With the official start of Summer, we have come into the Season of labor unrest. This week, crowds as hoards descended on the LCBO as if to stay off an alcoholic apocalypse. Currently, strikes reign from Toronto to Windsor and pundits wonder if we can have any workplace stability. Who will deliver workers on strike against entrenched employers as citizens endure heat and mountain garbage?
In pastoral tranquil, we are comforted in a picture of labor harmony with both gentility and blessing from the opening of Ruth chapter 2. Coming out of death and famine in Chapter 1, in chapter 2, employers bless workers while providing for the poor and needy.
If only people looked to the pages of Scripture for guidance on how to regard employers and workers. Behind the tranquility and blessing is one strong acknowledgement of the providental hand of God.
When a people disregard God’s existence and provision, while foolishly flaunt a mistaken notion of autonomy, God allows them to suffer in their folly. When a people humble themselves before the face of God, acknowledge His authority and their responsibility of being accountable before Him, then they conduct themselves with honor and godly character.
In Ruth 2:1-7 we see “How God Provides” through: 1) A Godly Government. Ruth 2:1-3, 2) A Godly Providence. Ruth 2:4, 3) People of Godly Character. Ruth 2:5-7
God Provides through:
1) A Godly Government. Ruth 2:1-3
Ruth 2:1-3a [2:1]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. (ESV)
God has mandated certain conditions to be in place, in the governing of His people, that people like Ruth would be provided for.
Chapter one has set the scene in terms of tragedy. In 2:1 the narrator introduces a new character. The details are presented in the reverse of logical order. Under normal circumstances we would have learned successively his name, his family, his status, and his significance for the story.
The presentation of Boaz in this story reveals four important details about him. First, he is a “relative” of Naomi’s husband. Three times he is referred to as a gōʾēl, “kinsman redeemer,” to Naomi and Ruth (2:20; 3:9, 12).
The narrator’s point is not that he is an acquaintance of Naomi but a relative of her husband. This small detail raises the interest and hopes of the readers, especially those who are familiar with Israelite family law and custom.
Second, this character is an ʾîš gibbôr ḥayil. described as a worthy man. In its simplest sense the expression means “man of substance, wealth,” hence a man of standing in the community. As described in Prov. 31:10, which employs the feminine equivalent, the name can also mean “noble with respect to character,”.
Third, he was from the clan of Elimelech. This phrase clarifies the first, “a relative of /on her husband’s side.” The word for “clan,” mišpāḥâ, denotes a subdivision of a tribe. The clan was an ethnic unity, a large extended family, Israel’s social structure broke down as follows: people, descendants of one ancestor, Israel (עָם, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל), tribe (מַטֶּה/ שֵׁבֶט), clan (מִשְׁפָּחָה), family, “father’s house” (בֵּית אָב).
Fourth, his name was Boaz. The Septuagint’s transliteration of the name as Booz may suggest a hypocoristic (abbreviated) version of bĕʾōz yhwh, “in the strength of Yahweh [I will rejoice/trust].”
Now that the new character element is described, Ruth 2:2–3 provides a short scene where the roles reverse. For the first time Ruth is portrayed as the primary actor, and Naomi’s role is that of “reactor.” The scene consists of two phases, the first transpiring in the house where Naomi and Ruth are staying and the second on the way to the field. As in previous episodes, the former phase is taken up almost entirely with dialogue. But this time Ruth seizes the initiative. The narrator’s identification of her again as “the Moabitess” reflects the extraordinary nature of her action. She, an alien in a foreign land, is determined to make something of her life.
Ruth approaches her mother-in-law and requests permission to go out and get some food for them by gleaning in the fields. Her speech is a polite request.
• We don’t know why Naomi was not helping? She was perhaps in her fifties at this point in the story and evidenced no obvious crippling disability that made her unable to go out and work. Two certainly would have been safer than one and might have expected to bring home at least a little more food. Perhaps she was still bitter or too overcome with grief. She has apparently consumed all her energies in worrying and has none left to try to do anything that might actually resolve her problems.
