prelude to chapter 2 the prophet's hands trembled as he dipped the quill into ink the weight of divine words pressing heavy on his spirit jeremiah the weeping prophet sat alone in the dim glow of the evening a lone candle flickering against the encroaching darkness before him lay a blank scroll but his heart was already full with the burden of a message from the Lord of Hosts the exiles of Jerusalem had been dragged and changed to Babylon their city left in ruins their temple desecrated jeremiah's quill scratched against the parchment every stroke deliberate every word carrying the weight of eternity thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel to the exiles who I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon build houses and dwell in them plant gardens and eat their fruits take wives and have sons and daughters multiply and do not decrease jeremiah paused his hand shaking as tears blurred his vision this was no ordinary command god was asking his people to bloom in the midst of their exile to thrive even in the land of their captives seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will find your own jeremiah could feel the people's anguish as he wrote yet here was the Lord calling them to an audacious hope for thus says the Lord "When the 70 years are completed for Babylon I will visit you and I will fulfill my promise to bring you back to this place. " Jeremiah's voice broke as he whispered the next words aloud his heart aching with their beauty "for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope the scrolls seemed to glow in the candle light as the words spilled forth then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart i will be found by you declares the Lord and I will restore your fortunes greater gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you i will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. " Jeremiah set the quill down his fingers smudged with ink and trembling with the intensity of the moment the God of Israel had not abandoned them they were broken but not forsaken and one day at the appointed time the God of all creation would bring them out of Babylon he would be their redeemer hey y'all welcome back to pray.
com's Heroes in the Bible Ruth i'm your host Savannah Chrysley and I'm so glad you're here with me today we're moving in to Ruth chapter 2 and let me tell you this is one of my favorite parts of Ruth's story if you've ever had to step up and handle things that you weren't ready for you'll see yourself in this story if you haven't yet subscribed to this channel or followed the podcast take a moment now to do so and for more inspiring devotionals and resources to grow your faith download the pray. com app today and if something I say speaks to you leave a review or share it with a friend we're all on this journey together we begin this episode with another prelude a story from another place in the Bible we heard from the prophet Jeremiah god told his people to be faithful despite their suffering he wanted them to thrive in the hardship instead of shrink back in chapter 2 of Ruth we see a similar calling she's going to be faithful even when all seems lost ruth stepped outside and was greeted by the sharp clean scent of barley and rain soaked earth the sun had begun its slow ascent painting the sky with vivid colors ruth turned her face toward the warmth letting it soothe the chill of a long and restless night for a fleeting moment her heart felt light but the weight of her circumstances quickly settled back into place i'll search for food maybe I can forage for something in the hills there's no need for that the law of Moses allows the poor to glean from the fields during harvest you can work for what we need there's a law that cares for the poor will a foreigner like me be able to gather food the law of the Lord is kind kinder than the world it governs go you may find kindness yet ruth ventured into town the marketplace buzzed with life though its warmth felt distant when she inquired about a field to glean from a kindly basket weaver pointed her toward a property near the hill country ruth nodded her thanks and made her way to the field it stretched wide and golden sloping gently down into the valley reapers moved rhythmically their sickles flashing in the morning light the air was filled with the rustle of grain and occasional laughter ruth approached a group of men handing out tools and baskets "hello is there any work at the edges of the field? " One of the young men smirked his gaze lingering too long "are you sure lovely such a flower shouldn't wilt in the sun.
