish His purposes. How could you live any other way? I feel sorry for unsaved people who are out there, and we need to reach them, because they're lost, going to hell, and life must be miserable if you don't have a Lord who's taking care of you.

Chapter 3, we find Ruth proposing marriage. Now, we don't do that today. I guess it is done. And probably there are some people who would like to do it. But back in this day, this was the way it was done. You say, "Well, why didn't Boaz propose to her?" For several reasons.

Number one, he wasn't sure she wanted him. Number two, he was older than she. We get that impression here. And he had to be very careful. But the main reason is this. He knew there was somebody else in town who had prior claim.

This book is about what the Jews called the kinsman redeemer. When a Jewish person fell into economic problems, his family was supposed to help him. But if they couldn't, all he could do would be to sell his property. All the Jews had property. Once every 50 years, the Jewish nation had the year of Jubilee. And in the year of Jubilee, all property would revert to the original owner. That would keep people from building dynasties.

So, if I became poor and had to sell you my property, you'd calculate how many years till the year of Jubilee. And that's what you'd pay for it. How much harvest can I get? How much can I earn from this property for the next, say, the year 2000 was a year of Jubilee, all right? For the next 9 years.

Well, Naomi had lost her property, and it was time to regain it. But the only person who could do that would be a kinsman redeemer. The law said that if you had a, a relative, a near relative, couldn't be some kissing cousin someplace, a near relative who was able to redeem because, a, he had the money, and, b, he had no other debts. And he was willing to redeem, then he could redeem the property for you, and it would be yours again.

That's what you find here. Boaz is the kinsman redeemer. Now, he pictures the Lord Jesus, because throughout the Word of God, the Lord Jesus is pictured as our Redeemer. And He's our kinsman redeemer. He became flesh and blood that He might enter into our poverty to make us rich. And of course, He did that at the cross.

Now, in chapter 3, you're going to find that Ruth meets four conditions for getting close to the Lord of the harvest. She's proposing. She doesn't just want grain that somebody drops. She doesn't just want gifts that somebody gives her. She wants him.

You know, when I'm sick, I don't want a doctor book. I want a doctor. If the police come to my front door, I don't want a law book. I want a lawyer. And if I've got sin problems and inheritance problems and heart problems, I want a Redeemer. I want the Lord of the harvest.

Condition number one, a surrendered will. Do you want to get closer to the Lord? Do you want to move out of living on leftovers and really living next to his heart? A surrendered will. "Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, 'My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it might be well with you?'"

That word "rest" means we're going to find you a home. We're going to get you a husband. "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative?" Ah, he's a near relative. "In fact, he's winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor." Well, Naomi knew what was going on, didn't she? She'd been doing some investigating.

Now the harvest season was a joyful time for the Jewish people. Life was not easy. We sometimes say, "Oh, if I had only lived back in those days." I have no desire to live back in those days. I hear people talking about the good old days. We had a dear gentleman at the Moody Church. I conducted his funeral. I think he was 94 when he died, and I asked him one day, I said, "Andy, what were they talking about in the good old days?" He said, "The good old days." You want to go back to the good old days of no penicillin, no sulfa, no x-ray machines, no surgery?

Well, she said it's harvest season. It was a time of great joy for them. "Therefore, wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking."

Now he wasn't getting drunk, he was just enjoying the harvest. They did that. "Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies." They had to guard the threshing floor. "And you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do."

Now listen to this statement in Ruth 3:5. "And she said to her, 'All that you say to me I will do.'" Have you ever told that to the Lord? "All that you say to me, I will do." A surrendered will.

I notice that in this book, Ruth was constantly under authority. This is remarkable because Ruth took place in the book of the Judges, and in the period of the judges, every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes.

That's what's happening today. Young people are saying, "We don't need marriage. We can live together. We're going to do what we please." Bankers are saying, "I don't care what the law says, we'll take this money." Preachers are saying, "It makes no difference what my ordination was all about. I can do what I please." But Ruth said, "I'm going to put myself under authority."

