
Ruth: God’s Will For Your Life
Ruth 2:1-23
July 3, 2022
Jay Haugh
Ruth is given to remind us of God’s heart to save.
remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. —Ephesians 2:12
The story of Ruth is a story about us.
We do not know God’s sovereign will.
We do know God’s moral will.
God’s moral will is for you to be holy as He is holy.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. —1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
What is God’s will for my life?
“Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” —Ruth 1:16
Five Principles to Help Determine God’s Will
1. Cling to God’s Character
In order to trust Him we must see Him correctly.
Jesus bought you at a great price. He will take care of you.
She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” —Ruth 1:20
Adversity is meant to bring a person into a deeper understanding of God’s character.
“The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” —Ruth 2:12
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. —Proverbs 3:5-6
2. Be Faithful in Areas You Can Control
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” —Ruth 2:2
Ruth can control how she views God.
Ruth can control how she responds to her situation.
You want God’s provision and blessings, but are you faithful where He puts you?
3. Do Everything You Can Do
“She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” —Ruth 2:7
God is more willing to guide you than you’re willing to follow.
God punishes and disciplines us for right and wrong decisions, not right or left decisions.
We need to be faithful in areas we can control and do what we can do.
4. Be Faithful and Don’t Grow Weary
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. —Galatians 6:9
Time and trials can get the best of all of us.
5. Your Faithfulness Today Will Open Doors Tomorrow
So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. —Ruth 2:3
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. —1 Peter 5:5-7
Big Idea:
Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand and He will exalt you in due time.
STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS
● What is the difference between God’s sovereign will and His moral will?
● What questions or decisions are before you right now that you are seeking guidance for?
The future can be unknown and scary. These five principles can help determine God’s will.
1. Cling to God’s Character
● What is your favorite possession? Why is it your favorite? What do you do to take care of it?
● Do you believe that God loves and values you more than anything you love on earth? Why does He have such a love for us? What does He do to take care of us?
● Read Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22
Describe the Old Testament law pertaining to land owners and how this law affected Ruth’s right to glean. What do these laws tell us about God’s heart for the poor, foreigners, and widows?
2. Be Faithful in Areas You Can Control
● Read Ruth 2:2
Naomi and Ruth are in a place where they do not have anyone to provide for them. Instead of waiting for someone to help them, Ruth takes the lead and seeks out food for them. Ruth can’t control everything, but she can control some things. Share your perspective about what you can control vs what God controls.
● Jay shared how we need to be faithful with the little things serving where God has put us. This teaching is also found in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Reflect and share about some areas where you sense the Lord prodding you to a greater level of action and faithfulness.
● We all want God’s provision and blessing, but we cannot neglect obedience. When you consider what you have been given, are you being faithful with it to the level the Lord desires?
3. Do Everything You Can Do
● Read Ruth 2:7
Ruth is an example of how we’re called to follow God. Following after God is not always going to be easy. It will require work. What does working for God look like in your life?
● Ruth is in a situation where she has to work for both her and Naomi. If she does not work, they do not eat. A situation like this could very easily make someone bitter, yet we see that Ruth is polite. “Please let me glean and gather.” Encourage and help one another by sharing what you do to keep a godly character In difficult times/situations.
● Jay made the comment that “God doesn’t steer parked cars.” Do you feel stagnant or parked in your walk with God? If so, what steps can you take to get the car in drive?
● As you seek to move forward, what comfort do you take from the statement: “God punishes and disciplines us for right and wrong decisions, not right or left decisions.”
4. Be Faithful and Don’t Grow Weary
● Read Galatians 6:9; 1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:5-10,14
How do these passages speak to what is happening in the life
of Naomi and Ruth?
● How do these passages put wind in your sails that may feel tattered and torn?
● Being loved by God also means being disciplined by God. How has adversity brought you into a deeper understanding of God’s character?
● These passages speak to the value of trials/suffering. Do you give God thanks for these things?
5. Your Faithfulness Today Will Open Doors Tomorrow
● Read Ruth 2:3
We see in verse 3 the phrase “as it turned out” or just so “happened.” Do you believe that things “just happen” in the life of the believer? Why or why not?
● Have you heard of the word “Godincidence”? It is meant to be a play on the word coincidence. However, it is different because where a coincidence does not have a cause, a Godincidence does have a cause: God. What Godincidences do we see thus far in Ruth’s life?
● Share about a Godincidence you have experienced in your life.