Ruth 2:1–16
Based on an idea by Steve Zeisler
The whole of the action described in the second chapter of the book of Ruth unfolds within a single day. The author does not burden us with unnecessary details. In just the first five verses of chapter one he describes events that took place over a span of ten years, yet here he devotes an entire chapter to one single day. Clearly, what happens on this day is something extraordinarily important. Something decisive. That is why we must be very attentive to understand what it is.
Right at the start of the chapter the narrator introduces us to a new character in his story (v. 1).
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)
Boaz will have an exceptional and especially important role in the way the action develops from here. But the characters we already know — Ruth and Naomi — do not yet know this. The writer speaks as one who already knows the end of the story. His perspective at the moment he writes the book is the same as the perspective God has as He looks upon our life at this very moment. He knows future events before they have happened. He knows the significance that certain conversations or seemingly insignificant encounters will have later in our lives.
The greater part of the chapter describes the first meeting of Boaz and Ruth. Their conversation on this day marks the beginning of their love, which will grow into the founding of a family. From their first meeting we can learn how God bestows His gifts on His children. The way is to enter through the door that He opens for us through the Scriptures. Beyond that, we must take notice of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of the people around us and be willing to become participants in the fulfillment of His plan.
The particular gift in view in this chapter, and indeed in the whole book, is the gift of the family. The family is a gift from God both to the man (Proverbs 18:22; 19:14; 31:10–12) and to the woman (Psalm 113:9; 68:6).
Sadly, every time we begin to speak of marriage — especially of a marriage that is mature and full of love — many people react negatively. They do so for several reasons:
* either because they do not have a good marriage;
* or because they wish to be married and are not yet;
* or because they are divorced.
So, right at the outset I would like to say that the family is not the only gift that comes from God. To live single can also be a gift from God. In 1 Corinthians 7:7 the apostle Paul says:
I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. (1 Corinthians 7:7)
And so the truths hidden in this passage of God’s Word are valid even if marriage is not of particular interest to us.
THE OPEN DOOR OF SCRIPTURE
On this wonderful day Ruth took the initiative into her own hands and made use of the privilege that God’s law granted her (Leviticus 19:9,10).
‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:9–10)
Perhaps that morning Ruth woke up and said to Naomi: “You know, Naomi, there is an opportunity, an open door for people like us. Do you know what we are? We are poor. And the law says that poor people, so that they may have something to eat, can go to the field and gather grain behind the harvesters. I intend to trust God and to go through the door that He has opened for me! I think the Lord loves us, since He included this provision in His law, and I believe that gleaning grain will be quite enough for our survival!” (v. 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.” (Ruth 2:2)
In fact, we have to admit that in the days of the judges, when violence and lawlessness reigned, even gleaning grain was a dangerous and risky undertaking — all the more so for a young woman on her own, and a foreigner at that. There was the danger that she might be driven off, insulted, beaten, and perhaps even raped. But Ruth believed that everything was in God’s hand, that God’s Word was true, and that God would be faithful to His promises.
Ruth went through the door that God had opened for her through His Word, and not only was she not disappointed — on the contrary, she was surprised by God’s kindness and goodness.
God has an open door for you too! In the letter of Jesus to the church in Philadelphia, in Revelation 3:7–8, it says:
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Revelation 3:7–8)
If you are in poverty, in a dead end, in worry, in fear, in inner struggles, in sickness — know that God has not left you without a way out! He always has an open door for you! In 1 Corinthians 10:13 the apostle Paul says:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God’s will for us is that we live in peace, in quietness (Ruth 1:9) and in rest (Hebrews 4:9–11). Peace is spoken of in Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
And in Matthew 11:28,29 the Lord Jesus Himself says:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28–29)
God has kept a wonderful life in store for us, and in His Word He has left an open door to it. For example, if someone is poor and has nothing to eat, God has opened for him the door of work. In Ephesians 4:28 such a person is told not to steal, but to do something useful with his hands.
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)
If he submits to the Word and enters through the door that God opens for him, he will experience God’s blessing and the wonderful gifts that the Lord has prepared for His children. All of us, whatever the problems in our lives may be, can find wisdom from the Lord, can hear what He says about our situation, and can receive His counsel through God’s Word.
For every one of us He has an open door through which to pass. But we must believe that God is in control of the affairs of this world, and that He is faithful to His promises!
In order to pass through God’s door, however, we must free ourselves from our bitterness. Naomi too could have shown initiative and gone with Ruth to the field. But she did not. She was consumed with herself. Offended, wounded, embittered, filled with self-pity, she had lost the desire for anything at all, and preferred to stay at home and do nothing.
Will we be like Naomi or like Ruth? Ruth was mature and ready to receive God’s gift. Receiving God’s gift always requires some kind of dedication. Dedication means to give up, for God’s sake, something you value exceedingly. Ruth had torn herself away from her homeland and her family in order to join her mother-in-law, God’s people, and the Lord (2:11,12; 1:16,17).
But we can never outgive God! It was precisely this dedication and this complete trust in God that made Ruth mature and ready to pass through the door that God had opened for her, so that she might enter into His rest and blessing.
HOW GOD WORKS
In the following verses we find a restrained and at the same time wonderful description of the events (vv. 3–5).
