Oh to Grace How Great a Debtor (Ruth 2:8-13)

In Robert Robinson’s great hymn, “Come Thou Fount,” we sing these words:

Oh to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord,
Take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

The story of every believer’s life is a story of grace. Whether it is fully comprehended or not on our part, each of us is to grace a great debtor. In each of our lives, there is the story of saving grace, living grace, and dying grace. The commencement of the Christian life, the continuation of the Christian life, and the conclusion of the Christian life are a story of grace.

I think of John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace.”  Two or three years before Newton died, his sight was so dim that he was no longer able to read. A friend and brother in the ministry would have breakfast with him, and their custom was that he would read the Word of God. Newton would make a few remarks on the passage and then they would pray.

One particular day they read the words of Paul, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (see 1 Cor.15:10). Newton was silent for the longest and finally he said, “I am not what I ought to be! How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be, although I abhor that which is evil and would cleave to that which is good! I am not what I hope to be, but soon I shall be out of mortality, and with it all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor yet what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was: a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily join with the Apostle and acknowledge that by the grace of God I am what I am.!”

Each of us must say, “I am what I am by the grace of God!” Each of us must say, “Oh, to grace how great a debtor!” Each of us must say with John Bradford, “There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” Someone has given us this acrostic of grace: “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Grace has been defined by a comparison to God’s mercy as: “Grace is that we get which we don’t deserve, and mercy is that which we don’t get that we do deserve.”

[Ruth 2:8-13]

If anyone ever understood how great a debtor one is to grace, it was Ruth. She, like Paul and Newton, had to say, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” All the glories she experienced were because of the grace she experienced. Notice the emphasis on grace in chapter two. We read in verse 2, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” Also in verse 10, “Why have I found favor in your sight...?”  Let’s notice the story of grace in the story before us.

     8     Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.
     9     “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”
     10     Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
     11     Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.
     12     “May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
     13     Then she said, “I have found favor 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.”

1. GOD’S GRACE IS AMAZING
John Newton described grace as “amazing.” A few years ago, there came out a song that said, “There’s no other word for grace, but amazing.”  There are many adjectives for grace and “amazing” is definitely one of them. In Ruth we see God’s amazing grace.

As we look at Ruth, first we see that:

A. Ruth was rejected as a foreigner.
Notice in verse two that she is called and identified as “Ruth the Moabitess.”  When Boaz asked his servant who the stranger in his field was, the servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman” (vs. 6).  We might say that someone is from Canada, Mexico, etc, and not think anything about it. But to a Jew, to say that one was from Moab, had serious significance. God had said, "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever” (Deut.23:3) The Ammonites and the Moabites, because of their wickedness, were subjected to disgrace by God and the nation of Israel. They were not permitted to hold any office among the Israelites.

Ruth was a member of a race that was judged and condemned by God. It was a nation and people under condemnation. It was a nation and people that were divinely rejected.  Ruth in type is a picture of us all before God saved us. We all were sinners under condemnation. Because of our wicked state and life, we were cut off from a Holy God. We were under the wrath and judgment of a Holy God.

        Paul described our condition in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Paul tells us that we were satanically  dominated.  We walked according to the course of this world and according to the prince of the power of the air. We lived under Satan's control and lived according to Satan's commands.

We were also spiritually disobedient. The spirit of disobedience worked within us. We were rebellious to God's Word; we were resistant of God's ways, and we were resentful of God's will.

As well, we were sensually depraved. We lived our lives fulfilling the lusts and desires of the flesh, and mind living lives that were immoral, wicked, and carnal.

Furthermore, we were specifically doomed.  We were, as a result, by nature, children of wrath. We were individuals under the condemnation and wrath of God.

We were no better off than Ruth, she was no worse off than us. We were all sinners under condemnation.

Yet, we see that:

B. Ruth was received as family.
Ruth was first called a Moabitess, but now notice how she was addressed in verse 8: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter.”  Boaz didn’t receive her as a foreigner, but as family. He called her “my daughter,” not a Moabitess. The law rejected her, but Boaz received her.

