Positioning Yourself For a Breakthrough
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1 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 So she fell on her face, bowed down 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 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 13 Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.” 14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one 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 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Turn to your neighbor and ask them, “Have you positioned yourself for a breakthrough?”
1 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Then she left, 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 family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 So she fell on her face, bowed down 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 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 13 Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.” 14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one 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 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” 21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay 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, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.
Turn to your neighbor and ask them, “Have you positioned yourself for a breakthrough?”
Definition: The relative who restores or preserves the full community rights of disadvantaged family members. The concept arises from God’s covenant relationship with Israel and points to the redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ. The kinsman-redeemer was the closest male relative who had responsibility to marry a widow within the family and thereby protect the interests of needy members of the extended family.
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
In the game
Today I want to talk to those of you have been praying and asking God for a breakthrough or a blessing and you haven’t received it yet. And I want you to ask yourself have you positioned yourself to receive what you have been praying for?
In the game of football, one of the player’s on the field is called a quarterback. And the main goal of the quarterback is to advance his team forward towards a touchdown by throwing the football to one of his teammates. In order for the team to advance forward both the quarter back has to throw the ball and one of his teammates has to catch it. So the quarterback doesn’t throw the football haphazardly, but he throws it to the teammate that is in position.
Likewise, if our quarterback was Jesus, the football was a blessing, and we were all wide receivers, if we indeed desire a blessing or a breakthrough, we have to ask ourselves if we have positioned ourselves to catch what we have been praying for.
And if you have watched any bit of football, you will recognize that it is rare that the quarterback will throw the ball to a wide reciever standing still. But anytime the quarterback throws the ball he/she is not throwing it to the place where his or her teammate currently is, but rather they are throwing it to the position their teammate will get to if they keep running.
And there are a lot of people that sit and pray, expecting deliverance and breakthroughs and blessings to fall into their lap while they are sitting still, and even though I believe God has the power to bless however he so chooses, the more I experience life and the more I read the Word of God, the more I am convinced that most blessings and breakthroughs do not come by you standing still, but by you positioning yourself in order for you to catch it.
Before Abram could become the father of many nations, he had to first position himself in the land of Canaan.
Before Esther could save the Jews from being killed, she had to first position herself in the king’s palace.
Before short Zacchaeus could see Jesus over the crowd, he had to position himself by climbing up the tree.
Before Peter and the other disciples could catch a heavy load of fish, they had first position their net on the right side of the boat.
Before Peter could walk on water, he had to first position himself on the water.
Before the woman who struggled with the issue of blood for twelve years could get healed, she had to position herself at the feet of Jesus.
Before Jesus could reconcile us back to God and defeat the power of sin and death, he had to position himself on the cross.
All I’m trying to tell you today is that most blessings and breakthroughs are not caught standing still, but when you are in position.
You can’t expect to get out of debt until you have positioned your spending habits to pay off debt.
We have to learn how to position ourselves for blessings. It’t not that you have to work for blessings, it’s just that you have to be in position for it when God blesses. Certain blessings you will never have to work for, but you will just experience. The rain will pour whether you do something or not. The Sun will shine whether you do something or not. But when it comes to saving money for that trip you always wanted to go on or those shoes you always wanted to buy you have to position, wen it comes to getting out of debt you have to position yourself by not eating out so much, saving your money, learning more about finances.
You can’t expect to get a better job until you have positioned yourself by going back to school or getting some vocational training.
When it comes to getting a better job or some good resume experience you have position yourself by filling out a job application, going on interviews, going back to school or taking job readiness classes.
You can’t expect to lose weight until you have positioned yourself in a gym and changed your eating habits.
You can’t expect to get over your health issues some health issues, you got to position yourself by getting in the gym, working out regular;y and eating right.
You can’t expect to get over a long-term addiction, until you have positioned yourself around some people that can encourage you and help keep you accountable.
You can’t expect to grow as a church, until you have positioned yourself for growth.
You can’t expect to grow in your relationship with God, until you have positioned yourself in prayer, and reading the Word, and Bible Study, Sunday School and small groups.
