A Study Through Ruth - Our Final Conversation with Ed Hill

Ed serves as one of our elders at the Traders Point Church of Christ and it was a pleasure to welcome him to the podcast this week and get some of his thoughts on the beautiful book of Ruth!

Transcript

 Hello and welcome back to Cultivating Growth. We want to thank everyone for joining us again this week. This is our last episode of the month covering the book of Ruth. Uh, we've spent the last three weeks kind of methodically working our way through chapters one through four of the book, and today we're gonna finish up the month.

By doing a little bit of a recap and overview of the book as a whole and as usual, we've got a special guest with us this month. Jeremy will introduce him in just a second. So with that, let's get right to the conversation for today.

Well, John, you made mention that we've got a special guest as we are apt to do here on the last, uh, week of the month. Ed Hill, one of our elders here at Traders Point is joining us at the table as we kind of close out our discussion from the Book of Ruth. What we've talked really from the very beginning in a lot of ways, it is a story, it's a narrative, it's a love story in, in every, in every way.

We ended last week with, you know, the, the one thing you're always looking for the happily ever after and the story, and certainly this book gives that to us, even though it starts. Pretty rough it. It ends in a beautiful, beautiful place and a very happy place for all, uh, for everyone involved. We've made mention that it's a character driven story.

Ruth certainly is a main character. Naomi is a main character. Boaz is a main character, but on top of that we've also talked a lot about that it is a relationship story. Ruth and Naomi's, their relationship. And then, uh, certainly Ruth and Boaz and their relationship towards the end. But kind of all along the way, we have made mention of.

But I thought it'd be good for us to spend a few minutes kind of, uh, you know, kind of talking about a little bit more. That although the story, uh, the main characters, Ruth and Naomi, a Boaz, and the relationships, Ruth and Naomi, or Ruth and Boaz are there, there, there really is another character and.

Multiple other relationships that come to the forefront in this book, and that most certainly is God, and God is there. He is a character that is in full display really from the very beginning of the book to the very end, and we've made mention of it over the last couple of weeks. But not just the fact that, uh, of him playing a role in the story, there is a relationship factor for sure, whether it's Naomi's relationship with God, then Ruth's relationship with God, and then certainly their relationship, Ruth and Boaz and God's play.

As you get a little bit deeper on top of that. We may mention last week that you, you have Boaz, which in a lot of ways is a parallel, a type or a shadow of Jesus. And, and even in this beautiful story where God is a character, Jesus also comes to the forefront. So although we've talked a little bit about it, I thought that would be a good place for us to start to kind of look back through this book to see the places that God kind of popped up, uh, where Jesus comes into play, and the significance really of that.

So I'll kind of, that's a long way to. You know, to get where we're going. But you know, ed, I'll kind of throw it your way in here at the beginning. When we kind of think about God and Jesus's role in this book, what are some of the things that come, you know, to your mind right away? Well, as you stated, it's a beautiful book, and to think about how God plays.

He's front and center in, in this whole thing. He's front and center. If you look at chapter two, verse three, um, when, uh, you have, uh, Naomi and Ruth are there, uh, in Judah and ended up with them not. Knowing what they're gonna do next. And they end up going to the field, the field to glean. They go, there, they go.

Um, just picks a field. Ruth goes there, starts cleaning, and it ends up being Boaz, a near relative of Naomi Un. Unbelievable. Mm-hmm. God had his hand in that. Mm-hmm. God had his hand in that. Yeah. So much more. Um, when you, when you think about the famine, um, the, the decision that Alek made to, to go back, I'm going back to chapter one, but mm-hmm.

But the famine itself, and we, we can talk about, we. A alek in his decision, but God is front and center there as we read in, in chapter one, verse six, um, that basically God has visited his people mm-hmm. And has given them bread. Mm-hmm. And, and the, the, um, going back to Bethlehem. Um, it, it is just, uh, incredible, an incredible blessing, um, to see that God is front and center.

And so that precipitates that, that, or not precipitates, but that gets them into the idea of going back. And so that's when we get into the, the conversation late in chapter one where they, they actually go back. God is front and center and this whole. Mm. I think, you know, one of the things that pops up, just as you were talking there, how many times throughout scripture do we see situations where God uses individuals who are downtrodden, uses individuals who are poor, uses individuals that society would overlook or undervalue.