" The young man laughed and reached out to touch Ruth's face ruth jerked back her voice firm i'm here to work not to amuse you if there's no place for me I'll leave no need to leave little flower the edge of the field is yours take what you can carry his grin lingered but Ruth ignored him gripping her tools tightly as she found the quiet spot to begin the work was monotonous but relentless grain by grain stalk by stalk Ruth filled her basket under the punishing sun she ignored the young men's distant taunts focusing on the task before her her hands raw from the sickle trembled with fatigue as the sun climbed higher the oppressive heat bore down ruth's determination began to falter the weight of her grief and exhaustion pressing harder than the day's labor a careless slip of her sickle sliced her hand and pain flared through her palm she dropped the grain and fell to her knees her breath hitching in frustration ruth let her head fall tears darkening the soil beneath her she paused inhaling deeply you can do this Ruth wiping her tears with a torn piece of her dress Ruth steadied herself ruth's weapon was hope though it felt fragile she held it fiercely pressing forward with quiet courage she did not yet see it but God was already weaving a story of redemption through her faithfulness the day began to wne workers loaded sheav into carts bound for the silos while others prepared a simple meal near the well laughter and songs filled the air then from the road a booming voice carried across the fields the Lord be with you faithful men and women heads turned and a cheer erupted as the workers recognized the voice and the Lord bless you it was Boaz the master of the field dismounting Boaz handed out dried figs with a cheerful grin take a moment my friends eat and be refreshed the workers crowded around grateful for the unexpected treat boaz chatted with them briefly then cast his gaze over the fields his practiced eyes surveying the day's progress he stopped short at the far edge of the field a woman was working alone something about her caught his attention the quiet determination in her posture the way she labored without pause he gestured to the foreman whose young woman is that ah yes the young flower the foreman smirked but it vanished under Boaz's sharp gaze that's Ruth the Moabitete widow daughter-in-law of Naomi she followed her here after her husband's death seems she's taken upon herself to care for the old woman a Moabitete and she stayed with Naomi when she could have remarried in her own land that's the word going around they say she's loyal to Naomi though why she'd sacrifice her own future for a bag of bones who knows boaz nodded thoughtfully his gaze drifting back to Ruth boaz called the men together you've done well today gentlemen your work is honorable and pleasing to the Lord he singled out the group nearest Ruth now listen carefully i know that some of you find amusement in teasing the women let me be clear these daughters of the Lord are not here for your entertainment they are worthy of respect any man who harasses them will answer to me am I understood he pointed toward Ruth especially her if she speaks you listen if she needs help you offer it if I hear otherwise there will be consequences the tension broke as Boaz's face softened into a smile good now let's finish so we can eat drink and enjoy the fruits of our labor as the men dispersed Boaz lingered his eyes drifting back to Ruth there was something about her something beyond her beauty he didn't know her story in full but Boaz resolved to learn more [Music] ruth's blistered hands trembled as she packed the last of the grain into her basket she adjusted her shawl against the cooling air ignoring the throbbing in her hands she would work until she could no longer stand for Naomi when footsteps approached her body tensed ready to flee god be with you daughter of Moab ruth hesitated her fists unclenching as she studied the stranger she had been taunted too many times to count by the young men what do you want oh I don't want anything i'm just here to introduce myself i'm Boaz son of Salmon this is my field ruth's eyes widened in embarrassment and she bowed her head in respect oh my lord a thousand apologies for my shortness i Please no need for formalities you've worked hard today let me help you there's a warm meal waiting by the silos boaz took two of Ruth's baskets and hoisted them onto his shoulders he smiled and gestured for her to follow boaz whistled a light-hearted tune as they walked you should stay with the women tomorrow you'll glean more that way and it's safer i've spoken with the young men though and they won't bother you again you have my word ruth paused dropping her basket grain spilled onto the ground but she barely noticed tears welled in her eyes as she dropped to her knees for months she had borne the weight of survival caring for her dying husband then Naomi with no thought for herself now someone was finally looking out for her why why what what why are you being so kind to me i'm a foreigner i'm nothing to you boaz knelt beside her carefully scooping the spilled grain back into the basket i've heard of your loyalty to Naomi what you've done for her is is extraordinary you deserve honor and respect the Lord sees you Ruth he is with you ruth lifted her tear streaked face to meet his gaze she wiped her cheeks and managed a small shaky smile thank you i thought the Lord had forgotten me you're in the land of God Ruth it's under his wings you've come for refuge he offered her his hand helping her to her feet "now come let's eat. " They continued to the silos where a fire crackled and laughter filled the air the workers sat together sharing roasted barley and hearty stew boaz served each person even though he was their master he served them ruth watched him in quiet amazement the children danced about the tables under the lamp for the first time in a long while Ruth allowed herself to feel anything but desperation something akin to joy welled within her before Ruth left she overheard Boaz speaking to the head reaper pull out some of the stored bundles for Ruth to glean and make sure no one troubles her ruth pretended not to hear but a small smile spread across her face perhaps she thought God had not forgotten her or Naomi the twilight deepened as Ruth pulled the small cart up the path to Naomi's house pushing the door open Ruth was greeted by the warm glow of the fire naomi sat beside it tending to a pot naomi looked up her tired eyes widening at the sight of the baskets where have you been gleaning to bring back this much food the