In chapter two, she put herself under the authority of a foreman. She came and said, "May I glean a little bit here?" Then she put herself under the authority of her mother-in-law. She said, "Whatever you say, I'll do it." The only time in the book of Ruth she did not put herself under the authority of her mother-in-law is in chapter one, and her mother-in-law was dead wrong.

Her mother-in-law said, "Ruth, you go back home. Go back to Moab and start all over again." Ruth said, "No. No, I've got to obey God, not you. I have come to trust the Lord. Jehovah is my God, and he tells me what to do, and you're wrong. I'm going to go back with you."

There come times in our lives when we must obey God rather than men. Let's be sure, though, we're really obeying God and not just following our own desires. The apostles had to do that. The council said to the apostles, "Don't you preach anymore in the name of Jesus." And they said, "No, we've got to. We can't help but tell people what we've seen and heard." And so it was with Ruth. She was under authority.

I hope that the day has come in our lives when we say to the Lord Jesus, in fact, we ought to say it to him every day, "All that you say to me, I will do." I like what Mary says in John 2. In fact, I think they're the last recorded words of Mary in the Bible. "Whatever he says to you, do it." Do it. And for that, I, I love her. "Whatever he says to you, do it." Not whatever I say to you. "Whatever he says to you, do it." A surrendered will.

Now, she had the right purpose in mind. Her purpose was a closer relationship with Boaz. You see, many of us would have been happy to stop with chapter 2. We would have said, "Well, I made a new friend, and he's given me some food, and he's protecting me, and he's letting me work here. And I can—"

She would have spent the rest of her life being a poor gleaner. She said, "I want more than that." Don't you want something more in your Christian life? Are you satisfied with just being a poor gleaner, and having your heavenly Boaz protect you and feed you? Don't you want to move in the chapter 3 and get close to his heart? A surrendered will.

Turn to John 14. John 14, our Lord talks about this deeper relationship in the upper room. Verse 21, John 14:21: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." "Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, 'Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'"

Has that happened to you? Now, he's not talking here about getting saved; these men were already saved. He's talking about a deeper love relationship with the Lord Jesus, not feeding our minds with information, but filling our hearts with a personal fellowship with the Lord. When you open your Bible in the morning to listen to God, does he come to you and love you?

Someone says, "Well, you're talking about a subjective experience." Of course. What's wrong with that? Ever fallen in love? That's a subjective experience. I defy you to take love to a laboratory, measure it, and analyze it. It defies analysis. But it's real. First time you saw that first baby that came into your home, something happened to your heart. You don't analyze that. Dr. Spock doesn't have a chapter explaining it.

Our Lord is talking here about something more than reading my Bible for information. He's talking about opening my heart for the Father and the Son, through the Holy Spirit, to come and make their home with us. Paul prays about that in Ephesians 3. He says, "I want you to be able to grasp the love of God, its length and its breadth and its depth and its height." I want that the Lord Jesus shall settle down and feel at home in your heart. Does Jesus feel at home in your heart?

The other day, I was reading Genesis 18 and 19, working on a chapter of a book, and I noticed that Jesus Christ and two angels came down and had a good time visiting with Abraham and Sarah. Then, the two angels went to see Lot, but Jesus didn't go.

He said, "I'm not at home there. I don't go to Sodom. You angels, you go and you investigate what's going on." Does the Lord Jesus feel at home? That's what he's talking about here. That's what Jesus is talking about: a deeper relationship with the Lord of the harvest.

So, she had the right purpose in mind. She wanted to get closer to Boaz. May I say it again: Jesus wants to do more than solve your problems. He solved her problems in chapter 2. He was feeding her. He was protecting her. Everybody knew, "Watch out what you do with Ruth, because Boaz is taking care of her." He solved her problems in chapter 2, but that's just the beginning. He wanted to get close to her heart.

Now in order for her to get close to Boaz, there had to be some preparation, so Naomi gave her some instructions. Oh, I could spend the rest of the time, which I'll not do, talking about the necessity for each generation to instruct the next generation. That's one reason why I resigned from Back to the Bible and said no to some other ministries that wanted me to come.

I want to leave behind some books and some tapes to instruct the next generation. That's my job. I don't know how long I'm going to be around, and I want to leave something behind that the next generation can use. My problem is the next generation doesn't always know what it needs. That's the problem. I know you have that problem.