• When we stop believing in God’s goodness and give ourselves over to doubt and worry, we easily sink into a despairing inactivity. This can lead to a downward spiral in which our inactivity makes our situation worse and deepens our despair, which in turn makes us feel less inclined than ever to step out into what we believe to be a hostile world. The key to breaking that cycle is grasping hold of God’s covenant commitment to do us good.
• The question this morning, is what difficulty in your life are you clinging to that is presently robbing you of joy and being used by God?
• Ruth was stepping out in faith that somewhere out there was a generous, God-fearing landowner who would make room for the poor. Faith doesn’t simply sit around waiting for provision to drop down from heaven; we are called to do what we can, and as we do, to trust that God will provide for our needs (Ian M. Duguid. Ester & Ruth. Reformed Expository Commentary. P&R Press. 2005. p.157).
To live by faith means to take God at His word and then act upon it, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20, NKJV). Since Ruth believed that God loved her and would provide for her, she set out to find a field in which she could glean. This was completely an act of faith because, being a stranger, she didn’t know who owned the various parcels of ground that made up the fields. There were boundary markers for each parcel, but no fences or family name signs as seen on our farms today. Furthermore, as a woman and an outsider, she was especially vulnerable; and she had to be careful where she went (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 2:1).
Her intended actions are defined by the verb liqqēṭ (piel), “to glean, to gather scraps.” This activity is to be distinguished from ordinary harvesting (qāṣar, cf. qāṣîr in 1:22), inasmuch as gleaning involves picking up ears (šibbŏlîm) of grain that the harvesters have inadvertently dropped or left standing.
The harvest process involves a situation where the reapers cut their way into the harvest with sickles, grasping the ears till their arms are full. Behind them the women gather up the armfuls and bind them into sheaves. Still further in the rear follow the widow and the stranger, who according to the Hebrew law, have a right to glean after the reapers. The overseer is busy urging on the reapers and granting or refusing admission to the gleaners (James Hastings. The Speaker’s Bible. G. & W. Fraser Ltd, Aberdeen. 1924. p. 439).
The Mosaic law displayed particular compassion for the alien, the orphan, and the widow by prescribing that harvesters deliberately leave the grain in the corners of their fields for these economically vulnerable classes and not go back to gather (liqqēṭ) ears of grain they might have dropped (Lev 19:9, 10; 23:22; Deut 24:19). Similarly, in the vineyards and olive groves, whatever fruit had fallen on the ground was to be left for the benefit of the oppressed and the foreigners
• Some generous landowners were known to have left as much as one-fourth of their crop for the needy and aliens (Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:422).
The existence of this law was proof of God’s concern for the poor among His people. The nation was instructed to treat the poor with equity (Ex. 23:3, 6; Lev. 19:15; Prov. 22:22–23) and with generosity (Lev. 19:9–10). God was also concerned for the widows, many of whom were poor, and He told the people to care for them (Ex. 22:22–24; see Isa. 10:1–2) (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 2:1).
Please turn to Deuteronomy 24:19-22
The status of a widow in the ancient Middle East was difficult at best. In times of trouble, the widow’s situation was intolerable. That was why God commanded His people to care for the widow and the orphan (Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1999, S. Ru 2:1)
Deuteronomy 24:19-22 [19]"When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. [20]When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. [21]When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. [22]You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this. (ESV)
Gleaning would be arduous work because of competition among the poor for the ears of grain, which were available for those who chose to take them (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Ru 2:4).
• This is a very interesting commentary on how God expects people to rely on Him. He does not expect them to sit around waiting for handouts, but work for their provision.
The Thessalonians had trouble in considering the return of Christ. They thought to themselves, if Christ is returning, why do anything, why build anything, why work? This of course is not what God expects:
2 Thessalonians 3:10 [10]For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (ESV)
• God demands that avenues be made available to people who may not normally qualify for regular paid employment to be sustained through their own work.
• Work is a glorious thing reflecting the very pattern of God’s actions like in creation. It is not a result of the fall but what God expects of every able bodied person.
• It is a disservice to provide for those who have the ability to work. For those who have means there should be avenues available for people to sustain themselves.
