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Got some big things coming up, 
don't we? 

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It's a big day today. 
What's coming up, guys? 

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No, come on, guys, it's 
Valentine's Day. 

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Is this next weekend? 
They're all in trouble now. 

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All in trouble. 
Now we do. 

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We have the Super Bowl, which 
isn't a big deal to us Bengals 

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fans, is it? 
And at least not this year. 

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But it's Valentine's week. 
And so I just want to how many 

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of you are big into Hallmark 
movies? 

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Go ahead, Raise your hand, 
teens. 

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No, not any of you. 
OK. 

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All right, we got we got one. 
Come on. 

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More of you are watching all 
Mark, How about ROM coms? 

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How about Netflix ROM coms? 
Yeah, there's more of you. 

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All right. 
Not a whole lot of loving people

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in this congregation, 
apparently. 

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Well, hey, we are studying on 
Valentine's week here. 

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We're, we're studying the story 
of Ruth and this is one of the, 

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the best love stories we see in 
scripture. 

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And so right here as we get into
Valentine's week, I, I want to 

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invite you into the story. 
Maybe you're not a ROM com 

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person or a Hallmark person, but
I mean, this story is straight 

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out of Hallmark. 
I mean, it is like perfectly 

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designed like a Hallmark movie. 
And so as we look into it, I 

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want to tell you that I think we
are being invited into this 

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story and maybe it's not. 
I don't know what Valentine's 

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Day means to you. 
I know it's, you know, a worldly

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holiday and it's about, you 
know, romantic love and all of 

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that. 
Maybe for some of you, 

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Valentine's Day can be a tough 
day. 

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Maybe your situation's 
difficult. 

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I, I got good news for you. 
There's a God that loves you, 

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that wants to invite you into 
the greatest love story ever 

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written. 
And it's not Ruth and Boaz. 

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That's a picture of the greatest
love story ever written. 

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And that's that the God of the 
universe loves you, wants to 

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care for you, wants to provide 
for you, and then wants to call 

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you to love others. 
So you're invited into the story

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today. 
Let's recap last week, Ruth 

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Chapter 1. 
Ruth is it starts out with 

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Limilek and Naomi. 
They were from God's people and 

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they were living in God's 
promised land. 

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So this is happening pretty 
early into the time of the 

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Judges. 
The time of the Judges, about 

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400 years after God's people 
were delivered into the promised

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land. 
There was a time of about 400 

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years where there was difficulty
and there was back and forth and

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there was this cycle where the 
people of God would mess up. 

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They would choose to go their 
own way and then they would find

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themselves in trouble and then 
they would call out to God and 

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then God would save them and 
everything was good until they 

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messed up, chose their own way, 
fell into trouble, called out to

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God. 
And we had this cycle. 

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And so Elimelech and Naomi were,
were some of God's people who 

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were making some choices that 
were leading them into this 

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cycle. 
They left the promised land. 

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See the people at this time, 
we're going through a bit of a 

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famine. 
And so there wasn't food. 

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And so instead of sticking 
around and trusting God to 

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provide, Alimac and Naomi said, 
we're going to head out, we're 

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going to go somewhere else. 
We're going to take matters into

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our own hands. 
So they moved to Moab, which was

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an enemy land. 
Not only did they move there, 

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then they married their sons to 
Moabite women. 

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Now, in that day, there was 
clear instruction that you were 

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not to do that. 
You were not to intermarry with 

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other tribes and everything 
because of the risk of idolatry.

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That was God's command in those 
days. 

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And so they were making these 
bad choices. 

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And all of a sudden tragedy 
strikes. 

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Elimelech, Naomi's husband 
passes away. 

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Then Maelon and Killian, we 
talked about this last week. 

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Their, their names mean sickness
and death, not the best names. 

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They both end up passing away. 
So we end up with Naomi and then

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Ruth and Orpa, her daughters in 
law. 

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And she hears that good things 
are happening that God is 

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providing for people back in the
promised land, the place they 

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left. 
And so she says she makes the 

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very easy decision. 
We're going to go back. 

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We're going to go back to where 
God's providing and we're going 

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to be provided for. 
And she says, but she tells Ruth

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and Orpa her daughter's in law. 
She says you should go back to 

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your own land because see, if 
you go with me, there's no way 

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that you're going to find a 
husband. 

