1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side,
from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.
People often wonder how Boaz was so comfortable with
Ruth. His mother was the former harlot
Rahab who was rescued from Jericho when Israel took it. God is a God of redemption. It is obvious from his upbringing that he was
raised with a powerful love for God. His
was a situation where many may have whispered behind his family’s back but no
one would to his face. It is apparent
that he was an elder in the community as well as extremely wealthy. He was also the eleventh generation from
Abraham. The closer kinsman would have
been the tenth. The Hebrew shows this in
the numerology of the Hebrew words.
King David had to at least be the tenth generation from Pharez,
Tamar’s illegitimate son through Judah (Genesis 28:39), and could not be
received into the congregation of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:2). Since the closer relative Tov would have been
the sixth from Pharez, when David the king was born he would only have been the
ninth generation and unable to be crowned King of Israel. David had always been God’s choice for king
and as Samuel the prophet showed in the book of Ruth, only Boaz, the seventh
from Pharez could be the kinsman redeemer if David would be king.
It’s wonderful that we have the view of hindsight to
understand this but at the time, neither Naomi nor Boaz nor Ruth knew who MUST
be the father. Naomi wanted a husband
for Ruth so she might find rest and for seed to be raised up in the name of her
son. Ruth wanted to bear children and
Boaz was a lonely widower who needed a wife.
They pressed forward in faith as God would see fit as it says in
Proverbs 3:5-6. God ordered their steps. In the next several verses Naomi had an
inkling what was possible, Ruth did not want her mother-in-law to starve and
Boaz was a godly man who saw a godly woman in need of godly assistance.
Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to
those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose. Can anyone say these three were not called
according to His purpose? Boaz had
wealth and a heart to serve God. He also
needed a wife. Naomi knew the rules of
her society and needed a kinsman redeemer in all that it meant. Ruth just wanted to support her beloved
mother-in-law and to serve the God of Israel.
She didn’t know what was possible and knew Moabites were not accepted in
Israel. She needed grace AND mercy.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess 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.”
Have you ever truly been hungry? I don’t mean the hunger that comes from being
too lazy to travel to the store and buy something. I mean the hunger that comes from having no
money, no job, no food and no prospects for obtaining it unless you practically
beg. Ruth and Naomi were hungry. Naomi had taught her the rules for gleaning
in the fields (Leviticus 19:9-10). It
was a real miracle that they had arrived at the beginning of the barley
harvest. A week or so later there would
have been nothing to glean. Naomi was
too old for the back breaking labor and without Ruth’s help might well have starved. Ruth’s heart was merely to save her
mother-in-law’s life as well as her own.
3 So she went out and began to glean in the fields
behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field
belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Once again Proverbs 3:5-6 moved on her behalf. The Rabbi’s have a saying that coincidence is
not a Kosher word. In other words, God
holds all the dice. Have you ever
gambled? There is no such thing as
luck. God holds the dice in His hands
and even if He allows you to think that you have rolled them, it is actually He
that determines what number comes up (Proverbs 16:33).
I can well imagine an angel walking alongside Ruth as she
passed field after field blocking her vision.
As she approached Boaz’s field he stepped aside to allow her to see that
field while God caused the clouds to part and streamers of sunshine lit the grain. She knew her clothing was not as the other
women’s and her accent was different.
Being molested was a very real concern but they had to eat and there was
something comforting about this field.
She began to collect the scraps left behind by the reapers.
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and
greeted the harvesters, “The LORD be with you!” “The LORD bless you!” they
called back. 5 Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young
woman is that?” 6 The foreman replied, “She is the Moabitess who came
back from Moab with Naomi.
I can picture Boaz as a big, happy man who loved God and
life. His greeting might have been the
standard, “Shalom (peace) of many Israelis.
Instead he shouted across the field, “The LORD be with you!!!” They shouted back, “The Lord bless you!” It would appear his workers were happy people
who knew the joy of the Lord. This was
not always the case. Scripture tells us
that some rulers and leaders were harsh.
Some of Jesus’ parables make this apparent. Not only did he recognize all his people but
he knew Ruth was a stranger.
As an aside, notice the foreman was not named. He is a type of the Holy Spirit. Boaz is a kinsman redeemer and a type of
Christ. Ruth is a type of the world who
is introduced to God through Israel and Naomi is a type of Israel, scattered
and then returned to the land.
The comment, “Whose young woman is that,” was a reminder
that women did not generally travel alone.
The response is that she is the Moabitess who returned from Moab with
Naomi. It had to have been a serious
blow for the clan to discover their brother Elimelech had run off to Moab to
escape helping the poor. To discover
that his widow had returned alone with nothing but this cursed Moabitess must
have filled the gossips with glee but Boaz was a different sort. He was likely saddened to see them go but
glad to see at least Naomi return.
7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among
the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She went into the field and has worked
steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
No doubt Boaz had heard much from the men and women in town
prior to arriving. This was probably
only the second day of the barley harvest and he might have been surprised by
her industrious spirit. According to his
foreman she had arrived early, worked hard and only had a short
rest in the booth they had set up.