And those are the ones that God elevates in his service. And this is just another one of those examples from from chapter one, when both Naomi and Ruth lose their spouses. Uh, their entire livelihood in that by society's standards, they would now be doomed to a life of destitution. Mm-hmm. They, they would have no hope.

And God says, there's the one I need right there, that that's what I'm looking for to carry on my plan moving forward. It's so counter-cultural and counter to the way that we typically think about the ones that would be chosen to carry on such an important lineage. But as we talked about last week, it, it's Ruth and Boaz that are the great grandparents to David who is in the lineage of Jesus, and these are the ones that God has chosen.

Yep. Again, it's just another example of how God continues to do that. And he, he's done it throughout time. I mean, the Old Testament, new Testament alike are just littered with examples of God using people that society would overlook to carry out his purpose and, and it really speaks obviously to God's providence, which we've talked a lot about, but also his.

Uh, lack of interest in using the people that society would put up on a pedestal. He's not interested in that. He's not interested with the pride and the power hungry and all of those things. He, he wants the lowly in heart and he, he wants the ones. That are truly in need and, and this story in Ruth is another example of how God will use the ones that society continually overlooks.

Yeah. One more step forward on that. Even in the pages of the New Testament, when Jesus is choosing his apostles. Yep. And the ones that'll spend the most time with them. And then ultimately we get to the book of Acts, the ones that will take his story, that will take the gospel and literally spread it to the world.

He, he's picking. Fishermen. Yeah, right. I, I mean, just kind of everyday, regular, you know, kind of guys and you know, it's just, it, it is a very interesting thing, you know, that we see a lot of times we see, you know, with this story and we talked about God's providence where Ed, you know, certainly brought that up and, you know, I was thinking about Joseph when Ed was talking, but he also fits.

John in the point that that you make as well with Yeah. You know, the providence of God and Joseph making mention of that at the very end of the book of Genesis. You know, when he's able to look back and to know that, listen, God was working all along the way, but Joseph is being elevated and used in Egypt, but yet he, he was a servant.

Mm-hmm. And then he was a prisoner, but yet, you know, God was still able. To use him. Daniel is another example of that. You know, he's a servant in the land of Babylon, but God is able to use that because he, he's always at work and it doesn't matter if it is, he's not only at work in Jerusalem. Yeah. He, he's at work in Babylon.

He's at work in Egypt here, as we may mention of, he's at work in Moab. Mm-hmm. I mean, he, he's at work wherever, and he's at work. Here today. Mm-hmm. And, and to really, it's a faith builder. Mm-hmm. And, and a comfort, I think maybe in a lot of ways to know that, that God is, he's at work and his will is going to be accomplished and he's looking out for his people and he has made promises, you know, certain promises, and, and, and he's active, you know, in the world today.

And, uh, we could trust that because of stories like this where. You're right. You see it. You see it unfold. You know God going to work. I think one other thing on that point before we move off of that, when I think about Ruth and her situation, she was very much in a situation of where else would I go? I mean, that's essentially what she says to Naomi.

When Naomi's encouraged her to go home in chapter one and Ruth's like, no, I'm gonna go with you. And where you go, I'll go and your God will be my God. Where, where else would I go? I mean, I, this is, this is where I need to be. I need to be with you. I need to be serving your God. I, I have nowhere else to go.

Going home doesn't make any sense to me. And I think God is asking all of us to get to that point, to get to that point where we have, uh, lowered our pride and our, uh, self will to the point of God. Where else would I go? But you, I, I have nothing. I am nothing without you. You're the only place for me.

You're the only one for me. You're the only one. And that can save me. You're the only one that can redeem me. And, and so Ruth kind of serves as a little bit of an example of what all of us should strive for, and we, that sounds odd because of how, uh, desperate her situation became in chapter one, but that's what, that's what lowly and heart looks like when.

I don't have anywhere else to go, but God, he, he is my only hope. And, and Ruth serves in as, as an example for us of really what all of us should strive to be is lowly enough to recognize that my only hope lies with God. And so I put everything else to the side and I serve him and Him only. And when we go to him, it is an overwhelming abundance.

That he provides to us. And we see that here in this story as well. Uh, when I think about this book, it's, it's an overwhelming abundance, and we see that example after example, after example. You know, starting at the very beginning, we know that both, uh, it was, uh, Ruth and Oprah were, were Baron. They, they had no children, but we read at the end of the story that Ruth does.