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There's no way you're going to 
find legitimacy. 

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You need to go back to your own 
people and hopefully then you 

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can be taken care of. 
And so she urges them not to 

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come with her. 
Orpa says OK, I'll go back, but 

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Ruth says no, I'm staying with 
you. 

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And we have that famous passage 
where where you go, I'll go, 

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where you stay, I'll stay. 
Your people are my people. 

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Your God is my God. 
And Ruth chooses, this is what 

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we talked about last week. 
Ruth chooses to love and be 

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faithful to Naomi. 
That brings us to Ruth 2. 

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Stand with me if you don't mind 
and honor God's word. 

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Just to warn you, this is long. 
It's a story. 

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I want to give you the full 
story. 

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So we're going to read all of 
Ruth chapter 2 today. 

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You can follow along on the 
screen. 

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So at this point, they've headed
back to the promised land there 

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in Bethlehem. 
And it says this. 

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Now, Naomi had a relative on her
husband's side, a man of 

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standing from the clan of 
Alimelech, Alimelech, Naomi's 

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husband that passed away, whose 
name was Boaz. 

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And Ruth the Moabite said to 
Naomi, Let me go to the fields 

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and pick up the leftover grain 
behind anyone and whose eyes I 

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find favor. 
Naomi said to her. 

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Go ahead, my daughter. 
So she went out, entered a 

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field, and began to glean behind
the harvesters. 

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As it turned out, she was 
working in a field belonging to 

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Boaz, who once again was from 
the clan of Elimelech. 

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Just then Boaz arrived from 
Bethlehem and greeted the 

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harvesters. 
The Lord be with you, the Lord 

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bless you, they answered. 
Boaz asked the overseer of the 

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harvesters, who does that young 
woman belong to? 

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And the overseer replied, She is
the Moabite who came back from 

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Moab with Naomi. 
She said, please let me glean 

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and gather among the she's 
behind the harvester. 

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She came into the field and has 
remained here from morning till 

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now, except for a short rest in 
the shelter. 

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So Boaz said to Ruth, my 
daughter, listen to me. 

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Don't go and glean in another 
field. 

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Don't go away from here. 
Stay here with the women who 

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work for me. 
Watch the field where the men 

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are harvesting and follow along 
after the women. 

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I have told the men not to lay a
hand on you, and whenever you 

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are thirsty, go and get a drink 
from the water jars the men have

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filled. 
At this she bowed down with her 

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face to the ground, and she 
asked him, Why have I found such

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favor in your eyes that you 
notice me a foreigner? 

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Boaz replied. 
I've been told it's all about 

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what you've done for your 
mother-in-law since the death of

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your husband, how you left your 
father and mother and your 

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homeland and came to live with 
the people you did not know 

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before. 
May the Lord repay you for what 

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you have done. 
May you be richly rewarded by 

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the Lord the God of Israel, 
under whose wings you have come 

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to take refuge. 
May I continue to find favor in 

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your eyes, my Lord, she said. 
You have put me at ease by 

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speaking kindly to your servant,
though I do not have the 

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standing of one of your servants
at meal time. 

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Boaz said to her, Come over 
here, have some bread, dip it in

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the wine vinegar, and when she 
sat down with the harvesters he 

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offered her some roasted grain. 
She ate all she wanted and had 

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some leftover. 
As she got up to glean, Boaz 

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gave orders to his men. 
Let her gather among the sheaves

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and do not reprimand her, even 
pull out some stalks for her 

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from the bundles and leave them 
for her to pick up and do not 

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rebuke her. 
So Ruth gleaned in the field 

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until evening. 
Then she threshed the barley and

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she had gathered and it amounted
to about an IFA. 

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She she carried it back to town 
and her mother-in-law saw how 

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much she had gathered. 
Ruth also brought out and gave 

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her what was leftover from what 
she had eaten from. 

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After she had eaten enough, her 
mother-in-law asked her, Where 

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did you glean today? 
Where did you work? 

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Blessed be the man who took 
notice of you. 

