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Outlines on the Book of Ruth
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Introduction: Chapter 1 ends with the statement that Naomi and Ruth "came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest." Since Bethlehem was the place of harvest, any harvest for these women would only come in that place. But, once they arrived at the right place, they found harvest was in progress. That's how it always is with a child of God. There is a perpetual reaping of blessings for everyone in the center of God's will.

a. It is noteworthy that Ruth said in verse 2 "Let me now go to the field." You will note that field is singular. There were not many fields about the village with each man owning his own fields. To the contrary, there was apparently one common field where all grew their crops, with ownership vested in parts of the one great field. Thus verse 3 speaks of "a part of the field belonging unto Boaz" i.e. "the part of the field that belonged to Boaz. "

b. The fact of Boaz is that he was not just another reaper or an ordinary Jew. During the reaping, he had authority over a great portion of the reaping and reapers. As far as Ruth and Naomi were concerned, he was the lord of the harvest; and because of his redeemer relationship to them, he alone had power or strength to perform what they needed.

C. Boaz is a prophetic foretype of the Lord Jesus Christ:

1. Elimelech forsook the land of Canaan and proved unfaithful, thus representing Israel as God's unfaithful servant:

a. Of Israel, Isa. 41:8 says, "Thou Israel art my servant..."; Isa. 43:10 "ye are my witnesses and my servant."

b. So, Israel, like Elimelech, left the appointed land; an act of unfaithfulness.

2. Although, Boaz stayed in the land and proved faithful. He was the one, who restored the blessings of the land, and who made them available to the returning remnant, as the kinsman redeemer:

a. As a faithful servant, Boaz typifies Christ, who is the ever faithful servant of God.

b. Of Christ it is written in Isaiah 42:1,4, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth ... He shall not fail nor be discouraged." Phil. 2:5-7 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant... "

c. Furthermore, Boaz was "kinsman" of Elimelech; and thus foreshadows Christ, who took upon him "the seed of Abraham" [Heb. 2:16], and he, as seed [Gal. 3:16], has made "the promise sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law (typified by Naomi), but to that also which is" of the faith of Abraham (typified by Ruth), who is the father of us all (believing Jews and Gentiles), Rom. 4:16.

d. Boaz as "kinsman", (from "ga al", translated "Redeemer" in most other places as Lev. 25:48, Isa. 59:20, etc.), was the one man, who alone had the authority to redeem Naomi and Ruth. As such, he is a perfect foretype of Christ, who is now Lord of the harvest; and who alone has the power to redeem us, and give us the riches of his household.

a. She is not out looking for welfare, nor of the attitude that the world owes her a living.

b. And, every one, who names Jehovah as his God, ought to have Ruth's desire and willingness to work both in they physical and the spiritual realms. Furthermore, the lazy person, who will not work, has no right to the bread of the harvest, for as II Thes. 3:10 says, "if any would not work, neither should he eat. " That is just as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural realm.

2. Special provision had been made by God for people like Ruth:

a. Ruth was a Moabitess (thus a stranger) and her husband was dead (thus a widow); and she wanted to glean in the field.

b. As a stranger and a widow, she had a Godgiven right to do just that. Permission to glean for strangers and widows was not dependent upon the whims of landowners. Although, even though such ones had a "right" to glean, a landowner could make it difficult as Ruth indicated by her hope to "find grace" at the hands of a landowner.

c. God had previously instructed landowners, "When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger," Lev. 19:9-10. Ruth was a stranger. God also said, "When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and thou hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, " Deut. 24:19. Ruth was a widow.

B. In view of Ruth's right as a stranger and a widow to glean, Naomi said unto her, "Go, my daughter":

1. Every one, who is saved, has, because of his kinsman redeemer, Christ, the right to glean in the Lord's field.

2. Furthermore, like Ruth, every one of them should be out there in the harvest gleaning all he can. Too many have so little spiritually because they spend so little time reaping what the Redeemer has provided.

 III. RUTH GOES TOT HESERVANT OF BOAZ:

A. Ruth 2:3 says of Ruth, "she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers":

1. The statement that Ruth "went" refers to the fact that she went to the servant of Boaz; Boaz was in charge of the harvest:

a. It was from this servant that Ruth could learn how and where to glean.

b. Verses 5 and 7 prove that she did go to this servant. Verse 5 says "then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?" And, in verse 7 that servant informed Boaz that the girl had said to him, "I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves."

c. So, there is no question about the fact that before Ruth gleaned, she went to the servant for instructions.

2. The servant of Boaz, to whom Ruth went, is a type of the Holy Spirit of God;

a. This unnamed servant of Boaz, like the unnamed servant of Abraham (Gen. 24:2) and the unnamed servant of Ezekiel 47:3, had the duty of revealing to others the mind of the master.

b. This is exactly what the Spirit of God has done in revealing to us the word of God: The Bible:

(1) Jesus said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak... he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you," John 16:13,15.

(2) Thus, Paul referred to the scriptures as "words... which the Holy Ghost teacheth," I Cor. 2:13.

c. So, this servant, who revealed to Ruth the instructions of Boaz is like the Holy Spirit, who reveals, through the Word, the mind of our Redeemer to us.

3. So, Ruth went to the right place to get the proper information about how and where to glean; and how it should teach us that we too should go to the Holy Spirit, and seek his word (THE BIBLE) as to how and where to glean today:

a. After Ruth went to him, the next statement is that she "came" with proper instructions, which she was certain to get from the servant of Boaz, as we are too from the word of the Spirit. Ruth was bound to come to the right place where she could glean.

b. Thus, the next words in the verse are that she, "gleaned in the field." Thus, the order and progression of events is unmistakeable. She went for instructions and permission, she came according to the instructions received, and she gleaned, thus carrying out her purpose.

B. The latter part of Ruth 2:3 says, "and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech":

1. It may at first seem to you, as it may have to Ruth, that it was by mere chance or accident that she came to "a part of the field belonging unto Boaz"- but such was not at all the case.

2. "Her hap"or the fact that it happened that way was because of the direct dealings of the providence of God in her life. Romans 8:28 proves it by saying "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Ruth had taken the true God to be her God (Ruth 1:16), and now he was causing "things" to work together for her.

3. How wonderful it is that our God "knoweth the way that I (we) take," Job23:10. We are men and "the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps," Jer. 10:23. But, because of the providential workings of our God, David could say, "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, " Psalm 37:23. This divine method of the operations of our God in the lives of his children is beautifully illustrated here in the life of Ruth. Circumstances are subject to God, and he made them work for Ruth's good and his glory. It was only because she came to this exact field that she met Boaz and came to receive all of the wonderful things that she received, including becoming the great grandmother of King David, and an ancestor to the Lord Jesus Christ. How we should rejoice in the God of our salvation! He can and will trump even the most bleak situation, and cause it to turn out to be a great victory and triumph in our lives for our well being and his glory.