As a Moabite woman who had most probably been brought up in the eastern steppelands of her native country, Ruth would doubtless have worked among animals and crops, as the modern nomadic Bedouin women still do. Although Ruth is childless, there is no reason to think that she is not a typically hard-working, healthy, Trans-Jordanian female (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Ru 2:4).
As a Moabite and a widow Ruth was qualified to glean on two counts. But for these same two reasons she could not count on the goodwill of the locals, hence her concern to glean behind someone who would look upon her with favor.
The expression “find favor in the eyes of” (māṣāʾ ḥēn bĕʿēnayim) is at home in the court, where a subject would acknowledge his/her dependence upon and need for mercy at the hands of the king. The favor of a superior cannot be taken for granted. Whether Ruth is thinking of the harvesters or the owner of the land is not clear. In either case she seems to be aware that the right to glean was frequently denied to the destitute; she was dependent upon the mercy (hēn) of the men in the field.
• Naomi and her family previously disregarded God’s instruction in their abandoning the people of Israel in selfishness, so this had become an all too real illustration that God’s people don’t always properly follow God’s instructions.
Naomi’s affirmative response is described in two short but tender words, “Go ahead, my daughter.”
• Perhaps wrapped up in her own grief and bitterness she offers no words of comfort or encouragement.
Although God provides in ways that we are unaware, those most close to us sometimes fail us.
Illustration: Compassion
There is a story of an instructor from a dog training workshop in Salt Lake City noted that a dog’s disposition can be tested by the owner. If the owner will fall down and pretend to be hurt, a dog with a bad temper will tend to bite him. But a good dog will show concern and may lick the fallen owner’s face.
Susan Matice attended the class and then decided to test her two dogs. While eating pizza in her living room, she stood up, clutched her heart, screamed and fell to the floor. Her two dogs looked at her, looked at each other, then raced to the coffee table for her pizza.
—Associated Press (1-17-91) as found in Rowell, Edward K.: Humor for Preaching and Teaching: From Leadership Journal and Christian Reader. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1996, S. 42
God Provides” through: 1) A Godly Government. Ruth 2:1-3a, and through:
2) A Godly Providence. Ruth 2:3b-4a
Ruth 2:3b-4a [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." (ESV)
The narrator in Verse 3b he adds one of the most significant interpretive comments in the book (lit.): she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, literally “and her chance chanced upon the allotted portion of the field of Boaz” (wayyiqer miqrehā ḥelqat haśśādeh lĕbōʿāz). Nowhere else in the Old Testament is this phrase found. The meaning of qārâ (a variant form of qārāʾ, referrs“to meet, encounter”). Modern idiom would be rendered “by a stroke of luck.”
This is a deliberate phrase that is intended to point to the exact opposite:
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. (ESV)
If the Lord even determines how the dice falls, how can the narrator speak so explicitly of chance? Perhaps he is looking at the event through Ruth’s eyes. As one who has only recently transferred her spiritual allegiance to the God of Israel, like the Philistines in 1 Sam 6:9 she may well have retained pagan perspectives concerning fate and fortune. This is better interpreted, however, as a deliberate rhetorical device on the part of the narrator. By excessively attributing Ruth’s good fortune to chance, he forces the reader to sit up and take notice, to ask questions concerning the significance of everything that is transpiring. The statement is ironical; its purpose is to undermine purely rational explanations for human experiences and to refine the reader’s understanding of providence (J. A. Cuddon, A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, 3d ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991), 457–62.).
In reality he is screaming, “See the hand of God at work here!” The same hand that had sent the famine (1:1) and later provided food (1:6) is the hand that had brought Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem precisely at the beginning of the harvest (1:22) and has now guided Ruth to that portion of the field belonging specifically to Boaz.