You can’t expect to catch a blessing or a breakthrough until you have positioned yourself.
Most blessings and breakthroughs are not caught standing still, but when you are in position.
All I’m trying to tell you today is that most blessings and breakthroughs are not caught standing still, but when you are in position.
Think of it like football. If Jesus is the quarterback, and the football is the blessing, you will be difficult for you to catch the blessing until you have positioned yourself.
How do I get into position?
How do I get into position?
And so I guess this brings us to the large question of “How do I get into position?”
It’s a great question and I think our sister Ruth is going to help us out with that today.
In case you were not here with us when we went through , let me give you a little background of our text. In Chapter 1 we meet two women by the name of Naomi and Ruth. By the end of Chapter 1, both of them had been through some things.
Naomi had to:
Uproot her family because of famine and move to a foreign country.
She lost her her husband.
She lost her two sons.
And she was flat out broke because she didn’t have any male relatives around her because remember the only way for a woman to get economic stability during that time was through her husband or through another male relative.
Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law, and she has both similar and different problems. Ruth is:
Broke
Single
Hungry
No father or mother around
No children
She has buried her husband, her brother-in-law and her father-in-law
She is the one that is now in a foreign country
And no matter how committed and loving Ruth is, she has to deal with her bitter mother-in-law who is so bitter that she literally changed her name to bitter.
Both Naomi and Ruth had been through some things, but by the beginning of Chapter 2, the writer of Ruth wants us to know that everything was getting ready to turn around because there was a blessing and breakthrough waiting for them. For in verse 1, the writer says that Naomi had a male relative that was kin to her deceased husband Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Naomi had a male relative that could bring them out of economic instability, but before that could happen they had to first position themselves.
And so again, how is one to position themselves for a breakthrough or a blessing.
Do Something (vs. 2-3).
Do Something (vs. 2-3).
The first point is a very simple one, but I think someone still needs to here this—and that is if you want to position yourself for a breakthrough or a blessing then you have to Do SOMETHING.
It’s barley season…barley is what they used to make bread out of…and so in verse 2, Ruth asks Naomi to let her go to barley fields to glean (or to gather or to pick up the leftovers) among the ears of grain.
And you would think Naomi would be like “You know what girl, that’s a good idea. I’m going with you. You broke. I’m broke. You hungry. I’m hungry. We both need to eat. Two is better than one right? Let’s go, I’m going with you.”
But that’s not what happen. You know what Naomi said “Go, my daughter” (in a depressed way).
And I believe she did it just like that. “Go, my daughter” (said in a depressed way).
And I believe Naomi responds that way and doesn’t want to do anything because she is still bitter about everything she had been through in chapter 1.
But regardless of what she had been through, both her and Ruth are in the same situation. Both of them are broke and both of them are hungry, but only one of them decides to do something.
And somebody needs to hear me today because you have been playing Naomi far too long. You’re still stuck on chapter 1. You still stuck on what happened last year or 5 years ago. And because your’re still stuck:
You haven’t been wanting to do anything.
You’ve been depressed.
You’ve been throwing pity parties.
You have been playing the victim role
And you have been emotionally and mentally paralyzed.
But may I encourage you to have the same spirit that Ruth had, that says. I know I’ve been knocked down, I know I have had some setbacks, I know I’m broke, and I’m hungry, I don’t have time to just sit up in the house feeling sorry for myself. I don’t have time to feel depressed and mope around all day. I’m going to get up, dust myself off and DO SOMETHING.
Tell your neighbor “DO SOMETHING.”
Ruth was hungry, but she didn’t expect God to just drop food on her lap, though He could, but she positioned herself out on the barley field so she could catch a blessing.
And see sometimes what prevents us from doing something is that we get caught up in the small details. Can you imagine if you were Ruth, there are all of these fields you could potentially start gleaning in, but you don’t know what field to start in. There is that field and that field and that field. Do you start with that major or that major or that major. There is that job and that job and that job. You can start doing this or this or this. And if you have been a Christian for any amount of time you can fall into what I call spiritual paralysis where you begin to overthink things and begin to not want to do anything out of fear of making the wrong decision or not doing what God wanted you to do.
