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

Introduction: Throughout this book, the providential workings of God are seen. What, by most, would have been written off as mere "chance" or "luck" was, in fact, the direct workings of God. Such is still the case. Many look at things that occur as something that "just happened"; not realizing that it happened that way according to the design and plan of God. The "hap" [Ruth 2:3] of Ruth was to light on a portion of the field belonging to Boaz. That was not accidental. God controls happenings (Romans 8:28), and thus it was because of God's guidance that Ruth went there. She, like many of us, may have been unaware that God was directing her; yet as a servant submitted to his will, Ruth was being led of God. God led her to the field of Boaz.

A. There were three distinct segments in the Jewish harvest:

1. When the crops first began to mature, the firstfruits were taken and brought unto the Lord. God had commanded "the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God," Exodus 23:19; and "the firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him," Deut. 18:4.

2. After the firstfruits came the main harvest. The reapers would go into the fields and reap the bulk of the harvest. Many passages refer to this harvest: Gen. 30:14, Ex. 34:21, etc.

3. Then there were the gleanings of the harvest:

a. God gave the reapers these words of instruction, "When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of the 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. He also said, "that which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed," Lev. 25:5.

b. The main reapers were not to take every bit of the harvest. The corners, whatever little bit here and there, and whatever matured late, after they had reaped, was left for the poor, widows, orphans, and strangers. Immediately after the reapers passed through,these folks would move in and get what they could. They were the gleaners. Ruth was a gleaner, as her request of Ruth 2:7 proves: "let me glean and gather after the reapers."

c. Gleaners were poor and uninfluential. Seldom did anyone ever pay much attention to them or treat them with much respect.

B. But, such was not the case with Boaz:

1. Right away he inquired of his servant as to who Ruth was. He asked in Ruth 2:5, "Whose damsel is this?"

a. It should be noted that the word "damsel" is the feminine form of the word that often elsewhere is translated "servant".

b. Boaz thought Ruth was a servant girl belonging to some master.

c. Of course, she was not, as Boaz' servant pointed out. Ruth was the Moabitish girl, who had come back with Naomi from Moab. Upon hearing this, Boaz placed Ruth, for as we shall later see, he had already heard much about her.

2. The amazing thing is that Boaz would even notice this poor gleaning girl:

a. Boaz, as a type of Christ, is a wonderful illustration of how our Lord notices his servants, of which we are,once we, like Ruth make him "my God" [Ruth 1:16].

b. We may be lonely, poor gleaners, unnoticed by the multitudes; but folks, our Redeemer notices every heartache and tear. He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," Heb. 4:15. He tells us to cast "all" our "care upon him: for he careth for you," I Peter 5:7. What a marvel of grace it is that we, like Ruth, were strangers, outcasts by birth; yet our Christ, like Boaz, would notice and love us! Other reapers may overlook us, but the Lord of the harvest doesn't.

c. As his servant reported in Ruth 2:7, Ruth had proven a faithful worker in her gleanings in Boaz' field; and the Lord rewards the faithfulness of his workers. No doubt, many an unsung and unnoticed gleaner who has toiled in a corner will be, like Ruth, brought to the head table once our Lord brings all his laborers home.

C. Once Boaz inquired, his servant told him who Ruth was:

1. This servant (typical of the Holy Spirit) knew who Ruth was, for she had come to him as verses 6-7 show.

2. There are multitudes among God's people (Ezekiel 33:31), yet "of them" (I John 2:19), whom the Lord has "never known," Matthew 7:23.

3. But he knows every one who has made him ,"my God" (Ruth 1:16). As II Timothy 2:19 says of our Lord, "the Lord knoweth them that are his." He has a place for each of them in his vineyard, and he sees each of them there as they labor in that place.

4. Christian, don't ever think God is unaware of or unconcerned about your plight.

III. THE SERVANT'S REPORT TO BOAZ CONCERNING RUTH:

A. He reported to Boaz that she had first requested permission to glean. "Let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves:"

1. Ruth did not come asking for a handout. She was willing to work. No Christian should "freeload" off others, be it physically or spiritually.

2. Ruth needed grain. It was vital to her health and well-being, so she sought it.

3. What a picture this is of how we, God's children, should seek the grain of his word that we might grow and maintain good spiritual health and strength. Peter said, "...desire the sincere milk of God's word that ye may grow thereby," I Peter 2:2. And the word of God also has "strong meat," Heb. 5:14. Without the sustenance of God's word as a daily spiritual diet, a Christian is bound to grow spiritually anemic.

4. Ruth knew she needed food, and she was not ashamed to ask for a chance to harvest it. Neither should we be bashful about harvesting God's food for our spiritual lives.

B. He secondly reported to Boaz that once Ruth found what she needed, she stayed with it. "She came, and hath continued even from the morning until now:"

1. God's word says, "my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," I Cor. 15:58. It also tells us, "be no more children, tossed to and fro," Eph. 4:14. Yet, in spite of these exhortations, many Christians are inconsistent, on and off, and never really dependable. Like the Galatians of Gal. 5:7 it must be said, "Ye did run well; Who did hinder you?"

2. Ruth shines as an example of how God's children ought to labor. She both "came" to the fields to work and "continued"- and she kept it up all day.

3. Fellow Christian laborers, if your joy is ever to be "full" in the Lord (John 15:11), then you must "continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel... " Col. 1:23. May you be one of whom it can be said, once your life is over, that you were "faithful unto death," Rev. 2:10. The reward of the child of God will be "according to his own labor" (I Cor. 3:8); and reaping "in due time" is only promised to those who "faint not", Gal. 6:9. If you are expecting to hear the Lord of our harvest say "we// done"; then you, like Ruth, must come and continue.

C. Boaz' servant thirdly reported that Ruth had "tarried a little in the house:"

1. Leon Morris in his commentary on Ruth explains that "the house" does not refer to the place where Ruth lived. That house would have been back in the village where all the houses were grouped for mutual protection from common enemies. This house was apparently a specially prepared shelter into which the workers, during harvest, could come aside for rest and refreshment.

2. In the first place, this house testifies of the importance of communion with God, which feeds our spirits with spiritual refreshments:

a. Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the Lord should renew their strength. "

b. If you are going to continue "from the morning until now" in the work of the Lord, you must spend some time praying, reading his word, meditating, and worshipping the Lord, who alone has the power to refresh and sustain you by his grace.

3. In the second place, this house is a beautiful foretype of the time the church spends together worshipping God:

a. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together," and David wrote, "those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God, " Psalm 92:13.

b. There is a spiritually uplifting and therapeutic effect in the worship services conducted by the Lord's church; and, as Ruth illustrates, every child of God should make it his business to take advantage of that time of refreshing.

c. In the worship services of God, you can "behold the beauty of the Lord," Psalm 27:4.That sight will strengthen your heart, Psalm 27:14. As a result, you will have the strength to go into the field and labour; but no child of God who refuses the rest and refreshment of worshipping with the Lord's church will have the power to continue all day in the field. No doubt this explains why many a Christian has fallen into backsliding. He refused to spend a little time "in the house" (the church), and before the day ended his strength ran out. Dear Christian, if you would continue in the Lord's field, where his ripe grain that can fatten your spirit is, then spend some time in his house.