Ruth’s “chance” arrival at the field of Boaz is providential on two accounts. First, as the following episode will demonstrate, Boaz was a gracious man in whose eyes Ruth would find favor (v. 10). Second, he was from the same clan as Ruth’s deceased father-in-law Elimelech. In order for the divine agenda to be fulfilled, both elements had to be present. In long-range terms the royal line of David would not be (pre)served if the man at whose field Ruth arrived was gracious but from outside the clan; he could not have functioned as a “kinsman redeemer,” preserving the name and family of the deceased. Conversely, the line would not have been served if Ruth had indeed found the field of her deceased husband’s (and father-in-law’s) kinsman, but he turned out to be a rogue, shooing off aliens, orphans, and widows. In the providence of God, the man she meets is indeed a gracious near kinsman.
God’s providential working in our lives is both a delight and a mystery. God is constantly working with us (Mark 16:20), in us (Phil. 2:12–13), and for us (Rom. 8:28) and accomplishing His gracious purposes. We pray, we seek His will, and we make decisions (and sometimes make mistakes); but it is God who orders events and guides His willing children (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 2:1).
Proverbs 16:9 [9]The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
• Ruth trusted in the Lord, and He directed her steps unwittingly to exactly the right location.
When Ruth set out that morning to glean in the fields, she was looking for someone who would show her grace (v. 2, and see vv. 10 and 13). Grace is favor bestowed on someone who doesn’t deserve it and can’t earn it. As a woman, a poor widow, and an alien, Ruth could have no claims on anyone. She was at the lowest rung of the social ladder (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 2:4).
The opening hinnēh, “Behold,” of v. 4 not only shifts the reader’s attention from Ruth to Boaz, who has arrived at the field where Ruth is, but also expresses wonder at his arrival and its timing. It’s as if, as one writer described it, the nariatior was saying “Wouldn’t you know it!” or “as luck would have it!”( Bush’s rendering (Ruth, 113)
In the providence of God Ruth got there on time for Boaz.
Please turn to Proverbs 3
Let us ever adore our heavenly Father’s wise providence. Let us regard nothing as insignificant. Let us look for and follow the direction of God in the daily affairs of our lives, trusting His will and bowing to it in all things (Donald S. Fortner. Discovering Christ in Ruth. Evangelical Press 1999. p.70).
Proverbs 3:5-6 [5]Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [6]In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Illustration: SECURITY
Consider this story in relying upon God:
The 3-year-old felt secure in his father’s arms as Dad stood in the middle of the pool. But Dad, for fun, began walking slowly toward the deep end, gently chanting, “Deeper and deeper and deeper,” as the water rose higher and higher on the child. The lad’s face registered increasing degrees of panic, and he held all the more tightly to his father, who, of course, easily touched the bottom.
Had the little boy been able to analyze his situation, he’d have realized there was no reason for increased anxiety. The water’s depth in any part of the pool was over his head. Even in the shallowest part, had he not been held up, he’d have drowned. His safety anywhere in that pool depended on Dad.
At various points in our lives, all of us feel we’re getting out of our depth—problems abound, a job is lost, someone dies. Our temptation is to panic, for we feel we’ve lost control. Yet, as with the child in the pool, the truth is we’ve never been in control over the most valuable things of life. We’ve always been held up by the grace of God, our Father, and that does not change. God is never out of his depth, and therefore we’re as safe when we’re “going deeper” as we have ever been (Larson, Craig Brian: 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 2002, S. 492).
God Provides” through: 1) A Godly Government. Ruth 2:1-3a, and through:
2) A Godly Providence. Ruth 2:3b-4a
3) People of Godly Character. Ruth 2:4b--7
Ruth 2:4b-7 [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." (ESV)
Very often in the Bible, a person’s first words tell you something significant. The narrator has included this interchange so that we can immediately tell that Boaz honors the Lord in his work and is respected by his workers (Ian M. Duguid. Ester & Ruth. Reformed Expository Commentary. P&R Press. 2005. p.159)..
The first words we hear at the field are pleasant and cheerful words of greeting. Appropriately, Boaz, the landowner, initiates the conversation, but he does so with two simple but profound words, yhwh ʿimmākem, “May the LORD be with you!”. The idiom functions as both a greeting and a blessing. The exchange of mutual blessings shows the friendly rapport existing between master and servants (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Ru 2:4).