But if I can encourage you really quick. Verse 3 says that when Ruth started to glean behind the reapers, she just so happened to come to the field that was owned by Boaz. She didn’t know which field was owned by Boaz. She didn’t even know there was a Boaz. She just started doing something in one field and God directed her to the field that was owned by Boaz.
What am I trying to tell you?
I don’t know who this for, but if you just stop being so indecisive and just start doing something, we serve a God that is much larger than all the small details you are worried about, and he will take your something and bring you to the place of your Boaz. There is a blessing and a breakthrough waiting for you, but you have to first do something. (U-Turn illustration)
Do It With A Good Work Ethic (vs. 4-9)
Do It With A Good Work Ethic (vs. 4-9)
The second lesson Ruth teaches us is that if you want to position yourself for a breakthrough or a blessing is that not only must you do something, but you have to do what you do it with a Good Work Ethic.
Listen, you can’t expect God for a blessing and a breakthrough and remain lazy.
And listen to hear me say we have to EARN our blessings, but what I am saying is that Faith without works is dead.
In verse 4, right after Ruth just so happens to get to the field that belonged to Boaz, Boaz just so happens to show up and notices Ruth (see God is always up to something). And he pulls his supervisor to the side and asked him “Whose young woman is this?” And that can mean one or two things. Either “A” he is just concerned about this new woman that is in his field or he got a little thang for her.
But watch how the supervisor responds. The supervisor doesn’t even tell Boaz her name. He mentions her ethnicity and her work ethic. The supervisor says that is the Moabite woman that came with Naomi. She asked us if she could glean in the field and outside of a short break, she has been working from morning until now. The text doesn’t tell us what time “now” is, but the fact that the supervisor even deems it worthy to mention ought to tell us she has been working there for a substantial amount of time.
And the text says that in response to what his supervisor just told him, he goes over to Ruth and:
gives her a stable place to get some food
protection from his men sexually harassing her
water to drink when she got thirsty.
TALK ABOUT A BLESSING!
Imagine if Ruth was lazy.
And to top it all off, he tells his servants that after they have bundled their sheaves together, take some of the good stuff out and leave it just so that Ruth can have some more to pick up.
TALK ABOUT A BLESSING!
But imagine if Ruth was lazy.
Let’s say Ruth came in early that morning, worked a couple of hours, got tired and decided that she worked enough for the day and went home. Yes, Ruth would have been able to take back a couple of sheaves of barley, but she would have missed out on Boaz. Because Boaz didn’t come in the morning, but Boaz came later on that day.
And there is a lot of people missing out on their Boaz’s because of poor work ethic.
and so my questions to you is what does your work ethic look like?
If you have been praying for a promotion, how often do you show up early or when is the last time you have taken on other projects outside of what you are currently being paid for?
If you’ve been praying for God to move your “D” in that class to an “A,” when is the last time you asked someone to tutor you or instead of going to lunch with your friends you stayed behind in your teacher’s class to ask questions.
If you’ve been praying for God to revitalize your marriage, when is the last time you worked on your marriage.
If you’ve been praying for God to grow you in your faith, I know you’re one of the few Christians that come to church every Sunday, but when is the last time you put in some overtime in Sunday School, Bible study, or small groups.
What does your work ethic look like?
If you want to position yourself for a blessing then you have a good work ethic.
Have A Godly Character (vs. 10-16).
Have A Godly Character (vs. 10-16).
The third lesson Ruth teaches us is that if you want to position yourself for a breakthrough is that you have to have a Godly Character.
Let’s say Ruth came in at 9am in the morning, worked a couple of hours, got tired and decided that she worked enough for the day and went home. Yes, Ruth would have been able to take back a couple of sheaves of barley, but she would have missed out on Boaz. Because Boaz didn’t come in the morning, but Boaz came later on that day.
In verse 10, in response to all the kindness Boaz is showing her, Ruth falls down on her face and asks him basically “Why are you being so nice to me when I’m a foreigner?”