Folks, as we get older in the church, we get a little bit antsy, a little bit worried about this younger generation. And then I remind myself that when I was a youngster, the older generation was worried about me. And yet somehow we survived. And so here is Ruth listening to Naomi.

Now, young women, listen to the mature women in the church who know God. That's what Paul wrote to Titus. He said, "You tell the older women to teach the younger women how to love their husbands, how to care for their children." Young men, listen to the mature men in the church. Now age is no guarantee of wisdom. There are old fools as well as young fools, and I've met some of them. I don't want to be one of them.

But by and large, if there are people in your circle who have walked with the Lord, they've got the scars to prove it, that they've been out there in the battle, listen to them. You'll solve a lot of problems, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble, if you just listen to them. I wish that every young couple in the church could adopt an older couple who could give them guidance. I thank God for the older couples in our lives who have been to us the guidance that we've needed.

Naomi said to her, "Now the first thing you have to do is wash yourself." You want to get closer to the Lord, wash yourself. Don't just pray, "Wash me." In Isaiah 1, God says, "Wash you! Clean yourself up!" That's 2 Corinthians 7:1: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves."

You clean out the record collection. You clean out the video shelf. You clean out the library. You clean out the magazine rack. You clean out what you watch on television. That's your job; God's not going to do it. Wash yourself. You know why some Christians never get close to the heart of the Lord of the harvest? They're dirty. They're dirty. Dirty hands and dirty feet.

So, she said, "Wash yourself." Change your clothes. Get rid of your widow's garments and dress like a bride. Now, she was not a wealthy girl, but she had a change of clothes, and so she washed herself and she changed clothes.

You want to know what kind of clothes you ought to be wearing? Read Colossians 3. It'll tell you exactly the kind of clothes we ought to be wearing to meet the Lord. Putting off all these things, put off anger and put off all these things, and putting on love, patience, and kindness. Change clothes, and anoint yourself. Smell good.

You've got to study the fragrances of the Bible. When the Jews kept the manna until the next day, it rotted and smelled. When I go out into conference ministry, I've got to spend hours taking whatever message I'm giving, because, even though I've given it before, I've got to make sure it's not yesterday's manna. Got to be fresh.

Every Christian has a fragrance. Some of you remember Dr. James McGinlay. I enjoyed hearing him preach. He was a great Scotsman. A lady came up to him one day and she, she said, "You're wearing perfume." He went, "You're not." A perfect rebuke. Did you know that every Christian has a fragrance? Read 2 Corinthians chapter 2: "We're the fragrance of Christ unto God. To the unsaved, we're the fragrance of death unto death. To the saved, we're the fragrance of life unto life."

I've been a pastor, and you go visiting in homes, I want you to know every home has a fragrance. I've walked into some homes and I've said to myself, "Something smells here." Before long, you find out.

What is your fragrance? When you get close to the Lord, what does he smell? The world? Man came to D. L. Moody and said, "Will smoking send me to hell?" Moody said, "No, but you'll smell like you've already been there." When the three Hebrew children came out of the furnace, they didn't smell like fire. What's your fragrance today?

So she was coming to the right person for the right purpose with the right preparation. And it's important that every time I meet with the Lord, I make sure I'm clean and clothed and fragrant, because Boaz was her kinsman-redeemer. A surrendered will. That's just the beginning.

There's a second condition we have to meet if we're going to get close to his heart, and that is a yielded body. Ruth 3:6: "So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful." Now, he wasn't a drunk. God gave wine to the Jewish people to gladden the heart of man, so don't read something into this that's not here. "And his heart was cheerful." Nothing wrong with that.

Ecclesiastes says, now, instead of complaining about what you don't have, rejoice in what you do have. Five times in Ecclesiastes, it says, "Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy." "He went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down." Now that was the system. When you're going to propose, you uncovered his feet.

"Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled." I suppose more than one prospective husband has had cold feet. Some of the marriages that I have performed, and I'm sure other pastors could echo this. My oh my, you wonder that they could walk out to the platform. He was startled. "He turned himself, and there, a woman was lying at his feet." Remarkable thing. "And he said, 'Who are you?' So she answered, 'I'm Ruth.'"