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Then Ruth told her mother-in-law
about the one at whose place she

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had been working. 
The name of the man I worked 

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with today is Boaz, she said. 
The Lord bless him, Naomi said 

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to her daughter-in-law. 
He has not stopped showing 

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kindness to the living in the 
dead, she added. 

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That man is our close relative. 
He is one of our guardian 

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redeemers. 
Then Ruth said the Moabite said,

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he even said to me, stay with my
workers until they finished 

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harvesting all my grain. 
Naomi said to her 

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daughter-in-law, it will be good
for you, my daughter, to go with

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the women who work with him 
because in someone else's field 

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you might be harmed. 
So Ruth stayed close to the 

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women of Boaz to glean until the
barley and the wheat harvest 

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were finished and she lived with
her mother-in-law. 

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You can have a seat. 
Lord, I pray that you would 

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speak to us, and I pray that you
would invite us into this story.

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We're all in different places, 
but I believe you're calling all

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of us to #1 know your love to #2
give your love to others to be 

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the hands and feet of Jesus, to 
speak to us today in Jesus name,

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Amen. 
So when we left it in chapter 1,

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Ruth had chosen love. 
She'd chosen to stay with Naomi.

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This was a big choice. 
We talked about this last week. 

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Ruth was a Moabite. 
The Moabites were enemies to 

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God's people. 
And and so Naomi had said, no, 

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no, go back to your homeland. 
That's where you're going to be 

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safe. 
But Ruth said, no, I'm staying 

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with you. 
Where you go, I will go. 

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Where you stay, I will stay. 
Your people will be my people 

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and your God, my God. 
And so this at chapter 2 we see 

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is where they're at. 
They're back in Bethlehem. 

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But the truth is there's 
consequences to her choice. 

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What are the consequences #1 
she's a foreigner in a land that

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she doesn't necessarily belong. 
Number 2, they don't have what 

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they need. 
They're, they're poor. 

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They, they don't have anyone to 
provide for them. 

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And so we see in chapter 2, Ruth
says, let me go out in the 

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fields. 
Let me go out to glean in the 

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fields. 
Now this is beautiful guys. 

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I want you to see this. 
My first point we're going to 

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get to here in a minute is this 
that God is always working on 

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our behalf. 
That's our first point. 

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God is always working on our 
behalf. 

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Now I want to show you how that 
happened. 

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So, so they, they've come to 
Bethlehem. 

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Ruth is with Naomi, but they've 
got no one to care for them, no 

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one to provide for them. 
So Ruth says, hey, I'm going to 

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go out in the fields and I'm 
going to glean in the fields. 

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How many of you know what 
gleaning is? 

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00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,720
Oh, we got some Bible scholars 
in the house. 

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00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,440
Leviticus chapter 19, verses 9 
and 10 says this. 

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When you reap the harvest of 
your land, do not reap the very 

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edges of your field or gather 
the gleanings of your harvest. 

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00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,840
Do not go over your vineyard a 
second time to pick up the 

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grapes that have fallen. 
Leave them for the poor and the 

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foreigner. 
I am the Lord your God. 

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Here's what I want you to see. 
God had already set things in 

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place to take care of people who
were in need, who were poor, who

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were estranged, who found 
themselves down and out. 

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God had already set up a system.
It was part of his rule, part of

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his law. 
He said When you have a field 

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00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:10,200
and you, you know, go harvest, 
leave some so that people that 

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are in need, people that are 
foreigners can come in and they 

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can glean out of the edges of 
your field. 

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This is a beautiful thing, guys.
God has a plan to take care of 

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people that are hurting and 
broken. 

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You know what that plan is? 
To work through his people that 

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he's blessed and given much to. 
I know that there's a lot of 

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00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,560
talk these days about politics 
and policies. 

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Guys, as the church, could we 
just commit to be a people of 

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00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,960
love? 
Could we just commit to be a 

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people that share and care for 
others? 

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00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:57,800
I believe if we did that to the 
best of our ability, God's 

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already set in place something 
to care for the people around 

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00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:07,960
us. 
He's calling us to share and so 

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she's she goes out to glean in 
the field and and and then and 

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00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,120
and it says it bring we we see 
Boaz coming to the store. 

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00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:19,960
I told you this is this is 
Hallmark. 