Mm-hmm. Ruth has Ruth, and then we, we know the rest of that story as well with oed. We, we see. Repeatedly, um, when, uh, Ruth comes in to, uh, to de glean again, how not only was she allowed to do that, but she ended up eating at the table mm-hmm. With Boaz, and we have that overwhelming abundance that God delivers more above, exceedingly and abundantly more.

Than we could ever ask. There's no question about that. I mean, we made mention, you know, kind of at the beginning where you certainly have God, you know, in the midst of the story, but yet at the same time you have Boaz, which it gives us several different pictures of Jesus. And one of those is his operating at abundance.

Mm-hmm. That you know, he's giving, even in chapter two, he's giving to Ruth well over. Where she is. The corner of the fields, right? Yeah. That is, that is where she is to be and, and it's not just that he allows her to be in the field and then not just that he tells his own workers to drop stuff down. And it's not just that, hey, you get tired, sit down in the shade, you get thirsty, have a drink as you made mention Ed, come even at the table.

Mm-hmm. And then even at the end of that, he sends her home. You know, with even more grain. Mm-hmm. And, and then we get to, you know, in chapters three and four when they're at the threshing floor, you know, Ruth is there and, and, uh, and, and Boaz, he's going to send her back with the acknowledgement that I'm going to, we're going to fix this, we're going to make it happen.

And he sends her back with six times the amount of grain that he did in chapter two. And so, mm. It is in every way here. There are others, but it is the abundance certainly that comes to the forefront. You know, I think with Ruth, my guess is at the beginning of chapter two, she was very thankful for the opportunity to glean just a little bit at the edges of the field.

Mm-hmm. Because that's provided sustenance for that day. And that kept her alive and that provided for her and Naomi and, and my guess is she was very thankful for that. But what we see is to the points you all were making, God is a God of abundance. He, he's not just providing. The sustenance for that day for Ruth.

He has a plan to provide for her abundantly far beyond what she needs. But then, and I think this is where the story begins to parallel, Jesus for us today, God's not even interested in stopping at abundance. He's going to redeem us. Mm-hmm. And that's where Boaz gets. And so there's a progression that we see Ruth go through of her basic needs being supplied.

Boaz providing for her in abundance, and then Boaz taking that next step to fully redeem her and, and to, to think where Ruth was at the end of chapter one, the beginning of chapter two. Probably in her mind, best case scenario was I can keep coming out here every day and picking off the edges of the field and Naomi and I can survive.

That was, that was probably her best case scenario in her mind. And God's like, you don't have any idea. What I've got planned for you. Mm-hmm. And I think about, again, the parallel to Jesus in our lives today. I mean, I think about the way that God provides for us and the way that God blesses us and how unworthy we are of those things, and how grateful I am to God for every blessing that he's given to me.

But his plan isn't just to bless us, just enough. His plan is to be a God of abundance for us and a God that is going to redeem us. To provide for us the ultimate thing that we need, which is salvation. Forgiveness of our sins, eternal life with him. It's just remarkable to think about how highly God thinks of each of us to do that.

And the parallel that we see in the story of Ruth with where she was compared to what God's plan for her ultimately really was the point on redemption. One other thing on that, before we move off of it, it, what strikes me, especially towards the end of the story, is you have Ruth in a position. Uh, there, there, she, there was nothing that she could do on her own, right?

I mean, she was, there was nothing. She was fully at, uh, the mercy of Boaz and it was Mercy from Boaz. It was Grace from Boaz, and she was completely up. It was completely in his hands, and, and yet you see him. Following through. Mm-hmm. And in a lot of ways that that's exactly where we are. And so you made mention already, John Pride, um, is, is gone.

Arrogance is, I mean, she's not operating with any of those things. It is full humility, maybe a better word here. Dependence. It is absolute dependence upon Boaz. Naomi understands it and Ruth understands it, and that's where we are when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. It is full on and absolute dependence upon God and anything less than that or you know, anything different from that.

We're going, we're going to miss, and certainly here in this story, you know, that's, that's what we see. Well, I wanna, before we get done, I, I wanna kind of look back kind of the whole book, you know, if you will, you know, outside of the references to God in Christ. I mean, there are a lot of just. Or really strong applications and principles just for everyday living, uh, that we have, you know, throughout the book.