Notice she doesn't say, "I'm Ruth the Moabitess." Several times in this book she is identified that way: Ruth the Moabitess, Ruth the— She just said, "I'm Ruth." The Lord of the harvest is not concerned about your first birth; it's your second birth. She's making a whole new beginning here. "I'm Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative."

The Hebrew says, "Spread the wing of your garment over me." He was lying at the threshing floor with his garment over him. And the Hebrew word for corner, the corner of the garment, is the word for wing. And she said, "I've uncovered your feet. Now you cover me with the wing of your garment." Remember, she had trusted the Lord, and she was under his wings, Ruth 2:12. Now she's going to be under his wing. What she was saying is, "I'm yielding myself to you. I'm yielding my body."

Someday study the people who came to the feet of Jesus. It's a marvelous study. And— especially the women who came to the feet of Jesus. A prostitute came to his feet one day and anointed his feet with ointment. She was so grateful for what he'd done for her. Don't confuse that with John 12, Mary of Bethany, two different situations.

A woman who'd been sick for 12 years and defiled came to his feet and touched the hem of his garment. She was healed. A Gentile woman came to his feet and said, "My daughter is demon-possessed. Would you please do something for her?" After the resurrection, the women fell at his feet.

I suppose the most beautiful story is John 12. In fact, Mary of Bethany, every time you find her in the New Testament, she's in the same place: at the feet of Jesus, every time. Luke 10, she sits at his feet and listens to his word. John 11, she comes to his feet and weeps. John 12, she comes to his feet and worships. It's a great place to be, at the feet of the Lord of the harvest. A yielded body, at his feet, under his wing, but it doesn't stop there.

There's a third condition that she met: a surrendered will, Ruth 3:1-5; a yielded body, Ruth 3:6-9; a receptive mind, Ruth 3:10-15. Rather interesting that from now on, he does all the talking.

For several years, I was in the neighborhood of a pastor, a young pastor who, without announcement, used to stop at our house. It doesn't bother me. It happens in Lincoln. I want to be an encouragement to the young pastors. And he would show up at the front door, and I'd say, "Well, he's got something he wants to talk about," so I'd stop whatever I was doing and, and listen and listen and listen. And I'd try to get a word in edgewise, then I'd try to get a word in sledgewise, and he never would listen. He came to me for counsel. Came to me for some wisdom. He never listened.

She wasn't like that. She had a receptive mind. She was saying to Boaz, "Whatever you say, I'll do it now. I'm listening. Talk." And she listened to his word. You know, when you have a surrendered will and a yielded body, you better have a receptive mind and listen to his word.

Now, see what happens here. If you listen to his word, you'll discover something interesting. Number one, he has accepted you. Notice this: "Then he said, 'Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning.'" You were, you were kind to Naomi, and now you're showing kindness to me, "in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich."

Ruth was the best catch in town, and there were other people looking at her. She paid no attention to them. She wanted Boaz. "And now, my daughter, do not fear."

You see, he accepted her. He didn't say, "Well, you're a foreigner, a widow, poor. I don't want you." No. No. This, by the way, is Ephesians 2. I referred to this the other day, but we'd better read it: Ephesians 2, because when you put yourself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest, he accepts you.

Ephesians 2:11: "Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh," that's me, a Gentile, Ephesians 2:12, "that at that time you were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise," I was that way— I was that way. If you're a Gentile, so are you. "Having no hope," that was Ruth, "without God in the world."

But, she started at the end of the verse. She got God. She trusted Jehovah God, and she got under his wings, and then she had hope, and then she became a part of the covenants of promise, and she was no longer a stranger. He accepted her. And from that point on, she was no longer Ruth the Moabitess. She was Mrs. Boaz. Oh, he hadn't married her publicly yet, but that was where it was going to end up.

So, he accepted her. Then he blessed her. "Blessed are you of the Lord." Ah, that makes me think of Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings." How many? All. What kind? Spiritual. Material? No. No. He promised that to the Jews. He said, "Now, if you obey my covenant, you'll always have your material— I'll bless your flocks, and your herds, and your families, and you'll defeat your natives. You won't have any sickness."

