Ruth 2
Ruth Chapter 2:3, 15-17
3 Then she left 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 family of Elimelech. 15 And when she rose up to [a]glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not [b]reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
Naomi and Ruth are among the poorest of poor in Bethlehem, and as widows, have no means of support. The Law made it plain owners must not harvest all their crops but leave sufficient for the poor, especially for the widows. In verse three, Ruth “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.” We do not find encounters with heavenly beings or the Spirit of the LORD coming upon anyone in this book. The Jewish people did not believe in “luck” (a 15th-century word). They understood God’s hand guided all things. Under the guidance of the Lord, Ruth chose Boaz’s field for gleaning.
Boaz was a wealthy, highly respected man in his town, and Scripture does not mention a previous wife or children. We can surmise he is an older man by his reference to Ruth in verse eight, as “my daughter,” which was an affectionate way for an older person to address a younger person in that time. Ruth’s outward beauty, modesty, loyalty, and love freely offered to Naomi did not go unnoticed by Boaz. He offered Ruth the opportunity to glean in his field full time and told her to drink from the water jugs of his men. The barley harvest took place in the summer when middle eastern heat was intense. If Ruth had had to get her water, she would have lost valuable time gleaning in the field.
Verses 15-17 of Ruth directly correlate to Romans Chapter 11: 17-24. Boaz instructed his harvesters to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her.” Paul’s dissertation regarding sin in Romans eleven addresses the metaphor of an olive tree with branches removed to allow a place for the grafting of “wild olive shoots.” The agrarian society of that day could easily understand the metaphor Paul used. Most of us reading the SOAP today are “wild olive shoots.” Romans eleven reminds the reader of God’s kindness toward us. In Galatians 5: 22, we are called to live by the fruit (singular) of the Spirit, which includes kindness, as well as love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We find all these traits in the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Tension runs high in our current “state of affairs,” and bearing all the qualities of the encompassing word fruit is difficult. As I type this SOAP, the words of Mary Stewart’s collect written in 1904 came to mind. To some of you, this will sound familiar… “And may we strive to touch and to know the great common human heart of us all, and, Oh Lord God, let us forget not to be kind.”
Prayer: Oh Lord, we see the fruit of Your Spirit demonstrated so vividly by Ruth. We are living in troubling times far different than we have experienced before. We are undergoing agitation, anger, anxiety, and uncertainty. How often have we been a branch
with no fruit when in our frailty we have succumbed to worldly pressure? Holy Spirit we need You; O how we need you-NOW! In the precious name of Jesus these words are offered to You. Amen.