And notice that Boaz doesn’t say because you’re young and pretty, but he says it’s because I heard about what you have done for your mother-in-law Naomi ever since your husband died and how you left your family and the land of your birth to come here to a people you didn’t previously know. In other words, I heard about your character.
So Boaz prays over her and says “May the Lord reward your work and may he give you full wages.”
But not only does Boaz pray that God blesses her, but he becomes the vehicle that God uses to bless her.
He says “Come get you something to eat. You don’t have to sit over there. Come sit at the table with the reapers. Get you some bread and dip it inside this vinegar. Matter of fact let me serve you some roasted grain. Would you like some more? Feel free to eat until your’re full.”
And the text says that when Ruth got up to get back to work, Boaz told his servants when she goes to glean, let her glean not only from your leftovers, but allow her to pick from the same stalks you pick from. Matter of fact, when you are all done bundling, I want you take some the good stuff out of your bundles and leave it so Ruth can have more to pick up.
What am I trying to tell you?
When you are loyal and diligent and trustworthy and kind and have integrity. When you have a good character, news will get around and people will start talking, and all of sudden you’re being invited to places you didn’t think you would be invited to, you start having opportunities you wasn’t qualified for, people start giving you things you wasn’t even expecting. And all of sudden you start wondering where is all of this coming from, and there is a Boaz in the room that says I heard about you.
I heard about how you stuck up for that girl that was getting bullied.
I heard about when the waiter accidentally gave you extra change, you went back and gave it back to him.
I heard about how selfless you were.
It’s your character that unlock certain blessings, and it is your character
I heard about how loving you were.
I heard about how gentle you were.
I heard about how caring you were.
I heard about how loyal you were.
I heard about your character.
Your character can position you for a blessing and a breakthrough.
But I must warn you.
Your character is a two-sided coin. That means your character can not only position you for blessings and breakthroughs, but your character can position you for curses and roadblocks. Your character can not only open doors, but it can close doors.
So if you are angry, bitter, have a nasty attitude, selfish or the type of person that walks into the room and sucks the life right out of it and nobody wants to be around you, understand that people talk about that too, and that type of character can be blocking your blessing.
(Ex. Lonely & Bitter - Blessing of Community)
The Chapters Ends
Had Ruth not decided to do something and started to glean in the field, she would have never came to the field that belonged to Boaz. If Ruth didn’t have good work ethic, she probably would have left early and missed Boaz. And had Ruth not had good character, Ruth wouldn’t have been able to walk home with enough food that could food both her and Naomi for several weeks.
The chapter ends with Ruth working until the evening (even after she ate, she didn’t get sleepy, but she went back to work, she positioned herself back on the field for her blessing) and she ended up collecting an ephah of barley which translates to about 30lbs or several weeks of food.
She takes it back to Naomi, takes what she is going to use and gives Naomi what is left over.
This chapter started with Ruth having to pick up leftovers, but it ends with Ruth sharing her own leftovers with Naomi.
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that I serve a God that take me form picking up leftovers to having leftovers.
And in shock Naomi is like girl, where did you work today?
Ruth says I worked in a field that belonged to a man named Boaz.
And Naomi sitting there thinking to herself “Boaz, Boaz, Boaz.” OMG. That’s a relative of my husband. And all of a sudden, Naomi’s demeanor begins to change. Because see back in Chapter 1, she wanted to change her name to Bitter because she thought God forgot about her, but now at the end of Chapter 2, she see’s that God was up to something all along. She “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forgot about the living or the dead!”
And I don’t know who is still bitter about what happened in your chapter 1. I don;t know what caused you to doubt God. But if you want to receive the blessing and the breakthrough that God has for you, then you need to position yourself.
For had Ruth not decided to do something and started to glean in the field, she would have never came to the field that belonged to Boaz. If Ruth didn’t have good work ethic, she probably would have left early and missed Boaz. And had Ruth not had a godly character, Ruth wouldn’t have been able to walk home with enough food that could feed both her and Naomi for several weeks.