People who have prejudices or attitudes toward a specific people are
often extremely surprised to discover they have positive attributes.
8 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 my servant girls. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting,
and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And
whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have
filled.”
As an older widower himself Boaz considered the young woman
(probably late 20’s or early 30’s) to be somewhat of a daughter in the clan
(extended family). Since she was in HIS
clan he made sure she knew what was safe and what was not. Let’s consider his admonitions. 1.
Work in my field and no other.
2. Stay by my servant girls so
you have mutual protection. 3. Watch where the men are working and follow
along after the girls.
He informed the men not to touch her and told her to be
careful not to get overheated, drinking water when needed. She was not required to bring her own shelter
or drink; he provided for her as a clan leader should. The young men would be cutting the stalks of
barley and bundling them for the girls to carry to the place of winnowing. Whatever did not get bundled or carried off
was free for Ruth to pick up. In this
manner he made sure that she would receive whatever was missed.
Scripture says, “Muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the
corn.” This means that the girls would
bring the barley to a place where oxen were used to walk on the grain and break
it off of the stalks. They would take
shovels and throw the grain into the air.
The light stalks would blow away in the wind and the heavier grains
would fall into a pile. When they
finished there would be two piles, the farther one would be burned and the
nearer one stored in baskets.
The oxen were allowed to eat a portion of the grain as they
treaded it out. How much more should the
poor be allowed to obtain some after the reapers in the field. If our finances are so tightly controlled that
there is no room to help the poor, then how can we say that we have the love of
God. He has concern even for the
oxen. How much more for human beings
created in His image. We should never
allow our compassion for others to be snuffed out.
One of the complaints of the Jews is that they are more
likely to help their own poor than the poor of another people. An anti-Semitic might say, “You Jews only
help your own people!” A Jew might says,
“We Jews HELP our own people.” When just
over half a million Jews began the nation Israel in the late 40’s and early
50’s they took in half a million Jewish refugees from around the world, found
them shelter and helped them find or make new jobs. Even today, the Jews offer interest free
loans to their more poverty stricken brethren and help them become productive
members of society.
When the Palestinians in their midst were struggling with
hunger and starvation and everyone pointed at the Jews for failing to help
them, every Arab nation around them had discovered oil and became rich. Those Arab nations could easily have lifted
their brethren the Palestinians out of poverty and did NOT. It was too good an opportunity to hate the
Jews by keeping Palestinians poor. The
Jews even offered the Palestinians land if they were willing to accept that
Israel had a right to exist. They
REFUSED. The hatred of Jews is both
irrational and self-destructive to all people.
God has promised to curse those who curse them and bless those who bless
them (Genesis 12:3).
10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the
ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you
notice me--a foreigner?” 11 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.
I’m sure Ruth had seen many angry looks or heard rude
comments about her former nation. Not
everyone was as noble as Boaz. Consider
Nabal who mocked David’s men and nearly got himself killed (1 Samuel 25). Ultimately God DID kill him for being stingy
and rude to those who were gracious to his men.
This man Boaz was in an entirely different level than she was. He was a prince in Israel and she was most
definitely a pauper. These days everyone
acts like they have rights. Ruth fell on
her face before this man and honored him.
It is likely that she was an attractive woman though
scripture does not say so. It is also
true that when he saw her she was tired, disheveled, dusty and probably did not
smell the best. She had been working out
in the hot fields for hours. When he
came to her and spoke she fell on her face before him and asked what she had
done to deserve his notice. She was not
just a foreigner but a cursed foreigner at that. Scripture says that God resists the proud and
exalts the humble (Proverbs 3:34).
Boaz informed her that he knew her heart, that she had
served her mother-in-law well and had been a faithful loving bride to her husband. She was willing to leave her homeland with no
real hope of marriage or family. Her
move to Israel was completely by faith; faith in her mother-in-law and faith in
God.
12 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.”
Not only did Boaz take notice of her and speak kindly to
her, but then he blessed her. Blessings
are real. Have you ever taken the time
to bless someone who has helped you. Boaz
had favor with God. His words to God,
“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,” were not just words. People who have favor with God know their
prayers will move mountains, change lives and bring hope. We should all take time to bless those who
have blessed others.
13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my
lord,” she said. “You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your
servant--though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls.”
As I said before, God resists the proud and gives grace to
the humble. Matthew 5:5 and Psalm 37:11
say that the meek shall inherit the earth.
An inheritance is a blessing you receive even though you have not earned
it. It is God’s desire to bless His
children with the fruits of the labor of the unsaved. Ruth did not speak with pride, but with humility. She sought his continued favor and let him
know how much she appreciated his gracious prayers. She acknowledged that by the standards of
Israel she was not even as worthy as one of his servant girls.
Attitude is everything but sadly, many have a bad one.
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.
I’m sure she expected to return home late that night
exhausted, hungry and ready to sleep.
Instead Boaz ordered her to come and eat with the rest of the
workers. He even handed her the roasted
grain to help her overcome any shyness.
She was able to eat until full and still had more left. Boaz made sure she was refreshed and
encouraged in the Lord. He took
responsibility for her care.
