The Frederick Douglas Effect (Ruth 2)

  • A review of the story: Naomi was from Bethlehem-about 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus.
  • Naomi married a man there by the name of Elimelech. His name means “My God is King, ” which is a name he didn’t live into as he chose to turn his back on God and the Promised Land to find help in a pagan nation.
    There was a famine in Bethlehem. Elimelech took his family to the land of Moab. The Torah told them this was a bad idea and, of course, Moab had their own god named Chemosh. That was a disaster-in-waiting, because Moab was full of people who God had warned the Israelites against.
  • Sure enough, disaster strikes. Elimelech dies, his sons die, and Naomi was left with only her two daughters-in-law. Three widows. Red lights flashing all over the place.
  • One of Naomi’s daughters-in-law, Ruth, returned to Bethlehem with Naomi.
  • Remember that Bethlehem means “house of bread.” The famine is over, so these women went back to “bread” in need…of a man, but first, for food.

This is where we pick up the story today

1. Ruth proactively rises and impresses (2-8)

  • The “Frederick Douglas” Effect/God can’t steer a parked car
  • “Gleaning” was a common custom built into the Law (Lev. 23:22)
  • Ruth proceeds out to the fields because they have to eat; Naomi is too old or not in the mood. This is at great risk because abuse of women, esp. foreign women in Israelite fields, was also common.
  • The effects of this is food but also the protection of a man named Boaz Vs. 3 – “She happened to…” The Hebrew text says, “Her chance chanced upon the field of Boaz.” You might be thinking, Wait a minute. Does this mean it was just luck? But God, through the writer of Ruth, knows that as we read this, we’re going to say, Ah, we know what’s happening here.
  • This is how God works: I happened to see Billy Leeper behind the stands throwing something…I happened to take Karen to the store in Lex and she happened to bring her friend Mary…l happened to be looking for a job and Jim Porter happened to quit his job and they happened to hear about me and then happened to offer me Jim’s job.”

You see how this works?!

2. The Hesed love of God and man

Ruth 1:8: 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly (hesed) with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. (The hesed/love of God)

Ruth 2:20: 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness (hesed) has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” (The hesed/love of Boaz)

Ruth 3:10: 10 And he (Boaz) said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness (hesed) greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. (The hesed/love of Ruth)

3. Abundance (Ephah = over nine gallons)

  • Barley could be used in various ways: ground into flour for bread, cooked as porridge, or even used in soups.
  • This amount would have lasted them over three weeks
  • And this abundance of barley is a downpayment on what God wants to do if everyone proceeds with His leading.
  • He wanted them – all of them! – to know abundant life. And they would, if they keep following His precepts and keep moving.

4. The kinsman/redeemer comes into focus

The concept of the kinsman-redeemer is a central theme in the Book of Ruth and is rooted in the customs and laws of ancient Israel. The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer signifies someone who has the responsibility to act on behalf of a relative in need, particularly in matters of family property, lineage, and justice. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 outlines the law of levirate marriage, where a brother or close relative would marry a widowed woman without children to produce an heir, ensuring the deceased’s name and inheritance would not be lost.

  • Looking from the NT backwards we see that Jesus is a kind of kinsman-redeemer for us.
  • But remember – all of this happens because of the Frederick Douglas Effect. Sit around and moan, and groan, and pray…or get up and (by God’s grace) get your car out of park.