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. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” (Ruth 2:3–5)
Verse 3 says that Ruth “as it turned out” came to Boaz’s field, which of course makes us smile, because her landing on his field of all the fields in the whole countryside was about as much a matter of chance as the creation of the world. It was God who directed her to the exact place at the exact time, in order to give her the gift that He had prepared for her. She was walking toward Boaz’s field without in the least realizing what was actually happening — thinking only that she had decided to go through the door God had opened for her, and hoping to gather enough grain so that she and Naomi would have something to eat.
Ruth found herself in a field she had chosen — as she thought — entirely at random. This was the most important place and the most sublime moment of her life. But she had no premonition of what was about to happen this day. She simply asked the overseer of the harvesters for permission to glean behind them, and once she had it, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and set to work.
We can imagine that it was hot and she was soon soaked with sweat. After working for a while and growing tired, Ruth went home for a short while to rest in the shade, and soon returned to continue her work. She was dusty, sweaty, and unattractive. She was working alone. She probably spoke with an accent, as a foreigner from the land of Moab. She looked different. Perhaps she did not even know that the two men some distance away from her were speaking about her. Boaz asked his servant, the overseer of the harvesters, “Who is this young woman?”
Without her being aware of anything at all, everything in Ruth’s life was about to change completely in a single moment.
THE DESIRE TO BE A BLESSING
For Boaz this was an ordinary, normal day. He too had no idea that he would meet Ruth or that anything out of the ordinary might happen. He simply dropped by, as he did every day, to see how the harvest was going. When he came to his field he greeted his workers (v. 4).
Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. (Ruth 2:4)
What he said may have been an ordinary greeting, but from the mouth of Boaz it sounded different. His greeting was an expression of his faith. Boaz truly desired God’s blessing for his harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” meant the manifestation of God’s comfort, strength, and hope in the lives of those under his charge.
Boaz was interested in the people around him and attentive to them. He wished them the very best. Had it been someone else, perhaps he would have started shouting at them at once, or counting to see whether everyone was at work, or begun “issuing his orders.” But not Boaz. And his workers evidently loved and respected him, for in chorus they returned his blessing — “The Lord bless you!” Had it been someone else, he would hardly have noticed a new gleaner. Instead, perhaps he would have begun to complain: “Oh, what a nuisance these gleaners are. If it were not for them, I would have a richer harvest. Can’t they go to someone else’s field?” But not Boaz. He noticed the new gleaner at once and wanted to inquire about her — and not in order to drive her off, but in order to bless her (vv. 5–8).
Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 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.” (Ruth 2:5–7)
Boaz was not yet in love with Ruth, nor did he expect to be. He simply treated everyone kindly. Boaz had the heart of a servant. He was sensitive to the needs of people and wanted to take part in what God was doing in their lives. He had matured into a man ready to be a good husband and to receive from the Lord, as a gift, a good wife.
Once he learned who Ruth was, Boaz felt better still. He had heard her story and was impressed by her love and dedication to Naomi. He knew that God desires to do good to those who love Him and to reward people like Ruth.
Boaz may have said to himself, “If this is God’s doing, then I too want to take part in it.” He not only prayed that God would bless her, but he also acted for her blessing. Further down in the chapter we see that he provided her with:
* a place to work until the end of the harvest (vv. 8–9a):
So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. (Ruth 2:8–9)
* safety (v. 9b):
I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. (Ruth 2:9)
* refreshment (v. 9c):
And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled. (Ruth 2:9)
* a meal (v. 14):
At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. (Ruth 2:14)
* extra provision (vv. 15,16):
As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” (Ruth 2:15–16)
Boaz thought that Ruth ought to have what she had been deprived of, and he did everything in his power to make up for her loss. And he did all of this without any ulterior motive. Notice that at the beginning he addressed her with the words “my daughter” — a form of address that shows a fatherly and protective attitude rather than a romantic one. The deeds of Boaz and his attitude toward the people around him showed that he was already ready to receive the gifts that God had for him.
Ruth, of course, was grateful for these gestures of attention, provision, and protection (vv. 10–13):
At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” (Ruth 2:10–13)
GOD’S REWARD
Ruth and Boaz knew nothing of God’s providence and of the blessing He had in store for them. But He had been preparing them for one another, and at last “the wonderful day” had come. As they talked, Boaz and Ruth were beginning to fall in love with each other. On this day a turning point began in their lives. As they conversed with each other, they began to feel that they were more interested in one another than they had expected, and each of them valued in a special way the attention the other showed. God had shaped their characters for one another, and now He was beginning to join them into one.
It is God who works within us until we become fully ready for His gifts. He prepares us to receive them and helps us to use them by His grace.
Yet how many times do we pass by the place where He wants to give us His gifts? Perhaps we pass by “Boaz’s field” hundreds of times, because we are unwilling to let God direct our lives, unwilling to follow His leading, unwilling to trust Him and to dedicate ourselves fully to Him. Sometimes we are so consumed with self-pity or so busy with self-exaltation that we resist His efforts to mold our character and to make us into what He wants us to be, so that we may rightly use His gifts.
In the actions of Ruth we see that the way to receive God’s gifts is to be ready to pass through the door that He opens for us through His Word; and from the deeds of Boaz we can learn that in order to be blessed ourselves, we must always be ready to bless others selflessly.
Therefore, if you want to have what God wants to give you:
* Enter through the door that He has opened for you through His Word!
* Be sensitive to the needs of people, and cultivate the habit of joining in what the Holy Spirit is doing, or wants to do, in their lives!
Is God’s Word compelling enough to make you shake off the thought of yourself alone? For only bitterness and selfishness can keep you from receiving God’s gifts!