LAW VS GRACE: Have you ever heard or said, "Laws were made to be broken"? Well, that statement is false. Actually, laws are made to be kept. There are reasons for making them and consequences in breaking them. If you have ever gotten a speeding ticket, you know the consequences for breaking the speed limit set for a certain highway. In fact, I paid a heavy consequence for breaking the speed limit while driving back from Texas a few years ago. While it sounds like freedom to say, "laws are made to be broken", breaking them brings bondage - not freedom.
What could broken laws possibly have to do with the story of Ruth and Boaz? The book of Deuteronomy is the second giving of the Law of Moses from God to the nation of Israel. One of those laws stated in Deut. 23:3 is: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD: even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever. The chapter continues to give us the reason why. For now, it is enough for us to know that Ruth was a descendant of Moab and by law had no right to enter the assembly of Israel. Some feel that at the time of the events in the book of Ruth, the tenth generation of the Moabites had been reached. We do not know that for sure, but we know that there was a law that no Moabite could enter its assembly. How then could Ruth become a part of Israel?
Ruth entered the blessings of Abraham by faith in the God of Abraham through the grace of God. When she left Naomi to find work Ruth made the statement that her need was to find favor or GRACE from one of the field owners. Boaz favored her in giving her a place to work but he also favored her by offering her provision and protection. By the grace of Boaz, Ruth entered into the riches of Boaz. As we will eventually see, that grace was bestowed because of the love of Boaz.
What a picture of the Gospel is this second chapter of Ruth! There is a law that keeps all of mankind from the riches of God. That law states, "the soul that sins shall die". Since all have sinned, all have died spiritually and will die physically one day. We are like Ruth - without hope and without God. How can we possibly approach a holy God since we too are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel? (Eph. 2:11-12) The only way is by GRACE.
The pictures of grace are numerous in God's word and in the lives of His people. I love the story of Esther when she desired to approach the king in her need to save her people. There was a problem, however, in approaching the king. That problem was a law of the Medes and Persians that said that no one could come into the presence of the king that had not been called except the one upon whom the king FAVORED or showed GRACE by holding out the golden scepter. That scepter was held out to Esther and she found grace to help in her time of need. (Esther 5:2-3).
The life of David is filled with examples of the grace of God both to him and from him. Mephiboseth, the grandson of Saul, had fled in the day that Saul and Johnathan were killed for Saul's rebellion against God. But, because of his love for Jonathan, David desired to show "KINDNESS" or "GRACE" to anyone left of the family of Johnathan. We are told that David sent for Mephibosheth, restored to him all that he had lost and treated him as one of his own sons. What was Mephibosheth's response? He said, "What is your servant that you should regard a dead dog like me?" Mephibosheth knew that he had no right to the goodness of David - but out of love to Johnathan and now Mephibosheth, David showed the kindness and grace of God to him.
Grace has been defined as "favor bestowed on someone who does not deserve it and can not earn it." The responses of people to undeserved kindness to them says a lot about them. What was Ruth's response to the grace of Boaz? She says, "Why have I found favor (grace) in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10) "I have found favor (grace) in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants". Ruth was overwhelmed or surprised by GRACE! She was also humbled by that grace for she knew that it was undeserved and unearned.
How would it have looked if Ruth had proudly said, "Well, Boaz, it is about time you took notice of ME - I have been working in this field all day and I deserve this payment and this attention." No - Ruth knew better! She knew she deserved nothing from Boaz. By law, she was "shut out" of the blessings of Abraham. She neither deserved it nor earned it. Even her ability to work in his field was a gift from Boaz and Ruth knew that! She was both humbled and thankful for the grace of Boaz.
I have often wondered if in after years - after the stress of time and family - Ruth began to think she "deserved" anything from Boaz? Perhaps she could have said, "I have born him this child (or children as the case may have been), I have taken care of his house, labored in his field and while our relationship may have begun in grace, I have certainly added to it by my works". The reason I ask that is because, many times (to our shame), I think we Believers begin to think that way about the grace of God. After becoming His servant and working in His field, do we feel that God is "obligated" to us in any way? The Apostle Paul said that even the "ability to be a servant was by the GRACE of God" - it is His gift. (I Cor. 3:10,) and as with Boaz, it is His field in which we serve. God never OWES anyone anything but He certainly loves to GRACE His people with everything, even the ability to serve Him and then to one day reward them for the very service with which He gives them. What a GRACIOUS GOD we serve.
I am sure that if Ruth ever began to think that way, God brought back to her memory her time in Moab, her long journey back with Naomi and the hunger she felt as she left Naomi that day to go out and try to find work to provide for herself and Naomi. And, I am quite sure that He reminded her of the fact that HE provided for them in giving them Boaz and all the riches that came with him. This was enough to keep her humble and grateful both to Boaz and to the God of Boaz and now her God too.
How is it with you? Have you come to experience the Grace of God in Christ Jesus? Ephesians 2:8-9 says, By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is the GIFT of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast. If you have come to experience this grace, how has it been with you in after years? Have you served Him faithfully for years? Have you began to think that the blessings of God are "deserved" because although you began in Grace, you are being perfected by your works? If that is the case, maybe it is time to remember all that God has done for you instead of all that you have done for God. Remember where you came from and where you could have been had not God revealed Himself and His GRACE to you. Maybe it is time to "humble yourself" once again under the mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you at the right time. Maybe it is time to ask again as Mephibosheth did, "What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am," or as Ruth, who said, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" Remember, as the Apostle Peter said, in 2 Peter 3:18, to Grow in GRACE and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To HIM be glory both now and to the day of eternity.