Oh, dear friend, is this not the story of us all? We were condemned and without hope, but by God’s amazing grace, we have been accepted in the beloved.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Twas blind but now I see.

We were sinners, but by grace we are saints. We were children of wrath, but now we are the children of God. Once we had no hope, but now we have the blessed hope. Once we were rejected, but now we are received.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow could write a poem and it would be worth hundreds of dollars. We call that talent.  Donald Trump could sign his name to a piece of paper and buy a skyscraper. We call that capital. The United States Treasury department can take a special piece of paper and some special ink, press it between special plates and make a $100 bill. We call that money. The Wright Brothers could take some used bicycle parts, wire, metal and canvas covering and make an airplane. We call that genius.  Michelangelo could take some brushes and some paints and paint a masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We call that art. A mechanic can take a used and ruined part from your automobile engine, replace it with a new one, and make the car nearly as good as new. We call that skill.  God can take a poor worthless, devastated hell-bound sinner, condemned by God, wash him in the blood of Jesus Christ and make him a child of God. We call that grace!

        John said, "Beloved, now we are children of God" (1 John 3:2) That's God's amazing grace! Paul said in Ephesians 1:6, “…to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  That's God's amazing grace!  Peter said in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Ruth was a Moabitess, but to Boaz she was family. She had been rejected, but now she is received. Instead of getting what she deserved, she found grace. How amazing the grace of God!

2. GOD’S GRACE IS ABUNDANT
In Ephesians 2:7,  Paul spoke of the "exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."  In Ruth we see the exceeding riches of grace that were shown to her by Boaz. When we talk about the grace of God, we speak of all that has been given to us by God.  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:15, “For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.”  Grace is abundant in our life.

How is grace abundant in your life?  First, think with me of how:

A. Grace brings purpose to your life.
        Notice in verses 8-9, that Boaz said to Ruth, “Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them.”   She receives words of guidance and direction from Boaz.

Grace brings into your life the blessing of purpose and direction.  Before you were saved, you were like a ship on a stormy sea without a captain or compass. But when you were saved, by grace, a Captain stepped on board and you are guided by His divine compass.

                We read in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

                We also read in Proverbs 3:5-6, “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 your paths straight.”

Also, I think of how:

B. Grace brings protection to your life.
Notice verse 9, “Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you.”   Boaz was concerned that others might take advantage of Ruth.  From what we know of Ruth, she was a very attractive woman. But Boaz made sure that she would be safe.  God is watching over our lives. He is the keeper of our soul and guard of our life. We have this promise in Psalm 121:5, "The Lord is your keeper."

During World War II, a B29 Bomber took off from the Island of Guam for Kokura, Japan.  When the plane arrived at its primary target, a thick cloud covering hid the target. They circled above for 30 minutes, then 45 minutes, until 55 minutes had passed and their gas supply was dwindling to the dangerous point. They didn't want to pass up the primary point, but they had no choice. They headed for their secondary target where they dropped their bomb.
 
Weeks later, an officer received information from military intelligence that sent cold chills down his spine. Thousands of allied prisoners of war, the biggest concentration of Americans in enemy hands, had been moved to Kokura a week before the suspended bombing. The city they had originally intended to bomb had become a huge prison camp.  Had they bombed it, thousands of Americans would have died. That which stopped them was a cloud, and the city they bombed instead was Nagasaki, and the bomb they dropped was the world's second atomic bomb.

There is a God in heaven who watches over His own. In the abundance of grace we find protection. 

I also think of how:

C. Grace brings pleasure to your life.
Notice again in verse 9, “When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”  Under God's welfare program she could glean in the field, but that was about it. Yet, Boaz told her that she could drink of the water that was provided for his workers when she was thirsty. He said, "If you get thirsty, you satisfy your thirst."