And I thought we'd kind of go around the table and make mention of, uh, a couple of those. So we'll kind of go with you, John, and then we'll go to Ed and then we'll close out with me. But maybe John, what, what's maybe something that. You know, just kind of principle, kind of everyday application that, that stood out.

There's a bunch. Yeah. Yeah. But what's, uh, what's maybe one that, uh, is still sticking in your mind? Yeah. Well we, we've talked about the dependence upon God. We've talked about God's plan to redeem us. But I think when you look at this story, we, we made mention, uh, I think the first two weeks anyway, how Naomi.

Ends chapter one, Naomi ends chapter two. Naomi ends chapter three. Naomi ends chapter four. And so while the book is given the name Ruth and, and understandably so, I'm not questioning that, but Naomi continues to be the central figure throughout all of this. And while we're not explicitly told kind of why she is the central figure that she is, one thing that I think we see going all the way back to chapter one is that she was.

Ruth's connection to God. And so while we think about the lineage of Jesus going through Ruth and then down the line to David and down the line to Jesus, and that's true. Ruth would not have been where she was if it wasn't for Naomi's influence. And I think sometimes we can overlook or maybe devalue the importance of influence in our lives and in the lives of others around us.

Maybe you're not gonna be the central. Figure for whatever the situation is. But can you be a Godly influence to those who will be, you know, may, maybe you're not going to serve as an elder as Ed is serving here at Traitors Point, but can you be a Godly influence to the ones who are, or can you be a Godly influence to the parents who are raising young children?

Can you be a godly influence to the Bible class teachers? Can you be a godly influence in a way that maybe is behind the scenes in a lot of ways and maybe. You know, if it wasn't for this book, you know, Naomi wouldn't be as prevalent a character in our minds as she is. But you know, is, is there a way in which you can be a Godly influence to others and help lead them to Christ?

And, and that's what we see Naomi doing and she is. In a lot of ways celebrated, I think in this book for that, but still in a little bit of a behind the scenes way. Ruth and Boaz and their relationship is at the forefront of the end of this book, but Naomi's role is not forgotten. And, uh, it shouldn't be forgotten on us as we.

I try to emulate her in the ways that we can to be a godly influence in the lives of other people. And so that was something that kind of stuck out to me, you know, as we've, uh, gone through this book, is just her role in the life of Ruth that then led to so many wonderful things down the line. It's a really interesting point.

I mean, we're, we're able to read the book. So we're able, you know, to kind of, it looks like it's playing out, you know, on the screen in front of us. But Naomi is behind the scenes. I mean, every interaction that she has in this book is privately, pretty much Yeah. With Ruth. Yeah. And seemingly in a home or, you know, wherever they're living.

And, um, you know, that, that seems to be where it is. And so she is in every way. Ruth is the one leaving and going out and doing things. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and na Naomi isn't. So she kind of. She does, has that influence behind the scenes on Ruth that kind of propels her, you know, forward in so many different ways and that really is a strong, you know, thing to think about for us.

Alright. Ed, what about you? Yeah, thinking about Ruth, you know, Ruth left Moab. I think that's important to, to, to see here when, you know, we talked about, uh, the influence of, of Naomi, and, and clearly that was there because the love that, that Ruth showed towards Naomi. Just, just this amazing relationship that they had.

And, and, and you know, we see that in chapter one verses 16 and 17, but the, the fact that Ruth. Probably had, she might have had a mom and dad, we don't know. Probably had aunts and uncles, um, maybe had relatives, other relatives. I mean, she left everything. She left her her home, she left her hometown, everything that she knew she left behind.

Mm-hmm. And she did that and essentially said, listen, your god's gonna be my God. I'm going to join you and I'm going to be a part of that family. I'm gonna be part of God's family. It's just reminiscent to what we have today when we are baptized into Christ and we are transformed into his image and we become like him and we, um, have his mind and we work and strive towards that.

Mm-hmm. That's exactly what. Ruth did. She left it all behind. She forsook it. And that's what we are to do. You know, when we think about baptism, baptism is, is, uh, Jeremy, I think you've put this, that it, it's a violent act. Mm-hmm. And we're putting the old person to death. Mm-hmm. Yeah. As we come up out of the water anew.