And a lot of people pick that up from the Old Testament, and apply it to the New Testament. No. No. A lot of God's people are sick. And don't you ever tell them that they're sick because they've sinned. That's not your business. Blessed with all spiritual blessings, where? In the heavenly places. How? In Christ Jesus. He blessed her.

When I got saved, God gave me everything I ever would need for the rest of my life. When I was born, I was born complete in Christ. Wouldn't it be odd if a baby was born and then the mother says, "I can hardly wait to go back to the hospital and get the ears. Oh, just think, two weeks from now, little Junior can have arms."

No, no, you're born complete. You are complete in Him. And somebody comes to me and says, "You know, we've got something you haven't got." I said, "Really? Where'd you get it?" Because when I got saved, I got it all. My job now is just to appropriate it and grow and grow and grow.

So, he blessed her. He accepted her, and then he assured her, "And now, my daughter, do not fear." Oh, study the "fear nots" of the Bible. It's a great study. God said to Abraham, "Fear not, I'm your shield and your exceeding great reward." Jacob's going to move down to Egypt. Old people have a hard time moving, and God said, "Fear not, don't be afraid."

Joshua: "Fear not. I know Moses is dead, but I'm still alive. Don't be afraid." On the sea in the storm, the disciples were scared to death, even though seven of them were sailors, fishermen. And here comes a, an apparition across the sea, and he says, "Fear not!" It's great to be able to come to the Lord of the harvest and hear him say, "Don't be afraid."

Don't be afraid, first of all, because, "I will do for you all that you request. Don't be afraid. I'll keep my promises, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. I'll keep my promises. I'll solve the problem. Now, it's true I am a close relative. However, there is a relative closer than I." Now, she didn't know that. And I can just sense her heart going flip-flop. Uh-oh.

You know what robs us of sleep? Worrying about the future. You know what keeps us restless and from enjoying life? There's a sword hanging over our head and we're wondering, what's going to happen next? Some of you go home to a doctor's examination; you're concerned about it. You ought to be, but you're concerned about it.

Some of you, when you pray, you're thinking about children who have gone astray or grandchildren who have gone astray. And the Lord says, "Don't be afraid. I'll keep my promises. Don't be afraid. I'll solve the problem. I know there's another fellow here in town, but we'll take care of it. Don't be afraid. I'm going to meet all your needs."

So she lay at his feet until morning, and then he said, "Now you better get out of here, because somebody might misunderstand. Bring your shawl." And so she opens her shawl, and he pours into it about 10 or 12 days' supply of food. He said, "Now look, don't worry. Don't be afraid. I'm going to keep my promises. Don't be afraid. I'm going to solve all the problems. Don't be afraid. I'm going to meet all of your needs, and when you get back home, show this to your mother-in-law." You see, he knew she was behind it. That's why he said, "Now you, you give this to Naomi."

A receptive mind. You know why some of you are worrying? You talk so much, you haven't got time to listen. Listen to what he says. Let him renew your mind. And she got up, and she took that burden, and off she went with a light heart, because she'd learned something about her husband to be. He was going to keep his promises, he was going to solve her problems, and he was going to meet her needs. Why worry?

A surrendered will, a yielded body, a receptive mind, and the chapter closes, Ruth 3:16-18, with a confident heart. "When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, 'Is that you, my daughter?'" That's the translation of the New King James Version that I'm using.

The question is, "Who are you, my daughter?" That's what it is in the Hebrew. "Who are you?" And the commentators say, "Why would Naomi ask a dumb question like that? She knew who she was." Oh, no, she didn't. When she said, "Who are you, my daughter?" she's saying, "Are you Mrs. Boaz? Did he say yes?"

Oh, I'm so glad for what happened to Naomi. She used to be so bitter and unbelieving and rebellious, and now she's submissive and concerned about the future, and God's working in her life, and Ruth made the difference. Now, you have to live with somebody who's abrasive and difficult, make a difference.

"And she told her all that the man had done for her." Said, "Here's what he's done for me." By the way, could you do that? If some unsaved person stopped you and said, "Tell me all that the Lord's done for you," could you do that? I think you could. And she said, "These six ephahs of barley he gave me, for he said to me, 'Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.'"