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00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,520
We've got Ruth. 
She's the the daughter-in-law 

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00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,640
that's taking care of her 
mother-in-law. 

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00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:27,960
I mean, she's just a good 
person, right? 

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00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,440
Are you getting the character? 
Come on, all you ROM com 

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00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,480
Hallmark people. 
Ruth, she's a good woman. 

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00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,840
She cares for a mother-in-law. 
They're poor. 

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00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:40,600
She goes out of the field and 
all of a sudden enter in Boaz 

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00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,480
right now. 
We did a lot of names last week.

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00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,920
You know what Boaz means and him
is strength. 

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00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,280
Is this not a Hallmark character
right here? 

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00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,840
There's not a ROM com character.
Boaz walks in strength. 

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00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,000
Turns out she's in his field. 
And so we we're introduced, 

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00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:01,840
introduced to him at the 
beginning of the story. 

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00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,240
It says Naomi had a relative on 
her husband's side, a man of 

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00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,800
standing in the clan of 
Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 

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00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,920
Let me tell you how this works. 
You have a family, then you have

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00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:17,240
a clan, then you have a tribe. 
And so Naomi and Elimelech are 

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00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:22,160
in a family and then in their 
clan, a relative of Elimelech is

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00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,160
Boaz. 
He's in the clan and a part of 

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00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,680
the bigger tribe. 
And so so it introduces us to 

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00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:34,240
this Boaz strength. 
We got the the the 

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00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,720
daughter-in-law, taking care of 
her mother-in-law, just going 

257
00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,960
out in the fields. 
And now we've got we got the 

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00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:46,240
strong Boaz says in verse 3, she
went out, entered a field. 

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00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,240
Want you to listen to this 
language I began to glean behind

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00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,360
the harvesters. 
All right, you ready for this 

261
00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,280
next line? 
Go ahead. 

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00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:59,200
Read it with me. 
As it turned out, I love this 

263
00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:00,280
guys. 
Don't miss this. 

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00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:05,680
As it turned out, she was 
working in a field belonging to 

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00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,040
Boaz, who was from the clan of a
limb elec. 

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00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,440
Just then guys, this is 
Hallmark. 

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00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,440
This is ROM com. 
As it turned out, she just 

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00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,120
happened to be in Boaz's field. 
And just then Boaz walks in. 

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00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,000
Here he is. 
It's perfect. 

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00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,440
Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and 
greeted the harvesters. 

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00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,080
The Lord be with you guys. 
What I want you to see here in 

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00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,960
the first part of this, the 
first point is this, God is 

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00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:38,040
always working on our behalf. 
At the end of chapter 1, when 

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00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,680
Naomi gets to Bethlehem, Naomi, 
which means pleasant people say,

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00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,320
oh, it's Naomi. 
And she says, don't call me 

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00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,040
Naomi, call me Mara because I'm 
bitter. 

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00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:50,920
God has taken everything from 
me. 

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00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,000
God has emptied me. 
I'm bitter. 

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00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:01,160
And we see that all along, God 
has been working on her behalf, 

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00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:06,280
number one, through setting up 
laws and rules to care for those

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00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:12,120
in need #2 just so happens 
there's a dude named Boaz 

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00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,800
Strength. 
He's got a field. 

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00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,480
And as it turned out, Ruth, when
she goes out to glean, ends up 

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00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,520
in Boaz's field. 
Now, is that a divine 

285
00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,280
appointment? 
Maybe. 

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00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,760
Is that free will? 
And it just, is it a 

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00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,800
coincidence? 
I think God is working. 

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00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,360
And here's the deal. 
I don't believe we as Nazarene 

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00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,640
believe in free will. 
We don't believe that God has 

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00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,600
has chosen everything for you. 
We believe that we have choice, 

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00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,640
that we can choose what we do, 
but that God is at work in 

292
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,160
everything. 
In Romans 828, it says that God 

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00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:53,320
works for the good in all things
for those who love him, that God

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00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:57,640
is working on our behalf. 
I do believe that there are 

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00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,520
times that God puts divine 
appointments in our life. 

296
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,280
Is this one of them? 
I don't know. 

297
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,640
I do know this. 
It's Hallmark. 