The abundant grace of God has brought pleasure to your life. Before you were saved, you were like workers laboring under the hot, burning sun, without a drop of water to quench your thirst. But grace has provided for you water to quench that thirst and satisfy your longing.

Essayist Charles Lamb said, "I walk up and down thinking I am happy, and knowing I am not." To many, joy is about as rare as the bald eagle. The New York Times estimated that about 5 million people living in America had tried to kill themselves.    
 
One couple wrote to a syndicated columnist:  "We have a nice home, well-furnished; a new car, and money in the bank. Our two sons have finished college and are happily married and doing well. We have excellent jobs and our combined incomes make it possible for us to live comfortably. So why are we writing this letter? Because suddenly, we find life empty and boring. Are we different, or does this happen to all couples in later mid-life?"

The answer to purpose in life, protection for life, and pleasure in life is the personal experiencing of God's abundant grace.

Harry Truman at first thought he lost the election in 1945. The headlines read, "Dewey defeats Truman." Later when the count was all in, Truman had defeated Dewey. Truman wrote to his mother, "I had hurried to the White House to see the president, and when I got there, I found out I was the president."

Ruth came from Moab with nothing, only to find out when she got to the field of Boaz, she had everything. How abundant is the grace of God.


3. GOD’S GRACE IS AMPLIFIED
Everything had happened so fast. One day she didn't know where the next meal was coming from, and the next day her life is blessed beyond comprehension.  Notice how her experience of grace affected her.

First, Ruth learned:

A. God’s grace is overwhelming.
Notice verse 10, “Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor [grace] in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’”  It was more than she could believe. All she could say was, "Why?"  I submit unto you that there is nothing any more overwhelming to the heart than what God has done for us in Christ.

I heard about a woman who had 16 children. They were like stair steps.  As you can imagine she had her hands full.  One day one little girl fell into a mud pit. She had mud all over her.  It was in her hair, ears, up her nose, and under her fingernails. She was covered in mud.  Her mother started trying to clean her up and in frustration said, "I declare, I believe it would be easier to have another one than clean this one up."

The truth is, we were all a mess. There was nothing in us or about us that deserved God's love. There was nothing in us that merited God giving His Son to die for us on a cross.  In the state and condition we were in, we should have been in hell.

Most of us were a lot like the daughter of Jonathan  Edwards,  the  great  preacher, theologian, and revivalist.  He had a daughter with an ungovernable temper. It was not well-known to the outside, but was regretfully known in the home. A godly young man fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. He came to see Edwards and asked for her hand in marriage. He abruptly said, "You can't have her."  The young man, taken back somewhat said, "But I love her."  "You can't have her," again was Edward’s reply.  "She loves me."  "You can't have her." Finally the young man asked, "Why?"  Edward's said, "Because she is not worthy of you."  The young man said, "She is a Christian, is she not?"  Edward's replied, "Yes, she is a Christian, but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live."

It is overwhelming to the heart to realize that God would love you, save you, and make you His own child. In the word's of the songwriter, "And it's all because of God's amazing grace."

         If we are so undeserving, then why? Notice verse 11-12, “Boaz replied to her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.’”  She had experienced the kindness and grace of Boaz because she had embraced the people of Israel and had trusted the Lord God of Israel.

Paul said in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."  The amazing and abundant grace of God is experienced when by faith you put your trust in the Lord.  It is not because you earn it, deserve it, merit it, nor achieve it; but because you put your trust in the Lord as Savior and Lord. Still, it is overwhelming to the soul! 

Furthermore, we see what she experienced was that:

B. God’s grace is overflowing.
Notice verse 13, “Then she said, ‘I have found favor 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.’”  Overflowing from her heart was a desire to please Boaz. She wanted to find favor in his eyes. A desire to please God is the proper response to God's grace.   
 
As Robert Robinson said, "Oh to grace how grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee." An understanding of God’s grace makes you realize what a debtor to grace you are.  May God bind our wandering hearts to Him!