15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his
men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. 16
Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to
pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
By this time Boaz is so impressed by her humility and
willingness to work hard that he goes beyond what the law requires and orders
his workers to make things easier for her.
The Torah required that any grain that fell from their hands must be
left for the poor. He ordered them to
deliberately drop some out of the bundles and make it easier for her. They were told not to embarrass her or to
rebuke her.
17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening.
Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an
ephah.
She probably worked from six in the morning until six in the
evening. Normally a poor person would be
able to glean a few twigs of barley here and there. She might be able to glean enough for a day’s
meal, a loaf of bread. After following
the reapers all day long and then beating out the grain she was able to gather 22
liters or 23 quarts. That would be
enough grain to last she and Naomi for several days.
Revelation 6:6 says, “And
I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures
saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a
denarius....” It took about a quart of
grain to make one loaf of bread, either wheat or barley. According to Revelation a man might work all
day long for one loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley bread during a
famine. Because of Boaz’s help Ruth was
able to glean enough for 23 loaves of barley bread…in a single day.
18 She carried it back to town, and her
mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her
what she had left over after she had eaten enough. 19 Her mother-in-law
asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man
who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at
whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is
Boaz,” she said.
By now Naomi’s hunger was probably overwhelming and yet she
was stunned to see how much grain her daughter-in-law had brought home. Instead of dragging into the house ready to
drop in exhaustion with a few handfuls of grain, Ruth appeared to be well fed
and cared for with an entire bushel.
Just looking at the raw grain was a miracle enough but then Ruth gave
her the roasted grain to eat. That let
Naomi know that someone had watched over her and fed her. When she discovered that the landowner was
Boaz there must have been a powerful thrill of hope and thankfulness toward
God; the first she truly experienced since the last of her sons died.
20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her
daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the
dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our
kinsman-redeemers.”
For all the pleasure of living a life and having an
individual future, the people of Naomi’s day were focused upon the destiny of
the family. Mahlon and Kilion
would have been even more focused on their offspring than their own lives. They were married for ten years to Ruth and
Orpah. Had it been only one woman they
would have blamed it on her dead womb.
That was the way of things back then.
There were no fertility doctors who could discover that the men’s own
bodies were at fault. It is apparent
from the text however that both men were too sickly to impregnate their wives.
The focus of life in Israel or any other nation was to raise
up future generations; to build the
nation. God made arrangements for a
kinsman to buy back any property sold to pay a debt or to raise up seed in the
name of a deceased husband. Usually a
brother would marry the woman and her next child would continue the name of the
dead man. There were three criteria he
had to fulfill. 1. He had to be a near
kinsman (Leviticus 25:25, 25:48). 2. He
had to be able to redeem. If he was too
old or injured to perform or poor and unable to redeem the land then he was off
the hook. 3. He had to be WILLING to
perform.
In the case of Tov, the nearer kinsman, we will see that he
was willing to buy back the land from the creditors but not to take Ruth as his
wife. When Judah told his son Onan to go
into his daughter-in-law to raise up seed for his dead brother, he had sex with
her but when he realized that the child would not be his but his brother’s he
spilled his semen on the ground rather than get her pregnant. For this lack of grace and mercy toward his
brother and for failing to respect and honor his brother’s wife, God killed
him. He had the right to say no. He did not have the right to say yes and then
cheat her out of her child. Boaz was a
near kinsman so he passed point one.
We’ll see if he passes the other points.
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He even said to
me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’ “ 22
Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter,
to go with his girls, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
As stated earlier, life in Israel was less dangerous to
women than in many countries but not always safe; especially for unaccompanied
women. Jacob’s daughter Dinah wandered
off into a town where she should not have gone alone and was raped by the
prince (Genesis 34). This would have been a lesson for all the children of
Israel and probably a story retold generation after generation to promote safe
behavior for young women.
23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of
Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived
with her mother-in-law.
Ruth was humble and worked hard to make sure she and Naomi
had sufficient food for as long as possible.
During this time it is certain that Naomi continued Ruth’s education in
the Torah and ways of Jewish life. While
I have yet to read a book about the trials of the Jews throughout history that
actually mentions the work of Satan as part of the hatred they endure as a
people; they are the people of God.
Because of this they are blessed by God as long as they obey His Torah
but cursed by man as long as they obey His Torah. Without the Law to protect and encourage them
the Jews may well be of all people most miserable. It is God’s Law, their choseness and God’s promise
that gives them hope.
Naomi made sure that this amazing young woman who lived with
her would have every necessary tool to find faith in the eyes of God. We should study to show ourselves approved of
God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The United States of America was founded upon
the Word of God. We began as a
Judeo/Christian nation and until recently have always honored the Jewish people
and their gift of faith to us through Jesus.
We taught our schools reading the Bible and saying prayers each
morning. Our nation became strong. The two most hated nations in the world are
the United States of America and Israel.
I mention this because without faith in God, you are the enemy of
God. When you have faith in God you are
hated by all who do not believe in Him.
Without faith the book of Ruth would never have been
written, never have been lived and never have turned out the way it does. Without Naomi’s teaching of the law Ruth
would have never had the opportunity she did.
God always honors His law.
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