Ruth had positioned herself for the blessing and breakthrough that God wanted to give them. The question is: HAVE YOU?
Ruth had positioned herself for the blessing and breakthrough that God wanted to give her. The question is: HAVE YOU?
Application Questions
Application Questions
It’s your character that unlock certain blessings, and it is your character
I thank God for the just so happens in my life, but it just happened because Ruth was in position. The question is are you?
a meal until she was satisfied
Saul & David
Rewards
Boaz fed her until she was full (but she didn;t catch the “itis”, she went back to work)
Told his servants that after they have bundled their sheaves together, take some of the good stuff out and leave it just so that Ruth can have some more to pick up.
And she walked out with about an ephah of barley that was enough for both Naomi and Ruth to live on for several weeks.
And the text says that after Ruth ate she gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied (From picking up leftovers to having leftovers)
You can’t work part-time, but expect full-time benefits.
I thank God for the just so happens in my life, but it just happened because Ruth was in position. The question is are you?
Where do I start?
How do I know if its’ the right one?
Okay I do something, but how do I know if I’m headed in the right direction?
Naomi had to:
Uproot her family because of famine and move to a foreign country.
She lost her her husband.
She lost her two sons.
And she was flat out broke because she didn’t have any male relatives around her and the only way for a woman to get economic stability during that time was through her husband or through another male relative.
Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law, but she has her own set of problems. Ruth is:
Broke
Single
Hungry
No father or mother around
No children
She has buried her husband, her brother-in-law and her father-in-law
She is the one that is now in a foreign country
And no matter how committed and loving Ruth is, she has to deal with her bitter mother-in-law who is so bitter that she literally changed her name to bitter.
Last time I was before you, we went through . The title of the message was “When Life Happens” and we looked at it from the viewpoint of a woman named Naomi who went through a lot of stuff.
Last time I was before you, we went through . The title of the message was “When Life Happens” and we looked at it from the viewpoint of a woman named Naomi who went through a lot of stuff. She had to:
Uproot her family because of famine and move to a foreign country.
Uproot her family because of famine and move to a foreign country.
She lost her her husband.
She lost her her husband.
She lost her two sons.
She lost her two sons.
And she was driven to poverty because she was living in a foreign country and had no close male relatives living near her. (Because remember the way a woman obtained economic stability was through her husband or through another male relative).
the title of the message was “When Life Happens.” And I gave you a few things to think about when unforeseen, unwanted and undesirable events happen in your life. They were:
And she was broke.
Naomi had been through some things. And from her viewpoint I pointed out three things for us to think about when unforeseen, unwanted and undesirable events happened in our lives. They were:
And I gave you a few things to think about when unforeseen, unwanted and undesirable events happen in your life. They were:
Be careful who you push away & embrace community.
Be frustrated, but don’t become bitter.
What areas in your life have you been praying for God to bless you and to give you a breakthrough? How can you position yourself for what you have been praying for (your Boaz)?
Remember it is just a season, but it’s necessary.
Chapter 1 started with famine and Naomi having to leave Bethlehem, but Chapter 1 ended with Naomi and Ruth coming back to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
At the beginning of Chapter 2, it is a new season. It is a season of opportunity, but the question is what are they going to do with it. For some people, when life happens, we get stuck in what happened yesterday, that we wouldn’t be able to see opportunity if it was to hit us in the face.
8Two different types of people when life happens: those who get stuck and those who strive.
Ruth decided to do something by positioning herself in a field, even when she didn’t know that God was sending Boaz to bless her. Do you ever allow “not knowing exactly where God wants you to start” to prevent you from doing something? How can the story of Ruth encourage you in this?
Two different types of people when life happens: those who get stuck and those who strive.
On a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the worst and and 10 being the best, how would you rate your work ethic? What areas do you think your work ethic needs improvement? What steps can you take to get there?
What are two good things about your character? What are two things that need to change? What is one step you can make this week to help you change that?
Ruth is:
Application This Week
Single
Hungry
No father or mother around
No children
She has buried her husband, her brother-in-law and her father-in-law
No children
She is the one that is now in a foreign country
She has to take care of her bitter mother-in-law named Naomi who is so bitter that she literally changed her name to bitter.
