Recap:
Let’s pick up in chapter 2
V1 - “There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.”
Boaz = Strength
It says that Boaz is a man of great wealth and a close relative of Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech. So Boaz is pictured here as a strong successful man. He was no weenie guy with a sweater wrapped over his shoulder driving a PT Cruiser eating hors d’oeuvres. This was a strong man who was very wealthy. That is the picture we get of Boaz.
V2 - “So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.””
Ruth asks Naomi to allow her to go and glean grain from the fields. She was hoping that she might be able to gather leftover grain from the fields around them. This comes from a law that God gave the Israelites in Leviticus.
Leviticus 19:9-10 NLT
“9 “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop… 10 Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”
This is what Ruth was referring to. She was going to glean grain from fields around them left behind for the poor. Ruth was willing to work in order to support Naomi and herself. So Naomi agrees and sends Ruth out to the fields.
Verse 3 says that when she went out, she just so “happened” to stumble across the field belonging to Boaz. This may seem like it was by coincidence, but it was not. God’s hand of provision was on Ruth and led her to his field. As she was picking grain, Boaz approaches her along with the other ladies gleaning the corners of his field.
V4 - “Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!””
Boaz approaches the poor ladies reaping the corners of the field and he addresses them. He says to them, “the Lord bless you, and they repeat it back to him. He did not have to do this, but it shows that Boaz was kind to the poor. He was not doing what the law said just so that he said that he did it. He was not disconnected from the people he was serving. Instead, he carried the heart of the law by caring for the poor and wanting to be a blessing. He was being a blessing with what he had.
This is a great reminder that God has blessed us to be a blessing. I love the fact that our church is kind to those who are in need. We do not look down on those who have less than we do. Instead, we look to see where we can help. That is the heart that God wants us to have. The poor are not less than, they just have less than. Be willing to share what God has given you. Do not consume everything that God has blessed you with. Instead, intentionally set some aside in order to be a blessing to others.
As Boaz kindly addresses the reapers, he notices Ruth.
V5-7 - “5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman isthis?”6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”
Boaz finds out from his overseer who Ruth was and what she did for Naomi. He also finds out that Ruth asks permission to glean the corner of the fields. Now, she would have known the law in Leviticus and would have known that it was left there for her to glean it. That is what it was there for! She would have known that she did not have to ask for permission; and yet she did. It speaks volumes of who Ruth was. Although she was most likely beautiful on the outside (Boaz noticed her), she was even more beautiful on the inside. She was a virtuous woman. She carried the kind of heart that God desires for us all to have. A humble and thankful heart that cares for others. This caught Boaz’s eye.
v8-9 - “8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.””
Boaz has compassion on Ruth. He approaches her and gives her permission to reap among his harvesters. He was giving her permission to glean from his entire field! Doing so would have given her more than enough grain that she needs. In fact, He encourages her to stay in his field. In his field he was offering her protection, provision, and refreshment. He was looking to be a blessing to her.
Now this was a big deal. Ruth along with Naomi had nothing, no livelihood. They were among the poor, which he had already made provision for in the corners of his fields. However, he was offering her to glean not just the corners but the whole field. Ruth was not only poor, she was also a foreigner from Moab. This not only would not have been expected, it would not even cross someone’s mind. There is no indication that any of other impoverished ladies received this kind of gesture. Ruth knew this, and she falls before Boaz in humility, saying, “why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
Boaz informs her that he heard about what she did for her mother-in-law in the face of the tragedy she faced as well. He also heard about how she left her family and everything she had ever known behind and went to the Bethlehem, a people in which she did not know. This clearly moved Boaz. This speaks a lot about Boaz. He was a good man, a God-fearing man, and a compassionate man. He assures her that God will repay her for her good works and that she would find the refuge that she was looking for in Him.
V12 - “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.””
What a promise!
Let me encourage you: goodness, faithfulness, compassion, and generosity are all worth investing in. People are worth investing in. Regardless of the season of life you are in, it is worth being virtuous to others. God will repay you for your good works and He will provide you the refuge you seek from Him. God’s goodness is worth imitating.
V14-16 - “14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. 15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Boaz goes out of his way and includes Ruth during mealtime. He allows her to sit amongst the harvesters and to eat at the table with his people. Even though she was a poor-widowed foreigner, he includes her as if she was one of his own. During mealtime, he gives her more than enough food. Ruth eats enough for her and them saves the rest for her mother-in-law, Naomi.
Even in her poverty and hunger, Ruth does not keep all the food that was given to her for herself. She intentionally set some aside to share with Naomi. She did not have a lot, yet she still was willing to share what extra she had with someone else. It is the same principle that Boaz had. Ruth was a kind, virtuous, and generous woman. No matter how much we have or how much we don’t have, we still have a responsibility to be a blessing to others.
After gleaning the fields for the rest of the day, she went back home and shared with Naomi all that happened. She even gave her the left over food that she had been given from Boaz. She also showed her all the grain that she gleaned which would have been much more than she would have had had she only gleaned the corners.
Naomi was amazed at the kindness that was shown toward Ruth. She recognized that God was being kind to them both.
V20 - “Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”
Naomi reveals to Ruth that Boaz was not just an ordinary guy. Instead, he was a kinsman redeemer.
Kinsman Redeemer = Go’el = A close relative who was able to act as a protector and restorer for a family member in need
Boaz = Jesus
Ruth = Believers
Naomi = Israel
The beauty in all of this is that this all took place during the Barley Harvest. The Barley Harvest in Bethlehem was in April, which was most likely was during Passover! How incredible is that! Boaz treated Ruth with kindness and made her like one of his own during the time in which the Passover lamb was being slaughtered for the sins of the people.
Takeaways
[Story of Malaya’s surgery]