298
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:10,079
It's perfect. 
As it turns out, Ruth, the sweet

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00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:12,960
girl taking care of her 
mother-in-law, ends up in the 

300
00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,079
field of Boaz strength, A 
relative. 

301
00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:22,440
Who's there, guys? 
God is always working on our 

302
00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,880
behalf. 
Sometimes it's through his 

303
00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,640
established plans, sometimes, 
sometimes it's through divine 

304
00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:29,600
appointment. 
Sometimes it's through people 

305
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:34,640
for the good people of God 
following and being obedient and

306
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,840
God brings us together and works
on our behalf. 

307
00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:45,480
Let's pick it up in verse 8, 
Boaz notices Ruth, he notices 

308
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,600
her, she's out there. 
He says, who's this woman? 

309
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,880
Who does she? 
Who, who does she belong to? 

310
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,760
And and they say, oh, that 
that's that's Ruth. 

311
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,640
She's a Moabite woman. 
And tell they tell them all 

312
00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,320
about her. 
And so he goes to her. 

313
00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,240
Verse 8. 
So Boaz said to Ruth, my 

314
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,120
daughter, listen to me. 
Don't go out and glean in 

315
00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,000
another field. 
Don't go away from here. 

316
00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,640
Stay here with the women who 
work for me. 

317
00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,280
Watch the field where the men 
are harvesting. 

318
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:14,800
Follow along after the women. 
I have told the men not to lay a

319
00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:18,280
hand on you, and whenever you're
thirsty, go and get a drink from

320
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,120
from the water jars the men have
filled. 

321
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,400
And at this she bowed down with 
her face to the ground. 

322
00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,720
She asked him, Why have I found 
such favor in your eyes that you

323
00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:31,480
noticed me, a foreigner? 
And Boaz replied, I've been told

324
00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,240
all about what you have done for
your mother-in-law since the 

325
00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,920
death of your husband. 
How you left your father and 

326
00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,480
mother in your homeland and came
to live with the people who do 

327
00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,920
you did not know before. 
Listen to this last line. 

328
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,280
We're coming back to this. 
May the Lord repay you for what 

329
00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,080
you have done. 
May you be richly rewarded by 

330
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:54,080
the Lord, the God of Israel, 
under whose wings you have come 

331
00:18:54,080 --> 00:19:00,000
to take refuge. 
So as it happens, Naomi, the 

332
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,680
sweet Naomi, I mean Ruth, the 
sweet Ruth, who's taking care of

333
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,520
Naomi, It goes out in the field 
as it happens. 

334
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,520
It just so happens that it's 
Boaz's field. 

335
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:14,160
And Boaz shows up at that time, 
and he notices her, and he says,

336
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,240
I'm going to take care of her. 
He says, you stay here. 

337
00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:21,880
I'm going to protect you guys. 
You got to see the language 

338
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:23,920
here. 
He says, I've told people, I've 

339
00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,160
told the men not to lay a hand 
on you. 

340
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,440
Doesn't that tell you the 
consequences of the decision she

341
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:34,160
made to stay with Naomi? 
It means that she's in danger. 

342
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:39,080
If he has to tell the men not to
touch her, to leave her alone, 

343
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,160
that means that she was in 
danger. 

344
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:50,120
But Boaz protects her. 
He says, stay continued to 

345
00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:52,640
gather. 
When you're thirsty, go get some

346
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,120
water. 
Continue to get food. 

347
00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:57,800
And I'm going to protect you. 
Stay in my field. 

348
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,960
And she falls on her face and 
she says, why in the world have 

349
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:06,080
I found favor in your eyes? 
She didn't expect it #1 she was 

350
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:10,120
a Moabite, the enemy. 
She had no status. 

351
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:15,400
She had no husband to provide 
for #2 she's gleaning in the 

352
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,520
field, which means she has great
needs. 

353
00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:23,000
She didn't offer anything to 
help him #3 by the way, if 

354
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,120
we're, if we're talking about 
Hallmark and ROM com, she's been

355
00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:29,920
working in a field all morning. 
She's probably not looking her 

356
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,480
best. 
And Boaz goes and says, no, I'm 

357
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,080
going to take care of you. 
And she says, why in the world? 

358
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,920
Why would you take care of me? 
And what does he say? 