She is the one that is now in a foreign country
Kinsman-Redeemer
Definition: The relative who restores or preserves the full community rights of disadvantaged family members. The concept arises from God’s covenant relationship with Israel and points to the redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ. The kinsman-redeemer was the closest male relative who had responsibility to marry a widow within the family and thereby protect the interests of needy members of the extended family.
Sometimes we are waiting for God to give us further details, but sometimes just doing what you know will lead you to places that you will have never known. When Ruth went out, she went out just trying to feed herself. She wasn’t looking for a kinsman redeemer. And she just so happened to start gleaning in Boaz’s field. God won;t give you all the details ()
Boaz means strength.
It’s April or May and it’s hot. Ruth wasn’t going to wait until
- God’s welfare program (but they went to work)
“It just so happened” that Ruth came across the field of Boaz (God is always up to something)
Ruth just so happened to end up in a rich, single, kind landowner named Boaz who is a distant male relative. This is God’s hand.
Boaz’s prayer is for God’s kindness to fall upon Ruth but he is the answer. (vs. 12) Are you the answer to someone’s prayer.
A good man: Boaz protected her, was kind to her, called her daughter as a sign of respect and not yo baby, and gave her some water to drink. he’s a good man.
Ask for Intentions -(vs. 10)
It just so happened that Ruth ended up in Boaz’s filed. It just so happened...
Jesus is our Boaz.
Be Humble for
Are you humble enough to pick up leftovers? (vs. 1-3)
If Ruth wasn’t willing to to take the leftovers, she would have never positioned herself in Boaz’s field. (vs. 1-3)
What does your work ethic look like? (vs. 7)
Boaz noticed Ruth because of her Work Ethic. It was hot, Ruth had been working all day, with no makeup and she probably smelled. So what caught Boaz’s attention probably wasn’t how pretty she looked, but her character. Before Boaz says anything to Ruth he first does a background check. He wants to know who she is before he proceeds any further.
A good man: Boaz protected her, was kind to her, called her daughter as a sign of respect and not yo baby, and gave her some water to drink. he’s a good man.
Boaz tells Ruth where to position herself. Where God is positioned, there will be protection and provision (vs. 8-9)
Boaz noticed her a foreigner (immigration) - vs. 10
Boaz responds the way he does to her because of her reputation of faith (vs. 11-12)
From leftovers to having left over (vs. 14, vs. 18)
Taking advantage of the season. - Ruth’s work ethic has to be what it is if she is going to take advantage of the season. she don’t know when the next famine might hit or the next time something tragic is going to happen. so while everything is going well, she might as well take advantage of it.
You can never position yourself for blessings by standing still. Do something.
Position Yourself Physically
Position Yourself Mentally
Leftovers
character not outside beauty
Uproot her family because of famine and move to a foreign country.
When it comes to getting a better job or some good resume experience you have position yourself by filling out a job application, going on interviews, going back to school or taking job readiness classes.
When you are going through some health issues, you got to position yourself by getting in the gym, working out regular;y and eating right.
When you have been struggling for a very long time with a sin addiction, and now you are trying to change your life around, you got to position yourself around some people that can encourage you and help you grow and keep you accountable.
All I’m trying to tell you is that certain blessings are not going to fall out of the sky, but you have to position yourself in the places that will allow you to receive such blessings.
Think of it like football. If Jesus is the quarterback, and the football is the blessing, you will be difficult for you to catch the blessing until you have positioned yourself.
Sometimes we are waiting for God to give us further details, but sometimes just doing what you know will lead you to places that you will have never known. When Ruth went out, she went out just trying to feed herself. She wasn’t looking for a kinsman redeemer. And she just so happened to start gleaning in Boaz’s field. God won;t give you all the details (Exodus 14)
How did Ruth position herself?
Position yourself in the time of opportunity (it’s barley season)
Humility (leftovers)
Work Ethic
She lost her her husband.
Gleaning in the right places (
She lost her two sons.
And she was broke.