Meet the other half

 Ruth 2:1-7; 8/21/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

Maybe you’re in a relationship,  maybe you’ve missed the chance to be in love,  or maybe you’ve been married for years without ever thinking about the biblical meaning of love.  How should we fall in love?  How to start a relationship?  Also includes how to start a second marriage?  Let’s look at the first point:

 Sovereignty in God

From the very beginning, marriage and love are not a matter of man’s own, but God’s design and beginning.  First, this is God’s will. The foundation of all marriages begins with the word of God:   “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Gen. 2:18)”  The core of this statement is that God created man in His image and likeness, male and female.  The God who created us is not alone,  He is a triune God.  God Himself is a Trinitarian fellowship, and therefore, He does not see the man being alone.  The so-called no good is not so completely like God!  Because God does not live alone,  but in fellowship.  So, God created a mate for Adam to help him, to help him enter into the fellowship defined by God.  The essence of this fellowship is God’s love, fulfilled through the intimacy of a man and a woman!

Second, this is what God sees. Of course, God’s eyes are all over the earth.  He saw Boaz or Ruth.  In describing the development of their relationship, the Bible introduces the reader to Boaz’s, saying:  “Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. (Ruth 2:1)” This is very important.  Ruth did not know it yet, but God has seen it and knew it.  Many of our young people want to get married, and it is understandable.  However, we often do not know that before we go out, God has seen our other half with Himself.  Looking back, in fact, there is no need to be so anxious.  Many underage men and women, because they are too anxious, consume their first time or even have an abortion according to the lust of their own eyes and bodies.  As a result, her youth was wasted and her precious value was lost.

In the end, it is God’s drive.  As a Moabite woman, Ruth followed Naomi back to Bethlehem.  However, driven by the old self, it is not surprising that she is anxious to marry herself out as soon as possible.  We can see from the biblical records that it was Ruth who applied to her mother-in-law Naomi to go to the fields to gather ears of wheat.  The daughter-in-law’s application to the mother-in-law was a rule, and it was also a clear proof that Ruth let go of his erotic impulses.  She could have gone around the corner without asking her mother-in-law!  Knowing that it may be wrong, but the human heart would rather be wrong than let go of any self-righteous opportunity!  So Ruth asked her mother-in-law and waited until Naomi said, “Daughter, just go.”  Whether a person fears God or not depends on whether he is faithful in small matters.  On the surface, Ruth obeyed her mother-in-law, but in reality she let God be the driving force in her heart. Let’s look at the second point:

 Brought by God

Our spouse, the other half of life, must and can only be brought to us by God Himself.   Whether our marriage, family, children, etc. are blessed or not depends on this.  First, it was brought by God Himself.  How did Adam’s spouse Eve come?  Do you remember?  The Bible records that: “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (Gen. 2:22)” What does that mean?   That is to say, our spouse is not found by ourselves, but brought to us by God Himself.  If you have to marry a person, you are already wrong.  Because this is not brought by God, but by your flesh.   If your heart is controlled by the concept of “not marrying without him, not marrying without her” in Qiong Yao’s novels, you are already worshiping idols.  The correct values are: Nothing is necessary except Jesus Christ!  If it was not brought by God himself, he would rather not marry.

Second, there is no coincidence in God.  Nothing happens by coincidence in our life in the presence of an omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God. In the vast crowd, in the vast field, Ruth came to the field alone.  It’s not hard to pick the ears of wheat behind the reaper,  the hard part is that  “As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.”  Why? lucky?  careless? lottery?  The most direct thing is to believe that it is God’s guidance.  God’s words turned on a light in Ruth’s heart,  illuminating the path before her feet, and becoming a light on her path.  History cannot be assumed,  and time and space cannot be confused.   In short, Ruth came to Boaz’s field.  What is even more incredible is that Boaz was also a member of Elimelech’s own family,  that is, a man who was qualified to marry Ruth.  Now, is anyone else saying this is just a coincidence?

In the end, God sets the environment.  Another coincidence?  The Bible records: “Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”  “The Lord bless you!” they answered. (Ruth 2:4)”  One is in the field, the other is returning from Bethlehem, who arranged it?  Maybe this is Boaz’s daily routine?  Or come to the field every two or three days?  The Bible doesn’t say it, and I don’t know.  But, this time, when he came back, everything was different!  Because on this day, there was one more person in the field, and that was Ruth.  According to the original trajectory of life, Ruth should never meet Boaz.  However, God set the environment for them to meet.  Let’s look at the third point:

Seeing each other

As soon as Adam woke up, he saw Eve, and of course, Eve saw Adam too.  Adam, because of his faith in God, believed that what God had brought was the other half of his life. First of all, love is born out of belief.  God is love, and He is the source and cause of our love for one another.  At this time, Boaz and Ruth met for the first time.”  Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” ”At this time Boaz was still single and a rich man.  In the male-dominated social environment at that time, Boazman could find a young and beautiful woman as his wife at will.  However, it is clear that Boaz was a model of a single brother.  He had been waiting for the Lord to bring his other half to him, and the day had finally come.  He asked this question with the possibility of love.  This love is a love born of faith.

Second, love is born of witness.  Ruth followed her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem, where her testimony had spread.  He knew that Ruth believed in the same Jehovah with him and made God his priority in life.  Ruth’s testimony moved Boaz, and this moving also made Boaz feel his love for Ruth.  Boaz was a man who had a wonderful relationship with God,   and he had been waiting for God to lead him to meet the other half of his life.  He knew that without the guidance of God, he and Ruth would not have met in the field.  Man may not have the ability to determine God’s will, but God has the ability to make us know his will.

Lastly, love begets compassion.  If Ruth hadn’t wanted to follow her mother-in-law’s God    and live in her mother-in-law’s country, she could have returned to Moab and remarried, and it shouldn’t have been difficult.  Now she came to Bethlehem alone, without relatives, to glean wheat in her field.  With the behavior of Boaz, it is reasonable to have compassion in the heart.  The compassion in Boaz’s heart was also the reason God made him love.  The so-called men are afraid of entering the wrong profession, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man.  This is also the truth.  A man who has no compassion,   probably will not love his other half after marriage!

 Conclusion

Well, dear brothers and sisters,  how do we meet our other half?   The encounter between Ruth and Boaz can be a model for us.  God doesn’t say anything, I don’t move, the sovereignty rests with God.  God doesn’t wake me up, doesn’t bring the other half, I’m still sleeping.  Seeing each other is the beginning of love, and love can only be through faith, testimony, and mercy!

 

we pray together……

 

Ruth 2:1-7

1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

“The Lord bless you!” they answered.

5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 

7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”