359
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:42,880
Because I've heard about what 
you've done. 

360
00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,680
Because I've heard about the 
kind of person you are, guys. 

361
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,800
Boaz is drawn to Ruth not 
because of looks, but because of

362
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,640
her kindness and her 
faithfulness. 

363
00:20:55,400 --> 00:21:00,880
The way you live matters. 
How many of you watch TV shows 

364
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,720
or how many of you do reality 
shows? 

365
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:06,320
Anyone guys, we just don't watch
TV, do we? 

366
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,960
Got no ROM coms, no hallmark, no
reality shows. 

367
00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,600
What are you watching? 
I, I, I've been on a little bit 

368
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,720
of a reality show kick. 
Truth be told, I'm, I'm trying 

369
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,880
to, I really want Brad and I to 
go on Amazing Race. 

370
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:20,640
I think that would be really 
fun. 

371
00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:22,640
Any of you watched Amazing Race 
before? 

372
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,360
I think it would be kind of 
funny if Brad and I went on it. 

373
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,000
And so I've been watching 
through The Amazing Race and one

374
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,560
of the things, whether it's that
or whether it's Survivor or 

375
00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,320
whether I kind of like some of 
those reality shows, maybe some 

376
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,800
of you don't, but one of the 
thing I've things I've noticed 

377
00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:40,720
is that you tend to root for 
people or root against people 

378
00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,000
based on their actions, don't 
you? 

379
00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,560
This happens in life, too, 
doesn't it? 

380
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:50,480
I mean, you, you, maybe you're 
at a basketball game or you're 

381
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,360
somewhere and you see someone 
behaving a certain way, and 

382
00:21:53,360 --> 00:21:57,200
maybe they're really sweet and 
they're nice and you think I 

383
00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,920
want that person to do well. 
Maybe they're not. 

384
00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,920
And you think that person's got 
something coming to him. 

385
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,920
What draws Boaz to Ruth is is 
not her looks. 

386
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:16,760
It's not her status, it's her 
kindness and faithfulness. 

387
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:22,040
In fact, in chapter 3, Boaz says
that she is a woman of virtue. 

388
00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:26,000
She's a virtuous woman. 
That's actually the same title 

389
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,680
that's used in Proverbs 31, 
which is a famous proverb about 

390
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:33,400
about what a woman should be, 
what a Good Wife should be. 

391
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,720
It's the the a woman of noble 
character. 

392
00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:39,720
Listen to what Proverbs 31 says,
a wife of noble character who 

393
00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,960
can find she is worth more than 
rubies. 

394
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,440
Her husband has full confidence 
in her and lacks nothing of 

395
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,160
value. 
She brings him good, not harm. 

396
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,760
All the days of her life. 
It goes on to say she cares for 

397
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:56,560
people, she helps the poor. 
She basically this is a woman of

398
00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,280
noble character. 
In it and in chapter 3, Boaz 

399
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,440
says that's what Ruth is. 
She's a virtuous woman. 

400
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:10,920
That's what drew him to her and 
that's what made him choose to 

401
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,840
protect and provide and health 
help. 

402
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:18,040
And so we see that's number 
three. 

403
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:22,160
Boaz provides and protects. 
He tells her to continue 

404
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,120
gleaning in the fields. 
He tells her not to go anywhere 

405
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:27,120
else because she's not safe 
anywhere else. 

406
00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,600
Stay here. 
I've got what you need. 

407
00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,000
I'll provide for you, I'll 
protect you. 

408
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,240
He tells the men to leave her 
alone. 

409
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,800
He offers her protection #3 he 
tells. 

410
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,000
He tells the men to leave her 
more than just scraps. 

411
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000
He goes above and beyond. 
He doesn't say you can just keep

412
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,040
gleaning. 
He tells his guys, hey, by the 

413
00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:47,120
way, drop a little extra off. 
Help her out a little bit and 

414
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,760
don't rebuke her. 
He goes above and beyond. 

415
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,600
He offers her the opportunity to
drink their water. 

416
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,640
He invites her in to eat with 
them. 

417
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,680
He says come sit at the table 
and he says eat whatever you 

418
00:23:57,680 --> 00:23:59,240
want. 
He gave her all she could eat. 