Often pious expressions become part of the language, and lose their original meaning. “Good–bye” originally meant “God be with you.” But we can hardly deduce piety from a person’s use of “good–bye” today! In Boaz’s case we perhaps can. Though the greeting may have been conventional, it is not recorded elsewhere in Scripture nor attested in archeological finds (Richards, Lawrence O.: The Bible Readers Companion. electronic ed. Wheaton : Victor Books, 1991; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996, S. 176).
• The usual greeting was ‘Peace’ (šālôm). Boaz and his farm workers acknowledged their dependence on the Lord for a good harvest (Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Ru 2:4).
From the outset we sense that Boaz has provided a positive work environment for his people. In this regard he serves as a model of true covenant ḥesed for all who supervise others in their work; his speech from beginning to end is characterized by grace. And with a boss like this it is no wonder that Boaz’s workers respond with a blessing of their own: yĕbārekĕkā yhwh, “May the LORD bless you!” Unlike Boaz’s greeting, this blessing follows the traditional pattern (cf. Num 6:24).
Boaz took such care of the work environment for his workers that he quickly noticed a stranger in his field, for in verse 5:
Ruth 2:5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
That his young man was in charge of the reapers/ stationed over the harvesters,” he was obviously “the foreman” or supervisor.
On first sight the question Boaz poses to his attendant seems odd. Instead of an expected “Who is this young woman?” he asks (lit.), “whose young woman is this/To whom does this woman belong?” (lĕmî hanna ʿărâ hazzōʾt). Boaz assumes that Ruth, obviously a stranger, would not be independent; she must belong to someone or be engaged to some landowner like himself, though not necessarily as a slave. But the question could also mean “Whose daughter or wife is she?” or “To which clan or tribe does she belong?” In any case Boaz knows she is out of place among his workers and in his field. For the reader, however, there is more.
The question refocuses the attention on Ruth and indirectly draws attention to the line of Elimelech, which gives her identity in this context. Boaz’s recognition of her as “the young woman” suggests she is considerably younger than he.
In Verse six the servant responds:
Ruth 2: 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.
The servant’s answer to Boaz’s question repeats information the narrator had offered at the beginning of this act (1:22): she is a Moabite woman, the one who “returned/came back” (šûb) from the land of Moab with Naomi. Although the supervisor obviously knows who Naomi is, he provides no hint that he knows Ruth’s name.
In verse 7, the supervisor reports an earlier conversation he had had with Ruth:
Ruth 2:7 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." (ESV)
When Ruth asked him whether she could glean she was making a polite request. Normally a “gleaner” gathered the “gleanings” (leqeṭ), that is, the remnants of harvest, either uncut corners of the field or stalks of grain inadvertently dropped by the harvesters (Lev 19:9; 23:22). To glean” means “to gather in bundles” behind the harvesters the leqeṭ they have missed. The sheaves were bundles of grain stalks tied together for transport to the threshing floor (MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Ru 2:7).
You might ask why Boaz would allow such “free taking”. We are to exemplify God’s character. Those who can share from abundance are to express spiritual concern, exemplifying the character of God which prompts such generosity to others (vv. 11, 12; see Matt. 10:8; Luke 6:38) (Thomas Nelson, Inc: Woman’s Study Bible . Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Ru 2:7).
Luke 6:38 [38]give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (ESV)
But what then is to be made of the next line, “and she has continued from early morning until now literally she came and stood from then the morning and until now” (wattābôʾ wattaʿămôd mēʾāz habbōqer wĕʿad-ʿattâ)? Accordingly in this context the supervisor means to tell Boaz that he did not send Ruth away; nor did she “turn back” to find another field or to return to Naomi. “She came and she has remained here” is his way of indicating that he gave her permission to glean and she accepted his invitation. In fact she has been working from the moment he approved (mēʾāz, “from then” or more loosely “since”), that is, early morning (habbōqer) until now, that is the arrival of Boaz.
• She had three recommendations that had won her respect. She had come with Naomi, she had asked permission to pick up what the reapers left, and she had worked on steadily though gleaning was discouragingly unrewarding (Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Ru 2:4).
(Format note: Some base commentary from Block, Daniel Isaac: Judges, Ruth. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1999 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 6), S. 649)