Now Naomi gives her a great piece of advice. Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out. For the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." Sit still.

There are three verses in Scripture that all of us need to remember. Here's the first one: "Sit still." Most of us would have run around. "What's he doing? What's he doing? Where is he now?" Just sit still. Just sit still. Most of the problems in this world are caused by people who can't sit still. They are nervous in the service of the king. Sit still.

Exodus 14:13 is a good verse to get a hold of and put right next to this. Exodus 14:13, the Jews were scared to death. Behind them, the Egyptian army; before them, the Red Sea; around them, the wilderness. What are they going to do? Moses says in Exodus 14:13, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Sit still and wait. Stand still and watch. But the climax to the whole thing is Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."

The mark of a mature Christian is he knows how to sit still and wait. He or she knows how to stand still and watch, and knows how to be still and worship. "Be still and know that I am God." My Hebrew instructor told me that the Hebrew word "be still" means "take your hands off."

Some of you are meddling in the affairs of your children and your grandchildren, and you're trying to play God, and you're messing everything up. Quit it. Take your hands off. Now, they come to you for counsel, give it to them, but don't meddle. Don't manipulate. Faith is living without scheming. Sit still and wait. He's working for you.

Here's a remarkable thing. In the previous chapter, Ruth is out there working in the fields of Boaz. Now Boaz is out working for her. You know what Jesus is doing right now? He's working for you. He's working for you. He went back to heaven to go to work for you. He's interceding. He's your high priest. He's your advocate. He's up in heaven and He's working in our lives. Now just sit still.

Now when there's a job to do, don't sit still, do it. When God tells you to do something, do it, but after you've done all you can do, a surrendered will, a yielded body, a receptive mind, a confident heart, sit still and wait, stand still and watch, be still and know that He's God. Take your hands off. Some of you have church situations that are breaking your heart. If God's told you what to do, do it. But until He does, sit still, stand still, be still. God will take care of it. A confident heart.

I like this verse, Ruth 3:18: "The man will not rest." Naomi at the beginning of the chapter said, "I'm going to get some rest for you," but he doesn't have any rest, and he's not going to rest till he's finished the job. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Whatever He starts, He finishes.

Now will you turn to Romans 11? Romans 11. Paul has been discussing in Romans 9-11 the most profound theological concepts: divine sovereignty, election, human responsibility. These are the three hardest chapters, I think, in the entire New Testament. Paul doesn't give us all the answers. He doesn't have to. When he gets to the end of this deep theological study, you know what he does? He sings. I don't recall we ever sang in theology class in seminary, but he sings.

Look at Romans 11:33: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counselor? Or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him? For of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

Here's a confident heart. Paul said, "I can't explain all these things, but I'll tell you something: everything comes from God, everything goes back to God, everything is in the hands of God. He doesn't need my advice. He doesn't need anything from me. I'm confident and rejoicing in the Lord." A confident heart.

But don't stop there. You see, when Paul wrote Romans, there were no chapter divisions. He did not say to his secretary, "End of chapter 11. Beginning of chapter 12." No, he just went right on, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies."

Oh. Oh. A yielded body. "Present your bodies a, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Oh, we've gone from a confident heart to a yielded body to a renewed, retentive, receptive mind. Doesn't stop there. "That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Oh, now we have a yielded will. I don't know if Paul was thinking about Ruth, but there it is.

That was a turning point. You want a turning point experience in your life? You want to quit being a gleaner, living on leftovers, whatever somebody drops? Then get next to the Lord of the harvest. How do you do that? Surrendered will: "Whatever you say, I'll do it." A yielded body. A receptive, renewed mind. A confident heart. Sit still. Stand still. Be still. Take your hands off. And put yourself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest.

Oh Father, forgive us that we're content running with the gleaners. We're content living on leftovers. We're content with the gifts and we don't have the giver. We're content with a little part of a harvest when the whole field could be ours. Forgive us. And help us to start moving into that deep, satisfying love relationship that is the turning point. And teach us, Lord, how to sit still and wait, how to stand still and watch, how to be still and worship, because you are God, and we worship you. And we thank you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.