419
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,320
She went home with an EFA of 
grain by something some people 

420
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,680
I've studied, it says maybe it's
5 1/2 gallons of grain. 

421
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,560
Other people say 30 to 50 lbs. 
I don't know. 

422
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,520
It's a lot. 
She went home with more than 

423
00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:17,120
enough. 
And then he said, stay here all 

424
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:19,320
season. 
This is where you come because 

425
00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,000
you are. 
I'm going to continue to protect

426
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,320
and provide for you. 
He goes above and beyond the 

427
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,600
requirement. 
And we see Ruth who chose love, 

428
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:34,200
who put herself in a tough spot.
All of a sudden she's provided 

429
00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,560
for. 
You know who provided for? 

430
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,280
What's the answer God did. 
Is it up there already? 

431
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,200
OK, good. 
Well, we're waiting to go guys. 

432
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:46,120
I thought maybe they put it up 
there early. 

433
00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:51,760
God provided for her. 
Yes, it was Boaz, but it was God

434
00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,520
that ultimately provided for 
her. 

435
00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,880
In fact, Ruth chapter 2 verse 12
is the key to that. 

436
00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,520
Boaz says may the Lord repay you
for what you have done. 

437
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:10,400
May you be richly rewarded by 
the Lord, the God of Israel, 

438
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,080
under whose wings you have come 
to take refuge. 

439
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,360
I love this guys. 
This is such a beautiful story. 

440
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,240
God is already working on Ruth's
behalf. 

441
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,600
And Ruth is a person of noble 
character. 

442
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,200
And Boaz is drawn to her because
she is a noble woman. 

443
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,840
She's a virtuous woman. 
And so Boaz begins to provide 

444
00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:35,840
and protect. 
But listen to verse 12. 

445
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:41,680
He says may the Lord provide for
you, may he repay you. 

446
00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,360
May you be richly rewarded by 
the Lord. 

447
00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:48,600
I love this. 
In church we got to talk about 

448
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:53,840
this because sometimes we say, 
hey, I hope God takes care of 

449
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:55,680
you. 
God is good. 

450
00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:58,240
I hope the Lord provides for 
you. 

451
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:02,560
And here's the deal. 
Sometimes I think God wants to 

452
00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:09,160
provide through US. 
Boaz says the Lord will provide 

453
00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:15,200
and in the meantime, he's the 
one going above and beyond to 

454
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:20,880
protect, to provide, to love, to
care for. 

455
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:27,640
We can't be all talk. 
It's easy to say, hey, the Lord 

456
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:30,760
will take care of you. 
This is where I want to invite 

457
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:37,240
you into the story guys. 
I believe God is calling us to 

458
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:42,160
be a people of love. 
I believe God is calling us to 

459
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,440
provide for the people around us
in need. 

460
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,720
I believe there's a world around
us that is hurting and broken. 

461
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,720
Some of them are in this room. 
Some of them are outside of the 

462
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,920
walls of the church. 
They're all over the place. 

463
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,280
If you open your eyes, you will 
see people in need. 

464
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,360
And guess what? 
God is working on their behalf 

465
00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,760
and He loves them and He wants 
to draw them to Him. 

466
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:17,240
And you know how through US, 
you're invited into the story on

467
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:23,840
Valentine's week. 
We're called to be people that 

468
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,880
are virtuous and noble. 
We're called to be people who 

469
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:33,960
provide and protect others. 
When we love Pete God's people, 

470
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,600
when we give to those in need, 
we're actually doing the work of

471
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,720
the Lord. 
We are called to be the hands 

472
00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,960
and feet of Jesus to the world 
around us. 

473
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,680
Maybe you don't have a date for 
this next weekend. 

474
00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,760
Maybe Valentine's Day is a tough
day for you. 

475
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,360
Maybe it's a hard day. 
I've got good news. 

476
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,480
You're invited into the greatest
love story ever written, and 

477
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:05,080
it's not Ruth and Boaz. 
It's a God that loves you and a 

478
00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:11,160
God that loves the world around 
you, and he invites you into 

479
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:16,200
this love story to be filled 
with his love and to give his 

480
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,600
love to others. 
Reminds me of when Jesus says 

481
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:24,120
whatever you've done for the 
least of these, you've done for 

482
00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:27,840
me. 
We're called to worship God by 

483
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:31,520
blessing those around us, 
especially those in need. 