And so when you think in terms of, of that, that's in a sense what. Ruth did. She left the old behind. I'll say one thing on that before Jeremy, you close us out. Is that, I think that's a great point, ed. And you know, in the New Testament, the term adoption is used to describe how God adopts us into his family.

That's. Kind of what happened in this story. Ruth wasn't an Israelite after her spouse died. She had really no reason to stay with Naomi. But there is a sense in which I, she was adopted not just in Naomi's family, but into the Israelite culture and then ultimately, you know, into the, the family of, of Naomi and Boaz moving forward.

And so there is that parallel. I think that's a great point of leaving this old life entirely and being adopted into a new life that really does. In parallel what we're supposed to do today as Christians. Yeah. And with a new family. I'll add on. Yeah. I mean, you know, it, it, now her family is Naomi, her family is Boaz.

Right. It, it, it is her new family. And that's certainly what can happen within the family of Christ as well. And I'll say kind of as we close out, just almost by happy coincidence, I mean you guys made a point on Naomi and Ed, you had a point on Ruth. Well, Boaz is on my mind. There you go. And, uh, you know, it's just, you know, as we've been studying through this book over the last few weeks, you know, you, you, you read about, you know, Boaz as he's introduced to us really in chapter two.

And listen, he is a prominent figure in society and he is extremely wealthy. A lot of people know who he is and a lot of people know his name. I mean, he seems to be wildly influential and I mean, he seems to just be a really important person, you know, kind of in this area. But yet, as soon as he's introduced to us to literally the very end of the book, I kind of use this phrase, I think last week.

I mean, Boaz is just a good guy. I mean, he just, he just was a good guy. He is, yeah. And, and you know, you see the way he interacts with his hi with his employees in chapter two. Certainly the, the way that he interacts with Ruth, and not just in chapter two, but also in, in chapters three and four, when, you know, she kind of, you know, goes to him in that awkward, you know, place there at the threshing floor.

He, he is very concerned about. You know others, and if they would see her and, you know, he's very concerned about, you know, her, uh, reputation in that e even with the other nearer relative. Um, he, he goes to him because that's the right thing to do and you know, it, it, he seems just as always doing, you know, what the right thing is at the same time.

He, he's a prominent figure. Mm-hmm. And, and you know, sometimes in this world we, we don't see those things go together very often. And, and you can be all of those things. And, you know, you study through a book like this and you see someone like Boaz, who is very successful in life, secular life, but yet he just treats everybody with respect.

And he's very loyal and, um, he, he works with dignity and high morality and, you know, it's just one of those things I've thought about over the last, you know, several weeks that, that's where we need to be. Mm-hmm. We, we need, regardless of who it is we're dealing with, we can treat people with respect, we can treat people with kindness.

We can go the extra mile to help someone out who needs help. All of those things we see, you know, certainly out of Boaz, I think this is one of those rare books in the Bible. Where it is just full of good people doing good things, conducting themselves righteously, conducting themselves respectfully, and it really is refreshing because, I mean, there's a, there are a lot of good people in the Bible, but oftentimes they're intermingled with people who are act, acting count.

Counter to that this is just a refreshing book of good people doing good things, and it is just a good lesson for us of that. That is what God calls us to be. Be good people, do good things, treat others with respect. Uh, and these, these characters all throughout, Ruth, give us a great example of that. Yeah.

I mean, there doesn't seeming to be a villain, right. But you know, we, you know, before we close, we're gonna go back to chapter one and close with the passage there in just a second. Well, the villain in a lot of ways is life in this book. Um, you know, we made mention of it chapter one. Boy, it ends in a pretty rough place.

Um, the first few verses is a pretty rough go for Naomi and for Ruth and for Ora. And, you know, it, it, it's, it's a pretty rough go. And so they had the difficulties of life. That they had to work their way through in a, in a nice, good, kind, moral way. And guess what? Everything works out. And, and that's, I think that maybe is the lesson.

Yeah. Let's close with that. We're in, uh, Ruth chapter one. Uh, the passage that we've made reference to multiple times. Uh, Ruth is going to make the decision to spend her time and her life with Naomi, but not just with Naomi. With her people, but not just them with her God. And so in verse 16 and 17, roots says, and treat me not to leave you or to turn back from you for following after you, for wherever you go.

I will go wherever you lodge, I will lodge Your people shall be my people. Your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me and more also, if anything, but death parts you.

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Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk to you again next week.