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REVIEW
When we last left Naomi and Ruth, they had just returned
to Bethlehem after many years of living in the foreign
land of Moab. These women had lost their husbands (and
Naomi had lost her sons). They had returned to the nation
of Israel in humiliation and disgrace…but they
had returned. They had heard the rumor that Jehovah,
the great God of the Israelites, was providing His people
with food, and so they returned in hopes of getting
some for themselves. It was the beginning of the barley
harvest.
THE
JOY OF PLENTY
Background:
The God of Israel had given very specific laws to the
Israelites regarding religious, legal and social issues.
The intention behind these laws was to help the nation
of Israel to love the Lord their God with all their
heart, strength and mind, and to love their neighbors
as themselves.
In
particular, the God of Israel showed concern for the
poor, for widows, orphans, and foreigners. He was very
concerned that when the Israelites experienced prosperity
and abundance that they share it with those who had
less. God used these laws to take care of Naomi and
Ruth, and we also see that His hand is gently guiding
them to be at the right place at the right time. This
is how it turned out…
Ruth
looks for work:
One of the laws of the harvest for an Israelite farmer
is that they were not supposed to be too careful as
they brought in their produce. In fact, they were supposed
to be a little sloppy about it so that the poor of the
land could pick up their leftovers. (See Deuteronomy
10:12-22; 24:19-22) This is exactly what Ruth sets out
to do (see Ruth 2:2), and “it just so happened”
that she found herself in the field of a man named Boaz,
a godly man of integrity and a leader in the community,
who also happens to be a relative.
“…Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the
reapers ‘May Jehovah be with you!’ ‘May
Jehovah bless you!’ They called back.”(Ruth2:4)
Boaz noticed Ruth gleaning in the fields and asked about
her situation. The foreman in charge of the field explained
Ruth’s background as a foreigner, and then described
her work habits. “…She went into the field
and has worked steadily from morning till now, except
for a short rest in the shelter.” (Ruth 2:6)
Ruth’s
faith in God is rewarded:
As a God-fearing man, Boaz would have known about the
social laws in place that called for the protection
of the poor and the vulnerable and so he shows special
concern for Ruth, as someone who is poor, widowed and
a foreigner. Immediately, he tells her to remain in
his fields with his servant girls (rather than working
anywhere else where she might be taken advantage of),
and he invites her to drink from the water jars that
his men-servants have provided.
Ruth
is not sure how to receive all this kindness and asks
why she should deserve such special favors, especially
since she is a foreigner. Boaz explains to her how impressed
he is about her leaving her homeland and her family
in order to take care of Naomi. (2:11) “May Jehovah
reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord,
the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to
seek refuge.” (2:12) Boaz recognizes that the
God of Israel is the One who provides for them all and
so He is actually the One who is protecting and providing
for Ruth.
The
kindness of Boaz did not stop there. When it was time
for lunch, he invited Ruth over to eat with him, and
he shared his bread and roasted grain with her. “She
ate and was satisfied and had some left.” (2:14)
Ruth finished the day of work in his fields and gathered
about 3/5 of a bushel or about 5 gallons. That’s
quite a lot! The best part of the day was that when
Ruth went home to Naomi, she still had enough food left
over from lunch that she could share with her and so
they were both satisfied.
Boaz
is a picture of Christ:
In chapter 1 we saw that Ruth and Naomi had come to
the place of complete abandonment. They didn’t
have anything to return to in Bethlehem, but had some
hope that the God of Israel would take care of them
if they returned to Israel. Then, the first day that
Ruth goes out to put her faith into action, God rewards
her by leading her to the field of a kind-hearted, God-fearing
man named Boaz, who not only is living out the letter
of the law, but also the Sprit of the Law. Here was
a man who recognized the needs that Ruth (and Naomi)
had and did whatever he could to respectfully meet those
needs.
Ruth is safe, she is employed, her hunger is satisfied
and she has enough to share with Naomi so that her hunger
could also be satisfied. It was a very good day!!
This
story and the actions of Boaz, are similar to that of
another situation in the New Testament, where the Lord
Jesus finds Himself surrounded by5000 hungry and dissatisfied
people. In that situation, Jesus told the disciples
to have the crowds sit down and using the lunch of a
small boy, “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed to those who were seated as much as
they wanted.” (John 6:11)
Boaz
reveals God’s heart of compassion that was outlined
in the Old Testament Law. Jesus reveals not only God’s
heart of compassion, but also His miraculous ability
to provide for all of our needs – both physically
and spiritually. Later in John 6 Jesus is quoted as
saying, “I am the bread of life. He who comes
to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me
will never be thirsty.”(John 6:35)
Joyful
satisfaction in Christ:
We were created to live in fellowship with our heavenly
Father, but because of sin in our lives we often do
not enjoy that fellowship with Him. We are often hungry
and dissatisfied, spiritually and emotionally, because
we often try to satisfy ourselves with our own meager
means in this world. But thanks be to God, who has seen
our weaknesses and has stooped to raise us from the
ash heap (Psalm 113)! Christ, like Boaz, has taken notice
of us and satisfies us in our relationship with Him.
We are safe and secure because He is kind and generous
to us. Not only does He satisfy our needs, He makes
sure we are abundantly supplied so that out of the overflow
of our hearts we can share with those in need around
us.
Would
you say you are satisfied in life, full to overflowing
with the fruit of the Spirit, (Galatians 5:23) if not,
why not? Why don’t you come to Christ right now
in prayer and thank Him for His loving care in your
life, for the gift of His Spirit, and His ability to
satisfy your spiritual/emotional needs and the needs
of those around you. (Our material needs are nothing
in comparison to them.) I believe He would love nothing
more than to share His life and love with you increasingly!
Written
by Christine Wichert
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