484
00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,400
You guys know we come together. 
We worship when we sing, we 

485
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,000
worship when we hear God's word,
we worship when we give, we 

486
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,080
worship when we come together in
the church. 

487
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,600
But did you know that the one of
the greatest forms of worship is

488
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,920
the way that we love the people 
around us? 

489
00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:50,920
Isaiah 58. 
Is not this the kind of fasting 

490
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,560
I have chosen? 
To loose the chains of injustice

491
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,760
and untie the cords of the yoke?
To set the oppressed free? 

492
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,000
To break every yoke? 
Is it not to share your food 

493
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:04,280
with the hungry and to provide 
the poor wanderer with shelter 

494
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,640
when you see the naked, to 
clothe them, not to turn away 

495
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,720
from your own flesh and blood? 
Then your light will break forth

496
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,160
like the dawn. 
Then your healing will quickly 

497
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,160
appear. 
Then your righteousness will go 

498
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,600
before you, and the glory of the
Lord will be your rear guard. 

499
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,040
Then you will call and the Lord 
will answer. 

500
00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:26,440
You will cry for help, and he 
will say, here I am guys, you're

501
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,120
invited into this story. 
Boaz sees Ruth. 

502
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,960
I love this, by the way, in 
chapter 1, Ruth is the hero. 

503
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,800
She chooses love and obedience 
and faithfulness, and she 

504
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:47,320
chooses to put Naomi ahead of 
herself, chooses to put herself 

505
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,920
in danger, chooses to give up 
what she thinks could be her 

506
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,840
only chance to love and care for
Naomi. 

507
00:29:53,840 --> 00:30:00,800
And we Fast forward a chapter. 
And now Boaz chooses to love and

508
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:08,000
protect and provide for Ruth. 
And we're invited in to care for

509
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,200
the people around us. 
Worship team, come on up. 

510
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:17,200
I love it. 
Boaz says may be rewarded by the

511
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,120
God under whose wings you take 
refuge. 

512
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:26,000
Her trust in God ultimately is 
what led to her provision and 

513
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,080
her protection. 
God blesses us when we choose 

514
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,320
love. 
You are invited into this story 

515
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:37,320
today. 
Maybe some of you have some 

516
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,560
people around you. 
I want to encourage you this 

517
00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:44,280
week to open your eyes and ears.
I promise you there are people 

518
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:49,040
around you that need love and 
protection and provision. 

519
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:58,240
And it may be people in your own
house and it may be people in 

520
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:02,240
this church. 
It may be people at the grocery 

521
00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:07,920
store, at work. 
You're invited into the greatest

522
00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,680
love story ever. 
There's a God that loves you and

523
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:15,440
wants to protect and provide for
you and give you life, and He 

524
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,400
wants you to use you as a vessel
to do the same for others. 

525
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,920
Father, speak to us. 
Help us to be obedient and 

526
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,840
surrender to you. 
And maybe there's something 

527
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,240
you've put on our hearts today. 
Maybe there's someone here that 

528
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,120
has a friend or a family member 
or someone they know, an 

529
00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:36,840
acquaintance that needs 
protection provision. 

530
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:44,520
Lord, I pray you'd call us to be
your holy people who love the 

531
00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:48,600
world around us, who aren't 
always fighting with the world 

532
00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,360
around us, who aren't always at 
odds with the world around us, 

533
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,440
but we see people that you love,
that you care for. 

534
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,360
I pray that you would invite us 
into the story of love, that we 

535
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,040
would experience your love and 
your grace and your provision, 

536
00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:05,480
and we would become a people of 
love and provision for others. 

537
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:07,720
Speak to us. 
Help us to be obedient to you 

538
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,720
now in Jesus name, Amen. 
Hey, if God speaking to you, 

539
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,200
staying with me, you're free to 
come forward and pray here. 

540
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:18,280
You can pray at your seat, but 
you're invited into the story. 

541
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,120
Keep reading, Ruth, Keep 
studying. 

542
00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,480
Allow God to speak to you. 
Be obedient.