What could broken laws possibly have to do with the story of Ruth and Boaz? The book of Deuteronomy is the second giving of the Law of Moses from God to the nation of Israel. One of those laws stated in Deut. 23:3 is: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD: even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever. The chapter continues to give us the reason why. For now, it is enough for us to know that Ruth was a descendant of Moab and by law had no right to enter the assembly of Israel. Some feel that at the time of the events in the book of Ruth, the tenth generation of the Moabites had been reached. We do not know that for sure, but we know that there was a law that no Moabite could enter its assembly. How then could Ruth become a part of Israel?
Ruth entered the blessings of Abraham by faith in the God of Abraham through the grace of God. When she left Naomi to find work Ruth made the statement that her need was to find favor or GRACE from one of the field owners. Boaz favored her in giving her a place to work but he also favored her by offering her provision and protection. By the grace of Boaz, Ruth entered into the riches of Boaz. As we will eventually see, that grace was bestowed because of the love of Boaz.
What a picture of the Gospel is this second chapter of Ruth! There is a law that keeps all of mankind from the riches of God. That law states, "the soul that sins shall die". Since all have sinned, all have died spiritually and will die physically one day. We are like Ruth - without hope and without God. How can we possibly approach a holy God since we too are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel? (Eph. 2:11-12) The only way is by GRACE.
The pictures of grace are numerous in God's word and in the lives of His people. I love the story of Esther when she desired to approach the king in her need to save her people. There was a problem, however, in approaching the king. That problem was a law of the Medes and Persians that said that no one could come into the presence of the king that had not been called except the one upon whom the king FAVORED or showed GRACE by holding out the golden scepter. That scepter was held out to Esther and she found grace to help in her time of need. (Esther 5:2-3).
The life of David is filled with examples of the grace of God both to him and from him. Mephiboseth, the grandson of Saul, had fled in the day that Saul and Johnathan were killed for Saul's rebellion against God. But, because of his love for Jonathan, David desired to show "KINDNESS" or "GRACE" to anyone left of the family of Johnathan. We are told that David sent for Mephibosheth, restored to him all that he had lost and treated him as one of his own sons. What was Mephibosheth's response? He said, "What is your servant that you should regard a dead dog like me?" Mephibosheth knew that he had no right to the goodness of David - but out of love to Johnathan and now Mephibosheth, David showed the kindness and grace of God to him.
Grace has been defined as "favor bestowed on someone who does not deserve it and can not earn it." The responses of people to undeserved kindness to them says a lot about them. What was Ruth's response to the grace of Boaz? She says, "Why have I found favor (grace) in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10) "I have found favor (grace) in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants". Ruth was overwhelmed or surprised by GRACE! She was also humbled by that grace for she knew that it was undeserved and unearned.
How would it have looked if Ruth had proudly said, "Well, Boaz, it is about time you took notice of ME - I have been working in this field all day and I deserve this payment and this attention." No - Ruth knew better! She knew she deserved nothing from Boaz. By law, she was "shut out" of the blessings of Abraham. She neither deserved it nor earned it. Even her ability to work in his field was a gift from Boaz and Ruth knew that! She was both humbled and thankful for the grace of Boaz.
I have often wondered if in after years - after the stress of time and family - Ruth began to think she "deserved" anything from Boaz? Perhaps she could have said, "I have born him this child (or children as the case may have been), I have taken care of his house, labored in his field and while our relationship may have begun in grace, I have certainly added to it by my works". The reason I ask that is because, many times (to our shame), I think we Believers begin to think that way about the grace of God. After becoming His servant and working in His field, do we feel that God is "obligated" to us in any way? The Apostle Paul said that even the "ability to be a servant was by the GRACE of God" - it is His gift. (I Cor. 3:10,) and as with Boaz, it is His field in which we serve. God never OWES anyone anything but He certainly loves to GRACE His people with everything, even the ability to serve Him and then to one day reward them for the very service with which He gives them. What a GRACIOUS GOD we serve.
I am sure that if Ruth ever began to think that way, God brought back to her memory her time in Moab, her long journey back with Naomi and the hunger she felt as she left Naomi that day to go out and try to find work to provide for herself and Naomi. And, I am quite sure that He reminded her of the fact that HE provided for them in giving them Boaz and all the riches that came with him. This was enough to keep her humble and grateful both to Boaz and to the God of Boaz and now her God too.
How is it with you? Have you come to experience the Grace of God in Christ Jesus? Ephesians 2:8-9 says, By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is the GIFT of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast. If you have come to experience this grace, how has it been with you in after years? Have you served Him faithfully for years? Have you began to think that the blessings of God are "deserved" because although you began in Grace, you are being perfected by your works? If that is the case, maybe it is time to remember all that God has done for you instead of all that you have done for God. Remember where you came from and where you could have been had not God revealed Himself and His GRACE to you. Maybe it is time to "humble yourself" once again under the mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you at the right time. Maybe it is time to ask again as Mephibosheth did, "What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am," or as Ruth, who said, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" Remember, as the Apostle Peter said, in 2 Peter 3:18, to Grow in GRACE and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To HIM be glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Amazing GRACE! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretched like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas GRACE that taught my heart to fear
And GRACE my fears relieved.
How precious did that GRACE appear
The hour I first believed!
The LORD has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
John Newton
That saved a wretched like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas GRACE that taught my heart to fear
And GRACE my fears relieved.
How precious did that GRACE appear
The hour I first believed!
The LORD has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures,
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
John Newton
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