Lord has blessed us today this will last us weeks and look I brought bread from the meal they gave me what did you have to do for all this ruth did the young men ask anything from you no nothing was required of me except sweat and determination the master of the field even gave me extra out of generosity blessed is the man who allowed you to glean so much who was he ruth leaned back against the wall her smiles softening at the thought of him his name is Boaz he was kind Naomi he protected me from the younger men and ensured I had enough to bring home there was no pretense no hidden motive just goodness so rare in a man his age especially where I'm from boaz boaz son of Salmon slowly a genuine grin spread across her face the first Ruth had seen in what felt like years boaz son of Salmon oh may he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead naomi spun in place her hands lifted to the heavens oh Ruth do you understand what this means what does it mean who is Boaz to you boaz is a kinsman redeemer do you know what that is my child no what is a kinsman redeemer a kinsman redeemer is a man appointed within the family to rescue and restore he redeems lost property frees family members from slavery avenges wrongs and on occasion a redeemer will marry a widow to protect and provide for her you're not suggesting Boaz would marry me are you do not fret over what may be you are a woman of courage and virtue continue to glean be the woman God has called you to be and we will see how the Lord moves in his perfect time that night as they shared a meal by the fire Naomi spoke with a lightness Ruth hadn't heard in months they reminisced about Moab Maron Killian and Orpha their laughter filled the small house for the first time since they had buried their husbands they allowed themselves to dream of a better future god had not abandoned Ruth or Naomi somehow amidst their suffering he was weaving a story of redemption you know when I think about Ruth chapter 2 I can't help but see so many parallels with my own life if you've been following my story then you know this past season has been a lot when my parents had to go away everything changed suddenly I'm not just Savannah Chrysley i'm also a full-time guardian for my little brother Grayson and my sister Chloe i had to step up in ways I never expected it's funny though i always thought I'd arrive in life and be settled but life has a way of throwing curveballs that force you out of that settled mentality that's what I see in Ruth this young woman didn't have a safety net her husband had died her father-in-law was gone and she was in a foreign land but instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for herself she says "I'm going to do something about it. " She tells Naomi "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain.
" She's not waiting for someone to hand her a blessing she's going out to look for it and man did this hit me hard because I've been there there were days when I had to figure out how to keep everything together taking kids to school running a business managing my own mental health and it's easy to wonder does anyone see me ruth no doubt had moments like those moments of I'm caring for everybody else but does anybody care about me maybe you're feeling that way right now you're doing all this work behind the scenes and it feels like nobody notices but guess what boaz noticed Ruth and God notices you in Ruth chapter 2 Boaz steps into the story he's the owner of the field Ruth is working in boaz obviously notices how pretty Ruth is but that's not what intrigues him boaz is stirred by Ruth's loyalty he notices her integrity he's kind protective and generous he tells his workers to make things easier for her and make sure that she's taken care of what's wild to me is that Ruth didn't go looking for Boaz she didn't have a dating profile or a meat cute plan ruth was working she wasn't looking for a man to be with for life she was just looking for a meal to survive the day ruth was doing what she could with what she had sometimes we think we have to manifest a blessing but Ruth's story reminds us that faithfulness in the ordinary moments puts us in position for divine appointments here's the takeaway for all of us don't underestimate the power of showing up jesus talks a little about this in one of his parables he says this in Matthew 25:23 well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful with a few things i will put you in charge of many things come and share your master's happiness don't underestimate the power of being faithful in every moment whether it's on the mountaintop or in the valley Ruth didn't know how her story would unfold but she knew that she had work to do for me that meant staying faithful to my family work advocacy projects and mental health it's about showing up daily and trusting that God's got the bigger picture in mind that brings us to the prelude on today's episode before chapter 2 of Ruth we were introduced to a story from Jeremiah 29 so many Christians know about Jeremiah 29:11 do you know it for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future this was God's comfort to the people of Israel when they were being taken away from their homes to Babylon we can apply this verse to our difficult circumstances today we find comfort in knowing that God has a plan for all of us but so many people miss the context surrounding Jeremiah 29:11 before making his promises God tells the people of Israel that life will most definitely get more brutal but while going through these trials they should work hard to make the best of it that's what Ruth did and that's what you can do and listen maybe you're waiting on something right now a breakthrough a new job a relationship you're doing all the right things but it feels like nothing's happening let me remind you Ruth didn't see Boaz coming but God did her faithfulness put her in the right field at the right time so don't give up keep working keep being faithful god's got a way of bringing Boaz's into your story just when you need them whether that's a person an opportunity or a breakthrough God sees you just like Boaz saw Ruth God sees you next time we'll see how Ruth's relationship with Boaz deepens and what that means for her and Naomi their future is about to change and I'll just say this when God's favor shows up everything shifts thanks for joining me y'all subscribe and follow this show and share this episode with someone who needs it if you enjoyed it leave us a review and for a lot more inspiring devotionals and resources to grow your faith download the pray.
