1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 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.” 3 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. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 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.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 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!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Ruth went out to glean in the fields. In Israel, the poor had the right to go in after the harvesters and collect the grain that had fallen to the ground during harvesting. Farmers were not to harvest up to the edges of their fields or go back and pick up the gleanings. God had designated all of that for the poor (Lev 19:9-10). Ruth knew this and instead of waiting on Naomi to provide for her, she took the initiative to go out and gather food. We see Ruth’s trust in God’s providence as she sets out expecting to end up in a field where someone would show her favour. God led her to Boaz’s field where he enquired of her as she worked in his field. He was told that she was the Moabite who had returned with Naomi. He was told that she had asked permission to glean and had worked diligently all day except for a short rest. Boaz invited Ruth to continue her gleaning in his fields, not only that day but for the rest of the harvest season. He encouraged her to continue working close to the women who worked for him and told her that he had charged his men to leave her alone. He also generously offered her access to water that was drawn (from the well) by his workers rather than having to draw her own water. Boaz was a man of faith. He spoke words of faith and lived a life of faith. He was generous beyond the requirements of the law. Ruth knew she was receiving grace beyond what she expected as a foreigner and was grateful. Boaz explained that news about how she had treated Naomi and how she had chosen to leave her family and people to come to Israel had become widely known. Boaz prayed that God would reward Ruth for her faith as she had chosen to place herself under God’s protection. When it came to meal time, Boaz invited her to eat with the reapers. She ate her fill and still had some leftover. By the end of the day, Ruth had gleaned about 22 litres of barley which she took to Naomi. She also gave Naomi the food she had leftover from her meal.
When Naomi asked about where she had worked, Ruth told her about Boaz’s kindness. Naomi explained that Boaz was a relative of theirs (he was from the clan of Elimelech, Naomi’s husband) and as a close relative, was one of their redeemers (a kinsman-redeemer). Boaz would be able to fulfil the levirate law that required a man to marry his brother’s widow to continue the family line. Because Boaz wasn’t a brother to Mahlon (Ruth’s husband) he could act as redeemer if he chose to. Naomi sensed that Boaz might be willing to this and began to see out of her grief that God was working for their benefit. Naomi encouraged Ruth to continue to work in Boaz’s field where she would be well treated.
Boaz was a man who lived out his faith in God. He didn’t do the minimum required by the law but showed generosity far beyond what was required. How would you evaluate your life of faith? Do you find yourself living by a set of rules and trying to do things just right or do you feel like you’re living in freedom and doing things as an outpouring of your love for God and as a result of what He has done for you? God doesn’t want you to live from rules but from relationship.
Also, consider Ruth. She also lived out her faith. She had moved to Israel to live under God’s protection. She recognised that God had made provision for the poor and she worked diligently in gleaning to benefit from what God had provided.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Temptation and the Fall: Genesis 3